Hope

"The Divine Shepherd has a message of hope, strength, and deliverance
for all. If there were no night, we would not appreciate the day, nor could
we see the stars and the vastness of the heavens. We must partake of the
bitter with the sweet. There is a divine purpose in the adversities we
encounter every day. They prepare, they purge, they purify, and thus they
bless."
--James E. Faust

(James E. Faust, "Refined in Our Trials," Ensign, Feb. 2006, 7)

The President of my Youth

"You can either be smart and happy, or stupid and miserable."
--Gordon B. Hinckley

Well, I'm not that far from being a youth, but President Gordon B. Hinckley is the first prophet I remember hearing. I was 6, nearly 7 years old when he was confirmed Prophet and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I always looked forward to hearing him speak at General Conference. Though he was 97, he seemed to get through everything that came at him. I even had the pleasure and opportunity to see him at my Stake Conference. The news came suddenly, for me, during a Young Single Adult meeting. The entire congregation gasped simultaneously. Lightning shot through my body, inspiring a few tears to flow. He will be greatly missed by the entire population of members. I assume there will be others who recoginized a great leader of peace who will mourn his passing also. He is with his sweetheart whom he so dearly missed.

“Faith is the wellspring of activity. It is the root of hope and trust. It is this simple faith that all of us so much need. "In the on-working of this great cause, increased faith is what we most need. Without it, the work would stagnate. With it, no one can stop its progress. . . "May the Lord bless us with faith in the great cause of which we are a part. May faith be as a candle to guide us in the night by its light. May it go before us as a cloud in the day." --Gordon B. Hinckley

Which way, which way?!

Do I stay at the University of Utah? Prolly not. Then where do I go? And with what money? I am nearly finished with all my generals, so the new school will be picked depending on what specialty I want to focus on (aka, major) Do I stay in-state, or explore new US territory, and how far? I am up for any and all suggestions to get me there, where ever there is. I am confident I will find it (whatever it is) in enough time to accomplish whatever.

Yesterday I was pushed into a sorority. A friend of mine thought it would be good to expand my social circle, since, let's face it, Institute Choir is not what it used to be. My freshman year it nearly dominated my life, but now things have slowed down with the division between two directors. So, I joined an LDS sorority. Theta's the name. So, here goes a new adventure, with new faces, not really new places since it is hosted at the Institute, but hopefully a few new dates (as was the goal of this friend of mine who pushed me into activating myself in the program). I am grateful, and I already had a good time with the girls. There are exchanges with the fraternities, one of which is tonight. So, here goes. I can't believe I joined but hey, I like a change of pace. Actually, I was becoming incredibly bored with life, and this is a little spice!

My niece never ceases to amaze me. She adds a new word to her vocabulary every time I see her. See Terra Rambler for the cutest girl on earth. Could I really move from home, go to a new school, and miss this piece of sweet beans?

Wow. I tell you what, wow!

It's amazing what a little time, Spirit, food, music, and warm fuzzies from friends will do for you. I feel happy now. Finally climbing out of the wretched washing machine...but I'm much cleaner now!

Chchch-Changes! and other continuing things.

Well, life doesn't seem to slow down for anything. I quit my job at Hansen Barnett and Maxwell because my plans for a Music Major would take up too much time for me too offer any sane-work hours. But, the Lord had different plans for me. I completely switched my schedule around, and even on the first day, dropped one class, and added another.

I continue to write to my friend on a mission, Elder Christensen. He is doing well. Here is an excerpt from his most recent email home: "...yesterday has to be my favorite experience in Graham. So in my first couple weeks here in Graham when I was with Elder Swanson, we contacted a guy on his roof doing Christmas lights. We offered help, but said he'd be fine. He told us we could come back, but at the time there seemed to be nothing special about the little encounter. Well, just yesterday we dropped by his home again for about the 4th or 5th time. In previous return visits no one appeared to be home and nothing seemed to happen. This time was VERY different. So they kids name is Ted. He's 17 and really a nice guy. He let us right in and we tried to break the ice and get to know him better. He seemed cool with us and so we started teaching the first lesson. Elder Meloche at the end of it had us each say a prayer about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. I, Elder Meloche, and finally Ted prayed. When we had finished praying, Ted had tears in his eyes. I asked him how he felt. He said he felt really good and that he felt a lot of peace inside of him. I asked him if he felt the same peace about the message we had just shared and with surety in his voice said, "yeah." In the prayer, he actually thanked God for the Book of Mormon and the Bible. It was the most successful lesson I have yet to experience. Ted wants to come to church with his fiance and continue visits. I'm very excited about this and I hope it continues to go somewhere."

I am so proud of this friend of mine. He works hard.

Now for this next thing, I reference you to Weather Weenie's blog. He and his fiancee are two of some of my most treasured friends. I love them both, and wish them luck. My bit in the whole story (yes Meo, I am milking this for all it's worth) is the photography. I took the pictures he has displayed. He even proposed with a picture that I took several months ago, that at the time, he complained at my tendency to pull out a camera at any given time. After I had taken them, I started to see them pop up on their desktop, or on their phone...


So, my major remains undecided. I am again single (though not yet eager to leap back into the dating scene). School is going well, even though the first few days of classes were quite stressful. I am excited for the semester, and all I can say is "Onward and Upward!"

Why in the world am I starting this?

Well, inspiration comes from my sister and close friend who also have blogs. I have had myspace for quite awhile, but as I have become tired of it, I decided this is a better outlet. So, here we go!