RUDY

Nothing says Saturday morning like watching your favorite movie after a long run.  Naturally it was a toss up between Glory Road and Rudy.  Rudy won out today.  Of the many many MANY times I have watched this movie I have never picked up on the following conversation.
The back up to this moment is that Rudy is applying for the last time to try and get into Notre Dame after many rejections.  He is praying in the church when he is approached by Father Cavanaugh.

Rudy: Maybe I haven't prayed enough.
Father Cavanaugh: I am sure that isn't the problem.
Praying is something we do in our time, the answers come in God's time.


Talk about exactly what I needed to hear.  As I have been studying the last General Conference messages I came across one entitled, "Waiting upon the Lord: Thy Will Be Done" by Elder Robert D. Hales.  This talk has brought me much comfort in coming to know that I am not going to know the answers right now.  I must learn to wait, it the talk it says,

      "What, then does it mean to wait upon the Lord? In the scriptures, the word wait means to hope, to anticipate, and to trust.  To hope and trust in the Lord requires faith, patience, humility, meekness, long-suffering, keeping the commandments, and enduring to the end...Waiting upon the Lord means to "stand fast" and "press forward" in faith, "having a perfect brightness of hope".

This is why I love hearing from the apostles of the Lord and why I am so excited for General Conference this weekend.  They say the things that I need to hear and that the Lord wants me to hear.  I am so thankful for a living Prophet and his apostles and the opportunity I have to hear their words.

Thank you Provo.

Dear Provo,

Thank you for letting me come visit this weekend.  It was wonderful!  There are two main reasons why it was such a blast.

1. Friends.

I loved visiting my long lost friends!!  Thank you guys so much for making this such a wonderful experience.  I love and miss you all!

Oh Annalise!

Oh Becca Anne!!

Love all of these girls! 

We be gettin pretty FRESH @ Farrs!

2. Halloween Half.  
I was able to run my second half marathon.  Whoot Whoot! (creepy I know)

Both of these experiences helped me learn so very much!  I learned that first off the Lord knows where I am suppose to be and has blessed me with the experiences that I need, but the ability to keep the friendships I value and love so very much.  I also learned that the Lord has blessed us with wonderful bodies.  What amazing creations he has for us.  Also I am so thankful for my supportive parents who were so awesome and drove down to Provo to support me.  I am such a lucky girl talk about blessed in so many ways!

Reading.

I love to read.  Reading is my peace.  Reading is my escape.  Reading is my safe place.  Reading is my happy place.  Okay so I just love reading!  I have always had this dream and it is actually on the official bucket list and that is to ....(drum roll please).... be apart of a book club!  Someday hope to sip a beverage and discuss a great book with my buddies.  Until then you just get to hear my recent and current reads.

My most recent read was "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett.  Loved it.  I am super excited to see the movie.

I am just about to start "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott.  This is one of my sister-in-law's favorites and I have always wanted to read it also it is one of my Penguin Classics!!!

"A Countess Below Stairs" by Eva is my I WILL FINISH BOOK.  I have been trying for two years.  My sweet friend Becca let me borrow it and still is and I just have to finish it!  Becs I will be returning it to you by Christmas!

My final book is "Uglies" By Scott Westerfeld.  I hear the series is a must read. I like to follow the crowd.

What are you reading?  

Running.

Today my run was cold, wet, dark, and frankly depressing.  So this is to help me remember why I run even on the cold and dark mornings.  The other day I had a roommate ask me what I like to do.  As I was thinking she said, "Well besides running...clearly you like that."  I would never consider myself a runner or list running as one of my hobbies, but slowly it is becoming the thing I do when I have extra time.  Running is saving my life...literally.  When life seems to be too much a run has the ability to just take away the stress I am feeling and I love it. I am so thankful to my Heavenly Father for helping make this an option for me and blessing me with a strong body that can run.  I hope that I can always treat this blessing like a treasure by not constantly putting junk into it and giving it the exercise it needs.  I found this picture on pinterest (if you don't know what this is please let me know I would love to share the joy of pinning with you)and it is a perfect reminder of some of the reasons I am running (please excuse her attire).  

    

"When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves." ~Victor Frankl

We move away from home, our friends, security, money, and community.  We are excited and have anticipated this change all of our lives.  We save and plan for this day.  Now we are here....We live in an unknown home, we have new friends, our security is a lock on the door, we have no money and we are trying to fit into a brand new community.  Is this really living the dream?  Well you better believe it!  This is never what I would have anticipated, but I love it.  I love learning and growing from each experience.  I love how when your path gets a little rocky and decides to take a sharp incline you are never really alone there is always the hand of our Father in Heaven reaching out just waiting for us to grab hold and scale the climb.   The Lord will never ask us to run faster (climb higher) than we have strength (Mosiah 4:27).  

Through this changing time I have much to be grateful for:

My Family.  Oh how I can't live without them.  They are always there for me, I love them!

(Can I please introduce you to the handsome Noah(Left) and Liam (Right))

My Religion. It gives me strength and hope in what I am doing and the future.

(Greg Olsen)

My roommates.  I can't believe how lucky I am to have such wonderful girls around me.  They have accepted me and treated me with such kindness. 

My Girls.  Love them.  Thank you for all you have done.

As you can see I am a VERY lucky girl.  Within this post there is no exciting story of a bucket list check off, but I do believe and I think you will agree that some experiences are better than the bucket list.  

  

The LIST...........The BUCKET LIST

"Experience is when you get when you didn't get what you wanted."

 I have decided these are words to live by.  I have no idea what I want out of life so I'm just going to get tons of experience!  I am in college and have decided to LIVE THE DREAM.  One of the best ways I have decided to try and do this is through a bucket list.  


Bucket List: a list of things one wants to do before they die.  


My list is long and is just full of crazy things I want to accomplish.  I have decided to slowly post things as I accomplish them. Also I would like to say that if you don't already have a bucket list you should make one!