New Year

A new year. It always seems like that should mean something to me. Every year since I was a teenager, I have pretended that a new year means that I will set new goals and become a new person. That works for a lot of people, I know, and I respect that. But ever since I was that ornery teenager, all of my goals and resolutions have been the same, and they tend to fall away before Valentine's Day.
I don't know if any of you know this about me, but I have very little self-motivation. If it is left up to me to get myself to do something, it will wait until the absolute last minute if it is a necessary thing, or it will not get done at all if it is not necessary. I am also prone to sporadic spurts of energy or devotion or fascination, which inevitably become old and fade away. This makes my rare moments of self-motivation success fade just as much as the rest of them, since they, too, become old.
For example, take my devotion only a few years ago to becoming fit and healthy and toned and thin. I worked out five days a week at a gym and did core workouts at home every night. I was dedicated for a few months and there was nothing that would stop me from my goals. Then it got cold in the mornings. It became too easy to stay in my warm bed and just do my workouts at home. Then I swapped my pushups for being propped up on pillows with a book in my hands. And thus was the end of my fitness fad.
Anyway, that's how I am. My resolutions have been the same for years. Delve more deeply into the Gospel. Be a better visiting teacher. Pray with more feeling. Be physically healthy and more active. Be positive about life and love. Etc etc etc.
Last year I decided to try something different. I knew it would be a big year, one in which many things about my life would change, and I was nervous. So instead of resolutions, I opted for a theme. After much deliberation, I chose this one: Have hope. No fear.
I wrote it at the end of my [very] occasional journal entries and it became my mantra. When I had a rough time for one reason or another, I repeated my mantra. It helped a lot more than my random resolutions ever had.
So. This year I will also have a theme, because this year, I will need extra help. My life is HARD right now. A lot harder than I ever thoguht it would be. I've been thinking about this for a while now, and I tossed around a few ideas of what could help me. Nothing has seemed right, for one reason or another. But right around the new year, two new phrases popped into my head, mostly because they are on a ring my friend gave me years ago, which I wear every day, so I see these words often. But after reading my "Daily Message" from yesterday, I am decided. The message was President Uchtdorf's talk from last General Conference called "Of Regrets and Resolutions", and this was the quote that struck me today:
"Brothers and sisters, no matter our circumstances, no matter our challenges or trials, there is something in each day to embrace and cherish. There is something in each day that can bring gratitude and joy if only we will see and appreciate it."
I needed to hear that, and I need to remember it. My life is not exactly what I want it to be right now, but it is not in my hands. It is in the Lord's hands, and He is the one who will get me where I need to be. I need to be happy regardless of my situation and have faith that all will be well.
My theme is similar to last year's, but has one distinct difference: Be Brave. Love Life.
I need to be brave in the Gospel and in my faith in the Lord. I need to love the life that He has given me and remember what a blessing it is to even be here.
So, for the year of 2013, I will be brave and I will love life.

48 Answers

Stole this from Celeste and put in my own answers. Feel free to do the same!

1. What’s the verb you want to spend your life with?
Hope

2. If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
Hmmm…. To know exactly what to say and when. That would come in handy.

3. What would you do with a million dollars?
Start a children’s center that had a park and a library and a little stage for plays and fields for sports. And I’d buy myself a baby grand piano.

4. If your life had a soundtrack, what are some of the songs that would be on it?
You’re The Inspiration by Chicago
Hello Again by Neil Diamond
We’ve Got Tonight by Bob Seger
Remember When It Rained by Josh Groban
A collection of songs from musicals
Anything by Il Divo or Andrea Boccelli or Alfie Boe or Jenny Oaks Baker

5. If you could vacation anywhere in the world for one month, where would you go?
Ireland

6. Five of your favorite things?
Chocolate chip cookies, babies, hot chocolate, giggles, blankets

7. If you could have picked your own name, what would it be?
Hmmm… I have no idea. I really like my name

8. What is the funniest joke you know?
I don’t know it, but the one that Elder Scott told in our kitchen. I almost died laughing.

9. What would you do today if you knew you were going to die tomorrow?
Fly home and spend the entire day with my family. And play the piano.

10. What fictitious character is most like you?
Probably Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Loves to read, wants more from life, unabashedly enters a creepy castle….

11. What thought would you like to put in a million fortune cookies?
More adventures await you than you know.

12. If your life had a remote control, which button would you press most often?
Rewind

13. What do you (secretly) wish you knew how to do better?
Sing spontaneously in public. Or do anything in public spontaneously for that matter.

14. If you could take in any 3 animals as pets, what would they be?
A dog, a dolphin, and an elephant

15. What is your biggest “claim to fame?”
My parents and my sister.

16. If you could win a shopping spree to any store, which would you choose?
Amazon.com. I would blow it all there.

17. What do you want to be when you grow up?
A writer and a mom.

18. Do you (or have you ever) collected anything?
I used to collect keychains. Now I collect foreign currency.

19. If you were a punctuation mark, which would you be and why?
An exclamation point. Life needs more excitement and enthusiasm.

20. What are some of your biggest fears?
Being alone. And massive thunderstorms. The combination of the two is the worst.

21. Which TV family would you most like to belong to?
Probably the Cosby show. I think I would have amazing abs from laughing so much.

22. What would you like your famous last words to be?
That was a great game.

23. What is the most common compliment people give you?
“You are so much like your mom!”

24. If you could swim in a pool of any food or drink item, what would you choose?
Chocolate milk. Yummmm.

25. Finish this sentence: “Love is…”
A process with glorious potential.

26. Do you have any scars? How did you get them?
I have a small scar on my left thumb from when I sliced it with a xacto knife in art class in elementary school.

27. What was the best day you’ve ever had?
Honestly, I have no idea. I think it might be coming up next week when my entire family will be in the temple together.

28. If you hosted a dinner party for 5 guests (anyone goes), who would you invite?
My grandmother, my grandfather, Andrew, Timmy, and Brigham Young.

29. Would you rather live under the ocean or on the moon?
On the moon. Too many bizarre creatures in the ocean.

30. If you had three wishes, what would they be?
To be able to cook anything I wanted, to fall in love forever, and to never gain weight. =)

31. What one work of fiction do you wish was true?
Austenland. I would love to go there.

32. Which friend (besides family) have you had the longest?
A toss up between the Rahlfs and the Guffeys. I think it’s a tie.

33. Who in your family are you closest to?
My mom.

34. If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would you pick?
My mom’s rolls. Yummmmm.

35. Where do you see yourself 20 years from now?
Hopefully married with some crazy teenagers running around.

36. If they made a movie of your life, what genre would it be? Who would play you?
It would be a comedy. A musical comedy. And I would be played by someone who can sing badly on cue and really well in her head.

37. Who is/was your favorite pet?
Sammie is my favorite pet. She is the best dog ever!

38. What is a favorite family tradition of yours?
CHRISTMAS EVE. It’s the best night ever.

39. What is one thing you learned today?
That I need to be proactive and do things instead of waiting for others to tell me what to do. That and I get bored really easily. But I didn’t learn that today.

40. What do you think is the greatest invention of all time?
The microwave. Where would I be without the microwave? But then, I guess I have to change it to the refrigerator. Where would ANY of my food be without that?

41. Would you rather be blind or deaf?
I think deaf. It hurts my heart to say it, since I love music so much, but I would HAVE to be able to see the beautiful things in the world that God has given us.

42. What is your biggest pet peeve?
Slow drivers!!!!

43. If you were President for a week, what 3 laws would you create?
Every day had a designated “nap time” that you could actually use for sleeping, or for some other quiet non-work related activity. Introduce a Bambi-esque rule for politics: “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” Improve the benefits for military vets and families.

44. What is your favorite room in the house?
My bedroom. Honestly.
45. If you were in a yearbook now, you would be voted “Most Likely To ______"
Go Crazy Before 35.
46. What sport do you enjoy playing/watching the most?
I enjoy watching swimming and volleyball and football the most.

47. What item would you put in a time capsule for someone to find 100 years from now?
A newspaper. Think of what crazy stuff they would see!

48. What about your life (to date) are you most proud of?
I haven’t lost it yet!

Thoughts of the Day

...or of the moment, at least. I can't promise these will still be my thoughts later. Some of them will be, but I dunno about others.

• General Conference was this weekend. If you don't know what that means, it's a special conference that is held twice a year for the general membership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Our leaders speak to us on topics that they have felt inspired to, and it is one of the most uplifting weekends ever. If you want to know more, click on the nifty little button on my sidebar that says "I'm a Mormon", or just shoot me a message! But this conference was really special. I felt so uplifted.
• President Uchtdorf's talk in the General Relief Society meeting was FANTASTIC! It literally took my breath away. I will read this one again and again and again.
• At the very end of conference, when the prophet was speaking, at one point he just said, "I love you. I pray for you." Now, we hear that sometimes, but for some reason, this time it really touched me. Maybe it was the way he said it, with such sincerity and emotion, or maybe it's because I was trying really hard to pay attention this time, or maybe it is just because he is the prophet of the Lord and can do that. Whatever reason, I got choked up myself and I had it confirmed to me AGAIN that this man is truly God's prophet here on the earth today.
• Along with that, I just love the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I really really just adore them a lot. Who could help it? They are truly spectacular. Now, I am a bit of a hymn junkie, in that there are several hymns that I truly love, if they are done well. But there are some things that the Tabernacle Choir sings that are just turned into gold, and I am convinced that angels in Heaven are singing. Go here and here and here and here for examples. There are so many, many more, but I think that will suffice for now. December I will have more. =)
• It's October now. I LOVE October. I love the changing of the leaves, I love the smell of leaves burning, I love jumping into piles of leaves [but NEVER with a wet sucker]. I love Halloween. I love the cooler weather and drinking hot chocolate and cider. I love the pumpkin flavor things. Basically, I love October.
• My sister and I have been playing Scrabble on Facebook. Normally, I am opposed to games on Facebook, but this is Scrabble. I think it's brought us closer together, right, sis? Bah hahaha, yeah, right. Most of the time we are arguing about fake words that they say are real words and real words that they say are fake. But still, it's awesome. We'll have to play real scrabble when she comes home.
• Someone brought Olive Garden into work today for us. I may have hijacked a handful of Ande's mints from the pile. Maybe.
• My life coach is having a baby right now. Like right now right now. Well, she's in LABOR right now, anyway. Sounds like the little guy is being stubborn. Hang in there, Shay!
• I have an obsession with baby names. Have had since I was about 13. It's bad.
• I need to get going on grad school stuff. Gotta get those apps done so I can get back to life as I know it! Or...brain capacity as I know it, anyway.
• I get to see Carly next weekend! And baby Deux, I suppose, but he/she won't really be able to play very much. And then I see Jenny the week after that, and then AGAIN the week after that and THEN I get to go to Cincy for an intense high school football game! GO EAST!
• My mommy made pumpkin sugar cookies with candy corn faces. I felt like a kid again. In all the best ways. Except I didn't get dough this time. Oh well. Christmas is coming.
• I almost spelled 'sugar' with an H just then.
• Christmas is coming. It really really is. I may or may not have bought my first Christmas present already. Maybe.

I think that'll do for now. I try not to have too many thoughts in one day. It clogs things up.
Except for this last one: PHANTOM OF THE OPERA TONIGHT!!! Thanks to my love for movies, I occasionally will check listings at our theaters to see what is playing. Lo and behold, one of them had an advert on the sidebar that was for a showing of a live performance of Phantom of the Opera for a special 25th Anniversary show at the Royal Albert Hall in London. I think I bought tickets for it the day I saw the advert. I am SO EXCITED!!!!!
Can you tell?