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.