I Got It From My Mama

A goal for the rest of my life: take more pictures with my mommy.

In a furious hunt for a mug shot of the both of us to slap up for today's national holiday there wasn't much to pick from! I scrolled through pages and pages of facebook pics and vivid memories of college came flooding back. But where were the pictures of my family? It is true that I have lived away from home for a long long time in a galaxy far away (Idaho and Kentucky count as different galaxies right?) but that is no reason to neglect the people who mean the most to me for forever. My mother is the best I could have ever asked for. She is an example to me of Christlike living. The woman never stops serving! Sure we have had our share of screaming crying "you just don't understand" fights and all, but those are far outweighed by crazy memories, late nights eating too much sugar, and special spiritual moments. A mommy's job is to prepare her children for the eternities. Want to read the job description? It's right HERE

Not all moms are the kind that carry us around in their womb for 9 months. I was blessed to have two women in my life to celebrate. And apparently I'm equally bad at taking pictures with both of them! My dad married his wife when I was 9, she was 21. Granted we didn't live together but her influence in my life is everlasting. She is so hardworking, determined, ambitious, and I love to see how amazing she is with the 2 beautiful babies that they are raising now.

I think it's easy on Mother's day for those of us who don't have children of our own yet to be discouraged. I know that there is no greater calling in life than the responsibility of raising precious children. But you and I, my fellow members in the "waiting-for-the-day-the-babies-come club", we still have the same calling. We can be good role models for teenage girls we know. We can play with our friends babies (and give them back when they cry). We can love widows and widowers in our community who's children are far away. We can be a sister to someone who is lonely. The call of motherhood is not given to us when our uterus pushes out a human. We are women. And we uplift others!

You're Weird and I Like That

I'm happy.

I'm me.

I'm fearless.

And it sure hasn't always been that way.
This blog began 5 months ago when I had a lot of fear.
Here I am, thrown out into the middle of Tennessee and Kentucky with nothing but scriptures, prayer, a few skirts, and a companion with a huge responsibility to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Every action is a reflection of my love for the Savior. I didn't know what I was doing. I still have a ton to learn.

But what I do know is this:

The Lord called me here for a reason. There are people here that will learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ because they need to hear it they way I teach. I wasn't called because I'm a perfect teacher but through my diligence and the things that God throws my way I keep learning and He's helping me to become more Christlike.

I can do this. I have 13 more months to live it up!

(thanks to emily for the encouragement to post a picture of myself, even if it is an old one...)
(and thank you to arielle elise for the inspiring post about letting go of fear. she shared some great quotes!)

The Anniversary of My Birth

I love then and now comparisons so I thought I'd throw some birthday footage your way! Yes, October is the best month out of the entire year because it's my birthday month and Halloween too! So here's a treat, a shot from my 5th birthday party! I'm the little blonde one :)

And my birthday as properly celebrated at a member's home this past week with AMAZING pumpkin cheesecake! It was seriously the best birthday I could have ever asked for!

And it was finished by opening a package from home! My mom has made it a tradition to theme the birthday packages she sends me based off of whatever I'm obessesing over at the moment. The only thing I'm really obsessed with right now is the Gospel and also...Menchies Frozen Yogurt (probably going to get a post all to itself) so I just said...hmm..bees! Here's what wonderfully amazing things my mom put together for me!

Isn't she the greatest? Such a fun day and I felt so loved by everyone I met. I think I want to always treat people like it's their birthday. Blink-182 may claim that "nobody likes you when you're 23" but I have different plans for this year!!

My Happiness Boost

I want to introduce you to my favorite little brother and sister duo T & W. These children are the sweetest things you'll ever find! Last Sunday was our ward primary program where all of the children sing and testify of Christ. This year's theme was "I know the scriptures are true".  We went over regularly to see T & W and we practiced the songs with them. It has been so sweet to hear their testimonies through song!

When we were taking these pictures T said "Wait wait! Will you take one of me praying?" He says the sweetest most heartfelt prayers and you can just tell he knows that he is talking with his Father in heaven!

When we left their house yesterday Sister Valentine turned to me and said, "Aren't they just wonderful? They are the happiness I need in my day!" Its so true. Children understand that the simple joy in life comes from the gospel of Jesus Christ! They are so humble and they understand the love God has for them. There is so much we can learn from children.

For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

Mosiah 3:19

(click HERE for a list of scripture songs. I ALWAYS sing the one for Mosiah 3:19 in my head when I read this verse!)

 We give countless pass along cards to kids that we see every day and they are thrilled to have a picture of Jesus! W has one glued in the front cover of her Book of Mormon from the first time she met missionaries!

The Desire to Create

I want you to watch this video before you get into the goodness that is this blog post

(I deleted the video and just made a link to it because it was on autoplay. Annoying. Uplifting yes, but still a bit annoying.)

Ah! Are you just so inspired now to go out into the world and create something?? One thing that was the biggest sacrifice for me to serve a mission is that I gave up my craft time. It may sound like a frivolous thing but its been pretty hard for me. I minored in Clothing Construction in college, worked in a quilt shop for 8 months, and then sewed every day after work for 5 more months and that brings us up to this point! I was worried that I would be heartbroken and lost without my hands working on a project.

I have found that service has filled my heart in those places that I thought would be void.

But every now and then it's great to get my hands in the glue, paint, and thread!

Here is what Camilla and I did yesterday!

We got the idea from Elsie's blog and scoured Goodwill for some well loved art prints in decently priced frames. And by decently priced I mean $2.50. YES! 

Here we are in the crafting stages. The lyrics on mine come from the song Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Camilla's are from the children's song Love One Another.

Ready to attack those things with spray paint!!

I don't know if I can put into words just how happy it made me to create some things yesterday (I also found the dress that I'm wearing in these pictures at the Goodwill and altered it!).  Hopefully this little wall piece that I've made will bless someone's life because it's going to be too bulky to pack around with me. That's really the greatest part of creativity to me, the blessing that my talent can be for other people. 

Right now the talent that I am developing is opening my mouth to share the gospel of Jesus Christ! It's one that requires complete focus and attention and I am grateful for the chance that I have every day to share what I know with the people around me. I have been so blessed to spend time here in Kentucky getting to know my brothers and sisters that I never would have met unless I had come out here to serve them!

You Make The Sun Shine Brighter Than Doris Day!

Sometimes in your life you meet people who just melt their way into your heart.

After Sister Warwood and I leave a house one of the first things we almost always say to each other is "I just heart that family so much!" Yes. Stupid teenage girl talk. But its true! 

My dad told me once that you never stop loving a person, your heart just learns to love even more as life goes on. I think mine is as the exploding point. It is just full to the brim!

One family that I have met on my mission that is going to be etched into my heart forever is the Carmichael crew.  They are fun, supportive, and willing to drop anything to help out with missionary work! We would spend every waking moment of our lives at their house if we could.

Here is my rendition of their backyard:

And one of Cara eating a homemade popsicle in a camping chair.

"Sometimes the greatest love is not found in the dramatic scenes that poets and writers immortalize. Often, the greatest manifestations of love are the simple acts of kindness and caring we extend to those we meet along the path of life. True love lasts forever. it is eternally patient and forgiving. It believes, hopes, and endures all things. That is the love our Heavenly Father bears for us." -Joseph B. Wirthlin