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.

Patiently Waiting

Many of us are waiting on things. To some, it may be waiting for this semester to end. Some may be waiting for a certain someone to come around and ask you on that second date (ahem). Others are waiting for a much needed answer.

But regardless of our different situations, I think it's safe to say that we go through the whole living, growing, and waiting experience much in the same way.

That being said...waiting is a hard thing for me. Too often I am impatient and anxious. I think of my generation as the "now" generation--we are able to access information in ways that just 20 years ago seemed impossible. Think about it, do you not get a little frustrated when the internet takes more than six seconds to load? I do.

But tonight I came across a gentle reminder of how to handle waiting. The answer? Patience.

Patiently waiting. I stole this quote from another friend's blog: "The quality of patience helps you find meaning and fulfillment in the midst of the waiting. Ironically however, it is the waiting that often most tests our patience, particularly when we are waiting for something that is important to our hearts or eternally significant to our progress."

So. True. But there's something sweet about this whole "waiting" thing. You see, I know that Heavenly Father is keenly aware of my situation. And I also happen to know that He will take care of me. And my heart.

So I just need to trust Him and do all that I can to be the woman He wants me to be. And smile along the way.

Do the things you think you cannot do.

I love blogs, especially when they inspire me to work on my own. My current favorite is Laurel Christensen's blog: Just Around This Corner. I would highly recommend it to anyone.

As for this girl here...well life is a whirlwind and I'm embracing it to my fullest.

So starts a new semester at BYU with 14 hours of credit, 15 hours of an on-campus job, and 19 hours of an internship with United Way.
Every week....for the next four months.

I've decided that I can't really think about it in terms of "for four months I will be doing this" but rather, "one day at a time." Earlier this month I listened to a fireside given by D. Todd Christofferson called, "Give Us This Day, Our Daily Bread."

That message seemed to be 1) a huge indicator that Heavenly Father IS aware of our situations and 2) He has a plan to help us get through what may seem impossible. It is day by day that we work out our plans for the future. That is my personal anthem for the year, not only to take life "day by day" but to seek Heavenly Father daily and to do His will each day.

I also had the special privilege to have lunch with a dear friend earlier this month. She's the best, seriously. If anyone knows of a good, righteous, handsome man in their late 30s/ early 40s then let me know because he would be one lucky gentleman if he were to date this particular friend. But anyways, she said a few things that inspired me to think openly and positively about a few things in my life.

And she also convinced me to train for a half marathon. (I know, crazy right?)

In all honesty, this is something I've always dreamed of doing. But I am perfectly content with that dream being put off for a couple more years. Or 20. Nonetheless it's something that if I can be consistent in training for, it will happen.

So. June 11th is the day of the race. 13.1 miles to complete is the goal. And somehow I will be there by then.

But like a wise woman once said, "You must do the things you think you cannot do." Thanks Eleanor, I'm going to remember that.