Vegas Trip

Vacations are among my top ten favorite things to do. This past week my mom had a 5-day work conference in Las Vegas. My sister and I decided to tag along as a vacation. While five days in Vegas is a lot, we made the most of it and had a blast.

We stayed at Bally's right in the middle of the strip. While I loved being right next to Paris and in the middle of the strip I would not recommend this hotel at all! I hated the hotel itself! First of all, the food options in this hotel were minimal, they didn't even have any sort of cafe for a sit down meal, it was ridiculous. Second, the room was dirty. The carpet had gross stains, the bedspread had a hole in it, and we even had a moth in our room! YUCK! Finally, the pool was nine miles away. In order to get to the pool you had to walk a mile through the shops and food court area. Who wants to do that in a bathing suit?? Not I! 

The saving grace regarding the hotel was that it was attached to the Paris hotel. Yay!! We spent most of our time over there. The food options were much better with a cafe, bakery, and a delicious buffet. It was also a fun hotel to simply walk through. You felt like you were taking a stroll on the cobblestone streets of Paris! I also enjoyed playing in the casino there much better. The slots options were a lot more fun. They had a set of slots with fun wilds. Tara sat down one day and won a quick $50 playing Wild Pixies. It was fun to watch. They also had a Wizard of Oz slot that was a lot of fun to watch other people play. I played it but didn't win too much. 

My mom's conference went from 7-5 every day, so Tara and I were on our own regarding entertainment during the day. The first day we spent time just exploring the Paris hotel. I am obsessed with Paris so it was fun to walk through the different shops. We also went through a lot of the shops at our hotel and stopped for some frozen yogurt. That night we went over to Treasure Island and had dinner at Kahunaville! They have a pina coloda chicken that is to die for! Seriously the best meal in Vegas!! Afterward we stopped into Senor' Frogs. They were having karaoke night and Tara wanted to dance. It wasn't long before a group of girls adopted her and had her on stage singing with them. She had a blast. Tara did a lot of dancing during this trip, and every time she did she ended up with a group of people surrounding her. I think next time we go we should take a boom box and let her dance on the street for money! We'd be rich!! 

Day two of the trip was the best! We walked down to the Mirage and spent the day at Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden Habitat. They have three pools with a total of ten dolphins. The trainers do dolphin interaction shows every 45 minutes. There is also an underwater viewing area for a different perspective of the dolphins. Tara and I found a lovely spot where we could sit in some comfortable chairs under an umbrella and watch the dolphins swim and play in one of the pools. It was perfect! I could have sat there all day! It was beautiful. The habitat is also the home to some white tigers, leopards, and lions. The spotted leopard was strikingly beautiful as were the white tigers. 

The highlight of the day was when we participated in a meet and greet with the dolphin. The first thing we had to do was take off our shoes and roll our shorts up as high as we could. Then they made us step in this black liquid stuff. The liquid was to remove any impurities from the bottom of our feet, so we didn't transfer it into the dolphin pool. Once we'd stepped in the black stuff we were free to walk around on the dolphin side of the pool. The trainer signaled to have one of the dolphins slide up onto the "shore". The dolphin we were able to meet was named Lightning. He is a 40-year-old

dolphin and the father of the twin 3-year-old dolphins also playing in the pool. Once the trainer had

Lightning up on the "shore" we got to walk over and pet him, hug him, have a photo taken with him, etc. It was SO much fun!! I have also wanted to meet a dolphin. My ultimate goal is to swim with the dolphins, but I couldn't afford that this trip so this was the next best thing. When Tara's turn to meet the dolphin was over she walked back to the wall of the pool and shouted, "I can't believe I just did that!" All the trainers started to laugh. It was definitely an experience to remember for both of us. 

To finish off the day we decided to do the Eiffel Tower Experience. We waited until my mom was out of her conference so she could do it with us, and so we could do it in the dark. We rode the elevator inside the Eiffel Tower all the way up to the top. It is 460 feet in the air and once you are up there the observation deck gives you a 360 degree view of the Las Vegas lights. It was pretty awesome! The best part was being able to see the Bellagio water show from that height. It gave you a whole new perspective of the show! It was breathtaking! 

After walking almost 20,000 steps we decided to take it a bit easier the next day. We spent most of day three resting and playing in the casino. My mom brought us bagels from her conference for breakfast and Tara and I hung out in the room putting together a puzzle. Then we went over to Planet Hollywood walked through the shops, and played a bit in the casino. My mom had an earlier day and once she was done with her conference she and Tara decided to take a nap. I wasn't feeling sleepy so I decided to take $20 and go play while they slept. I walked over to Planet Hollywood and sat down at the Willy Wonka machine. I had watched people play this while I was over there earlier that day, and it looked fun. I put in my $20 and started to bet the minimum amount because I wanted to be able to play on my $20 for as long as I could and not lose it right off the bat. This particular machine has lots of bonus features, one of which is that randomly the Oompa Loompa's will come up and sing their little song while pushing a wild down and making a reel wild. Well, on my second hit they popped up on my screen. They started singing and pushed down a wild, and another wild, and another...they just kept going! They ended up giving me 4 reels wild!! Then on top of that they gave me a 5x multiplier!! I couldn't believe it!! The lady sitting next to me couldn't believe it either! We both started freaking out as the win amount kept getting higher and higher! I ended up walking away from that machine with $280!! It was such a rush!! Once I cashed out I quickly made my way back to the room where my mom and Tara were just waking up. My mom about died when I told her how much I had won! It was so fun, the only thing that would have made it more fun was if they had been there to watch! I did start to think about how cool it would have been if I had been betting more than the minimum, but then decided that was selfish thinking and was happy with what I had. I took $200 for the trip and ended up coming home with $240! I'd say that's pretty good for five days in Vegas!! 

Day four, Tara and I walked over to Caesar's Palace. We did some window shopping and spent time looking at the fish in the aquarium, as well as watching the ten minute show they have on the fall of Atlantis. Tara really enjoyed it. That night we went to a mentalist show. Oh mylanta, it was amazing!! The guy's name was Frederic Da Silva. He started off the show by throwing out four frisbee's. We had VIP seats and were right on the front row so I caught one easily and was called up on stage. He did a few things with me but the one that got to me the most was he asked me to think of a person I knew well, someone I knew details of their life. Then he walked away and did something with another person on stage. A few minutes later he came back to me, got down on one knee, and stared at me. Then he said he was getting that it was a young person. I said yes, it was. He stood and kept staring at me then he said..."eight". I was floored and said yes. He grabbed a white board and marker and then said he was getting an "S" I again confirmed he was correct. He stared at me a moment longer and then said, "This is a long name". Flabbergasted, I confirmed he was once again correct. He then turned and wrote something down. He put the white board down and did something with someone else on stage, then he came back to me and handed me the microphone. He asked me to say the name of the person I was thinking of, I said, "Savannah". He then turned over his white board to reveal he had written down the name Savannah! It was crazy!! My mom started crying she was so in awe that he had correctly read my mind. It was trippy! I have no idea how he was able to do that! He did two other things involving me and then later in the show my mom was called up on stage and I am in complete shock as to how, but he was able to use another audience member to correctly state my mom's birthday. It was mind blowing!! If you are ever in Vegas I highly recommend going to see his show!! 

Finally, our time in Vegas came to an end, but we weren't ready to come home just yet. We drove to St. George and stayed the night with our good friends Rob and Sherry. It had been years since we had seen them and it was great to reconnect. A wonderful way to end the vacation. 

As much as I love vacations 6 nights away from home is a long time. I am glad to be home and sleeping in my own bed again! 

Luvs & Hugs, 

Tiff

Where Have I Been?

First of all I want to apologize I have been severely neglecting this blog. I feel like I have a good reason though and I'll get to that in a minute. Despite having a good reason I do feel bad and promise I'll repent and do better to post here more often than I have been lately. I really like this blog and the way it helps me clear my head when I write, post my lists, and share pictures of what I've been up to lately. Hopefully, I can remember that and give more time to writing here.

Okay, now to tell you about my "good reason"...

I have started a new adventure and it has been taking up a lot of my time. I opened my own business! Yep, that's right I am now a business owner...wow that makes me sound so important...I kinda like it! My company is called Tiff's Corner Creations. I make and sell handmade greeting cards.

I can see the wheels turning in your head. You are probably wondering where in the world this came from. One day I'm sitting around watching every episode of Pretty Little Liars and the next thing I'm starting a business? You probably want to know how I got from point A to point B.

Several years ago a friend of mine invited me to attend a Relief Society activity with her. It was a craft night and they were going to be learning how to make cards. It sounded interesting so I joined her. At the activity they had four stations set up and you rotated through them. At each station you would make a new card and learn a different technique for each one. I was caught off guard by how much I enjoyed it. I went home and started to try my hand at making cards on my own. I'll admit while I was having fun my cards were not that great. However, I didn't give up. I kept at it and tried to make each card better than the last.

I joined an online card maker club where each month they sent you a kit with all the stuff you would
need to make some cards as well as an instruction pamphlet. Following these instructions I learned some fun techniques and improved my skills little by little. As I watched the quality of my cards start to improve I became even more enthusiastic about the creation process.

Then I discovered Pinterest! Pinterest took my card making to a whole new level as I watched hundreds of tutorial videos, and browsed thousands of cards for ideas and techniques.

By this time I was making so many cards that I didn't know what to do with them all. My mom suggested she take some to work and see if any of her co-workers were interested in buying them. I couldn't believe how many she sold! Not only did she sell a majority of the cards I sent her with, but she came home with orders for custom cards as well as wedding invitations! It was awesome! When my sister-in-law heard about the success I'd had selling them she suggested I open my own shop on Etsy and try selling them there. I'll admit I was hesitant at first, but the more I thought about it the more it felt like the right thing to do.

I officially opened my shop about a month ago. I also created a Facebook page and a blog for my shop. I've been making cards like a crazy lady spending way more time in my craft room than I should, but I am enjoying every minute of it! I love getting custom orders. When someone calls and asks if I can you make a mermaid card for them to send to their daughter in Hawaii, or a fishing card for their grandsons birthday, I get chills I am so excited! I love making cards with that extra special personal touch. I am also taking orders for Christmas cards and am already getting way excited about that.

I am still pretty new to this whole thing, but it is turning out to be a fun little adventure.

Come check out my store and let me know if you are ever in the need of a card!  https://www.etsy.com/shop/TiffsCornerCreations

Luvs & Hugs

Busy Weekends

Wow, time has gotten away from me recently! The past few weekends have been crazy busy.

Two weeks ago I traveled up to Idaho for an Ivy Girl Academy workshop. The workshop went so well! We had 56 beautiful young ladies join us and make it a huge success. I love watching these girls and how they grow throughout the day. We had a handful of girls at this workshop who did not want to be there when they first arrived. One girl actually left, but luckily came back about a half hour later. I pay particular attention to these girls and loved watching them smile as they make new friends, volunteer for things, and really get involved throughout the day. Following the workshop a lady came up to us just beaming, she told us that she is a foster mom and two of her foster daughters had been at the workshop that day. One of them was very against it from the start, but was bouncing off the walls with excitement by the end of the day. With tears in her eyes this foster mom thanked us for taking the time to do what we do, she could not believe the change that had come over her girls. Hearing/seeing things like this makes all the hard work we do worth it. If we only help one girl it's all worth it! I love that I get to be a part of such a wonderful organization!

Last week I attended the Chiari Walk Across America in support of chiari awareness and research. It was a fun day mingling with fellow chiarians and feeling of their support. The worst part of having an incurable chronic illness is feeling all alone in it. It was nice spending the morning with people who get it! 

At the start of the walk everyone was given a bead necklace. They gave purple beads to anyone who had chiari, silver beads to those with friends and/or family with chiari, and green beads to those who were walking in honor of someone who had died from chiari. I was shocked and saddened by how many people were wearing the green beads.

Living with chiari is not easy. Some days are great and relatively symptom free. Some days are terrible. Some days I just lay in bed crying, begging for it all to stop. Some days I'm just tired of hurting, crying, missing people, and missing out on fun things. There's so much in life I want to accomplish, so much I'll never be able to do. I want to live freely and not have to think out my days to see if I'll have enough energy to do what needs to be done. Some days I am so tired of the battle that I just want to throw in the towel and give up. Then I remember that every day is an opportunity to grow, to learn, to live. Each day is a gift and each day my fight matters. I may be knocked down, but not out. Crying, but still breathing. Broken but brave. Each day is a day to have hope, courage, and faith; because losing this fight is not an option! 

For more information on chiari go to conquerchiari.org

Here are just a few pics from the walk.

Never Give Up!

When I first moved to North Ogden in 2008 I didn't have enough money to pay for internet or television service. This left me with very little to do in order to entertain myself. I started looking for something that would keep up my interests as well as fill my time. While browsing around Walmart one day I found a puzzle that was a picture made up of a million other little pictures. It looked like something that would definitely take up a lot of time, so I made the purchase.

At home I cleared off my table and dumped out the box of puzzle pieces. My first thought..."This is going to be harder than I expected." Piece by piece I started putting the puzzle together. I got excited when I started to see sections of it coming together. I gained a new sense of accomplishment with each completed section. However, it did turn out to be harder than I thought and several times along the way I considered packing it all back in the box and calling it quits. The puzzle took up my entire kitchen table and I was getting sick of eating off the floor. I was also frustrated that I had pieces that I was sure were from an entirely different puzzle. Day by day I kept going back to my puzzle. Some days I would just sit and stare at it never finding a piece to put together, other days I'd only place one puzzle piece, and some days I'd luck out and find several pieces that fit together. One by one the pieces came together to create a beautiful puzzle.

I was thrilled the day I placed the final piece of the puzzle in it's correct spot. I had worked so hard on this puzzle that I didn't want to take it apart. I bought some puzzle glue and permanently sealed the pieces together. I told myself I was going to frame it and hang it up so that I always have the physical reminder that I can do hard things.

Six years later I was gearing up to move back home and I found my puzzle tucked behind the bookshelf still unframed. I worked so hard to finish the puzzle, but then gave up when I struggled to find the perfect frame to fit it in. I hid it away and forgot about it. Upon finding the puzzle a renewed sense of determination came over me and I decided it didn't matter if I couldn't find a frame to fit it perfectly. It was more important to simply have it framed than to have it framed perfectly. It took me six years, but I finally added the final

"puzzle" piece and hung up my masterpiece.

Do you have anything in your life that you've started and are struggling to finish? Are you frustrated because the puzzle pieces of your life don't seem to fit together? Is there something you felt was too hard to accomplish so you hid it away and forgot about it?

Just like my experience with this puzzle. Life needs to be handled day by day, piece by piece. We all get frustrated when things don't go the way we planned or come together when we want them to, but eventually things always work out and we find that the puzzle comes together in the end, the trick is to never give up. No matter what your puzzle looks like or how difficult it seems to finish, keep picking up the pieces and doing your best every single day. It may take a week, six years, or a lifetime to fully finish your puzzle, but I promise someday it will come together and you'll realize it was worth every frustrating minute along the way.

Goals and Dreams

My life has been pretty chaotic lately. This morning I started trying to think of something I could do to get some order in my life and I realized it has been a while since I posted a list on here. Lists are the most organized thing I can think of. Lists are neat and clean and focused. I'm hoping after typing up today's list of my goals and dreams I will feel a bit less chaos and a bit more focused!

Goals and Dreams: Current and Future

1. Travel to Paris
2. Write a book
3. Swim with dolphins
4. Travel to Ireland
5. Get healthy (Yes, that one is a very distant dream, but I still have hope!)
6. Volunteer in a third world country
7. Get married
8. Be a mom
9. Learn to play the piano
10. Visit all 50 states
11. Be courageous
12. Own a home
13. Run at least one 5k a year
14. Write every day
15. Be more involved in Family History
16. Attend the temple at least once a month
17. Do more of what makes me happy
18. Read at least ten books every year
19. Exercise daily
20. Do at least one act of service every week.

What are some of your goals and dreams. Leave a comment and share.

Risks

It was American author Erica Jong who said, “If you don’t risk everything, you risk more.”

How true is this statement!?! We are all faced with difficult choices to make. Some of those choices involve taking great risks. Most people tend to take the easy way out. They choose the option with the least amount of risk involved and usually end up sitting around accomplishing very little. In my experience the options with the biggest risk factor also have the biggest rewards. If we are not risking everything we have, we are risking everything else!

When we are willing to lose big if things don’t work out it frees us to be able to gain greater things than we could ever lose. By never taking a chance we lose out on experiences we would not have had otherwise. I experience this every day of my life. With my health the way it is most things I do are pretty risky for me. There are a million ways I could get hurt or have things go wrong every time I leave the house. I could pass out in a parking lot walking into the grocery store and get run over. I could pass out walking down some stairs and break my neck. I could go on, but I’ll spare you the details. The point I’m trying to make is that with my illness everything I do involves some sort of risk, but if I never did any of it I would spend my entire life sitting on the couch. Many people think that I should stop taking these risks and just live in a little bubble, but for me that would not be life. Yes, I risk a lot and I've paid the price for it at times, but more often than not by taking the risk and getting out I am able to enjoy life more fully. I am able to be independent, and keep a sense of normalcy to life.

Right now I am contemplating a decision that has a lot of pro's and con's. Each list contains important factors making the decision fairly difficult to make. As I ponder over my situation I look at the picture above and imagine that fish swimming circles around his little fish bowl saying, "Should I do it? Should I not do it? It could work out to be wonderful, or it could turn out to be really bad. I'll never know if I don't make the leap. Alright, I'm going for it and if it doesn't work out I'll know that I at least tried." This little fish inspires me and helps me see that sometimes you just have to take a chance even though you don't know how it's all going to turn out in the end. We just have to smile and say, "Alright, I'm going for it!" 

So, what choices are you debating between? Are you going to take the risk and grow, or are you content to take the easy way out? 

Springtime Musings

It is such a beautiful day, too beautiful to stay indoors. I take a blanket and go lay out on the grass. The sun feels wonderful, but I also wish I had a bit of shade to sit under. My hair is so long that not much time passes before sweat starts to form on the back of my neck letting me know I'm in for a long summer unless I cut it. A butterfly lands on a blade of grass next to me. I watch as it stretches it's wings and takes a small break from flying. I bet flying is hard sometimes. A tweet from a nearby bird startles the butterfly and it once again takes flight. A small breeze passes by and I relish the cool air on my skin. I glance around and wonder how I could capture this beautiful moment in a picture, but know that it would never do it justice. The sights, sounds, and smells of spring are not easily frozen in time. They must be experienced. They must be lived. We must take a break from the busyness of life to enjoy moments such as these. Time goes by too quickly. If we blink we may miss it and the joy of watching a butterfly stretch it's wings should not be missed. 

Broken Hearts

How many of us have a heart that looks like this? Has your heart been broken, bruised, and beat up? Have you tried to piece it back together with a band-aid, stitches, and some super glue? Or is there still a giant tear down the center that doesn't seem fixable no matter how many band-aids you put over it?

I've had my share of broken hearts over the years. Sometimes it was broken by guys being jerks, other times it was after a fight with a best friend, other breaks were caused by things too personal to share. Cuts made by stupid boys or crazy arguments have been fairly easy to mend; a few stitches here and there along with some deep breaths and a few positive self-affirmations did the trick. However, some cuts are deeper than others, some leave lasting scars even after you've done your best to stitch them up. These are the cuts that really change you.

We can become so preoccupied with the pain of our broken hearts that we turn away from all the good surrounding us. We become bitter and angry at the world. In an effort to shut out the pain many turn to drugs, alcohol, and other destructive behaviors. This pain and darkness becomes so difficult to carry day in and day out that many people turn to self-harm and even suicide.

On the other hand, we can choose to take our broken hearts and look to the light. We can find healing in the situations that caused our pain to begin with. It will not always be easy, but it is possible to rise above the pain and find beauty in the ashes. We can use our circumstances to help others who have faced similar things and are struggling with which path to choose. We can find things to be grateful for even in the midst of the most dreadful situations. Taking actions to choose the higher road will lead to a brighter future. This is the path that ends in happiness, peace, and living a life of purpose.

I know these things from personal experience. I have personally traveled down both roads. Several years ago I was struggling with a heart that I thought had been torn in too many pieces to be able to put back together. It was a real Humpty Dumpty situation. I felt alone and could not see a way out. No matter how hard I tried to fix the situation it seemed like all I did was make it worse. I withdrew from life as much as possible. I stopped spending time with my friends, slept a lot more than I should have, and became very moody. Then I started cutting. It is hard to explain, but the act of cutting always made me feel better for a moment...kind of like getting high when doing drugs; you feel better for a little while and then ten times worse afterward. Despite the intense emotional pain I would feel afterward I kept cutting just so I could feel that ten seconds of euphoria. Eventually, the cutting wasn't enough and I attempted suicide. I grabbed a bottle of Lortab and just started swallowing as many pills as I could. When the drugs first started kicking in I felt that momentary euphoria and was sure I'd made the right decision, but then I started to feel sick and instantly regretted my decision. In that moment I realized I did not want to die, but was afraid it was too late. I struggled to grab my phone and call a good friend I was pretty drugged and out of it, all I can remember telling him was that I didn't want to die. The next thing I knew I was in the ER surrounded by doctors. Luckily everything turned out okay. I was admitted to the psych unit and was able to learn some very important life-saving principles. I learned how to look to the light instead of the darkness. I learned the importance of a positive mental attitude and finding joy in the little things. I now live a life that is much happier than before. It didn't happen overnight, but one day at a time. Each day I found a reason to smile and be thankful was a day my burden lifted just a bit and before I realized it I had come out of my black hole and was once again basking in the sunlight.

Do I still have tough days? Of course! Do I still have times where my heart feels broken and all I want to do is cry? Absolutely! The difference is that on those days I still take time to make a list of the things I'm grateful for and find at least one thing to smile about. It isn't easy, but it is possible. No matter what is causing your heart to break there is hope, there is light, there is a way out.

If you are struggling with something here are a five tips to help you deal with it in a positive way:

1. Activities: Distract your mind for a while by engaging in some activities that you enjoy. Do some crafts, exercise, read a good book, dance it out, go to lunch with a friend.

2. Contribute: Do something for someone else. Be thoughtful. Think of someone who may also be struggling with something and find a way to lift their spirits.

3. Thoughts: Think positively. Make a list of things you are grateful for. Make a list of things that make you happy. Write down at least one good thing about your day. Write down a list of all the things that are bothering you..and then burn the list!

4. Rest: Sometimes sleep is the best thing for you. Take a nap. If you are in a situation where you can't take a nap then close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. You'll be amazed how much something so simple helps.

5. Spiritual: No matter what you believe in connect with your higher power. Say a prayer. Read your scriptures.

I know that at least one person reading this right now is struggling with a broken heart of some kind or another. Take time to find something that makes you smile today. It doesn't have to be huge, it can be as simple as a frosty from Wendy's or a bag of peanut butter M&M's. Put a smile on your face and write down one thing you are thankful for and I promise that the pain you are feeling will seem a little bit lighter.

Things I Am Proud Of...

Today's list topic is Things I Am Proud Of...

This one made me think a little bit, but in the end I had some fun with it!

1. I have survived almost 33 years of life!
2. I am a really great big sister
3. I can speak like a fairy.
4. I have a testimony that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true.
5. I am a good listener
6. I have never smoked or drank alcohol...not even once!
7. I have always been a good reader
8. I love to serve others
9. I survived brain surgery!
10. I don't need the validation of others
11. I am compassionate
12. I have done hard things
13. I have a high tolerance for pain.
14. I am awesome at coloring!
15. I am independent even though sometimes it's a real struggle due to my health.
16. I am part of an amazing organization called Ivy Girl Academy
17.  I ran a 5k and didn't die!
18. I am a very non-judgmental person
19. I am a fiercely loyal friend
20. I have a love for family history
21. I'm a halfway decent writer
22. I love to laugh
23. I served a mission for the church...even though I had to come home early due to my health I still served!
24. I'm a very visual person
25. I'm growing out my hair and it's currently the longest I've ever had it in my whole life!

What's on your list??

Positive Thinking

I spend a lot of time with my thoughts. They are with me where ever I go. Sometimes my thoughts are my best friends. They tell me I'm pretty, smart, and funny. They remind me to serve others. They point out all the beautiful things I see every day and they notice things I'm grateful for. They're just plain awesome!

However, some days my thoughts and I don't get along. There are days where my thoughts are mean to me and tell me that I'm ugly and stupid. Once in a while they really beat me up and try to convince me that I will never be good enough. There are nights where my thoughts don't let me get any sleep, and sometimes they only let me see things that are dark and gloomy. They can be real bullies in need of a serious time-out!

Have you ever taken the time to think about your thoughts? How many thoughts do you have in a day? Are they happy, upbeat thoughts or are they pretty negative? What do you spend your time thinking about? Do you always think about yourself or do you mostly think of others? What kind of actions do you take because of the thoughts in your head?

The things we choose to think about make a difference in our lives. Every second of every day we all have something we can complain about and something we can be thankful for, which one we choose to focus on determines our attitude. It is a choice that is ours to make, no one can make it for us. Circumstances that we experience don't make the choice for us either.

I have been sick most of my life. I have had some really rough times as I've struggled through different health challenges. About once a week for the past fifteen years I have experienced something doctors are still unsure about. They don't know the cause and they don't even know what to call it. I simply call them pass out spells. I will be walking along feeling perfectly healthy one minute and without any warning at all will suddenly lose consciousness and fall hard to the floor. I am unconscious anywhere from ten minutes to two hours. Many times during this period of unconsciousness I will shake violently as though I were having a grand mal seizure. Once I wake up from a spell I am very tired, sore, and just plain don't feel good...not to mention the fact that I may have injured myself in the fall. This is my life. It would be very easy for me to experience these spells and be nothing but depressed. I could lie in my room 24 hours a day and do nothing but cry. I could spend all my time complaining about how much my life sucks. However, living life that way would not be very fun. I have to find a way to smile and laugh my way through it.

One afternoon I went to the grocery store to pick up a couple of much needed items...Oreo's and milk, I think. While in the store I had one of my spells. I woke up in an ambulance on my way to the hospital. The paramedic attending to me was VERY good looking! Isn't this every girls dream? Fall asleep in a random place and wake up to a handsome stranger staring you in the eyes! Well, this handsome stranger starting asking me the typical paramedic questions to figure out what had caused me to lose consciousness that day.

"Have you eaten anything today?"

"Yep, had a yummy bowl of Fruit Loops this morning"

"Have you been under any extra stress lately? Did you break-up with your boyfriend?"

"Yep. Do you want to replace him?"

Stunned Silence

"Your going to feel a small poke as I start this IV"

Haha!! I began laughing so hard he had a slightly difficult time starting the IV.

Moments like this are how I get through my daily illnesses. Does that mean that every day is hunky dory and I never have a bad day, cry, or complain about my circumstances. Nope. I'm still human. Some days are harder than others, but on those days ya just take time to cry it out, eat some cereal, and then pick yourself up and keep moving forward with positive thoughts.

Every single one of us have hard things in our life. For me it is my health. For you it may be a troubled son or daughter, you may be struggling in your marriage, or dealing with serious financial stress. For the teenagers that read this blog it may be a bully at school, struggling with grades, or dealing with a parents divorce. We all have the choice to allow our situations to either turn our thoughts into negatives or positives. I can promise you that if you choose the positive your life will be blessed for it, and no matter what you are dealing with you will come out on top!

So, put a smile on your face and go eat a bowl of Fruit Loops. It's going to be a great day!

Come Listen to a Prophets Voice

Well, we just had another wonderful General Conference. I love Conference weekend, it lifts my heart and soul every time. I am grateful to have a living prophet on the Earth today. All of the General Authorities of the church are men of God and speak the messages He would have us know for our lives.

I love Pres. Monson! My favorite quote from Conference came in his closing remarks Sunday afternoon when he said, "Realize how close Heavenly Father is willing to come to you, and how far He is willing to go to help you." Too often I picture my Heavenly Father sitting on a cloud somewhere looking down on me. I forget just how close He is to me on a daily basis. He isn't far away. He loves us and wants to be near to us. He will do all he can to help us no matter what we are going through. When life is hard and we are too weak to run to Him, He will run to us. His love is bigger than any trial we could face.

I love listening to the living prophet! Even though it has been years since his passing I miss our dear Pres. Hinckley. Pres. Hinckley was the prophet of my youth and will forever hold a special place in my heart. He taught me many things about the gospel and about myself. I learned how to stand a little taller and be a little better from his example and testimony. When he spoke you could truly feel the love he had for you. I never had the opportunity to meet him face to face, but there was never a doubt in my mind that Pres. Hinckley loved me and believed in me.

Here is a clip I absolutely love from the Dedication of the Hinckley Building at BYU-Idaho I remember watching this live and bawling my eyes out. I left there that day feeling so empowered and like I could take on the world. I still feel that way every time I watch this.

Enjoy.

ABC List

Today's List Post is an alphabetical get to know me type list. Enjoy!

ABC List

A- Addiction -   QR Codes...I use them on just about everything! 

B- Breakfast (what you eat) -    Glass of OJ and a bagel  

C- Chocolate or Chips -  Chips

D- Dessert or Appetizers -   Appetizer     

E- Essential Items-    My phone, scriptures, pillow, and medications

F- Favorite Color-   Purple

G- Gummy Bears or Gummy Worms -   Neither...Gummy things are yucky! 

H- Hometown-   Good Ole' Roy, Utah

I- Ice Cream Flavor -   Raspberry Cheesecake

J- January or July-   July!! Bring on the Summer!!

K- Kids-  Don't have any of my own, but I love all the ones in my life!

L- Life isn’t complete without-  My mom and my sister

M- Most embarrassing memory -  In junior high every teenager is just doing their best to fit in. I was no exception. I wasn't popular by any means, but I wasn't at the bottom of the social totem pole either. I did the best I could to be me, but not stand out in the crowd at the same time. One day I was running late to school. Walking to school I had a lot on my mind. I was so preoccupied with my thoughts that I blocked out everything that was going on around me until I took a step up onto the curb and sank! They had just laid down wet cement and I stepped right into it! I was so shocked I didn't know what to do and my first instinct was to get out of there as quickly as possible!! The only way I could do that was to keep on walking....which meant another step in the wet cement! I was quickly past the cement and walking through the park just in front of the school when I heard the construction men start yelling from behind me. I was too terrified to look back. By the time I reached the school classes had started and the halls were empty. I thought this was a blessing in my current state...picture cement that is now beginning to harden covering my feet and ankles. I quickly took off my shoes and socks and threw them in my locker. My first class was seminary, so I ran to class hoping the teacher would let me use the phone to call my mom for some clean shoes. As I walked in the entire class stared at my and then at my bare feet. Before I could ask to use the phone the teacher started lecturing me about how not wearing shoes was a violation of school dress code. My embarrassment just kept getting worse. He made me stand there in front of the entire class and explain why I was not wearing shoes, at the end of my tale the class was in an uproar of laughter and the teacher led me to the phone. I sat on the steps of the seminary waiting for my mom who showed up a few minutes later laughing her head off as she described to me the frantic scene of construction workers trying to fix the sidewalk. I spent the rest of the day hearing giggles behind me every where I went throughout the school, and a week later I was on the front cover of the school paper with the headline "Girl Walks in Cement" 

N- Number of brothers & sisters-  One of each     

O- Oranges or Apples -  Oranges

P- Phobias or Fears-   Drowning. I have a HUGE fear of drowning. 

Q- Quote -   "Focus on the Savior, not on the waves" Tim Carver

R- Reading currently -  The Maze Runner by James Dashner

S- Summer or Spring -   Summer

T- Toenail color-   Maroon

U- Unknown fact about me –  I'm obsessed with school supplies and absolutely love it when I get new pens or colored pencils or markers or stationary or.....you get the idea

V- Vacation I want to go on -  Paris

W- Walking or Running –  Walking

               
X- XRay or Ultrasound -    Ultrasound, they are slightly more fun

Y- Your favorite Food -  Pina Colada Chicken

Z- Zoo or Bowling -   Both sound fun! Who wants to go?

Are You A Dragon Warrior?

How many of you have seen Kung Fu Panda? I love this movie!

In the beginning we have Po; he is a fat, lovable, panda working in a noodle shop with his dad. His dad has dreams that Po will one day take over the family noodle business and carry on the family tradition of selling noodles to the village. Po on the other hand isn't a huge fan of noodles. He is, however, obsessed with the Furious Five...the kung fu warriors that protect the village.

One day Po is helping his dad serve noodles when he learns that Master Oogway is going to choose the Dragon Warrior. Po is thrilled. He can't wait to get to that ceremony. He wants be right there on the front row catching all the action up close. Unfortunately, Po doesn't get to the ceremony in time and is locked out. Determined he straps himself to a chair with fireworks tied to it and launches himself over the walls and into the arena. His entrance causes quite a scene and he lands in the middle of the arena just as Master Oogway points to him and announces he is the Dragon Warrior.

Po is as shocked as everyone else. He tries to back away so the Master can point to someone else. He tries to convince the Master that he is a nobody and that he should pick one of the Furious Five to be the Dragon Warrior, they are much stronger and warrior-like than he is. However, Master Oogway will not change his mind. Po reluctantly follows the Five up to the warrior training camp. He decides to give it a shot and start training. He tries to copy the moves of the Tiger warrior, He tries to fight like the snake...all with no success. He is classified at a level zero in his training. Po does not give up, he keeps training. He stops hanging around the Five and spends all his days training with Master Shifu. He finds what motivates him...food! He discovers his own strengths and starts to believe in himself as the Dragon Warrior. In the end he is able to use the power of the Dragon Warrior to defeat the bad guy and save the day.

Now, nothing magical happened to Po along the way. From the moment where he was a level zero to the time he was the Dragon Warrior saving the day there was no secret ingredient no magic scroll that gave him power. He was the Dragon Warrior the whole movie! In the beginning when he was making noodles with dad, he was the Dragon Warrior. However, it wasn't until he stopped comparing himself to others and started to believe in himself that he was able to use that power for good.

You my friend are a Dragon Warrior. You are a Son or Daughter of God! You have been a Child of God your entire life. You will be a Child of God forever. However, we all have the weakness of comparing ourselves to others. We compare ourselves to family, friends, neighbors, strangers, and celebrities...always seeing the grass as greener on the other side. We try do the things they do, but with no success. However, once we stop comparing ourselves to others, spend all of our time with the Master of the Universe, and recognize the divine qualities He has given to each of us individually we will be able to unlock the power of divinity within us. We will then be able to bless the lives of others and overcome anything Satan throws our way.

I was reading in D&C section 5 the other night and came across verse 4. In this verse the Lord is speaking to Joseph Smith and tells him that he has been given the gift to translate. He then says something that really popped out at me. He said, "I have commanded that you should pretend to no other gift". I love this! God has given us all our own special gifts and we need to stop pretending to have a gift other than the ones he has given us. Don't compare your gift to Sally's and try then pretend you can do it as well as her. That is not your gift. If you don't know what your divine gifts are then spend some time with the Master. He will teach you. Be proud of your gifts and use them to be your own kind of Dragon Warrior!

Greatest Comforts

We all have days that are tougher than others. Perhaps you aren't feeling very well or you had a stressful day at work. Whatever the cause these tough days can be really draining mentally and physically. It's times like these that we need to take a time-out for some self-love. Today I am posting a list of my greatest comforts. These are things I turn to on my tougher than usual days. They bring me comfort when I'm sick, stressed, lonely, angry, and even when I'm happy and trying to relax. Not all of them are things I can turn to at any given moment...like listening to waves crash into the shore...but when I close my eyes and imagine it in my mind it comforts me almost as much as if I were sitting on the beach!

The song "Alleluia" by Kenneth Cope
The movie Sabrina...Julia Ormond version
Listening to the rain fall outside the window
Reading my Patriarchal Blessing

A soft pillow and cuddly blanket
Prayer
Camping
Apple Cider
Disney Animated Movies
Warm Shower
Writing
Reminiscing
The smell of rain
A good book
Sitting by the fire
Watching the Sunset
Hot Chocolate
Bubble Baths
Hugging family and friends
Scriptures
PJ Pants
Having someone play with my hair
Listening to waves crash into the shore
Getting in a freshly made bed
Watching Pride and Prejudice...the Kiera Knightly version
Going to the Temple
The song "Jessica's Theme" from The Man From Snowy River 

What things would make your list?? 

Television

I am a big TV watcher. I think it runs in my genes because my mom is also a big TV watcher and my sister is like a walking TV Guide! Every morning she will call me and tell me what is on TV that night. Now, I'm not saying that I'm a major couch potato sitting fat and lazy stuffing potato chips in my face while bouncing channels. I am simply a fan of TV.

The past few weeks I have been glued to my television as I have watched the winter Olympics in Sochi. I love the Olympics! The grace of the figure skaters, the speed of the bobsledders, the agility of the skiers...I love it all. I also love to hear the stories behind these athletes. I love how someone who was a no name becomes a household name almost overnight. For me the best story so far to come out of these games is that of Noelle Pikus Pace.  She is an American athlete from right here in Utah. She won the silver medal in the skeleton event. One thing I love about her is the example she is setting. She is on a national stage right now as the whole world watches her, and through it all she has been wearing her Young Woman Medallion. She said she wouldn't compete in the Olympics unless her family could be by her side. She is an example of always standing for what you believe in and putting family first. I love it! I also have to say that I have a new found love for snowboard cross! I didn't really know much about this sport until these Olympics, but it is now one of my favorite events to watch. I was seriously glued to the TV when it was on. 

With the Olympics coming to an end regular television shows are going to be resuming and lots of new ones starting as well. I spoke with my mom on the phone today as we discussed the various shows that will be starting up next week and how excited we are about them. I for one am excited for the new seasons of Survivor, Amazing Race, and The Voice.  I am also very intrigued about a new show starting in a few weeks called Believe. It could turn out to be a pretty good one. 

Some of my all time favorite TV shows though are: 24, which will be coming out with a new season starting in May that I am super excited for! Grey's Anatomy, gotta love all the hot doctors! Vampire Diaries, I can't explain it but I love the dynamics of this show. Oh, and Damon...I love Damon. Pretty Little Liars, I got sucked into this show from the start. I began watching it on Netflix one night after a recommendation from my sister-in-law and was immediately hooked. I can't wait for the next season to come out on Netflix. 

Are you a television watcher? What are your favorite shows? Are you loving the Olympics? What event is your favorite? 

Words That Touch The Soul

In an earlier post I mentioned that I'd be posting a lot of lists. Through the wonderful world of Pinterest I found a site with 52 list prompts. One for each week of the year. These prompts are designed to be fun and inspiring along a journey of self-discovery. I really liked the idea and plan to incorporate many of them as part of my Project Life journey.

This weeks prompt is Words That Touch Your Soul:

Love                              Hope                         Overcome
Family                            Light                          Focus
Sister                             Unconditional             Precious
Daughter                        Peace                        Escape
Grateful                          Example                    Cozy
Believe                           Remember                Sunset
Life                                Journey                     Compassion
Discover                        Faith                          Create
Comfort                         Laughter                    Ponder
Acceptance                    Brave                        Trust
Imagine                          Worth                       Memories

I really enjoyed coming up with this list. It wasn't about the list as much as it was about why these words came to mind and what they really mean to me. It seems like my words are more about my personal experiences. I can think of a touching and meaningful experience associated with each of these words. These are experiences that helped to make me into the person I am; perhaps that is why these words touch me so deeply.

Colors

My favorite color is purple. I have love the color purple for as long as I can remember. At one point in my life I remember that I wanted everything I owned to be purple. I even had a purple leather jacket! The color purple stands out more to me. On a day to day basis I think I am pretty unaware how much purple is around me. Even now as I sit back and look around the room I see lots of purple! I'm drinking grape Gatorade, my mouse is purple, my phone case is purple, and I have purple and red Valentines decorations around my home. 

I started wondering what does my favorite color say about me. I looked a few things up on the internet and here is what I came up with: 

"If you love purple you are compassionate and sensitive. Purple is associated with luxury and sensuality. Purple lovers are artistic in nature, creative and glamorous. They are supportive and always think of others before themselves. They possess a strong desire to be different and often achieve high authority positions in life. They are true in nature and generous givers. Very idealistic and often impractical, love to live in an imaginary world of fantasy. Creativity is something you pride yourself in, though you may not be good at artistic endeavors (such as drawing or painting.) You tend to be sentimental and have a great amount of empathy for others."

Wow! That hits the nail on the head in describing me! While not all of it is 100% me a good portion of it is. I do love being creative. I'm not great at arts and craft stuff, but I love to write, scrapbook, and make cards. I do believe that I am a very supportive and sentimental person. I tend to put others before myself ninety percent of the time. I also love living in an imaginary world of fantasy. I think that is why I enjoy reading so much, because it is a gateway to that world for me. 

I find it fascinating that something as simple as my favorite color can tell someone that much detail about me. Our personalities are literally woven into every little thing we do. 

What is your favorite color? What does that tell you about yourself? Check out this website and find out. http://tinyurl.com/kznxwd2  Then come back and post what you found. I'd love to hear about it! 

Books

Are you a list a person? I am kind of a list person. I like making lists to keep me organized. I honestly don't know what I'd do if I showed up to the grocery store without a list, and Christmas time would be ten times as hectic if I didn't keep track of things with some sort of list. However, I'm not a hard core lister like some others out there. I know people who can't function if they don't have a list outlining how their day is going to go, and others who have lists for literally everything! If you are one of this hard core list people more power to ya...and you'll enjoy this post! I've actually found that lists are a good way to quickly get to know someone. You can tell a lot about a person by knowing what their five favorite movies are. So, I had the thought...why not see what I can learn about myself by making some lists of my own. Now and again, I'll post lists to this blog as part of my project life goals.

List #1:  Favorite Books

1. The Hiding Place! by Corrie Ten Boom
     This is my all time favorite book! If you have not read it I beg you to go now and get it. You will not be disappointed I promise! Although this book takes place at the time of WWII it is very pertinent to our lives today. I have learned many life lesson's from this book.

2. Tuesday's with Morrie by Mitch Albom

3. The Fablehaven Series by Brandon Mull
     This is such a fun series that truly opens up the imagination. Reading these books always makes me want to write because it helps my mind see the creative possibilities that surround me. I love it!

4. Speaking of a good series...I have to add Harry Potter to the list!

5. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

6. The Walk
     This is actually another series by Richard Paul Evans.

7. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

8. Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

9. The Holy Secret by James Ferrell

10. Hourglass Door Series by Lisa Mangum

Right now I am currently reading two books: One is called A Step of Faith and is book #4 in The Walk series by Richard Paul Evans that I mentioned earlier. The second is by Elder Jeffery R. Holland called For Times Of Trouble. I am loving both of these books!

Reading just one book for me is like eating just one Oreo, it can't be done...so a lot of my favorites are book series. It's hard to explain but reading opens up a part of my soul that can only be brought out through books. Life just seems so much more comfortable and right when I'm engrossed in a good book. If I'm struggling through something the best way to get my mind off of it is to read. I let my mind escape reality and live inside my book. Books provide adventure and imagination, they take you to worlds you never could have imagined on your own. I love the quote by George R.R. Martin, "A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, the man who never reads lives only one."

Project Life

For some time now I have had a feeling that I needed to be more aware of my life. I have a deep desire to recognize the blessings all around me, particularly the ones we take advantage of every day. I have started two different projects that I want to continue throughout the year to help me document my life and recognize life’s daily treasures in my life.

Project 365: This project is simply me taking a photo every day for a year. I want to take pictures of everything from the mundane to the special. I’ve been working on this for 23 days now and have discovered that finding something to take a picture of every day is not very easy. However, it is helping me to really think about my life and the world around me. Hopefully it will get easier as the year goes on and I grow more accustomed to looking/thinking outside the box.

Project Life: This project goes into a little more detail of documenting life. I plan on focusing on this one on a week by week basis. As part of project life I will be writing down my thoughts on who I am, things I enjoy, what I’m grateful for, and many other topics related to documenting my life. My hope with this is that it will help me take a deeper look into myself and really get to know me better on a much deeper level.

I decided to create this blog for me to post about my experiences. This journey is mine but it can also be yours. I hope that along the way you will start to take a deeper look at your own life and recognize some of life’s daily treasures that you are passing by. I believe that in doing this we can train our minds to see the good in every situation no matter what it is. We will come to love ourselves more and appreciate all we have in life. So, come join me on this journey and let’s uncover Life’s Daily Treasures!