"How do we know we're enduring well?"

So it's been a long while since I've put anything up here, but yesterday in Relief Society we discussed Elder Richard J. Maynes’ talk, The Strength to Endure. The question was asked by a sister during the lesson, “How do we know we’re enduring well?” This question has been on my mind ever since. In an effort to find an answer for myself I came up with this...

In Elder Maynes' talk he says this, “Our ability to endure to the end in righteousness will be in direct proportion to the strength of our testimony and the depth of our conversion. When our testimonies are strong and we are truly converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ, our choices will be inspired by the Holy Ghost, they will be Christ-centered, and they will support our desire to endure in righteousness. If our testimonies are weak and our conversion superficial, the risk is much greater that we will be enticed by the false traditions of the world to make poor choices.”

Elder Neal A. Maxwell in his talk, Enduring Well, said this, “Part of enduring well consists of being meek enough, amid our suffering, to learn from our relevant experiences. Rather than simply passing through these things, they must pass through us and do so in ways which sanctify these experiences for our good (see D&C 122:7). Thereby, our empathy, too, is enriched and everlasting.”

What do you see when you read these quotes in regards to enduring well? Personally, I am reminded the importance to continually improve my testimony through scripture study and other Christ-centered studying, through daily prayer that discusses all the good things along with the bad, through service both at home, in our ward, and in our community, and one thing that I think we often overlook in our ever so busy lives is through self-reflection. 

Elder Maxwell’s comment about instead of going through a trial and making it to the end we need to allow the trial to go through us and improve us made me think.. When was the last time I sat down and honestly analyzed a situation going on in my life to see the areas that the Lord was allowing me to grow and how he was teaching me? Do I understand how that experience can be used to help another? Have you ever gone through a “growth opportunity” (I like this phrase better than trial. Trial just sounds so foreboding.) for what seems like months, years, decades and feel like you aren’t making any progress, or perhaps feel like you keep being faced with the same heart break, the same stresses, the same weaknesses over and over again? I do! All the time I feel like that. BUT- what if we took the time to seek out what the Lord is trying to teach us? I wonder how much that one simple thing could change our perspective of the situation. So my challenge to you (and me) is this: get out a piece of paper and at the top write down the challenge you are facing. Identify all of the struggles that you see that are coming with it. Then look at those struggles and see if you can find lessons that the Lord is providing you with, tools to move beyond the initial obstacle. It  may look something like this:

Or maybe you want to use different titles, like instead of struggle you say "frustration", or "thing that really makes me mad". You might also add some scriptures or quotes that help you identify the lesson aspect. Your action items may be simple items like, "be nicer to my self" or "send a note to my neighbor who is having a hard time with _________". They may be more difficult like, "forgive my friend for saying/doing __________" or "sacrifice me time to help my child study". There aren't any right or wrong answers but maybe you’ll see something that you hadn’t yet realized and maybe, by doing something about it, it will change your situation. 

Don't just get through a trial, take that trial by the horns, look deep into it's eyes and learn something so that next time you see someone wrestling the same issue you can help them, just like Christ would have done. 

Hastening the Work of Salvation--my thoughts

So yesterday all members of the Church were invited to attend a special training broadcast on missionary work. I dragged a somewhat willing friend (he became more willing when I threw in dinner following) with me. I'm so glad that I went! There was so much information in it and phrases that just make you think. If you weren't able to go, or didn't know about it, here's the link: http://www.lds.org/training/wwlt/2013/hastening/special-broadcast?lang=eng. Now don't get overwhelmed by how long it is (yes, it's 2 hours). It really is worth it and it's really very, very good! It's interesting to see how the Church is embracing technology and really pushing it's use in spreading the Gospel. 

Here are a couple of things to stood out to me:

1. L.Tom Perry: Continue friendships even if your potential investigator isn't interested. It's more important to BE Christlike and continue to have and act with unconditional love than it is to have  a baptism that month. 
2. L. Tom Perry: While speaking about bringing/returning the Priesthood into conventional family homes, I was struck with the importance of returning the Priesthood into the homes of single members through Home Teaching. Some look at this as less important (as displayed by the home teaching numbers in most single adult wards), but I promise that the single sisters in your life need the Priesthood present in their homes on a regular basis! The question that I now have to ask is, How? How do I, as a single sister, encourage the brethren in my ward to attend to this duty and to understand it's importance?
3. L. Tom Perry: Invite Non-Members/Less Actives to join you in your home to study the Book of Mormon. 
4. L. Tom Perry (he had a lot of say!): Seek inspiration and ACT out of love.
5. Neil L. Andersen: Our work begins on our knees! When preparing to be in the Lord's service (attending ward councils, presidency meetings, Sunday worship, visiting/home teaching, etc.) we should always take a moment to pray on our own to receive the inspiration that will best serve those that we seek to assist. We work with the Lord best when we have invited his communication into our discussions and actions. BUT, while our work begins on our knees, it does not end there. You have to get up and ACT!
6. Neil L. Anderson: During a video that was played missionaries were shown numerous times (it was after all a missionary training!), one of the times that I was looking at their image I was struck with the thought that while on a mission an individual has one purpose, they are focused on sharing the Gospel. I had to ask myself: "What is my ONE purpose with my life? What can I be 'laser' focused on?"
7. Neil L. Andersen: Birthday party/ Baptism invitation effect. You never know how what you do may affect someone further down the road. 
8. Sister Neill F. Marriott: The family & home need to come first. Our callings come second.
9. Elder Russel M. Nelson: Actions should be motivated by love, not by a handbook or a checklist!
10. President Boyd K. Packer: Abandon yourself and the script, and rely on the Spirit. While he was referring specifically to teaching, I think that this can be applied to all aspects of our life. He went on to encourage us to trust the Spirit and that it will be there. Then he said something of importance: "It comes when you start." The spirit will not open your mouth for you and move your tongue in the correct patterns to form words, you have to open your mouth and start talking, you have to put the effort in before he can take what you are offering and turn it into something amazing.
11. President Thomas S. Monson: When we share the gospel it will spread like wildfire. --Ha ha, makes me think of fanning the flame of your faith, but not starting an actual wildfire. :)
12. ME: The work is never done, and when we put our hearts into building relationships with those around us; not just those that attend church every week and that are in the same book club, but those that aren't showing up to Relief Society, aren't attending ward activities, aren't members of the church, the love of God will flow from us to them and they will be inspired to become closer to Him, and also closer to us, but our relationship with them is just a by-product of the relationship that we're helping them to build with our Heavenly Father.

Ok, so that's a couple more than a couple, but they are all good thoughts and hopefully you will be intrigued enough to watch it yourself and to get out there and aid in the work of salvation. (And then come back here and share your stories, I love stories!)

Self-Realization...

So once again, it's been a while. Looking over my last post I can honestly say, things have changed a lot! I have my own place, I have an awesome roommate, work has changed a lot, I have a new calling and I'm about to turn the dreaded 3-0. I have a revelation though the other day about that...I have a decision to make, I can either dread it and be upset that I'm almost 30, or I can celebrate and embrace it and enjoy all the things I get to do at 30 while still single. So I'm choosing to do.....the latter of course. Who in their right mind would say "dread it"? I mean really? Who would?! In today's world there are amazing things that we can do. There is really very little holding us back. The only obstacles that keep us from attaining our dreams are the obstacles that we put up ourselves, but here's the secret, we can remove them anytime that we want to! It's perplexing isn't it? I spent some time last night talking with a close friend about the younger generation and their lack of willingness to try anything new or difficult. If they'd just get out of their own way there is no stopping them from doing everything that they could ever imagine.

Ok, now back to me. I'm almost 30 and there is no stopping me! I do have to take a step back and get myself on track again. You know the old "new years resolutions", go to bed at a normal time, get up early, work out more, eat healthy, blah, blah, blah. I really want to go paragliding, and paddle boarding, and run another 1/2 marathon this year. I also want to build a relationship with someone that I trust. That's one thing that I struggle with, a lot. I struggle to trust guys and to truly open up to them. That is what I have to work on the most. I have to make a conscious effort, constantly, to be myself, to be real, to be open, to share my actual feelings instead of just saying "I'm good." "Work's fine." How many of us do that? We just give glazed over answers. Just think about how much better our world could be if we opened ourselves up to other people and REALLY HONESTLY opened ourselves up to hearing them as well!  It would be amazing. Nothing short of spectacular. Ok, that's it, that's what I'm really going to focus on. If I go paddle boarding or jump off a mountain with a parachute attached it'll be awesome, but if I open myself up to someone and build a trust-filled relationship that will be the true accomplishment of turning 30 :)

Life...sometimes it sucks

Ok, so I first started writing this and it was all like..."life bites", "I hate school", "I really want my own place", whine, whine, whine. But then I thought about it and decided I needed to look on the bright side of things. I have a roof over my head, there's food in the fridge, I have a great job, I have the opportunity to learn something new every day and I have great friends and family. What more could a girl ask for? Ok, don't go there. Yes, there are more things that a girl could ask for...but I did just order some new boots, so that's fun :) Eventually I'll look back on this period in my life and laugh, eventually. Right now, I'm over-stressed, over-worked, under-slept, and under-worked out. So that about sums up my existence currently, but I do have really cute hair and I'm getting really cute boots and I have really cute nieces and nephews. And now I'm going to go get some sleep (2 hours earlier than last night--HOORAY!).

Back, Back to School Again....

Yep, that's right people, I just applied to go back to school through BYU-Idaho Online! I figured that my life wasn't nearly as much fun as it could be, so why not take on one more adventure?! I'm hoping to start the online program in Business Management in April. To be honest, I'm totally freaked out by this....hopefully I haven't forgotten how to study ;)

What is that I hear???

I can hear it...it's coming...it's change...dun dun dun. Walking out of the office tonight my Boss asked me if I would be interested in taking on another responsibility. You know what? I think I am.

Hmm...overdue for an update....

So I went to California, and then Washington 3 times and Las Vegas for my very first time with a group of great friends and then on an amazing cruise with my amazing roommate Kelli, all before the end of the year! 2011 was a very good year for me when I look back at it. It included many adventures and wonderful time spent with family and friends. We were also blessed to add 2 more babies to our family in 2011. I love being an Aunt and I love getting see my siblings families grow. Granted there was enough hard times and tears spilt and stress added to remind me that life is not all roses. I feel really good about 2012. I haven't made any resolutions, or goals, yet, but I feel like this year I could make some big changes.... So keep your eyes peeled, it could be anything :)

Getting ready to zipline in Costa Rica!

It's a crazy life!

This is just a quick little update as I'm actually on my way out the door to go to California for the weekend! It's a crazy life, but someone's got to live it :)

Things are going really well right now! I moved to Cottonwood Heights in May, in with my old roomie from college who is AMAZING! I'm so lucky to live with her!

I went to Seattle a couple of weeks ago and ran in the Seattle Rock 'n Roll 1/2 Marathon for the 2nd year. LOVED IT!

And I'm still trucking on with the healthier life style. While I fudge a little here and there I'm doing pretty good at being consistent with my diet and exercise. Here's a recipe that I tried last night and it was delicious - enjoy!

Dari's Picante Chicken (From the Biggest Loser Cookbook)
1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup mile, medium or hot picante sauce
4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of visible fat
6 tablespoons light cream cheese from a block, softened
1/2 cup (1oz.) finely shredded Cabot 75% light cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread 1/3 cup of the picante sauce in the bottom of a 13"x9" baking dish. Set aside.

Lay chicken breasts on a cutting board and use a meat mallet to pound the chicken to a uniform thickness. Spread the chicken evenly with the cream cheese and place, cream cheese side up, in a single layer in the baking dish. Spoon the remaining 1/2 cup of picante sauce over the top. Cover the dish with tin foil and cook for 15 minutes.

After the first 15 minutes sprinkle the cheese over the chicken, recover, and cook for an additional 15 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 198 calories, 4 g carbohydrates, 6 g fat (3 g unsaturated), 83 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 591 mg sodium

What will you have left?

We’ve been hearing a lot lately about not being “silly” women. This took root in my mind yesterday when we were learning about some passages from Isaiah. Specifically we were discussing Isaiah 3:16-24 which says: 

“16 Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:



17 Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts.


18 In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,


19 The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers,


20 The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings,


21 The rings, and nose jewels,


22 The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins,


23 The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails.


24 And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.”

There is going to come a day when we are stripped of all the worldliness and all the things that we think define us. My question to you, all my faithful readers (HA!), is this: What will you have left? What will you have made of your life? What will define you? How will people know you without your “costly apparel”, jewelry and your fancy or non-fancy car? Will you know yourself? Have you developed your character in a way that is pleasing to the Lord, in a way that he can look at you and be proud?


I can honestly say that I’m not sure what would be left of me. I don’t look in the mirror everyday with pride and recognition. Some mornings it’s more like, “what the crap?!” So what is my game plan? I don’t think that I have one, but you can bet that I’m going to find a plan. I’m pretty confident that the Lord knows the plan, and I just have to be willing to learn it. Are you?

Little Things that make me HAPPY!

This morning I woke up to a...well, we'll say wonderful, text message. What made that text message wonderful you may be asking since it did wake me up? It was from a hot hot hot boy! I'll never complain about the hour of his text messages since he is so adorable! From there the morning really just got better. You see he got me out of bed, but my new running shoes got me on the go! It's just like when I get a new can of tennis balls. I just can't wait to crack that seal and smell the delicious smell new tennis balls! YUMMY! If you don't play tennis you probably don't understand that, just like if you don't run you don't get why new running shoes can get you out of bed on a Monday morning, but having that new cushioning under your feet making your knees & back feel all good just makes you want to run longer. HEAVEN! So here are my new running shoes---beautiful!

I also bought some more hot shoes (apparently "hot" is my word of the day), but I couldn't find a picture of them, so I'll have to toss that up later :) BUT there are a couple of other things that make me happy right now. The fact that my lesson went really well yesterday made me happy (that and the fact that it's over....) and knowing that a dear friend has started a relationship with a girl that makes him really happy makes me happy! So fingers crossed that the "Wake Up!" texts from the hot boy continue and that the love of running in new shoes continues as well! YAY!



Firehouse Car Washes-Fundraiser!

Hey all you local Utahans--it's that time of the year that you finally WANT to have your car washed! Firehouse Car Wash has teamed up with me to help me reach my fundraising goals for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I'm selling 4-Alarm washes for $30 & 3-Alarm washes for $20. Firehouse Car Washes are seriously AMAZING!!! You won't regret this donation for a minute! If you'd like to buy a wash, or two or three, leave a comment or text me or call me or facebook me :) and I'll set your voucher aside.

4-Alarm: Voted "Utah's Best Wash" by Utah's best customers! The 4-Alarm gives your car added shine with water-whisking Weatherguard Protection. We'll shine and protect our dash with conditioner, too. We guarantee you'll leave delighted.

3-Alarm: Now you can cruise I-15 with pure confidence! Get the mud off the bottom and enjoy the shine of Weatherguard Protection. Be a superstar with tire shine and clean rims! We'll throw in an air freshener - you're welcome!

Race for the Date to Date for the Race Silent Auction--Spread the Word!

I'm Auctioning off Dates with my friends! Yep, you read that right! You can be the lucky "owner" of a night under the stars with one of 14 AMAZING people!


The date will take place on either July 22nd (Forever Strong) or July 29th (The Goonies). We will be doing one big group date (28 people in total) where we'll be going to the Utah State Capital for their "Movie Under the Stars" series and some other activities that night that will be announced later.



The Auction itself will be done on Facebook through messages. All dates start at $25 and increase in increments of $10. Two people will be auctioned per day, one guy and one girl. A "day" will be from 10:00 am - 8:00 pm.




To make a bid send me a message with either a current bid or with your maximum bid if you're not going to be around to make additional bids during the day. The Winner will be announced & messaged by 8:30 pm every night.




If you are the lucky winner you will have until the auction opens the next day (10:00 am) to issue payment online at http://pages.teamintraining.org/dm/rnrseatl10/mwootton or make arrangments with me to bring me a check or cash. If you do not meet the deadline the next bidder in line will receive the date.




The Auction will start on Saturday, June 5th and will conclude with the last people being auctioned on Friday, June 11th All proceeds will go to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and are 100% Tax Deductible!




I'll be posting a list of the participants later today and tomorrow, so keep your eyes open!




*If you're married you can't win the date for yourself, but you can win it for your single friend or family member that lives in Utah and would be available on the day of the date.




** If you don't live in Utah but do know people who do, please invite them to the Auction, the more people that know about it the better the results will be!

The Story of a Journal

Last night at my ward’s Relief Society Meeting we learned how to bind books. It was great fun! Well, to be honest, at first the books and I didn’t really get along that well, but we worked it out ;) I got there late (shocker!), but the Sister that was giving the message told us about how her Mom died when she was really little and her Dad died a little over a year ago. Her Sister (or Sister-in-law, I can’t remember which) put together a book for the family comprised of her Mom’s & Dad’s journals from when they were dating and newly married. There were entries that weren’t big or over the top, just about what happened that day, how work was, the weather, how much something cost. There were also the entries about their dates and how he proposed, what she wore at the wedding dinner. Did they know how much those things would one day mean to their kids? Most likely not, but what a wonderful blessing it will be for them and for future generations. After our discussion last night I’ve decided to recommit myself to being a journaler (I know, not a real word, but you get it!). Hopefully one day my journals will mean a lot to my kids. You never know, right?

"People often use the excuse that their lives are uneventful and nobody would be interested in what they have done. But I promise you that if you will keep your journals and records, they will indeed be a source of great inspiration to your families, to your children, your grandchildren, and others, on through the generations. Each of is important to those who are near and dear to us - and as our posteriety read of our life's experiences, they, too, will come to know and love us. And in that glorious day when our families are together in the eternities, we will already be acquainted." - Spencer W. Kimball, "Presidnet Kimball Speaks Out on Personal Journals," New Era, Dec 1980, 26.

My Book :)

A Beautiful Weekend with Beautiful People!

I had the honor to attend my cousin Jon's wedding this weekend. He married Holly Stansbury, a beautiful loving person. I only met her for real on Friday at dinner, but I was immediately impressed with how happy and caring she is. Granted, I'm sure that some of that happiness may have been caused by the fact that she was getting married the next day, but from what I heard from our family and hers, she's always happy! 

On Saturday Jon & Holly were sealed in the Salt Lake City Temple for time and all Eternity. It was a beautiful ceremony and I loved being within the walls of that beautiful and sacred building with my family. Holly & Jon looked so good!!! We kept comparing them to other couples in the area and Jon & Holly definitely won the prize for being the most classy couple there! On another note, can I just say my family is awesome! I had so much fun hanging out with my cousins and my Aunt and Uncle after the ceremony. They are hilarious!!! Plus I saw some traits in them that I see in my immediate family all the time! Too much fun.  

Congratulations Jon & Holly!

Have you ordered your Mother's Day Gift yet???

I found this cute store on a blog site and loved all the products! So I ordered my Mom's gift today, sorry, I'm not telling what I ordered just yet, in case my Mother decides to read my blog this week...:S Anyways, if you're looking for a great gift idea for your Mom, or maybe for yourself, check out this site! Enjoy :D

http://www.thevintagepearl.com/