This is My Birthday Song. It isn't very long.

Birthdays are incredible you know. I am awed by the wonderful people who I am privileged to call my friends. As I received birthday wish after birthday wish, phone calls, gifts, and meals galore I was impressed to realize that these treats were a mere expression of a love that I feel all of the time. Certainly, on this day those expressions were more concentrated, but there are incredible people in this world. People who make me feel like a million dollars on my worst day. People who will drop everything to come to my aid for even the smallest need. People who will let me open my heart to them and more importantly whom will open their hearts to me and let me in to be a friend and confidant. It is so wonderful to feel important to others but I NEED to feel as though I have something to contribute to others. Many of my friends have allowed me to do just that, even if all I could offer was a prayer for hope in their behalf. On my birthday I was reminded of how lucky I am to have so many in my life who allow me to just be me, and to have great hopes for those I care about. Thank you, to all of those people who have blessed my life with love, acceptance, and kind deeds. You are truly the angels whom God has sent to provide for me. Here are a few photos from the celebratory day.

A Tale of Two Turkeys

Ah the wonderful sights and smells of Thanksgiving; turkey, potatoes, cranberries, and Cornish hens? Wait, really? That tiny little bird should not be on the table at thanksgiving time. My mother decided she wanted to play a little trick on the only child she had coming home for the holiday of gratitude. I’m not sure I’ll be going home next year (*wink). Mom, dad, and I helped put together a delightful little meal, but mom was sure to give me the items that kept me away from the main meal, mainly the bird. She had this recipe for an a-m-a-z-i-n-g cranberry cream cheese dip and I had the privilege of making it. Thank goodness, because now the recipe is burned in my brain and it is delicious! Find a triscuit or Ritz cracker and start dippin’ baby because this stuff is good.

I was also in charge of the pumpkin crumble dessert. No pictures, but it was cake to make! So, dinner was placed nicely on the table and mom tells me to look at the turkey and how much it shrank. I, of course, flipped a little and asked, “How big was it before you cooked it!” She couldn’t hold back her snickers. Phew! I did not want to eat that bird. Then they brought out the real one. Thank goodness! It was a much prettier bird. It was a nice break from everyday life to spend some thankful time at home with mom and dad.

There's somethin' wrong with the world today

I don't know what it is
Something's wrong with our eyes
We're seeing things in a different way
And God knows it ain't His
It sure ain't no surprise
We're livin' on the edge -Aerosmith

I think there has always been war waging in the hearts of men whether it is manifested in physical battle or angry words of hate. We preach tolerance in America, but do we live it? Or, are we motivated by our own selfish behavior? Is it possible for everyone to feel that justice and freedom are theirs? I am emphatic in my belief that the answer to that question is yes! But, it requires sacrifice and our very nature as man leads us to selfishness therefore denying us the very freedoms we profess to desire.

As of late I have been especially conscientious of the people in my surroundings. I am fascinated by the things I observe. Yes, we are surrounded on every side by hate and envy, greed and even terror, but there truly is so much good. I was at a bookstore and realized that the environment around me was quite peaceful. People weren’t in a rush, nor did they care if they had to wait in line to make their purchase. In fact, people were smiling and talking as they waited. The cashiers were sweet and kind. The people there were not worried about themselves and the things they had to do, but it felt as though they actually loved the people they were around. How would our definition of tolerance change if we realized that we should be caring more about other people? I think it’s important that we have our opinions and live according to our own dictates of conscience. That is what defines us as individuals, but if we are so focused on our opinions and standards that we lose sight of others as real and true beings of conscience, emotion, and love; we lose sight of ourselves as just such beings and our view of tolerance becomes something akin to the idea that I will tolerate the other so long as they live according to what I believe.
I can only strive to love myself and to love others so that my heart is open and my eyes are free to see that I might tolerate others and desire for others the best for them.

Spooktacular Halloween Stuff

I really am living in the wrong era. I can pull off looks of other ages so much better than the current trends allow. However, I do enjoy the current high waisted skirt trend. Anyway, I think the proof of my living in the wrong era is apparent in this photo. This is my look right? Well, my friend Lance thinks so and I fully agree with him. I wish with all my whole soul that I could go back to the side crimped pony and big bangs!!! Alas, I cannot as I realized the awkward looks I received when I went to vote in this very attire. YIKES! Good thing it was Halloween. Oh, and I must commend my dear Michael on his fabulously disgusting hair. Do you see how wretched and awesome it is? He definitely went above and beyond with his costume. This was my fabulous work costume.

My eveningwear was a little more scandelous. My lovely roomates and I decided to be the three fairies from Sleeping Beauty. We took it to the extreme. Me being Flora had a lot of flowers and greenery on my costume, not to mention my dress was a nightgown! Mary was Fauna and if you look closely you may see animals attached to her costume. Andrea was Merryweather and had beautiful white clouds floating around her blue and purple skies. We had too much fun putting these outfits together. I wish we had Halloween once a quarter. I really enjoy the dressing up thing. Oh happy day!

Trusting God

I think I am finally learning to trust the Lord. I have always thought I have been a person of immense faith, until my faith was shaken and I realized that my “faith” was a belief that God would bless me with the things I desired. I know now that God will bless me with the things that he desires. I am immensely ok with that! I trust that Heavenly Father will bless my life in exactly the way I need it to be blessed. That may come with heartache. There are a lot of things I wish I had, but those things truly affect the agency of others and are things that I cannot change. I wish I were capable of removing trials from my friends. I wish I could fall in love with someone who loved me as much as I did them. I wish for the money to save all of the starving children in the world. There are some things, which no matter what choice I make, will not be given to me. However, I truly trust that God will give me the things that will help me to become a better person. I am capable of making righteous decisions and as I strive to follow the example of Jesus Christ God will bless me. As I strive to follow the example of Jesus Christ my will shall become like his will which is God’s will, which leads to the most incredible blessing we can receive which is eternal life and exaltation. I have complete confidence that I can find joy in simply making correct decisions. I cannot force others to do the same, but I am grateful that I may do so for myself. I trust God. I know that all things shall work together for my good and for our good as we emulate our Savior.

P.S. A note about my friends who struggle:

I want them to learn whatever God has for them to learn in these trials. I would not want to take the blessings of their sorrows from them. I want help to understand and I want to help them. God's purposes are good and righteous and we need to trust him. What are we becoming in the process of struggling? Something brilliant and something beautiful!

Blogging Novice

I keep telling people that I have a passion for writing, but I never let much of my writing be seen. Lame, I know. I figured it was about time I started putting my words to use in the real world, so here it goes. That here it goes means blogging in general and not this particular post because I am not so much ready to write my soul as I am to simply step into the world of blogging. This is step one.