Prayer Changes Things...

For graduation my sister bought me this tile that says "prayer changes things" on it. It's on my dresser and I don't even hardly notice it anymore, but i was looking at it yesterday, and it made me stop and think how my life is so diff rent right now because I have a constant desire to talk with Heavenly Father.

Prayer does change things. Maybe not over night, and maybe not even in the way you would have expected, but I promise that the power of prayer is real. Heavenly Father always wants to hear about whats on our minds, and help us with important decisions.

I once was very frustrated that I wasn't getting an answer to my prayer that I had wanted so badly. But now I realize i was doing it all wrong. I didn't have complete faith that I would get my answer, i was just hoping that it would happen and I'd have the "burning in the bosom" feeling. Then i was very frustrated that I wasn't feeling this way.

Now, looking back my answer was there all along, i just was too blind to see it.

I promise that Prayer Changes Things. It may not be over night, but having a constant prayer in your heart, and talking with Heavenly Father will work miracles in your life :)

How can...

everything be going so well, and so great then unexpectedly a bump in the road is hit head on, and turns everything back to how it was? I don't understand.

Spring Semester :)

So I started my second semester of college last Monday. Oh my has it already been an adventure! SLCC is so different from Snow in so many ways, good and bad.

I'm already loving it so much more though. My classes are great, my teachers are fabulous and I know that they care and are experts at what they're teaching.

My favorite class I'm taking right now is Into to teaching. Because, as most of you know I want to be in elementary teacher! :) I'm already loving this class so much! I have actually been reading the book for fun, I know I'm a total freak! I know that this class is going to help me so much. I have to 15 hours of student teaching too! I'm so nervous and so excited at the same time!

I'm taking a few other classes, but they are not as interesting as this class. At least not yet, but I'm still enjoying them as well! I'm so grateful that I can be going to school and be able to have goals and opportunities to reach these goals!

Something that I'm getting used to though is the parking! Its so ridiculous!! The first day I found one within 1 minute of looking and i was thinking that's how it would be every time! No, I was SO wrong. On Tuesday it took be 55 minutes to find a parking spot. So, yes I was 35 mins late to class. That was embarrassing. Oh well I'm learning the ins and out of SLCC and I'm trying to enjoy and love every second of it :)

Oh life is just grand :)

Church music..

Okay, so lately I have been having this odd obsession of listening to church music everywhere all the time! Its so weird, but I love it! I can't get enough of it! I bought a new CD at Deseret Book last week and I have loved it! It's We Believe Songs For Youth 2011 by Jenny Phillips. Its so amazing!!! I already have all the songs memorized. I'm telling you, its just amazing. My favorite song on it right now is called Stay. They lyrics are so comforting and just exactly how I feel right now. Honestly, Nothing makes me happier right now than listening to this music. I listen to it in the car, my room, whenever my laptop is on, on my ipod EVERYWHERE.

Also, I just started Rereading The Book Of Mormon again. I recently just finished reading it at the end of the year, and I was feeling like it was a good idea to reread it. Such a good idea! Also, last week in Sacrament there was a speaker (I know he was a member of the 70 but i don't remember who! oops!) anyways, he challenged us to read The Book Of Mormon before Conference in April. So of course I'm always up for a good Book Of Mormon challenge! So its five pages a day is what he said to do, but i just read it by reading ten pages a night, so I have decided to read 12 pages a night, its hard, but SO worth it. SO WORTH IT!

I know this is my second post in a row about church related stuff, but honestly the gospel is my life right now. I'm recently realizing how much power and strength comes from honestly reading and praying every day. I never want to go a day with out it again!

Anyways, I just feel like I need to testify that The Church is true. There is no doubt in my mind about that. The Savior lives. I know that in his strength I can do anything and overcome the trials in my life. He is waking this path with me, and I don't want it any other way.

In the name of Jesus Christ Amen :)

"When it feels like life is too hard and the person that I want to be feels just out of me reach He whispers to me that I do not need to do it alone He never wanted me to face anything on my own. Because in the strength of the Lord I can do all things. He knows how to change the weakness in me. So I will let his light lift me up. He believes I can do hard things if I will trust him. And walk forward in the strength of the Lord." :) :)

- In the Strength of the Lord By Jenny Phillips.

Happily Ever After. . .

Growing up I always heard stories of princesses and they were all very similar. They all start with Once upon a time and there is always these beautiful girls that usually had a very hard life or a big trial to come over, and after all of that there was a guy (or night and shining armor) that would come and "rescue" her from all of this, and they always lived happily ever after.

The other day I was watching one of these movies and it had been a long time since I have seen it and I kept relating it to my life. A few days prior to watching this movie I heard a song by Jenny Phillips "Happily Ever After" (if you haven't heard it i suggest you listen to it) and connected it to a talk by Elder Uchtdorf "Your Happily Ever After" both of these are so inspired by Heavenly Father it amazes me :)

Oh my goodness, I just have so many thoughts about all of this its crazy. In the song it says that right now we are just between "once upon a time" and "happily ever after" In a way that it so scary. We are sent to Earth to learn and grow and return to Heavenly Father. Sounds easy right?? Now, we all know its anything but easy. But, something that I have really realized in the past two weeks that the Savior lives. He is here walking this "in between time" time with us, he is our guide and should be our ultimate source of direction.

"Sometimes in your life the world will cast a spell and try to make your conscious fall asleep and forget the woman God would have you be, but if you are still you will understand the noble role you'll play in his plan. It's your time its you destiny to shine." How amazing and true is that!? We all know that life is hard and that spells are cast on us all the time, but if we just remember that God sent us here for a divine purpose it makes it so much easier.

Its has been so easy for me lately to get caught up in things in my life that are not perfect or out of a fairytale. I have let these things consume me. Change my opinion on so many things. But, after talking to a really good friend, praying and reading my scriptures I know that it was the Spirit that lead me to listing to that song and reading that talk. I know it!

Sometimes it does seem like the better option just to give. I got myself in the mind set that what does it matter its my life. Its only effecting me. Oh boy was I wrong! My good friend said this to me "Is eternity really worth losing when its easy to "give in"? ( I love you Ashley!!) This also got me realizing some things in my life. No, its not worth losing! I can do it, I can pull through and get to MY Happily Ever After. With tons of help from my family, friends, leaders and of course my Savior.

"don't settle for the story that the world would have you write you were born to reach eternal life let faith fill every chapter let the Savior lead you to....Happily Ever After." :)

Day 3: Something that stresses me out.

This is so hard! Because sadly there is a lot of things that stress me out lately. But, the big thing right now is change. I know that is very vague, but change has aways been something that has been hard for me to accept and do. So many things are changing in my life right now. Some things I can control and others are completely out of my hands. Change stresses me out a lot, because sometimes its hard to decide when change is good, bad, or needed. A lot of the times when it is needed its very hard to accept and to stick with what I'm trying to do. I realize that a lot of this probably doesn't make sense, but its a major stressor in my life right now. I am deciding if I'm changing some things about me for the right reasons or if its really for me. Change can be very hurtful. Not just to the person changing or making changes but to the ones that are close to that person. The saying "people change" is sadly so true. That is something I'm realizing in my life right now. With one person in particular. Anyways, change is inevitable, sadly enough. But such is life.