Passions

I have been thinking about the title of my blog lately, and what I can do to be more motivated to actually update it. "When in Doubt, Sing Loud"... what does that mean to you? For me lately, it means that when all else fails, when all else tempts you to doubt what you know or believe, sing loud for those things you do stand for. Essentially, proclaim your passions. SING LOUD! You are the writer and artist of your own life. Then you find yourself in a better position than maybe you were viewing before.

For example: 

The other week was a little hard for me and a little stressful. However, I came out of a meeting with a school adviser feeling encouraged that I was doing good work and should press forward. It was a pretty day, and I had the fleeting thought, "I should get some ice cream. Reward myself..." 

BEST IDEA EVER.

For some reason, my BYU Creamery Coconut Joy ice cream scoop was GLORIOUS. Each spoonful seemed to electrify the joy I had felt upon coming out of my meeting with my adviser. I pondered upon my simple, yet strong passion for ice cream. I could proclaim for all the BYU public to hear how much I enjoy ice cream. Right now. This moment. Nothing could get me down. 

Moments like this, that are important to us, make life meaningful. 

What moment are you enjoying today? SING IT LOUD!

So this week I started back at BYU, and it was quite the experience for me. All of the sudden I was surrounded by several students that excel at everything, it seems. The Midas touch of Mormon-ville. However, it is amazing how the Lord reminds us of where our focus should be. I became overwhelmed at times during the week, thinking I couldn't possible do this all on my own again. I wanted to crawl back under my proverbial comfort rock. But as I continued to maintain habits I had developed on my mission (daily prayer, scripture study, temple attendance, etc.), I was open to receive a reminder of who really is in charge. Me? Not so much. The Lord? Most definitely. I find that when we are frustrated, overwhelmed, or intimidated, it is because we are focused more on what our arm of the flesh is doing, and not so much what the arm of God is offering. But when we live the scripture "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5-6), we put ourselves in a position to recognize what the Lord is trying to show us. In a CES Fireside with Jay E. Jensen, he talked about this as being "alert spiritually and physically" to receive promptings from the Holy Ghost. In summation, this week I have been reminded to take a deep breath, take a step back, and look at the guidance God is willing to give to help you overcome the big, hard things through small, simple means He shows.

This picture is from my mission! What a wonderful white Thanksgiving!

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

It is true. I am home from serving my mission in Tacoma, Washington. It has been the time of my life and has molded me into a new person. Not that my personality is changed all that much, but I have been more refined in who I am in respect to my relationship with God, my family, and my friends. My mission will probably affect much of what I will care to share in future posts. My testimony is who I am. I know that I am a daughter of God and that Jesus Christ is my Savior and He lives. More posts to follow on thoughts and ideas I have discovered through study and experience. I pray that it will be of some source of light and help to any who may read my blog. <3

Rule of Thumb

I've been meaning to write a new post for a while.

However, I am not going to fully post today, because I think a rule of thumb should be followed when posting on Blogspot.

1) Post with a purpose

2) Post when there is something worth to be said... do not ramble for the sake of blogging.

3) Preferably post when in a confident state. Mood does not matter because emotion in a post can be entertaining.

That is all.

Peace. <3. :D

Update

Hey all who read this (probably like 2 of you, but ah well... you two people are important enough)

:)

Well, a lot has happened in the past few weeks.

First, I got my mission call!!!! It came on March 17th, and my roommates came home early from their classes to be with me as I opened my call and to help call my family. Then later that night I had all my friends come over to see me "open" my call and find out where I was going. I must have had like 20-30 people in my apartment at once. It was nice to see how much I was loved!

Oh, haha, y'all are probably just sitting on pins and needles to say where I am going already.

Drum roll please....

TACOMA, WASHINGTON!!!!

Yep yep! I report May 19th. I will be speaking English, so I get to start teaching the people of Tacoma right away! I'm very very very excited, and just can't wait to go! I will definitely have to get used to the rain.

And yes, this means you will be missing my lovely posts for the next 18 months. Maybe if I can educate my mother well enough in the art of blogging, she can update with my mission stuff occasionally.

Life is just grand.

Although, I must admit that having a mission call in had is weird while attending school. You see everyone around you moving on with their lives: signing up for classes, finding new housing, getting married, graduating.... and it's just odd. I sit here and think, "I just need to find a good raincoat, grab my Book of Mormon, and head north." (Obviously leaving on a mission is more than that, but you get the idea). Luckily I have a couple other girl friends who are leaving soon too for missions, and we are able to talk to each other about it.

Well other than that rather large milestone in my life... school has been picking up. I had a really good Ethics class the other day, and that experience along with a luncheon I attended with the BYU Law school has me contemplating becoming a lawyer. We'll see though.

General conference is this weekend. I am VERY excited for that. I have a few good friends performing in choirs at the Saturday afternoon session and priesthood sessions. Kinda cool.

And speaking of another kinda cool thing... I had the blessing of having Elder Andersen come to my Organizational Behavior class!! Apparently he is good friends with my teacher, and he came in to give a little Q&A devotional. So many great things were said. It brought a lot of peace to me.

Lastly, my parents are coming into town! I will be receiving my endowment on Friday at the Salt Lake Temple. I am so excited and starting to prepare as much as I can for that time.

Well, that's about all folks! See you next time!

Peace. <3.>

21 years of celebratory birth

Today... I am 21. And in honor of this day (and to avoid studying for my midterm) I will reflect.

Be enlightened ... or be bored... or be some where in between... or be no where at all. The choice, is yours.

I feel I have accomplished a lot in my short 21 years on this earth:
-Lived in 5 different states
-Stuck with piano lessons for 13 years
-Developed an image of "band nerd" for 6 years (this reaching "ultimate band nerd" status the 2 years I was drum major)
-Traveled to China
-Studied in Rome and Athens
-Earned college scholarship
-Got accepted into the Marriott School of Management
-Placed at State Latin competitions
-Read the Book of Mormon entirely by the age of 8
-Participated in various service opportunities including a youth conference for the mentally-challenged
-Learned ballroom dance starting at the age of 17
-Developed vocal performance through a music minor
-Pretty much be the bombest roommate ever
-And pretty much the most rockin' sister ever!

Yeah. pretty good.

But my BEST accomplishment involves all the relationships I have been able to build with my family and my friends. The people in my life are my support, my teachers, my energy. Without them, I couldn't be me. So thank you to all those out there who have influenced me in some way to be who I am today.

Now follows the picture montage of me through the last several years of my life... through later teenage years to early adulthood. (oh, and one baby picture)

I was like... 1-ish

16 years (2)

17 years (4)

18 years (3)

19 years

20 years (3)

Peace. <3. :D

Contemplation...

I've been thinking about the title of my blog. It all started with a quote I found that I thoroughly enjoy: "When in doubt, sing loud."

This has to applied to parts of my life which are spent rocking out in the bathroom while getting ready and belting Broadway in the car. I have even had the audacity to break out into song in the middle of the cereal aisle at Kroger's just to embarrass my mother. (She was probably more embarrassed by the dorky moves that usually accompanied the song). My parents even have a tape of me, at the age of 2, singing "Aaah-ah-aaah-ah-aah-ah-ah-aaah" by the Little Mermaid.

Needless to say... singing loud is part of my life.

However, I have also noticed recently that songs often reflect my mood and emotions of the day. I usually find a song that if I sang it off the rooftops... the whole city would know how I am feeling that day or that week.

Think of it as a daily "theme" song I presume.

So this week's theme song is from the Supreme's "Keep Me Hangin' On". I also like the version presented in the tv show, Glee.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RabQLuj4N8
or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkSVofBkLrY

Peace. <3. :D