Fall- Pasalamatan

October 17 na! Grabe ang balis! It's halfway through October. I love October- I love the fall! Time to bring out sweaters and jackets, eat pumpkin, soups and crisp apples, collect leaves, play in the leaves, cooler temperatures with greater chance of rain and maybe even snow! I just love it! There's just this yummy smell in the air and great feeling during fall. In the movie You've Got Mail, Meg Ryan's character describes fall smells as "newly sharpened pencils and scotch tape". Fall is a season of gratitude and giving. It's interesting how it starts the giving and service for the year. It would be awesome to be more full of gratitude and giving at the beginning of the year. I'm yet again thinking about my 'heart awareness experiment' and evaluting how I'm doing. I know there is more I could do. I've been reading President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk about hope from October General Conference and I love what he says about faith, hope, and charity how they all increase from the other he says, "Hope comes of faith, for without faith, there is no hope. In like manner faith comes of hope, for faith is "the substance of things hoped for." Hope is critical to both faith and charity. When disobedience, disappointment, and procrastination erode faith, hope is there to uphold our faith. When frustration and impatience challenge charity, hope braces our resolve and urges us to care for our fellowmen even without expectation of reward. The brighter our hope, the greater our faith. The stronger our hope, the purer our charity. The things we hope for lead us to faith, while the things we hope in lead us to charity. The three qualities- faith, hope, and charity- working together, grounded on the truth and light of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, lead us to abound in good works." They really do all work together. My 'heart awareness experiment' really begins with faith leading to stronger hope and to have greater charity. This fall as I reflect on my heart awareness I want to continue to have gratitude and give with no deadline or slowing.

Oh, that awesome picture- I found on static.flickr.com.

Mental Health Day

Today, I gave myself a mental health day. It was definitely needed and now I feel refreshed! :) It was nice to chill in my pajamas and not comb my hair until 2:00 this afternoon. I made myself a nice healthy lunch- soup and apple wedges with peanut butter. After lunch I put on some jeans, combed my hair and cleaned up my mess of a room. So, see I was productive, even though I started out lazy :) When Mary came home from work we finished watching a movie we had started Sunday. It's so fun and a great blessing in my life that Mary and I have become so close as we have become older. We than had dinner. I drove Turner to work in American Fork and than Mary and I went to the Wal-Mart. I got some yellow shoes! Something that has been on my list of wants for a little while :) They are school bus yellow and super cute and will give that pop of color that I want! It has been a good day and good mental health day I feel like I said refreshed and ready for the craziness that is here and yet to come! I recommend taking mental health days to refresh and relax!

Humanities Test #1 score A!

Yes! I got an A on my humanities test! I was thrilled today when the test were given back to us and I had received an A on the test. At the beginning of class I was less than thrilled when the instructor said she would be giving us our tests back, but that she was disappointed and frustrated to think we all did poorly. I thought to myself maybe I was too confident going in... she than proceeded to tell us that a handful had received an A, a handful received a D, and the largest group was right in the middle. I thought oh, that's me in the middle I know. Tests are not my thing, even when I feel like I know the material. When I got my test I was as I said THRILLED to get an A! The semester started about 6 weeks ago and I feel like I've done well getting back into the 'college life'. It has been 4 years and I wasn't sure how it was going to be. One thing I did know was that it was totally right to start back to school this semester. I am enjoying it, even though it has added some extra craziness to my life. I guess extra craziness will always be added to my life, but it's a good craziness! :) Maganda ang buhay!

Missing Even Slight Homesickness

Today I have been missing the Philippines-more than usual. Earlier the air just seemed to smell just like it does in Laoag, especially during the rainy season. The moments I miss it the most I wonder if the time I spent there was real or just a dream. I miss the people, the food, the tropical trees, the sunsets, the crazy happenings from day to day, the rain, oh I just long for it some days. Namimiss ko talaga ang mga tao- ang mga kilala ko doon. Alam ko na sa pamamagitan ng plano ng Diyos makakakita ko ang mga kaibigan ko doon ulit. Maganda ang karanasan ko sa Pilipinas! Nagpapasalamat ako sa Diyos para sa tawag ko doon at mga karanasan ko at natatuhan ko bilang missionary sa Pilipinas. The rain- ang ulan- grabe malakas siya doon as in malakas saka ang sarap :) I enjoyed wearing my rainboots every opportiunity I got. Even the days I was soaked and stepped in not so fun big puddles and was surprised at how deep they really were. I will find a picture to post. Now, even though I miss the Pines, I am so blessed that I have all the memories I do! :) One day babalik ako doon hindi ko alam kailan basta may plano ako babalik even if sa aking panaginip lang :) Gagawin ko!

BYU Football Game and Zupas

Grabe hindi ako magaling sa pag-update ng blog ko. As you can see it has been a month since my last post. Kahapon, nag-attend ako ng BYU Homecoming Football game kasama ni Craig. Siya ang isang awesome tao. Masaya talaga ang date namin kahapon :) Nagusap kami tunksol sa jeans, pagkain, mga interest namin, music, pamilya, hawakan ang mga kamay, basta maraming talaga- ang sarap talaga magchica chica sa kanya. :) lalo kapag kaming dalawang lang. Nakilala ko siya noon taon sa aming ward at naging mabuting kaibigan kami agad. Hindi ko alam anong mangyayari pero enjoying ko ang friendship niya. Matapat talaga siya at admire ko yan sa kanya kasi lagi siya 'tells it how it really is' and I like that. Pagkatapos ng game pumunta kami sa Zupas para kumain. Masarap ang pakain :) Kumain kami ng soup at cake. That cake was masarap as in masarap siya :) It was called the sinful 7. Dang gina it was so good! It was fun to share the cake and make funny sinful faces :) Craig's was the best. As you can see :) Mine not so much. That's why I'm not showing you :) Magandang gabi siya, magandang chica chica, magandang date. :)

25 at nagbabago ang aking puso

Well, I'm starting to figure out more of how to edit my blog. I think I'm just going to need to ask for help. The last month of life has been super crazy and awesome! I had a great 25th birthday that I celebrated with family, good friends and cupcakes! Food in some way must be attached to events I plan. 25 is going to be good; although it is quite strange sometimes to think I am really 25. I was asked yesterday how old I was and it was weird to actually same oh, I'm 25. I celebrated the day well! Classes started that day so I got to kick the day off by waking up early, but I guess I can look it as I was awake for more of my birthday! Those who know me knows birthdays are a 'big deal' to me and how much I enjoy celebrating them (family and friends included). As I start this new year I've decided it was time to evalute my experiment on my heart. The last several months I have been working to improve the condition of my heart. Is it open and soft? How could I serve better and become more full of love? So far it has been amazing to see how the Lord has stretched me and has provided many ways for me to do. I know this is a continual process. A 'mighty change of heart' is something I'm working hard for and I can sense a permanent change all ready in my life. It's more of a becoming really rather than doing so something I'm learning. Masaya talaga ako ngayon! pinagpala ng Diyos ako sa maraming mga paraan. Mahal ko siya.

Matagal na!

So, matagal nang hindi ako sumalat sa blog. Maraming bagay ay nangyari since nag-post ako sa April. Masaya ako na dahil summer months na! Ibig sabihin maraming picnic, paglalaro sa lubas, masusuot ang shorts, at mga lakad sa gabi. Sana kasama ng gwapong, mabait ng lalaki :) Noon sabado nag-hike kami ng 'Y'. Nag-enjoy ako talaga! Maganda ang panahon at maganda ang view sa taas ng 'Y'. Noon linggo nagsimula ako ng running plan kasama ni Diana. Grabe 'out of shape' ako, pero maganda talaga ang feeling ko sa katawan pagkatapos ang run namin. :) Noon isang buwan naging education counselor sa Relief Society sa ward ko. Masaya ako para maglingkod sa Diyos at mga babae sa ward. Ito ang mabuting daan para get out of my comfort zone more often. Alam ko na tutulongan ako ng Diyos at nagtitiwala ako sa kanya.