Enjoy the Life You Have This Moment!!

Today I re-learned a profound truth that struck me so deeply. Our Relief Society president talked about our lives and how far too often we want the next step, next step, next step. What happens when all we are desiring is the next step in our lives, we skip out on learning the things we need to learn in order to get to that next step. 

In our culture it is expected to get married in your early to mid 20's, and procreate and live happily ever after. What was suggested today that really resonated with me was that we will only get this opportunity once in our life to truly and sincerely focus on ourselves, bettering and making ourselves stronger individuals. Never again for the rest of our lives will we have the unique chance to develop our talents, develop our abilities on the level that we do today. If we focus on bettering ourselves, and being the person that the Lord needs us to be, in time we will be ready for that next step when it comes. The Lord is in charge of every step in our lives, and he has many things to teach us all along the path, and when we are only focusing on the next step in our lives, we fail to recognize the powerful and beautiful lessons that our Father in Heaven has in store for us. 

I know that it is when we live in the very moment in our lives, and focus on bettering ourselves, no matter what, that is when we find happiness, and become more attractive to all persons because we are on the road to discovering who we are and who we need to be. When I focus on me, and bettering who I need to be, both temporally and spiritually, that is when I am the happiest with myself. The Lord wants us all to experience life at it's fullest. He doesn't want us to sit and wait for life to come to us, he wants us to go and find meaning in life. Developing new talents, new aspirations, new meaning, new learning etc. He wants us to return to him saying I gave it my all, and I lived everyday to the max! For truly the only thing that we can take with us in the next life is our knowledge, and I want the opportunity to say that I utilized my time, and expanded myself beyond my imagination. I feel that when we desire to learn more, that is when the Lord helps us expand our knowledge. I want to live life, enjoying every step in my life, and bettering myself everyday. The good habits that I form now will carry over whenever I am ready for that next step in my life. Until then, I will learn, grow and develop, and not rush what the Lord needs to teach me, and see his beauty in the journey that he has picked for me, and know that my growing is only unique to me and nobody else. 

The Miracles of Jesus

I had the pleasure of going to a baptism yesterday evening of a darling little girl that belonged to one of my dear friends. After she was baptized, they played a dvd displaying the miracles of Jesus, such as the lame to walk, the blind to see, seas calmed, sins forgiven, the lepers healed, and a woman healed simply by touching the hem of his garment. To see the many mighty miracles that was brought about in the life ministry of our savior was ever so touching. 

I was thinking to myself how amazing it would have been to be able to be alive during those times, and to witness these life altering events that made them firm believers. It was then that I realized the mighty miracles that the Lord has blessed me with in my own life. He never restored my vision in a physical sense, but he is the reason I am able to see the things I do today. It is Jesus Christ who has picked me up when I have felt like a leper, and he has healed my heart. He has calmed the stormy seas in my life, and has given me the opportunity to step out on the raging waters and keep my eyes on him, knowing that he is my only means of survival. These miracles that I speak of in my own life are nothing short of the miracles that Jesus Christ performed when he walked the earth. If we tune in more, we will see the many miracles not just in our own lives, but all around us.  One of my favorite quotes from president Hinckley that I have committed to memory because it resonates so freely with me is this.. “Like the polar stars in the heavens, there stands the redeemer of the world, the Son of God, certain and sure as the anchor of our immortal lives. He is the rock of our salvation, our strength, our comfort, the very focus of our faith. In sunshine and in shadow he is there to assure and smile upon us.” Found here

I am grateful for a mother and a father who taught me to learn about the teachings and miracles of Jesus, so that his miracles could be found in my life. I love him, and I’m glad that he walks with me in my life. Life would be too hard without him. I know he lives, I have not seen him, but I feel him all around me, and that is enough for me. I hope that I might look closer to see even more everyday miracles of Jesus Christ in my life. 

Indiana

Something about the aroma of fresh cut Hoosier grass with the scent of moisture contained within each blade of grass that allows memories to flood back to me like a steady flowing river. It reminds me of being outside playing so innocently as a child. Collecting the piles of freshly mowed grass so I could have "fences' for my plastic Bryer horses. Or to outline roads for hot wheels cars that my brothers and I would play in the dirt with. I would dream of the day when I would be allowed behind the wheel and be able to have the windows down with the wind blowing carelessly through my hair with the sun beaming beautifully all around.

I got to go see Grandma, and we went on a drive along the countryside, looking at the luscious greens that lit up so beautifully with the perfect reflections of the sun that illuminated God's love on each branch, leaf, flower, and hillside that it touched. To me, God's love is all around us. We sat on the back porch of my aunt's and caught up with family members, laughing and talking about life's perplexities.

I helped my grandma plant her flower boxes the other day, I left the gloves off so I could feel the dirt under my fingernails (something this germ-o-fobe never does), but it's being outside in the nature in Indiana that brings back so many memories that I can't resist. As soon as we moved onto the last flower box, it began to steadily sprinkle, and we laughed as we hurriedly finished the last box, and had gotten into a rhythm of knowing how we wanted the flowers arranged. The cool crisp air accompanied the raindrops. I rode home with a hoodie on, reminded of many past times, and the years that have gone, and where life has taken me. Yet some things are so similar and exactly how I remember them as a growing girl. 

I love waking up with the windows open, hearing the birds singing in the trees nearby, welcoming another cool, dew filled morning.  The sun peeks, showing it's smiling face, and showing it's glee on the upcoming flowers, ready to bloom. Maybe this all sounds a little cornball, but I realize how much I miss the simplicity of Indiana. I miss the nature that so beautifully surrounds Indiana's landscapes. God shows his love everyday in astronomical ways. People would have to be blind, deaf, and dumb to not see his hand so brilliantly shone through his works and wonders in this world that surrounds us! 

I think it's important to always go back to the basics and remember where we came from to better chart where were going. 

Things As They Really Are

I rediscovered this, and how thought provoking it is about out current society. We all get so wrapped up in the things of today, and sometimes we don't realize how much it detracts us from the things we need to be doing. That time we spend on technology could be spent building and strengthening relationships. Like  it's mentioned, technology is a blessing, just as long as we're using it in the right manner. How grateful I am for Prophet, seers, and revelators today in this time. Give this video a watch! (click on the words below)

 Things As They Really Are

Life As A Florida State Seminole

One of The Hardest Part of the move.. My nieces/Children

All the nieces I've watched since birth pretty much

Doak Campbell Stadium

This is Florida State University... The prettiest campus I've ever seen! 

This is our front door (if you couldn't guess)

This Is our Guest Room


After much stress and hard work, I made it to Tallahassee with TONS of help from others. I honestly can say, I know this is where the Lord wants me to be, otherwise there were 1000 barriers that would have prevented me from being here, but the Lord removed them, so I could enjoy being a Seminole. :) It's moments like these that makes you sit back, and realize how involved the Lord is in our lives. He really does care about even the small details of our lives, such as what college I should attend, which house I should live in, which major I should choose... Countless things that matter to him.


Because of faulty paperwork or lack thereof from my previous college (despite efforts on my end), I wasn't officially admitted into FSU until the DAY classes started! I had orientation, turned in all my medical paper work, called my sister told her what was going on, and she registered me for classes (because I didn't have a computer with me to register) . At FSU if you don't go to the first class, your automatically dropped from the course. After grabbing a bite to eat with my dad, we booked it to try and find my classes on a HUGE campus that I had no CLUE about other than the football stadium, and last I heard they don't offer classes at the Doak Campbell Stadium! I ran my legs off that first day, and honestly I don't know if I could have held it all together if it weren't for my dad being right next to me. He was SO very patient, and was there with anything I needed. I didn't even have a notepad for my first class because I had heard Orientation would be all day, but turned out because it was the first day of class, they shortened what would have been a 8 hour orientation down to 45 minutes (pretty intense). Thankfully dad had a notepad, and I was able to take it with me to my first few classes. When I was stressing because I couldn't find where I needed to go, and I didn't have a map, he without me asking, came and found me, and brought me his map. He was a sport in every sense of the word. He sat patiently outside of all my classrooms waiting for me to finish. He was such a blessing and stress reliever to me. I had no idea what I needed to do, but somehow Heavenly Father would quietly lead me to the right decision. I just prayed that I knew this is what he wanted for me, and he was going to have to help me, because I didn't know how I would be able to get everything done I needed to do, and you know what, it all got done, and I give all the credit to him.


So here I am at Florida State,  the school I've wanted to be at since I was a little girl. I've worked hard to get here, and honestly I didn't think I would actually make this dream of mine come true because of multiple reasons (I would have went to a University in Central Florida). I am so glad that I am here! I am so glad that things happen for a reason, and people come into our lives and help us understand what God wants for us. Things don't always go according to the way we had planned, but they do always go  according to what in the end will benefit us the most.


In the short time I've lived here in Tallahassee, I've learned even more about myself, about what I'm made of, and about who and what matters most to me. I've gained a stronger sense of the important things in life. I'm blessed with family members that would do all in their power to help me achieve success on all levels. They are my greatest support system, and I can truly say, I don't know what I would do without them. They moved my entire place without me being back in Lake Wales to help them. They took time away from their families to help me move here to further my education. I have a family that a lot of people desire. For that I am so grateful! They are my best friends and closes confidents.-- They probably only helped because they are excited to have a place to stay for FOOTBALL SEASON!! haha    I'm excited to share it with them, and be here during that exciting time of year! ohhh yeah!!! Bring on the times of our lives!!! The Doak will rock that much harder this year!!! GO NOLES GO!!!! 

The Real Christmas Cheer

One thing that strikes me most about Christmas is spending it with our loved ones. With loving words echoing throughout the home, with arms wide open to love and embrace one another. To be more forgiving of one another and mostly, to be willing to try and see things more like the savior. It's something about the majesty of celebrating his birth that brings about miraculous things that allow us, the children of men to love more freely. To cherish one another more freely. The birth of this babe has caused such goodness and love to be spread so vastly throughout the world. Our families gather to honor and praise his birth and to give thanks to him for the over abundance he has provided in our families.

Christmas is a time of great reflection within ourselves, within our families, and within the world around us. People give more freely of the money they earn no matter how meager that may be. People extend themselves to bake cookies for loved ones, friends, and even strangers. People want in on the action of Christmas that brings man such joy into their hearts. I am so grateful for this time of year. It is so important for each of us to reflect on our lives and how we can learn and improve ourselves. To draw closer to the Savior, to honor him and his life in the coming year more fully. It's the birth of Jesus Christ that brings us such joy and happiness.

How grateful I am for that little baby that was the king of all the world who would redeem us all of sin, was born in the most humblest of circumstances in Bethlehem. How humbled I am that he in all of his holiness was not born of fine linen, gold, or worldly riches (which would be expected at the birth of such a majestic being.)  He was born to loving parents and in a manger he laid with straw and animals abound. If he, the Master and Savior of us all was born in these circumstances, than who am I to have any earthly possession? He is the exemplar in every sense of the word of how we are supposed to be. He shows us by example that the important things in life are not seen by man. Surely he brings glad tidings of great joy to my soul, and makes me want to shout hosannah for knowing him as my Lord. He has brought life and light into my soul that can never be replaced by any worldly thing. I am grateful for his life and his death which makes it possible to return home to our Father in Heaven one day. I am grateful that I live in a country that allows me to freely worship him and his Father. He is the best friend to all of us. He knows us intimately, even more than we know ourselves. In sunshine and in shadow he is there to assure and smile upon us. May each of us remember the 'sunshine' he brings into our lives, and slow down enough to see the light he brings into our lives. It's not the fancy things that gives us joy, it's him that brings us the ultimate joy that will last throughout eternity. I'll forever be grateful for that baby Jesus that has impacted my life more than any other person to ever walk this earth. May each of you be able to live more fully in the JOY that only he can offer each of us!

Merry Christmas to each of you!

He called Some Apostles..For the perfecting of The Saints

So last Friday I had the great opportunity to go see David A. Bednar in Orlando across from our temple. It is such a rare occurrence to have an Apostle in our area, let alone a fireside with one. He did a Q and A session for 2 hours, which was very enlightening and uplifting for everyone in attendance. Some highlights of things mentioned were..(I'm mainly recording this for myself) It's going to seem very unorganized, but the answers depend on the question of others.

That it doesn't matter where any of us came from as far as background in the church, we have the potential inside of us to become anything we want or need to be. It doesn't matter if we had the priesthood, family prayer or Family home evening in the home. All that matters is that we have the desire to have that in OUR own homes in the future. He then went on to say that when his wife was pregnant with their son, she threw up constantly and by the time she was at the end of her pregnancy she was physically exhausted. Their son had colic and was up all during the night. She would breastfeed him and he would stay up for hours with him reading scriptures to him while he had the Mormon tabernacle choir playing in the background. He said no body told him to do that, but he always wondered what kind of family he would have if he did those things. He never had a father with the priesthood and he wanted to be that example in his own family. The main point he was trying to make was when Heavenly Father is with us we truly can do anything and be the type of parents he wants us to be regardless of our backgrounds.

He said When we raise our hand to sustain someone in the church, we are promising to help them succeed. That means to help them in anyway we can. (I thought that was an interesting thought).

When someone asked him how to keep the Holy Ghost with us more frequently, he said that we shouldn't gear up to receive the Holy Ghost, but rather simply keep our covenants that we have made at baptism, sacrament, temple etc. It's not studying the scriptures a certain way that better benefits us, it's how we live our lives. Asking, and seeking is how we receive revelation.

Along the same lines he talked about prayer and how it's a common misunderstanding about prayer. Too many people want the assurance and sit and wait for the answer to their prayers when that isn't how God answers prayers at all. We need to have more FAITH in things we hope for and can't see. FAITH is the principle of action he wants us to take the STEP and the LIGHT assures us we are on the right path. So our prayers should work like this

• FAITH
• ACTION
• ASSURANCE

He then went onto say that Peter didn't know he could walk on the water until he took the FAITH and stepped out of the boat and through his ACTION he got the ASSURANCE.

That was one of my favorite points of the night.

The gift of tongues is not just learning a bunch of languages, but rather the gift of tongues is knowing the right thing to say at the right time and place through the spirit of the Lord.

The reason Pornography is so detrimental to our society is that it darkens our understanding of what God intends for us as his children on earth, and we forget who we are and what heavenly father wants for us. We need to be prepared to face the evils of the day and know how we will stand up and be a man or woman of integrity. We make that decision one time in our lives and we never waiver. If you don't know how your going to handle a situation when you are faced with it, you are spiritually dead. He went further and said that it isn't enough to have a testimony. It's simply the beginning not the conclusion. A testimony is not enough for you to withstand. You need to be converted to the Lord. To be converted, you stand up and are willing to follow the Lord. That's the way we all must be. Alma 23:5-6*

The #1 thing he wants for all of us is to be doctrinally grounded in the simple doctrine of Jesus Christ. We live in a world that thinks Good is evil and evil is good. Unless we understand the simple doctrine we will wonder in the darkness of the world. We want those around us to know WHY we obey, WHY we attend church meetings-- To feel the companionship of the Godhead (Holy Ghost) That's WHY we become doctrinally grounded and the power of Satan will have NO hold on us.

Someone stood and asked how we learn to forgive what seems like an unforgivable sin. To which he responded.. YOU cannot forgive them. It's only in and through the power of the Atonement that we CAN forgive. You cannot forgive someone of your own will but of the Lord's.. When we take the sacrament we do it for a remission of not only our sins, but others. Mosiah 24:13-15

Notice that the covenants are central to ordinances.

The power of Godliness is manifest in the power of the priesthood.

and the power of Godliness is the atonement of Jesus Christ.

The Ordinances of the gospel is what helps us forgive and manifest the power of godliness.

Forgiveness of sins is overcoming the sins of the fall of Adam.

We forgive through and only through the power of the Atonement!

He also said that Satan only attacks the things he hates.. The reason he HATES it so much is because he will never have those things, and so he attacks them the strongest. He will never have a body, he will never have a family, he will never be able to make covenants, he will never have eternal life. How much sense that makes! I had never quite heard it like that before.

He invoked a blessing on us that according to our faithfulness that we would not let our fears rule our lives. That we would never take council from our fears.

*Most of this is me paraphrasing what he said, as a result it's not word for word. It's my own interpretation.

What a blessing it was to see an Apostle of the Lord! I do know that we are a blessed people to have such men of God lead and guide us in a way that is pleasing until the Lord. I know that if we follow their counsel and direction that we will make it safely back home to our father in Heaven and he will tell us well done thou good and faithful servant! :) What a wonderful time it is to be alive and to be able to participate in such goodness! It was evident as I shook hands with him and he looked into my eyes that he was a servant of the Lord. He brought the love of the Lord with him, and I felt it so deeply.

One Step at a Time

Today had an unexpected turn towards the right direction! When I went on PSC's website to register for graduation in May, I was informed that I had two classes to finish up aside from the one I'm currently enrolled in. My heart sank as I had prepared for this to be my final semester at PSC, and now to have this hurdle in front of me made my mind spin. Yesterday I walked into an adviser (a new one because my old one retired) and she said the same thing, but called the advisor coordinator. He said he would review my information and would meet me the following morning at another campus to go over it all. I woke up early so I would be early for my appointment, and as soon as he saw me he said I have some very good news for you, you won't have to take those classes *sigh of relief* , so I'm just going to go over to administration and make sure we input it into our system. So I sat there for what seemed like forever (25-30 minutes) and he finally comes back and has a huge smile on his face and said "It's your lucky day, not only do you NOT have to take those classes, but you've fulfilled all the requirements, and have GRADUATED, congratulations!!!! I looked at him dumbfounded and said, you mean after this semester, right? He said no, right now, today, You're graduated! I couldn't believe my ears.. What!?!, I don't understand, I don't know what to say was all I could say. He said with a smile on his face, yes, you are finished with your AA!! I was completely shocked and didn't know how to react! How thankful I am to be FINISHED! -At least with my AA, now on to my BS!! I'm more than excited, and what an incredible way to start off my day! I don't think I've ever been so happy and felt so accomplished any day of my life so far! :) Heavenly Father has blessed my life so richly, and so over-abundantly! My debt to him just gets bigger and bigger!

=D Life is so very GOOD!!!

The Prime of Our Youth!

As of last Sunday my brother, Rusty got called to serve as the Young Mens president of our ward. I would have been excited for him anyways, but I'm even more excited because I'm the Young Womens president, and that means that I will get to work right along side my brother! :) I was called as the YW president in August of last year. My mouth hit the floor and I couldn't believe that I was being called because I had never heard of a single sister being called as the president. Once I understood what he was saying, I felt mounds of inadequacies surround me. I then knew that I had to rely on the Lord that obviously he was aware of something I wasn't.

It's now been 6 months since I've received this calling and I can't believe how much it has changed my life. I've never felt so humbled, so called out about my own weaknesses (due to assessing myself), so helped and brought to the level I need to be in my entire life. I never thought I could love someone the way heavenly father loves someone. To see, act and feel personally his love for each of these girls. I'm in love with my calling, I'm in love with these girls and all the things they bring into my life. I couldn't imagine myself without the growth that these girls and my fellow counselors have afforded me. I have so much fun it hardly feels like a calling. This past Wednesday we did Just Dance 2 on the nintendo Wii, which the youth had an absolute blast, and the attendance was up more than it has been in a long time. I'm just over-whelmed by the fact and knowledge of how much Heavenly Father cares for these youth and allows me to see and feel of his love for them. I feel so unworthy to be in this calling, and yet I'm so very thankful that for some reason I'm being allowed to witness all of these fantastic events. I'm so grateful my heavenly father loves me enough to show me so many of life's lessons! :)

How blessed we all are!

Time for 2011!

I think of the movie Ghost when I hear that song about time. "Time goes by so slowly, and time can do so much." With another year passing it seems like there is no stopping the clock. I kind of feel some panic that I might not accomplish all I need to. The minutes slip into hours and the hours fast forward into days which leads to weeks and then to months which speed into years. How precious our time on earth is. I look at all the people around me and I can't help but think of the things they have done with their time. Some have done adequate amount of things, some have not been so ambitious. I sincerely hope I'll be able to sufficiently use my time to allow opportunities to open for me. To press forward and allow myself to grow and learn all that I need to. To be in situations that allow me to learn new material.
The past several months I've observed people of all stages of life and have checked their mentality. Things that are important to them, the things that they don't care about any longer, the things that make them happy, sad, lonely, accomplished, defeated, etc. In observing them and how they might feel in situations, I've come to see how fast the cycle of life is. It seems like yesterday I was a shy timid little girl, and yet years have gone on and I'm an adult of my very own. My siblings have families of their own, my young parents are now grandparents, my grandparents are now older, and some have passed on. Time is so valuable! I see the loneliness they battle when I visit, and my heart hurts every time I leave them because I don't like them feeling that way. My parents house that was once the cause of much chaos and noise is now very quiet without the rest of us.
I think we all take for granted the time we've been given and don't use it sufficiently. We all think we will always have the time to do as we want, and that not today, but tomorrow I'll do it. Well what if tomorrow is too late? I just feel like for me, I need to manage my time more efficiently. Expand my mind on a greater scale, love on new levels, and have great adventures exploring the fun facts of life! I think that is the greatest resolution I have for myself this year.
Hope you all had a great 2010 and an even GREATER 2011!!! Cheers to a new year of learning and growing into who we need to be!

Ps. Another aunt moment... After the flu has violently been spread around my sister's home, my 5 year old niece says "Lydia, I think my belly is mad at me" hahaha She is too dang cute!

I LOVE to see the temple!

On October 30, 2010 in the Orlando Temple, I received my endowment. The day couldn't have been any prettier! The skies were dreamy, and the sun was smiling down. It was a beautiful experience that my parents flew in from out of town for. Many people that I love and care for made great strides to be there with me on my special day.

Over the past several transfers we have gotten really close with the missionaries serving in our ward. They thought it was a far fetch to ask the mission president for the opportunity to come with me, but they asked anyhow, and were granted permission. :) It was weird afterwards hugging everyone else, and following up with a handshake from them haha.

Many others made great efforts and sacrifices to be there. Emily took half the day off work so she could be WAITING on me when I got out. She cut my hair before I went in for my session, and it was a great experience being with her before I went in. I love her dearly, and am so thankful she is apart of my life. Once I got to the temple, mom and I met up with my dad and the missionaries. Dad had just finished his canoe race, so he wasn't there a minute too soon. Once inside the foyer there, I handed mom and dad stacks of family history names to take with them through my session. I wanted as many of my family members to experience what I was at the same time. I went on to the next foyer and was waiting for some paper work to finish, and low and behold coming out of a session was Mike Latu and Boots there to surprise me!! My jaw dropped because Mike had told me he had to work. Little jerk! James, one of my best friends was in town making wedding arrangements, missed my session by 5 minutes, but he was inside the Celestial room when I finished. That was almost better in my opinion. It had been months since I had seen him so it was a pretty joyous reunion accompanied by his parents. It was nice for my parents to finally be able to meet all these people that have been such an important part of my life here in Florida. My high councilman, that I worked next to when I had my Stake YSA calling came, along with his lovely wife. Some of the sisters that I most admire in my ward came, childhood friends drove 3 hours and purchased a hotel room just to be there. I felt so blessed, and so loved. They all truly made my day so bright and special. There were a couple of others that had every intention on being there, but opportunity wouldn't allow. I still felt their presence in spite. My family made it so special most of all. My sister and all her children, and my brother Rusty and his family came. When I came outside and saw them I almost got emotional. It meant so much to me to have them be there with me even if they couldn't come inside.

As mentioned earlier in the post, I had family names to take through. When I was in Young Women, one of my projects was to do family history. I at a young age was inspired and led to do family history by family members from beyond the veil. One in particular, was my great-great-grandmother, whom I've never met in this life. I have a real connection with her even though I've never met her. Since I did her baptism in 2003, I've always dreamed of the day for me to take her name through to get her endowments. When I learned I was getting my endowment taken out, I was excited that I could finally take her name through. I had already planned on going to back to the temple the first day possible to take her name through. I kept having experiences that made me understand her anxiousness. I kept thinking okay, let's not get crazy, I'm doing it as soon as I can.. This same experience happened to me 3 times in a 4 day period, and finally the last time it happened, I knew what she wanted. She wanted to experience it WITH ME. As soon as I thought that exact thought chills flooded my body, and I knew that's what she wanted. I waited for mom to get back from the store, and I called her into my room. I explained to her that someone else wanted her to be their escort on Saturday. That Emily wanted to go through, and I wanted her to do it because I couldn't. Mom sobbed because she knew how much that meant to me. The funny thing is, I wasn't hurt, I knew that's what she wanted, and how magnificent it would be to go through it together for the first time. I felt her in the temple with me, and I knew that she was as excited as I was to be going through the temple for the first time. How grateful I am for my great-great grandmother that has changed my life even though I've never met her.

What an awesome experience it was on October 30th! I was surrounded by many people that I love and cherish. Tasting a little bit of heaven on earth. People were still coming to lunch with us so they could be in on the celebration of the day. I'm so grateful for all those trials that I thought were ripping me to pieces at the time, but in looking back I realize that the Lord wasn't ripping me to pieces, he was building me, piece by piece on my way to become who he needs me to be.

Oh The Places You'll Go, The People You'll Meet!

September has been filled with travels yet again. Labor day weekend, I had the pleasure of going to Nauvoo with my original ward family. Accompanied by my oldest niece, Cortney. What a wonderful, spiritual, outstanding trip that was! We all stayed in the Nauvoo House, where Emma Smith died and lifted her hands to say, "Joseph, Joseph". There is no doubt in my mind he was there to receive her and take her home. God bless that woman who suffered, and sacrificed so much for the gospels sake. She was 4 months pregnant when Joseph and Hyrum died at Carthage Jail. I can't imagine what kind of courage it took to keep living on, and have hope for the baby that was soon arriving. Cortney and I flew directly into Indy, and my parents picked us up, and we drove straight to Nauvoo from there (another 5-6 hours). We were exhausted by the time we got there. It was so nice to be among my ward family from Indiana again. I love those guys so much!

Then, the following weekend, my sister and I went to Oklahoma City for the Oklahoma vs. Florida State game. We witnessed first hand that massacre! It was still a fun weekend. We have a friend that grew up in Oklahoma just 20 min from where the game took place. We stayed with her parents, and enjoyed catching back up with them. Oklahoma is a beautiful place in my opinion. We didn't get to spend a whole lot of time outside the game, but it was a fun time enjoyed with great friends! I also was introduced to Hideaway Pizza (PHENOMENAL PIZZA!!). If you ever get the chance, go there! Regardless of the score, it's always a fun time when Seminoles are around! I'll support them if they win or lose! GO NOLES!!!

Then the following weekend, I was off to my Cousin, Tara's wedding in Indiana! It was a very beautiful occasion, which the bride and many others slaved away many hours getting every detail together. She looked flawless! She had an amazing dress, and just radiated beauty and grace! After we survived the 1 1/2 ceremony in the Catholic church, I wanted to break dance on the way back down the aisle. I was excited to share in that special day with her, and be a bridesmaid. Minutes before lining up we discovered the bride left her shoes at the reception hall, because she was up there late in the night trying to make everything perfect for her wedding. Someone quickly ran over there, and as we were all lining up, she slipped on her shoes. (Nobody noticed the behind the scenes work). We were off on a hay ride following the ceremony. Thankfully, I was able to pop off my 4 inch heels before making the climb up. (FYI, wearing heels when you are already 5'10" makes you look like Jolly Green Giant!) It was fun seeing all my family, and being able to interact with some that I hadn't seen in a while. As usual, many thought I was drunk. I guess they don't know that I am this crazy on a day-to-day basis. Other than peeing freely in the parking lot, I guess I fit in with the ways of the drunks haha... (I'm not sure that's a good thing). I loaded the plane with an hour of sleep, and grabbed my car and headed to church. I was able to completely change while driving. I was impressed with myself. I got to church and had only missed the opening song... POINTS!!! However, I was pretty useless. I felt to out of touch with reality.

Now this weekend, I am happy to report, we will be celebrating the engagement of my brother, Craig!! We are so HAPPY and EXCITED for him! He has waited a long time, and we couldn't be more thrilled for he and Hannah! I'm excited for the adventures that Hannah and I will accomplish together. She has a great zest and zeal for life that I can appreciate. She is a wonderful girl, and I'm elated to have her as apart of our family in the near future!! CONGRATS CRAIG & HANNAH!!! WE LOVE YOU!!

Out of the Mouth of my nieces!!

Kayla and Grace were playing around with our new set of Cutco food scissors, which are VERY sharp!! Kayla ended up cutting Grace's finger on accident. Kayla just sobbed because she had hurt her sister. The next day I was talking to Grace about the importance of keeping her finger clean and we needed to be sure to keep a fresh bandage on it so it wouldn't get infected. Grace said "Can my finger fall off!?!?!" I said well, its unlikely, but if you don't take care of it, and it gets infected, yes it could fall off.. She responds "Well, then I'm keeping my bandaid on until Jesus comes, so when I meet him he can heal my finger." How freaking cute!! hahaha

Another Cute Story--

To preface this my mom's little Chihuahua died about a month ago and she was a little demond dog to everyone. If you looked at her cross eyed she would attack you. While Lori and I were in Europe, the girls were with my parents in Indiana. They got to be there when Hailey (the dog) died.

So today I took the girls for lunch after school. Grace is in my backseat with a very contemplative stare, and finally erupts with "Lydia, do you remember Hailey, Nana's dog that died?" Yeah Grace I know. She then laughs and says "Its funny to think of her as an angel." hahaha Then Kayla chips in "Yeah, she probably bit Jesus when she met him." hahahaha These kids are such comic relief!! I love them to BITS!!

What a Summer!!

Parthenon with my sister!!

This Water was ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL in Greece!!!!
The State Farm Crew!
Budapest, Hungary
My sister and I in Prague!
Florida Gator fan all the way in Prague!!
This was taken in Salzburg

We did the Sound of Music Tour, which was filmed in Salzburg!
This is us in Vienna, wearing our uniform! haha
This guy at this restaurant came out singing "like a good neighbor, state farm is there" :)

As sad as it seems, summer is quickly approaching a close. :/

I've traveled to many beautiful places this summer, and enjoyed all the beauty of the earth that surrounds me. I've established an even greater appreciation for my freedoms I enjoy as an American.

My Aunt Joann passed just a few days after my last post. (mid June) In the middle of dress rehearsals for dance recital, we took an emergency trip home (Indiana) to attend the funeral. I'm so glad that she is in peace, and finally resting (something she didn't get to experience much in this life).

4th of July weekend my friend, Crystal and I flew to Baltimore/DC area to visit our friend Kellie. I was also very excited that my friend, Alana drove down from New Jersey to spend the weekend with us. Both Kellie and Alana used to live in Orlando. It was such a BLAST to be with them! We got to see many sites, plunge into rivers and watch the explosion of fireworks while we were seated at the Lincoln Memorial in DC followed by a quick escape to the DC metro.

I was home for 5 days, and then we headed out to my cousin Abby's wedding in Georgia. It was fun to be at the hotel with all my family. We got to have lots of fun memories together. The beach was disgusting! There were "sea roaches" EVERYWHERE!! The water was brown and so was the sand. I prefer the nastiest Florida beach over that beach any day. After a fun-filled weekend with all the family we headed to Indiana. I drove mom and dad's rental car with grandma accompanying us home. I've never had so much fun traveling with family. We would stop for about 45 min at each gas station just to chat and laugh about things. I usually wouldn't enjoy that kind of thing, but it was a BLAST. We finally arrived back at my parents at 4:30am. After having rested until 11am I got showered up and headed to North western Ohio to meet up with my best friend, James and his then girlfriend (now fiancee). I got there late that evening, and then we headed to Cedar Point the very next morning. AMAZING!!! We rode like 13 different roller coasters, and I still didn't get to them all. I rode the dragster it goes -0-165 in 4 seconds and takes you straight up and straight down. My brand new camera fell out of my pocket and amazingly was waiting for me at my feet when I unhooked my seatbelt. I'm convinced in some divine intervention there! I was beyond tired after that day. We went back to Ashley's house and had some pizza and crashed. I woke up at 5am to head back to Indiana to catch my flight back to Florida.

After being back in Florida for 3 days I boarded a plane to head to Philly to catch my plane over to Munich, Germany and then a final destination in Vienna, Austria. Due to weather in Philly, our plane in Orlando was delayed almost 3 hrs. Once we got to Philly our plane to Munich was loading so I ran from terminal D to Terminal A (Philly airport takes about 15 min to get from each terminal). I had a backpack on and was wheeling my carry-on behind me RUNNING like I was about to loose my legs ONLY TO FIND OUT our plane left us! We had another hour and a half until our next flight, which wasn't bad. We were able to exchange currency with no fee, eat and mentally prepare for our international flight. We were rerouted to Frankfurt, Germany, which was a NIGHTMARE! We had no boarding passes, we didn't speak the language, and on top of all that we had to switch airlines. Finally, I found someone to speak English and we were able to get "in the system"... It was a breath of fresh air when we finally got to our gate and found some of our State Farm buddies. We get over to Vienna and lo and behold my sister and I have NO LUGGAGE haha... It was funny for the first few hours and then after 3 days it wasn't so funny. Thankfully I had packed a few extra under clothes in my carry on. My sister wasn't as lucky. When we would call the airlines, they would reply we needed to be patient, this was a busy time of year. Easy for them to say. As soon as we got our luggage we had to be downstairs and ready to go to the Vienna Alps in 20 min and in that 20 min I was showered and had fresh clothes on, hair dried and make-up on ... I was SOOO THANKFUL to have clean clothes!!! Every night before I went to bed I thanked the Lord for allowing me to have the opportunity to travel to so many lands. In spite of all the crazy things that happened, I had an absolute blast. Even with no luggage, we didn't miss a beat. I made Lori set the Alarm for 6am and we generally wouldn't get back to the room until 2am. It was SO MUCH FUN!! :) I loved hanging out with all the State Farm people. Everyone was laughing at how much energy we had to go and see everything. While in Vienna, we traveled to Salzburg, Prague, Melk, and Budapest and the Vienna Alps. it was AMAZING!!

We then extended our stay outside of the State Farm family, and headed to Greece!! ASTONISHINGLY BEAUTIFUL!!! It's everything everyone talks about! Athens was kinda dirty, well really dirty actually. My sister was FREAKED!! :) She has some of my Momma's blood in her. The morning we left Vienna we got up early again, and booked it across town on foot to the Belvedere to take some final pictures. We rushed back, picked up our suitcases and left for the airport. As soon as we were seated on the plane, my sister and I were passed out. We were delayed in taking off, and had to sit there for 45 min. I felt none of that. The only thing I felt was the drool slipping out onto my chest hahahaha... I was OUT!!! We grabbed a taxi to take us to our hotel, which was an amazing experience. My sister and I packed a suitcase a piece, and a carry on a piece. The trunks in Greece our VERY SMALL, so they strapped bunjee cords in place to hold the trunk down. After our baggage getting lost, my sister was a little leery about our suitcases taking a dive on the freeway in Athens. Our macho man cab driver assured my sister, all would be well. As soon as we got on interstate I quickly noticed that was how they rolled in Greece... Lots of bungee corded trunks. :) Once we arrived at the hotel, I thought I was going to have to wheel my sister in. She was about to have a meltdown because the atmosphere that surrounded the hotel. In America, if we had been in the same situation you would have found drug dealers and guns shooting off in such surroundings. However, it was a pretty safe neighborhood for Greece. Since we had run our legs off so much that week, we decided to take the rest of that day to rest, and also let my sister get brave enough to tackle Athens in the morning. Once we got to the top of our hotel, she could see it wasn't all bad, and was comforted a little. The next morning I remarked that we needed a game plan if we got separated, we would know where to meet back up. She quickly interjected, that she would be on me like white on rice and that wouldn't happen HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! It's funny because when I look at the pictures from the first day in Athens, my sister is in the corner of all of them, because she truly was on me like white on rice. :) We had a GRAND TIME checking out the Acropolis!! FYI, if you go, take water with you! They sell it NO WHERE on the Acropolis.. I had to sit down and regroup because I was so dehydrated. Once down from the acropolis, I found someone that sold a 1.5 litter of water, and I had it finished in 10 min. I knew how dehydrated I was when I didn't go to the bathroom for 4 hours after I drank 1.5 litters. The following day we took a day cruise to 3 of the Greek Isles... BEST THING EVER!!! We got some great sun, and some FANTASTIC VIEWS!! I would love to take 3 weeks just to explore the Greek Isles! Should definitely be on EVERYONES bucket list. I got to take a dip in the Mediterranean Sea (If not the Med, one that empties into it) That was on my personal bucket list.

After 4 days in Greece, my sister and I returned home. I had been awake 26 hours when I finally went to bed. The first night home I got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, and totally forgot I was home. I thought someone was trying to be nice and give me a bed to sleep in after falling asleep on a bus (which I frequently did). I began yelling for my sister, and the only thing that kept going through my mind was that my cell phone couldn't work in Europe, and how was I going to find my sister!?!?! HAHAHAHA!!! As soon as my feet touched my cork floor in my bedroom I was like "I'm home, you're in your room you idiot" hahaha That's when you know you've been gone awhile. That was THE BEST sister vacation probably EVER!! We shared very special bonding times, and funny memories that will last a lifetime. For selfish reasons, I'm so glad she isn't married, so I can go on these trips! :)

Here are a few pictures! I have many more on Facebook :)

The Summer Travels Begin!

Memorial Day weekend I had the great opportunity to fly home to Cincinnati, and meet up with kids back home to attend the Kirtland YSA conference. What a great experience that was. I had great company for the 5 hour drive up to Kirtland, and then I got to meet up with a family I used to babysit for. It was so weird seeing how much they have grown up. I felt SO old!! Nevertheless, it was wonderful catching up with them, and seeing where life has taken them.

At the YSA Conference the keynote speaker was Brother John Bytheway, which if you don't know is a HUGE LDS author/speaker.. Some of his books had really helped me out in High School, and so it was really neat to see him speak in person. It was a perfect weekend, with just the right amount of fun/humor/friends/spirituality.. I'm so glad I went!! One of the main things that John Bytheway was speaking about was the power of our examples. His dad was in world war II and he wasn't a member of our faith, or any religion whatsoever, but there was this guy there that was a member of our faith, and he took John's dad to church with him aboard the ship. That young man later died, but it was his example that led his dad to later joining the church. He then mentioned that while he was on his mission he was told by a recent member to go to this man's house and speak to him. So they did, and he invited them in, but was very short and abrasive with the young missionaries. Brother Bytheway gets his flip chart out and it says "why are we here?" "What is the purpose in life?" and "Where are we going when I die?" He said the guy was astonished, and his eyes filled up with tears and he said your so young, how could you know this? He said his eyes filled with tears and he went in the other room to grab a book and the front page in his handwriting said "My eternal questions" and 3 of those 4 questions were on John's flip chart. It was at that moment I realized how much I have to be thankful for in my life. I've known since I was in diapers these questions that were this man's eternal questions.

We were also very blessed to be able to attend sacrament meeting inside the Kirtland temple. It was kind of over whelming to be singing "The Spirit of God" inside the Kirtland temple where the priesthood keys were restored once more to this dispensation. How much power had been restored in the very room I was in. It was quite the experience! It put me on a high that I needed to start learning my history again. There was a girl at the conference that bore her testimony about being a member for 2 months, and she spoke about being a nonbeliever in God or in any kind of religion. She spoke about the example of someone she loved that brought her into the church. She cried and pleaded with each of us to be that example, and to live up to who we are, because we need to be those examples and to bring others unto Christ. She then spoke of the immense peace and joy and "light" that she has in her life now, and everything is so much clearer and brighter. I don't think there was a dry eye in the room!

I was touched so deeply when we went to visit the John Johnson farm. It was there that Joseph was pulled out of his bed and yanked outside that cold night and tarred and feathered. It was there that many revelations occurred. There is an incredible spirit to be felt there, and I would encourage anyone to go! I'm so grateful for all those early saints that sacrificed so much so that we could have all that we enjoy today.

Sunday night we returned to my home town of Batesville, Indiana. I was so anxious to get home and to spend time with my family. It was so hard to know I would only be home a few days, and the majority of it would be 5 hours away at a conference. I was only in my home for a day and a half; however, I had the best time with my parents. Dad has been off work due to his recent surgery, so we got to spend a lot of quality time together. Mom and I exercised together, read scriptures together, had lots of quality time together on the deck observing all the BEAUTIFUL scenery that is the backdrop of my parents yard that is so breathtaking in my opinion. It is such a nice change to go from rather brown palm trees to beautiful, luscious greenery. I LOVE the greenery!!! One of my favorite parts of home! Monday night was Adam's 22nd birthday! I got to be there for that. Grandma Benham was able to come over and join us for dinner. I had missed her so much! We had the best conversations, and we talked about anything and everything and yet it was a deep fulfilling conversation. It was hard to say goodbye to her because I just wanted to go home with her and spend some time with her. Both of us teared up when we said our goodbyes. It was a very emotional goodbye this time leaving home, and I felt like it was in part due to my recent homesickness.

I love my dear family, and I couldn't imagine my life without the blessing of them in my life. They bring so much laughter, so much joy and so much fulfillment into my life. I'm so grateful to call them my own! :)