beautiful day

i don't think i've ever been so attentive during conference (confession, i usually fall asleep). but i was awake the entire 4 sessions and i have 8 1/2 pages of notes to prove it! president monson is such an amazing man. and the way he talked about his wife made my heart melt. we are so blessed to have our Prophet and his apostles on this earth today. this gospel is so true and so incredible. it is.

 after conference (and after painting my nails and watching an episode of sister wives) i went down to write bryan's letter but was distracted by the sunset. i will never get tired of this place. it's so beautiful. 

(and just an fyi, none of these pictures are edited in any way, it's just naturally that incredibly pretty)

(i lied, this one was edited ^^ but i promise the rest weren't!)

another beautiful thing?

there's only one tower left on my countdown (aka 222 days)

have a wonderful week everyone! and remember to apply and remember what you learned and felt in conference today and if you haven't watched it yet, it's not too late!

writing prompt: 4

"what material object do you cherish most?"

every letter bryan has ever written me. plus 105 he wrote to me pre-mission. one a week for every week he's gone. so it's like i get 2 letters a week. when i'm sad and miss him, i've got (literally) hundreds of letters to re-read.

my beloved camera. i don't consider myself a 'photographer' as many girls do these days but i love to capture memories. bryan used to give me a hard time cause i would ALWAYS take photos of EVERYTHING. and i've never regretted any photo i've ever taken, i usually regret more the times i didn't have my camera on me. i love going through and seeing old photos and remembering everything else that goes along with that particular photo.

my computer/ blog. i love sharing. and netflix. and my computer lets me do both. sometimes at the same time.

my journal, 'random thoughts' notebook and book of mormon. the above things let me bare my soul and also mend my soul. 

I Nephi having been born of goodly parents...

how many times have we all read that sentence and never actually get to Moroni 10:34. i've only done it once. but the amount of times i've read that first sentence in the Book of Mormon is infinite.  i started it (again) my sr year of high school and continued to slowly read it, some nights i'd read a chapter, some nights i'd read a verse and, let's be honest here, some nights i wouldn't read at all. by the time i moved out here, i was only in helaman and up to that point, i hadn't taken in ANYTHING i had read.

sure, i've learned about the BoM all growing up in primary and young womens and relief society but, i'd never really gotten anything out of it. so one night, while readying in helaman, i decided to do something.

i got online and ordered myself a brand new, untouched book of mormon. before i started, i prayed for understanding. then, i found  this GREAT pdf file from The Readheaded Hostess (via Pinterest) that has a title for EVERY page in the book of mormon, so as i read, i title. and it's not only a title, it tells you what you are reading about.

i have NEVER learned as much from the book of mormon in my life as i've learned over the past few weeks. i have also never looked forward to reading these scriptures (as sad as it may sound) as i have these past few weeks. even if i'm exhausted and think to myself "i'll just read a verse or two" it's impossible, i read page after page after page. and i understand everything i am reading! it's amazing. 

i'm still only in 1 nephi, but i can't wait to get further in and see what else i've been missing. and if you have never really read the book of mormon, i challenge you to do it. because it really will bring you happiness. 

okay, i'm done being all preachy (for now) have a happy halloween and enjoy this (really bad) picture of my (3rd) pumpkin.

happiness

i am currently reading "Our Search for Happiness" by Elder M. Russell Ballard. i'm not very far in but i am getting to where it talks about how the apostasy came about and into the restoration. here is the passage i just read:

"In 1638 Robert Smith left England for the promised religious freedom of colonial America. More than a century later his grandson, Samuel Smith Jr., fought to preserve that and other cherished freedoms as a captain in George Washington's revolutionary army. One of Captain Smith's soldiers was his son Asael, who once recorded that 'it has been born in upon my soul that one of my descendants will promulgate a work to revolutionize the world of religious thought'"

how cool is that?

the church is true. have a wonderful night!

"what is mormon?"

i was asked this question today while i was out shopping. i didn't answer it so graceful. my answer involved a lot of sputtering and mumbling something about God, Jesus and the Holy Ghost as 3 separate beings. failed missionary opportunity! i've never had to explain what Mormons believe, it caught me off guard. i should really look into a more eloquent and educated answer for next time.

until then, enjoy this video about mormon girls