Come to Jesus Moments

Hmm…well I didn’t get into much trouble this holiday weekend. But I did have a “come to Jesus” moment on Sunday. Kind of ironic now that I think about it…

But it was much needed.

Lately I’ve been stuck in a rut. Maybe it’s the stress of school, the monotony of work, missing my family and friends in Oklahoma, guys who are indecisive and inconsiderate or just combination of it all.

I was sad.

Lonely.

And unable to feel the spirit like I normally do.

So this Sunday, the girls and I went to our old roommate’s mission farewell. It was in an actual church building, not the Tanner building on BYU campus. There was an organ with someone who actually played the organ. There were children. Families.

It made me miss home just a bit.

And although I don’t particularly recall the talks given by the speakers, I do remember how I felt. It was like a fire being lit to full blast inside my chest. It was a stern, yet gentle, reminder of what I needed to be doing to stay on track.

Things like:

-praying daily…and actually communicating with Heavenly Father

-reading my scriptures…but more importantly studying them

-keeping an attitude of gratitude….seriously, life is SO good to me.

It’s funny how the simplest things are what keep us spiritually charged. And when we stray from doing them, our life gets slightly off track.

Of course, I got a little choked up when we sang “Families Can Be Together Forever.”

It’s always been one of my faves. And a line in it really hit me.

“I always want to be with my own family, and the Lord has shown me how I can.”

He’s shown us the way to get back to where we need to be. I just need to follow Him.

Thanks for the reminder Heavenly Father; it’s comforting to know that you KNOW me so well.

Diet Cokes and Cowboys

This week I found out some pretty bad news.....

There's a chance that drinking diet sodas put you at a much higher risk of having a stroke. Oh my.

I can feel my right arm and leg weakening as we speak...

Okay, but really...that study is very preliminary. So I'm just gonna keep on drinking my Diet Coke. It's kind of what keeps me from not going crazy on anyone. Don't think I'm some addict- I drink one like, every other day. What can I say...it's how I rebel at BYU.

ANYWHO....school and work are trying to combine their powers and destroy me. Luckily, I was born and raised to be one tough gal. I'm surviving. Honestly I cannot believe this semester is already halfway over.
 

Oh, I forgot to mention that I met Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond. She's a doll. I read her book the week I got it from my mom. And this is what I got out of it:

 -Cowboys are where its at. Wranglers, boots, button ups, chaps, chiseled bodies....you get the picture.
-Oklahoma is also where its at. Sometimes I feel like I have more pride for Oklahoma than people who are from Texas.
-Sometimes life works out to be something completely different than what you ever dreamed of, and it can
be one of the best things that's ever happened to ya.

I really like Ree because she shows how amazing it is to be a wife and mother. She's a woman who knows the importance of being a mom, and isn't afraid to share that.You don't really see that nowadays.

So now all I want to marry is a cowboy. Maybe that will be my summer goal...find me a good Oklahoma boy. Hmm....

 Well, that's about the only exciting thing from this past week. Other than the crazies at work that I come across everyday at work, my life seems to be filled with analyzing PR campaigns and understanding Media ethics and law. And I'm sure you don't want to here about that!!

I will try to make the next post more exciting...let's see what trouble I can get into this long holiday weekend!

Moms are the best.

There's a song I listen to everyday. I feel like it fits perfectly with my life at the moment. Miranda Lambert knows my heart. Maybe it's because we are both Oklahoma girls...it goes something like this.

"Sometimes I wish I lived on a mountain

Drank from a stream instead of a fountain

I'd stay there, top of the world

But I was born a red-dirt girl"

Another reason I like it is because late one night on our way home from visiting my grandmother, my mother leaned over to me, patting my leg and said (in her charming Okie-accent), 

"You're a red-dirt girl aren't you, sweat pea?"

Yes, yes I am mom. And I'll always be one. 

I've been missing her lately. Along with my dad. Living in the mountains far, far away from the wind-blown plains of Oklahoma has its ups and downs. And these past few weeks have had its downs. But today, a few things have changed that. 

Let me just start with my dear friend Laurel. She received her birthday present that I made her, and the response was everything I hoped it would be. I wanted to do something special for her- so I made a "Lessons learned from Laurel" book. It was cute, I have to admit. And I really did not want to part with it, but she loved it. So I'm happy with that. It was kind of a gift to me, because it allowed me to relieve some of my stress through making something creative. 

The other great thing that happened today had to do with two of the most adorable women in Oklahoma: my mother and the Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond. 

This week the Pioneer Woman is coming to have a book signing with her latest book "Black Heels to Tractor Wheels." 

Of course, I'm going. She's amazing. 

So this evening as I was walking home from school I called my mother and told her this exciting news. 

Apparently my mother is on the same brain wave with me this week. I've been asking her to send my favorite green sweater and she's been postponing it for awhile, telling me that she was "working on some other things" to fill my package. I just wanted my green sweater. But oh, I am so glad that she waited. 

Last weekend she waited in line all afternoon to get Pioneer Woman's book signed. She waited. And waited. But like how most mothers have busy schedules, she had to leave. My mother does not give up easily though. 

She called later that evening to see if PW was still there. She was. So, naturally my mother races down the highway and makes it there. Just. In. Time. Actually, it was more like Pioneer Woman and her family backing out of the parking lot and my mother waving them down to stop. 

Luckily, they did. And Pioneer Woman was "as nice as she could be, even after she'd been at it all day." She signed our books, and they went on there way. Little did they know that they would be a part in making this girl's day today. 

That's why moms are the best. 

They can know what you are thinking and feeling, 

even when you don't know yourself. 

They know how to make your day ten times better. 

A Full Heart.

So normally I think that weeks like this are "just this week"- you know, busier than other weeks of my life. But I've come to the realization that every week seems to be "just this week." I need to face it....life moves fast all the time. But every once in awhile, it's necessary to slow down my though process and my actions and see the bigger picture.

Tonight I did that. Even if it was for just a few hours...I stopped. I listened. I cried. I deeply reflected on what my thoughts and feelings have been this past month, and where I want to take them these next few weeks.

You see, my job on-campus is a lucky one. There I sit, in the basement, checking out files and testing kits to graduate students. There I sit, reading my textbooks and writing papers (oh, and this blog). But it is also there that I sit and develop a beautiful friendship with my co-worker.

This woman is one of the most talented, educated and inspiring people I've come to know.
She's from Poland, studying here as a international student and this is her last semester before she graduates with not one, but two degrees. She is one who loves, LOVES to learn and explore. She's also one who has some heavy trials, but you wouldn't know that unless you truly get to know her.

And she has become someone very dear to my heart.

While working tonight, my intentions were to study some material that would be on a quiz tomorrow. Instead, I opened my ears and listened to my friend talk about her situation. For seven years she has lived in Provo, and not once has her mother been able to visit.

I would NOT even know what to do with myself if my mom were thousands of miles away, and she wasn't ever able to come to America and visit. So the one and only thing my friend wants for graduation is for her mother to be here, sitting in the Marriott Center, watching her daughter walk across the stage and acknowledging her accomplishment. And she wants this so badly.

Unfortunately, this is a costly thing. Plane tickets, car rentals, gas money, etc....where will she get this money? I won't go into details, but she is struggling, trying to find a way to get her mother here seems next to impossible. So this is what we have come up with: sell plasma, have a bake sale, have a garage sale, and sell some organs..you know a kidney or something.

Okay, maybe not that extreme....but she's that determined.

And as I listen to her, I realize how much the Lord has blessed me in my life. Yes, there have been some serious trials that have taken every ounce of faith to get through, but He never gives us something we cannot bear.

But now I am determined to do something to help her. The question is...what do I do?

You see, there are some people in this world that I want nothing more than for them to be truly happy. And she is one of them. So, somehow I am going to help her mom get here.

Somehow.

The King's Speech

Last night on my date (Yes, a date and no- not a girls night out date) we went to see The King's Speech. It is easy to see why The King's Speech is nominated for seven Golden Globes and twelve Oscars. Brilliantly acted with Colin Firth as George VI and Geoffrey Rush as his unique speech therapist, Lionel Logue, this film had me at full attention...which is hard to believe seeing as how I only slept for fourish hours the night before.

I'm not sure why I loved it so much. I am a sucker for anything WWII/ early-mid 20th century. Or maybe it was the fact that this film had a great storyline, unlike the host of movies currently out that are filled with trashy scenes and commentary, or possibly it could be the superb lineup of actors, or the music- I LOVED the music.

Alexandre Desplat composed the score, and highlights from some of Beethoven's greatest work fits perfectly into the selected scenes. It's full of movement and grace- from the pretty piano lines with accents of flutes and harps to two Beethoven classical pieces, the Allegretto from the Seventh Symphony and the Adagio from the Emperor Piano Concerto.

Go see it. You'll enjoy it.

And if you were interested about how the date went....it was bad. Just kidding!! It went really well. You know how the first date is always kind of awkward and you feel like you made a fool of yourself? Well...the second is always better.