Another month of daily happy posts is complete. I am surprised at how the time is flying by. September has not been an easy month for me; I find it amazing that I was able to find those happy things every day this month. I guess the message that I have from my experience is that no matter how hard things seem, I can't stop looking for the positive things that happen around me. Those positive moments bring hope during times when I need it most.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Monday, September 30, 2013
I ended up going on a quick grocery run with a few friends this evening. It was very casual and a little spur of the moment, but we had some laughs and told some good stories.
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Sunday, September 29, 2013
I'm my ward, during ward prayer on Sundays, we write nice notes to our fellow ward members. Tonight I had the opportunity to help deliver them. It was fun to visit all the apartments in my ward and spread a bit of joy!
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Somehow, I haven't had time to bake for a few weeks now. I've just NEEDED to bake SOMETHING over the past few days. I was so glad to find the time today. I made this delicious pull-apart bread. I just love the feeling I get when I pull something out of the oven and it looks wonderful.
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
Friday, September 27, 2013
Friday, September 27, 2013
I went to an impromptu movie night tonight with some friends. One had picked the movie "Zookeeper" at Redbox because it was simple and weird enough for a tired Friday night. I was skeptical at first--talking animals? Not my thing. But we had some good laughs and the movie wasn't completely awful.
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Thursday, September 26, 2013
It's been raining off and on over the past few days, which has made me really want to make soup. I finally had time this evening to put together an incredible potato and bacon soup. It was so creamy!
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
I'm no early bird, so when I work the morning shift at work, it's sometimes hard to get up. Then, when I finally get home in the evening, I'm exhausted. It was nice to come home to a Netflix movie in my mailbox. That fit in perfectly with my plans for a relaxing evening.
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
After a 10 hour day at work, a nap on this couch was fantastic. Also, I have the best couch pillows ever.
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Monday, September 23, 2013
I made a milkshake in my blender this evening. I sometimes get frustrated with my blender cause it doesn't work as well as it used to, and definitely not as well as one of the fancy expensive ones you can buy. But I keep it since it was a gift--my mother gave it to me for Christmas three years ago-- and I've got some pretty good memories with that blender. Once, when it was newish, a bolt fell out of the motor, and a friend of mine was pretty insistent that he could fix it. The only tool set we could find was my roommate's pink one; he wasn't too thrilled about it being pink and ended up finding a legit tool bench just to fix my blender. Another time, I made my roommates pumpkin milkshakes just as a friend came to visit; I had to make two batches because everyone loved them!
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
My dad calls me almost every Sunday evening, but I was working tonight, so I missed the call. It was nice to have a voicemail from him, even if I couldn't talk with him.
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Saturday, September 21, 2013
I had a few friends over tonight to watch the football game, but mostly to play board games and card games with football in the background. We played Rummikub, which is one of my favorites.
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
Friday, September 20, 2013
After my coworkers and I finished our shift this evening, we spent quite some time just chatting and laughing, and I really enjoyed that.
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Thursday, September 19, 2013
I received my first email from Loveduck today! She's already been at the MTC for eight days. She seems to be doing well. I still miss her lots, but I'm grateful she is serving a mission.
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
I discovered a new song today! It's called M79 and it's by Vampire Weekend. I love the instrumental background stuff, especially the strings. I have no idea what the lyrics are about...
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
I was on my way to a meeting this evening. I stepped into the elevator because no one likes to ascend too many flights of stairs in heels. Elevators make me uncomfortable, especially when I share one with people I don't know. But this ride wasn't so bad, simply because a girl who was in the elevator with me complimented my outfit! (Sorry it's one of those awful phone/mirror selfies. I couldn't figure out how else to take the picture...)
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Monday, September 16, 2013
I was feeling pretty worn out when I got home this evening. All I wanted to do was turn on the TV and veg. I sat in front of the TV watching comedy sitcoms for a few hours...while blowing bubbles! That was a fantastic end to a long day!
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
On Gospel Metaphors
I received an interesting phone call yesterday morning. It was littlest sister. I love it when she calls me! But this time, it was different. Littlest sister was crying. When I asked her what was wrong, she told me, between sobs, "I'm all alone. And I'm scared."
I got a bit nervous when she said she was alone. But my heart broke when she said she was scared. In an effort to comfort her, I assured her that she had called the right person, but as soon as those words were out of my mouth, I couldn't help but think, "What can I do? I'm an hour and a half away."
I asked why she was alone, and she informed me that everyone had left to go get something from Grandma and Grandpa's house, but she had said she didn't want to go. She sobbed a bit more, then, in the saddest tone I've ever heard her use, she simply said, "I'll be ok."
And she hung up.
Those words "I'll be ok" really struck a chord with me. I've used them myself on countless occasions, but in most of those situations, I didn't believe the words when I said them. They probably actually mean something like, "I know there's nothing you can do to help me, so I'm going to pretend everything is fine so you can stop being concerned about me. Then, I'll go back to dealing with this on my own."
So when littlest sister hung up like that, I felt pretty concerned. I called my grandmother (neither of my parents have cell phones) and informed her of what had happened and asked her to please send my parents home quickly. I waited a bit and called home, but no one answered. I waited some more and no one answered. That scared me. I waited some more, called again, and finally my mother answered. Again, I told the story of littlest sister's surprising phone call. I was intrigued by my mom's side. Apparently, they needed to go to my grandparents' house, and asked everyone if they wanted to come. Littlest sister didn't want to, so Mom explained she would be there alone. My parents had driven only a few blocks when they realized they might need to make a stop at the grocery store on their way home, but since they weren't sure, they went back to the house to take inventory. They found littlest sister, and she went with them to run errands.
Littlest sister was only physically alone for a small amount of time, but she still felt alone and afraid enough that she needed help.
I've been pondering this and thinking about how it could be used as a metaphor in the Gospel. By this example, I don't mean to say that littlest sister or my parents did anything wrong. But here's what I've been thinking. Sometimes, we decide to do something different than what our Heavenly Father asks us to do. When we stray from the straight and narrow path, we find ourselves alone and afraid. We might cry out for help, but sometimes we look in all the wrong places before realizing that returning to Heavenly Father's path is the only way to resolve that loneliness and fear. That's where the Atonement of Jesus Christ comes in. It makes up for our mistakes, but also for our pains and sorrows.
Maybe littlest sister could be compared to someone who wakes up Sunday morning and thinks "Meh. I'm not going to church today." The same thing happens the next week, and again the next. Other habits develop that damage their relationship with their Heavenly Father. Soon, this someone is missing out on the blessings that come from regular participation in the Gospel and they start to feel empty. They look other places to fill that void (like littlest sister's call to me) but these places are so far from where this someone should be that they only get temporary help. Lasting help only comes when this someone uses the Atonement (my parents coming back home) and begins again to fully partake of the Gospel in their life (when littlest sister left with my parents to run their errands.)
The battle from beginning to end cannot be won alone. I feel blessed to know my Father in Heaven is helping me fight.
I got a bit nervous when she said she was alone. But my heart broke when she said she was scared. In an effort to comfort her, I assured her that she had called the right person, but as soon as those words were out of my mouth, I couldn't help but think, "What can I do? I'm an hour and a half away."
I asked why she was alone, and she informed me that everyone had left to go get something from Grandma and Grandpa's house, but she had said she didn't want to go. She sobbed a bit more, then, in the saddest tone I've ever heard her use, she simply said, "I'll be ok."
And she hung up.
Those words "I'll be ok" really struck a chord with me. I've used them myself on countless occasions, but in most of those situations, I didn't believe the words when I said them. They probably actually mean something like, "I know there's nothing you can do to help me, so I'm going to pretend everything is fine so you can stop being concerned about me. Then, I'll go back to dealing with this on my own."
So when littlest sister hung up like that, I felt pretty concerned. I called my grandmother (neither of my parents have cell phones) and informed her of what had happened and asked her to please send my parents home quickly. I waited a bit and called home, but no one answered. I waited some more and no one answered. That scared me. I waited some more, called again, and finally my mother answered. Again, I told the story of littlest sister's surprising phone call. I was intrigued by my mom's side. Apparently, they needed to go to my grandparents' house, and asked everyone if they wanted to come. Littlest sister didn't want to, so Mom explained she would be there alone. My parents had driven only a few blocks when they realized they might need to make a stop at the grocery store on their way home, but since they weren't sure, they went back to the house to take inventory. They found littlest sister, and she went with them to run errands.
Littlest sister was only physically alone for a small amount of time, but she still felt alone and afraid enough that she needed help.
I've been pondering this and thinking about how it could be used as a metaphor in the Gospel. By this example, I don't mean to say that littlest sister or my parents did anything wrong. But here's what I've been thinking. Sometimes, we decide to do something different than what our Heavenly Father asks us to do. When we stray from the straight and narrow path, we find ourselves alone and afraid. We might cry out for help, but sometimes we look in all the wrong places before realizing that returning to Heavenly Father's path is the only way to resolve that loneliness and fear. That's where the Atonement of Jesus Christ comes in. It makes up for our mistakes, but also for our pains and sorrows.
Maybe littlest sister could be compared to someone who wakes up Sunday morning and thinks "Meh. I'm not going to church today." The same thing happens the next week, and again the next. Other habits develop that damage their relationship with their Heavenly Father. Soon, this someone is missing out on the blessings that come from regular participation in the Gospel and they start to feel empty. They look other places to fill that void (like littlest sister's call to me) but these places are so far from where this someone should be that they only get temporary help. Lasting help only comes when this someone uses the Atonement (my parents coming back home) and begins again to fully partake of the Gospel in their life (when littlest sister left with my parents to run their errands.)
The battle from beginning to end cannot be won alone. I feel blessed to know my Father in Heaven is helping me fight.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
I had some time between my Sunday nap and my social plans for the evening, so I thought I'd pop in a movie for a bit. Loveduck let me borrow all her movies since she won't be needing them while she's on her mission. Season two of I Love Lucy is one she let me take, and that's what I picked to watch. I made it through a few episodes. Growing up, we always used to watch older shows like that. It's nice to find something that's humorous, but also clean. 
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Saturday, September 14, 2013
My ward had its opening social this evening. A flier was posted on our door a few days ago but I didn't bother to read it because the date and time had previously been posted in Facebook. I finally looked at the flier on my way out he door because I needed he address. I laughed when I read their ultimate incentive to attend: bacon. 
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
Friday, September 13, 2013
Friday, September 13, 2013
A friend of mine invited me to go for a drive tonight. Her car is being fixed so she's borrowing a new car from the dealership. Pretty fancy! We went for ice cream after.
Today is National Fortune Cookie Day, so of course I ate a fortune cookie. I also gave one to my friend when she came to pick me up. Her fortune made me laugh!
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Thursday, September 12, 2013
I finally received my Ensign for September in the mail. I know it's all online, but there's something about holding the paper version and marking it up with a pen every month. I read through the first twenty pages today. I flipped through the rest, just to get a preview. It was exciting to see Brad Wilcox's talk "His Grace is Sufficient"(remember this post?) is in this issue.
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
I dropped Loveduck off at the MTC today. It was a bittersweet moment. I feel pretty special that I was the one to see her off like that. It's a memory I think I'll always treasure. 
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Tonight, Loveduck was set apart as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I am so proud of her! I'm grateful for her example and her faith.
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
Monday, September 9, 2013
Monday, September 9, 2013
Since I'm still home visiting my family, littlest sister asked me to come pick her up after school today. It was almost time to leave and I felt the need to come up with something silly to greet her with. Loveduck and I decided to stand outside the school and blow bubbles until she came out. I like bubbles. I think they are so happy! So anyway, we drove to the school and stood outside and blew our bubbles. Lots of the kids walking past us started popping the bubbles and even lingered a bit, waiting for us to blow more. Littlest sister came out and saw us and got so excited! We are probably the best big sisters ever. 
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Loveduck gave her mission farewell talk today in church. She did a fantastic job! She had some great insights on being committed to Heavenly Father and His Gospel. My favorite part, though, was when she started tearing up, she said "Sorry, sometimes I sweat from my eyes." She's so clever. 
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Saturday, September 7, 2013
During almost every trip I've made home for that past year plus, Loveduck and I have found a time to go out for lunch at a Chinese buffet that's in my hometown. It's one of your typical Chinese buffets--food that's probably awful, but we love it anyway! Loveduck and I went today; we had to cause this is my last visit before she leaves to serve a mission. 
Life is beautiful, especially when you ate looking for the beautiful thing that happen every day.
Friday, September 6, 2013
Friday, September 6, 2013
This afternoon, I packed my suitcase and made the drive to my parents' house. I'm excited to spend a few days with them!
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Today was laundry day. I don't love doing laundry, but I love that after it's done, all my favorite clothes are clean again!
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
On occasion, I receive texts from Loveduck about things our littlest sister says that are particularly funny or cute. This one definitely made me laugh. Apparently, today she was upset about something our brother did. (Sometimes when the little sister is particularly upset about something, Loveduck calls her "Grumpy." But she always snaps back in her little nine-year-old way, "I'm not Grumpy!")
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
On Spiders
I. Don't. Like. Spiders.
Not at all. Yes, I know they eat certain bugs that are pesky to humans and plants, so one could argue that spiders are worthwhile creatures and we need them blah blah blah. I'm not necessarily disagreeing with that, but I do think there is a time and a place for spiders to exist. The time would be whenever I can't see them. The place would be wherever I'm not. And preferably never in my home.
Story time. I was driving to work today. Driving on the freeway at... just a little bit over the speed limit. Halfway to my destination, I happened to notice a spider was hitching a ride with me to work. This bothered me more than just a little. And it wasn't just because he didn't ask for a ride and he wasn't pitching in for gas. No, it bothered me because he was hanging out on the dashboard right in front of me.
Here's the thing with spiders. When there's a spider hanging out with me wherever I am, the anxiety that I feel is basically that I don't know when it's going to move, where it will go, and what it will do when it gets there.
So, this spider on the dashboard in front of me. Was it going to just sit there? Likely not. It probably knew I was afraid of it, so I bet it was just waiting--building up the suspense before it pounced. Was it going to creepily crawl across the dashboard? Possibly. But when? And my worst fear: Was it going to let out its sticky, invisible web stuff and just glide down and pick a spot in my lap? Please, no.
Remember how I was driving? It's not easy to stay focused on the road when you're more concerned that a spider is about to perch on your lap like you're about to read it a bedtime story. So I glanced at the spider frequently enough to see it let out its sticky, invisible web stuff and slowly start to float downwards. Oh no. But it was just teasing me and started to climb back up. Well, I wasn't about to let that happen again! So, I took in all the air I could hold in my lungs and blew that spider to the other side of the dashboard, just as if I was blowing out all the candles on my birthday cake and Loveduck's birthday cake at the same time. (That's 42 candles... So I blew pretty hard...)
That spider must have realized he'd made a big mistake by not chipping in for the gas, cause he stayed far away from me for the rest of the drive!
Not at all. Yes, I know they eat certain bugs that are pesky to humans and plants, so one could argue that spiders are worthwhile creatures and we need them blah blah blah. I'm not necessarily disagreeing with that, but I do think there is a time and a place for spiders to exist. The time would be whenever I can't see them. The place would be wherever I'm not. And preferably never in my home.
Story time. I was driving to work today. Driving on the freeway at... just a little bit over the speed limit. Halfway to my destination, I happened to notice a spider was hitching a ride with me to work. This bothered me more than just a little. And it wasn't just because he didn't ask for a ride and he wasn't pitching in for gas. No, it bothered me because he was hanging out on the dashboard right in front of me.
Here's the thing with spiders. When there's a spider hanging out with me wherever I am, the anxiety that I feel is basically that I don't know when it's going to move, where it will go, and what it will do when it gets there.
So, this spider on the dashboard in front of me. Was it going to just sit there? Likely not. It probably knew I was afraid of it, so I bet it was just waiting--building up the suspense before it pounced. Was it going to creepily crawl across the dashboard? Possibly. But when? And my worst fear: Was it going to let out its sticky, invisible web stuff and just glide down and pick a spot in my lap? Please, no.
Remember how I was driving? It's not easy to stay focused on the road when you're more concerned that a spider is about to perch on your lap like you're about to read it a bedtime story. So I glanced at the spider frequently enough to see it let out its sticky, invisible web stuff and slowly start to float downwards. Oh no. But it was just teasing me and started to climb back up. Well, I wasn't about to let that happen again! So, I took in all the air I could hold in my lungs and blew that spider to the other side of the dashboard, just as if I was blowing out all the candles on my birthday cake and Loveduck's birthday cake at the same time. (That's 42 candles... So I blew pretty hard...)
That spider must have realized he'd made a big mistake by not chipping in for the gas, cause he stayed far away from me for the rest of the drive!
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
This is a little silly, but whenever the time is 8:25, I get happy inside. 825 is my favorite number... So when I looked down and saw that on the clock, I smiled!
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
Monday, September 2, 2013
This is my orange squishy ball. For some reason, it's just been hanging out in my purse for about two years... I don't know why. Maybe just cause you never know when you'll need an orange squishy ball? Well, turns out I used it today at work! We played human battleship. One team throws the ball over something blocking their view of the other team in an attempt to hit them. The other team is lying on the floor and can't move. 
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Sunday, September 1, 2013
My dad is my hero. Unfortunately, it's been hard for us to find time to talk lately because our work schedules seem to overlap; he gets home a few hours after I've left for work, and I don't get home until too late to call. But today, we actually managed to talk for almost an hour! I love that I can ask him for advice on things, but sometimes he even asks me for advice.
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
Life is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful things that happen every day.
On Happiness
Almost a year ago, I came up with this personal philosophy: No matter how hard things get in life, no matter how sad and dark it feels, there is always a reason to be happy, even if it's something seemingly small or insignificant. I've shared this with a fair amount of people, especially the girls I'm working with at my job.
July is National Ice Cream Month (I believe there are few things so difficult that ice cream can't make a little better.)You better believe I ate plenty of ice cream in July! But when July was coming to an end, I got curious about what we "celebrate" in August. After some google searching, I discovered that August is National Happiness Happens month. That fits in so well with my personal philosophy! I thought a bit about what I could do in August to "celebrate" happiness; late one night when I couldn't sleep, it came to me.
I wanted to prove that I could find something every day that made me happy, then document it on my blog. I figured, if I was going to tell people there are things to be happy about, I should make an effort to be sure I'm looking for them.
Yesterday was the last day of National Happiness Happens month (but that doesn't mean the blog project is over.) Here's a summary of what I've learned so far:
Another fun fact... August is also National What Will Be Your Legacy month... I've been thinking about that off and on throughout the month. I think this will be my legacy: The battle--from beginning to end--is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful, happy things that happen every day.
July is National Ice Cream Month (I believe there are few things so difficult that ice cream can't make a little better.)You better believe I ate plenty of ice cream in July! But when July was coming to an end, I got curious about what we "celebrate" in August. After some google searching, I discovered that August is National Happiness Happens month. That fits in so well with my personal philosophy! I thought a bit about what I could do in August to "celebrate" happiness; late one night when I couldn't sleep, it came to me.
I wanted to prove that I could find something every day that made me happy, then document it on my blog. I figured, if I was going to tell people there are things to be happy about, I should make an effort to be sure I'm looking for them.
Yesterday was the last day of National Happiness Happens month (but that doesn't mean the blog project is over.) Here's a summary of what I've learned so far:
- Because I was watching all day, every day, for something that made me happy, I started seeing that there are so many more happy things than I realized before. I think part of that is because I was showing gratitude, I was being blessed with more.
- Some days, the happy things that I found were small and insignificant, but finding them made it feel like the day wasn't as bad as it seemed.
- Some days were so hard that 11:30 would come and I still hadn't found even a small, insignificant thing that made me feel happy. I realized that when that was the case, I needed to be proactive and create something happy.
Another fun fact... August is also National What Will Be Your Legacy month... I've been thinking about that off and on throughout the month. I think this will be my legacy: The battle--from beginning to end--is beautiful, especially when you are looking for the beautiful, happy things that happen every day.
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