Thanksgiving 2013

Wait, a Thanksgiving post in October  Yes, almost eleven months later. I am a little behind but I wanted to post about something and I decided that I would post about Thanksgiving. The only person who reads this is MAYBE my mom so I don't think she will mind.

For Thanksgiving this year my family went to Oregon to see my dad's family. Oh boy was it fun. I really like Oregon and all the green that is there. The weather was nice and we had a lot of fun!

Hello Utah!

I recently moved to Utah... well, if July 29 counts as recent. The first month of living in Utah was stressful and difficult. I moved from my apartment in Rexburg to my house for a few days then I moved to a friend's apartment in Provo and continued to move to five other apartments in that month. I could never be homeless. I enjoy having a place to live.

I am now living in a great apartment in Provo with the best roommates and I couldn't be happier. I am doing an internship at the LDS Business College. I am working for the same person who I worked with before I graduated. I commute every day to work and I love it. More often than not I am loving the idea of a having a car but I need to save a bit before then.

My roommates are the greatest! They have been warm and welcoming. I was a little hesitant at first because they have known each other their whole lives but they have been kind. I have really lucked out in the roommate department and I have had 24 roommates so far. Yes, 24 people. It's hard for me to comprehend.

I get to attend BYU sporting events, be with my brother, and enjoy Provo. I am very fortunate and look forward to my time in Provo.

Why I Choose Happiness

Today, I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. From the moment I woke up I knew I was going to be exhausted, stressed, anxious, and I was not looking forward to getting out of my bed. The weather was dark and it looked miserable outside. Well, I spent the whole day feeling all of those things I previously mentioned. The wind was terrible and I couldn't see past the hair that was flying in my face. I ate way too much food and I felt sluggish all day. Needless to say I was in the dumps. Tonight I made the choice to exercise and clear my head.

As I was talking to a close friend I was prompted to go back and read through my blog posts. I continued to receive this thought among other and KNEW I needed to read through my blog. I was overwhelmed with gratitude and am thankful for that prompting. One of my biggest blessings continue to be my choice to go to the LDS Business College and be involved there. It didn't take me long to remember all of the lessons I learned there as I had the opportunities to serve multiple people in various leadership positions. 

One thing I noticed the most is that I was continuously looking for the good things in my life. I also stumbled across this post where I found a reminder of what my moral creed is. As I was reading through that time in my life I was reminded of some of the students who were in my class. There was single mother's who were struggling with balancing education, jobs and kids. I had students who didn't have the support of parents. These are just a few examples among many. I have so much.

We are going to have bad days but we don't have to let those become bad weeks. I've noticed that I allow myself to dwell in misery, look for the unjust. and make the choice to not be happy. I get overwhelmed by my classes, made up problems, and life decisions. Now, those are good things to worry about but I am done.

I am going to choose to be happy each day. I am the only one who can choose for myself to be happy. I've decided to stop letting the thoughts or the things into my life that bring stress, anxiety and bad things in to my life. Why? Because I deserve that.You deserve that. Everyone deserves the right to be happy. 

I have faith in the Lord. I know that. I have always known that. I have had a few scripture verses from 3 Nephi 22 in my head for the past few weeks. I allow myself  to forget the Lord's hand in my life and to look for his help and grace. In the words of President Uchtdorf, I plan to "stop it." Life is too good and I am too blessed to be moping around. 

I know very few people read this blog, but if anyone stumbles across this post I hope you get a few things from it. You deserve happiness. You have a Father in Heaven and Savior who paid the ultimate sacrifice to give you happiness. You can make the choice to be happy and no one or anything can get in the way of that choice. I am choosing happiness because I am a daughter of God. 

Why I Choose to Believe Part 1

I was born into a family with two parents who lived and believed in the things the Gospel taught. I was raised in a home where every Sunday we would dress up and attend church to remember and reflect on the things my older brother, the Savior did for me. I was taught that going to church and living the teachings of Christ was a way to have significant happiness in my life. One of the biggest things I was taught was that I have agency and that I had a choice to live and believe in the things I had been taught.

In my life there has never been a doubt in my life about the truthfulness of the Gospel and it's teaching. Yes, I have asked for confirmation in daily prayers to receive knowledge for myself that what I believe is true but I have always believed.

I believe in the goodness of people and that their potential endless. Ever since I was a little girl I have always had a weakness for people. When I saw an old person sitting alone or someone suffering my heart would ache and I would want to do something for them.  As I have grown older I have been humbled repeatedly to learn that someone has already done something for them. They are not alone and their struggle is only for a short moment. One of my favorite scriptures is 3 Nephi 22: 10. 

 10 For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee. 

The hard times we are facing will end because of the sacrifice on the cross. Our Heavenly Father also believed in his kids on earth and knows of our potential. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is for all the people on this earth. 

One late April night, during my senior year of high school, I was reading the last pages of the Book of Mormon. I was filled with an overwhelming emotion. I chose to follow all of the lessons I had been taught in primary and got on my knees. I prayed for an answer to know if what I read was true. The confirmation and feelings I felt that night from my prayer helped me to lean less on what my parents believe about the Book of Mormon and build on my own foundation of my testimony of the Book of Mormon. I know that it's teachings are true. I continue to receive confirmation of that answer regularly through my life as I continue to ponder and pray about the scriptures. 

I would challange anyone and everyone to read the Book or Mormon and ask for your self if it is true. That challenge goes for everything that is part of the Gospel. Pray for answers and wait to hear the answers because you will hear them. I know the Gospel is real and true.

Quick Update

OHello! I  did a terrible job at that thirty days of thanks. Oh well. I just started my first semester at BYU Idaho. I I moved into my apartment last night and have been to more than half of my classes. I am going to be kept busy with homework this semester but I should be able to handle it. I am EXHAUSTED. I have been getting more sleep than usual so I don't know why I am so tired. Campus is really pretty and surprisingly quiet. I have never has the campus experience so I am excited to try that out. If anyone actually reads this and goes to BYU Idaho I would love to have some input on what activities to join. I have class that I need to go to so I am going to sign out. Hopefully I update more. I have a great blogger app on my phone now. Be safe and happy today!