I'm Not Cryin'

This post is inspired by my brother's facebook status. I love this video and it has been way too long since I watched it.

We Decorated!

For Family Home Evening tonight, Derek and I stopped by Walmart on our way home from the gym to pick up some ornaments. Derek's mom gave us a tree and a beautiful ornament, so once we got home we decided to decorate our apartment for Christmas! It was a lot of fun, a little challenging since we live in a college apartment that doesn't lend itself very easily to decoration, but I feel festive!

If only we weren't taking it down in two and a half weeks to move, it would feel a lot more worthwhile...

After we were done decorating, we decided that the helium balloons left over from Morgan's birthday party were a little out of place. So we took them outside and set them free!

...the only problem is that they were already starting to lose helium, so they didn't rise too quickly. They just kind of flew with the wind. I have a sneaking suspicion that they will land in someone's yard across town.

I can only imagine the look on the person's face as they realize there are some star balloons, a smiley face balloon, and a balloon that says "It's All About You" stuck in their tree.

Happy Sweet 16 random Rexburg resident.

This Past Week

This past week has been crazy but filled with lots of fun! My family came in for Thanksgiving and we were lucky enough to have our big turkey dinner at a beautiful home! Our friends The Potters were willing to lend us their house for our dinner so that the eight adults and two children wouldn't be squished into a small married-student-housing apartment here in Rexburg, ID. It was great!

Derek and I made stuffing, rolls, mashed potatoes, apple pie, lemon meringue pie, gravy, and two fruit salads. Dinner was delicious! 

My parents took me, Abbie, Morgan, Jace, and Hallie out on Friday to do a little Christmas shopping. Yesterday evening, my family went bowling at Teton Lanes and it was fun! I actually broke 100 both games (I know, I know, impressive. And maybe a little sad that I'm so proud) and afterward, we executed a secret plan. My little sister's 16th birthday is this Monday, and my mom had the brilliant idea to throw her an early surprise birthday party. It was so fun! Derek, Adam, and I left the bowling alley and grabbed the balloons while Abbie, Adam, Jace, and Hallie stopped by Coldstone to get the ice cream cake. My parents had Morgan at Little Caesar's getting four pizzas so that the rest of us had time to get the goods and head back to my apartment to set up for the party. We were ready and waiting when my parents pulled up. 

Derek opened the door, we all yelled surprise, and Morgan very calmly walked in and put the pizza on the table. She was very composed. I think she needs to work on her surprised face! Oh well, we still love her.

We had a party with pizza, salad, presents, and cake. It was a lot of fun. Then we all played some Kinect. However, Jace found a different thing to entertain him.

I love how cute my nephew is.

It was a great Thanksgiving, and having Morgan's surprise party was a great way to end it! 

TOFW

This past weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to go down to Salt Lake City and go to Time Out For women with my mom and sister! It was an incredible conference, and I cannot express how inspired, motivated, and uplifted I was walking out of the Salt Palace on Saturday afternoon. 

I figured that instead of blabbing on and on and ON about everything I learned, I would just share one thought with you from my favorite speakers. The theme was "Choose to Become."

Brad Wilcox - We may be content to stay just the way we are in our imperfect, mortal state. However, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have a different plan. Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. A redeemer is someone who makes us better. When we say, "I can't help it! I was just born this way, I'm lazy!" or "Sarcasm is just part of my nature, I can't do anything about it," we are stubbornly denying Christ's power. We are denying not only an opportunity to let Christ work miracles in us, but we are denying Him of His redeeming power and miraculous ability to transform us.

Hilary Weeks - Hilary shared a story about how she carried a clicker (counter) with her everywhere, and clicked for each negative thought she had. After the week of counting negativities, she felt down and depressed. She decided to make a small change to her experiment. She decided to count all of the positive things. By the end of that week she not only felt better, but had accumulated almost twice as many counts on her clicker than when she was counting the negatives. This proves that yes, our negative thoughts have power over us, but our positive thoughts have 10x that power.

Laurel Christensen - We need to pray with faith, think with faith, and live with faith. We cannot be content to just be the best "girl in a pit" or "girl cast into slavery" there ever was. (She was talking about the story of Joseph of Egypt.) We need to remember who we are, who our Heavenly Father is, and we must never lose sight of who we can be. Our Father in Heaven is ready and waiting for us to become the absolutely amazing person that He always intended for us to be.

I loved this last weekend! I cannot tell you how many times my heart was touched, how many times I laughed, and how many times I felt the spirit. Time Out For Women is an incredible opportunity. For those of you who have never gone, go! It will leave you feeling empowered and uplifted. It will leave you with the confidence that you can do anything, and that you can choose to become anything.

"All things are possible to him that believeth."

-Mark 9:23


For more information on Time Out For Women, here is their website: http://www.tofw.com/

The Perfect Child

I would do anything to have a little girl that can laugh like this.

With God

Everyone feels, at one time or another, that they are not strong enough to complete the task at hand. Whether it be physically, emotionally, or spiritually strong enough it does not matter. We are all susceptible to weakness in any of these areas. 

At times I feel that I am physically too weak to stay up all night studying, go to class at 7:45 am and then take my test and score the grade I deserve. My body is not strong enough to accomplish all of that. And I have to recognize that weakness and realize that the solution is time management. By using my time more wisely I can study more effectively and have plenty of time to sleep in the evenings.

I imagine that after a deep tragedy involving oneself or one's family that they would be too emotionally weak to deal with any more stress. Even movies and books with the slightest contention as the hero overcomes a challenge cause heartache and suffering instead of the joy and enlightenment they were intended to provide. I imagine that they would feel wasted, both emotionally and physically. Maybe this person will realize that their emotional weakness can be cured. They should realize this, because it is true. I don't know what their solution would be, it is an incredibly individual decision, but therapy is helpful for most people. Being able to talk openly to someone about everything you are thinking and feeling can be very freeing and help you become more self-aware. Over time, you can become emotionally stronger.

In times of trial I believe a struggling disciple of Christ would not feel confident in their ability to withstand much more. I don't think they would find it easy to take on adversity, persecution, or more tribulation. Or maybe they are presented with a challenge and they don't think they have the faith to rise to the call. While spiritual weakness may seem like the most ambiguous, it is the most taxing. When we feel spiritually exhausted, it wears on our bodies and our emotions. This person who is struggling may find it difficult to envision, but their weaknesses can be cured. They can be turned into strengths when we humbly and faithfully lay them at Christ's feet, and let Him refine us. When we do this, our faith will be strengthened and we will see that through faith in God, all things are possible.

In Matthew 19:26 we read, "But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God, all things are possible."

Meaning

Life is precious.

I know. That is an understatement. And all too often, it is overstated. People get tired of hearing it, deafen their ears to its integrity, and turn their attention elsewhere. It is all too similar to what happens in the case of a Type II Diabetic. 

Type II Diabetes can be classified as insulin resistance. The cells in the diabetic's body have become tired of seeing insulin all the time due to a high blood glucose level, so they no longer receive or acknowledge it, making it impossible for the glucose to enter the cell. This is a problem because glucose is the main fuel for the cell. It is what "feeds" the cell. It is what gives it life. Without glucose, the cells think they are starving and will eventually die if they don't get what they need.

This simple statement, that life is precious, is one that we need to recognize. We need to acknowledge it. Because, as humans, we have the tendency to underestimate and overlook the importance of the simple things in life. Things like a kiss on your cheek when your husband gets home from work, a smile from a passing stranger, or a conversation with your sister often are not fully appreciated or valued until they no longer are available. We cannot let this happen. Our lives are a gift. Things that we may think are guaranteed to us may not be. They may become those few things in life that we have to work really hard for.

The minutes we have are priceless. We should treasure them up. However, the most important thing is to make sure that they are worth treasuring up. You never know what will be taken from you the next year, month, day, or minute. 

Please forgive me for the many cliches in this post. I cringe as I think about it, but I'm too tired and overwhelmed to force my brain to form more original sentences. Our lives need meaning, just like our cells need glucose. And the first step to finding that meaning is understanding that life is precious.

Anyone Can Do Anything

In my New Testament class this week we have been reading in 2 Timothy, Philemon, and Hebrews.  In 2 Timothy 2:19 it says, "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his." When I read this scripture, I immediately thought of the scripture in Doctrine & Covenants 35:1. It reads, "Listen to the voice of the Lord your God, even Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, whose course is one eternal round, the same today as yesterday, and forever." 

It is such a comfort to me knowing that God is the same now as He was back in Old Testament times. In the Old Testament, God blessed His prophets by giving them the priesthood which enabled them to perform great miracles. Doing so let these prophets show the power of God to all of the people, bringing more of God's children to a knowledge of Him. To me, this is an expression of God's love for us.

Another expression of God's love was when He sent His son to the earth to set an example and guide the way for all of us. After Christ's Atonement in the Garden of Gethsemane and His crucifixion and resurrection, Christ visited the Americas. The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ, and is the recorded history of the people on the American continent. 

When Christ visited the Nephites He performed many miracles, blessing their children and healing their sick. In chapter 17 of 3 Nephi it records some wonderful things that Christ did for the people. To me, this has always been one of my favorite chapters. One of the main reasons I love this chapter so much is because in verses 20-23 it says:

20 And they arose from the earth, and he said unto them: Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full.

21 And when he had said these words, he wept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them.

22 And when he had done this he wept again;

23 And he spake unto the multitude, and said unto them: Behold your little ones.

I love this passage because it shows the tenderness and love of Christ. It shows how much he loves the people. Their righteousness and faith made Christ's joy full. I just love how much these verses show the love of Christ. 

Coming back to the idea that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, if God unconditionally loved His people in the Old Testament, and since Christ unconditionally loved the Nephites, then the amount of love they have for us is no different. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us unconditionally, and the magnitude of their love is incomprehensible. 

I think that if we can truly grasp this, and try to understand how strong God's love for us is, we will realize that we can do anything. If you think about it, we have the most powerful, important, and all-knowing being in the universe on our side. He loves and believes in us. If we do our best to understand and believe that, then we can do anything. I echo Christ's words when in Mark 10:27 He says to His disciples, "With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible." 

In a recent address by President Uchtdorf to the women of the LDS Church, he said:

The Forget Me Not Flower. This flower is
the inspiration and the title of President
Uchtdorf's talk.

"Sisters, wherever you are, whatever your circumstances may be, you are not forgotten. No matter how dark your days may seem, no matter how insignificant you may feel, no matter how overshadowed you think you may be, your Heavenly Father has not forgotten you. In fact, He loves you with an infinite love. Just think of it: You are known and remembered by the most majestic powerful and glorious Being in the universe! You are loved by the King of infinite space and everlasting time! It is my prayer and blessing that you will never forget that you are truly precious daughters in God's kingdom."

I am so grateful for the knowledge that I have a Heavenly Father and He loves me. And I'm grateful that I know that I have potential, and with faith in God and a trust in His love for me, I can do anything. God has loved His children throughout all time, and that isn't about to change.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cheesecake

So I decided that the November Recipe of the Month for Parkland Parish Quilt Co. was going to be a Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cheesecake from the Hershey's Greatest Desserts Book. It is DELICIOUS. Really rich, but what cheesecake isn't, right?

To get the recipe, you can click here.

Here are some pictures. This is my first cheesecake from scratch. Don't judge.

That's It!

This just about sums up how easily I can overreact when Derek is quiet.

Halloween Houses with the Carson Family

I love Halloween. The weather starts to get gloomy, I can start burning holiday-ish candles, it gets cold enough for a first cup of hot cocoa, and I of course love the candy.

A fun Halloween activity that I did for the first time with my sister Devin in 2008 is to build Halloween Haunted Houses out of chocolate graham crackers, melted caramels, and Halloween candy. I teamed up with Jaena, and we built a totally awesome haunted castle.

(Please ignore the somewhat horrible picture of me, and focus on my cute niece and the awesome castle.)

This year, since Derek and I are lucky enough to live just three minutes away from my sister Abbie and her family, we decided to build haunted houses with them. It was SO MUCH FUN! 

After dinner was done and Jace was in bed, we all sat down at the table to start our houses. Derek was the one who started building the foundation of our house, and he was doing a great job. I then held up one cracker. Not even a whole cracker. Just one quarter of a cracker to the side to see what it would look like if we were to put it there, and the whole thing collapsed. I was frozen with shock while Abbie and Adam were busting up. My poor husband put everything down and said, "Have fun. I'm not touchin' it again." I started to laugh and did my best to persuade him to help me rebuild our masterpiece, but he decided he was done. So he ate candy, and built a few pieces for the haunted garden around our house. Needless to say, this setback made it quite difficult for us to continue building and expanding our house without driving the evening too late, so it is an incomplete house.

We were somewhat bummed because neither Broulim's, Albertson's, or Wal Mart had chocolate graham crackers. Stupid Rexburg!  So we settled for cinnamon graham crackers. 

Here's the finished product! Derek was too tired to get up off the couch and smile with me. So you only get me.

Derek and I had a lot of fun building houses, and we quite enjoyed Abbie and Adam's "Teepee Haunted House". They ended up creating an Indian chief and naming him Chief Too Tsie. If you want to see a picture of their house and the indian chief, click here.

Now, on to Thanksgiving . . .   I love the holidays!