Questions

Ever since I have joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints I have seriously considered serving a full time mission. Now that there is a little less than a year until I can submit my paperwork I have been thinking about this and school and work a lot lately. All of these are big things that effect the rest of a person's life. I have decided that I do want to prepare for a mission, whether I go on one right when I turn 21 or later and I wanted to let my friends know. The one big problem is money. I need to get out of debt first and in order to do that I will need to put all the money I earn this next year towards that debt and then IF I have any extra it would go towards my mission. I have heard that sometimes you can get help with the funding of the mission, which I will look into if it looks like I will need to (which I probably will) but it really all depends on how work ends up working out. I do not use my savings account at all, so I have decided to make that my mission account and will probably just be putting my spare change and stuff in there for now. If anyone would like to help me with this, feel free to message me, but either way just lots of prayers and love would be appreciated! Thank you much!

As far as school goes I am trying to figure out my new plan for that. I could probably squeeze in a 2 year degree really quick if I leave for my mission a few months later than when I turn 21. The only problem is I am trying to decide between 3 degrees because I am going to SMCC which doesn't have as many degree options as I would like, but I would at least like to get something. Also, that would be more loans that I would have to pay off so that is another thing that I am worried about. Once again, lots of prayers sent in my direction would be wonderful as I will be praying hard for answers to all these questions as well!

Anyway, that is just a little glimpse of a few big things I am thinking about right now. I will post more details as I get and think of them! I am definitely going to be writing to several of my friends that are on missions soon!

SwagBucks

I have been doing horrible at keeping up with this blog, but my computer got a virus and my life has been crazy. Hopefully one day I will actually be consistent at this. Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know of an awesome site that I use. It is Swagbucks.com and you can earn points that you can use towards redeeming free things like magazines, jewelery, gift cards, and many other things! I am using it to get Christmas gifts this year and I love it! Please use the link below to sign up so that I can have you as a referral! If you want anymore information, feel free to leave me a message!

Zipcar

I have been doing a horrible job at keeping my blog updates, but I wanted to inform you all of a company that I just joined. It is called Zipcar and has car rentals. I am currently using a student account which means that I get a discount, but you should definitely check them out! Also, with the button that I am going to placce on my blog soon you can get $25 of free driving credit when you join and I will get the same! Thanks for checking it out!

MBP Giveaway - Shabby Apple Dress

There is this amazing blog I read called Mormon Bachelor Bad. I started reading through all their old posts about a month or two ago, and these guys are hilarious. There are a few posts that I admit I was a bit uncomfortable reading, but overall I love the honesty and hilarity of the blog. Anyway, they have decided to giveaway a dress to one lucky reader, and I'm posting because I am entering to win it and I want to give my awesome friends a chance as well. Here is a link to their blog! I highly recommend going through some of their old posts and seeing what they are all about. Here is a link to the dress they are giving away!

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.)

LoTR

So, today I was sitting around in the living room and saw the big black case with movies in it, so of course I had to start looking through it and see if there were any movies I was interested in watching on a long Saturday with nothing to do. As I was flipping through I saw a lot of great movies, but stopped when I came across LoTR. I admit that I have only seen the first two movies because the library back home messed up the case/DVD for the third one, but after seeing the first few minutes of that one I decided to have a little marathon and watch all three movies! I'm finishing up the first one now, but they're so good how I could resist watching all of them at once?!

Layout

As you should have noticed, I have changed my layout for March. I am Irish and usually do celebrate Saint Patrick's Day with corned beef and cabbage, but we'll see what happens this year. Since yesterday I have been thinking about creating my own layout for the blog that could be more of a permanent one and I might make a new one every so often, but this way I have more creative license and can choose my themes. Maybe if I get good enough at making backgrounds and you like mine I would be willing to make one for you, but that will probably be in the distant future and I'll post more about it if and when that happens! I can't believe February is practically over. Two months have flown by so quickly!

Water

Since my last post was about food, I thought I should make a post about my favorite drinks.

Water - Pretty much the best stuff on earth. When I started "dieting" and exercising a little over a year ago I attributed most of my success to drinking the right amount of water each day. It also helped that I had stopped drinking soda which had all those lovely extra calories. I got off track with my dieting but have kept off 30 pounds and when I am doing everything that I should I lose all that cottage cheese on my legs! Woo Hoo! When I first got to Arizona I quickly realized how nasty the tap water is. I soon bought a brita water filter and some vitamin C tablets to help with the taste and now I drink it all the time!

Italian Soda - I had this for the first time at my friend's party in Arizona. I had strawberry flavored italian soda and it was pretty good but I don't have a real strong opinion on it yet. I want to try some other flavors soon.

Juice - I haven't really had any in a while but I'll pretty much drink any flavor of juice, and I prefer to drink it with breakfast.

Soda - I used to drink soda all the time, but recently have stopped. I will drink it every once in a great while now. It just tastes delicious. My favorite flavors are grape, orange, and lemon lime.

And to top it all off, I love root beer floats! That's all for now! What are your favorite drinks? Is there anything you think I should try?

Foods

Since moving to Arizona there are several new foods that I have tried, and I wanted to share some of the goods and bads with you.

Fried Eggplant - Before I moved to Arizona I had NEVER tried eggplant and wasn't even remotely interested in it. So, the first Sunday that I was in Arizona I was invited over to a family's house for lunch and that was the main part of their meal. I actually found it to be rather delicious. I'm not sure the exact recipe they used, but they got the eggplant from their own garden and it was magnificent!

Blood Oranges - I don't really know how to describe these. If you could have seen my face when I first tasted one you probably would have laughed all night long. Ick!

Tangelos - Delicious. Enough said. Haha.

Funeral Potatoes - Okay, so I have tried 2 variations of this and the more simpler one was amazing, but the first time I tried the more complicated version I thought it was disgusting.

I'm sure there are many other new things that I have tried, but I can't remember them all right now, and I figured this was a good start of a list. I'm sure over time there will be plenty more things to add. :)

Lines

I genuinely try to be a nice person, but there are times when I probably cross the line, and don't always apologize to the person for it. Most of the time that I get upset with people it is because they did something that I would never expect from them or they did something that I know that they know is wrong. Sometimes I'll then go off and talk to someone else to vent about how I feel about that person's actions and I've decided that I believe that to be wrong as well. I realized this mostly last night when I was talking about someone that is so very important in my life and although I wasn't happy with their actions, I was practically doing the same thing and judging them by being upset about their actions. I always felt that it was sort of a duty of mine to help keep people aware of their weaknesses, but then I saw that that usually ruins relationships with people and it's really not such a great idea. Do you think that it's more of a personal journey to realize your weaknesses or are people just too hypersensitive about that topic or is there some other opinion you have?

Promises

(Picture coming soon)

I have been uber stressed out lately and almost went into the hospital for it. Anyway, tonight stress started to build up again, especially after I went to buy some food other than ramen (I've pretty much lived off of Ramen and Mac & Cheese for 19 years) but I didn't realize that I wouldn't be able to use the checks I had, so I pretended to not be stressed out about that while heading home. Then, I got off the light rail and after finishing about half the walk to the apartment I looked over my shoulder and saw a rainbow and got so excited and happy. Seriously though, I was like jumping up and down and I ran ro get my camera, which unfortunately didn't take very good pictures of the rainbow, but all well. The rainbow is a reminder that God does keep his promises and loves us.

I love Patriarchal Blessings! :)

Preparation

Anyone who knows even the least bit about me knows that ever since joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints I have wanted to serve a full time mission. Over the past several months that I have been in Arizona a lot has happened that has made me think that it might not be part of God's plan for me to serve a mission, but not to get married either. Well, today I randomly decided to watch videos on youtube of people opening their mission calls and it got me all emotional and wanting to serve a mission again. This also explains a certain line in my patriarchal blessing. Let's just say God know how bipolar I am. :) Anyway, I have decided I am going to try to prepare just in case I do go, which would be in less than 2 years! I want to get on the sleeping schedule and whatnot and get better with scripture studies and planning my days and prayer and everything. I also have PMG which will probably be a main tool for me to study with soon. Not only do I believe this will be great preparation for a mission, but for life as well and it will hopefully help me get better with other areas in my life that need to be worked upon!

I love missionaries! <3

Posts

I haven't posted in a while and I think it's mainly for two reasons.

1. My life has become crazy busy with my intense classes. (Mostly Calc III)

2. I have been overwhelmed by so many topics to write about.

Anyway, I'm keeping this short because I'm exhausted and not feeling all that well. I'm going hiking and roasting hot dogs tomorrow. Commence your jealousness.

Marathons

There are several types of marathons that I am involved in. The first one is a Lost marathon. I had only seen the show once or twice before this past weekend but I am almost through the entire first season. I haven't really decided my feelings towards the show yet.

Also, I have REALLY been wanting to run in a marathon since I started losing weight. The only problem is I'm at a point where I've kind of stopped working out and I need to get back on that. I also hate running outside where way more people can see me. Maybe I'll get over that one day or when I get better at running I'll try to find someone to run with.

I also just got finished a marathon of The Secret Life of the American Teenager. The show is okay, but it's not one of my favorites.

Anyway, I am sure there are other types of marathons I am involved in, but I'm way tired and there is nothing I can do about that except go to sleep. Farewell for now! :)