Living in Thanksgiving Daily

I was planning the FHE lesson for my ward tonight and ran across this talk, "Living in Thanksgiving Daily" by Elder Joseph B. Worthlinthat, that I absolutely love. Can you imagine how your life would improve if you lived in thanksgiving daily? Can you imagine how your life would improve if others did the same? Do you think the world would be a happier place? less stressful? less angry? more spiritual? Here are just a few excerpts that I found helpful:)

First, we must open our eyes.
Look around you. Notice the people you care about. Notice the fragrance of the flowers and the song of the birds. Notice and give thanks for the blue of the sky, the color of the leaves, and the white of the clouds. Enjoy every sight, every smell, every taste, every sound.

The second thing we can do is open our hearts.
We must let go of the negative emotions that bind our hearts and instead fill our souls with love, faith, and thanksgiving. Forgive others who have offended you. Don’t waste another moment feeling self-pity. Every day drain from your heart the feelings of resentment, rage, and defeat that do nothing but discourage and destroy. Fill your heart with those things that ennoble, encourage, and inspire.

The third thing we can do to live in thanksgiving daily is open our arms.
One of the best ways we show our gratitude is by blessing the lives of those around us.
When was the last time you unselfishly reached out to help another in need? Every time we cheer another’s heart, every time we ease another’s burden, every time we lift a weary hand, we show our gratitude to that God to whom we owe all that we have and all that we are.

President Joseph F. Smith proclaimed: “The grateful man sees so much in the world to be thankful for, and with him the good outweighs the evil. Love overpowers jealousy, and light drives darkness out of his life. Pride destroys our gratitude and sets up selfishness in its place. How much happier we are in the presence of a grateful and loving soul, and how careful we should be to cultivate, through the medium of a prayerful life, a thankful attitude toward God and man!”

BYU vs New Mexico!

We were freezing, but we loved every minute of it!

Kylie was mad, because she accidentally left her phone in my car the whole game.

No marshmallows...

Sara Bareilles

Last night Blaine and I went to the Sara Bareilles concert. Honestly, before the show I was not a huge fan. I was probably closer to disliking her music than liking it, but now my opinion has completely changed! Her voice is amazing! I was so impressed. She sounds better live than on a recording which is rare. The best part, though, was watching Blaine get so excited when she first stepped out on stage. He definitely lost his cool:) He was singing and dancing along the whole time... but then again so was I! I absolutely love live music. It gives me a huge appreciation for the artist and the talents that they are blessed with. Thanks thanks thanks for inviting me, Blainey boy;)

I'm Confident

This is my theme song! Got this track stuck on repeat.

Halloweenie

I was a cheetah. Kylie was a lady bug. Cassie was a bird, and Jenika was a zebra. Jungle mania!

Oh and this is Kennadee with all her Halloween friends! She was a Pittsburgh Steelers cheerleader:)

Nightmare On 13th

I cried before we even stepped foot inside... literally.

I wanna go again!

ANTM

One of my best friends, Cassie Houghton, is in cosmetology school, and her school held a hairshow fundraiser for one of their students to go to Paris, France and compete internationally! About a month ago Cassie asked me to be her model. Ever since, I have been counting down the days til the big night. It finally came last night and all my dreams came true!

My day began like this: Wake up at 9 a.m., shower, comb my hair, and step out the door. I left the house without a stitch of make-up on, and my hair was still wet! I hate to admit it, but I'm one of those girls who NEVER goes out in public unless I'm looking like a 10. I seriously feel like I'm 12 if my face is in the nude, but Cassie wanted a blank canvas to work on! I quickly got over that though once I stepped into the salon. There were tons of girls getting all dolled up, and the air was polluted with aerosol hair spray! At least it smelt good:) First, we started with my hair. We'd planned a little bit two days before the show, but for the most part it was totally off the cuff. Cassie worked her magic! She used styrofoam cyllinders and balls to anti-gravity my hair. Then, she curled and back combed the rest of it. To add the finishing touch, she added black feathers speratically throughout my fro. All in all, the styling took about an hour and a half. Next was the make-up! Cassie really wanted to focus on my eyes. She used a combination of bronzes and greens for my eyeshadow and huge, black feather falsies (that poked me in the eye everytime I blinked! Ouch!) Lastly, she painted my fingernails black with one green nail on each hand. FINALLY! I was done.

We had to drive to another location for the actual show. My hair didn't fit in the car, so I had to recline the seat all the way back. People driving by gave us the weirdest looks! Once we got there, we did a practice run. We all had to cram behind the curtains like herded cattle and wait our turn to strut our stuff. Megan lost her balance and almost fell off the runway! The kicker is we got it on camera! Afterwards we had to wait around for about an hour and a half outside and wait for the guests to arrive for the final showdown. Megan and I took this opportunity to perfect our walks (which we did). At this point I was starving. I hadn't eaten all day! I had a few sips of MD, but that was it. The show must go on! It came time to get back in the building. I was so nervous! All I wanted was some pumpin' music to get me excited. We made friends with a couple other girls that were standing in line by us and had fun cracking jokes about this male model that was behind us claiming he was a published poet in addition to a nurse on the side. Ok buddy... Get real. Anyways, it was my turn to go out. Let me tell you that I rocked it! I got out there and walked flawlessly. Cassie was so proud of me that I dared to "pop it" during the middle pose! The crowd loved it. Everyone was laughing and clapping. What a rush! I felt so amazing afterwards. I just wanted to get back up and do it again. Photographers were asking to take my picture. At that point I felt like a real model. Ah crazy! I give all the credit to Cassie! She never siezes to amaze me! When we were done, we went to Arctic Circle to get a much deserved pumpkin shake. Mmm mmm good!

I got home at 10p.m. and immediately hopped into the shower. My hair will never be the same. It was cemented with hairspray! I couldn't have asked for a better day though. Spending my days with my close friends and making new ones is what I live for:)