When we moved into our new apartment, we actually had space for a piano. I'm ashamed to admit this, but I obsessed about getting one and threw a temper tantrum or two because people weren't cooperating with me. Okay, so maybe i'm being a little over dramatic. I don't care. After all, this is about getting me my own piano.
Tim and I drove to see several and actually got a free entertainment center out of one visit. But... not piano yet.
My dad is "the piano man." No, not the Billy Joel type, but an actual piano mover, tuner, fixer uper--the works. I didn't think he'd let me buy one from him and I didn't want a piano out on loan, I wanted a piano to be actually owned by me.
Finally, he had one with me in mind and he actually offered to sell it to me. I'm sure he gave me a killer deal, but why should that even matter. I was going to buy my own piano. I would finally be able to practice at home and maybe even teach at home. This was going to be good.
Yup. it certainly was good, is good, and will continue to be good. Ryan, Tim, Dad and a neighbor helped haul it up our ridiculously steep stairs and now it is nestled against my front wall. It's gorgeous and even sounds gorgeous for an upright. I'm in love... :)
My dad videoed the first moments of me playing my new piano in my apartment.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Tour of Our First Apartment
Below are pictures of the studio apartment that I used in creating a craigslist add for someone to take over our lease because we found a two bedroom apartment for 50 more bucks a month. Enjoy the tour.  |
| Kitchen sink and cupboards. |
 |
| Another view of kitchen. Grandma Brower gave me her butcher block which gave us a lot more counter space. |
 |
| Kitchen oven, fridge, and pantry. We put the microwave on top of the fridge. |
 |
| this is the front of the apartment building as seen from across the street. |
 |
Our living room and dining room. We had afan in the window because the air conditioning didn't work well. It was sooo hot all the time. |
 |
| A view coming from the kitchen of our closet space that was to the side of the living room |
 |
| This view is looking out in front of the closet area toward the kitchen. Didn't I do a good job with making our little space cute? I miss its cuteness. |
 |
| looking at our bed from the front door |
 |
| This would be the front door and our little office which is at the end of the bed and to the side of the closet space. |
 |
| Our bathroom door was right next to our bed . |
 |
| I think our bathroom was pretty cute, too. |
 |
| There was a lot of storage space behind the bathroom door. Look at all of the drawers! Oh, and our tub only fit one person. |
Cruisin'
The week we got married, we spent everyday in our new little studio apartment just enjoying each other. At the time we counted that as our honeymoon. Tim's parents had a better idea. They bought us tickets to go on a week long cruise to Mexico.
Mom and Dad Huntsman, Aunt Carla and Uncle Gary, and Tim and I had fun going on vacation together. The airplane flight to L.A. being an exception. I don't know about anyone else, but I was so motion sick that I threw up in the little complimentary paper bag. I feel bad for the guy sitting next to Tim and me. If I were him I would have joined in the yacking. He acted like he didn't see, but he could have been pretending out of embarrassment. I thought for sure that the cruise would make me sick, too, but it didn't bother me one bit. Thank Heavens!
You may be wondering: "How would going on one's honeymoon with one's relatives be fun?" Let me explain. Each couple had their own room and did their own thing a lot of the time, but we did get together to eat, play poker (yup, I learned how to play Texas Hold 'Em on my honeymoon), and/or sight see. I really enjoyed getting to know my new relatives.
We were on the Carnival Splendor. That was the name of our ship. It was massive. If memory serves me right, I think it had 9 levels--my favorite being the lido deck. This was where all the food was... all day long. We'd already payed for it with the price of our tickets which made it a buffet 24/7. Sigh. I miss the lido deck. Also, it had a covering that could come over the top of the ship if we hit foul weather (which was 80% of the time). I didn't get a sun burn or a tan because of almost constant cloud cover.There were shows in an auditorium like room everyday. There was a karaoke room. There was dancing and gambling. We enjoyed swimming in hot tubs and sliding down slides into the pool. Though, I did not enjoy having salt water go up my nose. The pools were filled with ocean water. It was very green of them, but uncomfortable to my sinuses. Yuck.
On the top deck, they had a miniature golf course. Tim and I played through a few times. There was also a sand bag tossing game of which I was horrible at playing. Tim of course was almost flawless at it, like he is with most games. :)
At night, they'd play a movie on a big screen in front of the patio of the lido deck. Tim and I watched the latest Terminator movie while sitting in a hot tub and then later while laying on beach chairs. Both situations were awesome.
The walls in our apartment complex were paper thin which means we could hear everything our neighbors were doing and they could hear everything we were doing. On the other hand, the walls surrounding our room on the ship were soooo thick. We could be as loud as we wanted to be while we watched movies or did other things...if you catch my drift. Sorry, I couldn't help myself. this was our honey moon after all, haha.
Moving on, dinner was to die for. We could order anything we wanted and they would bring it to us in a five course meal fashion. By the end of the week we had grown to really like our waiters. They were a couple of funny, charismatic people. belowt is a video of dinner time on the cruise ship, Our waiters and waitresses did a different dance and song each night. It was very entertaining.
As for see the sights, we had several port days which meant that we could go to shore and explore Mexico. We stopped in Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, and Mazatlan. Each place was jam packed with little kids and old ladies trying to sell you something. Even the taxi drivers were in on it. We had one tell us he would drive us to the playa (beach), but instead he dropped us off in front of Di Jewelers. Eventually we found an honest taxi driver . He took us to a nice pretty much empty plot of beach. There was a little Mexican family playing in the sand, but other than that it was just us. We road the waves as they flushed onto the shore. Tim was more adventurous than I and he went pretty far out and caught some big waves. I was content with being slightly pushed around. After splashing in the water, I ended up getting some shell bracelets and 2 sun dresses from a lady who we suspect was in cahoots with the bar above the beach. Most everyone, it seemed, wanted to sell us something and they know how to work the ethos, too. It is a lot harder to say no to a kid or grandma than a legit businessman for some reason. Tim was really good at bartering, though, so we got pretty good deals.... I think, haha. 
The moral of this story is that cruises are fantastic and I want to go an more of them (them being plural on purpose). MORE, please. :D
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
My Timmy
There once was a boy named Tim Huntsman. I fell in love with him. We got married and are now living happily forever after. The end. :)
We met before Tim's mission at a young single adult sand volleyball activity and we hung out a few times before he left, but we didn't write each other until he was about to come home. When he was finally home, he was trying to decide whether or not he should go back to BYU or stay and attend BSU. Eventually, he came to a decision. He stayed! I'd like to think I had a lot to do with this, though I suppose it doesn't really matter. What matters is that, even though I was nervous about letting another guy (i'd dated some not-so-good guys) into my life, he was patient enough to allow me time to fall in love with him. Tim got home from his mission at a time when I was recovering from some stupid choices that I'd made. I had some trust issues, but he waited it out (it being all the time it took for our relationship to blossom). I'll always be grateful for that.
After months of spending almost every waking moment together (watching movies, doing homework, going to school, attending institute classes, going to church, eating scrumptious triple-decker pb and j sandwiches, playing and singing music, talking on the phone until the wee hours of the morning, hanging out with friends and family... and the list goes on) we went on a stroll from Riva Ridge Way (the street he lived on) to Reutzel Dr (the street I lived on... yes we were neighbors growing up and didn't even know it). We continued walking down Ruetzel while we held hands and talked. I don't remember what we talked about, but our chit chat isn't the point of this story. The good stuff is coming up, though, I promise. Anyways, we walked and walked and walked and when we reached Rushmore Way. Tim got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I thought he was joking at first and asked in awe, "Are you serious?" Only seconds later, positive that my boyfriend was wanting to become my fiancé, excitement burst from my heart to my mouth and I literally screamed "YES!!!!"
We kept our engagement a secret for one day. Well actually, I think we each told one person. He told his sister and I told my nephew, Gabe (he couldn't talk at the time so I knew my secret was safe with him). Other than that, we wanted to have a day of bliss just to ourselves.
The next day, he came to pick me up for a car ride. On the way to somewhere (I was clueless), Tim told me about his experience in the temple. I'm not going to go into details about that, but you can know that it made me bawl tears of joy. I couldn't stop crying. I felt so loved and wanted. This engagement felt soooo right! Tim was planning on driving to the volleyball court where we first met and officially proposing (ring and all) there, but he felt bad about continuing to drive as I was crying. Instead, he pulled over and whipped out the ring. Again he asked me to marry him. This made me cry even harder. :) Hugs and kisses happened... it was a beautiful moment... and then we went to show and tell to our parents and everyone we could think of.
The only other day in my life that was better than the two days I've just described would be our wedding day.
We were married in the Boise temple on the 27th of March 2010. Family and friends came to the ceremony and witnessed us being sealed for time and all eternity. There was not a dry eye in the room. The spirit was so sweet.
I now get to be with my best friend for ever--learning and growing. I'm the luckiest girl EVER!
Friday, October 9, 2009
My Version of "My Father's Hands"
My father is the man
Who has loved me
All my life.
Since before I can remember
He's worked hard for his
Family and wife.
Though his body has been through
A day of pain and bombard,
When he played upon the piano
There were times when he played just as hard.
I loved to see
My father's hands
Zealously climb up and down
The keys.
In my heart
The more I wished
To be like him
And do all I could
Just to please.
"Why do you play the piano so much?"
"The more I play
The better I get
And the more fun it is
For every finger to touch."
My father's hands
Have taught me
To work hard and yet
To have fun.
So now when I play
the piano
And feel my fingers run.
I think of
my father's hands
and I am thankful.
Writing
I love to write...I love to write...I love to write...I love to write...I love to write...I love to write...
My hands move swiftly.
Scratching with a pen, I write
Lovely words of fantasy.
Alive in ink on the sheets.
I love to write...I love to write...I love to write...I love to write...I love to write...I love to write...
Winter
Snow is falling everywhere
Kids are playing without care
Christmas trees and gifts that please
People skating on ice
I think winter is nice
!!! My Life is Grand !!!
My life is grand
I am extremely lucky
Optimistic
Happy
gladitude
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Smooth
Romantic
It shall be lovely
Interesting
Today is the day
Refreshed
Excited
Joyous thoughts
Escape from the world
Growing in love
Never ending
A Diamante
Violin
Carved, Varnished
Tuning, Playing, Improving
Bridge, Strings, Scroll, Pegs
Practicing, Vibrating, Performing
Strong, Beautiful
Voice
Carved, Varnished
Tuning, Playing, Improving
Bridge, Strings, Scroll, Pegs
Practicing, Vibrating, Performing
Strong, Beautiful
Voice
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Terrible Tuesday
3 March 2007
So, I hate Tuesdays just because they are prodigiously long and obnoxious (for me and my retarded schedule), but this week's was trashcan worthy. No, WAIT...that isn't disgusting enough. I'd say it was dumpster or landfill material...perhaps even toxic waste would justify a good description.
And it came to pass...
I started my morning in a manic/cranky manner, as usual. But during my morning blah, I had several thoughts that went something like this: "self, just wear glasses." In response, though, I went on to think, "that's retarded. I'll be fine," + ended up pushing the reoccurring idea to the back of my noggin'.
If ye go contrary to that which has been spoken, that ye withdraw yourselves form the spirit of the Lord, that it may have no place in you to guide you in wisdom's paths...
Lo and behold, my contacts decided to give me havoc. Throughout the day, I couldn't see and was unfocused in my classes. There was no point in my being in class (since I wasn't getting anything out of it) so I headed to the ladies room.
Basically... I attempted to rinse out my devilish contacts. Apperently, I failed miserably. I plopped them back in and moved 'em around, trying to get them to adjust. There must have been a piece of makeup or eyelash in the one, though, because my eye began to scream at me (metaphorically speaking, of course. I am glad that body parts can't really communicate, it would be freaky). I then proceeded to trashing the lenses.
And there was wailing and gnashing of teeth...
I-- being a retard-- remained in the bathroom, going through toilet paper like no other, because my eye spasm decided to invite my sinuses to the show. I was naively hoping that the pain would cease. Finally, ("here [she] come[s] to save the day") a girl of brilliance assisted me to the building's main office. I was blind, by this point, and in tremendous pain. I told them my situation and was led, like a dog on a leash, to the health and wellness center. It turns out that I had managed to scratch my cornea. It took like two hours for them to tell me this (after a junk-load of useless questioning) and I was then sent home to endure the rest of the day. It was disgusting. We hit a traffic jam and with my lack of sight, combined with the stop/go situation, things were "Mmmm good", only not. I became car-sick and vomited all over the car. :(.
Later that night, Bro. Durrant and my poppy gave me a blessing. It was very comforting (physically and emotionally). I love the priesthood. <3. style="font-style:italic;"> Words of advice = Don't hurt your eye; it is not fun.
So, I hate Tuesdays just because they are prodigiously long and obnoxious (for me and my retarded schedule), but this week's was trashcan worthy. No, WAIT...that isn't disgusting enough. I'd say it was dumpster or landfill material...perhaps even toxic waste would justify a good description.
And it came to pass...
I started my morning in a manic/cranky manner, as usual. But during my morning blah, I had several thoughts that went something like this: "self, just wear glasses." In response, though, I went on to think, "that's retarded. I'll be fine," + ended up pushing the reoccurring idea to the back of my noggin'.
If ye go contrary to that which has been spoken, that ye withdraw yourselves form the spirit of the Lord, that it may have no place in you to guide you in wisdom's paths...
Lo and behold, my contacts decided to give me havoc. Throughout the day, I couldn't see and was unfocused in my classes. There was no point in my being in class (since I wasn't getting anything out of it) so I headed to the ladies room.
Basically... I attempted to rinse out my devilish contacts. Apperently, I failed miserably. I plopped them back in and moved 'em around, trying to get them to adjust. There must have been a piece of makeup or eyelash in the one, though, because my eye began to scream at me (metaphorically speaking, of course. I am glad that body parts can't really communicate, it would be freaky). I then proceeded to trashing the lenses.
And there was wailing and gnashing of teeth...
I-- being a retard-- remained in the bathroom, going through toilet paper like no other, because my eye spasm decided to invite my sinuses to the show. I was naively hoping that the pain would cease. Finally, ("here [she] come[s] to save the day") a girl of brilliance assisted me to the building's main office. I was blind, by this point, and in tremendous pain. I told them my situation and was led, like a dog on a leash, to the health and wellness center. It turns out that I had managed to scratch my cornea. It took like two hours for them to tell me this (after a junk-load of useless questioning) and I was then sent home to endure the rest of the day. It was disgusting. We hit a traffic jam and with my lack of sight, combined with the stop/go situation, things were "Mmmm good", only not. I became car-sick and vomited all over the car. :(.
Later that night, Bro. Durrant and my poppy gave me a blessing. It was very comforting (physically and emotionally). I love the priesthood. <3. style="font-style:italic;"> Words of advice = Don't hurt your eye; it is not fun.
Seven Reasons for a Season
I'm glad it is finally getting cool/cold outside. I love the fall!
Reason One =
There are lots of deep colors-- shades of a sunset. It is interesting how death can be so beautiful. After all, that is a majority of what this season is-- lots of dying leaves and plants; but, as morbid as it may seem, I love it! Anyways, I love this season for more reasons than a fascination with death... If you 're gonna die, though, you might as well go out with color, haha.
Reason Two =
The trees finally get a chance to sleep! I know how much I love to sleep and can only imagine that a rest for them has to feel fantastic. I forget how grateful I should be to be able to take a good long 8 hourish nap every night until September and October show up and I'm reminded that trees have to wait many months for a break.
Reason Three =
It is harvest time! Squash, pumpkins, zucchini, and etc. are big and deliciously ready for me to devour!
Reason Four =
I get to where coats, jackets, scarves, hats, gloves, sweaters, and the like! I like clothes, especially when it comes to fall and winter fashions and accessories! This is stereotyped as being extremely girly, but what can I say to that? Hmmm... I'll say that it probably has something to do with my vain streak, haha. Also, I'm of the opinion that I can be girly if I want to-- especially since I am a girl.
Reason Five =
Reverting to a mental image of dead leaves... um... I can jump into big piles of them! :)
Reason Six =
It is the beginning of "the holidays."
Reason Seven =
It rocks enough that, from the bleachers in my head, I can almost hear mini Brookes cheering with glee: "Give me an F! Give me an A! Give me a set of L's! Go, Fall ,go!" ;)
Reason One =
There are lots of deep colors-- shades of a sunset. It is interesting how death can be so beautiful. After all, that is a majority of what this season is-- lots of dying leaves and plants; but, as morbid as it may seem, I love it! Anyways, I love this season for more reasons than a fascination with death... If you 're gonna die, though, you might as well go out with color, haha.
Reason Two =
The trees finally get a chance to sleep! I know how much I love to sleep and can only imagine that a rest for them has to feel fantastic. I forget how grateful I should be to be able to take a good long 8 hourish nap every night until September and October show up and I'm reminded that trees have to wait many months for a break.
Reason Three =
It is harvest time! Squash, pumpkins, zucchini, and etc. are big and deliciously ready for me to devour!
Reason Four =
I get to where coats, jackets, scarves, hats, gloves, sweaters, and the like! I like clothes, especially when it comes to fall and winter fashions and accessories! This is stereotyped as being extremely girly, but what can I say to that? Hmmm... I'll say that it probably has something to do with my vain streak, haha. Also, I'm of the opinion that I can be girly if I want to-- especially since I am a girl.
Reason Five =
Reverting to a mental image of dead leaves... um... I can jump into big piles of them! :)
Reason Six =
It is the beginning of "the holidays."
Reason Seven =
It rocks enough that, from the bleachers in my head, I can almost hear mini Brookes cheering with glee: "Give me an F! Give me an A! Give me a set of L's! Go, Fall ,go!" ;)
Colors!
My favorite color is yellow, but if you were to put two objects-- a yellow one and a green one-- before me, I'd tell you that I prefer the green one. I love the way the color green makes my eyes stand out. This may be a completely vain attribute of me, but there ya have it. I have a vain streak... who doesn't? If I prefer the color green, in most cases, why isn't green my favorite color? Well, let me explain myself. I love the brightness of yellow. It reminds me of sunshine and the idea of such spunky and yet beautiful warmth makes me smile. I want to be bright, spunky, and beautiful just like it. Plus, from a printer's perspective (not that I am or ever have been a printer, haha), yellow is the color that gives life to all other colors on the printed page. It is a wonderful color! What else can I say? Probably a lot, actually... :)
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
???
Life is changing before me
The unknown staring me in the face
My plans I've accomplished
it's another fork in the road
where do I go?
What should I do?
So many choices!
The unknown staring me in the face
My plans I've accomplished
it's another fork in the road
where do I go?
What should I do?
So many choices!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Tools for the Trials of Life and the Negative Thoughts that Tag Along
Life, for most people in the world, consists of stress and busy schedules. Everything we do occurs at top notch speeds. The activities we engage in, the shows we watch, the music we listen to, the commodities we buy, the relationships we have/want seem to fly by at rapid tempos. We are easily upset if something seems to be taking "forever" to happen. I know that I have, on more than one occasion, stood in front of the microwave cursing my pre-cooked burrito for taking too long to get warm. Pathetic, probably, but it just shows how much a part of a high-speed society I really am.
With such a society, running as fast it can, responsibilities like family, jobs, and school seem to stack higher and higher. Trying to keep up to par with everything may be difficult and when one falls behind, it seems like there is no way to catch up and the glimmer of hope can quickly morph into a black hole of despair.
Perhaps, you have experienced what I am describing. If you have ever felt like you were drowning in an ocean of stress-overload you probably know what I’m talking about. You are discouraged at yourself for falling behind. You feel mad at the world for throwing so much stress and chaos at you. You feel bad for letting your boss, teachers, and/or loved ones down. You feel horrible about not being "good enough" and then the thoughts begin to make their way in, the negative "just give up" kind of thoughts. "You'll never be able to fix everything or come out on top." "Why are you even trying?" "It is too hard, there’s sooo much to do and not enough time." "There is no hope for a bright future, if you can't handle your life, right now" "You've lost control, stop trying, it is no use."
These thoughts are horrible! They bring with them confusion, doubt, fear, and a disgusting knot in the stomach that forms when a lie is told. This is because these thoughts and thoughts similar to them are lies. Satan, the father lies, wants to destroy us, to make us as miserable as he is. D&C 10: 22 states that: “Satan leads souls to destruction.” And in Moses 4: 6 we learn more about the devil’s evil intentions when we read that: “Satan [seeks] to destroy the world.” He was our brother in the pre-earth life. He knows us: our weaknesses, our talents, our strengths. He knows our great potential and wants us to fail. He, as well as his legions of evil spirit followers, will do all that they can to hinder our progression. Though they cannot read our thoughts, they can whisper evil and degrading things into our minds. If we allow these things to stay, little by little we will fall away from reaching our God-given potential. Steven A. Cramer, in his book, Putting on the Amor of God, states the following phrase repeatedly: “What gets your attention get you.” Negative thoughts (like the aforementioned) have popped into everyone’s head (I know that they’ve popped into mine), but this does not mean we have to keep them there. Even the Savior of the world, He who was perfect, was tempted of the devil. When Jesus had fasted for forty days he went into the wilderness and the devil came to tempt him. In Matt 4: 10 we read the Savior’s response. He commanded: “Get thee hence, Satan…” and like the Savior, we mustn’t allow Satan’s whisperings to stay with us.
We have had and will continue to have challenges in our lives. Satan will continue in his endeavors at feeding negative thoughts into our heads in hope that we will let them linger to torture our souls. Today, though, I want to talk about how we can deal with the stresses of this world and how to replace negative thoughts and feelings with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and hope in His infinite Atonement.
In his talk entitled Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Elder Kevin W. Pearson said: “Challenging times require greater spiritual power” (40). How true that is! The bar has been raised in missionary requirements and it should be raised in our own lives. The standards of the world are progressively falling. We see it everywhere (in the streets, at school in the media, and etc). With so much chaos and confusion surrounding us, we need to do more to protect ourselves from falling right alongside the world; we need to do all that we can to stay close to the Lord.
There are many tools like prayer, the words of the prophets, and temple worship available to help us through the hardships of life. Let’s talk a little bit more about each of these tools. First, we can pray. Heavenly Father is there. He listens to and answers every single prayer. He loves us and wants us to come to Him, to give Him our thanks, to share with him our desires, our heartache, to ask Him for help. In D&C 10:5 it says, “Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work.” Prayer is such a simple thing and yet it is so powerful.
The words of the prophets are another tool. Whether it be President Monson and the general authorities of today or the prophets of old. Messages of comfort and guidance from the Lord are relayed through them to us in church magazines like the Ensign and in the scriptures. This is also a simple thing and so much strength and joy (even answers to prayers) can come from simply reading! I don’t know how many times I have read my scriptures or flipped through talks in the Ensign and had several questions answered or received direction as the Spirit whispered to my heart that what I was reading was truth. Elder Sheldon F. Child in his talk A Sure Foundation pleaded: “Brothers and sisters, if God loves us enough to send us prophets, then we need to love Him enough to follow them. Following the prophets will help protect us against the storms of life and lead us to Christ. [hold scriptures and ensign up] These are words from our Heavenly Father through His servants to me and to you. They can be our guide to surviving and even thriving in these troubled times.
Temple worship is also a source of strength and power in times of need. Elder Richard G. Scott gave a marvelous talk in General Conference last month on this very subject. In his talk he suggested several ways that one can benefit more from attending the temple. Such suggestions include [read out of ensign](44). He also testified that: “When we keep the temple covenants we have made and when we live righteously in order to maintain the blessings promised by those ordinances then come what may, we have no reason to feel despondent”(45). What a blessing it is to have a temple in the very city we live. Travel time is only a matter of minutes and we can be within the walls of the temple, away from the cares of the world. For those of us who are not endowed, we have opportunities several times a week to go do baptisms for the dead. And for the endowed the opportunity is always there. I don’t take enough advantage of this. I get caught up with being too busy or not wanting to sacrifice a few hours of sleep to get up early and go, but I know that when I have gone it has been awesome. The Holy Ghost is strong when I do service in general, but it is especially strong within the sacred walls of the temple, as I participate in ordinances by proxy for those who have gone to the spirit world. If you don’t currently hold a temple recommend, schedule an interview with the bishop to receive one. If you are unworthy to receive one, then get worthy! Again, talk to the bishop, he loves you and is there to help with the repentance process so that you can once again enjoy the blessings of the temple. Attending the temple can strengthen our testimonies and make us more able to deal with the stresses and doubts of the world.
Negativity may crash in from all around us. Circumstance may be treacherous. And with such, doubts and sorrow can crowd our hearts and minds. Even with (ESPECIALLY with) the hard times we are experiencing and/or will experience, we need to remember the many tools that God has provided for us. Prayer, the words of the prophets, and temples are only a few of the resources we have available to us. We have family and friends, home and visiting teachers, institute classes, beautiful and inspiring hymns and music, and other things and people in our lives that can aid us in this earthly experience. Going back to Kevin W. Pearson’s Talk Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, he closed with his testimony that “Because He lives (He being the Savior), there is always hope smiling brightly before us. In a household of faith, there is no need to fear or doubt. Choose to live by faith and not fear.”
I want to close with my own testimony. I know that God lives and loves each one of us. I know that Jesus is my elder brother and my Savior. I know that he lived a perfect life and that if I follow his example I will be blessed. I know that he suffered the Atonement because he loves me and each of us. I know that he experienced all of my pains and all of my heartache. He knows exactly what I have gone through, all that I am going through, and all that I will go through. He died and was resurrected so that we may live again with Him, our Heavenly Parents and all of our loved ones. Life may bring me down, I may be a horrible sinner, but everything will be okay because I know that I am not alone. I know that through repentance, no matter how bad I mess up, I can be made clean; I can be forgiven! I know that Satan is real and that he is doing his best to confuse us, to make us doubt, to lead us away from the blessings that come through living the gospel. Even with the distractions of the devil, even with the stresses of mortality, I know that men are that they might have joy. God wants us to be happy. Times may be hard, but there is no reason to fear. He has provided us with the means to endure. I know that with God we can do and get through anything.
I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
With such a society, running as fast it can, responsibilities like family, jobs, and school seem to stack higher and higher. Trying to keep up to par with everything may be difficult and when one falls behind, it seems like there is no way to catch up and the glimmer of hope can quickly morph into a black hole of despair.
Perhaps, you have experienced what I am describing. If you have ever felt like you were drowning in an ocean of stress-overload you probably know what I’m talking about. You are discouraged at yourself for falling behind. You feel mad at the world for throwing so much stress and chaos at you. You feel bad for letting your boss, teachers, and/or loved ones down. You feel horrible about not being "good enough" and then the thoughts begin to make their way in, the negative "just give up" kind of thoughts. "You'll never be able to fix everything or come out on top." "Why are you even trying?" "It is too hard, there’s sooo much to do and not enough time." "There is no hope for a bright future, if you can't handle your life, right now" "You've lost control, stop trying, it is no use."
These thoughts are horrible! They bring with them confusion, doubt, fear, and a disgusting knot in the stomach that forms when a lie is told. This is because these thoughts and thoughts similar to them are lies. Satan, the father lies, wants to destroy us, to make us as miserable as he is. D&C 10: 22 states that: “Satan leads souls to destruction.” And in Moses 4: 6 we learn more about the devil’s evil intentions when we read that: “Satan [seeks] to destroy the world.” He was our brother in the pre-earth life. He knows us: our weaknesses, our talents, our strengths. He knows our great potential and wants us to fail. He, as well as his legions of evil spirit followers, will do all that they can to hinder our progression. Though they cannot read our thoughts, they can whisper evil and degrading things into our minds. If we allow these things to stay, little by little we will fall away from reaching our God-given potential. Steven A. Cramer, in his book, Putting on the Amor of God, states the following phrase repeatedly: “What gets your attention get you.” Negative thoughts (like the aforementioned) have popped into everyone’s head (I know that they’ve popped into mine), but this does not mean we have to keep them there. Even the Savior of the world, He who was perfect, was tempted of the devil. When Jesus had fasted for forty days he went into the wilderness and the devil came to tempt him. In Matt 4: 10 we read the Savior’s response. He commanded: “Get thee hence, Satan…” and like the Savior, we mustn’t allow Satan’s whisperings to stay with us.
We have had and will continue to have challenges in our lives. Satan will continue in his endeavors at feeding negative thoughts into our heads in hope that we will let them linger to torture our souls. Today, though, I want to talk about how we can deal with the stresses of this world and how to replace negative thoughts and feelings with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and hope in His infinite Atonement.
In his talk entitled Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Elder Kevin W. Pearson said: “Challenging times require greater spiritual power” (40). How true that is! The bar has been raised in missionary requirements and it should be raised in our own lives. The standards of the world are progressively falling. We see it everywhere (in the streets, at school in the media, and etc). With so much chaos and confusion surrounding us, we need to do more to protect ourselves from falling right alongside the world; we need to do all that we can to stay close to the Lord.
There are many tools like prayer, the words of the prophets, and temple worship available to help us through the hardships of life. Let’s talk a little bit more about each of these tools. First, we can pray. Heavenly Father is there. He listens to and answers every single prayer. He loves us and wants us to come to Him, to give Him our thanks, to share with him our desires, our heartache, to ask Him for help. In D&C 10:5 it says, “Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work.” Prayer is such a simple thing and yet it is so powerful.
The words of the prophets are another tool. Whether it be President Monson and the general authorities of today or the prophets of old. Messages of comfort and guidance from the Lord are relayed through them to us in church magazines like the Ensign and in the scriptures. This is also a simple thing and so much strength and joy (even answers to prayers) can come from simply reading! I don’t know how many times I have read my scriptures or flipped through talks in the Ensign and had several questions answered or received direction as the Spirit whispered to my heart that what I was reading was truth. Elder Sheldon F. Child in his talk A Sure Foundation pleaded: “Brothers and sisters, if God loves us enough to send us prophets, then we need to love Him enough to follow them. Following the prophets will help protect us against the storms of life and lead us to Christ. [hold scriptures and ensign up] These are words from our Heavenly Father through His servants to me and to you. They can be our guide to surviving and even thriving in these troubled times.
Temple worship is also a source of strength and power in times of need. Elder Richard G. Scott gave a marvelous talk in General Conference last month on this very subject. In his talk he suggested several ways that one can benefit more from attending the temple. Such suggestions include [read out of ensign](44). He also testified that: “When we keep the temple covenants we have made and when we live righteously in order to maintain the blessings promised by those ordinances then come what may, we have no reason to feel despondent”(45). What a blessing it is to have a temple in the very city we live. Travel time is only a matter of minutes and we can be within the walls of the temple, away from the cares of the world. For those of us who are not endowed, we have opportunities several times a week to go do baptisms for the dead. And for the endowed the opportunity is always there. I don’t take enough advantage of this. I get caught up with being too busy or not wanting to sacrifice a few hours of sleep to get up early and go, but I know that when I have gone it has been awesome. The Holy Ghost is strong when I do service in general, but it is especially strong within the sacred walls of the temple, as I participate in ordinances by proxy for those who have gone to the spirit world. If you don’t currently hold a temple recommend, schedule an interview with the bishop to receive one. If you are unworthy to receive one, then get worthy! Again, talk to the bishop, he loves you and is there to help with the repentance process so that you can once again enjoy the blessings of the temple. Attending the temple can strengthen our testimonies and make us more able to deal with the stresses and doubts of the world.
Negativity may crash in from all around us. Circumstance may be treacherous. And with such, doubts and sorrow can crowd our hearts and minds. Even with (ESPECIALLY with) the hard times we are experiencing and/or will experience, we need to remember the many tools that God has provided for us. Prayer, the words of the prophets, and temples are only a few of the resources we have available to us. We have family and friends, home and visiting teachers, institute classes, beautiful and inspiring hymns and music, and other things and people in our lives that can aid us in this earthly experience. Going back to Kevin W. Pearson’s Talk Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, he closed with his testimony that “Because He lives (He being the Savior), there is always hope smiling brightly before us. In a household of faith, there is no need to fear or doubt. Choose to live by faith and not fear.”
I want to close with my own testimony. I know that God lives and loves each one of us. I know that Jesus is my elder brother and my Savior. I know that he lived a perfect life and that if I follow his example I will be blessed. I know that he suffered the Atonement because he loves me and each of us. I know that he experienced all of my pains and all of my heartache. He knows exactly what I have gone through, all that I am going through, and all that I will go through. He died and was resurrected so that we may live again with Him, our Heavenly Parents and all of our loved ones. Life may bring me down, I may be a horrible sinner, but everything will be okay because I know that I am not alone. I know that through repentance, no matter how bad I mess up, I can be made clean; I can be forgiven! I know that Satan is real and that he is doing his best to confuse us, to make us doubt, to lead us away from the blessings that come through living the gospel. Even with the distractions of the devil, even with the stresses of mortality, I know that men are that they might have joy. God wants us to be happy. Times may be hard, but there is no reason to fear. He has provided us with the means to endure. I know that with God we can do and get through anything.
I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Spring
It is starting to get warm again! In reality, there are spurts of random cold spells sprinkled with snowflakes, but in general spring is "just around the river bend," as Disney's Pocahontas would say (actually, she'd be singing that phrase... haha).
I forget how much I love the sound of birds, every year. Also, the budding leaves and flowers are soo beautiful. The newness of growth (maybe, it's just the surge of energy from my high protein diet) makes me want to burst into song. If my whits would permit, I'd love to just sing happy spring songs while walking to and from class.
I forget how much I love the sound of birds, every year. Also, the budding leaves and flowers are soo beautiful. The newness of growth (maybe, it's just the surge of energy from my high protein diet) makes me want to burst into song. If my whits would permit, I'd love to just sing happy spring songs while walking to and from class.
Saturday @ School
A few years ago I wrote:
This past weekend was a rather weird one. I usually stay at home and catch up on my studies/practicing and then squeeze in some relaxation time. On a spur of the moment thing, though, I ended up hanging out at school all day. Do you know who Adam Neiman is? If not, I highly suggest that you look the fellow up.
So... It turns out that he was giving a studio class and a concert on Saturday. I was pretty much enthused when I found out about this. I attended both and took some great notes. It was very inspirational. He knows his music history, theory and everything in between. I was very impressed and in love with his technique!
I was also able to go to a study group in preparation a test. I think it helped, but I'm not sure. I guess I'll have to wait until the grade is posted. I'd go to all the study groups that are provided, but they seem to be at unsuitable times (for me anyways). I have no form of transportation to get me downtown on the weekends and in the evenings (usually). I am stuck at school from 8 in the morning until 9ish in the p.m., on Tuesdays. Even if a study group is on that day (which never happens), it would probably be during one of my classes. I laugh, because so is life.
And that I concludes my recap of a Saturday @ school. :)
This past weekend was a rather weird one. I usually stay at home and catch up on my studies/practicing and then squeeze in some relaxation time. On a spur of the moment thing, though, I ended up hanging out at school all day. Do you know who Adam Neiman is? If not, I highly suggest that you look the fellow up.
So... It turns out that he was giving a studio class and a concert on Saturday. I was pretty much enthused when I found out about this. I attended both and took some great notes. It was very inspirational. He knows his music history, theory and everything in between. I was very impressed and in love with his technique!
I was also able to go to a study group in preparation a test. I think it helped, but I'm not sure. I guess I'll have to wait until the grade is posted. I'd go to all the study groups that are provided, but they seem to be at unsuitable times (for me anyways). I have no form of transportation to get me downtown on the weekends and in the evenings (usually). I am stuck at school from 8 in the morning until 9ish in the p.m., on Tuesdays. Even if a study group is on that day (which never happens), it would probably be during one of my classes. I laugh, because so is life.
And that I concludes my recap of a Saturday @ school. :)
The ThreeTravelers
Awhile back I wrote:
My 33 year suitor (this is just a nickname for a friend of mine), is goin' to china to teach English. Isn't that awesome? I am quite jealous, and yet happy for the guy. He needs some excitement. Maybe he'll have a fling with some foxy Chinese lady. After all, romance has a sense of excitement... I suppose.
Also, in the realm of travel...My brother, Ryan, is headed to Thailand-- this summer. He went there on his mission, and wants to take "the beautiful Robyn" (his wife) back with him to do all that fun stuff that was prohibited from him, as a missionary. I wish I could hitch a ride with them. I want to travel the world! There are so many beautiful places to see and wonderful things to do. 'Tis a shame that we can't live forever or at least have enough time/money to see and do everything.
My 33 year suitor (this is just a nickname for a friend of mine), is goin' to china to teach English. Isn't that awesome? I am quite jealous, and yet happy for the guy. He needs some excitement. Maybe he'll have a fling with some foxy Chinese lady. After all, romance has a sense of excitement... I suppose.
Also, in the realm of travel...My brother, Ryan, is headed to Thailand-- this summer. He went there on his mission, and wants to take "the beautiful Robyn" (his wife) back with him to do all that fun stuff that was prohibited from him, as a missionary. I wish I could hitch a ride with them. I want to travel the world! There are so many beautiful places to see and wonderful things to do. 'Tis a shame that we can't live forever or at least have enough time/money to see and do everything.
Farris Wheel Phobia
My mom is deathly afraid of heights and yet at lagoon, a few years back, we persuaded her to go on the Farris Wheel with us. She was doing just fine-- focusing on her happy place and white-knuckling some bars-- until my cousin decided to "cure her of her phobia." He figured that if he pried her hands form the bars that she'd suddenly realize there was nothing to be afraid of. This plan didn't work, in the least, and the poor woman lost control. It was not pretty, and I do not recommend disturbing a person's happy place... uh... EVER.
I'm sure that a group of people coming off a ride with a hysteric woman was quite the sight. I can just picture an impressionable little kid seeing us and thinking to himself, "Golly! That ride must be horrid." For all we know my mom's scene could have made a whole litter of little children deathly afraid of Farris Wheels.... and the phobia is passed on.
I'm sure that a group of people coming off a ride with a hysteric woman was quite the sight. I can just picture an impressionable little kid seeing us and thinking to himself, "Golly! That ride must be horrid." For all we know my mom's scene could have made a whole litter of little children deathly afraid of Farris Wheels.... and the phobia is passed on.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
More Than a "I'm good"
Do you ever get tired of simply asking how a person is doing to only get the reply, "I'm good." I think years go by and a lot of my "friendships" only extend to small talk and how-di-do's. It seems sad to waist so much time, this way, when I could be getting to know people better. There are a lot of people in the world. Can you imagine what it would be like to know all of them? Wouldn't that be something? I heard once that there are only two people in the world--those whom you love and those whom you don't know. I find it awesome and amazing to think that Heavenly Father knows everything about everyone and loves us all. I hope I get a chance to get to know all of my heavenly siblings and learn about their earthly experiences, in the eternity. Fascinating!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)