C'est la vie! LIFE UPDATE

There have been two things I've learned these last couple months:

1. Family History work is HARD!
As far as I know, I'm the only one in my family who is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  So it's kind of confusing and mind boggling that half of my ancestors' ordinances have already been completed. However, I was lucky enough to reserve and print out the names for my Grandma (on my mom's side) and my Great Grandma (on my dad's side)!  As soon as I learned about baptisms for the dead, I knew I needed to perform the ordinances for these wonderful women. Both lived amazing and loving lives, and were true to whatever faith they had, and I know they are on the other side ready and patiently waiting to accept what I'll be doing on their behalf.  It will be my very first time entering into the temple and I'm so excited!! All in all, family history work is difficult, whether you're LDS or not. It requires so much effort and patience, but it's all worth it when you find out more about where and who you came from, and knowing that you're passing on the memories of those before you.

2. Heavenly Father knows what's best for me, what I need, and when I need it. Le timing de Dieu est parfait.
Recently I received an impression (prompting) to start learning French. Is it because I'm being prepared to serve my mission in France? I honestly don't know. I still haven't received my mission call.. :/ I do know that I have an intense desire to serve in Paris, though, and I'm doing what I can to show Heavenly Father how badly I want to serve the people of Paris (especially after the terrorist attacks).  I've always had a small desire to learn French. Quite a few years ago I got a CD set to learn French, but I barely started it, then quickly forgot about it.  Then, a few weeks ago, I felt an impression to start learning it again.  I found the CD's and tried to download it on my laptop, but the OS was too advanced for the program.  My mom then offered to let me use her Rosetta Stone account that she uses for work! Prayer answered right away!  If Heavenly Father asks you to do something and you make an effort to obey Him and His will, He will always provide a way for it to be done.  Now Rosetta Stone doesn't really work with how I learn, but it was an awesome starting point and will still help me to learn French, along with the other learning programs I've been able find.  I know learning French is something I need to do. I don't know the reason why just yet, but it's something Heavenly Father knows I need and wants me to do, so I'm just going to trust Him and run with it.  I wasn't ready to learn it when I was younger, for whatever reason, but I'm ready now, and I'm so grateful for this opportunity and the much appreciated guidance I'm receiving from Heavenly Father throughout all my endeavors!

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Exercise!

That's right, I said EXERCISE! Missions are physically demanding!  All that walking and biking, and running around from meeting to meeting, it amazes me that missionaries are still able to put on weight!  The Church advises missionaries to set aside time -30 minutes in the morning- every day to exercise so they can stay happy and healthy.  The Church also advises establishing an exercise routine before your mission so it's easier to adjust to all the running around.  So that's exactly what I'm doing!  But this isn't going to stop me from ordering extra fries. ALWAYS order extra fries.

To start out with, I'm planning on walking 4-6 miles at least 3 or 4 times a week.  I don't have set days when I'm going to go on my walks, because my schedule is kind of all over the place during the week.. But it's happening!  I'm mainly concerned with my core, legs, and bum, so I'm focusing my workouts on those areas. 

"Go-To" Workout! Repeat 2x, 25-30 reps each unless stated otherwise

Bum/Legs

- Bridges

- Fancy bridges *Immediately after the last bridge, hold at the top for 30 seconds. After that bring knees in and out for 25 reps. Finally, hold knees together, still holding position at the top, for 30 seconds*

- Toe Taps on Back *Laying down, legs in the air, shins parallel to the ground.  Bring down leg so your toe touches the floor, then bring back up to starting position. Repeat!*

- Clam

- Donkey Kicks

- Fire Hydrants *Looks like you're a dog peeing on a fire hydrant*

- Rainbows *Similar to donkey kicks. Leg sticking straight out, toes touching the floor. Move your leg in an arch from left to right. Repeat with other leg!*  x10 each leg

- Squats x10

- Squat Pulses

- Sumo Squats/Plié x10 

- Sumo Squat to Calf raise *Sumo squat like normal, but when down in squat position raise heels so you're on your tippy toes*  x10

- Heel Lifted Squat *squat normally, but with one heel lifted*  x5 each leg

- Lunges x10 each leg

- Ballerina Toe Taps *Standing up, using a wall as support, put one leg out behind you and tap your toes and top of your foot on the floor, bringing your leg up as high as you can between taps*

- Calf Raises *Feet shoulder width apart. Lift your heels to your tippy toes, and bring back down. Repeat!*

Abs/Core

- Crunches (not sit ups!)

- Bicycle crunches

- Super Crunches *Do a regular crunch, then do a bridge. Crunch, bridge, crunch, bridge, crunch, bridge, etc.*

- Plank Twist *Start in plank position. Twist your hips to the right, then to the left. Repeat!*

- Russian Twist

Stretching!

Ain't these adorable??  Don't let the cute bunnies fool you.  They mean business when it comes to stretching and yoga...

Well there ya go!  I do all of this about 4-5 times a week, or I at least try to.  I also try to keep it at or below 30 minutes to do everything, but that doesn't always work out.. If I'm running out of time, I won't do all of the ab/core workouts and just focus on my bum/legs and stretching. Walking 4-6 miles in a day happens even less, but I usually try to go on walks whenever I have the day off from work.  Woo!!

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UTAH

I'm in love!!  With UTAH.  In this post I mentioned that one of my Elders was getting married and that I was SO excited to be able to go.  The wedding was in Utah -I know, surprise surprise, a Mormon wedding in Utah...  But it was honestly one of the best places I have ever been!  I don't know what it was, but it just rocked my socks off!

I love that there are so many Temples there.  Anywhere you look, there's either a Temple not too far off in the distance, or there's one right in front of you.  I fell in love with the Draper Temple and Temple Square.  Both are just so beautiful!  And the Logan Temple is so photogenic, it doesn't have a bad angle!

 *All pictures are my own*

Temple Square!

Top of Draper Temple. Angel Moroni!

Logan Temple! What'd I tell ya??

The atmosphere in Provo and Salt Lake, even Brigham and Logan, is totally different from Portland.  And I'm not just talking about the literal atmosphere and air...  I have never been to a city where I've felt The Spirit almost everywhere I went.  It was amazing!  Speaking of the literal atmosphere, I love that Utah air is dry.  I have pretty oily skin and with all the moisture in the air in Portland, it's really difficult to manage.  But the dry air in Utah mellowed everything out and my skin felt normal for once! #BONUS


Game Plan:
- Go on a mission
- Come home, get married and sealed to my best friend
- Move to Utah (gain residency there)
- Get a Great Dane, or a Pug...... or both ;)
- Start going to school and get a Bachelor in Fine Arts
- Hubby comes home for good from the Navy and we live happily ever after!


Hopefully my game plan aligns fairly closely with Heavenly Father's plan for me, because how I felt in Utah was unlike anywhere else I've been.  It felt more like home in 4 days than Portland has in 19 (almost 20) years!  It's safe to say Utah is where I want to be, where I need to be.  Obviously I'll be doing a lot of praying to confirm that, but for now, I have my sights set on Utah.

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We Believe

When I first started investigating The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I had tons of questions.  Everything seemed so simple, but so complicated at the same time!  After I was baptized, people would ask me what Mormon's believe in and I would freeze, thinking, "Where do I start??" Luckily we have a little something called The Articles of Faith to offer a starting point for anyone with questions and to clear up all that confusion!

I know I'm going to get a ton of questions about The Church while on my mission, so I thought it would be beneficial to make printouts of the 13 Articles of Faith to not only help my future investigators, but to help me better teach them about the beliefs of The Church.

Just click on any Article below and happy printing!

Also, I found this amazing woman with an amazing voice who sings wonderful songs about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and you can bet your buns I'll be listening to her nonstop on my mission! This song she covered aligns perfectly with the core of our beliefs!

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Life Update

This last weekend I finally had a chance to talk to my bishop about serving a mission.  He was super excited and super helpful and set me up with my mission papers right away.  I finished them the day I got them, and now all I need is to wait a month to get my dentist and doctors checkups then I'll be good to go! Can you tell how anxious and excited I am??

I also told my momma about wanting to serve.  She's not a member of the Church, so naturally she had a few questions, but I was happy to answer them!  And now that my mom knows, it's 100% official, I'm going on a mission!

Also, my wonderful and beautiful boyfriend is joining the Navy and preparing to leave February 16th, 2016. Two days after my year mark (for my baptism)!  He's going to be where he needs to be and I'm going to be where I need to be, and I couldn't be happier! Especially since he's not going to be in combat-phew!

ALSO... One of the Elders who taught me is getting married!! I'm so excited and blessed to be able to go and see that guy get hitched! Like I said before, I was and still am so grateful for my Elders, and it makes me so happy that they're happy and accomplishing their dreams!

I feel like I'm finally starting my life.  Like I'm finally able to do what I love and actually make a difference in my life and other's lives.  Like I'm finally doing something that matters.  It all started with joining the Church.  I've seen so many blessings in my life, in my family's lives, in my friends lives that I can't deny the validity of this Church.  God's hand is everywhere, in everything; always reaching out to help us, guide us, and bless us. Without Him, literally nothing would be possible!  I'm so grateful for all of His tender mercies and how He answers my prayers all day, every day.

I'm so excited to be able to share this gospel with my family and with the world. I know this church is true. I know Heavenly Father and Our Savior lives. This church is the reason for all of my happiness and I'm so proud to call myself a member and soon to be missionary!

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Sister Missionary Style

One of the things I'm super excited about when it comes to preparing for my mission is shopping for adorable mission appropriate clothes.  It's pretty difficult to find skirts and dresses long enough to cover my knees sitting AND standing.  It's also super hard to find shirts that don't have any cutouts or aren't too sheer... But you know what? Challenge accepted.  

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Things to Remember

Lately I've been having to remind myself to be better with.... life.  Being nicer, more patient, having an open heart and mind, stuff like that.  So for my benefit (and hopefully for yours too) I made a list of things I've been trying to remember to do every day.  It's a hefty list, but it's sure to help!

Patience IS a Virtue.  Patience is the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.  I feel like patience is also a form of trust.  You're trusting that things will be accomplished or will come about in their own due time, and you're willing to wait for that.  Our willingness to wait reveals the value we have on what we're waiting for.  Heavenly Father is always patient with us, that's how valuable we are to him.  To be patient means we are that much closer to Heavenly Father and shows we love Him that much more.

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I'm Going on a Mission!

Okay, so I'm not officially going on a mission, not yet anyway.  But I got a huge prompting to go on one and I know it's something I need and want to do.  I didn't want to at first.  I mean I reeaallyy didn't want to go, but Heavenly Father is doing a darn good job of preparing me for one and I am pumped! That's what this whole blog is about!  In a sense, I'm preparing to prepare for a mission.  I'll be documenting the whole process, from sharing amazing scripture studies and completing a bucket list before I leave, to putting together my mission wardrobe and trying out quick and easy recipes for when I'm on the field.  I'm hoping to be able to keep up the blog while on my mission to share my experiences and to share even more of what I love about Heavenly Father and His church.  I'm doing all I can to show Heavenly Father that I'm worthy enough and ready to spread His gospel wherever He needs me to be.

"Never postpone a prompting." -Thomas S. Monson, Prophet

Before I was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints I investigated the Church for a little over 2 years (I explain it all in this post).  During that time I met the two most amazing missionaries anyone could ask for.  When I first started going to a YSA (Young Single Adult) ward I felt like something pretty big was about to happen, but in a really weird way...

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