"The most important covenant we prepare for is being sealed in the temple"


Sunday, November 13, 2016

How we Deal with it!

"You Can't Change your situation, You can only change How you Choose to Deal with it"

Recently I had the opportunity to attend time out for women. There were so many lessons taught and so many Lessons Learned. 1 talk and want to focus my thoughts on is that given by Mary cook. Mary married Richard cook when she was in her late thirties she talked about some thoughts that went through her head through her single years. One thing she said was,  "what is God's plan for me??" When we are young we picture our lives a certain way and it doesn't always turn out the way we think it will. In Mary's case, she thought she would be married by age 25 and have a child or two of her own. She felt a little sorry for herself and was having thought of "what is wrong with me? why am I not married yet?" One day she was walking at the park, As she was walking she just kept looking at her feet, and then she had the distinct thought to look up, as she looked up she looked around and saw all the beauty and all the opportunities around her come into her mind. She thought about all the things that she could be doing instead of just waiting around for Mr. Right. At that moment she decided that she would make the best out of her situation and do everything that she could to prepare herself for one day meeting her Mr. Right. She also did things to better herself so that she could be the best person she could possibly be! She furthered her education and did her dues as a teacher so that she could become a principal at a school. A few days into her principal training she met Richard Cook who had been widowed for a few years. After a short time of them getting to know each other they decided that they would get married! Mary was only a principal for eight days when she moved to go get married and be with Richard Cook.

Why am I telling this story? How does this relate to me at all?? It relates to me in a variety of ways! I knew I wanted to write about this topic as soon as Mary said that we must prepare and not wait around! Because that is what my blog is all about!

We can't wait for circumstances to change we must prepare and change our circumstances!

We MUST Focus not on what our circumstances are but we must focus on ourselves and doing everything that we can to prepare for something greater!

We MUST look up and so we can see all the opportunity around us.

The more grateful we are and the more Grateful we are in our circumstances the more we will be blessed with.

Mary's situation wasn't my situation whatsoever, but I have still been in circumstances similar to hers where I don't look up and I walk with my head down looking at my feet because I feel sorry for myself.

If we don't prepare ourselves everyday to walk with our head held high with an attitude if gratitude we will Miss so many opportunities.

You may miss the chance to give a stranger a friendly smily.

Or miss an old friend walking by that you haven't had a chance to talk to in a while.

You may miss a mom who is struggling with her kiddos and just needs someone to tell her she is doing a great job.

You will miss the opportunity to hear the spirit whisper to you that you need to go talk to a stanger who looks like they need a friend.

We can not afford to miss opportinites like this because as we serve our fellow beings we are serving our God and by serving our God he will better be able to serve you and you will be more open and aware of the opportunities that arise everyday.

"To Choose Joy is to Find Freedom"

May we No matter our circumstance or situation Choose Joy and Gratefulness Everyday!

Saturday, October 8, 2016

AM I GOOD ENOUGH...JOY

I have been contemplating this blog post for quite some time now... since June to be exact. I have had such a hard time thinking about how to blend all my thoughts together. I have a bunch of posts written out in my drafts to prove it. 
It wasn't until I spent a lot of time with my best friend this week or until I listened to General Conference that I knew exactly what I needed to write about. 

There were two specific talks that really spoke to me this time around and these talks are the talks that helped refine and blend my thoughts together, and this is what my post will be based upon. 




I think it is amazing how much our Heavenly father truly guides and blesses us.
He blesses us with EVERYTHING. Sometimes it is hard to see all the blessings that we are granted because the world fogs our vision. The world tells us that there is to much to be done, there is no time to worship God and to thank him for all that he is given us. I sometimes fall into this trap and then something happens that causes me to take a step back and look at the things that are going on around me and I can't help but thank God for all that I have, especially for my family and for my friends. My family and friends are who have helped me to become who I am today and they continually help me to see the potential in myself when I can't and to help me realize the person who God designed and intended me to be.

Our friends and family are there to believe in us at times when we don't even believe in ourselves.
I think that is the most remarkable things about the friendships we make.
Each and every friendship we create gives us more hope, and more determination to be better.
We can consistently be reminded that we can do it, and that the Lord is on our side,
 NO MATTER WHAT!!
Sometimes it feels as if the whole world is against us and that our friends aren't who we thought they were, or that we have created some made up scenario in our head that isn't even true whatsoever; that causes us to  believe that our friend aren't who we think they are, even though they are so much more then we know, there was just miscommunication.

Sometimes we wonder,
Am I a good enough person?
Do I deserve their friendship?
Am I acceptable in their eyes?

And when we wonder these things about our self worth and divinity, Satan tries to get at us by putting thoughts in our heads that lead us to believe that we aren't good enough, that we can't measure up, that we can't be a good enough friend for that person because we make mistakes of our own and we have said things that we shouldn't. He leads us to believe that we have no value because of things we are going through.

"Life is Hard" he says, "Just give up"
"You'll never be good enough, so why even try?"
"They don't accept you because your choices don't reflect theirs"
"I can't do all these things, because I have no worth."

These are lies!!! These are all thoughts from Satan, and we can over come these thoughts by being around people that uplift an edify us, by reading the word of the Lord, whether that is the Book of Mormon or Bible.

We can over come them by simply trying.

Gordon B. Hinkley said "All the Lord expects of us is to try, but you have to really try!"

These are the thoughts that Come from God:

"I never promised this life would be easy but I did promise that I would be by your side and guide you, so never give up. You are not alone."
"YOU ARE ENOUGH!"
"Sometimes the right things aren't always the easy things but it will be worth it in the end"
"You can do this because you have worth. You matter to me, you matter to your family, and you matter to your friends."

All we need to do to receive Heavenly hope and help is to ask.
How do we ask for this Heavenly hope and help?
THROUGH PRAYER.

If it has been a while since you have prayed and had a conversation with Heavenly father I plead with you to get on your knees and start praying to him, he will answer you and you will feel his Heavenly love surround you.

I Love this quote from Jeffery R. Holland that says
"However many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made..., I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is NOT possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ's Atonement shines."

Elder Cornish exclaims, "It will not work to justify ourselves in our sins by saying 'God knows it is just too hard for me, so he accepts me like I am.' Really trying means we keep at it as we fully come up to the Lords Standard."

In the world we live in today it is essential that we use the tools we have been given for spiritual survival.

Russell M Nelson describes life perfectly by declaring, "Life is filled with detours and dead ends, trials and challenges of every kind. Each of us has likely had times when distress, anguish, and despair  almost consumed us. Yet we are here to have Joy? Yes! the answer is a resounding yes! But how is that possible? and what must we do to claim the joy Heavenly Father has in store for us?

To me, the answer is simple. we must focus our life on the things that matter. We must push Satan's awful words out of our mind. Joy comes from the savior. The savior assures us that our circumstances are temporary, they are "but a small moment" and will pass us by.
We can help ourselves feel joy and those around us feel joy by giving thanks to him and by keeping our covenants.

As our savior becomes more and more real to us and as we plead for his joy to be with us, our joy will be increase...If we focus on the joy that will come to us, or to those that we love, what can we endure that presently seems overwhelming, painful, scary, unfair, or simply impossible? (Russell M Nelson)

Our focus will motivate us to carry on. It will help us see the potential in seemingly impossible situations. The thing is, that everything is fixable and figure-out-able. Sometimes it just takes a little more figuring out. A little bit more attention and focus. If you give the things that you are struggling with a little bit more time, they will resolve, because these things are "of but a small moment."

We must avoid the the things that interrupt our joy.
What is interrupting your joy??

Think about it...
WRITE THEM DOWN

Have you had enough time to think about it and to write it down?
Go ahead and cut those things our of your life and don't let anything stop you.
Cut them out right now...
No seriously make a promise to yourself that you won't fall back into the things that keep you from joy, rip it up, throw it away and leave them out of your life for good.

Did it feel good to leave behind the things that don't bring you joy?

Good! Now, don't forget the feelings you have felt as you just made that decision.

"If we look to the world and follow its formulas for happiness, we will never know joy. The unrighteous may experience any number of emotions and sensations, but they will never experience joy! Joy is a gift for the faithful. it is the gift that comes from intentionally trying to live a righteous life, as taught by Jesus."

CHOOSE HAPPINESS AND JOY EVERYDAY!!!

It most definitely is a choice, so make your life better and decide right now that you will always choose the path that helps bring you joy.

"The Joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and EVERYTHING to do with the FOCUS of our lives." -Russell M. Nelson


Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Homeownership at its finest

Being homeowners is one of the best decisions we have made.  It is actually fun to spend money on our house and fix it up the way we want to; and Although our AC unit has gone out twice in the 1 month that we have lived here, we are grateful to have a home warranty. What comes with homeownership is a bigger financial responsibility, and that is why Eric and I have talked about some of the ways we can remain financially fit as we figure out how to better manage our financing as new homeowners. Before we bought our house we were living at Eric's Grandparents house and they let us live there for very inexpensive, so we were able to save a bunch of money. We were also able to open up a few credit cards so that we could build up some credit.  Opening Credit cards can be kind of scary. It leaves you open to getting yourself in a lot of debt, but Eric and i decided long ago we would only use our credit cards for necessities. We use our credit cards to pay our bills, and we always pay them off every month. Determining what credit card to get can be stressful in and of itself  but Credit card insider can help you with that. I love credit card insider because they help you understand what credit card is best for you and what kind of rewards you want. They also help you understand the benefits of having a credit card and how to easily manage it so that you  don't get yourself into a ton of debt. They have a question and answer YouTube page, but they also have a website which you can find  here. If it is your desire to own a house, my suggestion to you, is to live as cheap as possible. I was given some advice by one of my cousins and she said "you should always pay double your mortgage" and what I took from that was pay your rent and then double what you pay by putting it into savings. We started doing that and we had money saved up in no time. We also knew that when we did buy a house, we would know what monthly payment we could comfortably afford, and since moving into our new house we have been able to double that number again and put the rest in savings. Being financially smart can bless your life and help you live a more carefree life. Set a budget for yourself and stick to it!! Examine your bank and account and see the unneccassary things you spend money on, and cut them out of your life. Cutting out little things like going to lunch everyday instead if bringing your own lunch to work can help you save TONS!! Eric works for Wells Fargo so he has set up a lot of other little ways to help us save as well. Wellsfargo has a way2save account that allows you to set the boundries. For instance, our ways2save account is set up to transfer  $1 to our savings every time we swipe our debit card.  It's  little things like that, that can make a huge difference. 2016 is destined to be great. I hope you can set some financial goals for yourself and accomplish the things you desire to accomplish. Good luck, and happy savings!!:)

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Happy 2 years to us!

I know Eric and I have only been married for two years, but this has become one of my favorite blog posts of the year because it allows me to reflect on this amazing life that Eric and I live together, and also allow me to see the ways that we have learned and grown together. 

With every passing day I begin to love Eric more and more. I feel so blessed to have him as my eternal companion. He is such a good example to me of selfless sacrifice and Love. 

Here is our Year in a review 


June 2015

We went to a Mercury Game with some of our friends 


We also went bowling for a good cause with Erics work (wells fargo) 
It was Hawaiian theme in case you can't tell



July 2015 

I attended Mary Kay Seminar.
It was amazing. There were a lot of prizes given away, and there was awesome entertainment (Jordan Sparks)

We also celebrated the fourth of July with lots of food, fun, and fireworks





August 2015

We took a trip to  Rocky Point Mexico and stayed at one of Eric's Co-workers beach house. It was a lot of fun and a nice relaxing vacation before Eric started school back up

We have a lot of pictures, but I can't find where they went, so this will have to do ;)

We caught lots of crabs and saw so much sea life


My best friend also got her mission call to France



 Baseball game, because what else is there to do in Arizona during the summer


September 2015 

I took a girls trip out to Disneyland because we had season passes and why not?? WE LOVE DISNEYLAND! 


We love game nights and host plenty of these with our friends



October  2015

We were crazy enough to take on 5 kids and jump into the life of a mom and dad. We still worked our other jobs so this was a busy month. It was so much fun to be able to play mom and dad for 2 weeks but reminded me that  we enjoy our time together and are not quite ready for kids yet.



At some points I had 4 car-seats in my car.
and I somehow still survived


One night we ate Elk Burgers thank you to Bradly's hunting skills


After we finished 2 weeks of mom and dad we went to Krazy air with some friends


Halloween is in October so we decided to be a lightening strike... My Aunt and Uncle had the same idea :)



One of my BEST cousins also came home from his mission, which was so much fun!


November 2015

We went on a fabulous trip to Ecuador. There are so many pictures that it was hard to pick just a few to share with you. I loved the culture, the people, the food, and everything about Ecuador. I would love to go back there some day. It is a beautiful place.
We did the trip for really inexpensive, thanks to our friends Justin and Stacie who hooked us up and invited us on this once in a lifetime vacation. We stayed at this amazing "resort" called Casa Divina. If you ever go to Ecuador, it is a must!













We also attended the state fair



We were also able to celebrate thanksgiving! 




December 2015

We celebrated our 2nd year of Christmas together!


We also had a new years eve party


January 2016

This is both of our birthday Months, so we usually do something fun and exciting. This year Eric bought Disneyland tickets and planned a fun trip to California. It was a big deal that he was taking me to Disneyland because he always complained about it and I had the hardest time trying to get hi, there. He was so sweet to take me and I think he actually liked it, because the last time he went he was 10. We were able to visit and stay with Eric's cousin who flies a plane in the Navy.









February 2016

Celebrated Valentines day with a picnic at the park :)


The people I nanny for took us snowboarding. This was my first time. I loved snowboarding but I was so exhausted. I had to go take a nap in the car during the middle of the day.
Also on our way up to snowboarding we did a 360 on the road and slid off. It was one of the scariest things of my life. In the moment of it happening I felt at peace, but when the car stopped spinning I couldn't stop thanking my Heavenly Father for protecting us and keeping us safe. We were watched over because there was no damage done to the car or to us.


I also did a Bridal event at the Phoenix suns stadium 


March 2016

I attended another Mary Kay sponsored event and won an amazing Ralph Lauren Purse.



April 2016 

I attended BYU woman's conference with my mom, aunts and cousins. It was a blast!!





Eric and I were also able to go to Bison Ranch for a peaceful weekend and to watch General Conference. This also happens to be the place he proposed to me



May 2016

Of course in this month we celebrated two years of being married.
This year we stayed in Arizona went to the Salt River, Attended the Temple, went to dinner and did some shopping. It was the perfect day



The Biggest new of the year... is we bought our first home together. 
It is a fixer upper but we are proud to be able to call something ours. 


This has been such a blessed year and we have had so much fun learning and growing together. 
Here is to our next year together!