Blog Challenge: Day 28

Your celebrity crush:

Ahhhh... Adam Levine.  Maroon 5 lead singer.  You are beautiful, and your voice is just as, if not more so, beautiful as your person.  I can even look past the tats.

Let us admire him some more.

I know, right?!

And... for your musical and visual enjoyment, you can listen AND watch the babe at the same time!

Gorgeous.

Hope

My sweet grandma posted this  on Facebook today.  One of her grandsons is serving a mission in LA and this was a quote from one of his letters.  I thought it was too awesome to not share!!
"Just remember when something is taken from your hands, God is only preparing you to receive something bigger."
How true is that?

Blog Challenge: Day 27

A tv show I'm a addicted to.

Lately, it's 

And it's not so much an addiction, but A&E and Ion both play them all  the time, so when I was sick and had nothing else to watch, I almost always had Criminal Minds! It's pretty fascinating to me.  They're a unit in the FBI that study behaviors of criminals, specifically serial killers or serial abductors or something that like, and take over investigations.  It's a pretty freaking cool show!

Charity, Compassion, and Guidance

So I was talking with a dear, dear friend of mine the other day as we laughed over desserts, mine being a bowl of luscious mint chip ice cream, and his being an M&M cookie sandwich with just as much cookie dough ice cream inside of it as I had in my bowl, plus a sugar cookie.  He slept all day, he was hungry.  Anyway, we talked a good long talk and somehow the conversation turned into me kind of ranting about how sometimes you get this feeling that is best described as incredibly antsy! I told him sometimes I just feel like something is going to happen, something good, but I don't know what it is, and I just can't get my mind off of that feeling, even though I know there are other things in my life I should focus on.  He told me he knew exactly what I meant and added a good tidbit about how it feels like everything in your life has been leading you to this one thing, whatever it is.  This was reassuring, because sometimes it's just nice to know you're not the only one feeling crazy anticipation for the unknown.

Church today was about having compassion and having charity.  The talks in sacrament meeting were really good, but the last talk in particular really struck a cord with me.  The speaker was probably about 28 or 29.  He retold a story of when he attended BYU about five years back, and he was having a conversation with several of his mission friends in front of the library.  As they talked, an old man about 80 years old circled the group of them, staring at this man in particular, as if waiting for them to finish their conversation.  When they finally did, the speaker approached the old man and asked him if he needed anything, and the old man replied he didn't, he just thought he knew him.  So the speaker introduced himself, they swapped information (turns out they didn't know each other), and they grew to become great friends.  The old man lived in St. George, so every time they were in each other's necks of the woodses, they would stop by and chat for a while.  The speaker went on to talk about how the Lord really uses us as instruments in His hands.  His work of compassion will continue to go forward, whether or not we jump on the band wagon.

In Relief Society, the whole lesson was on charity.  I really enjoyed this lesson!! It was from a talk by President Monson from last Conference, from the General Relief Society Meeting entitled Charity Never Faileth.  The woman giving the lesson has been through her fair share of rough times after losing a son about 8 years ago.  Her other sons have had their own different struggles as well.  As we read through different parts of the talk, the discussion turned into more of a why-we-shouldn't-judge discussion, and it just got the wheels in my head turning.  Toward the end of the class, the teacher read this quote from the talk:

"Charity is having patience with someone who has let us down. It is resisting the impulse to become offended easily. It is accepting weaknesses and shortcomings. It is accepting people as they truly are. It is looking beyond physical appearances to attributes that will not dim through time. It is resisting the impulse to categorize others."


After she read that, I felt like I had been hit over the head by a dumbbell! I had never though of charity as choosing to not be offended, but it makes perfect sense! When we choose to get offended, we drive out the ability to feel love for that person.  Choosing to take offense is another form of judging, which is the opposite of charity.  Most of the time, no offense is meant when offense is taken.  We're human beings.  We are imperfect, and because of that, we say things that are meant one way, but because of one thing or another, they are just taken completely wrong.

This whole thought process took me back to about 9 months ago.  After I got divorced, I was so fearful that everyone was going to judge me, say mean things, and look at me differently, but after talking to my mom, she told me that I should look at it as a good filtration system.  Why would I want to be with people that judged me anyway? They didn't understand the circumstances.  They didn't understand all the pain I went through.  And if they couldn't respect my decision and trust that the Lord guided me in my decision, then I shouldn't be with them anyway.  And from them on, I looked at it as a huge blessing!

It's just amazing to me how all the different aspects of the gospel connect and at the end of the day, everything comes back to Christ and His immense love for us.  He understands us more than anyone, and not just me, but He understands you! Christ isn't physically with us, but we're instruments in His hands, and when we listen to the spirit, the things that He can do through us are unlimited.  Never doubt what the Lord can do :)

Blog Challenge: Day 26

Put your iPod on shuffle and list the first ten songs:


my phone is my iPod, so...

1. Car Crash - Matt Nathanson
2. Unapologize - Carrie Underwood
3. Kill The Lights - The Jakes
4. The Man Who Can't Be Moved - The Script
5. Shine - Shannon Noll
6. One Day I'll Fly Away - Moulin Rouge
7. Spin - We The Kings
8. Almost Lover - Fine Frenzy
9. Listen To My Heart - Garreth Gates
10. Walking The Dog - Fun

Blog Challenge Day: 25

A song that matches my mood:


The song I really want to put up, isn't even on youtube! Sad, sad day.  I would have picked Enough by Tyrone Wells (yeah, click it!) because it's such a happy, optimistic song, and I like to think that I'm a pretty happy, optimistic person.  And who doesn't want to feel that way? I thought so.

But I always rant and rave about him, and this is my blog, so I can put however many songs I want on here, gosh dang it! So I pick... this one too!

Seems that I can't remember where I ran across these guys either, but it was a few months ago, and I saw them and didn't catch their name and I was SO upset!! Somehow I found them again.  Again, yay!!

Blog Challenge: Day 24

My definition of LOVE

I think there are many different kinds of love.  There's the romantic kind of love, there's the love you have for your siblings, there's the love parents have for their children, the love that children have for their parents, there's the love that I have for those sweet boys I nannied, there's the love that you have for a cute little animal... yes gentle readers, I believe I could go on and on about the different kinds of love.  You can love people, things, places, and you can love someone without loving what they do... all of them are different.  

I think the most important love on this world is the Love we get from our Heavenly Father, and the most amazing thing about it? We can't even comprehend it! His love for us is so incredibly great that we can't even begin to understand a portion of that kind of love.

But there is the love that we do understand, and that's the human kind.

On the one hand, I think all these different kinds of love are so diverse and different that they all deserve different definitions, but on the other hand, I think love can be summed up in a few sentences.  So maybe love can be defined in just a few sentences, but each kind of love can just be even more deeply defined the further you get into it.

I think the basic definition of love is truly hoping the best for someone, and selflessly doing all you can to help make that happen.

From a parent's perspective, I think they want more than anything for their children to lead happy, healthy, faithful lives.  They don't want to see their children hurting or making wrong decisions.  Just wanting your child to be happy doesn't mean giving them everything they want, because that won't make them happy in the long run.  Parents teach their kids to work, to finish things on time, reprimand them when they misbehave... ever notice how all these things seem to bother kids when they're young, and then they're thanking their parents once they've grown up and had to face the real world?

From a child's perspective, when we're young we love our parents because they're our life support.  They exist to serve us.  Mom makes us food, dad gives us his silver and brown monies, you get my drift.  And then as we age reality sets in and we discover that mom and dad actually had lives before they had us, and they still have lives that may or may  not involve us! And then we grow up and we love mom and dad because we realize just how much they taught us and how much they really love us.

I think being in love is a pretty complex kind of love.  You feel happy when that person is around.  You may feel tongue tied, or your heart just jumps whenever you hear their voice.  That euphoric kind of love.  Deeper than that, however, I think being in love is the most selfless act.  You care about this person more than you care about yourself.  You want nothing more for them than to make them happy.  You trust them, and trust that they trust you.  The interesting thing about this love? It only works when both people feel the same way.  Have you ever heard people say that relationships and marriage are 50/50 deals? I have news for you: it's a lie.  It's anything but a 50/50 deal! It's a 100/100 deal - both have to give and expect nothing in return, and then, both will give and receive everything.

I think all these kinds of love are portions of what the Lord feels for us, and if we don't involve him in our lives and in our loves, I don't think we would be capable of love at all.

Blog Challenge: Day 23

My Beliefs:


That everything about the gospel is true.
That the atonement is real.
That the priesthood is real.
That Christ lives, and He'll come again.
That spring will come.
That healing happens.
That sometimes you just need a mint chip shake, and you need the whole thing.
That the Lord never gives us more than we can handle.
That the Lord guides your life and your decisions when you're doing what you're supposed to.
That you should always pay your tithing.
That family is your best friend.
That cake is really not the best choice when it comes to dessert.
That frozen yogurt trips are wonderful.
That even if your life hasn't gone the way you thought it would, it can still be amazing and beautiful.
That the temple is the most amazing place on earth.
That you should be grateful for everything you have, and everything you don't have.
That toes are ugly.
That great times are ahead!

Acknowledge His hand in all things

It's interesting to me how often we forget just what we owe everything to.  We often forget that all the things that we own, all the things we are privileged to do, all the people we've met, all the material things we enjoy, our homes, our food, our health, even our happiness, we owe to our Father in Heaven.  His immeasurable love for us is so incomprehensible! And yet here we sit, at our computers that were bought with money that we got from a job that we got because of our talents that God gave us.  All of it always comes right back to God.

Ever since I was in elementary school I've struggled with my health.  Allergic to this or that, getting headaches and migranes and mono, losing weight, hair not growing, limbs not moving.  All these sort of things and more will always be a part of me.  I think that because of this and my loving, faithful, amazingly spiritual family, I was blessed at a young age to understand the power of the priesthood and having faith to be healed.  I've always been pretty good about not asking "why me?" or complaining (although, I'm ashamed to say, I've had my moments, just like everyone).

I know that every trial we are given has a purpose, and the Lord never gives us anything we can't handle, but what goes hand in hand with that is the gift of the Atonement - this incredible gift given to us to take away our pain! I know for a fact I could never have faced anything I've gone through on my own, not without the help of the Lord.  He's blessed me in so many ways I can't even count them, and I can never repay Him.

All the healing that's taken place in my life, physically and emotionally, I owe to the Lord, because my healing was His will, and His alone.  It had absolutely nothing to do with anything I've done.  Without Him, we are nothing! And without His love and His blessings... I really would have nothing.  All that I am and have is His.  The gospel is the most beautiful things and I'm SO blessed to be a member of it!

Now go here and watch some uplifting stuff :)

A little Valentines Day adventure never hurt anyone

So I just would like to throw it out there that my Valentines Day was pretty stinkin' awesome, and contrary to my mother's predictions, I stayed up past 11 o'clock, thank you very much!

Yesterday my father, whom I adore, left for the Land of Promise, aka California, and left us in this cold, dismal, snowy place.  It was so good to have him back for a little bit! Basically, my dad's the coolest, and I'm not just saying that because he's my dad, I'm saying it because I've taken a poll, and all my siblings agree.  3 to 0, you are outnumbered.

After my darling father left, my poor mother was left valentineless.  Nary a tear did she shed.  Brave soul.

My brother and sister, ever the social butterflies, both managed to finagle dates for that evening, and I, ever the apparently not so very social butterfly, did not.  So naturally, I volunteered myself as a stand in valentine for my mother, who graciously obliged.  She's so kind to me.  So what did we do while the sibs were out making merry their love day? We went to Purple Turtle, devoured the most delicious of malts.  I think we made a pretty great date.

When we returned home, what a sorry sight did greet our eyes.  Let's just say we were forced to rent a carpet cleaner for the second time this week.  Thank you, stupid dog.

Meanwhile, I devoured my shake.

I've decided that Purple Turtle is my favorite malt establishment at this time... of all time.  Thus far.  Not to mention it's been around forever and ever.  Just sayin'.

And so, my dear mother spent the rest of the evening Rug Dr.-ing the presents the dog left us, while I devoured my malt shamelessly.  It was mint chip, what can I say? We then proceeded to multi task by watching semi-trashy television in the form of The Bachelor while she played sudoku and I chatted on facebook.  We have mad skills.

All in all, kids, it was a joyous time, our mother-daughter bonding radar was off the charts, and who couldn't use that every once in a blue moon? Ok... besides a boy.  But they don't count anyway.

Moral of story - eat mint chip malts at purple turtle, bond with mumsy, and make sure your dog can't get out of the kitchen, and life is good!

Peace and blessings, ya'll, peace and blessings.

Blog Challenge: Day 22

Something I could never leave the house without:


Uh.... clothes?

Let's be honest here, I could never leave the house nakey.  Jeepers.

Blog Challenge: Day 21

Something you could NEVER get tired of: 


Now, let's get a few things clear.  I used to be a chocoholic.  That's a past tense verb, in case it's been a while since you've taken English.  When I was a kid (and by kid, I mean like... 12 years old) my mom caught me inside the cupboard eating M&M's out of the giant bag.  She tells me it was terribly pitiful.  Good thing I was a fat kid.

And so, my answer isn't chocolate.  Though I love it, I know I would indeed get tired of it if I had it all the time.

Next item of business.  I am not a crier.  Yeah, that means I don't love watching a chick flick when I feel like I "need a good cry" because, seriously, who likes crying? Weird.  My  nose runs, my face gets puffy, my eyes get red and my lips puff up like I ate something spicy with really chapped lips.  I don't know about you, but I don't enjoy looking like that.  That being said, there are a few chick flicks out there that I like.

Yes, I like clothes, and yes, I like makeup, but seeing as my sister is the fashionista of the household, and honestly... I don't put as much effort into either as I sometimes wish I could.  So neither of those is quite right.

Why must these questions be so difficult!! There are so many things running through my mind that are seemingly things I could never ever get sick of... food (love it, need it), shoes (love 'em, need 'em), rings (ahhhhh), cuddling (such goodness), I could go on, but I would bore you.  In fact, you may already be bored, and if that's the case, I apologize.  Get on with it, sister! <-- you must be saying this to yourself.

Alright fine, I've done my thinking, I've come up with my answer.  I think.

The one thing I would never get sick of is going to the temple.

I tell my mom often, in fact I probably tell her everytime we go, that I would live there if it weren't for the fact that I get hungry and sleep and need to shower.  But I adore everything about that place because it's the most perfect place on this entire earth, and on top of that Heavenly Father gave it to us and commanded us to go and use it.  It's pretty much an amazing commandment because it really gives back more to us, doesn't it? I mean, how many blessings to we get in return for sacrificing a few hours of our time to help out someone that can't do the work for themselves? Pretty darn awesome if you ask me.

Love :)

Chocolate Comfort Cookies and homemade Marshmallow Fluff!

Marshmallow fluff, anyone?

Oh yeah, baby!

Especially when this delicious concoction is homemade!

Yeah, you heard right.  Home to the made.

pssssttt... they're healthier too!!!! Made with agave, no corn syrup or high fructose nonsense, for real!

You want the recipe? I know you do! I snagged it from a blog (I kind of adore searching for healthier food on blogs... just sayin'.)  Recently I started following this blog: Homesteadwannabes.blogspot.com  and it is has some great recipes on there! I'm a huge fan.

Now, I'll have you know, today was the first day I ever tried a fluffernutter.  Not a ginormous fan, but I am a ginormous fan of homemade marshmallow cream.  So my mom and I added a few chocolate chips, and that made it pretty freakin' good.  I was lacking in the calorie department today, so I didn't feel too guilty, plus, I've got to make up for all the weight I've lost being sick for the past couple of months.  :)

So, you may be asking why I went searching for a marshmallow recipe in the first place.  Well, my mom loves reading murder mysteries.  As do I, but seeing as she has read about a bajillion more than I have, she's run across some particularly fun ones.  One series, the Goldy Culinary Mysteries, she reads is about a caterer, and the book has several recipes in it.  How neat is that? I guess the author is really into cooking as well as writing, so it's kind of like a murder mystery cook book.  That's my kind of book right there.  I'll find out exactly what the series is called and let you know if you, for those of you who, like me, enjoy both books and food!

Anyway, in the Goldy Culinary Mystery series, (the specific book is "Grilling Season") there is a particularly FABULOUS recipe called Chocolate Comfort Cookies, which calls for marshmallow cream.  Now, my family eats pretty darn healthy, and let's face it, marshmallow cream just ain't healthy! My mom had a real hankering for these cookies, and I told her I knew you could make homemade marshmallows, which got us thinking, can you make a healthier version of marshamallows? And so we looked, and I ran across the recipe from homesteadwannabes.blogspot.com, and we kinda freaked out.  To make marshamallow cream instead of marshmallows, you just beat the ingredients for about 3-5 minutes instead of 15, and don't let them set up.  And I'm telling you, it's about 100x better than storebought Jetpuff crap.  For real.

So go check it out, kids! You'll fall in love.

Hey.... You want that chocolate comfort cookie recipe?

Done :)

Chocolate Comfort Cookies

1 cup chopped hazelnuts (roasted)

2 cups chocolate chips

1/2 cup sundried cranberries

1 cup butter (softened)

1 cup sugar

3 oz. cream cheese (softened)

1 egg

2 tabl. milk

1 1/2 teas. vanilla

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate (melted)

2 1/4. cup flour

1/2 teas. baking powder

1/2 teas. salt

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 cup marshmallow cream

Combine hazelnuts, chocolate chips, and cranberries and set aside.  Beat butter, sugar, cream cheese and egg, then add milk, vanilla, and melted chocolate.  Sift flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder, then add to the wet mixture.  Blend in marshmallow cream, and add nut mixture.  Stir until well mixed.  Bake at 325 for  12-15 minutes.

Our healthy variation: we made our own marshmallow cream.  Also, instead of butter, we used half a cup of applesauce, and scant half cup of canola oil.  We used sifted whole wheat flour (nice and light, it didn't make the cookies heavy) instead of white flour.  Instead of granulated sugar, we used evaporate cane juice.  We used fat free cream cheese, fat free milk, and we would have substituted flax meal for the egg, but we didn't have any.

Just a side note, anytime you are cooking with butter in cakes or cookies or pancake or waffle batter, something like that, you can substitute applesauce or yogurt for the entire thing if you want to.  We didn't have enough applesauce to substitute the entire cup of butter, so we used half applesauce and half canola oil.  if you are going to use oil, use less than what the recipe calls for.

Happy eating, ya'll :)

Blog Challenge: Day 20

Your favorite movie.


Ah seriously?!! My favorite?! Do I really have to pick just one?! Nope, I refuse, this is my blog, and I'ma do what I want!

I'm a fun movie kinda gal, I don't really love movies that make you cry, because I'm not a huge fan of tears! SOOO I like fun movies like unto these:

1. The Princess Bride - cuz let's be honest, who doesn't love this movie? And plus, I grew up on this movie! I will forever love it

2. Zorro the Gay Blade - seriously... um, this movie is freaking HILARIOUS!!!

3. Abbott and Costello Movies - can't go wrong with old time funniest :)

4. A wide array of various old movies that I'm not going to name because it will take way too long - I was sick for a long time when I was a kid, and most of my time was spent watching old movies and dog shows.  I became very educated on both subjects.

:)

Blog Challenge: Day 19

How you found out about blogs and why you made one.


Honestly, I don't remember how I found out about them.  I heard the buzz, you know, the general hum about them and how much people loved blogging.  At first I didn't see the point.  I mean, hello, you have facebook! At least that was my thinking process, but I really enjoy my blog now that I've actually got one! I think I started reading blogs long before I started one.  Then I decided it would be fun for me to write, and later it turned into my journalish outlet of sorts.  Well... sort of. ;) I'm a horrible journaler, so this helps me a little bit.

Ode to a Valentine

Ode to a Valentine

Roses and chocolate and cards seem to be

What all males and females can’t say to their sweetie.

I love you, be mine, you’re gorgeous and hot,

I see you and realize everyone else is just not.

These are the things that we wish to convey,

But sadly, we can’t find the right ways to say.

Dear Cupid, that monster, he made us elated!

He shot us and laughed as our pupils dilated.

So to curb our love bug bites and to cure innate bumbling,

We always resort to nonsensical fumbling

With pink hearts and red bows and chocolates and such,

And we’re hoping our darlings don’t hate it that much.

Ending 1 – for the haters

So if loving your sweetie just ain’t gonna cut it,

Well, take it from me, that Cupid can shut it!

 Ending 2 – for the love birds

So remember the love and give kisses a reason,

Because, after all, this is the love season!

Happy Valentines Day J

Blog Challenge: Day 18

What YOU would find in my purse:

• wallet
• glasses
• lip gloss/chapstick/lipstick
• gum
• a pocketknife of sorts
• keychain
• mittens
• toe warmers
• snack food (like nuts or fruit leather)
• lotion
• probably an extra set of earrings, maybe a stray neclace, or bracelet
• random coupons to various frozen yogurt and smoothie joints
• girl stuff
• earbuds

Blog Challenge: Day 17

Another picture of you and your friends:

Halloween. 

Last year.

Ward party. 

Hiking Timp with Keira, Kelli, and Chris.  Um... I'm pretty sure we didn't even make it.  Emerald Lake is good enough for me!

Blog Challenge: Day 16

Something you're proud of in the past few days:

My family!

My family is the bomb - immediate and extended combined!  I'm so proud of all of them and how they are handling all the trials that have been thrown their way.  Just when you think life couldn't get any more complicated, something else happens that forces change, but I'm so proud of how they've involved the Lord in everything and trusted in Him and... you rock family!

Blog Challenge: Day 15

A YouTube Video

This may be my favorite YouTube video out there.  I seriously LOVE it.  Enjoy it.

Blog Challenge: Day 14

A Photo of yourself and a description of how your day was:

Well, this is the most recent picture of me that I have, so here ya go!

How did my day go? We'll go with yesterday, because it's only ten o'clock this morning, and honestly all that has happened so far is my fight with the blender, drinking a smoothie, watching the news, the Daily Dish, and Good Things Utah, entering my mom to win some makeup, and blogging/reading blogs.

But what happened yesterday? I made it through a whole day of church! Hooray! I woke up really early because... I don't know exactly, perhaps I didn't sleep very well.  But either way, it was a good thing, because we have church at 9 in the a.m., and I wasn't feeling well the night before, so I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to make it to church.  But lo, prayers and faith work, my friends! I was able to go, and I made it through the entire three-hour block.  I wasn't doing so hot, but, I made it.

After church, I promptly donned some sweats, and spent most of the day in bed, and after a good conversation with a friend of mine from high school,  I made the mistake of eating a spoonful of ice cream and a small handful of vanilla chocolate chips and had a bad tummy ache after that...

Then I watched a Criminal Minds marathon with my mom (which happens to have the gorgeous Shemar Moore as one of the stars, which makes watching the show that much more enjoyable.  And NO I don't have a thing for black guys, but please... HE is one beautiful specimen of a man.).  After that, gentle readers, I started falling asleep, and sadly didn't get to finish the last episode of Criminal Minds.  But such is life.  Cheerio!

Blog Challenge: Day 13

A picture of something you want to do before you die:

Travel Europe! This is Scotland in particular, but... I wanna see it all!!!

Interesting Realizations

I won't name the blogs I read, I'll leave them nameless, but while reading these blogs, I came to a sort of sad realization yesterday.  These bloggers helped me realize something that I already knew, but I guess it just reiterated the fact.  What did I realize? People keep too many sad, painful secrets to themselves, and this really slows the healing process down.

I know in my own life, I've had to endure some pretty horrid, horrid things.  That being said, I know that there are people who endure what I have, and much, much more.  One blog I read talked about how our perception these days of "perfection" really ruins our lives from the inside out.  Thinking you aren't good enough because you aren't as thin or as fit as the woman you see at the grocery store that has six kids and a "perfect" body, and she obviously doesn't look like any child ever came out of her. personal experience of one particular individual.  For all you know that woman could have a condition that makes her feel pretty lousy, but makes her look like she's "perfect."  Or thinking you're trapped in your marriage, putting up with abuse in whatever form or another, feeling like you can't escape, and being so envious of your neighbors seemingly "perfect" marriage, that you brag about how wonderful your spouse is.  But how many secrets do you think that "perfect" marriage has?? Probably as many as you do.  Or being too proud to tell your friends you can't vacation with them because you just don't have the money, because the reality of it is, you're drowning in debt.  But you'd never say that because then what would they think of you?

This sort of perfection tears your life apart!! Reading this post tore me up.  This really happens.  Girls struggle with eating disorders because they don't think they're good enough or pretty enough.  Athletes that take steroids because they aren't strong enough, fast enough, big enough.  How many people feel like they don't measure up? How many people struggle with shame and fear for something that they hide from the world?

The second blog I read was a personal experience that someone had.  A very, very sad, but all too common experience.  I really don't want to go into detail, but in this blog, the writer warned the readers that they were all about to learn something that probably none of us knew about this writer before! And I'll tell you, I was shocked.  First of all, I am close to the writer, very close, and I was shocked to discover this secret.

All this reading and realizing that people keep so many painful secrets to themselves made me realize just how grateful I am for the atonement.  The peace, healing, forgiveness and comfort the atonement brings me has been the biggest blessing in my life.  I was also thinking the other day how grateful I am that I was born into the church.  While talking with a friend, we quickly determined that if I hadn't been born into it, I would definitely be searching for it.  After all the hard, painful things that have happened to me, I'm so grateful that I've had the atonement to take away that pain, otherwise... I don't know where I would be.

So here I am, to testify to all of you of the reality of the atonement! It's so incredibly beautiful, and real! Not only that, but the Lord wants us to use it! He loves us so much that He doesn't want to see us in pain.  We are His children.  His love for us is so incomprehensible... He gave us this flawless plan designed to bring us closer to Him, how could we not use it? I'm so grateful for the gospel, so grateful for the atonement and the peace and healing and comfort it brings.  I'm grateful for the pain it takes away - every single pain.  We are so blessed!

Sick, sick, sick

Remember that post where I told you I just absolutely suck at updating my blog because I've been sick?

Yeah.  Um... refer to it here.

That holds true still.  Folks, I have been so stinking sick like unto a dog.  Don't worry, some of my friends seemed to fear that I was dying, (like, for reals dying...really.) and after learning that just wasn't the case, have since vanished from off the face of the earth.  Such is the life of an invalid.  Okay, okay, so I'm not really an invalid, but... I have been sick for months! But just in case any of you were wondering, as my other friends have wondered, no, no I will not die.  Yet.

Onto a different topic, does anyone else hate this wintery horridness? It really is horrid! What's up with this negative degree weather sweeping the nation? And people talk about global warming? Puh-leez. Ain't nothin' warm about a wind chill factor of -17! Yeah, yeah, you Idahoans will be shaking your head at this mumbo jumbo thinking what a big sissy I am.  Well, I have news for you: I am the biggest winter sissy you shall ever encounter.  I shiver in 70 degree weather.  Stick me in the shade and I'll reach for a blanket.  I pack hand and foot warmers in every purse and bag I own.  I bought out Costco once.  Clean out, I tell you! I wear long underwear under my even longer underwear.  Socks, socks, socks.  I can't live without socks.

Do I make my point? I detest anything that slightly resembles winter.  Except for frozen yogurt.  It sort of resembles winter if you liken it to a snow covered mountain... but that's only if it's white.  I suppose it could be brown if you were looking at the dirty snow banks at the side of the road... and who doesn't like chocolate frozen yogurt? Let's be honest.  If you don't, you must be allergic.  If that's the case, I'll eat it for you.  If I don't, I'm sure my sister will (holla gurlfrieeend).

So basically my extreme dislike for all things winter makes being sick throughout winter infinitely worse.  Because I hate winter so much, I am forced to take trips about the house when I feel like I can move.  Sometimes I visit the living room, sometimes I even venture into the kitchen!  It's been a long time since I've visited the basement, but that's kind of okay with me... it's cold down there.  Another like unto wintery trait I hate.

So that's kind of all I have for you right now.  Don't expect to hear from me on a regular basis until I get better.  Just ain't gon' happen, dear readers.  In the words of Tracy, peace and blessin's, peace and blessin's.