When We're Not at Our Best

I have been pondering this post's title for a long time. The above title won't leave me alone, so today is the day I will write it into existence! ;)

When we're happy and we know it we, what? Clap our hands! Just kidding. ;) But in all seriousness, when life is going well for us, we let people know it. Our happy actions include things like: smiling, sleeping well, speaking kind words, being efficient, cheerfully supporting and encouraging those around us, serving others, laughing, being generous in every sense of the word, having a happy attitude, being absolutely there for others, etc.

Yet when life isn't going well for us, we let others know our feelings too—whether we intend to do so, or not. Our sad actions might include things like: saying something we later regret, tiredness, lack of concentration, frustration, inattention, snappy responses (And I don't mean in a good way, like a snappy dresser! Ha ha.), moping about, laziness, criticism of others, stinginess, focusing on our own problems, fear of the future, etc.

I've lived both of those previously described realities. Yes, I've had so many wonderfully happy times in my life (Yay for all of them!), but most recently—when I lived in Texas—I was not at my best. Oh, no, I was not. Sidenote: I dearly wish that Texas could have experienced my best self!

For those of you who don't know our family's story, here's a smidgen of it: We've moved multiple times due to my husband's employment changes. We've happily made our choices so Greg could be the main financial provider for our family, and I could be the stay-at-home-mom I've always wanted to be. Our family has always been able to make it through our moving transitions very well. After the first six to 12 months in a new place, things have always ended up on the bright side. :)

Yet when we moved to Texas, things did not go remotely the way we had planned. Our house in Utah didn't sell, so we couldn't settle down in Texas. (We ended up renting out our house.) There are many reasons our house didn't sell, and today I am so thankful that it didn't sell (because now we are back living in our same house!), but when we were in Texas, my reality was not complete thankfulness. Plus, our house issues created financial issues. Don't get me wrong, we consciously made our choices about the house and we owned them, but it was hard. All of that said, we had many many moments of thankfulness in Texas! We were so completely blessed, I can't even begin to describe all of our blessings. But the daily underlying current in my soul—we can't sell our house, so we can't settle down—felt closer to total anguish and severe frustration.

To help illustrate my feelings, please imagine the movie, "Groundhog Day." Do you have it pictured in your mind? Good. :) Now, imagine how Phil repeatedly wakes up to the same music, in the same bed, with the same dreary view, every day—for who knows how long! Well, that was my Texas reality. Okay, I wasn't technically repeating the same day over and over like Phil, but nearly every day I awoke, I thought, "What am I still doing here??!!!!"—with no more certainty of where we were headed than the day before. Yes, not knowing where my sweet and wonderful little family was going to live for two+ years moved my soul into crazytown! I felt trapped and wondered if I would ever escape! ;) *By the by, if we wouldn't have already moved so many times (10) previously, I think I would have dealt with it much better than I did.

Again, please don't get me wrong. During those two years, I genuinely tried to be happy, helpful, courteous, kind, understanding, thoughtful, cheerful, etc. But not being able to fully live our lives the way I desired for our family was unbelievably hard. Not knowing when or where our family would finally be able to settle down was torturous. Can you tell I like to plan?! Well, I do. Yet I can make-do with any situation or circumstance. I just need a little heads-up in terms of time-frame and place. I'm very flexible, compatible, and adaptable! :)

Anyway...having me live in that frustrated state (of being, not Texas) must have been quite tedious for those souls around me. Thankfully, even though I was a mighty frustrated lady, I had many family members and friends who buoyed me up. They didn't judge me—or at least if they did, they didn't show it to me. They didn't make me feel bad. They gave me hope. They lent a listening ear. They showed patience. They tried their best to see where I was coming from—even if they didn't understand what I was experiencing. I will be forever grateful to those generous souls. They know who they are. :)

Now that I feel all better (because we are finally settled!), life is so much easier. I am happy every single day!!! Even when I have little hiccups here and there, those mini challenges are the tiniest of trials compared to where my soul was just eight months ago—before our family knew where our path was heading.

Thus, with my recent two-year experience of not being at my best (Even though I sincerely tried my best!), my plea to the inhabitants of our world is this:

• Please try your best to be understanding of others—even and especially when they're not at their best.
• Be generous with your kind thoughts, sincere prayers, good words and helpful actions.
• Don't judge others too harshly or quickly. *Even though we know we must judge some situations for our own safety/protection and for those we love.
• Be forgiving and let others move-on when they have made amends.
• Have true charity in your heart for others—including toward those souls you might not necessarily like.
• Keep your criticisms at a minimum, and only reveal them if they are truly needed and helpful.
• Don't gossip. Yet if you want to share happy thoughts or uplifting stories about others, go for it! :)
• Never forget that every soul has value and is of great worth. Treat people the way you would want to be treated. Better yet, treat others the way you would want your precious, sweet, perfect little baby to be treated. :) You see, everybody is somebody's baby...we're all children of God.

This is my phrase and typographic design! :)

Lastly, there is a beautiful scene from the movie, "Ephraim's Rescue" that really hit home to me. (Spoiler alert!) Ephraim Hanks has just healed the gangrened feet of young Thomas Dobson by giving him a priesthood blessing. After a tender moment with Thomas and his mother, Alice, Ephraim asks,

"Thomas, the spirits in the camp are low. Do you feel the strength to now lift, as you have been lifted?"

Thomas thinks about it for a minute and then shares his happy dancing talent with the members of his camp. It's evident that Thomas and the rest of the pioneers are joyfully uplifted because of his cold-feet efforts. (Thomas traveled without shoes for much of his pioneer journey! Ouch!)

I can absolutely relate to Thomas Dobson's situation. No, I wasn't exhausted and close to death with gangrened feet, but my soul was very heavy, ragged and worn out because of my family's seemingly endless uncertainty. Now that my soul is light and free again, I dearly want to lift others as I have been lifted! I am also reminded of the scripture in Luke 10:37 when, speaking of the good Samaritan's merciful efforts, Jesus says, "Go, and do thou likewise." I 100% agree! :)

My Facebook Experiment

*By the by, after you read "My Facebook Experiment," you might want to read my latest update, "Farewell, Facebook!" Some might not believe my actions, but in March, 2015, I deactivated my Facebook account again—this time, however, I won't be going back.

On February 7th, 2013, I deactivated my Facebook account. I had no intentions of returning, except to download my status updates at a much later date—as part of my personal history. I had very legitimate reasons for deactivation. Some of those reasons were: privacy concerns; time constraints (I spent too much time on it); great annoyance with Facebook's constant advertisements and suggestions (I'll "like" what I want! I don't need someone telling me what to "like," thank you very much!); feeling bummed when my "friends" didn't include me in their lives like my heart wished, etc.

I was very happy with my decision. I stayed completely away from Facebook for exactly eight months and three weeks.

Why did I rejoin Facebook? There were several reasons, so let me share a few.

Over the many months I was off Facebook, I realized that society has changed. I truly believe that the creation of social media and social networking websites has fundamentally changed the way we communicate with each other. I naively thought that because I had all of my friends' and family members' email addresses and phone numbers, we would absolutely stay in touch. That was not my experience.

Yes, my immediate family and close friends stayed in contact with me, but that was about it. Even when I texted people or left messages for them on their voicemails or answering machines, people weren't great about getting back to me—unless it was for a specific reason. If I simply wanted to chat while I did the dishes and laundry, those phone calls were rarely returned. Sometimes there were late replies, but more often than not I never received a response. I guess I could take that as a sign that people simply didn't want to talk with me—I fully admit that could be the only reason! But I also interpreted it to mean that people are either (a) too busy, or (b) they just don't care for the in-person personal connections as much as I do. (I classify over-the-phone communication as in-person, since you can actually hear their intonations and get much more out of the conversation than you would via technology.)

For those of you who don't know me well, let me say that I truly love connecting with people! :) I love conversing and having discussions with others. I'm definitely an extrovert. To say that I'm energized by other people would be an understatement. Actually, I begin to feel withdrawn and on the sad side if I don't have human interaction for a couple of days. Call my need for personal connections a weakness or a strength, I don't care, I just know that's how I am. :)

I tried connecting with my friends and extended family members through blogging, but after several months of not many posts posted from everyone else, I realized that blogging was not where it's at anymore. Even though I adore blogging—because I feel it allows people to express themselves in a more in-depth manner than a Facebook or Twitter post—it appeared that not many members of my personal social circle agreed with me.

I was invited to join Twitter several times, but I never signed up because I've never been interested in it. Again, I like the in-depth connecting. 140 characters just doesn't work for my personality.

Obviously, I joined Google+ and that has been interesting. I like their program, but not many members of my personal social circle connect through Google+. I think that scenario is slowly changing, so I'll be interested to see what happens with G+.

I even sent multiple update emails to people I care about, but only received a few replies. Let me be clear: I didn't expect a reply. I was just truly stunned that I didn't hear back from more people—simply because I would absolutely reply to my friends/family if they sent an email like that to me. Sometimes the very people I sent those emails to would say to me, "I had no idea!" I realized right then and there that very few people were reading my emails—despite the time and effort I spent in not only composing those emails, but in deciding who should receive them.

After calmly examining my strengths, weaknesses, foibles and blunders, I decided not to take the disconnectedness personally. I knew I was loved by my true friends and family. I knew I wasn't that horrible of a person to be snubbed and slighted on purpose. I began thinking that maybe people just weren't connecting in the same way I thought they would—and should—before social media/networking came along.

Another reason I rejoined Facebook is because people would frequently say to me, "Oh, you didn't know (insert major life event)? I posted it on Facebook!"

I'd reply, "I'm not on Facebook anymore, remember?"

"Oh, that's right. Well, you should get back on Facebook! I miss seeing you there!"

I can't count the number of times that type of scenario happened to me!

I ultimately decided to rejoin Facebook after I heard at a family dinner that Greg's nephew was engaged and had been for several weeks! I heard the familiar phrase, "Well, he posted it on Facebook. Oh wait, you're not on Facebook." Yes, friends, that's when I fully internalized that if I really wanted to stay in-the-loop with our extended family members and friends, I would either have to accept the fact that I would live a socially quieter life—which is torturous to me(!), or get my hiney back on Facebook post haste! ;)

Thus, October 29th, 2013, I clicked on facebook dot com! (as my funny brother would say). My heart was racing! I was excited and curious to see how things had changed. I wondered if people would think I was a fool for my final post on February 7th that boldly declared I was leaving Facebook Land. I then realized that most people probably never read my bold declaration the first time! Ha ha. It was very interesting to note the people who unfriended me—I was surprised by some, but not others. I decided not to worry about the "whys," and just be happy with those who still considered me their friend.

I'm happy I decided to be more brave this time around in requesting friends, for I have already made some good connections that I would have missed out on if I hadn't requested their friendships. :) Yes, there are many good reasons for connecting on Facebook! It's just that this time around, I will absolutely remember to not spend too much time on fb, or it will become detrimental to my life. Indeed, I am much better at using my Facebook minutes wisely. I won't regress. :)

I've also decided to be more cautious with what I post on Facebook. During my last Facebook experience, I allowed my personal feelings to cloud my judgment. There were several times I posted status updates, or made comments, or sent messages that weren't indicative of my best self. But I'm not the only one. I've seen many status updates, and posts/messages between Facebook friends, that were very unkind and unnecessary. When I read those posts, I would think, "I can't believe they wrote that! They would never say that to the other person's face!" The same thought applies to me as well. Yet I'm determined not to worry about what my Facebook friends post. Previously, I had allowed some of my family and friends' status updates or comments to rile me, but I don't do that anymore. Yay! :)

To help me remember what I've learned and what I hope to accomplish on Facebook—which is staying connected to my family members and friends, I created this phrase and topographic design: "If you can't say it to their face, don't post it." I think my words are applicable to any social media/networking site, not just Facebook! :)

I'm truly happy to be back on Facebook! Connecting with my family and friends again is very satisfying to my sociable soul. It's nice knowing that even if I don't log-on to Facebook for a few days, I can instantly get back on and see what my loved ones are doing, thinking or venting about! ;)

Oh yeah, and in order to remind myself to be my best self on Facebook, I watch Studio C's clever Facebook friends video often. :)



P.S. I think I used to be like five of those annoying people! At least I never went on Twitter! Ha ha.

Love Every Breath

I am fiercely passionate about loving life. I have been this way for many years. When I was very young, I loved life so very much! As my birthdays passed, however, I became more aware of people around me and in the media.

With this growing awareness, my once-strong sense-of-self began to diminish a bit. I became overly concerned with my body's flaws and my personal incompleteness. My perceptions of other people's "perfect" bodies and lives increased. I felt like, "If I can look like ______, then my life will be awesome!" or, "If I can do ______, then I will be as good as ______." I didn't know I was thinking incorrectly.

When I was about 15-and-a-half years old, I developed an eating disorder. It wasn't technically what someone would call a bad eating disorder, but it was disordered eating, nonetheless.

There were many factors that contributed to my problem, but it initially began because I was gaining weight—because I was growing into a woman. It was a perfectly natural progression, but all I could see was the weight gain and that my body wasn't like it used to be. I didn't think about the hormones that change a girl's body into a woman's body—which naturally cause weight gain. All I knew was that I was gaining weight, and I didn't like my thighs—I thought they were too large. I was jealous of all the other girls who had slender, wiry thighs. I thought mine should be more like theirs.

Even though I should have been thinking,

"My muscular thighs are awesome! My strong thighs show evidence of my many years of dedicated and focused training in gymnastics! Those marvelous thighs helped me win first place in our entire school district's gymnastics championships on bars, beam and floor!" 

But I didn't think those happy thoughts. All I saw was the negative.

At first, my eating disorder (restricting calories and occasional purging) was just a random occurrence. It might have only happened once a month, or so—I only chose to do it when I overate. Eventually, I used the eating disorder not only to help with my worries about weight gain, but I also used it as a coping mechanism—except I didn't realize I was doing that. I only figured out that part later on. Yes, I used the eating disorder to cope with pressures at home, school and my social life. Still, it wasn't very often in comparison to other eating-disordered people that I've heard or read about. Thank goodness for that!

When I was 16, I auditioned and was chosen to be a member of my high school's drill team for the upcoming year—I would be a junior. It was a very big deal for me, I was so excited! I felt so good about myself. We danced every day, all summer long and into the school year. I was in heaven! :)

I don't remember exactly when this next event happened, but I know it was in autumn. Our drill team instructor had all of our body fat tested. She said something like it was just so we could see where we "were" physically speaking, and to help us make healthy eating choices. Looking back on it now, I see that it is a perfectly innocent idea. But at the eating-disordered state my mind was in, all I could see was that my body's fat percentage needed to be lowered, and I was determined to do exactly that.

Enter a serious eating disorder.

(Did I mention that I am extremely strong-willed? There is no stopping me when I put my mind to something. Thus, I want to make it completely clear that my drill team instructor is not to be held accountable for my drastic actions in any way. She had only our very best interests at heart. I'm the one who took my body-fat test results to the extreme. I'm the one to blame for my eating-disordered actions.)

For about five days after the body-fat test, I ate hardly anything at all. What I did eat, I threw up. I slept very little (four to five hours per night), danced about three to five hours every day, and was still attending high school full-time. It was the perfect recipe for a life-altering disaster. My disaster hit me like a brick wall.

*As I tell my story, please forgive any details I might have messed up, as it happened a long time ago. I also reserve the right to change this post at any time, to add or subtract details that come to me. :)

One morning (the fifth day I had been going on practically no food and very little sleep), I remember waking up and feeling very "off." All I wanted to do was stay home and sleep. Yet, the Holy Ghost (i.e., the Holy Spirit) told me very directly and strongly that I needed to go to drill team practice and that I should not stay home. Plus, I didn't want to miss practice because then I wouldn't have been able to perform in our high school football team's half-time show. So, I got myself up and went to practice. When I arrived, I couldn't shake how horrible I felt. I asked my drill instructor if I could sleep during practice. She said yes, so I laid down by the gym bleachers (I think) and went to sleep.

The next thing I remember was trying to wake up. I felt sooo hazy, foggy and s l o w. My brain wasn't able to make sense of anything. I remember a man (an EMT) talking to me, but his words were all a bunch of nonsense! He asked me questions that I couldn't form an answer to. (At least, I don't remember responding to them!) I felt like I weighed 1,000 pounds and could hardly move my body! I remember they put an oxygen mask on me and then locked the stretcher/gurney into place. As I was rolled out of the school's double doors, I saw many of my drill teammates crying. I felt like I was going to fall off of the gurney when they rolled me down the school's stairs, but then I realized that I was strapped-in. I was mighty happy I wouldn't take a sprawl all over the sidewalk!

I don't remember the ride to the hospital in the ambulance at all. The next thing I remember was being in a hospital room and seeing my mom's friend there. (I think I remember this simply because it was out of the ordinary.) I know we chatted for a minute, but I'm certain I didn't make any sense. I know my mom and dad were there, but my memories of them are very spotty. I was suddenly wearing a hospital gown, but I have no idea how I got in it—which was a terrifying thought to me for years! After birthing my three babies, that fear is completely gone. :)

I remember being put into a long white tube (an MRI machine), and being told to hold very still, which wasn't a problem for me because I was SO TIRED. I couldn't keep my eyes open! Then I remember being taken in a wheelchair out to my mom's station wagon and climbing into the back for the ride home. (I know, it was so illegal to ride without a seat belt! Ha ha.) After I got home, I remember having several visitors from my drill team and ward, but that's about the only memory I have for approximately one week after the incident.

The diagnosis I received was that I had had a seizure. From what I remember hearing back-in-the-day, apparently that morning, I started making strange movements—a seizure—in my sleep. Miraculously, my drill team instructor had just finished a CPR course and knew what to do for me. I remember hearing that I was blue from not breathing, and my mouth was foaming/bleeding a little.

I know many people have seizures all the time, live to tell about them, get on medication to control them, and live their lives very happily. But for me, my one-and-only seizure was a life-altering experience. It was a heavy wall of bricks crumbling down on me. I was terrified to know that I had actually stopped breathing. I have no doubts that if I had stayed home that morning, I possibly could have died. The other possibility is that my family might have discovered me in time, but I could have had brain damage from a lack of oxygen. The possibilities were frighteningly real.

My mind went over and over this experience many times. I couldn't believe that I had caused myself to be put in danger—over a few silly pounds and some measly fat cells! I couldn't believe that I had used a life sustaining habit—eating—to cope with my problems. It was truly the dumbest thing I had ever done. It remains the most foolish choice I've ever made.

After I realized what happened to me, I instantly and wholeheartedly decided that I would never withhold food from my body, or throw up, ever again—at least, not if I had any control over whatever life situation I found myself in. I also decided I would give my body the sleep it needed.

I loved my life so much! I did not want to cause harm to my body. I did not want to leave this earth prematurely. I had a lot of living to do! I wanted to grow up! I wanted to get married! I wanted to have babies—lots and lots of babies! And being the young innocent girl that I was, I simply didn't realize the damage that could be done from not eating properly and not getting enough sleep. I truly believe the seizure happened because of my lack of food and sleep—especially because I've (thankfully) never had another seizure.

I prayed intently to our Heavenly Father (God) and sincerely asked him to please help me get over my eating disordered ways. I knew the eating disorder could be completely taken away through the atonement of Jesus Christ. After my prayer, I truly felt so strong inside. I received the answer to my prayer that I needed to ask for a priesthood blessing, so I did. I received the blessing from one of our counselors in our ward's bishopric. I don't remember the words in the blessing, but I definitely remember it gave me the spiritual sustenance I was craving.

My lovely spiritual experiences continued as I prayed daily and read the scriptures. I knew—absolutely—that I was a beloved daughter of God. I knew I had great worth. I knew I had a definite and divine mission to fulfill on this earth. I was not to be tethered to an eating disorder. I also knew that I would be strong even when times got tough. I knew I had a long life ahead of me—one that included marriage and children. I'm grateful those feelings have come true! :) My spiritual experiences have only continued to blossom throughout my life, and for that I'm unbelievably grateful.

The other happy news is I literally never participated those eating disordered behaviors ever again. Yes, folks, the seizure kicking me in the head was all it took for me to wake up and fully appreciate my life.

Even though my teenage experience was frightening and possibly life-threatening, I'm truly grateful for what I learned. I'm so thankful I've never taken my life for granted since then. I'm still imperfect, but I'm so grateful for every day I have on this earth! I love every breath I'm given!

As the years have passed, I've had other medical conditions pop up, several ultrasounds given, and endless needle pricks and blood vials taken. I've endured many what if? moments of breath-holding nervousness while awaiting test results. Yes, I've totally had my fair share of medical scares. Each and every time I dodge a medical-disaster "bullet," I'm overwhelmed with feelings of extreme love and gratitude for every cell in my body! I truly love this body so very much! And I'm doing my very best to take good care of it. :)

I've also experienced tragically losing my youngest sister due to complications of her own severe eating disorder. If you'd like to know more of her story, please read the Church News' article, "Mackenzie's dance: A young woman's battle with eating disorders." Seeing what Mackenzie went through was heartbreaking. Enduring the loss of my darling baby sister brings me to tears nearly every day. Oh, what I wouldn't give to have her back in my life! I think of her daily and resolve to live my life even better for her—but you must know, she's not the only reason. Of course, I live my life better for myself and my awesome little family as well. I absolutely try to live my life better every day as a way to say "Thank you!" to our Heavenly Father, and our Savior, Jesus Christ.

I've also lost many other beloved extended family members. I've witnessed my amazing husband sadly lose his wonderful mother to colon cancer. Those life-altering moments continually reiterate to me that each one of us needs to love every breath we are given on Earth. We must truly love every cell in our bodies and take good care of them—for they are the ultimate gift from our Heavenly Father!

We may experience moments of frustration, sadness, ridiculousness, worry, etc., but we must enjoy what we have been given in our lives! No one is perfect. No body is perfect. No mental state is perfect. No emotion is kept perfectly in-check at all times. No financial experience is ideal. Yet, even with all of the imperfect, lacking and less-than problems we might encounter, there is a sweetness to living that needs to be recognized and appreciated. We can be happy! (Even if only for minutes a day.) We need to be grateful for every breath we're given and daily thank our Heavenly Father for every single one!

We cannot take one moment of our lives for granted! :)

Being Grateful

This upcoming Sunday, I will be teaching a Young Women lesson on why it's important to be grateful. As I've been studying and preparing to present this lesson, my heart has become very full. Thinking about everything I've been through in my life has made me stop in my tracks. Yes, I've gone through a lot of hard times - yet I am such a blessed woman! I am truly so grateful for every single day I've had on Earth, and I'm grateful I get to continue my days here...however long they may be. I am grateful for each moment our Heavenly Father (God) sees fit to give me in this wonderful body! (Quirks, issues and all!) I won't take one second on this planet for granted, oh no, I won't! :)

I've read so many great quotes, talks and scriptures tonight that have been greatly uplifting. (If you'd like to read them too, click here.) No matter what any of us have been through, or what is to come in our lives, we need to thank our Father in Heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ, daily. In fact, here's what Psalms 100:4 tells us,

"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name."

Similarly, here's one of my favorite scriptures from "The Book of Mormon", Alma 37:37,

"Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day."

Of course, it's vitally important that we show gratitude to those around us. I can think of (nearly) nothing more annoying than not being thanked when I've done something kind for someone else. And I'm sure endless others feel the same way. It's not that I'm looking for recognition, or praise, or even a thank you card. It's just that I want to be thanked - just once! One tiny little verbal "Thank you!" is enough for me. :)

Because I feel the way I do about thank yous, some people might find me a little over the top when I thank them for the kind things they've said to me, or done for me, or given to me. The same idea applies to when those kindnesses have been given to my lovely family members. Yes, thanking others is high on my priority list. But I understand that sometimes we simply forget to say "thank you", and that's okay. After all, we are all human and very imperfect!

One of my main goals in life is to never have people doubt my appreciation for them, or leave any loose ends in a relationship. I never want people to wonder how I feel about them. I completely agree with what President Thomas S. Monson said in his wonderful talk, "The Divine Gift of Gratitude",

"We often take for granted the very people who most deserve our gratitude. Let us not wait until it is too late for us to express that gratitude...

"The loss of loved ones almost inevitably brings some regrets to our hearts. Let’s minimize such feelings as much as humanly possible by frequently expressing our love and gratitude to them. We never know how soon it will be too late. 

"...Often we feel grateful and intend to express our thanks but forget to do so or just don’t get around to it. Someone has said that “feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”

"...My brothers and sisters, to express gratitude is gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven."

Brilliant words, right?! :)

Lastly, I had so much fun (!) creating this happy typographic design for my lesson. President Hinckley's words always inspire me to be a better person. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do! :)

P.S. I'm also grateful that I figured out how to use PicMonkey! I think we're going to have a lot of fun times together in the future! Ha ha.

Book Review: "Pedal Forward" by Trey Hall

On October 6th, I received a nice email from my friend, Ann. After the usual catching-up that happens in an email when you haven't talked with someone for several weeks, Ann shared with me that her husband, Trey Hall, has written and published a book "Pedal Forward." I was so excited to hear this news, I literally squealed with joy!!! I replied with a way-too-long email of excitement (Is anyone surprised by my statement?!), and asked her if I could review the book on my blog. She graciously said yes. Yay for me! :) I get to review a book of someone I actually know! Yes, this is a first for me and I'm truly thrilled for the opportunity. :)

*Note to my friends: You should all write books so I can review them, too! Ha ha.

As I waited for my new book to arrive (I totally bought the hardcover version because I love hardcover books!), I reflected on how I met the Halls and how they've positively impacted my life.

I met Ann because I was the Young Women President of our previous ward in Texas, and Ann was our Stake Young Women President. I remember the first time Ann called me on the phone with official Young Women business. As we talked, she mentioned how they had moved from Colorado just a couple of years earlier. I pounced on that information because I dearly love Colorado! I was so excited to know someone living in Texas who loved Colorado as much as I did! Although, I was jealous that she had many more Colorado years under her belt than moi. :)

As we interacted over the next year and a half, it became evident (at least to me!) that Ann and I were put into each other's lives for a reason. It wasn't anything huge or dramatic, but we had many great conversations over that time. If it weren't for our church callings, I highly doubt we ever would have met. You see, my house was on the very far left border of my ward and our stake. Ann's house was on the very top right border of her ward and our stake! If I remember right, our Texas stake encompassed portions of four cities. Think about it for one second: if Greg and I would have rented a house one street to the west, or if Ann and Trey would have bought a house on the other side of their street, we never would have met! It really is quite amazing that we ended up getting to know each other at all. :)

Com'on! You have to admit that's a crazy-lucky-interesting connection! At any rate, I'm sincerely grateful I was given the opportunity to spend so much time with Ann during our Young Women activities. I also truly appreciate that she so willingly shared so much of her wonderful personality and many of her life stories with me. I know I'm not the only one who feels this way. Ann has positively affected countless numbers of young women and women in our church, and she continues to do so!

I met Ann's husband, Trey, when he shared his incredible bicycle-accident story with my previous ward's Young Men and Young Women group. It was an utterly fascinating, queasy-stomach-inducing presentation that totally stuck with me! Even though there were times that night when I felt like I just might pass out from listening to the bloody details (Seriously, at one point, my ears felt hot, my heart and head started pounding, and my forehead started feeling moist!), I was completely intrigued by the multiple medical miracles that occurred. It was remarkable to think that Trey was a living, walking, thriving miracle of a man.

By the by, I'm continually mesmerized by the human body and how it all works—to the point that I read medical books for fun! Speaking of the miracle that the human body is, please take a minute to watch this inspiring video based on of one of my favorite General Conference talks, "Thanks Be To God," by Elder Russell M. Nelson. We are so blessed to have our precious bodies!!!

A little while after he spoke to us, I asked my previous bishop if we could ask Trey to email us a list of of his main points he wanted the Youth to take with them throughout their lives. I wanted to take those points and create a handout for our ward's Young Women, Young Men and their parents. Yes, I felt Trey's message was that important. My bishop gave the go ahead, so I emailed Ann my request.

Oh, and FYI, I had just started to get to know Ann when her husband spoke to us. At this point in our future friendship I was a little star-struck! :) She kindly replied that she shared the email with Trey, but he was traveling for business for the next five days and she would let him get back to me. He never did get back to me with those bullet points, but now we all have his book to read instead—yay for that happy news! :) I think he was super busy with his business responsibilities (that you can read about in his book) and simply forgot to get back to us. Seriously, I would take his book over one of my home-created handouts any day!

Now onto my book review!

"Pedal Forward" isn't very long and it's well written. I began reading it yesterday around 4:45 p.m. and finished it at 12:17 a.m. this morning, but there were many interruptions during those seven-and-a-half hours.

I was really getting into "Pedal Forward" when I had to stop reading to bake a cake for my youngest child's class project. I was bummed that I had to quit reading and realized I needed to find a bookmark. I decided to use one of the photos my mom printed off for me of our family vacation at the beautiful Zermatt Resort in Midway, Utah, July, 2013. Oh, we had such a grand time!!! I settled on a picture of me on my pink Lulu Schwinn cruiser bike, because my mom loves that picture. (Schwinn has updated Lulu's design since Greg gave me mine.)

Then I burst out laughing! It was hilarious that I wasn't even thinking about the title of the book! I was truly just looking for a bookmark...and I just happened to settle on my bike picture. A bike bookmark for a bike book! It was meant to be! :) Okay, so maybe I found it funnier than all of you, but it was awesomely fun to me in the moment.

This was the start of our extended family's bike ride through Midway, Utah...before the sunburn!

After I baked the cake, I had to go to my new ward's Young Women Presidency meeting. Two productive hours later, I eagerly jumped under my bed's covers and began reading "Pedal Forward" again. I couldn't put it down! Trey has such great wisdom to share with our world. He's also funny. I found myself chuckling quite a few times during my read!

I counted 47 parts of the book where I underlined portions of sentences, full sentences, or a couple of paragraphs. I really want to highlight and discuss each one of my underlined sections here, but I can't do that because I don't want to deprive you of discovering each delightful word for yourself...I'm no spoiler! ;) I fully intend to make Greg and our oldest child read it, for I know they will both love it as much as I do! I want our younger two children to read it, too, when they're a little bit older. We'll have our own family book club!

Okay, I'm caving a smidgen because I want to share this one section that made me laugh and grimace at the same time! Also, I feel okay sharing it because it doesn't give away any of Trey's wisdom.

"Standing was a new experience for me, and new experiences in the rehab hospital usually hurt. This hurt really bad. I leaned forward to rest my face on the shoulder of the therapist. After overcoming some dizziness, we all, in sync, moved one step—my first step. It hurt. It hurt really bad. The pain drove my face farther into my handler's shoulder. With the second step, I took one bite out of her shoulder. She screamed. I screamed. 

"My first post-accident walk ended after two steps and a bite to the therapist's shoulder. Things got much better after that."

I feel awful saying that I laughed, but I did! I think it's important to find the humor in hard situations.

"Pedal Forward" is such a great read. It's short, sweet, direct, and inspiring...it's all good! It would make a fabulous book club selection for any group—business, church, women, men, and teens. I think anyone and everyone should read this book and refer back to Trey's wisdom often! :)

P.S. I always felt strongly Trey Hall should write a book...I love it when I'm right! :)

*Update: Unfortunately, the wonderful, intelligent, friendly and inspiring Trey Hall left this earth entirely too early. 😢

"Trey died from a heart arrhythmia on May 25th 2015 while cycling with his wife. He died doing what he loved, cycling, in the mountains, with his wife by his side." If you'd like to know more, here's the link to his obituary.

Even though I knew Trey for a shorter period of time than I would have liked, he most definitely made a positive impact on my life! I'm truly grateful for the opportunity I was given to know Trey and be influenced by him for the better!

It's also very difficult for me to imagine his amazing and endlessly kind wife, Ann, without Trey by her side! They were truly meant for each other! Trey and Ann were a marvelous couple who 100% understand what true love is! My sad heart and teary eyes are grateful knowing they were married and sealed together for eternity in the gorgeous Salt Lake Temple—the house of the Lord!

So, after this incredibly sad turn of events, I am reminded yet again that we must live our lives to the very fullest—for we never know exactly when we'll be called back to heaven. We must live each day with zero regrets!

*Update: 08/01/2017: I finally read "Pedal Forward" out loud to Greg to/from our extended family vacation in Sun Valley, Idaho—July, 2017! I'm so happy to report that Greg loves Trey's book as much as I do! We had many great conversations about life and business while reading Trey's words. Greg highly recommends "Pedal Forward," too! Yay! 😊 So...have I convinced you to read it yet?! No? Well, it's rated 4.9 out of 5 stars on Amazon.com, so you should seriously go read it! 😁

"Pedal Forward" on Amazon.com

Shut Down

I'm in a bit of shock because I just closed Adrie World's doors! (It was my first real blog.) Well it's still open to me, but it's closed to the public f o r e v e r. I can't believe I actually did it! It's a stunning feeling to know that the blog I've been writing for five years is suddenly closed! It feels like my old wounds have been stitched up and healed for good. Yay for that happy feeling! Now, I must go do the dishes. Gee, I'm grateful for my house (okay, my family's house) that I get to do my (our) dishes in! Serious. :)

Go to the Right, Stay to the Right

Last week, my lovely and wonderful sister-in-law informed me that she had been given tickets to the General Relief Society Meeting at the Conference Center and invited me to attend! This was the first time I've been able to attend, so I was super happy! (Every other time, I've watched it in a church building or on TV.) As I neared the Conference Center, I was thinking, "Where on earth should I park?", because I didn't have a parking pass. So, I prayed to know where I should park. :)

I received my answer, "Go to the right, stay to the right." I thought, "Hmm, did I just make that up?" But the Holy Ghost whispered to me again, "Go to the right, stay to the right." So I did! :)

I turned right at the very next street, 200 North, and continued to look for parking spaces on the right side of the street. I began to worry when I saw that every parking space was taken, but I finally found one right before the stop sign at 200 West. Like, I literally had a foot-and-a-half before the No Parking red curb began. What a relief it was to find a parking spot that wasn't a mile away! :) I walked toward the Conference Center and made it with plenty of time to spare. Yay!

The Relief Society meeting was so delightful - every speaker was inspiring! For me, the highlight of the night was singing the song, "I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go". It spoke to my soul and made me think of all the places I've lived...all of the callings I've served in...all of the service I've given to my family and friends. It made my soul want to continue doing whatever our Heavenly Father and Savior desire of me. :)

Over the course of the evening, I also had an uplifting discussion with my sister-in-law. I love my extended family so much! :)

I have to say that I felt so sad for President Monson when he spoke his wife's full name at the end of his talk. Here are his beautiful paragraphs leading up to that moment:

"My dear sisters, your Heavenly Father loves you—each of you. That love never changes. It is not influenced by your appearance, by your possessions, or by the amount of money you have in your bank account. It is not changed by your talents and abilities. It is simply there. It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God’s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve love. It is simply always there. 

"As we seek our Heavenly Father through fervent, sincere prayer and earnest, dedicated scripture study, our testimonies will become strong and deeply rooted. We will know of God’s love for us. We will understand that we do not ever walk alone. I promise you that you will one day stand aside and look at your difficult times, and you will realize that He was always there beside you. I know this to be true in the passing of my eternal companion—Frances Beverly Johnson Monson."

His words made me teary because I think I know why he said his wife's full name publicly. You see, when my youngest sister, Mackenzie, passed away, we said her name all the time. But as time passed, we said her name less and less. I missed saying her name so much, and still do. It was bad enough that we weren't saying her name in conversation very much anymore, but it was even worse to realize that I would never be able to call Mackenzie's name and get a response from her ever again - at least not in this world. Yes, I have no doubt that President Monson dearly misses speaking his lovely wife's name aloud. I will be praying for him...

After the meeting ended, my sister-in-law, her friend, and I started to head up the stairs with the rest of the ladies. When we realized our line was taking forever to move, we decided to head down the stairs instead - which I didn't know was an option! Our little adventure saved us a lot of time by taking us out the back door of the bottom level of the Conference Center - which just so happened to be a four minute walk away from where my car was parked! (I mapped it.) I asked my sister-in-law where she was parked, and she said she was parked clear on the other side of the Conference Center, which would have been a 15 minute walk. (I mapped it.) Thus, I gave my sister-in-law (and her friend) a ride back to her car, and we continued our great conversation. :)

During my drive home, I thought about my experience of going to the right and staying to the right. Because I followed the inspiration I received from the Holy Ghost and continually chose to stay to the right, I was able to have a much shorter walk than I would have if I hadn't listened - both to and from the Conference Center! I mean, who knows where I would have found a parking spot, and how l o n g my walk would have been? Also, because I listened, I was able to help out my sister-in-law and her friend. I saved them 11 minutes of unnecessary walking! :)

I further pondered that my experience is a great little life analogy. When we follow what The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints teaches (from the Scriptures, etc.), and listen to the Holy Ghost and the Prophets, we are absolutely blessed. There are also times when our righteous choices bless other people's lives - which makes us feel so good! I love that my little "go to the right, stay to the right" experience fully resembles one of the happiest songs ever written, "Choose the Right". It's absolutely true!

1. Choose the right when a choice is placed before you.
In the right the Holy Spirit guides;
And its light is forever shining o'er you,
When in the right your heart confides. 

(Chorus)
Choose the right! Choose the right!
Let wisdom mark the way before.
In its light, choose the right!
And God will bless you evermore. 

2. Choose the right! Let no spirit of digression
Overcome you in the evil hour.
There's the right and the wrong to ev'ry question;
Be safe thru inspiration's pow'r. 

3. Choose the right! There is peace in righteous doing.
Choose the right! There's safety for the soul.
Choose the right in all labors you're pursuing;
Let God and heaven be your goal.

A House Has Rooms

I've mentioned before that our family has lived in many different places over the past 16 years. Those places include the following residences (Please excuse my lack of proper real estate terms!):

• a one-bedroom, one-bath basement apartment (rented)
• a top-floor, two-bedroom, one-bath apartment (rented)
• a three-bedroom, two-bath, split-level house (owned)
• a three-month stint with Greg's parents in their six-bedroom, two-bath rambler
• a three-bedroom, two-bath, basement apartment (rented)
• a two-story, three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath house (rented)
• a two-story, four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath house (owned)
• a two-and-a-half month stint with my mom in her two-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath, two-story condo
• a three-bedroom, two-bath rambler (own)
• a three-bedroom, two-bath, one-floor house (rented)
• back to our three-bedroom, two-bath rambler

Now before you get all "What's wrong with them? Why have they moved so many times?!"  judgmental on me (Don't do it!), you must know that many of those moves were due to unforeseen circumstances like job layoffs. The first layoff came to my husband even though he had two bachelor's degrees! The second layoff was due to The Great Recession, when my husband was nearly finished with his MBA. Might I add that my husband is a most excellent employee and a great provider for our family. (I'm very grateful for Greg's current company!)

My point is, you just never know what life is going to throw at you—even if you are super-prepared like we were/are. One job layoff caused a domino effect, which resulted in our family moving four times! The other layoff caused us to move twice. But the other moves were choices we made, due to our desires for a larger house or a new job for Greg. With every move we made, we followed the spiritual promptings we received—which have always been spot-on. :)

Side note: I'm guessing if I were employed outside our home, we wouldn't have moved so many times. Our society seems to operate under the idea that each household needs two employed adults—which is simply not true. Thankfully, Greg and I happily decided before we were married that I would be a stay-at-home mom. Thus, with the choice we made to not have me work outside the home, we had to do what we could do to stay financially afloat. Neither Greg nor I have ever regretted our decision! :) Yes, it's been physically and emotionally hard to move so many times, but we've absolutely "made it." Yay! We are immensely satisfied that we have stayed true to our family's goal of having me stay home to raise our priceless children. *Because there's no going back, you know. Babies grow into children, who transform into teenagers, and teenagers become adults faster than you can snap your fingers! We must live in the childhood moment and cherish each day before our babies are grown and gone! :)

As Greg and I have looked back on all of our moves, we can see that every single one of them needed to happen. We learned so much from every move. For a couple of years after we moved from Colorado, I worried that the beautiful and grand house we bought there was a mistake (because it was such a hard trial!), but in hindsight I know—absolutely—that we made the right decision. We were supposed to live there, trials included!

Even though I can't believe I'm writing this (And people who know me will be shocked! Ha ha.), I am sincerely grateful for each move our family has made. I couldn't say that even eight months ago. Yet, with the way our life has settled down with this past move, I feel a happiness that cannot be adequately described! I agree with what my mom stated to me a few months ago: I feel we've learned things that we couldn't have learned any other way. I'm grateful every single day for this lovely little 70s rambler. We affectionately refer to our house as The Disco Dandy! It really is such a fitting name for this happy (old) place. :)

That said, one of my children is struggling with our current house. My child is embarrassed by the way our house looks on the outside. My child thinks our house has nothing fun to do inside or outside of it. My child doesn't want to invite friends over to our house. This fact makes me sad.

After my child expressed the above feelings, I had a frank discussion and explained (something like),

"Just because our house doesn't have two-stories, or six bedrooms, or the latest Xbox, or a basketball court, or the fanciest furniture, or designer drapes, or 12-foot ceilings, or anything else you think we should have, it doesn't mean that our house isn't worth living-in or visiting. I've learned that a house has rooms in it—no matter the size. All houses have bedrooms, bathrooms, a kitchen, a living room, a family room, etc. It doesn't matter how many rooms a house has. It doesn't matter how big those rooms are. It doesn't matter if a house has the coolest gadgets, or not. A house's decor doesn't matter.

What matters is how a house feels when you walk inside. What matters is that a house engenders peace, comfort and happiness. What matters is a house is a place where people want to stay and spend time with those they care about. 

Plus, a small house can be as nicely decorated and well-cared-for as a larger/grander house. Don't knock the small spaces! Our house is open to any of your friends at any time. Invite them over! Have fun with them! And don't feel like you can't hang out at someone else's house that's smaller or less pretty/fun than ours, either. Life is not about stuff! Life is about personal connections with people we care about, and a well-cared-for house (no matter the size) helps strengthen those important relationships."

My child listened, but I think it's going to take a while for the ideas I've presented to sink-in. For we all know this world is a competitive and comparative place. Many people only look at what other people own, not at who they are.

I hope I will be able to help all of my children fully internalize that what matters in life is doing their very best—not someone else's best. As long as they are doing their best job of taking care of whatever they've earned, own, or been given in their lives, they can have confidence with who they are. Then they won't need to compare themselves to anyone else or their stuff!

Please let me state that I have no problem if people have more than others. If someone has worked hard in their lives and have been able to earn their way to the top, or if a rich relative gave them an enormous amount of money, I say, "Yay, you're rich! Good for you!" :) But I also think, "Feel free to invite me over to your grand and glorious house for a party sometime!" Ha ha. I'm truly happy for people who have a lot. Also, I don't look down on other people who appear to have less. I have definite thoughts about the Less is More theory, which I'll write about in another post someday.

Life is what it is. We can either have a good attitude and embrace the life we've been given, do our best to find solutions and ask for help if it's needed, or we can have self-defeating thoughts and shrivel into a mushy-moldy-stinky tomato! Eww, gross! ;)

I hope everyone can see the value of their house—no matter the size, and make it a delightful environment for every soul who enters its doors!

The Crestwood Challenge

It's been 15 weeks and four days since we moved into our current (old) house. Yay for the happy day!!! About one month before (and until) we moved, I was so busy with packing up our rental house that there was no need to go workout somewhere else. I call it "The Moving Workout"! It was truly such a great workout, simply because the second after I awoke and got the kids off to school, I was dejunking/decluttering or packing up a bajillion boxes for our move. I packed and worked and worked and packed until my body couldn't move anymore! I would fall into bed every night and not budge until my alarm went off the next morning.

Below is a picture I took of myself to chronicle the exhaustion, five days before we moved. Below that is a picture I took, and smiled in, because I couldn't believe how awfully tired I looked in the first picture! I wanted to at least say, "Hey, even though I'm tired, I'm moving to my home! Life is so great!!!"

I'm SO TIRED!

But life is GREAT! :)

My moving workout continued for about six weeks after we moved-in. I was in great shape. My biceps were awesome from endlessly lifting all of those heavy boxes. I was seriously a tough girl! Ha ha.

*And just so you know, I wasn't the only one packing up stuff. Yes, I organized and packed up the house, but Greg moved everything I had packed from the house onto the moving truck. Greg also packed many of his own boxes. Our darling children even helped a smidgen by bringing Greg some of the small plastic totes and boxes! When we arrived at our house, Greg unloaded the moving truck and I unpacked the boxes/arranged the house. Yes, we make a great moving company all by ourselves! :)

Sadly, since about the end of July, my moving workout is no longer enough of a workout. My house is mostly put together. Well...I still have a bunch I can do with our house, but I can take my time. (Isn't that the way with all houses? There is always something to be done!) I have the major stuff totally taken care of. It's a nice feeling. :) But with our move mostly complete, I realized that it was time to get crackin' with a new exercise plan. Because I've not been working out regularly (I've gone walking a few times in the past couple of months), I knew I needed to start small and work my way back to my prior exercising habits. But I'm not depressed in the least (!) with my exercise regression, for I know that I can absolutely work back up to the level I had been exercising at before our big move. :)

Thus, I happily started walking for real this week! The first day, I went with a friend in my neighborhood. It felt wonderful and the conversation was great, but I knew I was craving more of a workout challenge. So yesterday, I decided to really push myself. Yet I knew that I couldn't push too hard, because I wasn't sure if my body would really be okay with the high altitude. Still, I was excited for the exhausted feeling that comes from a good workout! :)

I decided to just head uphill and go until I couldn't continue any farther! I started out small, but kept pushing myself as I went. Along the way, I decided to take some pictures of the glorious scenery around me.

After walking for quite a while, I realized that my body was adjusted to the high altitude. YAY! I thought, "I can push as much as I want!" It helped that I had oodles of happy music on my iPod to help me along my way. There are times I like to walk/run/exercise in quiet, but most times I love being motivated by beautiful music! It seems that the second I hear a happy or beautiful song, my body can do more than I expected. :)

I had pushed myself for a while when I came upon the most beautiful sight: open fields, trees and mountains. So I decided to quit pushing and take some more photos! It was a most incredible view, and my heart was swelling with a joy that is indescribable!

*You must know that as I began taking photos the song, "Oh, What A Beautiful Morning", performed by The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, started playing on my iPod! I quietly laughed out loud and thought, "This is craziness! What a fun, awesome, happy, fortuitous moment!"

What a beautiful morning!

My photos don't do the views justice, but hopefully you can grasp my happiness. I am so grateful for this beautiful earth! As I was taking the photos, I thought, "France has nothing on us! Ha ha. Okay, except maybe we're a little drier than France." ;) Also, I took the photos in three different spots as I continued toward the mountains.

As I neared the top of the road, I was feeling quite fatigued. Thus, I laughed again when No Doubt's, "I'm Just a Girl" came on my iPod! It gave me all the motivation I needed to continue! :) Yes, I totally took a picture of the end of the road because I was proud of myself for making it to the top! (In the non-prideful way, of course!)

On my way back down the road, I decided to walk/run on the curb. I know it sounds a little nutty, but I love trying to keep my balance on street curbs. It's an odd little trait I've had ever since I was a little girl. I think it's my love of gymnastics shining through. Don't knock curb walking/running, it's a great addition to any workout!

Round trip, I think my walk/run/curb-balancing-act was only about 3.25 miles. That said, I think part of my excursion counts for more because half of my trek was continuously uphill!

As I finished my adventure, I decided that one day I would love to be able to run continuously up Crestwood Road without stopping. I think it will take me many weeks (if not months!) to get to that point, but I'm totally up for The Crestwood Challenge!

Gems of Jewels

Yesterday I randomly browsed the internet, wondering about the outcome of something I had researched over a year ago. As I was searching, I came across a forum website dedicated to being snarky (as they put it) about other people's blogs, or videos, or tweets. Basically, they were tearing down other people's online content. I was saddened as I read their harsh, judgmental and cranky-pants words. It made me want to run and hide from my new blog! :(

I worried, "What if one day someone starts a mean forum thread about something I wrote and snarks me to bits and pieces?! I don't think I can handle the meanness!" I think it's just grown-up online bullying. Not cool.

Yet as I thought about the awful forum posts/comments, I came to the following conclusion: While there is a lot of meanness online, we must rise above it - otherwise everything online will be junk! We must combat the awful comments with posts about lovely, happy or inspiring things! Thus, I will create posts that include the good things I've found online!

Here are a few gems of jewels that I've found so far. Enjoy!

• My friend Johanna's blog post, Ephipany, is an excellent reminder for all of us. We must be kind, loving, patient, merciful and forgiving to everyone.
• A talented young woman I know and admire, Elizabeth Hovley, is an unbelievably great artist. I feel her beautiful art needs to be shared over and over! I would love it if she were able to seriously "make it" in the art world - for she truly has a gift that is rarely seen by someone so young. Please see her blog, Create Ripples, for an artistic awakening that I promise you won't regret! :)
• I have been following the miraculous story of Elder Britten Schenk ever since I read about it when we were living in Texas. I recently watched the video of his story - in his own words - and feel that more people should be introduced to this living miracle of a young man! *I hope more of us can appreciate life the way he does. What an amazing example he is to everyone on earth! Seriously, either read his blog (linked above), or watch the video below...or both!

• I stumbled across a blog that includes many of the videos created for Mormon Messages. I found it fascinating that so many of the Mormon Messages videos that I absolutely LOVE were created by the owners of the blog, Matter Unorganized! I'm predicting that this dynamic movie-making duo will be going somewhere great in the future! There are so many great videos, I can't choose just one. Thus, here are just three of my favorites:

• Lastly, I found this video from Vimeo (thanks to the above listed blog!) which contains the smart words from Steve Jobs. It's good advice for all of us!

Steve Jobs | Motion Graphic from John Reynolds on Vimeo.