Children Born Truly A Blessing

Mothers work hard to carry a child and to take care of a baby when it is born. It is such a wonderful experience though to see a child grow up and see a woman become a mother as she nurtures that baby to grow and learn by her love. It is amazing how connected a community can become when a baby is born. As I sit here in church I see babies being passed around here and there from mom to a long time friend sitting next to her. I see women who are very well aged holding a baby, as they probably reminisce on how they once raised their own children and had that position of a new mom. Both the older women and the young lady hold the baby, adoring eyes on their tiny bodies, tender hands grasping their soft chubby legs and belly, and the warmth of the baby warming every heart.

It does take a community to raise a child. Mom is under a lot of pressure and going through many changes. With a first child, she has officially become a mother. Her status among her peers may change as she is no longer as free to meet up and likely holed up for days at home with her new little nugget. She may be struggling socially as each day becomes monotonous. Mothers of more than one child may be seeing the change of adding a sibling for their other children. Meanwhile, there are friends and family surrounding her, excited for the new addition, a new little personality to get to know. Family is there to help with meals and chores as mom recovers and learns to manage with baby. Friends are close to coo and hold the new child and take the baby from mothers tired arms. Peers are near to socialize and congratulate after a much needed week of baby care. Her husband is near her side through all of it as well, helping as much as he can while he is home.

A baby needs to feel loved. They sense and know much more than we think. It can be stressful for a baby when there are fewer people around (as it can be when there are too many people!). Having a community surround a family brings so much needed support and the families new addition can bring so much joy! It’s a beautiful thing to watch, so many sisters being benefited from having a baby in the room. Babies just bring a light and happiness! And even when they cry, heads turn because instinctually we know that baby is important and demands our attention. I know all family situations are not ideal where both mom and dad aren’t around or family is not close, etc. but I just wanted to highlight what I have seen in families around me and in the community of the church I am a part of. Families here are not perfect either, but it is obvious that children are a light in our lives that we cannot deny.

The media does not portray family and children like they used to or should. We are surrounded by ideas that marriage and children tie us down and are not important any more. That’s not the case. When children come into the world, they are a blessing, they are a piece of goodness from the Lord. I’m so grateful for the sweet babies I have been able to hold and take care of and the motherly instincts they have helped me connect to. I hope one day to be able to have my own and share the blessing of children with my family and friends. I hope this Father’s Day we can appreciate the family. Every member is needed and we can give special appreciation to Dad this day.

Why I Deleted My Wedding Pins on Pinterest

Pinterest has gained a lot of popularity over the past few years. Women and girls have been pinning ideas about parties and yummy food and Fitspo and ESPECIALLY about their dream wedding.  All aspects are pinned meticulously to boards for wedding dresses, engagement rings, bridesmaid dresses, color schemes, table arrangements, floral pieces… the list goes on. I started my Pinterest account when I was a young teen and have found it to be very useful to plan big dances for the youth of my local church and for my outfit ideas. I loved to fantasize about what my wedding dress would look like and how in love I would be on my wedding day. Pin after pin would be posted as I hoped for the future. 

Now, I am a married woman of 2 and a half months and I have deleted those boards about weddings. Why? You may ask? Let me tell you. I believe that marriages are meant to last forever. Its not a temporary union. And I decided that I didn’t want to have any regrets about my decision to marry my husband. I don’t want to be longing for a different dress. I don’t want to be wishing that our special day was better. I know it’s not about material things. Our relationship is about us and our support for each other and our love. But I also know that wanting something better can change your view of the past. I don’t want consumerism and THINGS to change or taint how I feel about the day I committed to love my husband forever. I absolutely love my wedding dress. Its totally me and it took some arm twisting to get the dress. I feel like a true princess when I wear it. The rest of the details of our wedding just fell in place. We chose our colors based on the invitations we sent out because we loved the combination. My wonderful aunt and cousin found the perfect bridesmaid dresses a couple days after I officially started looking for them. They were summery and inexpensive and adorable! Our wedding and reception fell into place and I really had minimal help from Pinterest, a lot less than I thought I would have. So that leads me to my decision now. I deleted my Pinterest boards about wedding dresses, rings, bridesmaids, table settings, and color schemes. I decided to stop fantasizing now about what could have been on that wonderful day and I decided to bask in the glory of our holy union and what actually happened because it was the best thing I have ever done. Our day was perfect just as it happened! I won’t have any doubts or wishes for something different. I am grateful for our wedding day, I am grateful for my husband, grateful for my family that made it possible, grateful for our happiness together now. I don’t want anyone or anything to take that away from us. 

Thank you SpiceRack Photography for such beautiful wedding photos!

Week 10, Day 7

Slow start to Sunday but it was great day in church. I went to the wrong Relief Society but then texted my roomie to clarify. I don’t like going to the other one, I get a weird vibe and everyone thinks I’m new! Nope, just in the wrong class…  Class was great and we talked about the Christ and how He is unchanging in His divine nature and His purpose here on Earth. It was a great lesson and I felt really moved by it. Went to Sunday school and that was a great reminder that I need to be better at no judging people unrighteously. I have a habit of automatically thinking the worst of people or judging hem when they are annoying or are different than me in the way that they have a bigger louder personality than myself. I cant stand people who need lots of attention and this was a reminder that I need to have better thoughts and keep my mouth shut. Sacrament was alright and then I went home and put away my clothes that have been piled on the floor for a few days now. I hate folding clothes. It just doesn’t get done. But this time it did and I rewarded myself with a little nappy nap and watching the Croods on Netflix. Then Mitchell came over and we had dinner and then went to ward prayer and enjoyed some desserts. We watched Maleficent, my first time, and I love it! I would totally buy it, I love Sleeping Beauty so this was great. Now I’m just typing it up and catching up on my journal entries 🙂

Thoughts on International Women’s Day

I am so happy that we could have a day that celebrates the effect that women have on our world. Women DO make a difference and I think it’s ever important that we realize this. Women are the victims of violence and mistreatment more than ever before and this is one way that societies and people are turned against each other. Why would women be victims if they are truly “not important” as some people and cultures believe? They are important and they are being targeted in many ways that are overwhelming. Women have a profound role, no matter where they are. Women are divinely designed to be kind and nurturing and caring. They are the glue to a family, it’s too bad that less and less people want to start families because its not popular or it is seen as a menial task to bear and rear children. Women are meant to be forces for good. I mean all these things in the most loving and caring way possible. It hurts me to see so many good women in my life who have supported me and helped me grow to be the person I am today, and how the world has trained society to downgrade us and bombard us with the pressure to be just beautiful, just a pretty face and judged only by our appearance. That’s just in America. In other places, women are seen as inferior and just not important at all, given no rights and no opportunities to make something of themselves. They are restricted to being servants of the man. They are married off at young ages and given no education. This feels wrong! Not because I have grown up a different way than them but because we are equals. There are only two genders, how could nature of God have made on of the two inferior? Women are amazing! they can build life and bring families together to be healthy, strong, and loved. When you kill a woman, you kill a whole potential generation that could have been. I watched a few TED talks today and one really got me thinking about all this. Its called “How I work to Protect Women From Honor Killings” by Khalida Brohi. This video made me think of how hard it is to change a culture. We can’t just go out and call out other peoples beliefs and there customs, but we can give the right tools to people who are affected by those customs so that they break the tradition and start the change for the coming generation. I can’t propose any solutions except the ones already given, such as training women on skills that help them to become empowered and independent, but I wish that more people would be sympathetic to the role of the woman in today’s society. It’s hard out here for us, so much pressure from every side to be perfect, to be conforming, to not be judged. I believe that man and woman are equal but different. I believe we do have certain roles that help relationships stay balanced; yes they may be traditional, but that is not downgrading, its beautiful! Child-rearing is something women are good at! It is a privilege to take care of the small souls God has given us, to nurture them so that they grow to become their own person. Its beautiful. I believe women should be educated and have the power to be self sufficient and independent. I also believe that man and woman are meant to be together and that marriage is ordained of God and divinely designed. I believe that we should let men hold the door for us sometimes too, because they need manly validation as well. It’s okay to let chivalry live and be your own woman! I know this post has been all over the place, but I hope it brings a new view to an already talked about topic. I do not mean to offend anyone in any way, I am just sharing some thoughts and views I have had in the past few days and some of my own beliefs. I hope you can accept that and step away with something. Happy belated International Women’s Day too 🙂

Week 9, Day 7

Had a relaxing and spiritual Sunday for the most part. Daylight savings time made it hard to get up on time but I went to most of church, just a little late in the beginning. I went and it was odd to go alone. I’m fine with flying solo for a day but I walked in late, then everyone kind of looked at me weird, I don’t know anyone in my inactive and unfriendly ward, no one knows me, and it was just odd. Some girl came up to me and asked if I was visiting…Um, no. She was nice but I just wanted to sit alone and listen and be done with it. I went to class and that was fine, I actually got a lot out of both classes and Sacrament. But when I went to sit down alone towards the front of Sacrament meeting, the bishop came by shaking hands with everyone. When he got to me, of course he didn’t know my name and said welcome, then asked why I was sitting alone. I said “None of my roommates are here and I don’t know anyone in this ward!” and he’s like you should go sit by someone and make friends! I said I was good and he moved on. Five minutes later the SAME girl comes and sits by me again like I’m a charity case! I do appreciate her genuine effort and care but I was just being moody and not totally alright with being social. I was kind of grumpy! I went to get my endorsement after church was over. I’ve learned that if you want to make friends with older married men in Idaho, just talk about dirt bikes and where you ride and what kind of bike you have! The counselor just lit up when I mentioned bikes it was great. I went home and folded clothes and listened to my church music. Had a good talk with my roomie, we were the only ones home. Mitchell picked me up after he went to church and we hung out at his wards “Break the Fast” for sandwiches. I talked to his roommates and they were funny. We went for a walk afterward and it was nice weather out, I loved it. Sydney called me and told me that her friend needed to borrow my Wii system for a few days because he’s obsessed with Mario Kart. I told her that the only way I would let Brian borrow the Wii was if he acknowledged me when we passed by each other on campus and that we were OFFICIALLY friends. Also he needed to get me some cookies. He denied the cookies but were friends now! I got the Wii from Mitchell’s place and we took it over and Brian and I are cool. Now I’m chilling at home with Mitchy Mitch doing homework! Yay, Sunday.

Week 8, Day 7

Sunday Funday! I got up early to go to Regional Conference. I looked SUPER cute today. i even curled my hair and schtuff 🙂 I picked up Mitchell early so we could actually get a parking spot and a good seat inside. It worked out and we got a close parking spot, it was awesome! When we went inside, we saved a row of 10 and only 5 people ended up sitting in it. For the first half of the conference, I was crocheting. It went quick and I finished the ball of yarn on a circular rug I am working on. The second half I listened a little bit but ended up drifting off while I had my head on Mitchell’s shoulder. Afterward I dropped him off, went home had some rice for lunch and hit the hay! I took a nice little nap after I read some articles from this last months Ensign. I read one about being a young adult and making these years count. It was a good kick in the pants to get my crap together and get busy serving others and making use of all my free time. But first I have to make time to do my laundry… I know that I had the feeling to read the Ensign on purpose. There was a little section in there about growing up and starting to make my own decisions and it was something I needed to hear. It was definitely an answer to a prayer that has been in my heart. I am grateful I could get some guidance today from conference and from the Ensign magazine. After my nap, Mitchell came over and we made a nice lunch. I made some potato chip-like things. I cut up potatoes in thin slices and baked them with garlic salt then put cheese on them after. They turned out well, surprisingly! After our lunch we watched Emperors New Groove and made some brownies! That was fun and later I Skyped with Mitchell’s family. That was fun, hearing their stories and fun stuff from their week. Later, at 11:30 we went back to my apartment and picked up some of my roomies and we went to McMidnight. McMidnight is a crazy anomaly that only happens in Rexburg. All the college kids go out after 12 t McD’s and it is packed! We only do this since it’s technically not the Sabbath anymore and we can buy food “legally”. It was fun and we had a good time. Everyone was vicious in trying to get a table! We had to box some people out and be aggressive to sit down at a booth, but we made it happen! Fun Sunday night 🙂

Week 8, Day 2

Today has been very productive for my physically.I had some good inspiration to go to the gym this morning. I laid awake for way too long last night looking at workout clips from some of my favorite Instagram fitness champions. I went to the gym in the morning and had a good lift session. I was surprised I had enough energy after staying up until 1:30! The workout included squats, Arnold press on exercise ball, one-arm rows, stretches, and dumbbell reverse flies. I was sore walking up and down stairs around campus today! After my workout, I got all cute and dressied up for devotional. I wore a necklace that my grandma gave to me for my birthday. It’s a cute necklace with big rhinestones, but I never know what to wear with it! I wore it with a light colored jean button up and my black tulle skirt. It was such a  cute combo that I just threw together. After I was acceptably made up and dressed, I made my way to the MC for lunch with Mitchell. I brought with me my spinach salad, carrots, apple, and hard boiled egg. So healthy! Book of Mormon was after lunch, I actually enjoyed it this time. I love the Book of Mormon, but sometimes my teacher is not the most entertaining. He can be cryptic sometimes as well… After class I met with Mitchell for devo. Sister Stephens gave a great talk. I walked home afterward and now I’m typing this stuff up! Today has been healthy and productive 🙂 I am happy today. I just feel good.

I have been looking for good resources that can help me mix up my workouts and  found a great site. Here it is http://www.bodybuilding.com/

Week 7, Day 7

What an average Sunday. I slept in so late! Like until 11:30. I haven’t done that in a long time! I got ready for church. I couldn’t find anything I wanted to wear even though I had just bought a new dress from this weeks sale. I went to church, it was Stake Conference. it was an alright session. i was really bored and feeling sick and antsy. I was sitting 5 people into a row and didn’t want to crawl past them to go take a break. I also had to pee so bad! As soon as the painful two hours was over, I was OUT of there! I literally got home within five minutes after the closing prayer. Immediately, I dressed down into my sweats and pink workout zip-up. I proceeded to take a 3 hour nap. i was awakened by my cousin Brooke calling me. She was calling to catch up and tell me all about her adventures in Hawaii at BYU-H. It was good to talk to her, I miss her and love her! After I was done chatting with her, Mitchell showed up after getting back from Utah! I was excited to see him and we went back to his apartment so he could unpack and start some homework. Overall, it was a chill day. I really didn’t get much done but I did have the opportunity to communicate with my cousin, whom I do not talk to often and wish I did!

Week 3, Day 4

I typed my last communication journal entry as I was waiting for an appointment I had with my visual media teacher. It was about our first project and I was very nervous! I had never used In design and didn’t know how my design would look to a professional. I typed that I had been down about my mental and personality progress. I’m glad to say that the communication that took place between my teacher and I went well and I had nothing to be worked up about. I had prayed to have a good experience and that all would go smoothly. Right after the meeting, I walked from the bottom of campus all the way up the hill to the LDS temple. It was so beautiful, although the temperature was about 2 degrees! All the trees were white with frost and the temple stood out against the deep blue sky. I met friends out front and we went into the quiet sacred place. I prayed the night before I would have an overall spiritual experience. I felt peaceful and like the day had slowed down so I could have a special and personal moment while in the temple. I felt like everything would be okay. I needed this and the Lord had heard me. I would say that my favorite communication of last night and this frosty morning were when I communicated with my Savior in prayer. It was especially wonderful to know that my prayers had been answered and that I am closer to being on track to becoming better. I’m glad I could make time for the Lord and the temple and have a testimony of His love for each of His children. Today has been great!