One of those Tags...from a long time ago...Oops. :)

How to play this game of tag. Post these rules on your blog. List 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts about yourself. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

3 Joys:

1. eating fudgesickles on a hot summer day
2. flip flops
   
3. motorcycle rides
   

3 Fears:

1. The final, inevitable death of my little red jetta. Noooooooo!!!!

2. Somehow dropping the ball at work and not realizing it until it's too late...
3. Running into Brock now that he's happily married. Ugh.




3 goals:

1. Run, Run, Run until I can't think any more. :)
   
2. Buy a bike. Ride it a lot.
3. Get a library card. :)

3 current obsessions/collections:

1. C.S. Lewis
2. Prison Break (It is truly a crime to put that man in prison. Even on TV.) Woweeee. :)
   
3. That BYU chocolate ice cream with the peanut butter ripples in it...mmm mmm good!!
   

3 random surprising facts about me:

1. I used to be a pretty good little violinist.
   
2. I am a pro at roller blading.
   
3. I used to hate tomatoes until about a year ago when my roommates and I set goals to try to like one food we hated. I still can't eat 'em plain, but I no longer pick them off of sandwiches and out of salads. (Except for the cherry ones...BLECK.)
   

I tag: Manda, Heather Blazeski Long, Dwight K. Schrute, Ero, and Jenna. Have at it. :)

I GOT IT!!!

Mission accomplished. :) I'd like to thank the band "The Playdead Movement" for allowing their drummer to work at the guitar store and giving me such expert advice. (And yes...he, as a drummer, actually did have decent guitar advice.) Best of luck to him as he leaves on tour with the band, "Rancid" in two weeks. Rock on...(I don't remember his name. He was cute, though...dang it...) Lol. Now, on to calloused fingers. (Which I plan on having due to hours of practice, thank you very much!) It's a Fender, and it has a great sound. AND I got a rockin' deal. :) Could I BE more excited?!??! Nope. :)

Male Twilight-Reader Coping Strategies...

This guy is hilarious! Oh, man. :) Read the article...and I've included the list he gives at the end because it gave me a great humor break at work today. :)

1. Drink a protein shake and do curls while reading.

2. Read the book in your 1967 Ford Mustang.

3. Have American Gladiators on in the background for when the pizza guy gets there.

4. Every time Edward tells Bella how great she smells, break a board with your fist.

5. Not taking shower breaks will work to your manly advantage.

6. Don’t write an article publicly claiming how much you enjoyed the book.

7. If the emotions well up, call Chuck Norris and insult his mother.

8. Attempt to eat a 36 oz. steak before finishing chapter four.

9. Read it while participating in a rodeo.

10. Test your manliness by growing a beard by chapter thirteen.

Disney. Huh.

You Are Jasmine!

Independent and adventurous. You don't want much; just to break out of the guilded cage society has put you in and experience life to the fullest. Following orders isn't really one of your strong points, and you would rather live a life of poverty than being forced into something that you hate.

Which Disney Princess Are You?


Well, sure. I mean...minus the "gilded cage," I think I agree with that statement.

Sooo...where's my magic carpet ride? Geez.

I'm going to live forever...

Last summer, when I was serving as a performing missionary in Nauvoo, I heard the most beautiful song I've ever heard. It wasn't the first time I had heard this particular song before...but it was like being reminded of the most beautiful memory that I'd somehow forgotten in the rush of life afterward. The Nauvoo Pageant core cast members perform a show a few times on Sunday nights in Nauvoo, and towards the end of their show, they sang this song. The first time I heard it was in a high school auditorium by a beautiful high school choir. (No, I was not in the choir...I was privilged to be in the audience.) :) Anyway...it has the most beautiful words I have ever heard. It reminds me of the incredible promises and blessings available to us from a loving Heavenly Father. Every time I hear it, it's like it stirs my soul back into remembrance of things I have known forever...but are so easy to forget in this life.

Anyway. I got back from Nauvoo, and went on a hunt for this song. I looked everywhere, and couldn't find it. I didn't know much about it...including the actual name of the song. I knew who arranged it for that particular setting in Nauvoo, but couldn't find anything about it. I finally had to stop searching and move on with my life. :) But just yesterday, I found it. TEN MONTHS into my search, I found it. :) It's called Pilgrim Song, arranged by Ryan Murphy, who I guess was a BYU student at the time...and it's on this CD by the BYU choirs. I feel like I found a long-lost friend. Yay! :) I only wish I had a way to post the actual song...maybe I'll figure that out soon. :) The music makes it all the more powerful and beautiful. I also love this quote from the May 2007 Ensign:

"Hymns play an essential role in spirituality, revelation, and conversion. [They] invite the Spirit of the Lord' (Hymns, ix). They often do this quicker than anything else we may do. President J. Reuben Clark Jr. said, 'We get nearer to the Lord through music than perhaps through any other thing except prayer' (in Conference Report, Oct. 1936, 111)."
(Jay E. Jensen, "The Nourishing Power of Hymns," Ensign, May 2007, 11)

PILGRIM SONG

My brethren I have found
A land that doth abound
With fruit as sweet as honey;
The more I eat I find
The more I am inclined
To shout and sing hosanna.

Chorus
My soul doth long to go
Where I may fully know
The glory of my Savior.
And as I pass along
I'll sing the Christian song;
I'm going to live forever.

Perhaps you think me wild
Or simple as a child;
I am a child of glory.
I am born from above
My soul is filled with love;
I love to tell the story.

Chorus

My soul now sits and sings
And practices its wings
And contemplates the hour
When the messenger shall say,
"Come quit this house of clay
And with bright angels tower."

Chorus

And as I pass along
I'll sing the Christian song;
I'm going to live forever.

-Author Unknown

One Year Ago. Today.

One year ago today, I was packing for Nauvoo.

One year ago today, I had just finished the last final of my undergraduate career.

One year ago today, I put on a cap and gown. For my own personal fulfillment...because I had to miss my graduation to get on a plane bound for Nauvoo. The most beautiful place under the heavens. :)

One year ago today, I was packing all my belongings into boxes and suitcases.

One year ago today, I got set apart as a performing missionary.

One year ago today, I kept having that feeling of needing to pinch myself to make sure I was really awake...and yet still wishing I could find a way to calm down and sleep through the night.

One year ago today, I took my first step into the most difficult, yet most defining experience of my entire life up to this point.
Today, I spent the entire day winding yarn from my palm to my elbow for the EFY service project preparation.

Today, I found a parking spot relatively close to where I work before all the women who are taking over provo for women's conference could get to it first. :)

Today, my lunch was free. 5 buck pizza. Compliments of the EFY office.

Today, I worked until I was dead tired, and then I kept working anyway.

Today, I worked through a really stressfull situation at work, and was backed up by my boss. That's a great, GREAT feeling. :)

Today, I felt a sense of accomplishment and joy as I left work.
Today, the sun was shining, and it was warm as I walked to my car.

Today, I live in a great apartment with 3 great friends.  And I love where I live.

One Year Ago. Today. I love my life.  :