the south

So I'm borrowing this from an Elder that served in my mission. I thought it was a pretty substantial list.
top ten things to miss about the South:
10. Fried Chicken. Stereotypical I know but that stuff is good and nobody makes it like the people here
9. Humidity.
A lot of people don't like it but the reality is your sweat keeps you cool folks! Don't believe me take a flight from Atlanta to Phoenix and see what happens.
8. Random women calling you honey, babydoll, sweetie, etc.
What guy wouldn't miss that?!?
7. Rain and Thunderstorms.
Because nowhere makes it rain like Alabama!
6. American Football.
I think we can all say that the South pretty much dominates college football. Just count the titles folks!
5. People are genuine.
Extremely honest people. They don't beat around the bush down here. If you wanna know what somebody believes religiously, politically, or their favorite football team they won't be afraid to tell you or even wear it.
4. The Music
It's kind of hard to travel here without hearing great music. A lot of the beginnings of blues, soul, country, and rock n' roll all started here. Elvis was even born and raised here!
3. People get along pretty darn well. It's kinda nice having people to talk to you everyday and not avoid you!
2. People actually care about what's going on in each other's lives and have general concern for others.
1. Jesus. It's pretty easy to find Him the South. I found Him while I was there. It just seems like anywhere else you have to play where's Waldo."

And here's a video I came across where a guy who asked random people in Alabama the last picture they took on their phones. It gives you a pretty accurate picture of what it's like to interact with those folks down there. Watch it!

http://vimeo.com/95023516

This is only the first of many posts to come about my experience way down South. So git yerself ready for one of the greatest adventures of yer whole life. Have a blessed day!

monday musing #9

Summer lovin' 
havin' a blast

This week has been soooo crazy busy and good! Can't say enough good things. But to start: let me just say there's no place like home. 

I will never stop falling in love with it. And this 78 degree weather is a heck of a lot better than the 99 degree weather I was experiencing in Utah. Except ironically i didn't get burnt until I came up here. And when I say I got some sun, I really mean I got fried.

The thought I wanted to share with you this week comes from a scripture we studied in my Doctrine and Covenants class. It is mentioned several times in the scriptures, but at this point, Joseph Smith is in Liberty Jail and the Lord says in section 122 if [insert lots and lots of awful, horrible things] happen to you, 

"know thou, my son (or daughter) that these things shall give thee experience and shall be for thy good" 

I don't want to focus on all the bad things that could hypothetically happen, but more on the experiences we have and how they really do impact our lives. Being home this weekend has allowed me to see what's really important to me and how there truly is no greater place on earth. I really just want to recruit everyone to come live up here because quite simply, it's the best! 

And if those bad things are happening, just remember that you are supposed to be learning something from it. Remember that Heavenly Father is always there for you and is allowing this to happen to you, not because he doesn't love you, but precisely because he does love you. When these troubling times come, remember you can always find safety and comfort in "home". In close friends, in the gospel, in nature, in your family, in your companion, in the temple, in prayer. Whatever sense of home you can find, grasp it and hold it tight, never letting go, because that could be the only thing that gets you through. 

Yes, we all need to get out of our comfort zones and safety places so we can learn and grow, but sometimes it makes all the difference in the world when you have something stable and steady to rely on.

I hope y'all had a great week and that you are making the most of every day this beautiful summer. Thank you for your examples and for serving the Lord all around the world. What a huge blessing to yourselves, your families, and this church. I know it is true.

'Til next week!

mary

monday musing #8

Amongst all the crazy, busy, exciting events of this week, the most important was probably attending the temple. 

<<It was hump day>> 

aka Wednesday. 

My alarm went off at 6:30, I threw on a dress, brushed my teeth, grabbed my stuff, and starting walking to the temple at approximately 6:45. Made it there, dressed and ready to go for the 7:20 session. 

En route to the temple, it was a gorgeous morning. Birds were chirping, the sun was shining, the temperature was just right, the mountains were glorious, I ran into one too many missionaries, and I was simply loving life. While in haste though, because I was on a tight schedule.

Another new video came out this week on tuesday so basically I was one of the first people in the world to see it :) Lucky me. It was the first time I ever attended the temple by myself since I've been endowed and it was just one of the greatest experiences. I felt really grown up, which was weird. I loved being in the celestial room, feeling so much peace and having the opportunity to talk to my Heavenly Father. I really felt like I was taking a step out of the world where time stands still. 

Even though I had to rush back to make it to class on time, I felt like I was on cloud nine. If there is any way to start your day, it is most definitely by going to the temple. I don't know what it was, but I was just so happy. I felt like I could take on the world, I said hello to everyone I saw, I couldn't stop smiling, life was just so good and I felt like I was embracing it. Lemme tell ya, the spirit does amazing things for you. I guess I felt a little uneasy about some things and when I prayed in that celestial room, I really needed to feel some comfort from Heavenly Father and get some direction. 

Well, I didn't get my specific answers yet, but I did feel of His love. I did feel like everything was going to be ok. And I did feel like I was extremely blessed for so many different things in my life. 

I know this probably wasn't the most exciting email, but I hope that you can get some take away from it. Think about your covenants. Think about how much Heavenly Father loves you and is supporting you. Think about peace and how we can obtain it in this crazy world that is so far from every definition of the word. 

Have a fabulous week and don't give up! There are good things to come :)

Meet my friends Fred and Bucky. I assembled them myself :)

My little brother got his mission call!!! Peru Iquitos Mission reports Dec 2 

#gointothejungle #podemoshablarespañoljuntos

Summer Invitational Clue: Mystery Manor

simple pleasures

These all occurred last week but I'm just now getting around to writing about them.
Oh. And by the way, they all happened on the.same.day.

numero uno.
My morning started at 6:30 am to the sound of my alarm. Up I got, prayed, opened the blinds, changed into my swimsuit, and off to the pool I went. I enjoyed a nice swim. Seriously. It felt sooo good to be back in the water again. I realized just how much time I've spent in a pool in my life. It's a lot of hours. Anyways, as you may know, one side of the pool is always deeper than the other. At BYU, the deeper end is closer to the girl's locker room. So that's the side I hopped in on after sliding off my flip-flops. Also keep in mind that it's been over a  year since I've been in this pool, but I vividly remember being able to pull myself out of the pool from the deep end before. So, as I decide to finish my laps, I think to myself, "No problem, I got this. I can definitely get out on this end regardless of the fact that maybe I'm not as strong as I used to be or how completely not in shape I am" So I sit there for a minute, hands on the edge, arms outstretched, just waiting for the right moment to pull myself up. 1....2....3....pull!!!!! Ok. body up, knee in the little ledge. So far, so good. Maybe not too graceful, but not too bad. Now I just have to pull myself up a little bit more to put my foot in the little ledge and knee up on the deck. 1...2....3....lift!!!!! ha ha. That's not happening. I'm stuck. What do I do? The lifeguards are probably watching me, thinking, "Why did that amateur swimmer decide to get out at that end." *Other swimmers stop and stare* Ok, probably not. But still. When you're in that situation, all you want to do is be OUT of that situation, and of course you think that everyone is looking at you even though they're probably not. Well I knew there was no way I could pull myself all the way up so I took the next best option and just kind of rolled over the edge. Yup. Embarrassing. But I made it out! And in order to play it off, like it was completely what I meant to do, I just sat there, put on my shoes, then got up, and went on my merry way. While walking back into the locker room, I just couldn't keep a smile off my face. I was literally laughing on the inside, and almost the outside, at the event that had just transpired. It was pretty great. Definitely not one of my high points, but the important thing is that I laughed about it. And hopefully the lifeguards enjoyed the little show Ü

numero dos.
During our half-time break in my D&C class, I went to go fill up my water bottle. There, on the back side of the drinking fountain was a little faucet. It had a censor and all you had to do was put your water bottle there and it fills it right up! Automatically! No more awkwardly trying to aim the stream of water into your bottle, or angling it just right so you can fill it up as much as possible. Easy, ready to go, water bottle filler upper. It really is the little things that can make your day.

numero tres.
In RA class today we learned about fire safety. Note to everyone. Whenever an alarm goes off, always exit the building. Even if you know it's a drill. It's better to be safe than sorry. Most fires in Utah happen from kitchens. Make sure you watch your food while you're cooking! Don't get distracted. Ok, I'm done. There's my plug for fire safety. Well, at the end of this lovely lecture, we got to practice putting fires out! It was pretty awesome. As an RA, I have now pulled a fire alarm and used a fire extinguisher. Check off the bucket list. Kind of one of those things you think you're never really going to get to do in life. Ok, so back to fire extinguishers. Just remember:
Pull (the pin)
Aim (at the base)
Squeeze (the handle)
Sweep (while walking towards the fire)

Easy peasy right? Now y'all will be fire experts too!

numero cuatro.
I have a class that goes pretty late and I don't have time to eat before it so I'm usually pretty hungry by the time I get out. I decided to go to Subway that night. Sometimes Subway gets super delicious breads in stock and they should probably keep them forever, but they never do. As of then, they had a yummy garlic bread. So that's what I asked for. She said they didn't have any. But then they found one. And then they told me that it was the very last loaf because they were discontinuing it. SCORE. It was a great sandwich!

monday musing #7

7 Weeks! Holy Cow, time goes by fast! 

Bienvenidos to my new friends Ü 

For those of you who don't know, I started my monday musings as a way to spiritually uplift my wonderful girlfriends who are all serving missions. 

That means Y.O.U.

Me, being the person I am, gets a little carried away sometimes with all the random details of my life (boys, school, work, etc.) and sometimes I forget that you're still servants of the Lord. 

SO. Here I am, and I hope I can give you a little inspiration for the week. 

I try to keep it short, I promise! But don't worry, I won't be offended if you don't have time to read it.

Ok so let me start by saying how much I LOVE my Living Prophets class. 

Guess what we do. 

We study the lives and the talks of each of the apostles. It's pretty legit. 

So this week I read a talk by Elder Quentin L. Cook entitled, "The Songs They Could Not Sing". Towards the end of the talk, I came across this paragraph

*Shoutout to my ABM sistas who will probably appreciate this a lil bit more*

And I quote, "My beloved mission president, Elder Marion D. Hanks (who passed away in August), asked us as missionaries to memorize a statement to resist mortal challenges: 'There is no chance, no destiny, no fate that can circumvent or hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul.' (Ella Wheeler Wilcox) He acknowledged that this doesn't apply to all the challenges we encounter but is true in spiritual matters. I have appreciated his counsel in my life"

ok, stop it right there. You mean to tell me that an apostle had to memorize the exact. same. poem. on his mission that I had to on mine??? 

Talk about awesomeness! 

And then I really started to think..."What else did President Hanks incorporate from his dad?" How cool that this man's influence is being reached to so many different people around the world. 

What are some special things that your mission presidents do? How are they going to impact you for the rest of your life? What teachings of theirs have been ingrained in your minds? 

I know that one of the reasons I was called to the Alabama Birmingham Mission was being with President Hanks and his dear, sweet wife. They have changed my life for the better and have become my second parents. They have taught me lessons I never could have learned anywhere else and they loved me as their own. I will forever cherish the memories I have with them and I hope that you will with your mission presidents as well. What a special time in our lives!

I love you each dearly. Let me know if there's anything I can do for you!

Xoxo, Hermana Blackner 

Oh, and update of the week in pictures :)

dropped this girl off at the CCM. It brought back lots of good memories. I even got to hablar with some hermanas in espanol :)

the boys are back! I missed them! Summer's better when we're together

my first watercolor! I'm having so much fun with my art journal

Tuesday Devotional

One of the pieces I've always loved about BYU is the ability to combine both secular and spiritual learning so well in a world where values are changing so rapidly. It's like a little bit of heaven on earth and makes me appreciate education so much more.

In the JFSB, there is a gallery called Education in Zion. There are two pictures that hang across the room from each other. One is a picture of the Kirtland Temple and it is entitled "The Temple: A Holy School"

The other is a picture of the first building on campus, the Maeser Building and the Brigham Young Academy Building, entitled "The School: A Temple of Learning"

We have access to an abundance quality information here and the goals and aims of BYU are designed to help us become better people. It is absolutely remarkable. A lot of these amazing aspects I had forgotten about while I was away. Like the fact that we sing a hymn and say a prayer before our classes. Such a simple thing, but it makes such a huge difference in your day!

So.

Today while I was sitting in the De Jong Concert Hall, listening to a biology professor speak, I realized something. He was using his knowledge of biology and his area of expertise and applied it to the gospel.
It was great! And then I started reflecting on all the of the devotionals I've been to, and each speaker does the same!

Day in and day out, they teach the students here about business management
or how to teach
or what's in a cell
or what different behaviors mean
or how to communicate with someone
or how to properly play a concerto.
But regardless of what it is they are a professional in, they can always bring it back to the gospel. Because our Heavenly Father has blessed us with all these material things, he allows us to be guided by Him as we learn. I know that His spirit is on this campus each day and I know that I am receiving an education that can't be found anywhere else in.the.entire.world.

And so my little brain thought about all of this in the course of a minute or so and then,
I just sat there,
feeling amazed,
and extremely blessed.

monday musing #6

MIS HERMANAS!!!!

Hi :)

Well, I really wish I were still sleeping right now, but I decided that instead of staying up late after work to email y'all, that I would just get up when my alarm goes off. I tell people almost every day how much I love the mission schedule. 10:30 bedtime is prime and I miss it so much!

OOOOOOKK! We'll start things off on a good note. The 4th of July was a success! It was such a blast and I just loved every minute of it! Let freedom ring :) What did y'all do for the 4th? 

Meet Bryan. One of the most amazing guys I know. 

And look at my awesome bulletin board!

So my thought this week goes from all the awesome conversations I had about the Spirit this week, in classes, at church, and with friends.  Is it safe to say that every good thought comes from the Spirit? 

A conversation that Bryan and I had last week went along with this. We were talking about my goals and he asked if I felt like it was easier to follow the promptings of the Spirit on my mission and I was like, "yeah!" And he said it's because you're focusing on it and you know that good things happen when you do follow them. 

So here, at school, you could get "a feeling" that you should go to bed, but then someone might text you and then it's easy to just stay up all night talking to them. Or you might get "a feeling" to read your scriptures, but then you just think "I'll do it later" and then you put it off! And then you just ignored the S. And it makes it more difficult to heed its counsel the next time. 

He reminded me of Elder Perry's talk from this past April's General Conference and it's SO good!

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/obedience-through-our-faithfulness?lang=eng

Here's the link, if you have time to read it!

So what I'm working on this week is being more diligent about my plans and the things I need to get accomplished. Listening to the Spirit and really allowing Heavenly Father to direct my path. I encourage y'all to do it too! Our goals and our planning are so important and we shouldn't let other distractions get in the way of that! So good luck to each of you this week as you go out and bless the lives of others in your respective areas. I know that the Lord is waiting to guide each and every one of our steps, if only we just give our hearts to Him. 

I love you all so much and also just wanted to let you know how awesome your moms are. Like seriously. I have just felt so much love from each of them and it seriously amazes me how I got lucky enough to not only have such fantastic best friends, but also that their families are so great as well! 

love you muchisimo!

Hermana Blackner

this is my country

Someone asked me why I loved the 4th of July so much this week and I didn't really have an answer. So I thought about it a lot. And this is what I came up with.

I love the history of our country.
Studying the American Revolution is fascinating. There are so many wonderful stories full of heroes and people who were so passionate about their rights. I love that our country is founded on people who wanted religious freedom. I love hearing about the Boston Tea Party, the Declaration of Independence, and later the writing of the Constitution. I am intrigued by the colonial time period. The way they lived their lives. Aside from school, most of my knowledge on the subject has come from other historical fiction literature, including the American Girl Felicity books. I love them and she has been a favorite since I got her as a little girl. Someday I am visiting Williamsburg, Virginia! Along with all the other historical sites on the east coast.

I love the colors red, white, and blue.
They look good huh. There's something about the way they compliment each other that makes them stand out. Maybe it's just because I've seen them together my whole life by living in this country. When you look in my closet  you would see a lot of blue and white (go viks & cougs) but an accent of red is never a bad thing.

I love the significance of our flag.

Betsy Ross and the stars and stripes.
13 stripes for the thirteen original colonies.
50 stars for each state in the union
Red - hardiness and valour
White - purity and innocence
Blue - vigilance, perseverance, and justice


I love our national anthem.
On a rainy September 13, 1814, British warships sent a downpour of shells and rockets onto Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor, relentlessly pounding the American fort for 25 hours. The bombardment, known as the Battle of Baltimore, came only weeks after the British had attacked Washington, D.C., burning the Capitol, the Treasury and the President's house. It was another chapter in the ongoing War of 1812.

A week earlier, Francis Scott Key, a 35-year-old American lawyer, had boarded the flagship of the British fleet on the Chesapeake Bay in hopes of persuading the British to release a friend who had recently been arrested. Key's tactics were successful, but because he and his companions had gained knowledge of the impending attack on Baltimore, the British did not let them go. They allowed the Americans to return to their own vessel but continued guarding them. Under their scrutiny, Key watched on September 13 as the barrage of Fort McHenry began eight miles away.

"It seemed as though mother earth had opened and was vomiting shot and shell in a sheet of fire and brimstone," Key wrote later. But when darkness arrived, Key saw only red erupting in the night sky. Given the scale of the attack, he was certain the British would win. The hours passed slowly, but in the clearing smoke of "the dawn's early light" on September 14, he saw the American flag—not the British Union Jack—flying over the fort, announcing an American victory. Key put his thoughts on paper while still on board the ship, setting his words to the tune of a popular English song. 

Land of the free. Because of the brave. It brings instant patriotism. I will always love listening to it with my hand over my heart, saluting our flag with respect and pride.

I love fireworks.
Who doesn't right? Besides the fact that they are gorgeous, there is such a thrill that you get from seeing a firework go off. You enjoy it, but it's also so loud and kind of terrifying. It is just so fun! And there are so many different varieties. I love the ones that are HUGE and also the sparkly ones. I love sitting and watching a good firework show whether it's at a baseball game, professionally done, or your cousins shooting them off the dock or being at stadium of fire, or even just in the cul de sac. I find myself often just sitting in awe and wonder at the excitement of it all. It's also pretty great to light them off yourself. Plus, a 4th of July celebration wouldn't be complete without a sparkler that you use to write your name with.  

I love the freedoms that I have by living here.
Do you know the bill of rights and other amendments to the constitution? Thank you Mr. Hankel for making us memorize each and every one. I feel like a lot of it I take for granted, but I love the way that I live here! I am blessed with so much and the first things that come to mind are the right to worship how I choose, the right to have an education, and the fact that the government doesn't control how many kids you have because I leave each one of my family members. When I hear about persecution or how the government is falling apart or civil war in other countries, I am grateful for my freedom. And although not everything is fine and dandy all the time here, I am still grateful that it's not any worse.

I love the memories I've made with family and traditions.
Surprisingly, I haven't been with my family for the past several years on the 4th of July, but I will never forget our celebrations together. Mostly it just consists of your typical BBQ and day at the lake with a firework show to finish it off. But I've always loved how we had SO much family around all the time. The Blackners know how to party. I love tubing and jet skiing, and throwing pop-its, lighting sparklers, taking pictures, wearing our 4th of July Old Navy shirts, bundling up to watch our own personal show at the end of the night, the beautiful weather we always seem to have, watching the fireworks from Cheney Stadium, red, white, and blue fruit and desserts, that one time we went to Stadium of Fire. I'm sure I'm missing some, but it's always a blast!

I love the songs that have been written about the USA.
This year I was listening to a 4th of July playlist. It was fantastic. The best part was I knew most of the songs. Whether it's a heartfelt tribute to america, a country song that says it all, or even Katy Perry singing about fireworks, they were all a hit.

I love the all the different parts of the country I've seen.
It's so beautiful and so diverse! I love the beautiful Puget Sound of the Pacific Northwest,
the big majestic mountains of Utah Valley, the dense greenery of the South, the huge cities like NYC, the country fields in the backroads or Alabama. I guess I haven't been to that many places, but I've seen lots of pictures! and it's gorgeous :)

I love all of the people I've met from all over the country.
BYU has it's own little melting pot. I am so grateful for each unforgettable individual that have become some of my dearest friends.
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming.

I love how there is such evidence of a loving Heavenly Father in this country.
Aside from all of His beautiful creations, He has inspired our leaders. He has allowed His church to be restored on the earth, we have a living prophet that lives in this country, we have temples where we are able to worship and make covenants for ourselves and our ancestors, all of the technology that we have to connect with each other and share the gospel.

I love America's pastimes.
sports baseball, football
food: hot dogs, hambugers, fries, shakes, peanuts, apple pie
hollywood: movies, music, celebrities

I love that it is a choice land that was prepared for the restoration of the gospel.
The garden of Eden here in America!
"Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written." Ether 2:12
Protection during wars, the Constitution and freedom of religion, Moroni burying the plates in the exact part of the country where Joseph Smith would later live. What more evidence do you need? The Lord has a hand in all things.

Well. This might be a very long, boring, drawn out explanation of the place we call America, but put simply, we are blessed. I feel like it's our responsibility to appreciate the land we've been given and to fully take advantage of the many opportunities that have been given us in this short, but very important stop on our way to eternity.

an art of life

I saw this today and started thinking about observing. And although I wish I were sitting in the sand, watching the waves go back and forth, I am lucky enough to be sitting on a beautiful campus today.

Cute cruiser bikes, lawn mowers, friends, backpacks and purses, lunches, studying, cell phones, the wind rustling the trees, the bright sun warming up with earth. 

It's actually quite fun to people watch, you get to learn a lot. It's even better when you're doing it with someone else because that's where the creativity comes in. Making up stories about what kind of conversation they're having, where they're going, what's they're thinking about. The possibilities are endless haha! 

I am grateful to be a BYU student again and for the wonderful atmosphere that is here. I forgot how much I missed being with students who really care about their education, who have strong testimonies of the gospel and want to be the best they can be. I missed singing hymns and saying prayers before class. I issed running into old friends. I missed the beautiful buildings, the history, the legacy. What a privilege to be a BYU cougar! The summer is off to a great start Ü