Happy March!

Yeah for the month of March! Although this will be the busiest month of the semester so far, there are great things happening too. I have birthdays in my family to celebrate and Spring is coming closer and closer. Life has been pretty crazy lately . . . nothing new, I know . . . but even though I have been stressed to the max at times, I have experienced so much joy and even peace-- feelings I know can only come from God.

http://blog.netvibes.com/top-march/

Happy February!

This is just a random post about how I cannot believe it is February already and Valentine's Day is coming up. I don't really have any negative feelings towards this holiday (even though I am single and that is sometimes the "cool" thing to do). I tend to think of Valentine's Day as a way to "spread the love." In fact, just this evening I came home from my leadership development class to find a package from my mom who sent me several gifts in honor of it being February and the month of love. She said, "Valentine's are to tell people you are thinking of them . . . so here's one for you." When I saw that she had sent me some candy and a movie to go along with it I smiled so big and said out loud, "I love my mom," and I really do. I like this idea of the meaning of valentines, and I think I will adopt it.

Show someone you love them today, even if it is just a friend, because everyone needs to smile every day.

Sometimes . . .

Sometimes I wonder what I am doing with my life. I wonder why I worry about so many things, especially about exams in school. I wonder why being “perfect” in school is so important to me, even when I know what a small thing it is to have a high GPA and that there is so much more for me to do other than study. I wonder if I will be able to get a job when I graduate in three months, what I will do, where I will live. I am single and this makes my possibilities endless, and this is the reason why I am having such a hard time. I am taking a social psychology class this semester, and one of the first things I read was about the costs of excess choice. In my textbook it says, “With more choice comes information overload and more opportunities for regret,” which is why freedom to choose can be so overwhelming sometimes.

This is where I am right now, and it is such a strange place to be. I have so many things to be grateful for, and so many things to celebrate, like graduating from college. However, being the person I am, I tend to “look beyond the mark” and focus on all that is unknown in my future and it is a scary thing for me. I am trying hard to remain grounded in the strength I have gained, especially in this past year, and allow that to propel myself past all the stress and frustration I am currently feeling. Life is open for me, and although choices can be very scary they can also be liberating, if I make the right ones, so I need to try harder to find the positive and remember how far I have come.

If I am successful at this maybe I will turn a corner and feel excited about what will happen after April 23.

Happy New Year! (Finally)

(My whole family while I was in AZ--minus my sister Edie and her husband and kids and my brother Jonny)

I have had a hard time trying to figure out what to write about lately. When I was at home for Christmas break I thought I would write this amazing blog detailing all my amazingly fun activities in Arizona, but I got too caught up in the bliss that comes with laziness. I also toyed with the idea with erasing my blog, but the only reason I was going to do this was due to my own sense of imperfection in writing my blog. This is pretty funny to me since I did not set out to write a "perfect blog," but my perfectionism seems to creep up everywhere!

I am right now in the beginning of my LAST semester at BYU, and I can't really believe it. Life has been going at a crazy speed lately, and I am not sure if I am ready for all the changes that are coming my way, but ready or not they will come.

One of the classes I am taking is a leadership development psychology class and in this class we have to make goals to increase our leadership skills. I have decided to focus on increasing my self-confidence and so I will be working on doing things I know I am good at every day, and then utilizing some cognitive-behavioral-therapy skills (i.e. thought monitoring, increasing positive statements) to help get my mind to not automatically think negatively about my own abilities. I am excited to work on this goal because I think improving in this area will help out in many areas of my life.

2010 will be an interesting year. Here are just a few of the BIG events happening:

1. I graduate from BYU in April! (Now that's pretty amazing)

2. My brother David and his wife Adrienne are expecting their 6TH child in May

* & my oldest (and only) niece Megan turns 10 in March . . . hard to believe

3. My sister Edie is expecting her third child due in July!

4. My dear brother Jonny (Elder Dangerfield) returns from his 2-year church mission in June

5. My Dad turns 60 in July

Time for some rest

I finished my last final yesterday afternoon and I am still in a bit of shock that the semester is now over. The past few months have been very stressful for me, and I have put myself through a lot of craziness, but I am still standing.

I learned a lot in my classes, but I am excited that they are over. If you have ever talked to me about some of my classes this semester you know what "grief " I have gone through. It is amazing to me, however, how fast the stress has dissipated and I am now ready to give myself some much needed rest. . . at least until January 4th. This is when I start winter semester and my LAST semester before graduation.

WOW! Time has gone so fast.

P.S. I am leaving 30 degree weather to 70 degree weather! I love Arizona.

'Tis the Season

It is finally December which means fall semester is almost over and Christmas break is near. I love this season of the year. I love the decorations, especially the lights, and the chance to walk through the lights up at Temple Square and the Mesa, AZ temple--when I go home for my break. Although I am an Arizonan at heart, I enjoy the transition to colder weather--to see snow and be able to warm up inside with a blanket and some hot chocolate. I just wish it would start to really snow up here in Provo--although I might retract this statement in a few months, we'll see.

Gratitude, The Secret to Happiness

Today is Thanksgiving and so I have been reflecting on what I am personally thankful for.

-I have been blessed with a loving and supportive family, and I am indeed grateful for all they do: My wonderful parents, siblings, one niece, six nephews, uncles and aunts and many awesome cousins and grandparents (my grandmother Darlene who I share a name with, and my other grandparents who have passed on). I am eternally grateful for their faithfulness and that I am sealed with them.

-I am grateful for the opportunity I have to get an education at a wonderful university. I truly hope to "go forth to serve" when I graduate this coming April.

-I am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and that I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have a testimony of its truthfulness and of the messages of hope and eternal happiness I have learned through being a member of this church. My testimony of the gospel, of The Book of Mormon--another testament of Jesus Christ, and of God and Jesus Christ have carried me through some of the darkest times in my life, and they also allow me to appreciate the good times even more fully.

-I am grateful for the beauty of the earth, for God's creations both large and small. There have been so many times where I see a sunset that takes my breath away, or notice the clouds and the shadows they make against the mountains where I live. Some people think it is weird that I can just stare out my window and look at the mountains, but I am in awe over their beauty, power, and majesty. Perhaps this is a bit overstated, but it is one thing in life that is so precious to me.

-I am grateful for my health, and for all the changes I've made in my life this past year that have enabled me to live more fully and with more peace and joy.

*I could go on and on with what I am grateful for, but I think I mentioned the most important ones here. Since I woke up this morning the words to a children's hymn "My Heavenly Father Loves Me,"have been going through my head and they relate to this post perfectly.

"Whenever I hear the song of a bird or look at the blue, blue sky, Whenever I feel the rain on my face or the wind as it rushes by. Whenever I touch a velvet rose or walk by our lilac tree… I’m glad that I live in this beautiful world Heavenly Father created for me.

He gave me my eyes that I might see the color of butterfly wings. He gave me my ears that I might hear the magical sound of things. He gave me my life my mind my heart; I thank him reverently, for all his creations, of which I’m a part. Yes I know Heavenly Father loves me."

-May this day and every day we take time to thank Heavenly Father for all the gifts He has given.