I read some lovely blogs of my sweet friends...

And realized... it's about time for another post in my own blog. :) Ah!! Life is CRAZY... and wonderful. :D I'm getting married in May!! Wedding plans are rocketing full speed ahead-- bought the dress this weekend, taking silk flowers down to a florist during spring break to have the bouquet arranged, temple scheduled, decorations underway... such fun!

But really, I'm loving this whole process! It's been so so fun! :D My mother has been absolutely instrumental in such activities-- it's her first wedding, thus she's been a bit "in-over-her-head-stressed" about doing things right and on time, etc. But, that's not such a bad thing. :) That way, things get done. And fast. hehe.

I'm marrying my very best friend in 9 weeks. He's everything I've ever dreamed of in an eternal companion. We fit together like puzzle pieces in so many ways. So so many ways. We complement each other as well as urge each other to do better and be more... I've known him for over a year and a half now and I've seen many facets of him in various situations. It's been so good for us. I look forward to the years ahead of us and can't help but feel SO excited to see just how happy we'll make each other. Yes, life will be challenging and hard and rocky at times, but I can't think of a better way to spend it... at the side of my sweetheart.

Life presented some forks in the road...

Sometimes life happens fast.

But sometimes life can't happen fast enough.

Sometimes we're thrown into situations in life that challenge us.... that scare us.... that make us unsure, uneasy, or just uncomfortable.

Sometimes those same challenging situations present us with incredible opportunities and means to reaching those seemingly unreachable ends that we've been striving for.

Sometimes decisions have to be made.

Sometimes we can't make these decisions by ourselves... sometimes we need help choosing... simply because your decision is literally a fork in the road of life.

Sometimes life is challenging, but ALWAYS I have that help I need to see the bigger picture.

Thank goodness for my wonderful loving Father in Heaven, who sees all.

We enjoyed a snow-less Christmas at home...

Yes, it's true... the ground here in Idaho is completely barren of the cold, white, fluffy stuff we call snow... not the first Christmas I've spent in semi-warm weather, growing up in Southern Utah, but it was still a bit odd nonetheless. It's been a wonderful holiday though! Being home with the family has been just grand. :D I love being with my parents and siblings. They are so very entertaining... there's not a dull moment around this place, I swear! hehe.

The boys have been all sorts of spoiled with Dad bringing home dry ice every once in a while from work-- they've found all sorts of silly things to entertain them-- this would be the latest. They filled the bowl with water and plopped the dry ice in, then used dish soap and a thin rag to drag a bubble across the rim of the bowl-- thus resulting in a giant bubble filled with dry-ice-gas... hehe. So funny.

The brothers found a way to track Santa this Christmas online... it was so dang funny to watch them get the globe out and find just where Santa was... hehehe. I'm so glad to have siblings young enough to still really enjoy Christmas in the kid-ish way most of us forget. :)

So... for our traditional Christmas Eve competition (it's a different game every year... we compete for silly dollar-store-gifts.) we decided on a version of the popular food channel show 'Chopped'... as in, you're given several mystery ingredients to incorporate in a dish you concoct. We divided into 3 teams- sister/brother teams- for the entree round, then Mom and Dad battled it out in the dessert round.

Mom and Dad (our judges in the entree round) picked 6 ridiculous mystery ingredients to have us cook with... namely: alfalfa sprouts, dried pasilla peppers, plain yogurt, sunflower seeds, sliced ham, and candy canes... yeah, YOU try and make a delicious dish out of that!

My youngest sister and youngest brother blew us out of the water with their dish... it actually tasted good... still don't know how they managed that... ;) The dessert round was much much tastier-- partially because of the ingredients we kids chose to have them work with-- candy canes, marshmallow creme, frozen peaches, saltine crackers, and Yoohoo (a chocolate drink).

Christmas morning came quickly, it was probably the latest Christmas morning we've EVER had... it was nearly 7:00 by the time the boys had Mom and Dad up. However, it may have been a factor that we had decided not to open presents until after church. So, we enjoyed the morning with the toys Santa left and the stuffed stockings scattered about... then came a wonderful hour of church in which we got to sing 'Oh Holy Night' a Capella as a family-- we also heard from a couple incredible speakers... they brought the spirit of Christmas into the meeting so very well. And then it was back home to open presents... :D

The girls all received super warm, soft Snuggies from Grandma--- :D So fun.

Little brothers are still all AVID Aggie fans... this was probably one of his very favorite presents.

And this... this was my very favorite present to give this year-- sister and I picked it out and the siblings helped buy it for Mom. She's been wanting a nice picture of Christ for a long while. It was definitely a great one to watch her open. :D

There you are, folks... another Christmas with my family done and over... and I'm loving every minute of being home.

My roommate and sister found a pretty neat quote...

"It's quite ironic that in life the person that brings out the best in you and makes you stronger is actually your weakness."

And for the first time, I nearly understand such sentiments. :)

I sat in Sunday School with my Mom--

We read from 3 John that day in the first chapter, 4th verse--

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth."

My mother reached over to squeeze my knee and as I looked into her eyes, I saw the message conveyed therein-- she was pleased with what I'm doing with my life. With all the love that a Mom can muster, she looked into my eyes and told me through that penetrating gaze that I was doing well. That she was happy that I was happy.

I shared this experience the other day in Testimony Meeting and then made the comparison to the warmth, peace, and contentment that will come upon us from time to time when our Father in Heaven is pleased with us. I can see in my own life that as I do the things He's asked of me, my Heavenly Father smiles down upon me and lets me know through thoughts and feelings that He is pleased with my efforts. He has no greater joy than to hear that His children walk in truth.

There is no counterfeit to rival the feeling of complete peace in our hearts and minds. That simple, sure contentment always comes from the Spirit of the Lord. It is God's way of squeezing our knee and looking into our eyes and smiling a message of "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

My father sent out an email to a bunch of his family members...

This email was asking for our opinions on the statement, "Perfection is a recipe for failure." There were a few responses before I piped in with my 2 cents... with a bit of help from my wonderful roommates...

If perfection is the only way you can succeed, then striving for perfection is, in fact a recipe for failure. God may deal in absolutes, but here in mortality 'perfect' is a non-reachable absolute. The striving for such a state of perfection will never become us. However, when God admonishes us to 'be ye therefore perfect' I believe that when we do everything we can do, we are, in the essence of the word, perfect. Take this quote from Remember the Titans into account--

Coach Boone: It's all right. We're in a fight. You boys are doing all that you can do. Anybody can see that. Win or lose... We gonna walk out of this stadium tonight with our heads held high. Do your best. That's all anybody can ask for.

Big Ju: No, it ain't Coach. With all due respect, uh, you demanded more of us. You demanded perfection. Now, I ain't saying that I'm perfect, 'cause I'm not. And I ain't gonna never be. None of us are. But we have won every single game we have played till now. So this team is perfect. We stepped out on that field that way tonight. And, uh, if it's all the same to you, Coach Boone, that's how we want to leave it.

This type of perfect is different than eternal perfection... we can be perfect in aspects of our lives, but never in its entirety. That sort of perfect can be reached only in and through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the grace with which he lifts us to the perfect state of being in which He and the Father live.

Just a couple shots to bid the autumn time farewell... I'm afraid Logan winter is now upon us...

I walked home with an exam in my hand...

College has a way of changing your high school mentality of being a big fish in a little pond... the more I attend classes and take exams and try to measure up to expectations in college, the more I realize how very small I am compared to the ocean of fish I'm now a part of. When it comes to school, I feel as if I cannot even begin to compare to the educational whales with whom I associate. The balanced life I've chosen simply will not allow for rising to the top of such a lofty standard... or can it?

I know from many hours of personal experience that grades of that stamina come from incredible amounts of effort and hours of studies... using the variety of techniques that you've found works best for you. Pulling an A in a class is not an easy accomplishment. And yet, for some it seems to come fairly easily- even for those with a far busier course load than I am occupied with... and I marvel at how God's hand guides their lives. I have seen the result of a life lived in accordance to God's commandments and how, if it is needed and necessary for God's plan of happiness for that person to progress, His hand is seen lifting and guiding that person in educational aspects of their lives. Somehow, He always pulls them through on top.

This sort of blessing has been mine for more times than I can count. But lately, I'm noticing that the perfection I expect from myself has been lacking in my classes. Partially because of the other priorities in my life that I choose to make of more importance than classes at times. I do still study hard, I try my best to manage my time well, and I really am doing quite well in my classes. Just not as well as past years... and because of my stubborn yearning for perfection, I let that drive me absolutely bonkers somedays. I determine to study harder and more efficiently as I walk out of class with an exam holding a score not quite as high as I'd have liked it to be... and then life continues.

I find myself doing good things, growing in ways I need to be growing, fulfilling my calling, attending the temple, dating, gallivanting with my roommates, friends, and sister, studying for my institute classes... the list goes on... but somehow, someway, I manage to feel like I don't measure up to par in school... and it's such a big part of my life that this feeling of disappointment seeps its way into my overall attitude. And that's not okay with me.

*Sigh*

Good thing I have a firm testimony in the eternal plan of happiness God has in store for me. I know that as long as I'm doing the things necessary for my hand to be firmly grasped to the iron rod, things will all fall into place as they should. And as I continue to walk step by step into the dark, I am reassured each and every time the light of understanding envelops me-- but only after I've taken that step into the unknown.

May we each have the faith to let God guide our footsteps and ultimately bring us home.