Halloween; No Makeup Required

On Friday night, I slipped on the kitchen floor at my parents house. I hit my head on something; we aren't quite sure what it was because it was late and I didn't have my glasses on. My head split open and we had to go to the ER. It hurt really bad and I HATE hospitals. I am petrified of needles. The thought of stitches made me bawl like a baby. I got eight stitches. I am not so scared of hospitals anymore, because they were so good to me Friday night/Saturday morning! The only thing that really hurt was when they numbed my forehead. It was weird to look out of my peripheral vision and see thread coming out of my head. But I was surprisingly calm through most of the ordeal. Needless to say, I have a really big headache today and my eye is black and blue.
We had an awesome surprise party for my dad yesterday. More is to come about that. It was a dress up party. Can anyone guess what I was? I was going to be Minnie Mouse or Snow White. But I ended up being a boxer; no makeup required!
This is to show you how black and blue I was! I am kind of brown now! I took this picture on my computer and it took a mirror image of me. The cut it actually on the right side of my face.

He is always there!

I am reluctant to post about my feelings this evening. I do not do it because I want sympathy or want others to feel bad for me. I want to share them because it is part of my testimony. I do so in hopes to help others who are feeling the same way.
When I was getting ready to come home from my mission, many said that it would be hard. And I knew it would be. But nothing could have prepared me for what was ahead. The first several months were great and I was happy. But then it hit me. I have felt so alone and like I don't have that great of a purpose. I know that I have a purpose but I feel as though, in the real world, I am not needed that much. You see as a missionary, everyone knows you and wants to be around you. When you come home though, everything has changed and it seems as though no one is there like they were before.
Tonight has been hard and I am not sure why it is harder than other nights. As I was sitting her crying, I knew I had to get on my knees. I know that no matter how alone I am, there are many who stand beside me. Number One is my Father in Heaven and His son Jesus Christ. They are always there for me. I think about the Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane. Even His closest friends couldn't stay awake and be beside Him. He went through that moment so that He could comfort people like me. He knows about loneliness. Even in our darkest hour, He is there. We just need to find Him.
I know that when I feel alone I need to stop and feel His love. Today it was in the warmth I felt on such a cold day. I can feel it now as I write this. His love emanates through word and action as I kneel down and pray. It can be felt as I hold the pillow that my Grandma used to sleep on when she would come and stay at our house. I feel it as I listen to beautiful music. I can feel it as I use my talents to create something new. I can feel His love as He puts a smile on my face even though it is hard. I can see it in the beautiful sky and mountains. I see it in the faces of the pictures that are hanging in my room. Everyday the Lord shows me that He loves me, that He wants me to keep going, and that He will carry me when I fall.
I feel like the young women in the painting above and below. I will cry on His shoulder and I will remember that His arms are around me continually. If you are reading this, please know that you are not alone. Just as I am continually finding out what my specific mission is here on earth, I beg you to find yours. Remember that He is always there with His arms wrapped around you. Look for how He is showing His love to you today!

Picture by David Bowman.

MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Last Halloween I dressed up as a cow and my companion was a cowgirl! I was the coolest missionary. Everyone thought it was great that I had dressed up!

I Belong...

I belong to the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

I know who I am. I know God's plan.
I'll follow Him in faith.
I believe in the Savior, Jesus Christ.
I'll honor His name.
I'll do what is right; I'll follow His light.

His truth I will proclaim!

I am so grateful to be a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! Just like the song says because of the church, I know who I am and I know God's plan. I know that I am a daughter of God and that He loves me very much! I also know with all my heart that God has a plan for me as well as all of us here on earth. That plan includes eternal families, if we keep our covenants to Him. I am so grateful for my family and that we will be together forever!
Because of the church I know that there is a prophet on the earth today. His name is Thomas S. Monson. I know that he leads and guides this church. If we will listen and obey what he says we will never go astray. I am grateful to be lead by divine power. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that because of his courage to ask in faith, he was able to restore the true church upon the face of the earth. I know that he saw God the Father and the Savior Jesus Christ in a grove of trees. I am thankful for my testimony of this gospel.
I love the last line of the song above; His truth I will proclaim. I am so grateful that I got to serve a mission. It was defiantly the highlight of my life so far. I was thinking this morning about how I haven't written about my mission on my blog since I got home. So I want to share a few stories today.

The first story I want to tell is of this amazing lady in the picture above. Her name is Pam Johnson. I meet this lady on the first day of my mission. I had just gotten to my first area, North Port, with my new companion, Sister Hofheins. Pam and her family were going through a very hard time. Pam was out of work and her husbands hours were being cut. They had hardly enough food to get by but they were running out and didn't know where to get more food. A really good family friend of the Johnson's saw them struggling and asked his daughter, who is a member, if the church could help them. The church did help them and Pam decided that she should probably learn about this church that had helped her family. She called the missionaries and started reading the Doctrine and Covenants. As you can imagine she had many questions. We would go to Pam's house and answer her questions the best we knew how. After one of her lessons we (Sister Hofheins, me, and another member of the ward) all started to bear our testimonies. The spirit was really strong and Pam bore her testimony of the gospel truths after we had finished ours. We then asked Pam if she wanted to get baptized. She agreed and was really excited. She read the whole Book of Mormon before she was baptized. The spirit had touched her and there was no doubt in her mind that the church was true!
The last time I checked up with Pam she was doing very well. Her and her husband got stable jobs after her baptism. Pam went through the temple when I was on my mission. I had the awesome opportunity to go with her. She was in the Relief Society presidency and was fulfilling her responsibilities well. I love this women and am so thankful for her example of faith to me!

A View from the Top

I love my job! Mainly I love it because I have the best boss ever. He is one of the most kind, loving and considerate people I know. He treats me like I am his daughter and I feel like he is a father figure to me. He saved my job for me while I was on my mission and I was so thankful to be able to come back to work for him. Today we had a work party up at his cabin. It was a beautiful drive up Provo canyon. It is defiantly fall! I wish I could have gotten more pictures but I was driving. When we finally got there we had a potluck lunch. One of our full-time workers, Martha and her Husband Pat, made sloppy joes for all of us. We then sat around and sang as one of my co-workers played his guitar. Another girl played her ukulele and sang. The best part was Brad telling us stories for his time in the military. I love how patriotic he is. He cried as he talked about this great country. We laughed and laughed at his story, or should I say stories (he gets off track alot, but he side stories are just as great).

On our way to the cabin we stopped at the airport in Heber. My boss is retired Army and is very patriotic, like I mentioned before. He saw this plane on the way up and decided we should stop and see if we could get a better look. The pilot was more than willing to show us his plane. It looked just like the one above which is a T-28. These were built right after WW2 and were a training plane. The pilot, who was an Air Force retiree, got the plane out of Nevada. It was brought to the US from Laos after a war there. After talking to us about the plane, he took off for us and did a little air show for us. It was really exciting when he flew over us and then did a spin! Sorry for no actually pictures, I forgot my camera in the car. But no need to worry, I will get pictures from some others who had their cameras.

Halloween/ October/ Scott's Birthday

I'm dreaming of the Great Pumpkin

Just like I do this time each year.
When he brings nice toys
To good girls and boys
Who wait for him to appear.

I'm dreaming of the Great Pumpkin
With every pumpkin card I write.
May your jack-o-lanterns burn bright

When the Great Pumpkin visits you tonight!

Ever since I can remember, my family has sung Pumpkin carols. My family has a little book that is shaped like a pumpkin that has these beloved carols in them. The comic strip Peanuts is the creators of this book. I find so much joy in singing them. I love Halloween; not the scary,creepy,gory, stuff but the cute costumes and good food there is to eat. I love pumpkins, cooked and uncooked. I love the candy! I love to dress up as well! Two years ago I made myself a Snow White costume and passed out apples. Usually I don't worry too much about my costume but pay more attention to what my mother will be. You see, as a kindergarten teacher you must have a stellar costume. One year she was Chicka-Chicka Boom Boom! She was Happy HULA-ween last year. This year is going to be another awesome year. Of course it is a surprise of what she will be.
The other thing I love about the month of October is that my family has two birthdays. My younger brother, Scott, celebrates his on the 5th and my dads in on Halloween. For Scott birthday we went to this really cool restaurant called "Pirate Island." The restaurant looks like a pirate ship. There is an arcade in the restaurant. My sister-in-law found out that if you were to dress up when you came to the restaurant than you would get $2 dollars of free tokens. So of course the whole family dressed up! Dad was a jail bird, mom was Chicka-Chicka Boom Boom, Ryan was Where's Waldo, Sam was a fairy/butterfly, Marley was Minnie-Mouse, I was Snow White and Scott was Super Mario. We had so much fun! If you want a fun family friendly evening with your family and you live here in Utah, check out Pirate Island!
Happy Halloween!

Gratitude!

I have been having a really hard week. I don't know if it is because it is mid-terms and all I do is study or if it is because I am really lonely. Probably a combination of both. I am also super homesick for Florida and my "family" there. I was sitting on my bed just now, having my own little pity party when I decided that having a pity party isn't very fun. So I thought that I would sit down at my computer for a minute and write about somethings that I am very thankful for in my life. Gratitude always helps to cheer me up and helps me to think more on the positives of life. I would write about all the things I am thankful for but this post would never end!

First, I am so thankful for my mother! This week I have had horrible migraine headaches and have been pretty sick with them. On Wednesday night, my sweet mom, came into town, went to the health food store and found some awesome medicine for me to take! Thanks Mom, it did the trick and I am headache free tonight!
I am also thankful for my awesome friend Marisa. She lets me come over whenever I want and hold her adorable baby. Thanks, it really helps me to be not so lonely.
I am thankful for my memory. I am grateful for the memories I have created over my lifetime. I am thankful for my mission and all the things I learned while serving. I am thankful for the people I taught and the ones I didn't teach. I am especially thankful for this family below and for the examples they are to me. The oldest son, in the green, goes to seminary every morning at 6:00! That's early! And for the awesome mother, who does it all by herself and does stupendously.

The Gleason's!

I am thankful for the gospel and the peace it brings to me. I am thankful that I was able to go to General Conference in the Conference center. I am thankful for my apartment! I am thankful for love and the abundance I feel when I count my blessings. I am so grateful for my cousin Heidi and her letting me be a part of her daughters lifes.

I am thankful for my job and for the money I receive from an honest days work! I am thankful for the fall and for Halloween! I am thankful for my ability to be crafty. I am really thankful for my time here on earth and the productive things I do each day. I am more than grateful for my RM planner, it keeps me going! I grateful to be going to BYU and the neat atmosphere that surrounds me at school. I am grateful for the scriptures and for knowing that they are true! I am thankful for my parents neighbors that I love so much; you know who you are! I am grateful for worthy music and for the spirit I feel when I participate in uplifting things! I am thankful for my mind and the way it works! I am thankful for a bed, blankets, and the ability to sleep at night. I am thankful for who I am and the situation I am in.

I just need to remind myself often of these things. Dwelling on the positive is the only way to go! It doesn't help me at all to complain and no one wants to hear it. Last week I heard Stephanie Nielson speak at BYU. I you don't know who that is her blog is http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/. Two years ago, she was in a fatal plane crash which killed a friend of hers. Her and her husband survived. She is such an inspirational person and is GRATEFUL for her trials. I want to be more like her; grateful for all things. Check her and her blog out. I promise you will be inspired and want to sit down to count your blessings, good or bad!
P.S. I am really thankful for this little, or should I say big, guy. He always makes me smile. He calls me Princess and he says that he is my king! I can't get enough of him of his family. Boy, am I ever thankful for Skype!