Blessings, and Answers to Prayers

I am grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life.  Life can be rough, I think all of us know that.  But I am so grateful for the knowledge that my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love me, and that they know what is going on in my life! I know they do, and I know that Heavenly Father answers my prayers.  I have seen so much of this in my life, especially lately! I know that He will answer our prayers, even if it's not immediately, like we want, but He does, and the answers usually end up being so much better than what we asked for in the first place!
I also know that He knows me personally, and can help with anything in my life.  I have felt the peace of the Spirit so much, and am grateful for that.  I love the line in the Hymn "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" that says: "Ponder anew, what the Almighty can do".  I have thought about that so much, and have realized how much Heavenly Father can do for me, and how much He does do.  I know that with Him, and the Atonement that Jesus Christ went through for me, I can do anything!!! He really does fill in the gaps in life.  If I do my best, and try to live His commandments, He will make up the rest!

So so grateful to see Heavenly Father's hand in my life! And I am grateful to know He has a plan for me, and He wants me to be happy!

http://mormon.org/plan-of-happiness

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
1. Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!

O my soul, praise him, for he is thy health and salvation!
Join the great throng,
Psaltery, organ and song,
Sounding in glad adoration!

2. Praise to the Lord! Over all things he gloriously reigneth.
Borne as on eagle wings, safely his Saints he sustaineth.
Hast thou not seen
How all thou needest hath been
Granted in what he ordaineth?

3. Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy way and defend thee.
Surely his goodness and mercy shall ever attend thee.
Ponder anew, What the Almighty can do,
Who with his love doth befriend thee.

4. Praise to the Lord! Oh, let all that is in me adore him!
All that hath breath, join with Abraham’s seed to adore him!
Let the “amen” Sum all our praises again,
Now as we worship before him.

Holidays, Family, Friends

I am so grateful for holidays where we get time off from our everyday, for being able to spend time with family, and also for spending time with great friends!
I had a great 4th of July holiday, and am grateful for the day to refresh, and have fun! I am also grateful for the reason we celebrate the holiday; for our freedom, our country, and to those who fight to maintain that freedom.  What a blessing it is to live in this country, and to know that God had His hand in establishing it!

Here are some pictures of my 4th of July: (I didn't take as many as I normally do... shocking!)

Awesome breakfast at Riverton Town Days!

(And my cute Grandma, always so festive!)

I love this picture! Because of our sweet "B.A.C.A" tattoos, and also because of the angle...

 Looking down...you can tell a Very Tall person took it! haha

                                              

A little glimpse of the Riverton City fireworks, we always have a great seat!

Blessings

I am so grateful for all the blessings that I have in my life! Especially lately, life is so great, and I can definitely see Heavenly Father's hand in everything. I love to see how much Heavenly Father really does bless me, and I know that He loves me, knows me personally, what I'm all about, and what I need.

I think I have posted about this before, but I am so so grateful for the temple, and all of the covenants that we make there, and all that we can receive from that.  Every time I go, I come away with the most amazing peace I have ever felt.  I LOVE IT! I have received many answers to my prayers while I am serving in the temple, I don't know how I would ever make it without the temple in my life, and being able to go.  I know that whatever you go for, whether it be baptisms, or other ordinances, or even if you just go visit the grounds, you can feel of our Heavenly Father's spirit. 
I love this message from President Monson about Temples, you should check it out!

http://www.lds.org/study/prophets-speak-today/unto-all-the-world/turn-toward-the-temple?lang=eng

He talks about how so many people sacrifice so much to attend the temple! I love the part in there where he talks about that for those of us who have temples so close, our sacrifice is time, in going to the temple as often as we can, to do the work for those who are waiting for it.  So great. Read it!

I will leave you with a great picture of the temple, and an amazing quote from the above mentioned President Monson message.

"The world can be a challenging and difficult place in which to live.  We are often surrounded by that which would drag us down.  As you and I go to the holy houses of God, as we remember the covenants we make within, we will be more able to bear every trial and to overcome each temptation.  In this sacred sanctuary we will find peace; we will be renewed and fortified."

Workin' for the Weekend

I am grateful for weekends! I have realized how grateful I am for them as I have worked a lot of weekends in the current job that I have, and most recently, I worked every day this past weekend.  I am grateful that (in most normal work schedules) there are weekends set aside to take a break, recharge, get things done, or just do nothing if we so choose! Plus, they are always something fun to look forward to, because good things happen on weekends.

That's pretty much it for this post, remember to enjoy your free weekends, or busy weekends, or whatever they may be!
And even if you hate this song, it always makes me think of FRIDAY and it's catchy despite it's stupid factor, and is usually in my head every Friday.  Plus, you'll enjoy this little gem of a performance, because Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert make anything funny!

Just Because

I am grateful for the "Just Because" moments in life.  Let me explain... I think they are the things that people do, what they say or how they show you they care about you, appreciate you, or are just thinking about you in life. Someone could send a card saying they are grateful for your friendship "just because".  A friend, boyfriend/girlfriend, husband/wife, etc. could send you flowers "just because" they care about you, and want to brighten up your day.  Someone could bring you a treat (my first thought was a Jamba Juice!) "just because" they were thinking of you, and thought you might like it.  Someone could write a little note telling you to have a great day "just because".  Someone could smile at you, or make way for you during traffic "just because" they were feeling friendly that day. There are so many, many ways that you could, and I could, show someone I care about them "just because".  Whether they are struggling with something in their life, or they just need a pick me up on a certain day, or whether they just need to know someone is thinking about them, those "just because" moments can be the best thing to brighten up anyone's day.  I know I have always been grateful for these little expressions that people show me, and even a smile can brighten my day, "just because".  So as you go about your days, (and I am letting this be a reminder to myself, as well) don't forgot to keep in mind those "just because" moments, take advantage of them, and let others know you care.  It might make you feel better too!

Once in a Lifetime

I am grateful for once in a lifetime experiences! One that I particularly want to share is when my friends and I got FRONT ROW SEATS to a Brad Paisley concert!!! Seriously, the most amazing thing ever! Especially considering how addicted I am to concerts.

So here is the story:

Me, Jessica, Jana, and Rachel had lower bowl tickets to the concert. We were super excited, as I said, we are pretty addicted to concerts. We had listened to Chuck Wicks, who was one of the openers for Brad. Then, we went out to get some ice cream. As we were coming back in to our seats, this guy comes up to us, and (what I thought was kinda creepily...) asks us if we want front row tickets, courtesy of Brad Paisley. I really was kind of walking away, because I thought he was a creepy guy trying to get us to talk to him, and that they weren't real. Then, Rachel went up to him, took the tickets, and asked if he was serious. Well, he was. We took the 4 tickets, and asked one of the ushers if they were real, and where we were supposed to go. She said yes, and, with our ice cream in hand, proceeded to guide us ALL the way down on the floor, to the VERY FRONT ROW!!! We seriously were shocked! And amazed, and totally excited! Rodney Atkins came next, and we could see him so well! He was so close to us! Needless to say, we hurried and got rid of the ice cream, because who cared about that now?! Then, Brad Paisley came out. Oh. My. Goodness. He was SOO close!! It was amazing!! It was the coolest thing that has ever happened at a concert, and I'm sure won't ever happen again. I took lots of pictures, so here you go, you can look at these if you don't believe my story. What a cool memory to have, I am grateful for fun things I have done and pictures to remember them by!

Well there you go. So great!

Super Sweet Moments

I am grateful for other sweet moments. At my job, I have gotten a lot of cool opportunities. I was at an event with the Temple Square sister missionaries just before Christmas, and they were taking pictures with a Christmas background to send to their families for Christmas. It was so great to see how excited they all were for the opportunity, and to see how much they all loved each other. They were taking pictures with all of the other sister missionaries that they loved, and they were all crowding around to be in pictures with their wonderful mission president and his wife. What a great example to me of how excited we all should be about missionary work, and how we should love everyone!

After they took their pictures, the sister missionaries who had completed their missions and were going home got to say one thing (out of many I'm sure) that they had really learned while on their missions. What they said was AMAZING!! Really made me think about how blessed I am for the gospel in my life, and how I should re-evaluate and remember the wonderful things about the Gospel.

Some of them talked about how they really have learned to love everyone, the people they work with, and all of those people that visit Temple Square that they came in contact with. Some talked about how they really KNOW that Jesus Christ is our Savior, and how His Atonement saves us. Some talked about how they have come to know that the Book of Mormon is completely true.

There were many other things they talked about, and as I was sitting there so early in the morning, I had tears in my eyes. What a wonderful opportunity for me to hear all their testimonies, and to feel of their spirits, and the spirit of the Lord. I am grateful for the opportunity that I get to be surrounded by things of the Spirit everyday in my work environment.

I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true, and I am so grateful for the daily reminders and sweet experiences I receive.

It's the Small Stuff

I am grateful for all the little things in life. I have been trying to look at all these small things that happen everyday in my life that I can be grateful for; and let me tell you, as I have been looking specifically for them, there really are so many! It is amazing to realized how blessed I really am, and how even the small things that don't seem as important really are. It makes me realize even more how much my Heavenly Father loves me, and how even in the little daily things, He wants me to be happy, and helps me make that happen!

Some of the little things I have noticed lately that I am grateful for are:


-A headache that came on after a big event at work, so that I successfully got through the event without the extra added head pressure.
-A kind smile from someone
-A text/note from a friend out of the blue
-A silly joke that makes you laugh in spite of yourself to brighten the day
-A devotional, class, or workshop that seems to talk about just what I am struggling with on a bad day. This is Heavenly Father telling me it's all ok!
-Dreading a Monday workday, but then going and it is actually a good day
-Green traffic lights when you are running late
-Being able to laugh at myself when silly things happen... I've been very clumsy lately!
-Heated seats in my Dad's car
-New friendships
-Change
-When I find lost items in the lost & found at my job and it makes people happy
-Silly phone calls/comments from people that come into my work office that make me laugh
-Getting together with old friends, and it's like no time has passed
-Parties
-New Haircuts!


Well, there are many many other things I'm sure I could write, and maybe I will make another list later. I challenge anyone (all 5 or 6 of you...) that read this to think of the small daily blessings that you receive, and you might be surprised at how many there are!


Here is a picture of me with my new haircut, which I love! (and being silly with my cousins, who I also love love love!!)

Friendships and Opportunities

I have been thinking a lot about friendship lately. I am grateful for all the many friendships and opportunites to meet many different people I have had. I was looking back at how fun it is that at different times and stages in my life, I have had different groups of friends.
I have met friends in all of the different work situations I have had. I have met many friends in my single's ward (especially with all of the times this past year my ward has changed!), as well as meeting friends at the many different actitivties I have been to. I have met friends in my home ward. I have friends that I have had and kept since high school. I have met friends in my college classes. I have met friends through the callings I have served in. I have friends that I have re-connected with that I knew in elementary, middle school, and high school. I have met friends through institute classes. I have met friends through dating.
There are so many everyday situations that I have had, and that hopefully we all have, to make friends, and hopefully keep as lasting friendships. What a blessing it has been for me to have met all these great friends, and that I have more opportunities to meet more people. I have been so blessed by the example of each and every one of these people that I have met at all the various times in my life, and am so grateful for the impact they have had on my life. And even though I don't keep in everyday contact with all of these people, I love that I can talk to any one of them anytime, and feel as though we have never been apart. I think that is what true friendship is!!
So... I cherish the opportunity to have met each one of you. I am grateful for your impact on my life.
Friendship is one of the greatest blessings!