Randomness At It's Best

I'm finding it hard to sit down and write about my summer since so much is going on in my life right now... I still plan on expanding on my feelings and experiences over the summer, but I'll let you know what's going on right now in my life.

School is in full gear. 18 credits, six classes, three campuses all in only three days a week. Tuesdays and Thursdays are my 8am-10pm away from home days.

Sociology isn't my favorite, but I love my metal work jewelry class... life drawing is hard, but I have to keep reminding myself drawing is pretty new to me so it's okay that I'm not as good at it as I would like to be. History is chill, three hours of slow paced lecture usually ending with a video has been pretty cool. Ceramics is always amazing and yesterday I totally threw a 14inch high vase on the wheel!!! hehehe. Finally math, math is cool, but my teacher not so much. I'm having a hard time learning from his way of teaching and am finding myself avoiding homework at all costs. Hmmm. I should change that, I would really like to not retake this math class. Then there are my Institute classes which are AMAZING! They make up for the classes I don't like at Pima and make me feel way better whenever I go to them. They are the lift and light I need during the week and I am sooooooooooooooo thankful for them.

On the guy front: There is a cute art professor I've met (he's not my teacher [and he's close to my age], so it's okay ;), he seems pretty amazing... So if you amazing art proffesor ever stumble upon this here blog, and you're also interested in getting to know me more, you should probably ask a girl out on a date. Im just sayin. There was a guy in my jewelry class that seemed interesting, but hes turned into annoying vs appealing, but there is a guy in one of my insitutute classes that I wouldn't mind talking to/getting to know more. Lets see what happens.

My social life is kinda eh, my really good friends are all up in Phoenix I haven't been able to go out the the fun restaurants or outings that I usually enjoy, but this has made it possible for me to spend way more time with my family which has been amazing. So I guess my lack of "cool" social life is totally worth it *grin* My sister and I can always laugh and have good times. We both think that I am the "old" person and my 5 year old nephew Jonah agrees. He thinks I am the older sister. It's not as funny when you write it down, but it was freaking hilarious when he told us he thought I was older (which I am not! Kara is five years older).

I've been reading (quick reads, but still good ones), learning how to knit (crocheting is so much easier, but knitting looks cool and seems more versatile), and cooking. I guess I've become a vegetarian. I'm not against eating meat per se, I just don't think I need to consume it with every meal or eat it everyday; I haven't had any in over a month and I feel great. Fresh veggies and fruits with fun things like polenta, quinoa, barley, all types of beans, and flax seeds have been my staples for food consumption. I've been juicing too! :) I've lost 10lbs and it feels pretty good. I'm still all about dairy and eggs though. I've decided I'm going to learn to sew better so I can modify the clothes I already own into fun new things that fit better. It'll be a fun adventure!

I'm the "sub" primary teacher at church right now since my class went to another teacher over the summer. I had the chance to "sub" as the singing time teacher (side note: I don't know a lot about music nor can I sing in tune all the time, but I sure love primary songs and feeling the Spirit while hearing kids sing them). I got to teach the kids, 3-11 year olds, for two Sundays in a row and can I tell you what... IT WAS SO MUCH FUN! We got to sing songs, learn, and laugh for 20 whole minutes. The kids seemed to enjoy it as much as I did! That is a calling I think I would have fun doing, which means I'll probably only ever be a sub. haha.

I am SUPER excited for General Conference! I got to go to a Regional Fireside where Elder M. Russel Ballard was speaking via a webcast and I learned so much... It was such a good preperation for what GC will bring. To watch it for yourself, tune in October 6 & 7 from 10am-12pm and 2pm-4pm Mountain Standard Time at LDS.org The Prophets and Apostles of God will be speaking and telling us the things that will help each of us in preparing ourselves to live with God again. Here is an example of what will be said: It's one of my favorite talks from General Conference "Love Her Mother"

Okay, randomess is done. I have homework I have been avoiding while writing this, so I'll be heading back to it now. More posts are sure to come!

The Spirit of God

I had a lot of different experiences over the summer that helped me to grow mentally, spiritually and physically (but I guess both mental and physical growth have something to do with spiritual growth too); this post is going to be perspective specifically from part of my spiritual growth from camp. The learning started at camp, but has snowballed into amazing learning experience after amazing learning experience since I’ve been home.

I thought a lot about the companionship of the Holy Ghost while I was at camp. I thought a lot about how I felt in general; I thought about what I had to do to keep the Spirit with me throughout my days, but since I’ve been home I’ve thought a lot more about the role and mission the Spirit of God plays in the lives of Gods children; our lives which are richly blessed because of the role and mission of the Holy Ghost. I realized I didn’t know how blessed I truly am to have His constant companionship as long as I am living worthy and obeying the commandments of God.

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, after being baptized by those who had authority from God (or the Priesthood of God) I had been given the Gift of the Holy Ghost (by someone having the same authority from God to bestow such a gift). The Gift of the Holy Ghost differs from the Power of the Holy Ghost which is fleeting; the Gift means having the constant companionship of the Spirit of God to guide and direct us on this life’s journey as long as we are faithful.

The First Article of Faith from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, in His Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost”. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints I know the Godhead is made up of three separate, intelligent beings. Three individuals who are able to think and act for themselves, but who think and act so similarly, that the scriptures say they are “of one heart, and of one mind” which testifies of Their unity in purpose.

I believe that our Father in Heaven has a body of flesh and bone, that Jesus Christ has a resurrected body of flesh and bone, but that the Holy Ghost is a personage of Spirit. I believe we are spirit children of God who lived with Him before coming to earth. As part of the Plan of Salvation (which was a plan made in Heaven by God in case His children sinned and became unworthy to return home to Him) we are now living in mortal bodies experiencing life so we can prepare to live with God again. We are on earth to learn/obtain knowledge; knowledge that will help us as we experience what it means to be in and have a family. I know ALL of Gods children who have ever lived on the earth will be resurrected and live forever, more importantly though, I know through promises made in the Temple that we can have eternal families; families that are forever living in the presence of God. All of these blessings depend on if we are faithful to Gods commandments while living here on earth though. These are things I know for myself, but if you don’t believe me? Ask Heavenly Father yourself. “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:” “For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened” Matthew 7:7&8 The Lord has promised to answer our faithful prayers and that good feeling you will receive will come through His Spirit.

 

Sage way to more talk about The Spirit of God…

The Spirit of God confirms truth. He brings peace to your spirit, He brings peace to your heart. The good feelings we have come from God through His Spirit. They are feelings that are a confirmation that something is true, something is right, or something is good. Think about a time when you just “knew” something because your whole being felt good about it… then think about a time when you felt “icky” because something just didn’t feel right. Which do you think was The Spirit of God?

 

I had the chance to speak to a couple of really good friends over the summer about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it reminded me of whenever I go out with the missionaries of how good it feels to have conversations where the Spirit of God is invited to confirm truth to all who are there and willing to receive Him. During these time’s I could see countenances change… the look of peace. One friend over the summer commented on how good he was feeling while we were talking about the Gospel; as if he had never recognized that good/peaceful feeling before. I pray for him, I pray that he recognizes the good things in life and has a desire to have the feeling of good/peace again. That feeling that comes from talking of and learning of Christ.

My pondering on the Holy Ghost has also got me thinking a lot about how the Holy Ghost “speaks” to me, how I feel Him in my life. I had the sweet realization that He speaks to each of us Spirit to Spirit. He does not speak to our brain or our body, which are both mortal, but He speaks to our hearts. The Spirit of God speaks to my heart! If you think about it our hearts are what validate our living… our hearts are the key to our souls. I know it sounds cheesy, but it’s totally true! Our hearts pump oxygen, our hearts pump nutrients, our hearts pump life. Our bodies can continue “living” if our brain is injured or if our limbs/organs have been traumatized or fail, but it’s when our heart stops beating that death occurs. Our spirit leaves a mortal tabernacle and returns home to the God who created it.

I want to be able to explain that what we feel, when we feel something different within ourselves, when we feel something good within ourselves, (even when it’s a feeling that we are being corrected because we’ve done something wrong) is The Spirit of God testifying of “Jesus Christ, of His work, and the work of his servants upon the earth” (Bible Dictionary Holy Ghost). Every aspect of our lives is touched by the Atonement of Jesus Christ; that’s why the Holy Ghost can be felt by people who don’t know Christ or don’t know what He did for us. Christ Atoned for our sins, He bled from every pore. He felt every pain we would experience, He felt every heartache we would feel, He knows what it feels like to be hurt, embarrassed, or alone. Jesus Christ then was crucified for each of us, setting an example of an unselfish life, a life of hard work, a life of love and service, a life devoted to God. He gave His life so we might live again with our Father in Heaven. It amazes me that we, through following Christ’s example, by having faith in Him, repenting, and being baptized, WE can have the Spirit of God as our constant companion; A companion who will confirm truth, eternal worth, and the love that God has for each of us.

How truly amazing and sweet it is to know we are children of God and we are not alone in this life. He is sending us the help we need to overcome the trials in this life so we can find eternal joy in the life to come.

I .Love. God.

 

Amazing? YES! Fun? NO!

As I'm reflecting on this summer I am a little overwhelmed with the idea of writing one GIANT post and have found that I don't want to do that because it doesn't seem fun. Multiple smaller posts are a lot more appealing! I don't know if the posts will be in chronological order or random because that's they way things sometimes go in my noggin'.

For now I'll give you a teaser... I have found that I have been correcting people a lot when they say that my summer must have been so fun! I say no my summer was NOT fun. Amazing yes, fun no. I've realized that amazing doesn't always have to be fun.

During this last summer I learned a lot about myself, a lot about people, and a lot about the love of God for His children. I learned to think and process thoughts differently, I learned to be okay with spiders and bugs that I would never have been okay with here at home. I learned that in every situation there are opportunities to teach and re-enforce good values. I learned that eating the same kinds of food every day for two months gets really old, but eating meals with a "family" was highly enjoyable; enjoyable because of the ecclectic group that was Bunk 2. I learned that I hate not being able to cook for myself, but didn't mind that I didn't have to do my own laundry.

I learned that it is important to have a happy place to go to when the stresses of my reality are getting to me. I learned that a happy place can be a great friend with an amazing attitude that is funny and can make you laugh; I learned I love Scottish accents! I learned how important it was to stand in holy places by not always standing in them. I learned that reading The Book of Mormon and praying really are the "easy" answers to keep our lives on track with peace and joy and close to our Heavenly Father. I learned that if I don't have something nice to say, I shouldn't say it at all, but I should try harder not to even think it. I learned it was important to try and have a good attitude even when things were hard, because people who are used to getting upset need to know that we don't always have too.

I learned to love teaching and being around youth even more. I learned that I can do hard and embarrassing things as long as it is for a good cause. I learned to love crafting and the arts even more! I learned how thankful I am I love to learn, create, and try new things. I learned I could be a better Sarah.

Keep an eye out posts will soon come with reflection on some of the learning that is mentioned above.

Maine. It's pretty amazing!

Short post...

God is amazing! Maine is amazing! The camp I am working for is amazing! The people I am working with are amazing!

I won't have time to post probably until I get home in August, but I'll be writing in my journal and will post a couple of my entries for ya'll.

This experience in my life is amazing! 

Oh sweet goodness this is going to be a summer to remember! *grin*

You're not crazy. You're just impatient.

That EXACT verbiage came to mind during a prayer/pondering moment about my ore. Just thought I would let ya'll know; I'm not crazy, I'm just impatient. bwahaha

I guess I really need to work on more patience and not bwahaha laugh at it right? I'll let ya know how that goes.

I'm a little afraid to pray for an increase of patience; I've prayed for that before, remember a few posts throughout this little "findin' my ore" adventure about me and patience? Apparently I'm not gaining enough of it. Which has me asking what else might have to happen for me to learn it?!

Yikes!

Yup, I'm scurred.


I'm positive it will help me with my future family and even more with life right now though, so prayer for patience, you're being said.

Drawing Final

Since I officially changed my major to Fine Arts I am super excited I get to take all of these fun art classes! This semester as I was figuring out what I wanted to do with school, while I was still officially a business major, I took a drawing class since I felt it would help me whether I pursued art as a career or not. I LOVED the class! I knew from last semester that I really like realistic drawings and so I aimed to get better with shadows and highlights.

Also, ever since I was a kid I've wanted to be able to draw people and make them look real in the picture so for my "final" in the class I chose to draw my brand new nephew Ben. In the pic he is only a few days old. It's a graphite drawing with tissue paper as his blanket. Since I'm proud of this drawing I'm posting it *grin*

I TOTALLY DREW THAT! I really don't mean to come off prideful, I'm just in awe that drawing people was apparently in me somewhere, I just hadn't been patient enough with myself or disciplined enough to actually sit down and do it. I will throw it out there though, noses are freaking hard! Also, with his eyes being closed it made it way easier. I'm trying to fill up my sketch book with different parts of the face so I can get better at each part. I LOVE ART!

Hopefully art will continue loving me.

Haircut from a Mormon

Back in December I was out food adventuring with Tyler and Gina. We went to a food truck event that was by downtown Tucson. It was a we bit chilly, but as an adventure goes, totally worth it!

*I secretly, or not so secretly, would love to food truck it. When I was fourteen I went back to Ohio for the summer and I got to work with my cousin at a portable doughnut stand they owned at different fairs around Lima. IT WAS SO MUCH FUN! Apparently I loved cooking and talking to people then too, because I would totally love doing something like that again!*

Now back to the story, we had fun, we tried some different foods and ended up standing by a Cuban sandwich truck munchin' on the Cuban we just bought. Talking about it like we were flavor experts (which is something we always do together, so warning to whoever may come out with T&G and myself for food, we dissect and talk about food like you can't believe :) Anywho... while standing by said truck, there was a guy who was eating a popsicle (and yes, it was CHILLY outside, yet there was an homemade popsicle vendor out and people were eating them!) that we randomly started talking to, his name was Andy.

I don't remember who started the conversation, but the four of us ended up talking for a bit... I remember us talking about Cuban sandwiches and who made better/worse ones than the food truck in town. We talked about the popsicle he was eating, which was some tart berry one (I personally would have gone for the spicy chocolate fudge one :) and I'm sure I said he was crazy for eating it in the cold. It was a friendly enough conversation, but soon enough we started to all get cold and decided to move around, heading our different ways for more food tasting. So we said our byes and nice to meet you's. By the time we were done talking, he had turned into the cute guy with pretty eyes that seemed to smile whenever we made eye contact.

T&G and I moved on and ended up by the BBQ truck. Then Andy popped back over from where he had gone and we all started talking some more. We all talked about what we do and where we're from. We found out he was from the same town Tyler is from; Andy is a few years older so, no they didn't know any of the same people. We asked if he knew any Mormons growing up because Tyler would probably know them, small towns and being Mormon, we tend to know each other. No such luck, he didn't remember knowing any. He asked a few questions about the church and we answered them and probably told him more than he wanted to know :)  I remember asking him questions about himself and him asking some back. It was the four of us talking, but sometimes I focused in on just him. Come on, he was cute and really nice, it just made sense. We ended meeting a few of his friends that he was with and talked to them for a bit too.

By the end of this last conversation, I had found out he would be working an event that I was doing someones hair and make-up for the next night. It was funny, I told him I would have to tell her to go and show off my handy work to build his confidence in my haircuttin abilities, because by then I had offered to do his hair. Tyler and Gina however complimented my skills with shears so I think he felt more comfortable with my abilities ;) He had also given me his business card and told me if I ever needed a DJ to call. We then said our byes again, he headed with his friends and the three of us headed to the car to warm up. It was really freaking cold by then!

That night when I got home, I shot him an email telling him it was nice to meet him and to holla if he really did want a haircut. I also pulled missionary (because that was when I was first in the missionary zone) by sending him the mormon.org website that could answer any questions/clarify The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for him. He emailed me back a nice reply and said he might take me up on the haircut offer, we had exchanged numbers a few emails later so he could call when he was ready to chop his mop (He obviously wasn't interested in muah since he had my email and later my number, but never called, so even back then I figured he must just smile and be nice to everyone and not to worry about it... Look at how grown up my though process is about guys, aren't you so proud?)... Now fast forward to last Thursday.

Andy text me during my drawing class to know if I had time that day or Friday to cut his hair. Funny enough my Institute class got canceled for that day (Thursday) the previous Tuesday (my teacher was going out of town), so I had time to cut his hair that I normally wouldn't. I had made some homemade limeade, brought it with me and headed his way to chop a mop. Which by the way he liked, mmmm, homemade limeade!

Now here is the real reason for this post, holy momma! When I saw him again, my jaw dropped. I didn't remember him being as hot, having as pretty of eyes, or being as tall as he was. No joke, I don't know if I hid my attraction that well when I first saw him, I even asked him if he was sure he wanted to cut his hair because it looked so nice. Whenever I would look at him during any of our conversation I couldn't help but smile. Thankfully he smiled back every time... maybe it was because he felt awkward with the girl cutting his hair checking him out? I don't know ;) I might have stammered my words a little too. Seriously yo, he is a looker, and he is nice, and smart, and a hard worker, and has a passion for things (music and bicycles were the obvious ones :) and it was so comfortable talking to him; I enjoyed our conversation! I'm looking forward to the next haircut for some more talk time, I'm just sayin'. I for sure didn't mean to take too long on his haircut, I just think I was enjoying talking to him, so his haircut might have taken a weee bit longer than a guys cut normally would. lol. Positive note: He didn't seem to mind.

 I can tell you one thing for sure and end this post with a smiley face... this was the first haircut I have given a cute guy that gave me a great thank you/goodbye hug when I was finished (besides my cute nephews of course, I make them hug me though, so they probably don't count) Let's hope Andy stays good on his word of being in touch soon. I'll let ya know :)