Your Happily Ever After

Text of Full Talk: Your Happily Ever After by Dieter F. Uchtdorf

As you may know, I am currently writing a young adult fantasy novel. Recently, in my search for songs to inspire my writing, I came across the song "Happily Ever After" by Jenny Phillips, which was inspired by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk "Your Happily Ever After," given at the 2010 General Young Women Meeting.

(Due to a kink in the Youtube site, while I could post the shortened video of the talk above, I wasn't able to actually embed the shortened video of the song. I urge you to visit it at the link provided below.)

"Don't give up what you want most for what you want now."

I don't recall the first time I heard this adage, but I've been thinking about it especially of late. I've always loved fairy tales and stories with fairytale elements and endings--and what's wrong with that? Why shouldn't the guy get the girl, and why shouldn't they live happily ever after? Maybe this is just a part of me that will never grow up, but I just don't like bittersweet or unhappy endings.

No one gets to choose the circumstances of their birth or their childhood. But while we may not be able to control our "once upon a time," each of us has full control over our "happily ever after." We are each the master of our own destiny. I truly believe that every one of us can have our own happily ever after, and that each of us is responsible for making that fairytale ending a reality for ourselves. There is no one else to blame or give the credit to for our decisions. And while we cannot choose our consequences, if we make wise choices in the first place, we will naturally end up with the best possible outcome.

"Everything will work out in the end. If it hasn't worked out yet, then it's not the end."

If we are faithful to our Father in Heaven and to the promises we make to him, there is no power that can keep us from a happy eternal ending. While there will be hardships and heartbreaks in this life, I know that in the next life, we will be blessed for our diligence here on earth. The key is to never give up, and to set our sights on our dreams and to never relinquish them or compromise ourselves.

One of my favorite lines from the song is "be true to the royal that's inside of you." I personally know that the words to this song are more than just a metaphor. We are truly each a beloved son or daughter of heavenly parents, a prince or a princess, a king- or queen-in-training. But if we are to inherit our eternal destiny, we must first lay the groundwork for it. We must keep God's commandments. We must remain true and faithful to the very end. We must see each and every day as an opportunity for continued growth, a new beginning. I know that each one of us has the potential to become like our Father in Heaven, if we but stand strong in our testimonies.

I would like to close this message by posting the full words to the song, as well as a link to the shortened video that accompanies it.

Happily Ever After on Youtube by jennyphillipsmusic

Happily Ever After

(Jenny Phillips/Tyler Castleton/Cherie Call)

Once upon a time

A child was born into this life

Heaven could be seen in her eyes

There was no doubt she was divine

And if you are still you will feel the truth

That the princess in this wondrous story is you

It’s your time

It’s your destiny to shine

So arise

Be true to the royal

That’s inside of you

Don’t settle for the story that

The world would have you write

You were born to reach eternal life

Let faith fill every chapter

Let the Savior lead you to

Happily ever after

Sometimes in your life

The world will cast a spell

And try to make your conscience fall asleep

And forget the woman God would have you be

But if you are still you will understand

The noble role you play in his plan

It’s your time

It’s your destiny to shine

So arise

Be true to the royal

That’s inside of you

Don’t settle for the story that

The world would have you write

You were born to reach eternal life

Let faith fill every chapter

Let the Savior lead you to

Happily ever after

When the forests fills with darkness

And wolves seek your soul

Just know

You are simply in the place between

Your once upon a time and your triumph in the end

It’s your time

It’s your destiny to shine

So arise

Be true to the royal

That’s inside of you

Don’t settle for the story that

The world would have you write

You were born to reach eternal life

Let faith fill every chapter

Let the Savior lead you to

Happily ever after

How to Make a Great Salad with Candied Pecans

I had been hankering for a wonderful, mouth-watering salad for ages. I finally collected all the ingredients at the same time, and found the perfect salad dressing recipe to go with it. Sadly, this was last September, and I'm only just thinking to blog about it. Sigh.

I collected a bunch of fresh baby spinach, some dried cranberries (fresh and chewy), and then I cubed some feta cheese. To heck with the low-fat kind, I figured; I was looking for some serious flavor here.

Next came the really time-consuming part. I'd heard about how to make basic candied pecans, and though it sounded labor-intensive, I was finally up for it.

First, you make a simple syrup (I believe I used 2:1 parts sugar to water) and cook it on the stove at a low heat until it is smooth. 

Next, put a baking sheet lined with wax paper underneath a cookie cooling rack. Throw all the pecans into the simple syrup, and then set them out in a single layer on the cooling rack. This can get really messy--hence the lined baking sheet underneath. 

Then comes the "fun" part--wait until the syrup has dried on the pecans and is no longer dripping. The pecans should be very sticky but not actually wet at this point. I'm not really sure how long it takes for the pecans to dry, but plan on checking on them after a couple of hours.

After they've completely dried, re-dip them in the simple syrup and repeat laying them out and letting them dry. Finally, pour them all back into the simple syrup and let them completely dry for a third time. A word of caution: at this point, you may be tempted to skip either the second or third times of dipping the nuts and letting them dry, but resist the impulse! The nuts will be so much richer in flavor if they have all three coatings on them.

Okay, so after the pecans have finished drying for the third time, preheat your oven to no more than 350 degrees, lay out a cookie sheet with foil on it, and place the pecans in a single layer on the sheet. Put them in the oven and don't go anywhere! 

As soon as the nuts become aromatic (or, if you've got a cold, after someone else says they can smell them), remove them from the oven. This will take anywhere between 5 and 10-ish minutes, maybe a bit longer.

Allow the nuts to cool completely, and store in an airtight container if you're not using them immediately (but they don't store indefinitely, so use them up!).

Next, mix up the recipe for this killer lemon vinaigrette (courtesy of Cooks.com):

Lemon Vinaigrette

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. Dijon-style mustard
• 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 1/4 tsp. freshly grated lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Pinch freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp. sugar

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, vinegar and mustard. Whisk in oil. Add lemon zest, salt, pepper, and sugar. (Or, just throw everything into a cruet and shake it up!) Makes 3/4 cup.

So now you've got fresh baby spinach, chunks of feta cheese, candied pecan halves, dried cranberries, and a luscious lemon vinaigrette to go over it. Toss the ingredients together and pour your homemade vinaigrette over the top. Enjoy!