December Week 2

IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE!

What, you ask? DECEMBER WEEK 2!!

OMGee how awesome! The glory of finals! The thrill of packing! The ride to the airport!

These things and more are just around the corner!!!

There's a good reason I'm posting this.
No, not really.
But I will give you 25 points if you can identify both of these American Girl characters.

So what is the deal? In the midst of our crunchiest of crunch times, we decided long in advance to
BE GENEROUS. GIVE! 
We hereby pledge to focus on PEOPLE instead of PROBLEMOS.

Personally, I plan to do this by scheduling them in. Instead of studying, Tuesday night I will be wrapping books at Barnes & Noble and taking charity donations. Wednesday I will be chilling in my favorite building in all of Provo reading bedtime stories with Rosa (so she can, in turn, read them to her grandchildren during the holidays!) Hopefully I'll be able to go to the temple so I can decide whether I can work 3 jobs and keep up my grades. (Even as I write this, I feel like the answer is "no.") Ok. Hopefully I'll be able to go to the temple and feel good about my decision.
___________________________________________________

But you know what I would like to give right now?? I would like to give some thanks.

At the commencement of the FINAL WEEK OF THE SEMESTER (crazy!) I would like to acknowledge how blessed I have been.
It's weird. When I think about it, this semester had a lot of "downs." But on the whole, I feel like the "ups" outweigh them 100 to 1. Really. I can't remember the last time I felt so peaceful and so happy so consistently over a period of time. I love school. (I am posting this before my finals because I don't want the possibility of a bad grade to skew my perspective.) But I do! This semester has blessed my life in ways I would have never ever anticipated.

I got to know- or got a lot closer to- lots of people who I initially found intimidating or thought I wouldn't be friends with. I got a better idea, at least, of things I could do for the rest of my life and things that would kill me. I discovered and redefined what things that are important to me and what I can live without. I had lots of heart-to-hearts. I tried to say "yes" as often as possible- did a lot of new things- made a lot of good mems. I made mistakes and I made good choices and I felt it all.

And after this week, I can say that I made it! One year from now I will be done with college. I used to be scared of graduating but now I'm kind of excited- excited about the time I have left and excited about the future. I have no clue what I'll be doing this time next December, but I think I am going to like it. Whatever "it" is. Moral of the story is, the Lord looks out for us.

            Story Time:
        I know He cares about the intimate details of our lives because on the first day of school I just happened to bump into a friend buying school supplies who just happened to mention the 472 class she was in- that she ended up dropping, but I added. Besides being my favorite class, that was where I heard about Washington Seminar, which prompted me to act on the feeling that I should go to Washington D.C., which led me to change my minor and graduation date. Just one example of the many extraordinary coincidences and tender mercies I've had. I can't even list them all.
           Just last week I called Cebre to discuss some things that had been on my mind. *LITERALLY* every time we talk about topics from this blog- our experiences are so similar, it's a little uncanny. Which means: I CAN'T WAIT to come back from break and plan next semester's goals :)

Dear 2012: I love you already. Here's to the best year of our lives thus far!!
(And yes, I am already planning my 12/12/12 Apocalypse Party. You may start getting excited now.)

December Week 1

 Hello, friends!
As our semester is ending and we're spending all of our time in front of computer screens and textbooks, we're working on the following goal:

1.) Hunger for the gospel- assess where we want to go, strengthen our relationship with Christ

And to be honest, after Lauren's eight hours of studying in the library, and my own eight hours of typing up papers and final projects, this will take more dedication than desired.

But really, this is the perfect time to redirect our thoughts and actions to the Savior.

Last Sunday, the First Presidency gave the world a gift. You can view this by clicking here. Merry Christmas, and happy finals!

The Thing About Dating

I believe in being honest.
Even when what you are honestly feeling is not warm-and-fuzzy-fresh-out-of-the-oven-cookie-goodness.

Truth is: I'm tired of dating.
Don't tell me it's a good problem to have, because trust me- I've been on the other side of the spectrum and I know how that goes, too. But honestly? I am rather burnt out. 
It's like that feeling you get after you've been in Bath & Body Works for a while. You remember you told yourself you just wanted one thing- and you "already had an idea of what you were looking for" so it wouldn't take too long. But they were having a sale... With a new seasonal collection... You had a little extra cash to spare... Your hands were feeling especially dry... The cute store girls were really nice...etc.

So you perused. You weren't in a rush and they have tons of merchandise, so you knew you could afford to be picky. You took your time and you started playing with all the "try me" bottles. They were all okay... but with each flirtatious squirt you didn't know if you really wanted to smell like that one thing every day for the rest of your life (or at least the next few months.) So you kept browsing...

Twenty samples later, you realize you have lost the ability to smell. Your hands are slippery and moist after going through rows of lotion bottles. Your neck, forearms and shirt are saturated with a dozen different body sprays. You thought you knew what you wanted but now you can't tell the difference between Cozy Autumn Vanilla, Warm Vanilla Sugar or Vanilla Bean Noel. Suddenly, all you want to do is get out of the store- get out of the whole mall- faster than you can say, "Juniper Breeze."

I have this dream that a year or so from now, I will just wake up married.
One morning my eyes will open to find myself in a little flat somewhere out East. I'll look down and think "Wow, this bedspread is really cute and significantly less tacky than the one I am familiar with."

Then I'll look to my left to behold some nice, glasses-wearing husband. The smart kind who likes to cook and play with his buddies in a low-key indie band.
And I will say, "Awesome."

After some deliberation, I have concluded it would be deceitful and wrong to wear my ring on my left hand when I go to the library. I know that God is not inclined to help liars... especially ones who shoot themselves in the foot by sending an unmistakably clear message that they are off-limits.
But I am tired of creepers AND I am tired of the nice, normal people who think you might be worth seeing again.

Well... guess what? You don't know me- and that's okay! The good news is, cute girls are dime a dozen round these parts!
So go fish, in the nicest possible way I can say that.

(Remember? I can't smell anymore.)

November Week 5: Stay Classy, Provo

Back in August when we first came up with our list of goals, we both laughed when we came to this week. We had already filled in the rest of the calendar with lots of emotional, mental and spiritual ideologies- trying to politely overlook the obvious:

"You need to become the type of person you want to marry." 
Neither of our lists included things like 'dark hair, blue eyes.'

However, psychological studies show that you gravitate to people who are on your same general level of attractiveness. (Ask Google if you don't believe me; I am not making this up!) So that said, as people of normal attractiveness, we recognize that we would both like to end up with people who are also of normal attractiveness. 

And we knew that this would be a critical time in our semester- right after a week of Thanksgiving gluttony, and right at the beginning of Library Lockdown: Finals 2011. It is easy to skip the seemingly regular, civilized things people do like getting dressed, wearing makeup, showering, etc., when it seems like your GPA is about to teeter off a ledge and into a giant chasm. But being gross feels gross (after the first few days.) Therefore, we have taken a preemptive strike against looking like we've just returned from a week at Girls Camp by making it a priority to:

Be physically attractive- take care of our bodies- be classy.

There are already way too many blogs out there advocating the benefits of healthy eating and exercise. This week, we pledge to follow the Word of Wisdom and do these things in moderation. Time for Lauren to bundle up and run the streets of Provo.... and go grocery shopping for real food. (no, literally- I have NOTHING but condiments, half a can of soup and a few frozen strawberries.)

But beyond that, we are going to work on our INNER BEAUTY!! #IloveYoungWomen's

"No amount of time in front of the mirror will make you as attractive as having the Holy Ghost with you."

Sheri Dew, It Is Not Good for Man or Woman to be Alone

True that, Sheri! Personally, the people I am most attracted to (on all levels) are the ones who are
confident and happy.

Besides a haircut, there is really nothing that we can change about ourselves overnight. I'm not pretending that I don't like to look pretty, because I do. And I try- sometimes  I try really hard.
BUT let us all remember that being cute can only get you so far or last for so long- so hopefully, that is not the place we base our worth.

Taking care of yourself and your body means remembering who you are:
I am a daughter of God.

Luckily, the way I look is not my most defining quality. Your true friends are the ones who like you because you are kind, smart, funny and interesting... not because you know how to assemble a good outfit.

(...but just for the record, we can do that, too.)

November Weeks 1, 2, 3, ... and 4

November

1.) Consecrate our time to things that really matter

My only comment on this is that perhaps blogging wasn't what really mattered, at this point.

2.) Be intellectually curious and discuss it with others

... and obviously we were so busy conversing and exploring that we submitted just a single blogpost...

3.) Be a hard worker- put whole heart into whatever you’re doing

... need I mention that we were so fully invested in school, friendships, and work that we didn't blog?

4.) Develop good friendships- reassess our most important relationships

I am going to address this topic in FOUR ways (for it's the FOURTH week!)

Relationships with Peers (aka Friendships)

Being at BYU is amazing, let me tell you.

You walk around with the recognition that every body has the potential to be your best friend. I mean, you can find people who appreciate the Gospel, Disney, and family.

BAM. Best friends. You can just party in the Harold B. Lee Library study rooms, watch musicals, and eat cheap foods.

But friendships are supposed to be more.

"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being."
-Goethe

We have the opportunity in our lives to learn from those around us as well as help others grow.  Furthermore, as friends we can provide service.

God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other in the kingdom.

- Spencer W. Kimball

Romantic Relationships

Let's remember, I'm a twenty-one-year old girl. 

I have re-played the heart-melting scene from "Becoming Jane" when Tom Lefroy shows up at the ball so many times that my DVD is permanently scratched.

This is why:

He is so romantic.

Relationships further than just friendships are for growth, experience, and ultimately, marriage. It's easy to get caught up in relationships, in Happily-Ever-After's, because as M. Gawain Wells (a clinical psychologist) stated, "It feels good to invest in a relationship. To care. To want to share. To want to give."

And also because marriage is simply that important.

Twenty-nine years ago, the same M. Gawain Wells wrote an article for the LDS church. The article really altered my perspective, as it explained that it is better to move on and look forward to the future eternal relationship, than try to hang on to and suffer through a mediocre, poor, or past relationship.

According to Brother Wells,when one is working through a relationship, they should have the following:

• Inspiration of the Lord.
• Communication
• Genuine interest in each other
• Shifting in which both partners can look to each other for support and strength
• Love for God and for yourself. 
• Honesty and Vulnerabilitiy
• Belief in your own lovableness.

  "As you develop those abilities, the love in your relationship can be sustained by a mutual conviction that you are loved by each other. Then you can know the delight of being trusted with one another’s ideas and feelings. And you can know the joyous, awesome capacity to give that comes with loving." - M. Gawain Wells 

  
  
   Relationship With Yourself
  "Friendship with oneself is all-important because without it one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world." - Eleanor Roosevelt
  
  
  It is important to maintain one's health, both mentally and physically. Healthiness in both respects enables us to be more aware, alert, and energetic. Thus we will be able to help serve those around us more fully.

  "When you have a secure, spiritual knowledge of yourself as a child of God, you will find a sense of personal confidence and identity that makes a good relationship possible." 

  M. Gawain Wells

  
  

Relationship with God

All of our relationships can bring us closer to our Heavenly Father.  As His children, we have been blessed with talents and qualities that, if developed, will help us become more like Him. As we hearken unto Alma's words, we are reminded that by "small and simple things are great things brought to pass." Thus, in our effort to become closer to and more like our Father in Heaven, we should focus on developing spiritual qualities.

The desire to develop spiritual qualities will lead us away from other unrighteous desires. It will cause us to pray more intently and to be a little more forgiving of our neighbor’s faults. We will love more and criticize less. If we seek personal growth in a Christlike direction, we must make our life’s purpose the acquisition of these spiritual qualities. - Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

I know of my Heavenly Father's love for me. He has blessed me with both talents and trials that have helped me become who I am today, and provide further potential growth. Furthermore, he has blessed me with relationships in my life that have given me experience and insights that I would not have gained otherwise. I am grateful for my family and friends, who continue to help me grow and are an additional blessing from God.

Happy Thanksgiving, all.

Public Apology

We are sorry. The past three weeks of blogging have been an EPIC FAILURE.
But we're still working on improving, don't worry!

Soon to come is an introduction of this week's goal.

Love you all.

Novemeber Week 2

Here's the deal. Obviously, we were SO BUSY last week putting our time to things that really matter that we didn't even get the chance to blog about it.

This week, we're pretty much doing the same thing becoming super cultured and interesting people. (It's true!) This week I have had fabulous discussions in my favorite classes (Comms Management and the Int'l Political Economy of Women, in case you were wondering), made my professor weep figuratively as I anchored the news, was accepted into the Washington Seminar program, tried some kind of Southeast Asian food for the first time- and actually enjoyed it, and saw not one but TWO plays. More cultured than yogurt, friends. Also, went to the temple and wrote in my journal for the first time in forever. My life sounds a lot more impressive when I write it out on paper.
(That said, my weekend will consist of a lot more homework.)

I like feeling smart. I like being well-informed (or at least curious) enough to discuss anything that other people are passionate about. I like being up-to-date on what's going on the world, I like analyzing things, and I like to read.
*Currently in DESPERATE search of a good book, especially for the upcoming break.*

The one I always recommend (at least to women) is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Now someone tell me your favorite in return!!

Two other important things:
I hope you are all making wishes tonight at 11:11 ON 11.11.11. (Also known as Remembrance Day. #weloveBritain. AND the anniversary of last year's HP7 pt. 1 London Premiere where Lauren held hands with Dean Thomas #welovePotter.)

And this. 

It's been circulating around the internet for a couple weeks now, so it's not like you haven't seen it.
But also, there is no better place for it than this blog.
Holler!

Thank You to the Nice Boys

I know that boys can take a lot of smack sometimes, especially in Provo (and anytime there's a General Authority around.) If you only listen to the negative, you would be convinced that all young single adult males are

• Self-centered and unwilling to commit in relationships
• Engrossed in technology and incapable of personal communication
• Addicted to pornography

But I believe in good people. I believe that the people I know and associate with are genuinely interested in becoming better men. So I would just like to give a little credit where credit is due, but rarely expressed: Here's to the nice boys.

To the boys who treat my sister like gold. You don't know how much that means to me to know she has good friends who value her and care about her.

To the boys who told me they won't date girls who wear bikinis, because they don't want their daughters dressing that way.

To the boys who don't watch R-rated movies.

To the boys who notice the girls who feel left out or shy, and try to make them feel comfortable. Simply put, we notice and it does matter.

To the boys who volunteer but don't tell you about it.

To the boys who aren't afraid to say kind things and tell you you're beautiful- even though they have a girlfriend. (I still haven't deleted that voicemail.)

To the boys to whom home teaching means much more than an end-of-the-month Ensign message.

To the boys who take the outside of the sidewalk or make sure you get home safely.

To the boys who ask you whom they should serve or who could use a little extra love.

To the boys who politely discourage other people from swearing at football games.

To the boys who are generous with a spare jacket- or suit coat, come Sunday morning.

To the boys who will listen to your breakdown when they have better things to do.

To the boys who read their scriptures every day.

To the boys who call their moms.

This is my brother, Tyler. He is a junior in high school, 16 years old, and I am proud to say one of the best boys I have ever had the privilege to know. He helps my two youngest sisters with their math homework. He'll take Tori along with him places and put his arm around her when they're talking to their friends. This past week he let Megan finish the Hunger Games series before him without trying to steal it when she wasn't reading. (This is even more impressive if you know my family's struggle with readership hierarchy.)

Meet the boys of my old Primary class! They're all Megan's age so they're all in Young Men's now, but this is how I remember them. Apparently, they had a slight reputation for being rowdy... but we had so much fun! :) And they would kill me for saying it, but they are seriously SO. precious. I adore them.

I like to think that the kind of people I spend my time with now are the kind of people I want them to be like in just a few more years. The nice boys.

October Week 4

 Note: Lauren and I are standing on a BEAUTIFUL pathway soaking up the fall grandeur.


This week's goal is:
 Choose to be optimistic-Look forward with faith and patience (Say "Thy Will Be Done.")

I understand that sometimes this may be hard. Sometimes it's a struggle to look forward instead of to the past. But we are to learn from our mistakes, and make new choices. We are to go forward with faith, for our Heavenly Father loves us and has the most beautiful plan in store.

As our beloved prophet Thomas S. Monson said, "The future is as bright as your faith."
And let me say, my future is bright and beautiful. 

 And we do love life. Even if our hand guns look a bit weirdo sometimes.

An Unexpected Lesson

I had mentally prepared myself for this week for a long time, as in 

"This is the week I will finally practice piano/voice!"

False.

This week I have devoted no time whatsoever to my creative "talents"- although ironically, I did play in our ward talent show last night so I guess Superbass counts for something. 

But really, I've thought a lot about this and realized that maybe my best talents aren't the ones I can perform on a stage or put on a resume. Our greatest gifts are the ones we use to bless the lives of others. These are the things we should be working on cultivating in ourselves. 

So... me? I'm a listener. 

I have the ability to always put hearing your problems above other things... like sleep... and I can give you an awesome pep talk. I have the talent of being real. I'm a thinker and a writer and a learner and a planner and a laugher/crier. I'm good at getting people excited about things or being a friend. 

That's about it. All my other tricks are pretty superficial in comparison. 

And what are the talents I WANT to develop? As much as I'd like to say otherwise... it's not piano. 

I want to carry an aura of peace. I want to be able to make people feel special, to leave them feeling better than when I found them. These are the things that are most important to me right now. 

I might not ever look too impressive on paper. But can you really put a premium on plain old nice-ness? (The people I want to be like don't.)

October Week 3

 First off, we're about halfway through! Not on our way to eternal perfection... we've still got some ways to go. But through our semester, about halfway.

Speaking of eternal perfection... yesterday, a man asked, "What is your individual purpose here? and furthermore, what are you doing to fulfill that purpose? Are your daily actions directing you to that end?"

What am I doing daily to fulfill my purpose?

We are each individuals with singular talents, strengths, opportunities, and challenges. We believe we were foreordained to come to earth at a particular time into particular circumstances and that our particular set of gifts, attitudes, and talents—if properly developed and employed—will enable us to fulfill a foreordained purpose. - Elder Robert C. Oaks, "Your Diving Heritage", BYU Speeches

As Lauren said a couple weeks ago, we are children of God. And while sometimes, our purpose may seem unclear, we are not forgotten. We are children of God.

Just think of it: You are known and remembered by the most majestic, powerful, and glorious Being in the universe! You are loved by the King of infinite space and everlasting time! - President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Forget Me Not"

As such, we each have the divinity and potential to be glorious beings ourselves.  We, with our spiritual heritage, are capable of becoming like Him -- majestic, powerful, and glorious.

This week's focus is:

Honor our divine potential- develop talents

That means that we should not only recognize the talents that we have been given, but take advantage of them.  As we do such, we are fulfilling our purpose and enriching our lives, as well as becoming more capable to bless the lives of others.

Feeling Quotey

“Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are.

Let me learn from you, 
                                   love you,
                                                 bless you before you depart. 
Let me not pass you by
in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. 


Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so." 
- Mary Jean Iron

October Week 2

 A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery while on a detour.  ~Author Unknown

I think I'm just going to be forthright and honest.

Sometimes I get caught up in life. I consider myself generally optimistic, but sometimes I feel absolutely attacked by the responsibilities I have. To deal with this, I become like a machine--I'm simply processing input to produce some type of output. During these times, I have very limited emotion. My happiness is fleeting, if that.

There are other times when I decide to let myself get caught away in my daydreams. I'm an idealist, and I idealize my future. Throughout my life, I've allowed certain boys (or men) to catch my attention to the point that they are the single focus of my attention. I try to do homework, and ... I can't even focus. I find myself either smiling to myself about something they said, or I repeat all the reasons why I know they're actually not interested.

These two behaviors consume me to the point where sometimes I feel like I have blinders on.

The other night, I heard something that changed my perspective and behaviors. And honestly, I've heard it before, but this time it came at the right time.

Life is to be lived day by day, and moment by moment.

So since then, I've been focusing on just that.

And my life has been AMAZING. I've been relishing the crunch in the fall leaves, and how the sun looks when it peaks out over the mountains before its rise. There is peace. There is peace in living life as it continues.

Our goal for this week is to:
Be happy with what you have- content and grateful- express it!

So, friends, I would like to say that I am grateful. My life is so beautiful.

 

P.S. - Love the new layout, Laur. And I also love how much that girl above looks like the two of us.

October Week 1

HAPPY OCTOBER!!!

HAPPY GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!
(Our mad dash across Temple Square was AWESOME.)

HAPPY BRAND-NEW PROVO TEMPLE!!!

I am so excited about this I can't even say. This and the old library are my favorite buildings in Provo, hands down. And NOW it will be even better because it will still look like an English church on the outside... but inside it will be filled with the Spirit instead of uncomfortable wooden benches!!

And now for our featured presentation...
October Week 1: See the beauty in EVERYTHING around you! 
Be positive when things go wrong!
Basically, count your many blessings. It's fall. Time to be thankful.
Something I so admire in others is a gracious and grateful heart when things aren't going well.

This should be a good test- this week is my midterm crunch week, and I still need to find a new seat for my bike, but that does not change that which is most important:
The gospel.
People.
that's about it.

Lauren's other goals for this week:
1. Read my scriptures very first thing every morning.
2. Run a little every morning to train for my little racey-race at the end of the month. (Lucky for me,  I have new running pants and new conference talks to listen to!)
3. Go to the temple.
4. See my sister. True blue foam fest on Thursday? yes.
5. JOURNAL.

YOU are a child of God.

I am. You are.
Sometimes, when we all have something in common it becomes a commonplace truth to us.

But here is the deal. When it comes to people, the glass is SO half-full.
I used to be more of a judger. (At least, it's something I have been working on ever since my mom commented that I can be a bit of a snob.) 
It wasn't like I thought people were beneath me... I just couldn't believe how GOOD they were. I thought there must be a catch. Sometimes people are so genuinely kind, smart, funny, athletic, talented, younameit- that it's easy to feel out of my league, socially speaking.
I'm not saying that when you give people a chance you will become best friends with everyone you meet. But I do know that when REALLY try to love them, you are always surprised for the better. Seeing people as Christ sees them means we have a gracious heart and a kind tongue- we are always predisposed in their favor.
This includes being patient and loving with ourselves... usually more difficult. 

"Treat everyone you meet as if they are fighting a great battle." -commonly misquoted to Plato
We usually don't know what battles everyone is fighting in the secret chambers of their hearts. That's both normal and appropriate... the danger lies in our assuming their battles are any less real, just because we don't wear our life stories on our sleeves. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say I've wept bitter tears over someone else's situation... and wished I had treated them differently before I knew what they were going through.

We are children of God.
We. are Children. of God.
If we are not put on this earth to love others and bring light to those around us, then frankly, I have no idea what we are here for.

The God I believe in is not one who is halfhearted in His desire and effort for our eternal happiness.
Have faith. Open your eyes and see the beauty around you.

September Week 5

Well, first off, this week is to :

See the beauty in those around you - pray to see them as children of God.

I may want to extend this to seeing the beauty in life around me, including people.

But first, the flowers above are forget-me-nots.  Last evening, in the General Relief Society Meeting, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf encouraged women worldwide to forget not to be happy now, and to recognize the blessings in our lives.  Tonight, Alex Boye reminded us that "everything is a blessing."

Everything is a blessing.

I'd just like to post about how blessed Lauren and I have been.  We are reminded in the scriptures, many times, that focus on God and His plan will result in direction and blessings.  

Let me bear my testimony that that is true.

As these weeks have gone, I've been busy, and confused, and stressed, and tired.  Yet consistently, as I have focused on bettering myself, I have been blessed with the strength to continue.  When I was searching for a better perspective, I was able to find a talk in the Ensign that gave me exactly what I needed.  Last week, Lauren and I received the Elder Anderson's counsel as a supplement to our focus.  And this week, we've been blessed with the opportunity to hear both from an Apostle of the Lord and another man who has dedicated his talents to spreading the news of the Gospel, who both spoke on topics that have enabled us to change even more completely.  As a result of my desire to become better, I've not been left alone.  He is providing the means to learn and to grow, and I just need to do the work.

I am grateful for the opportunity to grow, and I am excited to start a new week, and recognize the beauty.  I will strive to forget not that like me, others are children of God.

Everything is a blessing.

September Week 4! (For the record.)

Sorry we're behind. The week is almost over BUT I am still going to post our goal:

Week 4: Be real! Be honest. Be open.

Ok, honestly?
Cebre and I are probably THE best communicators I know. If really ask how we are doing, we are the ones who will say,

"Actually, I am overwhelmed with school and work and I've been throwing up for two days straight- but other than that, I am great! How are you?"

Probably more than you wanted to know. (But it is the truth!)
[Cebre edit: I actually was just reminded this week about how I won the "Most likely to tell you how her day is ACTUALLY going" award freshman year.  Funny.]

But Elder Anderson gave a devotional this week that if we ask the Lord for direction, He will show us the ways in which we can be more honest. More virtuous.
http://universe.byu.edu/index.php/2011/09/13/elder-neil-l-andersen-calls-byu-an-oasis-of-righteousness/
(Sorry, they don't have a video of the speech up yet.)

Recently, I had a friend remark -very kindly- how he felt lots of times girls act uncharacteristically rude or dishonest when they try to shake off boys who are interested in them instead of just telling the truth flat-out. (It's not a problem I have very often- but it was a good example to me of how honesty is more than simply not cheating on tests.)Personally, whenever I am unsure about which course of action to take, I ask myself which one is more difficult. Usually, the opposite of my natural instinct is the right thing to do... so lucky for me! It's not too hard to figure out.
Jesus wasn't very popular. So thank goodness, I don't have to be either!
Real-ly.

LURVE TO SERVE

I have meant to write about this for a week now, because it is something I feel rather strongly about.
But because I didn't... you get the recap version instead!

Like Cebbies said, our week 3 goal was a focus on service.

I was so excited- something I have tried doing for a while now is making a concious effort to serve someone every day.
I know "serve" can sometimes be vague. It usually connotates how the other person recieves your action rather than the purity of the intent which you gave it. So in my head, I think of service as simply doing something nice for someone- and then I don't worry about how they take it. (I prefer to think that the good I have done people outweighs all the other times when I've creeped them out.)

*There is a great quote that I know but cannot cite correctly so I won't post it until I find it verbatim.*

The point is, our call is to give love. (Personally, I'm a lot better at listening to people than winning them over with baked goods. But everybody does what they do best.)
The important thing is to make an effort to give love even when it seems inconvenient or uncomfortable.

For example! Sunday night of last week, my professor told me the paper that I had spent Saturday writing was too off-topic. So I took it as a challenge to not become self-absorbed in the two days I had before the paper was due. Monday, I still went to FHE. Tuesday was my crunch day... but I was so blessed.
I spent the morning and a bit of the afternoon in the library working on it. I mean, I had already done the readings for it- but looking back, I honestly don't know how I cranked out over six pages so quickly. I even took an hour break in the middle to help my friend film a standup. I saw her in that blazer and my heart melted a little; I know how heavy that camera and tripod is for girls our size. And it was great!
I came back to the library and STILL finished my paper early. I did something else that was good that night- maybe I went to the temple; I don't really remember. But it was so great. I knew I had been blessed with extra time because I was trying to put the Lord first.

And here is something I never even expected!
Being written the day before it was due, I wasn't expecting a good grade on the paper. I thought it was pretty mediocre compared to all the other ones they would read. As a broadcast major, it is really hard for me to write research papers that don't feel like news articles. And this is a 400 level PolySci class (that I took just because I wanted to- don't judge!) with professors who are known for being tough graders.
But on my paper, beside my circled final grade there was this note:
"You write very well. Good job."
I could have cried, had I not been in the middle of my next class when I finally snuck a peek.

I still maintain that the paper is nothing special. And I still maintain that you get blessings for serving above and beyond what you expect or deserve. Kind of like reading your scriptures. I just can't function well without it. And I think I'm okay with that.

September Week 3

Growing up, I would occasionally have little crushes on boys. I considered the jaded and dejected feeling I had to be heartbreak--but most of those emotions could be dissolved through rational and logical thought. When I finally experienced my first end-of-relationship heartbreak, I was shocked.

My head and my heart were completely disconnected. I remember feeling as if my heart was just wayyy too full; it was swollen and painful and simply consumed me as a result. Thus, every thought I had was on myself, and my emotions. It was all about me, and no deduction that I was better off this way could convince me otherwise.

But I really wanted to change.

So I began praying for opportunities to recognize not only the need in myself, but in others. And mercifully, I was blessed so that I could. What started out as constant and consistent effort to look for opportunities to serve became second-nature. There was no more thought required, I wanted to serve others.

Despite my selfish thoughts and my young, swollen heart, I was blessed with comfort and peace.

I ask everyone within the sound of my voice to take heart, be filled with faith, and remember the Lord has said He “would fight [our] battles, [our] children’s battles, and [the battles of our] children’s children.”10 And what do we do to merit such a defense? We are to “search diligently, pray always, and be believing[. Then] all things shall work together for [our] good, if [we] walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith [we] have covenanted.”11 The latter days are not a time to fear and tremble. They are a time to be believing and remember our covenants.

I have spoken here of heavenly help, of angels dispatched to bless us in time of need. But when we speak of those who are instruments in the hand of God, we are reminded that not all angels are from the other side of the veil. Some of them we walk with and talk with—here, now, every day. Some of them reside in our own neighborhoods. Some of them gave birth to us, and in my case, one of them consented to marry me. Indeed heaven never seems closer than when we see the love of God manifested in the kindness and devotion of people so good and so pure that angelic is the only word that comes to mind.

...

My beloved brothers and sisters, I testify of angels, both the heavenly and the mortal kind. In doing so I am testifying that God never leaves us alone, never leaves us unaided in the challenges that we face. “[N]or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man [or woman or child] upon the face thereof to be saved.”13 On occasions, global or personal, we may feel we are distanced from God, shut out from heaven, lost, alone in dark and dreary places. Often enough that distress can be of our own making, but even then the Father of us all is watching and assisting. And always there are those angels who come and go all around us, seen and unseen, known and unknown, mortal and immortal.

May we all believe more readily in, and have more gratitude for, the Lord’s promise as contained in one of President Monson’s favorite scriptures: “I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, … my Spirit shall be in your [heart], and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.”14 In the process of praying for those angels to attend us, may we all try to be a little more angelic ourselves—with a kind word, a strong arm, a declaration of faith and “the covenant wherewith [we] have covenanted.”15 Perhaps then we can be emissaries sent from God when someone, perhaps a Primary child, is crying, “Darkness … afraid … river … alone.” To this end I pray in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

"The Ministry of Angels", Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Nov. 2008

Given above the testimony of an apostle, Lauren and I are embarking on week 4, which focus is:

Love to serve

This week, we will pray for opportunities and recognition, and hope that like the angels that bring us comfort and peace, we may be able to serve as well.

What is Love?

 Of course, when you surf the internet, you can always find weird things.  I've found this a few times in my internet-life, and even if the quotes aren't completely valid, they're sweet.  True source unknown.

1. When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love. 
Rebecca- age 8
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2. “When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.
You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.”
Billy – age 4
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3. “Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.”
Karl – age 5
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4. “Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.”
Chrissy – age 6

  5. “Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.”
Terri – age 4
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6. “Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.”
Danny – age 7
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7. “Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss”
Emily – age 8
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8. “Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.”
Bobby – age 7 (Wow!)
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9. “If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,”
Nikka – age 6
(we need a few million more Nikka’s on this planet)
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10. “Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.”
Noelle – age 7
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11. “Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they

know each other so well.”
Tommy – age 6
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12. “During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I
looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and
smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared anymore.”
Cindy – age 8
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13. “My mommy loves me more than anybody . You don’t see anyone else
kissing me to sleep at night.”
Clare – age 6
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14. “Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.”
Elaine-age 5
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15. “Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says
he is handsomer than Robert Redford.”
Chris – age 7
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16. “Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him
alone all day.”
Mary Ann – age 4
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17. “I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old
clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.”
Lauren – age 4
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18. “When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little
stars come out of you.” (what an image)
Karen – age 7
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19. “Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn’t
think it’s gross.”
Mark – age 6
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20. “You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if
you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.”
Jessica – age 8
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21. And the final one — Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked
about a contest he was asked to judge.
The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.
The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an
elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.
Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman’s
yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked
what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, “Nothing, I just
helped him cry.”

I've Got the Magic in Me

Tonight I was reading an old devotional by Elder Uchtdorf, just because I needed a little pick-me-up. I ran across this gem:

"Frankly, it takes work. For any relationship to survive, both parties bring their own magic with them and use that to sustain their love."

Maybe he was talking about marriage. But I think this applies to all of the relationships we hold dear- family and friends- as well.

I just like the thought of that. You hear all the time that relationships take work, and it sounds like drudgery, like it's some uphill struggle to maintain liking someone and staying close to them. But I also believe in kindred spirits. You bring your magic and they bring theirs, and then you combine forces to start the fireworks. That is how you make relationships work. Holler.

I highly recommend the rest of the talk- you can read it here.
I love you, Elder Uchtdorf. (Thanks for validating us.)

September Week 2

My mini message:

When Lauren and I decided to "Think of Others First" (challenge week two), I expected to be demonstrating my thoughts through action.  I'd let them turn into my lane, I'd open doors for them, I'd ... whatever.  My thinking of others first was primarily focused on giving them respect and notice through physical actions.

But then I got put on crutches.

I don't know what happened.  And I don't know when it will all be over.  But what I have learned is how much people at BYU serve!  So many people have shown their thoughts through their actions by not only waiting to open the door for me, but backtracking after they passed me to come back and open it.  And sadly, I couldn't do the same for them.

But somewhere amidst the crutches, and school starting, and life being crazy, I was prompted to think of others first in a different way than I previously planned.  Don't treat others with so much sarcasm and later Don't speak ill of others.  

Our challenge this week is to

Care deeply about relationships

This can be relationships with our peers, family, and then also our Heavenly Father and Savior.  It's so easy in every-day live to get mixed up and caught up, so that you don't even give time to those for whom you care.  This week, we're going to extra focus on proving the focus and love to maintain the relationships that we both have and care about.

And perhaps as we think of others first in not only our actions, but our words, we will also be able to further strengthen these relationships.  As we stand strong and do what's right, as we are "valiant in the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge, Ensign 2011) we will not only deepen our friendships and familial relationships, but we will also grow closer to our Savior as we become more like Him.

Goals for this week:
study the scriptures every day
go to the temple
pray for opportunities/increased ability to love
work for relationships, even if inconvenient, maintain friendships, keep them deep

September Week 1

As of tomorrow, we will officially be seniors in college. I said I wasn't excited for school to start, but now I can't wait. I like that all my friends are back in Provo after being home for the summer... or in foreign countries for two years. I like that the nights are warm enough for me to stay up way too late. I like that soon I will be back in the library half-reading, half-people-watching.

As an overarching theme for the month, we wanted to focus on people- strengthening our relationships, treating everyone like a child of God. This week's goal:

Think of others first

It reminds me of a talk President Uchtdorf gave in General Conference this past fall:
"We don’t discover humility by thinking less of ourselves; we discover humility by thinking less about ourselves. It comes as we go about our work with an attitude of serving God and our fellowman. Humility directs our attention and love toward others and to Heavenly Father’s purposes."

Recently I've been thinking a lot about the way I've spent my free time- or rather, who I've spent it with. Meeting people isn't something that is especially difficult for me- but sometimes it comes at the expense of my more important relationships. Knowing everybody is not the same thing as being a true friend, but Christ was able to do both. And the only way He could do that was to always put the needs of others above His own.

Sometimes when I feel insecure or out of my comfort zone it is harder to open up. To believe that people who seem to already have everything would want one more friend, or that complimenting a stranger will be uplifting and not creepy. To trust that if you truly forget yourself and give away all the love you can, at the end of the day you will be left with a heart that is full and not empty.
But that's the point of the experiment- so we'll just try it and see what happens! He won't leave us comfortless- so if we pray for opportunities to serve and love others, He will give them to us! We just have to watch :)

Goals for this week:
study the scriptures every day
go to the temple
pray for opportunities/increased ability to love
serve someone every day

The Game Plan

I'll be honest: Our inspiration comes from a group of young, marriage-hungry RM boys.

No, really...
They are young, smart, fun, handsome- and they have decided they are going to be married by Summer 2012.

Hmmm, thought we. That is a little unusual. (Though let's be honest, Taylor Henderson could probably get married next week if he wanted to.)

But not necessarily a bad idea. Marriage is celestial. And it's the next big step in our lives. And although we were more hesitant to dictate matters of timing to the Lord, we decided we could at least prepare ourselves and become the kind of people we want to marry.
We wrote a long list (not included here) of the qualities most important to us in a companion. Then we focused on how we could develop those things in ourselves. To make it concrete and feasible, we broke it up into smaller weekly focuses- formulated specifically around the normal course of the semester (holidays, finals, etc.) We realize that this is by no means a "Summer of 2012" guarantee. But that's not what we're shooting for, so much as the fact that we just want to be better people.

That said... ladies and gentlemen! (aka Mom.) We are proud to present:

The Game Plan

Pick one goal a week and work on it
Effective scripture STUDY
Weekly self-analysis with journal and patriarchal blessing
Regular temple attendance
Sincere prayer:
           Pray for opportunities to develop friendships and grow as individuals
           Pray for “Thy will be done” and be willing to accept it when it comes
Daily reflection- trying to listen to the Spirit
Regular exercise and balanced eating habits
Immersing yourself in your ward
Give everybody a chance- look for the best in everybody
Do something social every week

Schedule

August
1.) Study (STUDY) scriptures
Journal and reflect
Listen for the spirit daily (meditate and reflect)

September
1.) Think about others first- pray to recognize opportunities
                                             be a good listener
2.) Care deeply about relationships-- work for them
                                                            even if inconvenient, maintain friendships, keep them deep
3.) Love to serve- pray for opportunities and recognition
4.) Be real- good communicator, honesty
5.) See the beauty in those around you- pray to see them as children of God

October
1.) See the beauty in everything- positive attitude when things go wrong
2.) Be happy with what you have- content and grateful- express it
3.) Honor our divine potential- develop talents
4.) Choose to be optimistic- look forward with faith and patience (Thy Will Be Done)

November
1.) Consecrate our time to things that really matter
2.) Be intellectually curious and discuss it with others
3.) Be a hard worker- put whole heart into whatever you’re doing
4.) Develop good friendships- reassess our most important relationships
5.) Be physically attractive- take care of our bodies- be classy.

December
1.) Hunger for the gospel- assess where we want to go, strengthen our relationship with Christ
2.) Be giving and generous-- forget ourselves during finals (People > Problems)
3.) Focus on family- be a better sister, daughter, friend.
4.) Put your whole heart in whatever you’re doing

Again, let me be honest
I'm pretty ecstatic about this.
xoxo
Lauren

P.S. Ceb-babe here- We'll be logging our weekly progress on here.  Oddly, even though I adore Taylor Henderson, I didn't know about his idea until today when Lauren mentioned it.  But I just pretended to understand, and nodded silently.  Anyway, that's why we created the blog.  Enjoy!!

hoopla!

yeah