30 Day Challenge Day Three: Service and a Toilet

Today I couldn't make up my mind about what to be thankful for so I decided to share two things. Today started off with the toilet clogging...yes and flooding our bathroom...which is carpeted for some stupid reason...lovely I know. So already running a little behind I quickly through some towels down and ran out the door. While I was at work there was an accident out front involving three cars. This would have been a really upsetting thing except that I witnessed something amazing. Within minutes of the crash, there were women rushing to the aid of those involved. One woman even had a first aid bag in her car and ran over to make sure that no one was injured. They were directing traffic, and helping one of the drivers who was an elderly gentleman who could barely walk out of his car and away to safety. This was amazing to me because I thought about how often it actually happens. How often do we stop and help those who are in need? I know most of us reading this are guilty of seeing someone who could use our help and we don't stop to do anything. How many times have we ignored the Spirit prompting us to call someone who we know is down, or take cookies to a neighbor who is having a rough day, week, or maybe even a month or year? But today I saw that there are those who keep the world, that says that we should be selfish and not help anyone, a little bit of a happier place. I'm so thankful to those people who do stop to help and lift the needy when they know that it will not benefit them. I'm thankful to those who give so much time and charity to loving those around them and showing such Christ-like love.

The next thing I am thankful for is a working toilet...you don't realize how important it is until you don't have one and you really have to use it. I will admit I was very frustrated about this because as you know (if you've been reading my previous posts), I quit my job and will be done working next week and haven't found another one yet. So I was worried about having to fix up the bathroom. However now that I look at it, it is another blessing. I now have something to fill up my time with as I won't have any work for a while. Since I have so much time we have decided to finally fix up the bathroom like we've been wanting to. I will have at least one pretty room in my house and I'm very excited about it. So many small blessings that I probably haven't seen are all around and I hope that many more will come. 

30 Day Challenge Day Two: My Savior

Today is day two of my 30 day challenge. I've recently started reading the New Testament again. I always find it a pleasure reading about the Savior and His ministry. Today I am thankful for  His example, for His teachings of how to live a happier life and how to help others live a happier life. He was never unkind or selfish. Never once did he speak in hushed tones about someone else, He was always aware of the needs of others and always willing to serve and show His and The Father's love for His children. Today I was reading in Mark chapter seven. In this chapter the Pharisees are condemning His disciples for eating with unwashen hands as is tradition. Christ goes on to explain to the Pharisees and His disciples "Whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; Because it entereth not into his heart...That which cometh out of the man, that defile the man. For from within, out of heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man." (Mark chpt. 7 18-23)

The Savior teaches a very important lessen in this chapter, one which President Dieter F. Uchtdorf spoke of in the April 2012 General Conference. In his talk entitled The Merciful Obtain Mercy, or as I remember it The Just Stop It talk. The talk is mainly focused on forgiving others and ourselves, however some of the things listed to be forgiven are things that coming from our hearts would defile us as sons and daughter of our Heavenly Father. He says "When it comes to hating, gossiping, ignoring, ridiculing, holding grudges, or wanting to cause harm, pleas apply the following: STOP IT!...I don't know exactly how to articulate this point...with sufficient eloquence, passion, and persuasion to make it stick. I can quote scripture, I can try to expound doctrine, and I will even quote a bumper sticker I recently saw. It was attache d to the back of a car whose driver appeared to be a little rough around the edges, but the words on the sticker taught an insightful lesson. It read 'Don't judge me because I sin differently than you.'" I think along with Christ's list of those things which defile us, we should also add, judgment. The Savior said "I will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men." The rude and unloving thoughts we have of others will also defile us and allow the adversary to have that much more influence over our lives. To all those I have judged, spoken evil about, or hurt, or gossiped about, or offended in any way, I offer my sincere apology and pray that you can forgive me .  This is something that I am not perfect at, but I have been striving to think positively of others and to speak kind words in their favor. I pray we can all become better at this and let the love of our Savior and Heavenly Father spread to all His children.

30 Days of Thankfulness Day One: My Eternal Companion

I know its been a long time since I last updated my blog. A lot has happened...too much in fact. As you know, two months ago I started a new job. However due to the amount of stress, unfriendly and unprofessional enviornment I have put in my two weeks notice and as of June the 27th I will be unemployed. There are a lot of things that could bring me down right now. I worry about how we'll pay for our school in the Fall. I worry about how I'm going to work and finish up a 17 credit semester. How will I help my husband who has been feeling the weight of being a husband start to bring him down as we realize that there are some things we may never get to do and some dreams that may not come to be realized in this life. Our lives have become somewhat chaotic as of late. Between the two of us we have five callings in our ward, full schedules and three families who are asking for our attention. There are days I feel so inadequete as a wife, a visiting teacher, a daughter, a sister, a housekeeper especially. So many things are calling for our attention. There are so many things that we have been promised in our patriarchal blessings, and so many things that the Lord expects of us, I feel that we will never be able to fulfill our potential, especially when it comes to starting our family. 

For the past little while I've been thinking a lot about what the Lord has given us. So many little things go unnoticed and unappreciated. So I have decided to issue myself a challenge. I've started The 30 Days of Thankfulness Challenge. For the next 30 days I will be keeping a photo diary of things that I am thankful for. I will also include an opinions I might have or any quotes from Church Authorities as I update this. I hope that by doing this I will be able to focus less on what I haven't done and more on what I can do, less on what I don't have and more on what I do have and will yet recieve, less on myself, and more on serving faithfully in my callings as well as serving others.


For my first day, I am thankful for my loving companion, and best friend, Joshua. He is always so supportive and wants nothing but to give me the world. I'm so very grateful that he loved me enough to take me to the Temple of the Lord and marry me there for time and all eternity. I know that because of that simple choice we will be able to recieve all the blessings the Lord has promised us pertaining to our family through keeping our covenents to each other and the God. I know that we can make it through anything. I am so thankful for his love and support as we tread our way through the troubled waters of this mortal life. I know with him by my side, we will be able to raise up righteous children and show them the kind of love that can be shared. 

It's been so long I have to catch everyone up on what's been happening. Well as you can imagine Joshua and I are having a wonderful time just being poor and muddling through together. The time we have had together has been sweet and wonderful. This is only amplified by the excitement of the sweet little bundle of joy we're expecting to arrive. For my one and only follower Aerika Newman, I am sad to report that I am not pregnant. The bundle of joy I speak of is a new kitten we hope to be adopting in the summer (or sooner if finances allow). Who knows how our poor Rocky will react to this stranger. Our callings have given us a lot to keep us busy (mine more than Joshua's as I now have a month of teaching), and work is getting busier and busier, there is less and less time in the day, and more and more money coming out of our pockets. I must also add that with these problems has come more and more love and faith. We are excited for the spring and are making all sorts of fun plans for fixing up our house and planning a fun trip to Cedar City so Joshua can compete in the free style wrestling in the Utah Summer Games. Because of this we have buckled down and have started working out hard core.

Small Blessings and Learning Humility

Well, today will be a short update but a most worthwhile read if your in the mood for a triumphant story. Since my last update, we were attacked by the monster of all monsters for newlyweds. This monster is known as unemployment. The dreadful thing we've been waiting for months to happen finally did and my poor husband was laid off. Good health benefits:GONE! The money we have for bills:GONE! It was by the Lords grace that we got the magic of Tax Return and have enough money to make it through to May. Today also held a wonderful blessing for me. The Lord has heard our prayers for more employment and I was presented a job at a bank as a teller. This was such a blessing, but I know that the Lord is trying to help us and make us better. There's a part in my patriarchal blessing that talks about learning to be frugal...this must be the time to learn this. There will be adjustments, and there will be hard times, but I'm confident that we have been faithful in keeping our covenants and paying our tithing. I'm sure that whatever comes, we will walk with our heads high and rely on the Lord to take care of us, as he has done so already. We had a parent bring us food and fill our fridge and cupboards, and another set of parents offer their washer and dryer to us. So many wonderful blessings and I know there are many more to come.

Count Your Blessings, Not Your Burdens: My Testimony

Ollo my happy followers! If you haven't seen Mega Mind you better go watch it so you get the reference of my greeting. Today I want to break away from my usual format and talk a little bit about blessings. Not the huge blessings that slap us in the face, but those small blessings that are in disguise all around us. I know that Joshua and I are particularly blessed in many things. People always ask me how he and I are doing and all I can say is "good" because we are. There are very few things we stand in need of. There's been some instability at Joshua's work, but he still has his job. Sometimes it seems like we won't be able to afford all of our bills, but somehow the money is always there and we make it through with no problems until the next paycheck comes in.

I've been thinking a lot about my patriarchal blessing and a line that when I got it I thought was a little funny. It reads "I bless you that you will not want for the necessities of life because you will be very frugal and self-sufficient." We've had to make some changes in our spending habits and we don't get to go out and play like we used to, but all our needs are met and there is always enough for what we need, and what small things come up. We have been very blessed with a good ward and a bishop who is helping to keep us involved and using our talents. Joshua as I have mentioned in previous posts has been called as the Ward Organist and the Ward Choir Pianist. I am already serving as a Nursery Worker and on Sunday I was called to serve as the Ward Choir Conductor, which I am extremely excited about and I can't wait to help make music a bigger part of this ward. One other thing that has bee on my mind lately is my sweet husband and what my blessing says about him. "You will become attracted to a young man who has been very faithful and dedicated in serving Heavenly Father and has demonstrated a great desire that his whole life will be involved in the family and in the church. You will make certain, before you go to the House of the Lord,  that this young man will be a man that you can love, admire, and respect all the days of your life, a young man who will seek first the Kingdom of God, which must include the family." How blessed am I that I found such a man, who loves me through my faults and who is patient in my weaknesses. A man who is so understanding of me and loves me even when I'm wrong. He is always seeking first the Kingdom of God, and striving ever to be the priesthood holder I need him to be.

I am also thankful for a small cat, who greets me everyday when I come home and who is always by my feet when I wake up in the morning. Who can tell when I'm having a rough day and makes a point to let me know he loves me. I'm thankful to have so many temples so close by. Such comfort I receive from attending the temple and feeling the Lord so close to me. I know it is because we have been diligent in our temple attendance that we have been blessed, and because we have payed our tithing and been obedient to the other commandments of the Lord. There are many areas in which we can improve on and we have been striving to improve ourselves in those areas. We have been blessed with working vehicles, a warm house, food, jobs that provide for us, families who love us and pray for us, the love that we share with each other, and most importantly, a Savior and Heavenly Father who love us. Where would we be without the atonement of Christ? Where would we be had he not chosen to do the will of the Father and grant us a way to gain eternal life? Since being called to Choir Director, I have been thinking a lot about Easter, and the Resurrection of the Lord. On the day that He was risen he gave the best possible gift to us. He gave us the opportunity to be with our loved ones in the eternities. I have thought of this and the other precious gifts that He has given me. What can I give back? How can I possibly repay the debt of my sins and His life? All I can do, and all He asks, is that I obey him and love him, and repent. Three such easy things. So easy in fact that I ( and many of us) forget to take the time to do it. May this be a new challenge to those of you reading this to be more mindful of the small blessings and large ones that the Lord has given us. May we all try to be more steadfast and grateful to our God. Be more mindful of what we have, and learn to ignore what we don't have. Count your blessings, not your burdens. We should all remember that we all fall short of the kingdom of God, but His grace is sufficient and He will come to us and strengthen us. In Jesus name, Amen.

Update/Bailey's birthday

It's been a while since I blogged (is that even a word) about the adventures of Joshua, Rocky and I. It will please you to know that Joshua is proud to no longer have a teenager for a wife. Last week (Saturday to be exact), we celebrated my 20th birthday. Much of the day was spent cleaning the house since the next day we would be having company over for dinner. Joshua had been saving a gift card to J.C. Penny's ( one we had received from the wedding gifts we had returned there, that I had forgotten about). With this magic card we ventured to the land of Provo and there we wondered through J.C. Penny's until I found what my heart desired. A new pair of boot cut jeans, as well as a cute new top to go with it. We then traveled along the long freeway back to Orem, and there spent our time enjoying the amazing Italian cuisine of Carrabba's. This was a most excellent choice and for those of you who haven't been there I highly recommend it. Pricing of Olive Garden, and better quality food. Everything there is made to order so its as fresh as can be. It was most definitely a wonderful birthday. The next day, while preparing to go to church, I burned myself on my curling iron and had a hard time cooling it down. I would show you but it's fairly graphic (or so someone will probably think). I'm quite excited to see the scar that will form from it. Rocky has discovered the appeal of the mouse arrow on the computer. He's is very confused by the fact  that he can't catch this silly little shooting black arrow, and is blocking my computer view. I think perhaps it is time to entertain him with something else and then I can come back and tell you all about the next Adventure in Larsendom.