I have had my permit for about a month and a half now. I really didn't start driving until a couple of weeks ago. I first started learning how to drive on our stick shift and I have to be honest it didn't go so well. The first time I drove it was ok. We started out i a parking lot where I could learn the basics of getting the car moving. Then we went to some country roads out behind our house so I could drive for a longer distance. Also I could proactice shifting. I was doing pretty good until we came to the end of a road and I had to turn around. My mom though I could do it but I freaked out and almost ran into a fence. I was traumatized from this experience and made my mom drive the rest of the way home.
We then went out a few weeks later and lets just say this one did not go well at all. We were once again in the stick shift in a parking lot and I did ok the first time but every time my mom would tell me to shift I would freak out and just not do it. I think I over thinking it or something I don't know. I eventually got overwhelmed after the second time of driving and just quite and broke down and started crying. I think this break down was a mixture of a lot of things. The first being that I expected a lot out of myself and when I didn't meet that expectation I got really upset. I also felt like a lot of people expected a lot out of me. At this point I felt like I was dissappointed everyone and myself. Another reason is that I was really overwhelmed. I had so much to think about, the brake, the gas, the clutch, the gears, and so much more. I just couldn't take it all in. I definitely do not think that trying to first learn to drive on a stick was a good idea. I was having to remember to do way to many things at once. I would never remember to put the clutch in because I was still trying to figure out the whole braking thing. Seriously, way to much to think about for a new driver.
So we put the car away and got out the van. The van is automatic and I did much better on it. Not so much to think about all at the same time. I have been driving a lot and instead and hating it like i used to I love it and cant drive enough. I am now jump at an opportunity to drive somewhere. I have recently started driving on the the freeway and ya its a little scary but im getting used to it. Im mostly afraid of how fast im going.
Now that I know the basics of driving im hoping to get back in the car sometime soon and try the stick shift again. I think now that the other stuff im pretty used to ill be able to focus more on the clutch and the gears. Fingers Crossed. We'll see how it turns out!
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Proud to be a Mormon
Im writing this post mostly because I've recently been seeing some antimormon things on the internet. I also really wanted to write down what being a Mormon means to me and for those non-lds folks out there, what it is exactly I/we believe. Every week I'm going to choose a new topic to touch on and maybe it'll help someone or myself understand.
First off I want to start off with of my least favorite assumptions. This is something that when ever I hear it I get a little frustrated because the answer is so obvious...at least to me. This is the assumption that Mormons are not Christians. When I hear some say this I always think that it's ridiculous that anyone could believe that but then I have to remind myself that most people have not ever been to a church meeting or even met a Mormon so I have to calm myself down. Now let me explain what we really believe. The obvious answer the this question is that yes, of course Mormons are Christians. The actual name of our church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The name "Mormons" is a nickname for the people of the church. How we got that nickname I have no idea, it may have to do with The Book of Mormon but I really have no idea. Back on topic though, Christ is right at the center of our religion. If you ever go to one our meetings you will immediately see that Christ is pretty much the center of all that we believe. In my opinion I feel that one of the reasons in this misunderstanding is that we don't have crosses on our building, nor do we wear crosses. I have to be honest as a kid I didn't understand the reasoning behind this but as i've grown older I feel that i have a little better perspective on this. Now correct me if I'm wrong (because im still learning also) but I think that the reason that we don't have crosses is because we rejoice in the resurrection and the fact that Christ is a living being today. We believe that Christ was resurrected after he was crucified. Sure a lot of other religions believe this as well but we believe that he is still living and teaching today. This subject is something that I'm still trying to figure out for myself, like I said im still learning and I will always be learning. I don't know.
Something that people question us on is the reason why we don't drink, smoke, etc. We have been given a commandment called the Word of Wisdom. In this commandment it states that we are not to partake of substances that are harmful to our body. It lists many things including drugs, alcohol, hot beverages, and others. It also states what we should partake of. It also states that we are to go to bed early and arise early. We believe that our body is like a temple. Since our bodies are an amazing gift from God we have been commanded to treat it with respect and to not put harmful things into it or on it. An image that I have always had in my mind is that you would never go up to a temple, or any other beautiful building, and write all over it, or destroy it in some way. At least I wouldn't. This is what I think of as my body. If i wouldn't destroy the temple than why would I destroy my body? One thing that is very unclear in the subject is that many think that we are forced to abide by these rules. We are never forced to do anything. It is ultimately our choice to do what ever we want. When we came to earth we were all given free agency to do anything we pleased, whether it be good or bad. Heavenly Father (God) gave us the Word of Wisdom as a guideline on how to treat our bodies but it is ultimately my choice to abide by them.
Now, what does being a Mormon mean to me? It means a lot of things. I guess I'll have to start with how it has affected me in my life. I have no idea where I would be if I didn't have this amazing church in my life. It honestly scares me to wonder what I would be like without the church. I am so grateful and feel so blessed every day for having been born into the church. Being a member has greatly affected my life. It's helped me make certain decisions. I have chosen not to swear and to dress modestly. I have had to stick up for myself with this but I dont know how I could've done with my testimony of the Gospel. I live my life the way that I live it so I can become a better person. I live my life because I know that I am a daughter of my Heavenly Father. I have struggled a lot with finding a testimony. My testimony is definitely still growing and it grows everyday. I haven't any amazing experiences of feeling the spirit tell me the church is true but when I pray I always get this overwhelming feeling that this is right. Being a member of the church is something that just feels right. That is enough right now for me. I know that the church is true and try to believe and understand everything that is taught to me. I have to admit that I honestly don't understand everything that I hear. I don't know why I some of the things I do. I don't know all the answers. One thing I do know is that God has a plan for me and if i stay faithful and strong He'll be there for me. I don't know why I have to go through the things that I have to go through but I do know that God has a greater plan and eventually I'll understand it all. I don't know but I'm just going to keep enduring through it and hopefully I make.
There are so many ways that being a Mormon has affected me. Way to many that I can't list them all. I know that I wouldn't be the person I am today with out the church. I am who I am today because of all the things that I have been taught.
Having those little reminders that it's all going to be worth it and feeling that warm fuzzy feeling of the spirit bearing witness of something Gives Me Hope and keeps me going everyday.
"Testimony—real testimony, born of the Spirit and confirmed by the Holy Ghost—changes lives." -M. Russel Ballard
First off I want to start off with of my least favorite assumptions. This is something that when ever I hear it I get a little frustrated because the answer is so obvious...at least to me. This is the assumption that Mormons are not Christians. When I hear some say this I always think that it's ridiculous that anyone could believe that but then I have to remind myself that most people have not ever been to a church meeting or even met a Mormon so I have to calm myself down. Now let me explain what we really believe. The obvious answer the this question is that yes, of course Mormons are Christians. The actual name of our church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The name "Mormons" is a nickname for the people of the church. How we got that nickname I have no idea, it may have to do with The Book of Mormon but I really have no idea. Back on topic though, Christ is right at the center of our religion. If you ever go to one our meetings you will immediately see that Christ is pretty much the center of all that we believe. In my opinion I feel that one of the reasons in this misunderstanding is that we don't have crosses on our building, nor do we wear crosses. I have to be honest as a kid I didn't understand the reasoning behind this but as i've grown older I feel that i have a little better perspective on this. Now correct me if I'm wrong (because im still learning also) but I think that the reason that we don't have crosses is because we rejoice in the resurrection and the fact that Christ is a living being today. We believe that Christ was resurrected after he was crucified. Sure a lot of other religions believe this as well but we believe that he is still living and teaching today. This subject is something that I'm still trying to figure out for myself, like I said im still learning and I will always be learning. I don't know.
Something that people question us on is the reason why we don't drink, smoke, etc. We have been given a commandment called the Word of Wisdom. In this commandment it states that we are not to partake of substances that are harmful to our body. It lists many things including drugs, alcohol, hot beverages, and others. It also states what we should partake of. It also states that we are to go to bed early and arise early. We believe that our body is like a temple. Since our bodies are an amazing gift from God we have been commanded to treat it with respect and to not put harmful things into it or on it. An image that I have always had in my mind is that you would never go up to a temple, or any other beautiful building, and write all over it, or destroy it in some way. At least I wouldn't. This is what I think of as my body. If i wouldn't destroy the temple than why would I destroy my body? One thing that is very unclear in the subject is that many think that we are forced to abide by these rules. We are never forced to do anything. It is ultimately our choice to do what ever we want. When we came to earth we were all given free agency to do anything we pleased, whether it be good or bad. Heavenly Father (God) gave us the Word of Wisdom as a guideline on how to treat our bodies but it is ultimately my choice to abide by them.
Now, what does being a Mormon mean to me? It means a lot of things. I guess I'll have to start with how it has affected me in my life. I have no idea where I would be if I didn't have this amazing church in my life. It honestly scares me to wonder what I would be like without the church. I am so grateful and feel so blessed every day for having been born into the church. Being a member has greatly affected my life. It's helped me make certain decisions. I have chosen not to swear and to dress modestly. I have had to stick up for myself with this but I dont know how I could've done with my testimony of the Gospel. I live my life the way that I live it so I can become a better person. I live my life because I know that I am a daughter of my Heavenly Father. I have struggled a lot with finding a testimony. My testimony is definitely still growing and it grows everyday. I haven't any amazing experiences of feeling the spirit tell me the church is true but when I pray I always get this overwhelming feeling that this is right. Being a member of the church is something that just feels right. That is enough right now for me. I know that the church is true and try to believe and understand everything that is taught to me. I have to admit that I honestly don't understand everything that I hear. I don't know why I some of the things I do. I don't know all the answers. One thing I do know is that God has a plan for me and if i stay faithful and strong He'll be there for me. I don't know why I have to go through the things that I have to go through but I do know that God has a greater plan and eventually I'll understand it all. I don't know but I'm just going to keep enduring through it and hopefully I make.
There are so many ways that being a Mormon has affected me. Way to many that I can't list them all. I know that I wouldn't be the person I am today with out the church. I am who I am today because of all the things that I have been taught.
Having those little reminders that it's all going to be worth it and feeling that warm fuzzy feeling of the spirit bearing witness of something Gives Me Hope and keeps me going everyday.
"Testimony—real testimony, born of the Spirit and confirmed by the Holy Ghost—changes lives." -M. Russel Ballard
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Life today and how I'm going to fix it for a better tomorrow
I know I haven't posted anything lately but it's mostly because I don't really have anything to post. At least anything that is remotely interesting or anything that is new. I mean I do pretty much the same thing everyday. I wake up (normally around 8:30), watch a movie or read, eat some breakfast, watch some tv, read, play with Tony, play on my iPad, eat some lunch, watch more tv, read some more, drive, help with dinner, eat dinner, go to room, watch movie, fall asleep watching movie. Sure I get a lot of movies and tv watched but is that something I really want to be proud of. Absolutely not! Actually writing done my daily schedule makes me really ashamed of myself for being so lazy. I made a goal today to just try harder and to do something productive everyday. I think that I might start feeling better if I start actually doing something with my life instead of wallowing in self pity every day. It probably isn't healthy at all! So my goals and how I'm going to them? Well I'm going to make a plan right now. (I just realized in write a lot of lists on this blog but it's a good way to organize my thoughts, so once again here it goes)
Today I discovered this awesome daily planner on pinterest. It is amazing! It looks like this:
and this weekly planner that looks like this:
sorry they are so big but I don't know how to get them smaller. These are both courtesy of www.life's-a-journal.com. This lady is awesome and she has more than just these organizers. You should go check out her blog!
Anyways. So my goal to use these everyday. I printed out about 30 copies of the daily planner and 4 copies of the weekly planner. I put them in a binder and so far it's fantastic. I really like it because I can record everything I need to (that i used to have to record in all different areas) all in one spot. It's awesome. It also helps me keep/ make goals. So far I am loving them! Hopefully these are going to be something that actually stick. I think these planners are going to make me way more organized productive. If that didn't top it off aren't they just so cute! They are pretty. I wish I had a talent to be able to do that with computer!
On these planners there are daily goals and daily to dos. On these I'm going all the things that I want to accomplish in that day (duh). For example, today I wrote that I wanted to make my bed and pick up my room. I also said that I wanted to go for walk. I think because they were actually written down I actually did it. It feels amazing to be sitting on a made bed in a clean bed. I feel pretty accomplished today. Even if to some people that may seem very simple, it is something that is productive for me since I haven't been very productive lately.
Just a side note. Over the years I have learned that making smaller goals and slower working up makes you feel more accomplished and your more likely to succeed. So by making the goal to just make my bed today I accomplished my goal easy. It was something that i knew I could accomplish and tomorrow my goal is the keep my room clean, make my bed, and clean my bathroom. See how all I did was add something. This is the way that i have learned to make goals. I take baby steps, one day at time. This is also the plan that I'm going to take with my new exercise/ diet plan. Make easy goals that aren't to far out of reach. Such as instead of cutting sugar out of my diet, although that is my long term goal, my goal for right now is to cut down on the sugar, only have one cookie instead of three. Something that is going to be just enough of a challenge that I know I will feel better about myself at the end of the day instead of regretting that I didn't do anything at all that day. It is a great way for me to be productive.
So since this post is starting to get slightly long and it's getting late I'm going to end it.
Reaching my goals GMH
"Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it's always your choice." -Wayne Dyer.
Ok, I have to save this really fast. When I find my quotes I just look up a subject on brain quotes and then choose the best one. This specific quote really spoke to me tonight. Mostly because it is so true. It is my choice everyday to not do anything and feel miserable or I could motivate myself and feel a little bit better about myself.
Today I discovered this awesome daily planner on pinterest. It is amazing! It looks like this:
and this weekly planner that looks like this:
sorry they are so big but I don't know how to get them smaller. These are both courtesy of www.life's-a-journal.com. This lady is awesome and she has more than just these organizers. You should go check out her blog!
Anyways. So my goal to use these everyday. I printed out about 30 copies of the daily planner and 4 copies of the weekly planner. I put them in a binder and so far it's fantastic. I really like it because I can record everything I need to (that i used to have to record in all different areas) all in one spot. It's awesome. It also helps me keep/ make goals. So far I am loving them! Hopefully these are going to be something that actually stick. I think these planners are going to make me way more organized productive. If that didn't top it off aren't they just so cute! They are pretty. I wish I had a talent to be able to do that with computer!
On these planners there are daily goals and daily to dos. On these I'm going all the things that I want to accomplish in that day (duh). For example, today I wrote that I wanted to make my bed and pick up my room. I also said that I wanted to go for walk. I think because they were actually written down I actually did it. It feels amazing to be sitting on a made bed in a clean bed. I feel pretty accomplished today. Even if to some people that may seem very simple, it is something that is productive for me since I haven't been very productive lately.
Just a side note. Over the years I have learned that making smaller goals and slower working up makes you feel more accomplished and your more likely to succeed. So by making the goal to just make my bed today I accomplished my goal easy. It was something that i knew I could accomplish and tomorrow my goal is the keep my room clean, make my bed, and clean my bathroom. See how all I did was add something. This is the way that i have learned to make goals. I take baby steps, one day at time. This is also the plan that I'm going to take with my new exercise/ diet plan. Make easy goals that aren't to far out of reach. Such as instead of cutting sugar out of my diet, although that is my long term goal, my goal for right now is to cut down on the sugar, only have one cookie instead of three. Something that is going to be just enough of a challenge that I know I will feel better about myself at the end of the day instead of regretting that I didn't do anything at all that day. It is a great way for me to be productive.
So since this post is starting to get slightly long and it's getting late I'm going to end it.
Reaching my goals GMH
"Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it's always your choice." -Wayne Dyer.
Ok, I have to save this really fast. When I find my quotes I just look up a subject on brain quotes and then choose the best one. This specific quote really spoke to me tonight. Mostly because it is so true. It is my choice everyday to not do anything and feel miserable or I could motivate myself and feel a little bit better about myself.
One of God's greatest creations (in my opinion)
Overlooking the valley
My amazing brother and his beautiful girlfriend
The awesome Larson family and their exchange student
Aren't they the cutest couple you've ever seen?
I really liked this house for some weird reason. It was sitting in the middle of a beautiful field.
The first picture of the Yosemite Falls
I love this kid so much!
Just some logs
The river
The river flowing away from the falls. We have never seen it this full!
So pretty!
This is by far my favorite pictures. It's so beautiful!
Me and my family
I still can't get over how pretty these falls are!
The entire falls
So magnificent
The lower falls
Larson Family!
These are pictures from our trip to Yosemite in July with the Spain exchange students. This trip to Yosemite was one of my favorites ever. Yosemite was exceptionally beautiful this year because of all the rain/snow we've gotten this year. The rivers were so full which made the waterfalls amazing and more glorious than ever. It really was a magnificent thing to see. Yosemite is always beautiful but this day it was just unbelievably beautiful. The whole time I was there I kept marveling on how wonderful God's creations are. God really is an amazing person for creating this beautiful earth for us to live in and going to Yosemite was just another way for me to have that written into my brain.
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