31 July 2011

Someone once said


Someone once told me (at the BYU-I campus) that we are here to learn and discover new things we hadn't before. We are PAYING for it. So why not put yourself out there and ask a dumb question? You will be benefit so much more than the person snickering at the question asked. These are notes I took from a  little "learning" question and answer during a Child Development course:

Learn, engage, ask questions, jump in, contribute in some way, find your passions. If you focus all your life on one speck, you will die knowing JUST that one speck. We are responsible for our learning. How open are you to new things? You need to be willing to do the work.

Quotes I liked:
"The learning process is endless. We cannot afford to stop learning and growing and progressing." -Gordon B. Hinckley
Thinking is more interesting than knowing, but less interesting than looking. -Goethe
Everyone should learn something new every day. - Joseph F. Smith
We learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning the answer itself - Lloyd Alexander
The beginning of knowledge is the discovering of something we do not understand. - Frank Herbert
The important thing is not to stop questioning. - Albert Einstein
If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change. -Buddha
Knowledge is created by the learner, not given by the teacher. -Anonymous
The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed. -Albert Einstein
We are not bound by tradition, nor are we limited to our own understanding, or to the wisdom of men. In short, this is a very unusual university. -Kim B. Clark (BYU-I President)

Did  you Know?
The muzzle of a lion is like a fingerprint. No two lions have the same pattern of whiskers.
In ten minutes a hurricane releases more energy than if all the world's nuclear weapons were detonated at once.
Pineapples, oranges, lemons, watermelons, and tomatoes are all berries.
On average, in any given hour there are 61,000 people airborne over the United States.
Robin Williams, Tom Cruise, Gene Hackman, and Dr. Seuss were all voted "least likely to succeed" by their classmates.
In the 16th and 17th centuries it was fashionable to wear one's wedding ring on the thumb.

The Simple Things


This is Kevin, the Netherland Dwarf Rabbit. Sometimes I forget to think of how blessed we are to have a world full of animals. I thought this was funny!

This is brought to you by:

30 July 2011

More Bell Ringers

cute bunbun

Okay, so I'm almost done going through these papers (ahh they will never end) But I found more bell ringers! Which are questions my teacher asked, and my responses.

Not sure what the question was. 
You have to have something bad happen ( a problem ) to have the story become happy. If not, then a happy story would be a boring story. A conflict makes the story better. 

My teacher commented and said "Right!" But I think this applies to life situations as well. Our trials and challenges make us stronger and our lives better. The tricky part is seeing the bigger picture.

Take Time

Take Time

Life is so precious, don't waste a day.
Live life to the fullest in small simple ways.
Take time to smell roses, hear the songs of a bird.
Take time to say "I love you", three beautiful words.

Take time to watch sunsets, all pink, red and gold.
Take time, and just stand still. It's a sight to behold.
Take time, watch the moon rise to spread its soft light.
You will feel God's sweet presence in the still of the night.

Poem given to me by my grandmother before leaving for college.

Thought


"Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He can deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, rais up friends, and pour out peace." 
-Ezra Taft Benson 

A sweet poem

A Poem for Anna Banana Bohanna

So this is the month of April,
The month to celebrate a precious event.
This baby could no longer stay still,
She chose to enter a world full of adventure and excitement. 

With her chubby cheeks all rosy and red, 
She was cuddled and hugged before putting to bed. 
She was read and taught to pray
each and every night
Hoping that she would grow to be a student someday 
Who was sweet, gentle and bright.

Now she is that student her folks thought she'd be,
As she has spent time studying and reading a praying
For all that God has planned for her to get ready
to celebrate her continued success and her tuning nineteen.

Happy birthday to my special niece,
With love,
Aunt Janet
April 28, 2011

My New Life

I saw this video and fell apart. She is such an amazing woman and this story inspires me and I'm sure it will inspire you.

I wrote this and found out about her May 2nd, 2010:
Stephanie Nelison's story has inspired me to be better. I wish to enjoy living a virtuous life filled with pictures, memories, trials, love, family and joy. We are spirits living a mortal experience. I want to love my life and fill it with showing love to others.
I want to share new traditions like kisses/songs before bed, framed drawings that they make on the wall, have goofy moments with my kids with picture taking moments. It doesn't matter if they are blurry. Feed the kids with food that I make. Fill their lives with fun and love. Find something that is special to me now and share it with them (like hiking up a mountain). I want to have 4 kids with cute names. Give them nicknames and kiss them everyday. I so want to be a mom, put my kids/family/the gospel first. Have a dog. Own a cat. Live close to family? Be involved. Be organized. Learn to sew. I want to fill my and my family's life with uplifting music. I need to go through mine and delete.
I want to be righteous to my husband. Pray for him now. We should compliment each other. I want to feel close to him, like I can go to him for anything. I want him to be my best friend. My companion. I want to laugh and love him for who he is. I need to be less critical and start enjoying life. Because' it's life, and it isn't perfect. I need to have a stronger relationship with my Heavenly Father and Savior in order to have hope.

29 July 2011

Who are you?

Who are you? I am a daughter of God.
How do you define yourself? A spiritual being having a mortal experience.
Do you define yourself by what you do, to whom you are related, where you live or have lived? yes
What guides the decisions  you make? Listening to the Spirit, and common sense
To whom do you look to help guide your decisions? Mom, teachers, God
What are your goals sin life? Temple marriage, To become a mother and raise my children righteously
How do you intend to leave your mark on the world? Become a photographer and share my talent with others.

My Creed
I am a daughter, sister, and friend.
I care about the relationships I hold with the people I know.
As I show my love for them, I will gain a greater appreciation of this life and the life to come.
I value friendships I have made and will keep for eternity.

I am a procrastinator and a perfectionist.
I believe I do my best when I am under pressure. (very true)
I am loving, caring, and helpful person to people around me.
When i am serving my fellow man, I feel my greatest.

I love to learn new things.
I encourage myself to set new goals and dedicate myself to these goals.
I am blessed with many talents and abilities that make me a better person.
As I use my talents, I am able to reach out to others.

I believe I am here for a purpose.
My life is a gift, and there is a plan for me.
I am a daughter of God, who loves me and I love Him.
As I live my life, I will make my actions consistent with my knowledge of right and wrong.

What is Love?

What is Love? 3.15.2006 (8th grade)
When people have a strong relationship and really understand each other very well. You know you can trust them and you like and enjoy each other's company. Together you can talk about anything, even when it's little kids. (?) When you do something for someone else and help them in need, you're shoing you love to them. Showing and telling someone you care about them or what they're doing is showing love. Liking them for who they are, and not for what other people think. Unconditional Love.

I had some good ideas I guess. 

What is love?
Safe place
Unconditional
respect
caring for someone
laughter
trust
touch 
liking them for who they are
hugs and kisses!
bonds grow overtime
time together
emotion and kindness
smile
taking responsibility
love is happy :)

Anna

Poem: 7th Grade

Anna
Smart, Creative, Lovable, Musical
Lover of... Modern technology, food
Who gives... Charity, gum, love
Who fears... Drowning, elevators, outside in the dark
Who would like to see... a beach, Iceland, Washington State
Resident of .... Manhattan, KS
Freeby


The flavors
of ice creams are
Amazingly good!
Chocolate can get you
moving off your bum
vanilla, my favorite,
it's number
one!
Mint can get
you smiling happy
but it's not so fun
when it's in your lappy.
Strawberry is like the 
tulip flower, very
bright and full of 
powe.
Rocky Road is very fun,
Especially when I 
ate a ton. The
amount of
flavors are an
endless joy
It's not too
good when 
made
with
s
o
y

I'm so creative it hurts. haha

I wish



Wrote this when I was in 7th grade:

I wish I was a professional tap dancer
I wish my animals could talk to me as if they were people
I wish I could sleep in forever
I wish I could fly in the sky
I wish my dog wouldn't go potty
I wish everybody would go to my church
I wish we would all have our own laptops

"Bell Ringers"

In 9th Grade English class, my teacher Mrs. Cline had us answer daily "bell ringers" which was like a question and then you write a short journal response. Some of mine were pretty hilarious.

4.30.2007 Today is my birthday, it's been a fun day to have. I turned 15 at 9:52am and yesterday my friend gave me a church camp survival kit. It was pretty much the best gift I've ever received from her. It's great to have people think of you on your birthday.

05.02.2007 Should Parents have a say on who you should date/marry? I definitely think parents should give their opinion on your eternal companion, or who you decide to marry. They should not pick for you. It's your love you have and want to share with a person, so it should be your choice. Now dating is another story, parents should confirm or disagree, not choose. (We were reading Romeo and Juliet at the time).

05.03.2007 Certain amount of time to date? I believe people should date for a while and choose together to get married when they know they are prepared. For me, dating would probably last at least a year, but deciding to get married on the very same day of meeting each other is stupid.

05.07.2007 Friday evening consisted of the forty or fifty something annual Washington Dance Recital. I was in the program dancing to the song "I wish" by Stevie Wonder. I thought our group did pretty good, and coming to school today, I hadn't realized how many people went to go see it. They complimented on our performance, and I was happy for that.

05.09.2007 I was never as stupid as Juliet was, risking her whole life for a guy. Romeo wasn't even that good looking either! (ohh wow.) It was a bad idea to pretend to kill yourself.

10.18.2006 Something you knew was wrong... What did you do? Yes I have been involved in something wrong, I went to one of my "old" friend's birthday party and it got out of hand. We were playing a very sick game of truth or dare. So after it was my turn I made an excuse and called my mom to take me home because I had that weird feeling inside.

It's weird reading these..

27 July 2011

Favorite Quotes


These are a few of my favorite quotes I found going through my "church box" of notes and quotes and stuff. 

"So many of us make a great fuss of what matters of small consequence. We are so easily offended... I plead with you to control your tempers, to put a smile upon your faces, which will erase anger, speak out with words of love and peace, appreciation, and respect. If you will do this, your lives will be without regret. Your marriages and family relationships will be preserved. You will be much happier. You will do greater good. You will feel a sense of peace that will be wonderful."
President Gordon B. Hinckley "Slow to Anger," Ensign, Nov. 2007, 63-66.

"The Lord would want you to be successful." -Gordon B. Hinckley
He would. You are His sons and His daughters. He has the same kind of earthly love and ambition for you that your earthly parents have. They want you to do well and you can do it. 

"Obedience to God can be the very highest expression of independence. Just think of giving him the one thing, the one gift that He would never take... Obedience - that which God will never take by force - He will accept when freely given. And he will then return to you freedom that you can hardly dream of - the freedom to feel and to know, the freedom to do and the freedom to be, at least a thousand fold more than we offer Him. Strangely enough, the key to freedom is Obedience."
Elder Boyd K. Packer

"Do not allow darkness and gloom to enter into your hearts. I will give you a rule by which you may know that the Spirit which you have is the right Spirit. 
The Spirit of God produces cheerfulness, joy, light and good feelings. Whenever you feel gloomy and despondent and are downcast, unless it be for your sins, you may know it is not the Spirit of God which you have. Fight against it and drive it out of your heart. The Spirit of God is a Spirit of Hope; it is not the spirit of gloom."
George Q. Cannon

"The sure way to peace and happiness in this life and life hereafter is to serve the Lord today and everyday."
From a bookmark I had

"When all is said and done, when you have lived your life and grown as old as I am, you will recognize that is is the simple virtues that count, that make the great differences in our lives. It is better to sleep at night with a clear conscience than to worry oneself sick while living a fraud. When all is said and done, our success in life will not be spelled out in the money we make, in the honors we attain, in the plaudits of men, but in those virtues which become the essence of that which is greatest within each of us."
President Gordon B. Hinckley

"The devil has no power over us only as we permit him. The moment we revolt at anything which comes from God, the devil takes power."
Joseph Smith

As you make a habit of talking to God through prayer, you will come to know him and draw near to Him. Just remember that Heavenly Father is always ready to hear and answer prayers.

"Live your life in such a way that those who know you but don't know God will come to know God because they know you."

"Patience is not passive resignation, nor is it failing to act because of our fears. Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can - working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are delayed. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!"
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Continue in Patience," Ensign, May 2010, 57.

With Integrity
I want to remember who I am
And not just once a week.
I want to represent the Lord
Each time I think and speak.

I want to be His witness
In all things and places, too.
I want to emulate Him
In the many things I do.

I want to be His servant
With my heart and soul and mind.
I want to seek His lost sheep
And not quit until I find.

I want to praise  Him always
and make Him proud of me.
I want to do with with my heart
And with integrity.


Sister Julie B. Beck has counseled sisters to prioritize where they spend their energy. Influence and power come when we prioritize correctly. she suggests 3 categories:
1. Essential (things that if are not taken care of, the blessings of eternal life are jeopardized)
2. Necessary (things necessary to create an environment of climate where the Spirit of the Lord would be)
3. Nice to do (crafts, hobbies, recreational reading, movies, travel, lunches with friends)
Make goals, set goals, work towards something

"To walk with the Lord, we have to know what is essential, what is necessary, and what is nice to do."
Julie B. Beck

THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE UNASHAMED
I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. 
The dye has been cast.
I have stepped over the line.
The decision has been made.
I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.
I won't look back, let up, slow down, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low living, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tainted visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need pre-eminence, positions, promotions, plaudits or popularity. I now live by faith, lean on His
presence, walk with patience, am uplifted by prayer, and labor with power. My face is set, my gait is fast, and my goal is Heaven. My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear! I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, divided or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, shut up, or let up, until I have stayed up stored up, and paid up of the cause of Christ. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till I know, and work till He stops me. And when He returns for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My banner will be clear.

ahh. Love those quotes.

Add one Missionary Experience

This is a list of small missionary experiences where you can just add one to your day or week or something. I think it's a great idea!

Family Home Evening lesson about Missionary work
Family prayer for missionary experiences
Family fast for missionary work
Go on team-ups with missionaries
Give out a book of Mormon
Provide a referral to the missionaries
Invite friends to dinner
Give out pass along cards
Invite friends to church
Create a family mission plan
Invite missionaries into your home
Attend a baptism
invite friends to a ward activity
fellowship a new member
greet new faces at church
Study "Preach my Gospel"
Invite friends to Family Home Evening
Fellowship less active members
Invite new members to dinner
Invite friends to playgroup
Invite friends to morning exercise
Invite friends to RS meetings
Invite friends to mutual/scouts/service activity
Teach missionary lessons in your home

I definitely had more missionary experiences as a youth in Kansas, and I miss it. I think it was also a time though for me to find my testimony and figure out what I really believed. I feel more confident about missionary work, but I'm still nervous about it. In Idaho it seems like the missionary experience we all focus on is strengthening each other and making everyone feel loved. But we are already all members. It's definitely different than Kansas, but I still have tons of things to improve on.

Dusty Blog

{ summer work }


Summer has taken over and I have not been very good at blogging! Okay, so my current project is switching rooms with Claire, my younger sister. We started with the closet which was good. I've been holding on to a LOT of random things that need to be given away/thrown away. I found a box with all these neat quotes and church stuff. I feel guilty throwing them away, so I'll just blog about them! It's a win win if you ask me. Type up quotes = more blogging! :) 

The first one was probably an email I got when I was 12 and HAD to keep it. They are just suggestions on how to live a good life.

Health:
Drink plenty of Water - I agree with this
Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar - my grandpa told me the same thing
Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants - carrrrbbbss
Make time to pray - all the time
Live with Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy
Read more books than you did the previous year
Play more games
Sit in silence for at least 10 min each day - ponder
Sleep for 7 hrs. - AND THAT'S IT (ha I like my sleep)
Take a 10-30 minutes' walk daily. And while you walk, smile :)

Personality:
Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest you energy in the positive present moment.
Don't overdo. Keep your limits.
Don't waist your precious energy on gossip.
Dream more while you are awake.
Envy is a wast of time. You already have all you need.
Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. that will ruin your present Happiness.
Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
no one is in charge of your happiness except you.
Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade a way like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
Smile and laugh more.
You don't win every argument. Agree to disagree

Society:
Call your family often - yay skype
Each day give something good to others.
Forgive - let it go!
Spend more time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6
Try to make at least 3 people smile each day.
What other people think of you is none of your business.
Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
Do the right thing (even when others arn't looking)
Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful, or joyful.
however good or bad a situaion is, it will change.
No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.
The best is yet to come
When you awake alive in the morning, thank Heavenly Father for it.

Have a great day!

02 July 2011

Ho-ho for breakfast

{ we all need some ice cream on a day like this }

Today I had a ho-ho for breakfast. I kind of regreted it when I went to brush my teeth and realized I had a dentist appointment at 2. Hopefully my superb pre-dentist-visit-flossing-brushing-and-mouthwashing did the trick to cover up the evidence. I think I fooled them :)

Summer Job? I found one! I wash windows:) Yep, so I washed a house today, then got a call to go and wash Walgreens windows in Topeka. Kinda way hot in 104 degrees. But a hard workin day always makes you appreciate the shower thiiiiiiiis much more.

We are re-doing the basement. Carpeting, painting, and organizing. It's taking foreverrrr. But it will be done!
Seeyaa