Because our apartment is a greenhouse and a Disney movie

So my roommates this semester are plant lovers. It is really fun. In our apartment we have I think 4 different potted plants, which doesn't seem like that many, but when your living quarters are as tiny as ours, four plants makes the place look like a greenhouse. It is fun, I like it a lot. :)

Also, we have a lot of Disney lovers, which I obviously love. Not a day goes by that we do not all burst into a Disney song, usually while we are getting ready in the morning. Emily always amazes me because she knows every word to every song.

I love my roomies, they are great. :)

Grateful, Grateful, Grateful, Grateful. :)

I always have intentions of being a good blogger. And especially when I read my friend's cute blogs, friends like Amberly and Melissa, I feel inspired to blog. But sometimes I feel like I don't have much to say. But right now my heart is full of gratitude and I wanted to express how very happy and blessed I feel.

My mom, Cheryl Carson, is my best friend. She is the cutest, funniest little lady and she just cracks me up. I love talking to her, she is such a good listener and full of wisdom. I was born when she was older, so by the time I came along she already had had a ton of life experience. She is an amazing lady and I love her so much.

Last weekend she went to the Emergency Room in intense pain. On Tuesday she was tested for pancreatic cancer. For some reason, this whole ordeal was really hard for me. This type of cancer takes people very quick, and my mom decided long ago that if she ever had cancer she would not get chemo. The thoughts of possibly losing my mom broke my heart. I should have been able to tell myself to just not think about it since we didn't know yet the results from the MRI, but it was just very difficult for me for a couple of days.

The test results came back on Thursday and we found out that what she has are benign cysts. I was so happy and relieved and grateful!!!

What I learned from this experience is never to take your loved ones for granted, you really never know when they might leave you (for a time). I mean, just because my mom doesn't have cancer doesn't mean that she couldn't get in a terrible car accident tomorrow. My mom told me that she thinks everyone should have a week of thinking they might be dying, she says it really helps you get your priorities straight. :)

Other than that little story, I don't have a whole lot to report in my life. I am going to school and I love it. I have a great ward and wonderful friends. And I am planning on being a better blogger!

I haven't blogged in a long time...

Hello there! So I haven't written in my blog in 48 years. Here is what has been going on in my life:

1) I dated someone, a really outstanding person, but it didn't work out. It's ok though. :) The thing that was not very fun about it is that I have always felt that it is much easier to be broken up with than to do the breaking up. I don't like hurting people's feelings very much, but I always feel it is more important to be honest and to-the-point in a kind way. Anyways, I hope that his life is filled with blessings, he deserves them!

2) I have continued to work at the Charleston Assisted Living Community. I love my job so much. I get to be surrounded by such wonderful people every day and I learn so much from them. Sometimes the residents will just say the sweetest, cutest things and it just makes my day. :) My coworkers are some of my dear friends and they are amazing examples to me. I am so blessed!

3) I went to the doctor for some girl stuff. My body has been whacko lately, it is not my favorite thing. I think it is starting to replenish itself, which is great. Being tired and feeling like I needed 14 hours of sleep a day was not very fun. Especially because it is harder for your spirit to feel happy when your body feels like it got hit by a truck--not impossible, just harder. But I have so much to be grateful for. Sometimes looking back I feel like my trials are tiny pebbles compared to the mountains that so many people go through. (Knock on wood.)

4) My mom opened a cute etsy shop, check it out! I am going to be putting my crocheted headbands on there pretty soon too. :) http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheCrochetingHook

5) This week I attended BYU Education Week for the 3rd time. I LOVE it and it is the highlight of my year! I would highly recommend going. It was so fun to attend with my mom (the cutest, strangest, quirkiest little gray-haired lady in the world), my older sister Stephanie (the FUNNIEST, most artistically talented, loving and accepting person I know), and my 15-year-old niece Melissa (the most stylish, gorgeous, poised, cute and intelligent girl ever). I love these ladies to pieces! We laughed our guts out, cried together, and learned so much about the gospel, ourselves, life, and true happiness.

I love my life! I love the imperfections, I love the joys, I love the true peace and happiness the gospel provides, and I love MY journey. It is so exciting and I feel so grateful for each day.

Savior

You know what? Trials are a part of this life. Big ones and little ones. And you know what else? They are custom made for each of us. And you know another thing? I am truly learning that my Savior and Brother Jesus Christ understands perfectly everything that we are going through. Elder Holland said "He knows the way out, and He knows the way up."

It is this truth that gives me so much strength. I won't go into personal detail, but I, like all of us, have something difficult in my life. The thing that makes it hard is that I will think that I have overcome it completely, and then everything crashes down again. It is a very quiet trial that I rarely talk about, mostly because other people cannot understand the pain it causes unless they have experienced it themselves. But He knows. He really does! He knows exactly how I feel and the emotions I experience. And most importantly, He can heal me. I know that healing is a process, a learning process, but I find great joy and peace in waiting upon the Lord.

I am grateful for my trials. I look back on them and I wouldn't trade the lessons they have taught me and the person they have helped me become for anything. My trials seem so small and insignificant compared to the truly heartbreaking things that so many people endure; but to my Shepherd they are not small. He is there, He understands, He loves us, He will heal and help us.

Why I Wanted to Delete Facebook

DISCLAIMER: Upon reading this post, you may find the author to be old-fashioned, prudish, and over-the-top. No offense is intended. :)

So some of you may have read the facebook status I posted a little bit ago declaring that I intended to delete my facebook account. Since then I have decided to keep my account, so I can keep in touch with friends and see people's wedding and baby pictures, but I would like to take this opportunity to explain why I do feel the way I do about facebook and all other social networks.

I think it's silly. Silly! It is silly how dependent our society has become on social networking. I see so many people who cannot fully enjoy anything in life unless they have posted a facebook status about it, written a blog entry, tweeted, and put up pictures on Instagram. It is silly that people's real lives have become inseparable from their virtual lives. And more than silly, I think it is sad. It is sad that people will spend so much of their lives in front of a glowing monitor, not really living at all. And on top of being silly and sad, I also think it is quite dumb.

So, to each their own, but as for me, most of the time you will find me actually living my life for reals. I will be going on walks in the foothills, having meaningful face-to-face conversations with the people I care about, smelling the gorgeous roses that are in full bloom outside, and singing for residents at assisted living centers.

I am so grateful for my life. I am so blessed. I love to live.

Issues

I absolutely love my Institute class. We are studying the New Testament and my teacher is amazing! He is so knowledgeable about the scriptures and the things I am learning are blowing my mind. I look forward so much to every Thursday evening and I wouldn't miss a class for the world.

One of the things we learned about last night was how we can liken the miracles of physical healing that Christ performed while on the earth to how He heals us emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually in our personal lives. I will probably never be blind or have leprosy, but there are areas of my life in which I am spiritually blind or emotionally ill.

We took a look at the story of the woman who had the issue of blood 12 years. Our teacher asked us to replace the word "blood" with something that is personal to us, perhaps "an issue of depression" or "an issue of self-esteem" or "an issue of an addiction." Just like the woman who's faith made her whole by touching the Savior's robe, we too can be made whole when we touch Christ and access His Atonement.

Thanks so much for reading! I like this blogging thing. :) 

My Life Currently

Isn't life interesting? I think it is so amazing how much we as humans personally change and evolve over the months and years.

At the moment I am living at home for the summer and working 35-40 hours per week at the Charleston Assisted Living Center, which is the best job, I love it and am so very grateful for it. Comparing myself to the person I was a year ago is astounding, especially in one particular category...

My biggest passion used to be theater. I lived to perform. So naturally I was excited to audition to be a part of the bunch up at Playmill Theater in West Yellowstone. That was my plan for this summer and it seemed perfect. I love all my friends who are there and the family who owns and directs the theater is absolutely amazing. Then, about a month before I was planning on auditioning, I was praying about my plans and I received a very strong "no", that Playmill was not the path for me at this time. At first I was so confused, how could performing all summer long not be perfect for me? But there was no denying what I had felt, and there was no denying that I felt perfect peace at the prospect of going home and working for the summer.

Since I have been home there have been two plays I have almost been a part of. The first was Alpine Community Theater's production of "Annie". I have done three shows at ACT and the amazing people there are like a second family for me. The day of the auditions I got all dressed up and was literally walking out the door to go to audition when I had a complete meltdown. I felt so worried and full of anxiety at the thought of doing a show, so I didn't audition. You would think that after that I would have gotten the message, but not quite. A few weeks later I went and tried out for "The Sound of Music", simply because Maria is one of my dream roles. A few days later I found out that due to some scheduling conflicts the show had been canceled. Hahah! It almost felt like a joke.

Not doing any kind of theater has been very different and new for me. But it has also been very, very good. I couldn't even begin to write about how much I have learned about myself. The biggest thing I have learned is that there is more to me than performing, a lot more. Singing and dancing does not in any way define who I am. There is so much more that I can do. Who I really am is a daughter of God and I have infinite worth that wouldn't diminish if I were to be injured and couldn't dance or lost my voice and couldn't sing.

I have also learned that the Lord's plan for me is approximately 5 million times better than any plan I could come up with for myself. :)