This is why I keep a Journal/ We are sooo Loved!

As I was reading through some journal entries from the beginning of 2016, I came across one where I wrote, "I can definitely feel the Lord's hand in my life!  I know that I wouldn't be able to get through school without my Savior's help!"  As I was thinking about this tonight, I was just thinking about how I don't think I would be able to get through this life if I didn't have some one who I could turn to any time, day or night who knows EXACTLY how I'm feeling.  Last semester was the first time in my life when I truly felt like my savior was right beside me, giving me the strength that I needed to get through the things I was going through and to fulfill all of my obligations.  I have felt his help before but not the way I felt it last semester.  I'm so thankful that I established the habit of writing in my journal every day, a long time ago because I needed this reminder tonight, that my Heavenly Father and Savior are ever so mindful of me and truly want what is best for me!  

Blessings

I finished the Book of Mormon again this morning!  I think that I have learned more from reading it this time than I have any other time in my life.  I needed answers, I needed guidance and I needed help.  I have received ALL of those things throughout the last 6 months!  I have truly felt the hand of the Lord in my life more in the past few months than ever before.  What a blessing it is to know that he is ALWAYS there for me.  I am so thankful for the influence of good friends.  I'm so thankful for the guidance and direction he gives me.  Life is just really hard sometimes!  I know that I would not be able to get through it if it weren't for the Gospel.  The last several times I have read the Book of Mormon, I have kept a journal of insights that I have received as I was reading.  I love going back through all of those journals and reading my thoughts and how I applied something at that specific time in my life.  I have such a strong testimony of Journals.  I have literally written in a journal every day from the time I was in 6th grade.  While most of them are full of silly, unimportant things, going back and reading them has helped me to realize that even though it feels like I am the same person, I have most definitely changed.  I don't know whether my journals will ever help anyone else, but they have for sure helped me!  I am so incredibly thankful for my Savior!

Just Some Thoughts About The Future

I've been thinking a lot lately about whether majoring in Animal Science is really what I'm supposed to do.  I mean, I'm not going to lie, when I first started college, my only goal was to get married, drop out of school and have a family.  As I've started to take more classes for my major though, I have realized that it is truly what I'm passionate about!  I can't imaging myself doing anything else!  Living on a farm or ranch is hard work, there is no doubt about that.  I keep asking myself if that is really what I want for my whole life.

Honestly, I can't imagine living anywhere else, or doing anything else.  I have watched my parents and so many of my cousins struggle through hard times and I know that while it's hard, it has made them all stronger people!  I'm so thankful for all of the examples I have around me, especially my family members!   My dad always says that he is a teacher so that we can afford to live on a Ranch.  I know that he would rather be at home helping my mom, but for the time being, it's not possible.  I'm so thankful that my parents sacrifice so much for my family, so that we can live the way that we do!  

Two months are gone?

Wow, I can't believe that January is over and that my last blog post was before Thanksgiving...  Time just got away from me I guess :)  One third of my 4th semester at BYU-Idaho is already over!  It has really flown by, mostly because I have just been so busy!  I'm taking more credits this semester than any other semester (only by one), and I have been amazed at how much I can get done when I actually use my time, rather than wasting it!  I'm taking Chemistry this semester and I was really worried about it at the beginning but it's actually been going really well and I am feeling pretty good about it!  I feel so incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to come to BYU-Idaho and experience so many new things!  I have felt the hand of the Lord in my life soooo much this semester!  I know prayers are answered and that He TRULY cares for us!  My mom sent me this picture at the beginning of the semester when I was having a really hard time :)

I'm so thankful for my Heavenly Father and I know that he cares so much for me and wants what's best for me!  I am also soo thankful for my mom and dad who want the same for me!  They are such great examples to me!   On another note, I have gotten really good at getting dressed in the dark this semester since I have early classes every day!  haha :)  It's pretty depressing when I have already been to class and come home and all of my roommates are still in bed asleep...  But having classes early in the day has always worked better for me and this semester has been no different!  I am looking forward to the end of this semester, not because I want to leave Rexburg necessarily, but because it means my cousin and best friend will be getting home from missions!!!!  I'm sooo excited to see both Maddie and Maycee!  It feels like the past year and a little bit have gone super fast some days, and super slow other days, but I'm just super excited to see them...  (as I already said...)  I'm really excited to see what the next few months bring!  

Traditions

With the Holiday season here, I can't help but think of the years that have gone by.  There are things that my family has done every year for my entire life that make the holidays so special to me.  We have some rather strange traditions, but I wouldn't change them for anything!  One that I think gets most people is our Thanksgiving Pinata.  I don't know where this tradition came from, but we have done it my entire life, and I know my older cousins did it too.  I think it must have been my great grandma.

Here is the start of our Pinata this year!  

Here's a blast from the past!  

Like I said, we have done this every year, for my entire life!  Some years we would buy the pinata, but most years, it was homemade.  Another tradition that we always do at Thanksgiving is go up to our pasture in the mountains and cut Christmas trees.  We also usually try to go shooting when all of my family is here, but that doesn't happen every year.

We have a lot of traditions revolving around Christmas.  One of those is our huge Chandler Christmas Eve party.  This is another tradition that has been taking place for a long time!  At least 50 years!  My dad remembers going to it when he was really little.  It has changed through the years, as our family has expanded, but it is still a time spent with family and I love it!  Another Christmas tradition that we have is we always have a huge breakfast on Christmas Morning with my Grandmas, my aunt and her two boys.  We open presents and just spend time together.

There are sooo many more traditions that my family has, but it would take me hours to write them all down.  At this time of year, I can't help but be thankful for all of my many blessings!  I'm so thankful for all of my family and for the blessing we have of spending time together.  I'm thankful that my parents have created traditions of their own when my siblings and I were young that we will be able to carry on to our own families!  I hope you all have a blessed and happy Thanksgiving!  

The Five Love Languages

Every two weeks for my class, The Eternal Family, we do something called  a provident living project.  The first two weeks of the semester were dedicated to making better habits of scripture study, the second two weeks were dedicated to healthy eating and exercise, the next two weeks were dedicated to budgeting and money management, the last two weeks were dedicated to media management and the coming two weeks are supposed to be dedicated to learning how to love others more fully.  One of the things that we were supposed to do in preparation for the next two weeks was become familiar with the book, The Five Love Languages, by Gary Chapman.  There was also a questionnaire we were supposed to do that told us what our love languages are. Here's a link if you want to take the quiz yourself!  http://www.5lovelanguages.com/  I would encourage everyone who hasn't already, to take it!  Anyways, I'm just going to talk about my results here for a minute :)
The five love languages are Words of Affirmation, Quality time, Physical Touch, Acts of Service and Receiving Gifts.  
My primary love language was Quality Time!  When I was talking to my roommates about it, they already knew that, even though I didn't know it myself!  The next two that I scored the highest in were Words of Affirmation, and Physical Touch.  I always thought that my primary love language was words of affirmation so this quiz was really good for me!  Learning how other people love and feel love can be very beneficial to all relationships, romantic or not.  When we understand what our family members' love languages are, we can better show our love for them,

A lot of Controversy!

The last couple of days, every single time I get on Facebook, I see something about the "change" in the Church Handbook regarding children of same-sex couples.  First off, I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I believe that President Thomas S. Monson is the prophet of God on the earth today.  I know that he is God's mouthpiece.  Because of that knowledge, I believe that this "revision" of the handbook came from God.  I also believe that this isn't really a change.  The church has had it's stand on same-sex marriage from the beginning of time, that being that it is an abomination before God. Romans 1:25-27 says

"25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

 26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

God always meant for marriage to be between a man and a woman.  I believe the the leaders of the church are protecting the children of same-sex couples from having to disobey their parents and go against their wishes.  Belonging to a church where one thing is taught, then living in a home where another thing is taught can be detrimental to a child.  I saw a post of Facebook last night that said, "Come on LDS Church, it's 2015 for goodness sakes!"  Something that we say all the time is that we should live in the world, but not be of the world.  Just because the world is changing, doesn't mean the church has to change.  In fact, it never will!  This morning, first thing when I woke up, i read this article that several of my friends shared on Facebook called "Quit Acting Like Christ Was Accepting of Everyone and Everything"  I would HIGHLY suggest that you take a couple of minutes to read it!  I believe that even though the world is going farther and farther away from what is right, it is even more of a reason for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to stand up for what we believe in!