Love

Have you ever been in one of those moods where you just love yourself no matter what other people think? Well, I have been in one of those moods lately and it's wonderful. I mean, I'm not really flaunting it and trying to act better than anyone else, but I'm just at a high moment where I love myself, my personality, and the gifts that God has given me. It's awesome!

Anyway, just a short post today to get back into the swing of things in hopes that my posting frequency picks up again. :)

Dancing: Essential to Living

I absolutely love to dance. I always have and always will, even if it has taken me a while to get used to and comfortable dancing with guys. Every Wednesday night there is country swing dancing in Mesa. I hadn't been in three months, but tonight I finally went again! It was the best night I have had thus far being there. I danced even more than I usually do, and I am one of the awesome people that goes crazy and loves line dances! Anyway, dancing got me all hyper tonight, so I might be up for a while. It is a great form of exercise and a lot of fun so I encourage everyone to get out there and get their boogie on!

Me = SO HAPPY! :)

Tender Mercies

A few years ago Elder Bednar gave a talk about the tender mercies of the Lord. Although he gave it a while back, before I was a member of the church, a woman that is a great example to me introduced me to it. Here is a link for it, in case you want to read it after reading my post.

Click Here for Talk!

Anyway, onto my story. This week I have attended the temple 3 times. I went Tuesday and Thursday night and then Saturday morning (today). Today though I had the most wonderful experience I've ever had in a temple thus far. I went with two of my roommates, Caralee and Janessa, and we left around 6:30 am to do baptisms. When we got there we went through the typical process. There were only a few people there early in the morning. As we were sitting waiting to do baptisms a temple worker came over and asked if I would be willing to do some family names of a guy that had come into the temple, so I said yes. As I was being baptized for his family members I was looking at where they were from. A couple were from California and then these Maine names came up and I gasped because I was so excited to be able to do work for people from Maine in the Arizona temple! As I was doing the names I paid attention to a few of the last names so I could check to see if they were family last names when I got home, but I was so excited that I was holding back tears as I was being baptized for these people. When I did get home I looked up 2 of the last names I remembered and if I am not related to this guy I would be very surprised because both the last names are in my family line and one is very strong in my family's history! Anyway, I've been having a rough time lately and that blessing from God was amazing and I am so glad that I went to the temple this morning even though I woke up at 6. It was amazing and I am so happy now! :)

Music

"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."

Berthold Auerbach

Tonight as I have been struggling to sleep as well as get homework done I have been listening to and thinking about music and the impact it has on each of our lives. As I was doing this I decided to look up some quotes on music. Some of them were humorous, others inspiring, and yet most were very telling. I don't know a single soul that doesn't love some sort of music. The music we listen to tells us who we are - it creates us in a way that no other thing can. Music influences our everyday life - our actions, decisions, and the things we hold closest to our heart. Even the most musically inept person appreciates music for the art it is. I have known from a very young age of the musical talent that God has blessed me with and I realize that I need to continue working on improving upon that talent as I used to. It is so important for all of us to get involved with music. It is a great way to praise and communicate with God and can express emotions and feelings that uttered words would never compare to. Everyday on facebook multiple people quote lyrics from songs to show how they are feeling when they can not find their own words to be adequate enough to express those feelings. I encourage everyone to listen to all types of music, but also develop your own tastes and feelings about music. Close your eyes and relax while listening. Make music, let it define you, and breathe it in with every breath you take. Music is a gift from God that is more beautiful than anything else.

Cherish it, Bathe in it, Create it

Love it, Listen to it, Become it

Know it, learn from it, teach with it

In everything you do, music will surround you. Let it do so and you will find life to be so much more pleasant. Music expresses the soul's deepest desire.

This is my wish and I hope to someday have music on this blog. Do you feel the same about music? What are some of your favorite songs?

Exercise

I got the following e-mail a while back from one of my favorite websites, and I wanted to share it with you since my favorite time to workout is in the morning. The website is sparkpeople.com and if you decide to sign up for it, say that jugglerchic referred you!

Top 5 Reasons to Love A.M. Exercise

Exercising early in the morning "jump starts" your metabolism, keeping it elevated for hours, sometimes for up to 24 hours! As a result, you'll be burning more calories all day long--just because you exercised in the morning.

Exercising in the morning energizes you for the day--not to mention that gratifying feeling of virtue you have knowing you've done something disciplined and good for you. (Much better than a worm!)

Studies have shown that exercise significantly increases mental acuity--a benefit that lasts four to ten hours after your workout ends. Exercising in the a.m. means you get to harness that brainpower, instead of wasting it while you're snoozing.

Assuming you make exercise a true priority, it shouldn't be a major problem to get up 30 to 60 minutes earlier--especially since regular exercise generally means a higher quality of sleep, which in turn means you'll probably require less sleep. (If getting up 30 to 60 minutes earlier each day seems too daunting, you can ease into it with 10 to 20 minutes at first.)

When you exercise at about the same time every morning--especially if you wake up regularly at about the same time--you're regulating your body's endocrine system and circadian rhythms. Your body learns that you do the same thing just about every day, and it begins to prepare for waking and exercise several hours before you actually open your eyes.

Exercise Extra: More than 90% of those who exercise consistently have a morning fitness routine. If you want to exercise on a regular basis, the odds are in your favor if you squeeze your workout into the a.m.

Jaywalking

To the wonderful people of Arizona,

After being in your amazing state for the past 8 months or so there is one thing that most of the residents participate in that drives me insane! It worries me because not only are you breaking the law, but you are putting your life in danger, especially because of the lack of driving skills that also exist in your state. Jaywalking is extremely dangerous and puts you in harms way. I am begging you to stop! PLEASE! Also, if you are in a rush to get somewhere maybe you need to be better at time management. It could seriously help.

Love,

Amber

Blessings

So, today has been quite the eventful day. I started it by waking up rather late because stake conference was at 1. Then, at stake conference the theme was all about reactivation, and so after meeting we went out in companionships to try to find some "lost sheep" which was actually a pretty awesome experience. In between sessions I made my famous mexican lasagna for dinner and had a piece before I left for the session at 7. After that session I had asked my previous home teacher from 5th ward to give me a priesthood blessing because I haven't had one in a while and I really needed one because of everything that's going on in my life lately. It was pretty much awesome, although it made me just a tad bit hyper tonight and I should probably get to bed soon, although I don't have class until 1 pm on Mondays. Anyway, that is just a brief overview of my day. I would write more, but I really should be heading to bed soon! I love life! (Somtimes. Haha.)