book review: mere christianity

I had an old, old copy that used to be my grandpa's and I loved reading it because the pages were yellowed, they were falling out, and it had markings from my grandpa which was so cool to see what stuck out to him!

This has been on my reading list for yeeeaarrrss, so I was beyond thrilled to finally be reading it and it totally lived up to all its expectations. Bryan gave a talk in church last week about the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants that says, "And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith." 

He spoke about the first phrase in this scripture which implies that at times we all lack faith and that it's OK. And rather than letting our questions go unanswered or losing our faith altogether it is our responsibility to seek diligently and gain more knowledge. Ultimately the best resource is the scriptures where the words of our Savior and His prophets are written. 

But I also believe that there are many books that contain words of wisdom and that as we listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost guiding us, we will be able to find truth.

A member of the high council got up after and started talking about how C.S. Lewis is the most quoted non-LDS member to be quoted in General Conference.

As I was reading this book it was very evident to me that this is a man who knows of God. He was inspired and sought out truth. I am grateful for all those who promote faith and share of their knowledge throughout the world regardless of what religion they belong to.

I know that this book is one of the "best books" and that words of wisdom and found throughout. I truly felt like my faith was strengthened as I read about topics that are very near to my heart and the spirit testified of the truth I have come to know. i am also grateful for the additional knowledge that I have by being a member of Christ's true and living church on the earth and that there are a multitude of books that we can seek learning from. 

I highly recommend this book to anyone.

My favorite part was his explanation of the atonement which can be found in Book 2 Chapter 4.

Provo YSA 96th Ward

hiiii. I wrote this post forever ago and was waiting to post it until I put pictures in but that hasn't happened yet, so here it is!

My last Sunday in my ward was actually way more emotional than I thought it was going to be! I was a little bit caught off guard by the wave of emotions that overcame me. This is the longest I have been in one place besides when I lived at home so it was quite monumental.

What I realized was that I was so grateful for this ward because it was the perfect place for me to become more converted.

When I moved in I had just returned from my four months in Jerusalem and it was the first time I had lived off campus. I was terrified! I was living with my sister so that helped, but it took the whole semester for me to really feel comfortable and make some friends.

Anyone that has lived at condo row will tell you that this is the best ward. In fact, people not only stay here for years on end, but they always come back! They find that the environment in which you live there can not be found anywhere else in Provo.

Through living in this ward I was able to grow exponentially in my spirituality.

I was able to serve. I did this through my calling where I got to share my musical talents with others. Yes, I had to be there on time even when we had church at 8:30 am 😳 but it was so worth it to stand up there and conduct praises to our Heavenly King even if the friendly faces in the audience sought to distract me each week ha! I also got to serve through visiting teaching. I had one roommate who was a great role model of visiting teaching. She genuinely cared about our sisters and was constantly thinking about ways we could reach out to them. She checked in with them through texts, dropped off treats, and when we had our “formal” meeting she topped it off with something like a pancake breakfast before church. I was so grateful to be a benefactor of her Christlike service as I sought to strengthen my testimony of looking outside myself and serving others.

I was also able to create friendships. We are a part of a very social church! Especially single's wards in Provo, Utah thrive off of activities for everything. Random dance parties, fhe, ward prayer, football games, movie nights, karaoke nights, BYO__ food parties, you name it, they’re going to do it. Really the only way to get involved is to show up. Regardless of how awkward you feel or the terrifying feeling of being a loner with no one to talk to. It turns out that just by showing up you automatically put yourself in a better position to get to know others just through association. Eventually these friends I made became my main friend group that I did everything with and who dated a ton. It was the absolute best! They were a bit of an older crowd that were always down to go on trips and group dates and play sports. We did the funnest things and I found my life being so busy and happy because of the people that were dropped into my life. They served faithfully in their callings as well and it was great to know that we didn’t have to put a lot of work into seeing each other because we went to church together and lived near each other so it was easy to be social. They weren’t perfect, neither was I, so I was really able to evaluate what was important to me, how I wanted to live my life, and qualities I was looking for in a spouse and a friend.

I connected with the Bishopric. I think that one of the main reasons people came back was because of the amazing bishopric. They are simply the best! They are all pretty young and have families but they absolutely loved their callings and dedicated so much time to creating a ward family for us. They loved to joke around, they threw big parties, and they wanted to get to know us. We gathered at their homes frequently for dating advice, pool nights, Halloween parties, dinner, and conferences. I gained an individual relationship with all three of them and they strengthened my testimony of priesthood leadership and dedication to serving the Lord. They were great examples of the things that matter most including marriage and family. They had it all and it was a pleasure to learn from them weekly.

Because of the closeness of this ward, I learned about Zion. The 96th ward is one of the closest things that you can get to Zion here on earth. The people in this ward truly were united and full of love.

During the time I was in this ward I learned an ample amount about the atonement of our Savior. I was stretched and changed and grew in ways I didn’t think possible. Oftentimes it was filled with tears and trials, but there was so much good that came because of it. I think the moments where we go to our own Gethsemanes are never welcome, but they are necessary for us becoming more perfect. I am grateful for the knowledge I have of my Savior, Jesus Christ, for his life and example. I know that through Him we can find forgiveness, relief from our burdens, comfort through trials, and that when the world seems to be crumbling around us, that an anchor can be found through Him. He is the way to life and salvation and our lives here on earth lend themselves to be turned to Him time and time again to find direction and the way to return to Heavenly Father. There really is always light at the end of the tunnel when we have Him as our center.

I studied the scriptures more, I pondered more, I observed more, I tried to share my testimony more, and I became more converted by doing these things.

Of course this growth and improvement could’ve happened anywhere but I truly feel like I was placed in this ward for a reason and that it wouldn’t have happened in the same way or in the same time if I had been elsewhere. And that is why it was special to me.

Mosiah 18:30

And now it came to pass that all this was done in Mormon, yea, by the waters of Mormon, in the forest that was near the waters of Mormon; yea, the place of Mormon, the waters of Mormon, the forest of Mormon, how beautiful are they to the eyes of them who there came to the knowledge of their Redeemer; yea, and how blessed are they, for they shall sing to his praise forever.

I love these places in our lives that become holy to us. Just like the people who were baptized in the waters of Mormon, the 96th ward is one of those places where I came to the knowledge of my Redeemer and my life is blessed for it.

Now, of course I'm not complaining about graduating from the singles ward, but I did think it was necessary to acknowledge the wonderful last two years of my life. 

book review: man’s search for meaning

My favorite thing about book club this year is that I've been crossing off books that have been on my list forever!! It has been so nice to make the time to finish them each month. You really feel so accomplished!

This book was definitely a thinking one. Once you hit the psychology part it starts to totally go over your head unless you really pay attention to what you're reading. 

I just think it is so fascinating how our minds work and that we really do have so much power over how we react to circumstances and situations that life throws at us. I don't think I could've done what Victor Frankl did but I love reading about these amazing humans who overcome so much. They are such great examples of how to rise up and fight for life no matter what. It still blows my mind that such a tragic event happened in our world's history. I honestly cannot fathom how the whole thing even transpired. But, I'm thankful for the documentation we have of it so we can learn from it and come to know people who made a difference. 

“Don't aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you 

are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only 

does so as the unintended side effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater than 

oneself or as the by-product of one's surrender to a person other than oneself."

Create

I stumbled upon an Instagram account of a girl who lives in New York and does calligraphy and I instantly became obsessed with her feed. Beautiful streets, amazing architecture, town squares decked for all the holidays, cute home decorations, adorable outfits, and a small business of perfect handwriting.

I couldn’t fight the urge to CREATE. I was feeling so overwhelmed just with life. I felt like my life was on repeat. Wake up, make the bed, go to school, teach all day, go to choir, come home, make dinner, tidy up, do dishes, go to bed and start over all day. I felt like I didn’t have time to do any of the things I wanted to do because all of the things I had to do took up so much of my day.

I wanted time to play the piano and violin, read books for fun, try new recipes, write letters, practice my handwriting, take pictures and edit them, blog and express my thoughts, be outside and explore. So. Many. Things. I decided that something needed to change. I couldn’t really cut out of the other things but I could make more time each day to squeeze in a little time to create.

My thoughts were affirmed the next Sunday when our Sunday school lesson was about the creation. I was reminded of a Mormon message by Elder Uchtdorf.

"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings 

of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, 

backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent 

wish to create something that did not exist before."

I absolutely love that!! We were created by the most perfect creator and we should try to emulate him in this. He also promised that we will find fulfillment and happiness in doing so. 

So to all those who feel inadequate or unhappy, find the time to create and beautify things as well as being compassionate to those around you and happiness will follow! 

I hope you will join me in making the time to tune in to this innate desire! 

book review: the scarlet letter

It always seems exciting to me to read a classic. And then you get into it and you think, “Why am I reading this?” There are often big words, they talk different than we do now, their culture is different, and it just seems so foreign.

So what do we learn from reading classics?

Well as far as this book goes, you learn some history! This book was densely immersed in Puritan society where they had such strict moral codes. I think there are some things that our current society could learn from having any sense of morality.

This book also taught a lot about consequences of choices and how we must either suffer for bad choices or benefit from good choices. Either way we have to accept the reality of our current situation.

We didn’t get to know a lot of the redemption that happened, but I think we decided that this book may not be beneficial to high school students but it is worth reading at some point.

For some reason, I still am interested in reading classics just for the fact of saying I’ve done so haha but also because if you accept them for what they are then you really can connect to tales and characters of the last.

People are just people. And whether you live in 2018 or 1836 you still have thoughts and feelings and talents and relationships. And that is the beauty of writing. Stories that last for hundreds or thousands of years just purely because of the human existence and our desire to connect.

Christmas Break 2017

I was so glad we got to go home for Christmas! Since we skipped a week of school because of the wedding, our break was extra long!

We were super busy at first though!

We had our second wedding reception which was beautiful! My parents and all their helpers did an amazing job! 

Then the next day was Keza's wedding! It was so fun to be with all the girls!! All best friends since 8th grade!

Then lots of family time for Christmas. It was the first time all four of us have been home in four years! It was so fun to be all together at home!

our first christmas <3

We went down to Vancouver to see Grandpa and all the boys got their hair cut! We made a stop to Burgerville and the outlets on our way down and then went to Spaghetti Factory for dinner with grandpa.

We also did a lunch date with all the girls + new husbands at one of our favs, Red Robin.

This isn't news to anyone but The Greatest Showman was definitely a hit with the fam! There were about 19 of us that went! We've all been singing the soundtrack for days. 

We came back to Utah on the 30th and I spent my first New Year's away from home. We spent a quiet night at the Robins' playing games and then watching the ball drop. I kind of made them all stay up until midnight haha and then we used leftover wedding sparklers so they could all "write my name". There were also a ton of fireworks in their neighborhood that we watched out the window! It was kind of fun having my first New Year's kiss and knowing that I get to kiss him every year from now on! 

It's kind of fun to see your #bestnine. Of course Bryan kind of dominated the second half of this year but 2017 was good for so many reasons! I graduated, completed my first year of teaching, went on some awesome trips, married my best friend, and continued adulting! It was definitely one for the books!

honeymoon

The whole thing was an absolute dream! First of all, we got to leave right after our luncheon because we had the reception the night before which was great! 

We made our way up to Salt Lake to the Anniversary Inn. It was starting to get dark and this place is up this creepy hill in a super austere building and we were kind of freaked out to be honest. Everything turned out fine, but there were not good vibes walking into that place! I was reading the little info book when we got in our room and turns out the building used to be the Salt Lake Prison a long long time ago. That explains all the creepiness. 

But it was the funnest thing! All the rooms are themed and we were in the lighthouse room! Our bed was in there!! We would definitely go back! We want to try out the jungle or enchanted forest room.

The next morning we left for DISNEYLAND!!! I haven't been since I was 6 so I was beyond thrilled. California was glorious. I felt all bundled up coming from Utah and immediately started shedding layers as soon as we got off the plane.

Everyone treats you really nice when they find out you just got married ha! Our car got upgraded and we were feeling great about life. Our hotel was right on the PCH at Huntington Beach and I was in love. I am just in heaven any time I'm by the water. More importantly the ocean. We checked into our room and then took a walk on the beach down to Ruby's diner for dinner. We had heard great things about it and we loved it!

I highly recommend getting the max pass the next time you're in Disney. You get all your fast passes on your phone and you get to keep any pictures that a Disney photographer takes! It's the bomb! 

Also, Disney during the holidays is a must. It was absolutely beautiful! The decorations are amazing and it just completely adds to the magic! I definitely wasn't complaining about Disney music AND Christmas music playing throughout the park!

We watched the lighting of It's a Small World, tried the grey stuff (it was delicious) and saw the Frozen musical!

 Aside from being in the happiest place on earth, we got a very important phone call. BRYAN GOT A JOB!! We played phone tag with quite a few S&I people but finally got the news that he will be teaching at Maple Mountain High School and we are thrilled! Bryan felt like his whole world had been turned upside down in just two days with getting married and getting hired. Now the future isn't a mystery! The director's favorite ride was space mountain and he asked us to have a moment of silence for him and do a dab so we made sure we got it on camera and sent it to him haha!

Car's Land was so dang creative!! I was so impressed with it! And after I got over the sheriff popping out at me on the Radiator Springs ride, I absolutely loved it!

I felt so blessed to be there with this cute guy! He is literally a Disney expert. I just followed him around everywhere and trusted his every move. He knew the times for everything, was a walking map, and knows the ins and outs like I've never seen before! It was such a party!

We also kind of loved staying at the beach and driving in every day. It gave us a chance to channel our inner La La Land as we drove on those LA freeways and then jam to the Beach Boys on our way back to the coast. I think I could've stayed there forever!