Inspiration Point

Absolutely in L.O.V.E

2010-09-30T08:36:00.001-07:00

I've been meaning to post this for a while but I've gotten pretty busy with reorganizing and organizing and my house is still a disaster at the moment. But all this hard work is leading up to one very exciting thing...the arrival of our baby girl in January!!
I can happily say that at the moment, and for the last few weeks since my morning sickness has subsided, I am absolutely loving being pregnant! I love to sit and feel Aurora's little kicks. It makes me smile, and sometimes even makes me laugh because it tickles. I love thinking about being able to kiss her little cheeks and hold her little fingers in mine. I love seeing D smile at me and put his hand on my tummy & I know he's just as in love with her already as I am. I only wish he could feel her kicking more. She does most of her kicking while he's at work right now. We are getting very excited for the arrival of our baby. We feel so ready for this next step in our lives (good thing, because there's no going back now!) and can't wait to experience the adventure of parenthood together!!

This is HUGE!!

2010-09-03T06:50:00.001-07:00

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we know the Church is growing and progressing throughout the world and will eventually fill the Earth before our Savior, Jesus Christ, can come to the Earth again and finally reign as its King.

I always get excited when I see the progress of the Church on the State, National, and International levels. The most recent news from this week is HUGE!! We're making progress with China! Yes, China! We do not yet have missionaries in China, but there are several Branches of the Church scattered throughout the country. It is my understanding that Chinese members and non-Chinese members of the Church living in China have not been allowed to worship together, due to Chinese law. During the earlier part of this year and continuing to now Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Elder Donald L. Hallstrom of the Presidency of the Seventy have been working with the Chinese government in "regularizing" operations for the Church in China. This really is wonderful news! See the whole story by clicking here.

We were discussing this progress in our Institute class on Wednesday night, and our Institute instructor, Brother Lewis, pointed out that not only is China not ready for the Church to send missionaries in, but the Church isn't ready to send missionaries in yet. He said that with as big as China is and how populated it is, we'd have to send our entire force of missionaries to China, which of course is not possible right now. Either way, the progress we are making throughout the world is exciting because it means that more people are embracing the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church on the Earth in these last days, and I am so grateful to be a part of the great work that is rolling forth!

Love free stuff!

2010-08-30T13:29:00.000-07:00

A new website called DiamondEarrings.org has an innovative promotion going on. They’re not selling anything yet, but are spreading the word about their site by giving away free pairs of simulated diamond earrings set in sterling silver, and will ship them anywhere in the continental U.S. It works like this:

1) Mention the site DiamondEarrings.org on twitter, facebook, myspace, or your own blog.
2) Go to DiamondEarrings.org and click on “Order Now” on the top right of the page.
3) Fill out the required information and pay for shipping, only $3.77.
4) Wait for your earrings to arrive!

So excited to get free stuff :)

Tom Cruise: Home Teaching Motivation

2010-08-08T16:47:00.000-07:00

A Prophet's thoughts on scripture study:

2010-07-17T21:09:00.000-07:00

"Often we spend great effort in trying to increase the activity levels in our stakes. We work diligently to raise the percentages of those attending sacrament meetings. We labor to get a higher percentage of our young men on missions. We strive to improve the numbers of those marrying in the temple. All of these are commendable efforts and important to the growth of the kingdom. But when individual members and families immerse themselves in the scriptures regularly and consistently, these other areas of activity will automatically come. Testimonies will increase. Commitment will be strengthened. Families will be fortified. Personal revelation will flow."

-President Ezra Taft Benson
The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, 44

The Last Lecture

2010-06-29T17:08:00.000-07:00

If you haven't read it, you need to. My dad lent his book to me a couple weeks ago. I started reading it yesterday afternoon and just finished it. I'm sure you've all heard of it, but if you haven't, it is the compilation of the life lessons and advice Randy Pausch learned throughout his life and summed up at the end when he was given just 3 to 6 months to live after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He would be leaving behind his wife and three young children, ages 6, 3, and 18 months. The book is truly inspirational and it helped me to put my life into perspective once again. There is a companion website to go with the book. Click here to go to that website. He has posted a link allowing viewers to watch the "Last Lecture" he gave at Carnegie Mellon before he died. I haven't watched the whole thing yet, but I have seen clips of it.

After reading the book and reflecting on things of a spiritual matter lately, I've again been reminded of the fragility of life. I know we all get wrapped up in the mundane things of life, the things we have to do, but because of that we often lose sight of what is really important. None of us know how long we will be on this Earth, and for that reason, we really need to be living life to its fullest. We need to figure out and grasp onto those things that are most importing in our own lives, not someone else's.

I am so grateful for the life I have been given. I have been so very blessed up to this point, far more than I deserve, but I am truly grateful for and humbled by all that I have. The things that are most important to me are not things, but the people in my life and the relationships I have with them. I truly try to be the kind of person people look up to and know that they can trust and rely upon. I'm trying to become the person I'm meant to become, even if I am a slow learner and feel like I often have to start back at ground zero. I want to reach my full potential. But I think that continuing to try is the key. I hope that I am always doing things in my life that make those who love me proud of the things I do. I hope that I never do anything I will look back on and regret. I am so grateful to have the amazing support system that I do. Especially my husband. I often wonder what I did to deserve to be so blessed to have him in my life.

I hope that I can always keep the perspective of what's important and what really matters. Life is shorter than we realize, and we need to make the most of every moment we have.

The Story of Stephanie Nielson

2010-05-14T11:10:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Travis, for all of your hard work in putting this together! It's much needed inspiration to a lot of people!

Confession

2010-05-10T09:11:00.000-07:00

First of all, I want to give a shout out to all the MOM's out there! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY YESTERDAY!! I hope it was wonderful for all of you! And this is probably lame, but I'm going to mimic my Mother's Day post from last year by letting you read it again by clicking here if you so desire to read it again. This time I want to write about me. Lame. I know. But bear with me. I might get emotional. I know I've already written about it, and I'm going to write about it again, but it's not because I want people to feel bad. I just have a lot of things on my mind that I feel I need to write on here for some reason--maybe because someone else needs to read it.

Yesterday was a special day for me for a lot of reasons. It's the day we have set aside to remember the amazing, incredible women in our lives, and thank them for all they have done for us. But for me, yesterday was the first Mother's Day I was even close to being able to spend it as a 1st time mom. Yesterday was the day I was supposed to be having a baby of my very own. It was the due date we were so excited about because it was Mother's Day, and the day before my own mom's birthday. [HAPPY BIRTHDAY TODAY, MOM! I love you!!] It was going to be perfect timing because it was only 1 week after I officially graduated from college.

But, over the last 7 months since the miscarriage, I have learned that Heavenly Father's timing is perfect, even if it doesn't feel like it at the time. You hear about people having miscarriages and that it happens a lot (one stat I read said 1 in 4 or 5 pregnancies ends in miscarriage--not to scare anyone, it's just reality, and hopefully none of you ever have to experience it!!). I never really thought it would happen to us, but we tried to take the necessary precautions--like not telling anyone, except a couple people--that we were expecting. Just in case. We thought we were almost clear to tell our exciting news. 1.5 more weeks and we would have made it through our first trimester.

I don't know if any of you can tell, but "pregnancy" and "babies" consume a lot of my thinking now. I can't help it. And here's where the confession part comes in: I'M SO JEALOUS!! I admit it. I am jealous every time someone announces they're pregnant. I'm jealous every time someone has a new baby of their own to hold. I'm always so happy and excited for them, but so jealous at the same time.

I always appreciate others' attempts at kind words like: "Your time will come." "You guys will be great parents when it's your turn." and my all-time favorite, "Just stop 'trying,' then it'll happen." What the?? I seriously don't get how someone can say "you can't be trying" to someone who has had a miscarriage and wants so badly to have children. Where, in anyone's book, is that okay to say? I am especially sensitive to that one, if you can't tell. But honestly, you don't know what a miscarriage is like until you have one yourself. It has definitely been harder on me than it has on Dar, and that's okay. But he's hurting just like me, and I'm so grateful we have each other to lean on.

But, I never realized until this year, how many women actually hurt on Mother's Day. People like myself, my friend, Denise, who also had a miscarriage and is also still trying to get pregnant again, the many amazing Sisters in my ward who have never even had the opportunity to get married or have children and are now past child-bearing years, the many women out there who know they can't have children of their own, and mother's who have unfortunately had a child pass away before them. Yes, Mother's Day is a very special day. A day where we can honor our own mother's and grandmother's, aunts, sisters, etc. But I think some of us forget how many women out there are hurting when Mother's Day rolls around.

I sincerely hope no one is offended by this post. I only hope that who ever needs to read it has read it. I hope that we can all remember the happiness Mother's Day brings, but I also hope that we will all be extra sensitive to those amazing women out there who find themselves hurting on Mother's Day!

The Testimony of Job

2010-01-08T08:50:00.000-08:00

Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book! That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever! For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.

-Job 19:23-27

Powerful. And I have to agree completely. Thank you, Job!

I have the best life!!

2009-12-02T06:39:00.000-08:00

I feel so overwhelmed with emotion right now. Emotion of gratitude to my Heavenly Father for the amazing life He has given me! Yes, some people might think my life is just average when they look at me and it probably is, but I feel so truly blessed that I can't help but think that my life is EXTRAORDINARY!! A HUGE part of my feeling is the incredible husband I have. He amazes me each and every day when he looks me in the eyes and I can see the love he has for me. I honestly feel like I'm living my "Happily Ever After" right now. I feel like my life has completely changed since I met and married D. He truly inspires me to be the best I can be. I know that he'd do anything for me. My life is blessed in so many other ways too, but I don't have time to write about them right now. I am so glad that my Heavenly Father loves me enough to send me this amazing man that I get to spend this journey of life with, and that I am privileged to be sealed to him in the temple so that we can live together for eternity! I love you, D!

Grab a box of Kleenex's!

2009-11-04T15:20:00.001-08:00

130 and counting...

2009-08-24T08:57:00.000-07:00

D & I had the opportunity to attend the 7th session of the Oquirrh Mountain, UT temple dedication yesterday. The dedication of this temple brings the number of temples in the world to 130, with at least 16 more announced and under construction. We now have 13 temples in Utah alone, which is truly a blessing. For more information on Temples click here.

I love the temple. I love the feeling of peace I get when I go to the temple. The dedication yesterday morning was absolutely wonderful. I'm so glad we were able to attend and be a part of this historical event. And to not only participate in the dedication of 1 Utah temple this summer, but 2! The Lord's work surely moves forward, and he continues to bless the Saints in significant ways.

Marriage and Divorce

2009-07-16T11:16:00.001-07:00

Powerful words from Elder Dallin H. Oaks on marriage and divorce. How much our world needs to hear and follow these words today!! We are truly blessed to have the Lord's Apostles on the Earth!

Learning to listen!

2009-06-04T12:28:00.000-07:00

In my first post on Inspiration Point, I noted that it is my belief that life is a time to learn. One of the areas of learning in this life takes place in the form of learning to listen to the Spirit. It's something I feel I'm not very good at, and I have been praying about so that I can become better at it. Mostly I feel like I don't recognize when it's the Spirit prompting me.

Today was one of those days where I am kicking myself (hard) because I didn't recognize the promptings I was receiving as coming from the Holy Ghost, and saw the consequences of not listening in the aftermath of the circumstances.

The Story:
As D was getting ready to leave for work at 6:15 this morning, I felt like I should drive him to his car pool spot. Not seeing a reason as to why I would need our car today, I let that feeling slide, and he took the car to work, leaving me stranded at home without a vehicle (which is usually perfectly fine).

Around 8:30am I received a phone call from my mom (she's was on her way down to St. George on a shuttle van because it was cheaper than it would be for her to drive her own van down, and she doesn't feel comfortable driving that far alone anyway). However, yesterday my mom, my sister, and my nephew got in a car accident, and my mom was feeling pretty uncomfortable in the shuttle due to her achy muscles and joints, but they just happened to be stopping close by my house to refuel the shuttle van and she wanted me to bring her a pillow. Unfortunately, I did not have the car, so I couldn't bring her a pillow to make her ride a little more comfortable (although I did offer to run or ride my bike, but I wouldn't get there in enough time).

I laid in bed for probably 15 minutes after we hung up, because there really wasn't a way for me to help her out (especially because they didn't stop at my exit, but the one just north of where I live), and then I finally decided to get up and shower. As I went into the bathroom, I felt like I should bring my cell phone in with me, but again, I couldn't see a reason as to why I would need to. After showering and getting ready for the day, I checked my phone and saw that I had missed 2 calls and had a voice mail from my mom. As I listened to the message, she sounded distressed, but I couldn't tell exactly what was wrong because the message was choppy and kept cutting out. I called her back immediately, and luckily someone else had been available to come to the aid of my stranded mother. Yes, I said stranded. The driver of the shuttle van had left my poor, hurting, stressed out mom at the gas station!!!! (Hence the 2 phone calls and voice mail I missed from her while I was in the shower.) Luckily, Heavenly Father watches out for us and He will always find someone else to meet our needs when the first person is not available. A nice family from Idaho Falls was on their way down to St. George too, so they picked up my mom and brought her down to Nephi, where should would again be able to meet up with the shuttle van driver.

It's now after 1:00, and my mom made it safely to St. George where she will hopefully be able to spend a few relaxing days hanging out with my brother and two of my nieces.

I still feel awful though that I failed to listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost not once, but twice today!! Although I feel like I failed this test of listening, hopefully this experience is more of a lesson learned rather than a lesson that will need to be repeated over and over again until I finally get the message.

Whom the Lord calls...

2009-06-02T11:57:00.000-07:00

D & I got a new bishopric this past Sunday, and it was such an amazing, spiritual experience. We've only been in this Ward for 5 months, and the bishopric was really starting to grow on us (especially Brother Sackett), but we figured we'd be getting a new 2nd counselor soon because our 2nd counselor has been dealing with some pretty severe cancer over the past couple months.

When we saw our entire Stake Presidency sitting on the stand, we figured there were going to be some changes. But, WOW!! What an incredible experience!! When our bishopric was released, and each new name was called, you could feel the Spirit so powerfully!! What's amazing to me is that D and I hardly know these men (some, we don't know at all!), yet the Holy Ghost has the awesome ability to witness to you when something is right (or wrong). There was such an amazing feeling in the chapel that I couldn't help but cry. D kept asking me if I was okay, and of course I was, but I LOVE knowing that "whom the Lord calls he qualifies."

Our new bishop, Bishop Erikson, was called fresh out of the nursery :), and had even sold his home (the home he's been trying to sell for 2 years) the week before he was called as our new bishop, but he and his sweet wife made arrangements to stay in our ward so he could be our new bishop. What an incredible man!

The 1st counselor has been on the high council in our stake, so we've seen him around quite a bit, and he and his wife come to our Sunday school class. We knew he'd be great in the bishopric when we heard his name.

The 2nd counselor is who hit me the hardest though, and I think D as well. He is the sweetest man, and has given me such great support in the calling I have that I find so difficult. He always participates in class and always has wonderful stories and comments to share. Almost every Sunday we teach, he finds his way up to tell me that I did a great job. I really need that kind of support and feedback. It was great to see him sitting on the stand, clean-shaven and all :)

I LOVE that we can always trust our Heavenly Father to put the right people in the right calling at the right time. He knows what He is doing, and I am so glad I can trust Him with anything! Even with knowing that this new bishopric is what our Ward needs at this time. I am so grateful that we were able to attend Church and to come home having a renewed testimony of the confirming power of the Holy Ghost. As we sat and listened to the testimonies of all the men and their wives, we knew this is what Heavenly Father had planned for our Ward. You could see His hand in all of the changes that took place on Sunday. We can't wait to get to know this new bishopric!!

Am I a bridge-burner?

2009-05-20T11:55:00.000-07:00

This first block of summer semester I'm taking a Race and Minority Relations class. I've really enjoyed it so far, even though I've only been to class for a week (I had a little issue with not being able to sit or move for the first week class had actually started, so I'm a little bit behind, but that's another story).

One thing we're talking about this semester is different strategies we can use to overcome prejudice or that will help us in building relationships with people who are different than we are. Throughout the duration of the semester, my professor will be giving us about 15 different items to add to that list of strategies (and I'll post it on here when it's complete). We talked about one today though that really hit me, and I think it applies to any relationship, especially the relationships we have with those who are closest to us.

I admit that I tend to be a little judgmental. But, aren't we all, in our own different ways? It's something I've been working on because I know I will be judged according to how I judge others. We never know what a person has really gone through and what their life experiences are, so we really have no place, what-so-ever, to judge them. So the question my professor asked us today (and one of the items for our list) was: So what? What am I going to do? Then he added to that: Am I a bridge-burner or a bridge-builder? He wanted us to ask ourselves why we care about the differences we have with others. And if there is a difference between ourselves and someone else, why do we care? Why is it a big deal to us? And, what are we going to do about it? We can be either a bridge-builder or a bridge-builder.

I want to be a bridge-builder. If God loves all of His children, why shouldn't I love them too?

Just something for us to think about. This is something I'm really going to be pondering and working to improve on.

This is the place.

2009-05-19T08:49:00.000-07:00

Life is good to me.

Wait.

No.

Life is great to me!

Yes, I have my challenges and disappointments, just like everyone else. I think the difference with me sometimes is that I really try to view life as an adventure. Life is to place to learn and grow. A place to experience challenges and disappointments. A place to experience joy and happiness. A place to come to know who we are.

So, here I am to write about the challenges and disappointments, the joy and happiness, the knowledge. It's my Inspiration Point.

I think inspiration comes to us in a variety of ways. It seems like at this time in my life, most of my thoughts revolve around my family, my church, and my education. Those are the places my inspiration comes from. Good or bad.

I needed a place to record my thoughts. A place to reflect back upon the little things that happen in my life that I don't want to forget. This is that place.

The place to capture those experiences that I never want to forget, to leave a little bit of my heart on the page. If it is mostly the little things that make up our lives, then it is the little things I want to hold onto and keep close to my heart. I hope you enjoy taking a journey (whether it's exciting to you or not) through my thoughts. We might learn a little from one another.