From time to time, I find myself in need of some enlightenment. Some peace. Some inner strength. Some fulfillment from running on empty. Of course I know I need to be more diligent in reading my scriptures and spending time pondering. And sometimes, the Lord has to send that message in a rather roundabout manner.
So it was that yesterday, in reading some of my blogs, I ran across a talk in which the message for me couldn't be more timely. And to discover that it had been published in 1987? Yeah, it was something that I need to read. And that sent me on a journey this morning of finding some other talks by the same author. So here are the recommendations for some fantastically good, inspirational talks:
"One Thing Needful": Becoming Women of Greater Faith in Christ by Patricia T. Holland
A Woman's Perspective on the Priesthood by Patricia Holland
Filling the Measure of Your Creation by Patricia Holland
The Soul's Center by Patricia Holland
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Hard at Work. Or Hardly Working?
Let's get one thing straight.
I'm a city girl.
Which is strange since Dad grew up in the wildernesses of Idaho, Montana, Washington, and Arkansas. And Mom? Well, she lived in San Francisco for a long time THEN moved to a city just outside of Oakland where they had a farm--we're talking cows and chickens and pigs (maybe? I could be making that last one up. I know there were at least cows and chickens).
But still. I'm a city girl. Maybe that means I'm pampered as I've never really had to go out to a farm and do manual labor, but still...
A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to go out to the land the Church owns and are building the set for the New Testament project and take down barbed wire fence, put up a fence, and weed.
This would be the fence I took down...
And the fence I help put up. There was a moment there where they made me hammer down a post and I felt so inept. I also managed to stab myself with a screwdriver. Don't worry. It's healed now. Oh yeah... later I sprained my ankle... again. I really need to be more careful.
The gang. On a water break. Cause it was hot and we were doing manual labor so...
Our rewards were: a tour of the set (I'm not allowed to post pictures. Sorry!) and ginormous scones.
Do you see the size of that thing? HUGE. Bet you've never had a scone like that before!
"You Make a Good Drink."
What happens when...
A co-worker has a dream about a drink that is named after you? This drink is made of:
A co-worker has a dream about a drink that is named after you? This drink is made of:
*coconut milk
*melted cinnamon ice cream
*sugar-free vanilla syrup
*melted white chocolate chips
*melted milk chocolate chips
DUH? You make it!
Obviously I had to make some modifications. Here were the ingredients I used:
*coconut milk
*vanilla bean ice cream (not melted)
*melted white and milk chocolate chips
*dash of cinnamon
It was a success. I recommend it. Although it is sweet. Be warned.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Blond moment
Well, I got Google Plus.
And I attempted to edit all of my photo albums.
I ended up deleting ALL of the pictures from this blog...
So now I'm attempting to salvage them.
Now I have an excuse to not do my calling. My blog is way more important. (That's a joke. I'm kidding.)
Update: 11:52 AM July 9, 2011: Almost back through December 2010. I had to delete some posts because the pictures have gone MIA. I have no idea where they are. And without the pictures, the post is useless. Or I had to revise the entry because the images no longer exist. Apologies. If you have any pictures of me, I'd appreciate you sending them my way. Thanks!
And I attempted to edit all of my photo albums.
I ended up deleting ALL of the pictures from this blog...
So now I'm attempting to salvage them.
Now I have an excuse to not do my calling. My blog is way more important. (That's a joke. I'm kidding.)
Update: 11:52 AM July 9, 2011: Almost back through December 2010. I had to delete some posts because the pictures have gone MIA. I have no idea where they are. And without the pictures, the post is useless. Or I had to revise the entry because the images no longer exist. Apologies. If you have any pictures of me, I'd appreciate you sending them my way. Thanks!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Running Away From My Problems
Long rant leads the way to lots of pictures... I'm sorry if it bores you.... You have been warned.
Somewhere in the classic, The Sound of Music (which hasn't been watched by me since a very entertaining moment on my mission when I yelled at Maria for forgetting her habit after the opening number and my mission president looked at me and said "you've seen this one too many times, Hermana Teuscher") Maria tells Liesl that she can't run away from her problems, you have to face them. And normally, I would agree with her...
But two weekends ago it got to be too much.
*I was tired of having responsibilities thrown at me at the last minute (did I mention that my calling has evolved from Communications Chair to Bishop's Personal Secretary? Cause it has. Really. He said so).
*I'm tired of only making it to Sacrament meeting because the next two point five hours are spent between the clerk's office and the bishop's office with at least five men watching me organize a board and wondering how in the world I do it (seriously, is it rocket science or something?).
*I was sick of being away from work. I'm valued, appreciated, and validated there. I don't get that from anywhere else except in my family and my friends I work with and my friends who are far away from me. I'm very heartsick for those friends and for my family.
*I've also come to the conclusion that I needed to cut some loose ends, meaning boys that I tried to cling onto as friends but I needed to accept the fact that they, like so many other boys, were good for when they were there, but they made no effort to stay. Why should I consistently make room in my life for them, reach out for them, make an effort to be their friend when they make no effort towards me? So I've cut the strings. And the freedom feels good, although I have missed them, they obviously do not miss me one bit since I haven't seen or heard from any of them in three weeks if not a month or more. (I stopped keeping track after the first week.)
I knew I needed to get away. I needed to be away. I thought about going home. San Diego always makes me feel better. Mom makes me feel better about stuff even if we don't talk about it extensively. But it's expensive and because I haven't received my tuition reimbursement yet, that money just isn't quite available at the moment.
My friend, Julie, invited me to go to Idaho with her to her friend, Kerri's cabin. I asked that we skip church on Sunday. She agreed. And thus began our adventure.
First stop was the Idaho Falls temple. Not on purpose. I forgot an extra set of underwear (I was packing the morning of and trying to pack light!) so we stopped at the store nearby and bought some and decided to take the photo op since it was available.
We drove some more until we came to Ashton, Idaho. After washing up (seriously, I had to throw water on my face, I felt so gross), we headed up to Mesa Falls and took some pictures.
Afterwards we headed back to the cabin. Kerri, her husband Marci, and their friend went fishing. Julie and I took a long nap. And I woke up to the most incredible sunset. So beautiful.
As an extra tidbit. We did s'mores that night and I tried one with a reese's peanut butter cup (regular size) instead of a Hershey's bar. CHANGED MY LIFE. Do it. SERIOUSLY. You will NOT be disappointed.
Julie and I decided that we should probably go to church. We looked up a ward and the time, but discovered on Sunday that the time online was 30 minutes off. The speakers were boring and I was focused on the texts and emails that I had received while I was out of service.
After sacrament meeting, we packed up and Julie had the brilliant idea to take me to Yellowstone since I had never been. So off we went.
Somewhere in the classic, The Sound of Music (which hasn't been watched by me since a very entertaining moment on my mission when I yelled at Maria for forgetting her habit after the opening number and my mission president looked at me and said "you've seen this one too many times, Hermana Teuscher") Maria tells Liesl that she can't run away from her problems, you have to face them. And normally, I would agree with her...
But two weekends ago it got to be too much.
*I was tired of having responsibilities thrown at me at the last minute (did I mention that my calling has evolved from Communications Chair to Bishop's Personal Secretary? Cause it has. Really. He said so).
*I'm tired of only making it to Sacrament meeting because the next two point five hours are spent between the clerk's office and the bishop's office with at least five men watching me organize a board and wondering how in the world I do it (seriously, is it rocket science or something?).
*I was sick of being away from work. I'm valued, appreciated, and validated there. I don't get that from anywhere else except in my family and my friends I work with and my friends who are far away from me. I'm very heartsick for those friends and for my family.
*I've also come to the conclusion that I needed to cut some loose ends, meaning boys that I tried to cling onto as friends but I needed to accept the fact that they, like so many other boys, were good for when they were there, but they made no effort to stay. Why should I consistently make room in my life for them, reach out for them, make an effort to be their friend when they make no effort towards me? So I've cut the strings. And the freedom feels good, although I have missed them, they obviously do not miss me one bit since I haven't seen or heard from any of them in three weeks if not a month or more. (I stopped keeping track after the first week.)
I knew I needed to get away. I needed to be away. I thought about going home. San Diego always makes me feel better. Mom makes me feel better about stuff even if we don't talk about it extensively. But it's expensive and because I haven't received my tuition reimbursement yet, that money just isn't quite available at the moment.
My friend, Julie, invited me to go to Idaho with her to her friend, Kerri's cabin. I asked that we skip church on Sunday. She agreed. And thus began our adventure.
First stop was the Idaho Falls temple. Not on purpose. I forgot an extra set of underwear (I was packing the morning of and trying to pack light!) so we stopped at the store nearby and bought some and decided to take the photo op since it was available.
Julie in front of the temple, but still across the street.
The flowers were in bloom in Idaho.
Yes... those would be the falls... as in Idaho Falls.
As an extra tidbit. We did s'mores that night and I tried one with a reese's peanut butter cup (regular size) instead of a Hershey's bar. CHANGED MY LIFE. Do it. SERIOUSLY. You will NOT be disappointed.
Julie and I decided that we should probably go to church. We looked up a ward and the time, but discovered on Sunday that the time online was 30 minutes off. The speakers were boring and I was focused on the texts and emails that I had received while I was out of service.
After sacrament meeting, we packed up and Julie had the brilliant idea to take me to Yellowstone since I had never been. So off we went.
Old Faithful... and me. Cause I'm not old and probably not as reliable as that geyser.
The only animals we saw were bison. Don't get me wrong, they were cool, I was just hoping for a bear, or a moose, or a deer. But bison were big. That worked well enough for me.
So there it is. We got back Sunday night and Monday I was back at work and loving life again. And it's funny, I've never loved working so much. And it's paying off. I'm considering moving a cot into my cubicle and just being at work 24/7. I think something is very wrong with me. I wish I knew how to fix it.
Two weeks to family reunion. I hope I can make it.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
First Bonfire of 2011
I love bonfires up the canyon. They seem to ring in the summer the best way I know how. And they're slightly different from bonfires at the beach. Although, I'd give anything to have a bonfire at the beach right now. A few weeks ago, my friends and I went up the canyon and roasted some hot dogs and made s'mores and had a delightful time. I took a few pictures just to try and practice some lighting. Yes, they're still dark. I didn't want to photoshop the light in because I kind of love the warm flow of the firelight. Practice does make perfect, right? Besides, I need all the practice I can find if I'm going to have good pictures from the trip to Texas (family reunion in 2.5 weeks!!!!) and the London vacation. So... here they are:
I've got some serious blogging to catch up on... I still haven't blogged about my not-so-subtle running away from all my problems weekend... It'll come soon. Promise.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Happy 4th of July
I'm really very homesick. And it doesn't help that because I have work tomorrow, I couldn't go see fireworks (when I know I won't get home until midnight and I have to be up to exercise before work, it just doesn't work out) so I watched the ones at the Washington Monument since that show started earlier. Sadly, it's not as magical as seeing them live. You can see all the smoke and it seems like the fireworks are slightly delayed. Maybe if I had HDTV service it would be more realistic (I can hear my brother, J, complaining about my lack of HD service right now...)
But it's okay. In a few weeks I'll be in Texas with the family and certainly enjoying every minute. But here are some pictures my friends at work and I took on Thursday in our patriotic colors. (Please note... I say work friends because that's how I originally met them, but I sadly don't get to work with them anymore. But we still meet together for lunch. I love lunch dates.)
But it's okay. In a few weeks I'll be in Texas with the family and certainly enjoying every minute. But here are some pictures my friends at work and I took on Thursday in our patriotic colors. (Please note... I say work friends because that's how I originally met them, but I sadly don't get to work with them anymore. But we still meet together for lunch. I love lunch dates.)
Just setting up the shot is all....
Good thing my roommate got her parents' elliptical over here and I'm making an almost daily visit to the gym... Being Relief Society helped me to lose weight... I've since started to gain it back. YUCK! I might be going on an extreme diet soon.
So... there you have it.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Currently Vol. 2
Need to take a break on this Friday afternoon to update this month's currently:
Current books: Recently read Love is a Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield. Highly recommend. Warning for some language and lots of music trivia. But still good. Also currently reading Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis and Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster.
Current tunes: I should put something more generic like "listening features" or something like that because I listened to the radio play of The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer. It was amazing. Watch the movie too...
But really songs: Parachute, Kiss Me Slowly; Dave Matthews Band, You and Me; Spice Girls, Wannabe (That scares me... seriously....); Hot Chelle Rae, Tonight Tonight; El Canto del Loco, Otra Vez
Current quotation: "Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Current wishlist: a NOOK color, jamon serrano, a bike, fireworks (check--this weekend)
Current bane of existence: Not being in San Diego. This is the first time since 2005 that I won't be at my parents' house for this holiday and I'm really homesick for this:
You would be too...
I'm planning to drown my homesickness in lots of homemade ice cream.
Current books: Recently read Love is a Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield. Highly recommend. Warning for some language and lots of music trivia. But still good. Also currently reading Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis and Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster.
Current tunes: I should put something more generic like "listening features" or something like that because I listened to the radio play of The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer. It was amazing. Watch the movie too...
But really songs: Parachute, Kiss Me Slowly; Dave Matthews Band, You and Me; Spice Girls, Wannabe (That scares me... seriously....); Hot Chelle Rae, Tonight Tonight; El Canto del Loco, Otra Vez
Current quotation: "Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Current wishlist: a NOOK color, jamon serrano, a bike, fireworks (check--this weekend)
Current bane of existence: Not being in San Diego. This is the first time since 2005 that I won't be at my parents' house for this holiday and I'm really homesick for this:
I'm planning to drown my homesickness in lots of homemade ice cream.
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