I delight in themes of conference.

saturday am conference exodus

october 2013

salt lake city, ut

General Conference was SO good. Although the night before was long one (but such a good one), I met conference morning with happiness in my heart and great hope for answers that surely would come.

While you'll hear me talk about this conference for the next 6 months, I have to start by sharing some themes that stood out to me. Overall, I felt impressed that the prophets and apostles were speaking with a great voice of warning to the signs of the times that are upon us. Let there be no doubt that we have been warned about the wiles of the adversary which will tempt us in these the last days. Prophecy is being fulfilled at a rapid rate and it requires discernment, we need the companionship of the Spirit of the Holy Ghost.

Other themes included:
have courage not to compromise
how to receive strength
don't be deceived by satan and the world
covenants: make them, live them, love them
the priesthood and me
the essential role of women in the home
there are significant lessons to be learned in these difficult times
this is the Lord's church and the Lord's doctrine
pray to invite someone to receive the missionary lessons
the importance of our spiritual and physical well-being
we need the holy ghost's companionship
love others. be kind. have compassion.

Overall, I felt impressed that we as Mormons, as Latter-day Saints, as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints must be clear, we follow Jesus Christ.

Let there be no doubt about it in the thoughts of our heart, in our actions and deeds whose we are (children of a loving Heavenly Father) and who we follow (our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ). We must settle these things within us and live accordingly.

I delight in being prepared for general conference.

general conference april 2013

salt lake city, ut

2013

Loving general conference has been a process for me in life and for the past 12 years or so, its been a process I've been actively trying to improve. Over these years, I've learned a lot of things that for me, make a difference and some years, it has made all the difference. For me, life seems to collide around general conference. There are a lot of times when things have come together and I have just said,..."thank heavens it's almost conference." My heart fills with gratitude as I think about general conference.  I'm so grateful to belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and now I add, I know it, I live it, I love it, thanks to Sister Dibb's talk this time last year!

While preparing for this general conference, I have made a list that I call, "10 Principles of Learning at General Conference." These are a few things that for me have made all the difference in my conference experience. It is by no means intended to be a comprehensive list and over time I anticipate it will still change.  But if you're seeking for ways or ideas to help conference mean more to you, maybe you can take some principle away from my list, apply it and see how conference blesses your life a little bit more.

1. Prepare. Prepare. Prepare.
This preparation happens in a lot of different ways...I'm going to throw a bunch of things out that have helped me prepare

• Writing down questions and taking them to the Lord through prayer and keeping them visible throughout conference. This is critical. If nothing else, do this. I have been working on my questions for a while now and I've been taking them to the Lord in prayer and pondering them in my heart. This has made all the difference for my conference experience.
• Frequently listen to general conference talks. Listen to previous conferences to prepare for future conference. Let the Lord tutor you in how he talks to you. You're also showing the Lord how much you treasure His word.
• In the week prior to conference, do 4 things: 1. Fast, 2. Attend the temple, 3. Serve, 4. Right a wrong. One of my former bishop's wives was in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. She shared that this is what they are asked to do the week prior to general conference. I still remember the distinct impression I had as she shared this that this was a critical formula.
• Get adequate rest. Enough said.
• Watch as much of conference live as you can. Be where you can be taking notes. I find that the first time I listen to a talk is when I get the most out of it and if I can listen live I tend to get more out of it as well.
• Be in a clean, spirit conducive environment. I need to listen in "peace and quiet" as my sister would say.  While not always possible, it is a good thing to strive for.
• Get "other stuff" done before so you can focus on conference. I like to multitask which at times has made this one hard; however, its so so worth it. Plus your mind is at rest when as much of that "other stuff" is done and can be out of your mind. 
• Pray about how to get the most out of conference. The Lord will help you know how best to help yourself prepare.
• Decide how you're going to take notes at conference. For me, this is exciting because I am a lover of all things "school supplies!" Notebooks, pens, pencils, highlighters, whatever it is, I just love it. If I am starting a new study journal, one that I'm likely going to carry around the next 6 months, I usually take notes in there, if I'm at the end of a study journal and its not going to last till the next conference, I usually take notes in a small journal I can carry with me in my scripture case for the next 6 months so I can refer back to it, remember, and use what I learned.

2. Be ready to listen and learn

• Again, get enough sleep. 8 hours is a long time, and brethren, 10 hours in one weekend is a challenge. It takes some spiritual and physical endurance. For those of us who have the opportunity to watch from the comfort of our own homes, sometimes this is a blessing and sometimes it is a curse because we can watch it wrapped up in our blankets and quilts. So be well rested so you can get the most out of the time you're devoting.
• Look the part. This historically and presently has been difficult for me. I have looked to conference as a break from getting ready; however, I am a huge proponent of dressing the part. I'd dress up to take tests (sometimes*) in grad school because I wanted to look successful to tell myself I was going to be successful. I believe the same applies. I feel like I'm going to get more out of it when I look the part.
• Have snacks. Done.
• Be spiritually ready. Really here I think the biggest thing is to know how the Lord talks to you. If we are being consistent in studying the scriptures and praying, this is generally easier in my opinion. Do whatever you need to to be ready to hear and feel what he has to tell you through the Holy Ghost.
• Have a pen and paper ready. Coming from this compulsive note taker...this is critical. Write down the thoughts you have because you might not have them again. 
• Go on walks in between sessions and prior. Again with the being awake concept. :)
• Turn off the stuff. We live in a society of smart phones, laptops and ipads...we check facebook automatically, instagram, pin things, whatever...leave your phone in the charging station or away from your fingers. An entire talk could have come and gone before you realize how much time you've spent communing with your phone rather than listening to the prophet. Eek!

3. Review your questions frequently.

I really like to have my questions on a note card or some place in my notebook that is easily accessible so I can review them frequently. 

4. Focus on your thoughts and feelings.

Sometimes I almost transcribe the whole talk...but that's not the point. The point is that I write down the inspiration I receive. The words that they say will be posted but the impressions I have will never be published unless I write them down.

5. Note patterns and things that stand out. 

One of my favorite activities is to write down summaries of each conference. What themes stood out? What recurring thoughts did I keep having? What patterns are in my notes as I review them? What was the Lord trying to tell me? What do I need to change? What does he want me to observe in myself? I then love later going back and comparing what themes stuck out to me initially and then what themes stick out 6 months later.

6. Write things you're going to do because of what you have felt and learned.

Coming from someone with a perpetual to-do list, this is key for me. I like to keep a list of do impressions as it were that I can tape in my journal and go and do as a result of conference. Sometimes, I've also called this my focus list, just things to focus on over the next 6 months.

7. Re-read, re-listen and re-view.

Never be afraid to go back and ask the Lord, is there more? Even after studying talks for 6 months, I still learn new things, different things still impress me and even now sometimes I think...do I remember this talk? Because different things will end up standing out to me. I love that we can go back, that I can dial up a talk and listen to it while I drive, while I get ready in the morning, anytime. Its an easy way to fill my life with good things!

8. Keep your commitments. 

If there was a change you felt prompted to make, make it. If you felt like you needed to do something as a result of what you heard or felt, do it. Remember that the Lord blesses us by what we do with what we are given. And where much is given much is required. If it was right on Saturday afternoon during conference, it will still be right on Monday evening.

9. Keep conference in your heart.

Review your notes. Its also always a personal goal of mine to re-read every conference talk by the following conference. This time I'm going to try to watch, read, or listen to a conference talk everyday  between conferences. And before you discredit this...in a world of technology and smart phones, its SO easy to listen to talks as we exercise, garden, commute (that's what I do), get ready, shower, prepare meals, etc. There are so many ways we can keep conference in our hearts, just find a way that works for you to do it.

10. Express gratitude to the Lord for living Prophets and Apostles. Pray for them for the following conference.

These good brethren need our prayers. I can't imagine all the time, effort, labour and diligence they put into preparing these talks, and for the first presidency to prepare two, even three talks...I just can't even imagine. They need our faith and prayers! Also it is so important to thank Our Heavenly Father for what we have learned, for living prophets and for the blessings that come into our life as we listen and learn from latter-day prophets. 

Now it's your turn. What works for you? How do you prepare for general conference? What is something new you will try to prepare for this general conference? 

______________
to view general conference
to learn more about what i believe
lds.org's, how to prepare for general conference
why conference matters?
preparing for general conference, ensign 2012

I delight in being prepared for fall.

perfect fall leaves

sardine canyon, utah

2012

I love fall. Everything about it, the colors, the temperature, the feeling in the air. There is just something about all the senses of the season that come together and really make perfection for me.

With that being said, there's a lot to prepare for in the fall because winter (that dreaded, cold, suck the life out of me season) is a'comin.

I recommend making a list of 10 must do's for the fall season.

1. Shop at a farmer's market or local fruit stand.
I'm pretty lucky because this one is an easy one for me. I live right by Utah's Fruit Way. There is something about buying local and meeting the farmers who grow my food that makes me happy. There's also something about finding a pumpkin that fits my personality.

2. Make meals from your garden.
I'm already failing at this one this year. Historically (while living away) I would come home on the weekends and stock up on everything I was going to eat for the week which usually involved tomatoes, tomatoes, and tomatoes, a few onions and more tomatoes (can you guess what we have the most of at my house?) Again, there is something about eating something that comes from your own backyard that is so rewarding. And may I recommend a caprese pasta dish...so delicious! Oooo and don't forget the pesto!

3. Buy some hot chocolate
Whether it is stocking up on the powder stuff for winter, stocking up on the evaporated milk so you can make the extra delicious kind like my roommate in college or stopping by your local hot drinks spot...enjoy a cup of some holiday cheer. Hot chocolate makes me feel assured that everything is going to be okay because I have a way to keep my very insides warm.

4. Enjoy the outdoors
Walk, kayak, go hiking. For fellow summer stragglers, fall is the best time to get out and about. I melt in the heat so hiking is tricky for me in the dead of summer. I love fall because a) I feel like my surroundings are even more photogenic and b) because its cooler, there aren't as many people and I can just enjoy it more. Now is the time of the year to travel to some of the summer "destinations" like yellowstone, arches, zions, and blanding.

5. Go on an intentional "I'm going to love the beauty of the season" drive.
This one is such a stretch for me. My family loves to drive and go for rides but for me to be the instagator of such a thing is a rarity. Plus because I spend a lot of time commuting, driving is sometimes the last thing I want to do on the weekends. I do however love a good adventure and going for a nice drive is just the ticket. Last year it was sardine canyon. I didn't need to go to Logan, I just needed to see leaves. This year I'm taking a new route with friends, up emigration canyon and down through east canyon. Its going to be incredible...incredibly brown because the leaves just aren't as fantastic this year (the joy of living in a desert) but it will still be fun because of the other traditions and experiences we have built around it (e.g., going to trader joes, eating breakfast at Ruth's diner).

6. Have a campfire.
Nothing, I repeat nothing will make fall more "fall like" that having a campfire on a cool evening while staying toasty in a hoodie. It is perfection. Just do it and thank me later.

7. Go on walks while wearing hoodies regularly
Can you tell I have a thing for hoodies? As a teenager, I lived in them. Now, not so much; however I do know how to appreciate one. This shapeless, thick, hooded piece of clothing keeps me warm and brings back oh so many memories of the hoodie fall time's of years past. I reminisce old holey hoodies as I wear new, yet to be holey hoodies.

8. Find a place to watch the perfect sunset.
I haven't actually done this one; however it was recommended to me by a new friend I met at institute last week. She told me she liked to find sunset spots. I immediately recognized and reported that this was something I could really get behind. I love the sun (just look at how many pictures I take of it.) And so, this is a new one I am adding to the list.

9. Prepare for the winter.
The only thing I don't like about fall is that it means winter is a coming. I am not a winter girl. I don't really care much for any winter sports (although one of these years I think I should do something about that and just learn to like to ski). So that means we must prepare for the winter with craft projects. No one wants to be going out for thread or glue in the snow just to finish a project. I get more craft/sewing projects done in the winter because I'm not out doing other things so it means that now is the time to check my inventory/stash of stuff to make sure I'm prepared.

10. Get ready for general conference
That leads us into the next list. General conference is my most favorite thing.

delighting in 8/52

 

so much to be grateful for.

first of all, can i just tell you how delighting daily is my saving grace? it helps me so much in seeing the bright side of things, the light at the end of the tunnel, the sparkle on the rain and the sunshine among the shadows.

i try and start each weekly post at the beginning of the week; however it doesn't usually actually get started until thursday, friday, saturday or sometimes sunday (night!). truth. needless to say however; i am constantly thinking of things that need to go on the list.

i delighted in a spontaneous hug and kiss from a patient who usually only seems to tolerate me.
being asked if i was still miss erin, even though i had short hair. hair comments. sewing my carrot table runner with my mom. it's so cute. institute night, cocoa and birthday celebrations with the best cupcakes ever. seriously so good. wearing the red shoes. bright pants (love that trend). seeing progress in severe phonological process kiddos. laughing, a lot. pinning down my opinions. eating burned pancakes for dinner. getting sleep. studying for a sunday lesson. the bunny bunting sitting on my desk that i started last year. being able to see my work desk at the end of the week. tax surprises. tax lessons. making easy connections. friends. revelation. people who just say it like it is and who are who they are. new friends who tell you good things about their lives, recommend books you should read and believe in the ability to change. driving. early morning temple trips. sitting and discussing the scriptures and things i've learned. watching couples waiting to be sealed in the temple and being grateful for eternal perspective. salt lake city. celebrating my grandpa's 92 year old birthday. preparing for lessons. learning lessons. hearing christin use the word "several" in a sentence. taking pictures of a full moon. finance discussions with my dad. dinner with friends. visiting. hearing a song that reminds me so much of my mission (we can be together forever someday). having a dad willing to go supervise while i dig rocks in the snow. reading books. attempting to start family history more seriously (its a step right?).

having a week of experiences that have intricately yet simply connected to my gospel studies. faith, trials, covenants and charity.


***in case you're wondering what the deal is with the lines below and the random links underneath. its just where i post some of the week's influences--things i've heard, read, thought about, watched or discovered that have been thought provoking or that i've just liked for one reason or another. fyi.
------
trial of your faith, elder neal l. andersen
bretheren, we have a work to do, elder d. todd christofferson
"i need the spirit more than i need the sleep."
the atonement can secure your peace and happiness, elder scott
mountains to climb, mormon message
1 peter 1:7-9
ether 12:6
lessons from the life of peter the apostle: the first great commandment, elder holland

delighting in week 6/52

freezing rain driveway

jan 2013

In the whirlwind of normalcy, another week has come to a close.

delights include:

• reading books, two simultaneously
• doing things i've never done before and seeing things i've never seen
• spending time with a friend
• the opportunity to bear my testimony
• laughing, a lot of laughing. in therapy with patients and parents, at home with my family and everywhere in between
• a snowy saturday where i could live the dream of books, cocoa and movies
• observing for lend
• mission snow boots
• lend panel discussion with u of u students with disabilities
• finding cute fabric for my next project(s)
• hearing craig's genuine laugh during dinner
• paycheck in the mail
• hearing the i love lucy theme song from the neighboring room
• watching the old man in front of me love and laugh throughout a play that i did not find to be funny at all, okay pathetically funny but not genuinely funny, he thought it was genuinely hilarious...or so he acted
• unorganizing my closet
• going to institute and being able to be the answer to someone's prayer as a direct result
• going to bed ridiculously early to avoid sickness
• my planner
• finding all my tax information
• my new valentine's day necklace from christin

Sometimes I wish my life weren't so protected by HIPAA and that I could share details of my week. It brings me so much joy, but alas you get it in vague terms and that's just the way it is. Overall, it has been a delightful week, tough but delightful. There is something about the days when you feel absolutely exhausted in every way that is so satisfying. 

I was thinking of someone I know who retired early and is currently "living the life" or so one would think. As I thought of our lives in contrast, I thought and wondered what that would be like...no work, no demands, and an abdication of family responsibility. What's left? And what kind of a life would that be? I can't imagine.

That's when I immediately thought about the general authorities of the church, all the senior missionaries serving across the world and parents who care for children with special healthcare needs and children who care for aged parents. The opportunity to work, learn, serve, love and progress is fantastic regardless of the specific capacity with which we are able to do it in. 

happy fall y'all!

family picture

23 september 2012

mantua, ut

fall has arrived here in the great state of utah! is is my favorite season of them all.  if i could, i would live in the season of fall!

this week has been truly delightful in all sorts of twisted ways. it is always true that in some low times in life, we find /realize some of our greatest blessings. and so it is.

• brigham city temple dedication
• kayaking and a trip to maddox in the company of great friends
• reading general conference addresses and finding some gems that hadn't stood out before
• figuring out what my research group is really going to research (still in the works)
• going to the dentist and having NO cavities
• deciding which pies i'm going to make for thanksgiving dinner
• making pumpkin cookies
• driving to see the fall leaves with family
• enjoying family dinner with my family on a weeknight
• sunday family dinner with the grandparents
• being invited to sit with an adorable couple at maddox (because there were no tables at the drive in) who i happened to actually know
• wearing a scarf, sweater, and boots

I delight in the busy crazy.

Life is so much better when I'm busy.  When I finished school, I was suddenly un-busy and had to find ways to be busy (hello crafts!) but alas, with the start of work and the onset of various activities/events/happenings...life has again become busy with a capitol B.  But...I love it and now have a new appreciation for it.  (enter "lessons of grad school"--that's a good list I'll have to share one day).

So to recap the highlights of my delights as of late:
1. I have been spending a lot more time outside to make up for all the time I spend inside and mostly away from windows.  Fishing, kayaking and even four-wheeling have been some of those outdoorsy activities and I can't believe how much I have missed them over the past two years.  Oh life.  Oh sun.  Oh Christin singing while we fish--see video below.  :)  There is just something about being in the middle of a lake by your own power (rowing!) that is so empowering and perspective lending.  It is a beautiful blessing and an all around peaceful experience.

2. Speaking of LB, whose name is really Christin (my sister) but whom I call LB, I really delight in her use of the word "mostest."  I also delight that she refers to the family dog Ruby as an 'angel puppy' even though Ruby is constantly jumping on her and running away with someone's shoe.  Usually mine.  I also really delight that at the end of a long day, I can come home to someone who will just give me hugs because that's usually what I just need at the end of everyday.

3. I really delighted in Sunday for a myriad of reasons.  Mostly because awesome Sister Anderson aka Katie came up for a visit.  We were in the same district in the MTC but she and another Elder went to Australia while the rest of us went to Canada.  Meeting back up for church on Sunday though was just like we'd been friends forever and I loved it!  I reminisce about my days as a missionary and it was SO nice to have someone to do it with who could really appreciate it.  And it just so happened that both the Sunday School and Relief Society lessons were about missionary work.  Coincidence?  NEVER!  Oh happies!  Better yet though, Katie and I read through the quotes I had written down from the MTC and we laughed till we almost cried.  The BEST!

4. I have been delighting in my job.  I'm still in the "I'm new/training stages" of my job, I still love it.  I'll just love it more when I get to finally BE an SLP and not have to learn lots and lots of billing/insurance/documentation/safety and fire regulations.  It currently hurts my head, and makes me SO grateful for the awesome office staff secretaries--they make it all happen and know SO much!

5. I delight in the unexpected.  You just never know what is going to come next and I'm slowly learning to embrace that fact (don't fight it, invite it!).  A friend asked me last week how I was dealing with my life changes, particularly a few I had been a bit (or a lot) pessimistic about.  I told her I was trying to have a change of heart by changing my attitude.  President J (my first mission president) always said "Attitude is Everything."  And you know what, he was completely right.  Attitude really is everything.  It is like an infection because it affects everything you do, everything you think and everything you are.  Since we can rarely change our circumstances to be just the way we'd like (or in other words, our idea of perfect), we can find another way to make it through...by changing our attitude.  Mind you...I'm still working on this (thank heavens life is a work in progress because I by no means have it all figured out) but I think realizing it, is a step in the right direction.  I'm hoping at least.

6.  Finally, I'm really delighting in and grateful for hope.  Hope of a new tomorrow.  Hope of future change.  Hope through the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation which truly is THE Plan of Happiness.  Hope in the promises the Lord makes to his children.  Hope in the ability to act and not just be acted upon.  Hope in perspective.  Hope in Christ.

This is a little video from LB and I to you.  Made in the middle of the lake.  

I delight in good dreams.

me with disguised camera

old faithful lodge

by nat

Summer.

Sadly, the next word that comes to mind at the moment is

sickness. boo.

Somehow my body gets confused almost every summer and thinks this season to get sick. 

Considering I'm on week two of being sick...here are a few of the delights I have come up with:

• sprite from mcdonald's, i don't feel guilty about it.
• ncis
• nap 1, nap 2, nap 3, nap 4, i don't feel guilty about a single one of them.
• fantastic dreams--i have the BEST dreams when i'm sick, one bonus as normally i don't usually remember my dreams.
• feeling comfort and happiness knowing i have a great job (officially!) (no more resumes, letters, applications, whew!) and that it doesn't start yet, thank heavens for time to get better
• living with wonderful people who take good care of me when i'm sick

A lot has changed in a week...

For starters, the format of blogger has changed.
That's new.

Really, not all that much has changed.  I haven't uploaded any pictures from my recent ventures but I will tomorrow.  Expect updates next week.

Until then, let me just say that I have had a lot of delights lately.  A few include:

• wendover with the fam
• a solo trip to st. george
• celebrating nat's master's graduation
• a trip to slc with LB
• a surpisingly helpful clinical team experience with other health professions students
• indian food
• hearing heidi swinton speak (author of president monson's biography)
• lots of leads/interviews on great jobs
• completion of various applications
• planting the first flowers of the season
• time with grandpa
• jumping on the trampoline
• fun fun times with the preschoolers
• sleep in my own bed (i love my own bed, electric blanket and 5 pillows...ah!)

I delight in compensatory planning strategies.

Every day off starts roughly the same way.

With a to-do list.

Of course, it tends to be filled with more items than one person could ever reasonably do in one day, but I always give it my best go. If I'm worried I'm going to get distracted, I break my day down by hours and give myself an appropriate number of tasks to complete each hour. Additionally I have been a religious planner user since junior high school so that helps me keep track of what needs to happen and when. Finally my phone and computer both have calendars, notes and stickies (electronic style) that remind me what I need to do, where I need to be and what I need to do to be prepared when the time comes. Oh and don't forget those post-it notes--they're great. And I have a strange tendency to write lists on napkins or kleenex's--clean ones of course.

Point of this story? I use all the strategies I teach to people at work who have cognitive impairments myself. I believe in and encourage these strategies for those who need them because they work when employed consistently and when needed.

My day off would not be remotely productive without compensatory strategies. Good thing what I do all week carries over into my everyday life so well...and vice versa.

In other news, I was unable to sleep in this morning. I should have appreciated that fact more than I did. Additionally, the praxis is a month away...thank heavens. And finally, the internet is a great, grand and marvelous thing in helping me learn how to write a curriculum vitae. Thank heavens.

I delight in 2011.

At the beginning of this year I was certain this was going to be the year of death and that I'd be lucky if I survived. But lo and behold, three semesters of grad school aka the most academically and mentally challenging year of my life has passed and I'm still here to tell the tale.

...::: Highlights from 2011 include :::...

--celebrating 1 year home from my mission--treating my very first client ever--

--social skills groups--attending ASHA--going to St. George/Zions/Kanab with my family--

--working with some of the most amazingly talented and educated supervisors ever--

--spending fall break in Disneyland with my Mom and LB--

--learning to love love love my ward and serve the dear sisters of the Ensign YSA ward--

--traveling to California 3 times in 1 year--sleeping the entire car ride to Rio Del Mar, CA--

--experiencing San Francisco understanding what they mean when it's said, "I left my heart in San Francisco."--secured 3 awesome externships for the upcoming semester--

--learned lots and lots of new lessons--ran a half marathon--met temple grandin in real life--

--finally went to the Cleveland Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry--went to the Vernal Temple---

--adventured in eastern utah with Mary--hiked Arches with Dad--

--ran the Island Park Stampede 5K--sewed a quilt of all my high school t-shirts--

--drew Christin another coloring book--got a 4.0 one semester--moved home (again)--

--celebrated grandpa's 90th birthday--experienced my second root canal--

--got a puppy (Ruby!)--interviewed for real jobs--blogged about my delights--

--went to the U2 concert with the Hewlett sisters--had both Craig and LB for sleepovers--

--got a sewing machine and sewed up a storm--shot an uzi--went to 3 new temples--

--got to see sister b and meet her husband--saw sister k in america--went to sister h's sealing--

--locked myself out of my house--shook elder oaks's hand--drank more diet coke than water--

--pulled out more creativity than ever before--received more blessings from serving a mission--

--spent outrageous amounts of time studying and skype studying with Mary--

--took tests--wrote papers--wrote reports--tested cute kids with CP

The list goes on, I just can't think of anymore. It has been a great year!

I delight in being home for the holidays.

these folks are no longer my neighbors but i have enjoyed their decorations for EVERY holiday...they're hardcore

Well I'm playing the catch up game but the end of the story is--I'm home for Christmas and couldn't be happier. The past week has been incredible--incredibly stressful and incredibly joyful!

• I finished my last final ever. Boy does that feel good to say.
• Christin slept over at my apartment
• Went to Provo with LB, saw Grandpa and visited BYU (and Cabelas)
• Craig slept over (it was his first sleepover and boy did we have a blast! I hope we can do it again! Nothing compares to quality time with my amazing brother!
• Ate red iguana, went to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert and saw the lights at temple square, drank hatch's hot chocolate AND drove around looking at Christmas lights with Mary (and we did it all while NOT discussing homework)
• Moved home
• Went to church at my Salt Lake ward where I sang in the choir and felt the spirit of Christmas so strong
• Hung out with my awesome neighbors
• Feasted with friends--always an entertaining experience
• Organized all the stuff in my life--its way too much stuff
• Did some Christmas shopping
• Watched Christmas movies
• Bowled with 'the gang'
• Organized a semester's worth of papers
• Burned a pile full of PHI info and bank documents--why is that so refreshing?

The point is, there is no place like home for the holidays. Eating meals with other people. Playing two games of Skip-bo over lunch. Praying and delighting as a family. Living in a house with heat and insulation! Finding joy watching Craig and Christin find Clyde, the family elf, every morning. Listening to the canada geese land in the back field. Playing with Ruby--worlds cutest puppy. Singing Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer with LB, world's cutest sis. Moving furniture around and creating a scarf rack with dear dear dad. Enjoying a trip into Sam's Club (for the first time EVER) with my big brother Craig. Watching Mom smell all the different types of perfumes Dad and I "potentially" picked out for her for Christmas. I have so much to be grateful for and so much to delight in. What have you delighted in lately?

I delight in the hope of the future.

Thanksgiving was great. Pictures (all 3 that I took) to come. Delicious turkey, salads, vegetables and desserts--yum yum! Being surrounded by people I love, playing games, and chatting it up with family I just don't get to spend enough time with--it was great.

The downside (because somehow there always seems to be one), paperwork. And so, after a good family fix, down to my cave I retreated to write some final reports/soaps.

But then, I had an epiphany--this is the last Thanksgiving/Holiday I'll be spending doing homework! Ah ha!!! Once I made that connection, I was a happy camper. Somehow it all seemed just about time!

And so, a few more things to add to my thanksgiving thankful list:

21. This being the last thanksgiving I'm doing homework.

22. Watching my parents happily prepping thanksgiving dinner together

23. Watching Christin try to take back the garden hose from Rubes. Can you say tug of war?

24. Watching my adorable brother smile as he ate the unique dessert made devised for him

25. Getting a hug from the sweetest Grandpa in the world who I hadn't seen in ages (the one downside to not living in P-town).

26. Cutting out turkey's with Christin

27. Chatting about the day and Christmas with my parents around the table at the end of the day.

28. Knowing I was finally going to see a good friend I haven't seen in ages.

29. The list goes on and on but I'll stop here.

I hope you had a wonderful thanksgiving friends/family/mystery readers who read about the things I delight in. Thanks for letting me share. Thanks for your kind comments. I want you to know that I really do believe in hope. Hope of good days today and better days to come. Hope of the hard times getting better. Hope in "an High Priest of good things to come."

thankful list 2011

if you read my blog on reader, check out the blog's new header in real life!!!

thankful list 2011

1. The opportunity to live here and now
2. The opportunity to get a good education
3. A fantastically supportive and loving family who loves to talk to me as much as I like to talk to them and has recently discovered facetime so I can see them all the time too!
4. Fantastic people who fill my life with good examples and constant reminders of just how wonderful people can be
5. To be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know my life is better because of my faith in my Savior Jesus Christ and the opportunity it gives me to change and become something better.
6. To live within walking distance of a temple
7. A grad school study buddy who has helped me be a "successful graduate student"
8. Kindred spirits and friends who "get it"
9. The ability to write. I may not do it well, but it is a big de-stressor to just be able to write--journals, blogs, study guides, gospel lesson lectures, etc.
10. Ruby the puppy. Its amazing how having someone in your life with a little 'spunk' really adds to the zest you have for life. Rubes has brightened my life and torn apart my poor families backyard. Penny's a great pup too. She's finally warmed her way into my heart as well.
11. Books. I love books because I love to read and learn new things. In a sense a physical book is becoming outdated but I will always love them even though they give me back and neck pain as I lug them all over...I still love them and all the treasures they contain.
12. Grandparents.
13. Make-up, because it makes me look more awake than I ever seem to feel.
14. Compensatory strategies like planners, sticky notes, visual diagrams, graphic organizers, and index cards. I'd be constantly late and forgetting more things than I already do without them. It also makes it easy to come up with compensatory strategies for your client when all he/she needs is to employ the strategies I already use daily!
15. A good ward. I love my ward and I've had the opportunity to serve in the Relief Society Presidency this year. Its been such a privilege to get to know and love all the amazing sisters in my ward. I'm already missing it and I still have a few more weeks left.
16. Feeling okay about my circumstances in life. This feeling seemed to be a long time coming but this year I really went on the search of some perspective to find it. Life is good, and although so many of my friends are in such different circumstances in life than I, I'm grateful for where I'm at and what I get the opportunity to do.
17. Lessons learned. I'm grateful for the lessons Heavenly Father continually teaches me and I'm grateful to recognize them for what they are--significant lessons to serve as stepping stones to further growth and attainment
18. Boots. Not really typical with other things on the list, but I do love boots.
19. Living in Salt Lake. Its been great, its been fun and I think I might actually miss living in 'the big city.'
20. Sleep.

The list could go on and on, the things I've named are just a few. The final thing I want to include is being grateful for an extra-adorable little sister who jumps around outside when you come home and draws twenty-something turkeys to decorate the kitchen for thanksgiving.

I delight in being "smark."

Once after Christin made a fantastic discovery I asked her how she figured it out, to which she replied, "I am smark sis!" (Of course intending to say, "I am smart sis!"

So now every time I think I have made a great discovery I think to myself, "I'm so smark!"

Well I had that thought in class the other night. Being "smark" in grad school means:

• Not facebooking during class (also includes any type of 'chatting,' pinterest, etc.)
• Taking notes when professors are telling you everything you need to know for the upcoming exam
• Turning things in when they're due
• Asking intelligent questions that lead on that you have actually been paying attention to the last hour and a half of lecture
• Finding the best study partner ever to whom you can ask all the questions that you want to preface with "don't judge me for asking you this pathetically basic question that I should already know"
• Beginning study for exams long before the test approaches (this means at least a week and a half before)

I delight in both delights and un-delights.

life lately is rather representative in this picture

Delights

• having 3 kiddo's happily sitting on my lap--apparently my lap was the prime lap landing spot
• actually doing my hair--i used my blowdryer and everything
• imagining what i look like carrying around my life in bags
• the nice man who let me merge on wakara way at 5:50--late to my 6:00 class (as usual)
• having a kiddo tell me that the picture of the judge on the BBTOP was President Thomas S. Monson, and that the church is a temple--you can so easily pick those mormon children
• having the opinion of a friend validate my thoughts
• not getting tired during class
• switchfoot's new cd--definitely a new sound but i am in love (its a mood matcher as of late)--the afterlife is definitely my favorite song
• actually writing 2 of 3 soaps
• finding my green monkey
• getting necessary 'amazon' books in the mail

Undelights

• the crazy traffic on wakara way--seriously, it is OUT of control and I can't stand it
• eating primarily quiche--i love quiche, that's why i took the time to make it yesterday--that and i had all the ingredients but 3 meals of quiche in one day--ai yai yai
• the random muscle twitches i seemed to have acquired throughout the day
• the day is not over yet

I delight in preparing for conference.

Tonight, my home teacher came over. I'm sure I have two, but a second was never mentioned and only one came...so again I say, my home teacher came over. I've been rather blessed since moving to Salt Lake as far as home teachers are concerned. In fact, my entire college life, I've been blessed with fantastic home teachers. The more I think about it, the more I think...Wow...sincerely awesome brothers have blessed my life.

That however, is not what I wanted to write about today. Today I want to tell you how I love waiting for general conference. And by waiting I mean preparing, praying, and pondering. Sunday, my bishop's wife, who sings in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, shared what the choir members are asked to do in preparation the week before general conference.

1. Fast

2. Attend the temple

3. Do an anonymous act of service

4. Right a wrong

What fantastic preparation for conference. As my home teacher pointed out, if we always do the same things, we can't expect different results.

Maybe changing up the way I prepare for conference this year will help to increase the experience I have learning and receiving revelation during general conference.

And so the challenge comes...the challenge of change. Next week is already a mess in my planner between school, clinic and work but I'm up for the challenge of incorporating the recommendations made to the choir to my own life to prepare for conference.

Whose with me?

I delight in September.

September is one of my favorite months.

Historically, August is not.

And so, September is here--that's the focus of my delight today.

September is the welcome mat to so many things I love:

fall, peach days, the avenues fair, watching the lights go up at temple square (in preparation for Christmas), it gets cooler, general conference is almost here, fall break is almost here, the leaves are about to change which means canyon drives...

Basically my favorite time of the year is finally rolling in and nothing could make me happier.

Welcome to fall...its the best!

I delight in mission friends!

What a great day it has been.

• A phone call from a bosom friend is always a happy way to start the day!
• Voice Disorders: a class I am so much more interested in than I ever thought I would be.
• Clinic: my supervisor is amazing and doesn't believe in stupid questions--I very much appreciate that!
• Making word lists: wow...I think the learning curve is going to grow rapidly...I might finally get good at IPA transcription! :)
• Institute with Heather: heather is amazing...i just love to hear about her life. i'm grateful for a mission to bring us together and make us the best non-companion mission friends ever! old testament class is amazing and so is brother line.
• Picking up Sarah at the Airport: definitely the highlight of the day. how often does an amazing aussie come to visit america and want to stay with me? never, until today! i love that girl (pictured above).
• And now sleep: ah. enough said.

I delight in 2010.

And what a year it has been. I can't believe its come and gone. The end of the year always serves as a reminder to live with no regrets and delight in everyday because they go by all too quickly. But before the year is all done I want to leave a record of things I will always remember about this great year.

ringing in the new year at 9:30 pm with sister k on the roof of our kingston apartment

--saying goodbyes to the people and land I love--january 15, 2010--good haircuts--

temple with nat--isaiah--painting my fingernails--dslr--sewing cute bags--

crossing the almost unimaginable off my bucket list, seeing the space shuttle endeavor take off--the day i got my acceptance letter to grad school--teaching temple preparation

--going to the temple every week--reading the book of mormon--

driving through the state of maine--seeing where my grandpa served his mission

--taking a 'shut-eye' flight--seeing the south rim of the grand canyon--

going to my first mission reunion--seeing my first clinic patient--

playing 'mom' while real mom recovered from knee replacement

--making advents with craig and christin

--monday nights with christin: pals, taylor swift and chick-fil-a--

ultimate frisbee tuesdays--wednesday nights: institute and dinner with nat and jd

--craft day with carly--going back to visit my mission with my mom--

going to general conference--the imc--ending the 7 year freeze--

Tuesday August 17--organ performances--finally going to music and the spoken word

--speaking in sacrament meetings--starting this blog--coke zero--the last lecture

--dating--going facebook-free--reading books (lots of different books!)--

the university of utah and new found byu pride--the day i saw 4 baptisms--hammocks--watching a meteor shower on my trampoline--making new friends--island park--

missing old friends--spiritual confirmations--santa run--baking new things--

being home for the holidays--healing--thursday temple nights at slc with dani, mary and meredith--institute choir--a successful 1st semester of grad school

--making snow angels with christin--watching anne of green gables--pie bird lighthouse--playing games with the fam (skip-bo particularly)