presents 1.

i put this picture on my facebook page a few weeks ago.

which makes me feel rather guilty to post about all the presents and cool things that i received over the holiday season...but i am doing it more out of grattitude for the thoughtfulness of my friends and family.  plus...i can say with all sincerity of heart, that my favorite part is getting presents for other people. christmas shopping can be emotionally and physically exhausting but only because i always want to get the PERFECT gifts, not because i hate the gifting, that is the most fun part! sometimes i forget to show my excitement when i receive presents because i am still just so excited for people to see what i got for them. 

these are some of the things that i received this year (not including those from jared, that will be in a separate post).

i was given a lot of things that i needed and had actually asked for. i already showed you my new gold watch. and that blanket has been my best friend since the moment i opened it. i am wearing a little juicy and my organic sweatshirt right now and i cannot wait to wear my cute new shoes to church on sunday...plus my teeth are sparkling. it may seem lame to be excited about getting toothbrush heads for christmas, but that is one $23 expense i can spare myself. perfect. i love my running jacket (it is a rain slicker!), yoga mat bag and my water bottle has a credit card, cash and key holder in it! and who doesn't like monies and gift cards...not to mention when your parents pay for your plane tickets. i am spoiled. but i do love and appreicte the things that were given to me and will use every single one of them....well maybe not the disgusting gag gift (a gaudy, freaky clown pin).

the day after christmas i went to hobby lobby with my family to snatch up some deals and crafts to do with the kiddos....lookie at what we found:

someone stole baby jesus. seriously. i asked them. so they had to mark it like 80% off and sell it as is. take that how you will but it struck me as rather interesting. luckily i have a great mama that put together a cute little nativity skit for our whole family to participate in. it was really good to see the kiddos get so excited to be a part of it and to see how they are learning the story more and more every year. of course the wrapping paper explosion happened immediately after, but the efforts are definitely there.

anywho...it was a great time of gift giving and receiving and spending time with everyone. just wait until you see what j did for me...

wait, what? christmas has already come and gone? and new year's?  somehow i missed this. ok not really. but it all happened so suddenly and so quickly that it sure feels like it.

colorado was a great visit. spent the first few days playing with my sisters, the kiddos and hanging out at the little mountain homestead. it was the first time that i had been there since the parents got back from fiji. while they were away, they had some friends living there and they did a lot of cool improvements on the house. including a better wood stove, new counter tops and my favorite:

i know- who cares. but i love the little details in hardware pieces. the bathroom sinks have these killer vintage pump style faucets and i am pretty sure that i washed my hands 37 extra times just to play with them. 

like these knobs:

they are so great. i just wish that i had more places to put them. and by more places i suppose that could mean furniture that is my own, not crappy particle board that comes with my overpriced apartment.

speaking of the little pieces, i also received this for christmas:

i had been wanting a large, goldtone, menswear watch for quite some time. but as they are far more pricey than my average time pieces (do $10 running watches count? or the watch of the person sitting next to me?) i have been hesitant/too cheap to invest.  i rarely wear anything more than a pair of pearl earrings and pinky ring for daily accessories. but this little piece adds something fashionably functional and i love her.

i also like little things like,

nasty phone pictures with baby bugaboos. we went on a few snow hikes, saw a couple movies, ate non stop, played wii until we were sore, read books, and took naps. it was fairly ideal. including having jared come spend time with us (thanks mama and daddy for flying us home). this was the first time that i have ever had a boyfriend (notice that is ONE word. meaning we like each other...not just a friend that is a boy...ok moving on) come to my house, meet my whole family and spend an entire 4 days with us. it all went smoothly and was a lot of fun seeing him interact with everyone. em and josh were especially gracious and spent a lot of time with us and catered to our boredom with a lot more food, kids, laughter and games. it was great.

oh and mama made these for part of our christmas feast:

olives, carrots and cream cheese... in penguin form. vegetable appetizer perfection. nancy is the best.

i will have to do another post about the rest of the christmas gifts that i received, because this was definitely a good year. and those gifts deserve a post for themselves. i was so happy to spend my holidays with my family. it was just what i needed. lots of love and jesus and food. what else do we really need.

birthday weekend.

thank you to everyone that reached out to wish a happy birthday to me this weekend. it was a great birthday. here comes the sappy stuff.

i woke up to find little notes all over my bathroom mirror from j and then a bag full of all of my favorite snacks. including a nice big pack of these

i love these to go packs of peanut butter. i could just eat them with a spoon...but as that is generally found odd in public, i use crackers or apples. j was so sweet to think of all my favorite things.later at work we had a mini birthday treat time and they ordered the BEST pumpkin pie cake. it is soooo good. and then these beauts were delivered to me. i blushed, i giggled, i was awkward, i pretended like i get flowers all the time, secretly-i was elated.

i came home to a few more lovey presents and surprises and then we hit the road and went to a cabin in pine valley with j's family. sure we had to drive through an arctic blizzard and the crowds of ignorant drivers, but once we arrived in one piece (always say a prayer before you go on a road trip),  it was so much fun just hanging out, eating yummy meals, playing games, 4 wheeling, playing with the kiddos, and getting to know more of his family better. i was surprisingly comfortable around all of the strangers and was happily eased into the walker style family game nights. i have a feeling that thanksgiving and new year's will be very interesting...

unfortunately my phone had no service up there and so i didn't see any of my birthday messages until sunday night, but they were appreciate nonetheless.

but i also received a couple other perfect presents. 

i love working out with kettleballs. but i did not own one. so now i have one to add to our "workout center", also known as the family room. 

and then j, being the generous man that he is, surprised me with one more gift.

a brand new, hardbound copy of atlas shrugged. i am repeatedly referencing this book and telling him that he must partake of this gem.  but my first copy i turned into a wreath... the second copy has been lent out to a friend and appears to have gone the way of the earth (i am betting that when he realized it was over 1500 pages, he gave up on the idea and just never returned the book...stinker).  so this was the perfect present. i cannot wait to read it again. 

it was a good birthday. it was a great weekend. and mama and dad are coming this weekend to play some more and to meet j. luckily they have spoken before...but this is still...kinda...huge.

oh speaking of mama, she is also now on pinterest. and when i asked her what she would like for christmas- she replied with an email containing links to online stores with the wii games and accessories she would like....this would equal out to me having the coolest mama ever.

revelation.

i am reading a book right now entitled, hearing the voice of the lord, authored by elder gerarld n. lund. i love reading books of a spiritual nature and expanding my knowledge and testimony of gospel principles. i generally only read books written by prophets. like i told my mama the other day, i have come to learn that "just because it is in deseret book, does not make it doctrine." she wholeheartedly agreed.

this book could not have been given to me at a more appropriate time in my life. it starts out with a quote from president kimball that says,

" the Almighty is with this people. we shall have all the revelation that we shall need if we will do our duty and keep the commandments of God...remember: if there be eyes to see, there will be visions to inspire. if there be ears to hear, there will be revelations to experience. if there be hearts which can understand, know this: that the exalting truths of Christ's gospel will no longer be hidden and mysterious and all earnest seekers may know God and his program."

president kimball's emphatic manner of delivering advice and counsel is unsurpassed to me. i love reading all of his talks and books. and i just love that quote. this book by elder lund is rather simplistic, but it is backed by biblical references and quotes from prophets of old and today. it is a beautiful outline of how we can have the hearts to understand and the ears to hear the revelations that the Lord has in store for each one of us.

there have been some things weighing heavily on my mind and heart for so long now. my amazing parents are well aware of this and they are always so careful in their addressing of these subjects with me. but luckily for me, they know how to listen to the Lord. and though we only briefly discussed the issue the other day, it was followed by a long heartfelt email full of love and wisdom to help me in my struggles and time of decision making.  i am so grateful to them and know that they are qualified to receive revelation on my behalf and that they are caring enough to tell me, no matter how sensitive the subject. 

later, i was able to go to the temple and spend some time there to more deeply ponder their advice and what the Lord would want me to do. sometimes it is just exhausting not knowing where to go in life. while in the temple i reflected on a lot of the counsel in this book, my patriarchal blessing and upon what my parents had shared with me. even though i have not sung the song "a child's prayer" in years, the lyrics came to me so clearly in their entirety and i was washed over with a comfort and love that only my Heavenly Father could provide. 

there are still so many uncertainties in my life and so many decisions that i have yet to make. but i am so happy  to know that i am blessed with such loving parents, caring friends, access to temples, and a strong, personal relationship with my Heavenly Father. all is well.
A Child's Prayer

Heavenly Father, are you really there?
and do you hear and answer every child's prayer. 
Some say that Heaven is far away, 
but i feel it close around me as i pray.

Heavenly Father, i remember now,
something that Jesus told Disciples long ago. 
Suffer the children to come to me, 
Father in prayer i'm coming now to thee.

Pray, He is there. 
Speak, He is listening. 
You are his child, 
his love now surrounds you.

He hears your prayer, 
He loves the children, 
of such is the Kingdom, 
the Kingdom of Heav'n.

under her wing.

i hang out with same 5 boys every single day. it is grand. all of these boys mention their mothers. so much so, that the phrase "under mother's wing" has become as much of a commonality as "i hate the lakers" (and we say that a lot). what can i say, we just love our moms.

did you know that a stay at home mom's tasks have a monetary value of over $140,000.00 A YEAR?!?! she is on call 24/7 for the rest of her family's lives (stops at 18?? please...we are all 25...). the typical mom,

*cooks

*cleans

*detangles hair and getsthe gum out in the earlier years

*chauffeurs (school, seminary, sports, mutual, hangouts, mall trips, rides when you just need to talk)

*reads books after dinner

*budgets

*kills bugs

*disciplines (and manages to withhold from punching her kids when they are driving her crazy)

*loves

*launders (can only imagine the kind of stains a mom sees in her lifetime)

*teaches

*plays santa, easter bunny, st. nick, tooth fairy, leprechaun, cupid, etc

*sings lullaby's 

*sews buttons (patches, jeans, dresses, and everything else)

*landscape

*pulls out ticks (ah the lovely tick routine, thank you missouri)

*grocery shops

*protects

*house breaks

*plays

*outfits

and if you are nancy, you do all of this AND manage to:

*have a million church callings at a stake level.

*play sports (real or made up)

*sew dress up clothes

*braid, curl, die, perm (it was the 90's) hair

*teach your daughters to cook

*print off lyrics of songs for your kids so they can sing the titanic song over and over again

*be the "cool mom" at girl's camp

*be a nurse

*record all your kids' favorite tv shows (this was back with the vcr thing...)

*wash your kid's mouth out with soap when you swear

*go on missions

*stay up all night reading legal documents to my dad
*do genealogy

*text "LOL", facebook, skype, gchat, email, and blog

*be the best Nana in the world

*go to the temple

*hike pikes peak

*keep a journal

*teach your kids to love the beatles

*read books
*date your husband

*insist on family dinner every night, no matter work, school, sport or social schedules

*remember everything that each child will and will not eat

*perform countless acts of service for others

*be a personal assistant 

*alter your prom dresses to be modest

* admit when she is wrong

and one of the most important characteristics and jobs that my mother has down: she loves her heavenly father and serves Him in everything way. she puts her family first. almost any good choice that i make, i have to credit to my mama. not because she has ever forced me to be a certain way. throughout the years, she has really come to terms that i am a different kind of girl. that i am much more boyish and abrasive than my sisters, that i am much more sensitive on certain subjects than necessary, that i am fickle and sometimes irresponsible. but she has taught me well and loved me the best that she can. her life has shown me the way to true, everlasting joy.  

i love technology.

technology is on a list of many things that i have a love/hate relationship with. when it works, i love it. when it doesn't- i hate it. and i also hate that i suddenly realize just how dependent i have become on it.

but today has been one of our better days.

this evening, the ces fireside was broadcasted all over the world. and how fortunate is it that we are able to tune it and watch anywhere we go?  sister wixom shared one of my favorite quotes from president ezra taft benson.

"Nothing will surprise us more than when we get to heaven and see the
Father and realize how well we know Him and how familiar His face
is to us."

— Ezra Taft Benson

president kimball passed away that exact day that i was born, thus president benson was the prophet that i grew up listening to, praying for and wishing that i could meet. anytime he is referenced i feel a nostalgic comfort from his words. i love that quote. and it reminds me of one of my favorite scriptures, mosiah 5:13, "for how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?"

food for thought. but how great is it that we have access to so many ways to grow in the gospel? these broadcasts, mormon.org, mormon messages, the new missionary sites, etc.  there are so many resources available to us that make the words of the prophets all the more accessible every single day. 

after the fireside i was able to have a little fun time with hillwawee woo. i miss my sister so much.

and yes...those are rather normal facial expressions for our video chats (or any chats that we have..).

distance is much easier to deal with when you can have some skype sessions. while technology has its downfalls and may cater to our laziness, it also has its benefits if used wisely. i am grateful for the easy access that i have to my family and friend  while we are spread out around the world.

but it is hard to beat face to face interaction. i miss actually laughing with my sister. actually cuddling with her and talking to her. playing with her hair, poking her little potato feet, and just being with her.  tonight was spent with 6 boys in a tent and we had a blast. playing games, laying around and just laughing. face to face is my favorite (some of the best moments you can have with a person are just being with them. no matter the activity or what is being said. just being.). second is letters (not emails. not facebook. but real, handwritten notes and letters. the appreciation and feeling  behind a letter can be invaluable). i guess that gchat would be last on the list. but either way, i will take what i can get.

oh and ps...

it was announced that osama was killed.  i am not sure how i feel about all of it. i realize that he did  absolutely awful things and i love this country and i am so grateful for my freedoms. i have several friends that are active in the military now. my own dad was in the air force. and i know that i am blessed to have everything that i do. but regardless of his evil, people were celebrating the fact that he had been killed. am i wrong for feeling uneasy about that?  when 9/11 happened and they showed us pictures of people partying in the streets in the middle east over our tragedy, we were disgusted...but how are the people at the white house that are celebrating the assassination of osama much better? 

this was us today.

this was them, then.

a life is a life. and maybe i am simply being naive. but i just cannot bring myself to see the killing of a human being as something to celebrate. i realize that we  are also celebrating a victory over terrorism and for that, i could not be more relieved.  perhaps this is one of those times that i should just keep my opinions to myself. because i am just not informed enough. i just know that all of it is sad. it makes me ill. i hate all of it. signs of the times, i suppose.

bad days lead to thanks.

today was sort of a rough day. but it made me all the more thankful for certain things.

1. gchat. when your parents are off on crazy islands, gchat brings you together.

2. babies. i went to derek's and helped him watch his nephews again. they make me feel so loved and remind of christlike innocence.

3. blankets. i am always so cold and today i particually needed to be snuggled. the boss is nice enough to let me wrap up in a blanket at my cubicle.

4. chonco. my mexican penguin from kenny king. he is so cute, and his arms move in bobble head fashion. i love him.

5. friends that cheer you up, play with you and will make vegetarian meals with you just to suit your lifestyle. and pretend to like it.

6. my sisters. i am always grateful for them. but today the little one called me just to check in and the older one just got older (birthday post will come tomorrow). they are the best sisters and take such good care of me. i love them very very very much.

the gods must be crazy.

why am i so lucky lately? i don't know. but for some reason, i have just been having the greatest things happen to me. the previous post will attest to the wonderfully fun weekend that i had and that outstanding group of friends that i am privileged to be a part of. and did i mention that i still have straight a's? just a braggy beckie boo moment, but come on... things are just going so well.

i love the new book that i am reading, i am realizing that the whole world should go vegetarian because it is such a great lifestyle, daylight saving's time has kicked in, i am still a size 0- even in skinny jeans,  i finally found out the name of the song that was killing me, this week is payday and i get my tax returns, i am 2 chapters ahead in my psych class and thursday is st. patty's day- 2nd best holiday ever.

and the super fabulous blessing of the day:

i arrived home absolutely ragged from the day around 6 pm. i sat down to read (should be noted that i was in my bed...never works) and was out for about 20 minutes when all the sudden vale knocked on my door and informed me that someone was here to see me:

it was my joely friend. believe it or not- it is a lovely sight to wake up to.

the little punk "forgot" to tell me that he would be stopping by before his flight home to iowa.  we went to cpk and shared a vegetarian pizza (see, he supports my lifestyle... why did he have to leave me?!) and had interesting conversations (hairy nipples, radiation poisoning, breastfeeding toddlers, our married friends' ex lovers....you know- all those really dinner table appropriate kind of topics). so maybe i had been feeling a little out of sorts and lonely as of late.  maybe i had been missing my confidant and beckiesized buddy. and maybe i had prayed a little to feel a little less lonely.  and look at what i got. awesome. now if a couple more prayers could magically beam my sisters to me...come on scotty...show me what you got.

it will come.

i do not know if it is just the warmer weather, or because school is almost over, or because selection sunday is tomorrow, or because my life is just awesome- but whatever the reason or combination of variables, i am happy.

balance is necessary to achieve happiness. my wise ty friend has reminded me, on more than one occasion, that i need to look at the bigger picture.  instead of becoming frustrated over the fact that i may not have a totally balanced life in the moment (what mid twenties, student really does), look at the little things that balance out and put them into perspective to see how in the end- my overall life will have been balanced.  

personal examples:

study hard now (chem, psych, numbers, definitions, homework, barf)-> great job later. 

date wisely now (jerks, weirdies, waste of timers, awkwardness) -> strong marriage later. 

life's trials now (see above and throw in a few flaming balls of fire) -> stronger everyday and a better companion, mother and friend for the lessons i learn.

exercise everyday (i currently can barely move my upper body due to soreness) -> longer, healthier life.

unfortunately, i am one that often times allows my impatience to overshadow even the blatant logic of those time consuming processes. so i have been trying to see the balance in the little things.

personal examples:

i miss my family (we are so spread out, living such different lives)-> we all make greater efforts to stay in touch and show love, creating an overall stronger unity in our family.

people disappoint us (directly or indirectly) -> the lord places amazing, compassionate friends in my life to remind me that not everyone is dishonest and selfish.

japan's natural disasters (need we say more)-> i look out the window at my safe little piece of home and just feel grateful.  

in retrospect, there are even smaller things that happen if i just take a moment to relax and realize.  my heavenly father finds countless ways to show his love for me, divinely outweighing the trials of life.  to be  little more specific, lately i had been allowing myself to be a big caught up in discouragement over other people's behavior.  i am flawed. so flawed. but basic morals and strong upbringing have taught me well enough to know that what other people were doing was tragically affecting their own and other's lives. but then one of my oldest friends comes out to visit me. he is one of the most christlike, compassionate and humble people that i know. my sisters call me to tell me that they love me.  the babies are talking and tell me all about their days. their innocent little minds just racing with what to share next. i talked to joely. i played like a child with my friends, our furnace got fixed, i ran 4 miles without ibuprofen, my scripture study has been all the more enthralling, the weather has been great.  noticing all of these little things and allowing myself to feel the joy that they bring, has allowed me to untangle myself from the discouragement that i was providing myself to feel based on other's actions.

sometimes the lord puts bumps and meanies in my world. but he throws in a whole lot of kindness, sunshine, family, and a couple of rude awakenings to remind me that i am not at the end yet and to just wait. i will see the balance one day.

i miss you.

there are some things that i miss right now.

1. my dad. he is so sweet to me. and check him out- he's cool too. but he is far away right now, eating citrus flavored bananas and being a medical assistant to my mama :)

2. my little sister. she loves arrested development (i miss that show too) with me, she sings songs to me, she asks me for advice, she snuggles with me, she gets annoyed with me, we used to do everything together.  but now we are in different states and i miss her.  thank goodness for gchat.

3. summer hikes/runs/bike rides. some people think that it is gross to sweat...but i kinda like it. it usually means that i am working hard. and even better when i am out in the summer sun (i also miss those girls because they got married last summer).

4. my churassco palta. (this picture does not do Pantruca's justice) I am willing to go non vegetarian every now and then for a bite of ricardo and margarita's amazing sandwiches. maybe i will go tomorrow.

5. my joely friend. someone else moved into his room. i have seen the kid twice. and bless his heart, i am sure he is great, but he is no half hippie, geology loving, bff like joely. nstant messaging and texting is always there and it is better than nothing, but i still miss my friend (and i miss our camping trips). he just informed me that reno is full of hippie people and that i would fit in well...road trip?

i guess i will just need to plan a visit home, fly to fiji, drive to reno and wait for the summer. and for now i suppose that i will enjoy the good friends that i do have here and the fact that i have a car and don't have to walk in the cold and that i do have modern technology to keep me in contact with my family and friends. 

there are many ways.

aves is soooo cute and the happiest baby i have ever seen.
there are many ways to know that god exists...but sometimes there is adorable and amazing proof right in front of you.  such happy, beautiful, brown little girls. love these babies.

anaya chasing grandpa.

biggest little U fan.

bad habit.

Best thing about these:

is this:

And I may or may not be caught doing this a lot:

My dad used to give spoonfuls of chunky peanut butter to me for a treat. My mom always worried I would choke, but I loved it.  He would also make me toast, with melty peanut butter on top, for breakfast and it was so yummy. Funny enough, I do not like reeses or peanut butter cookies or anything with peanut butter in it. But I love peanuts and peanut butter!

(cashew and almond butter are even better, but I do not dare buy any or I will be a rolly polly beckie real fast)

when i have a house...

Someday, I hope to be as fortunate as my mama and have a big kitchen.  I remember when I was little and we were looking for houses in St. Louis- that was one of her number one priorities.  And why not??  Cooking is so fun if you have the resources.  And let's admit it, most of the best family and social times happen around food. I love sitting around the kitchen table with my family, playing games and eating snacks.  I was also lucky enough to have family dinner almost every single night of the week.  I can clearly recall many great moments in the kitchen (scounging for treats, learning how to bake, cleaning) and I would say that besides my own room- it is my favorite place to be with my family.  Baking cookies with your mom when you are little, or having dad surprise me with a late night ice cream, or doing crafts with my sisters at the table.  Kitchens just equal a lot of happiness.  So sometimes just for fun, because I am obsessed with County Living and This Old House magazines, I love to find pics of cool kitchens to get future decorating ideas.  These are some of my favorites:

the wood floors, beams in the ceiling, red walls... so country homey.

it is so open and bright. bit smaller than i am used to, but dual ovens and country white wood- i love it.

love the white. the big windows. the wooden beams. just love it.
And something that they always use to decorate these adorable kitchens with are different cake stand/pedestal kind of things...  they come in so many different heights, materials and colors. I love that you can use them for anything. Plant holder, jewelry holders, fruit bowls, etc. They are functional yet much cuter than just a bowl. 

i love this green pedestal bowl :)

and of course a country red.

and this one is just precious :)

i miss them.

And here we have my niece Anaya and my nephew Austin. If you ever want to feel loved or validated in any way, I highly recommend that you become the favorite aunt of the family (sorry Hill...but we know it's true).  They are the most exhausting but wonderful little babies in the world.  I cannot wait for #3 to be here this summer.  It is going to be so much fun. Maybe that kid will let Hillary hold its hand... just kidding, that was mean, sorry.

It was so much fun to spend Christmas with these babies. They remind me of the good things in the world. And all the bad... when I am with them I am suddenly so much more aware of all the awful things that they could potentially be exposed to and it makes me sick. But they are tough kids with amazing parents and the best grandparents right up the street. They will be great. Besides... look at how cool their favorite aunt is!!! yeah...they're screwed. haha just kidding.

xoxo.

names part II.

I should have added that I will also have two dogs. The big one will be named Tiberius and the smaller one will be named George Costanza. I cannot wait for him to run away so I can be running down the street in my bathrobe yelling, "George Constanza, come back!!" 

My children will love me.

names. (super cheesy alert)

With all of the women in my office currently being pregnant, talk of baby names is more common than actual work talk.  So I pulled out my "list" from several years back.  For the first time, I looked up the meanings and I was pleasantly surprised.

For girls I have:

Lucy - Light
Indie- short for independent...as I am sure any girl I raise will be :)

Saige- Wisdom, Wise One

Lily- Innocence, Purity and Beauty

And I would use Rebecca as a middle name, which is my real name and means "Captivating".

For boys I have:

Samuel Jordan - Requested of God

Stuart Michael - Steward

I know that it sounds silly to even be thinking about this now, but I could not help it. It went along with my New Year's Resolution and then when I saw how blessed those names were...it was a sign :)  Seem so pathetic and typical for a girl to be doing something so foolish, but I just wanted to fit in with the group and stake claim on my names before those women snatch em!

Seriously, So Blessed.

But no really, I am.

There have been a lot of changes in my life lately. Nothing drastic, like a new job, boyfriend, car, nothing like that... but more of a change of heart. It has been a slow process and is still far from complete.

I have come to realize that the more I focus my life on Christ, the more everything else comes into place. This is something that I have always believed and I have always seen happen in life. But the past few months I have made stronger efforts and the rewards have been tenfold.

Some examples.

I have been blessed with a job that has its struggles and frustrations, but it has taught me a lot too. It also motivates me to return to school, even though I am scared to death to go back to college. But I am more afraid of being stuck in an office 40 hours a week.

I was able to spend the holidays with my family. We are all SO different. But I had a great time. I needed the R and R time with my parents. The babies remind me of the goodness in the world and my parents and older sister inspire me to have a family of my own. And Hillary continues to be my best friend and shoulder.

I have been trying to make some changes in my budget, so that I can better finance my life and relieve some stress. While 10% tithing seems like nothing... that's still a wad of cash for me. But I promised to be extra attentive to this and to make sure that I always pay it right away no matter what. And what do you know...upon renewing my car insurance, I got a policy 45% less expensive!! So wonderful.

My friend Lily. She is a gem. And I mean that so sincerely. When we met, we never thought that we would be friends. But she has been such a ray of sunshine in my life. I am so grateful to her example and her support.

I have had great health. My health insurance does not kick in for 2 more months...but I have been so blessed to not have any severe illnesses or anything of the sort to deal with (knock on wood).

I have been happier, nicer, calmer...

Anyway...those are just a few things that I have come to notice. There are so many blessings that i receive every moment of my life. SOmetimes they are more difficult to see than others, but they are there.

Always Busy. Sometimes I Need Some Peace.

When asked how I am, I realized that I give the same answer every time: “I am doing well, busy, but really happy”. Ugh, lately it has been ridiculously busy, but things really have been going well and I have been very happy. There was Thanksgiving of course, getting ready for school in January, working, playing, etc.

Last week Hillary and I were able to go to the Provo temple together to perform the baptisms and confirmations for several family names- one in particular being our grandma. There is always something special about performing sacred ordinances for your family, but this was notably spiritual. I am glad that we had the opportunity to be a part of this sacred work for her and I am grateful to my dad for spear heading the process. My grandma was the only real grandparent I ever had. She was 70 years old when I was born, we were not incredibly close, but she is still my grandma and the mother of my amazing dad and heaven just wouldn’t be complete without her.

(I was able to take this pic on a run this summer... what a sight!)

While I may often be cynical towards living in UT, there are many advantages. The outdoors is spectacular. Sometimes I feel the closest to God after a long hike or run to the top of a mountain, seeing all the natural beauty, I know that He has to be real. But I also am surrounded by temples. Though I may not have my endowments yet, it is still a very special place for me to attend and vital for my spiritual growth. Sometimes I receive inspiration, other times I just feel peace. And in the toughest of times, that peace is all I need to get through another week. So while UT may be a few pancakes short of a full stack, it sure does have its benefits.

Crafts avec ma souer.

As stated in Hillary's most recent blog post, she and I are doing our best to keep up with our homemaker sister, Emily. She is the guru of all things relating to crafts, sewing, talent, creativity, and girly stuff. Hillary and I are on the other hand... well let's just say our inspiration in the homemade crafts department is sparse and we just have yet to tap into that area of womanliness. But as we should always strive to be better and more well rounded, (besides the Wendy's we chowed down on earlier...) we did decide to try something new... so some cheapo wood stuff, pictures, paints of all sorts, and ribbon later... these were my results.
Framing post cards is one of the best cheapy, cutesy, deco tricks ever!