"You can be good, and you can try."

Today I went with a couple friends to International Cinema. We watched an edited version of "Motorcycle Diaries" about the trip of Ernesto "Che" Guevara across the South American continent. It was beautiful. He started off as a privileged student wanting to have some fun, and ended as a more selfless and wise person. His love and service to the poverty-stricken peoples of Argentina, Chile, and Peru was beautiful. The film made me want to be a better person and find ways to serve others. It made me want to change the world.

Today I also heard that a good friend of mine has left the church. He said the church made him feel guilty for the things he didn't do and was too rigid. He said he wanted to be happy without being told what to do. This news just broke my heart. He is so confused. He had access to the joy and happiness that God has right in his fingertips, but got lost in the distractions of the world.

I got on my knees and asked God what I could do to help. I have been given so much - a relationship with God, wonderful family, a testimony of the true church, a college education, knowledge of the scriptures, wealth, a healthy body, food and shelter, music, great teachers and examples, good friends - the list goes on and on. I want to be able to help all of those who are suffering physically and spiritually but, I told the Lord, I don't know how.

Then I looked up at the picture of my Savior, the most amazing and perfect man that ever lived. I realized that Jesus Christ was not an expert or virtuoso in any certain area. He was not a doctor or a lawyer or a teacher or a politician. He did not have a college education. He didn't ever leave His country. He didn't always have a steady job. But what did He have? Charity. Christ had a perfect love for everyone, and that's how He changed the world. That's why Satan is working so hard on my shyness and feelings of inferiority - because they are preventing me from loving and serving others with my full heart and soul. As President Hinckley once said, "You may not be a genius. You may not be exceptionally smart. But you can be good, and you can try. And you will be amazed at what might happen when in faith you take a step forward."

I am going to be good, and I am going to try. As Elaine S. Dalton said in our last General Conference, "I truly believe that one virtuous young woman or young man, led by the Spirit, can change the world, but in order to do so, we must return to virtue." I may not be able to change the world by political means, but I believe that I can change MY world through Christlike love. And so can each one of us.

"You've seen what might be. Now go and make it so."

Stand in Holy Places

So lately I have been feeling weary and weakened. I guess it's the combination of my church being misunderstood, my personal standards being attacked, stress in school, and seeing people I love make some unwise decisions. It just makes me so sad to see the influence the adversary has in the world. But in a wonderful Relief Society lesson on Sunday, we listened to the song "Stand in Holy Places." I could feel the Spirit whisper to my heart that I AM standing in Holy places, and despite what others may say, the Lord is pleased with the choices I am making. And when I have the God of the universe on my side, what else can possibly matter?

"I stand in Holy places
Protected from the storm
Anchored safe in harbor
Though my sails are ripped and worn
I stand in Holy places
And I will not move
Until the Captain comes and says well done
He is the hope I hold on to
In Holy places"

Fall fun!

Hello everyone!

The weather is so fun here in Provo. There are gorgeous leaves everywhere, and a couple days ago it actually SNOWED! It had all melted by 11, but I had so much fun walking to class with snowflakes falling on me! I can't wait for it to snow again.

Here are some pics of the beautiful fall leaves and my Halloween! I was Gabriella and my best friend Brian was Troy...we had a ton of fun!

More pics here

High School Musical 3!!!

After a long wait of 100 days I finally saw HSM 3 tonight!!! While it was cheesily wonderful - but also much more skanky - I must honestly say that I liked #2 the best. This one seemed more like a string of music videos than a musical. I was actually very confused at times. But still, I would love to see it again soon.

"Can I Have This Dance" video (my favorite song from it!)

Cute picture

I love these girls!

What I'm going to do with my life...

So I have decided to switch my major! I am now going to major in Art History and curatorial studies and minor in vocal music! I'm so excited I've figured out for sure. I want to work in a museum and talk to little kids on field trips, and maybe teach voice lessons. The future is looking good :]

Conference + Homecoming = Spectacular!

Hellooooooooooooo to the world of blogging!

I just loved General Conference, didn't you? It was so empowering and inspirational. My favorite talks were Elder Holland's about angels, Elder Eyring's about Unity, Sister Dalton's call for a "Return to Virtue," and Elder Bednar's "Pray Always." Elder Bednar's talk has significantly blessed my life this past week. I've always wondered how exactly I could pray always, and finally I know how! Now that I have been applying his advice on prayer to my everyday life, I feel so much closer to the Lord. I am able to remember Him and pray to Him more often. I am able to remember the woman I want to be and improve in my efforts to become her. Thank you Elder Bednar, and all the living prophets :]

I was privileged to go to Sunday's sessions in Salt Lake! Brian, Myles, Sheri, and I watched Sunday morning on the giant hi-def screen in the Legacy theater, and watched the afternoon session in the Conference center. I love the spirit at conference and on temple square! I love being edified with my fellow Saints. It's a great thing.

Well, it's homecoming weekend, which has been way fun! Thursday night I went to an awesome Dixieland Jazz concert with my friend Michael, and Friday was the Homecoming Spectacular with the men's chorus, young ambassadors, Jenny Oaks Baker, and more! If they air it on BYU TV you should definitely check it out! It made me so happy :]

Today was the homecoming game against the Lobos...plus it snowed this morning. It melted as soon as it hit the ground, but it was freezing cold. I went to the game for an hour and a half, really just to watch Brian in the band. He got to be part of a trio in the Michael Buble halftime show! There's a video on my facebook :]

That's all for now! Hopefully I will survive next weeks midterm flurry so I can update next weekend! I love you all :]

-Mosiah 23:21-22

What is love?

I know some of you have already read this on my facebook, but I just wanted to post it on here as well. With some of my friends making stupid choices, I know now more than ever how easy it is to confuse love and infatuation. Hopefully this will help someone else out there.

“[Love] is feeling even more smitten when you’re together; it’s loving just as much when you’re apart. It isn’t being so obsessed that you can hardly eat; it is feeling so secure and happy that you can eat sensibly. It isn’t an inability to keep your mind on your work, or to concentrate to study. It is being able to study and excel more, because you want to work hard for your loved one; they bring out your best.
When you’re really in love, it has taken time to grow. Love includes physical attraction that wants to please the other person and is partially based upon deep admiration and love for that person. You enjoy each other as friends as well as you enjoy the physical chemistry between you. But infatuation leaps quickly into bloom, sweeping you away in a current of lust, and the basic desire for sexual gratification.
Love is respecting another person’s individuality; infatuation is living your life through somebody else, or expecting them to live through you. Love lets you be alone and not lonely; infatuation makes you want a solution for loneliness.
Infatuation includes feverish excitement and miserable uncertainty until you can be together again; love is confident and able to wait, filling you with warmth and security. Love is being able to show all sides of yourself to someone and know that they’ll still love you; infatuation is afraid to show all and presents only the candy-coated parts.
Love is secure and independent, allowing each other room to grow and differ; disagreements usually lead to compromise. Infatuation needs continual assurance of being loved and is very insecure and dependent. Disagreements often become quarrels.
When you love someone and others criticize that person, it sharpens your attachment. When you’re merely infatuated, the opinions of others can make you doubt that choice. When you’re in love, you are confident that you belong to each other. Infatuated couples often experience feelings of jealousy.
When you’re in love you have a kind, even disposition and feeling of goodwill towards others. When infatuated, feelings of desperation make you edgy and short-tempered. Infatuated couples sometimes find monetary greed in their relationships; couples in love are willing to struggle, share, and trust.
Some people are in love with the feeling of being loved. But real love is thinking of what you can do to show you love the other person, rather than counting the things they’ve done to prove they love you. Some folks have a compulsive desire to feel needed. But while real love wants your companionship, it doesn’t need it in the sense of being to function alone.
Others are simple determined not to be ‘an old maid.’Yet until you are happy all alone, you’re limited in the amount of love you can give another person.
Some couples think they are in love, when all they are is in love with the prestige, position, or financial security they’ve found in a mate. Real love would be just as strong without all the trappings. You’re proud of your partner in any situation and that admiration shows.
Some well-meaning romantics give in and get entirely swallowed up and dominated. Others like feeling in control of another person, still thinking of themselves first. (These two types often find each other.) But true love is none of those things. It’s not a unilateral arrangement where one person has all the power and the other is subordinate. It’s caring as much about another person’s feelings and wants as you do about your own – nor completely forgetting yourself and becoming a non-person, but sharing and respecting equally. You’re willing to give in to please him or her, but you also feel welcome to express a differing view.
And when you truly love someone, you don’t want to control them; in fact, their strength pleases you.
When you’re in love, there’s room for differences on little things; these differences even delight you. But usually, you have the big issues in common: You share similar values and goals. You respect each other as children of God, and you each aspire for the other to become all that they can be (without pushing). There’s emotional maturity. There’s honest acceptance and an honest view of each other’s strengths and weaknesses. You can grow together better than you could grow individually, each enhancing each other.” –Joni Hilton

I lo-ove to sing!

Hello my friends!

First off, I added a couple new songs to my lovely playlist. The first is "O Magnum Mysterium," a Latin piece we are singing in choir. It's simply gorgeous. The second is "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schimdt," which we are also singing in choir...just kidding!

Yesterday we had choir retreat for 8 hours, which was amazing! We sang a lot, but we also played games, got to meet people, and heard the stories of the directors’ courtships. We are putting on a concert in December which is going to be awesome because there are so many talented people in the group. They are going to record it on a CD, so maybe I’ll have to send it to you guys. Even though school has only been in for 4 weeks, I feel that I have grown so much as a singer. And the best part about BYU choirs is that all of our songs that we sing are about the Savior, so it’s another opportunity to bear testimony of Him. I'm looking into auditioning for a higher level choir because I absolutely LOVE this choir thing and never want to give it up! So we will see how that goes. :]

Last night was the General Relief Society broadcast, which was really inspirational. It was my first time going to a Relief Society one, because they only come once a year and I am barely 18. My favorite talk was by President Uchtdorf; I think he’s my favorite General Authority because he’s so loving and always makes me feel at peace. Anyways, he talked about how our Heavenly Father is the most creative being in the universe, and as His daughers who are trying to become like Him, we also have the desire to create and should cultivate it. He talked about how creation isn’t just painting a picture but is also done by bringing peace into your home, cooking a meal, or making people laugh. In creating anything that hadn’t existed before, we are satisfying our souls and becoming more like God. Isn’t that awesome?! It just made me want to go out and use all of my creativity. I can’t wait for General Conference next week and to hear more from our beloved prophets.

I love you lots and will write again soon!

My Hair Adventure

So yesterday I decided to try some of my roommate's hair product to see if it would bring out any curl in my hair. This was the result:
Yep. It did nothing. My hair is hopelessly straight. So then I decided to experiment. First, I put my hair in pigtails:




















Yeah, that was pretty silly. They stuck out of my head like Pippi Longstockings. But the next one is even better...

So in the end I just decided to go to the game with my hair down so I would look like I had fat sticks growing out of my head. haha We beat Wyoming 44-0 by the way! Go Cougars!

Thursday night at 11:40 Brian's sister Courtney had her baby! Kate Marie was born a month early, but she and her mommy are doing fine. They should be going home any day now. She is the cutest thing ever. I wish more than anything that I could meet her and hold her! If I can't find a way to get home for Thanksgiving I will be able to meet her then!

Today I was sustained in church as an FHE group 3 co-leader. (NOT FHE MOM! The Bishop is adamant that I should not be called that.) I am so thrilled! I talked to my other coleader today and he is so nice. He also has fun ideas and I think this will be a great experience for all of us! Tomorrow we are gonna make brownies and play Apples to Apples, so it should be pretty awesome.

Well, I have a stake fireside soon so I will write more later! Love you all!