Missionaries

So, after returning from my brief hiatus of blog-posting, I decided it would be best to return to my original list of topics before I explore further my interests. This post is about the most amazing, sincere, awkward people I know: missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! Some of these missionaries are my best friends (this speaks well of them and poorly of me), and I've come to know them on a very personal level. One thing that I think a lot of people forget is that missionaries are still human, they still have feelings like everyone else. And like everyone else, those feelings can be hurt. It's the art of concealing emotion that is key in their line of work, and this is one of their note-worthy accomplishments.

But my favorite thing about missionaries? The reason I always get excited to see them? They have given up their entire lives to dedicate their time to the Lord. This shows incredible bravery, strength, wisdom, and determination to me. While they sometimes get discouraged, I know that deep down, they know they are some of the luckiest people on Earth! To have every minute of every day to give up to God must be an amazingly fulfilling experience, one that I find myself often being (shhh) jealous of.

Think it sounds awesome? Well, I do, too. However, I'm sure there are many people like me who just missed their opportunity. Don't be discouraged, because we have many opportunities to be missionaries! Many of these are in every day life. We have chances every day to share the Gospel with those around us, it's just a matter of taking advantage of these opportunities and seeing them in the hustle and bustle of life. Look for your 'missionary moments' this week, and I'd love to read about yours in responses to this post. (:

Some awesome missionaries with an egg.

Pretty ladies!!! 

Molly Sue (AKA-- Why People are so Darn Mean)

This blog post is supposed to be about my beautiful baby girl Molly (she's a dog), but it's not going to be, because I'm very angry right now and I need to get some things out in the open!

So, I don't know what it is about people these days, but everybody feels the need to constantly criticize and bring everyone around them down. This could be caused by several things. Maybe their father left them as a child, maybe they're gay and hate themselves for it, maybe they were sexually assaulted at a young age, or maybe they're just plain mean. But whatever the reason, it all leads to one key result: self-loathing. So many people HATE themselves so much these days. I believe that the cause of this is our generation's "anything goes" mentality. We live in a society where anything and everything is acceptable, which can be quite confusing to a young child. With no clear definition of right or wrong, good or bad, black or white, today's children grow up feeling lost and insecure about who they really are. Not only are they devoid of moral standing, but of personality, talent, and heck, even the ability to love. I honestly can say that when I'm a parent, I hope I'm brave enough to step up to the plate and not worry about being politically correct, or who at the book club I've offended by my political outlook. I just hope that I can be brave enough to stand up for what I believe in and instill good values and honesty in my children.

When young people are suffering an identity crisis, they will try everything available to make them feel normal, whether its drugs, sex, alcohol, bullying, or being just plain mean. When all of these things fail to suffice their ravenous hunger to be accepted, when no matter what they do it seems like they are never satisfied and happy...? This is when depression sets in. After they're depressed for a while, anger and jealousy of those who are happy rises. It's not the nature of the human heart to feel hatred and loathing, so when we begin to feel this way, our defense mechanisms are triggered. And I believe without doubt that this is where harsh, unrealistic criticism and persistent negativity come from.

I've been a victim of mean people many times, as I'm sure almost everyone has. However, I'm also brave enough to admit in public forum that I've also been the person doing the hating. But the reason I'm so angry, the reason I'm writing this today is because I've encountered a few people who are so badly hurt and so messed up on an extremely deep level that they cant recognize that although I've made mistakes, what I'm doing now in my life is the best thing I've ever done. I'm the happiest I've ever been. The reason for that? Because I stopped caring about what is acceptable is society, and starting seeing that all that matters is what YOU, personally, believe. All that matters is that you know yourself, regardless of what has happened to you in the past. So, my message to you, reader, is that even if you've been hurt in a way that is so painful that you're scared to even talk about it, or even if you're just having a bad day... Don't let that hatred take over. Instead of bringing somebody down and potentially being the last straw in a very, very large haystack that's been ready to collapse for years, be the positive influence in somebody's life that saves them. I promise you won't regret it.

(P.S.-- Molly is the best dog ever!)

Can't Live with Them, Can't Live without Them!

My family is crazy. And yes, I know that everyone thinks that about their family. But other people think that about our family, too, so it must be true. We have many problems and dysfunctions, but one thing I will always be grateful for? One thing my family does right? My parents always taught me that, no matter what, family always comes first. We have to love each other, no matter what.

Lately, I've been thinking about this a lot. With my recent baptism, more light has been shed onto this subject. I've learned a few things that I would like to discuss more in depth:
1.) You should always try to be as nice as possible to your family, because you're stuck with them forever (see Temple Marriage). Your family is the only group of people that will love you no matter what. Why risk messing that up? And for those of you who don't like your family so much, when you are stuck in a circumstance, you should always try to make the best of it. God puts us on Earth to learn lessons and to grow in our faith. Part of this experience includes building a family of our own, and also being a part of the family we were born into. Both of these roles are essential in making our way back to our Heavenly Father. We have guidlines for exactly how to perform both of these roles. It would be just plain silly to not follow them!


2.) Your family shouldn't be just an annoyance, it should be an annoyance that also acts as a support system. No, you are not the only person who is hugely annoyed by their family. I pinky swear. But they are here solely for your benefit. The Lord made them annoying, because he knew that it's what we need sometimes! That constant nudge in the ribs to do better.

3.) We are only hard on our family members because we expect the best from them. My brother and I have been very close since birth. He is my best friend, my whole world, and the only person who can make me want to rip my hair out, cry, and hug him all at the same time. When he messes up or does something stupid, I am incredibly hard on him, as he is on me. We sometimes may not understand why our family can't just support us and shut their mouths, but their criticism comes from a place of love, and a better understanding of you than even you yourself possess. We expect more from our family members because we know exactly how amazing they are capable of being, and we know that they know better than to make thoughtless, careless mistakes.

My family is my everything, and I've done my fair share of messing things up with them. I'm grateful to have one of the most caring, forgiving, embracing, wonderful, BEAUTIFUL families of all time!

My Beautiful (But Manly!!) Husband

He always embarrasses me in front of EVERYONE.
He genuinely cares about how people perceive him.
He is afraid of nothing and nobody.
He is devastatingly handsome.
He can get a new job in 2.5 seconds.
When he wants something, he EARNS it.
He is so ridiculously beautiful when sleeping.
He worries, all the time.
He rubs my feet whenever I ask.
He does the majority of the cooking...

Those are just a small portion of the wonderful things that I love about my husband. And as you can see, that list could've gone on for miles. I think that is one of the greatest things about our relationship, that we don't have to do anything major to win each others' adoration. We just appreciate the little things about each other. Also, the  fact that we rarely speak poorly of each other to other people (a lesson we learned the hard way). If we appear to be a united front, we at least have that bond when we feel like we have nothing else holding us together. When others are spouse-bashing, we're naming things we love about each other. This is not to say that we don't have our fair share of issues, because, BELIEVE ME, we do. I would just rather celebrate the things I love about my husband in a blog post, rather than write a reminder to myself (that I will see constantly) of all the things I don't like about him.

We've grown a lot as a couple lately. We were recently married (November 4th, 2011). Our wedding was a very, very small ceremony. Our families weren't even there. It was just us, a couple friends, and the members of our ward who decided to come and support us. We do plan on having a bigger ceremony next year, but we just didn't think it was fair that we couldn't get married because we didn't have the money for a huge wedding. We had to support each other a lot, because we both wanted our family to be with us. But we made it through, and we're stronger now because of it.

Also, we were recently baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This was a wonderful opportunity for us to start everything anew. The Lord gives us salvation and freedom through baptism, and peace in knowing that all that we've done in the past is forgiven and forgotten. This was monumental for us. We had been fighting a lot the week leading up to our baptism, and we needed that reminder of our purpose, and why we decided to get married. We made that covenant not only to each other, but also to God. The feelings I had after my baptism only confirmed our choices and blessed us even more so, to know that the Lord loves us enough to restore our integrity.

And finally, I love my husband so much because I know that I never have to worry about what he's doing when I'm not around. I never worry about him leaving me or wanting somebody else, etc. There is no doubt in my mind that we will be together for eternity.

Lay Down, Imagine and it will Be

I've been thinking a lot lately about the purpose of writing a blog, and have come to the conclusion that it isn't necessarily about letting the whole world know all of your thoughts, but more a way of keeping track of your own ponderings. For some, it might even be their form of venting. After reading through some of my friends' blogs, I decided maybe I would try it out. And here we are, trying it out. Aren't new relationships fun?! Next, we'll hold hands and bat our eyelashes at each other!

So, as your probably know from my description, I'm nineteen years old. I'm also a Mormon, an employee, a daughter, sister, wife, dog owner, book lover, skeptic, and many other things that you could label me. Point being, please don't put me in a category because I'm only nineteen. Yes, I'm young. All that says to me is that I knew what I wanted at a young age, and I still do. So sue me for being decisive.

I thought it would be a cool idea (and please correct me if I'm wrong) to make a list of things I love, and then make a post about each one, one day at a time. Ya know, just to kind of get myself used to this whole blogging thing? So, the things I love the most at the moment are:

• My Husband
• My Family
• My Dog
• Missionaries
• Christmas!!!!!
• Underwear
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
• Lyricism
• Classical Literature
• My Job
• Jesus Christ
• Dashboard Confessional

       and last, but not least...
EMILY KATHLEEN DEATON (aka-- my best friend)!