2016 -- New Year, New Me

Wow, it has been a long time since I've posted anything.  Last year around this time I did a post on new year's resolutions.  I began thinking that maybe I should make this a tradition.  This year I decided to really think about how I wanted to be better and how I could go into this year a different person.  Unlike I have in the past, I really sat down and thought about my resolutions.  I decided to move away from the traditional ones and focus more on where I am in my life.  Obviously I'm in college and one of the biggest things I have noticed is that I'm really comfortable.  Being comfortable isn't a bad thing until it becomes too much.  I stepped back and realized that I am consistently spending time doing the same things with the same people every day.  Don't get me wrong, I love my friends and they are some of the most important people in my life.  But, I thought, why do I feel stuck?  I narrowed it down to the fact that I like being comfortable.  I like knowing that my friends are always there, but I needed to move out of this luxurious comfort zone.  I decided that I was going to put myself out there and meet as many new people as possible.  I wasn't going to allow myself to be shy and fade into the background.

 Another resolution I made is to serve people.  I'm definitely not one to go out of my way to look for opportunities to serve others, but I need to be.  Everyday I pray to find people who might need help with something or who might be struggling in some way so that I will be able to help them.  I have also realized that you can't serve others and expect something in return.  You have to put your whole heart into it and know that you may not receive anything from them and that's okay.  The idea behind service is to be humble and kind.  I have had the opportunity a lot lately to be able to hear from a few apostles in the church.  Most, if not all, have talked about how we are living in the last days and that we need to be the best people we can possibly be right now.  We don't have time to wait around and be lazy.  We need to fix ourselves and become better now.  When I listened to M. Russell Ballard speak he told us that when we find ourselves on the other side, the Lord won't be all that interested in all the things we did, and the clothes we wore or the belongings we had in comparison to the people we were able to touch.  I think this is so important in the world today.  So much of us, myself included, are much too interested in our appearances and worldly goods, when we really need to be anxiously engaged in becoming the best people we can be by being kind to others and serving them.

The Tale of Why I Started Blogging...

I remember it like it was yesterday...maybe that's because it was less than a year ago.  I really didn't have this big moment where I decided that I should start this motivational blog for people to read.  Honestly, I just thought it would be cool to be able to write whatever I wanted outside of school.  My friend Courtney and I decided that we were going to start blogs together and once I made mine, I was pretty hooked.  I decided that I was going to keep up on it and just write whatever I felt people needed to hear or whatever I felt I needed to write.

First, I had to pick a name.  I wanted something that was going to be interesting and get people to want to read.  So, obviously, I looked at the music on my phone to see if there were any cool song titles to make into blog names.  As I was looking, I found "Between the Lines" by Sara Bareilles.  I thought that it would be perfect!  You know, there are lines on a paper, and you write on paper, and between the lines can be a metaphor for different things, so I decided to use it!  I really hope it's okay that I did and I'm not copyrighting or anything because I swear I don't own that song or anything, I just thought it would be an awesome title for a blog...;)  Wow, that was probably the worst run-on sentence in history, but I thought it would be good to get that all out there.

I thought that it would be even cooler to have a blog since I started out as an English Education major, but it turns out that wasn't really for me.  So, I decided that even though I won't be teaching people how to read and write for the rest of my life, it doesn't mean that I can't continue to write my blog!  I realized that I really do enjoy reading and writing, just not enough to do it as a career for the rest of my existence.  One of the biggest reasons I wanted to be a writing teacher was because I think it is one of the greatest outlets we have.  People can use writing for so many things.  I think writing has helped me through some of the hardest times I've had and I'm probably not the only one who feels this way.  There's something about writing something down on a piece of paper or typing it out on the computer that makes it feel final and like it's not going to go anywhere.  A lot of people use writing for their goals because once they write it down they feel like they have a better chance of accomplishing it,

I am really happy that I have this blog for many reasons.  Some of those reasons being that I have something that's completely mine and that I can write whatever I want on.  Even if very few people read it, I do it mostly for me.  Being able to get all of my feelings and words out is definitely a relief.

Advice for my 16 Year Old Self

I have been home from college for about a month now, and I've been thinking a lot about my experiences that I had during my first year at there lately. Now don't get me wrong, I could probably write for hours about the people I met, the classes I had, and the different things I did while I was there, but I know that would probably be the most boring thing to read for people other than me. So, I decided to write instead on advice that I would give my 16 year old self, knowing what I know now. 


I'm going to be turning 19 in a week, and it's crazy to think that it's already been 3 years since I turned 16. I remember being so excited to get my license and start dating! Now, I realize that driving is overrated and guys are, for the most part, immature. Looking back on when I was 16, I used to think that everything that happened was so important, and I used to get upset over the littlest things. I used to think that not winning a tennis match or not wearing the right thing to school were life and death situations. I now realize that those are mundane things compared to making decisions about who I should date and what school I should choose to get my masters degree from. So, to my 16 year old self I would say: Don't stress! Everything will work out the way it is supposed to! You're only in high school where everyone thinks that prom and clothes are the only things that matter. I really don't mean to make it seem like these things were never important to me, because at one time, they definitely were. I remember getting so upset because my prom date, junior year, backed out on me. This would probably still be somewhat upsetting to me. Being able to go to college just made me realize that there are so many other people in the world! You don't have to think that if you don't date a lot in high school that you're never going to date anyone. I rarely went on dates in high school, but college is so much different and much more exciting! There are so many more opportunities to meet new people and make new friends.


 I would also tell my 16 year old self to pay better attention to the things you are being taught both in school, and at church. I don't think I realized how important getting good grades was. I never got bad grades, but I realize now that I should have tried harder and taken more AP classes to get further ahead in college. I also never realized the impact my leaders and the lessons they taught me at church would have on my life. I always went to church whether for my parents or myself, it was always one or the other, but I noticed when I left home that it wasn't up to my parents to wake me up on one of the two days I had to rest from school and go to church. It was completely up to me. I had so much freedom! I never needed the gospel more than when I left home, though. I didn't really have any friends right when I moved so I chose to go to the one place that had always been there, and always would be wherever I chose to go: church. I met some of my best friends at church and at church activities. I was able to have the influence of the gospel and be around the people that I had grown to love...it was the best of both worlds!


 Lastly, I would tell my 16 year old self to not take her family for granted. Having to leave my family this past year was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I don't think I had been away from my parents for more than a week before I went away to school. The two hardest people to leave, other than my parents, were my nephews. I had lived no less than 5 minutes away from them for the past 5 years. Leaving them was devastating. Waking up and realizing that I wasn't in my bed at my house everyday was hard to get used to. If I hadn't have made the friends that I did, who pretty much became my family while I was away, I don't think I would have made it. I really can't say enough how thankful I am for them. I pretty much just have to praise modern technology because without my phone and Skype, I would have died. Thankfully I was able to talk to my mom everyday, whether I wanted to or not! (for my mom who's probably reading this: Just kidding! I always love talking to you!) I just wish my 16 year old self had known the difference between what was really important and what was trivial. I am so thankful for the experiences I have had over these last 3 years, and I hope to learn more and more as the years go on!

Happiness

The weather here in southern Utah has been a winter wonderland this past weekend. We have received so much snow and it's a little bit insane. I really am, deep down, about as deep as the snow, grateful for it. I know that we need the moisture, and that it is a blessing, but it puts me in a bad mood when I realize that it has melted in certain spots and created a lake in the perfect place for me to step in while crossing the street. So, needless to say, on my way home from class today, I was a little bit drenched. While this was annoying, I realized a little later when I was able to get into dry clothes and warm up, that I should be grateful for the snow along with the other things that sometimes make me angry in the moment. I feel like a lot of people are this way. We wear our emotions too close to the surface sometimes, and we might get angry at things and people too often. I think we become happier when we look at things in a different light and maybe from the point of view of someone else in a different situation. It is always good to be optimistic, and to look at the good in the world despite the messed up things that are going on around you. The world may be filled with darkness and depression, but you can be the light that shines through that darkness to brighten someone's day, and make the world a better place. I found this picture on Pinterest, and I thought it went well with the post:

New Years Resolutions

I have gotten into the habit, as many do, of making resolutions every year once the clock strikes 12 and and it is officially January 1st again. But, with making new resolutions comes the grief of realizing that you probably didn't keep all of the ones you made the year before. This always happens to me. I didn't lose enough weight, I didn't do well enough in school, etc. But, this year I have realized that I should make less trivial resolutions. I want to make resolutions that might be a little more difficult to keep up with, but much more rewarding once the new year rolls around and I realize I have kept them. It seems that lately I have heard a lot of things about being kinder to people. I know this seems so simple, but I don't think we realize how hard it is to be nice to people who you don't even know. I find myself, throughout the day, not necessarily being rude to people, but just making quick judgments of people that are unfair to be making. I realize that I can be a judgmental person, and I know that this is something I should work on in this coming year. I have also seen lately, that I have had a pretty comfortable, easy life, and I should really be more grateful for all that I have. With this, comes humility, and realizing that there are people out there who have a lot less than I do and who live in circumstances of poverty while I live a comfortable life. I had a lesson at church on Sunday where the teacher compared the new year to new beginnings, and that because of the Atonement, we don't have to wait for a new year to be a better person, but we get the opportunity each day, and even every minute to become the person we want to be so that we may return to live with our Heavenly Father once again. I think that is the ultimate resolution is that of becoming like our Father in Heaven. It is so important to be the best people we can be to make the world a little bit of a better place.

Little Moments That Make Life Great

I've been thinking lately about how many little things happen every day that we don't even realize that make us happy. I decided that I would make a list of the moments that make me feel joyful and loved. 1. long walks 2. climbing into bed after a long day 3. clean sheets 4. someone smiling at you 5. long, hot showers 6. sleeping in 7. long conversations on the phone 8. a text message from the person you've been wanting to talk to 9. clean towels 10. curling up and watching a movie 11. drinking hot chocolate while it's snowing 12. going hot tubbing 13. talking with your best friends 14. listening to soothing music 15. jumping in a pile of leaves 16. snowball fights 17. the butterflies you get when you're talking to the person you like 18. long hugs 19. reading a really good book 20. roadtrips (with Courtney) I feel like I could continue this list forever...we have so many things to be thankful for! You don't even have to think too hard about it to make your own list!

General Conference!!

So, this past weekend was General Conference. For those of you reading who don't know what that is, it is a meeting for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints where we hear from our prophet and his apostles. This meeting isn't only for members though, and if you want to watch it, it is on lds.org and open for anyone and everyone! Personally, I love watching General Conference. It is one of two weekends every year when I get to hear from the prophet of the church. One of my favorite quotes from conference was when President Thomas S. Monson said this: We need to follow the Savior's example in all that we do because he was the perfect example of how to live one's life. We need to serve others, and think of other people's needs before our own. Another talk I really enjoyed during conference was Jeffery R. Holland's. He spoke about how when Jesus was on the Earth, his first duty was to bless the poor and administer to the needy. This should be our goal as well. If we are able, we should help out wherever we see we are needed. If you couldn't already tell, I really love hearing from these wonderful men. :)