Speaking in Church, and other chenanigans

Today I had the great opportunity to speak in church. Most people wouldn't claim to love this, and despite the rush I get from performing, public speaking is still not something I particularly enjoy. I do, however, love preparing to give a talk.

For my friends who are not LDS, the main service where everyone sits in pews and we take the sacrament is only the first hour of church. Instead of having one sermon by our bishop, we generally have two or three members of the congregation speak on the same topic, like "coming to know the Savior by diligently learning of him," which is what I spoke on today.

I love preparing a talk because I am more enthusiastic about my scripture study, and have a particular focus in mind besides simply reading. I always feel and increase of the spirit in my life as I strive even harder to live the principles I am going to convey, and a greater understanding of the doctrine of our Lord. My testimony is stronger, and so is my love for the Savior and all of his children.

I had a lot of really fun stuff happen this week. First off, I went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter! It was fantastic :) I'm really glad that I didn't read the book over again before I saw it, so the little differences didn't bother me so much, and I just tried to think of it as separate from the book. (SPOILER ALLERT) I was kind of sad that it was ending, and I totally cried for pretty much the rest of the movie after Harry showed up at Hogwarts and stood up to Snape. They also did a really great job of making Snape look like a good guy, which I needed. I still had trouble reconciling the Snape I hated when I was little, with the hero of the last book. I've decided that Snape is a Byronic Hero, but don't ask me what that means, I can't quite remember the definition. :P

I also got a mini package from my friend who is on his mission. Inside there were 51 pictures. and that's it. I loved it :)

Lastly, I got to spend an afternoon with my wonderful friend Michael, who I've known for seven years. We don't agree on everything, but we really get each other and I just love spending time with him :) He's always there for me whenever I'm going through a rough time, sometimes with flowers and chocolate :)

I'm feeling poetic today--and really, really cheezy. Don't bother reading this post :P

I love the wind. I love the way it plays with my hair and gently brushes my cheeks with its fingertips like a baby trying to fall asleep. I love how invigorating it is to stand in the grass with my arms wide open and absorb the energy of the sun and air until I have to run. I love the way the very earth seems to come alive when the wind blows. The trees dance, the grass waves, the water ripples and rolls, and the sun leaves little brown kisses on my cheeks. Flower petals and cotton wood seeds swirl around me like fairies and remind me of the dreams I used to have of Neverland.

The Mountain from TSO Photography on Vimeo.

Memorial Day Weekend: I'm walkin' on sunshine!

This weekend was wonderful :) I'm starting to feel more acclimated to the singles ward and even made a few friends! I am grateful for friends: both old and new. Today I got up at seven thirty to help an older woman in my ward with her garden. I admit I was not incredibly enthusiastic until I got there at 8 and forced myself to smile and be pleasant. Immediately after that I felt so great! Not only was I helping her plant beautiful flowers, but I got to teach my little sister how to help too. By the time we left it was really hot and humid (90º and at least 80% humidity) but I still felt great. Then about 2 hours later we went swimming as a family and it was fabulous! I got a little bit sunburned on my cheeks, but other than that I was just so happy to be in the sun! Then tonight we had a BBQ with our good friends and neighbors and everything was so delicious. I had a great day.

Just a disclaimer: my life is far from perfect. There were definitely some parts of the day where I wanted to yell at someone, or push, or scream, or be really unhelpful, but I am trying right now to be a "Wise Optimist" (Henry B. Eyring) and acknowledge and address the bad things, but not to focus on them. This blog has now become the place for me to focus on gratitude so that I can be more happy and service oriented. So far it's turning out great! I've been a lot more patient and forgiving than usual, and I genuinely smile a lot more. I'd invite anyone who is looking to be a little more happy to try it.