Sunday, April 12, 2009

A Thought to Live By

Life is short
Break the rules
Forgive quickly
Kiss slowly
Love truly
Laugh uncontrollably
And never regret anything that makes you smile

On of My Favorit Hymns

This weekend I have done a lot of thinking...and decision making. The best part is how old friends can come out of the wood work to touch our lives when we need it most. All of this caused me to ponder upon one of my favorite hymns.

1. Each life that touches ours for good
Reflects thine own great mercy, Lord;
Thou sendest blessings from above
Thru words and deeds of those who love.

2. What greater gift dost thou bestow,
What greater goodness can we know
Than Christlike friends, whose gentle ways
Strengthen our faith, enrich our days.

3. When such a friend from us departs,
We hold forever in our hearts
A sweet and hallowed memory,
Bringing us nearer, Lord, to thee.

4. For worthy friends whose lives proclaim
Devotion to the Savior’s name,
Who bless our days with peace and love,
We praise thy goodness, Lord, above.


I truly believe that God sends individuals into our life for planed purpose. We can never know when they will come and often we dont know why. But when they pass from our lives they leave a permanent mark and hold a place forever in our hearts.

To all those out there who have touched my life in this way I thank you.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Elder Prince's Blog

You should all check out Elder Prince's blog. I post all of Matt's emails there.
Loves!

50 Random Facts About Me

  1. I only like pink and yellow starbursts, the rest are not worth eating.
  2. I only like the red bag of skittles. (Can I just say stick with original candy, no need for new flavors)
  3. I love any candy with peanut butter
  4. I love dark chocolate
  5. I love Dots and Williwonka candy.
  6. I love starburst jelly beans
  7. If the candy item is non of the above I likely wont eat it. No Joke.
  8. However I am way less picky with desserts. If it is minus Bananas Im game for anything.
  9. I love pasta and noodles. If a food item includes these I am totally for it.
  10. I am not terribly wierd about processed meats.
  11. Italian food- Im in!
  12. I love hobbies. If I get a chance to learn something new I will. Whether I stick with it is another story.
  13. When I do stick with a hobby I go overboard.- It’s a guarantee.
  14. I have always wished I was Irish.
  15. My favorite animals are: owls, rabbits, leopards, cheetahs, dolphins and monkeys.
  16. I love shark shows.
  17. My favorite ride at Disney Land would have to be Peter Pan
  18. I love Yellow Stone and would live their if I could
  19. My favorite ride ever is Alpinegiest at Bush Gardens
  20. I love Crime Shows, CSI, NCIS, With Out A Trace- Im all over them
  21. I have a fixation with Twilight and Harry Potter, they are just fun
  22. I am a little accident prone. I have had three broken bones and stitches in my hand.
  23. I have always wanted to learn to scuba dive.
  24. I absolutely hate ants, but have no problem with spiders.
  25. I am not grossed out by warms. I once started a worm hospital
  26. I rarely drink carbonation. It took me a whole weekend to drink one DR Pepper when I had the flue.
  27. I am way paranoid when I go to hotels.
  28. I am terrified of heights. I nearly passed out on the Cliff Hanger, the last time I went rock climbing I broke down into tears over the height- did I mention I only made it about five feet up. I cant even watch movies with heights in them, I have to close my eyes.
  29. I love scary movies! But cant stand haunted houses or people startling me.
  30. I am the most ticklish person ever.
  31. I have no clue how to punch or hit well.
  32. I have zero sense of direction. If I can get turned around I will.
  33. I love to play the piano.
  34. I have an extra bone in each wrist.
  35. I would rather wear a skirt or dress over jeans and pants.
  36. I love jet skis and wave runners.
  37. I love to snow ski but cannot figure out how to water ski.
  38. My favorite movie off all times would have to be the Bourne Series.
  39. I love the wind and severe weather. I would love to be in a hurricane and experience a tornado.
  40. I want to learn how to Sail.
  41. I love being outside.
  42. Swinging is my favorite way to think things over.
  43. I prefer batter over the backed product.
  44. I hate bananas
  45. I can sleep any where and sleep like a rock. Have fun though I do tend to talk in my sleep and have been known to carry on conversations in my sleep.
  46. I hate roses but love lilies.
  47. I have a weird desire to run into a bear in the wild
  48. I want to swim with dolphins!
  49. I am allergic to shellfish and bees.
  50. I will squirm in fear when I see a bee.
  51. And so much more I just cant think of anything.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

My Conference Weekend


Oh how I love conference weekend. And for some reason this one was extra great.
I had a great weekend. On Friday night I went to the Grizzlies Hockey game with a group from my ward. During the game I ended up making a bet with a guy in my ward (ps I have had a crush on him for months and the bet was so all his doing- I thought it was a great idea and went along with it). We made the bet that for every time Alaska scored I owed him a date and for every time the Grizzlies scored he owed me one. And if it was a shut out one of us would owe the other ten dates. To say the least I totally lost the bet- though it still a win. After the game Brittney and I hung out and some much deserved and needed girl bonding.
On Saturday. I of course watched conference- though I kind of slept through half of it. Hint don't watch conference in your hammock. After conference my mom, Heidi and I went and saw the Ballet Russets at Capitol Theater. I have to admit it was one of my favorites. I love Ballet and traditional tutu ballets. But new age ballets and modern ballets are always more entertaining for me.
Sunday was the same traditional conference watching family dinner. You want to know something sad. I lost at Mario Cart to a four year old. Very humbling. HAHA. Though I have never been much good at it. After the family party I went and hung out with Jared. It was a very highly night of watching the ACM awards. ;)
Ok on to conference. I have to say this conference touched my heart unlike any others before. It was all thanks to President Eyrings and Elder Hollands talks.
First President Eyrings. To the say the least his talk has been one of my two guiding principals in life. Ever sense I have received my patriarticle blessing I have welcome trails with my arms wide open. I know that Heavenly Father is building us to be great people. He has a plan and a purpose. In order to achieve these we need to be refined and grow-thats what our trials our for. Never lose hope and stay close to the Lord, he will not fail us. I loved how he noted to welcome the trails that come our way and by doing so we will be able to endure them with a smile on our face and not bitterness in our hearts.
Second Elder Hollands talk. (By far my favorite. Note the picture at the top of this post. The TV put it up during his talk. Years ago, when I was first headed down the hardest road of my life. I asked for that picture for Christmas. My family will all remember it I cried like a baby when I opened it. The picture is at the head of my bead and follows me were ever I live.) Why I like this talk? Easy its how I feel about life. Christ is our greatest friend. Years ago when I slipped into a series of addictive and potentially destructive sin I lost touch with Heavenly Father and Jesus. I no longer believed they could love me and that the atonement could possibly work for me. I turned my back on the possibility and on them. During the darkness of those months and years I was able to run across some amazing scriptures and the faith and love for Jesus and Heavenly Father and their love for me. As the light was coming back was when I was blessed to visit Palmyra. While there I prayed in the sacred grove to know if Heavenly Father and Jesus could possibly love me. The answer I got was in line with Elder Hollands talk. Yes..they love me and always have. Yes Jesus has suffered alone so I never have to. Yes they are waiting, they are forgiving and they love me. Sense that day came the second yet most powerful guiding principle for me, how much Christ and Heavenly Father loves us. They are always there and will never forsake us.
This is why I loved conference. It brought back the memories of these special moments and renewed in me the truths I know and love. Christ is our advocate and our friend. He is always there. He loves each of us and in turn we get to live our life in such away to show our love back to him.

Great Songs and a Great Life

I have not been updating to much lately. Mostly because I have been doing a lot of thinking the past couple of months, plus I have not been up to much lately.

I did decide to update on how my heart has been feeling lately. I have to admit the past year and half have been very entertaining. Full of highs and lows, I would have to say a lot of lows with emotions involved in dating. Ill admit I was in a place where I decided to focus on me and not so much on dating. I have to admit its been a smart decision. I have grown a lot and had a ton of fun...thanks a lot to Brittney (our girl nights have been a huge help and bonus.)

Part of my holding back on dating was a total secret wish that the past could change and be made right again. But over the last couple of months I have come to realize that I did not care so much about that any more. With out being awar of it my heart was closing the door to the past and preparing for the future. As I have written my little brother about, in a lot of my letters to him. My heart and mind keep feeling like the future and blessings are right infront of me waiting to be handed to me. Well a few weeks ago, or maybe a month or so ago, I decided I was ready. I made the decission to dable in the future, risk getting hurt, put trust in others and love again. I decided it was risk being hurt to find love and the future.

So all that said. I bought the new Keith Urban CD, yea I know your thinking wow she is relating life to a song again. But I seem to do this a lot.

Here are two songs from his CD that totally discribe how I have been feeling.

"If I Could Ever Love"
I used to cry out in the middle of the night Baby hold me tight But there was no one beside me when I opened my eyes Now I turn the corner of those days and nights Something inside me changed and I think I might Be starting over I don't wanna run Oh no, cause you might be the one, baby If ever I could love I think it could be with you If ever thought I found somebody so true I wonder if you feel The same way that I do If ever I could love I think it could be with you You know I can't read your mind love But it seems to me That your heart and mine tonight are Defying gravity There's something so familiar And still so unknown The closer we get I swear it feels like coming home And I'm ready to be brave Oh yea and you look at me say If ever I could love I think it could be with you If ever thought I found somebody so true I wonder if you feel The same way that I do If ever I could love I think it could be with you If ever I could love If ever I could love If ever I could love If ever I could be If ever I could love Oh yeah no way If ever I could love I think it could be with you If ever thought I found somebody so true I wonder if you feel The same way that I do If ever I could love I think it could be with you I was scared to love again Till the day that came When she walked out of my life I got hurt so bad I swear i'd never let another inside this heart of mine But you touch my hand and every plan that I had Disappeared like a fallen star There's a new beginning and i'm moving to the rhythm Of a beating braver heart A braver heart If ever I could love, oh oh If ever I could love, yea yea

"Kiss A Girl" - Ok its the concept behind this song. I get it Im a girl, but its the idea behind the song.

To kiss and tellIt’s just not my styleBut the night is youngAnd it’s been a whileAnd she broke my heartBroke it right in twoAnd it’s fixing timeBut I’m feeling like I’m finally ready toFind, find somebody new
I wanna kiss a girl,I wanna hold her tight,And maybe make a little magic in the moonlightDon’t wanna go too farJust to take it slow,But I shouldn’t be lonely in this big ol’ worldI wanna kiss a girl
It’s that moment whenYou start closing inFirst you’re holding back,Then surrenderingIt can start a fire,Light up the skySuch a simple thing,Do you wanna try?Are you ready toSay goodbyeTo all these blues?
I wanna kiss a girl,I wanna hold her tight,And maybe make a little magic in the moonlightDon’t wanna go too farJust to take it slow,But I shouldn’t be lonely in this big ol’ worldI wanna kiss a girl
‘Cause, baby, tonightIt could turn into the rest of our livesOh yeahAre you ready?(Are you ready?)Are you ready(Are you ready)To cross that yellow line?Put your lips on minePut your lips on mine, baby
Do you wanna try?Are you ready toSay goodbyeTo all these blues?
I wanna kiss a girl,I wanna hold her tight,And maybe make a little magic, babyDon’t wanna go too farJust to take it slow,I don’t want to be lonely,I shouldn’t be lonelyI wanna kiss a girl,I wanna hold her tight,And maybe make a little magic in the moonlightDon’t wanna go too farJust to take it slow,But I shouldn’t be lonely in this big ol’ worldI wanna kiss a girl
I said I wanna kiss a girlWhoa-ho whoa-hoI wanna kiss a girlI wanna hold her tight,I wanna make a little magicOut under the moonlight
Oooh I wanna kiss a girl.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

My Personality Type

I was bored the other day so I took a personality type. Funny how true the results are.

As an ENFJ, you're primary mode of living is focused externally, where you deal with things according to how you feel about them, or how they fit into your personal value system. Your secondary mode is internal, where you take things in primarily via your intuition.

ENFJs are people-focused individuals. They live in the world of people possibilities. More so than any other type, they have excellent people skills. They understand and care about people, and have a special talent for bringing out the best in others. ENFJ's main interest in life is giving love, support, and a good time to other people. They are focused on understanding, supporting, and encouraging others. They make things happen for people, and get their best personal satisfaction from this.

Because ENFJ's people skills are so extraordinary, they have the ability to make people do exactly what they want them to do. They get under people's skins and get the reactions that they are seeking. ENFJ's motives are usually unselfish, but ENFJs who have developed less than ideally have been known to use their power over people to manipulate them.

ENFJ's are so externally focused that it's especially important for them to spend time alone. This can be difficult for some ENFJs, because they have the tendency to be hard on themselves and turn to dark thoughts when alone. Consequently, ENFJs might avoid being alone, and fill their lives with activities involving other people. ENFJs tend to define their life's direction and priorities according to other people's needs, and may not be aware of their own needs. It's natural to their personality type that they will tend to place other people's needs above their own, but they need to stay aware of their own needs so that they don't sacrifice themselves in their drive to help others.

ENFJ's tend to be more reserved about exposing themselves than other extraverted types. Although they may have strongly-felt beliefs, they're likely to refrain from expressing them if doing so would interfere with bringing out the best in others. Because their strongest interest lies in being a catalyst of change in other people, they're likely to interact with others on their own level, in a chameleon-like manner, rather than as individuals.

Which is not to say that the ENFJ does not have opinions. ENFJs have definite values and opinions which they're able to express clearly and succinctly. These beliefs will be expressed as long as they're not too personal. ENFJ is in many ways expressive and open, but is more focused on being responsive and supportive of others. When faced with a conflict between a strongly-held value and serving another person's need, they are highly likely to value the other person's needs.

The ENFJ may feel quite lonely even when surrounded by people. This feeling of aloneness may be exacerbated by the tendency to not reveal their true selves.

People love ENFJs. They are fun to be with, and truly understand and love people. They are typically very straight-forward and honest. Usually ENFJs exude a lot of self-confidence, and have a great amount of ability to do many different things. They are generally bright, full of potential, energetic and fast-paced. They are usually good at anything which captures their interest.

ENFJs like for things to be well-organized, and will work hard at maintaining structure and resolving ambiguity. They have a tendency to be fussy, especially with their home environments.

In the work place, ENFJs do well in positions where they deal with people. They are naturals for the social committee. Their uncanny ability to understand people and say just what needs to be said to make them happy makes them naturals for counseling. They enjoy being the center of attention, and do very well in situations where they can inspire and lead others, such as teaching.

ENFJs do not like dealing with impersonal reasoning. They don't understand or appreciate its merit, and will be unhappy in situations where they're forced to deal with logic and facts without any connection to a human element. Living in the world of people possibilities, they enjoy their plans more than their achievements. They get excited about possibilities for the future, but may become easily bored and restless with the present.

ENFJs have a special gift with people, and are basically happy people when they can use that gift to help others. They get their best satisfaction from serving others. Their genuine interest in Humankind and their exceptional intuitive awareness of people makes them able to draw out even the most reserved individuals.

ENFJs have a strong need for close, intimate relationships, and will put forth a lot of effort in creating and maintaining these relationships. They're very loyal and trustworthy once involved in a relationship.

An ENFJ who has not developed their Feeling side may have difficulty making good decisions, and may rely heavily on other people in decision-making processes. If they have not developed their Intuition, they may not be able to see possibilities, and will judge things too quickly based on established value systems or social rules, without really understanding the current situation. An ENFJ who has not found their place in the world is likely to be extremely sensitive to criticism, and to have the tendency to worry excessively and feel guilty. They are also likely to be very manipulative and controling with others.

In general, ENFJs are charming, warm, gracious, creative and diverse individuals with richly developed insights into what makes other people tick. This special ability to see growth potential in others combined with a genuine drive to help people makes the ENFJ a truly valued individual. As giving and caring as the ENFJ is, they need to remember to value their own needs as well as the needs of others.

Jungian functional preference ordering:

Dominant: Extraverted Feeling
Auxiliary: Introverted Intuition
Tertiary: Extraverted Sensing
Inferior: Introverted Thinking

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

And for the Main Event

On to the Main Event. The Canyon Lands half Marathon. I finished the race in 1:59. Not the best time but considering the end of the race the temps where in the mid to upper 70s I am not complaining. When I finished the race all I cared about was water. It was a strange sensation.

I wish there where better pictures but the first 11 miles where free of spectators.





My Dad's Pictures of Me

My dad was having a hay day taking pictures of me. Granted some I was not expecting or knew he was taking. Enjoy and please keep in mind this is a completely natural me.







My Moab Trip

A few weekends ago my dad and I went down to Moab. I went down to run my second Canyon Lands Half Marathon. And you just cannot go down to Moan and not hike. Here are some of the fun discoveries we hiked into.

On the way to Delicate Arch.

Delicate Arch!




Surprise Arch in the fiery furnace!


Skull Arch!



Landscape Arch