"Wiggle my ears and tickle my toes, methinks I see a baby's nose! It's more than a nose. There's a whole baby attached to it. Better call my brothers! Wingle! Bingle! Tingle! Zingle!"

So apparently I've missed seeing a lot classic christmas movies.  Everyone gets mad at mean when I haven't see a bunch of movies.  So out of the most common answers I get of movies I NEED to see, I took a poll of which one I need to see the most this christmas.  Here are my results so far out of the 34 responses I've gotten:

So I guess I'm watching "Its a Wonderful Life" this year.  If you would like to contribute your opinion to my poll, here is the link:

https://goo.gl/forms/S298JGYlGHgMFIRg2

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

"I looked up your symptoms on the internet and it says you have 'Network Connectivity Problems' "

What:

In this day and age it is very common for people to work from home or via Skype.  Its such a connivence to the business world that they can connect with anyone at anytime.  Our group (Team Mercury) had the opportunity to meet virtually in preparation to presentation in front of the class.  And it was actually a little difficult.  Most of us have bad email connection so things were lagging behind. Also there was some weird echoing with sound and we kept talking over each other.  It was nice that we didn't have to meet physically somewhere as a group and we could all remain at home.  But I'm not sure how efficient that actually was compared to meeting as a group.

So What:

I think its really important that we understand everything that you're giving up and gaining by choosing to do a virtual meeting.  There is a lack of personal touch because no matter how well you can see the person, they're still on a screen.  No vibes can really be shared like those of simple handshakes or movements.  Another thing is there needs to be a better understanding of technology being used.  Cheap students like us aren't going to have what it takes to have a good Skype call but big corporate offices might be willing to pay for faster internet of fancier web cams.  But there is something incredible about the fact that you can connect to just about anyone.  So its important to know when to use technology and when a face to face meeting will produce the best possible result.

Now What:

I think the our meeting that we did over google docs worked better than the Skype call.  For now as students we may want to stick with that method or group meeting but it is important to know how to handle a Skype call.  I think it would be best if it wasn't a brain storming session and it was more of a presentation given from one part to the next.

"You Can't Have Thanksgiving Without Turkey. That's Like Fourth Of July Without Apple Pie, Or Friday With No Two Pizzas."

What:

I'm going to be cliche this week and write about gratitude.  Not only has it been on my mind because of the holiday but also because I got asked to give a talk about it on Sunday. Yipee.  So I've been doing some studying on gratitude and the gospel and I've learned a few things.  Probably the most profound thing I learned came from a talk given by James E. Faust called "Gratitude as a Saving Principle".  He talks about how gratitude is actually a commandment and a very important thing for us to do.  This is the part that struck me the most:

"It seems as though there is a tug-of-war between opposing character traits that leaves no voids in our souls. As gratitude is absent or disappears, rebellion often enters and fills the vacuum. I do not speak of rebellion against civil oppression. I refer to rebellion against moral cleanliness, beauty, decency, honesty, reverence, and respect for parental authority."

Basically he is saying that when we lack gratitude, then usually negative thoughts and traits enter our minds in place of it.

So What:

Well I think we all know gratitude is important but I think most of the time we think its just because it makes a humbler.  I think I've rarely thought of it as something that protects my soul from "imorality, dishonesty or disrespect".  Its really necessary if we ever want to understand other godly traits.  And while I think for the most part I'm not an ungrateful person, I probably don't voice it or make it apparent enough for people to know that

Now What:

So I guess my learning experiene for this is to have more gratitude in my life.  If I want to protect myself from those negative attributes, I need to make thanksgiving a daily occurence.

"To ease another's heartache is to forget one's own"

What:

You know how Heavenly Father has a sly way of inserting things into your life randomly until you finally recognize it and you need to do something about it? Ya well lately there have been big red flashing signs of CHARITY all over my life.  Now I think that is a normal thing for people to do around thanksgiving and holidays because suddenly everyone becomes all cheery and gift-giving like.  But this isn't just normal thanksgiving charity.  This is just life charity and I need some more of it. So Heavenly Father is putting it in my life in the most random places like an assignment for an accounting class or an article in my finance class.

So What:

Well basically what keeps getting preached to me is that I would be a lot happier if I was serving more.  I'm in a very busy point of my life and my dad keeps asking me "are you enjoying this journey?"  and most recently I've had to say no.  I've been mostly enduring life and even the things that should be bringing me joy are just bringing me stress which weighs heavier and heavier on me.  Its easy to have the mentality that once I get to a steady place I'll be able to serve a ton but the truth is, I need it now.  I need to be able to forget my own heartache.  and I need some more christlike experiences in my life.

Now What:

First off, I'm going to slay that charity assignment.  And I'm going to try to assign myself to keep doing that.  I know christmas will bring lots of opportunities to volunteer.  But I want to keep it going.  Just little acts of charity, to help me forget my sorrow.  And to help others in their many needs.

"Monica categorizes her towels. How many categories are there? Everyday use... Fancy... Guest... Fancy Guest...Uh Eleven?"

What:

I'm not sure if I ever realized how much stuff it take to properly equip an apartment.  I've gotten by for 4 years of college with only 2 towels, a minimum amount of kitchen supplies, and a desk lamp.  But I'm now currently doing a wedding registry and it amazes me how the list just keeps growing and growing.  And we're going to be living in a tiny apartment.  I can't imagine how difficult it will be to keep track of and maintain a house that would have multiple bedrooms and bathrooms in it.

So What:

I guess President Monson's old saying "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without" sure comes into play here.  I've discovered that a lot of the nicest things that we have in my kitchen back home are things that my mom got from her wedding.  Its so nice that people are willing to contribute to the making of your home so you should value and take care of the things given to you.

Now What:

So I guess what that means is I've outgrown buying things really cheaply so I can throw them out in a year won't work anymore.  And I've got to be grateful for the things that are given to us.  and for the other things that we have to buy ourselves, we will save up and treasure for a lifetime

"All I want to be is whoever you want me to be this halloween"

There is a virus going around my family.  Its a scaring epidemic and it all began with my uncle.  You see, his birthday is on Halloween and every year he throws a big halloween party and scares his guests somehow.  This year they weren't able to have the party but he put a post on Facebook that for his birthday this year he wanted people to post videos of them scaring other people.  

Little did he know what he was starting

Here is my first attempt to scare my fiancé:

I hardly got a reaction.  And this was his comeback last night:

Ya, he got me pretty good. 

What:

How does this relate to anything? Well I had a bit of a revelation this week.  There's a reason that from now until December is a lot of peoples' favorite time of year.  Because their family is sneaking around the house and popping out like dorks? No, just mine?  Its because there are some big holidays and holidays bring family together.  We carved pumpkins with my entire extended family on Monday like we do every single year, and I relished every moment there.  I got to ask all my little cousins what they're being for halloween, dare my sisters to eat some pumpkin guts, and yes, more scaring was involved.  Pretty from now until January 1st, my family has a tradition to do nearly every week.  And I can't wait.

So What:

We're taught through the gospel that it is only through our family that we can get a sense of what heaven is really like.  I think that recognized even more during this holiday time of year.  What I don't understand is why its harder to get that same feeling throughout the rest of the year.  I honestly think that it could be because we have less reasons to gather ourselves and we have less traditions to uphold than during the months of October, November December.  But if everyone is happier during this time, more service is performed, and more love felt, then we should be doing this year round

Now What:

I'm going to try to have traditions and family times planned for all of the other times of the year.  Because I want to have this sense of liveliness with me at all times.  And because who wouldn't want to feel heaven year round? Even if I have to listen to a little bit of christmas music in April to remind me.

Home, Home on the Ranch

So my I've been blessed with some very prosperous ancestors that have left a place for my family to gather.  We call it the Thorley Ranch and its located down in Cedar City.  I've recently had the opportunity to go down there and remind myself of what it looks like in the fall.  Here are some of the pictures that I took:

What:

One of the reasons I love this place is that I've been coming here literally since I was an infant.  Everything about this place reminds me of family and adventure and especially childhood.  Going up there this time was the first time in years that I had been up there with family friends, who we used to take all the time when I was a kid.  It was such an interesting experience to be there with all of my other "childhood moms" and to talk to all of my friends parents about how I'm becoming an adult.  I had the revelation of there that we may make friends throughout all of our lives, but some of the best friends that you'll ever make might be your friends mom or dad

So What:

As I'm going through these adult experiences, I find myself talking a lot to my friend's moms to see how my friends are doing.  But they are always seeing how I am doing and giving me life advice.  I almost value see my old friend's moms more than I do my friends because they basically raised me and it feels like I'm a kid again.  They also are great for helping me know what I should do in my life or looking out for me or helping me make other connections.  

No What:  

I guess I never realized how full circle these friendships would come.  I guess I though I had outgrown my childhood friends and moved on but the farther I get  in life the more I realize that these are the people that are going to stay with me and always be my guardian angels in my life.  Family friends can become actual family in a sense and I'm really grateful I have them in my life.  

I wore a bra and brushed my teeth before schlepping it up that hill. Two Fat Drops of Awesome!

What:

I think I'm always posting about stress, or getting my feet under me, or some topic related to those ideas.  I've recognized a pattern that seems to have formed in my mind of always keeping track of the things that I'm struggling with or fail at rather than paying attention to the things I've done well.  I've slightly depressed all week because the only thing I can think about is the recent mistakes I've made or the lack of effort in some areas of my life.  I think this is partially part of my personality and maybe a little bit the outside pressures of a culture that makes me feel like I need to be doing more and better things with my life.  My dad is always joking with me because every time I call him, its usually some business item or very impersonal phone call.  and at the end he says"Brooke, are you stressing out? or are you having fun with life?!" Most of the time I can't say yes with the latter question.

So What:

This is an awful way of thinking! and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who does it.  Besides the spiritual level that Heavenly Father does not wanting his children to think of themselves like this, its just downright depressing.  Its hard to hang out with people that think like that.  Because often if they're insecure about themselves then some of that frustration gets take out on the people around them.  Also people that think like this have a harder time getting things done and lower their expectations for themselves.  This sickness of thought needs to end

Now What:

I learned in a Relief Society Lesson one day about this mommy blogger who had posted something along these same lines.  We read this post together and that day it actually stuck with me.  I think she puts it very simply and humorously while still getting the point across.  Here is the blog post:

http://www.daringyoungmom.com/2012/12/19/drops-of-awesome/

I highly recommend that everyone read this post,  but the gist of it is that its hard for us to recognize the good things we do because they're usually small little things.  But if we learn how to count the "drops of awesome" that we do every day, we wouldn't even think about the bad things.  At that would likely empower us to do even more good things.  Its really a matter of retraining our thought process and we could do some amazing things.

Sucking the marrow out of life doesn't mean choking on the bone

What:

Do you ever have the days that are just booked so full you can't even keep you focus on anything for more that 10 minutes?  Well I had one of those this past week.  After waking up at 4:00 AM to go take picture up Big Cottonwood Canyon in SLC, I was hurrying to come back for a class.  Then I was rushing to work to try and finish a project and get some homework done. Then I had an appointment back up in SLC so I jump in my car and I'm cruising up there and ........  I run out of gas.  Humbly I got to sit in my car for the next 30 minutes while my dad came to give me some gas.  I ended up just going home and fixing a short dinner and getting in bed much earlier than I normally do because I was done with that day.

I had really overbooked myself that day.

So What:

I tend to run into this issue a lot, not running out of gas, but literally being busy out of my mind.  I wouldn't say I have a hard time saying no but if anyone invites me to things, or asks a favor of me I pretty much always say yes.  This turns into a lot of crazy days like that one.  And not only that but things start to slip my mind, and then it spirals even more out of control.  And even with me trying to plan ahead I come to find that I have every single weekend booked out until for 6 weeks.  Even with a lot of forethought and planning, its going to be busy.  And I'm pretty sure heavenly father didn't intend on us to live our lives like that.

I've been reflecting on a talk lately that was given in General Conference by President Uchtdorf called  "Of Things That Matter Most".  He gives the example that student pilots often think that increasing speed is the best way to get through turbulence, when in reality its often decreasing speed to the right amount that will make the ride the smoothest.  The same is with life, that its easy to make yourself busy and have full days and think you're being productive.  But really we need to slow down and focus on the things that matter most, and then we will have a smooth ride.


Now What:

If having my dad come fill up my car on the freeway wasn't humbling enough, this talk sure was.  I guess I need to figure out how to slow my speed down.  Probably schedule some relaxing time so I can keep my head on straight.  And more importantly, get rid of the excess things in my life and start focusing on those things that really matter most.


Here is the link to the talk for anyone interested in reading it:

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2010/10/of-things-that-matter-most?lang=eng

"It's Deb. And I'm calling to let you know I think you're a shallow friend."

What:

Another baby shower for the books.  My family is essentially fulfilling the commandment to multiply and replenish the earth for the entire human race.  Literally I have cousins getting married or having a baby every month.  I just went to a baby show for one of my cousins and we're supposed to have 5 more before January.  I made a discovery about myself at this one though.  This is totally self-diagnosing and probably exaggerated but I think I have a tiny bit of social anxiety.  I always dread going to these things and then I worry about saying something offensive or forgetting someone's name.  Or just saying something downright stupid.  And I am absolutely dreading the day when I have to have my own shower.

So What:

I don't normally like doing any kind of self diagnostic things because I think people go way over board with it.  But this one keeps popping up in my life because I've been put in a lot of socially settings lately and I'm becoming more aware of it.  I think at one point in my life I knew how to talk to people at parties or pick up conversations with people I hadn't seen in a while.  But I seem to be getting worse at it, which is an issue because I am going to be going to a lot of these social settings, especially at what stage of life I'm at.

Now What:

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that I need to do something about it.  I don't believe that anxieties are an untreatable thing.  I think back to my time on my mission when I had no social worries bothering me what so ever.  and I think the way to fight it back is to practice.  So I hope that I can learn to put myself out there and care less about what others think about me and worry more about just talking to people and enjoying myself.

Taupe, Beige, Tan

What:

This might be a little more superficial of a learning lesson but it does have to do with communication.  Everyone has extrememly different understanding of what colors are which.  I've discovered recently that I have a different understanding than a lot of people.  I've being trying to pick some dresses out for bridesmaid and I kept telling my mom I wanted tan dresses.  She kept picking all of these weird Pink or orange colors so I though I could just google it and send a picture to her.  This is what I found when I typed in "Tan":

Those are all such different colors! the only one that I would even consider tan is the second row far right.

So What:

Well I've also been doing some graphic design lately and I was thinking "If i was having this much trouble with just my mom, I can't imagine trying to do something with a business or someone who has something very specific in mind."  Thats why they have color codes to get exact hues and saturations.  You have to be so specific to get the exact color you want, you might as well just bring a picture.  

Now What:  

Well I guess I'll be using pictures alot more.  I think its really important to be really specific and to have examples if you're going to be picky about colors.  That probably goes for a lot of other things too.

"In a world that keeps on pushing me around..."

What:

On my mission, the church released a booklet  to help missionaries keep there overall health in line, specifically because there seemed to be a lot more mental and emotional health issues.  In the booklet was various little tasks to help deal with stress and anxiety that comes with missionary work.  While that book was somewhat applicable to deal with on the mission,  I feel it could be a more useful tool in my life now.  I don't think I've ever been juggling as many balls as I am at the current moment. And quite frankly, I'm not doing very good at it.  Particularly this week has been one of those weeks that things seem to climax and I can barely keep my feet on me.  I think I've always felt like being stressed out was some sort of weakness that wasn't worth voicing or dealing with.  But sweeping it under the rug is not helping me this time so I've had to turn to other resources.  I think speaking with people is a really important step because its always easier to deal with things together than on your own.  The stress tool that has helped me this time is actually making a list of everything that is stressing me out, labeling who is responsible for those things, and what my concern is about that thing.  And its helping me quite a lot actually.

So What:

Why would this be important?  Well, life is most likely to just get busier from here on out so its really important to learn how you deal with stress and what solutions you have for it.  I never have tried this list thing before but its helped me clear my mind.  I now can see some of the things I'm stressing about are not in my control.  I also can see that I want control over more things than I have the capability to handle.  And I can see what things I just being ridiculous about and need to let go of.  I'm sure this will help alleviate a lot of the pressure i've been feeling.

Now What:

Well I guess I'm going to press on and keep making these lists whenever I feel the need.  And I'm going to learn how to let go of things and only worry about what is in my control.  I'm learning to recognize that stress is not a weakness, but something we all experience and its ok if we break down sometimes.  But use what tools you have to get you back on track, including people around you or sorting your thoughts out on paper.

I'd love to hear any ideas anyone has on how they deal with stress.

The Single Mom Life

What:

I am not married, nor do I have children.  But I do have a lot of cousins that are younger than me who've always felt more like nieces and nephews to me.  So naturally when their mom goes out of town she asks me if I can take care of them.  There are only three of them but if eel like it still is crazy how much there is to do.  Soccer games, practice, even just meal times all seem to add up.  I had another chance to watch them this weekend and I couldn't believe how crazy busy it was.  I was running to and from, forgetting one kid in one place, trying to get the other to the next thing.  Quite honestly, I couldn't do it myself, but with the help of some of my friends and family we made ends meet.  So I guess what I learned is that moms, and specifically single moms, must have a diving gift bestowed upon them with motherhood.

So What:

I think that this is important for me to learn because it honestly sometimes makes me scared for motherhood.  I can barely juggle my own balls, much less the rest of my family's stuff.  But somehow God helps them out.  Whether it be through photographic memory of where cleats are, or by sending angels to help you get someone to their game on time, he helps them out.

Now What:

I guess I need to calm my fear of not being adequate enough for motherhood, whenever that point of my life comes.  And I need to be more aware of the single mom's out there working hard and performing miracles everyday.

There is a purpose to Pinterest Boards...

What:

I've never really been the type of person to keep a Pinterest board of anything, much less, my future wedding.  Because of recent events, I am now three weeks into planning my wedding and I am wishing fervently that I had started many years ago.  I'm finding that my difficulty making decisions is being pushed to the test because not only am I having to make those decisions under a time restraint but also there are big financial investments involved and the potential of life long humiliation by children or future Young Women.

So What:

I used to nickname Pinterest a "coveting board" because that seemed to be its only purpose.  But then I discovered its humor section and I started participating, in a very limited sense.  But what I've realized is that, when used in a proper way, it can become an amazing tool for planning, sharing, and motivating for future ideas.  Really its kind of a brilliant thing, that I have not utilized in the slightest.  It would have definitely made this whole wedding planning process easier.

Now What:

Well I've been using it for my wedding for the last couple of weeks and its been super helpful.  But as far as planning in advanced, I'm a little to late for that.  But I've decided I'm going to start using it for things coming in my future, such as decorating my house, or learning to cook.