Latest Update

Hi everybody! I just wanted to check in and let ya'll know how things are going for me (if you care. haha).

My goals are coming along really well. I'm right on track in Preach My Gospel, Jesus the Christ, and the New Testament and am loving every minute of study. I'm feeling so good and so loved and so strong. Thank you for all the support. :)

My cousin Kristy and I have been working out together a lot recently, which is really fun. I like having someone to work out with and someone who's willing to go outside and run with me. The weather is getting nice and we're able to run a little farther every night (though we mostly walk).

Last night I came across this article by President Monson called "Meeting Your Goliath." I highly recommend it. I feel like I'm constantly facing the same Goliaths in my life, things that I've come to realize I can't overcome on my own. President Monson recommends 5 stones we can use in our lives to overcome our own Goliath, and I've adopted them as my new mantra: Courage, Effort, Humility, Prayer, and Duty. For anyone facing their own Goliath (which, I think everyone is probably facing in one form or another), I really recommend you read this talk. It's such a relief and blessing for me to know that Heavenly Father knows me, loves me, and is willing to help me work through the difficulties I encounter in life. :)

Sorry that this is such a short update, but I think the next few posts will be on the shorter side. This is post #47 and I have some special things planned for my 50th, so I want to get there fast. Haha. :)

Anyway, have a lovely week everyone!

Worthy Goals

Hi everybody! How lucky do you feel, two blog posts in one day! ;)

So, it's now August and I'm feeling kind of weird. Usually this is the time I'd be thinking of school, getting ready for my classes, trying to cram as much into the remainder of my summer as possible. But this year, I'm not signed up for any classes since I'm anticipating a mission call. It's weird to think about not going to school, especially since I may not be called to leave for upwards of 6 months. I feel good about just working, but still I feel like it'll be very easy for me to become complacent if I have to wait a long time to go on my mission.

With all these thoughts running through my head, I came up with some worthy goals to accomplish over the next three-ish months. My own personal spiritual college course, if you will. So, here's my goals.


1- Read "Jesus the Christ" by James E. Talmage by September 30th.

2- Read the New Testament by October 10th.

3- Finish Preach My Gospel by October 6th.

4- Read one classic literature book per month.

5- Read one book of choice per month.

6- Spend at least 30 minutes outside each day.


So, there's my goals. On Sunday I sat down and marked everything out in my planner and figured out where I need to be in each book each week in order to accomplish my goals. These goals officially go into effect today, August 1st. My plan is to study Jesus the Christ for an hour each morning, Preach My Gospel for 45 minutes each afternoon, and the New Testament for 45 minutes each night. Maybe it seems excessive, but considering that I spend three hours at least on the internet or watching tv every day, I think it's not impossible. I just really want to strengthen and fortify my foundation before my mission by learning more about my Savior and His life and the work He's called me to do.

I've been reading Preach My Gospel kind of sporadically for the past 6 months and am on ch. 4 of that, I'm on ch. 4 of Jesus the Christ (this book is almost 800 pages, I figured I'd better get a head start. haha), and have been studying Matthew for the past two days. Already I can see a change in my life! I'm sad to say I've hardly ever read the Bible in my personal study, but I am absolutely LOVING Matthew! I love Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Those chapters are all basically "How to" chapters and give us tools to examine and evaluate our own lives and how close we are to Christ and being who He wants us to be. I love it! :)

Anyway, I just wanted to officially mark my goals down on the blog so I can keep ya'll updated on my progress. A couple years ago when I did my 12 month plan, having the blog to refer to and be held accountable on really helped me stay focused and reach my goals, so I wanted to do that again with this round of goals.

What kind of goals have you set for yourself lately? How are they going? :)

Something's Missing . . .

It feels like something's missing . . . I can't quite put my finger on it . . . Oh wait! Yes, I remember! My tonsils!

So I got my tonsils out two weeks ago Thursday. The recovery process was fun (I'm lying. It wasn't fun.)! But I did get to eat lots and lots of Pace popsicles, applesauce, jello, and soup. Except for when I couldn't swallow without lots of pain. Then I didn't eat anything. . . Yeah, the days where I couldn't swallow were the worst. Thankfully they're over and now I can happily eat pretty much anything I want. :)

There's also something else missing . . . 28 POUNDS!!!!! :D I'm really happy and proud of myself for this accomplishment. I worked hard, had to make some changes, and had lots of people supporting me. Most of all I know that the Lord was and is supporting me in this weight loss journey. There's no way I could have done what I did so quickly and with such little pain without His help. He wants me to go on a mission just as much as (if not more than) I want to go and I've felt His support and love through this experience. So now, I'm meeting with my Bishop tonight and we're starting up my papers again. Hopefully this week or next we can get them turned in to Salt Lake. :)

Now, it's not over. I plan to continue doing my best to lose more weight. My goal is to have lost a total 50 pounds before I enter the MTC (though, I have no idea when that will be, so it might be an unrealistic goal).

So, yeah. That's all the stuff I've lost in the past few months. Well, there was that one day I lost my pants . . . and my mind. Haha. (It's a K-pop culture reference. Just smile and nod.) ;) But see? Losing things isn't always as bad as we think it will be. Maybe losing something is just setting you up to find something even better!


P.S. I'll post some before and after pics eventually . . .