I delight in clean.

I hate when things fall into disarray. Its a slow fade too. A rotating stack of papers. Shoes that don't have a space in the shoe organizer. Books that get put on the floor because they haven't made their way to the bookshelf. All little things in the beginning but soon enough you have a pile of 'junk' not because its not valuable but because you don't use it because you can't find it when you need it, you forget you have it!

Organization, cleanliness. Godliness.

I feel more at home in a clean space. As Sister Jacobsen taught me the first night in the mission home, "Don't have any homeless stuff. Make sure everything has a home." I think that is a valuable piece of advice. And so...today I gave stuff homes. Now I can re-focus on course work and other more important things.

I delight in the fall back meal.

Alas, when I don't know what to eat for dinner I have 1 trusty go to. And it only requires 2 ingredients that I always seem to have (fortunate eh?).

Grilled cheese. Wheat bread+Tillamook Cheddar Cheese=1 Not hungry grad student.

I eat it for dinner and sometimes I even eat it for breakfast. Sometimes I shake it up and I even put Turkey on it. Yes...I know that's a big step...a whole other ingredient.

And so, next time you need a fall back meal...delight in a grilled cheese. Always delicious!

I delight in the wisdom of Anne (with an E).

"I went looking for my dreams outside of myself and discovered, it's not what the world holds for you, it's what you bring to it."

Miss Anne Shirley

I delight in my mind's eye.

my favorite place

I'm not exactly sure what that means...'mind's eye.' But it reminds me of a scripture.

Matthew 6: 22: The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

I can't say I'd ever given this scripture much thought until it was one of my mission companion's favorite scriptures, after that, it seems I have thought about this scripture a lot. It means different things at different times, but the overarching question I have whenever I think about this scripture is: "Where's your focus?"

Where are you setting your sights? What is your eye focused on? What's in your scope of vision and how are you progressing toward that goal?

Yesterday it seems I found myself thinking a lot about places I'd rather be than where I currently am. I'm not sure why. I'm rather happy with where I am and the current opportunities life is affording me. Sometimes however, I get caught up in my own thoughts of where I could be, where I want to be. While the latter question is probably better than the former, neither thought is as empowering as the thought: how am I using the now to prepare me for what lies ahead. Thinking thoughts like that gives perspective to not only the future but the present.

And so, today in my mind's eye I'm dreaming of warmer days and time to exercise. Healthier days (3 balanced meals and orange juice that doesn't taste like licorice). Days of less stress (test, paper, clinic, externships, test, paper, project clinic), less sickness (3rd time this semester, same thing every time). I'm imagining utilizing all I'm learning in school. I'm imagining the people I will one day encounter and how I will be able to help them, as Dr. Blomgren put it..."This is why our job is great, because we get to see change!" I'm reflecting on amazing friends and family who support me 100%. I'm being grateful for favorite places: a stream in montana, the temple, a field in nova scotia. I delight in a happy heart. I'm grateful for the Atonement so that the not so good things can become good things and 'wotofomygo'. Overall, I am grateful for the knowledge that enables me to view life from an eternal perspective.

I delight in General Conference.

General Conference makes me happy. Spending General Conference weekend with my family makes me really happy. Its been a fantastic weekend full of thoughts, impressions, and ideas that I know will impact my next 6 months and thus, the rest of my life. I'll be sharing some of my favorite quotes from conference throughout the next 6 months, so to start us off:

"We are happier when we follow the teachings of Jesus Christ."

-A member of the seventy whose name I did not catch

I delight in learning from LB.

Christin and Justin at Graduation

Yesterday was the first day of soccer. 8 special kids come together every spring to play soccer together. I was privileged enough to play with them for the 'season opener'! At the end of the game one of the parents asked if our family would take his two boys home. Well, the one, Justin had sat down on the curb and wasn't about to move. 3 different parents, all of whom he was well acquainted with were trying to convince him that it was okay to ride home with us, after all he'd done it before. Finally my Dad said, Christin will get him. So along come Christin and I down the hill. I watch Christin walk over, crouch down by Justin, put his arm around him and said, "Justin, its me, Christin, come get in car. Come on." She keeps her arm around his shoulders, he stands up and they walk right to the car together. Once in the car, she helped him put on his seatbelt like the most caring, compassionate person in the world. That's just the way she is.

I think the rest of us stood there with amazement and appreciation. Appreciation for the individual gifts we've each been endowed with. Particularly for the special gifts that these precious special children have been given. Appreciation for the examples of Christ-like souls who we love and are loved by each day.

I delight in good dentistry.

As I sat in the dental chair for approximately 3 hours today I couldn't help but think...I'm so glad I live when I do. I'm grateful for modern dentistry practices where they can numb you up real well before they carefully drill away at your teeth. Goodness, most of the time there's even televisions in the ceiling for an 'at home' feeling or just distraction from the destruction going on in your mouth. I'm grateful for a dentist who are willing to numb you again when the feeling starts coming back. For a dentist who carefully works around the nerve and who keeps me informed about what he's doing in my mouth. I'm grateful for answers to extraneous questions I'm oh so good at asking. And...I was extra grateful for a sweet sister who convinced my mom to drop her off (since I was there forever) so she could stay and drive home with me.