There are Better Days Ahead

Sometimes it's really hard to just go on pure faith, but sometimes, it's all we can do.  We exercise our faith and put our trust in God that He will take care of us, and that everything will work out for the best.  We don't know how, and we can't seem to figure it out.  But God does know.  He knows exactly how everything will work out and stands there, with his arms outstretched, asking us to trust him.  "Come, follow me."  If we do what He asks, He will bless us and He will not let us fail.

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This past week, I acted on a prompting to do something that I wasn't sure I could do.  I didn't see how it would work out, how everything would be okay.  But if there's one thing I've learned from the past three years, it's to trust in God.  I took His advice and hoped everything would work out.  Everything hasn't worked out yet, but I'm beginning to see those "better days ahead."

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So when you're feeling down, stand a little taller, walk a little higher, and smile a little brighter.  Someone's watching out for you in ways you aren't even aware of.  Sometimes, he let's it rain.  But after every rainstorm comes a beautiful rainbow.  It might be big, or it might be small, or it may even be hard to see until long after we think the storm is over, but we have been promised that it will come.

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Here's to the rain storms; here's to the leap of faith; here's to the days when your trust in God is all you have to go on; and here's to the blessings and promises that will come because of those days.

Falling into Autumn

So Fall doesn't really last very long in Utah, so here are some fall activities that have officially been completed before snow happens.

First, we decorated our apartment for Halloween!

Then, we stopped wearing summer clothes (so sad ... )

Last summer outfit ... I hate having to bundle up.  

Our ward went to Cornbelly's for a night of fun festivities!  There was a corn maze, hayride, pumpkin bowling, and lots of other fun things :]

My ward!

 My roommate and I made soup!  Zuppa Toscano!  It was SO good! (We even got the approval from the ward Italian, so it was pretty legit.)

What fun fall activities do you like to do?? 

(I need more ideas before the snow gets here ... )

Roommate Shenanigans

It was our turn to introduce ourselves to the ward tonight.  So we performed a genuine Youtube masterpiece in true Minion fashion.  

It was a truly fantastic time and we really enjoyed it (and I FINALLY got a picture of my roommates!)

From Within the Shadows of the Everlasting Hills

Gorgeous picture taken from http://www.listentech.com/media/Main_lds_conference_center.jpg

Wasn't Conference so AWESOME?! I love the spiritual outpouring that we get to experience for the ENTIRE weekend twice a year during General Conference.  It really refreshes us and refocuses us on what we need to do.  So, here are some themes and highlights that I picked up on:

1) Share the gospel!
There was a lot of focus on this topic during the Saturday sessions.  President Monson began conference by telling us that now is the time for members and missionaries to work together!  I especially appreciated Elder Ballard's talk which addressed several of my own concerns with sharing the gospel.  It's natural to be apprehensive.  Pray for opportunities and don't be afraid of what you'll have to do.  Elder Nielsen of the 70 shared a lot of animation and enthusiasm about missionary work and sharing the gospel.  We should all be just as excited as he was!

2) Endure to the end!
There was a huge emphasis on this during the Sunday sessions.  Elder Scott talked about losing ourselves in service to others to help us endure and hold fast to the rod, like Elder Hamilton of the 70 reminded us.  President Monson reminded us that we truly need him every hour, whether rain or shine.  Elder Eyring mentioned that this life is to polish us to return to the presence of God.

3) The Law of Chastity
I really loved the laying down of the law by Elder Oaks on what exactly is allowed and that nothing else is appropriate.  Loved it.  SO much.  And Elder Nelson continued that theme, but with a different approach.  Both were extremely wonderful and extremely insightful.  If you have questions regarding what Mormons believe about marriage, homosexuality, and chastity.  Read/watch them.  They both hit it right on the head.

4) The Priesthood
If you know anything about what's happening in the church right now, then hopefully you loved Elder Andersen's talk as much as I did.  I was reminded of a lesson in one of my religion classes when my teacher (Anthony Sweat, if you're interested) taught us about the difference between Priesthood Power and Priesthood Offices.  We all have access to the power of the priesthood, simply by keeping his commandments and honoring our covenants.

I encourage everyone, LDS or not, to watch conference and learn what our modern day prophets and apostles have said and warned us against.  I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true.  I know that President Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God and and he and the apostles speak with authority and revelation from God.  I know where I want to go and what I need to do to get there. Do you?

Ta-Da!

New blog layout!  Thoughts?  Comments?  Good jokes?

Last night, my roommate and I went to one of our favorite restaurants where the service is always great and the food is always delicious!  But last night- the experience was different.  It wasn't great- the service last night was spectacular!  Recently, my roommate has had to change to gluten-free eating.  Fortunately, this restaurant offers a gluten-free menu.  Usually, we also have to ask for gluten free dressing when the server brings out the food, but last night, the server brought it out immediately after we ordered without any prompting from us.  I drink a lot of water and most servers have trouble keeping up with how fast I drink.  But the superstar assigned to our table last night was on top of things and my glass was only empty once. (And even then, he was there less then thirty seconds later filling it up.)  We didn't have to sit around awkwardly to wait for him and he kept us updated on our orders.  When the kitchen forgot to bring out part of our order, not only did he immediately bring the forgotten item out, he brought extra- and a lot of it!  We left that night feeling very full, and very satisfied.  Our server was observant, and made both of us feel like we were important.

What is this wonderful restaurant with the superhero server?

If you live near me, then you know there's not much competition for chinese cuisine.  There's pretty much Panda Express and PF Changs.  And the quality of Panda doesn't come anywhere close to that of PF Changs (they really shouldn't even be grouped together), so it's not like they have to win us from other chinese restaurants.  But every time we go, we are surprised by some kind act from our server.  And that to me, says they really care about their guests and customer service.  And that's the kind of restaurant that earns the customers it has.  As long as they keep this kind of service mentality, they will forever have my business.

Warning: Hardhat Zone

So ... something happened to my code ... and now I need to fix it ...

My blog is under construction!  And when it's done- there will be a whole new look and layout!  I'll be looking forward to your feedback!

Schoolhouse Rock

School's back in session!  And you know what that means!  

Grand Openings!

First Day Outfits!

Okay ... second day outfit ... but my first day I had work before so I was covered in butter and
pickle juice when I went to class.

And ... New Roommates!!

No pictures yet ... coming soon!