Bringing in the New Year ... A Little Late ...

In our culture, we generally set goals every new year of things that we want to accomplish that year. I am a huge fan of goals and accomplishing new things in life! Goals help us to have direction and progress rather than remain stagnant with no purpose. I hate when that first challenge to your goal comes and people just give up. I once heard from a guy who was a personal trainer at a gym that he sees more people in his gym in January and February than almost any other month. Why do we give up? Why are we so good during the first months of the year and then we maybe forget one day or purposely disregard our goals and never get back into it. 

"In our journey on earth, we discover that life is made up of challenges—they just differ from one person to another. We are success oriented, striving to become “wonder women” and “super men.” Any intimation of failure can cause panic, even despair. Who among us cannot remember moments of failure? ... Our responsibility is to rise from mediocrity to competence, from failure to achievement. Our task is to become our best selves. One of God’s greatest gifts to us is the joy of trying again, for no failure ever need be final." 

- Thomas S. Monson

No matter what your goals are for the New Year, be the best you that you can possibly be- it's NEVER too late to change. And there's never a bad time to restart goals- if you fall off the horse, get right back up and start riding again. Winston Churchill once said "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it if the courage to continue that counts." 

So some of my personal goals this year: 

1) Be healthy! We're supposed to be good stewards over all that God has entrusted to us and certainly our bodies are one of those things. I don't think I'm a junk food addict or a couch potato, but there are things I don't like about my body and I want to change those things. 

2) Be a voice for good! The great and terrible thing about the internet is that it gives everyone a voice- not everyone has to listen to a specific voice because there are so many of them out there. There are lots of opinions, misconceptions, ideas, and thoughts out there that can be for good or for bad. I want to add my voice to those for good and help to bring a little bit of happiness into the lives of others. My voice alone will not drown out the bad, but together with other voices for good, it can help to lessen the influence of the bad voices in the world. 

If you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you will succeed. Be brave and know that there are people to help you- all you have to do is ask. Sorry this post is so late ... but better late than never! 

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What are some of your goals for this year?

Good Tidings of Comfort and Joy

Comfort and Joy

Brought to you By:

The brand new, oh-so-amazing Round Covered Baker from Pampered Chef that I just received! (So excited to make soup in this bad boy!)

AND

This video.

Okay, so these two things bring lots of laughter, happiness, warmth, and smiles into my life.  I mean, what is better than sitting inside on a cold wintry night with a nice bowl of warm soup, snuggled up in your blanket, watching Christmas movies?  Or listening to Christmas music and enjoying the silent lights of the Christmas tree?

This season is all about comfort and joy, but in a different way.  Last night I participated in a Messiah sing-a-long on BYU Campus.  It was lots of fun and my roommates and I definitely have some good memories from it.  But that words and message behind the Messiah are so powerful that I couldn't help but marvel at what we celebrate during this Christmas season.  Our Savior, Jesus Christ, was born on Christmas day and He can bring us more comfort and joy than we could ever imagine.  We can be instruments in his hands to bring to pass his glorious and eternal purposes.  There are so many people we can touch, so many lives that we can change by just having a Christmas spirit all year round and sharing the joy of Christ with them.  Christ was born to die so that we may live again.  That statement alone should bring us exuberant and overwhelming joy!  Joy to the world because the Lord came and died for us!  In accomplishing this task, he suffered every pain and hurt imaginable.  He was human, just like us.  He knows how we feel and because he knows how we personally feel, he can comfort us better than any other being on this Earth.  He knows how it feels to be betrayed.  He knows how it feels to be completely alone.  He knows how it feels to lose loved ones and family members.  He knows how it feels to not be trusted.  And because He loves us, He knows how it feels to watch those we love suffer.  He knows.  How cool is that?!  How I wish that everyone could hear this message, feel God's love, and know that He really is there!  It brings such joy to my life to know that I can feel His spirit with me all day, every day.  

I testify that He lives, that He loves us, and that He will comfort us.  Like a friend with open arms, He waits and beckons "Come, follow me."  Let nothing you dismay during this holiday season or anytime throughout the year because Christ is always there for you.  And that's really comforting. :]

On the First Day of Christmas

I think this song is funny, but emphasizes two main points.  One- Christmas has really become more about the money to be made and commercialism.  Two- It's starting sooner every year. (But mostly it's just funny)

I'm one of those people who hates when I see Christmas paraphernalia out before Thanksgiving.  Not because I'm a Scrooge, but because it's never the right Christmas stuff.  I would love it if nativity scenes were sold all year-round at major retailers.  As a collector of nativities, trust me- they are not easily found in shopping centers year-round.  I feel like I always see stockings and Santa and garlands and Christmas trees out long before any nativities.  I know lots of people have said it, but I'll say it again because Christmas has become so commercialized.  We need to remember the CHRIST in CHRISTmas.

If it weren't for Christ, our lives would be entirely different.  He created this Earth, the beautiful landscapes and animals which we pay money to see (Been to the zoo lately?  Or a national park?).  He presented the plan of happiness which allows us to potentially return to live with Him someday, and He is also the main part of that plan- He died to satisfy justice and allow God to exercise mercy.  How can we only remember Him once a year??

Growing up, I remember my sweet mother leaving the Holy Family part of her ceramic nativity on the mantel all year.  It never came down.  Baby Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and Joseph were always there right next to the clocks and pictures.  One year, I asked her why.  No one else had their nativities up and they were a Christmas thing, weren't they?  She taught me that it's because we remember the Savior all year.  He is not just the reason for the season- He's the reason for everything.  Why can't we remember to honor Him more than just one month out of the year?

I have a wooden decorative piece that I put up just recently and it says "The magic of Christmas is not in the presents but in His presence."  His presence can be with us all year round.  He doesn't leave us on our own for eleven months out of the year and come around for December to celebrate.  He does not leave us comfortless.  He is with us always.  He loves us and remembers us all year round.  We should do the same for Him.

Be Brave

This song has been stuck in my head since like ... Thursday.  And I've thought a lot about it and I want to share it with you, dear readers. This song is called Brave, originally sung by Sara Bareilles.  This cover is by BYU Vocal Point.

When this song first started making it's rounds through my brain, I thought that I've never really had to be brave and bravery is just another word used to describe awesome people who do amazing things that could very easily backfire or not turn out so well.  The image that I usually think of is either a firemen diving into a blazing building to save the old woman trapped on the second floor or the soldier leaping from the fox hole with the image of his family burning in his mind.

But then I started thinking about the fact that it was Thanksgiving and I should be grateful for other's bravery.  And then I started coming up with all these wonderful examples of bravery that have allowed me to be where I am today.

In Search of Freedom
The pilgrims, obviously, are something we associate with Thanksgiving.  They wanted more than what England was offering them.  They acted on bravery to cross the Atlantic and settle the new world.  Many of them lost loved ones and many of them passed away.  But all of them were brave enough to leave what was familiar in favor of the unknown for the sake of a new world.

For King and Country
I've already mentioned the image of the soldier going to battle, but I truly am grateful for all of those brave men and women who serve their country.  Whether they're from the same country as me or not, to put the place you live before your own life is such a courageous act that it deserves to be mentioned twice.  In the future, there will come a day when we no longer need to defend ourselves from outsiders, but until that day comes, I'm grateful that we have valiant people who are there to answer the call to arms.

To Be the Example
It's so easy to just do what everyone else is doing, and so hard sometimes to do what you know to be right.  Goodness knows that there are countless examples out there of people who I am and am not familiar with who stand up for what they know to be right in the face of friends.  It reminds me of Neville from Harry Potter.  It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, but even more to stand up to your friends.

For the Sake of Others
My mother's family is from Denmark.  One of my ancestors (an umpteenth-great grandmother) showed her bravery when she joined the LDS church and then journeyed to America to meet the Saints.  Her father disowned her and told her never to return after she was baptized.  She can't have known then how much her actions have affected my entire family.  She knew that the church was true and she knew what she needed to do because of it.  The threats of others didn't stop her from doing what she knew she needed to do and because of her, thousands have been blessed- all of her posterity and all they come in contact with have the opportunity to feel the joy that comes from the gospel of Christ.

For the Lack of Wisdom
Joseph Smith, a young boy of 14, desperately wanted to know which of all the religions of the day was right.  He was directed by James that if he lacked wisdom, he should ask of God and God would answer him.  He awoke one spring morning and bravely knelt in a clearing and asked the question he was seeking an answer to.  Boy did he receive an answer (click here).  After receiving that answer, he maintained that what had happened was true and he bravely refused to deny it throughout his life.  He brought forth The Book of Mormon.  He reestablished the Lord's church on the Earth as it was in the days of Christ.  Through him the ordinances of the gospel were restored.  He led the Saints from place to place, from persecution to persecution, while still never denying the Lord and His purposes.  And in the final days of his life, he was led to the place where he knew he would die, and with his brother he was martyred all for the sake of the gospel.  If that's not brave, then I don't know what is.

Bravery plays a very important part in shaping not only the world but also our daily lives.  Think about all the people from your family history.  If just one of them had decided to not do something instead of actually doing it or vice versa, how different would your life be today?  If instead of being brave they simply went with the flow and did nothing, how would your life be changed?

Everyone is brave.  For the soldier, brave is getting in that truck, or on that plane, or boat.  For the mother, brave is sticking with it on those hard days.  For the depressed soul, brave is getting out of bed and choosing to live another day.  For the lonely college student, brave is saying hi and speaking up.  For the small child, brave is saying goodbye for a few hours to go to kindergarten.  For the proud sibling, brave is saying you're sorry.  For the humble servant of the Lord, brave is saying yes no matter what He asks of you.

Everyone is brave.  Everyone has challenges they face, mountains they have to climb.  Brave is climbing those mountains.

Things I'm Thankful for Pictorally

My AWESOME job

Crockpot Soups 

My Super cool roommates 

 That warm and toasty feeling you get when you drink hot chocolate while it's snowing outside.  Oh yeah.  That hits the spot.

Missionaries!  And the snail mail system of paper and envelopes!

Peach candles

Need I say more?  This stuff is GOLD. 

 My number one missionary :] and the letters he writes back to me!

ALL of these kiddos:

 

They light up my life!

And I just LOVE this picture.

Flowers.  So pretty.  And just nature in general.  I feel like all of the many wonderful creations on this Earth just prove that there is a God and He can do marvelous things.  I mean, have you SEEN the mountains???  And sunsets??  They're absolutely gorgeous!  And I know, it's because of science and reactions and stuff.  But who do you think made it all so that it would work out so beautifully?  I know it was Christ and Heavenly Father.  I don't know if they made the rules or if they knew the rules and then used those rules to create the beautiful world which we live on, but I do know that either way, it's because of them.  Just some food for thought.

What things are you thankful for?? 

November: A Great Month to Be Born

And now, the beginning of thankful posts.  In order to avoid blowing up my blog, I shall post once per week.  We're going to start a thankful tree in our apartment, so hopefully I'll get some pictures (my picture-taking device shattered into almost a million pieces, so these posts might actually be a little bare ... )

Day 1: (Friday, I woke up at 6:00am)
I am thankful for doctors and the fact that they are willing to go through a million years of medical school to help other people and keep us all healthy.  Plus, they deal with gross stuff like blood and I'm pretty sure I could never in a bajillion light years do that.

Day 2: (Saturday, I attended two recitals)
I am thankful for the ability to hear and enjoy music made by others and that I have such talented friends who are willing and brave enough to share their talents with others.  Nathan and Lyz, you guys both did a fantastic job! (And Camille- great accompanying!)

Day 3: (Sunday, fast Sunday which despite the name, actually goes by really slow)
I am thankful for Christ and the faith which I have in him.  He has done so much for me already and I will never be able to repay Him.  And the most amazing part is that He will continue to do things for me and help me despite my inability to repay Him.

They Did The Monster Mash!

Happy All Hallow's Eve Everyone!

We dressed up Chick-fil-A like the magical land of Oz!  It was so great!!  We had lots of different costumes from munchkins to the great wizard himself!!

The student managers chose Disney villains as our theme.  I dressed up as the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland!  We also had Yzma, Hades, and the Evil Queen.

Check out the Cougareat's facebook page for more awesome pics!

For Halloween Night festivities ... 

We partied it up at a tri-stake Halloween dance at the Eclipse Warehouse near the Trax station!

Jenna and I went as cats!

What was your costume?? 

(I'll bet it was AMAZING!)

Any fan favorites??

(We had Rufio and Bob Ross at our ward party!)