Quote of the Week for April 13-19

"Prayer is not asking for what you think you want, but asking to be changed in ways you can't imagine."- Kathleen Norris

Lessons in Sick Children

Wow! What a weekend I had. It all started great with having Friday night off from tending Baird's (Ill be watching them a ten days total) to go on an amazing date. When I got home from the date I thought wow my weekend is looking to be a great one. Well it ended up being great, mind over matter, just with a few bumps in the road.

Saturday when I returned home from picking up Lauren and Greta from ballet Miranda was morning and groaning that her body hurt all over. I was totally convinced at the time she was trying to get attention, she normally just wines but this time tending I had been enforcing time outs. So I gave her children's Tylenol and told her to go take a nap but that if she was sick she would not be able to go to the planetarium and out to dinner any more. I was convinced she would decide she was not really sick and quite faking it. But then a few hours latter when her mom called to talk she was made that she had to wake up and seemed totally out of it- a huge sign to me she really wasn't faking. So I took her temp and ended up taking her to the Dr. to see if she had strep. Well the first culture came back negative and she had no fever Sunday morning so I ended up sending her to school. Well guess what...yep she really did have strep. Haha so I infected her first grade class. My bad. Kind of funny in my mind how I thought she was faking it just to find out she is really sick.

All I know is I hope I don't get strep because I have been sharing a bed with her the whole time her parents have been gone.

Oh well other events will make up for it. I did have a blast though hanging out with Brooke, Mikayla and Hailey. Having a girls night, talking girls talk, aka boys. Man I wish I had little sisters.

Quote of the Week for April 6-12

"Faith is believing that although we do not understand all things, He does. Faithis knowing that although our power is limited, His is not. Faith in JesusChrist consists of complete reliance on Him." - Dennis E. Simmons

Gods Finger Print

Today I was driving into work and listening to the radion when one of my favorite songs came on, "I Saw God Today" by George Strait. Ill admit the song is not necessarly the best written but I love the chorus.

"I've been to church I've read the book I know he's here But I don't look Near as often as I should Yeah, I know I should His fingerprints are everywhere I just slowed down to stop and stare Opened my eyes and man I swear I saw God today."

When I heard this song I thought over the past couple days when God had been making himself known to me in big and small ways. Ill admit the past week had been a hard one and I was wondering if God was still there, or better yet why he was not answering my prayers.

On Sunday the answers began to come when I was sitting in sacrament and listening to talk about trusting in Gods timing for us. The speaker said a few things that stuck with me 1) He mentioned that God has a plan for each of us, at times he shows a big picture and others he waits tell the time to act to show us his plan. 2) Heavenly loves and knows each of us, he knows our needs and when to lead us. And 3) God will often wait to tell us when to act because he trusts us. As long as we stay on a good path and do what we should be doing, as long as we stay our path, he will tell us when to act. We need to learn faith and patience. After sacrament I thought to myself wow what an answer to my prayers. But it got better. In relief society we sang one of my favorite hymns. "Lead Kindly Light" I loves this hymn for it reminds me once again that God has a path and plan for us and that he will reveal step by step when the time is right, but more then this reminder I love the line talking about Gods angels being with us when we allow God to lead our way. Simply trusting is needed.

Yes Sunday was a big way for me to see Gods hand in my life, trust me at the time it had to be big. But yesterday God showed himself in those small ways one often misses. A few weeks ago my car had been broken into and someone stole all my cds and a few other things. Well yesterday my neighbor saw a sign mentioning someone had found a cd wallet full of cds and to call and see if they where yours. Well to my astonishment they where my cds. Most people would have done nothing about this but a good Samaritan did. I know it was because God knew I needed to find those cds, not for the cds but for the reminder that he is there.

These two things made me think a lot about Pres Eyrings talk "Oh Remember" of the importance of writing in our journals the ways we saw God hand in our life daily. As the song and his talk said. Gods there we often have to look to see. But as Pres. Eyring promised as we seek we will begin to more easily see.

La Principessa

So I have a jewelry making fetish. A year ago I started a small business to sale my jewelry. I decided to try out the technology world and make a blog to sale my jewelry online. Please check out my blog for La Principessa.

Photo Shot

My mom decided that my senior pictures where a little out dated. So today we went on a date and got pictures taken and went to lunch. Here are the fun pictures.

Xi Photo Scavenger Hunt

Whats the best thing about Omega? Thats right exchanges. Last night our exchange was with XI. We went down to the Gateway and had a photo scavenger hunt. We had to get our entire team on a lovesac...yea for us we did it.

Dancing with Isaac. I couldnt contain my laughter, who really does this in the middle of the street.

Shaking hands with Eric Greene. Yea my eyes are closed, as is often the case in pictures, its a curse.

Our entire team in an elevator.

Hope...Thats why I believe

Life is a true adventure it is full of good and bad times. When times are good we laugh, smile and talk of how great life is. When we are on top we can think of nothing else but the pure bliss we are caught up in. We think to our selves nothing can go wrong, or life cant get any better then this.

Then when times are hard we feel as if we hit rock bottom. Our days hurt, our hearts are broken, are shoulders slumped and we feel as if we are carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders. When times are dark we often think will the light ever come, what did I do wrong, how could this happen, or why go on.

When times are good we are happy. When times are hard we are down. What a roller coaster. Personally I found this roller coaster so emotionally draining I thought to my self I want off. But where, being constantly down is not worth it. Being constantly happy seems impossible-or at least the world says you cannot always be happy. I seemed at a lost. I no longer wanted to ride the roller coaster any more I just needed to figure out how and where to get off.

A year or so ago when I decided this roller coaster was no fun and that I had to get off I couldnt figure our how or where. Like I said being depressed constantly would not be worth but the world kept telling me there is no way to be happy all the time. So I thought to my self lets settle in the middle ground, not depressed but not happy just waiting...stalled you could say. For awhile this seemed to be working.

But after awhile I began to realize this was just as exosting as the roller coaster. So I decided I need to change things again. So I started praying that happiness would come. As I started praying the answers starting coming, I just didnt know it. I hurd talks, read scriptues, etc. about happiness being a journey, faith, hope, charity, etc. As I read all these I began to figure things out. Happiness is possible, constant happiness is possible but how. All I know was last year I gained hope and faith. When December rolled around I started praying about what I could chose to make as my new years resolution and the answer came learn hope and faith. As I read and prayed to gain constant hope and faith I realized one thing constant hope and faith means constant happiness. That was it hope is happiness all the time. Happiness is not in things its a choice its a way of being, its our character.

So that was the answer to happiness hope and faith. Now that I knew the answer the question became how to we get this constent hope and faith.

Today as I was reading my scriptures I was reading in Jacob 4 I made huge advances. Some of the verses read "...for this intent have we written these things, that they may know that we knew of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory...Behold, they believed in Christ and worshiped the Father...And for this intent we we keep the law of Moses it pointing our souls to him; and for this cause it is sanctified unto us for righteousness, even as it was accounted unto Abraham in the wilderness to be obedient unto the commands of God...Wherefore, we search the prophets...having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken...Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things...seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand....having faith, and obtained a good hope of glory in him before he manifesteth himself in the flesh."

There is the answer faith and hope are found in the gospel. The gospel is Jesus and God. Jesus is hope. Hope and faith are constent happiness. There it is faith, hope, happiness...constent happiness that is why I believe. For nothing else but hope and happiness.

Spring....Where are you dear spring?

Sense spring doesnt actually seem to want to come to the state of Utah I decided to revisit pictures from my beach trip last summer. Enjoy the picture and maybe you will feel a bit of warmth too.




Hey thats my car, what do you think you are doing?

Winnie the Pooh aint just for kids.
If you know me you know how scared of hights I am. This was the most terrifying thing I have ever done. Next to trying to rock climb.


I had a ton of fun this vacations taking pictures of my self.

Boggy boarding is way fun. Maybe next time I will take up surfing.

Like I said way to much fun taking pictures of my self.

I didnt take this one.

But this one I did.

Moab Trip

My latest race was in Moab, Utah. I ran the Canyon Lands Half Marathon. I finished in 1 hour and 57 min. My time place my in the top 1/4 of all categories. Not bad. I wish I had race pictures but no one was allowed on the race course, but the racers, for the first 11 miles. The only pictures I have are the official ones.

My dad and I spent the weekend playing in Moab.

My New Hair Cut

I have to admit I love doing my hair different. Here is the latest change. PS I took the pictures my self.

Some Things I Love- Crazy Weather

Thats right I love crazy weather....wind, rain, fire, thunderstorms, snow. I have a strange wish to see a tornado and hurricane in person. Go figure.

Greatest Day of My Life- So Far

The number one thing that happened in 2007....My college graduation. I graduated with a BS degree in Political Science. (Technically I finished in Dec. 2006, but graduation was in May 2007)

Me and Dad, he claims to be BYU fan but he also graduated from the U.







Me and Mom.

Running Fun.

Ok so I said running was one of my favorite things I do. These are from some of the races I ran last year.

This is after finishing the Deseret News Pioneer 10k in Salt Lake.

















These are from my first ever Half Marathon. I finished in about 1 hour and 55 minutes. And fourth in my age group.












































I also ran some 5ks and a ten miler but dont have any pictures.

More from My DC Internship

Here are some more pictures from DC. Dang only being able to put on so many at a time.

Here we are again in Philie. Can I tell you there is the best shoe store called Old Bens Shoes.





While in Phili we got caught in one of the biggest thunder storms ever. We had fun running around barefoot so as not to ruin our only shoes.















Us out side of Independence Hall.















We had great fun rafting. Though not as good as down the Snake River in Jackson Hole. (We were trying to be mocho)













After our rafting trip.



















Thats the end of DC. Though I did go to Palmyra and spent time with my family and doing other adventures. But I didnt have my own digital camera and didnt want to overwhelm you.

Pictures I Promised

So I promised you all pictures. Here are some fun ones of stuff I have been doing. Heads up they have been over a few years.

The first are some fun ones from my DC Internship. My favorite part about the internship was all I got to do and see in one summer. (The biggest plus to living on the East Coast is being so close to everything.

This was from our trip to New York. That was a true adventure. We found our hotel room the night before we left. We ended up staying right in times square. We had Five girls sharing a room with only one bed. What a joke. Good times though.

Serdendipity was so much fun. Got to try the frozen hot chocolate.










If New York was not enough we traveled to Phili. Here we were having a little fun with the history characters around Constitutional Hall.