Moms and Babies. SOOO CUTE!

So, I give my final talk next week, then leave the next day for Utah. Ahhhhhh!!!! So much to do, so many people to hang out with, and so much to say a temporary goodbye to. My Mother will have full control of this blog soon. In fact, I am showing her how to use it tonight, so if any random posts appear, that's probably why. ;)

In other exciting news, He was born to my wonderful brother and sister-in-law this past week. He is the handsomest baby boy EVER with thick, dark brown hair, his mom's one dimple and his dad's chin. Here's some pictures!

I look like I went a bit crazy, but they made me look at the
 camera and all I wanted to do was look at the adorable
infant in my arms! Can you blame me?!?!

This is my brother, Jon, holding the baby. Not his baby. It's Brad, who is the one
that wrote the wonderful name bubble on the board. :)

So, there you have it! An adorable new addition to our family! When he is about 18 months and two weeks, I'll come back home. He is the most adorable mission calendar I could have. I'll definitely miss this little guy and all my other family while I'm gone, but I know it will be worth it.

Georgia, you better be prepared!

Randomocity!!!!

I'm going through the Temple tomorrow! I'm so excited! I went to the temple yesterday and visited my dad then wandered the grounds. Everything is so beautiful and peaceful there. I'm so excited to be able to enjoy that same sweet spirit in the temple.

I also went and took my missionary plaque picture yesterday. It came out pretty good, thanks to my wonderful photographer, Steve Nissle. Seriously, this guy did my family's pictures and all of my brother's mission pictures. I love his style.

My mother will most definitely laugh at me for this part, but I'm putting it anyway. I do not like spiders!!!! They are really just weird and I hate seeing their legs move. Does anyone happen to know if they have any really weird or large spiders in Georgia? I would really like to know BEFORE I get there. I just keep running into spiders with some long legs (but not long enough to be a daddy long legs) and I kept running into them when I lived in Utah, so I'm a little done with spiders. I don't think you can really ever escape them though. Bummer! :/

Oh, so I authorized my dear sweet mother to be an author on this blog so that you can all read my letters and mom doesn't have to get every single person's email address and etc, etc, etc. It's just easier to post it on here and have you guys come and go as you like. I'll try to write so my letters aren't a bore, but I make no promises :)

Whirlwind of Insanity

Alright, well since I last posted, I found out that my mission papers were somehow deleted and there is no way of recovering them. So, I'm starting anew. I'm working with my bishop to gain access to my papers. In the meantime, I getting my wisdom teeth removed and trying to find a job. I will be working up in Utah until at least June with how it's looking right now. Anyway, I gots to go help fill a special missionary birthday package for the amazing Elder Vennard!

Later!

So, Arizona has been a blast so far! I love being able to see my family for a while. Plus, I was here just in time for my little brother to open his mission call to the Peru Trujillo Mission. He leaves May 23rd.

I also talked to my old bishop and got some of my mission paperwork so that I can finish my papers up in Utah. A week from today, I pretty much only need my wisdom teeth pulled and the interviews with my bishop and stake president, and then I can turn in my papers. I'M SO EXCITED!!! All the rest of my dental work is getting done down here, thanks to a family friend.

With all this excitement, my favorite spiritual song right now is "All Times, All Things, All Places" by Chad Neth. This song reminds me that you can't just go on a mission and magically be spiritually in tune and familiar with the scriptures. The lyrics for this song are below.

It's not in the letter, I can't wait to open.It's not in the badge that will carry his name.It's not gonna grow in just three weeks of studyOr magically come when I get on a plane,So today I'm becoming who I'm meant to be,The worthy, unshakeable witness he needs

At all Times, All things, All places,I will sing and shout His praises,I will tell the whole world that I know what his Grace isAt all times, in all things, in all places...

It comes as I study the words of the prophets,And think about all that those words meant for me,As Abraham's son I am part of the promise,That all of the earth would be blessed by his seed,I know what my Savior expects me to bethe faithful, unchangeable witness he needs 

At all times, all things, all places...I will sing and shout His praises,I will tell the whole world that I know what his Grace isAt all times, in all things, in all places...

All eyes, All ears, All hearts,All faces, All rich, All poor,All lives, All ages, All roads. All doors,All lands, All nations, All Earth, All kin.All Tongues, All races 

At all times, all things, all places...I will sing and shout His praises,I will tell the whole world that I know what his Grace isAt all times, in all things, in all places...At all times, in all things, in all places...

 Such a wonderful song and message! I'm so excited to go on a mission!

Arizona, Here I come!

Scripture of the Week: 2 Nephi 28:21 and 24
We can never become complacent. We have to keep moving forward and trying to improve.

I have been working on moving forward on my mission papers. So, I am headed down to Arizona tomorrow! Ms. Rachel Schlappi, a good friend, is getting married next weekend, and I'm going to reception. While I am down there, I should be getting the last of my dental work done, with the exception of my wisdom teeth. That's another large step towards a mission!

Anyway, I'll be in Arizona for two weeks of partying and visiting my amazing family. I haven't been gone that long, but I'm ready to be home!

Oh, by the way, Happy Centennial Birthday Arizona! Happy Valentine's/Single's-Awareness Day to the rest of you. Hope you all have a great a wonderful day!

Loving the Dentist and my Scriptures!

It's been a pretty weird week up here in oh-not-so-snowy Utah. I started out the week with two root canals. This would be a way bigger deal if my dentist wasn't so AMAZING! He made sure that no only was I not feeling any pain, but that I also wasn't freaking out. The biggest surprise: I didn't really freak out at all! So, I got that done, and then on Wednesday, I went in to have two more root canals done. The biggest surprise: I didn't have to get any done! They found out that those two teeth looked much worse on the x-rays than they actually were. Talk about saving some money.

Another really exciting thing that started this week is that our ward started a Book of Mormon Challenge. In Mesa, our single ward did this every summer in the space of about two months. It takes A LOT of reading, but I love reading and I want to do everything that I can to prepare for my mission, so I usually participate. Anyway, I have a brand new set of scriptures to read from this time (THANKS MOM!!!), so it's even more exciting to go through and be able to pick out new things since there are no marks in them yet. I also have decided to go through and write down different scriptures that I find that would give me strength. I want to try to memorize these scriptures as I prepare for my mission (which I really want to go on but still don't know what is in the Lord's plan for me).

I was thinking about posting the scriptures that I'm working on when I start on them, but didn't know if anyone would be interested. Any comments? (By the way, if you don't know how to post a comment, you can either click the title of the post then scroll down to after the post, or click on the number of comments and that'll take you right to it. Hope to hear from you guys!)

Thanks for reading!

Craziness is on the Menu

So, I was talking to somebody about this blog the other day (nobody die of shock here please! I just happened to be hanging out with one of the few people who read this ;) and she told me that I really need to start writing more, so here we go.

The biggest reason I haven't really written in a while is because nothing huge has been happening. Basically, I applied to go to several different community colleges that have online programs, and then learned my FAFSA (Federal Student Aid Money) wouldn't cover the classes unless I jumped through a ridiculous amounts of hoops and fibbed a little bit along the way. So, I don't think I'll be going to school in the Spring.

In the meantime, I have finished up school (YAY!!!!!!!!) and got my Associates of Arts (and no, this does not mean I'm artistic. It just means my subject matter-teaching- isn't "important" enough to have its own Associate's Category :P). I also am preparing to move up to Provo, Utah to...work? Have dental upon dental operation done? Party? Let's go with the last one. PARTAY!!!! Still trying to figure out why nothing is really working out. I'm guessing that some big change in my life is coming, whether it is working my butt off for school (not a huge change, but it would feel like actual progress), going on a mission (oh, I like this option!), or getting married (this would be a major change...actually, dating would be a major change).

Anyway, I'll try to write again soon. I should be spouting off about job hunting, or moving, or something like that.

Thanks for reading!

As Porky the Pig would say, "Th-Th-Th-That's all Folks!"

Insights on Autism

I haven't written for a little while, but a lot has been happening. I'm nearly done with my mission papers, although they aren't able to be turned in until December and I'm actually considering waiting even past that time to turn them in. I've also had a couple of dates in the past few days that were really fun, but the point is I'm here now.

It's early in the morning, but I just finished an incredible movie. It's called Temple Grandin. This movie is all about a woman who is autistic and the many things that she works through and accomplishes in her life. The woman's name is Temple Grandin and at the time she is diagnosed, doctors are claiming autism is caused by motherly neglect. This is of course not true. Temple is able to get a Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate Degree, design an efficient cattle handling system, and make friends along the way. I think the two things I like best about this movie are 1) it helps you to truly see the world through Temple's eyes, and 2) even though there were so many struggles for her and her mom, they still pushed through and found the positive moments along the way.

Anyway, you guys probably didn't want to hear all that, but I think movies like this that enable us to see through another's eyes are very important for our society. Most of our country does not understand Autism, and many don't even know what Autism is. I am fortunate to have experience with it through my job, and the kids that I work with bring joy into my life everyday because of their different view of the world. Temple's mother describes her and other individuals with Autism perfectly when she said "She is different, not less".

Moving Forward...In a Positive Direction

So, I officially met with Bishop tonight and started my mission papers. I finished all the forms that I could on my own. Now I have to set up appointments with my doctor and dentist, and get a couple answers from my parents. All in all, it's going great! I can turn in my papers December 3, 2011. I'm so excited! I've always wanted to go on a mission, although I can't really explain why other than to serve the Lord, but that doesn't even feel like the full reason. We'll just have to see how all this goes!

To explain the title of this post, in one of my favorite books, Remember No More by Pamela Reid, the main characters live in New Zealand. One of the most influential lines in the book is "Move forward...in a positive direction". This was said to help heal wounds and move past the events of the past. The main girl, Kiri, would not allow herself the happiness that she had earned after a long series of trials until a wonderful woman said this to her. I believe it is a line that we could all apply in our lives daily as we try to better ourselves. Gotta love the quotes of a bookworm :)

A Decision has been made!

So, I've been trying to decide what I will do when I get up to Utah since I'm not going to Brigham Young University this next semester. I've been praying about it, and now I know that I am supposed to go on a mission, or at the very least prepare the very best I can for it.

Come January, I will be able to turn my mission papers in. That means that I have at least 3 months of planning and preparing to utilize. I also have to save up a ton of money for my mission, although I have been trying my hardest to save up as much as I can. So what will I be working on? Well, here are my general goals:

-Become closer to the Lord
-Increase Health
-Graduate College :)
-Prepare spiritually for a mission

I have developed ways to check how I am doing on each goal. I think this will help me to stay focused as I might not necessarily be in school, but will be working and trying to progress.

Anyway, thought I would update my blog with this new, exciting development in my life.

Later!