Thank You For Loving Me Enough to Cut Me Down.

There is an AMAZING lesson to be learned through this video, "The Will of God," by Elder Christofferson: 

One of my weaknesses in life is being stubborn, and although I am far from perfect in this area and have more to learn, I have learned that seeking out help and willingly receiving guidance in this life is one of the biggest blessings we can partake of here on earth, especially through the help of our loving Heavenly Father. The message above is perfect in explaining this.  Our Heavenly Father truly knows what's best. Life is scary sometimes and is full of big decisions, especially as we get older. Even when things seem to be or are really fine, often times there is more of a lesson for us to learn or something completely different that our Heavenly Father has in store for us. I have learned that living the gospel to the the fullest gives us more access to our agency as we become more entrusted by our Heavenly Father, when we truly keep the commandments desire to make the right choices in life. On the other hand, even if we are living the Gospel to our best ability, sometimes it takes more than ourselves in making decisions and so forth. There are angels here on earth who really are the Lord's hands who are put in our paths to help us, whether it be our parents, friends, or people we hold dear to us. From someone who is sometimes stubborn, sometimes I think I can make all decisions on my own, when the more correct thing to do is to seek out help or listen to the advice of others. Of course we have our own agency that we exercise on a daily basis, but I do believe that answers and help often come through the people we are surrounded by. We also, of course, have a loving Heavenly Father who loves, knows, and understands us perfectly. No one knows us better. He knows the desires and intentions of our hearts, and knows how to perfectly help us when we are in need. Here on earth we have this wonderful gift of agency that we have been greatly entrusted with. I have found it wise in my life to seek out God's hand in all things, but sometimes He leaves it up to us to make decisions.  Many times Heavenly Father expects us to step into the dark and make these decisions. It can be a scary thing, but Heavenly Father knows best and he will never lead us astray in making our decisions as long as we live our lives properly and rely on the Spirit in all things. Other times, Heavenly Father is anxiously waiting for us to seek out his hand and full help in our life. He really does know what is best for us and will never help us or lead us to anything that will harm us in life.

There's one part of Elder Christofferson's message above that sticks out to me and has taught me a lot, especially when battling bmy stubbornness. I love when he says that in order to meet God's high expectations we must willingly accept and even seek out correction. The story of the current bush is a perfect example of how I and I'm sure a lot of other people feel throughout our lives feel, but the moral of the story is the important thing. It is the pruning or in different terms the molding that our Heavenly Father aids us with, that we become what he wants us to become. Often times I ask myself, "but why? everything seems fine; I'm doing the things I need to." Often times I feel like that little current bush crying out to the gardener, "How could you do this to me? I was making such wonderful growth and now you've cut me down. Every plant in the garden will look down on me. How could you do this to me? I thought you were the gardener here." That's where our trust in our Heavenly Father comes in. He is our "gardener." He and our Savior Jesus Christ made it possible so that we have this wonderful, yet often trying, experience here on earth. But because of that, they know what's best for us. That's why we'll always get a response like: "I am the gardener here and I know what I want you to be. I don't intend you to be another tree. I want you to be a current bush. And some day you'll thank me for loving me enough for cutting us down." We often have great visions for ourselves, but the wonderful yet often hard thing to see if we don't open our eyes and ears a little wider, is that we have a loving Heavenly Father who knows what's even better for us. Heavenly Father again knows our hearts and desires and most of the time, if we live our lives right, he wants to give us what we desire, but sometimes our desires are not enough. Sometimes we need a certain pruning or molding in our life to make us become an even better someone our Heavenly Father sees best fit for us.

So we need not be afraid of what the "other plants" think of us and we don't need to be stubborn so we don't miss out on Heavenly Father's plan for us or miss out on the advice or help from others. Step into that darkness and exercise your agency properly, but always be willing to seek out the help and advice of others, especially from our loving Father in Heaven who does know us perfectly and always sees the big picture with everything. We can't expect the same outcome in life if we just do the same things and keep to ourselves. There are loved ones around us who want to help us and will help us stay on the straight and narrow. Seek out Heavenly Father and others for help. If you have the Spirit with you and you are choosing the right, chances are Heavenly Father and others who you go to for help won't lead you astray, because ultimately God knows what's best for us and he knows what to do for us and he knows what people to place on our path to help us here on earth. So get on your knees and give thanks to our gardener, our loving Heavenly Father, for loving us enough to cut us down. I know that through doing these things we can become more grateful, more eager to seek out God's help and others' help in our life, and that will better be able to see the eternal perspective of all things, and truly see the hands of our Heavenly Father and Savior on a daily basis. For however small or great our capacities are, we are all able to meet the high expectations of God, just as long as we pray for his love-inspired correction.

An Atitude of Gratitude

Today was such an amazing Thanksgiving and I have soo much to be grateful for. Lately, I think gratitude is something I could have a lot more of. Today was a great day to take a step back, look at the big picture, and reflect on on the many blessings/everyone and everything I have to be grateful for.
Something I have been focusing on studying this past week and trying to implement in my life is focusing more on the things in life that matter most. I've reading and rereading President Uchtdorf's talk "Of Things That Matter Most." Sometimes I get a little caught up the rush of life, not realizing that life doesn't have to be going a million miles per hour. Life isn't about constantly checking off our to-do list or wanting to things to go at our pace. President Uchtdorf's advice is: "We would do well to slow down a little, proceed at the optimum speed for our circumstances, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that mater most... diligently doing the things that matter most will lead us to the Savior of the world." I was thinking today and I think gratitude better becomes apart of someone's nature when they really focus on the important things in life, rather than getting caught up in the haste in life. I think that's how I can personally develop a better attitude of gratitude in my life. Focusing on the essentials and the things that matter most is what can bring us true happiness, help us forget ourselves and more fully serve others around us. All of this can help us develop more of a grateful heart and attitude in life.
In a talk a while back, President Eyring talked about keeping a journal and asking ourselves "Have I seen the hand of the Lord in my life today?" I was sitting in my family room today and looking at all the amazing people, things, and knowledge, especially of the gospel, I have in my life. The Lord's hand is definitely in my life on a daily basis. This Thanksgiving has taught me that I need to slow down, open my eyes and ears a little more, and more fully recognize the Lord's hand in my life. Our Heavenly Father and Savior are aware of each of us and know exactly what each of us needs and even know our greatest desires. If we slow down a bit, recognize the hands of the Lord, and focus on what matter most, then we will achieve the greatest happiness in life. So let us all have a better attitude of grattitude. I know I could  I can and have the desire to improve in this area, along with others. I know that slowing down and focusing on the things that matter most will definitely help in being more grateful.

I'm so grateful for so many things. Here are a couple of them... 

1) The gospel 

2) A loving Heavenly Father who loves all of us perfectly 

3) Our Savior and the Atonement 

4) A loving and supporting family, especially my parents 

5) Being adopted into a wonderful family that have the blessings and knowledge of the gospel 

6) Being sealed to my parents and siblings 

7) The scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon 

8) Modern day prophets and apostles 

9) The best friends anyone could asked for who love, support, and help me in my life

10) My family living so close to BYU 

11) BYU and the oppotunity to gain an education 

12) My church leaders 

13) Having a job 

14) Fun

15) The outdoors and everything beautiful about the world 

16) Skiing 

17) Traveling and the opportunity to enjoy other cultures in the world 

18) My Jerusalem study abroad- Not a day goes by that I don't think about this wonderful experience 

19) Learning experiences and the oppotunity to learn new things every day 

20) Trials which teach us the biggest lessons in life. 

And the list goes on and on. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I couldn't find the video on blogger so here's the link... such a great message!  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjl9oNUApKg

He is ALWAYS There!

‎"God is eagerly waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as He always has. But He can't if you don't pray, and He can't if you don't dream. In short, He can't if you don't believe." -Jeffery R. Holland

God is always there and is fully aware of us at all times, in all things, and in all places. This is one of the greatest pieces of knowledge I have gained through living the Gospel. What a blessing it is to know of such love, an all-encompassing love that we can't even fully comprehend because of it's power and measure. Knowing that God loves us changes everything. What a blessing it is to know that Heavenly Father is ALWAYS watching over us, no matter if we fall short at times. It's a more than perfect love :)

Nearer My God to Thee.

This song has always been such a comfort to me. I love this video... such good memories from last year with this girl! 

So grateful for the Gospel, great friends, music and all the many talents we all have been blessed with! 

The Gospel is Perfect

"However late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don't have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have NOT traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower that the infinite light of Christ's Atonement." -Jeffrey R. Holland

Simply put, this is the perfection of the Gospel. 

So Profound.

I've been doing a lot of studying and reading about things that I can improve on a daily basis. I came across this quote tonight and it really stuck out to me. It makes me want to work on these characteristics each and every day. Enjoy... :)

"May God help us to be a little kinder, showing forth greater forbearance, to be more forgiving, more willing to walk the second mile, to reach down and lift up those who may have sinned but have brought forth the fruits of repentance, to lay aside old grudges and nurture them no more."

Christ shows us these characterstics perfectly, so why can't each of us strive to better develop these traits in our life each day. Afterall, we are striving to become perfect as he is. Be more kind and so forth and you can find more happiness in life. I love the gospel and the principles we are taught. 

So profound. 

"His Unwavering Love Invites Us to Love in Return"

I saw this on a friend's facebook today and it just spoke to me. Such an awesome perspective to keep in life, just exactly what I needed to hear...

[“This is the most important part,” her voice cut through the many she was conducting. More palpable than her voice, however, were the chills that ran through many spines as a beautiful, devoted and heartfelt promise was brought into being: “Take my heart, oh take and seal it. Seal it for thy courts on high.” Then it was over. There was silence, and time for the poetry to sink in and press itself on the souls of a few present. It was just one of the many moments in Men’s Chorus where I have been prompted to renew my love of God.

What was it like?...
It was like the many other moments of spiritual confirmation that have told me yes, I really do want to give my heart to God. I trust Him, love Him, and hope to make Him proud. It was a reminder to keep a soft heart, one that the Lord can mold and shape to His own will.

There are so many moments when I am beset by sin. My faith waivers and doubt creeps into my heart. I begin to see everyone and everything in a different light, one that dulls the brightness of their humanity and diminishes the beauty of its simplicity. Negativity comes by default because everything else is now a chore.

Prior to such negativity my life revolved around people and things outside myself—my roommate, my friends, my family, my classmates and coworkers—it now revolves around me. There is no more beauty in friendship, and no more joy in my hobbies. There is now only a desire for fulfillment, which desire transforms the people around me into potential corks, and the activities I previously so enjoyed into time constraints that widen the hole. Sometimes it even gets so bad as to make people out to be obstacles to my happiness. At worst they are seen as the cause of my despair.

When there is a hole it must be filled. And if it can’t be filled, it must be justified. There must be a reason for its existence. We are already too fragile to admit ourselves as the cause. We cannot break ourselves, so we fortify ourselves, and attack outward. “O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men!”

If only we knew that our balm of Gilead lays in personal honesty, in truthful recognition of the fact that the emptiness and misery is a result of our change of paradigm, our lack of faith, our constant need to prove ourselves. Simply recognizing this truth begins the process by which we come to ourselves yet again.

Contemplating the truth of what has led us to where we are opens our eyes enough that the light of Christ comes through. His unwavering love invites us to love in return. There is no more emptiness, because there is no need for us to be validated. Love has been felt, and so we are fulfilled. Love has been felt, and so we feel to love in return, both to Him who loved us first, and to all those that surround us.

Our world sets itself right, focusing outward rather than inward, and we become who we were intended to be. We become who we are, and were, and always have been, stripped of emotional turmoil and the effects of a faithless heart. There is no more doubt. There is confidence begot by confidence, love begot by love, and joy begot by joy.

The love from the Atonement sets me free by teaching me how to love. I commune with God to be free, to feel joy, and to be my true self. “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”]

Soo powerful! I have such a strong testimony of this. What a blessing the gospel is and the opportunity we have to know and understand such eternal principles. 

Come What May and Love It!

Always a good reminder... 

Happy Wednesday! :) 

To Be Good, and to Do Good

I have always had the desire to look for the good in those around me, but as of lately, one of my goals has been to more fully recognize the Light of Christ in others, which all have. It's my constant prayer to be able to  at least to some degree see others how our Heavenly Father views his children. I know I cannot fully comprehend or see this, since that is a Godly characteristic, but this has definitely allowed me to more fully love all those around me and to see the good in others, along with not being quick to judge.  Service and looking for the good in others has been a strength to me, especially throughout the past few weeks. It's something that I always want to be striving to do in my life. It often becomes easy to be consumed in one's own life, especially when you're sticking to a schedule of school, work, gym, homework, bed... repeat. Anyways, I came across something PERFECT on Twitter today. It was a nice reminder of the definition of light and then further explaining the light of Christ.

The quote that stuck out to me the most was...

"As we yield to that influence, to do good and to become good, then the light of Christ increases within us. As we disobey, light is decreased, and can ultimately be diminished."

All of us have been blessed with the Light of Christ, which the scriptures defines as "The Spirit of Jesus Christ" (D&C 84:45). The blessing of having the gospel in our life is that through obedience and the desire to be more like our Savior and Heavenly Father, this light in us can increase, allowing us to do good and become better children of God. I lovee this. And of course, the opposite, disobedience can cause this light in each one of us to decrease. I think one of the best attributes that people can have is that of being a good example, especially through the Light of Christ. Through being good examples, we are able to let our light so shine, encouraging others to also do good and be good.

President Boyd K. Packer simply explains this perfectly:

"To describe the Light of Christ, I will compare or liken it to the light of the sun. Sunlight is familiar to everyone; it is everywhere present and can be seen and can be felt. Life itself depends upon sunlight.

The Light of Christ is like sunlight. It, too, is everywhere present and given to everyone equally.

Just as darkness must vanish when the light of the sun appears, so is evil sent fleeing by the Light of Christ.

There is no darkness in sunlight. Darkness is subject unto it. The sun can be hidden by clouds or by the rotation of the earth, but the clouds will disappear, and the earth will complete its turning.

This Light of Christ, which gives life, is within you. The evil one will attempt to obscure it. It can be so clouded with confusion so far as to convince you that it does not even exist.

Just as sunlight is a natural disinfectant, the Spirit of Christ can cleanse the spirit."

I know that if we understand the reality of the Light of Christ in everyone we see and in others, in every meeting we attend, and within ourselves, and understand the great challenge that we have- the surroundings in which we live, the danger which sometimes besets us- we will have courage and inspiration beyond that which we know. 

I'm so grateful for the Gospel and how it gives me the desire to become a better person and to strive to always recognize the Light of Christ in others. I know I am not perfect in this area, but I'm grateful for this knowledge. 

D&C 50:24

"That which is of God is light; 

And he that receiveth light

receiveth more light, 

and that light groweth brighter 

and brighter until the perfect day. 

The Refiner's Fire

Someone shared this talk by James E. Faust, called The Refiner's Fire a while back. The past few weeks have definitely had some trials. I've been trying to stay strong and this has been such a good source for me as I try to remain full of hope and try to find the strength to face these trials. This is the part of President Faust's talk that stood out to me the most...
"Into every life there come the painful, despairing days of adversity and buffeting. There seems to be a full measure of anguish, sorrow, and often heartbreak for everyone, including those who earnestly seek to do right and be faithful. The thorns that prick, that stick in the flesh, that hurt, often change lives which seem robbed of significance and hope. This change comes about through a refining process which often seems cruel and hard. In this way the soul can become like soft clay in the hands of the Master in building lives of faith, usefulness, beauty, and strength. For some, the refiner’s fire causes a loss of belief and faith in God, but those with eternal perspective understand that such refining is part of the perfection process."
One of the reasons we face trials is truly so that the Lord can mold us into the sons and daughters he wants us to be. This message has shown to me that even though we are doing the right things, some things in life aren't always the way we want them to be like. We're not perfect and sometimes were are going to have to endure trials that we often feel are not fair or even seem to hard to endure. Although this is true, the Lord will never give us more than we can handle. He is always there for us. He always has his hand extended out to each and every one of us. If through these hard but refining periods of our life we turn to the Lord and pray to our Heavenly Father for comfort and help, it will always be available.
I think the most important part of this talk is that as long as we keep an eternal perspective through these refining moments of our life, we will understand that the reining process is apart of us reaching our potential of perfection. Sometimes it's easy to get down on oneself when trying to endure such things, but this is so true. I know that if we keep this eternal perspective through the trials and experiences of life, that we will truly be molded into amazing sons and daughters of God, and that as we embrace and have faith through enduring these things that we will only grow closer to our Heavenly Father and Savior. They love us and only want us to become more like them as we face these things in life.
I love this closing remark from President Faust...
"Out of the refiner’s fire can come a glorious deliverance. It can be a noble and lasting rebirth. The price to become acquainted with God will have been paid. There can come a sacred peace. There will be a reawakening of dormant, inner resources. A comfortable cloak of righteousness will be drawn around us to protect us and to keep us warm spiritually. Self-pity will vanish as our blessings are counted."
This is soo true and I love it. Out of the refiner's fire we really can be delivered. It gives us a dose of humility and learning to become closer with our loving Heavenly Father who knows what is best for us. I love the gospel and that we have a knowledge of these things.

"Come Unto Me... And I Will Give Ye Rest"

I came across this video on YouTube at the most perfect time. What a perfect example of people in the gospel and what a testimony it is to me that we can overcome trials in our life if we put our faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ, and try to endure them to the best of our ability. During times of trials, we are invited to come unto Christ and he will give us rest. The past month or so I have hit some hard times, often finding it easy to get down on myself. Just as in this video, sometimes through trials, many find themselves asking, "my God, where art thou?" However, God is always there. That's one of the greatest messages of the gospel is that we are NEVER alone. This video says it perfectly: "When lonely, cold, hard times come, he is there. Prays are heard, and when we weep, he and the angels of heaven weep with us."


Everyone here on earth has their challenges and difficulties, which are part of our mortal test. The reason for some of these trials cannot be readily understood except on the basis of faith and hope because there is often a larger purpose which we do not always understand. This often makes it hard to endure trials, but through faith and hope, we can receive peace through these bumps in the road. In the scriptures it says that if we endure our trials well God shall exalt us on high. How we handle and endure our trails is huge. "Sometime in the eternities to come, we will see that our trials were calculated to cause us to turn to our Heavenly Father for strength and support. Any affliction or suffering we are called upon to bear may be directed to give us experience, refinement, and perfection. Turning to our Heavenly Father in times of trials is the best thing we can do. I believe this is one of the greatest reasons we have trials. He is the only one that knows us perfectly and who can help us cope during these times.


Tribulation, afflictions, and trials will constantly be with us in our time here on earth. In John 16:33 it says "In the world ye shall have tribulation." Therefore, the great challenge in this earthly life is not to determine how to escape the afflictions and problems, but rather to carefully prepare ourselves to meet them. We have been promised that Heavenly Father will never give us an trial or tribulation that we cannot handle. There is such great comfort in this. Sometimes we often feel that we cannot overcome trials, or we allow trials to overcome us. I know that if we turn to our Heavenly Father during these hard times that we will find peace through them and the we can learn and grow as we choose to grow closer to our Heavenly Father through these experiences. Heavenly Father is truly watching over us and he is trying to mold us into the best people we can become. As I've studied this a little, I've made a goal to face my trails in a more patience, hope, faith in a more enduring manner so that I can recognize the good of certain afflictions I face. After all, as the scriptures say, these trials are for our good and learning, and if we face them correctly often times they are only for a small moment.


I don't know what I would do with out the gospel, especially in times of trials. I'm also so grateful for being at BYU too with the many people who have been put in my path to say the right things and to help provide in times of comfort. I'm also grateful for the Atonement, that allows us to overcome trials and sin. Elder Hale said: "When the challenges of mortality come, and they come for all of us, it may seem hard to have faith and hard to believe. At these times only faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His Atonement can bring us peace, hope, and understanding. Only faith that He suffered for our sakes will give us the strength to endure to the end. When we gain this faith, we experience a mighty change of heart, and like Enos, we become stronger and begin to feel a desire for the welfare of our brothers and sisters. We pray for them, that they too will be lifted and strengthened through faith on the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ." How great of a messages this is.

Just Some Thoughts.

The past month or so has just been so amazing. I have felt soo much peace with everything. It's been amazing to feel that I'm in such a good place in my life. I'm surrounded by so many great people, with my family and friends. I'm just so grateful for the gospel in my life. It has always been and continues to be what keeps me strong on a day to day basis. It really is amazing how the gospel makes my life so much easier. When I wake up each day, because of the gospel, I know that I have a purpose for why I'm here. It also gives me direction. The gospel is so goal oriented, which inspires me to want to progress and always be moving towards being perfect like Christ. I know we all aren't perfect and that we makes mistakes, but with the gospel it allows us to want to become better people and hopefully end up in the presence of our Heavenly Father. I heard the perfect quote today by Elder Christofferson... "Exercising agency is a setting that sometimes includes opposition and hardship is what makes life more than a simple multiple-choice test. God is interested in what you are becoming as a result of your choices. He is not satisfied if your exercise of moral agency is simply a robotic effort at keeping some rules. Your Savior wants you to become something, not just do something." Of course I know there is more to being obedient and making sure we dedicate ourselves to the gospel, rather than just going through the motions daily, but I guess I haven't thought about it this way in a long time. He wants us to become something and he really does care about our progression as we strive to be obedient and keep the commandments. This is just a testimony to me of how amazing of a Heavenly Father we have and how not only does he take care of us and know us collectively as his children, but also invidually as his sons and daughters. Wow, the gospel's amazing!

Happy Sabbath! 

Favorite hymn right noww...

Sunday Will Come.

Life has been crazy lately, and I feel like I've been focusing a little too much on everything I need to get done, rather than taking time for me. It's nice every once in a while to just take a step back and remind myself of all that I've been blessed with, especially the gospel. The next few months are going to be CRAZY as I apply to grad school and make some pretty major decisions. It's actually kind of scary. Along with that, there have been some things that have happened in the past few weeks that have been a little tough, that have made hope a little challenging... but then I think of the gospel. I think hope is one of the best synonyms for the gospel. Perfect enough, my roommate came home last night after an FHE she went to and talked to me about hope and a video by Elder Worthlin, entitled "Sunday Will Come." Elder Worthlin makes a perfect analogy of our life compared to the events leading up to the Atonement, and especially that dreadful Friday, on which our Savior was crucified. However, the following Sunday, our Savior broke the bonds of death, and because of this we can all have hope through the Atonement and through the gospel... because of this, through him, we can overcome our sorrows and pains. He continues to say that we will all have our Fridays, where we feel broken and everything around us is shattered, sometimes to the point where we feel we can't be put back together again... BUT Sunday will come! That's the hope that the gospel brings us. I'm soo grateful for the Atonement and that because Christ died for each of us we can have a great hope of things to come. Because of this we can return to live with our Heavenly Father again. Watch this video! It's amazing... such a blessing my roommate showed this to me! :) 

#inspiring

God's Love is Perfect.

This weekend has been quite uneventful... I think I spent too much time with Harold this weekend. I'm just soo grateful that tomorrow is Sunday, so I won't have to focus on school and will just be able to relax. I'm going to need it because, guess what I signed up for this semester without knowing?... yeah, 2 rounds of finals. This next week I have 5 tests, and then another one the following Monday. I really don't think they're going to be that bad if I study hard, but it'll be interesting with shadowing, school and school assignments. Basically, pray for me. I'll need it. Bring it, this next week. I'm ready to dominate you, and then guess what? Only 1 more test until finals week... pretty good, huh? Besides this craziness life is still dang good. Here's a message for the Sabbath.... :)

My awesome home teachers came this past week and talked about prayer and got me thinking throughout this whole week. Especially during the past few weeks I have found myself getting a sloppy with my prayers, mainly because I have been soo tired and have forgotten a few times. One of my home teachers told us to imagine Heavenly Father standing in front of us while praying so that it will be even more of a real conversation. This was aweosme for me, because I know I can definitely work on being more sincere with my prayers. Praying as if Heavenly Father is right next to me has been such an awesome challenge this week for me. It has made my prayers a lot more sincere and I have been able to feel of his presence and love even more in life. I would recommend this to anyone. It's soo helpful!
My home teacher also mentioned an aweosme quote by Elder Neil A. Maxwell... "God is in the details." And this is soo true. As incomprehensible it is for us to understand with the millions of people on th earth today, Heavenly Father really does know us all and he wants to be apart of our life. He wants to know every little detail, especially our desires, which we should bring to him as often as possible. He truely cares about each of us, more than we know. How amazing it is to have a loving Heavenly Father who is always willing to be there for each of us. I know for myself, I need to be better about knowing that I can pray whenever, not just before I go to bed and I when I get up in the morning. He is always there with his ears open, ready to hear our prayers.

God's love is PERFECT! Our Heavenly Father desires that we draw 

near to him, so that he can draw near to us!  

I love the gospel and it is soo true! 

Happy Sabbath :) 

Thankful.

I'm just so thankful for the Gospel. It gives me so much strength and hope in my life! It has made me such a blessed person with soo much happiness. 

Here's a Sabbath treat from my roomie and I, singing Nearer My God to Thee... Enjoy :) 

Also, I saw this song on my best friend's facebook and it is just what I needed to hear today! "For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth."- Job 19:25 

Here it is.... I just love the accompaniment and violin too :)  

Life is GOOD. 

Good Things to Come.

Well, it's come to the end of yet ANOTHER week. Time really is flying by so fast. This week was soo busy, yet great.... my best friend was in town, only had three days of class because of President's Day, aced all my quizzes, spend time in Draper with my family, went and saw We Bought a Zoo (fav movie right now), went skiing, finally deep cleaned our apt, sushi, disney, expecting a great day at church tomorrow, and just spending time with the awesome people in my life.
Life is GOOD and I have soo much to be grateful for!


A thought for Sunday...
If we fully embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ, good things will come.  The Gospel gives us hope and tells us to never give up, to keep walking, for there is help and  happiness ahead. Some blessings come soon, some come late, and  some don't come until heaven. For those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come!

Happy Sabbath :) 

Quotes to Live By.

1. Live every moment like it was your last, but live it wisely. 

2. Stay within the positive, life is too short for the negative. 

3. Think independently and outside the box

4. Labels are good for clothing & food, not people. We all do not fit in a nive neat little boc. So what is the point of a lavel on a human being. 

5. It is the little simple things in life that really do matter. 

6. Do your part, no matter what, no matter how big or small, to make the world a better place. 

7. Instead of complaining about something, make a change whether withing yourself or for a cause. 

8. Stop settling, especially for mediocrity, we all deserve better. Mediocrity has run rampant in the last several of years. 

9. Life life. No one at the end of their life should say "I shoudl have put more time in at work"

10. An open mind is a healthy mind. 

11. Live in the moment, that is where life happens, not the past or future. 

12. Bigotry & racism have no place in society, it makes us very small people. Free your mind

13. Always be thankful for what you have. 

14. Breathe and let go. Enjoy life. 

15. Life at times can be rough, tough & unfair, and sometimes you just need to roll wtih it as opposed to fighting it. Give yourself a break every once in a while. 

16. When things are not going the way you want, when life throws you a curve ball or any other of a dozen things that can happen, remember, "it is what it is." 

3 Cheers for Music.

What on earth would I do without music? Music is such a powerful and important part of our lives. Can you imagine the world without music?... No songs, no favorite tunes, no singing in the shower. Lovers wouldn't have songs to romance to. Car rides would be silent and boring. Heck, Christmas would be ruined. Not to mention, where would the suspense come from in scary movies? And the list could go on and on. Long story short, we can't live without music. We need it, duh. I'm definitely grateful for music and for people who are blessed with music talents. Here are some of my favs as of now...

So thanks music for making my life just that much more interesting. You're doing a great job.

P.s. the new Fun. album Some Nights comes out today... hollaaaa. Soo pumped. 

The Greatest Achievement.

Sundays are great. I love being able to put most things to the side and to be able to focus on the gospel and grow spiritually. Although I try daily, what a great feeling it is to have a day where I can more fully focus on my Savior and the gospel. I feel so blessed to have the gospel in my life. It's amazing how much happiness it brings me. I love knowing that I am a daughter of God and that he is aware of all things in my life and of those around me. How lost I would feel if I did not have this knowledge. The gospel is one of direction that allows myself to have guidance in my life. It's my center and my all. I love it, and I love my Savior and Heavenly Father.

One thing that I have learned, especially in the past few years of life, is that it is so important to always be worthy of having the spirit in my life. Through having the spirit it makes decisions easier and allows myself to have a constant companion. There's a talk called "Unleashing the Dormant Spirit," by F. Enzio Busche, that has just been a light in my life. He talks about the importance of the spirit. He says: "You  want to be good and to do good. That is cemmendable. But the greatest achievement that can be reached in our lives is to be under the complete influence of hte Holy Ghost. Then he will teach us what is really good & necessary." I have definitely found this to be true in my own life. If we allow ourselves to be worthy of this gift we have been given, we will always know right from wrong and will always be given direction if we ask for it.

Elder Busche talks about a vehicle he uses in his own life, sharing bits and pieces of advice that I love. Here are some of my favorites mentioned by him... 

"Avoid any fear like your worst enemy, but magnify your fear about the consequences of sin"

"God knows that you are not perfect. As you suffer about your imperfections, he will give you comfrt and suggestions of where to improve." 

"Be not so much concerned with what you do, but do what you do with all your heart, might, and strength. In thoroughness is satisfaction." 

"When you are compelled to give up something or when things that are dear to you are withdrawn from you, know that this is your lesson to be learned right now. But know also that, as you are learning this lesson, God wants to give you something BETTER." 

Watch this video to go along with these. I just love it. 

Happy Sabbath everyone! 

Happiness.

"Happiness is not given to us in a package that we can just open up and consume. Nobody is every happy 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Rather than thinking in terms of a day, we perhaps need to snatch happiness in little pieces, learning to recognize the elements of happiness and then treasuring them while they last."- James E. Faust 

Things that make me happy.... 

Family

Traveling

Jerusalem. 

Best Friends. 

Russia... Yeah, that's Anastasia. 

Goofing off. 

Tennis.

A good tune. 

A good Lakers game. 

A good laugh. 

Nothing like a good book when I have time. 

hp, duh. 

More Jerusalem. 

Basically family. 

and.... MORE Jerusalem. 

Skiingggg. 

And of course,  good old Brigham Young University.

And the list could go on and on... Life's too short to ignore these things! Life's good :) 

Goals.

Shout out to my roomie, Ally! First, she's super talented, just sayin. Second, one thing she's definitely helped me realize is that if you want to stay good at something, practice is key. My singing skills have become a little rusty lately, but thanks to her I'm motivated and I've set a goal to practice my singing and piano skills more often. Also, goal by the end of the summer is to practice guitar more so I can play a little better!

Anyways, the other day, when Ally and I should have been doing homework, we got a little crafty and recorded us singing Pumped Up Kicks and turned it into a little video, out takes and all. Here's the final product. Enjoy! 

Time, Slow Down.

Okay, so I finally decided to get my act together, switch up my blog, and hopefully stick with my goal of blogging at least once a week. My life during the past year has been pretty hectic, full of adventure, great friends and family, successes, failure, loving, heart aches, and a few curve balls... All of which I have learned a lot from. I'm just lovin life. I've just been amazed on how fast time has gone by in the past 5 or 6 months. As many know, I went to Jerusalem for all of this past spring and summer... time of my life? Yes. I'm missing it more than everr. Anyways, in just 2 months it'll be a year since I left for Israel. What the heck has happened to time? Not to mention that I'm going to be a senior this coming fall. Crazy. I feel like I just started school here at BYU and now I'm aproaching graduation? Even though I'm only 20 that fact alone makes me feel kind of old. I'm just so glad that I've had such amazing experiences here at BYU with awesome classes and such great people surrounding me. So here's to the next few months of this semester and to the crazy months ahead as I prepare for applying to grad school and all. As much as I love it, time could ya please slow down? That would be great.

My apologies for slacking in the blogging area, but I hope to blog at least once or twice a week from here on out. Here are a few highlights of the simplicities of my life in the past few months... I know it's a lot of pics, but it's just been a while. Enjoy :)

Football games. 

Roommate dinners.... The only one haha. 

Halloween with the ward. 

Awesome roommates. 

Best calling everr as FHE mom. 

Amazing friends. 

Andy Grammer concert... soo good. 

Ugly Sweater party... sucesss! 

Couldn't ask for a more amazing ward! 

Couldn'g have made it through last semester without this girl. 

Jerusalem Reunions. 

Again, the amazing roomies. 

The Garrys... amazing. 

Awesome friends. 

:) 

Birthdayss :) 

Missin this girl more than ever. 

Slicers. 

Weddings :) 

More amazingness with my ward. 

Best friends. 

Gotta love intramurals. 

Pranks. 

Jerusalem friend.
 

Missin Jerusalem! 

Oh, and this kid, my best friend, came home... soo pumped for April!