The Little Blessings of Life--- Another Blog :)

Before I started this blog, I was working on a different blog: The Little Blessings of Life. That blog has been on hold for about half a year now, but I am ready to put it to use again :) I will still use this blog (Untainted Passions) for most things, but I have decided to use my other blog for more spiritual things. It still has all of the old posts on it, so feel free to check it out sometime! You can click here to access it. Much love :)

P.S.
I love my family :)

Handfuls of Kisses

Little. Insignificant. Vulnerable.
A world full of busy, occupied people.
An outstreched pair of eagar hands,
Searching for a way out of these earthly struggles.
Strong. Understanding. Friend.
In the moments right before the darkness consumes,
Before hope for help is lost,
He helps. He gives. He takes the hands.
Kisses.
Kisses for the bruises from physical trials.
Kisses for the heart that aches from being broken.
Kisses for the hands that worked so hard.
Hope. Strength. Gratitude.
The ability to endure to the end,
With handfuls of kisses.
Kisses from Him.
Kisses to share with others.

Retreating Shadows

It's not about me.
Life is too short for us to always be concerned only about ourselves.
Sometimes things don't fall into place. Sometimes I find myself in sticky and uncomfortable situations. Sometimes I just don't feel like taking action.
It's not about me.
Not enough sleep. A lot of hard work put into something, and a very small result. Hope for signs that people appreciate me only to have those hopes diminished.
It's not about me.

There is a point out there in space that everything revolves around. That point is not me. That point is not you. We live in a world full of people; people that have feelings, dreams, passions, fears, and the ability to love and in return be loved.

Life is too short for us to always be concerned only about ourselves. Instead of fitting everything pertaining to "ME, MYSELF, and I" into our busy everyday schedules, why don't we make time for others? Why don't we challenge ourselves to take the time to think of others, to talk with others, to serve others?

It's not about me.
Life is too short for us to always be concerned only about ourselves.

Anything but Normal

Have you ever come to a point in your life when you thought, "yes... I am a normal person!" ? Me either ;) But I never have thought that I was beyond the norm of what we call 'special'. However, I do have a story for you:
Once upon a time, I went with my sister to a hairstylist where she got her hair cut and colored and I got myself a nice little trim. At the end of our visit, we got in the car, and I began looking in the mirror at my bangs. Now, I had been onto something for many months now, but it wasn't until this moment that it became completely obvious to me. I have a crooked nose. Yes. Yes, I do. To be frank, I think this is quite funny! So in the moment, I began making a 'big deal' about it with my older sister, and we laughed about it much. Eventually we got home, and I felt the need the tell my mother about this. Here is the best part: Lo and behold, my own mother had noticed this long before me!!! (and I mean YEARS before me.) AND she never told me!!! What a life I live :)
I could have handled this in two ways: I could have become totally self-conscious about myself and my funny nose, and from then on acted completely (truly-- not pretending) awkward when taking pictures. OR, I could find the true humor in this and make it my best attribute ;) Okay, not really-- it could never be my best attribute. But I have chosen the later of the two options. I have accepted the fact that, yes, my nose is crooked! So what?! What if in the future a potential husband notices it and then dumps me? So what?! That would just prove how shallow he is, and I would move on to someone better that would love me and my nose :D
So as you go forth in life and become aware of little funny things that are not normal with you (who knows, you may be perfect;), do not fret! You are not alone! But all-in-all, we are all beautiful. Our bodies are wonderful creations given to us by the Almighty God, even our Father in Heaven. None of us, NONE of us have the right to go around putting down others for their flaws. It is our duty to lift others up, and recognize the beauty that everyone has.
You are beautiful. Have a beautiful day!

Once Upon A Mexico

Over Christmas Break, I was blessed with the opportunity to go to Mexico with a group called Builders Without Borders to build homes for members of the church in Tecate. I went along with my father, younger brother, and younger sister. I went to Mexico a couple years ago to do the exact same thing, so I was extremely excited to go back!!!
There is a family in Mexico that I became very close with the last time I went to Mexico (I helped build their home), and the family actually came to help us build homes this time!!! I was so, so, so happy :) The person that I am closest with in the family is named Francisco. Francisco and I ... we are so close :) While building homes, I would help Francisco with his English (which is coming along super great!) and he would help me with my Spanish in return (which still has a looooooong ways to go!)
Our group was able to build 3 homes, repair a few roofs, visit a couple orphanages, help at a food shelter, and do other types of service for the people in Tecate as well as Tijuana. I love the people there. They are always so kind, and I could feel the spirit so strong with every member of the Church that I came in contact with. I pray that I will be able to continue going back to Mexico to do this type of service for as long as possible! Worth every penny for the travel and building expenses. Life changing experience.
So here are only a few of the pictures that I took when in Mexico. Out of the 333 pictures I took, these may not be the best ones, but they protray enough of the trip to satisfy me :) Enjoy!

Yellow Canaries

Over the summer, I developed this insane liking for birds. They are officially my favorite :) Ducks were my favorite animal, but I have now broadened my favorite animal to all birds. Something that sparked this interest was this article by President Thomas S. Monson, titled Canaries with Gray on Their Wings. If you have not read it, READ IT!!!! It is so wonderful, and inspiring. As a Residential Assistant, I based the theme of my hall off this article. It has been wonderful. Just yesterday, we decorated yellow t-shirts with silver spray paint. Wonderful.
I hope you all are having a fabulous Sunday! Much love

Broken

Have you ever done something that you deeply regreted later? We all have, right? I had one of those experiences this past week.
There is this movie that has been out for years, and lots of people have referred to it since it's release date. This last week, I had the opportunity to borrow this movie from a friend. However, before watching the movie, I was told by other's that it was a crude. While they may not have seemed like warnings at the time, I look back on that and recognize that they were flashing red lights. As I started the watching the movie with my best friend, I felt these promptings telling me that it wasn't worth it-- that the movie was not worth watching and that I'd be better off stopping it before it even started. I pushed these promptings away. I regret that deeply. While the movie wasn't terribly evil, there was still enough material in it to make it innapropriate, and to drive the Spirit away. Upon finishing the movie, I felt empty. The next few days that followed contained that same empty feeling. The Spirit of God was not as close to me as it had previously been.
As I have been working on repenting, I have have come to gain a greater testimony of the Holy Ghost and how powerful and important it really is in our lives. Those days that felt empty, I will never gain back. However, I have devoted myself to do all that I can to make sure I never go through that experience again. I am so grateful for the gift of the Holy Ghost. It helps me gain joy in my life and stay close to the gospel so that I can recieve eternal blessings. Through this, I have also gained a greater testimony of the Atonement, and understand it in a whole new light.
To help take a stand for my decision to get my life on a better track, myself and the girls that live in my building broke the majority of my CD's today. I don't own an iPod, or anything of the sort, so my music supply is in CD's. While my CD's contained wonderful songs, many had at least one song that was innapropriate. In order to get rid of that one song, I would have to destroy the whole CD. It was worth it. While my collection of CD's is now incredibly small, I feel more joy in my life. As a dancer, it is hard to imagine not having a good stock of music on hand to dance to, but I know that what I did was for the better and that I will be able to move through this with peace of mind.
I love the gospel with all my heart, and I never want to do anything again that takes the Spirit of the Lord away from me. I know that God the Father lives, as well as the Son, Jesus Christ. I know that they love each and every one of us and that they want us to return to live with them. Be strong, and remember-- "God did not send us here to fail."

Hanging Picture Frames

This past summer, I went to a wedding reception with my older sister. It was darling! The reception took place in the brides parents backyard. Lights were strung around the tree's, tables scattered throughout the yard for guests to visit and eat their refreshments at, a dance floor with a band, and my favorite-- picture frames hanging from the trees. While many of the frames had pictures of the newly wed couple, there was a fair share of picture frames without anything in them. My older sister plans to be getting married in the next year, and at times I wonder what type of decorations her reception will have-- what will the staples of it be? That's neither here, nor there, through. Once she has the engagement ring on her finger plans should start being finalized :) (So what's with her wedding dress in the closet? This had better be official!)
In the end, let's just say I love wedding receptions. While some may be a bit too traditional for me (the colors, the cake, and the location), I tend to find little things at most receptions that catch my eye and I fall in love with them. Who knows when (or if) I will get married, but when I do, I know I will have a very hard time settling on the little things. I find that it's the little things that help pull together the wedding (i.e. how the wedding announcement and staples of the wedding fit together). I'm no wedding expert, yet I think it's fun to analyze weddings (mainly the receptions) and pick out what I do and don't like about them.
Have a lovely Sunday day! Remember, families are FOREVER! What a beautiful blessing to have the knowledge that we can be together with our loved ones forever :) Much love

Trials

(This is a picture I took years ago at Payson Lakes-- I'd say about 5 years ago)

Recently, I have heard stories from many friends that make my heart ache. From one, a story of problems at the health center; from another, a story about being heart broken; and from another, a story of wanting to take their own life. Each of these stories, and more, leave me contemplating the variety of trials we all face in our lives. Life was not meant to be easy. However, God did not send us here to fail. We all experience hardships on different levels, and it is comforting to know that we will never be handed a trial or burden that we cannot carry; and even when our trials seem to heavy to carry, it is wonderful to know that God is there right along side us, helping.
While some trials can seem overwhelming, it is also important to remember to turn our hearts and minds to Christ. As we do this, we can feel of his love, but also learn from his example which will help us through difficult times. Christ experienced so many horrific things during his life here on earth, yet his character stayed strong. His integrity, and loyalty to God the Father was immovable. He is perfect. We can all learn from his example when we are facing trials. Will we leave them with negative attitudes and a sour outlook on life, or will we keep our integrity in place, and do our best to act as Christ would?
To whoever may be reading this, ALWAYS remember that God loves you. At times, life may seem to hard to stand. In fact, times are going to continue getting worse in this world until the Second Coming. While we look around and think about how even the worst were sent to this world, we must remember that the best were also sent here as well. Stay strong. Remember, God did not send us here to fail. (I love that quote, "God did not send us here to fail".)
Much love, and best wishes to all of you. :)

The Lion King on Broadway - He Lives in You (Reprise)

This song has been my theme song all week. It is sooo beautiful! A couple weeks ago, I went to the Broadway show of The Lion King in SLC. It was so wonderful... I cried, it was so beautiful. I just wanted to share this song with you because it's so powerful, and it just has a neat message that you can relate to the gospel and the influence Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have in our lives. Amazing.

Madly In Love With You- Sean McConnell

Love, love, love this song. I like to think that the message in this song is somewhat in line with how Heavely Father feels about each one of us. Here we are on earth, fighting this war against the adversary, and Heavenly Father is there, never giving up on us, and always offering us his love in our lives. Beautiful.