The Life & Times...: October 2008

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Where can I turn for peace?

Today I decided to go to the temple. It was the best decision I've made all day long! It was such a great experience! Its been a long time since I have felt the spirit like that and I really needed to feel the Lord's love for me. I also felt the Lord's love for each and every one of the spirits that I was baptized and confirmed for. I am so thankful that I have a temple so close that I can escape anytime I want to. Its amazing the spirit that is there and the feeling that you get just by walking in the door. I love it with all of my heart!!!

Friday, October 10, 2008

Tagged minus seven

I am supposed to answer these questions in one word...here goes...

1. Where is your cell phone? Pocket

2. Where is your significant other? Lost

3. Your hair? Perfect

4. Your mother? AMAZING!

5. Your father? Hunting...

6. Your favorite thing? Peace

7. Your dream last night? Forgotten

8. Your dream/goal? Travel

9. The room you're in? Quiet

10. Your hobby? Reading

11. Your fear? Stupid

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Married.

13. Where were you last night? BFF!

14. What you're not? Sleeping

15. One of your wish list items? Money

16. Where you grew up? WeJo

17. The last thing you did? Work

18. What you're wearing? Sweats

19. Your TV? On

20. Your pet? Weird

21. Your computer? Dying

22. What do you think of tags like this? FUN!

23. Your mood? Solemn

24. Missing someone? Yes...........

25. Where would you rather be? Elwood

26. Something you're not wearing right now? Braces

27. Favorite store? Bookstore

28. Your summer? Wasted

29. Love someone? Tried.............................

30. Favorite color? ORANGE!

31. The last time you laughed? Yesterday

32. Who will participate? Tweets! (love ya man!)

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Once again wasting precious study time...

The Tag of 8
So, I wasn't neccesarily tagged, but as I was wasting time and looking at other people's blogs that I don't really know (yes, I'll admit, I stalk blog of people I don't know. If it'll let me click on it, I'll read it) this tag was on one and I thought it was alot of fun so I decided to do it and start tagging those I know...so here goes!

8 TV shows I love to watch

Jon & Kate plus 8 is definitely a favorite of mine! I could watch those cute kids torment their parents any day of the week!

Hannah Montana...yes I am a Disney Channel junkie and I love watching this teen superstar and her dorky brother Jackson get into all sorts of trouble...and lets be honset...what other show can you watch Billy Ray Cyrus on?!

CSI: Miami: I have only a few words...Horatio Cane and Florida crime, what could be better?

ONE TREE HILL: The ONLY show I manage to not watch reruns of and I actually catch it on its regular time...This season has been awesome!

Gossip Girl...XOXO...enough said...

Supernatural...this will be the first time I will admit it but I think I am acutally enjoying this show...curse you Brittany!

What I like about you: but only the later seasons...gotta get my fill of Vince and Holly hooking it up while she's still going out with Henry!

FRIENDS...whats not to love about this classic? How you doin'?

8 Favorite restaurants

Cheesecake Factory...I can hear the Oreo cheesecake callin my name...

Olive Garden: I can never get enough of those breadsticks!

Chili's: gotta love the Mushroom Swiss Burger...I can down that thing in twenty minutes!

Kneader's...I can never get enough of the Cream of Broccoli soup! And those Strawberry tarts...TO DIE FOR!!!

WENDY'S: JBC, FROSTIE, FRIES, nuff said...

Village Baker: That bread gets me every time!

Mimi's Cafe and those DELECTIBLE BROWNIES!!!!! Only four dollars folks!!!

Cafe Rio has recently been on my list of favorites but I must say I like the fire grilled chicken over the pork...

8 things that happened yesterday...

I slept in for the first time in weeks!

Frosted cookies for FHE

I was in bed before MIDNIGHT!

I successfully dodged my recent stalker..

I went to my Head Guard Meeting in Lehi...thrill a minute...let me tell you!

Went grocery shopping and got gas

Went to INSTITUTUE and loved every minute!

Realized once again...I hate my anatomy class.

8 things I'm looking forward to...

SNOWBOARDING!

My best friend being home from his mission...2 DAYS!!!

Playing with JAHUGA tomorow

2 wedding receptions this week...both on satruday...

Taking my friends small child to said receptions...this is going to be funny!

Sleep tonight

Getting my Chemistry test over and done with tomorow morning...

Showering...tonight..

8 things on my wish list...

I wish that my brother knew how much I loved him

I wish that I could take a vacation...a long one...to the Hawaiian Islands

I wish that I could see the future...that way I wouldn't have to worry so much now...

I wish Mitt Romney were still running for President.

I wish Utah had a beach...wouldn't that be nice!

I wish that I didn't have to worry about money...

I wish I could learn from osmosis

I wish I were done with school

8 people I'm tagging:

Mary Nelson

Brittany Plothow

Emily Galbraith

Brynne Burton

Dangew ;)

Jessica Haro

Patches

Teigan Benson

CAN'T WAIT TO READ THEM!!!

My Declaration of Independence

So this is my new favorite song...FORGET THE LOVE SONGS!!! HOLLA TO ALL MY SINGLE SISTA'S OUT THERE!!! LOVE YOU ALL BUNCHES!

I'm not waitin' around for a man to save me

(Cos I'm happy where I am)

Don't depend on a guy to validate me

(No no)

I don't need to be anyone's baby

(Is that so hard to understand?)

No I don't need another half to make me whole

Make your move if you want doesn't mean I will or won't

I'm free to make my mind up you either got it or you don't

[Chorus:]

This is my current single status

My declaration of independence

There's no way I'm tradin' places

Right now a star's in the ascendant

I'm single (Right now)

That's how I wanna be

I'm single

(Right now)

That's how I wanna be

Ah yeah Uh Huh that's right

Don't need to be on somebody's arm to look good

(I like who I am)

I'm not saying I don't wanna fall in love 'cos I would

I'm not gonna get hooked up just 'cos you say I should

(Can't romance on demand)

I'm gonna wait so I'm sorry if you misunderstood

[Chorus]

Everything in it's right time everything in it's right place

I know I'll settle down one day

But 'til then I like it this way it's my way

Eh I like it this way

Make your move if you want doesn't mean I will or won't

I'm free to make my mind up you either got it or you don't

'Til then I'm single

This is my current single status

My declaration of independence

There's no way I'm tradin' places

Right now a star's in the ascendant

My Baby Girl!

So I finally got a new car after dealing with my old one breaking down every month on me...ISN'T SHE GORGEOUS?!?!!?!?! I sure do love driving it! Its a 2008 Pontiac G6...no worries I got it used with about 30,000 miles on it. It has a V6 engine and gets about 35 miles to the gallon...Beat that!!! I really like it and plan on driving it forever!!!

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Never-Never Land

"In his address at the BYU spring 2005 commencement exercise, Elder Earl C. Tingey of the Seventy referred to an article in a recent issue of Time magazine. It states that the years from 18 to 25 have become “a distinct and separate life stage, a strange, transitional never-never land between adolescence and adulthood in which people stall for a few extra years, [postponing] … adult responsibility.” The article describes these transitional individuals as “permanent adolescents, … twentysomething Peter Pans.” Putting this analysis in terms more familiar to his audience of BYU graduates and their families, Elder Tingey spoke of “the indecision some college graduates have in … accepting the responsibilities of marriage and family.”

"This tendency to postpone adult responsibilities, including marriage and family, is surely visible among our Latter-day Saint young adults. The average age at marriage has increased in the last few decades, and the number of children born to LDS married couples has decreased. It is timely to share some concerns about some current practices in the relationships of young LDS singles in North America.

"Knowledgeable observers report that dating has nearly disappeared from college campuses and among young adults generally. It has been replaced by something called “hanging out.” You young people apparently know what this is, but I will describe it for the benefit of those of us who are middle-aged or older and otherwise uninformed. Hanging out consists of numbers of young men and young women joining together in some group activity. It is very different from dating.

"For the benefit of some of you who are not middle-aged or older, I also may need to describe what dating is. Unlike hanging out, dating is not a team sport. Dating is pairing off to experience the kind of one-on-one association and temporary commitment that can lead to marriage in some rare and treasured cases.

"What has made dating an endangered species?"

This is one of my ALLTIME FAVORITE talks from Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. It is called Dating Versus Hanging Out. It has really bothered me of late that dates are completely non-exsistent. Todays males have resorted to what they knew how to do in high school-hang out.

I really think that we do boys an injustice in the early dating years (16-19) by telling them that dating is a "bad" thing. Hey boys...DATING IS GOOD!!! The only thing we are encouraged not to do is date exclusively prematurely. VERY understandable and I completely agree with this. But, the impression that young men are getting is that dating is bad overall and that they shouldn't do it at all. Therefore, they hang out. After high school, they maybe get one year of college in...maybe less...and then they go on their missions. After coming home from their missions, the are told to get married. But the only thing they know how to do is HANG OUT. They don't know how to date. They don't know how to take a girl on a nice night out that doesn't cost a fortune. So they resort to what they know is safe a reliable. Hanging out.

One thing they don't know how to do is to find dates that are inexpensive and fun. I recently went on a date with a friend from high school who had recently returned from his mission. He asked me "How do I date now? What do I do?!" He didn't know how to date for marriage! I was shocked! I had to teach him how to date all over again. I had to give him ideas for dating that would help him get to know girls well and that would be inexpensive and yet fun. He asked a million questions on what to to even do and how to act.

What are we going to do about this? And as Elder Oaks said "What has made dating an endangered species?" Well, I think the answer is-WE have made dating an endangered species. And guys these days need to get the courage up and just ask girls out. It doesn't need to be anything big or expensive. Go for ice cream. Go for a drive. Rent a movie. Make her dinner. BUT ASK THE GIRL OUT FOR HEAVENS SAKE! The worst she can say is no. And that doens't make you any less of a man for doing so.

"...The more elaborate and expensive the date, the fewer the dates. As dates become fewer and more elaborate, this seems to create an expectation that a date implies seriousness or continuing commitment. That expectation discourages dating even more. Gone is the clumsy and inexpensive phone call your parents and grandparents and I used to make. That call went something like this: “What’re ya doin’ tonight? How about a movie?” Or, “How about taking a walk downtown?” Cheap dates like that can be frequent and nonthreatening, since they don’t seem to imply a continuing commitment.

"Simple and more frequent dates allow both men and women to “shop around” in a way that allows extensive evaluation of the prospects. The old-fashioned date was a wonderful way to get acquainted with a member of the opposite sex. It encouraged conversation. It allowed you to see how you treat others and how you are treated in a one-on-one situation. It gave opportunities to learn how to initiate and sustain a mature relationship. None of that happens in hanging out...

"There is another possible contributing factor to the demise of dating and the prominence of the culture of hanging out. For many years the Church has counseled young people not to date before age 16. Perhaps some young adults, especially men, have carried that wise counsel to excess and determined not to date before 26 or maybe even 36.

"Men, if you have returned from your mission and you are still following the boy-girl patterns you were counseled to follow when you were 15, it is time for you to grow up. Gather your courage and look for someone to pair off with. Start with a variety of dates with a variety of young women, and when that phase yields a good prospect, proceed to courtship. It’s marriage time. That is what the Lord intends for His young adult sons and daughters. Men have the initiative, and you men should get on with it. If you don’t know what a date is, perhaps this definition will help. I heard it from my 18-year-old granddaughter. A “date” must pass the test of three p’s: (1) planned ahead, (2) paid for, and (3) paired off."

I will now get off my soap box. But I hope you will all encourage those men around you to man up and ask a girl on a date. The end.

The Fabric of Our Lives

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the last little bit...and if you know me...its hard to just pick a favorite!

Miss Mia, my cute little niece!

The sunset...taken on Bangerter Highway while at a stop light.

At the conference center

Newport Beach Temple

A rose is a rose...

We are all stars...

Jewelry...

Manti Temple

Truett playing the giant xylophone

One of the coolest picture I have probably ever taken...in Bountiful off I-15 going south...this was not planned...

Sunshine and Summertime...

So a couple weeks ago my cute roommates and I decided to do roommate pictures...cliche, I know...but it was super fun! We even have a couple hanging in our front room! We had a blast taking them and here are a few that I sent through photo shop and put them in black and white...ENJOY!