watermelon in winter

...in this case, it is not the question but rather the answer. Today in Church a talk was given that brought up something important to me.  I am a "list person".  I have so many lists, because that is how I stay organized.  The most frequent list I make is a to-do list, generally before I go to bed for the next day (yes, I still have nightly planning sessions, hahahaha, picked that up from the mission!).  But in this talk, the speaker talked about how we like to-do lists because we can check things off as we finish.  But have we ever thought about a "To be" list?  So that got me thinking.  And tonight for my scripture study, I was pondering over this and decided that I also needed to make a "Not to be" list.  And these are lists that will stay with me for life, as I will never be perfect and will always be working on becoming more like Christ.  Because that is the ultimate goal of a "to be" list.  So here is the result of my study: To be:

Well, here I am.  Sitting in my apartment in Provo, enjoying my last day of freedom.  Tomorrow I begin school again, except this time..it's my last fall semester here.  It has been a REALLY long haul up til now, but I finally feel like it might be coming to an end.  Supposedly I'll be graduating in April, but there will be a LOT of work between now and then!  BUT, after graduation and one more field camp, I will be moving permanently to Brazil and I will marry the love of my life, and THAT my friends, has been a long time coming and I am more excited about that than I have been about anything in my life (and you all remember how excited I was before I went left to serve a mission!)!!!! Yes, obviously I had to put another picture of us on here, because I think we are just so great together! :) So since I last wrote, I moved back to Provo from my parents' house, and while I wasn't happy about it, it is something I have to do.  Since being back in Provo (it's onl

Today is one of my last few days at my parents' house before I head back to BYU for my senior year.  The long road of college finally has a light at the end of the tunnel, and it looks reachable!  But this time next year, if all goes according to plan, I will be married and living in Brazil.  The last couple days have made me look back on my summer and think about all that has happened... So, this is going to be a long post, mostly because of pictures that are going to help me tell my summer 2013 story.  I came back to NH in April after winter semester ended, stayed for about a week and a half, and then I went to Brazil for 5 1/2 weeks.  And while I was there, some wonderful things happened..... Renato proposed to me at the Recife Temple the day I got to Brazil (the first time we'd seen each other in over 9 months), and I said yes!  So (finally) we are officially engaged and planning a wedding for July 22 2014, in Brazil! Our rings :) We had talked for a LONG

You know when you're doing something and you KNOW it's the right thing to do, without any doubt whatsoever? And then the trials and challenges come, and people tell you you're wrong. But really, you're right, and you know you're right. So...just remember that you're right :)

Words of wisdom.  This is gonna be a long post, because of quoting a couple things... Mother Teresa of Calcutta said: "People are often unreasonable and self-centered.  Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives.  Be kind anyway. If you are honest, people may cheat you.  Be honest anyway. If you find happiness, people may be jealous.  Be happy anyway. The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.  Do good. Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough.  Give your best anyway. For you see, in the end, it is between you and God.  It was never between you and them anyway." Martina McBride sang: " You can spend your whole life buildin' Something from nothin One storm can come and blow it all away   Build it anyway You can chase a dream   That seems so out of reach And you know it might not ever come your way Dream it anyway God is great but sometimes life aint good And when I pray It doesn't always tu

I love you so much it hurts... We've all heard this phrase, many of us have said it, but how often do we think about it? Tonight I was just thinking about this.  What does it even mean, to love someone so much it hurts?  Does it mean that love=hurt?  Nope. Here's what I think.  Loving someone so much it hurts means you feel it when they hurt.  When they are sad, you genuinely feel sad.  When someone hurts them, you feel personally wounded or hurt as well.  You feel what they feel.  It goes the other way, too.  When they are happy, you are too.  When they accomplish something, you feel proud!   It all goes back to Genesis, in the Garden of Eden.  You really and truly become one, feeling each other's joys and pains, and you work through things together.