14...13...12...

14. Two weeks! I got a new job working for Independent Study in Registration. This means that I get to talk on the phone for three hours to lots of folks taking Independent Study courses, signing up people for EFY, Women's Conference and an assortment of other goodness at BYU. Today (Wednesday) was the last day of early registration for EFY 2009. Lesson learned: Don't procrastinate. When you do, don't get mad at the people who can't hack into computer systems to register your child for EFY after the end date.

13. Well folks, today is Thursday and I had an epiphany this morning right after work. This epiphany deserves its own post (which will be coming later, I promise) but for now I will say that I have gained a testimony of my patriarchal blessing. Five years ago, I had no idea how some of the experiences promised me would come to pass. And now, I do! Ah! It's all very exciting. Moral of the story: if you have your patriarchal blessing, read it more often. If you don't have yours yet, get it! Your blessing will impact your life in ways you could not even imagine.

12. While watching "Hook" with my roomies and friends I figured that the moral of this movie should be the moral of my day. Stay young at heart. Remember that family is the most important possession a person can have. If you make a promise, keep it. Have faith in yourself and in others to make the right decisions. Huzzah. "You're playing with us Peter!"

18...17...16...15...

18. Today I attended the University Chorale Retreat and I learned something from one of my directors about love. He shared with us the story of how he met and married his wife and let me tell you, it was like a movie! They got together and then she wasn't sure so they broke up. Then she went and served a mission and was completely convinced that they shouldn't even speak to each other. Three years later...they get married. Lesson learned: love is not always easy, even in Mormon-world. It takes sacrifice, personal change and deep commitment. The Lord knows what He is doing. We need to be patient and know that in time all things will work together as the Lord sees fit.

17. Yay for Church meetings! I was in meetings from 8-12pm, then had ward choir at 1:30pm, my music council meeting at 2:30pm, friends over for dinner at 6pm, ward prayer at 8pm, then home-teachers came over until about 10:30pm. Phew...busy day. In my ward I serve as the Music Council chair and I have the most wonderful, talented council ever! My co-chair, Matt, is also my hometeacher so I see him an awful lot. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. Matt is one of the most talented individuals I have had the pleasure of working with and I'm thrilled that he is going to not only be working with me on our council, but also teaching and uplifting me spiritually as my hometeacher and my friend. Something we discussed in our council meeting really touched me. Elder Oaks has said that some people may have a hard time expressing spiritual feelings through speech. The hymns allow those individuals to express their deep conviction for the gospel. This is totally me! On Sunday on of my council members, Tobin, played a beautiful piano arrangement of "Abide With Me" that he made up on the spot. Serious talent. Anyways, I have learned to be more appreciative of the hymns and the quickness with which the Spirit comes into my heart when I sing those hymns.


16. Fulfill your church callings! Attend FHE and make an effort to reach out to those who are lesser known in the ward. I have the most wonderful hometeachers a girl away from home could ask for. After sharing a very well delivered message on the importance of the scriptures, our hometeachers hung around for an hour and a half discussing the joy and craziness brought on by dating and the prospect of marriage. In a singles ward, I think it is especially important for hometeachers to become friends with those they teach. That will increase the likelihood of us women-folk calling our hometeachers for a blessing or in some other emergency. If we only see you once a month, we won't feel comfortable asking you to take us to the emergency room or come give us a blessing at some ridiculous hour of the morning. Yay for Priesthood responsibilities!

15. I got to see my friend, Sister Jacque Johnson, tonight for about an hour. She flew in from Connecticut because she goes into the MTC tomorrow at noon. She will be serving in the Arizona Tempe Mission for the next 18 months, English speaking. (Shout out to my AZ family: if you meet Sister Johnson take her to Elmer's!) While I was being her surrogate companion for the evening I had the privilege of asking her how her preparations had been going. She confided to me that not everything was easy but now that it was so close, she could not wait to get going. Walking around without a name tag, she said, was weird. I know that missions change lives and that missionaries are blessed beyond measure for their faithfulness while they serve.

20...19...

20: I am grateful for forgetfulness. Okay, not all the time but sometimes. Definitely not in the testing center or in relation to my schoolwork or calling in any form. I recently decided to re-read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for the second time. Yup, only the second time. I read the book right when it came out in July 2007 and haven't read it since. I started reading and soon found that I could not remember ANYTHING that had happened. I mean, I knew a lot of folks didn't exactly get their happy ending and a bunch of cool magic takes place and good always wins but that was about it. This re-read turned into a "reading-a-book-for-the-first-time" experience and it was awesome! There were moments when I had to cover the page with my hand so I wouldn't skip ahead and miss anything important. I have read the first few Harry Potter books a gazillion times so I was shocked to not remember the 7th (and most intense) installment in the series. Altogether, this past read was a delightful experience and I encourage everyone who is interested enough in me to be reading this, to go back and re-read a book that you, at one point loved, and may have forgotten about. Enjoy it. Savor it. Love it. And let me know what book you have decided to read!

19: We are no longer in the 20's folks! This is a very important day. First, I would like to say that I have the most amazing roommates ever. Seriously.

(From top to bottom: Britt Curtis, Chelsea Griffiths, me, and Steph Anderson)

After eight months at BYU I am finally starting to feel like I belong and I attribute that to the wonderful and uplifting influence I see in my dear roommates and friends. My calling is amazing, I LOVE my classes (especially Grammar) and I love my roomies. Britt, Chelsea, and I ate dinner together last night and ended up having a very enlightening conversation about Christ and the Atonement. That's the first time I've had a conversation with my peers in just a casual setting about something spiritual. It was so amazing. It's great having roommates that I am friends with. We plan things to do together and spend a lot of time just chillin' in our apartment doing homework or talking and it's such a bonding experience.

Something we discussed at our dinner-time talk was receiving answers to prayers. I was thinking about my whole transition to BYU and how awful it has been for eight months. And now suddenly, things are wonderful. The Lord works on His own timetable. I may have set plans for myself but as long as I keep myself spiritually in tune to the Spirit I will be guided to the correct path the Lord wants for me. I have learned that my life isn't directed by drastic change but led by small adjustments to my path.

Also, I got a card-board cut yesterday in my attempt to clean up the living room and my thumb is still sore. I was then contemplating the joy of having opposable thumbs and remembering that Olive the Other Reindeer asked for such a gift. So, let us remember that life can't be all that bad. Try buttoning a button without using your thumb and then let's discuss trials in life.

22...21

Here is my post of things I've discovered over the course of, well, yesterday and a good part of today.

Day 22:
Often, the things we want to the most turn out to be the most difficult to obtain (or be patient enough to receive). I have found that as I continually turn to the Lord with my concerns and cares, my prayers are answered and my soul is comforted. Even though I was not thrilled about the direction my life was taking, I can honestly say that faith and patience (which is not a strong point for me) have allowed me to open my heart to the will of the Lord so that He can lead and guide me. Looking back over the past eight months I am surprised at how much my life has changed for the better. The journey was probably NOT one I would want to repeat but I'm grateful I survived.

Day 21:
If at all possible, go to devotional every week. At BYU-Idaho I went faithfully every week and since being at BYU I have not gone once. In my defense, I have been physically unable to attend as work has kept me far from the Marriott center or any other broadcasting location. Today's BYU Devotional was given by Jefferey R. Holland, member of the Quorum of the Twelve. My grammar teacher had our class discuss the Spirit during the devotional and from what I can gather, it was quite the experience. I am sad that I missed out on listening to one of the Lord's servants but I am deeply grateful for my job and for modern technology which will allow me to read the devotional sometime within the next week or so. Huzzah for the internet!

23

As many of you who I actually speak to know, I have a friend coming home from his mission in 23 days. I promise, I had to look it up to remember. With those remaining twenty-three days I propose to find new meaning every day in something that I had previously not noticed.

23. The hymn "Come, Come Ye Saints" was explained in Relief Society in a way that opened my eyes to the meaning of this hymn. Instead of viewing it as a hymn of perseverance for the early Saints, think of it as a beckoning call. Those pioneers are speaking to us through this hymn, encouraging us to endure our trials of life as we strive to become more like our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Come, come, ye Saints, no toil or labor fear;

But with joy wend your way.

Though hard to you this journey may appear,

Grace shall be as your day.

'Tis better far for us to strive

Our useless cares from us to drive;

Do this and joy your hearts will swell —

All is well! All is well!

Why should we mourn or think our lot is hard?

'Tis not so; all is right.

Why should we think to earn a great reward

If we now shun the fight?

Gird up your loins; fresh courage take.

Our God will never us forsake;

And soon we'll have this tale to tell —

All is well! All is well!

We'll find the place which God for us prepared,

Far away in the West.

Where none shall come to hurt or make afraid;

There the Saints will be blessed.

We'll make the air with music ring,

Shout praises to our God and King;

Above the rest these words we'll tell —

All is well! All is well!

And should we die before our journey's through,

Happy day! All is well!

We then are free from toil and sorrow, too;

With the just we shall dwell!

But if our lives are spared again

To see the Saints their rest obtain;

Oh, how we'll make this chorus swell —

All is well! All is well!

New Year's Resolution

This year I thought I would try something new: make a New Year's Resolution I might actually keep. Lazy? Nope. Delightfully optimistic? As usual.
Perfection, as we know, is not something easily acquired. It is a state of self that is developed with small adjustments along the road of life. So, what is this illustrious goal I have set for myself? Get on with it, you say? Well, alright.

Denise's Goal for 2009:

Make my bed at least four times a week.

Ta-da! Isn't that a marvelous goal? Okay, maybe a bit simple but for me it is something I don't think I did ONCE this year and I like looking at my pretty comforter from Target. In order to make my bed as aesthetically pleasing as it is warm and cozy, I commit to making my bed.

May the majesty of my goal inspire awe in the hearts of all.