Happy Halloween!!!

I have to say that Halloween is definitely not my favorite holiday. However, with that said it's fun to dress up and pretend to be someone else for a day. This year was different than last year and I have to admit I'm kind of sad/glad that it's not the same. Last year every weekend in October I was at a Halloween party on Friday and Saturday. Seriously. I had like a million costumes...okay just a few but it was tiring having to come up with something different every night, but it was still fun. This year, that didn't happen. Part of it is because the ones that I "partied" it up with last year are all away at school so I wasn't talked into going to all the parties this year. Anyhow... I did go to a few this year, including going to Knott's Scary Farm for the FIRST time ever!! Haha. That was a lot of fun actually. We had a great time. There were 16 of us total and we all stayed together the whole night. It was fun, a lot of scares and a lot of laughs. Anyhow, last weekend I ended up dressing up and going to a party. I wanted to be one of those girls who is going to a masquerade ball but I didn't know if the party allowed masks, so I had Denise draw a mask on my face. It worked lol...it was a lot of fun and it was good to get out and have a good time.

Some of the group at Knott's. We had a blast :) 

Tara, Me and Scheila at Knott's.

Cheyenne, Dixon, Me, Tara and Denise at a halloween party :) 

Me with the fabulous Tara.... I mean Rhianna lol 

Me and Cheyenne.... we both decided that this is the most make up we both have ever put on before lol. It was a fun night we had a lot of great laughs :) 

Today my mom asked me to go to Bret's school and take pictures of his Halloween parade. I ended up staying for 2 hours in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. At least I'm getting our founders hours in (I'll explain in another post later). Anyhow, he was so cute in his Star Wars costume. All the kids in his class are so fun. I love spending an hour doing reading groups once or twice a week with them.

Bret with his teacher Mr. Martinez

Amanda is one of my oldest and greatest friends and she now teaches Spanish at Bret's school! It was so fun to see her! 

For dinner, I made a face on a pizza and had mummie dogs. Yep I wanted to be in the theme mood lol. The family actually loved it and I'm glad I could spice up our Halloween in a fun way not a dark, dreary way lol.

Mummy Dogs :) It was my first time and I didn't follow directions exactly but they still turned out cute. Bret loved them so if you've got kids....they will definitely love these! 

Of course we had to Orange Kool Aid to go with it. Next year I think I will find a different drink recipe but this was last minute so whatev. 

My pumpkin pizza :) I was very proud of myself that it came out actually looking kind of like a pumpkin lol . 

Then I went to FHE. It was a little crazy even getting there but I'm glad I did. It was nice hanging out with friends. And I did dress up even though I wasn't in the mood.

Tara, me and Scheila.... LOVE these girls :) 

Me and Emily... She is the best! 

 I have some other things I want to blog about but that will have to be another day :) Hope everyone is having a great Halloween!! Be safe!

Sometimes it's hard to make the right decision.....

The past couple of weeks I've been busy. I won't go into details but I had to make a decision that was hard for me to make. Some people might say that I gave up or whatever but I had to do what was best for me. I won't go into details...it doesn't matter. But I do have to say that when you have to make an important decision, prayer goes a long way. I think that is what helped me most. I had to rely on the spirit and the power of prayer. It's hard making decisions that could affect the rest of your life but in the long run, you really have to remember that the Lord is looking out for you and wants what is best for you. Somehow a long the the I kind of forgot that. Anyways... I will blog more good things later like all my good recipes I've been making but for now I just wanted to put my two cents in via blog world and say that even though sometimes it's hard to make the right decision, it's worth it in the long run. Remember that and don't ever let anyone tell you different.

Something to Ponder About...

I got this email from my Grandma today and LOVED it. So instead of "forwarding" it via email... I'm forwarding it to the blog. The whole world needs to read this :)

An Angel says, 'Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice.'

1. Pray 
2. Go to bed on time. 
3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed. 
4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.

5. Delegate tasks to capable others. 
6. Simplify and un-clutter your life. 
7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.) 
8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.

9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together. 
10. Take one day at a time. 
11. Separate worries from concerns . If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety . If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it. 
12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.

13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc. 
14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.     
15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.

16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line. 
17. Get enough rest 
18. Eat right. 
19 Get organized so everything has its place.

20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life. 
21. Write down thoughts and inspirations. 
22. Every day, find time to be alone. 
23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray. 
24. Make friends with Godly people.

25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand. 
26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good 'Thank you Jesus ...' 
27. Laugh. 
28. Laugh some more! 
29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all. 
30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can)

31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most). 
32. Sit on your ego 
33 Talk less; listen more. 
34. Slow down. 
35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe. 
36 Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before. GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU.

'If God is for us, who can be against us?' 

(Romans 8:31) 

And on another note.... I got offered a job working on call. I'm still looking for a full time job but in the mean time I've been doing orientation at this other place. Hopefully something permanent comes soon but in the meantime I'm just keeping my head up and trying to live life to the fullest. Love you all!! :)  Oh and I added the pictures myself since the ones from the email wouldn't download :) Happy Sunday!

Forget Me Not

A few weeks ago we had the General Relief Society Meeting for our church. It was an amazing meeting. I got a lot out of that meeting and some of the questions I had been asking myself were answered in that meeting. It's always a joy to hear from the General Authorities of the Church and usually our President, Thomas S. Monson closes the meeting with a few words. This time however it was Dieter F. Uchtdorf who is one of the counselors in the First Presidency. His words of encouragement and love hit home to all women everywhere. I think that no matter what circumstance any of us women were in, his talk applied to ALL of us.

Image Found Here

He gave us 5 things to Forget Not:
1. Forget Not to be patient with yourself.
I liked that he said everyone has strengths and weaknesses and not for us to punish ourselves

2. Forget Not the Difference between acceptable sacrifice and not a good sacrifice.
Ask yourself "Am I committing my time and energies to something that matters most?"

3. Forget Not to Be Happy Now!!!
I loved this one. I often find myself thinking I will be happy when such and such happens but I need to remember to be happy now.

4. Forget not the WHY of the Gospel
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a pathway. Seek out the beauty and joy of the why of the Gospel. I actually have been trying to understand the scriptures more in depth and ponder why God wanted us to read what has been written. It's been amazing seeing a difference and coming to understand the Book of Mormon and Bible more. I love this Gospel!

5. Forget Not that the Lord loves you!!
This one I think was the most important. God loves us and we are not forgotten.

Well there you have it. Just like these little blue flowers... remember the Forget Me Not advice he gave. Happy Sabbath! :)

Lost Communication....

Life is busy. Period. There's no question about that. There are many different stages of life. Your childhood, adolescence, then young singles, then married life and so on. We make friends along our way but how many of those people do we continue to talk to as we move on into different stages of life? My guess would be not that many. And I don't think necessarily there is anything wrong with that..we move away, we make new friends and so on. Friends come and go in our lifetime but a true friend is someone who is always there...no matter the distance. The thing is though, how often do we keep in contact with extended family members as well? Maybe some of you do a lot but that's something that I haven't been doing very well...and I'm not proud of that.

People say Facebook is a GREAT way to keep in touch with people and while it is, I also feel stalkerish (only a little) when I look up a friend/family and see what they've been up to lately. The problem is, there isn't any REAL communication. No emails, texts, phone calls etc. Just "like" the status and there communication and contact has been made. Maybe that's good enough for some people but not for me. Not anymore. I don't like it and I feel like I've lost communication or in touch with family and some of my friends. I've found out more info about the people I'm close to (but obviously have lost touch with) then I care to admit via the internet. And I'm not going to lie, it's made me a little sad and disappointed. I'm mostly disappointed with myself because I can try harder but it goes both ways.

I hate this feeling of having lost touch/communication with family and close friends. So my goal is to try harder. Go more out of my way to see how people are doing. Send a text, email or even a phone call to see how people are doing. I admit that I've been slacking in that area and I'm disappointed in myself but I'm trying to be better. With FB I'm trying to write more comments, instead of just "liking" everyone's things. Maybe some people like that...even prefer it but for me I feel no communication whatsoever.

So there you have it. Lost Communication=no friends/family. It's important to communicate with those you love most. I'm sorry to those of you who I haven't but I promise I'm getting better. And Paula I know you probably read this so don't worry I'll send you texts every now and then since I have your number :) And all my other extended family too. I'll be commenting more on blogs and so forth just so you know I care :) I love you all. Let's not lose communication with each other!

Missionary Work=Blessings

So remember these three?? I figure I should do some updates since I keep track of their progress as best I can :) First off though I have to say that with these three being out on missions I've been way more into missionary work. Before I would write my friends and say hi and how life was back home. But to be honest, I never really understood "life" as a missionary. I can honestly say I still don't...but I have more of a general idea. I've had a few friends here recently get baptized and I've had the privilege to sit in on their discussions more than once. Let me just say that having a missionary lesson is a real spiritual high. I LOVE it! I love learning and sometimes the missionaries teach about things that I'm not so strong in and don't have an understanding of so it's nice to learn and also get a refresher course in the things I already do know. I love seeing my friends who have just gotten baptized light up and glow. It's an awesome feeling and I'm blessed that I've been able to see their change for the better and their happiness.

Missionary work is definitely the Lord's work and I try hard to help out our Elders in my ward as much as I can. Basically I feed them lol. I've become more concerned about their dinners and when they don't have one because I instantly think of Donnie or JJ and I would hate for them to have to eat top ramen for  dinner. So I always make sure our Elders are fed and I feel sad when they don't but sometimes it is unavoidable. But I also realize they are men now and can make do for themselves. Still it's nice to give service and feed them. I can't do it often but that's okay, they are fed well enough.

Oh yeah... I'm also proud to announce that my aunt and uncle are now serving a mission in Lima, Peru! I would LOVE to go visit them... somehow I will make that happen haha but how cool is that! They are serving in the temple there and are doing great! With that said...now on to updates:

Jessica is serving in Houston Texas, South and loves it! She recently sent me a letter and told me about two baptisms she had that were miracle baptisms. They have been working with this couple for months and then one day, it finally happened. Anyways, I love hearing her stories and love that she writes me. She is loving her mission so that's awesome :) 

Jeremy is serving in Las Vegas, Nevada and from what I hear he is doing pretty well. I don't get to hear from him often but I try to write him alot. I know he is busy so I don't expect to hear from him a lot but I have heard he is doing great and loving his mission as well :) 

Donnie is now serving in Hemet, CA. Yep, he is still local but not for long. He will be Argentina bound soon now that medical things have been taken care of. He writes me every week and I write him back and I love it! It's nice to get mail at least once a week :) It is hard with him local though and not being able to see him but I know he is doing the Lord's work. He loves it. He just got transferred to Hemet but before he was in Corona and his branch was leading the mission with baptisms!! 

God Has a Plan for Me

Life isn't easy...it's not supposed to be. But we try the best we can and sometimes we stumble but God is there to help us back up. This year hasn't exactly gone the way I would've liked it to. I've had to put my life in God's hands and trust that He has a purpose for me even if I don't know exactly what that purpose is yet. I do have to say that the power of prayer is real. Following God's commandments, praying and reading the scriptures are what helps me get through the day. I'm not going to lie, I've had some pretty tough days, years even that I don't wish on anyone. But I did learn ALOT from all my trials and struggles and I believe that it's made me into the good person I am today. 

I recently was talking to a friend of mine who has experienced some similar things that I have experienced. As we were talking, I realized that maybe all that I had gone through was for me to learn and grow but also because God knew that my friend would one day need me to help her through, just like someone did for me. We have angels among us. Our friends, our families and even strangers can be messengers from God. 

I always love the quote "He Never Said It Would Be Easy, He Only Said It Would Be Worth It". Life isn't easy but then again, it's not supposed to be. We are here to be tried and tested but the bigger picture is returning to our Father in Heaven and being with our families. 

Some days I really want to know what God's thinking and His purpose for me. But I pray that I have enough faith to trust in Him and know that He has a purpose. I do believe that. I believe everything happens for a reason. I believe that the people we meet or walk past aren't just coincidences.... every person in my life has been there for a reason. It's how we deal with those people, love the ones that drives us crazy, be kind to the ones who need a friend, that's what matters. 

Anyways...this was kind of random... I was actually going to write something else but once I started typing this is what came.... Maybe someone else needs to hear/read this...maybe not. Maybe I'm just making myself more known to the world. Either way... I know God has a plan for each and every one of us and if we trust in Him, all things are possible. God loves you...don't forget that! 

Hello Fall!!!

Back when I was younger, I hated fall. I'm not a huge fan of it getting super cold but that's really more winter anyways but fall meant no more summer. No summer meant no more long days where I could sleep in and chill by the pool. Fall meant back to school, back to everything and I just didn't like that. Summer was always my favorite season because of course it's my birthday season. But now as I've grown older, I've come to LOVE fall. I love all the vibrant colors and how the trees change. Sadly we don't get much of that here in Southern California and that makes me kind of sad but maybe someday I will live in a place that has all four seasons....someday :)

So today I was talking with some people I know about how I love fall and how I LOVE pumpkin. I actually said "I'm a die hard pumpkin fan" which they thought was pretty hilarious. Ok, not everyone has to LOVE pumpkin like I do but I seriously stock up on pumpkin puree so I can make pumpkin things all year long. I personally don't think there is anything wrong with that. Some might, but whatev it's my life not theirs! Don't worry I'm still friends with them even if they aren't die hard fans like me ;)  Today was the most "fall" like day we've had since the Fall season has officially begun. So in celebration, I made Pumpkin French Toast. Yes, you read that right... pumpkin French toast :) And it was soooo good. So I've decided to share it will all of you. I can't take ALL the credit though. I got the recipe from allrecipes.com but I actually tweaked it into my own version (kind of).

Pumpkin French Toast:

What you need:
Bread- I prefer wheat but my brothers like white
4 Eggs (I used egg whites)
1/4 cup pumpkin puree (I like organic but regular is just as good!)
pinch of nutmeg (I totally guestimated)
1 tsp of Cinnamon (I actually did 1 1/2 but I like cinnamon so use it how you like it best)

Mix the eggs, pumpkin and spices in a bowl. Dip the bread into the mix and cook on a skillet until sides are golden brown. ** I actually cooked them in the oven at 350 for like 5 min each side but skillet works as well :)

And there you have it!! It's simple, easy and sooo good. If you have family members that are not so great pumpkin fans then this is a great recipe! My little brother couldn't even taste the pumpkin in it! Even if he had though he still would've ate it because our family loves it! Anyhow...hope you all enjoy! Let me know if you like it! :)

General Conference Fall 2011

Twice a year our church has General Conference where our prophet and apostles speak to us. This last weekend was absolutely amazing. I was encouraged by the elders in my ward to write down some questions that had been on my mind and they promised that as I watched conference, those questions would be answered. Well to be honest, I did have questions, but I didn't actually write them down physically BUT they were answered :) I'm not going to share that with the blog world but I know that God does love each and every one of us and the Prophet and apostles are so in tune with the Lord that He tells them what to say, because after all, God knows the desires of our hearts.

I decided in April that the next General Conference, I was going to go to the church and watch instead of sitting at home. First off, when I'm at home, I tend to take mini naps when the speakers are talking or I find something to do and multitask but not really listening to the messages being shared. And secondly, I have an adorable little brother who I love but he does not keep quiet at home and I needed quietness. I didn't think I would actually be able to get myself to the church in a presentable fashion by 9 a.m. on Sunday (usually I have church at 1:30 p.m.) but I was so proud of myself I did. I actually went to both Saturday sessions and both Sunday ones all at the church. I LOVED it! I was totally more focused and sat all by myself and listened to the speakers and wrote down the things I felt were important to me. The first session I actually sat by my friend Allison who recently got baptized but the other three I was by myself. Anyhow, I missed my PJ's and being with the family but I LOVED going to the church. I actually prefer it. I mean after all, it's still the Sabbath and I got dressed up and went to the Lord's house to listen to the prophet and his apostles. What's better than that? :)

I love getting alot out of conference and being able to apply it to my life. These are the main topics I found throughout the past few days:
*The Lord Loves You
*Endure to the End and you will be blessed
*Be Charitable
*Read the scriptures--they can be a guide to you in your life

There are a few more but I'm tired haha... that will have to do. And if you missed any sessions of conference or would like to learn more please visit www.lds.org  or ask me for more information :)