tis the season...

Here in provo for the past few days it has been absolutely freezing!!! So, with the oooober cold weather, the pulling out of my fat, fluffy down coat, and that fact that the sun has not peaked out of the clouds for a while, I have turned my fancies to....CHRISTMAS MUSIC!!! yep, that's right kids, I have been listening to christmas music for the past few days. In fact, I am listening to it right now. Silver Bells by Bing Crosby is playing (just in case you were the littlest bit curious, haha).

I know most of you will find this quite odd, and I pretty sure by now my roommates wonder who the heck I am and why they let such a creep move into their apartment, ha, but honestly, I love it. It's grand. Who ever said you weren't allowed to listen to christmas music in the non-christmas season? It just makes me so happy, and wouldn't you rather have a happy smiley acacia to greet rather than a grumpy frumpy frowny one? That's what I thought...haha. Oh, and if you think i'm super odd, I attribute this special fancy of mine to my mother. She would always listen to christmas music way to early and stay listening to it way to late when I was a wee little child. Hence, here is me today, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

(this is one of my favorite christmas albums)

a nice quiet place to study?......

so i was recently on campus and took a visit to one of the loverly library restrooms. And as you all know, many of these women restrooms come fully equiped with soft couches and chairs. I understand that a woman with a young child may find this quite convenient, or even an overly exhausted college student may find that soft comfy couch a nice plus and a perfect place get a quick shut-eye. But i often enter the restroom and find girls simply just chillen on the couches and doing some much needed studying. So here is my question.........

why in the world would anyone want to study to the sounds of toliets flushing and odd bodily noises going on!!????



p.s....sorry if i have offended anyone, but it is just simply something that i have wondered for a long time, ha.

partay

so just this past weekend i went with some of my bomb-sauce girlfriends to a concert...it was fantastic! below you will find one of my favorite songs...ignore the weirdness of the music video, the song is what i like, ha.

i love ingrid!... you love ingrid!..... we ALL LOVE INGRID!!!! hahaha

what about right and wrong?

Have you ever felt inspired to do something, but yet you are still completely scared out of your mind? Did that inspiration come from the Lord, or from some other source? You have a decision to make. You can make a choice which involves doing something great, in which growth and strengthening can occur, or you can choose the other side, which involves something...great...in which growth and strengthening would also occur. So which one do you choose? The great one, or the other great one? Either way, you know that the Lord would be pleased with either and support you. It is not a decision of right or wrong, but a decision of personal preference...what do YOU feel would be best to do? I always find these the most difficult decisions to make. Both are great. Both are good. You know that the Lord wants YOU to make your OWN decision, based on feelings of peace and comfort you receive. But in a decision there are two sides, one or the other, so doesn't this mean that somehow one is better?

I ran across an article today, where Elder Oaks says...

"A desire to be led by the Lord is a strength, but it needs to be accompanied by an understanding that our Heavenly Father leaves many decisions for our personal choices. Personal decision making is one of the sources of the growth we are meant to experience in mortality. Persons who try to shift all decision making to the Lord and plead for revelation in every choice will soon find circumstances in which they pray for guidance and don’t receive it...We should study things out in our minds, using the reasoning powers our Creator has placed within us. Then we should pray for guidance and act upon it if we receive it. If we do not receive guidance, we should act upon our best judgment."

I am so grateful for church leaders who are open to the guidance and direction from the spirit. They truly are the mouthpiece of the Lord.

be a little better

Can i just say that I LOVE general conference weekends! Not only do I get to listen to the divinely inspired words spoken by the prophets and apostles, but I also had the blessed opportunity to spend the conference weekend with my awesome family. I LOVE family! Here are a few of the most enjoyable things that happened while being at home this past weekend...

1) I got to have a sleepover with my younger sister, in my old room
2) I woke up saturday morning to the smell of delish food, and my dad had cooked us all eggs and his healthy waffles
3) I got to be in the presence of my family while watching general conference
4) I went on a run with my sister
5) Me and my siblings took a total of 3 grocery store trips to the new wal-mart right down the street, ha
6) I got to cook in the kitchen with my family and prepare yummy reciepes that I learned through my foods class
7) I finally did my laundry
8) My brother and sister-in-law also came to play
9) We all roasted marshmellows and made smores in the fire pit outside
10) We set up the tent in the backyard and attempted to have a fun sleep there until the rain and wind came...
11) I got to help decorate the house with all mom's fall decorations
12) I got to play the piano, which was just recently tuned...and sang songs with my sister-in-law
13) I helped mom do some cleaning
14) not a single bit of schoolwork was done throughout this time!!
so all in all, it was a wonderful relaxing and enriching weekend. one of the best.

I greatly enjoyed the topics talked about in conference this october. Those of love and service. One of my favorite talks was by Elder Bednar. I loved his challenge to not only express our love to our families more often in word, but also in our actions. He emphasied the importance of family scripture study, family prayer, and family home evening. He related these three things to being, "the brushstrokes on the canvas of our souls".

Through listening to and pondering on the talks given this conference weekend, I became very grateful for the loved ones that I have in my life. For those who support, encourage, serve, and love me on a daily basis. For family and for friends. I came out with a greater resolve to be that type of person myself. To be a better friend, a better sister, a better daughter, a better example...always striving to be more like my loving Savior, Jesus Christ. I want to wake up every morning with a smile on my face, realizing that everyday is a brand new day, and challenging myself to do a little better and be a little better than the day before. To serve more and love more. To share the peace, joy, and happiness that I have gained through the truths of the gospel with ALL those around me.