Good Bye July!..... Hello August!

      July is now over (well it's only the 30th..) and wow has it been a great month! I have done a lot of changing this past month and I have seen what good it has done in my life. I have grown Spiritually, Mentally, Physically, and Socially.  It's been a lot of change, It's been hard change, But it's been good change. 

      My first Goal was Physical and was that hard. Running every day was a challenge. I didn't do it everyday but I did do my best to be a constant runner and I am so proud of my self. I still want to keep this goal and work towards running races one day. Maybe that could be my next goal, fun a 5K??.... 

  

      My Spiritual goal was something simple but changed me so much more than anything. I prayed every morning and night. Even if I forgot to pray, something would remind me and I would say a quick prayer. I would pray for experience or missionary opportunities and I would get little promptings here and there, I knew they were from the lord and not just my own thoughts. I have never really had that before, It was amazing! I feel so much more in tuned with my father in heaven and what he wants me to do, Which leads me to my big news... that will be in my next post ;)

     Now, Hanging out with friends. I wish I could have done more with them but I still got to be with them. We had a great 24th celebration and a great birthday party. I kidnapped my best friend for her birthday and took her to breakfast, that was so much fun. I love all of my friends. I am so blessed. 

   

     Last but not least, Reading Heaven is Here  This is an amazing book! Stephine Nielson is such a huge example of courage, the natural man's weakness, and the natural man's strength when paired with God's Strength. I think Every one should read her book. I want her desire to be a mother, homemaker, and woman of God. Here faith in God's plan is where I want mine to be. I am working on my testimony, I want to be strong like her. I can be.... I WILL BE :)

     It's been a crazy month, but so worth it. I hope I have helped you so far. One thing I have learned is change is hard, BUT SO WORTH IT! I can't wait for this next month and see what changes I can make to better myself.  This is My life, My experience, ME! 

Friends... Lets say more Family :)

So my last post was about running and girls camp. I haven't really told you about my other goals. My social and Mental goals.
Well lets start with social. I haven't done a ton with friends this past month because I have been working and also gone. But this week I am getting together to celebrate on of my best friends birthday. All of us have been friends all through High School, we have been through thick and thin with each other. I have few pictures I want to share with you. I'll tell you about each picture.

This First Picture, This is my best friend Alissa. we have known each other the longest. She moved to Utah when she was about 5 and we have been friends ever since. We have gone through HELL together. We have been in many many fights, some almost tearing our friendship apart, trust faltering in each other, you name it we went through it. I had a lot of people have asked me " why don't you just leave her behind, find a new friend. you guys fight a lot and it just doesn't seem worth fighting for." but they don't know. Yes, we have had our bad times. But we have had more good times than bad. We know Everything about each other. We are sisters. She has kept my darkest secrets, I know her darkest secrets. We are trouble makers together, Speaking Spanish in French Class. Boys. Plays. Ballroom. Young Women's. Elementary, Jr. High, High School. We have been together through it all. She is my confidant. I love you Alissa!

 This is Emma, we got to know each other our senior year. SHE IS A SWEET HEART! We became really close during my Last show in High School, Nunsense 2. I was Sister Mary Leo, I had this solo where I was roller skating and singing at the same time. Let me tell ya, Super hard!! When the stage is super small and you have less room than you thought to move, plus singing, then add on top of that girls in the back ground skating back and forth, man I really was struggling. But Emma, she always calmed me down and helped me realize I could do it. She is such a huge support to me! Thank you Emma!!!

 Oh Carrie!!! This girl, I can't even begin to explain how cute she is. She is always positive, She never has anything bad to say about anyone. She also loves ducks ;) I call her the duck whisperer. Carrie is always thinking about others. She always knows how to cheer me up when I am having a bad day. and she will always be there for you not matter what. Carrie thank you for your love and support!

 Now, Ciera. Hahaha boy do we have some embarrassing stories about each other. Sleeping in the same bed, Getting lost in the dark on SUU campus, Running red lights, Boys, Bear Lake, ETC haha. We became really close doing Shakespeare. We both competed in the Shakespeare competition for 4 years. all but one of the years we were in the same scene. Let me brag about us for a minute, We always got 1st or 2nd in every round we were in, YES WE ROCKED SHAKESPEARE! I love performing with her. She is so talented. I am so glad we are best friends. I don't know what I would do with out her. She is my confidant too. We have been the 2 original girls in our group of guy friends for the 3 years of High School, IT'S BEEN GREAT!

Now, Let me tell you about this table. All of us have sat at this table for all 3 years of High School. This is where we fought, laughed, cried, smiled, went through trials, started relationships, ended relationships, we got confused, we realized life lessons, studied for test that were in our next class, hung out, and grew close to each other. I am so glad I had this great group of friends to grow up with during High School. This is one group of friends I wont lose through life. WE ARE LIFE LONG FRIENDS!

Drama IV, This is my Theatre Family. we have stuck together in this class from Sophomore year to Senior year. We lost some , but we stuck together. Well all are going on different paths now.  Doctors, Famous Actresses, Drama Teachers, Health Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Professors, and Un decided have come from this great group of people. We all had and have different goals but I have never had such great support and love from any one before. They are my family. I love them and miss them. But I can't wait to catch up with them and see where they have taken their life. I love you Drama IV FAMILY!

Last but so far from the least, My Love. Chance. We met Sophomore Year. we both dated other people through High School and it wasn't till January 18th, 2014 that we started dating.  and I LOVE HIM! We both have been though our fair share of hard relationships. We both had relationships that ended badly and that hurt us. I think that has helped our relationship grow because we don't want to hurt each other, We both have learned so much from our past relationships and from each other. From him I learned that there can be a 2nd chance, or 3rd, 4th,... any ways. He has made me feel so safe and comfortable around him. One of my favorite things he did when we started dating was he wanted to save saying " I love you" till we were in person. That meant a lot to me. It showed he valued me and the time we spent together. He still does, He now says I love you over text. He makes me laugh so much and I never feel like I need to impress him. I miss him all the time. I crave being with him and that creates a tiny problem, He leaves on his mission October 22nd ;). He will be serving in the Frankfurt Germany Mission. I AM SO EXCITED FOR HIM! I know he will be a successful missionary. He has such a big heart. He will do great. He also is such a family oriented man and that comes from his loving parents and family. They have made me feel included and loved in their family and I never feel uncomfortable when I am around them. I LOVE THEM!  Yes, Chance and I have talked about getting married. I REALLY want to marry him, I feel so right about it. He is just so amazing. I know he loves me. I love him SOOOOO MUCH!

Well there is my little tangent on my friends. I love them all. They are really MY FAMILY!

Running, 3lbs, Girls Camp Oh my!

It's been a while since I last posted so lets catch ya up shall we?!

    Running has been GREAT! I have done really good so far. I have ran everyday, and guess what???!!!
 I HAVE LOST 3LBS!!!!!!!!
You make think " 3 lbs that's it?? why is she so happy about 3 little pounds?"
Well 3 lbs in 3 weeks is great! 3 lbs lost = running really is working = more motivation!! It's great!
if you are someone who has been running but not seen anything, I promise you it will come. just think now, your heart is getting stronger... YOU are getting stronger. Even if you don't see the physical changes yet, there is always something positive to consistent running.

The week of 7th- the 12th was a hard week for motivation. I would often find my self running not realizaing I was running... if that makes sense. It started becoming a habit but than when friday and saturday came around, man I did not want to run at all. Until one day I was on instagram and I saw this little qoute.

      And it hit me, No matter how far I run I will never regret running. I kept going.  I found more motivation to running. I reminded my self that I was doing this for myself. I wanted... no I WANT to become healthier.
 Every time I run I always push myself a little bit more than the last time. I don't have to run 5- 10 miles everyday and add one more mile everyday. Heck! I don't even know if I hit 1 mile a day haha. But I always push my self, I take a new route, I run up a hill, I run the whole way with no stops, I sprint for a block. I do what every I can do run. yes I am a beginner runner, but no matter where you are in running. ALWAYS push yourself.

     Well, I haven't just focused on running. I know this post is mostly about running so far. But I had the AWESOME opportunity to go to Girls Camp.  Girls Camp is a 4 day camping trip that The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints allows Girls from the ages 12-18 to go and build their testimony and relationship with their father in heaven. I was able to go this year as a leader. It was a very different experience for me. I had always gone as a girl. Everything is based around you, the activities, devotionals, etc. Now that I was a leader, I had to focus on the girls. I never realized how much love and effort the leaders put into this awesome week. I grew to love each girl even more than I thought was possible. I also grew closer to my Father in Heaven.
      I had an interesting realization or experience while singing and on a hike.  The theme for Girls Camp this year was Christmas in July. and they talked a lot about Mary the Mother Of Jesus. I grew to love her even more than I had. She has always been my Bible Hero. She was called of God to raise our Savior, His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ.  I can't imagine how she felt, becoming a mother is scary. And becoming the mother of THE savior must be overwhelming. I am so excited to become a mother one day, to teach my children about the gospel and help grow their own testimony. It's a scary thought but if Mary can do it... so can I.  The song Breath Of Heaven tells us a bit about how she might have felt.

I have traveled many moonless nights
Cold and weary with a babe inside
And I wonder what I've done
Holy Father, You have come
And chosen me now to carry Your Son

I am waiting in a silent prayer
I am frightened by the load I bear
In a world as cold as stone
Must I walk this path alone?
Be with me now, be with me now

Breath of Heaven, hold me together
Be forever near me, breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven, lighten my darkness
Pour over me Your holiness for You are holy
Breath of Heaven

Do you wonder as you watch my face
If a wiser one should have had my place?
But I offer all I am
For the mercy of Your plan
Help me be strong, help me be, help me

Breath of Heaven, hold me together
Be forever near me, breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven, lighten my darkness
Pour over me Your holiness for You are holy

Breath of Heaven, hold me together
Be forever near me, breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven, lighten my darkness
Pour over me Your holiness for You are holy
Breath of Heaven, breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven

     The Part of song that I connect with the most is when she says " I am waiting in a silent prayer, I am frightened by the load I bear, In a world as cold as stone, Must I walk this path alone? Be with me now, Be with me now." as I sang those words I felt a wave of emotion come over me, and this warm feeling in my heart, and I realized in the time where I felt most scared and alone, I was NEVER alone.  My father in heaven was always beside me. He just was waiting for me to ask for his hand. He was letting me grow. I look back and in those times My faith has never been stronger. In times when we feel he has left us, He is just waiting for us to ask him for it. 

     I know for a fact that being a woman is an honor. God has a divine plan for me, I am his daughter. I am a Daughter of a King. I am his princess. He wants only the best for me, and he will only give me the best in his time. He knows when I need things and what I need to grow in. I know he will never lead me astray. As long as I follow him and come unto Christ. I will be perfected in him. I can't wait to see what the future holds for me.  To be a wife and mother. I can't wait!

Follow Up... and HAPPY 4TH! ( 2 days ago....)

It's almost been a week, one week on Tuesday.  But it has been the first six days of July!
So a follow up on my goals:
 Running everyday... hasn't happened. I think I have ran about 3 days out of the 6 so far.. so 50% not too bad. But not really succeeding in completing that goal, but I still have 25 days to work on it. I WILL GET THERE!! 

Praying morning and night is something I am getting! woo! it's the first thing I do when I wake up every morning and WHAT A DIFFERENCE IT MAKES! Everyday is more peaceful and delightful!  I am really loving life! Just that little thing makes a difference. I can promise you that. :)

I haven't started reading my book yet, Maybe I'll start that today.... wait no I WILL start that today!

Planning a friend night, well I haven't done much with friends yet. BUT I did go to the Stadium of Fire with my man and his family and that was so much fun! I loved being with him and his family. With work it's hard to find a time for all of us to get together, so hopefully that will happen soon.

Speaking of friends and the Stadium of Fire, HAPPY 4TH! (2 days late...) I can easily say that around the 4th life just seems to be full of fun and cheer and no one seems to disagree on... really anything, IT'S GREAT!  We are so lucky to be living in this country. I can't even imagine what it would be like to live in a country other than good ole USA. Yes, we have issues but really they are issues that we the people  can fix. Most country don't have that luxury of the people getting involved to change things. The people are stuck living in conditions that are not fair. but we, WE THE PEOPLE get to be involved and have freedom of Speech, and help change what is not fair. We are so lucky.

 Our troops deserve every thanks AND MORE for what they do for us. I had interesting experience this 4th being with Chance ( My boyfriend..) He wants to go into the marines. That's a scary thought for me but I am supporting him 100% He wants to do it because he feels he needs too. He wants to make a difference in this world, and for that I applaud him. But being with him and feeling his passion for his Country and our Armed Forces made me really feel my own gratitude and love for our country. Thank you to all those have sacrificed for our freedoms, and those families who sacrifice time with loved ones so they can serve. I LOVE AMERICA!! HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!!

Motivation

     I know its only day two of my life change, but as I was getting ready to go for my daily run I tried to motivate myself. That was really hard. I didn't realize how hard the first few days would be. Maybe it's just me but it's already gotten hard. :(
     I put on my running shoes and walked to the door and slowly opened it.  I kept telling myself
"you can do it. It's only 3 miles, you got this!"
But my legs and feet would not move. My motivation was not there at all.
 Then, My little sister piped up and asked if she could go running with me. There was some of my motivation! Doing it with her would push me. When ever I do something with someone else I always push my self more than when I am alone. You want the other person to think you're cool or good enough so you always push your self more.
Well, We went running. As I was running I thought about why I was doing what I was doing, What could be my motivation?

- YOU, My Readers/ Followers. Now that I publicly put my goals and challenge online I realized there are people out there who are counting on me to hold up my side and do what I have said I was going to do. YOU are a big part of my motivation, I thank you for that. I don't want to let you down. I wont!

-My Family. I noticed that when I am happy and feel good about myself my family is a lot better too. You should always be the example to your family, no matter what situation  you are in. If you feel good about yourself, Everything just seems to to fit and fall in to place.

- My Boyfriend. Well I know, "if he loves you he wont care what you look like." I am not doing this just for the looks, yes I want to look good for him but it's also not just the physical appearance. I want to be better Mentally, Emotionally and Spiritually for him. He is a big part of my strength. Again as I said before in the family section, if you feel better about yourself everything falls into place. I want "US" to fall into place.

-Most importantly, MY SELF! I have to do this for me. To be a better me. I want to be that person who can help those who need that extra lift in their life. I can't do that if I am not able to lift my self up in my own life. I LOVE ME!

     I hope this post about motivation has help you in someway. Just remember, YOU ARE CHANGING FOR THE BETTER YOU! that is the MOST important thing. BE A BETTER YOU! 

"Baby Steps"

Okay, where to start....
One thing I have learned from past goals and my awesome mentors in life is that you should make goals that stretch you, goals that are attainable, and goals that will make your life better.
I have also learned from my experience in goal setting is start out with the little goals that will lead up to the bigger goals. As Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss say in the classic movie What about Bob?
"Baby Steps"
  

So here go My "Baby Steps".
My four topics I am going to focus on this month of July is Spiritual, Physical, Mental, and Social. So here goes my change.
First four goals:
Spiritual: Praying every Morning and Night.
Physical: Running Everyday in July
Mental: Reading a book, Heaven is Here
Social: Friend Night.

 Those seem like easy things right? well I guess we will just have to see how this journey goes.

Well, It's time for change

So It's July 1st 2014.  Where has summer gone?! It's like I just Graduated High School! Oh wait I did, May 30th 2014 I became a Bruin Alumni. You hear People tell you,
" live High School to the fullest, you're gonna miss it"
or
" It will all be over in a blink."  I was always the one who thought.
" ya right I can't wait to get out High School, This drama is so stupid, I can't wait to grow up!"
Well, guess what? I DO MISS HIGH SCHOOL! I have only been graduated for a month and I don't like Adult Hood. It's scary! Now I have to pay for a car, gas, all car repairs, plus insurance. Try and keep the job I have. Find a 2nd job so I can make payments. and soon Move out on my own.

   Your life instantly changes the moment  you hold that diploma in your hand. One second you're just a High Schooler depending on your parents, wishing they would just get off your back and let you leave - to freaking out about everything and realizing you really do need your parents help but you are too stubborn to ask for help because you want to be the Adult and move on with your life.
   I'll never forget what one teacher said on the last day I had his class, " Your relationship with your parents will change in a second once you graduate."  I didn't think much of what he said but now that I look back, My relationship with them has changed. For both good and bad. But I am trying to focus on the good part of the change.

   Well since I went through this whole change and Adult hood, I realized I need to make some personal changes with my life. Both Physically, Spiritually, Mentally, and Socially. This is what this blog is about. I want to involve YOU as a reader and follower on my journey through My change and My life. Hopefully help and inspire you to do the same. Since it's the beginning of a new month I want to come up with 4 goals, One for each of my topics of change. Each week I will post about what happens that week, Either on one or more of the topics. I will be 100% honest about everything I go through. This is going to be hard, But change is hard, RIGHT?
 Wish Me luck!