As is typical with most children, my awesome-little-kidlet-clients are Masters of Avoidance. Kids think of the craziest ways to get out of doing something difficult, "not fun", boring, or challenging.
I have learned many techiques from them.
Things I Am Avoiding:
-Working on my resume
-Training for a half-marathon (which is in four weeks!!!)
-Finding a job
and...
-Showering
Things I Am NOT Avoiding:
-Caffeine-free Diet Coke
-Goldfish
-Harry Potter
-Cadence (the niece)
-Swimsuits
August 10, 2011
August 8, 2011
Summertime...the Livin's Easy
Having a three-week hiatus from school (and life in general, because school = life) sounds like a great idea right? Totally, 100%, completely wrong! I cannot remember a time that I have been more bored. Here is a short (and very basic) list of what I have done in the past 7 days.
-Read the first three Harry Potter books
-Run nearly every day
-Seven Peaks
-Roooodeoooooooo!
-Attended the temple
-Helped my mom at Oakcrest
-Pinned for hours
-Organized my clinic supplies
-Emailed potential externship sites (eek!)
-Slept in until at least 9 a.m. nearly every day
-Thoroughly enjoyed Shark Week
Now, some of my loyal readers may be thinking "That sure seems like a lot of things to keep her busy! What does she mean she's bored?!"
Clarification: my MIND is bored. None of those activities (aside from attending the temple and emailing externships...and HP to an extent) really engage the mind. I've been in graduate school for a year now (can you believe that?!), thus my mind is so very used to being engaged, busy, and constantly on the run. I've found I have too much time to (over)think, (over)analyze, and (over)worry about the little, miniscule, inconsequential things that are happening in my life.
In order to combat the mind-wandering, worry-inducing boredom I seem to be plagued with, I've been studying the gospel much more than I was able to during the school year. Talk about engaging the mind! I've learned many things about true happiness, finding joy in the journey, new beginnings, life changes, and so many more (relevant and important) topics. Perhaps I will dedicate a few posts to these newly-learned (or re-learned) ideas and principles in the future, but I do not feel that now is the proper time as these experiences have been very personal, and quite surprising as well.
Well, loyal (16) readers, here's to the lazy two weeks ahead. Ideas of (free and/or cheap) activities are more than welcome, as are random texts or phone calls to just catch up. Cheers!
-Read the first three Harry Potter books
-Run nearly every day
-Seven Peaks
-Roooodeoooooooo!
-Attended the temple
-Helped my mom at Oakcrest
-Pinned for hours
-Organized my clinic supplies
-Emailed potential externship sites (eek!)
-Slept in until at least 9 a.m. nearly every day
-Thoroughly enjoyed Shark Week
Now, some of my loyal readers may be thinking "That sure seems like a lot of things to keep her busy! What does she mean she's bored?!"
Clarification: my MIND is bored. None of those activities (aside from attending the temple and emailing externships...and HP to an extent) really engage the mind. I've been in graduate school for a year now (can you believe that?!), thus my mind is so very used to being engaged, busy, and constantly on the run. I've found I have too much time to (over)think, (over)analyze, and (over)worry about the little, miniscule, inconsequential things that are happening in my life.
In order to combat the mind-wandering, worry-inducing boredom I seem to be plagued with, I've been studying the gospel much more than I was able to during the school year. Talk about engaging the mind! I've learned many things about true happiness, finding joy in the journey, new beginnings, life changes, and so many more (relevant and important) topics. Perhaps I will dedicate a few posts to these newly-learned (or re-learned) ideas and principles in the future, but I do not feel that now is the proper time as these experiences have been very personal, and quite surprising as well.
Well, loyal (16) readers, here's to the lazy two weeks ahead. Ideas of (free and/or cheap) activities are more than welcome, as are random texts or phone calls to just catch up. Cheers!
June 28, 2011
Under Pressure
Yup, the stress of summer semester just hit. Nine major assignments due in the next three weeks. Count 'em....NINE.
I no longer have the time to send myself flowers, nor do I have the money. If any of you feel so inclined, they will be gladly and gratefully welcomed.
June 16, 2011
Lovin on Them Flowers
Next week, I'm sending myself flowers. I've never received flowers (at least not from a boy...who isn't my dad). I think it would be nice. And I think I deserve it.
Why?
Not really sure why, but I'm needin some flowers in my life and it's up to me to get them!
I like these.
Why?
Not really sure why, but I'm needin some flowers in my life and it's up to me to get them!
June 10, 2011
Infectious Summer
The title of this post explains it all, but not in the way one might think. You see, in the past week, I've 'contracted' two types of infections. And yes, the explanations will be accompanied by pictures.
A week and a half ago, I was riding The Boy's motorcycle. I've ridden his bike many a time; in fact, you could say I'm a professional passenger. I've learned how to lean with the bike, how to put my leg down in case we start tipping, how to hold The Boy* just right, etc. I've even learned to mount and dismount the bike effectively...or so I thought. One night, I was getting on the bike, and my pant leg got caught on G-knows-what, so in my pathetic attempt to free my leg, the flesh of my leg made contact with the pipes of the bike. The pipes can get up to 1200* F! Needless to say, my leg was instantaneously cinged.
A beautiful blister formed. The following day, I had a session with a young boy. This boy is very active, so I was all over the place, taking no thought about my burn. Halfway through the seession, I look down to see a very (grossly) large spot on my pant leg. Yes, the blister had popped taking every bit of skin with it.
Over the course of the next few days, infection seemed to set in. I'll let the pictures explain themselves.
Doesn't my leg look like a delicious piece of fried meat? Yum.
This is the current state of the burn. (Really, I took this picture solely for the purpose of uploading onto my blog.) As you can see, the bandages and coverings has caused a rash to form around the burn. So now, not only do I have a burn that constantly oozes, I also have a rash around the burn that constantly itches. End of Infection Numero Uno.
Time for Infection Numero Dos. This one isn't nearly as exciting, nor do I have any pictures. Late last night, I looked in the mirror to take out my contacts for the night, and I noticed my left eye was rather red and goopy. Pink eye, right? I was hoping not, especially because I have three hours of clients on Fridays that I really did not want to cancel. I decided to wait until morning before making a final judgment call. I quickly fell asleep (I must have been exhausted!), and wake up before my alarm even goes off. It's at this point in time I realize that I cannot open my left eye...it's been crusted shut. Pink eye, right? Definitely. I now have an appointment to have it looked at and get whatever meds they'll give me so I can get back to my clients asap.
When I was talking to my mom about the pink eye (which, of course, she reacted very violently to), she told me the next thing to be infected was going to be my brain. Pray that doesn't happen.
*No, The Boy and I are not back together. We are friends. :)
A week and a half ago, I was riding The Boy's motorcycle. I've ridden his bike many a time; in fact, you could say I'm a professional passenger. I've learned how to lean with the bike, how to put my leg down in case we start tipping, how to hold The Boy* just right, etc. I've even learned to mount and dismount the bike effectively...or so I thought. One night, I was getting on the bike, and my pant leg got caught on G-knows-what, so in my pathetic attempt to free my leg, the flesh of my leg made contact with the pipes of the bike. The pipes can get up to 1200* F! Needless to say, my leg was instantaneously cinged.
Doesn't my leg look like a delicious piece of fried meat? Yum.
Time for Infection Numero Dos. This one isn't nearly as exciting, nor do I have any pictures. Late last night, I looked in the mirror to take out my contacts for the night, and I noticed my left eye was rather red and goopy. Pink eye, right? I was hoping not, especially because I have three hours of clients on Fridays that I really did not want to cancel. I decided to wait until morning before making a final judgment call. I quickly fell asleep (I must have been exhausted!), and wake up before my alarm even goes off. It's at this point in time I realize that I cannot open my left eye...it's been crusted shut. Pink eye, right? Definitely. I now have an appointment to have it looked at and get whatever meds they'll give me so I can get back to my clients asap.
When I was talking to my mom about the pink eye (which, of course, she reacted very violently to), she told me the next thing to be infected was going to be my brain. Pray that doesn't happen.
*No, The Boy and I are not back together. We are friends. :)
May 25, 2011
Leave It Alone
When I applied for the Speech-Pathology program at the University of Utah, I don't think I knew it required a full course load and an extra load of clients during the summer semester. But I guess that wasn't enough to deter me from quitting half-way through (yay!) my program because here I sit, in classes and with clients, during the summer time. From my seat in the classroom, I can see the blue sky, the trees swaying in the wind, and the rolling clouds (I swear I can see the heat too!). At least I have a good seat.
It's been nearly two months since the inevitable happened, a weird two months. The past week and a half has been absolutely incredible; my point of view seems to have made a complete 180* turn. I ammore completely optimistic in the future, completely more okay with "things" not happening how I planned, and I am much more faithful in the Lord, His plan, and His timing.
This previous week in church I gave a talk on President Packer's most recent conference talk, "Guided by the Holy Spirit". First, the title of the talk is very deceiving, yet fitting. Second, President Packer relates a story about a young man who lost his wife a few days after giving birth to their first child due to mistakes the delivering doctor made. The young husband and new father was very upset, very hurt, and very confused by his trial. Shortly after the wife's death, the stake president called this young man into his office and gave him counsel from the Lord; this counsel was to "leave it alone; nothing you do about it will bring her back." While the young man was shocked and probably hurt, he determined he should be obedient and follow the counsel given him. Later is his life, this man is quoted as saying, "I was an old man before I understood and could finally see...I finally understood!"
I am so very grateful to the Lord for allowing us time to see and understand His purposes; I am so grateful to Him for allowing us to struggle, to struggle to find true happiness. Without this (these) struggles, I do not think we could (or would) fully appreciate the blessings He bestows upon us afterwards. With our struggles and trials come growth, growth and knowledge that cannot be found any other way.
It's been nearly two months since the inevitable happened, a weird two months. The past week and a half has been absolutely incredible; my point of view seems to have made a complete 180* turn. I am
This previous week in church I gave a talk on President Packer's most recent conference talk, "Guided by the Holy Spirit". First, the title of the talk is very deceiving, yet fitting. Second, President Packer relates a story about a young man who lost his wife a few days after giving birth to their first child due to mistakes the delivering doctor made. The young husband and new father was very upset, very hurt, and very confused by his trial. Shortly after the wife's death, the stake president called this young man into his office and gave him counsel from the Lord; this counsel was to "leave it alone; nothing you do about it will bring her back." While the young man was shocked and probably hurt, he determined he should be obedient and follow the counsel given him. Later is his life, this man is quoted as saying, "I was an old man before I understood and could finally see...I finally understood!"
I am so very grateful to the Lord for allowing us time to see and understand His purposes; I am so grateful to Him for allowing us to struggle, to struggle to find true happiness. Without this (these) struggles, I do not think we could (or would) fully appreciate the blessings He bestows upon us afterwards. With our struggles and trials come growth, growth and knowledge that cannot be found any other way.
May 8, 2011
Re-Commitment
The past month has been...interesting, to say the least. The rollercoaster of life and its emotions has continued, which has made for an eventful ride. All of these ups and down, loops and corkscrews have left me more confused than ever. While I can say that the events and changes that started this rollercoaster happened for the best, that knowledge doesn't make it easy to deal with the aftermath or consequences of decisions I have made.
Today during Relief Society (to which I walked in very late), I had a sort of epiphany. The teacher was talking about faith: faith in an outcome versus faith in Christ. She focused on having the faith to change our will to align with the Lord's, to have the faith to follow His plan for us rather than ours. She related various examples from her life that were surprisingly similar to trials I've been going through the past few months. One of the things she highlighted really hit home: her desires were righteous and she felt she had done everything in her power to see her worthy will be done; however, the Lord had a different plan. Only after realizing that while her plan was good, the Lord's plan was better (no matter how temporarily painful the outcome of that plan was) could she truly see the purpose of His plan.
After my hour-long stint at church was over, I came home to catch up on some blog reading I had missed while on vacation in California. A very good friend of mine, who I look up to and admire in the greatest of ways, wrote a post a few days about timing: our timing versus the Lord's timing. She relayed this talk by Elder Oaks specifically on that topic. One of my favorite lines reads "we cannot have true faith in the Lord without also having complete trust in the Lord’s will and in the Lord’s timing." Not only do we need to have faith in the Lord's plan over ours, we also need to have faith in His timing--that every righteous blessing we desire will be ours when He sees fit.
What's the moral of the story? Again, Elder Oaks states it perfectly: "Anchor your life to eternal principles, and act upon those principles whatever the circumstances and whatever the actions of others. Then you can await the Lord’s timing and be sure of the outcome in eternity...If we have faith in God and if we are committed to the fundamentals of keeping His commandments and putting Him first in our lives, we do not need to plan every single event—even every important event—and we should not feel rejected or depressed if some things—even some very important things—do not happen at the time we had planned or hoped or prayed."
So here I am, to re-commit myself to doing the Lord's will and trusting in His plan and His timing. How grateful I am to know that if I have the faith required to follow His plan, act on that faith, and remain worthy I will receive every blessing I desire...and deserve.
Today during Relief Society (to which I walked in very late), I had a sort of epiphany. The teacher was talking about faith: faith in an outcome versus faith in Christ. She focused on having the faith to change our will to align with the Lord's, to have the faith to follow His plan for us rather than ours. She related various examples from her life that were surprisingly similar to trials I've been going through the past few months. One of the things she highlighted really hit home: her desires were righteous and she felt she had done everything in her power to see her worthy will be done; however, the Lord had a different plan. Only after realizing that while her plan was good, the Lord's plan was better (no matter how temporarily painful the outcome of that plan was) could she truly see the purpose of His plan.
After my hour-long stint at church was over, I came home to catch up on some blog reading I had missed while on vacation in California. A very good friend of mine, who I look up to and admire in the greatest of ways, wrote a post a few days about timing: our timing versus the Lord's timing. She relayed this talk by Elder Oaks specifically on that topic. One of my favorite lines reads "we cannot have true faith in the Lord without also having complete trust in the Lord’s will and in the Lord’s timing." Not only do we need to have faith in the Lord's plan over ours, we also need to have faith in His timing--that every righteous blessing we desire will be ours when He sees fit.
What's the moral of the story? Again, Elder Oaks states it perfectly: "Anchor your life to eternal principles, and act upon those principles whatever the circumstances and whatever the actions of others. Then you can await the Lord’s timing and be sure of the outcome in eternity...If we have faith in God and if we are committed to the fundamentals of keeping His commandments and putting Him first in our lives, we do not need to plan every single event—even every important event—and we should not feel rejected or depressed if some things—even some very important things—do not happen at the time we had planned or hoped or prayed."
So here I am, to re-commit myself to doing the Lord's will and trusting in His plan and His timing. How grateful I am to know that if I have the faith required to follow His plan, act on that faith, and remain worthy I will receive every blessing I desire...and deserve.
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