It's official....

I'm a Utah resident again--I have the license plates, driver's license and ward to prove it.....as well as a real bed!  :)  I'm pretty excited about this....(thanks for the delivery, Josh and Jon).  It's been about exactly two years since I slept on a real bed that wasn't Chinese, an air mattress or a bargain deal from a neighbor that was moving.  I guess I'm unpacking my bags.  :) ....and exploring the new neighborhood.  :)

Humility and Sharing Truth

I think there are very interesting and exciting conversations going on right now in our country about religion.  Here are a few articles I liked recently:

• Study Abroad, Mormon Style - New York Times
• A Female Episcopal Priest Visits a Mormon Temple - Huffington Post
• Go West, Young Religion: Mormonism on Exhibit - New York Times
• Mormon Volunteerism Discussed by at Pew Forum - LDS Newsroom
• Mitt Romney's Underwear - WHAM 1180
• The Mormon Way of Business - The Economist

I was struck by a comment someone made on the New York Times article about missionaries in Uganda.  The writer was offended by the arrogance of missionaries being sent all over the world to tell people they were wrong and to join them.  This made me think.  First of all, I was sorry that he felt that way.  I wonder if he has talked to a missionary or member of the church about our beliefs.  I hope that's not the way we come across when we do talk to people.

Having been a missionary several years ago I can say that it's only love that motivated me to share my beliefs.  There are many beliefs and ideas in the world today.  I don't know or understand them all, but like to learn and do believe in a loving Heavenly Father who wouldn't have us be confused about where to find Him.  I believe that as we find precious truth our love for our fellowmen creates a desire within us to share.  I hope that spirit of love and humility is how we share our knowledge of the gospel.  Regardless of anyone's beliefs God loves all of His children and we should too.  :)

The more I learn and think and live I realize that pride really is the greatest sin.  We must constantly check ourselves and consider why and how we are doing something.  We must have an eye single to His glory and will and not our own.  Easier said than done, but it should be the focus and goal.

I want to be ready and involved in sharing my testimony and example of my beliefs in humility, but confidence.  There are some cool websites and resources the Church has created and we should be ready always to share who we are!  :)

Happy Birthday!!!!! :)

......to my wonderful and favorite sister! :)

xoxoxoxoxoxo

Improve the Shining Moments

It's a unique, but wonderful work place that begins each week with a Monday morning devotional.  :)  Today I was inspired by a song we sang together:
Improve the Shining Moments
Improve the shining moments; Don't let them pass you by.
Work while the sun is radiant; Work, for the night draws nigh.
We cannot bid the sunbeams To lengthen out their stay,
Nor can we ask the shadow To ever stay away.
Time flies on wings of lightning; We cannot call it back.
It comes, then passes forward Along its onward track.
And if we are not mindful, The chance will fade away, 
For life is quick in passing. 'Tis as a single day.
As wintertime doth follow The pleasant summer days,
So may our joys all vanish And pass far from our gaze.
Then should we not endeavor Each day some point to gain,
That we may here be useful And ev'ry wrong disdain?
Improve each shining moment.  In this you are secure
For promptness bringeth safety And blessings rich and pure.
Let prudence guide your actions; Be honest in your heart;
And God will love and bless you And help to you impart.
- Text and music: Robert B. Baird (See Alma 34:32–33 and Psalm 119:60)

I think the message of repenting today (as mentioned in these scriptures) is very important, but the thing that touched me today was the idea of living in the present and making a difference right now where we are--not missing a moment to do something good.  Don't suppress a generous thought or put off a kind word or action because someone probably already knows. Don't assume someone else will take care of a service that needs to be done.  Life is all about the moments we live in NOW and how we use our time to bless and serve and love.  Why worry about ten minutes, ten months or ten years from now when there's something good that can be done now?  :)  I like to be organized and prepared for things, but I realize that sometimes we have to just go and do.  Don't be shy!  We can be a force for good NOW in whatever position and circumstance we're in.  Joseph Smith didn't have a lot of time to sit and think, but spent a lot of time doing and using the moments he had!

I just finished a wonderful book by Elder Maxwell about discipleship.  One thing that really struck me was a thought he shared at the end of the book about our challenges matching our station or status or preparation.  In other words, once we learn and overcome a challenge there will be something new, so we must have patience and continue to learn and grow.  It's not like we will get to a point where it's easy and without stress--there are just new stresses.  This wasn't a discouraging thought to me, but a reminder of the reality and importance of relying on and trusting in the Lord and doing what we can right now, improving on the moments we have and moving forward.

Moving forward in the moment....I think that's what I'm supposed to be learning right now.  Now I need to DO something about it!  :)

Wouldn't it be Loverly? :)

After a pretty blah...."what am I doing?  why am I here?" kind of day I'm grateful for a few fun things that made me smile:

• beautiful weather and time to walk
• gorgeous spring tulip gardens practically outside my doorstep and office and everywhere in between
• "Wouldn't it be Loverly?" playing on a grand piano at lunch time
• exercise!!!!
• an interesting book to read
• a wonderful movie
• a bag of M&Ms  :)

Family

One of the greatest, if not the greatest, blessing of living back in Utah is the chance to be with family so often.  I have been very grateful to spend time with my cute sister and her family.  :)

And my great brother!  :)

And soon.....my parents a little more often.

Then I'm definitely going to have to plan a trip to Seattle to see the rest of the family!  :)

This last weekend I also got to reflect on the life of my great-uncle Leo.  He was such an example of patience, faith and happiness.  I'm grateful for his life and example!  It was nice to get to spend time with extended family as we celebrated his life.

I'm grateful for family and know that's what it's all about!  :)

We're all different!

I had a fun opportunity today to work in another office with a group of people who make movies.  I definitely don't know much about making movies and have not had many interactions onsite with those that do.  It was really fun to see the personalities of the people that do this kind of work--very out-going, "people" people, a little bit scattered in the work they do throughout the day.  It's great that we all have talents and interests and abilities that we can share in unique ways to help each other and make the world a better and more interesting place.  It was like seeing the personalities of certain colleges and buildings at a university.  There's definitely a personality of departments at work as well.  I like having the chance to work with and learn from others!

Rejoicing in the Resurrection!

"To obtain a resurrection with a celestial, exalted body is the center point of hope in the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The resurrection of Jesus is the most glorious of all messages to mankind (Bible Dictionary)."  I rejoice in the message of Easter and our Savior's love and life and the hope it brings!  :)

I loved reading of His life and love, pondering and sharing my own feelings and knowledge of Him and His love, reading and hearing testimonies of His impact in others' lives, and spending time with children and family while thinking about the important blessings of the day.

Today I was reminded of how broken we each are and how much we need Him and of the wonderful joy of the knowledge of the immortality of our souls, because of Him!  I don't remember ever hearing this song before, but I LOVE it!  Softly and Tenderly by Will Thompson brought sweet peace and understanding today.  :)

Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,
calling for you and for me;
see, on the portals he's waiting and watching,
watching for you and for me.

Come home, come home;
ye who are weary come home;
earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, 
calling, O sinner, come home!

Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading,
pleading for you and for me?
Why should we linger and heed not his mercies,
mercies for you and for me?

Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing,
passing from you and from me;
shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming,
coming for you and for me.

O for the wonderful love he has promised,
promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned, he has mercy and pardon,
pardon for you and for me.

So much in our life and world testifies of His life and love and resurrection!  I'm grateful for the reminders of the hope and joy He brings!  :)  I know He LIVES!  He is the Son of God, our Savior and the Redeemer of the world!  Only through Him and His wonderful gift of the Atonement can we find lasting happiness, peace and joy and return to our Heavenly Father.  Because of Him we will all live again.  If we are humble and come to Him we can repent and change and be better every day.  I am grateful for His live and life and want to follow Him; come to Him!  :)

Covenants, Conference and Vineyards

This weekend I am very grateful for covenants and General Conference!  It struck me as I was at the temple preparing for Conference Friday night how blessed we are by our covenants.  All we need to do is remember and live our covenants with God and we are blessed and really nothing could ever go wrong!  I'm grateful for a temple close by and chances to remember.  Covenants--that's what it's all about!

Conference was wonderful, as always--especially having a chance to be there in person to learn from our prophet and leaders with my brother!  One of my favorite talks was Elder Holland's talk, The Laborers in the Vineyard where he talks about the importance of living our covenants and working in the Lord's kingdom now!  :)  Josh pointed out something neat to me in Jacob 5 as we were waiting for Conference to begin--in verse 4 "the master of the vineyard went forth, and he saw that his olive tree began to decay; and he said: I will prune it, and dig about it, and nourish it, that perhaps it may shoot forth young and tender branches, and it perish not."  The Lord loves us and will do everything for us, even if we choose not to follow.  I'm grateful for His love and promises and want to be a valiant laborer in His vineyard!  :)

Scatter Sunshine :)

"Forget not to be happy now." This is from a beautiful talk, Forget Me Not, given by President Uchtdorf last October. "While in the pursuit of worthy goals, discover and treasure the beauty and sweetness of everyday moments....Thread by daily thread, weave a tapestry of gratitude and wonder."

Another way you could say that is SCATTER SUNSHINE... :) Not only should we be happy, but share happiness with others. I was reminded and touched by this great hymn today and want this to be my goal every single day:

In a world where sorrow Ever will be known,
Where are found the needy, And the sad and lone;
How much joy and comfort You can all bestow,
If you scatter sunshine Everywhere you go.

Scatter sunshine all along your way;
Cheer and bless and brighten Every passing day;
Scatter sunshine all along your way;
Cheer and bless and brighten Every passing day.

Slightest actions often Meet the sorest needs,
For the world wants daily Little kindly deeds;
Oh, what care and sorrow You may help remove,
With your songs and courage, Sympathy and love.

When the days are gloomy, Sing some happy song;
Meet the world's repining With a courage strong;
Go with faith undaunted Thro' the ills of life;
Scatter smiles and sunshine O'er its toil and strife.

Beautiful Life!

There's so much to catch up on! My favorite month of February was quite the month this year! I finished one job, packed up and drove across the country, started another and moved into a new apartment in the last few weeks. I'm finally back connected to the world and not living out of my car. :) I'm still kind of wondering what got me here, but I loved this song I saw posted on Facebook today ...."step back" and "look at your masterpiece" and "keep sketching it out"...."pick your favorite colors" and "create a beautiful life":

:)

Where shall I work today? :)

“Father, where shall I work today?"
And my love flowed warm and free.
Then He pointed out a tiny spot
And said, "Tend that for me."
I answered quickly, "Oh no, not that!
Why, no one would ever see,
No matter how well my work was done.
Not that little place for me."
And the word He spoke, it was not stern;
He answered me tenderly:
"Ah, little one, search that heart of thine;
Art thou working for them or me?
Nazareth was a little place,
And so was Galilee.”
― Meade McGuire as quoted by Thomas S. Monson as quoted by Heidi Swinton

(Pretty much profoundly and exactly what I needed to remember today!) :)

OBX and I-40

The perfect way to end a chapter of life on the East Coast is a weekend in the Outerbanks (in a rain storm with friends and a Chinese murder mystery)!  :)  I'll need to come back some time.

Yeah, this is not so much how it looked while we were there, but still wonderful!  :)

I can't believe I didn't take a single picture of the journey along I-40 from OBX to Lehi, UT or stop at a single temple (we passed right by 5 before we even got to Utah)!  We had to have set some kind of record though....over 2600 miles in under 56 hours.....in the middle of February.

Priorities, Purpose, Passion....Potential

On January 23, Doug Conant, the retired CEO of Campbells' Soup came to speak to us at work.  I learned a lot from the discussion and ideas he shared.  Leadership happens in the small moments!  We need to walk through the world thoughtfully and purposefully being tough on standards, but tender on people.  Manage your moments!  :)  Our leadership should be authentic, on-demand and enduring.  Write thank you notes!  Wander around.  Network and find a mentor--Steven Covey was one of his great mentors (see Covey's priority quadrant below).  Good leaders are competent, persistent, build trust, have courage for doing what's right, work hard and purposefully, and are humble and always learning.

I really appreciated these insights and I think they inspired me to focus more on my priorities, purpose, principles, potential and passion....especially as it related to work.  Within the week an opportunity to live with purpose came along and I was kind of surprised by how I moved forward, but glad I did.  :)

2012!

I am excited for the new year and the possibilities and opportunities it brings. :) As usual, I have a long list of goals I want to accomplish and things I'd like to do better, but I have adapted it slightly over the course of the day today.

I really loved New Year's being on a Sunday today. I can't think of a better way to start off the year than by taking the sacrament and renewing my covenants and desire to follow the Savior. Considering my list of goals for the year, most importantly and simply, it comes down to living my covenants, following the Spirit, keeping the commandments, and pressing forward with faith, patience, happiness and love.

I know I won't be perfect in these things and that's why the Atonement is wonderful! Because of the Savior's love and sacrifice I can repent and wake up and try to do better tomorrow. I'm grateful and am determined to do my best this year! I want to be consistent in following the Spirit, being kind and being courageous.

A few specific things I'd like to focus on in 2012 that I think will help me grow and progress and have fun along the way include:

• learning a new recipe every month
• running another marathon
• using my passport!! :)
• taking a Chinese and/or engineering class
• creating a retirement and giving plan
• creating a home
• finding a place to consistently volunteer
• talking to someone new every day