I'm still alive! Promise!!
Life for me is
crazy. Busy, but good. The semester is winding down. Lots of papers
due...eesh. But I'm surviving! I have never appreciated a holiday break
as much as I did this Thanksgiving break. I so needed it! I stayed here
and made Thanksgiving dinner for some friends. It was fun. :) My calling
(activities co-chair) is keeping me pretty busy. We are having a huge
multi-stake Christmas party in a few weeks and it's been busy planning
it, but I'm doing decorations with good friend, Stephanie, so it's been
fun too. :) Nothing else to report. That is pretty much what my life
consists of right now: School, Christmas party, eat, sleep (some), and some play...Repeat. Looking forward to Christmas break! :) I am hoping to go home,
but it's so expensive...Hopefully I'll make a final decision in the next
few days.
Hope all is well!
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Monday, September 10, 2012
Busy but good...
Things here are really good, just super busy. School is kind of insane right now and it's just beginning. So, I am a little nervous about the rest of the semester, but we'll plunge on ahead. I'm really loving the fact that I have the same people in my classes! I'm starting to make some friends and it's nice that the classroom isn't 150 people large so that I can't remember anyone's faces, let alone names.
I started my Graduate Assistantship in the Financial Aid office today. I only work about 2 and a half hours a day. It goes by REALLY fast! Crazy! I think it's going to be perfect for me this semester because I will learn new things, have an opportunity to work face-to-face with students (eventually), but not be overly stressed with learning everything about financial aid. :)
Church is rad. I got a calling the first day I was here (mind you, my records weren't even here yet!). I am the Activities Co-chair. Apparently they need hard-working folks. I'm happy to oblige, though. It's a great ward. They are so welcoming and I think I have nearly everyone's names down (all 60 of them...). :) I also decided that I want to work in the temple again. I'm looking forward to it. At least I already know the scripts and don't need to learn a lot of new information there.
The housing situation is not really what I expected. Since the house I was supposed to move into wasn't ready, I moved into the apartment above the landlord. It's really cute and charming like the other house, but I'm by myself, which I didn't think would be a good idea because I'm a people person. However, I find that I'm really loving it. It gives me the downtime I need from being around people, and it is nice to have a study area and don't have to worry about others interrupting me. The landlord and his family are nice. He has a 3 year old boy who is cute. Reminds me of my cute kids in Utah that I miss terribly (Madeleine and Benjamin...*sniff*).
I live really close to campus too! Only a 7 minute walk! And that's with my retarded foot! (Yes, my foot still hurts, a lot....I'm hoping the doctor is right and that 6 weeks it will be better. If not, I may begin using words I hear people around here say....not pretty...). Right now the weather is beautiful, so the 7 minutes are quite nice. I'm sure in a few more weeks/months the 7 minutes will feel like 30 and I will be hating every minute of it, but hopefully it'll pass quickly. It'll still be better than driving 5 minutes, looking for a parking spot for 10 minutes, and having to walk 7 minutes across campus anyway. :)
I started my Graduate Assistantship in the Financial Aid office today. I only work about 2 and a half hours a day. It goes by REALLY fast! Crazy! I think it's going to be perfect for me this semester because I will learn new things, have an opportunity to work face-to-face with students (eventually), but not be overly stressed with learning everything about financial aid. :)
Church is rad. I got a calling the first day I was here (mind you, my records weren't even here yet!). I am the Activities Co-chair. Apparently they need hard-working folks. I'm happy to oblige, though. It's a great ward. They are so welcoming and I think I have nearly everyone's names down (all 60 of them...). :) I also decided that I want to work in the temple again. I'm looking forward to it. At least I already know the scripts and don't need to learn a lot of new information there.
The housing situation is not really what I expected. Since the house I was supposed to move into wasn't ready, I moved into the apartment above the landlord. It's really cute and charming like the other house, but I'm by myself, which I didn't think would be a good idea because I'm a people person. However, I find that I'm really loving it. It gives me the downtime I need from being around people, and it is nice to have a study area and don't have to worry about others interrupting me. The landlord and his family are nice. He has a 3 year old boy who is cute. Reminds me of my cute kids in Utah that I miss terribly (Madeleine and Benjamin...*sniff*).
I live really close to campus too! Only a 7 minute walk! And that's with my retarded foot! (Yes, my foot still hurts, a lot....I'm hoping the doctor is right and that 6 weeks it will be better. If not, I may begin using words I hear people around here say....not pretty...). Right now the weather is beautiful, so the 7 minutes are quite nice. I'm sure in a few more weeks/months the 7 minutes will feel like 30 and I will be hating every minute of it, but hopefully it'll pass quickly. It'll still be better than driving 5 minutes, looking for a parking spot for 10 minutes, and having to walk 7 minutes across campus anyway. :)
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Grad School: The Journey (literally)
The drive was really long. My foot was not so helpful. I was only able to drive 3 hours the first day and then my foot was killing me the rest of the day. It was really hard for mom as she kept getting sleepy and I couldn’t help her really. I was tired myself as my foot was hurting to bad that I just wanted to sleep it off. It was a rough trip. We stayed with my aunt in Littleton, Colorado. I got a blessing that night from my cousins because I really needed to help mom drive. It was an incredible blessing. I was promised that I would be able to not feel the pain as I pray and listen to my body to know when I can go and when I need to stop. It was amazing.
Hooray for the Priesthood! Yesterday was a really good day. I drove half the day (which was good because it was the longest trek, 11 hours, yuck!). It didn't really hurt! We stayed in Des Moines with friend and BYU co-worker, Pat Ware’s Auntie. It was lovely. She felt like family and apparently she felt the same about us. We had a lovely visit to wind-down from the day. I was able to drive a bit today, but not much, which was okay because mom was able to stay awake more. We had the extra adrenaline rush to get me here by 4:30 so I could get to my orientation. We got here at 4:40. Pretty good considering there was construction some of the way and we came from Iowa! It's doing a number on me tonight, though. I'm tired. It's tired. I hope I can keep going this week...and next...*sigh*
After my orientation, we went to get into the apartment (which wasn’t ready a week ago and the landlord said I could stay in the apartment above their house). Well, I called him today and told him we were here and he said that they were expecting me tomorrow (apparently that’s what my email said, which could very well be true…). He said they’d have it ready for us by about 11 tonight and asked that we find something to do for 4 hours. Ugh. So, tired and hungry, we went to eat and decide what to do. I took mom to Applebees and used my gift cards I got for Christmas, which was nice. We decided that we really needed a good rest tonight. So, we decided to just rent a motel for the night.
Apparently I’m not the only student who’s housing is not quite available yet. All hotels and motels are booked. There was one room left in the motel we went to, and it was the “suite” with the Jacuzzi and king-size bed. Sounds great doesn’t? NOT! I got in the Jacuzzi and after a while noticed little flakes in the water. Gross. I don’t know if it was hard water or someone else’s body flakes (bleh!), but I got out and took a shower. So much for relaxing there. Half the lights aren’t working, one of the wall fixtures isn’t working, the room smells musty and we can’t figure out if it’s stale smoke or stale/humid air, the bed isn’t super comfortable….so much for getting a good night’s sleep. Although, I do have to admit that it has been nice to relax for a few hours and unwind. Apparently we needed it from such a long trip.
Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. I need to go to campus and get my books, my ID card, parking pass, etc. Then tomorrow afternoon the moving pod will be delivered and some boys from the Church will be here to help us unload it. *sigh* I pray we’ll be able to get it all done.
Hooray for the Priesthood! Yesterday was a really good day. I drove half the day (which was good because it was the longest trek, 11 hours, yuck!). It didn't really hurt! We stayed in Des Moines with friend and BYU co-worker, Pat Ware’s Auntie. It was lovely. She felt like family and apparently she felt the same about us. We had a lovely visit to wind-down from the day. I was able to drive a bit today, but not much, which was okay because mom was able to stay awake more. We had the extra adrenaline rush to get me here by 4:30 so I could get to my orientation. We got here at 4:40. Pretty good considering there was construction some of the way and we came from Iowa! It's doing a number on me tonight, though. I'm tired. It's tired. I hope I can keep going this week...and next...*sigh*
After my orientation, we went to get into the apartment (which wasn’t ready a week ago and the landlord said I could stay in the apartment above their house). Well, I called him today and told him we were here and he said that they were expecting me tomorrow (apparently that’s what my email said, which could very well be true…). He said they’d have it ready for us by about 11 tonight and asked that we find something to do for 4 hours. Ugh. So, tired and hungry, we went to eat and decide what to do. I took mom to Applebees and used my gift cards I got for Christmas, which was nice. We decided that we really needed a good rest tonight. So, we decided to just rent a motel for the night.
Apparently I’m not the only student who’s housing is not quite available yet. All hotels and motels are booked. There was one room left in the motel we went to, and it was the “suite” with the Jacuzzi and king-size bed. Sounds great doesn’t? NOT! I got in the Jacuzzi and after a while noticed little flakes in the water. Gross. I don’t know if it was hard water or someone else’s body flakes (bleh!), but I got out and took a shower. So much for relaxing there. Half the lights aren’t working, one of the wall fixtures isn’t working, the room smells musty and we can’t figure out if it’s stale smoke or stale/humid air, the bed isn’t super comfortable….so much for getting a good night’s sleep. Although, I do have to admit that it has been nice to relax for a few hours and unwind. Apparently we needed it from such a long trip.
Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. I need to go to campus and get my books, my ID card, parking pass, etc. Then tomorrow afternoon the moving pod will be delivered and some boys from the Church will be here to help us unload it. *sigh* I pray we’ll be able to get it all done.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Take my yoke upon you...
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn
of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your
souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and
my burden is light.
This scripture has so many deeper messages. Let’s break it
down:
1)
Come unto
me. Requires action. Requires us to be humble and to live our lives in
accordance with His will and teachings so that we are worthy of His Spirit.
2)
All ye
that labour. The first line sets it up for all people who are working/laboring in the Lord’s Kingdom or simply life, to the best of our ability, doing what
we can to keep His commandments and do His will.
3)
And are
heavy laden. This is the same group of people as group 2, but more
specifically those people who are having a hard time dealing with the stresses
of laboring. Those who are tired of working, which happens to all of us because
we are human. We just need to take a step back and remember the Lord so that…
4)
[He] will
give you rest. This also requires a little action on our part. He will give
us rest, but we have to allow it and accept it. It goes back to #1, we have to come unto Him.
Not just pray and seek Him, but give Him our labours and burdens. Offer them up
to Him. Allow the enabling and strengthening power of the atonement to work in us.
5)
Take my
yoke upon you. A yoke is equally set so that two
oxen have an equal share of the load. Carrying the Lord’s burden implies that we will give Him our load.
Basically we will switch places, if you will. We will carry His and He will
carry ours.
6)
And learn
of me. As we learn of the Lord, we will learn how to be like Him. We will
gain a greater relationship with Him. It will be easier for us to give Him our
burdens/yoke. We will also learn how He served and how we must serve (see #9).
7)
For I am
meek and lowly in heart. As we learn of Him, we will learn how to be meek
and lowly in heart. These are gifts that will help us and are essential for us
to serve His children. To forget ourselves and go to work.
8)
And ye
shall find rest in me. Again, he tells us the previous facts as how-to’s to
find rest. By being meek and lowly of heart (broken heart and contrite spirit),
we become more like Heavenly Father, we turn to Him more, we rely on Him more fully and
forget ourselves, we have a greater perspective of His plan and it will help us
to accept the rest we so desperately want and that He is so willing to give us.
9)
For my
yoke is easy and my burden is light. Basically, as we do His work, serve His children, focus on the needs and desires of others, our own burden’s will
not be felt. We will not realize they are there. (see Mosiah 24:15) The Lord will help us in
whatever it is we are struggling with and we will be stronger to withstand the
temptations of Satan and our own weaknesses.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
The Hand of the Lord
The last few months have been very interesting for me. I really wanted to move to Seattle, but the Lord told me multiple times that it is not right for me now. So, I looked forward to a job opening at work and then things were moved around and it appeared that the counseling position I was looking for (and really wanted since I started working there) was filled. The Lord really humbled me the week I found all this out and I realized that He has a greater plan than I do and apparently everything I have been planning is not in His plan. Then, a few days after I came to this realization, there were two counselor positions opened. I didn't know if the Lord wanted to humble me to teach me to trust Him more, but the counselor position is still in His plan, or if the Lord was preparing me to not get the job.
In addition, my car is really old and I was planning on getting a car with the increase in pay if I were to get the counselor job. Well, last week, I went to get a trip-check on my car before going up to Idaho and he found that my timing belt was next to dead and the distributor should be replaced. He said he thought just the coil could be replaced just fine (only $75) instead of the whole thing ($300). So, I had him just do the coil. In the process of getting all these fixed on my car, I realized it was worth it to put money in my car because I could sell it now for probably $2000 still with its mileage, etc. I decided I didn't need to get a car if I were to get the job. On the same hand, I also realized it could very well be the Lord's way of preparing me to not get this job because I won't need it to get a car.
Well, I was right. I didn't get the job. It was amazing how the Lord prepared me though. I am so grateful for that. I am grateful for the small tender mercies.
It's not over. I went to Idaho to pick up my mom from visiting my grandparents and 20 miles from home my car completely died again. It was funny because I was just thinking that I wish my mom could meet Maddie and Benjamin (my pseudo niece and nephew). Well, I think the Lord has a sense of humor. My car died two exits from their house. I am so blessed with good friends. They had an extra car they didn't need and were able to loan it to me until my car was fixed. Oh, the rest of the distributor died, so I should have paid the $300 initially. Oh well.
In the process of all of this, I was talking to a friend and he was talking about his graduate program. I have not had a desire to get my graduate degree at this point, but for some reason, the desire is slowly beginning to grow. I have thought about what I wanted to do my senior year in college and am looking into these programs. The Lord has confirmed that these thoughts and desires are directed from Him and so I am going for it. We'll see where it leads me. I am grateful for His hand in my life and the way He just makes it all work out. Even though I don't know where He is leading me exactly, He always comes through and I see where He is sending me eventually.
In addition, my car is really old and I was planning on getting a car with the increase in pay if I were to get the counselor job. Well, last week, I went to get a trip-check on my car before going up to Idaho and he found that my timing belt was next to dead and the distributor should be replaced. He said he thought just the coil could be replaced just fine (only $75) instead of the whole thing ($300). So, I had him just do the coil. In the process of getting all these fixed on my car, I realized it was worth it to put money in my car because I could sell it now for probably $2000 still with its mileage, etc. I decided I didn't need to get a car if I were to get the job. On the same hand, I also realized it could very well be the Lord's way of preparing me to not get this job because I won't need it to get a car.
Well, I was right. I didn't get the job. It was amazing how the Lord prepared me though. I am so grateful for that. I am grateful for the small tender mercies.
It's not over. I went to Idaho to pick up my mom from visiting my grandparents and 20 miles from home my car completely died again. It was funny because I was just thinking that I wish my mom could meet Maddie and Benjamin (my pseudo niece and nephew). Well, I think the Lord has a sense of humor. My car died two exits from their house. I am so blessed with good friends. They had an extra car they didn't need and were able to loan it to me until my car was fixed. Oh, the rest of the distributor died, so I should have paid the $300 initially. Oh well.
In the process of all of this, I was talking to a friend and he was talking about his graduate program. I have not had a desire to get my graduate degree at this point, but for some reason, the desire is slowly beginning to grow. I have thought about what I wanted to do my senior year in college and am looking into these programs. The Lord has confirmed that these thoughts and desires are directed from Him and so I am going for it. We'll see where it leads me. I am grateful for His hand in my life and the way He just makes it all work out. Even though I don't know where He is leading me exactly, He always comes through and I see where He is sending me eventually.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Custom-made trials
The Lord has given us all specific and individualized trials for specific times in our lives. My roommates cousin has been going through something that no one volunteers for and she has been such a strength through it all. Her daughter, Maddie was in an accident and she has been in recovery. I have been following on their blog (which is not normal behavior for me), but for some reason, every time I read her blog, it touches my heart and gives me strength to endure my trials. I love the perspective of Beverly and John. Their eternal perspective and optimism really helps.
I have also learned through life that the Lord places people in our lives who have gone through certain trials to help us in ours. My roommate has been going through some hard times the last few months and it's been amazing how much what she has been going through mirrors what I have been going through. They are different, that's for sure, but there are moments when we both need the same prayers because they are that similar. I am grateful for the small tender mercies that the Lord sends my way all the time. Yesterday, for example, I was having a hard time at work with non-work-related issues and went for a quick walk to clear my head. When I got back to my desk my visiting teacher had stopped by and brought me a flower. I nearly burst out in tears because I knew it had come directly from the Lord's promptings. He knew I needed that little reassurance that He is there and knows what I'm feeling. It is amazing how many blessings come my way when I am doing what I know I need to live a righteous life. It is not easy sometimes, but the pleadings of my heart have been answered so many times as I have been praying, reading the Book of Mormon, attending the temple, and being around others who strengthen me. The Lord truly does keep His promises.
I have also learned through life that the Lord places people in our lives who have gone through certain trials to help us in ours. My roommate has been going through some hard times the last few months and it's been amazing how much what she has been going through mirrors what I have been going through. They are different, that's for sure, but there are moments when we both need the same prayers because they are that similar. I am grateful for the small tender mercies that the Lord sends my way all the time. Yesterday, for example, I was having a hard time at work with non-work-related issues and went for a quick walk to clear my head. When I got back to my desk my visiting teacher had stopped by and brought me a flower. I nearly burst out in tears because I knew it had come directly from the Lord's promptings. He knew I needed that little reassurance that He is there and knows what I'm feeling. It is amazing how many blessings come my way when I am doing what I know I need to live a righteous life. It is not easy sometimes, but the pleadings of my heart have been answered so many times as I have been praying, reading the Book of Mormon, attending the temple, and being around others who strengthen me. The Lord truly does keep His promises.
"And now, my brethren (and sisters), I would that ye should do as ye have hitherto done. As ye have kept my commandments, and also the commandments of my father, and have prospered, and have been kept from falling into the hands of your enemies, even so if ye shall keep the commandments of my son, or the commandments of God which shall be delivered unto you by him, ye shall prosper in the land, and your enemies shall have no power over you." ~ Mosiah 2:31
Give me a Break
I find it very interesting how the Lord gives us "breaks" sometimes, but they are not permanent. The last few weeks have been really happy for me. I have felt the Lord's love very strongly and I have been really content with my life. I started taking an art class and will take a painting class that will start in a month. I am really enjoying drawing! Who would have thought it would be so therapeutic? The last few days, my thoughts have been consumed with my friends and loved ones who are struggling. Many prayers have been offered up to Heaven in their behalf. I started realizing that my "break" is about to be over. The Lord has given me a lot of strength and I feel the application of that strength being called into play. I am actually grateful for my trials. I know they are hard, but I know that I grow the most in those trials. I grow closer to the Lord, I see what I am really made of, and through my trials, I am usually able to help others. It's amazing how orchestrated it all is.
Even there are so many unknowns in my life right now, there is one thing that I know for sure. The Lord is aware of me. He has a lot in store for me and is preparing the way for me to receive these blessings. I have been struggling with the wording in this posting because I am not very eloquent with words, but I felt like I needed to get this out there.
Even there are so many unknowns in my life right now, there is one thing that I know for sure. The Lord is aware of me. He has a lot in store for me and is preparing the way for me to receive these blessings. I have been struggling with the wording in this posting because I am not very eloquent with words, but I felt like I needed to get this out there.
Friday, November 12, 2010
The Lord loves and is VERY aware of all of His children
I have been in awe the last two weeks about how much the Lord loves His children and how much he is involved in our lives. Last week was a really hard week as I was healing from a hurt heart. The Lord blessed me with a quick "recovery" (or so I thought) on Sunday. I realize now that it was just a Band-Aid because the Lord needed me to be emotionally available for some of my dear friends who were going through really difficult times. Once they were more okay, the Lord took off the Band-Aid and is now letting me heal again.
Last night I was directed to listen to a talk that Elder Neal A. Maxwell gave in 1974, "But For A Small Moment". It was exactly what I needed to hear. He talked about the atonement of our Savior and how He, being a supreme being, was so overwhelmed by the trial He was going through that He said, "if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." At times we want to pray to have our trials taken away from us, but if we do that, we will be missing out on blessings and growth that we will need. In fact, we may be taking a step back if we do not allow the Lord to give us opportunities we need. So, the take home message to that thought: Keep going!
Elder Maxwell also said that, "the cavity which suffering carves into our souls will one day also be the receptacle of joy, how infinitely greater Jesus’ capacity for joy, when he said, after his resurrection, 'Behold, my joy is full.' How very, very full, indeed, his joy must have been!" The take home message to this thought: Keep going! You will be happy!
My final thoughts. Today the Lord blessed me with direct answers to my prayers. Twice. Both of which were answered through other people. Take home message for today and the past two weeks: The Lord is very aware of all his children. He loves us all! He is constantly putting people in our path to help us get through our struggles. He put me in the path of my friends so I could be an instrument in His hands. He put others in my path when I needed them. He knows.
Last night I was directed to listen to a talk that Elder Neal A. Maxwell gave in 1974, "But For A Small Moment". It was exactly what I needed to hear. He talked about the atonement of our Savior and how He, being a supreme being, was so overwhelmed by the trial He was going through that He said, "if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." At times we want to pray to have our trials taken away from us, but if we do that, we will be missing out on blessings and growth that we will need. In fact, we may be taking a step back if we do not allow the Lord to give us opportunities we need. So, the take home message to that thought: Keep going!
Elder Maxwell also said that, "the cavity which suffering carves into our souls will one day also be the receptacle of joy, how infinitely greater Jesus’ capacity for joy, when he said, after his resurrection, 'Behold, my joy is full.' How very, very full, indeed, his joy must have been!" The take home message to this thought: Keep going! You will be happy!
My final thoughts. Today the Lord blessed me with direct answers to my prayers. Twice. Both of which were answered through other people. Take home message for today and the past two weeks: The Lord is very aware of all his children. He loves us all! He is constantly putting people in our path to help us get through our struggles. He put me in the path of my friends so I could be an instrument in His hands. He put others in my path when I needed them. He knows.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Faith, Prayers, and Direction
For the last few weeks, I have felt strong direction to move to Seattle. It's been interesting because I don't like moving. At all. The Lord has been blessing me with added inspiration and direction, so that has been a huge blessing. I just went visiting teaching and found out that one of my sisters is going through a similar experience. The lesson this month was anything from the Ensign, topics being temples. The only thing that kept coming to mind was the same scripture that stood out to me when I was preparing. D&C 88:119: "Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God."
One of the reasons why I have felt so much direction lately is because I have made a conscientious effort to make sure my scripture study is rich, just as Elder Eyring said (see previous entry, "Mormon.org"). I shared with her my experience and even recommitted myself to keep it up because I still need to have that direction.
I have also had a reaffirmation in faith in prayers lately. This is really simple, but it is so profound to me. A few weeks ago, I volunteered to sing a musical number in our division staff meeting at work. Starting last Saturday, I woke up every morning with a hoarse voice because of allergies. My roommates and I pray (nearly) every night and we ask what each other needs so that we can have specific prayers. I told Shannon that I wanted to be able to keep my commitment. She in her faith said, "You will." She prayed a very specific prayer that my voice would be better and that I would be able to hit all the notes. Because of her sure faith, I too knew that I would be able to sing. The next morning I woke up and my voice was perfectly fine. First time in days. I sang all the notes well. It was an amazing miracle. I have thought a lot about it in the last few days because it was a testament to me that the Lord will answer our prayers if we are specific. He loves us and wants us to be happy.
One of the reasons why I have felt so much direction lately is because I have made a conscientious effort to make sure my scripture study is rich, just as Elder Eyring said (see previous entry, "Mormon.org"). I shared with her my experience and even recommitted myself to keep it up because I still need to have that direction.
I have also had a reaffirmation in faith in prayers lately. This is really simple, but it is so profound to me. A few weeks ago, I volunteered to sing a musical number in our division staff meeting at work. Starting last Saturday, I woke up every morning with a hoarse voice because of allergies. My roommates and I pray (nearly) every night and we ask what each other needs so that we can have specific prayers. I told Shannon that I wanted to be able to keep my commitment. She in her faith said, "You will." She prayed a very specific prayer that my voice would be better and that I would be able to hit all the notes. Because of her sure faith, I too knew that I would be able to sing. The next morning I woke up and my voice was perfectly fine. First time in days. I sang all the notes well. It was an amazing miracle. I have thought a lot about it in the last few days because it was a testament to me that the Lord will answer our prayers if we are specific. He loves us and wants us to be happy.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Blog Make-over
Since Saturday I have given this blog business a lot of thought. I have friends who use their blogs to vent frustrations, spew random thoughts they are having, or giving updates on their life and family. I used my blog kind of as a journaling technique and to give updates on my life to close friends (hence the closed blog). When I created my profile on Mormon.org on Saturday, I decided that I want to go in a different direction with these blog posts. I don't post very often as it is, so I will probably continue with that trend, but I decided that I want them to be more rich. I want my blog to be more of a spiritual resource and a way to share my feelings about the gospel and the blessings I have as a result of it; to share experiences I am having in life and what I am learning from them so they can possibly help others who may be going through the same thing. I don't read anyone else's blogs much (sorry friends!), but I know others do, so maybe what I have to say will be beneficial to someone someday. Therefore, I am braving the world of open-bloggedness (not a word, I get that, but it works...). Brace yourselves....
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Mormon.org
I just created a profile at Mormon.org. It got me thinking of the many blessings I have. I am so blessed to have a testimony of the gospel. I am so blessed to know the Lord has a plan for me. There are so many people out there who don't have that perspective. I have so many good influences around me.
My parents instilled in me a life of living the gospel: going to church, reading the scriptures, praying to the Lord, etc. In addition to my parents, I have had many friends who helped shape my commitment to the gospel.
Sarah has taught me to always be active and to love people. Every time I am around her, I feel loved. It reminds me to share the love I feel for others when I am with them.
My friend, Veronica (Ved) taught me to always seek to live my life so that I am an instrument in the Lord's hands, to seek to help others and say things that may benefit others. She also taught me to have faith in my prayers. She is always so good at praying for things and having the faith that it will happen.
My prayers have also improved recently with my roommate Shannon. She is so amazing at her prayers. She is always asking me what she can pray for and I KNOW she prays for others all the time. I can definitely improve in that respect. Shannon also taught me how prayers can be very personal with the Lord. She actually has conversations with the Lord. My prayers are usually the typical "Thank thee, bless me, etc." but she actually discusses things with the Lord. That is how it should be. God is our Father! I am working on improving this relationship so that I can have conversations. Already I have noticed a difference in how I receive answers from the Lord.
David is my home teacher and friend. He is constantly posting conference and devotional talks on his facebook page. I know he listens to them on a regular basis. Because of his example, I started listening to and have found that my life is a lot richer because of it. In addition, I found that listening on a regular basis has exercised my spirit so that I can retain more spiritual light. During conference I wasn't tired at the end of Sunday session like I normally am. I know it is because I prepared and that my spirit was in shape to receive.
My dear friend, Mark is an amazing guy who came into my life recently. He is so committed to the gospel and makes it such a part of his every-day conversation that it inspires me to do the same. He is constantly having missionaries over to teach non- and new- members the gospel. He has such a great faith and trust in the Lord and His guidance, that it makes me want to seek the Lord's guidance more often. I know people will argue that we have our agency and don't need to go to the Lord as often, but Mark reminded me that He will guide us in everything. In fact, I learned that as I have been seeking Him more often, my will is more in line with His will. Mark is a lawyer and is constantly learning new things. He has such a love for the scriptures and his enthusiasm has helped me have a greater zeal in my own scripture study. Elder Eyring in conference said that "when we ponder, we invite revelation by the Spirit" and you get different results if you were to read or study. Mark is good at studying and makes me want to study better. He has been such a positive influence on my life lately.
I am so blessed to know such incredible people. It is another testament to me that the Lord loves me and is very aware of me.
There you go. My ponderous thoughts.
My parents instilled in me a life of living the gospel: going to church, reading the scriptures, praying to the Lord, etc. In addition to my parents, I have had many friends who helped shape my commitment to the gospel.
Sarah has taught me to always be active and to love people. Every time I am around her, I feel loved. It reminds me to share the love I feel for others when I am with them.
My friend, Veronica (Ved) taught me to always seek to live my life so that I am an instrument in the Lord's hands, to seek to help others and say things that may benefit others. She also taught me to have faith in my prayers. She is always so good at praying for things and having the faith that it will happen.
My prayers have also improved recently with my roommate Shannon. She is so amazing at her prayers. She is always asking me what she can pray for and I KNOW she prays for others all the time. I can definitely improve in that respect. Shannon also taught me how prayers can be very personal with the Lord. She actually has conversations with the Lord. My prayers are usually the typical "Thank thee, bless me, etc." but she actually discusses things with the Lord. That is how it should be. God is our Father! I am working on improving this relationship so that I can have conversations. Already I have noticed a difference in how I receive answers from the Lord.
David is my home teacher and friend. He is constantly posting conference and devotional talks on his facebook page. I know he listens to them on a regular basis. Because of his example, I started listening to and have found that my life is a lot richer because of it. In addition, I found that listening on a regular basis has exercised my spirit so that I can retain more spiritual light. During conference I wasn't tired at the end of Sunday session like I normally am. I know it is because I prepared and that my spirit was in shape to receive.
My dear friend, Mark is an amazing guy who came into my life recently. He is so committed to the gospel and makes it such a part of his every-day conversation that it inspires me to do the same. He is constantly having missionaries over to teach non- and new- members the gospel. He has such a great faith and trust in the Lord and His guidance, that it makes me want to seek the Lord's guidance more often. I know people will argue that we have our agency and don't need to go to the Lord as often, but Mark reminded me that He will guide us in everything. In fact, I learned that as I have been seeking Him more often, my will is more in line with His will. Mark is a lawyer and is constantly learning new things. He has such a love for the scriptures and his enthusiasm has helped me have a greater zeal in my own scripture study. Elder Eyring in conference said that "when we ponder, we invite revelation by the Spirit" and you get different results if you were to read or study. Mark is good at studying and makes me want to study better. He has been such a positive influence on my life lately.
I am so blessed to know such incredible people. It is another testament to me that the Lord loves me and is very aware of me.
There you go. My ponderous thoughts.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Draaaaamaa
Funny thing, drama. I have had too much of it lately. The best part, none of it is mine! I have just been internalizing the drama of all my dear friends. It makes me laugh now. Sunday was not good. I was really overwhelmed and heavy with concern and love that my friends would make wise choices. Then my good friend got her heart broken and I was braced for major drama there, but surprisingly, it's not been bad at all, I'm very proud of her. I have been praying a lot and exercising every day to let out the stress I've been holding in. On Monday I came home from my run all jazzed up and even said I was ready for more drama. Heavenly Father in his infinite sense of humor saw to that. My best friend had a lot of serious family drama on Tuesday. It was really scary and is still really sensitive, but I'm surprisingly handling it well. Jared helped me with the advice I need. There is nothing I can do but pray, advise, and love. I can't make decisions for them. It's their life. That has been the key the last few days in dealing with it so I'm not hindered by it. It's been a good experience. Today I learned how much I do need to know this skill as the potential for me to become an Admissions/Financial Aid Counselor is becoming more of a possibility. In order to do that though, I need to hone in on this skill. So, the Lord is blessing me with lots of experiences. Today I was talking to a friend and asked how his week was and he told me it was dramatic. I laughed bc I can relate. Then he started telling me how dramatic it was. That's fine, but he said three times in the conversation, "I don't know why I'm telling you all this." It made me laugh. I guess I am a magnet for drama right now. I am taking it as a learning opportunity. :D What'll happen next....
Monday, February 8, 2010
Much needed update
It's been way too long since I've written in. I figure it's time to remedy that. I don't know where to start, so I'll start with a quick recap and then get to the present. I was able to go home for Christmas. It was really nice to be home. Geoff brought his fiancé, Emily, and it was nice meeting her. She's a cute girl. I like her. When I got back, work was insanely busy and stressful because we had so many issues with the Financial Aid system. All the stress caught me off guard and I have had a lot of anxiety the past month, not able to handle with the normal stresses of life. I went to the doctor about it and she put me on Zoloft, which is an anti-depressant, ironically. We'll see how it goes. It's supposed to take 2 weeks to get into my system. So far the side effects include 1) loss of appetite (yeah! Help in my quest to lose weight--which btw, I have lost 20 pounds since last May when I started the journey! YEAH!); 2) dry mouth, which makes me drink more water, which makes me go to the bathroom more, resulting in more breaks at work, helping me to focus better! 3) sleepiness (at least I think it is a symptom, if not, I am tired anyway)--I have been going to bed at 9 and 10 every night this week. I must say, it's not entirely that bad. It's getting me on a better sleeping schedule then I've ever been on. All in all, I've felt less stressed. It could be a combination of a lot of things: exercising, eating right, sleeping better, I started listening to relaxation CD's before bed, etc.
Yesterday was an awesome day at church. I was fasting about what I need to do to get married as it has been a hard lately. Well, Relief Society was absolutely amazing! Amber (the RS Pres.) talked about the very topic of being single and having trials. She talked about the Brother of Jared and how he was commanded to build barges. She posed the question, why did the Lord have them build barges with no openings that get tossed around the ocean and not a ship like Nephi? Her point was that the Lord took away their control so they could rely fully on the Lord to take them where He is leading them. It was really powerful for me. I don't know where the Lord is leading me or when I'm going to marry or to who, but I know He is aware of me. Amber's parents spoke to us as well. Her mom said something to help me see a positive aspect of being single. She mentioned that since Amber is single, it gives her mom more time to be with Amber. I realized that I go to my parents a lot when I am having issues. Who knows how often that will happen when I get married and actually DO have someone else to turn to. I'm glad I can be so close to them. Amber's dad also spoke to us. He is a patriarch. He talked about how we are all choice daughters of Zion, which is something my patriarchal blessing said. It was a nice tender mercy to realize the Lord's love for me and awareness of my situation. Everyone in the room needed to hear it. Everyone was sniffling because of tears. It was kind of funny, but really amazing that we all needed it so much.
It's my birthday today, and I've been celebrating all weekend. Friday night I went to Turcanos with Josh . His birthday is on Feb 10th, so we celebrated together. On Saturday I went to lunch with Erin, Jenny, and Ved. Yesterday I had a party with cake and ice cream for my friends and ward members. A lot of people came. It was nice. Dave was a friend from Alta who I haven't really talked to much before. He's friends with Erin, Jenny, Sarah, etc. but I haven't had many conversations with him. He came last night to my party and it was fun getting to know him a little. Turns out we have a lot in common. I wanted to see a movie today for my birthday (Aunt Teresa gave me a gift certificate for Christmas a year ago and I wanted to use it), so I asked if Sarah and Dave wanted to go. Sarah didn't, but Dave wanted to. So, we went to see "The Blind Side" today. It is a REALLY good movie! I totally cried. Dave was cute about it. He kept asking if I was okay. He doesn't have much of a bubble either, I have noticed. When he would talk to me, he would speak pretty closely. It was kind of cute. I don't know if he's nice or if he has interest, but I hope he has interest. I sure do. When we were leaving the theater, he followed me to my side (I was driving) and after I unlocked the door, he opened it for me! Huge points! We'll see if he calls me to do something, but I've learned to not hold my breath, only hope. Tonight we’re going ice skating for FHE. I’m looking forward to that. It will be fun. :)
Yesterday was an awesome day at church. I was fasting about what I need to do to get married as it has been a hard lately. Well, Relief Society was absolutely amazing! Amber (the RS Pres.) talked about the very topic of being single and having trials. She talked about the Brother of Jared and how he was commanded to build barges. She posed the question, why did the Lord have them build barges with no openings that get tossed around the ocean and not a ship like Nephi? Her point was that the Lord took away their control so they could rely fully on the Lord to take them where He is leading them. It was really powerful for me. I don't know where the Lord is leading me or when I'm going to marry or to who, but I know He is aware of me. Amber's parents spoke to us as well. Her mom said something to help me see a positive aspect of being single. She mentioned that since Amber is single, it gives her mom more time to be with Amber. I realized that I go to my parents a lot when I am having issues. Who knows how often that will happen when I get married and actually DO have someone else to turn to. I'm glad I can be so close to them. Amber's dad also spoke to us. He is a patriarch. He talked about how we are all choice daughters of Zion, which is something my patriarchal blessing said. It was a nice tender mercy to realize the Lord's love for me and awareness of my situation. Everyone in the room needed to hear it. Everyone was sniffling because of tears. It was kind of funny, but really amazing that we all needed it so much.
It's my birthday today, and I've been celebrating all weekend. Friday night I went to Turcanos with Josh . His birthday is on Feb 10th, so we celebrated together. On Saturday I went to lunch with Erin, Jenny, and Ved. Yesterday I had a party with cake and ice cream for my friends and ward members. A lot of people came. It was nice. Dave was a friend from Alta who I haven't really talked to much before. He's friends with Erin, Jenny, Sarah, etc. but I haven't had many conversations with him. He came last night to my party and it was fun getting to know him a little. Turns out we have a lot in common. I wanted to see a movie today for my birthday (Aunt Teresa gave me a gift certificate for Christmas a year ago and I wanted to use it), so I asked if Sarah and Dave wanted to go. Sarah didn't, but Dave wanted to. So, we went to see "The Blind Side" today. It is a REALLY good movie! I totally cried. Dave was cute about it. He kept asking if I was okay. He doesn't have much of a bubble either, I have noticed. When he would talk to me, he would speak pretty closely. It was kind of cute. I don't know if he's nice or if he has interest, but I hope he has interest. I sure do. When we were leaving the theater, he followed me to my side (I was driving) and after I unlocked the door, he opened it for me! Huge points! We'll see if he calls me to do something, but I've learned to not hold my breath, only hope. Tonight we’re going ice skating for FHE. I’m looking forward to that. It will be fun. :)
Monday, November 23, 2009
Giving Thanks
In church the talks were about gratitude, which is what I needed to hear, honestly. One of the girls talked about how she didn’t have a car when she came to college and she needed to ask for rides everywhere, etc. (I totally know how that is!) Her parents found a car for her for $200 and it was a junker (windshield wipers never stopped going, rain or shine, doors sometimes wouldn’t open, can’t lock it or you couldn’t unlock it, etc). She was really grateful for it, though, because she didn’t have anything before. Well, that’s how I got my car (only $100, never had one, etc). I was so grateful for it and then this year I put about $1,700 into it to keep it up. It’s been so frustrating because I just want to buy a new car! However, I realized today that I should really be grateful that I DO have such a good car, as old as it is, but it runs really well. I just got new tires and it’s all ready to go home for Christmas, weather pending. I’m so grateful that I have a car that I can go home for Christmas now! I don’t have to depend on whether or not someone else is going, as I am having a hard time finding someone to go with as it is. I’m grateful that I have a job that I can afford all these car fees. I am grateful for the friends I have that love me no matter what. I’m grateful that I have been blessed with such a happy personality that it takes a lot to get me down. I’m grateful that I have such a big heart and love for others and the ability to help others feel the Lord’s love through my love. I’m grateful that I am not high maintenance (I don’t need to constantly go on vacations to find fulfillment in life, I get that just by relaxing, watching a movie, reading a book, being with people, babysitting, etc). 
I love that I can babysit for Julie, my coworker, as I know it helps her and Matt be able to go to the temple, but it also fulfills my baby need. Maddie is soo adorable!! She’s crawling now! So cute!! I am just so blessed.
New Pics!
My cousin, Alicia, did my hair a week ago and it’s adorable! She put red in it and it’s cute! Erica and I went up the canyon to take pictures and I must say, I look hot! ;)
Monday, September 21, 2009
Busy...again...
Yesterday was such an interesting day. I got up and went babysitting for Becky. I was so tired because I only had 5 hours of sleep (went to bed at 4 AM!). Babysitting was good (kids are so adorable!). When I got home I had about a hour to get some laundry done and clean the house (the kitchen was nasty and was driving me nuts!). Jenny came to pick Erin and I up for the football game. Let me just say....it was one of the worst games for us. Ugh! We played Florida State University and they creamed us! 54-28 :( It was such an upsetting game! We were in the sun for the first half and it totally zapped the remaining energy. I would have been better if it wasn't for the lack of adrenaline a good game would have provided. In addition to all of this, I sent a few texts to Kevin yesterday. He responded to the first few, but not the last few. All of these forces combined totally put me in a slump. I was so out of it. I wanted to go home and sleep, but I had to wait for traffic to thin out and for Jenny to be ready to take me home. I slept briefly on their couch and then just laid there so out of it. I felt really hopeless about Kevin too, silly, I know, as we've only been friends for about a week. I think it was all magnified by the fact that I was tired and moody.
This morning was much better! Church was amazing! I love it when all the meetings share themes! It was awesome. I really felt the spirit. The rest of the day was busy. I was home taught, visit taught one of my girls, went on a really nice walk with a girl in the ward, ward choir, took a brief nap, and went to ward prayer. It was a really nice day.
This morning was much better! Church was amazing! I love it when all the meetings share themes! It was awesome. I really felt the spirit. The rest of the day was busy. I was home taught, visit taught one of my girls, went on a really nice walk with a girl in the ward, ward choir, took a brief nap, and went to ward prayer. It was a really nice day.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Britt's a Busy Bee
For those who are reading, this will probably be a boring entry for you. It's going to be more of a journal entry (the main purpose of why I have a blog) of how I am so busy. You'd think with myself running my own schedule, I'd be able to cut things out and not be so busy, but let's face it, it's better than being bored or lazy! :)
Monday: I started a project at work and was working on it until Shandy called me to ask if I was going to FHE and I said yes, then looked at the clock and it was 7:20! It was crazy! I'm excited about the project. It's a powerpoint that is like a little commercial for SAC Award nominations (office members nominate coworkers who make their work load lighter). FHE was fun. I am glad I have become active again. :)
Tuesday: I hung out with the old 215 gang. It was good times. It's Amber's bridal shower on Saturday and they all dubbed me as the purchaser of the lingerie. I think it's pretty funny. Also on this day, everyone found out that Sarah was dating Gabe again and Sarah looked at me and said, you didn't email everyone telling them? Apparently I'm the gossiper in the group who keeps everyone informed. haha I'm not offended because I think it's pretty true.
Wednesday: I took Jeff to the airport on my way to a bridal shower for a mission buddy--Sara Robertson. It was quite fun, but I left feeling a little sad. She's marrying a non-member. It made me sad for her. She has her agency, though.
Thursday: Busy day! I was a line marshal for BYU's Graduation again, which means I was in charge of keeping college graduates in a single file line...harder than you would think, trust me. There were an insane number of graduates too! Way more than expected. So, where I normally have a seat reserved for me, I didn't anymore because the faculty sat there. So, I sat on the floor where the media sits. :) President Uchtdorf received an honorary Doctorate degree. He was so cute. I met his wife in the bathroom before the convocation started--and when I say I met her, I mean she was in line with me and I recognized the accent, I never talked to her. Elder Nelson was the keynote speaker. He had some great things to say. I really enjoyed what I heard. He talked about how our jobs are not what defines us, but who we become at the end of our lives, what Christlike attributes we acquire, etc. I had to leave halfway through his talk to go work in the temple. I didn't get to hear Pres. Uchtdorf speak either. Sad day. :( Oh well. Ciest la vie.
Friday: I got off work at 12:30 because I worked graduation (all of campus gets off at 2:30 with comp time, so I got to use my comp time on another day--and because I worked extra on Monday, I got to leave earlier on Friday). I went to visit Julie (coworker) and her baby Madeleine (so adorable!). I was there for a few hours and it was fun. I left to go visiting teaching. Then I went to hang out with Elisa! It was so nice!! I so miss her. We haven't been able to play much this semester (or past year really) because she's been finishing up with school. We just talked a bit then watched Pirates at her house with other ward members. It was fun and really nice to just relax. It was annoying though because I sat by cute boys and really wanted to cuddle. Not because of the boys, but I just wanted some lovin'. One of these days...
Saturday: Holy crazy day! Vanessa got married in Salt Lake. Shandy and I drove up in the morning, waited for about an hour before we could go in for the sealing, then went outside in the pouring rain to wait for them to come out for pictures. One of the bridesmaids brought her baby and dumped him on Vanessa's brother and sister while she went in the temple without really asking. Then she took forever to come out! He was crying a lot and I took him from the siblings so they could have a break. I didn't mind holding him, but I was annoyed that his mother didn't seem to care a bit or hurry to get him. Once group pictures were taken, Shandy and I went to her friend, Carrie's house for some R&R. We went to the dinner at 6. It was a really nice dinner. I didn't know how to act. They had hor d'ourves and everything! Crazy! Good food though1 They had dancing and I really and truly hope I marry someone who either dances or is willing to learn because it's so heart wrenching to be around dancing and not able to particulate because of no partner. Guh!
Our new roommate moved in as well. Her name is Holly and she's super cute. I think she'll fit in very well. :)
Today (Sunday): Good day. I have been really focusing on developing Christlike attributes I haven't acquired yet (like patience), and have felt like I haven't been up to snuff with doing what the Lord wants of me. I was reminded today (from a guy in Sunday School quoting "Evan (or Bruce?) Almighty") that "if I ask for patience God's not going to give me patience, but opportunities to learn patience," and that's what he's been doing lately. That's why I've been struggling so much with being single lately. Hopefully I learn this trait soon. It was a good day. When I got home I started putting the Vanessa's kitchen stuff in boxes so Holly could unpack her stuff. It probably wasn't the most Sabbath appropriate activity, but I realized that cleaning and organizing is relaxing for me, so I justified that it was okay. Our newly appointed home teacher of last month ended up moving and so we are home teacher-less this month. This is really unfortunate because I have been contemplating getting a blessing lately. I talked to Nate (Elder's Quorum President) and he said that they will have to reassign a lot of them next month anyway, so he's going to just come home teach us this week. I'm totally fine with this. :D
That was my week! :) This upcoming week is going to be super busy. Some days have 3 obligations in a row! Plus Enrichment on Tuesday which I'm not entirely sure on the location! It's going to be a long week. Oi. Gird up your loins!
Monday: I started a project at work and was working on it until Shandy called me to ask if I was going to FHE and I said yes, then looked at the clock and it was 7:20! It was crazy! I'm excited about the project. It's a powerpoint that is like a little commercial for SAC Award nominations (office members nominate coworkers who make their work load lighter). FHE was fun. I am glad I have become active again. :)
Tuesday: I hung out with the old 215 gang. It was good times. It's Amber's bridal shower on Saturday and they all dubbed me as the purchaser of the lingerie. I think it's pretty funny. Also on this day, everyone found out that Sarah was dating Gabe again and Sarah looked at me and said, you didn't email everyone telling them? Apparently I'm the gossiper in the group who keeps everyone informed. haha I'm not offended because I think it's pretty true.
Wednesday: I took Jeff to the airport on my way to a bridal shower for a mission buddy--Sara Robertson. It was quite fun, but I left feeling a little sad. She's marrying a non-member. It made me sad for her. She has her agency, though.
Thursday: Busy day! I was a line marshal for BYU's Graduation again, which means I was in charge of keeping college graduates in a single file line...harder than you would think, trust me. There were an insane number of graduates too! Way more than expected. So, where I normally have a seat reserved for me, I didn't anymore because the faculty sat there. So, I sat on the floor where the media sits. :) President Uchtdorf received an honorary Doctorate degree. He was so cute. I met his wife in the bathroom before the convocation started--and when I say I met her, I mean she was in line with me and I recognized the accent, I never talked to her. Elder Nelson was the keynote speaker. He had some great things to say. I really enjoyed what I heard. He talked about how our jobs are not what defines us, but who we become at the end of our lives, what Christlike attributes we acquire, etc. I had to leave halfway through his talk to go work in the temple. I didn't get to hear Pres. Uchtdorf speak either. Sad day. :( Oh well. Ciest la vie.
Friday: I got off work at 12:30 because I worked graduation (all of campus gets off at 2:30 with comp time, so I got to use my comp time on another day--and because I worked extra on Monday, I got to leave earlier on Friday). I went to visit Julie (coworker) and her baby Madeleine (so adorable!). I was there for a few hours and it was fun. I left to go visiting teaching. Then I went to hang out with Elisa! It was so nice!! I so miss her. We haven't been able to play much this semester (or past year really) because she's been finishing up with school. We just talked a bit then watched Pirates at her house with other ward members. It was fun and really nice to just relax. It was annoying though because I sat by cute boys and really wanted to cuddle. Not because of the boys, but I just wanted some lovin'. One of these days...
Saturday: Holy crazy day! Vanessa got married in Salt Lake. Shandy and I drove up in the morning, waited for about an hour before we could go in for the sealing, then went outside in the pouring rain to wait for them to come out for pictures. One of the bridesmaids brought her baby and dumped him on Vanessa's brother and sister while she went in the temple without really asking. Then she took forever to come out! He was crying a lot and I took him from the siblings so they could have a break. I didn't mind holding him, but I was annoyed that his mother didn't seem to care a bit or hurry to get him. Once group pictures were taken, Shandy and I went to her friend, Carrie's house for some R&R. We went to the dinner at 6. It was a really nice dinner. I didn't know how to act. They had hor d'ourves and everything! Crazy! Good food though1 They had dancing and I really and truly hope I marry someone who either dances or is willing to learn because it's so heart wrenching to be around dancing and not able to particulate because of no partner. Guh!
Our new roommate moved in as well. Her name is Holly and she's super cute. I think she'll fit in very well. :)
Today (Sunday): Good day. I have been really focusing on developing Christlike attributes I haven't acquired yet (like patience), and have felt like I haven't been up to snuff with doing what the Lord wants of me. I was reminded today (from a guy in Sunday School quoting "Evan (or Bruce?) Almighty") that "if I ask for patience God's not going to give me patience, but opportunities to learn patience," and that's what he's been doing lately. That's why I've been struggling so much with being single lately. Hopefully I learn this trait soon. It was a good day. When I got home I started putting the Vanessa's kitchen stuff in boxes so Holly could unpack her stuff. It probably wasn't the most Sabbath appropriate activity, but I realized that cleaning and organizing is relaxing for me, so I justified that it was okay. Our newly appointed home teacher of last month ended up moving and so we are home teacher-less this month. This is really unfortunate because I have been contemplating getting a blessing lately. I talked to Nate (Elder's Quorum President) and he said that they will have to reassign a lot of them next month anyway, so he's going to just come home teach us this week. I'm totally fine with this. :D
That was my week! :) This upcoming week is going to be super busy. Some days have 3 obligations in a row! Plus Enrichment on Tuesday which I'm not entirely sure on the location! It's going to be a long week. Oi. Gird up your loins!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
I hate being a pirate!
My roommate, Shandy, uses the word "pirate" to describe being an adult and what comes with being an adult. Today it is very fitting for me.
Last Thursday I was feeling really sick at work and went to go home early and my car didn't start! I ended up having to get it towed to my mechanic (aka my wonderful coworker, her husband's truck and a chain). They said the wires in the starter needed to be tightened or something. It worked really well until last night when I didn't start again. :( So, I had to get it towed (real tow truck this time) to my mechanic and get a new started. It ended up costing me a grand total of $300! Ouch. This hurt me in other ways too. I am super homesick right now and want to go home, so I was planning on purchasing my tickets on Monday, but I just spend all the money I would on the tickets! So, I don't know what to do now. To make matters worse, I know it would have only cost $30 and a hug if I were home and my dad would have fixed it. Guh I hate being a pirate!
On a positive note, I have noticed some tender mercies through this whole ordeal. This week has been a really tough one for me emotionally. Normally I totally okay being single, etc. but this just wasn't one of those weeks. I felt lonely all week and have had a hard time feeling peace. Today I realized that the Lord is showing me His love through this frustrating experience. First, my car died last night and not this morning so I could plan my day better. I had practice for our Women at the Well fireside we're putting on tomorrow. Afterward I was going to go babysit for a coworker. Then right after that, go to a movie premier with and for some friends of mine. Needless to say, busy day! So, I was able to go to some of my practice this morning and then left early with a friend (she needed to go anyway so it was perfect), so I could meet the tow-truck guy. My car was fixed by about 1 and I was able to go babysitting. Second tender mercy was that it happened on a Saturday, even though busy, in which I could adjust my plans, and not a week day where I would be super stressed because I would need to be at work. The only thing I need to figure out now is what to do with the plane tickets. Is the Lord telling me I shouldn't go home or is this a trial to see how badly I want to go home and what I'm willing to sacrifice for it?
I hate being a pirate, but I'm glad the Lord is willing to help me through the process.
Last Thursday I was feeling really sick at work and went to go home early and my car didn't start! I ended up having to get it towed to my mechanic (aka my wonderful coworker, her husband's truck and a chain). They said the wires in the starter needed to be tightened or something. It worked really well until last night when I didn't start again. :( So, I had to get it towed (real tow truck this time) to my mechanic and get a new started. It ended up costing me a grand total of $300! Ouch. This hurt me in other ways too. I am super homesick right now and want to go home, so I was planning on purchasing my tickets on Monday, but I just spend all the money I would on the tickets! So, I don't know what to do now. To make matters worse, I know it would have only cost $30 and a hug if I were home and my dad would have fixed it. Guh I hate being a pirate!
On a positive note, I have noticed some tender mercies through this whole ordeal. This week has been a really tough one for me emotionally. Normally I totally okay being single, etc. but this just wasn't one of those weeks. I felt lonely all week and have had a hard time feeling peace. Today I realized that the Lord is showing me His love through this frustrating experience. First, my car died last night and not this morning so I could plan my day better. I had practice for our Women at the Well fireside we're putting on tomorrow. Afterward I was going to go babysit for a coworker. Then right after that, go to a movie premier with and for some friends of mine. Needless to say, busy day! So, I was able to go to some of my practice this morning and then left early with a friend (she needed to go anyway so it was perfect), so I could meet the tow-truck guy. My car was fixed by about 1 and I was able to go babysitting. Second tender mercy was that it happened on a Saturday, even though busy, in which I could adjust my plans, and not a week day where I would be super stressed because I would need to be at work. The only thing I need to figure out now is what to do with the plane tickets. Is the Lord telling me I shouldn't go home or is this a trial to see how badly I want to go home and what I'm willing to sacrifice for it?
I hate being a pirate, but I'm glad the Lord is willing to help me through the process.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
I have decided that I love being a girl, but it drives me insane how my brain and hormones work. Oi..
[warning, this is a long one!]
Alright, so I emailed Lane after our first date with some questions I had that didn't get answered. I knew it would take him a few days to respond because it usually does, but even though my brain was thinking, my heart and hormones weren't. I spent all weekend telling myself to calm down and be patient. How obnoxious! Conference was super great though. I so needed it. The Brethren, as always, were right on queue, as always. I got what I needed from it. Trust in the Lord's timing, learn how do make and KEEP a budget (still working on this one...eesh), and that the Brethren are called of God. I love conference! I was able to go to the Sunday morning broadcast and that was so marvelous!! I love Motab!! It made me totally homesick for my mission. I was so blessed to have served there.
Okay, back to the boy update...so, Lane finally wrote me back on Monday. He didn't say anything about meeting up again, but that was okay. I was just happy that he wasn't scared away because I wrote him first, blah, blah, blah--I hate the "games" and "rules" in dating. Adds so much pressure. So, I just wrote him back and didn't hear from him again until Wednesday. He said that he was planning on going to Capitol Reef this weekend, but may have to cancel because of the weather. So, he wanted to know if I wanted to do something. I told him that I had plans Friday (I went to a play with a friend--it was super weird!), but Saturday I was available. I didn't hear from him until Friday at 4pm. I, of course was starting to worry that he maybe changed his mind. My friends were telling me that I should make plans because it was rude of him to not tell me in advance, but it all boiled down to the fact that 1) I really wanted to see him, 2) He didn't tell me originally that it was set because he still wanted to go to Capitol Reef, and 3) It would have been a game really--making something up that wasn't real. That's now how I roll. If I ever end up dating him and he still doesn't let me know in some kind of advance for some things, I'll definitely let him know, but it's kind of early in the game for that. Now that I look back on it, it's really not that big of a deal and it wasn't that much time, but holy cow I was hormonal!
Anyway, we ended up hanging out yesterday (Saturday) and went to Costa Vida and bowling. It was good. It was a little frustrating to me because I wanted to get to know him, but I was drawing a total blank on question I wanted to ask and things I actually wanted to know about him. I hope it wasn't annoying for him. I did find out some things from him though. I knew it before, but it was fun hearing him talk about the kinds of things he does outdoors like hiking, snowshoeing, ice fishing, etc. I'm both excited to learn and nervous that this could be a deal breaker since I probably won't want to do these things as often as he does, but who knows, maybe he'll convince me. I like doing things, I'm just not a good planner. So, we'll see.
Analysis: I'm very much interested in him. I feel like I just want to spend more time with him. I had fun bowling with him. I was so horrible. He was pretty good. We had fun though. He was a nice coach for me. It was cute. haha. At the end of the date he told me we should do something again and I said to call me. So, it ended well, right?
Well, for some reason after he left, I felt really depressed, and we're talking real depression! It was weird. I think it had to do with the fact that it was dark and gloomy outside and I slept for 4 hours and still felt really off and depressed. I woke up and felt that I really needed to go to the temple. I wanted to do initiatories because I really needed to be reminded of the blessings within. It was really good. I felt the Lord's love, especially through random people. It was really awesome. Afterward, I went to my old ward's closing social. I'm really glad I went because it stopped me from thinking and analyzing. It was good to see my old friends and bishopric. I even made it in the slideshow from when I went to the Draper Temple Open House! How funny is that! We played volleyball afterward and I got happy.
This morning when I woke up (Easter morning btw)I still felt off. It was beautiful and sunny outside. I went to our Women at the Well practice (we're singing this this coming Sunday if anyone wants to come! that is, anyone that is reading this humongo blog entry...). Of course I was thinking of the Savior all morning and trying to get past this dark feeling knowing there were so many things to be grateful for and that the Lord was showing me His love by the day, birds, purple blossoms, etc. One of the sisters gave a spiritual thought about the Savior that really touched me. I said the opening prayer and got emotional thinking of the Savior and His sacrifice and how it is for us. The songs were really touching too (of course) and I left feeling a little better, but still off. I prayed really hard when I came home and the spirit prompted me to realize that this is a trial I was going through (duh!). I then changed my train of thought from "Why can't I shake this?!" to "What can I learn from this?" and it was so much better. Sacrament meeting and Sunday School gave me some reflection time, but it wasn't until Relief Society where I really started feeling a change in my emotions.
We were learning about how we could be "Valient in the Cause of Christ." The Spirit was teaching me random things right and left. For the last few months, probably 6 months or so, I have really wondered if I would be able to lay down my life for the Church if need be. I keep hoping I would, but never knew how I would know that. Joseph Smith taught that "The Lord [gives] us power in proportion to the work to be done, and strength according to the race set before us, and grace and help as our needs [require]." Wow! That struck me like a ton of bricks! I learned so much from this. First, if I am ever in a position where the Lord WILL require me to lay down my life, my testimony is strong enough (obviously still growing), that the Lord will give me the strength necessary for me to act in that proportion. The second thing I learned is that I do have great qualities and the Lord is proud of me. I think I really needed to feel that. It's so easy to get down on myself and feel I'm "not good enough" when a guy is either not interested or taking his dear sweet time to get interested (haha). I felt so much better after church! To top it off, Lane had responded to my text. I asked him how his play was last night. Honestly, I know I should probably let him make these moves, but...ugh...I hate that! I just want to know! This is probably why I'm not married yet huh? Whatev.
In other news...I really needed my family fix today. I called my family and talked to them a bit. I love them so much! Dad was just called to be the High Priest Group Leader AND the Elder's Quorum President! Gotta love those branches. The branch needs to be whipped back into shape Preisthoodly speaking and I think he is the right man for the job. I'm so blessed to have him as an example and father.
I called Becky after church and she invited me over for dinner. It was so good to be there. Food was much better than what I would have made (maybe a sandwich or even cereal haha), and her kids are so darn cute! Caden is getting so big! It's amazing how fast they grow! He's 1 month today and is so sweet! I love these kids! They all got parachute things that were attached to a rubber bunny to weigh them down and you throw it up in the air...anyway, it was quite entertaining. Especially since they kept getting them caught in the tree. haha They were so preoccupied with the parachutes that they didn't need an Easter egg hunt, which I was a little sad about because that's hilarious to watch little kids go bonkers over hard boiled eggs. Alas, not in this Easter's cards. It was good talking to Becky too. I just held Caden and we chatted while the kids played with Andrew. It's been a while since we've actually sat down to talk.
I went to Jana's and watched the Testaments with them. It was funny watching them discipline dogs, too. They have two weenier dogs (Lady and Tramp) and they were watching Jenny's dog (CJ--bigger then them). Tramp was sitting on the couch on my Mike's lap next to me while CJ was in front of me. Tramp totally lunged for CJ! I was slightly frightened for my legs. It was crazy! So, Mike put Tramp in "his room" and then like 10 minutes later CJ started eating the frozen cookies Mike set on the counter to cook. That was hilarious! Mike put CJ outside. It was very entertaining. I will never have dogs, but holy cow that was entertaining.
So, moral of today's entry: the Lord loves us, answers prayers always (even if it is in HIS time and not mine), family is great, and everything works out.
Alright, so I emailed Lane after our first date with some questions I had that didn't get answered. I knew it would take him a few days to respond because it usually does, but even though my brain was thinking, my heart and hormones weren't. I spent all weekend telling myself to calm down and be patient. How obnoxious! Conference was super great though. I so needed it. The Brethren, as always, were right on queue, as always. I got what I needed from it. Trust in the Lord's timing, learn how do make and KEEP a budget (still working on this one...eesh), and that the Brethren are called of God. I love conference! I was able to go to the Sunday morning broadcast and that was so marvelous!! I love Motab!! It made me totally homesick for my mission. I was so blessed to have served there.
Okay, back to the boy update...so, Lane finally wrote me back on Monday. He didn't say anything about meeting up again, but that was okay. I was just happy that he wasn't scared away because I wrote him first, blah, blah, blah--I hate the "games" and "rules" in dating. Adds so much pressure. So, I just wrote him back and didn't hear from him again until Wednesday. He said that he was planning on going to Capitol Reef this weekend, but may have to cancel because of the weather. So, he wanted to know if I wanted to do something. I told him that I had plans Friday (I went to a play with a friend--it was super weird!), but Saturday I was available. I didn't hear from him until Friday at 4pm. I, of course was starting to worry that he maybe changed his mind. My friends were telling me that I should make plans because it was rude of him to not tell me in advance, but it all boiled down to the fact that 1) I really wanted to see him, 2) He didn't tell me originally that it was set because he still wanted to go to Capitol Reef, and 3) It would have been a game really--making something up that wasn't real. That's now how I roll. If I ever end up dating him and he still doesn't let me know in some kind of advance for some things, I'll definitely let him know, but it's kind of early in the game for that. Now that I look back on it, it's really not that big of a deal and it wasn't that much time, but holy cow I was hormonal!
Anyway, we ended up hanging out yesterday (Saturday) and went to Costa Vida and bowling. It was good. It was a little frustrating to me because I wanted to get to know him, but I was drawing a total blank on question I wanted to ask and things I actually wanted to know about him. I hope it wasn't annoying for him. I did find out some things from him though. I knew it before, but it was fun hearing him talk about the kinds of things he does outdoors like hiking, snowshoeing, ice fishing, etc. I'm both excited to learn and nervous that this could be a deal breaker since I probably won't want to do these things as often as he does, but who knows, maybe he'll convince me. I like doing things, I'm just not a good planner. So, we'll see.
Analysis: I'm very much interested in him. I feel like I just want to spend more time with him. I had fun bowling with him. I was so horrible. He was pretty good. We had fun though. He was a nice coach for me. It was cute. haha. At the end of the date he told me we should do something again and I said to call me. So, it ended well, right?
Well, for some reason after he left, I felt really depressed, and we're talking real depression! It was weird. I think it had to do with the fact that it was dark and gloomy outside and I slept for 4 hours and still felt really off and depressed. I woke up and felt that I really needed to go to the temple. I wanted to do initiatories because I really needed to be reminded of the blessings within. It was really good. I felt the Lord's love, especially through random people. It was really awesome. Afterward, I went to my old ward's closing social. I'm really glad I went because it stopped me from thinking and analyzing. It was good to see my old friends and bishopric. I even made it in the slideshow from when I went to the Draper Temple Open House! How funny is that! We played volleyball afterward and I got happy.
This morning when I woke up (Easter morning btw)I still felt off. It was beautiful and sunny outside. I went to our Women at the Well practice (we're singing this this coming Sunday if anyone wants to come! that is, anyone that is reading this humongo blog entry...). Of course I was thinking of the Savior all morning and trying to get past this dark feeling knowing there were so many things to be grateful for and that the Lord was showing me His love by the day, birds, purple blossoms, etc. One of the sisters gave a spiritual thought about the Savior that really touched me. I said the opening prayer and got emotional thinking of the Savior and His sacrifice and how it is for us. The songs were really touching too (of course) and I left feeling a little better, but still off. I prayed really hard when I came home and the spirit prompted me to realize that this is a trial I was going through (duh!). I then changed my train of thought from "Why can't I shake this?!" to "What can I learn from this?" and it was so much better. Sacrament meeting and Sunday School gave me some reflection time, but it wasn't until Relief Society where I really started feeling a change in my emotions.
We were learning about how we could be "Valient in the Cause of Christ." The Spirit was teaching me random things right and left. For the last few months, probably 6 months or so, I have really wondered if I would be able to lay down my life for the Church if need be. I keep hoping I would, but never knew how I would know that. Joseph Smith taught that "The Lord [gives] us power in proportion to the work to be done, and strength according to the race set before us, and grace and help as our needs [require]." Wow! That struck me like a ton of bricks! I learned so much from this. First, if I am ever in a position where the Lord WILL require me to lay down my life, my testimony is strong enough (obviously still growing), that the Lord will give me the strength necessary for me to act in that proportion. The second thing I learned is that I do have great qualities and the Lord is proud of me. I think I really needed to feel that. It's so easy to get down on myself and feel I'm "not good enough" when a guy is either not interested or taking his dear sweet time to get interested (haha). I felt so much better after church! To top it off, Lane had responded to my text. I asked him how his play was last night. Honestly, I know I should probably let him make these moves, but...ugh...I hate that! I just want to know! This is probably why I'm not married yet huh? Whatev.
In other news...I really needed my family fix today. I called my family and talked to them a bit. I love them so much! Dad was just called to be the High Priest Group Leader AND the Elder's Quorum President! Gotta love those branches. The branch needs to be whipped back into shape Preisthoodly speaking and I think he is the right man for the job. I'm so blessed to have him as an example and father.
I called Becky after church and she invited me over for dinner. It was so good to be there. Food was much better than what I would have made (maybe a sandwich or even cereal haha), and her kids are so darn cute! Caden is getting so big! It's amazing how fast they grow! He's 1 month today and is so sweet! I love these kids! They all got parachute things that were attached to a rubber bunny to weigh them down and you throw it up in the air...anyway, it was quite entertaining. Especially since they kept getting them caught in the tree. haha They were so preoccupied with the parachutes that they didn't need an Easter egg hunt, which I was a little sad about because that's hilarious to watch little kids go bonkers over hard boiled eggs. Alas, not in this Easter's cards. It was good talking to Becky too. I just held Caden and we chatted while the kids played with Andrew. It's been a while since we've actually sat down to talk.
I went to Jana's and watched the Testaments with them. It was funny watching them discipline dogs, too. They have two weenier dogs (Lady and Tramp) and they were watching Jenny's dog (CJ--bigger then them). Tramp was sitting on the couch on my Mike's lap next to me while CJ was in front of me. Tramp totally lunged for CJ! I was slightly frightened for my legs. It was crazy! So, Mike put Tramp in "his room" and then like 10 minutes later CJ started eating the frozen cookies Mike set on the counter to cook. That was hilarious! Mike put CJ outside. It was very entertaining. I will never have dogs, but holy cow that was entertaining.
So, moral of today's entry: the Lord loves us, answers prayers always (even if it is in HIS time and not mine), family is great, and everything works out.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Count Your Many Blessings
Two posts in one day, I know, but I just wanted to add this one. Becky's newest baby, Caden, was blessed today and it was such a blessing to be there. He is so adorable! All of her kids! I feel like their aunt! Self designated maybe? Anyway, I went to the blessing and hung out with the family for a bit before heading off to my own church. It was fast and testimony meeting for me and as I sat there I started feeling a deep sense of gratitude and love for everything in my life. Mom asked me to write down a list of my blessings a while ago and I realized that as I started, I got more and more detailed. I'd say "work" and then felt like I needed to add "coworkers" and "computer talents" and "breaks" and "Friday's." The Lord loves of so much that He has given us soo much that it's impossible to number them! It's definitely worth it to start the list though. So, here is what I thought of today:
My family--both immediate and extended
My car--so I can do things that I want to when I want to, for example: go to Caden's blessing
Beauties of the earth--Specifically today, the sky with the sun rays shining through the clouds and snow on the mountains
Friends that love meMy wardTalents I have been given--today I was grateful specifically for my ability to love people and my talent to not only sing, but appreciate good music
Laughter
My new home teacher who was given his assignment a few weeks ago and has been diligent in visiting all of his "families"--which in our ward is about 10 per guy because the numbers are ridiculously out of balance (100+ girls and less than 40 guys)
My roommates--current and former
The gospel--which includes many facets, but today specifically the atonement and the love for and from God and Jesus Christ
Those are just a few that I wanted to list. It was such an amazing day.
My family--both immediate and extended
My car--so I can do things that I want to when I want to, for example: go to Caden's blessing
Beauties of the earth--Specifically today, the sky with the sun rays shining through the clouds and snow on the mountains
Friends that love meMy wardTalents I have been given--today I was grateful specifically for my ability to love people and my talent to not only sing, but appreciate good music
Laughter
My new home teacher who was given his assignment a few weeks ago and has been diligent in visiting all of his "families"--which in our ward is about 10 per guy because the numbers are ridiculously out of balance (100+ girls and less than 40 guys)
My roommates--current and former
The gospel--which includes many facets, but today specifically the atonement and the love for and from God and Jesus Christ
Those are just a few that I wanted to list. It was such an amazing day.
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