Another poem: Apparently I like writing longer poems. This one was also written the same as "This Path of Life" for an investigator on my mission who liked poetry:
A mother's love
For her child
Is unlike any other
Or so I've been told
Once I knew a story
Of a Father wise and pure
They say He loves His children
More perfect that a mother (Isaiah 49:15-16)
As we all know, children grow
And oft times go astray
But whenever they wish to come back
We always help them find their way
This Father that I spoke of before
Is mine and yours in heav'n above
But where is He? And why are we
Here on this Earth with pain and grief?
Well here is where the story continues
Our Father raised us, til our spirits grew
But still we lacked a few things
A body like His and our "Master's Degree"
Here on this Earth is college life
Where we have to learn all on our own
A place to learn to be
All that we can and learn to grow
But we haven't been left
With nothing to help
He's given us a few
Very special tools
A Bible and a Book of Mormon
Serve together as textbooks
And prophets today that know
Our needs are our professors.
But this is not all
We have been given
We have two more tools
More special than these
Any time we need to call
And ask for help or guidance
All we have to really do is
Get on our knees and pray
The Holy Ghost He's sent
To answer us, and act
As a tutor in anything
That we might need.
And with all these tools
We cannot fail for One
Has come before us
Christ our Savior.
He's taken all our courses
Knows the answers all by heart
And when we need that extra help
He's always there to guide us.
Now sometimes, by chance or fault
We may hurt another
We aim to please but sometimes fail
To show others how much we really care
But even as a mother
When once child hurts another
You may feel sad, to see one hurt
But still you love them both
And so it is with our Father above
When we by chance mess up and fail
His love is still there, perfect and pure
And to those we may hurt He cares for them
Just as He does for you and me.
While on this path of college life
We make mistakes to learn and grow
But when we pass, no matter how long
He's waiting for you with arms open wide
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
This Path of Life
A poem I found that I had written on my mission, we had an investigator who liked poetry so we wrote poems to put together for her:
This path of life
Is full of strife
Dark clouds can blind
And confuse our mind
Over rocks and boulders
We may stumble
"Oh why this heavy burden on my shoulders?"
I oft times hear myself mumble
Oh why can't I
Find peace? I cry
I can't go on anymore
This life has made me much too sore
And just when life seems at its blackest
Something registers within my soul
"Come unto me and I'll give you rest"
If only rest could be my goal
I fall to my knees
And then I see
This path I've led
Is paved ahead
Someone must have walked before
I look around to see behind me
My Savior stood there and here He bore
Me up and carried me from hence to thee
In all my times of darkest trial
My Savior walked the extra mile
He waited to rejoice in all I could do
Before He picked me up and made me like new
So do I regret these times of affliction?
And why He waited so long to come save me?
Not at all, for my life is not fiction
I learned and I grew to be all I can be
This path of life
Is full of strife
Dark clouds can blind
And confuse our mind
Over rocks and boulders
We may stumble
"Oh why this heavy burden on my shoulders?"
I oft times hear myself mumble
Oh why can't I
Find peace? I cry
I can't go on anymore
This life has made me much too sore
And just when life seems at its blackest
Something registers within my soul
"Come unto me and I'll give you rest"
If only rest could be my goal
I fall to my knees
And then I see
This path I've led
Is paved ahead
Someone must have walked before
I look around to see behind me
My Savior stood there and here He bore
Me up and carried me from hence to thee
In all my times of darkest trial
My Savior walked the extra mile
He waited to rejoice in all I could do
Before He picked me up and made me like new
So do I regret these times of affliction?
And why He waited so long to come save me?
Not at all, for my life is not fiction
I learned and I grew to be all I can be
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Aaronic Priesthood
I used to used "Mormon Doctrine" by Bruce R. McConkie as doctrine. Then later I realized some discrepancies between it and other writings of other apostles. To start off, the publisher's note at the very beginning says of the book, "It is a valuable tool but should not be considered an official statement of doctrine." Nowhere does it have any seal of the First Presidency, declaring it as doctrine. In Bruce R. McConkie's own words in the Preface, "For the work itself, I assume sole and full responsibility."
With that, I decided I would slowly, gradually start studying Mormon Doctrine, maybe not on a regular basis, but trying to compare it to the scriptures and other things that have been declared as doctrine.
When it describes the Aaronic Priesthood it talks about how the Aaronical or Levitical Priesthood was conferred by lineage, solely by lineage within the tribe of Levi. In my New Testament class last week someone actually asked then why do all boys receive the Aaronic Priesthood at the age of 12 in the Church? I guess before I address that question I'll tell you what McConkie thinks, "Few members of the tribe of Levi gathered with the fold of Israel in the meridian of time; few have come back to the fold of their fathers in this dispensation; and there were none among the Nephites to whom our Lord ministered. Consequently, beginning in the day of the primitive Church the lesser priesthood was spread out among the body of the people and was no longer confined exclusively to the chosen lineage."
The Bible Dictionary says, "As part of his rationale that the law of Moses was fulfilled, Paul makes a point of the contrast between the lineal requirement of the lesser priesthood and the nonlineal Melchizedek Priesthood, which was not confined to those of one tribe (see JST Heb. 7:1-3; Heb 7:11-14) The lineal restrictions of that Aaronic (Levitical) Priesthood were lifted when the law of Moses was fulfilled, and thereafter the offices of the priesthood were conferred upon worthy men without limitation to the tribe of Levi."
In class my teacher brought up that there was no Aaronic Priesthood before Moses, not as was restricted to only the Levites. The restriction came after that because the people as a whole were not ready for the fulness of the gospel, so they were given lesser laws, and a lesser Priesthood. So if Adam and Noah and Abraham had the gospel then isn't it possible that there was a form of Aaronic Priesthood before that wasn't restricted to lineage? And with the scattering of Israel, isn't it possible that even if the lineal restrictions weren't lifted when the law of Moses was fulfilled that the Levites have intermixed with the other tribes?
The last paragraph in the Bible Dictionary continues though and correlates with two scriptures in the Doctrine and Covenants. "Although the Aaronic Priesthood is conferred in the Church today without restriction to the lineage of Aaron, the keys of this priesthood rightly belong to the firstborn of the seed of Aaron, and in the restoration of all things the office of bishop (president of the priests) will once again be conferred on one of that lineage, as it is designated by revelation to the president of the Church (D&C 84:14-21; 107:13-17"
D&C 107:13-17, "The second priesthood is called the Priesthood of Aaron, because it was conferred upon Aaron and his seed, through all their generations... The bishopric is the presidency of this priesthood, and holds the keys or authority of the same. No man has a legal right to this office, to hold the keys of this priesthood, except he be a literal descendant of Aaron. But as a high priest of the Melchizedek Priesthood has authority to officiate in all the lesser offices, he may officiate in all the lesser offices, he may officiate in the office of bishop when no literal descendant of Aaron can be found, provided he is called and set apart and ordained unto this power by the hands of the Presidency of the Melchizedek Priesthood."
So the rights belonging to the tribe of Levi and also Aaron have not been done away with, the keys rightfully belong to them, but unless one is found, a member of the Melchizedek Priesthood is allowed to officiate in the offices of Bishop- an office belonging rightfully to Aaron and his descendants.
With that, I decided I would slowly, gradually start studying Mormon Doctrine, maybe not on a regular basis, but trying to compare it to the scriptures and other things that have been declared as doctrine.
When it describes the Aaronic Priesthood it talks about how the Aaronical or Levitical Priesthood was conferred by lineage, solely by lineage within the tribe of Levi. In my New Testament class last week someone actually asked then why do all boys receive the Aaronic Priesthood at the age of 12 in the Church? I guess before I address that question I'll tell you what McConkie thinks, "Few members of the tribe of Levi gathered with the fold of Israel in the meridian of time; few have come back to the fold of their fathers in this dispensation; and there were none among the Nephites to whom our Lord ministered. Consequently, beginning in the day of the primitive Church the lesser priesthood was spread out among the body of the people and was no longer confined exclusively to the chosen lineage."
The Bible Dictionary says, "As part of his rationale that the law of Moses was fulfilled, Paul makes a point of the contrast between the lineal requirement of the lesser priesthood and the nonlineal Melchizedek Priesthood, which was not confined to those of one tribe (see JST Heb. 7:1-3; Heb 7:11-14) The lineal restrictions of that Aaronic (Levitical) Priesthood were lifted when the law of Moses was fulfilled, and thereafter the offices of the priesthood were conferred upon worthy men without limitation to the tribe of Levi."
In class my teacher brought up that there was no Aaronic Priesthood before Moses, not as was restricted to only the Levites. The restriction came after that because the people as a whole were not ready for the fulness of the gospel, so they were given lesser laws, and a lesser Priesthood. So if Adam and Noah and Abraham had the gospel then isn't it possible that there was a form of Aaronic Priesthood before that wasn't restricted to lineage? And with the scattering of Israel, isn't it possible that even if the lineal restrictions weren't lifted when the law of Moses was fulfilled that the Levites have intermixed with the other tribes?
The last paragraph in the Bible Dictionary continues though and correlates with two scriptures in the Doctrine and Covenants. "Although the Aaronic Priesthood is conferred in the Church today without restriction to the lineage of Aaron, the keys of this priesthood rightly belong to the firstborn of the seed of Aaron, and in the restoration of all things the office of bishop (president of the priests) will once again be conferred on one of that lineage, as it is designated by revelation to the president of the Church (D&C 84:14-21; 107:13-17"
D&C 107:13-17, "The second priesthood is called the Priesthood of Aaron, because it was conferred upon Aaron and his seed, through all their generations... The bishopric is the presidency of this priesthood, and holds the keys or authority of the same. No man has a legal right to this office, to hold the keys of this priesthood, except he be a literal descendant of Aaron. But as a high priest of the Melchizedek Priesthood has authority to officiate in all the lesser offices, he may officiate in all the lesser offices, he may officiate in the office of bishop when no literal descendant of Aaron can be found, provided he is called and set apart and ordained unto this power by the hands of the Presidency of the Melchizedek Priesthood."
So the rights belonging to the tribe of Levi and also Aaron have not been done away with, the keys rightfully belong to them, but unless one is found, a member of the Melchizedek Priesthood is allowed to officiate in the offices of Bishop- an office belonging rightfully to Aaron and his descendants.
Boyd K. Packer's talk October 2010 General Conference
Alright, so there has been a lot of controversy concerning Boyd K Packer's recent talk. I want to start out by saying the Gospel of Jesus Christ is simple. Let's review some basics. God is our Heavenly Father. He loves us. He wants us to be happy and wants what is best for us. Because of that He calls Prophets. We'll expound on this later. But the fact is, God is unchangeable. He is the same yesterday, today and forever- that seems to be a widely accepted Christian doctrine, and I think Jewish people also believe that. I know that they still have a lot of their traditions (and I think that's great but I think that shows that they also believe God is unchanging). So, God calls prophets to be His mouthpiece on the Earth, and throughout time we see (especially in the Old Testament) times where the people stop listening to their prophets and for awhile there is chaos and no prophetic records of anything. And then another prophet is called- surprise surprise- God STILL cares and STILL calls prophets. As members of the Church we believe in a Great Apostasy. That after Jesus Christ truths were lost because people stopped listening to what the Apostles had to say and decided THEY knew best. In Acts chapter 20 Paul is talking to a group of Elders (in the church) in Ephesus and in verse 30 tells them, "Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them." Men in the church were going to speak perverse things or false doctrine and lead others away too. And as members of the Church we believe that all the MANY different sects of Christianity are a result of this. I mean we see that there was the Catholic Church, then comes Martin Luther, he comes up with his points that he feels aren't consistent with the scriptures- inspired yes. But God didn't call him to be a prophet. And Martin Luther wasn't trying to set up a church- a group of others convinced him he was their leader and then formed a church. Then there were other churches and other break offs, people deciding things should be a certain way- some of them may have even been right, I'm not the judge. BUT then we have Joseph Smith. What makes our Church different from other Christian churches is we believe God called a Prophet in the latter-days to guide us, just like He called prophets in times of old and that a Prophet leads and guides us today. That is what makes us different- we believe we are following a Prophet of God who speaks DIRECTLY FOR God and that the doctrines are His and NOT ours or what we want them to be.
So now back to prophets. What and who are they? For Bible scholars there is Amos 3:7, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." Joseph Smith Translation, which I believe is safe to say all members of the Church at least believe in clarifies and says that it would be "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, UNTIL he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." The Lord uses prophets to guide us. He did not flood the Earth until he warned the people of a flood and gave them a chance to escape. He did not even free his chosen House of Israel from bondage in Egypt UNTIL he had warned the Pharoah. All the Old Testament stories would follow this pattern and we believe it is still the same today.
So now back to prophets. What and who are they? For Bible scholars there is Amos 3:7, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." Joseph Smith Translation, which I believe is safe to say all members of the Church at least believe in clarifies and says that it would be "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, UNTIL he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." The Lord uses prophets to guide us. He did not flood the Earth until he warned the people of a flood and gave them a chance to escape. He did not even free his chosen House of Israel from bondage in Egypt UNTIL he had warned the Pharoah. All the Old Testament stories would follow this pattern and we believe it is still the same today.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
hush, hush
This post is actually more of a book critique than things in my life. (****SPOILER ALERT****) I read a book called "hush, hush" this weekend by Becca Fitzpatrick. I was told that if I loved Twilight then I would love this book. I mean, it was good. I liked it. BUT I don't know that I loved it. When I read Twilight I felt it was pretty original- considering. I mean Meyers recreated vampires- vegetarian vampires? WHAT?! But the whole, innocent girl falling in love with the bad boy type or the forbidden love- that isn't anything new. Juliet falling in love with Romeo, the forbidden love theme has been around for forever. But this book I felt mirrored Twilight too much. There's a transfer student- this time it's not the girl. The boy is dangerous. Acts like he is annoyed with the girl as does Edward in Twilight. Bella and this girl are both annoyed with the guy, and have a love/hate thing going on inside of them. Against their better judgement they fall for the guy (don't get me wrong- I love Edward in Twilight and I actually like the guy in this book as well- but really?) The boys in both books are creepy stalkers, stalking around the girl's bedroom windows. Freak accidents. Even one where there's a car involved in both books. There's even a fateful trip out of town to the "big city" nearby. Anyways, for me there was a lot of similarities that I don't think I could ever call this book original.
What I DID like about it? In this book the bad guy is a fallen angel. He never directly tells the girl but tries to give her hints. He is definitely a bad boy type. But in the end, he overcomes the bad. He overcomes his evil side. He ends up changing his nature. Not just a vegetarian vampire- who is still somewhat dangerous by definition, but he is ACTUALLY changed at the end. The girl has to come to terms with him not being who his past defined him. Key word there was defined being PAST TENSE. In life we go through lots of things- things that help shape us into who we are. But our past doesn't have to define WHO WE ARE. What we learn from it, how we use it, how we change and the choices we make NOW and what defines who we are. That is what I gained from this book. Cheesy at times, and sometimes far from original, I liked the message that based on what we choose to do now, we can change. We can be forgiven. We can start anew. How far we may have come shows our strength and perseverance. What we've learned from it shows our wisdom we have gained. How we live now shows our wisdom and who we are- what we have become.
On one more critical note. I found an error on p. 320,
The girl is trying to call her mom and try to explain where she's been all evening in a way that her mom won't get too mad. I don't know where it should switch over, but it starts with the girl saying, "Here's the deal--" and then going on to say she had to turn back and get a room in Milliken Mills. But if you follow the conversation down, the MOM is the one who is in Milliken Mills, not the girl who the quote is attributed to. The girl is at home and becomes relieved to find that her mom didn't notice she was missing and left in search of her. Anyways, now that I've spoiled some of the story for you- read it if you wish. Just know that you will probably see similarities between this book and Twilight and I might've spoiled the ending for you- though I tried to be as vague as possible. I could only be so vague and still get my points across. So sorry if I have spoiled this experience for you!
What I DID like about it? In this book the bad guy is a fallen angel. He never directly tells the girl but tries to give her hints. He is definitely a bad boy type. But in the end, he overcomes the bad. He overcomes his evil side. He ends up changing his nature. Not just a vegetarian vampire- who is still somewhat dangerous by definition, but he is ACTUALLY changed at the end. The girl has to come to terms with him not being who his past defined him. Key word there was defined being PAST TENSE. In life we go through lots of things- things that help shape us into who we are. But our past doesn't have to define WHO WE ARE. What we learn from it, how we use it, how we change and the choices we make NOW and what defines who we are. That is what I gained from this book. Cheesy at times, and sometimes far from original, I liked the message that based on what we choose to do now, we can change. We can be forgiven. We can start anew. How far we may have come shows our strength and perseverance. What we've learned from it shows our wisdom we have gained. How we live now shows our wisdom and who we are- what we have become.
On one more critical note. I found an error on p. 320,
The girl is trying to call her mom and try to explain where she's been all evening in a way that her mom won't get too mad. I don't know where it should switch over, but it starts with the girl saying, "Here's the deal--" and then going on to say she had to turn back and get a room in Milliken Mills. But if you follow the conversation down, the MOM is the one who is in Milliken Mills, not the girl who the quote is attributed to. The girl is at home and becomes relieved to find that her mom didn't notice she was missing and left in search of her. Anyways, now that I've spoiled some of the story for you- read it if you wish. Just know that you will probably see similarities between this book and Twilight and I might've spoiled the ending for you- though I tried to be as vague as possible. I could only be so vague and still get my points across. So sorry if I have spoiled this experience for you!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Updates- Phantom
So.. it's been a long time since I've blogged about anything recent, so here goes. The biggest update has to do with a boy. :) There's nothing official, but I do like him a lot. So here's the scoop on him. He's a great guy from Sandy, Utah. He served his mission in my home mission, Spanish speaking- but never served in my stake. He's currently getting his doctorate in Classical Vocal Performance- or at least that's what I think it is- he's an Opera singer- a tenor, and he's getting a doctorate so he can teach it at a University level as a back up to performing.
He's a great guy with similar standards within the Church to mine. There are many people who have different standards on things, even within the Church and he seems to agree with most of all my personal beliefs which is one of the biggest reasons I decided to start liking him. How we met- well I actually had a membership to eHarmony, and I'm laughing as I write this because although I knowingly signed up for the membership I never actually thought it would work or help me find anyone. So side tangent for that...
I have been known for being impulsive, especially when it's late at night and I'm sleep deprived. It was one of these nights when I just decided I would make a profile on eHarmony and see what it was about. I have done online dating services in the past and I feel I am pretty safe with meeting up with people. I don't give out personal information, even when they pick me up- I don't give them my address or let them see my car so they can't stalk me that way. Just wanted to assure any readers who might have doubts about online dating that I am safe about it. Anyways, I went to a Family Home Evening last spring with my Stake Presidency. One of the counselors mentioned priorities. He didn't say anything new at first. God is our number one priority- why? Because we trust that He really does love us and that by putting Him first He will then help us with everything else in life. #2 priority- is our spouse. Why? Because we choose someone we want to be with that we feel we can trust to help us with everything else in our lives. This was the part he mentioned that hit me. If our #2 priority is our spouse- then shouldn't finding that #2 be at least a top priority? So I went home and thought about it and felt I didn't have time in my life right then to really meet more people. So, I decided to pay for the membership with eHarmony and was determined to let IT do the finding for me, so that I just had to be myself, respond and sift through the options. So then Phantom (as my roommates call him) contacted me. Before I had bought my membership I had encrypted one of my emails into the message so people could contact me without me having to pay. So Phantom did that, and we started talking.
That was the beginning of summer. We emailed back and forth sporadically and then started texting almost every day, but mainly small talk stuff. With online dating and all the stuff you can do, I determine not to actually let myself like them until I meet them in person. Well, the summer went by and right before school started I got back to Utah and he had stayed so we would be able to meet up. So we did. The first time he picked me up at the dorms and we went to lunch and then a movie. Then we talked outside for a bit and then he ended up meeting my mom and one of my sisters. My Mom didn't realize this was the first time I had met him and treated him like an old friend. Later she was mortified she had been so open with him, but Phantom didn't seem to mind. When he left we talked about seeing each other again on Friday before he left Saturday morning and I consented to driving up to Sandy so he didn't have to drive all the way down again. But as it turned out, he invited me to dinner on Thursday with his family and I had to decline saying I was having dinner with my mom and sisters before my Mom flew back home, but said he was invited to come with us. So he came to dinner with me, my Mom and two of my sisters. On Friday I drove up to his house and we went to lunch with his family- or his parents and one brother anyways. After each of the dinners both Thursday and Friday we had time to talk and get to know each other better. We did kiss before he left. But honestly I still wasn't sure how I felt about him. Tuesday after he left I felt like I was doing the right thing. Whether it is right to date him for now, or what, I don't know, but all I know is, that was the changing day for me. Still there's nothing official but I know how much I like him and it's definitely more than your average crush. :)
So this past weekend I had bought a plane ticket to fly to Indiana- where he is currently going to school. Thursday I started getting sick and then I didn't get much sleep that night on the plane- so it was a nice, slow, casual, comfortable weekend. :) I had a ton of fun and it was just nice to be there.
Saturday we spent walking around a small town outside of Bloomington, Indiana which was really fun. :) A lot of cute little shops. :) Then Sunday- that was my favorite day. :) In the morning I woke up and briefly talked to the girl I was staying with before heading upstairs. We had a little time before he left for an audition he had for the next Opera season. When he left I started getting ready for church. Then when he came home we had breakfast and then had a few hours before church. It was just a nice relaxing day. We went to church and because the Church makes it such a small ward, I actually knew one person in his singles' branch. He had been in my stake here in Provo til apparently just last month when he started at IU for grad school. But that was nice too. We left Sunday School early because he had another audition in Cincinnati- 2 1/2 hours away. It was kind of nice having a long drive together. Then his audition. Afterwards, we had originally planned on having a picnic at a nearby park, since it was Sunday- but plans changed when we realized how SHADY the area was. It was a drug infested, creepy area... not where you'd really want to stop to have a nice Sunday picnic... So we looked up a restaurant to go to and I found a Cajun one that happened to be across the river in Kentucky- so first time to Kentucky! Anyways, it was a nice little restaurant. :) We ate up on the rooftop terrace where they had a live jazz band and a GORGEOUS view of Cincinnati. The whole evening was very nice and just comfortable. I know I'm using that word a lot, but it really is the best description.. :) Then the drive home. he makes me laugh and I'm able to be myself with him and open. At one point on the way home I was getting sleepy so I was like, "Tell me a story or something so I don't fall asleep." So this was his story.. "Once upon a time, there was a Princess named Jamie. She had many princess sisters and a prince brother. They all lived together in a castle. And the Princess lived Happily Ever After." I was like, "That's boring! Happily ever after? All by herself?" So he responded with, "She's not by herself! She has all her princess sisters and a prince brother!" And I was like, "What about Prince Charming?" And he's like, "Well she has her prince brother, and I'm sure he's sometimes charming..." And I was like, "EW! That's like incest!" And he feigned shock, "Incest?! What?! They're family and they're just living in the same castle!" Anyways, it made me laugh.
So that's my Phantom. Not my boyfriend- nothing that official. We are dating, and we both like each other a lot but that's it for now. I'm sure I'll have more updates another time though, but that's it for now :)
He's a great guy with similar standards within the Church to mine. There are many people who have different standards on things, even within the Church and he seems to agree with most of all my personal beliefs which is one of the biggest reasons I decided to start liking him. How we met- well I actually had a membership to eHarmony, and I'm laughing as I write this because although I knowingly signed up for the membership I never actually thought it would work or help me find anyone. So side tangent for that...
I have been known for being impulsive, especially when it's late at night and I'm sleep deprived. It was one of these nights when I just decided I would make a profile on eHarmony and see what it was about. I have done online dating services in the past and I feel I am pretty safe with meeting up with people. I don't give out personal information, even when they pick me up- I don't give them my address or let them see my car so they can't stalk me that way. Just wanted to assure any readers who might have doubts about online dating that I am safe about it. Anyways, I went to a Family Home Evening last spring with my Stake Presidency. One of the counselors mentioned priorities. He didn't say anything new at first. God is our number one priority- why? Because we trust that He really does love us and that by putting Him first He will then help us with everything else in life. #2 priority- is our spouse. Why? Because we choose someone we want to be with that we feel we can trust to help us with everything else in our lives. This was the part he mentioned that hit me. If our #2 priority is our spouse- then shouldn't finding that #2 be at least a top priority? So I went home and thought about it and felt I didn't have time in my life right then to really meet more people. So, I decided to pay for the membership with eHarmony and was determined to let IT do the finding for me, so that I just had to be myself, respond and sift through the options. So then Phantom (as my roommates call him) contacted me. Before I had bought my membership I had encrypted one of my emails into the message so people could contact me without me having to pay. So Phantom did that, and we started talking.
That was the beginning of summer. We emailed back and forth sporadically and then started texting almost every day, but mainly small talk stuff. With online dating and all the stuff you can do, I determine not to actually let myself like them until I meet them in person. Well, the summer went by and right before school started I got back to Utah and he had stayed so we would be able to meet up. So we did. The first time he picked me up at the dorms and we went to lunch and then a movie. Then we talked outside for a bit and then he ended up meeting my mom and one of my sisters. My Mom didn't realize this was the first time I had met him and treated him like an old friend. Later she was mortified she had been so open with him, but Phantom didn't seem to mind. When he left we talked about seeing each other again on Friday before he left Saturday morning and I consented to driving up to Sandy so he didn't have to drive all the way down again. But as it turned out, he invited me to dinner on Thursday with his family and I had to decline saying I was having dinner with my mom and sisters before my Mom flew back home, but said he was invited to come with us. So he came to dinner with me, my Mom and two of my sisters. On Friday I drove up to his house and we went to lunch with his family- or his parents and one brother anyways. After each of the dinners both Thursday and Friday we had time to talk and get to know each other better. We did kiss before he left. But honestly I still wasn't sure how I felt about him. Tuesday after he left I felt like I was doing the right thing. Whether it is right to date him for now, or what, I don't know, but all I know is, that was the changing day for me. Still there's nothing official but I know how much I like him and it's definitely more than your average crush. :)
So this past weekend I had bought a plane ticket to fly to Indiana- where he is currently going to school. Thursday I started getting sick and then I didn't get much sleep that night on the plane- so it was a nice, slow, casual, comfortable weekend. :) I had a ton of fun and it was just nice to be there.
Saturday we spent walking around a small town outside of Bloomington, Indiana which was really fun. :) A lot of cute little shops. :) Then Sunday- that was my favorite day. :) In the morning I woke up and briefly talked to the girl I was staying with before heading upstairs. We had a little time before he left for an audition he had for the next Opera season. When he left I started getting ready for church. Then when he came home we had breakfast and then had a few hours before church. It was just a nice relaxing day. We went to church and because the Church makes it such a small ward, I actually knew one person in his singles' branch. He had been in my stake here in Provo til apparently just last month when he started at IU for grad school. But that was nice too. We left Sunday School early because he had another audition in Cincinnati- 2 1/2 hours away. It was kind of nice having a long drive together. Then his audition. Afterwards, we had originally planned on having a picnic at a nearby park, since it was Sunday- but plans changed when we realized how SHADY the area was. It was a drug infested, creepy area... not where you'd really want to stop to have a nice Sunday picnic... So we looked up a restaurant to go to and I found a Cajun one that happened to be across the river in Kentucky- so first time to Kentucky! Anyways, it was a nice little restaurant. :) We ate up on the rooftop terrace where they had a live jazz band and a GORGEOUS view of Cincinnati. The whole evening was very nice and just comfortable. I know I'm using that word a lot, but it really is the best description.. :) Then the drive home. he makes me laugh and I'm able to be myself with him and open. At one point on the way home I was getting sleepy so I was like, "Tell me a story or something so I don't fall asleep." So this was his story.. "Once upon a time, there was a Princess named Jamie. She had many princess sisters and a prince brother. They all lived together in a castle. And the Princess lived Happily Ever After." I was like, "That's boring! Happily ever after? All by herself?" So he responded with, "She's not by herself! She has all her princess sisters and a prince brother!" And I was like, "What about Prince Charming?" And he's like, "Well she has her prince brother, and I'm sure he's sometimes charming..." And I was like, "EW! That's like incest!" And he feigned shock, "Incest?! What?! They're family and they're just living in the same castle!" Anyways, it made me laugh.
So that's my Phantom. Not my boyfriend- nothing that official. We are dating, and we both like each other a lot but that's it for now. I'm sure I'll have more updates another time though, but that's it for now :)
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Brigham Young quote
I do not, at this time, have enough time to devote to the whole discussion of Boyd K Packer's talk this past General Conference but I do want to address a quote that has been circulating. The quote is as follows, "If there ever comes a day when the Saints interfere with the rights of others to live as they see fit, you can know with assurance that the Church is no longer led by a Prophet, but a mere man." and is referenced to Brigham Young. I found a group on facebook that loves this quote and has been re-posting it to further their cause in not liking President Packer's talk. Some people on the page have asked for the citation. Only one response followed and it led to this SITE.
I tried looking for any other websites that would have the quote and found nothing. So as far as the web is concerned I believe it is only from this one page. And so on THAT site some people were asking for the source. After reading through it I realized something and I will share it with you, and if you wish to check for yourself, go to the page for yourself. On the right hand side you will notice it says that it is a blog roll, so a blog- posted by an average person. It also has the ability to subscribe to the RSS feed. It also has a place where it says "Email Brother Brigham" Email ME. This blogger's pen name IS Brother Brigham, and dedicates most of his posts to quotes Brigham Young DID say. I haven't read through them, so I don't know that I agree with how he interprets those quotes, but my guess is I don't.
The fact is, the quote people are saying is so contradictory is NOT actually from the Prophet Brigham Young but this blogger. His own comments which you can find on THIS PAGE, but you'll have to expand the comments to read it, says the following:
So in essence, this is someone's OPINION about what THEY feel Brigham Young believed. Brigham Young was headstrong, and may not have been perfect, but his quotes that are doctrine ARE doctrine, and as we can see here, NONE of them actually say what is being posted on the web that condemn the Church's current stance on Prop 8, homosexuality or Boyd K. Packer's talk.
I tried looking for any other websites that would have the quote and found nothing. So as far as the web is concerned I believe it is only from this one page. And so on THAT site some people were asking for the source. After reading through it I realized something and I will share it with you, and if you wish to check for yourself, go to the page for yourself. On the right hand side you will notice it says that it is a blog roll, so a blog- posted by an average person. It also has the ability to subscribe to the RSS feed. It also has a place where it says "Email Brother Brigham" Email ME. This blogger's pen name IS Brother Brigham, and dedicates most of his posts to quotes Brigham Young DID say. I haven't read through them, so I don't know that I agree with how he interprets those quotes, but my guess is I don't.
The fact is, the quote people are saying is so contradictory is NOT actually from the Prophet Brigham Young but this blogger. His own comments which you can find on THIS PAGE, but you'll have to expand the comments to read it, says the following:
Brothers and Sisters, Good Evening,(emphasis added)
I’m pleased the Sprit has directed you to my site.
To answer your questions, the above information is merely words that sum up my doctrine and my teachings. While I never said these exact words (and they do not appear in any of my published works) they express my personal religious convictions and a life time of teachings.
God Bless,
Brother Brigham.
PS (From Brother Brigham’s secretary: Brother Brigham wishes more to express his sorrow that this page of his website has been misunderstood. He wants you to know that all of his real quotes that appear on his website are set off by quotation marks and a citation. Brother Brigham is pained that the words that appear under the “ABOUT” tab of his website have caused confusion.)
So in essence, this is someone's OPINION about what THEY feel Brigham Young believed. Brigham Young was headstrong, and may not have been perfect, but his quotes that are doctrine ARE doctrine, and as we can see here, NONE of them actually say what is being posted on the web that condemn the Church's current stance on Prop 8, homosexuality or Boyd K. Packer's talk.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Headaches of moving
So I've been notified by a close friend that it's been a long time since my last post. Well, today I'm actually going to write about a recent occurence that makes me feel frustrated, tired, loved and grateful, almost all at exactly the same time.
The thing is, I spent a GLORIOUS 10 days in Mexico and arrived home to find complete chaos concerning moving apartments. I had planned to do so on arriving back in Utah and found out it was supposed to happen before I could get back TO Utah, and the penalty is $100/day. A few things that you should know about me to understand the stress it created for me: I hate asking for help- I like thinking I'm self-sufficient, and I like to be the one who helps, not the one who imposes on other people. I hate making phone calls (I like keeping in contact with people, but something about sitting down and MAKING a phone call? I will avoid it like the plague.) Oh and I don't like confrontations, I would rather let people walk all over me before I cause a problem by over-reacting in anger. I used to have a temper, so more often than not I bite my tongue and let people do whatever. So yesterday I had to address this problem of moving quickly without even being physically present and able to. It's break time for Utah- which means a lot of people are out of town. And my closest guy friends have all left Utah. Course when I say that I mean my freshmen group of guy friends- but as I sat down and started making phone calls and sending out mass text messages petitioning for help I started realizing I have a lot of great guy friends who are all still there for me. I know some of them did it because they are just GREAT, to say the least, not necessarily because of anything I am or have done. But I would hope that they all know that I am severely indebted to all of them and would be willing to drop things at a moments' notice and help them as well. The problems yesterday took just about all day. And when I say that, I mean from 9 am to 10 pm, and the problems are still not completely solved even now as I write this. To top all of this, my last day of my vacation- I got sick, and so I still was a bit out of it yesterday and it did not put me in a great mood and by night I was pretty near delirious.
Needless to say, since the problems are still not completely solved, I don't feel like I can tell the full story yet, and it still is a little hard for me to put into words, but to briefly describe the problems I had to ask permission from my new landlord to move in early at my new place that I was moving to. I got permission there, and then there was a problem with the code on the door being changed without being notified, even though I had permission to have it and move in. I solved that problem and another one arose. I would solve that problem and a problem that had been solved would be changed. At one point, JUST as I started feeling relief that the amazing guys had moved my stuff or were finishing up, my landlord called and said, "Sorry, there's a problem, you can't move in afterall." I literally, almost just sat down and cried. Instead I asked her what I could do to change it, because obviously my stuff was at least already mostly moved over. Anyways, I am VERY VERY thankful for the guys who, last minute, came to my rescue. Quite literally. And even though I don't think any of them read my blog, I want to thank them publically- THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!
The thing is, I spent a GLORIOUS 10 days in Mexico and arrived home to find complete chaos concerning moving apartments. I had planned to do so on arriving back in Utah and found out it was supposed to happen before I could get back TO Utah, and the penalty is $100/day. A few things that you should know about me to understand the stress it created for me: I hate asking for help- I like thinking I'm self-sufficient, and I like to be the one who helps, not the one who imposes on other people. I hate making phone calls (I like keeping in contact with people, but something about sitting down and MAKING a phone call? I will avoid it like the plague.) Oh and I don't like confrontations, I would rather let people walk all over me before I cause a problem by over-reacting in anger. I used to have a temper, so more often than not I bite my tongue and let people do whatever. So yesterday I had to address this problem of moving quickly without even being physically present and able to. It's break time for Utah- which means a lot of people are out of town. And my closest guy friends have all left Utah. Course when I say that I mean my freshmen group of guy friends- but as I sat down and started making phone calls and sending out mass text messages petitioning for help I started realizing I have a lot of great guy friends who are all still there for me. I know some of them did it because they are just GREAT, to say the least, not necessarily because of anything I am or have done. But I would hope that they all know that I am severely indebted to all of them and would be willing to drop things at a moments' notice and help them as well. The problems yesterday took just about all day. And when I say that, I mean from 9 am to 10 pm, and the problems are still not completely solved even now as I write this. To top all of this, my last day of my vacation- I got sick, and so I still was a bit out of it yesterday and it did not put me in a great mood and by night I was pretty near delirious.
Needless to say, since the problems are still not completely solved, I don't feel like I can tell the full story yet, and it still is a little hard for me to put into words, but to briefly describe the problems I had to ask permission from my new landlord to move in early at my new place that I was moving to. I got permission there, and then there was a problem with the code on the door being changed without being notified, even though I had permission to have it and move in. I solved that problem and another one arose. I would solve that problem and a problem that had been solved would be changed. At one point, JUST as I started feeling relief that the amazing guys had moved my stuff or were finishing up, my landlord called and said, "Sorry, there's a problem, you can't move in afterall." I literally, almost just sat down and cried. Instead I asked her what I could do to change it, because obviously my stuff was at least already mostly moved over. Anyways, I am VERY VERY thankful for the guys who, last minute, came to my rescue. Quite literally. And even though I don't think any of them read my blog, I want to thank them publically- THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Valentine's Day
This post is a little late- I meant to post it on Valentine's Day when I was reminded of this story. It shows how weird I really am- I didn't even fully realize it. This year for Valentine's Day I went home to California- it was my mom's birthday on the 13th and it was a great trip overall. I went to church on Sunday- Valentine's Day and ran into an ex. I never called him an ex because I never called him my boyfriend, but we dated, for a few weeks and I did have to go through the whole breaking his heart routine. Well, he approached me saying, "hey it seems like it's been a while since last time we talked..." I said, "Yeah... you deleted me from facebook!" Blunt, just like that- that's how we are- and sometimes it leads to us being in a fight- which was part of the reason he deleted me apparently. But anyways, later that night he sent me a text saying two years ago (to the day) we had dinner. I wasn't feeling well so we stayed home and we made tortellini (my favorite) with pesto sauce and bread (of course) and then we made sugar cookies. Then he reminded me, which I had completely forgotten that I apparently went through the contacts in my phone and started telling stories about the people in my phone. WHO DOES THAT?! Apparently I do. I don't know how I got onto a topic like that, but he assured me it was entertaining- I'm still not so sure. I mean I know I love to talk and I guess I was just going from person to person telling stories- favorite memories of the people or how I met them- something about a good half of the contacts in my phone. Anyways, that's my story. Point is: I'm weird. REALLY weird. Go figure! :)
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Surprises!
So this past Sunday I was talking with some friends and we started talking about how great a trip to California would be for our long weekend! We got excited and I started planning starting with talking to my parents about it. My parents gave the ok and my Dad asked several questions- if Mom knew, if my sister was going to join me, what the reason was.... I said, no probably not- I had previously brought it up and she said they didn't get school off (but I don't know why she cared- she only has class Tuesday through Thursday...) Anyways, I said I'd ask again. Well she said yes and so we decided that since Mom knew I was coming and it was her birthday- we would at least surprise her by not telling her Carly was coming. So we started planning. My Mom tried talking me out of it. The other people ended up not making it for various reasons, and we found substitutes who ALSO had to decline in the end. At one point my Mom was talking to Carly- we have a Valentine's Day tradition: we write love notes to each other. My Mom was reminding Carly to do hers and she asked how we were going to do it this year. My brother sent his early in an email and we'll send him the responses on Monday through email. And my Mom said she'd conference call me and Carly. Then she called back and was like, actually, I should probably tell you- Jamie is coming down for the weekend if you want to come. To which Carly said, "No, I think that's dumb to spend that much time in a car just for the weekend." But she had already said yes. I only told my Dad that Carly was coming, and although I told other people I was coming home I didn't mention Carly. Carly told Katie though- and I personally am surprised she kept that secret.
So our journey- we took off from Provo after I got off work on Friday. My Dad texted and said that Mom was going to call me and that Carly needed to be quiet and if she asked for names of people driving with me- to make them up. So my Mom called and Carly was silent. It went well. My Mom didn't ask for names- instead she asked where they were all going- if we were dropping them off or if any were spending the night, being picked up from somewhere.... So I was like, "Yeah, I'm dropping two of them off cause they're on the way, but the third one is from Santa Barbara (one of the places one of the original people was from) and his parents are just planning on picking him up from our house when we get there." Apparently my Mom bought it. I got a text a few minutes later that said, "WOW. Jamie's such a liar." I was like, weren't we supposed to?
So, we continued driving and then we got into the neighborhood and we pulled off onto a side street. At Katie's suggestion, we put Carly in the trunk- she curled around the back side of her suitcase and was holding onto mine. We drove the rest of the way home and I called to tell my Dad I needed help with luggage and Mom needed to help too. When my Mom came out she was like, "Really? You need help with your luggage? What did you bring?" I just said junk. So I popped the trunk and we walked around to the back. I lifted the lid and my Mom screamed. All you could really see was Carly's head above the suitcase. I didn't REALLY need help with my luggage- we just wanted to surprise her. :) My Mom said she was happy she was home- but had been thinking Carly was the smart child for NOT coming home. :)
So that left Cassie and Julie who still didn't know Carly was home- because there was a cousin sleepover at Grandma's. So Carly and I decided we would go. Cassie called to say she was there and safe, for my parents' benefit and I said for her to let me in when I got there. Carly asked if she should go around back, and I said yes (there was only a slight problem- I meant around the back of the car and then just sneak into the house after me. She thought I meant back yard.) So we went inside and I'm waiting for Carly to come in the front door which Katie and I left unlocked. Sam came running out of the kitchen and I asked what he was up to. He said he just thought he heard knocking- so I went out in the garage and tried to whisper to Carly that the front door was open- but she couldn't hear me- wrong side of the house. I came back inside and Sam had fallen to the ground, hiding from any view of a window. I asked what was going on- he had just about everyone else crouched on the ground with him. He said, "Someone's outside! It looks like Carly but she looks like this!" (Then he pulled his eyes out- asian style- you know what I mean) It didn't click for him because he thought Carly was in Idaho. Then Carly popped against the window really quickly. Everyone heard it, but I think I was the only one who saw it. Cassie asked if Carly was there and I said "No, I thought she was still in Idaho but I DID see someone against the window." Meanwhile Katie and I are headed to the door that leads from the backyard into the kitchen. Later Cassie said she thought we were retarded- "We had seen some random crazy person outside and we're just CALMLY walking to the door to let the complete stranger in." Katie lets her in and Carly jumps in saying "SURPRISE!!!" Katie and I start busting out laughing and once Cassie and Sam realized what was going on, they joined in too.
So we spent the night and the next morning I woke up and went to go see Marissa and Emily and Grandma- who were all asleep when I had gotten there. Marissa decided to play shy and then ran down the hall saying "SCARY!" When she came back I asked if I was scary cause I didn't have makeup on. She said no, and i was like, "Oh, cause I woke up this morning and looked in the mirror and I got scared- I would've run away, if it were possible". She laughed.
So this started my wondrous morning- followed by a cousin breakfast at Eggs and Things with Grandma. My Grandpa approves of my new major- he says no matter what I do, writing skills will help. "Even an accountant should know how to write".
After cousin breakfast we came home briefly before getting ready for the beach. We went as an individual family- Mom, Dad and sisters to Leo Carillo and climbed all the rocks. (Little trivia: 50 First Dates was filmed mainly in Hawaii- with the exception of ONE scene, filmed at Leo Carillo when we were there camping with some family friends. My Mom had been walking back from the beach when a friendly man "waved at [her] as if [she] should know him." It was Adam Sandler- with his dog in the back seat. We went back and watched part of the long process. We probably stayed for over 2 hours combined- for a mere 30 seconds to a minute of the movie...) Walked through the tunnels- or crouched through one of them. We took pictures, ran from the waves, checked out the tide pools and saw SO MANY starfish! Among other things- but we were surprised at the amount of starfish specifically. Such a lovely drive- Kanan on the way there and Decker Canyon on the way back. I LOVE being home!! "THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME!"
And the day's not over yet- HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!
So our journey- we took off from Provo after I got off work on Friday. My Dad texted and said that Mom was going to call me and that Carly needed to be quiet and if she asked for names of people driving with me- to make them up. So my Mom called and Carly was silent. It went well. My Mom didn't ask for names- instead she asked where they were all going- if we were dropping them off or if any were spending the night, being picked up from somewhere.... So I was like, "Yeah, I'm dropping two of them off cause they're on the way, but the third one is from Santa Barbara (one of the places one of the original people was from) and his parents are just planning on picking him up from our house when we get there." Apparently my Mom bought it. I got a text a few minutes later that said, "WOW. Jamie's such a liar." I was like, weren't we supposed to?
So, we continued driving and then we got into the neighborhood and we pulled off onto a side street. At Katie's suggestion, we put Carly in the trunk- she curled around the back side of her suitcase and was holding onto mine. We drove the rest of the way home and I called to tell my Dad I needed help with luggage and Mom needed to help too. When my Mom came out she was like, "Really? You need help with your luggage? What did you bring?" I just said junk. So I popped the trunk and we walked around to the back. I lifted the lid and my Mom screamed. All you could really see was Carly's head above the suitcase. I didn't REALLY need help with my luggage- we just wanted to surprise her. :) My Mom said she was happy she was home- but had been thinking Carly was the smart child for NOT coming home. :)
So that left Cassie and Julie who still didn't know Carly was home- because there was a cousin sleepover at Grandma's. So Carly and I decided we would go. Cassie called to say she was there and safe, for my parents' benefit and I said for her to let me in when I got there. Carly asked if she should go around back, and I said yes (there was only a slight problem- I meant around the back of the car and then just sneak into the house after me. She thought I meant back yard.) So we went inside and I'm waiting for Carly to come in the front door which Katie and I left unlocked. Sam came running out of the kitchen and I asked what he was up to. He said he just thought he heard knocking- so I went out in the garage and tried to whisper to Carly that the front door was open- but she couldn't hear me- wrong side of the house. I came back inside and Sam had fallen to the ground, hiding from any view of a window. I asked what was going on- he had just about everyone else crouched on the ground with him. He said, "Someone's outside! It looks like Carly but she looks like this!" (Then he pulled his eyes out- asian style- you know what I mean) It didn't click for him because he thought Carly was in Idaho. Then Carly popped against the window really quickly. Everyone heard it, but I think I was the only one who saw it. Cassie asked if Carly was there and I said "No, I thought she was still in Idaho but I DID see someone against the window." Meanwhile Katie and I are headed to the door that leads from the backyard into the kitchen. Later Cassie said she thought we were retarded- "We had seen some random crazy person outside and we're just CALMLY walking to the door to let the complete stranger in." Katie lets her in and Carly jumps in saying "SURPRISE!!!" Katie and I start busting out laughing and once Cassie and Sam realized what was going on, they joined in too.
So we spent the night and the next morning I woke up and went to go see Marissa and Emily and Grandma- who were all asleep when I had gotten there. Marissa decided to play shy and then ran down the hall saying "SCARY!" When she came back I asked if I was scary cause I didn't have makeup on. She said no, and i was like, "Oh, cause I woke up this morning and looked in the mirror and I got scared- I would've run away, if it were possible". She laughed.
So this started my wondrous morning- followed by a cousin breakfast at Eggs and Things with Grandma. My Grandpa approves of my new major- he says no matter what I do, writing skills will help. "Even an accountant should know how to write".
After cousin breakfast we came home briefly before getting ready for the beach. We went as an individual family- Mom, Dad and sisters to Leo Carillo and climbed all the rocks. (Little trivia: 50 First Dates was filmed mainly in Hawaii- with the exception of ONE scene, filmed at Leo Carillo when we were there camping with some family friends. My Mom had been walking back from the beach when a friendly man "waved at [her] as if [she] should know him." It was Adam Sandler- with his dog in the back seat. We went back and watched part of the long process. We probably stayed for over 2 hours combined- for a mere 30 seconds to a minute of the movie...) Walked through the tunnels- or crouched through one of them. We took pictures, ran from the waves, checked out the tide pools and saw SO MANY starfish! Among other things- but we were surprised at the amount of starfish specifically. Such a lovely drive- Kanan on the way there and Decker Canyon on the way back. I LOVE being home!! "THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME!"
And the day's not over yet- HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Three Little Pigs
So today while working we were playing Three Little Pigs. I always know they want to play because Karissa will yell, "A PIG is coming! A PIG is coming!" And I go, "A WOLF is coming?" "YEAH!" And then she'll run into the play house downstairs. So then we go through the role play of the story of the Three Little Pigs.
Today Kaden wasn't playing along- so he got eaten first- no need to blow down the first house of straw. Then the second house (we use the same house all three times, but we open the door to pretend to let the little pigs running away from the wolf in) went smoothly. Blew it down and they had to run again from the big bad wolf. So the little pigs went running, "Brother! Brother! Brother! The big bad wolf is coming! Let us in!" So we enter and I leave again to be the wolf. *KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK* "Little pigs little pigs, let me come in" I say in a deep gruff voice. Then I reply (they don't have it down yet) in a high squeaky voice, "Not by the hair of our chinny chin chins!" "Then I'll HUFF and I'll PUFF and I'll BLOW your house DOWN!"
So then I start blowing. Through the windows and the holes in the door. I blow from all sides of the house... I went to the side window and a new and unexpected thing happened today... Keyana escaped! Before the Wolf was dead! So I had to chase her down and eat her too. But Karissa had to save her sister from the big bad wolf and came to the rescue. I ate Keyana with not too many problems and she continued walking over to play with Kaden but Karissa was now seeking revenge attempting to eat the big bad wolf before I ate her too. I told her she didn't have wolf teeth like mine! So her solution? SHE LICKED ME TO DEATH! So the lone surviving pig defeated the wolf today! That was quite the adventure! :)
Today Kaden wasn't playing along- so he got eaten first- no need to blow down the first house of straw. Then the second house (we use the same house all three times, but we open the door to pretend to let the little pigs running away from the wolf in) went smoothly. Blew it down and they had to run again from the big bad wolf. So the little pigs went running, "Brother! Brother! Brother! The big bad wolf is coming! Let us in!" So we enter and I leave again to be the wolf. *KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK* "Little pigs little pigs, let me come in" I say in a deep gruff voice. Then I reply (they don't have it down yet) in a high squeaky voice, "Not by the hair of our chinny chin chins!" "Then I'll HUFF and I'll PUFF and I'll BLOW your house DOWN!"
So then I start blowing. Through the windows and the holes in the door. I blow from all sides of the house... I went to the side window and a new and unexpected thing happened today... Keyana escaped! Before the Wolf was dead! So I had to chase her down and eat her too. But Karissa had to save her sister from the big bad wolf and came to the rescue. I ate Keyana with not too many problems and she continued walking over to play with Kaden but Karissa was now seeking revenge attempting to eat the big bad wolf before I ate her too. I told her she didn't have wolf teeth like mine! So her solution? SHE LICKED ME TO DEATH! So the lone surviving pig defeated the wolf today! That was quite the adventure! :)
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Scooter Boy
Back to the good old stories of my life... :) My sister is in town and we have been hanging out, seeing movies- everything we can. Last night we were going to see a movie and she invited a friend, so we went to pick her up and she lives in the same complex and same building that I lived in years ago. I got talking to them and reminiscing about when I lived there and was reminded of this story. :)
Once upon a time I moved into Liberty Square, the Virginia building to be precise. We had a whole group that all wanted to live together and Virginia allowed all 6 of us to live together for a pretty good price. We all moved in and one of our roommates was attending Beauty School and didn't start school until a week after the rest of us. So the first week she was REALLY bored when we all left for school. I returned home one afternoon to find her telling another roommate about her "adventures" of the day. They consisted of sitting in one of our rooms that faced the street and watching all the people walk to and from school. JUST watching. She was telling us of this guy who, from what she could tell from a distance, was REALLY cute! She referred to him as scooter boy and he had a blue or red scooter- I can't remember which color exactly. But she had seen two guys on scooters that day, one had a red one, the other one had a blue one. Let's say the one with the blue one was the cute one. She jokingly said that she wanted scooter boy.
SO, brilliant as I am, I jumped up, as if I was bored and had just remembered something else I needed to do and left the room. I returned with some dry erase markers and proceeded to write on the window in that room that faced the street. I wrote backwards so people on the street could read it and I made the lettering bold too. I wrote, "Scooter boy we want you! Call us at:" I put the apartment phone number on there, because this was back in the day that apartments all had phones in them because cell phones weren't quite big enough to get rid of the apt phone. Then I proceeded to write all of our nicknames on the window.
Well, that year was fun and we got SEVERAL calls from random guys saying, "Hey, this is scooter boy, I'm calling to talk to..." and he'd give one of the nicknames on the window. Or "Hey this is scooter boy, who am I speaking to?" I don't know is any of us went on any dates with any of the guys who called, but we met most of them. I mean, it's not hard to figure out which apartment that window belonged to. We met a lot of people that year and had lots of fun. But we never met scooter boy or saw that scooter after the first week.
Well, at the end of the school year I packed my things and headed home. My first Sunday back we had a regional Single Adult combined church meeting out in Ventura. I went with my cousin and we ended up sitting next to two guys. One of them mentioned he was just there for the summer for summer sales and had just come home from Provo. So I asked where he had lived. Well we had both lived in Liberty Square and we asked which buildings we lived in. He found out I lived in Virginia and he asked if I knew the people in the top apt on the south side, so I said of course- they were all in my ward, after all. Then I asked why? So he tells me that they had written on their window something about "We want you Scooter Boy" and proceeds to tell me that he had a scooter at the beginning of the year but then sold it because it cost too much to keep. He had never called the number but had always wondered if it was him. So I asked, "What color was your scooter?" He said, "Blue." I started laughing and when I stopped for a second I said, "Hi, I'm J$$$ (we had already introduced ourselves) and that was my apartment, and you're Scooter Boy!"
Anyways, so I met Scooter Boy, and we exchanged numbers because he was in the area all summer. We had talked about hanging out at the beach or getting a group together to play halo, but I never actually saw him again, nor do I think either one of us texted the other one. But that's my story of Scooter Boy and how I finally met him! :)
Once upon a time I moved into Liberty Square, the Virginia building to be precise. We had a whole group that all wanted to live together and Virginia allowed all 6 of us to live together for a pretty good price. We all moved in and one of our roommates was attending Beauty School and didn't start school until a week after the rest of us. So the first week she was REALLY bored when we all left for school. I returned home one afternoon to find her telling another roommate about her "adventures" of the day. They consisted of sitting in one of our rooms that faced the street and watching all the people walk to and from school. JUST watching. She was telling us of this guy who, from what she could tell from a distance, was REALLY cute! She referred to him as scooter boy and he had a blue or red scooter- I can't remember which color exactly. But she had seen two guys on scooters that day, one had a red one, the other one had a blue one. Let's say the one with the blue one was the cute one. She jokingly said that she wanted scooter boy.
SO, brilliant as I am, I jumped up, as if I was bored and had just remembered something else I needed to do and left the room. I returned with some dry erase markers and proceeded to write on the window in that room that faced the street. I wrote backwards so people on the street could read it and I made the lettering bold too. I wrote, "Scooter boy we want you! Call us at:" I put the apartment phone number on there, because this was back in the day that apartments all had phones in them because cell phones weren't quite big enough to get rid of the apt phone. Then I proceeded to write all of our nicknames on the window.
Well, that year was fun and we got SEVERAL calls from random guys saying, "Hey, this is scooter boy, I'm calling to talk to..." and he'd give one of the nicknames on the window. Or "Hey this is scooter boy, who am I speaking to?" I don't know is any of us went on any dates with any of the guys who called, but we met most of them. I mean, it's not hard to figure out which apartment that window belonged to. We met a lot of people that year and had lots of fun. But we never met scooter boy or saw that scooter after the first week.
Well, at the end of the school year I packed my things and headed home. My first Sunday back we had a regional Single Adult combined church meeting out in Ventura. I went with my cousin and we ended up sitting next to two guys. One of them mentioned he was just there for the summer for summer sales and had just come home from Provo. So I asked where he had lived. Well we had both lived in Liberty Square and we asked which buildings we lived in. He found out I lived in Virginia and he asked if I knew the people in the top apt on the south side, so I said of course- they were all in my ward, after all. Then I asked why? So he tells me that they had written on their window something about "We want you Scooter Boy" and proceeds to tell me that he had a scooter at the beginning of the year but then sold it because it cost too much to keep. He had never called the number but had always wondered if it was him. So I asked, "What color was your scooter?" He said, "Blue." I started laughing and when I stopped for a second I said, "Hi, I'm J$$$ (we had already introduced ourselves) and that was my apartment, and you're Scooter Boy!"
Anyways, so I met Scooter Boy, and we exchanged numbers because he was in the area all summer. We had talked about hanging out at the beach or getting a group together to play halo, but I never actually saw him again, nor do I think either one of us texted the other one. But that's my story of Scooter Boy and how I finally met him! :)
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Dictatorship or Democracy?
This may sound a little drastic but I'll explain. We live in a democracy- or I guess if you get down to it, we live in a republic democracy. In my communications class we have been discussing the importance and purpose of journalism. The purpose of journalism is to increase the public's interest in what is going on and portraying the facts so that they can make an educated decision.
I will admit, I have a love/hate relationship with politics. I've never been one to get into the news or even newspapers (funny that I am now going into journalism which feeds into the news and newspapers, but I DO like having a voice). Anyways, I have sometimes avoided politics because I felt the system was corrupt. I'm not sure I disagree with this statement now, but I also have grown to love politics. I LIKE being involved and I feel everyone should be.
So onto my title- it may be a little extreme but I think it helps us see the issue at stake. People complain about how Obama is making our country communist, or trying to form a dictatorship. Fears also that have been made extreme to generate a larger audience. The thing is, a lot of people DON'T agree with what Obama is doing, so they create fear in what COULD happen. And I guess it's true, to an extent. But we still live in a democracy, and if we USE that power, then nothing that drastic can happen.
BUT are WE allowing it to go TOWARDS dictatorship by not participating in our democracy? We have a voice if we choose to use it. We can vote. We can write letters to our representatives and senators that we elected (the republican aspect of our government). If we choose not to speak, collectively as a population, then who IS speaking? Only the Senate, the House of Representatives and the President. So maybe not a dictatorship of one person, but if we do not participate WE are limiting the amount of voices in our government.
So going back to my Obama post- instead of taking the time to write and send around hate mail- why not write a letter about WHY you don't agree and send that around, and if people agree MAYBE they'll start sending it into their representatives as well. There are always at least two sides to a situation, but if we never speak up, how can we blame someone else for our government becoming more of a dictatorship for our OWN laziness at being involved? Sending hate mail does NOTHING, and so it is NOT being involved. So be heard, write your thoughts and seek to inform people of your opinion in a way that can actually generate a result, and send it to people who can DO something about it. Hate is not the answer- creating fear in people isn't the answer- or at least I don't think it is. That's how Hitler gained his support- he played on the emotions without INFORMING enough so people could make LOGICAL decisions that could've brought them out of their depression without starting a world war. Participate and don't HATE!
I will admit, I have a love/hate relationship with politics. I've never been one to get into the news or even newspapers (funny that I am now going into journalism which feeds into the news and newspapers, but I DO like having a voice). Anyways, I have sometimes avoided politics because I felt the system was corrupt. I'm not sure I disagree with this statement now, but I also have grown to love politics. I LIKE being involved and I feel everyone should be.
So onto my title- it may be a little extreme but I think it helps us see the issue at stake. People complain about how Obama is making our country communist, or trying to form a dictatorship. Fears also that have been made extreme to generate a larger audience. The thing is, a lot of people DON'T agree with what Obama is doing, so they create fear in what COULD happen. And I guess it's true, to an extent. But we still live in a democracy, and if we USE that power, then nothing that drastic can happen.
BUT are WE allowing it to go TOWARDS dictatorship by not participating in our democracy? We have a voice if we choose to use it. We can vote. We can write letters to our representatives and senators that we elected (the republican aspect of our government). If we choose not to speak, collectively as a population, then who IS speaking? Only the Senate, the House of Representatives and the President. So maybe not a dictatorship of one person, but if we do not participate WE are limiting the amount of voices in our government.
So going back to my Obama post- instead of taking the time to write and send around hate mail- why not write a letter about WHY you don't agree and send that around, and if people agree MAYBE they'll start sending it into their representatives as well. There are always at least two sides to a situation, but if we never speak up, how can we blame someone else for our government becoming more of a dictatorship for our OWN laziness at being involved? Sending hate mail does NOTHING, and so it is NOT being involved. So be heard, write your thoughts and seek to inform people of your opinion in a way that can actually generate a result, and send it to people who can DO something about it. Hate is not the answer- creating fear in people isn't the answer- or at least I don't think it is. That's how Hitler gained his support- he played on the emotions without INFORMING enough so people could make LOGICAL decisions that could've brought them out of their depression without starting a world war. Participate and don't HATE!
Monday, January 25, 2010
"Dear John"
So I read the book "Dear John" by Nicholas Sparks. WARNING: this post may contain spoilers- if the movie follows the book....
My thoughts- I loved it, and I hated it. I loved it because it's a great story- I could relate to it. But I hated it because it reminded me of one of my relationships. I met this boy, once upon a time and there was a connection. I, like John, don't believe in love at first sight- but it was as if I had already met him before. Anyways, the story is different, but in the book they date for 2 weeks before he leaves to go back to the army. In my story, I knew him for a while, but when we dated, it was only for two weeks before I left. I can relate to both characters in some ways. We did the whole email and phone call thing and IMing for 3 months before I left on my mission. Then it was only letters- snail mail. No phone calls, no emails or IMs. Anyways, with only two weeks we were as serious as they were in the book. We had said I love you's and talked about marriage- and somehow I knew I would marry him. (For any of those who know my dating status and the book, you know what I mean... )
Well, in the story the girl was naive in some ways, and relatively innocent and religious- that was me. The boy, had a "dangerous" past but was a gentleman (or at least he was to me). Anyways, in the book the girl "Dear Johns" him. The same thing happened with me, but for different reasons. The stories differ here but not the feelings. She had fallen in love with someone else but still did love John. When I broke it off with the guy I still loved him. I thought I was doing the right thing though. Anyways, I broke it off, but in the book and in my story it was the guy who cut off contact- which really was best for me and for Savannah (the girl in the book). In her case he loved her enough to let her live her life with her husband and not break up their marriage. For me, we really had gone on different paths and it wasn't right anymore. He cut off communication for who knows why, but it was best for him and for me. I like the girl still think of him. He was my first in a lot of ways and I will always remember him and those times with fondness, but it didn't work out. And I AM glad for it. I know I'm better off, and I know he's doing well. I don't know what would have happened had I not sent the Dear John letter, but I no longer know if it would've worked like I once believed it would. Anyways, if I went through little by little I could probably draw endless conclusions but I think this suffices. I liked the end of the book but it was sad to me. She had moved on, and I wish he had moved on, at least a little more, if they could never be together. In the end, I feel like I'm in his position. I no longer wish to be with that guy, but I want to know that he's happy. I haven't seen him, but I know he is and that's what matters. And I know I'm happy too.
My thoughts- I loved it, and I hated it. I loved it because it's a great story- I could relate to it. But I hated it because it reminded me of one of my relationships. I met this boy, once upon a time and there was a connection. I, like John, don't believe in love at first sight- but it was as if I had already met him before. Anyways, the story is different, but in the book they date for 2 weeks before he leaves to go back to the army. In my story, I knew him for a while, but when we dated, it was only for two weeks before I left. I can relate to both characters in some ways. We did the whole email and phone call thing and IMing for 3 months before I left on my mission. Then it was only letters- snail mail. No phone calls, no emails or IMs. Anyways, with only two weeks we were as serious as they were in the book. We had said I love you's and talked about marriage- and somehow I knew I would marry him. (For any of those who know my dating status and the book, you know what I mean... )
Well, in the story the girl was naive in some ways, and relatively innocent and religious- that was me. The boy, had a "dangerous" past but was a gentleman (or at least he was to me). Anyways, in the book the girl "Dear Johns" him. The same thing happened with me, but for different reasons. The stories differ here but not the feelings. She had fallen in love with someone else but still did love John. When I broke it off with the guy I still loved him. I thought I was doing the right thing though. Anyways, I broke it off, but in the book and in my story it was the guy who cut off contact- which really was best for me and for Savannah (the girl in the book). In her case he loved her enough to let her live her life with her husband and not break up their marriage. For me, we really had gone on different paths and it wasn't right anymore. He cut off communication for who knows why, but it was best for him and for me. I like the girl still think of him. He was my first in a lot of ways and I will always remember him and those times with fondness, but it didn't work out. And I AM glad for it. I know I'm better off, and I know he's doing well. I don't know what would have happened had I not sent the Dear John letter, but I no longer know if it would've worked like I once believed it would. Anyways, if I went through little by little I could probably draw endless conclusions but I think this suffices. I liked the end of the book but it was sad to me. She had moved on, and I wish he had moved on, at least a little more, if they could never be together. In the end, I feel like I'm in his position. I no longer wish to be with that guy, but I want to know that he's happy. I haven't seen him, but I know he is and that's what matters. And I know I'm happy too.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Mouse/Rat Story
So today I went to work, for any who doesn't know, I help out with 3 kids (mainly 3 kids sometimes there's more). Today when I got there in the morning, everything was in disarray. There were kids standing on chairs and yelling and screaming, and TayLynn was on top of the kitchen counter. All happening when they should've been getting dressed and ready for school and eating breakfast. The story was- there was a mouse. It had been spotted that morning and everyone was afraid of it. It had supposedly ran under the refrigerator, last anyone had seen it and they were afraid of it jumping out at them. The mom went out to buy mouse traps- supposedly there are new ones that can be reused. She bought them, and I cleaned the living room, under the couches and vacuumed. It looked so pretty when I finished, and then I put one of the new mouse traps under part of the sectional couch. I never saw the mouse today. But I did play along with the kids. Ones of them mentioned seeing the mouse and I pretended to act all afraid. Kiana then came to me and comfortingly put her hand on my leg (it's where she could reach) and said, "It's ok, it's not scary. It's Janessa's mouse." Not true. Janessa is her older sister and is just one of those types that would never have a mouse.
The whole incident reminded me of a story that happened to me when I was still very little. I say very little because I think I was only about 8. I woke up in the middle of the night, one night and was lying on my back. I noticed a lump on my stomach/chest area. I figured it was a clump of blankets but it wouldn't pat down. I then lifted up the blanket expecting to find a stuffed animal or something, but to my surprise there was a rat, in my bed, on top of me. I freaked out and went running to my parents room down the hall telling them there was a rat in my bed. They came back and checked and couldn't find it. They left, but I was convinced it was still there. I turned on my lights and proceeded to look in my closet and behind things, and finally underneath my bed, where he was in the corner looking at me. I ran back to my parents room and had them look underneath my bed, but by then he had disappeared altogether. So basically, I woke up with a rat on me, but no one else ever saw it.
The whole incident reminded me of a story that happened to me when I was still very little. I say very little because I think I was only about 8. I woke up in the middle of the night, one night and was lying on my back. I noticed a lump on my stomach/chest area. I figured it was a clump of blankets but it wouldn't pat down. I then lifted up the blanket expecting to find a stuffed animal or something, but to my surprise there was a rat, in my bed, on top of me. I freaked out and went running to my parents room down the hall telling them there was a rat in my bed. They came back and checked and couldn't find it. They left, but I was convinced it was still there. I turned on my lights and proceeded to look in my closet and behind things, and finally underneath my bed, where he was in the corner looking at me. I ran back to my parents room and had them look underneath my bed, but by then he had disappeared altogether. So basically, I woke up with a rat on me, but no one else ever saw it.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Obama
I have titled this blog as "Obama" for a reason. I'm not really going to talk about who he is, or what he is, or even my opinion on him. Suffice it to say, he's not my favorite person (but I don't hate him) and I didn't vote for him, but I ALSO feel some of the ridicule is ridiculous.
Here's the thing, I have learned from being in leadership positions that everyone has a different way of doing things. SOMETIMES there's a right way and a wrong way, but it's determined by the OUTCOME. Whenever something goes wrong, those in leadership get blamed- but really? Can YOU do better? If not, then how can you so rudely criticize? I can understand knowing idealogies and trying to share them to better the country's atmosphere, but friendly criticism and just hating because you don't agree are two different things.
So I don't agree with Obama, BUT he has 4 years to try out his ideas. Like it or not, he was elected- it's now his chance to do HIS best (not what you think is best- should've voted for yourself if that's the case) to try and fix the problems our nation faces. If he screws up ROYALLY, we have to have faith in our government to impeach him before we are beyond repair. But I find it hard to believe that ONE man can destroy our democracy. Even Obama followers don't want a dictatorship. So therefore, I don't think we can lose everything. And we do have checks and balances in our system set up.
So in my opinion, be involved in politics, speak out when you disagree, so that the checks and balances can make sure nothing goes alright. So give him a break, even if you don't agree with him. If you don't like what he does VOTE FOR SOMEONE ELSE NEXT ELECTION!
Here's the thing, I have learned from being in leadership positions that everyone has a different way of doing things. SOMETIMES there's a right way and a wrong way, but it's determined by the OUTCOME. Whenever something goes wrong, those in leadership get blamed- but really? Can YOU do better? If not, then how can you so rudely criticize? I can understand knowing idealogies and trying to share them to better the country's atmosphere, but friendly criticism and just hating because you don't agree are two different things.
So I don't agree with Obama, BUT he has 4 years to try out his ideas. Like it or not, he was elected- it's now his chance to do HIS best (not what you think is best- should've voted for yourself if that's the case) to try and fix the problems our nation faces. If he screws up ROYALLY, we have to have faith in our government to impeach him before we are beyond repair. But I find it hard to believe that ONE man can destroy our democracy. Even Obama followers don't want a dictatorship. So therefore, I don't think we can lose everything. And we do have checks and balances in our system set up.
So in my opinion, be involved in politics, speak out when you disagree, so that the checks and balances can make sure nothing goes alright. So give him a break, even if you don't agree with him. If you don't like what he does VOTE FOR SOMEONE ELSE NEXT ELECTION!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Misconceptions about Satan's Plan
Tonight this topic came up briefly in Institute, and from my studies, what was said is NOT doctrine. I am going to explain, what I feel the doctrine of the matter is, and the scriptures and quotes that have led me to this belief. (At this point of time, I don't even know that I have quotes, I think it is mainly scripture and reasoning, but I will share whatever led me to this belief.)
Tonight we were talking about the Garden of Eden. How if we had followed Satan's plan, they would've been forced to partake of the fruit. This implies that Satan's plan involves forcing people to do right. Let's first take a look as to where this conception starts.
Moses 4:1-3, "And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying- Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor. But, behold my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me- Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thing forever. Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down;"
So this talks about how Satan and Jesus Christ both stepped forward to set the Father's plan in motion but Jesus Christ was chosen because Satan sought to destroy the agency of man. So, it's pretty clear- destroying agency- without agency you then, must, of necessity, be forced right? If we are not free to choose then it's because we're being forced. So this was Satan's plan? To force us all to do right and then it would be all his glory?
On lds.org there is a definition of agency given. (Click HERE if you want to see the source.) It tells us, "Agency is the ability and privilege God gives us to choose and to act for ourselves. Agency is essential in the plan of salvation. Without it, we would not be able to learn or progress or follow the Savior. With it, we are "free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil" (2 Nephi 2:27)."
Can you not also destroy agency by taking away accountability? If no matter what we choose, liberty and eternal life was still granted, then wouldn't that ALSO defeat agency? We could no longer choose captivity and death- even IF we wanted it. Thereby thwarting our ability to really choose. Satan sought to let us do whatever we wanted with no consequences, no accountability, instead of seeking to force us to do right. I will cite another example as to why I think THIS is Satan's plan.
In the Bible Dictionary we read, under the section of the "War in Heaven". This section makes everything clearer to me, so I'm just going to copy the whole section and italicize the most important parts, in my opinion.
When you think about how the SAME war that was being fought then is being fought NOW, it helps you realize a few things. Does Satan try and FORCE us to do right? No, he usually tries to get us to do wrong. How? By making us rationalize that the consequences aren't what they're hyped up to be, or it doesn't matter, or it's just one time, or no one will know... the list goes on. Satan would have us do whatever we wish with no consequences. To me, understanding this principle of what we REALLY stood for, not just the right to choose, but the right to choose and be accountable, so we can choose an OUTCOME through our little actions helps me understand other principles. For example, abortion. Some people think the church's standpoint is somewhat contradictory, and I think that is because they misunderstand. They say we believe that thou shalt not murder, nor do anything like unto it. So people say, abortion is "like unto it". So it must be murder. But if it's wrong, then it's wrong. Right? Well, if we were going by that standard, yes. But the Church has exceptions. If the woman was raped for example, the Church feels the girl has the choice to keep or abort the baby. How is this right and not abortion in all circumstances? I think it leads back to what Satan's plan is. Our GOAL in life is win the war against Satan. And what in essence is he trying to destroy? Accountability. Why should a girl be forced to live with the results of being pregnant if she didn't have a choice in the first place? I think THIS is how the defining line of where the exceptions are drawn and where they aren't. Does it encourage Satan's plan? If a girl were to CHOOSE to have sex, KNOWING pregnancy is a possibility, does she get to ALSO choose whether or not she gets caught? To put it maybe a bit more extreme but within the same concept- do we get to do things that qualify us for captivity and death and then get to choose eternal life? No, our goal in life is to bring our actions in line with the outcome we want- not just decide we want something we haven't worked for. To do so would destroy Christ's plan and choose that indeed we do believe Satan's plan. For it would be easier to just be granted eternal life, automatically, regardless of agency, but we wouldn't have really learned anything, or grown or be worthy of the gift or eternal life.
"We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression." (2nd Article of Faith) We believe in choice and accountability, as the Young Women's values taught me and we hold to it.
Tonight we were talking about the Garden of Eden. How if we had followed Satan's plan, they would've been forced to partake of the fruit. This implies that Satan's plan involves forcing people to do right. Let's first take a look as to where this conception starts.
Moses 4:1-3, "And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying- Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor. But, behold my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me- Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thing forever. Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down;"
So this talks about how Satan and Jesus Christ both stepped forward to set the Father's plan in motion but Jesus Christ was chosen because Satan sought to destroy the agency of man. So, it's pretty clear- destroying agency- without agency you then, must, of necessity, be forced right? If we are not free to choose then it's because we're being forced. So this was Satan's plan? To force us all to do right and then it would be all his glory?
On lds.org there is a definition of agency given. (Click HERE if you want to see the source.) It tells us, "Agency is the ability and privilege God gives us to choose and to act for ourselves. Agency is essential in the plan of salvation. Without it, we would not be able to learn or progress or follow the Savior. With it, we are "free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil" (2 Nephi 2:27)."
Can you not also destroy agency by taking away accountability? If no matter what we choose, liberty and eternal life was still granted, then wouldn't that ALSO defeat agency? We could no longer choose captivity and death- even IF we wanted it. Thereby thwarting our ability to really choose. Satan sought to let us do whatever we wanted with no consequences, no accountability, instead of seeking to force us to do right. I will cite another example as to why I think THIS is Satan's plan.
In the Bible Dictionary we read, under the section of the "War in Heaven". This section makes everything clearer to me, so I'm just going to copy the whole section and italicize the most important parts, in my opinion.
This term arises out of Rev. 12:7 and refers to the conflict that took place in the premortal existence among the spirit children of God. The war was primarily over how and in what manner the plan of salvation would be administered to the forthcoming human family upon the earth. The issues involved such things as agency, how to gain salvation, and who should be the Redeemer. The war broke out because one-third of the spirits refused to accept the appointment of Jesus Christ as the Savior. Such a refusal was a rebellion against the Father's plan of redemption. It was evident that if given agency, some persons would fall short of complete salvation; Lucifer and his followers wanted salvation to come automatically to all who passed through mortality, without regard to individual preference, agency, or voluntary dedication(see Isa. 14:12-20; Luke 10:18; Rev. 12:4-13; D&C 29:36-38; Moses 4:1-4). The spirits who thust rebelled and persisted were thrust out of heaven and cast down to the earth without mortal bodies, "and thus came the devil and his angels" (D&C 29:37; see also Rev. 12: 9; Abr. 3:24-28).
The warfare is continued in mortality in the conflict between right and wrong; between the gospel and false principles, etc. The same contestants and the same issues are doing battle, and the same salvation is at stake.
Although one-third of the spirits became devils, the remaining two-thirds were not equally valiant, there being every degree of devotion to Christ and the Father among them. The most diligent were chosen to be rulers in the kingdom (Abr. 3:22-23). The nature of the conflict however, is such that there could be no neutrals, then or now (Matt. 12:30; 1 Ne. 14:10; Alma 5:38-40).
When you think about how the SAME war that was being fought then is being fought NOW, it helps you realize a few things. Does Satan try and FORCE us to do right? No, he usually tries to get us to do wrong. How? By making us rationalize that the consequences aren't what they're hyped up to be, or it doesn't matter, or it's just one time, or no one will know... the list goes on. Satan would have us do whatever we wish with no consequences. To me, understanding this principle of what we REALLY stood for, not just the right to choose, but the right to choose and be accountable, so we can choose an OUTCOME through our little actions helps me understand other principles. For example, abortion. Some people think the church's standpoint is somewhat contradictory, and I think that is because they misunderstand. They say we believe that thou shalt not murder, nor do anything like unto it. So people say, abortion is "like unto it". So it must be murder. But if it's wrong, then it's wrong. Right? Well, if we were going by that standard, yes. But the Church has exceptions. If the woman was raped for example, the Church feels the girl has the choice to keep or abort the baby. How is this right and not abortion in all circumstances? I think it leads back to what Satan's plan is. Our GOAL in life is win the war against Satan. And what in essence is he trying to destroy? Accountability. Why should a girl be forced to live with the results of being pregnant if she didn't have a choice in the first place? I think THIS is how the defining line of where the exceptions are drawn and where they aren't. Does it encourage Satan's plan? If a girl were to CHOOSE to have sex, KNOWING pregnancy is a possibility, does she get to ALSO choose whether or not she gets caught? To put it maybe a bit more extreme but within the same concept- do we get to do things that qualify us for captivity and death and then get to choose eternal life? No, our goal in life is to bring our actions in line with the outcome we want- not just decide we want something we haven't worked for. To do so would destroy Christ's plan and choose that indeed we do believe Satan's plan. For it would be easier to just be granted eternal life, automatically, regardless of agency, but we wouldn't have really learned anything, or grown or be worthy of the gift or eternal life.
"We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression." (2nd Article of Faith) We believe in choice and accountability, as the Young Women's values taught me and we hold to it.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
"Hank"
So this is a sadder post. Yesterday I was driving to a doctor's appointment. I noticed on my way there that my RPMs were out of control... My car was working hard and not even going the speed limit- and I wasn't going uphill. I'm not very smart with stuff about cars but I knew something was up. I put my hazards on and moved to the slow lane and tried to keep it under 2 RPMs- which helped me go like 15 mph in a 50 mph zone. Then I hit a stop light and as I was passing through my RPMs just dropped to zero and I couldn't hit any gas at all anymore. I wasn't running on empty. I pulled over and called the doctor's office to cancel my appointment. Then I called my sister- the plan was to call AAA, but then I figured I'd try turning off my car and giving it a rest and turning it back on. It worked. But there was an awful knocking noise now- brand new. Great. I thought about driving home and opted on taking it in instead. I started heading back towards downtown Provo and called my Dad. I took it to Smith's Garage- they've helped me out before. He said he'd look at it and today I called and got the diagnosis. The motor is in really bad condition and needs to be replaced and there is some leak in the oil- which caused the knocking noise. I was running on almost no oil- weird cause I got that looked at the first week of December. But I guess when there's a leak I guess it DOES vanish quicker. So it costs too much to fix my car, Henry, or as my friend Scotti refers to him- "Hank", and so Hank is as good as dead- we're going to have to put him out of his misery. I NEVER referred to my car as Hank til now- but for some reason it feels right. So this post is "Hank's" obituary.
I've known Hank his whole life, and my whole driving life. Yes I was "one of those spoiled rotten kids". I had my permit and knew that I would get a car. The deal in my family was, straight A's got you a car, as much as my parents could afford, and for every grade below you got a lower and lower price range. I had straight A's though and so I got my pick. We looked at different cars- the Honda Civic and Accord and the Infiniti G20 were our top picks. The reasons for picking the Infiniti G20- it had leather seats, whereas the Hondas you had to upgrade to get the leather. The Infiniti had a sun/moon roof the Honda did not. The Infiniti had a tape player AND a cd player. The Honda had a tape player but you had to upgrade for a cd player. The Infiniti had keyless entry. AND my little sisters' favorite- the back seats folded down into the trunk. The models we were looking at with Honda did not. To top it all off, it was $2,000 cheaper than either of the Hondas. (Course it didn't end up being cheaper- I'll explain later). I decided on the color red. So it was set- or so I thought. Then one day my Dad tells me they only had made 2 red cars in the whole state of CA and they were both already sold. So we went back to the lot and I decided on blue- dark blue.
The day of my birthday came and we were getting ready to go to dinner (a family tradition- on your birthday you get to choose where we eat, or when we couldn't afford it, we got to choose what my Mom made for dinner) and my Dad tells me, the blue cars have all been sold, let's stop by the dealer on the way to dinner and you can pick out another color. I had already seen the other colors- I didn't really like them in comparison. I mean I was happy to just be getting a car but if I couldn't have the color I wanted- why force me to waste time deciding between colors I don't care about? So I asked, "What about the blue car that was on the lot?" Apparently someone else had bought it for their daughter- probably a similar case. So I was dragged to the dealership once again and was NOT ecstatic. Couldn't they just pick another color? I didn't care. And I don't like shopping- not for cars, or clothes anyways and other stuff like that. We walked through the front and then the guy who had been helping us throughout the whole experience said there were more in the back. We walked to the back and there is a blue car with balloons on it, and I'm thinking- lucky girl, she got the last blue car. We're walking and I'm following the guy and my Dad goes, "What do you think of that blue car?" I'm getting really annoyed with my Dad- he's making me choose another color when I told him I don't have a preference anymore and now he's rubbing it in. So without turning around to look at my Dad I'm like, "It's great Dad, it's the color I wanted." And he goes, "Yeah, but what do you think of it?" I really was not in the mood to have anything rubbed in (this shows how spoiled I am, or how much I hate being forced to choose when I don't have a preference, not sure which one it shows more). I turned around, I don't know what I was going to say, but I saw my Dad looking at me.... with a video camera. And it sunk in. The car was mine. I was like, "I thought the one on the lot had been sold?" To make a long story short, it had been, the story I heard was accurate, this car was slightly different, it was a G20t, the t made all the difference in the world. It bumped up the price, which my Dad paid. And the guy who had been helping us had driven it up from San Diego just that morning. There were only 2 cars left when my Dad bought this one, the other one was in San Francisco area. The t meant it had a turbo engine and "European style headrests" and something different about the tires. So thus began mine and Hank's journey.
We had many good memories in that car. Driving my sisters around, letting them play in the trunk. My freshmen year of college. Racing. That brought Scotti and I together- our first discussion was about how I had a nice car, and the first night we met we raced home. I won. Scotti says I cheated, but I don't recall setting rules to cheat on... :) Getting a racing ticket and going to traffic school with Scotti- our "first date". Haha. That's a whole other story. Going to the temple. Pondering. Driving in general. Making it home in record time. And more recently, taking it slow. I've put Hank through more than his fair share, but I think he still knows I care. When I first got him I used to wash him every week- those were good times too. It became a good way to release stress. And now our times are through, but I will ALWAYS remember my Hank. He was my "first" and will always have a place in my heart. Love you Hank!
Henry "Hank" Lang
Feb. 24, 2001- Jan. 5, 2010
I've known Hank his whole life, and my whole driving life. Yes I was "one of those spoiled rotten kids". I had my permit and knew that I would get a car. The deal in my family was, straight A's got you a car, as much as my parents could afford, and for every grade below you got a lower and lower price range. I had straight A's though and so I got my pick. We looked at different cars- the Honda Civic and Accord and the Infiniti G20 were our top picks. The reasons for picking the Infiniti G20- it had leather seats, whereas the Hondas you had to upgrade to get the leather. The Infiniti had a sun/moon roof the Honda did not. The Infiniti had a tape player AND a cd player. The Honda had a tape player but you had to upgrade for a cd player. The Infiniti had keyless entry. AND my little sisters' favorite- the back seats folded down into the trunk. The models we were looking at with Honda did not. To top it all off, it was $2,000 cheaper than either of the Hondas. (Course it didn't end up being cheaper- I'll explain later). I decided on the color red. So it was set- or so I thought. Then one day my Dad tells me they only had made 2 red cars in the whole state of CA and they were both already sold. So we went back to the lot and I decided on blue- dark blue.
The day of my birthday came and we were getting ready to go to dinner (a family tradition- on your birthday you get to choose where we eat, or when we couldn't afford it, we got to choose what my Mom made for dinner) and my Dad tells me, the blue cars have all been sold, let's stop by the dealer on the way to dinner and you can pick out another color. I had already seen the other colors- I didn't really like them in comparison. I mean I was happy to just be getting a car but if I couldn't have the color I wanted- why force me to waste time deciding between colors I don't care about? So I asked, "What about the blue car that was on the lot?" Apparently someone else had bought it for their daughter- probably a similar case. So I was dragged to the dealership once again and was NOT ecstatic. Couldn't they just pick another color? I didn't care. And I don't like shopping- not for cars, or clothes anyways and other stuff like that. We walked through the front and then the guy who had been helping us throughout the whole experience said there were more in the back. We walked to the back and there is a blue car with balloons on it, and I'm thinking- lucky girl, she got the last blue car. We're walking and I'm following the guy and my Dad goes, "What do you think of that blue car?" I'm getting really annoyed with my Dad- he's making me choose another color when I told him I don't have a preference anymore and now he's rubbing it in. So without turning around to look at my Dad I'm like, "It's great Dad, it's the color I wanted." And he goes, "Yeah, but what do you think of it?" I really was not in the mood to have anything rubbed in (this shows how spoiled I am, or how much I hate being forced to choose when I don't have a preference, not sure which one it shows more). I turned around, I don't know what I was going to say, but I saw my Dad looking at me.... with a video camera. And it sunk in. The car was mine. I was like, "I thought the one on the lot had been sold?" To make a long story short, it had been, the story I heard was accurate, this car was slightly different, it was a G20t, the t made all the difference in the world. It bumped up the price, which my Dad paid. And the guy who had been helping us had driven it up from San Diego just that morning. There were only 2 cars left when my Dad bought this one, the other one was in San Francisco area. The t meant it had a turbo engine and "European style headrests" and something different about the tires. So thus began mine and Hank's journey.
We had many good memories in that car. Driving my sisters around, letting them play in the trunk. My freshmen year of college. Racing. That brought Scotti and I together- our first discussion was about how I had a nice car, and the first night we met we raced home. I won. Scotti says I cheated, but I don't recall setting rules to cheat on... :) Getting a racing ticket and going to traffic school with Scotti- our "first date". Haha. That's a whole other story. Going to the temple. Pondering. Driving in general. Making it home in record time. And more recently, taking it slow. I've put Hank through more than his fair share, but I think he still knows I care. When I first got him I used to wash him every week- those were good times too. It became a good way to release stress. And now our times are through, but I will ALWAYS remember my Hank. He was my "first" and will always have a place in my heart. Love you Hank!
Henry "Hank" Lang
Feb. 24, 2001- Jan. 5, 2010
Friday, January 1, 2010
A Sunny Day goes a LONG, long way
Today my parents and I were talking about, well way more than I'm going to include in this small post. We started talking about my ideal career, and then as a side comment, my Mom was like, "Out of all the kids, you are the one we worry the LEAST about trying to convince to move back to California." Reason being, although I am adaptable and can live anywhere I'm needed, California is my ideal home. There's no convincing needed as long as it's feasible. My Dad started teasing me about how I LOVE the Provo, Utah weather. And then we started discussing how usually January and February are VERY cloudy with very little sun. I've noticed that in my years in Utah. There was one year, in particular that I remember being bad. I felt like I hadn't seen the sun in months- though weeks was probably more accurate. I mean, I could see it's light getting through hazy clouds, but it was always more of a blur- not that same is a bright summer's day and puffy white clouds temporarily covering the sun. Anyways, this one year was AWFUL! My birthday is towards the end of February and I remember praying for a sunny birthday- it was the ONLY thing I really wanted that year. I woke up- normal haze. Went to class. I remember walking out of the Benson building and being able to go home- and it was sunny. There were still clouds, but I could actually SEE the sun, not just it's light. I'm sure it must've also been that time of month, but I cried, not teared up- I full out, cried, my whole way home. I remember passing people on the stairs south of campus and seeing them look at me funny, trying to figure out if I was alright- but I was. I was SO happy, just to see the sun. That was one of the greatest birthdays ever. I have other favorites, but that memory and the warmth of the sun, literally and figuratively, will ALWAYS remain with me. I believe it to have been my present that year from a Heavenly Father who loves me. He hasn't given me sunny days every year, not even if I ask for them every year, but that year, when it meant so much to me- it came. And I don't think it's a mere coincidence. Today was sunny and in the 70s- my type of winter day! :)
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