Life Updates

• I'm about to start my mission papers. (YAY!!)
• I love my job at Jamba Juice. Every day is full of laughter and we have a blast!
• I have been accepted to BYU and I will be starting school there after my mission.
• I am graduating from high school at the end of May.
• I joined the advanced boys weight lifting class at school. Being the only girl isn't that bad, I have so much fun in there!
• I've decided to wait a while before I donate my hair again. It's already long enough to cut, but I'm a little attached ;)
• I officially have home teachers now!
• I'm still super happy and giddy about my baptism last September.
• I recently got my first two church callings.
• I will be 19 this year. THIS year!
• I have met a lot of new people this school year and they have blessed my life so much!
• I will graduate from seminary. I didn't take it in 9th grade when I was still technically an investigator so I'm doing make up work so that I can get the 4-year diploma!
• I got my patriarchal blessing a few weeks ago.
• I got into my first car accident on Thursday. No one was hurt!
• I am learning every day and I love my life! :D

"...not my will, but thine, be done." -Luke 22:42

It's time for change. And believe me, it is happening fast. 

Today, my ward boundaries were split up. It's been a roller coaster of emotions already. I have never experienced a change like this and it's a little scary. I was immediately overcome with sadness, but as the day has progressed a little I have found much comfort. Although I won't be in the same ward as my best girlfriends anymore, we will still get to have mutual together. It is going to take a lot of faith, a lot of prayer and some adjustment. I typically don't handle big changes well but I feel as though this will help me become a better person.

For five years I was working up to my goal to be baptized and it felt amazing to finally reach it! It has only been a little over three months since that incredible day, but I have already learned so much. I feel as though this big change is a blessing in that it is going to push me out of my comfort zone. I reached my baptism, and now it is time to move further ahead. I will soon be going into Relief Society, going to college and on a mission. The ward shift will prepare me for even more change in the near future. Sometimes life gets pretty comfortable and we either like or dislike where we are. Either way, life is going to change on us. It is something that we all have to deal with at one time or another. 

I am feeling all kinds of emotion right now. Sadness, heartache, worry, confidence, excitement, struggle.... it has hit me all at once. And I don't quite know what to do with all of it yet. My ward has been there for me since I first started coming to church and they pulled me through some of the hardest times in my life so far. I love them all dearly and I hope they know how much I appreciate them and their example.

I especially wanted to say thank you to the Derricotts. They have been such a strength to me and I have LOVED having them as my Sunday School teachers. So, thank you Brother and Sister Derricott! I love you guys.

I may not know where this journey is going to take me, but I know that my Heavenly Father will always be there for me. He will always love me. And He knows what is best for me; I need to follow Him.

"I will go where You want me to go... Lord, I would follow Thee."

Savior, Redeemer of My Soul

Savior, Redeemer of my soul,

Whose mighty hand hath made me whole,Whose wondrous pow’r hath raised me up

And filled with sweet my bitter cup!What tongue my gratitude can tell,

O gracious God of Israel.

Never can I repay thee, Lord,

But I can love thee. Thy pure word,Hath it not been my one delight,

My joy by day, my dream by night?Then let my lips proclaim it still,

And all my life reflect thy will.

O’errule mine acts to serve thine ends.

Change frowning foes to smiling friends.Chasten my soul till I shall be

In perfect harmony with thee.Make me more worthy of thy love,

And fit me for the life above.

His Crowning Glory: Women

"In this same vein may I address an even more sensitive subject. I plead with you young women to please be more accepting of yourselves, including your body shape and style, with a little less longing to look like someone else. We are all different. Some are tall, and some are short. Some are round, and some are thin. And almost everyone at some time or other wants to be something they are not! But as one adviser to teenage girls said: “You can’t live your life worrying that the world is staring at you. When you let people’s opinions make you self-conscious you give away your power. … The key to feeling [confident] is to always listen to your inner self—[the real you.]”  And in the kingdom of God, the real you is “more precious than rubies.”  Every young woman is a child of destiny and every adult woman a powerful force for good. I mention adult women because, sisters, you are our greatest examples and resource for these young women. And if you are obsessing over being a size 2, you won’t be very surprised when your daughter or the Mia Maid in your class does the same and makes herself physically ill trying to accomplish it. We should all be as fit as we can be—that’s good Word of Wisdom doctrine. That means eating right and exercising and helping our bodies function at their optimum strength. We could probably all do better in that regard. But I speak here of optimum health; there is no universal optimum size." 

- To Young Women by Elder Jeffery R. Holland

The Women in Our Lives (Gordon B. Hinckley) Mormon Message