Friday Things....

Hey dearest friends! It's been quite the week over here in Alishka land. I've been so busy and trying to get  things done - it's been crazy! I'm very much looking forward to my weekend and the weeks to come...but for now let me express some of my thoughts that are in my head....

• It's Friday the 13th. EVERY time a Friday the 13th rolls around I can't help but think of that one Friday the 13th in which I tore my MCL.

• being able to call Soldier Boy my boyfriend is the best thing ever.

• I burned my finger curling my hair yesterday. My finger still hurts.

• I love chapstick. It's amazing stuff. I wonder who invented chapstick?

• Thank you Google.... the inventory of chaptstick

• I get to go see Ballet West's performance of Emeralds (and Petit Mort and Paquita) this weekend. I'm ridiculously excited!

• I'm getting very excited for summertime. Soldier Boy and I have lots of fun plans of things we want to do together and with his daughter (hmmm...I might need to give her a 'nym!)

• I don't think I've told you this yet....but my sister is making me an Aunt at the end of September! I'm really excited to be an aunt and have a cute little niece or nephew to spoil. :o) It will be fun times.

• There's a family reunion coming up...in July! I'm excited for that fun times. My family is pretty cool and I'm excited to introduce Soldier Boy to them all.

• I'm trying to decide what to wear to the ballet on Saturday...I'm thinking of a little black dress I have...or my brown skirt w/teal top. We'll see how I feel on Saturday. ;)

• I'm wishing I could go to Disneyland again. Right now. That would be awesome sauce.

• I hate taxes - they are retarded.

• Life is an amazing gift and I feel SO BLESSED right now.

ANYWAYS. I hope all y'all have a great weekend - hopefully this Friday the 13th isn't too crazy for you. ;) 

Words on Wednesday

so many words in my head right now.

Life is insane. Not that I would want to lead a boring life, mind you. BUT sometimes I wish it would be not so crazy and would just be....normal. Or something. But what is normal? Is there such a thing as normal? Probably not. Whoever tries to define normal is probably crazy. ;)

Life is hard. Yet again, I wouldn't have it any other way. An easy life? nah. How would one grow with an easy life? So when it comes down to it, a hard life is better than an easy one. In the long run. I'd rather be someone with lots of growth and change in my life then someone who is static and the same for a bazillion years. HOWEVER, this does not mean that I always enjoy the hard life. In fact right now? Right now it sucks.

Life is an adventure. Every day there is something new. Every day there are new things to try, new emotions to feel, new knowledge to internalize. I love this about life. I love adventure and the fact that MY life is an adventure brings me joy.

I need to remember that while life is all of these things - I don't have to go through all of these things by myself. IN FACT Heavenly Father has given me an INCREDIBLE family, the best friends in the world and a future boyfriend that I hope to make my everything.

Yes, life is insane, hard and an adventure, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

BRING LIFE ON!

Three Things....

Thing #1 -

My trip to California was SO magical. I LOVED Disneyland with all of my little girl heart. It was the best thing I've ever done for myself. It was grand. My friend Josh's fashion show was FANTASTIC. Here is a link to see his collection (set 1 and set 2). It's very high men's fashion...in fact there's a chunk of it I would never even consider putting on Soldier Boy, but that suit. oh man. I LOVE that suit. :o)

Thing #2 -

The Photo-A-Day meme was going so well for me....and then I went to California and didn't do it AT ALL. Seriously. AT ALL. And trying to make up 5, 6? days worth of pictures at this point? so not worth it. In fact, I'm trying to do other things for March right now that I think I'm just going to bag the month of March, call it good and do the month of April. (I am doing this for a Day Zero goal after all) Sound good? good. :o)

Thing #3 -

I have  the best Tender Mercy for you today! So...without further ado, Tender Mercy Tuesday 59th Edition

So last night Soldier Boy and I were reading scriptures together. We were in the Book of Mormon, specifically Mosiah 23 and 24

I was reading when I read verses 15 and 16 in Chapter 24 where it says:

15 And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.

 16 And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage.

 I loved that. First, I loved that the people did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord. How hard must that have been? To be in the middle of so great a trial and yet to be willing to let the Lord be in control and to be HAPPY about it. and THEN verse sixteen then says that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord..[said]..on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage. So the Lord then blesses them for their faith AND patience.

I know the Lord always blesses us and that out of great trials come great blessings, but how often does he tell us WHEN the blessing will come and WHAT that blessing will be  for us? It's not very often. HOWEVER, I was comforted last night to know that it is POSSIBLE to be cheerful and patient in our trials and we will be blessed for it. It is not always the easiest thing to do, by any means, but it was comforting none-the-less. Trials always come. There's no way around them, they are the reason we are here on this earth - to be tried and tested and to come to an understanding before returning to live with our Father in Heaven. However, we're never given anything more than we can handle and we always have the opportunity to have the Holy Ghost, a comforter, to be with us. How grateful I am for these facts. I don't think I'd be able to live through some of my current (or past) trials with out these blessings from my loving Heavenly Father.  He really does loves us and want us to be happy and for that I will eternally be grateful.

Have a great day everyone!

Tender Mercy Tuesday - 54th Edition

Well, here we are. Tuesday afternoon. Today has been fairly good to me. I've been pretty much happy all day (I've also been fairly distracted all day - but more on that tomorrow) and that's been a great thing.

For my tender mercy today I wanted to share something that I read in the Ensign [a magazine The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints puts out every month] the other day that has really stuck with me.

In the article called, "Recognizing God'sHand in Our Daily Blessings" by Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, there was a quote shared by President N. Eldon Tanner (1898–1982):First Counselor in the First Presidency, which said:

“As we reflect on the value of resolving to do better, let us determine to discipline ourselves to carefully select the resolutions we make, to consider the purpose for making them, and finally to make commitments for keeping them and not letting any obstacle stop us. Let us remind ourselves at the beginning of each day that we can keep a resolution just for that day.”

How brilliant of a statement is that? That little reminder - to remind myself daily that I can keep a resolution for just that day is what it is all about. Stephen R.Covey talks about taking "baby steps" in order to do the things that will get us accomplishing big things and creating habits in our lives. That reminder came at a perfect time for me and I'm reminded that I need to keep on taking baby steps every. single. day.

Have a great Tuesday everyone!!

Tender Mercy Tuesday - 53rd Edition

This is my FIRST tender mercy post of the new year! Wow! I didn't realize it had been so long!

I have been really blessed so far at the beginning of this year with good friends, an understanding family and a Heavenly Father who loves me and is willing to guide me through my crazy moments. Answers to prayers are always the best thing, even when you don't necessarily want to hear those answers.

Life keeps on getting more and more exciting and I can't wait to see what is in store for me in the coming months. I'm rather excited about it all. :o)

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Tender Mercy Tuesday - 52nd Edition

Today's tender mercy comes in the form of my family. I am so blessed to have the family I do. They are the bestest ever.

I have really been enjoying my time here in Virginia. I haven't had to be up at a certain time. We've gotten to play lots of games and get to know the newest edition to our family. There have been movies, lots of good food, and new traditions. My family is just awesome and they make life bearable when times are gray.

I am so thankful for my family and the support they lend to me constantly. I really don't know where I'd be in this life without them. :)

Tender Mercy Tuesday - 51st Edition

Well m'dears. The fact that I haven't posted in a week should be a testament to how busy I really have been in the past week. Since last Tuesday I have:

• gotten my hair done - it looks fantastic! I'm in love with it.
• Played volleyball
• Hung out with Monkey Man countless times.
• Made pumpkin bread and white chocolate popcorn as gifts.
• Done my visiting teaching.
• Collected sub-for-Santa gifts from people in my ward
• Sung in my ward's Christmas program
• Hung out with Truit + Husband. They met Monkey Man. It was good times.
• Went to temple square...again. :o)
• Went to a wedding reception
• Caught the bouquet without trying. (seriously. It fell into my hands. No jumping required for this girl!)
• Had roommate Christmas
• Have my bags 75% packed (checked bag is 99% packed, carry-on and personal item are almost done)
• Checked into my departing flight :o)
• Taught several ballet classes
• Went to they gym and worked out with my trainer - twice!
• Worked on my day off. :(

It's been a very busy past seven days. I still have a few things to take care of this afternoon/evening. But once my ballet classes are taught I should be go to go and then I'll get to hang out with Monkey Man all night and have Christmas with him. :o) I'm excited. I'm also sad to be leaving him for so long. Thankfully there is plenty of technology to help us stay in contact for the 9 days I'll be gone.

This is not the point of the post  - the main point is to tell you about the most wonderful tender mercy I had this past week.

Life has obviously been really, really busy for me and I've been very stressed - especially the past couple of days. However, I have had times when the spirit of Christmas has been so strong and has blessed my life and reminded me why I do what I do at this time of year.

I've had the wonderful opportunity to help organize a sub-for-Santa for a couple of families in the home stake that feeds into our single's ward. It has been a wonderful experience to see people from my ward step it up and shower these families with generosity. These families that weren't going to have any kind of Christmas are now going to have a wonderful Christmas filled with love and laughter. There are so many wonderful people in the world and I feel so blessed to be able to know so many of them.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Tender Mercy Tuesday - 50th Edition

Hello my dears! I hope you're having a wonderful Tuesday. My brain is feeling a little on the fried side, but I had the most wonderful evening last night. After frosting cookies, Monkey Man and I along with some friends played with the xbox Kinnect. Totally counting that as my workout last night. The dancing game rocks my socks.

But let's get to the point of this post - my tender mercy of the week. Saturday was going to be an insanely busy day for me and I had 5 different things that I needed attend because of my responsibilities. However, as Friday evening progressed 2 of those 5 things got canceled. This made me so happy and honestly made my Saturday much more bearable.

It is always the smallest things that will make me realize how very blessed I really am and I am so thankful for all the blessings I have been given since I started this meme. It's hard to believe that it has been over a year already since the induction of this meme.

As I reflect on the past year (and get ready to do my yearly recap) I am blown away by the love that has been shown to me in SO many different ways. My word of they year - Flourish - has been so very good to me. I'm currently brainstorming different words for next year's word of the year. Any suggestions?

In the meantime....I'm starting to freakout about EVERYTHING that needs to get done between now and next Tuesday....I'm not really positive on how that's all going to go down :P Here's hoping I can be productive this evening! Ciao!

Tender Mercy Tuesday - 49th Edition

Hello dears.

It has been a week FULL of tender mercies. It honestly has been one thing after another and I have been so blessed in so many different ways.

I think the one that stands out to me the most is in relation to my calling. Being over so many sisters and needing to know their needs and concerns so that I can help them can be very overwhelming at times.  This past week has been full of small moments of me being given ways to help these sisters and feel like I am, in some way, assisting these sisters to learn and grow. It's a good feeling to know that these sisters are being watched over and that Heavenly Father is working through me to help His daughters that he loves so very much.

How wonderful this gospel is to be full of light and happiness and a Heavenly Father who truly cares about each and every one of His children. It's amazing.

Tender Mercy Tuesday - 48th Edition

As I sit here remembering my past week I can think of one huge tender mercy in my life.

My parents.

Someone commented (to someone else, but I heard about it) about some of my actions. I had done a good deed without really thinking anything of it, but it really impressed some people that didn't really know me. I can honestly say that it is because of the way I was raised that I too the actions I did that night. My parents are so super awesome and have always been there for me through everything that I've had to deal with in my life.

Today I am grateful that my parents are my parents and I am just realizing how many of my tender mercies in my life come back to my parents. They are so great. :o)



p.s. I made things festive here on said blog - Happy Holidays!

Thursday Things - Thanksgiving Edition

I have so many wonderful things to be thankful for this beautiful Thanksgiving Day. Here are just a few things that I am grateful for today:

• My family - they are have always been supportive of me and my dreams and for that I will be eternally grateful.

• The restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I seriously don't know where I'd be in my life without it.

• My sweet boyfriend. I was not feeling well last night, at all, and he took time from his busy schedule to bring me chicken noodle soup and sit and just hold me. After he left I felt tons better. He's amazing and I am the luckiest girl in the world to call Monkey Man mine.

• My jobs. I work for the best company by day and do what I love by night. Not very many people are as lucky as I am in that regard and I feel so blessed to be able to do it all.

• My church calling. As hard as it can be sometimes to be over so many people and have so many responsibilities, I love it. I love the joy that comes from being able to serve those around me.

• My apartment and roommates. I live with the best girls in a great apartment. I am so glad that I found this place 2.5 years ago. 

• Technology and other comforts that come from living in the 21st century. I am very blessed to live in this day and age. 

I really am so very blessed in so many different ways. I hope each of you will take some time today to be thankful for everything you have been given. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Tender Mercy Tuesday - 46th Edition

Hello  Tuesday! I am so glad to see you. Mostly because it means that I only have two more days to work this week. :o)

I am so very blessed. Honestly, I can't believe how wonderful my life is sometimes! I am continually thanking my Heavenly Father  for all of my many, many blessings.

So, this week's tender mercy comes from just the other day. Every 2nd Sunday I have an early morning Stake Training meeting for my calling. It's at 7 am at my church building and it is always a wonderful meeting to go to. I just love it. The night before I had watched a movie with Monkey Man and some of our friends from the ward. I didn't get home from said movie night until one in the morning. Smart, I know. Well, as I was getting ready for bed I had the prompting to get everything packed and ready for my meetings the next day. Now, I had set my alarm and had left myself plenty of time to get ready, but I just felt like I should have everything packed up. So I packed my church bag and set out my outfit for the next morning. Now, I normally set out my outfits for each day, but I set out every little detail of my outfit down to my nylons and shoes and then I went to bed.

Normally when I set my alarms I set two on my phone to go off within three minutes of each other and then I set another one on my iPod touch that is a music alarm to help continue waking me up while I snooze the other alarms. :o) Well, my music alarm goes off and I doze in and out and then start to realize that my phone alarms aren't going off, I finally get out of bed to see what's going on and it's 6:58am. Needless to say I freaked out and started getting ready SUPER fast. Lucky for me, EVERYTHING was laid out and ready to go and my hair looked just fine from the day before. I felt so blessed to have been able to receive and follow inspiration. I think it is amazing that Heavenly Father helps me with the big things in my life as well as with the little things.

Life is amazing. I hope you all have a great Tuesday!

Tender Mercy Tuesday - 45th Edition

I was so sad to have missed Tender Mercy Tuesday last week, but I'm back this week! I have had a good past couple of weeks filled with so many different tender mercies that it is hard to pick which one(s) to share with you.

Let me start with last week - Last week we had Stake Conference and it was the most wonderful thing. It was exactly what I needed that weekend and it lifted my spirits and answered questions for me in my life. 

My other tender mercy comes from last night. I had to make a decision whether or not to spend some one-on-one time with Monkey Man and most likely stay up late OR go to the gym and get to bed at a decent hour. I had told myself when I got into a relationship again that I didn't want to drop things that I like to do (like going to the gym) just to hang out with my significant other. However, last night I felt like it would be more beneficial to me AND my relationship with Monkey Man if I stayed and hung out with him.

BEST. DECISION. EVER.

Even though I only got 4.5 hours of sleep last night (i know, i know), the benefits of getting to be with Monkey Man were TOTALLY worth it. We watched a movie and after the movie was over, Monkey Man and I sat talking for over an hour and I learned so many things and got to know him even more and I found something out - he's committed to me. I mean, he didn't SAY those words exactly, but we were talking about the holidays and things coming up and Monkey Man told me he'd go to my work Christmas party w/me (we got our save the dates yesterday) and he's already put into his phone when I'm going to be gone to see my family. He told me he'd love it if I took him to DC someday, we're going to do something on New Year’s, he put my birthday in his phone...etc etc. And while that is just a whole bunch of little things that could or could not happen it's a BIG deal to me, because I’ve had past boyfriends that don’t like to commit to things in the future. Lots of guys feel that way. They don’t like to plan for things to far in advance just in case “it doesn't work out.”  I HATED that about those guys (or guys who would never plan ANYTHING *cough Grizzly Bear cough*.) Because, so what if we're not together THEN at least commit now and show me that I'm important to you! And Monkey Man did that. He hinted about meeting his family (well...warned me that I had no idea what they were like yet...and then kind of told me about them. It was fun) Also, he just....is amazing. I could tell when we were talking and discussing things that he cares about me and he wants to plan on spending time with me, and I love that so much. So there you go. A little insight to my current relationship, and while we haven't sat down and had a "DTR," I feel like I know where things stand based off of his actions and to me that is much better than any kind of DTR conversation we could have right now. :o) 

Basically, I'm happy. Monkey Man and I are dating and it's so great. It's gone so smoothly and effortlessly that I can't help but wonder what is in store for us in the future. It's just GOOD and I like it. 

Have a great Tuesday y'all!

Tender Mercy Tuesday - 44th Edition

I have the best Tender Mercy to share with you today!

Back when I was learning to drive (many, many years ago), my dad would take me on back roads from Spanish Fork to Payson to help me get used to going faster without any cars around me. I remember that being so scary! (going fast - not the back roads. ;) ) Well, yesterday that knowledge of back roads that my dad shared with me finally paid off! I missed my exit (well...more like it was closed and I didn't realize it) on my way to Spanish Fork to teach my Monday night ballet class. The next option was to take an exit that put right in the middle of the back roads my dad used to take me on. I was surprised at how quickly the knowledge of these back roads came back to me - it was seriously like riding a bike again. I was pretty sure where to turn and once I made that first turn everything was surprisingly clear to me. I am so grateful that I have a father who would teach me things that I don't think are necessarily important or useful, but then they end up being for my good.

Our Heavenly Father is like that too. He teaches us lessons and skills that we don't think we need, or that are there just to spite us and make us sad; when really, all of these lessons truly are for our good. Heavenly Father doesn't just randomly decide to teach us something. He has a plan for us and He knows what we need to know and when we need to learn it so that we can use it later for ourselves and for the betterment of others. How cool is that?!

Anyways, that's what I am so grateful for today. I definitely have some amazing men in my life. The End.

Tender Mercy Tuesday - 43rd Edition

I had some very wonderful experiences this weekend. Honestly, it was a wonderful weekend filled with lovely things. My favorite part of the weekend though was the fireside that we as a Relief Society Presidency put together for our sisters.

There is a new book that has come out for all of the sisters to use as a reference to studying the scriptures and for us to learn more about the history of Relief Society. It is an AMAZING book and I just love it. It is called "Daughters in My Kingdom," and if you click on that title it will take you to the online version of the book. ;)

ANYWAYS. Our Stake President (who is seriously a ROCK STAR and I LOVE listening to him) really wanted us to make this book SPECIAL and not just hand it out randomly. His wife is a member of the General Relief Society Board and was part of the committee that put this amazing book together. So we had the wonderful opportunity to listen to her tell us a little bit of how this book came about, why it was put together and what we might learn from its pages. She was an inspiration to listen to and the Spirit was so strong during her talk. It was a lovely fireside and I was so pleased to see so many sisters in attendance and see them soaking in the words of our leaders. It was a great opportunity for us and one that I will always treasure in my heart.


(ps...stay tuned for a Dating Battle Story tomorrow [it's been a while since I've had one!], you won't want to miss it because this is a great story!!)

Tender Mercy Tuesday - 39th Edition

well, it's the 11th hour over here in Alishka-land. I should really be in bed right now, but I had to watch the season premier of Castle. I love that show.

Anywho. Moving on.

Like I mentioned yesterday, I got to go see the film 17 Miracles yesterday. What an amazing film.

I realized something yesterday. I am truly blessed to live the life I currently live. Seriously. I don't have to go digging for my dinner, search for buffalo chips to cook said dinner on, and I definitely don't have to worry about freezing to death in my sleep. I am blessed to live in a day where the fullness of the Gospel has been restored. Where I have the comforts of a roof over my head, a car that takes me places I want to go, and the internet to help me stay connected with people far away from me. I am so blessed.

And I'm going to try to never forget that.

Tender Mercy Tuesday - 37th Edition

So...I totally got thrown off by the week and really truly thought yesterday was Monday for the longest time. In reality, it was Tuesday and I forgot to post my Tender Mercy. I really want to share this with you so...we're going to keep pretending like it is Tuesday for just a few moments this morning, okay? Okay. ;) (it's my blog, I can do what I want, so there.)

It was my responsibility to teach our Relief Society lesson on Sunday. Since it was the first Sunday of the month, there was no set lesson plan and I was left to my own devices on deciding what it was the sisters needed the most. I came across several ideas in my studying and wondering, but finally settled on a lesson on self-worth. Now, I used several different talks and ideas and pulled many different things for my lesson. Basically, what I learned and taught was this: We are all of infinite worth, we are all special in our individual ways (and no, that's not just a way of saying no one is per Dash from The Incredibles [and yes, I quoted The Incredibles in my lesson.]) In order to build our self-worth we need to build our relationship with our Heavenly Father. We can do that most by utilizing the basics and doing three things: 1. Make goals 2. Have Daily Personal Prayer and 3. Read and study the scriptures.

I challenged my sisters to make three goals, find a way to have that personal conversation daily with their Heavenly Father and finally, to read the Book of Mormon in 100 days (between now and December 31) using this program I found online.

Teaching that lesson was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. I know it was the right thing to teach on and that everyone that was there needed to hear what I said. There were several times when I was relating experiences or sharing quotes that I knew that the Lord was using me as a spokesperson. It was honestly a very humbling experience. I was so worried and concerned leading up to giving my lesson, but I stood up and the Lord just took over. Looking out into the eyes of the sisters I saw them soaking up what was being taught like little sponges. I am so grateful for the gift of revelation and being able to teach something that was needed to the sisters.

Tender Mercy Tuesday - 35th Edition

I have been thinking a lot the past few days on what I wanted to post about for my Tender Mercy Tuesday today. I was struggling with finding something to share that would be appropriate, but nothing was coming to mind. Then yesterday happened. Friday was a really awful day at work and I was not looking forward to coming into work yesterday. However, I knew that we should be fully staffed and that would make a huge difference from Friday where I was the only customer service specialist in the office. Well...my one coworker called in sick. So we were only partially staffed yesterday. It ended up being an okay day - and I attribute it to the fact that I was able to find the good in things as the day went on. This isn't always the easiest thing in the world to do, but finding the good in life has always been a talent of mine and I was glad I was able to put it to good use yesterday. blessings. :o)

In other news: I bought new running shoes last night. They are hot pink and full of awesome. See?

I think they made me run better last night than I would have otherwise. :o) After a 2-month hiatus from the gym, I got my butt on the treadmill and pounded out Day 1 of Week 4 of the Couch 2 5k program. With my warm up/cool down this is what the treadmill said I did:

I feel pretty good about that. I'm a little sore this morning, but as I saw my pink shoes on the floor of my bedroom, a part of me wanted to go running again today! Even though today is not a running day. :o) I think the pink shoes are going to be good for me! huzzah!

Finally, today is Day Nine of the 21 Day Challenge. I took a HUGE risk today and I'm pretty sure I look like some sort of vegetable today, but I wanted to push the envelope on Monochrome outfit day. So...without further ado, my outfit:

{skirt: made for my sister's wedding by my mom, jacket: BYU bookstore, shirt: DownEast bracelet: Gardner Village. not pictured: headband sash made to match skirt and earrings: green discs from claire's}

I'm pretty sure I look like a green bean, or lettuce or something. I am not sure I'd ever wear a monochrome outfit like this again...but who knows. maybe? I'm just not sure how I feel about it. I can wear mostly black, mostly brown all the time, but any other color and it makes me nervous. sigh. Anyways. There's Day 9!

It's Tuesday, and that means first day of ballet classes! woo hoo! Here's hoping you all have a great second day of the week! ciao!

Tender Mercy Tuesday - 33rd Edition

Good Morning friends! It is Tuesday and I am wishing that I could still be in bed for just one more hour of sleep. That sounds like heaven to me.

Since it is a Tuesday morning, that means we have another lovely edition of Tender Mercy Tuesday. I am feeling so very blessed today. Last night we performed our show and while it didn't feel perfect to me, it was a good show nonetheless. My favorite part, and I think this is true for every kind of show I have ever done, is seeing people I know after the show is over. I had several friends come last night, some that I knew were coming and some that I didn't know were coming. I love knowing that there is someone in the audience clapping specifically for me. It's just very thrilling for me. While I didn't think it would be a big deal if someone wasn't there to see me specifically, I have found it to be a big boost to my attitude/energy if I know someone is watching me. Anyways, basically I feel very loved with all the people who have already come to the show and those who have told me they are coming in the next few days. It is a great thing to be loved and I hope that someday I can return the favor.

Tender Mercy Tuesday - 31st Edition

Friends, I am so very blessed. Truly, very blessed. I love being able to take time each Tuesday to reflect on my life and all the small blessings that I have been given each day. I've had many blessings the past few days and I want to share them with you.

• I am getting a new calling at church and I'm rather excited about it. It's not going to be easy for me, but I always like a challenge. The tender mercy with this has been the personal revelation I've already received in conjunction with my calling. It feels good to know that Heavenly Father is looking out for me.

• My social life is such a blessing. Percy and I ended up moving our lunch date to today and it was so good to see him again. He's such a great guy and I love being able to spend time with him - even if it is so sporadic right now. I also have had fun times going one other dates here and there. I don't know where anything is going with any of these guys and that's okay right now. I definitely feel the need to take a little bit of time and step back and analyze my feelings for everyone involved. I feel bad because I want to go out with everyone every weekend - but I just can't do that right now. I literally have no time for anything in the evenings. Hopefully none of the guys think I'm blowing them off...except for Grizzly Bear. He can think that, since I'm definitely not interested in him in that way.

• I'm getting a new roommate next week. Some of you might remember the hubabaloo trying to get a 3rd roommate last year - this year it was a piece of cake. I hope she's nice and fits into the groove we have. I'm just thankful that we were able to sell her portion of the contract so quickly.

In the long run - I'm feeling very blessed. I have amazing friends that I can talk to and share my thoughts and feelings on life.

Just a side note on this whole dating thing - I think I'm realizing that dating is HARD. ha ha ha, I mean, I knew that already and what not - but things with SwingKid were so quick and easy that we didn't have to deal with the hard stuff of going out with other people at the same time, wondering about feelings, showing affection, etc.  And now....now I have to do all those things. In some ways it is a lot of fun to date a lot of people and stuff like that but it confuses my head and my heart. At some point I know I need to make decisions but for now I'm just going to focus on the musical. and my new calling. :)