Look for what is good and you will find it.

My sister gave me this fab quotebook for Christmas. It's called 'Live Good' and is filled with positive reminders to live - good. I love inspirational quotes, I love goodness, and I love remembering why I'm still fighting for my dreams. So I thought I'd share a quote from the book every so often, to inspire me. I hope it'll give you another reason to live good, too :)

Wonderful Christmastime

This was me on Christmas day 2008.

This is me this year...

Though I miss the real sunshine in my life, and my life is not exactly what I want it to be right now, I have much to be grateful for this year.

1. I can sing, and I LOVE to sing Christmas music, especially the spiritual ones. I love to testify of my Savior's birth and life and light through song. And I honestly think my voice sounds ten times better when I sing sacred music.
2. I sleep beside a natural gas fireplace:)
3. Hoodies and comfy, cozy pajama pants.
4. I can buy just about anything I want to eat at the grocery store 10 minutes away. And we have a fancy new stove to cook it all with. Not everyone gets to eat everyday...
5. I bake like a little Betty Crocker, and hardly use recipes anymore.
6. The frost makes all the trees in our yard sparkle in the morning. I love sparkly things!
7. I have the bestest best friend in the world, who keeps track of me wherever my crazy life takes me and loves me in spite of myself.
8. The little people at church think I'm cool. They are little rockstars:)
9. Four handsome nephews who love me, and I adore them!
10. I still speak french and understand spanish and that's just cool.
11. My dad's movie theatre. I got to serve popcorn to little kids twice last week, have seen 5 movies for fre and eaten way to much candy, soda and fresh buttered popcorn.
12. After 2 piano lessons I can play 2 Christmas carols!
13. My cute clothes that still fit. Cute shoes. French scarves. Jewelry from Italy, Spain, Israel, Peru...
14. Body for Life: my most trusty and reliable weight loss plan that is waiting just around the corner for me in 2010.
15. Hot chocolate
16. Missionaries
17. Love. I have been so loved by so many good people at different times in my life. I'm grateful I know how it feels to love and be loved.
18. My nephew decided to be baptized next month, and I get to help teach him. He is stellar:)
19. The gospel of Jesus Christ is part of my life everyday!! I love it, I live it, and I would glady die for it. He lives, He loves us, and this is the best time to tell the whole wide world!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!! JOYEUX NOËL!! FELIZ NAVIDAD!! ZALIG KERSTFEAST!! FELIZ NATAL!! FRÖHLICHE WEIHNACHTEN!! NADOLIG LLAWEN!!

"Of all times, it is Christmas when we must surely realize that there can be no true worship of Him who is the Christ without giving of ourselves. At this season let us, each one, reach out a little more generously in the spirit of the Christ. It is not enough to give toys and baubles. It is not enough to give alms to those in need. That is important, yes. But it is also important that we give of ourselves with our alms. May the real meaning of Christmas distill into our hearts, that we may realize that our lives, given us by God our Father, are really not our own, but are to be used in the service of others." - Gordon B. Hinckley

Yay

Today began and ended on 2 rather frustrating notes. However, in between the 2, I secured tickets to a Michael Buble concert in Salt Lake City in March.
That means I get to visit some awesome people, and see an amazing concert of this beautiful man with my bestest friend in the world. And that happy thought makes up for all the other grrrrs of today :)

I have a big fatty crush on Michael Bublé...

My life is a lot less than what I want it to be right now, so to keep myself positive and believing in my dreams, I drown myself in good music and fun movies. It helps me survive reality.

Recently I have been eating up every note from this crooner, and realized that I actually have all his albums... He is adorable and I love his voice - and he's a fellow Canadian! Anyway, his latest is fab, especially a really fun song he wrote himself. It really reminds me to have hope and just keeps moving forward. We'll just pretend it's about me ;)

I'm not surprised, not everything lasts.
I've broken my heart so many times I stopped keeping track.
Talk myself in. I talk myself out.
I get all worked up, then I let myself down.
I tried so very hard not to loose it; I came up with a million excuses.
I thought I thought of every possibility...

I might have to wait. I’ll never give up.
I guess it's half timin' and the other half's luck.
Wherever you are, whenever it's right, you'll come outta nowhere and into my life.
And I know that we can be so amazin'.
And baby your love is gonna change me.
... Yeah bein' in your life is gonna change me.
And now I can see every single possibility!

Someday I know it'll all turn out.
And you'll make me work so we can work to work it out.
Promise you kid I’ll give so much more than I get.
I just haven't met you yet...

Yep, love him :)



(Pretty sure if I could find a guy with a boyish grin and dreamy pipes like Bublé, I'd be totally okay with marrying a Canadian boy. And Maybe Ryan Reynolds' bod... ;) just saying! There are some fine Canadians out there! lol)

Age is relative

Last Friday I drove the 2+ hours to Edmonton, got all done up, and went on a date. I was nervous and excited, but I love getting pretty! We had to do a few loops of the city to gather our dates and get to our dinner, but it was so yummy and a fun time. We got to the dance pretty late, and it ended an hour earlier than expected. (If you know of my love for dancing and the 2 months since I last did... you'll understand how tragic that was!!) So we mingled a little, then took our dates home and went to bed.

All in all in was an enjoyable evening. For my first major venture into the Edmonton YSA social scene, I think I did okay, though I'm not sure that there will be many others. Most importantly, I learned something valuable from my date.

From what my friend told me about him, and his pictures, he seemed fun and cute. And in reality he was a nice enough guy. He had the potential to be interesting. However, I was totally uncomfortable with him. It was a struggle to carry on a conversation!!

And it was all in his ATTITUDE!! At 26 years old, he has already given up on singles wards, and casually attends a family unit. He doesn't like to stay up past 10pm cuz it makes him cranky the next day. He said that he didn't bother socializing because it was all meaningless smalltalk, and no one would remember what he said anyway. Several similar negative statements later, I had realized something about myself:

I AM AWESOME!!

I'm really not that old at all! My age may be higher in digits, but I am still positive, vibrant, and alive! I get excited for dates and new experiences. I look forward to the small joys of life. I love learning about people. I thrive on good conversation. I love good music, dancing, and laughing. I love cheesy jokes and teasing. Although I have been to hundreds of YSA activities, I still make an effort to go when I can. I'm open to possibilities, and always up for an adventure! I try not to have expectations, but I like to give people and situations the benefit of the doubt.

Perhaps all my years of trial and error on the LDS YSA scene have given me that perspective - instead of becoming bitter like my date. Well thank heaven!

I am cute and fun and interesting! And someday that will be enough to catch the eye of the kind of man that I want to build eternity with. He won't be intimidated by my travels or life experience. Age will be just a number that doesn't even register with him. We'll be comfortable together, interested in each other's worlds, and inspired to be better with, and for one another.

Yep. He will be awesome. Just like me:)