"Too Nice"

I made some arrangements for a friend to do something he/she REALLY wanted to do. I was so happy for this person that I woke up excited. Seriously? So happy for someone that you wake up early? Kinda strange don't you think? Some people tell me I am too nice. I say, not possible! You may challenge me in this, but I stand by my opinion. One can be taken advantage of, or misused, but me acting in a way that is "too nice" is my choice, not me being taken advantage of. Plus, being "too nice" is kinda selfish in a way because sometimes I do nice things just because it makes me feel so dang good. So I admit that sometimes my motives are not purely towards the good of another. However, it is a win-win situation really. You do something nice, you feel happy; you do something nice and others feel happy; you do something nice and others might be inspired to do something nice for someone else; you do something nice and you realize just how much more you are capable of and feel confident that if you act, God will give you more opportunities. Then you will start doing nice things because of charity, Christ's pure love. I am so far from being "too nice" if it even exists, but I am enjoying how it never gets old and helps make up for the other areas in life where I lack.

Try being "too nice" this week. I dare you to. Or even better, try being "too nice" to one person on several occasions and see how much happier your world will be! I testify that your capacity to love will grow, not because of your own doing, but because God will grow your heart.

1 John 4:18-19

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us."

Elder David A. Bednar in the October 2009 Conference said-

"Each of us already knows we should tell the people we love that we love them. But what we know is not always reflected in what we do. We may feel unsure, awkward, or even perhaps a bit embarrassed.
As disciples of the Savior, we are not merely striving to know more; rather, we need to consistently do more of what we know is right and become better.
We should remember that saying “I love you” is only a beginning. We need to say it, we need to mean it, and most importantly we need consistently to show it. We need to both express and demonstrate love.
President Thomas S. Monson recently counseled: “Often we assume that [the people around us] must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know. . . . We will never regret the kind words spoken or the affection shown. Rather, our regrets will come if such things are omitted from our relationships with those who mean the most to us” (“Finding Joy in the Journey,” Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2008, 86)."

Plenty to keep me balanced!

Even when life looks upside down sometimes, at least you have two strong arms to balance on!

It may be redundant, but I feel like another gratitude blog tonight...

I am grateful for many things... I am grateful that I made a good turkey on my first attempt. I am grateful that my parents are back from their trips and I can stop talking to myself in the house all alone. I am grateful for warm socks with cooler weather. I am grateful for football games, to play and watch. I am grateful for conference talks. I am grateful for a long hose on the vacuum to suck up the inch of dust under my bed. I am grateful for naps on my bed and my memory foam pillow. I am grateful for Christmas music and movies that start the day after Thanksgiving. I am grateful for strong muscles that help me have more weight at BODY PUMP than 2 out of the 4 guys that were there! I am grateful for dinner with long lost friends and catching up. I’m grateful to be to be able to go to the temple this morning. I am grateful for inspiration to serve people, even if it seems a bit much sometimes. I’m grateful for lip gloss from Bath & Body Works. I am grateful for who I am becoming, who I am, and happy that I am comfortable just being me! I am grateful for Milk Duds even though they get stuck in my teeth. I am grateful for future opportunities that will come my way, because I know that God has been in control all along, why wouldn’t he continue to take care of me?

Sitting at a Red Light

I'm sitting at a red light...

My foot is on the break, anxiously waiting for the light to turn green...

My foot is falling asleep it has been on the break for so long...

If I ignore the red light, inevitably I'll get T-boned in the intersection...

I have a couple good CD's in my car...

I love singing in my car...

But dang it when is the light going to turn green?

I also have my cell phone (with hands free ear piece of course) and plenty of great friends to talk to...

And so I sit, with my foot on the break...

Trying to appreciate the blue sky outside, very little rain, and only the occasional splatter of bird poop...

It's always better to wait for the light to turn green, than risk getting smashed to pieces and going before the time is right.

So here I sit, with my foot on the break at a red light.

Thankful Indeed!

Maybe Ivy and I are having an unspoken competition on who can have more blog posts, but I had to share this link. I don't know how to make it embedded in the blog, so I guess you have to just click on it. It is a Mormon Messages called "In the Spirit of Thanksgiving" and I really liked it this afternoon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tuwid8_O8dk

I am sitting here at home sick with a cold. I normally would act like I am fine and go on to school or work, however my clinical involves me dealing with patients hands-on all day, so I thought it best I did not go infect anyone. I've had a lot of quiet time to think today.

I am thankful for a nice blue afgan that my Aunt Trisha-Yvonne made for me and is keeping me warm right now.

I am thankful that I am healthy enough that this cold will pass quick and I'll be good as new.

I am thankful that I can soon go take a nap in my parents comfy bed.

I am thankful that my back is finally healing since I have not been sitting so much.

I am thankful for gmail chat so I can stay connected with my friends.

I am thankful for text messages that simple say- I love you!

I am thankful for the left-over Indian food in the fridge and reminder that I got to enjoy it last night with dear friends and an adorable 9 year old who truly is an Angel.

I am thankful, as one man said in the video, for future opportunities. That statement is the essence of hope.

I am thankful for the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ that helped me threw a rough weekend of mixed emotions.

I am thankful for a dad who scraped off the frost on my car windows yesterday a 6am.

I am thankful for each member of my family, immediate and distant.

I am thankful to God for helping me see just how thankful I should be.

Surgery Observation!

I technically cannot divulge any info, but let's just say I observed some surgeries today. I didn't pass out or even feel sick at all. Surgery ain't for the faint of heart, that is for sure! Lots of drilling, sawing, hacking, pounding, cutting, bleeding, suturing, and stapling. It is amazing how the body looks on the inside. I walked around in scrubs, a mask, and bonnet for 4 hours and loved it! This is me holding a piece of dried surgical cement. It gets mixed up and turns to putty, than before it sets hard it gets super hot. I think I made a lovely ball, don't you? I don't think my future is as an orthopedic surgeon however. I'd rather be on the rehab end. Now you may think is strange to enjoy watching all the bloody graphic stuff, but it is really about a fascination and amazement of how the human body works. It just screams proof that there is a God!

Rainbow of Emotions

Meu Pai mi ama

My mom is a comforting, listening ear.

My friends are wonderful.

My visiting teachers are fantastic.

My God loves me.

That being said, how can I not be confident about my future? I've run a rainbow of emotions the past several months, and than a bunch all at once the past week of my life. Let's just say I have felt giddy, happy, doubtful, flirty, mad, dreamy, pretty, excited, confident, scared, boldness, fear, on-top-of-the-world, faithful, hopeful, sad, and discouraged (and not in that order). Am I crazy? Perhaps. Am I normal? Definately not, I'm extraordinary (but hopefully not cocky)!!! I was kinda bummed today, life was just a bit hard. No need for details, but I was talking to my visiting teacher and she told me how impressed she was by all the emotions I have had a chance to live and experience because of life's curve balls. She said emotions help us learn to let down our walls so we can get to know people and let them in our lives. I've been thinking about this evening. It is actually giving me comfort. Emotions are a gift, and I'd like to embrace it.

So here's to emotions, good and bad, happy and sad. May the happier ones be more frequent, and the sad ones help us grow.

BHAGs

Big Hairy Audacious Goals

I was at a conference for school last month and one of the speakers introduced BHAGs to us.

1.) BIG- meaning HUGE
2.) Hairy- meaning kinda out there and maybe something you don't want to touch
3.) Audacious- iDictionary... "showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks"
4.) Goals- iDictionary- "the object of a persons ambition or effort, an aim or desired result"

Before I heard the speaker, I was already well on the path of setting goals or setting out to "Take Action", however now I have some fun guidelines and gospel principles to back it up.

Luke 1:37- "For *with God nothing shall be impossible."

(Notice WITH God. Not just all things are possible! )

"It is easy to get discouraged. It is easy to quit, but you mustn’t fail. You remember how Nephi went into an impossible situation and couldn’t get the plates. His brothers couldn’t. They couldn’t buy them. They couldn’t bribe them out of the hands of Laban. They couldn’t force their way in, and their lives were hanging on a thread. In spite of all that, here comes one boy, unarmed, who walks into a city through a wall that was closed to him, through gates that couldn’t be opened, into a garden that was impenetrable, into a vault that was locked, among soldiers that couldn’t be bypassed, and comes out with his arms full of records to keep his posterity and others from perishing in unbelief. (See 1 Ne. 3–4.)
He did the impossible. But nothing is impossible to the Lord."
(Spencer W. Kimball, “A Vision of Visiting Teaching,” Tambuli, Dec 1978, 2)

Things that seem for me to be "impossible" have been on my mind for months now. I have grown a lot trying to figure out which "impossible" things that God wants me to see really are possible and with Him learn to overcome. What a joyful ride it has been so far! Recently I have seen some of the "impossibles" have their hard outer shell cracked open and hope is on the other side.

BHAGs require trust, hope, patience, temperance, and willingness to work hard AND a wait on God's time at the same time! I've got a new BHAG and it is something I've never ever done before. Can't wait to see how it plays out or how the Lord chooses to shape me with it.

Like President Uchtdorf said, we are not ugly ducklings. "You are no ordinary beings, you are glorious and eternal." So think big, think bold, and aim high!