"Increase More and More"

I'm taking my last college religion class this semester. I hate hate hate online classes, but take a look at my schedule for this semester.

I couldn't mess with a schedule like that. It's too perfect.

Anyway, the class covers the New Testament from Acts through Revelations. Part of my assignments for each week allows me to blog about our readings. (This was actually due Saturday, but I'll do better in future weeks.)

Scattered throughout both of his epistles to the Thessalonians, Paul gave members of the early church a list of attributes for them to improve on. These are the ones I found.

• Increase in love toward each other and their community. He noted that they already great at it, but they could increase more and more. (1 Thess. 3:12, 4:9-10)
• Sexual purity (1 Thess. 4:3-5)
• Self-sufficiency and hard work(1 Thess. 4:11)
• Service to the needy (1 Thess. 4:12)
• Sobriety as an attitude (1 Thess 5:8)
• Patience (1 Thess 5:14)
• Avoiding negative influences (2 Thess. 5:6)

I could definitely improve in some of these, and my assignment requires that I discuss that a bit.

• I could certainly be more patient, with myself and with those I'm close to. I'm also terrified to pray for patience because maybe then I'd be given something to really be patient about. Sometimes, though, I think I already have the tools I need to be patient, I just forget to use them. Maybe I could ask for help remembering what they are instead. 
• There are 74 days left until graduation. I have worked so hard and I am too close to the end to give up now. You'd be surprised how fleeting a motivator that is. I need help going full steam ahead, but I also know some habits I could develop to continue to work hard and keep as I start my first post-grad "real world" job.
• Pretty much everything is lacking somehow while in college. I can do better noticing and filling some of the needs of those around me: a ride to the store, a hug, helping a study session I might not need to have, etc.

Holy Stolen Thunder, Batman!

So Gigi pretty much wrote the post I had wanted to today (suffice it to say that I also felt super productive today), so I'll let her have it, and I encourage you to just generally read her blog because she's awesome.

So what shall I write about today?

Noah's soccer game? No, I'll hack Mom's blog and put it there.

Our excursion to the Huntington? Fine,  you get one picture. I'm not terribly happy with most of them.

How about my new calling then? Yes, that will do. I'm the Primary pianist in my ward now. Primary is the Sunday School for kids 4-11, and they spend a certain amount of every Sunday with "singing time." The chorister used to be one of my Young Women leaders, so we already know how to work with each other.

But here's the thing. I took my last piano lesson at 15 and I can hardly accompany myself sometimes.

And my first day was Mother's Day, when the kids sang in sacrament meeting (read: I had to play in front of everyone). Luckily, I had time to put some work into it and the Lord qualifies those He calls. My playing wasn't a disaster. Not fabulous, but not a disaster either. Now I have motivation to achieve the goal I made at the beginning of the summer to get good at piano again. Funny how things work that way.

Lessons I Learned (or Re-Learned) This Summer

1. When there's a job to do, get it done. 
2. That said, it's still crucial to eat three meals a day and get more than 4 hours of sleep a night. Even when you think you're too stressed out to do either.
3. Crying is not a sign of weakness.
4. You don't need a whole lot of things. They cost money.
5. Singles wards are going to have their awkward moments. Embrace them--they'll be great stories to tell later.
6. Handle situations like a mature adult. 
7. Living alone isn't that great.
8. Daydreaming about the impossible is fine as long as you can understand and accept the impossibility.
9. The Atonement isn't just for sins, but for sickness, sorrow, and pain.
10. For the love of all that's holy, wear sunscreen.

This Week's Accomplishments

• I invented a breakfast pasta. I'm not really a breakfast food person, so I made pasta in a way that's more breakfast-y and sweet. Not like that just-put-an-egg-on-top breakfast pasta. It's fantastically simple and I'll post the recipe another time.
• I drove all the way out to Los Angeles to go to the temple by myself in nasty traffic. Thursdays the Los Angeles Temple has time for baptisms without appointments. I've wanted to go all summer, and everything was finally right. I was able to borrow my parents' car, I got out of work on time, all that jazz. After two hours of driving, getting lost downtown, and awful traffic in the city, I made it--only to find it was closed. I made the most of it. I took a tour of the newly remodeled visitors center and hung out for a while. Overall, it was a good experience. I'm not going back by myself, though. That's the scary part of Westwood.

• I discovered I'm not the only Rachel fangirl in my ward. Hannah and Tiffany and I all want to be like her when we grow up.
• I've finally seen Firefly. I'm sad it was cancelled. And look!

Yep. That's prepubescent Zac Efron as a younger Simon Tam. I laughed so hard.

The Best Laid Plans of Mice, You Know...

Remember this list? This great list of things I wanted to do this summer? Out of the nine specifics, I've done three. Only three more are plausible. (Seriously, $15 just to PARK at Disneyland? No thanks.) But I believe I've done generally awesome things, too.

picture by jill rich

Like get to know these fabulous ladies better. You guys all know Seraphine by now, but her mom, Sabrina, has become a really close friend. We can get together and just talk for hours on end. I don't know how I would have survived the summer without her. 

Ohmygoodnessilovethepeopleinmywardtheyaresoawesome. 'Nough said.

Running a business almost on my own has been one of the hardest and most stressful things of my life. But I've learned a lot from it and it's paying for school.

In short, I have three weeks left of my summer. I'm going to make an adventure of it. 

Don't forget...

image via here, but this is what it looked like this morning.

Some things are worth getting up at 5:30, walking up the hill in the bitter cold (in a dress), and breaking the zipper on your coat for. 

Things like this.

Jesus Camp

This semester I'm taking a Sociology of Religion class. I love it. Today we watched a movie that kind of summed up a lot of what we've been talking about the past few weeks: things like ritual, symbols, and emotion.

Yep. Jesus Camp.

It's a documentary about an evangelical summer camp. You couldn't help but love those kids. Like 9-year-old Rachael, who approached a woman she didn't know in a bowling alley to remind her that God has a plan for her. Or 12-year-old Levi, who is so excited about the Gospel (as he understands it) and looks just like Tyler Hudrlik, but with a mullet. But everything else in the movie just gave off the same vibe as watching The Fourth Kind--something that is clearly not of God is going on there. It's just as terrifying to watch these kids--not one of them older than fifteen--crying, convulsing, confessing sins, speaking in tongues with fear and shame in their eyes as it is to watch a psychologist be abducted by aliens.

It made me think about my seven years at Girls Camp. (YES, seven. I went back as a cook last year and I might be a cabin mom this year.) And my one week at EFY two years ago. How different they felt! Yes, there were tears there, but they came from a very different emotion. There was no anger, no shouting. Just quiet testimonies and powerful hymns. An acquaintance of mine said that watching Jesus Camp fueled his already staunch atheism. He was just as angry as that lady preacher in the movie was when she told the radio host that more parents should indoctrinate their kids. Me, I'm just grateful that I'm lucky enough to have the fullness of the Gospel and the absolute peace it brings. Maybe one day those darling children will have it too.

Top Ten Reasons that This Week was the Best.

10. J'ai trouvé ma cloche!

I finally have the coolest hat in the world back. I lost it in my French class on the second day of class and didn't see until yesterday, when Sœur Passe-Carlus said she had it in her office.

9. Hair Color Fades!

My hair is a normal color! But I did turn the towels pink at the temple...

8. Nutella Cupcakes!

Found this recipe while stumbling around the internet on Thursday and couldn't help but trying them. And they are DELICIOUS. We ate them for breakfast. (Since they're self-frosting, you can totally pass them off as muffins.) I will definitely be making them again in the near future.

7. I've finally seen The Dark Knight all the way through!

When my family rented this when it first came out, no one ever told me when they were starting. So I always came in the middle. Then last semester I started it with the guys, but we only got halfway through before curfew. Then we watched it last night because their new roommate is just off his mission and hadn't seen it yet. Hurray for 1am curfew on Fridays!

6. I finally found a good place to study!

I have a hard time focusing on homework when Sven the Mac's 20-inch screen offers so many other options. And I don't like the library--too many people. But there is a lovely little secluded place in the Ricks Building (pictured above) perfect for reading and studying. This should increase my productivity by infinity.

5. The Hello Kitty Coloring Book

My mom sent a bunch of crayons up with me after Christmas Break and I had nothing to color! In my determination to remedy this, I bought a 288 page Hello Kitty coloring book. I almost got the Star Wars one, but it was part of that crap Clone Wars franchise. I am not ashamed of my new hobby. You're just jealous. 

4.Endless Jam Sessions.

My roommate Jenna the Music Ed Major brought an acoustic guitar up with her. Now we're both using it to teach ourselves to play. I remembered a few things from back when I actually practiced Francesca (my guitar that's been sitting lonely in my room for the past three years). My fingers are sore and covered in band-aids, and Jenna's thumb has turned funny colors from strumming with it. But it's way fun. Since Thursday, we've spent at least three hours a day taking turns playing. 

3. Getting things worked out.

Don't you worry your pretty little head about the details.

2. Hearing from two members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Elder Russel M. Nelson gave the devotional on Tuesday and Elder. M. Russell Ballard More will be on my Rexburg Blog.

1. Getting my family's temple work done.

Unless I'm completely mistaken, this is my great-grandmother,(my mother's mother's mother) Margot. I was baptized and confirmed for her and for my great-great-aunt, (my mother's father's mother's sister) Anna. I'm so excited to keep tracing my mom's family line and getting their work done, too!

Little Hypocrisies (And Some Big Ones)

This post is a bunch of confessions. You've been warned.

"A girl needs to have SOME glaring contradictions in her life."

~Hannelore from "Questionable Content"

I like to say I'm honest, but I also want to be a politician someday. And yesterday I illegally downloaded "Mozart L'Opéra Rock" after iTunes France wouldn't let me buy it.

I like to say that I'll sleep when I'm dead or that sleep is for the weak, but I'm so tired all the time.

I like to say I'm a good person, but I did my visiting teaching for the first time today, with three days left in the semester.

I like to say I'm mature, but Mr. Roosevelt came with me to college.

I like to say it's only cold if you can see your breath, but I start to shiver when it's colder than 50º F.

I claim to aspire to Audrey Hepburn-status classiness, but I'm known around UHS for my racist jokes.

I eat nothing but junk food but weigh 119.

I do less work and have a higher GPA here than I did in high school.

I don't believe in love at first sight, but my favorite song by The Beatles is "I've Just Seen a Face."

Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down This Wall!

Today I'm grateful that there's one Germany.

20 years ago today, the Berlin Wall came down.

I wasn't around when the Wall came down, but I'm sure glad it did. Freedom is the best.

The church built a temple in Freiberg in 1985, before the Wall came down. What a miracle that was! I'm grateful to be a part of a worldwide church.

Click here to learn more about the church in Germany.

Gratitude Month

I'm behind, but I'm going to start posting about what I am grateful for.

Today I am grateful for trials, Joseph Smith, and the 121st, 122nd, and 123rd sections of Doctrine and Covenants.

Those topics were the focus of our Stake Conference this weekend, and it was good to be reminded of some simple truths designed to get us through tough times.

Everyone will face trials in their life. Even the Savior faced adversity. But because of Christ's Atonement, we can find comfort in that our "afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then if [we] endure it well, God shall exalt [us] on high; [we] shall triumph over all [our] foes" (D&C 121:7-8).

My difficulties in Rexburg are different than they were in Upland. But the solution and my solace still come from the same source - the love and mercy of Jesus Christ.

Sections 121-123 of the Doctrine and Covenants come from a letter Joseph Smith wrote to the Saints while incarcerated in Liberty Jail. The parts we now know as scripture are the parts that were most inspired, or where the Lord Himself spoke. You can read them here. They came as comfort to the Prophet, who lived in cramped quarters and foul conditions for four months. The same word God spoke to Joseph He speaks to us.

"Because of thy righteousness[...]thy God shall stand by thee forever and ever" (D&C 122:4)

'Bout Time!

I'm doing the whole post in green today to mark the completion of my Knowledge Project for Personal Progress! For ten hours, I helped my brothers with schoolwork. Jared and Noah are still working on their homeschool, and Dallin had a large summer assignment due last week for AP Art History and I helped them with those.

After this, I only have two projects left until I receive my Young Women Recognition and get my Young Women president, the queen of not-so-subtle-hints, off my back. I'm three hours in my super awesome Faith project (which will remain a secret until completed). The Virtue Project is the same for everyone-read through the whole Book of Mormon. I'm in Alma right now.

So it won't be long until I have one of these! I'm thinking silver, But I've been told gold would look better on me. Opinions?

An Enchanted Evening

Kyle, Me, Lisa, and Mark "Likes to Ruin Pictures" Imbler

Dallin and Megan

Lisa

Me and Kyle

Jarod, Jenny, Josh

Mormon Prom

Kasey, Jenny, Andrea, Me

Especially For Youth

From August 4th to the 9th, I went up to Rexburg, Idaho to attend EFY.


I had the coolest counselors. Leah, the blonde, was my group's counselor, Kasey was for the other girl's group in our company and Brian was the guy's counselor (duh).



Here's my group. (left to right) Me, Michele, Cat, Leah, Aubry, Rachel, Brittany, and Sarah and M'Kenzi are in front.


And the whole company. We were called "In the Unity" and that little "u" we make means that with us, there's too much rock for one hand!


I also had the coolest roomate ever, Rachel. She was my first friend ever- her mom and mine were good friends in college and were pregnant with us at the same time. It was good to spend some time with her! In this picture, we'd just got back to the dorm from the Friday night dance - we had to walk through a thunderstorm.


Of course, I made new friends, too.



Michele and Aubry were in the same apartment as Rachel and me. These crazy girls were the best roomates we could have asked for.



Brittany, M'Kenzi, Cat, and Sarah were in the apartment next door and the other girls in our group. My favorite night was pizza night, when the eight of us (and Leah, of course) stayed up until midnight eating Little Caesar's and talking about anything and everything. They are all so intelligent and nice. Love these girls.




Mary was my Baskin-Robbins buddy. She works at her local Baskin-Robbins in Montana, and we talked more about work than anyone on vacation ever should.


And of course, there were the guys.





Note: Tricia is most certainly not a guy. I just didn't have any other good pictures of Aaron and Evan. Sorry!


Final Verdict: My personal EFY slogan is: EFY-Where the Spirit's Strong and the People are Nice. I had the time of my life.

The Great Big Dance Festival Post

Pretty much every Wednesday since April, our stake has spent Mutual preparing for a big regional dance festival.



Initially, I was the only one of my siblings even remotely interested, and even then, I had major concerns over having a less than desirable dance partner. However, even John ended up having a good time.



This is one of our Wednesday practices at the Sapphire building. That's me and my dance partner, Alex Bicksler, who (despite his red-eye) is a really nice guy. I really enjoyed dancing with him.

Last Thursday (July 24) we had an all-day practice at the University of Redlands, where the show was.

Andrea and Tyler during one of our many many down times.

Everyone had to bring their stuff in white trash bags. Our stake forsaw this mess and got everyone Fresh and Easy bags instead.


See how much fun John's having?


While waiting for instruction on the football field, the Laurels from our stake befriended a butterfly named Earl (who might have been an Earline.)

I met Patricia, who's just moved into our stake, during the dance festival. She's a very sweet girl and officially my favorite Samoan.

After a break to spend time as a Stake, we came back for dress rehearsal. Oh, those costumes.

(clockwise from top) Tiffany, Me, Ashley, and Lauren modeling our tiaras. (The music for our dance was from Disney Princess Movies - Once Upon a Dream, Beauty and the Beast, and Colors of the Wind)


Andrea, Tyann, and Tricia with the sashes up.


Tricia showing the dress with the sash down. At one point in our dance, the guy takes the flower shown in the picture above this one and the orange part comes down, making for a mid-performance "costume change."

The next two days (Friday the 25th and Saturday the 26th) were the performances. We had to show up four hours early in costume.




My hair and makeup were courtesy of the amazing Miss Avery Estelle Cobb.


Family pictures! John's dance was from the basketball scene in "High School Musical" and Dallin was a "Footloose" farm boy.


Me and Tyann. We had to show up four hours early with hair and makeup done, so there was nothing better to do than take pictures.


Andrea and me.


Tricia and me

As for the actual performance...Upland blew everyone away. The stupid pictures refuse to upload, though.

So yeah. I had a great time.
=D