Whatever happens, happens!

Well, my dearest vehicle tommy the toyota tercel has recently kicked the bucket. A tribute post to him will be coming soon, but this is one just about how I have struggled without him. I wanted to go to the Provo temple this past thursday, but since I do not have a vehicle to get me there, I took my trusty bicycle. I wore jeans while riding there (you can't ride a bike with a skirt very well...) , thinking that there was a bathroom somewhere at that park just south of the temple where I could change into a skirt when I got there.
I got to the MTC, and decided to find a bike rack, and then walk up to where a bathroom was. Welp, the nearest bike rack was at wymount (BYU married housing), and my large orange bicycle stuck out like a monster sitting in the rack surrounded my tiny little tricycles from all the kids at wymount. It was really funny. So, when I got to the park, I circled several buildings looking for a door to a bathroom, but woe is me, there were none. Crud. What was I supposed to do? I couldn't wear jeans into the temple, I had my skirt with me right there in my purse, it was just a matter of finding somewhere to put it on. I thought for a second of just standing in between two cars and doing a quick jean/skirt swap, but I would feel awful if any of these temple going people had their spiritual experiences ruined by catching a glance of some crazy stripping in the parking lot.
I was stumped. I thought about maybe just going back home, but the thought crossed my mind, "I even shaved for this!" I had brought a knee lenght skirt, so I even went the extra mile and shaved before I left. I hate shaving. There was no way that was going to be for nothing. It furthered my determintation. There was no way I was going back home until I had attended the temple. There had to be another way...So I sat on the green electric box pretending to text (there was a couple watching me circle around the park probably thinking I was some terrorist) so as to dispel suspicions of my odd behavior while I thought of a solution. All of a sudden to my eyes appeared this lovely large pine tree just a few feet from me. It looked like this...
I remember learning once that if you crawl underneath the bottom branches there is open space near the trunk. Enough space perhaps to change your pants. I jumped off the green box and crawled on under the bottom branches, and behold! there was space! And no one could see me! I changed into my skirt and then climbed right back out. As I stood back up and started to proceed to the temple now, that I was dressed appropriately, I noticed that same couple sitting with their child a ways away on the grass laughing at me. They saw me go in AND come out. How embarrassing, but I was so proud of myself for thinkin of it. :)
I finally got to go to the temple, and I'll tell ya what, it was better experience because I kinda had to work for it! Ha, I think I appreciated being there more because It was so much trickier getting there than normal! Luckily I found some lovely friends inside who let me change in their car afterwards. It was a great evening at the Provo Temple. Ha, what a funny day. :)

Some Sweet Pics

As I was looking through some pictures the other day I came across some that Jay had taken that I really liked. He had a way of capturing everyday items into awesome works of art. I thought they were awesome, so I wanted to share them with you! I think my favorite is the egg one.

A hikin' we did go!

Today Me and the Hansen/Wentz clan went on up to Sliding Rock in Alpine. There were some crazy boys sliding down it when we got there, but we opted out of that and just played in the little stream down a ways from the main slide. It was a beautiful day and it was fun to hang out together before steve, syl, sabrinna, and tanner move.

Goodbye Darling...

So, this morning as I left for work, I grabbed a delicious chocolate chip granola bar and stuck it in my jacket pocket to eat during my break. I get so hungry so quickly, and where I work until twelve I simply must bring provisions or I will starve to death. Well, I then hopped on my bike to make the ten minute trek. While riding on 800 north, I hit a wee bump. As I hit this bump I heard something plastic-y fall to the ground, but It could have been a hallucination. A few pedal pushes later I realized it was a real noise and as I was still cruising I turned to look back and I my heart deflated. There was my delicious granola bar near the middle of the road. Of course my first reflex was to retrieve it, but a few things crossed my mind: 1. I was going to be late, 2. there are lots of cars!, 3. I would look super stupid riding all the way back and picking up this little granola bar. So I made a terrible decision-and I rode onward, leaving that little piece of my heart on the ground with the granola bar. Yes, it meant that much to me. I knew this would be the day I would starve. How sad that my punctuality meant more to me than this loyal friend I had left to be run over. Ok, maybe I am being a little dramatic, but being dramatic about it and telling you all makes me feel better about it. Well, I have an hour left of work and I'm still kickin. So maybe I will make it. Maybe.

I feel grateful.

Sometimes my heart becomes so overwhelmed with gratitude that I yearn for some way to say thank you to everyone and everything that I am so grateful to and for. Like with people, I wish I could send every person I have ever met a thank you note telling them how they have impacted me. Right now though, is one of those days that I feel like my insides are just going to explode if I don't express the thoughts that I have. Sometimes we hear that the Spirit comes as a flow of intelligence, and we ought to write those thoughts down when that happens. I think that is one of the ways that I feel the Spirit the most, and I think right now is one of those times. So, I would just like to tell you some things I feel so incredibly thankful for. I hope you can be thinking of some you would put on your list as well. :)

• I am thankful that my spirit is a daughter of a divine being who knows, loves, cares about, and will take care of me if I will ask him.
  
• I am thankful for commandments. I don't have to wonder if something will hurt me and mess around with it to find out, inspired prophets have already told me what I need to do and what I should avoid so that I don't have to go through the mistakes myself.
  
• I am thankful for the blessings that come from keeping commandments, and that the Lord set it up that way that we get blessings from those tests of faith. It's a beautiful idea. D&C 130: 20-21.
• I am thankful for BYU info. It's probably the best job I have ever had (I only say probably because I really enjoyed decorating cakes at coldstone). It is a great job, I learn so much, I can work on personal work while there, and I love my coworkers. A lot.
  
• I am thankful for bicycles. Riding down the street with the sun shining, the leaves shaking in the wind, and flowers blooming is like the cherry on top of a good day.
  
• I am particularly grateful right now for Katy, Jessie, and Caitlin. They are absolutely wonderful.
  
• I am thankful for bishop lynn pack, as well as bishop jim pack. Yes, both of my past two bishops have been bishop pack. crazy huh? They have both been men who have changed my life.
  
• I am thankful for the scriptures. I love them. I am lucky to be one of the few people on earth that owns a book of mormon, and has read it.
  
• I am thankful that the Church has our back. No matter what question you run into, what situation you get yourself in, you can always find an answer. Whether it's through the prophets words, the scriptures, your visiting or home teachers, or even through personal revelation that we know about because of this gospel- your problems in life can be solved. Your back is always covered because the Lord looks out for you through all those mediums. You never EVER have to feel alone, because you NEVER EVER are. I am very thankful for that.
  
• I am thankful that my body works. I have no handicaps, I have all my limbs, both of my eyes work fairly well (and the rest is made up by contact lenses which I completely am thankful for), I can hear, I have hair, I have fingernails I can paint, and all my innards seem to be functioning how they are supposed to! No how many people in the world can say that!?
• I am thankful for tithing and fasting. Both require giving up something that is important to you, but both bring extremely wonderful blessings. I have a firm testimony of tithing and have had some awesome experiences with it. When you pay your tithing, your finances will work out somehow. The Lord works in mysterious ways, and I have had times where it was a leap of faith to pay it, and then I was humbled by the unique ways that the Lord took care of me. Take the leap of faith and pay it, I personally promise you you will NEVER regret it. Fasting has been hard for me too because I love food too much! But I know that fasting brings the spirit, it helps you gain self control, and it brings blessings often in cases where you feel you can do nothing else yourself about something.
  
• I am thankful for BYU. I have learned more and more why I was supposed to come here. I changed all my plans of USU last minute for BYU, and I hoped it was the right thing. Well, I have learned that it is. The Lord brought me to the right place.
  
• I am thankful for journals. it's amazing to see how I have changed, grown, and to look back on funny experiences and be able to laugh about them. I love keeping a journal.
• Last of all for this list, I am so thankful for each and every individual experience, trial, spiritual moment, and friend that I have had in my life that has shaped me into who I am. I am so lucky. I am lucky to have experienced all the things I have, and I can look back and see how each experience, good or bad, has shaped me in some way, or taught me something that has integrated into my personality. I love my life, and I feel so lucky to have gone through everything I have. The good times have brought a joy to me that will never wear away. The friends and people have taught me how to live better and to take all of their great qualities and incorporate them in my life. The hard times seemed impossible at the time, but by enduring and paying the price of staying strong throughout them I have truly come to know Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ, and that they live, and love and know me. That is something I can never doubt again in my life. and I would never trade that for anything.
  

A new summer obsession.

Tandem bikes! It is probably the funnest thing I have done in long time. Kristi, Staisha and I rode one a while ago and it's just a no fail funny time. The white house on the corner next to our apartment complex rents them out, and I plan on being a frequent customer this summer. :)