Friday, March 25, 2011

BLESSED

Some days it's impossible not to feel God's love. It seems like sometimes He steps into our lives and blesses us just simply because He loves us. I've been so humbled this week as I have thought about all the miracles and blessings that He has given me lately. Some of the things would seem completely insignificant to an outside observer, but to me mean the world. Since I decided to sign a housing contract for spring and summer semesters in Provo, I've been feeling pressure to find a job down here since I'm not going to be taking classes. I haven't had much luck job hunting in the past, so I was really hoping this summer would be different. My prayers were definitely heard. Through some very helpful friends/relatives I was able to find a full-time job at a company about ten minutes from my apartment. I couldn't believe it! I didn't think my week could get any better, but then earlier today I got a 97% on my New Testament quiz, which is a BIG deal for me. I am a strong believer in miracles! I am so grateful for all the many people who have been answers to prayer this week. I love this quote by Pres. Uchtdorf:

"Think of the purest, most all-consuming love you can imagine. Now multiply that love by an infinite amount—that is the measure of God’s love for you...We are important to God not because of our résumé but because we are His children."

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Warm Weather To Do List:


I just checked the 10-day forecast and probably should have tried harder to hide my excitement. I got some strange "what's-wrong-with-you" looks from across the table. Next week when they're sitting outside on the grass sipping ice-cold lemonade in the hot sun, they'll understand why I was so excited. It's going to be W-A-R-M next week. I have been waiting for the weather to warm up so I can do some of my favorite things. I am definitely a summer girl. For the past few weeks, I've been making a mental list of everything I want to do when the weather warms up. Here's the list in no particular order:

1. Play catch with a football
2. Go hiking
3. Rock climbing with Jordan
4. Study at the park
5. Play catch with a baseball
6. Go hiking again
7. Fly a kite
8. Have a BBQ
9. Canoe in the Provo River
10. Go hiking again
11. Go swimming
12. Have a picnic
13. Go camping
14. Sleep on the trampoline at home
15. Play volleyball in the backyard
16. Stargaze
17. Drive through the canyon with the windows down
18. Eat popsicles
19. Explore
20. Get a farmer's tan
21. Play tennis
22. Sunglasses
23. Have a water fight
24. Drink from the hose
25. Barefeet


Mmmm, sounds fun huh?

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Love, our only motive.

       Russell T. Osguthorpe spoke at the BYU devotional a few weeks ago and shared a message that really motivated me to change. He started by reading Moroni 7:46 which says, "If ye have not charity, ye are nothing." We might get straight A's, we might get into the best graduate school, but we must remember that if we have not charity, we are nothing. I really think this is applicable to us in whatever stage of life we may be in. As a student, I understand how easy it is to become completely wrapped up in grades and test scores. Our days are filled with classes, study sessions, tests, homework, etc. that can easily stop us from looking outward. We must realize what is truly important. He then went on to talk about the importance of pure motives. He asked, "What if our only motive were love? What if everything we did, we did out of love?" I have thought about these questions a lot the last few weeks. As I have attempted to make small changes in my personal motives, I have noticed dramatic changes in my life. I really believe that by having love as our motive for everything we do, we will be able to unlock some of the most powerful blessings God has to give to us. We will be blessed with a greater strength and capacity to perform the Lord's work. We will be blessed with more patience and compassion. We will be able to see people around us for who they really are; children of God. What better blessings could we ask for?? 
       I also loved when he said, "In the end, why we do things is probably more important than what we do." Sometimes I tend to stress myself out trying to come up with some big act of service I could do for a person that is struggling. I need to remember that as long as I do what I do out of love, it really doesn't matter what I end up doing for them.
     "We need to have a special kind of love to rejoice more in the success of others than in our own success." This kind of love takes time to develop. The natural man within all of us would have us desire to put our own success above the success of others. It's hard sometimes to be sincerely happy for other's success, but again, it will bring amazing blessings. Osguthorpe gave us a way to measure our progress in this area. He said, "When others' needs start to matter more than our own and when others' successes are more exciting to us than our own, we are beginning to experience the kind of love our Father in Heaven and Savior have for us. It is a love without dimension. It has no boundaries and no limitations. It is pure, it is infinite, and it is eternal." After hearing this, I thought about how that would feel to possess that kind of love. Wouldn't life just be so much happier?
     The last thing he talked about was the responsibility each of us has to make time to show love to others. "Each of us has a clear mission as well, but like the Savior we need to remain open to the needs of others we pass along the way. Our calendars can never be so packed that we don't have room to show love to those around us." Life is often speeding by and if we're not careful we will neglect to make time to serve.
      I know this post is getting really long, but I have to share to just one more quote..."The only way for us to increase our capacity to love in this way is to feel the love our Father in Heaven and His Son have for us. The more we feel their love for us, the more we increase our capacity to show that love to others." I love this. I hope that we can all try a little harder to make love our only motive.

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Friday, March 4, 2011

New Glasses!

I lost my glasses in the middle of last semester and have been squinting my way through school ever since. It was getting to the point to where I couldn't recognize people on campus until they were about seven feet in front of me. Super annoying! I finally decided that I really needed to invest in a new pair of glasses. I heard about Warby Parker, a company that sells prescription glasses for much cheaper than most eye doctors, and fell in love! As a bonus, for every pair of glasses purchased Warby Parker donates a pair of glasses to a child in need. I love smart companies like this. They even have a home try-on system where they send you five frames of your choice with clear lenses so that you can decide which one you like best. If you in need of a new pair of glasses I would HIGHLY recommend checking them out here. You won't be disappointed :)


p.s. I promise I won't always post pictures of myself! This is not going to become a blog where I post pictures of myself in different outfits and poses everyday. Just thought I'd make that clear. Bye!

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

A long and wordy post



Yesterday could not have been more beautiful. The sun has a way of making even the most mundane of days exciting. I wasn’t about to let myself suffer indoors when the real party was happening out in the open air. The problem was this: homework and the great outdoors don’t get along very well. I’ve tried to mix the two many times and the result has never been good. I was willing to give it one more chance yesterday though, since the weather was especially wonderful. I changed into flip-flops, grabbed my favorite blanket and set off for the park just a block south of my apartment. Turns out I grabbed two different flip-flops, one brown and one black. It’s a good thing I wasn’t trying to make a fashion statement. I found a place on the grass (which ended up being pretty soggy) and started reading. This concentration lasted all of two seconds as my eyes soon wandered to the photo shoot that was taking place on the swings. The photographer was talking about how the sun would be just perfect in another half hour or so. As a random side note: photographers have the best style. It’s a fact. Back to the story. . . To the right of the swings, a little family was throwing a Frisbee back and forth. I soon got wrapped up in listening to the husband laugh as his wife’s tosses kept getting further and further away from where he was standing. He would laugh, she would apologize, he would tell her to try again, she would try again and fail, he would laugh, she would apologize, etc. etc. etc. It made me smile to see such a patient husband and a wife who clearly wasn’t a professional athlete but was willing to try because it was something her husband liked to do. They were so cute together. I looked to the other side of the park and noticed two girls throwing a baseball back and forth. I’ll admit, I was instantly jealous. Playing catch is one of my very favorite things to do. All growing up, my brother Jordan and me would throw a baseball back and forth to each other in our backyard. I always chose to use my mom’s old baseball mitt. It had her name, “Janine Tueller”, written on the front in permanent marker and had turned a greenish color from many days in the sun. I loved those times. Seeing those girls at the park made me think about how my next purchase will probably be a baseball mitt and a baseball…or maybe a football. I’m slowly expanding my supply of sport’s equipment. Back to the park . . . needless to say, I didn’t get much done. BUT, I feel like it’s healthy every once in a while to allow your thoughts to wander in a way that requires very little effort or concentration. It’s like a power nap for your brain. But better.