Achieving Goals...

       For the last few months I have been training myself to run a 5k. I felt I needed to do this to prove to myself that I can do anything that I put my mind to. Back in December of 2012 I felt that I needed a change. I was just coming out of a deep depression that I didn't think I could come out of. It's hard to pull yourself out of that deep of a hole. I realized that I wasn't alone and that I had to change my perspective on my situation and make myself a better person.
      I wanted to change and I felt inspired to run a 5k. I felt that this would help me to become the person that I have always wanted to be. The overwhelming feeling that came over me and inspiration to run came as quite a shock. I have never liked to run. I was never good at it when I was younger. So running didn't sound like a great thing for me to do, yet I had a strong impression that it was just the thing I needed to do. Weird.
     I made a plan to do a "Couch to 5k" running program at home. The first day I started my program I was feeling really good about myself until I started to run. 30 seconds into my run (really, it was a jog) I felt like my lungs were on fire and that I was going to die. (A little dramatic on my part, but that's how I really felt). So I slowed down and decided to take it 30 seconds at a time. Once I could run 30 seconds with ease I upped the amount of time I would run at any given moment. Over time my lungs felt great, I could run for minutes at a time and I felt like I could accomplish anything.
     I got up to running 15 minutes straight and was so impressed with myself. My husband, who is awesome at running even when he hasn't run in months or years, can run for 20 minutes straight without stopping or even feeling like he is going to pass out. I wanted to beat him so badly in running which gave me extra motivation to run and put more effort into what I was doing.
     I started to run outside once the weather became nicer. I changed my strategy from "minutes I ran" to "miles I ran". I mapped out distances around the neighborhood and surrounding neighborhoods of where I live. Let me tell you, running outside is sooo much better than running inside on a treadmill!
     I now run 2.5 miles without stopping. I have never felt better, more energized, and happier than I do now. I'm amazed at how far I have come from the first day of running. When I run I feel like I could go on forever.
     Last Saturday I ran my first 5k. I ran it by myself in an area that I mapped out the distance. I'm happy to say that I accomplished my goal! I can run a 5k and plan on running many more. My time, which is an awesome time for me, of running the 5k was just 33.35 minutes! I'm so stoked and proud! I never could have imagined me running, let alone running a 5k in 33 minutes a few months ago.
     If I can do it anyone can do it. One thing that I have learned is that it is all a mind game. Once you get over the hurdle that your own mind puts in the way, you can accomplish so much more than you ever imagined.
     An added bonus and one of the main reasons for starting to run was to lose weight. Since I've started running I've lost almost 30 lbs! I'm so happy to say that I'm proud of myself and what I have accomplished. These last few years have been a roller coaster of emotions and running has helped me to turn those emotions into something productive. I still have a ways to go before I'm to where I want to be (weight and emotion wise), but I know that it is possible. I never would have thought that running could help me get there.
       I'm so thankful to my Heavenly Father for inspiring me to do this for myself. I know I would have never thought it was possible. I'm so thankful for my husband and his continued support in all that I do. Without his love and support I know I wouldn't have been able to accomplish my goal of running a 5k. He inspires me to continue and become a better person everyday.

Overcoming Adversity

* I gave a talk last Sunday on overcoming adversity. In reading many talks given by General Authorities, I found strength to push through the trials that I currently am dealing with. This talk was exactly what I needed to be asked to do so that I could find these quotes and have them change my perspective on the adversity in my life. I hope that this can help you to understand how much our Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ love each and everyone of us.*

 

My talk today is primarily based on a conference talk given by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin titled: “Come What May, and Love It”. This specific talk has always stood out in my mind. IT has helped me to keep perspective as I go through adversity in my life.

President Monson said, “Mortality is a period of testing, a time to prove ourselves worthy to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. In order for us to be tested, we must face challenges and difficulties. These can break us, and the surface of our souls may crack and crumble—that is, if our foundations of faith, our testimonies of truth are not deeply embedded within us.”

Think about it. Has there ever been a person who did not have to go through his or her own dark valley of temptation, trial, and sorrow? 

President Uchtdorf stated, “The scriptures tell us there must be opposition in all things, for without it we could not discern the sweet from the bitter. Would the marathon runner feel the triumph of finishing the race had she not felt the pain of the hours of pushing against her limits? Would the pianist feel the joy of mastering an intricate sonata without the painstaking hours of practice?

Adversity teaches us things we cannot learn otherwise. Adversity helps to develop a depth of character that comes in no other way. Our loving Heavenly Father has set us in a world filled with challenges and trials so that we, through opposition, can learn wisdom, become stronger, and experience joy.”

Elder Wirthlin said, “You will experience your own adversity. None is exempt. You will suffer, be tempted, and make mistakes. You will learn for yourself what every heroine has learned: through overcoming challenges comes growth and strength.”

The way we react to adversity can be a major factor in how happy and successful we can be in life.

Elder Wirthin said,

 “When I was young I loved playing sports, and I have many fond memories of those days. But not all of them are pleasant. I remember one day after my football team lost a tough game, I came home feeling discouraged. My mother was there. She listened to my sad story. She taught her children to trust in themselves and each other, not blame others for their misfortunes, and give their best effort in everything they attempted.

When we fell down, she expected us to pick ourselves up and get going again. So the advice my mother gave to me then wasn’t altogether unexpected. It has stayed with me all my life.

“Joseph,” she said, “come what may, and love it.”

I think she may have meant that every life has peaks and shadows and times when it seems that the birds don’t sing and bells don’t ring. Yet in spite of discouragement and adversity, those who are happiest seem to have a way of learning from difficult times, becoming stronger, wiser, and happier as a result.” 

How can we love days that are filled with sorrow? We can’t—at least not in the moment. 

Elder Wirthlin goes on to say, “I don’t think my mother was suggesting that we suppress discouragement or deny the reality of pain. I don’t think she was suggesting that we smother unpleasant truths beneath a cloak of pretended happiness. But I do believe that the way we react to adversity can be a major factor in how happy and successful we can be in life.”

If we approach adversities wisely, our hardest times can be times of greatest growth, which in turn can lead toward times of greatest happiness.

Elder Wirthlin gave four different steps that can help us keep perspective as we go through adversity. The first step in doing this is to:

1.     Learn to Laugh

Elder Wirthlin recalled this memory: “I remember loading up our children in a station wagon and driving to Los Angeles. There were at least nine of us in the car, and we would invariably get lost. Instead of getting angry, we laughed. Every time we made a wrong turn, we laughed harder.

Getting lost was not an unusual occurrence for us. Once while heading south to Cedar City, Utah, we took a wrong turn and didn’t realize it until two hours later when we saw the “Welcome to Nevada” signs. We didn’t get angry. We laughed, and as a result, anger and resentment rarely resulted. Our laughter created cherished memories for us.”

(Personal Experience) I love this step in helping us to deal with adversity that is thrown in our way. It’s not easy to remember to laugh, especially when things haven’t been going our way. I remember one day when I was younger, my parents went out on a date and my siblings and I were left at home. It was winter time and we were cold so we started a fire in the fireplace. Everything was fine until my brother and sister decided to argue over who would get to poke the fire and move the wood inside around so that it was burning more even.  After poking the fire a few times my brother pushed my sister to the side so that she couldn’t get the poker from him. While trying to keep my sister away from the poker, he ended up placing the poker on our carpet. A couple seconds later we smelled something burning. We realized that my brother had burned the carpet and when he picked up the poker, the carpet had a perfect poker shape melted into it. He was so upset and worried at how my parents would react. We called a neighbor (who happened to be my husband’s father) and he came over and helped us to re-arrange the floor rug and furniture so that it covered the burned spot. A little while later, my parents returned home. After walking in, it was obvious to them that we had rearranged the furniture and they asked why. One of us finally told them after a minute or two what happened. My parents walked over to the burnt part of the carpet, lifted up the rug and just laughed. We all started laughing and to this day have very fond memories of the carpet burned in the shaped of the poker. My parents could have easily been upset and made a big deal out of what happened (especially because it cost a lot of money later on to replace it), but instead they decided to laughed about it. 

The next time you’re tempted to groan, you might try to laugh instead. It will extend your life and make the lives of all those around you more enjoyable.

The second step is to:

2.     Seek for the Eternal

Elder Wirthlin said, "You may feel singled out when adversity enters your life. You shake your head and wonder, “Why me?”

But the dial on the wheel of sorrow eventually points to each of us. At one time or another, everyone must experience sorrow. No one is exempt."

The scriptures show great examples of noble men and women such as Abraham, Sarah, Enoch, Moses, Joseph, Emma, and Brigham. Each of them experienced adversity and sorrow that tried, fortified, and refined their characters.

Elder Wirthlin said, “Learning to endure times of disappointment, suffering, and sorrow is part of our on-the-job training. These experiences, while often difficult to bear at the time, are precisely the kinds of experiences that stretch our understanding, build our character, and increase our compassion for others.”

Because Jesus Christ suffered greatly, He understands our suffering. He understands our grief. We experience hard things so that we too may have increased compassion and understanding for others.

Remember the words of the Savior to the Prophet Joseph Smith when he suffered with his companions in the darkness of Liberty Jail:

“My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;

“And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.”

Elder Wirthlin continued, "With that eternal perspective, Joseph took comfort from these words, and so can we. Sometimes the very moments that seem to overcome us with suffering are those that will ultimately suffer us to overcome."

(Personal Experience) It’s hard to keep perspective while going through adversity. Sometimes I have felt “singled out” and have asked “why me”. While going through a very  hard a personal trial right now, I’ve found comfort in knowing that my Heavenly Father loves me and is aware of my situation. I’ve also looked to my Patriarchal Blessing knowing that as I continue to live my life righteously I will receive all that has been promised to me.

We can read the scriptures, pray and also look to our Patriarchal Blessings for answers to our problems and the strength to overcome our adversity.

President Monson said,

“Your patriarchal blessing is yours and yours alone. It may be brief or lengthy, simple or profound. Length and language do not a patriarchal blessing make. It is the Spirit that conveys the true meaning. Your blessing is not to be folded neatly and tucked away. It is not to be framed or published. Rather, it is to be read. It is to be loved. It is to be followed. Your patriarchal blessing will see you through the darkest night. It will guide you through life’s dangers. … Your patriarchal blessing is to you a personal Liahona to chart your course and guide your way. Patience may be required as we watch, wait, and work for a promised blessing to be fulfilled.”

 

The third thing we can do to overcome adversity is to:

3.     Understand the Principle of Compensation

Elder Wirthlin stated, “The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. That which is taken away from those who love the Lord will be added unto them in His own way. While it may not come at the time we desire, the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude.

One of the blessings of the gospel is the knowledge that when the curtain of death signals the end of our mortal lives, life will continue on the other side of the veil. There we will be given new opportunities. Not even death can take from us the eternal blessings promised by a loving Heavenly Father.”

Because Heavenly Father is merciful, a principle of compensation prevails. I have seen this in my own life. 

(Personal Experience) I’ve learned this principle of compensation since the passing of my older brother a few years ago. Since his passing, my family and I have been blessed beyond measure. We have been blessed with so many experiences from our Heavenly Father in knowing that my brother is happy, healthy and doing the Lord’s work beyond the veil. These special moments and tender mercies have helped my family and me to keep perspective and know that our Heavenly wants each of us to know just how much He loves us. 

The fourth thing we can do to help overcome adversity in our lives is to put our

4.     Trust in our Heavenly Father and His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

“God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.”  The Lord Jesus Christ is our partner, helper, and advocate. He wants us to be happy. He wants us to be successful. If we do our part, He will step in.

He who descended below all things will come to our aid. He will comfort and uphold us. He will strengthen us in our weakness and fortify us in our distress. He will make weak things become strong.

Elder Wirthlin stated, “The simple secret is this: put your trust in the Lord, do your best, then leave the rest to Him.”

President Uchtdorf said, “Heavenly Father offers to you the greatest gift of all—eternal life—and the opportunity and infinite blessing of your own “happily ever after.”

Isn’t it remarkable to know that our eternal Heavenly Father knows you, hears you, watches over you, and loves you with an infinite love? In fact, His love for you is so great that He has granted you this earthly life as a precious gift of “once upon a time,” complete with your own true story of adventure, trial, and opportunities for greatness, nobility, courage, and love. And, most glorious of all, He offers you a gift beyond price and comprehension. Heavenly Father offers to you the greatest gift of all—eternal life—and the opportunity and infinite blessing of your own “happily ever after.”

There are those among you who, have already suffered a full measure of grief and sorrow. How dear you are to the Church. How beloved you are of your Heavenly Father. Though it may seem that you are alone, angels attend you. Though you may feel that no one can understand the depth of your despair, our Savior, Jesus Christ, understands. He suffered more than we can possibly imagine, and He did it for us; He did it for you. You are not alone.

Enduring adversity is not the only thing you must do to experience a happy life. How you react to adversity and temptation is a critical factor in whether or not you arrive at your own “happily ever after.” 

President Monson gives these comforting words, “Remember that you do not walk alone. … As you walk through life, always walk toward the light, and the shadows of life will fall behind you. 

Conclusion

Elder Wirthling stated, "I know why there must be opposition in all things. Adversity, if handled correctly, can be a blessing in our lives. We can learn to love it."

As we look for humor, seek for the eternal perspective, understand the principle of compensation, and draw near to our Heavenly Father, we can endure hardship and trial. We can say, as Elder Wirthlin’s mother did, “Come what may, and love it.” 

I’m so thankful for the knowledge that I have of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that Heavenly Father is our Father and loves each and every one of us. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and has suffered for our sins, afflictions, and sorrows. He knows and understands what we are each going through. I know that if we turn to Him He can help us through our adversity. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and as we read the scriptures we can find peace and comfort in knowing that our Heavenly Father loves us. I know that we have a living prophet on earth today, Thomas S. Monson. I know that the things he says to us are the things that our Heavenly Father wants us to know. I know that as we strive to live our lives worthy of the eternal blessings that are given to us, we can overcome the adversity that comes our way and be proud of the life that we have lived. These things I say in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Eating Wheat & Gluten Free

      I've recently done quite a bit of research on eating wheat and gluten free. It seems as though eating gluten free would be considered wheat free, but not entirely! They go hand in hand with each other, but aren't the same. The wheat that is grown today is very different from the wheat grown a hundred years ago. There are many health issues that have come to fruition over the past several decades relating to wheat/gluten intolerance or allergy.  I've made the decision to  eat wheat and gluten free so that I can help my body to become more healthy, as well as relieve some problems that I have which are due to consuming wheat and gluten. 
       There are many diets and fads out there that claim that you will lose weight and be healthier than ever. What they don't say is that you'll more than likely gain all the weight back plus more, after you stop the diet. Diets are temporary. They never last, a lifestyle change is what needs to happen to make yourself happy and healthy.
       This is my lifestyle change. There are so many pluses to living a wheat & gluten free lifestyle. Every week or so, I plan on writing about my struggles and achievements living without wheat & gluten.
      If you've ever paid attention to your food labels, you know that wheat is in EVERYTHING! Seriously, it's crazy to look at all the foods, condiments, and drinks that I've been eating and drinking and seeing that the majority of them contain wheat! My husband is very supportive of this lifestyle change (although I'm not making him change much of his diet, of course the meals I make will be wheat/gluten free, so he'll have to deal with that : ) Without my husband's support, I don't think I would do so well with this lifestyle change.
       I'm on day 4 of eating wheat/gluten free. It has been a little challenging, especially at first, when looking for a snack and realizing almost all the snacks that I would "go to" when hungry, had wheat/gluten in them. So the first step was to throw away everything that would tempt me, that included wheat/gluten. I also gave away some of the food to friends and neighbors. The next step was to go to the store and buy snacks I could "go to", that were healthy and wheat/gluten free. Some of the best snacks that I "go to" are raw nuts, cheese sticks (have to be careful with these, some include wheat), fruits and vegetables.
      You may be wondering what I would eat in place of bread, pasta, cereal, etc. Well, there are TONS of other replacements you could eat. You could make (or buy) bread that is wheat/gluten free (which are tasty). You could replace wheat pasta with quinoa or rice pasta. (Although I'm trying to avoid white rice, & soy at all costs). These are also very tasty. Some oats are ok to eat, but many contain wheat that is not included on the ingredients list on the packages they come in, so I'm also trying to avoid most oats.
      I recommend that if you are curious about the health issues that can/do come from eating wheat and gluten, check out some books and do your own research. It's best to do research for yourself than take someone's word for it. Especially, with things as serious as your health. Some books that I've found informative and helpful are:  "Wheat Belly" by Williams Davis, MD., "Healthier without Wheat" by Dr. Stephen Wangen and "Wheat-free, Worry-free: The Art of Happy, Healthy, Gluten-free Living" by Danna Korn. These are a few among a huge group of books, and scholarly journals out there that are very informative and helpful.

Come What May and Love It

          A week ago I was asked to give a talk about overcoming adversity later on this month. I'm actually excited to speak. Not many people can say that. What I'm more excited about is that this topic isn't music. (I've always been given the topic of music to speak about in the past.) Well, as I've been pondering about what I want to say, knowing that everybody goes through adversity, this video came to mind. It's from a conference talk by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin. This is only a blurb of the whole talk, and if you have a chance to listen to the whole thing I encourage it, but this is one of the parts that stood out to me the most. It seems that my family, as well as myself and Anthony, are going through a lot of adversity, often times it seems too much to handle. The thing to remember is keeping perspective. The Lord is aware of each of us and what we are all going through. We need to keep the faith and change our way of thinking to "Come what may and love it". This is something that I've been working on personally and wanted to share it with all of you.

My Fairy Tale

            I wanted to write down the "story" of Anthony & I. It's our own fairy tale, as corny as that sounds, it truly is.
            Anthony and I grew up together. My family and I moved to the same city where he lived when I was 5 years old. We went to the same elementary and middle schools. We went to the same church and were in the same ward growing up. His younger sister was, in fact, my very first friend that I made when I my family moved there. A couple years after moving into the same town, my family and I moved right across the street from Anthony's family. I would play and hang out with his sister. There were times when many of us kids from the neighborhood would get together and play. It's sad that this isn't still true today. The world definitely is a different place. Anyway, we would put together clubs and invite some people into our clubs. One time, Anthony made a anti-(his sister's name) club. It was so mean, but he invited me to the group and I accepted! Oops...what a great friend I was! I had a crush on Anthony growing up, hence the reason why I joined his club. For each club, we had to make up a password. I made up a password and told it to Anthony. He loved the password and said that his sister would never guess it. Guess what the password was.......Vinegar! Haha! Lame, I know! Later, his sister and I made a club that he wanted to join. It was a girls only club. He really wanted to join and he went to some extreme measures to join. Eventually we let him "visit" for the day. It was awesome and still is a great memory that we share from our childhoods.
         When I would hang out with his sister I would sneak peeks at Anthony to see what he was doing. I always thought that he was nerdy, which I like/d back then.  I always thought that he was studying and doing homework whenever I was over there. Later he told me that this wasn't entirely true. Haha. When we were both in high school, I was a freshman and he was a senior. He was still so handsome, smart, and nerdy. We didn't go to the same high school, but we were in the same Seminary class (a scripture study class). We were assigned seating right next to each other. He sat on one side of me and his sister sat on the other side. That was the best year of Seminary ever! I was so "in love" with him and he didn't know it. He knew all the answers and was so smart. (He later told me that he didn't recall ever answering anything and that he just tried so hard not to fall asleep during class). Later he graduated and left to go to Cal Poly Pomona to get his education in Civil Engineering. He went there for a year and then left to serve a mission for our church in Rome, Italy.
          I wrote him a couple of times while he was on his mission. He didn't remember that I ever did, but that's ok because he was so focused on his mission. So many people told me, after his mission, that he was such a great example to them and that he was such a stalwart missionary. (This only made him more attractive to me).
          He came home from his mission in December of 2007. That was my first year in college. I went to BYU-Idaho (the best college in my opinion!). I came home for Christmas and went over to visit with his sister, and mainly to see Anthony because I knew he had just returned home from serving two years in the Rome, Italy mission. When I went over and saw him for the first time, oh my, he was so handsome and I had the biggest crush on him. He was so sick though, poor guy. He sat on the couch next to me and I started asking him questions about his mission. He was so shy around me and I thought it was funny. Later, I told his sister that I found him very attractive. She wanted to set us up for a date. So she set up a double date for New Year's Eve. It was too soon for him to feel comfortable having a date, so we cancelled it. I went back off to school and he went off to his. We started to talk over Facebook and when I came back home, he would come up and "visit" his family. I later learned that he would really come up to see me.
            During the summer, we both were going to go to a bon fire. I had a couple friends that were going to come with me. I wanted to invite Anthony to go with us, but I was too nervous to ask. When my friends finally talked me into asking him, he drove up next to us and asked me if I was going to the bon fire. I told him that I was just about to ask him if he would like to go. So he drove us out there. I made a fool of myself, being too flirty and freaking out when a tumbleweed rolled out in front of us. (My friends said that I was on the brink of being ridiculous...great! What a way to grab Anthony's attention!) We got the the party and he went one way, and I went the other. I really wanted to talk with him, but obviously we were both nervous to do just that. We both were invited to play one game with a group of people. It was what changed things for us and our relationship. It was called, The New Yorker (kinda like Apple's to Apple's). I picked his answer and he picked mine, not knowing who's was who's. After the party, on our way home, we talked about how we have the same sense of humor (because of the answers we picked), which is a big deal to both of us. We talked the whole way home and my friends sat quietly in the back letting us flirt.

           A week or so later we went on our first date to a baseball game (his favorite sport). I talked his ear off and he was so polite as to not tell me to shut up. We found out we had a lot more in common than we thought. We went to Denny's afterward and stayed out talking till the early hours of the morning. We didn't want our time together to end. After our first date, I would go over to his house to "talk" with him. His younger brother, who was four years old, would get so confused and tell me his sister (my best friend) was upstairs. I told his brother I was there for Anthony and he would again say that his sister was upstairs. (Poor little guy was so confused!) Anthony and I enjoyed our talks. He was working for his parents, over the summer, fixing up their ranch house out in the middle of nowhere. I went out there with him one time to help him paint the outside of the ranch house. We had a lot of fun chasing each other with paintbrushes. I surprised him for his birthday with a candy gram poster. He loved it! After that we talked every day.
          My grandparents came home from their mission a week or so later and were giving a welcome home talk in their ward. I invited him to come with me. When we walked into the service, an old man greeted us. He said that I must be a grandchild of the Morgan's and I told him that I was. Then he said, "...and this must be your husband!" haha...we weren't even officially dating yet. I turned beet red as did Anthony. The whole meeting my family, cousins, aunts, and uncles kept nudging me, laughing and giving me "the look". We later came back to my house, played games with my cousins, and talked until 3 in the morning. He invited me to go the next day to his grandparents' house for the holiday to swim and have a BBQ. I did and it was just Anthony, his dad, brother, grandparents and I. It was a lot of fun. It was the first time I wasn't embarrassed to wear my bathing suit around anyone else. Especially a man! I knew there was something different about him. I never felt that way about any other person. I knew that I was falling in love. That was one of the most mortifying feelings ever. What if he didn't feel the same way? I was going back up to college the next week and I didn't want this to end.
         When I left for school, I wanted Anthony to know how I felt. I wrote him a letter and left it on the car that I knew he would be driving that day. He surprised me by being outside to say goodbye to me. That was so sweet. We left early in the morning and I know that he isn't a morning person. He wanted to see me one last time before I left. Later that day he sent me a text message. The text message was so sweet and I knew that he felt the same way about me as I felt for him. I later called him to talk with him and tell him that I didn't want to date anyone else but him. He didn't pick up, so I hung up and didn't leave a message. I felt stupid and knew that he would know I called him, so I called him back and left a message to have him call me just to talk.
        He called me the next day and we decided that we wanted to be officially boyfriend and girlfriend. That was one of the best days of my life. A week or so later, I had a dream about him and I woke up knowing that I truly loved him. I loved him so much and I was feeling very vulnerable. It freaked me out. What if he didn't love me back? That day when he called, after talking for a while, he told me that he loved me. I started to cry and told him that I loved him too. He had the same feelings and impressions that night/day as well. What a blessing!
       We met up for General Conference that October. We went to a mission reunion for Anthony. It was so fun to meet people that he served with on his mission. They told me all sorts of nice and good things about Anthony, telling me what a great man he is and what a great example he was to them. That made me smile. I knew what kind of man that he is, it's just nice to hear it from others. Later that weekend, right before he left to go back to school and before I left to go back to school, we had our first kiss. The night before we both left, we talked for forever and I could tell that he was nervous. He wanted to kiss me! I made him laugh to ease that nervousness we were both feeling. Nothing happened and he left to go back to where he was staying. (He told me he was kicking himself all the way back to his car, trying to figure out another way to see me before we both left the next day, so that he could kiss me.) He texted me about my leaving my leftover food in his car and that he wanted to bring it to me in the morning. He came the next day and told me that I forgot two things, I forgot my left over pizza and my goodbye kiss. Then he gave me a kiss. It was both of our first kisses ever! It was so special. I felt like I was on cloud nine. He did too. We both didn't want to leave and we were so excited about this new dimension in our relationship.
                                                 

         Come Christmas time, we were both back home visiting our families, and we were starting to get really serious about our relationship. On New Year's Eve we talked about getting married. We both loved each other so much and knew that we wanted to marry each other. We both had prayed about it and knew it was the right thing for us to do. On March 22nd 2009, my family and I flew out to my cousin's home coming. He was returning from serving his mission in New York. Anthony drove up to see me. We went out to lunch and then were headed to my Aunt & Uncle's house. He missed the exit and I told him. He said that he wanted to take me for a drive. We got stuck in traffic and I could tell that Anthony was super nervous.
            We ended up at the Oakland Temple. We got out of the car and walked around the temple. Taking pictures that showed the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. We went up the stairs to a terrace around the temple and he said that we should sit down. Then he said, "I want to do this the right way", and got down on one knee in front of me and asked me to marry him. I said yes, and was so ecstatic! I looked at the ring and was so surprised! It was huge! It was beautiful! It was a blue topaz stone with little diamonds on each side. I loved it! He told me that this was just my engagement ring until I picked out the one that I really wanted. We were the only ones there at the time and after a minute or two a father and son walked up the stairs and saw us celebrating. We asked them if they would take a picture for us and they did.

                                                   (Right after he proposed on the terrace!)
                                          

                                      

             We took some more pictures on the temple grounds and then headed back to my aunt and uncle's house. We made the plan not to tell anyone about it until we wanted to. We wanted to surprise everyone, but not ruin my cousin's get together, since he just got home from his mission. When we walked in the door, my sister spotted the ring, and told me mom. Then my mom had everyone gather in the living room because "Anthony and Laura have an announcement to make." So we told everyone we were engaged and they were so happy for us. It was such a wonderful day out of a fairy tale!
                                       
                            (Right after we announced to everyone that we were getting married!)
        
 Sadly, I had to go back to school and Anthony needed to get back to school as well, so we couldn't spend a lot of time together. We decided to get married on June 13th, 2009 in the Los Angeles Temple. That was the best day ever! Right out of a fairy tale...our fairy tale. (I know I keep saying that, but it is true!) It was such a wonderful magical day. The wedding itself was amazing and the reception was beautiful. So many people came out to congratulate us. It was awesome.

                                                    (This was our engagement photo)
                                       

                      (Married for Time & All Eternity in the Los Angeles Temple, June 13, 2009)
                                                 
                                                        (This is our happy ever after!)

           We spent our honeymoon in Big Bear, Ca. It was so nice to be up in the mountains, away from the hustle and bustle of Southern California. Sadly, we couldn't stay up there forever and had to come back to the reality of work and school.
                                          
                                                       (On our honeymoon in Big Bear, Ca)

           Now it's been almost four years later and we are still madly in love. I'm so lucky to be married and sealed for time and all eternity to my best friend. I couldn't imagine my life without him in it. He is the love of my life and of eternity. He is such a wonderful husband and great provider. I can't wait to see what our future holds!

Regrets & Resolutions

         This past Sunday at church, someone gave a talk echoing a Conference Talk given by President Uchtdorf in the October 2012 General Conference called, "Of Regrets and Resolutions". I have such a respect for President Uchtdorf. He is such a great speaker and an inspired man of God. During the talk this past Sunday, I started to think of the regrets that I do  have. No one likes to face or even openly admit the things they regret. I thought back over this past year, as well as my whole life. I thought about all the things that I wish I had never done and the things I wish I had done.
        Then yesterday I had a "pity me" day. My husband was so sweet to take the time to listen to me drag on about all the things that I "wish" I had or could change. He gave me the best advice (which I didn't think it was at the time) to stop thinking about what I don't have and be thankful for the things that I do have.
        It is exactly what I needed to hear. He is such a loving and caring man, and sometimes I feel as if I don't deserve him. I'm so thankful to be his wife for eternity. He rocks!
       This "pity party" I was throwing for myself needed to stop. I started to think of the talk given on Sunday. I don't want to live a life full of regrets because I can't stop wishing that I had what others have. If I keep being negative, I'm going to live a life full of regrets.
        I started to resolve some of these issues. I know it's not going to change overnight. This is something I need to do for myself to change for the better, to become the woman I know I can become.
        So I've started living a life of resolutions. I've started to change my thinking. This is going to be a process that I know will be hard. There are always going to be things that happen that will try to pull me down, but I've resolved to not let that happen. To push through my trials and come off conqueror.
        I'm so blessed to be where I am in my life as of now. It was hard to see that yesterday, but counting my blessings opened up my eyes to see how truly blessed I really am. Yes, I might not have exactly what others have, but I'm ok with that. I don't want to be "just like everyone else". That's not the life I was intended to live. The important thing is that I'm living my life on good terms with God, and striving to become a better person, wife, daughter, sister and friend.
        Life isn't easy, it's not supposed to be. If it was, what's the point in living or even attempting to accomplish goals that we set? This life is about becoming who God and you know you can be.
Stop living a life of regrets and start living a life of resolutions to better yourself any chance that you get.

Giving Blogging a Try

I started this blog because I want to be able to share what's most important to me with my family and close friends. I want to document what is going on in my life for our future children. I love the thought of having a blog/diary. I'm so bad at keeping a diary and I hope that I will be able to keep this going. I'm new to all of this so it will take me a while to figure everything out about blogging, but that's true with anything new. Right? You won't learn anything new unless you try and put the effort into learning what it is you want to. Yay for new and exciting things!