Change

A lot can change in a month and a half. It was April 15 when I last posted.

I finished the semester. With the best GPA I've ever had at BYU. Thank you!

I celebrated Kristen's graduation.

I didn't go to Ghana.

I had a birthday.

But the thing that changed the most in the past month and a half is that I lost someone I love. It was very hard, but I treasure those hard times I had. Because it was so hard and is now so personal I'm not sure if I'm ready or even if I will put it on the world wide web.

"In each case their passing has brought sorrow over the separation of friends. But in every case there have also been comfort and reassurance and certainty that death, though bitter to observe, is not the end, but is, rather, only another graduation from which we go on to a better life."

Gordon B. Hinckley

Real Love

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope you have enjoyed this day. Even if you don't have a 'significant other' you still have people you love and people who love you. I hope you are able to celebrate them today!

Here are some quotes from some pretty amazing people about love.

How do you show your love? President Monson gives some excellent advice here.

And one of my favorite Mormon Messages:

"Never let a problem to be solved become more important then a person to be loved."

And here's a song for all those like me today :)

Happy lover's day from me to you!

In Love Again

I'm in love....

with my LIFE!

I realized this as I was running tonight. I'm so grateful for wonderful realizations like this. I'm just so happy with where my life is right now. Of course there are things I still want in my life, things I wanna do, things I wanna be. And I'm working towards those things. But right now I know I'm where I'm supposed to be, doing what I'm supposed to be doing, being who I'm supposed to be. It's incredible!

I've never felt this strongly and wonderfully about my life. I love it. I'm in love!

Counting

I took a drive today in the rain. I watched the sunset. It was peaceful and beautiful.

I realized how blessed I truly am. I have parents who love and support. I have friends who care and watch out for me. I have a testimony of Jesus Christ and his gospel. I'm studying what I love. I have a roof overhead and a bed to sleep in. I can walk and see and read and hear and smell. I have a car. I have shoes to wear on my feet. I have a coat to keep me warm.

I truly am blessed.

I wish.

I wish I had all the money and time to be able to do what I most desire.

I want to change the world!

I want to go to Africa and Ukraine and Romania and China and Mexico and Ecuador and India. And so many more.

I want to teach them how to read and write. I want to teach them how to find clean

water. I want to teach them good health practices. I want to immunize them and take their blood pressure. I want to teach them about AIDS. I want to take them food. I want to build them homes and toilets. I want to play with the little children. I want to give them glasses. I want to give them shoes. I want to give them clothes. I want to give them my time. I want to give them my love! I want to teach them! I want to improve their lives! I want to change their lives!

I want to change the world!

Fall Layers

I love me a good cardigan!

I want this one.

I can't wait for it to get cold.

Fall means layers. And I love layers.

He Loves Me

Don’t it seem sometimes that the world is fallen and you’re standing underneath

And you’ll never get out from under it, at least that’s how it feels.

With a load so heavy and the days so long

You can barely breathe

And the only thing that keeps you standing is getting on your knees.

I need that burden lifted when my strength is gone

There is one thing that keeps me holding on.

Deeper than my heart can hide, stronger than I feel inside

More than I realize

He loves me.

Steady as the day goes by, longer than the reach of time

Enough to give his life,

He loves me.

I have felt it in the darkest night, as he stayed with me till dawn.

On the days when I’m too weak to walk, he carries me along.

Above the noise and the clatter down deep in my soul,

In the middle of my pain

He tells me I can make it and he promises to stay

In a world where nothings certain, I can count on this

There is no love, no love truer than his.

Deeper than my heart can hide, stronger than I feel inside

More than I realize

He loves me.

Steady as the day goes by, longer than the reach of time

Enough to give his life,

He loves me.

He knows I’m not perfect, but he loves me right here, right now.

When I’m weak, when I’m strong, when I stand, when I fall

Just as I am,

He loves me

I know he loves me.

Deeper than my heart can hide, stronger than I feel inside

More than I realize

He loves me.

Steady as the day goes by, longer than the reach of time

Enough to give his life,

He loves me.

He loves me.

Good Night

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.

Harriet Tubman

When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls the butterfly.

Richard Bach

The most important thing to remember is this: To be ready at any moment to give what you are for what you might become.

W.E.B. Du Bois

If someone in your life talked to you the way you talk to yourself, you would've left them long ago.

Carla Gordon

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.

Eleanor Roosevelt

I just spent the last hour looking at quotes.

The above were some of my favorites. I thought I'd share.

Also, can you believe it's August 15th? In 2010? How did it get to 2010? How did we get over half way through the year? Remember Y2k?

My head hurts.

I'm going to bed. You should too.

Goodnight!

Change

What we do allows the Atonement of Jesus Christ to change us into what we must be.

-President Henry B. Eyring

I love that. I love the Atonement. I love my Savior. I love the knowledge I have. I love that I can become what I must be.

We are here to change. We are here to become what we must be. We are here to return.

President Eyring's pray was 'Heavenly Father, it doesn't matter what I want. I don't care anymore what I want. I only want that Thy will be done. That is all that I want. Please tell me what to do.'

Are we willing to have this same prayer? Are we truly willing to do whatever He asks of us?

Are we willing to put aside any wants we have? Are we willing to put aside what we think is best?

I ask myself these questions. And I answer the way any of us would answer.

But then I think....

Why is it so hard to do my visiting teaching? Why is it so hard to remember my morning prayers? Why do I wait till 2 am to do my scripture study when I know I won't get much out of it?

And then I think how willing am I?

The natural man is a hard thing to fight. I'm so grateful the Lord is patient.

I hope you have a great Sunday.

Nothing to Prove

Doesn't this sound perfect?

But all that really matters is it's Friday
And the sun is shining over my way

Toss your heels in the backseat, drive home in your bare feet
Throw in that Van Morrison CD
Chip away a little by little 'til you find your groove
I'll pick up some takeout and we can just hang out

Levis and wine, blankets and lights down
Lay your head right here on my shoulder
And just be you when you're with me
girl, you got nothing to prove

When we're together you got nothing to prove

I can't wait till I have nothing to prove to someone. It will be heaven! And my Friday nights will be perfect. Someday. Not today. But someday. And I CAN wait.

I hope you all have a great weekend!! I know I will.

Perfection

I have been craving one of these so bad! And for a long time.

I think it's about time I feed this craving.

I wish I had something awesome to celebrate, so I could justify it.

But I'll probably just go get one without a reason other than that I want one. That's reason enough right?

If you haven't been to this heaven on earth yet stop reading this, stop whatever you are doing, just drop it all and GO! Right now. You won't regret it.

Seriously, I love those cupcakes so much. I tried to go last night, but they were

sold out. I almost cried. It was pretty pathetic.

My two favorites are Better Than Whatever and Raspberry Chocolate Cheesecake!

I could go on all day about these divine desserts! And you feel so trendy in that place. It's just so perfect. So Perfect!

Raining

So I haven't packed a bag and drove away. Yet.

I've been thinking a lot about patience lately. For anyone that knows me you know I have no patience. Like, really, none! I've been trying to fix this. I've been studying scriptures and conference talks. I prayed that the Lord would give me more patience. Be careful when you ask for things like this.

I feel it goes something like this:

"Hey Heavenly Father, will you help me have more patience?"

"Patience! Oh yeah! I can do that! Here you go!"

And it arrives in a nice pretty package, but then you open it up.

Now I'm praying that the Lord will help me as I learn patience. Cause man, when it rains it pours! I'm glad He doesn't expect us to do it alone.

Weird.

I'm ready for school to start again.

I'm so excited for clinical next semester.

I miss nursing.

I miss learning.

Is that weird?

Good Things Will Come

I wish the future me could talk to the present me.

Inspiration found here.

All

I'm in.

I'm ALL in.

The end.

I hope you all had a great weekend and an even better Monday.

I'm In

This song is speaking to my heart today!

I'm In:

Love doesn't come with a contract

You give me this, I give you that

It's scary business

Your heart and soul is on the line

Baby, why else would I be standin' round here

so tongue tied?

If I knew what I was doing,

I'd be doing it right now

And I would be the best darn poet;

Silver words out of my mouth

My words might not be magic,

But they cut straight to the truth.

So if you need a lover and a friend,

Baby, I'm in. I'm in

Baby, come on in, the water's fine

I'll be right here, you take your time

Just let me hold you.

And we'll both take that leap of faith.

It's like I told you, there's no guarantees

when you feel this way.

If I knew what I was doing,

I'd be doing it right now.

And I would be the best darn poet;

Silver words out of my mouth.

My words might not be magic,

But they cut straight to the truth.

So if you need a lover and a friend,

Baby, I'm in. I'm in.

Baby, I'm in. I'm in.

Baby, come here next to me.

I'll show you how good it can be.

I'll breath each breath you breath;

I can pour out everything I am,

Everything I am.

If I knew what I was doing,

I'd be doing it right now.

And I would be the best darn poet;

Silver words out of my mouth.

My words might not be magic,

But they cut straight to the truth.

So if you need a lover and a friend,

Baby, I'm in. I'm in.

Baby, I'm in. I'm in.

You can hear the song here!

I hope you all have a wonderful day!!

Cowboy Take Me Away

I want to have a baby boy, so I can buy this and this!

Oh my heck. I love it!

I love me some cowboy!

Really. I hope I marry one.

Or I hope that the boy I marry will become a cowboy for me.

It's the boots. And the truck. And the horse.

Really, it's the whole package.

I just can't hide it

On my mind today:

What's on your mind today??

Anxious

keep calm and carry on.

be still my soul.

the Lord is on thy side.

Friend Like You

I love these girls so much!

Any time I've gone without

A home, a meal, a pair of shoes

If you had three you'd give me two

There aint no other friend like you