Remembering to be Thankful

Hey guys! It's been a while but I'm back on my blog! I have decided to be a little more focused with the things I share on this blog, in hopes that the messages I share can be meaningful to those who choose to read them. I will focus on things that bring me happiness in my life, and how to stay focused on those things each and every day. So here it goes....

I know without a doubt that one of the KEY components to being truly happy is GRATITUDE. And I don't mean just naming off a list of blessings in your life every so often.  I mean being ACTIVELY GRATEFUL every day of our lives no matter what difficult things may be happening around us.

Let's talk about a couple examples that you may be able to relate to one way or another...

1. This one is for all you singles out there... you've been dating someone for a while, and things are going really well. You feel like finally this is the person you are supposed to marry and with whom you are going to a build a life together That person unexpectedly decides you are not actually the person they see themselves with for the rest of forever, and ends the relationship. You are devastated, and feel the depression start to sink in.

You have 2 options,  First one, the easy one, is to become discouraged and miserable and numb yourself up so you don't hurt so much anymore. You might become reclusive and just stop caring. You might even lose motivation to better yourself and become the kind of person that you know you need to be.

Second option, the harder one, will invariably help you to truly MOVE FORWARD and be HAPPY again. And it ALL REVOLVES AROUND GRATITUDE. Of course you are very sad and spend time grieving, because that is natural and healthy to do, to a point.  But you remember that you have been blessed with a family who loves and supports you.  You have friends who have your back no matter what and encourage you to get back out there and be social, You especially remember that you have a Savior, Jesus Christ, who died for you so that you can become like Him and eventually become truly happy. You are reminded of the healthy body you have and the ability to do things you enjoy: run, hike, listen to music, read, laugh, play the piano. Slowly, but surely, you begin to feel your burden lighten as you remember to THANK THE LORD for all you have, and to keep optimism high by focusing on the good in your life.

2. You are the parent of a child who has decided to make some poor decisions in his or her life and who is causing you heartbreak. What have you done wrong? You have done all in your power to raise them in love and teach them high moral standards so that they would know how to be happy. But no matter how hard you tried and how much work you did, your child still has their agency and has chosen a path you would not have chosen for them.

I recognize that this kind of trial is one of the hardest out there. I am not a parent myself so I can not fully empathize with anyone going through this. However, I have seen multiple examples of this in the lives of people I love and care about.  I know not every situation is the same, but I do believe that the same principle of gratitude applies.

Again, 2 options. First, you may chose to be hurt, angry, and even become bitter, Perhaps you are justified, for no one has ever caused you so much heartache, You may feel it would be less painful to just stop talking to that person and cut them out of your life.

Second option- recognize that NO MATTER WHAT the choices of this child have been or will be, that person was sent to you from God Himself.  You were given charge to care for and LOVE this person, regardless of his or her individual decisions. Imagine what happiness you would have if eventually that child turned his/her life around. And even if that were not to happen, you choose to be GRATEFUL for the blessing they have been in your life and the good memories you have had,  And you love them, MORE THAN EVER.  You hope that one day your child will realize what they have done and turn to you because you never stopped loving them. You cherished them and never let them forget it.

NO MATTER WHAT the trial is that your are dealing with right now- an addiction, loss of a loved one, loneliness, difficult time making an important decision, feelings of discouragement....don't ever let yourself get so low that your forget to be THANKFUL.  Jesus Christ Himself truly suffered for every one of our struggles.  Not only did He atone for our sins, he felt our weaknesses, our frustrations, our despair.  He alone knows how to succor us and help us move forward when life is hard and find peace.  Turn to Him in gratitude for all He has given you, and He will help you to be at peace and find joy no matter what your circumstance may be,

Here are a few pictures of people and things for which I am so grateful, and that help me move forward and have joy even when things are tough:

I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I am so thankful that He died for me and every one of us so that we may come into Him and be happy.  If you want to know more about my beliefs, just ask me:) or visit lds.org. 

The Book of Mormon gives me comfort and direction time and time again, I have a testimony of its truth and know without a doubt every word therein is from God.

So grateful for new experiences that make life exciting, like traveling to NYC and walking through Central Park.

I am so grateful for the example of my little brother Mark who is serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints in Milwaukee, WI. He is doing this because He loves the people there and wants them to find happiness in coming unto Jesus Christ,

I love NATURE. I feel so close to the Lord when I am enjoying His creations and especially when I am on top of a mountain!

SO grateful for best friends. Heather loves me despite all my flaws and laughs at my blond moments.

My family is such a stability in my life, I love them SO much and am grateful for their unconditional love for me.

I love to run, especially with good friends and on zero sleep:).

I LOVE going to the temple and find peace and guidance from the Lord there.

I got to be a youth counselor and Especially for Youth- I learned SO much from my kids. Love ya Kimi!!

Gaining Perspective

I feel like every few weeks I am taught some by lesson, like my life plays out in such a way that I am naturally focuses on a very specific topic for awhile....and then I naturally move on to something else I really need to learn/focus on at the time. I don't know of that makes any sense, it may not since I worked all night and got approximately 2 1/2 hours of sleep last night:).  But regardless, lately my "topic of focus" has been gaining perspective.  I have been studying a lot about the major component of having good perspective: FAITH.  Why is it so easy to become discouraged and exhausted at certain times in our lives? I know why. Satan WORKS on us in any way he can, and discouragement is one of his favorite weapons. But I also know that we all have our free agency, meaning we get to CHOOSE. Wow. Think about that for a moment. What a powerful gift god has given me, and you.  I cannot express in words my gratitude for this gift. And God knew that we would all make mistakes, which is why he sent his Son Jesus Christ to Atone for each one of us. I have a strong testimony of this Atonement, and that it not only covers our sins, but also allowed Jesus to experience EXACTLY what we go through whenever we have trials, sorrows, and weaknesses. He has already paid for all of that. However it is up to us to reach out to Him, live our lives in His service, which means in the service of other people, and it is also up to us to decide to be better. We have to really want it in order to take the needed steps.

So, lately I have wanted to gain stronger faith in Him and the power of His Atonement to help me change. I have also been striving to gain stronger faith in His plan for me. Sometimes, maybe most of the time, things don't pan out exactly how we plan. But I am learning that that's ok. He has something better in mind. However, I also know that it is extremely important that we are excited about the future, optimistic, hopeful, and TRUST in Him.  I realize that people go through HARD things, much harder than I have ever experienced or can imagine experiencing. I cannot empathize with so many people in this world and even in my circle of friends.  I can say that I know The Lord loves everyone. He knows we cannot handle all that life throws us by ourself, and that is where the Atonembt comes in. I love Him so much and studying more about faith as weel as learning about the Atonement has brought me significantly closer to Him lately, giving me a beautiful, hopeful, PERSPECTIVE.

Learn more about Christ and the Atonement @ lds.org

New Beginnings

Happy 2014!!

Like everyone else, in this world, I have some New Year's Resolutions, and my excuse for not posting about them sooner is that I have been busy working on them??  Haha but seriously, I love the feel of a New Year and getting a fresh start with everything in my life.  I also sincerely believe that in order to "get a fresh start" in no way requires an entire new year to roll around...but it helps:).

So...my New Year's resolutions? There are a number of them:

1. Get back into shape.  Let's be honest, just about every person has this on their list.  And it's a good one.  For me, I signed up for the SLC Marathon the end of April and am now in training for that.  Also, I am being really good about eating healthy food and keeping track of what I eat.  Guys, I have gone like 10 DAYS without chocolate! I didn't think that was possible:).  I am trying to cut out refined sugars for the month of january.  My specific plan will get me back to where I want to be by the end of May:). Wish me luck haha.

2. Stick to a budget.  Ok, so I am creating a budget this weekend based on monthly income.  I plan on reevaluating how I am doing each week so that I stay within my budget.  I am really excited about this one because its something I have not really done in the past but I know how important it is and want to make it a strong point of mine.

3. Become a better nurse. I am LOVING my job and feel I have come a long way these past 9 months as far as becoming not so stressed and more able to enjoy what I am doing. I want to continually improve in my patient care and increase my clinical knowledge as I work as a nurse.  To help, I am planning on going to the annual NICU conference they usually have in April to learn more and review what I know.

4. Be a missionary.  This is something I really need to work on!  I am going to send some BOMs with my testimony to some family and friends with my testimony as a gift...I think that is a good way of letting people know your beliefs without being pushy.  I am also going to pray that I will find at least one person that will start taking the missionary discussions this year.

I have a few more but these are the main ones.  Also, I got to spend time with my family over Christmas break and we had SO much fun!!  We rode bikes, ran, scrapbooked, played Settlers of Cataan, watched movies, ate yummy food, opened presents, I got together with some old friends...it was so fun.  Next time I am home will be to see RYAN!!:) Can't wait.

So Grateful

Hey friends! This week I decided I to post a "Gratitude List" because I have been so very blessed in my life. When I stop and think about everything The Lord has given me, it is more than I can comprehend. I definitely have my struggles and challenges, but I am so often reminded that those could be a whole lot harder. The human spirit is incredible, I am amazed at what people can endure, however I have a sure knowledge that the only way people are able to endure hard things is with the help of Jesus Christ and the power that comes from His Atonement. I know He died for each of us, as well as suffered all things that we struggle with. Through this great act of love, we can repent, be forgiven, and change, as well as have His loving support throughout our lives. We can also overcome weaknesses because he has felt the struggles that we go theouh every day. It is up to us to pray for His help and try to align our lives with His will so we can have His Spirit to be with us and guide us. 

On that note, here are just a few of the things I am most grateful for, some extremely important to me and others just things that make life fun:): 

My Savior, Jesus Christ who loves me unconditionally
Heavenly Father, Who is unfailingly patient with me
Christ's Atonement, by which power i can progress and change
The Gospel

The Book of Mormon- I found out for myself at age 11 that this book is 100% truth :)

The Bible

My family- I can't describe in word how much these people mean to me and how much I love them all. I am so excited to get married and have kids. There is absolutely nothing I want more than this right now.

My friends

My health and my body(the human body is incredible and a testimony    to me of a higher power, which is God and Jesus Christ)

My education and job as a nurse-there is nothing more rewarding than caring for sweet, tiny babies that God has just barely sent to this earth. My patients are absolutely incredible and teach me so much even though they can't talk to me.

Running- this is something I love and makes me feel so good, can't wait to start training for a big race again soon:)

Nature- I never fail to be amazed at God's creations, I think big, huge, beautiful mountains are my very favorite

Inspiring music-music can have such a force for good in our lives if we choose it wisely

Country music- and country music is a wise choice...:)

Food-I love to cook and am grateful for such a huge variety of flavors and types of food we have to chose from

Peanut butter-best flavor of them all

Clothes- I confess I love shopping for clothes, it's one of my many flaws:/ but I am thankful I have always been blessed with warm clothes that fit and are comfortable. I recognize this is so etching that SO many people go without. 

Service- I am ALWAYS happiest when I am serving and focusing on other people. I decided today that if I am not married or engaged next year, I am going to plan a humanitarian trip to Africa to so nursing for a couple weeks. I have wanted to do that for a long time and I sure don't have a husband or kids right now...:) looks like most organizations want you to have a couple years of experience though so I could go in 2015...

Piano
Tennis
Camping
Good books
Good movies
Blankets and warm beds
General conference talks
Good examples in my life
President Monson and other church leaders
Missionaries
I could go on forever, but these are just a few of the things that give meaning and purpose and enjoyment to life:)

So Grateful

So I decided to post a gratitude list this week. I am I awe of all I've been blessed with and it amazes me what people are able to e sure. I also know that the only way people are able to get through incredibly difficult things is through the help of our Savior Jesus Christ. I know He Atoned for our sins, suffered our sorrows and frustrations, and that if we turn to him and repent and make Him a part of our lives, we can be forgiven, truly ch age, endure of trials, and overcome our weaknesses. On that note, here are a few things I am thankful for, some extremely important to me and others, just things that make life fun:) :

Jesus Christ, my Savior Who loves us unconditionally
Heavenly Father, who is unfailingly patient with me
Christ's Atonement, through which I can progress

My family-I can't describe how much these people mean to me. What I want more than anything else right now is to get married and raise my own kids, I am seriously so excited for that:)

My good friends who encourage and inspire me to be better

The Book of Mormon- I found out for myself at age 11 that this book is 100% true, and I found that our by reading it and then praying and asking God. It really is simple as that.

The Bible

Good books

President Monson and other church leaders

General conference talks

My education and job as a nurse. There is nothing more rewarding than caring for sweet tiny babies who God just barely sent to this earth. My patients teach me so much even though they can't speak at all.

My body and health. The human body is miraculous and testifies to me that there is a higher power, that of God and Jesus Christ

Running- I feel so good when I run (or maybe after...) and can't wait to train for a big race again soon!

Food-how cool that there are so many flavors and yummy food to enjoy, and that I have always been blessed with enough to eat

Same goes for clothes- one of my many flaws is my love of shopping for clothes, however I recognize that so mny are not blessed with warm clothes and that I am extremely blessed to have never had to worry about that...

Nature- I never fail to be amazed at Christ's creations. Bug, beautiful mountains are my favorite:).

Piano
Tennis
Volleyball 
Chocolate
Peanut butter
Good books
Good movies

Service! I am happiest when i am serving. I decided today that if I am not married or engaged next year, I am planning a humanitarian trip to Africa to do nursing. I have wanted to so that for a long time. No husband? No kids? Okie doke, then I want to go be a nurse in Africa for a couple weeks...

Missionaries
The Gospel
Temples and temple work

Wow I could go on forever. I have an incredible life and am thankful to my Savior for blessing me so abundantly. I feel a great responsibility to share, serve, and bless others lives in whatever ways God has in mind for me.

I'm a blogger now

Hey friends!

Wow I never thought I'd be a blogger until I had kids or something....but I've decided to join the blogging community haha.  Why?  I've got a few reasons.  First off, I think it's a great way to keep a journal and share my thoughts and views on life.  Also, I want to use this blog to keep track of progress I make with certain goals of mine.  Finally, its a great way to stay connected with family and friends I don't get to see too often.  So here it goes...

Lately I have had some really wonderful things happen and have also been struggling with a few things.  That's usually how life goes, huh?  I do believe that it's good o never get too comfortable in life and that as soon as you do, the Lord has a way of helping push you to do better, work harder, or get through a trial that will help you become stronger.  I am grateful for His help because otherwise, it would be too easy to drift along in life at times.

Hard things...
I LOVE my job but it is also extremely challenging.  I am training in Pediatrics right now and love the patients I care for.  It is a huge learning curve though, as I have been working in the NICU and Mom/Baby up until now.  I think my passion is babies, but I do love the variety I get with teens and young children in Peds, as well as the different types of nursing care I get to learn since there is such a variety of diagnoses in this unit.  Let's pray I can reach a point where I don't feel like a scatterbrained stress case:).  I know it will come....maybe?

Goals....
I have several things I want to work on right now but let's narrow it down to 3.

First, I want to come closer to me Savior through this upcoming year.  I think the 3 best ways for me to do this are to 1. Be sure my SCRIPTURE STUDY is sincere each day. 2.  Be sure my PRAYERS are sincere each day as well. 3.  Focus on SERVICE

Second, I want to be healthier, overcome my ever-present sweet tooth (why is chocolate so. darn. good?), and get back into what I call "marathon shape."  I have ran 3 marathons up until this point.  To be honest, even when I was in the best shape of my life, I still struggled with wanting "better," something I think a lot of us women do.  However, I have since learned to better recognize that always wanting to be in better shape can easily become an addiction and a hinderance.  There is a happy balance I am still trying to reach.  For now, I am striving to really cut back on refined sugar, fill my diet with healthy whole foods, and get a good work-out in at least 5 times a week.  I am also setting my sites on running a marathon in June, and getting back into the kind of shape i was in when I ran my marathon last fall.  More to come on this...

Third, I want to be a better nurse.  The first 6 months of my job I kind of just had the mentality of
"survival mode" because of the overwhelming learning curve.  However, I have since realized how much I love being a nurse and how important it is for me to be the best possible nurse I can be.  This will help me provide the best possible care I can for my patients, will keep me constantly learning, and will continue to open doors of opportunities to server throughout my life:).

So...this was kind of a random first post but a little bit of everything that's been on my mind recently.  I am excited to continue keeping a record of the happenings of life and everything I believe in, am grateful for, and things I am working to improve:).