I delight in general conference.

I love general conference and I have been looking forward to it for a while now.

Each general conference, I have a particular question in mind as I participate in conference.

Each time, my question is answered. Try it. It's fantastic!

God still speaks to man today.

Is there really a better delight than that?

I delight in entertaining days.

Let's just discuss for a moment how awesome what I get to do every day is.

Here's some quotes that capture my day:

"That /r/ is still really tricky isn't it..."

"Yeah how about you work on understanding my /r/'s"

"I don't have apnea, I just stop breathing."

"You mean church?"

"That what I say."

"No, you didn't say church, you said, fwerend."

"Here, have a mint, next time I'll bring you a milkshake." *can you say bribery!

"Harder? Bring it on."

Oh, and if you're wondering what in the world the youtube video has to do with anything...I played it today to help a patient remember the word Earl. They'd never heard it before and I think by the end of the song...they thought I was crazy...however, I think there's no way the name Earl can ever be forgotten.

I delight in picture taking.

Until today, I hadn't taken a "real picture" (aka, with a camera that is not my iphone) since Christmas. Spending time with LB and the dogs was just the ticket. This summer, I fully intend to take more real pictures. Pictures of people, pictures of places, pictures of unique things.

I delight in integration.

"Pondering often precedes contentment."

During a Sunday School discussion of 2 Nephi 31-33, the same word kept coming to mind.

Integrate.

As a "Graduate Student SLP" I have spent a bit of time working on thought integration with patients. Particularly those with right CVAs (or cerebral vascular accidents, otherwise known as a stroke). These discussions are usually quite challenging because thought integration is something typically severely impacted in a right CVA injury. Essentially, it is what it sounds like, integrating all the pieces of the information to complete a thought, idea or concept of a particular subject.

For example: if you saw a picture of a woman, a table set for 2, pots and pans on the stove and a clock that read 6:00, you could reasonably conclude (often without really even thinking about it) that this is a picture of a woman likely waiting for another person to arrive so they could eat dinner together. They're having something hot for dinner because the food is on the stove. Additionally, you could probably also assume that she was waiting for her husband to get home from work to share the meal she has prepared.

Easy enough for you and I, but for others this can and is extremely challenging.

Integration. We do so much of it automatically. But what about the times when we don't integrate what we see and know with our actions and our attitudes.

I think Nephi's final message and plea is for us, the readers of his words, to integrate the teachings of the doctrine of Christ into our lives in so much that it changes the way we act, the things we do, and the way we view ourselves and our relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ.

To integrate, we have to read beyond merely what is written on a page. We must ponder. We must apply. We must assimilate what is being said to us--our day, our life, and our individual situation. Hence, the quote above, "pondering often precedes contentment."

When we have taken the time to ponder a concept and integrate it--apply it to us to the point that it could be reality--then we can be more easily be content with our current situation and remain hopeful about the good things we know are to come. Knowing, understanding, and integrating the doctrine of Christ as found in 2 Nephi 31-33 can help make this a reality for us.

***Post inspired by the talk: Content with the Things Allotted Unto Us by Elder Neal A. Maxwell, Member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, given April 2000.

I delight in lessons in love.

mom and lb after she won a gold medal in special olympics bowling on her birthday!

me and craig on the last day of carpooling to work together, for now anyway.

Lessons.

I just keep learning them.

Lately though, I have had a more difficult time articulating my strong feelings in to words. I've realized more than ever as of late, that life is dynamic. And that dynamic is difficult to get used to because circumstances are always changing. Circumstances as I know will be different in the future as they are now different than they were in the past.

Things change, people change, but we go with it, try our hardest and make it work. Things can and will work together for our good. Our abilities and capacities can and will be expanded to handle whatever comes our way. That is a blessing to know but difficult to remember always.

It is the simple things that have been getting me through. For example:

• Last night, LB and I were "eggosizing agether" (translation: exercising together) and as I watched her trying to keep up with Jillian Michaels (which is difficult for us all...right?) I couldn't help but smile at her willingness to try and to have a blast doing it.
• Earlier in the week, as Craig and I were driving to work, we saw a peacock running up the side of our road. Craig loves peacocks, loves them. He was thrilled!
• Mom and I have been getting up early and walking. Having Mom all to myself is a rarity so I know to appreciate it and enjoy every minute when it happens.
• I've had some good chats with Craig, even though the circumstances are trying, I am so grateful for the relationship we have.

The point of the story is that life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful. Even the awkward, uncomfortable, even flat out embarrassing moments of life can help us to have greater capacities to love and to appreciate the small and simple things.

I delight in my desk.

This is my desk.

Lots of things have happened at this desk. I have studied, slept, read books on almost every subject imaginable (within the realm of reason). I have written letters, paid bills, composed emails on various subjects, typed papers, take home exams, and skyped/google chatted/facetime-ed. I have colored, glued, drawn and taped various clinic materials.

We have a history.

While this is an elementary delight...it is a very real one.

Tomorrow, I'll be studying for the Praxis at this desk for the very last time.

I delight in the last day of graduate lectures!!!

It is a celebratory moment.

I can't/don't even want to think about how much time I have spent sitting in this classroom over the past 21 months. I do however love all the knowledge I have gained in this classroom. Honestly, it thrills me to think of the erin who entered this classroom back in August of 2010 and the erin who exited the classroom tonight. There's a bit more rattling around in this head of mine these days. I'm excited to put it to good use in helping others!

And so, dear classrooom...

It's been great. But I'm glad we're done!

Please draw your attention:

I've added some pages to the blog. (And changed my header.)

Home is the page you're currently on. (Unless you're reading this on reader.)

Why I Blog--

This is really important to me. So I decided it deserved its own section! I hope you'll take the time to read it. I've updated it since I initially wrote it when I began the blog. My invitation always stands. Delight daily.

About me--

I'm still not sure how I feel about this one, but given some feedback and personal experience, I realize that I like when there is a spot to get to know a writer. It's a very elementary "about me" but there is always room to grow.

And there you have it.

Also, while we're on the subject of business:

Due to reasons relating to my current schooling and job search, I will not be posting anything here that is too specific on where the next months of my life will be taking me. Please see the formerly abandoned personal blog at: justoffthemap.blogspot.com. It only accepts invited readers so contact me if you want to fit that request.

Exciting things I tell you!!!

I delight in feeling competent.

Today at the hospital, I did acutes. All day. Okay, some outpatient MBS' and voice treatment too.

The best part is that I felt really really good the whole time!

This picture is from when I stood in line to submit my graduation request.

Tomorrow is my last real class of my graduate school career. After that, it's only two exams that stand in my way--the praxis and my cleft palate final.

All I can say is, it's about time.

I delight in "just sitting."

There are very few people you can "just sit with" for an evening and leave feeling like you did something so much more exciting than what you actually just did.

For some, just sitting can be awkward.

Of course, just sitting isn't staring at another person for a couple hours, oh no, it's talking about the nearest book in the room, or that recent news report. It is catching up on recent events, activities, movies, books and thinking about what lies ahead. It is laughing but rarely crying. It's bouncing ideas, planning future activities (pencil and planner included) and dreaming about future adventures. It is counting down the last 60 seconds, so as not to appear too boring and leave at an unearthly early hour :). It is going home with more shoes than you left with.

Just sitting is just what I needed.

p.s. it is also essential that randomly breaking into the water buffalo song be completely acceptable.

I delight in a sister's love.

lb in her snuggie

I haven't talked much about LB (otherwise known as Christin, my little sister) in a while.

Since moving home back in December, LB has been adorable as ever. She often leaves me voicemails on my phone while I'm at work saying things like, "Sis, this is your "widdo" sis. I call you and, you not there. Please come home and give me hugs. Okay? I waiting for you!!!"

How can you not love that?

Well...there are times when you just don't want to be touched or hugged or told how much your missed. However, for the most part, 95% of the time, I love it! The thing I need the very most at the end of my day at my externship is a big smiling sis wiggling with her arms spread wide saying "hug me hug me hug me."

I could delight in something LB does or says every single day. In fact, Craig and I were talking just a few days ago about how happy we are to have such a happy little sister even though she does get a little annoying at times, right Craig? :)

All and all, I feel abundantly blessed to have someone under my same roof who has as much a capacity to love as Christin. It truly is a gift. When I think about far we could come as a people and as a world with a little more love toward our neighbors, our friends, our families and imagine a brightness. Christin has a brightness about her because of just how much she loves others. You can't help but smile.

And so, today, I delight in you my little lou. You make me happy and your hugs do to!