FINALS SURVIVAL 101

Things that have helped me through survive finals so far:

- Earnestly chocolate ice cream from the creamery. I joked with my mom last night that after each final I take I am going to treat my self to a triple scoop of creamery ice cream. It was just funny at the time, but now I think I might just make that joke a reality! 

- Study sessions in the sunshine. Provo has been BEAUTIFUL the past few days!

- A surprise letter from my brother Jae with a Jamba Juice gift card. Yep, that's just the kind of guy he is.

- Another surprise letter from my sister Laura with a "Good luck on finals Rie Rie" note that was colored by Brynlee. So cute!

- Phone calls and texts from family members. Can you sense a theme here?? I have the best family!

- Random laughing attacks prompted by pranks and people tripping on sprinkler heads. I've shed many tears this week just from laughing. 

- Supportive friends. I love running into friends in the library or on campus.

- Dreaming of California. I'll be there in less than a week!
- Running. I haven't been as often as I would have liked this semester, but it is the best stress reliever for me.
- Sunday. Today has given me a much needed break from school. The lessons were fantastic and the spirit was so strong in sacrament meeting. I love my ward!
- Roommates. I'm going to miss these guys so much!

 

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."

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?

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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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!

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.

 

 

Over President's Day weekend, I took a road trip down to Moab to hike in Arches National Park. It was a pretty spontaneous, unplanned trip, but it was just the kind of break I needed. The sunshine felt so good after so many gloomy days here in Provo. For only being in the park for six hours, we were able to fit in A LOT! We saw a few arches, played around on the rocks, took pictures of Balanced Rock and Delicate Arch, and hiked to Double O Arch. The hike was only 4 miles round trip, but the path led us over big boulders with drop offs on both sides. QUITE the adventure! I would highly recommend it the next time you're down in Moab. I love living in Utah because there are so many National Parks and cool places that are so close by. I can't wait to take more road trips in the near future!!

BIEBTASTIC

Just a little video my friends made to spread the Bieber fever. ENJOY!

The Lake House

 

Last night I got to watch The Lake House with one of my roommates. This movie is a CLASSIC! I remember the first time I watched it, I tried way too hard to understand everything that was going on and missed out on a lot of the good parts. The plot definitely takes some getting used to, but just be patient and everything will make sense eventually. Aside from the brilliant plot, I also really loved the lake house itself. As inconvenient as it would be at times, a lake house with glass walls like that would be so fun to live in. I mean seriously. . .there is a tree growing in the middle of the house! It would be like camping all the time! If you haven't seen this movie yet, I HIGHLY recommend it. It was so refreshing to watch a cute chick flick that is completely clean!

MCOM assignment recap:

For my MCOM 320 class, our assignment over the weekend was to buy a stranger a drink. I was grateful for this assignment because not only did it push me out of my comfort zone, but it also allowed me to be more aware of the people around me. Instead of making a specific plan on exactly where and when I was going to fulfill this assignment, I tried to just go about my day and wait for a good opportunity. Even though I didn’t buy the drink for the first few days, I realized that just by having my mind focused on looking for opportunities to buy someone a drink, I noticed other opportunities to serve. I was amazed at what a huge difference just a minor change of focus made on the way I viewed people.

My brother and I went grocery shopping together on Saturday night (I know…so cute haha) and I decided that I wanted to give it to one of the workers since the lines were long and they were working hard. When I got up to the register I noticed that our bagger was slightly handicapped. She was slower than the other baggers, but was so good about handling each item with care. After she was done bagging my groceries I handed her the drink and thanked her for working so hard. She was so surprised and said, “This is for me?” It was so cute! I left with the biggest smile on my face. I was able to make someone feel appreciated by the simple act of buying a drink. I hope that I won’t wait for another assignment to do more simple acts of service!

I'm in love...

. . . with these art prints!! I apologize to anyone who was hoping for a Valentine's Day related post, but it's just not going to happen. It seems like everyone is writing posts about how much they love/hate the day! Since I'm neither a lover nor a hater of this holiday, I don't think I have very much to contribute. I'd much rather write about how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE these prints I found on Etsy. Someday I'm going to have a wall in my house with a huge collage of colorful prints like the ones above. In the meantime, I will just continue to indulge in all the eye candy. There are some incredibly talented people in the world! I really like how everything handmade is becoming more popular. The art becomes much more personal when you know it is not mass-produced or sold at the local WalMart. The art is created by regular people, with regular lives, who probably have cereal for dinner sometimes just like us. Seeing their work makes me want to be better about making time to create. Too bad I have a grammar test to study for.. . .

Just some thoughts...

Sunday is by far the best day of the week. It’s just so different from all the other days. I always feel so relaxed and peaceful, which I’m sure is partially due to the fact that I don’t have to think about homework or tests or papers or anything school related. Sunday is my day to think. It’s my day to preserve memories by writing in my journal. It’s my day to read books by Brad Wilcox, Sheri Dew, C.S. Lewis and others that inspire me to be better. It’s my day to make dinner with my older brother Jordan. Sundays are just the best! Last night, my musically talented roommates and I sat on the couch and tried to make arrangements of hymns. Heather was on guitar, I was on the ukelele (Elizabeth’s been teaching me. She is AMAZING!), and Elizabeth was on the violin and piano. It was so fun! I think that is what Sundays are all about. They help us take a break from the hustle and bustle of college life and spend a full day focusing on the things that really matter.  What a great way to start the week!

Jimmer Fredette

 

Love him.

He scored 43 points last night against #4 ranked San Diego.

We won 71-58.

  

Laura Clarke Hawkins

  

This is my beautiful sister Laura. Today is her birthday and I can't wait to brag about her :)  She has blessed my life in so many ways, whether it was by giving me hand-me-downs or writing me little notes of encouragement, she was always there to make my life easier. I have always looked to Laura as an example. She was close enough in age that I always felt like she could understand how I was feeling and give me good advice. I have saved all of the little notes she wrote me growing up. Some were thank you notes, but others were just random "you're great Rie" notes. Those meant so much to me. She'll never understand how cool it is to have your older sister say nice things about you. Especially, an older sister as accomplished, beautiful, and talented as Laura. I will always be grateful to her for taking the time to write those little notes. 

Laura graduated from BYU with her degree in Fine Arts.  She is an amazing artist!! Her final art show was displayed in the HFAC. I loved walking around and seeing strangers marvel at her talent. I was one proud sister that night! The painting above is probably my favorite from the show, but it's hard to choose. Someday maybe I'll be lucky enough to have one of her paintings in my own house.

 

Laura is now married and has the cutest daughter named Brynlee. She and her husband live in Huntington Beach, CA aka paradise! Laura is the best mom. She is always making cute crafts and outfits for Bryn. She has already taught Bryn what sound each letter of the alphabet makes and Brynlee just turned 2!!  

 I'm so glad Laura is my sister. We've had so many good times :) LOVE YOU!!!

"A consecrated life is a beautiful thing" - Elder Christofferson

          For the past few weeks, it seems like just about every lesson, every fireside, every scripture study has somehow led me to reflect on consecration. It's not a subject I think about too often, but it has been on my mind a lot lately and I don't think it's just by chance. Earlier I was reading a talk by Elder D. Todd Christofferson from the last General Conference that gave me a lot of new insight about this topic. Whenever I hear the word consecration, I automatically think about the law of consecration that some of the early members of the church practiced. For a short time, while Joseph Smith was the prophet, the law of consecration was revealed and put in place for the members of the church. They were asked to give all their possessions and property to the church, which would then be distributed back to the people according to their specific needs. This is just amazing to me! These were new members of the church that had already been asked to sacrifice so much. They had so much faith in the Lord and faith in Joseph Smith, their prophet, that they were willing to consecrate everything they had in order to build the kingdom. Other than consecrating earthly possessions and property, the early Saints were also asked to give of their time and talents. 
         Today we are not asked to live the law of consecration in its fullness, but we are asked to pay generous tithes and fast offerings and dedicate our lives to the Lord. Elder Christofferson says, "To consecrate is to set apart or dedicate something as sacred, devoted to holy purposes. True success in this life comes in consecrating our lives - that is, our time and choices - to God's purposes". Consecration is what runs this church. Countless men and women across the world consecrate their time and talents in order to fulfill the callings that allow this church to function. As members of the church we know that everything we have here on earth ultimately comes from God. We have been given much, so much is required. 
         "We tend to think of consecration only as yielding up, when divinely directed, our material possessions. But ultimate consecration is the yielding up of oneself to God. Heart, soul, and mind were the encompassing words of Christ in describing the first commandment, which is constantly, not periodically, operative (see Matt. 22:37). If kept, then our performances will, in turn, be fully consecrated for the lasting welfare of our souls (see 2 Ne. 32:9)" -Neal A. Maxwell
         I've been thinking a lot about what I can do to more fully consecrate my life to the Lord and through lots of prayer and studying I have received some very specific answers. I know that one of the most important things we can do is to give him our hearts. If we have pure desires to serve Him and build His kingdom we qualify ourselves to be instruments in His hands. He will give us opportunities to serve. I know that consecrating our lives to the Lord will not only help us, but also those around us.