Term 2: I'm still teaching...barely

Coming back to work after the Easter school holidays was not easy. On day two I can honestly say I had tears in my eyes because I just didn't want to face the day. As I was driving to work that day (Wednesday) I was paying/talking to my Father in Heaven telling Him that I didn't think I'd be able to find the strength to handle my classes. I pleaded with Him to help me and strengthen me.

Before I had even arrived at work I had calmed down, tears gone and a feeling of peace had come over me. At lunch I was talking to one of my colleagues and told her about shedding a couple of tears before work. She suggested I pray and it felt so wonderful to be able to tell her that I did, and even more exciting to witness to her that it worked! :-)

I recognised the Lord's hand in everything that happened that day. I had such a warm welcome as I walked into school from students and teachers alike. This was such a blessing because that morning (along with the tears) I told Nic that I don't know how long I could do this job for and that I don't think I enjoy it. I actually do enjoy my job. It has more hard days than easy ones but I live for the moments when I see my students enjoy my lessons or get excited about learning something new. I hope I can continue to recognise the Lord's hand in every aspect of my life and thank Him every single day for the things He does for me!

Poco

So a few weeks ago Nic and I agreed to take in a kitten that was from an abandoned litter. I wasn't too keen on it but thought that this kitten needed a home and we could provide it with one.

Because she was so young she had to stay at the vet for a couple weeks. We had no idea what she looked like or what her temperament would be like.

When she finally came home she was about 3 weeks old and it was seriously love at first sight! She was the sweetest and littlest thing I had seen, she was playful, fun and happy. I've never had a pet before so I was unsure what to do or if I would like it.

I love watching her play and eat and sleep. I don't much like the scratches but I can live with them. I love watching her learn how to pounce and run around like a crazy cat! She is such a joy.

Poco has been a part of our family for about 5 weeks now and we absolutely adore her and couldn't imagine our lives without her in it! I love coming home from work to this little creature excited and happy to see me.I am so grateful for the company she gives me when Nic is away. I am grateful for a loving Father in Heaven who blesses us each day with beautiful animals.

Keeping a Record of My Life

Just last night I was reading through some of my journals. I absolutely love reading about my past experiences! Ever since I was 8 years old I've kept a journal, I can remember this because I got my first journal as a gift from my mother on the day I was baptised as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Now, I have not always been diligent at writing in my journal but enough that I am grateful for the memories that have been recorded so that I can look back on experiences that I've had. In one of my journals I wrote a quote on the first page so I could see and remember it every time I opened my journal at the time, I love this quote so much it is from Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, "Knowledge carefully recorded is knowledge available in time of need" (November Ensign, 1998). This has been one of the principles I live by. I think it is very important to know where you've been in your life, having it written down somewhere and being able look back to see the progress you've made in your life is such a great tool. Some days it takes more effort than others, but when you don't take the time out to record experiences you've had it's easy to forget.

I remember attending a YSA fireside, I can tell you the exact day and the circumstances surrounding it that discouraged me enough that I nearly didn't go, and that is all because I kept a journal. It was Wednesday the 27th of July 2011, Virginia Pearce and Sheri Dew were the speakers. Have you ever had that experience where you were in the right place at the right time and heard the exact thing that you needed to hear to help you through a situation? This night was one of those nights for me! That doesn't happen very often for me but I think my Father in Heaven knew that I needed extra help at that time. It seemed as if everything these women were saying was specifically for me. So many things said that night made such an impact on my life, but one thing that stood out to me was when she said that we need to record ALL experiences we have with deity. Now, seeing as I am a dedicated journal writer this was an important principle for me to improve on. I am always so grateful to have these experiences and memories written down, that I am able to look back on them and remember the feelings I had that day, remember the strength I received to overcome a trial and how my faith grew stronger through it. 

As we go through life we have our struggles and we have our triumphs, both have great impact on our lives. It is crucial to our own personal progress that we keep a record of these things and could possibly help you when you happen to go through something similar in the years to come being able to look at how you dealt with it years before. 

So, if you can't tell, keeping a journal is extremely important to me and I hope maybe this blog post aka journal entry will inspire some of you to put journal writing as a priority in you life. One day you will be grateful that you did I promise! :-D

It's Getting Closer :-D

As of today our wedding went from it'll happen...to, it will happen! :-D I've booked our date for the temple which will be the 10th of October 2012 (10/10/2012 he'll never be able to forget that!) I also booked my plane ticket. I will forever be grateful to my wonderful, wonderful mother-in-law-to-be for suggesting that we get married in the temple so that my family could be there. It was so thoughtful and it really has made things a lot easier, aaaand I get to marry him sooner!!!! :-D I can't wait to be with Nic, I miss him so much! <3 It's going to be hard to leave my family but having my Nicholas there with me will make it easier. 


Tonight mum and I were looking at wedding dress shops we might be able to go to that are in our price range. We've looked at dresses online before but never actually researched the shops. We've taken down numbers and addresses so we will be calling them tomorrow to make appointments. Very nervous that there is just not enough time! I hope we can find something I love, that we can afford and that they can get to us in time. 



I'M GETTING MARRIED!!! :-D

Going to the Temple!

I had a meeting with my Bishop yesterday and I got my temple recommend :-D I have a day off work tomorrow so I'm so excited to go to the temple tomorrow! I wish I could go there in the morning and stay there the whole day! <3 Now that's underway it's time to start kicking into these wedding preparations, probably next week! :-D

Happy 22 Years!

Yes, I am officially an adult now. No longer 21. How weird and exciting at the same time! It has been such a great week. It all began Sunday morning when my family came into my bedroom to sing my Happy Birthday and went to have ice cream and cinnamon toast for breaky. I haven't done that in years! Then I went off to church and had the most uplifting day. The talks in sacrament meeting were all about the parables of Jesus. The first talk was the parable of the sower which speaks of some seeds falling by the way side. Some fell on stony ground, thorny ground and others fell on good ground. And the speaker said that we have a choice on which ground we plant the gospel, we choose whether we plant it on stony ground, thorny ground or good ground and we are responsible to tend and nourish the seed of the gospel that is planted in our hearts otherwise it will just wither away and die. (The parable of the sower is in Matthew Chapter 13)


The next speaker spoke on the parable of the lost sheep (Luke Chapter 15). She shared a beautiful poem by C.C. Miller titled 'Echo' and I just thought it was so eloquent I just had share it here...

’Twas a sheep not a lamb

That strayed away in the parable Jesus told,

A grown-up sheep that strayed away

From the ninety and nine in the fold.

And why for the sheep should we seek

And earnestly hope and pray?

Because there is danger when sheep go wrong:

They lead the lambs astray.

Lambs will follow the sheep, you know,

Wherever the sheep may stray.

When sheep go wrong,

It won’t take long till the lambs are as wrong as they.

And so with the sheep we earnestly plead

For the sake of the lambs today,

For when the sheep are lost

What a terrible cost

The lambs will have to pay.

That night there was a regional fireside for the YSA with speaker John Bytheway. I had been looking forward to this for weeks. I was so excited to see him in person. I have grown up listening to his talks and watching his 'Book of Mormon Heroes' DVD. It was even more awesome than I thought it would be! But what made even more special was that I got to share it with my 3 little (not so little anymore) brothers <3 One of the quotes he used (and I foolishly didn't record the name of the guy) was "Regardless of your original intention you will eventually become what you surround yourself with". This is so true! I see so many instances in my life and the lives of many around me where this has (and is) happening. "You are the average of the 5 people you hang around with" How interesting and true is that?! A scripture he shared I can really relate to it's found in Proverbs 13: 20 "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed." And another scripture that I love is in Mosiah 5:13 "For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from thoughts and intents of his heart?"




And you know what, it wasn't my birthday present that made my day special it was spending spiritual and uplifting time with ALL of my brothers at the John Bytheway fireside. What a special experience that I will always hold dear to my heart <3


Monday we mum, Aunty Robyn and I went to lunch at the Garden Restaurant just near the beautiful Salt Lake Temple. We look over and who do we see...Elder Nelson, one of the Apostles. Oh it was so exciting! Living in Utah does have its perks.


On Tuesday I was able to attend institute, when I arrived, there wasn't many cars. I parked next to this woman that I recognized from a Relief Society Women's Conference a few months ago...It was Wendy Nelson, Elder Nelson's wife! Talk about coincidence! I went inside and sat in her classroom, SO excited to be learning from her! I told her I saw her husband at lunch the day before. She is such and amazing teacher! I don't want to make this an extremely long post but I need to share with you some of the things that I wrote in my notebook that night. 


"The Holy Ghost does not keeps secrets well" Meaning the Spirit gives us the answers to all of our wonderings and leaves nothing out.


"We will make better decisions if we let things of eternity influence them."


"Let the Holy Ghost be your teacher EVERYDAY."


The gospel of Jesus Christ is referred to as DOCTRINE singular NOT doctrines plural. Meaning that all the teachings of Christ are considered at one with one another.


"Obedience brings blessings but EXACT obedience brings miracles." Now, I just thought that was such a profound statement, probably one of my favourite things she said.


The gospel is an anchor for your life.


Wednesday night my mum had a presentation at one a Relief Society ward up in Kaysville, so my Wednesday night was filled with spiritual things and so was my Thursday night. We attended a lecture on Pioneers with disabilities. What a special birthday week it has been. I truly believe it was a birthday gift from my Heavenly Father <3

Living the Utah Life

It's been a while since my last post so I thought it was time to write another even though I don't really have much to say. Can you believe it's almost June?! I can't! I was talking to someone the other day and she mentioned something about our birthdays (our birthdays are only ya few days apart) and it only just dawned on me that my birthday is coming up! I kinda wish my birthday would just not come this year cuz I don't have any friends to celebrate it with. But I guess I haven't really had a birthday at home with my family for 4 years it'll be nice whatever we decide to do. 


The other day across the street my parent's ward had a bbq with a live high school jazz band. It was a lovely afternoon sitting and listening to the music. It made me really miss Nic. I remember when we were both still living in Toowoomba he took me down to the jazz club in Brisbane one night, it was so wonderful. There is nothing in this world more romantic than jazz I reckon. 


While I was sitting over there mum came back up from the house with blankets. She said that she had just talked to my Grandma on the phone, and that was really odd cuz mum never talks to Grandma if she can help it haha Anyway, she went on to say that Grandma had bought me a piano and it's ready to be picked up. I had a bit of a delayed reaction, the excitement just bubbled over I started crying. I can't believe it! Dad is picking it up on Wednesday and then I'll have a piano! I'm so spoilt! But I love it. Thanks Grandma <3


My thesis is almost finished, I spent practically all day Saturday working on it. I'm determined to have it done before my birthday! It's so close now that I think I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. I can't even begin to tell how good it will feel when it's all finished and I never have to worry about it again!