Fun, Fall and College Football

I recognize that most of you will think I'm crazy for what I am about to say, and that's okay. I feel like it's time this was out there. I always liked being in school. Always. I remember crying the whole way home on my last day of first grade. School was great. We did fun things and I got to learn SO MANY cool things!

Once I got to high school, I liked being in school so much that I participated in everything! I played volleyball and softball. I was in the madrigals, on the agriculture team, and I did drama.  Granted, I always played the 3rd fence post from the left, cause I can't act and I don't really love to be the center of attention, but I was involved. I went to assemblies and pep rallies and football games. I was involved in clubs and I went to dances. I took honors and AP courses and could write a research paper in my sleep--which sometimes I did!

When I graduated from high school and started college, I took 21 credits both fall and spring semester--and at that point I kinda burned myself out. I think I just did too much. I was working full time as well and trying to have a social life on top of my heavy school load...and I just couldn't keep up. I decided that I needed some time away from school.

I knew that time off for most people was a lifetime sentence. Once you stopped going, it was hard to go back. But I was sure it was what I needed to do. So I took some time. After a year or so, I decided I was ready to go back and finish my Associates degree. If I pushed hard for just one semester, I could finish up. So that's what I did. And then I took some more time.

Finally, in the summer of 2004, I decided it was time to go back and get my Bachelors degree. In January of 2005 I started school at the University if Utah--which in and of itself is quite the story, but I'll save that for another time. My first semester at the U was hard. I didn't know anyone, and my roommates were pretty much crazy. I spent a lot of time driving home to St. George. When summer rolled around, I wasn't sure I wanted to go back in the fall.

But go back I did. And starting fall semester made all the difference in the world. I found some extracurricular activities to get involved in (a huge THANK YOU goes out to all my friends from Encore for making the 05-06 school year so memorable!). And I discovered University of Utah Football!!

And now, every fall, when college football starts, and my Utes take to the field, I want to be back in college. I want to be on campus, in classes, and I want to be in Rice Eccles Stadium, screaming and cheering with the rest of the MUSS! There is something so energizing about being part of it! I'm not the biggest football fan out there (the NFL does nothing for me), but I love college football, and I am the biggest Utah fan out there! It takes 120 credits to get a bachelors degree, and at my last count I think I have about 226... and I would love to go back! For the sleepless nights spent studying and playing, for the professors who know an endless amount about the things they teach, for the friendships and the memories. And for the football. I would go back.

Rain

Rain is beautiful. Especially in the desert. And since I have spent my life in the desert, there are few things I love more than a good rain storm. So what is it that I love about the rain? Lots of things!

First- Rain in the desert gives life. So many people operate under the misconception that there is no life in the desert. I am here to tell you that is incorrect! The desert is teeming with life, if you know where, and when to look for it! From unique wildlife to incredible wildflowers,  rain is the sustaining factor for life in the desert. 

Second- Rain is cleansing. I love the way the world feels after a good rainstorm-- as though everything has been cleaned and is fresh and new. The dust settles and the sky is a bit bluer, the grass a bit greener. The birds sing a bit louder and their song carries through the air a bit farther. All that was amiss gets reset when it rains. 

Third- Rain has the power to transform the world. Don't believe me? Visit an area that has recently seen a flash flood. There are few sights more thrilling and more humbling than to witness a flash flood as it cuts a path through the desert, carrying boulders the size of apartments along as though they are weightless, carving and changing the face of the land. 

Tonight. Tonight, it's raining in St. George. And I decided to go for a walk. 

And there was something so therapeutic about it. Recently, feelings of worry, self doubt and inadequacy have been all consuming.  My ever present companions as I attempt to figure out where my life should go from here. But something happened as I walked in the rain tonight. I got soaked. And as the drops hit my face, pooled together and started to run, I found myself letting go of a little bit of the troubles I have been holding onto so tightly. 

As I walked, I thought about my Savoir, who suffered on a cross, not just for my sins, but for my sorrows. He can take the pain. He can take the worry, the self doubt and the feelings of inadequacy. He can, and he DID. Now, I just need to stop holding on so tightly. 

I think one of my great limitations is that I tend to be afraid of my capabilities. I'm sure you are all familiar with the quote by Marianne Williamson that reads:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate; our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you NOT to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won't feel unsure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us. It is in everyone."

So my question is why? Why are we afraid to shine? Why are we afraid of the greatness that we possess? Have we allowed the world to beat it out of us? We all know that misery loves company and when we are down, the last thing we want is someone to make us feel better, right? I mean, if you can't join my pity party, you certainly aren't welcome to have a celebration of your own in my presence. I'm not discounting the value of mourning something lost. There is a time and a purpose to grief. But don't hold on when the time is past. Look forward to the future and remember to stay positive. Some of your best days are still to come!

So I issue this challenge--to myself and all who are willing. Stop holding on so tightly to the things that make life hard. Instead, give them to the Savior for He knows what to do with them. Forgive a bit more easily. Smile without hesitation. Offer a kind word. Stop worrying. And stop comparing. Surround yourself with those who lift you up and help you to be your very best self!

Funny, that all of that came from a 10 minute walk in the rain...

The ABC's for my New Year

Just in case you have been living in a time warp somewhere and missed the fuss, the fireworks and the fun, it's now 2015!!

Personally, I have never been much of a New Years Resolutions kind of a girl. For the past several years, I have made a modified attempt at it, wherein I decide on a focus for the year, rather than setting a list of resolutions. A few years back, my focus was to simplify. The next year I set my sights on serving others. And I am happy to report that I feel I have been successful in this form of resolution setting. Is that to say I have been perfect in my pursuits?? No way! I made plenty of mistakes. I got caught up in silly things. I was sometimes very selfish. Still, at the end of these past years, I could look back and say that I had done something right, and that was what mattered to me.

As I contemplated what I wanted my focus to be in 2015, I came across a post on Facebook from President Thomas S. Monson that said:

“At the advent of a new year, I challenge Latter-day Saints everywhere to undertake a personal, diligent, significant quest for what I call the abundant life—a life filled with an abundance of success, goodness, and blessings. Just as we learned the ABCs in school, I offer my own ABCs to help us all gain the abundant life.

A in my ABCs refers to attitude.

B is for believe—in yourself, in those around you, and in eternal principles.

C is for courage. Courage becomes a worthwhile and meaningful virtue when it is regarded not so much as a willingness to die manfully but as a determination to live decently."

...and it got me thinking. The abundant life, as he describes it, is a great thing to strive for and I decided that would be my 2015 focus. So I wrote his ABC's on the whiteboard I keep in my room. And as I stood there, dry erase marker in hand, I found that the rest of the ABC's came to me with ease. I almost didn't think about it as I jotted them down, knowing that the things I was adding to my list would aid me in achieving the abundant life.

So, I share my 2015 Abundant Life Alphabet with you now. Pick and choose from it as you like. Take it or leave it in it's entirety if that is what suits your needs, but these are the things I feel to be important for me in the coming year: 

A- Attitude

B- Believe--in yourself, in others and in eternal principles

C- Courage-- to live decently

D- Dedication-- to the things you know to be right, to your health, to your family and to your friends

E- Embrace the experiences that you have

F- Faith that good things are going to happen in 2015

G- Grateful in any circumstance (Read President Uchtdorf's talk on this here)

H- Humility and trust in the Lord and His timing

I- Increase your income

J- Joy in the journey--it's all about enjoying the small things in life

K- Kindness matters (Thanks to John Dillon for frequently reminding me of this!)

L- Live a life worth emulating. Love much. Laugh often.

M- Make a difference in the lives of the people around you 

N- Never give up!

O- Overcome insecurity and open yourself up to life's possibilities.

P- Perspective-- keep it positive, keep it eternal

Q- Quality time with the people who are important to you

R- Record your heritage

S-Spend less. Save more. Life is better when it is Simple

T- Time for Travel. It's fun and it creates worthwhile memories

U- Use your talents to leave the people, places and things you come into contact with a little better

V- Virtue-- it is important to have high moral standards

W- Wants--keep them reasonable

X- Cut gossip, vanity and selfishness from your life (I know, cut doesn't start with an x, but let's get real here...what legitimate word in my vocabulary does?!?)

Y- YOLO! Cheesy, I know. But it's true. Make this year worth remembering!

Z- Zest for adventure

This certainly isn't an exhaustive list, and even as I was writing I thought of things I could add, but I hope this helps you as you decide what your resolutions will be in the coming year. Most of all, I hope that this year is filled with an abundance of goodness, success and blessings, because we all need more of that in our lives.

Wishing you a happy, safe, and wonderful 2015!