watermelon in winter

Hard things are hard. Hard things are sometimes bad. Hard things are also good. Through hard things, we grow. We learn. We change. We become better, if we approach hard things right. And love can deepen through hard things... ...love for self, love for God, and love for others. Hard things are a blessing. Do you agree?

A few weeks ago, I read the same chapter in the Book of Mormon (Alma 34) 4 times in about 6 days.  The last time I read it, I read it looking for WHY I was reading it, though I didn't find anything I hadn't seen or learned before.  Last night I was having a rough time of it, walked out into the kitchen just as Ethan and Carli were reading some scriptures, one of which was from that chapter...and right as I walked out, they read a verse that was the answer to many many prayers, and the WHY i had to read that chapter so many times! Also yesterday, Mom texted me asking me for the reference to the scripture that talks about weaknesses becoming strengths.  Ether 12:27 says And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness.  I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto the...

I'm sitting here listening to "Brown Eyed Girl" and eating eggs, toast, and hash browns for dinner...what a delicious meal accompanied by some good classic music!  And it just makes me think....why should I be just like everyone else?  I coulda just as easily heated up some leftover chili and made some pasta for dinner...but nope, I wanted eggs and hash browns and toast.  I do what I want, and I like it that way. :)  Life is great today!!!!!

Sometimes it seems like all we do is invisible, right? We put ourselves out there, but we are invisible.  Those we want to see us, don't. We do all we can to make someone happy, but we can't all the time. We change who we are (for the better), and yet no one seems to recognize this. We have great ideas, but our closest friends don't see them as "great". We look for ways to surprise people, but they don't want the surprise. We smile even when it hurts, yet others don't smile back. We fight back the tears to appear strong, so no one sees how weak we really are. We are the shoulder for everyone else to cry on, but everyone disappears when we need a shoulder. We give advice, but no one wants it. Then when we don't give advice, people ask why we have nothing to say. We are quiet so as not to argue, but they don't see it as peaceful, they see it as passive. We know we are right sometimes, but to someone, we are always wrong. But these are ...

So, as I'm sure all of you know, I take a lot of pictures, and often like to use pictures to express my thoughts or feelings.  This last week was full of notable days and "anniversaries", which left me very thoughtful.  A lot of this will be about the mission, just because that ended a year ago, and it's been in my thoughts lately. Como a maioria de vocês sabe, eu tiro muitas fotos, e frequentemente gosto de usar fotos para expressar meus pensamentos ou sentimentos.  A semana passada foi cheia de dias marcantes e "aniversários", quais me deixaram bem pensativa.  Muito disso será sobre a missão, pois acabou um ano atrás, e tem side nos meus pensamentos ultimamente. September 10, 2000.  This was the day I was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I wish I had a picture of this day, but I don't.  I'm sure Elders Snyder and Zaldaña do, though.  But last year, on September 11, I was able to witness my last baptism as a f...

So, the new semester officially began a few weeks ago...but today, it REALLY felt like it.  It was my first test!  I had a Chem 105 test today that I felt about 95% prepared for, and though it took me forever to do (lots of math!), it went well.  I don't know what I got yet, but that's ok, I feel good about it. The start of something new is always exciting!  This semester, I am seeing how as I've drastically changed my schedule, I actually have MORE time and am MORE on top of things, and I don't get stressed out, because I know the time and time restrictions I have.  Getting up at 3 and working at 4 means I need to be consistent in getting to bed on time every day.  As I've done that, I've wasted less time and been able to accomplish more during each day.  Even though I don't sleep as much as I probably SHOULD, I've been feeling more energetic and alert!  Except, maybe, for my classes in the early afternoon (it's that time of day...).  My b...

Have you ever done something that you haven't done in a while?  Like...an old habit you had, old pranks you used to play in high school, food you used to like, things you liked to do.  Your life changed and you stopped doing those things, for whatever reason.  After a long time, have you ever gone back and done it again? Here's an example.  I used to LOVE eating popcorn!  Back before the mission, when I was living at home for a few months, I used to watch movies with Mom at night, with my bowl of popcorn and glass of milk.  Last night, I ate popcorn for the first time in several months...and it was just weird!  So I got to thinking about how much I've changed in the past couple years, but especially in the last few months.   I am not the same person I was when I left for Brazil in 2010, nor am I the same person who came back from Brazil in 2011.  Life is forever moving forward, and we all change.  Our thoughts change, our priorities ch...

So I was just sitting here studying mineralogy, trying to concentrate my poor, tired brain on the chemistry of minerals and crystals.  Yeah, that didn't go over so well.  Well, I did some, but now it's break time.  Cuz, you know, a whole Saturday of catching up with a mission companion isn't break enough! ;) I wanted to write in here, and I asked Carli for a topic, though she had no idea why I randomly said to her "hey Carli, give me a topic."  Her first suggestion was raccoons, but I really don't have anything to say about rodents who go through trash.  So then I asked for another, and she said "the purpose of the comma."  So I thought for a few seconds and thought...hey, that can relate to details, priorities, and interpretations in life.  A comma makes a huge difference!  It is a tiny little squiggle on a piece of paper, but it makes a difference so big that it changes entire meanings of sentences or paragraphs.  It can change one idea i...

Sometimes I really think I'm the luckiest girl alive.  But actually, that's a word I don't like... I am so blessed!  Haha it may sound molly-mormon-ish, but it's true.  In January 2011, I met someone who would change my life forever, though I never in my wildest dreams imagined that back then. At a baptismal interview of some of my investigators in Suzano, I met my district leader's new companion, Elder R. Araújo.  This is a picture from the very beginning.  Who knew THAT DAY would lead to... ...this kind of happiness and love!!!!! Renato entered my life when I least expected it, and he is now in my life and I don't plan on letting him go, ever!!!  I got to go see him in Bahia, Brazil this summer, and those are 17 days I will never forget, that I spent with him and with his family. I have so many thoughts about all this, but it's all good stuff.  In short, the Lord works in mysterious ways.  In talking about how we met and became f...

So you know the phrase "the sky is the limit"?  Look at the atmosphere (or, sky) in this picture, and how small it is compared to the earth.... ...And look how small the earth is compared to a small part of space... So the phrase "the sky is the limit" is actually really limiting, even though it's supposed to be uplifting!  Plus, physically, the sky is no longer the limit.  Men have walked on the moon.  There are rovers on Mars.  The space station is populated with astronauts.  Satellites orbit the earth. But that's literally speaking.  What about figuratively?  Is there really a limit to our potential?  I argue that no, there is not.  An often-quoted phrase is "With God, all things are possible".  I have been blessed enough to see this in the short 23 years of my life. Over the last 3 years especially, I have seen the Lord work many miracles.  I have seen the "impossible" happen.  I have seen myself learn...

Hey everyone!! So last week was the first week of classes, and I think it's going to be an awesome semester.  Crazy insanely busy?  Yes.  But then, I wouldn't be Karen if I didn't have a semester like that.  On the bright side, I have no more worries of calculus or physics during my undergrad career!!!!!!!  I'm in Chem this semester, which will require a bit of work, but I don't think it'll be the same magnitude as calculus, so it's all good.  And I'm back in organ lessons, which is wonderful.  And my Portuguese Literature class is just awesome...and something I really enjoy.  I'm in a couple of geology classes, one of which is geological communications, so it's all about computers and computer programs. In other news, I don't know if I mentioned it on here or not, but I've been looking for a new job since January, that would have better hours and better pay than I was getting at Heritage Halls.  I've applied to countless places, had...