The Choice to Be Grateful

The December 2011 Ensign (a magazine produced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) is filled with stories of the birth of Christ and how it blesses our lives each day.  I found it particularly interesting that the First Presidency message in the beginning was about gratitude.  President Eyring says, "Sometimes it is hard for us to be sufficiently grateful for the greatest gifts we receive: the birth of Jesus Christ, His Atonement, the promise of the resurrection, the opportunity to enjoy eternal life with our families, the Restoration of the gospel with the priesthood and its keys....We all can make the choice to give thanks in prayer and to ask God for direction to serve others for Him--especially during this time of year when we celebrate the Savior's birth."

The end of the message contains a "gratitude challenge" to write 100 things we are grateful for, broken down into 10 categories of 10 each.  So here's my list.  I encourage you all to do the same as you prepare for this Christmas season.

1. Write 10 physical abilities you are grateful for.
1. Walking around
2. My fainting spells have significantly decreased
3. I can run!...in moderation :)
4. The chance to sleep every night
5. My mental capacity to learn (that's physical, right?)
6. My foot and shoulder healed ok after being hit by the car on my mission
7. I am physically able to serve others
8. I never have to go hungry
9. Playing soccer
10. Swimming
2. Write 10 material possessions you are grateful for.
1. Sewing machine
2. Winter coat
3. Laptop
4. Cell phone
5. My car
6. My parent's piano
7. Digital camera
8. Shoes
9. Banana chair
10. Video camera
3. Write 10 living people you are grateful for. (more like 10 living groups of people...haha  :)
1. Mom and Dad (I know that's 2...but I'm grateful for LOTS of people)
2. My brothers (Chris, Michael, Malcolm)
3. President Thomas S. Monson
4. Tri-family :)
5. Roommates (Susie, Katie, Bailey, Betsy, Melissa)
6. Companions from the mission (Emi, Crystle, Leslie, Kassi, Rebecca, Lorina, Priscila)
7. Bishop and Sister Heiss
8. Karen Ernst
9. Marsha Green and co-workers (Sarah, Carley, Heidi, April)
10. President and Sister Bahr
11. This may be illegal to have a #11, but I'm grateful for YOU because you care to read my random blog :)
4. Write 10 deceased people you are grateful for.
1. Jesus Christ
2. Anthony (my brother)
3. Papa Chuck
4. Joseph Smith
5. Eve (yes, as in Adam and Eve :)
6. Gordon B. Hinckley
7. Lupita Arenas
8. Cassee Pitts
9. Heath Ledger
10. and Freud (haha)
5. Write 10 things about nature you are grateful for.
1. Pine trees
2. Warmth
3. Mountains
4. Sea otters (they're in nature...that counts, right?)
5. Inspiration I get when I'm in nature
6. Irises
7. Streams
8. Photosynthesis
9. Most animals I encounter on a daily basis don't want to eat me
10. Freshly fallen snow
6. Write 10 things about today you are grateful for.
1. Finishing my bachelor's degree
2. Hanging out with co-workers
3. Kneaders all-you-can-eat French toast
4. Sappily cute holiday movies on Lifetime
5. Hot chocolate
6. Great music (thank you Beyonce, Lil Wayne, and Jay Sean haha)
7. Finishing my roommate's wedding dress
8. Friends who text me
9. MarioKart
10. I have been graced with the presence of my roommates :)
7. Write 10 places on earth you are grateful for.
1. Temples
2. Home :)
3. Disneyland
4. California, in general
5. New Jersey!
6. Hefei, China
7. North Pole (but only if Santa is there)
8. Bakersfield
9. American Fork
10. Temple Square
8. Write 10 modern inventions you are grateful for.
1. Microwaves
2. Internet
3. Airplanes
4. Running water
5. Toilets
6. DVD's/DVD players
7. Whiteboards
8. Pandora
9. Electricity
10. Blenders
9. Write 10 foods you are grateful for.
1. Pizza
2. Chocolate
3. No-bake cookies
4. Green beans
5. Papa a la huancayina
6. Pasta
7. In 'N Out
8. Mangos
9. Taquitos
10. Yogurt
10. Write 10 things about the gospel you are grateful for.
1. Birth of Jesus Christ
2. Priesthood blessings
3. Eternal families
4. Book of Mormon and other scriptures
5. Living prophet
6. Repentance
7. Gift of the Holy Ghost
8. Mission!/Missionary work
9. Plan of Salvation
10. Indexing/Genealogy

So there you have it!  Good luck with your own list.  Merry Christmas!

Who Knew So Much Could Happen in One Short Year?

One year ago today, this is what I looked like:

Since then, SO MUCH has happened!

I went horseback riding...

...went back to school (and watched Jimmer play LIVE)...

...did my 8th year of HOBY...

...saw my best friend get married...

...changed my career goal from school counseling to teaching...

(haha, like I have a picture for this)

...went back to visit New Jersey...

...made a Relief Society movie...

...did my first ever photography job for a wedding...

...participated in graduation ceremony at BYU...

...decided to dust off the trumpet and do marching band again...

...got in a food fight (pudding, eggs, mashed potatoes, flour, melted ice cream, applesauce, rice, etc :)...

...was pictured on lds.org...

...went horseback riding again...

...applied for and got accepted to Teach For America!...

...sold my contract to move out to Auburn, followed by Las Vegas for my full-time teaching job...

...visited my new niece in northern California...

...and finished my last semester of undergraduate work at Brigham Young University!

Who would've thought?  As hard as this year was (trust me, adjusting back from the mission is NOT easy), it was filled with experiences I needed to help me learn and grow.  I'm excited for the opportunities I have ahead of me to fulfill the BYU motto and "Go forth to serve."  

I hope that everyone takes the time this season to reflect on the changes and experiences that have happened in your life over the last year.  Whether these changes were good or bad, they were necessary to make you who you need to become.  I firmly believe that "all these things shall give [us] experience and shall be for [our] good" (D&C 122:7)  Have a very Merry Christmas!

Thanks. Giving. is here.

It's a day of thanks, it's a day of giving, it's Thanksgiving.  Here is my absolute favorite Thanksgiving song.  Must listen to this today!

I have so much to be grateful for.  I don't need to bore you all with my gratitude list but I hope everyone makes one today.  The last 2 Thanksgivings I had were celebrated on my mission in New Jersey.  I'm so grateful for the time I had there and for the lessons I learned which have greatly blessed and enriched my life since.  Enjoy this video and have a Happy Thanksgiving.  Feliz dia del pavo!

Big Words

Vocabulary has never been a strong point of mine.  The only words I actually remember from all those vocab tests in school are vex and effervescent.  Oh wait, I think I also had juxtapose, plethora, and myriad as vocab words as well.  That makes 5.  As a university student, I've been exposed to a myriad of new words and phrases, many of which I've heard multiple times in a plethora of classes but they just don't seem to stick in my head.  Words like machiavellianism, empirical (ok I lied...that one finally sunk in this semester...), heuristic, catharsis, hedonism...the list goes on.  Maybe one of these days I'll get it...or I'll graduate, whichever comes first :)

But anyway, my freshman year we discussed the concept of existentialism in one of my classes.  I don't remember what was said but I remember thinking, "Hey, I'm an existentialist!"  It was a great revelation for me.  Unfortunately, if ever I told people, I could never back it up with why because I didn't know what one was, I just knew I was one.  Well, once again this concept is coming to surface in a class this semester.  Maybe this time I will actually remember long-term what it means.  For now, here's my idea of it:

• We each have the responsibility to make our lives meaningful and to live it passionately and sincerely.
• We have the power to rise up out of our circumstances and become better.
• We should be authentic in our actions and understand that different actions have different consequences or value.
• In order to have full meaning to life, we must understand and accept death.

The last point is particularly interesting to me.  Several years ago, I had an assignment in one of my classes to write my own obituary.  Most of the students kind of shuddered at the thought of that but i was excited for it (I know, I'm weird, but just go with it).  As I wrote it, I found myself really contemplating what I wanted the purpose of my life to be.  It helped me set goals for the kind of life I wanted to live so that people would be able to say those things about me in my obituary.  So I gained more meaning in my life by understanding death.  Anyway, just a thought.  

Whether you're an existentialist or not, it doesn't make much of a difference to me.  But this philosophy has helped me to figure things out.  Next time the professor is using big words, I hope I can remember what they mean...  :)

A Useless Pile of Bricks?

The Provo Tabernacle was a beautiful icon here in the Utah Valley.  Built with the blood, sweat, and tears of the first pioneers to settle here in the 1870's, it had a rich history.  I personally loved visiting that building.  I did photography shoots there because of the beauty of the outside red brick walls and the expansive lawn out to the side.  My stake held Stake Conference there in February 2009 and I was involved in numerous choir concerts that took place in the tabernacle for the BYU Women's Chorus.  Here are some of the shots I have from my memories there:

Just a little over a week after I got home from my mission last December, I was visiting my brother and sister-in-law out in California when I got a text from a friend of mine telling me that the Provo Tabernacle was on fire!  I couldn't believe it.  I immediately googled it and, sure enough, found videos and photos of the historic blaze.  I'll admit, I think I remember crying.  

For months, the Provo Tabernacle sat in ruins on the street corner, reminding us all of its tragic demise.  We wondered what they would do with it; to us it seemed like there was no option but to tear it down.  The amount of distress it went through left it a useless pile of bricks.  

What we didn't know during all of this was that the Lord was planning something much greater and more beautiful for the remains of this tabernacle.  In this most recent General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, our prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, announced that plans were underway to use the structure of the Provo Tabernacle to become a temple, a house of the Lord.  What an incredible announcement!  It will now become something more glorious than the pioneers could have ever imagined.

This story was related today in my stake conference by the stake president.  He compared it to the power of the Atonement of Christ.  Sometimes, we have to go through incredible trials in our lives.  These often leave us feeling lower than the dirt, like a useless pile of bricks on a street corner.  But the Lord knows what we can become.  He always knew the Tabernacle would become a temple, he was just waiting for us to figure it out.  The same applies in our lives.  No matter how low we feel, he can make us greater than we ever could have imagined.  The rebuilding process may be slow and it may be hard, but it will be worth it.  His Atonement heals us and gives us ennabling power to be instruments in His hands. 

Thanks for that analogy, President Mullen.  It's something that I hope will stick with me forever.

Hot Chocolate

I love this time of year. There is something special in the air every time I walk outside. Maybe it's the imminent approach of the holidays. Could be the changing weather or the changing leaves. School spirit is raging with football games every weekend and marching band in full swing. General Conference is a time to hear from the prophet of God on earth today. The smell and feel of new school supplies always gets me excited. The World Series is revving up! Hot chocolate starts to make its way back out, along with all kinds of harvest breads and soups. Honestly, I don't even like soup but when the time is right, like right now, I could totally go for it.

My favorite part of all is the slow change in mood of the music I listen to. Summertime is "roll down the windows and cruise down the street singing at the top of your lungs" type of music. As I go into winter, it becomes a little more chill, a little more acoustic, a little more "sitting by the fireplace with good friends" type of music. The Adele station on Pandora is the best, just in case anybody was wondering. And my favorite song of the season? Winter Song (click it to listen...you'll love it too).

Ward Campout!

My roommate Susie and I went to a food fight!

Let's just be honest, there are plenty of things about every time of year that one could find to hate but that's no fun. Personally in my life right now, things are going so well. Summer was not the best one on record but I've bounced back. I'm now in my last semester at BYU. So weird! Trying to make the most of it though...2 jobs, 14 credits, and playing trumpet in marching band is definitely keeping me busy but I wouldn't have it any other way. I've loved my time at BYU but I'm ready to move on and see what else life has in store for me.

My friends in marching band, Doug and Kate. Go cougars!

Come January, who knows what I'll be doing? :) Right now the plan is to move to Auburn, CA, with an old mission companion...just for the heck of it basically! I will spend about 5-6 months there and then *hopefully* start training sessions for Teach For America. I've been accepted to the final interview, which is scheduled for October 20! Wish me luck. :) Though I do have all this in the plans, however, I am trying to still keep myself open to other plans the Lord may have for me...aka: if I start dating someone, I would be more than willing to change some things around. Haha :) But until the guys get their act together, I will just keep setting goals and making plans and finding happiness now, every step of the way.

Family Fast

I have a brother who is one of my best friends in the world. Sometimes I just wish he would see how much I look up to him and would bend over backward to be there for him. It had been a while since I'd heard from him and I was really worried about where he was and how he was doing. I wanted him to know that no matter what his decisions in life were, he was always going to be a part of our family and I would always love him and pray for him. Then last Friday, I heard some news that really worried me. I didn't know what to do or how to react. I took a nice long 2-hour walk around the neighborhood and just cried and prayed and thought about how Icould help my brother. On my walk, I ran into a good friend of mine in my ward who could obviously see I was upset. She talked with me and listened as I explained to her what I was feeling. During our conversation, she suggested that our FHE family fast together for my

brother on Sunday. I was a little prideful to accept the offer at first but then I realized that we needed to do it. As I kept walking, I had a strong impression that my whole family should fast for him and I sent out a text to them all suggesting the idea. What happened next was nothing short of a miracle.

Sunday, June 12 was the day of the fast. I poured my heart out to Heavenly Father that morning pleading with him for something to come of it, either an answer for me as to something I could do more or an experience for my brother to help him. As usual, I went to my dad's house for Sunday dinner. We talked and played with the nieces and nephews until the bbq was ready.

The table set, we sat down to bless the food. Right as I folded my arms to break my fast, I heard a knock at the door. I jumped up to go answer it and was so excited to see my brother standing there! He joined us and we got to talk and catch up. I love my brother. He is such an example to me of strength in the Lord. I'm grateful my family had this experience of fasting. I really just wanted to share this experience to help people see the power of fasting and the hope the Lord offers us. I know that when the Lord sees us make sacrifices, he cannot withhold the blessings from us. "Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven" (hymn 27).

Happy Easter!

I love this song! It depicts the true meaning of Easter for me. I'm so grateful for the Atonement of Christ that works miracles in my life everyday. Happy Easter!

How are you always so happy?

The inspiration for the title of this blog comes from a talk given by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, an apostle of the Lord. For full talk, click here.



This idea of "come what may and love it" was the theme for my mission in New Jersey and it basically saved me countless times. It still runs through my head constantly as I'm faced with incredible life decisions and challenging tasks. Here is what I learned:

1. True joy/happiness comes from living your life in harmony with the commandments and teachings of Jesus Christ.
2. There is no point in stressing over things you have no control over.
3. Regrets do not have to be a part of life if you learn from your mistakes and be better in the future.
4. Laughter is the best medicine.

We know we're not perfect...(shocker! haha)...there are many times when we don't feel too happy or we don't feel like loving things but then we need to remind ourselves of what Elder Wirthlin said and things start to get better. As long as you're living your life the best you can, there is no reason the Lord can't bless you.