Christmases Past

For some reason, Christmas season reminds me of this person. We will call him Mr. W.  :)

Mr. W and I popping out of a present

Mr. W. was probably the happiest and one of the best guys I ever dated. He honestly loved everyone, just because they existed. He took the time to show people that he cared. He was also fun, thoughtful, smart, driven, service prone, a true leader (taught me more about leadership than anyone else), but also was honest and lived in the real world (that's the only way I can describe it).

The year we dated, I had decided I wanted to spend Christmas day alone, mostly because I enjoyed the peace and quiet to think about the Savior and because I hated being the extra person at the table when a family got together; so we celebrated on Christmas Eve.

That day, man did it snow! We got a ton of inches just in a few hours. The roads were terrible, but he came to see me, we exchanged presents ( I still have my Hello Kitty pajamas, amongst other things) and then we headed to his house.  It was scary! Not only were the roads not plowed, but they were icy.
When it was getting late, he drove me home in his mom's vehicle which had way better control on the slick roads. Of course we had to stop by a church parking lot and attempt a couple of doughnuts which didn't work that well because the vehicle was too smart.

Then we drove by a church, and noticed that it was packed. It was midnight mass! So we, in the split of a second, decided to go and check it out. It was a really cool experience. Entire families listened to the person who gave the sermon about the Savior. The church was packed.

For some reason, during Christmas I always think about Mr. W. Not because I wish we were still dating (I must say he is happily married to a wonderful girl), but because I feel that he kind of carried the Christmas spirit with him every day of the year. I hope all my future Christmases are that spontaneous and wonderful with people that I care about and people that care about me.

Everyday Gratitude

I am so grateful for so many things.

I am so grateful that I have a home to live in, let alone a bed (and a comfortable one) to sleep in. I am grateful I have blankets to put over my body in the cold of night. I am grateful that I have a place to be during the cold days. I am grateful that I get to choose what I eat each day. I am grateful that I don't have to fall asleep to the sound of gun fire outside my house. I am grateful that I don't have to wait for the bus in the middle of a snow storm. I am grateful that I can see the sunset each day.

Sunset in Hawaii

I am grateful that I can dance around because I can move. I am grateful that I can sing because I can hear and speak. I am grateful for all the unnecessarily things that I have, including this computer and access to the Internet. I am grateful that each day I am reminded of how blessed I am by simply seeing the world around me; I am grateful to have the responsibility to try to help those less fortunate than I.

I am just grateful.

The small things

To Feel The Christmas Spirit

I promise you that if you really want to start feeling the Christmas spirit, you have to see this. If you are a Christian, you have to see this. If you are an art lover, you have to see this. If you feel that there is something higher and bigger out there, you have to see this.  No, you don't have to be Mormon, you don't have to go with someone, you don't have to be or do anything, other than go and feel what it feels like to see this.

You may not know who Carl Bloch is, but as soon as you walk into this gallery, you will instantly recognize the incredible paintings of the Christ's life that have been used all over the world for literally over a hundred years.

My wonderful parents got us tickets (which are free, click here) so see this. I thought I knew what I was going to but I was wrong. It was so much more than I could have imagined. The original paintings in their true sizes left me speechless, literally. The portrayals of the Savior felt so real. The art gallery felt like a sacred place.

As I walked and looked at this breathtaking paintings, I thought to myself "I should read Carl Bloch's biography to learn more about his testimony of Christ." And then I realized that I was looking at his testimony and I knew exactly what it said.

I am so grateful that I was able to see this exposition. Trust me, you need to see it too.

“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:7.)

“Jesus … said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water … shall be in him a well … springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:13–14.)

Ha-llo-ween! So Scary...

 A few frightening feelings...

A man in my neighborhood carved these

Sadly, Halloween has come and gone and I was not able to celebrate it. I was scheduled to work the nights people were out partying. It was very unfortunate.

In all honesty, Halloween is not my favorite holiday.  I, unlike most people, do not enjoy being scared off my pants. When I was a little girl I was very scared of the dark. In retrospect, I was scared of many things!!! It took years to not be scared all the time. So why go back?

Although I have successfully overcome most of my fears, I still cannot watch frightening movies (at all). The most frightening movie I have attempted to watch is "What Lies Beneath."  Over the years I have tried to watch it about 5 times, each time ending in feelings of defeat as I have turned the TV off when I could not take it anymore.

I guess for now the Disney channel will have to do.