A Gem from Personal Study

On the mission, we would have an hour of personal study of the scriptures, followed by an hour of study with our companion at the time. Part of this companionship study was sharing something we had learned during our personal study. Well, because I no longer have companionship study, and wasn't sure of the appropriate audience for my personal study gem, I chose my blog.

Today I was reading in Jacob 5 of the Book of Mormon and a few lines between verses 64-65 stuck out to me: "...then shall ye prepare the way for them, that they may grow. And as they begin to grow ye shall clear away the branches which bring forth bitter fruit..."

Reading this just made me think about how a big part of this life is experiencing growth, and how a good part of growth comes from struggle and trial. The verse talks about a way being prepared for us to grow. While I don't think all trials "happen for a reason" or "were meant to be" in any sense, I definitely believe that every experience can be learned from and allow us to stretch, perhaps emotionally, spiritually, mentally, etc. and that God can help us glean something of value, be it small, from most situations. Which brings me to the next line- as we grow, the bitter branches are cleared. Ahh refinement. Trials and difficult experiences can allow us to get rid of those bitter parts of us. It doesn't make life easier, but there's comfort in knowing the end goal is a good one.

That's all. :)

What Did One Cow Say...

I love cow jokes. They are funny, never hurt anyone's feelings, and although I don't know every cow joke out there, they're not usually inappropriate. So I thought I would share my favorites.

My love for cow jokes all began when my ten year old nephew Thomas asked me, "What do you call a cow in an earthquake?"

A milkshake!

And so it began.

What do you call a cow with no legs?

Ground beef!

What do you call a cow with a twitch?

Beef Jerky

What do you call a cow with two legs?

Lean Beef

What do you call a silent cow?

A moot!

What do you call one cow spying on another cow?

A steak-out

What do you call a cow who just gave birth?

De-Calf

What do you call a cow that can't give milk?

A Milk Dud!

What kind of car does a rich cow drive?

A Cattlelac

"Oh, You're Not Married?"

The idea that LDS young adults are marriage hungry is a popular belief. We get married as young as possible after short courtships and even shorter engagements. The whole process is supposedly rushed and immediate and slightly impulsive. Supposedly.

So, I decided somewhere around 9 (I don't know what kind of kid I was, don't ask) that I would break the mold and be older when I got married. And when I say older, I mean over 20. Because, at the time, being over 20 definitely meant older. I reached the golden age of 20 and scoffed at the idea that I thought it'd be a challenge to not be married by then. At 21 I was going on a mission, 22 on a mission, and then yesterday I turned 23. Still single, and still wondering when this age thing happened.

Maybe I'm in denial, but I don't feel like I would naturally be concerned about getting married. It'll come when it comes- I'm confident he's out there doing whatever, like me, and our paths will cross eventually. However, outside sources make it nearly impossible for the thought to escape my mind and it seems to be... not the primary source of my concern, but still fairly frequent. It is me, or the people that bring it up? I blame them.

I decided to write this post because the topic is inevitable. Every interview I've had with a church leader in the recent past, the leader has "reassured" me that, "he's out there somewhere." This consolation has been unsolicited, by the way.

I think that's my thing- where did all this sympathy come from? I think most would admit it's slightly unnerving when people start patting your shoulder, offering comforting/wise words, or telling you not to worry, you're great and have lots going for you! I keep wanting to respond, "Really, I'm fine! I... (how can I convince them I'm not bothered?) I am ok!" But I feel like that only invites more sympathy.

So, this main topic of LDS young adult conversation leads me to this- be it self-inflicted or caused by the comments of others, I guess I really would like to get married soon. Am I the product of a marriage hungry culture? Maybe. However, as unfounded as I think pressuring young 20-somethings to be married may be, I also don't place myself in the category of those who are anti-marriage simply to rebel against something. I guess I'm in the middle. Me getting married isn't a desperate mission, but I also don't see myself dating for any other reason.

Also, as a side note, it sure would be convenient to be done with the "just friends" dilemma (you know, where you wish someone would consider you as more than a friend, meanwhile hoping someone else knows you will never be more than friends. There is no winning, in my experience)

Ah Provo. Good night!

It's Christmas Time!

This is one of my favorite Mormon Messages of all time, and I hope you like it!

Time Flies...

President Peterson, Sister Peterson, me, Cynthia, and Jessica

This past weekend, a few of us went up to South Jordan to visit our first mission president. (Most of the people I served with had two, the second (President Dalton) is still serving in Hawaii.) It was so fun! We had dinner, and of course talked about all of the crazy things that happened while we were in Hawaii. We definitely had a lot of adventures together, and though I've known these people for less than two years, they are a huge part of my life and some of my best friends.

I still feel weird being home, and especially being at reunion type settings like this, it really hits me that my mission ended. Not only is it over, but contrary to what I keep thinking, I won't just wake up one day and be a missionary in Hawaii again. It's not that I want to go back, I just keep thinking that I will. (It's also not that I don't want to go back- goodness knows I could handle being at the temple every day or being in celestial Kalaheo again.) But, there are also times when I think, "Did I ever leave BYU? Did I really serve a mission?" It just seems like all of the sudden I'm a year or two older than a lot of my peers and anything that has happened since February 2010 is somehow blocked out of my memory.

But life is good- in about 45 minutes my Thanksgiving break will officially begin! I definitely need a break- good old BYU and their lack of fall break- woof. And then it's only two weeks until the semester is over. I wish I could pretend to be more sad about that. ;)

Not Forgotten

This week was so good!

First off, I took a math test, and what do you know- I didn't fail!!! (failing math tests is a common occurrence at BYU, so this actually was a bit of an accomplishment) Good things.

Then on Wednesday I registered for classes. It felt good to actually have chosen a path and be continuing on it. Haha I guess I'm lucky econ is a short major, because it's a little rough to be 22 and just barely start taking upper level classes. So- I am way excited about my classes! The two I'm most excited about are International Trade and Finance and then Introduction to Development Studies (as in the development of countries). I am just so excited- you know you've chosen the right major when you look forward to the assigned reading and signing up for classes is like going shopping. I've also decided to minor in International Development. This just makes me so happy.

So after registering, I was walking through the Wilk and decided to stop by the Service Office. Good thing I did because I ended up meeting this guy who knows the director of a micro business organization here in Provo. Um, what are the odds?! So of course he hooked me up with all these connections, and I'm just excited because I know it wasn't by accident.

None of what's happened has been just coincidence actually, hence the title of the blog post. It's just nice to know that not only is my life going somewhere, but that it's going the right somewhere and my decisions are being guided.

So Fun!

So tonight I went on a date with my friend Dan- it was fantastic because we were an ipod!!! We went to a couples costume/dinner party, and he was nice enough to humor my idea of being an ipod. So- here are the pictures!