Christmas Special!

Tonight was one of the most wonderful experiences I have had all year long! As Christmas Eve came came to it's end, we commemorated the evening with a performance by Savanna and I: she on the violin, and I on the piano. We played "Silent Night" and "O Holy Night," with me playing a French host. (my favorite part, lol) We had only practiced that very night, so the performance may have been more or less, but the spirit was strong. It was fun to prepare and perform with my littlest sister. After the performance, we went to our basement where the television is and put in the movie "Joy to the World" produced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It contains a beautiful twenty minute message about the birth of the Savior and how the sign of his birth was viewed not only in the Eastern hemisphere, but in the western as well, by his righteous followers on the American continent at the time. They had awaited his birth in anticipation as did all those who believed on the Savior Jesus Christ. It is a beautiful little film with clips of music from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and other scenes from the live of the Savior. After the film, (and after seeing the last half hour of a Mormon Tabernacle Christmas performance on tv with David Archuleta) we rushed off to get ready for bed. As usual on Christmas Eve, elves had come and placed pajamas on our beds, so we could greet the next day with fresh warm clothes! The best part of the evening was even yet to come, however.  As my sisters as I all brushed our teeth, tried on our new pjs, got our last drink of water, etc, we settled down into the room we were all sharing for the night. (Grandma and grandpa Decker are in town and are therefore using the other bedroom.) We decided to read a little excerpt from a book I bought a while back called: Christmas Treasury for Latter-day Saint Families, by Lloyd and Karmel Newell. I asked Amber to pick a section for us to read together and she chose the one on traditions.  We read the section together and then talked a little bit about some of our favorite Christmas traditions as a familiy.  Savanna said she loved getting to decorate the Christmas tree each year for her birthday (which falls at the beginning of December). Amber said she loved taking Mom's white chocolate popcorn to all the neighbors and especially putting up the felt nativity and reading the story of the birth of Jesus and moving the felt pieces around to act out the scene. Michele said she loved everything: especially going out to look at the Christmas lights and making and decorating cookies. Since she is already 22 and out of the house, she and her soon-to-be fiance did a few Christmas traditions of their own this year, including those two things. I also love everything: from getting pajamas from elves on Christmas eve, to making cookies together, to the Christmas music we play, to decorating the tree, seeing the lights, etc.  All make up for a special and wonderful holiday.  I think most importantly, I just love being home with my family. It is such a rare and special thing now that Michele and I are moved out of the house. Since I haven't been home for Christmas in three years, this one seems extra special to me.  The most special part of the evening was being able to just sit and share these special memories together with my sisters, and best of all: to kneel down with them, all four of us, lined around the edge of the bed, and have my Sister Michele offer up and sweet and sincere prayer of thanks for our family, for the season, and for the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has made all of what we have possible.  Our family, the love we feel between one another, the blessings of health and happiness, and the mercy and forgiveness of our Savior are all gifts given us by Him.  We owe everything we have to this special being, who was once born in a stable, and lain in a manger. A man of such royal birth, born in so humble of circumstances.  A King over all earth and sky, and yet, so humble and pure, insomuch as to suffer and die for the sins of every one.  I am thankful for that moment in which my Sister humbly expressed these feelings as we knelt down all together in prayer.  What a special moment for me to be united with my family again, on the Eve of the Anniversary of the birth of our Savior, giving reverent thanks unto Him.  These things are the reason for the season: family, friendship, service, camaraderie, compassion, love.  Michele, Amber, Savanna, Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa, and best of all my Savior: Thank you for a wonderful night!

Pecan Pie Crusts!

December 24, 2011.

I made my first pie crust! You'd think I'd have learned by the time I was 25, but no.  Mom was so sweet and took the time to teach me how to do it the right way!  Hopefully I can remember next time I got to make a pie! The recipe was so simple, too!  Flour, sugar, salt. Smash in chunks of cold butter until blended... but not too much. You still want it chunky. Next, add iced water, only two spoonfuls at a time and mix with a fork until it is just sticky enough.  Barely sticky.. About six-ish spoonfuls will do.  Spread flour on surface where you will roll out the dough so it won't stick, and using a rolling pin, roll until, I dunno.  The size part I'm not sure about, but you want it to hang over the edge of the pie tin by at least an inch 1/2 or so. Next, gently place dough in pie tin and gently mold it to fit. Take a beaten egg and baste it around the whole surface of the dough to give it a shiny appearance. Cut off the extra dough around the edges and shape them however you'd like. Oh, and be sure to shape the crusts so that they stand up from the tin a bit since it will shrink as it bakes. Fill with your favorite pie filling and then put it in the oven (for how long and how hot, I'm not sure. I guess it depends on the pie you are making.) a Voi la! Homemade pie crust! Hmmm, I'll need to get the exact measures of flour, sugar, and salt though from my Mom. I think it was 1 1/2 cup flour, 2 Tbs sugar, and a pinch of salt mixed with a 1/2 c of cube butter. Yep!  There you have it! In this particular case, we decided to divide up the dough into two halves and make two mini pecan pies since not everyone in our family likes to eat them. Here's how they turned out! (too bad I didn't get a picture of the final baked product!)

Freedom and Christmas cookie decorating!

Freedom!!!!  From school that is!  What it really means is freedom to do chores. Freedom to do laundry, freedom to clean house, freedom to organize life, ha ha, that's my kind of freedom! ;)
I can hardly believe there is only one week left until Christmas!  I've been so busy with finals and classwork that it just sort of snuck up on me! Well, since today was my first fee day post-finals, I wasn't really sure what to do to fill up all my extra time! Here is what I ended up doing with my FREE time: 1 hour and a half of exercise! The first I've gotten all semester! 20-30 minutes of cardio and weight lifting for the rest! I went with Catherine Andelin and we smoked up the track! (okay, so I only went a mile and a half, but who's counting! We left feeling energized and motivated to get our own six packs next year, lol! We also combined our forces to make an egg, ham, and cheese toasted sandwich, which was delicious, and I used my last avocado to make a yummy vitamina de abacate! (avocado shake) You've GOT to try it sometime. Just mix one small avocado with enough milk to cover it in the blender and a few Tablespoons of sugar: blend and you are good to go!  A deliciously healthy-ish smoothie!Anyway, I used the rest of my day to finally organize my inbox, shower of course, work for a couple hours, and organize my bedroom even washing my comforter! (the pillows are next!).  The BEST part, however, came at the end of the day when my roommate Anna and her two little sisters Rachel, and Liza all decorated sugar cookies! Andrew and Anna's friend helped out, too! Here are a few photos from the fun!

Liza, Anna, and Rachel

I made this tree and the snowflake, too! The cute snowmen are Anna's

Lot's of fun and yummy cookies!  It felt like being home again having a family of girls together decorating sugar cookies.  What could be a better family Christmastime activity?!
So thankful for the holidays and for the chance to finally clean my house!
Freedom from finals really means:  freedom to do chores! Freedom to take care of my body, freedom to keep a clean house, and Freedom to spend the evening decorating Christmas cookies with my roommate and her sisters.  Just one more way to find joy in the journey!

Depression and Finding Joy in the Journey

There is no way to wrap up the feelings I've had over the past 8 months into one blog post.  It's been quite an emotional journey!  From coming home off my mission and having to start school again, to getting into my first relationship post mission and having to deal with all the other adjustments that come from post mission life, it's been quite an adventure!  and I must say looking back, I had no idea in those moments how rewarding this process would be.  It has been VERY HARD, to say the least.  There were times when I couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel when it came to school work, getting adjusted, dating and hoping to get married, etc.  I've learned a lot though, through all those difficult experiences:  I've learned that it is not the destination, but the path which we take, which brings us joy in this life.  For the last 8 months, I've tried to wish my current life away, thinking to myself, "I will be happy when I'm finally married" or, "...when I'm graduated" or, "when I lose ten pounds." or even "I wish I were back on the mission."  It's funny, because I never expected that I would say those things, and yet, I did.  I wanted nothing more than to be past this part of my life and to be living the dream: a wife, graduated, running my art business, with 10 kids on the way, lol.  But, I've learned a great lesson.  In the words of Elder Wirthlin: "Come what may and love it." I wasn't doing this.  I wasn't loving my ward, my housing, my classes.  I wasn't enjoying life, at least not to the fullest.  I enjoyed it when I was doing something worth enjoying.  But now, after eight months of being home, I have finally discovered my purpose and that is to do as the new title of my blog states: find joy in the journey.  Live my life to the fullest.  It doesn't matter whether I'm the prettiest, smartest, or funnest person in the world, but it matters that I am doing my best, trying to be obedient and seeking to serve and love others.  I realized during this 8 months, that no matter how badly I wanted to run away and hide, the solution to my problems was always the opposite: to face them head on, with head held high and with bravery, desire, and hope.  I suppose in looking back, you could say I experienced many of the signs and symptoms of a depressed person, and I must admit, I'm pretty sure that throughout those eight months, and maybe even longer, I really was depressed.  But something recently has changed... something that started because of the kind words of two lovely sisters in my ward: the Andelin sisters.  Boy are they sweethearts!  Though I had been feeling like the lowest creature on the earth, unworthy of anyone's time or attention, the Andelin sisters helped me to see what I was.  These two, as well as the other special people in my life: Mary Linford, who so kindly reminded me of who I really was, Ben Sellers, who patiently listened to me as I tried to figure things out, JD Conway, who offered the most spiritual of advice, Celia Raleigh, Jon Hendricks, the bishop's counselor's wife, my visiting teachee Elizabeth, my roommates Anna and Becca, my Aunt Diane, my Mom and Dad, Heavenly Father. All of these wonderful people have played a role in helping me through the last 8 months.  All of them have lifted me, guided me, cared for me, listened to me, and in some way or another, have helped me to remember who I am.  I am a daughter of royal birth: the daughter of a King, and I have within me, the seeds of Godhood.  I have a bright future, one I can look forward to with happiness and hope and joy.  It was thanks to the kind encouraging compliments of these people, and more specifically, the Andelin sisters, which finally helped me to see what I wasn't seeing.  Every time I would see these two, they would remind me, tirelessly, of my great qualities.  It would surprise me to hear them say such things, and finally I realized that I would refute them every time.  I realized that I was probably coming across as really negative and how annoying that must be! I decided to make a goal to stop, and you know what, it has made all the difference!  That simple decision has led me to finally leave behind the fear, the dark, the sadness I've been feeling over the last 8 months.  It has helped me to begin to see the future with hope and gratitude for a change.  In just two short weeks, since I made that decision (and since my dear friend Jeff stopped being my friend) I have made such a change.  Instead of darkness I see light.  Where once lack of desire or motivation was, they now exist.  Replacing hopelessness and desire to escape, I feel hope and a desire to work and to improve.  I feel that I must have been letting Satan have control of my thoughts, and had been allowing him to convince me of who I wasn't and to beat me down and tear away my hope.  I was able to see past that now and feel, literally, that my soot covered glasses have been cleaned and now glisten with brightness!  It's amazing the difference that has been made.  I feel like a new person! I am happy, fresh, and new! I have purpose, desire, drive, passion again.  The things I had lost in myself are now back! I am who I am again! ME: Kellie Colleen Steinbeigle. I finally started to love being me again. I love it! I was feeling unloved in relationships, like I was nothing but a burden.  But now I cherish and enjoy them again! Anyway, this blog was not meant to be quite how it has turned out, but I suppose that is the joy of what I've been feeling lately in comparison to the things I have been feeling.  My gratitude to my Savior is even full, for I realize how low I was feeling and how high he has been able to bring me up!  Only through his mercy, truly! How grateful I am for a Savior who loves us so much, He will work and work to try to get us to see who we are!  If Satan is allowed to make us forget, we will not have the hope or motivation to become who we are really capable of being.  I realized that this past couple weeks.  If Satan is allowed to enter our minds and make us feel a lack of self worth and self confidence: he has taken everything.  If we don't love ourselves, then we won't do the things necessary to make ourselves into the type of person our Heavenly Father wants us to be.  What a great lesson this has been for me!  He is crafty and clever, and he almost had me, but victory is ours! mine and my Saviors!  He has helped me to see the dirty tricks of the devil and overcome.  Ha ha, I saw a divine comedy episode lately (a BYU comedy group) in which a skit was done similar to their original "shoulder angel" skit.  It, however, is the opposite: a shoulder devil.  In the skit, the fat, red, shoulder devil climbs on another man's shoulder and tries to tempt him to do bad. The boy rationalizes that it doesn't make sense to do bad.  But, in order to please the shoulder angel, he steals a "Bit O Honey" Next, an old lady walks by and drops her wallet, and the shoulder devil tries to get him to steal her wallet.  As the boy is trying to bend over with the shoulder devil on his back, he falls to the ground. The old woman thinks he has tried to help her by picking up the wallet and gives him a reward for doing so. Surprised, he gets back up and the shoulder devil is confused.  Another thing or two happen to the boy from people who are rewarding him for the good they thought he was trying to do.  He realizes, of course, that it IS better to do good after all, and he abandons the poor shoulder devil and goes back to pay for what he stole.  The shoulder devil is forced to find a new victim and ends up chasing after the old woman: but she beats him over the head with her cane.  It may have seemed like a silly spoof, but it is also something that helped me to realize what I had been allowing to happen: letting Satan control my thoughts about how I viewed my own self worth.  When I realized that, just as the boy in the skit, all I had to do was be stronger than the devil and leave him behind.  He will have no other choice, but to try to go find another to tempt, and will finally leave you alone, because he knows he can't get to you.  It is in our moments of weakness that we allow him in.  It is at those times that we must draw even closer to our Savior, relying more and more upon him.  Anyway, those are just some of my thoughts these past couple of weeks regarding the feelings I was having about myself and how I've finally been able to overcome that!  It's been a wonderful week for this reason.  I've felt that renewed sense of who i really am and that I CAN do hard things.  Everything has finally come back! My desire, my confidence, my stamina, my determination, my ability to cope, my happiness, my hope, my understanding, my joy. Thus, I have decided to re-title my blog: Finding joy in the journey, because THAT, my friends, is the lesson I have learned after 8 long months of post mission depression.  EIGHT months to figure things out!  But at least, I have finally made it here!  I am so happy to understand, to be here.  I know I am where I belong after all.  There will still be difficulties of course, but now I know how to better face them.  I am happier and more prepared and am ready and willing to take each day as it comes, and live my life to the fullest! 
That was a LONG post to try and summarize 8 months.  I will try to go back and update past entries so that things may be more coherent. :)
can I end this with: "In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen?"
healthy habit. ;)

Terrific Tuesday!

Can I Just tell you about the great day I had yesterday?!
{So, first of all as a preface, I've been working back at my old job as a front desk secretary at a graduate office at my school. Upon returning to work there for the summer after my mission, I asked my boss if I could work full 40 hour weeks at the office. (We have three secretaries and typically divide up the time so as to have one secretary in the office at a time. There really is no need for more, since there is very little to do during the summer.) So, my boss told me that if she could find a project for me to work on, then I could work full-time. Sooo... finally she found one for me just last week about mid-week. I decided I'd start going full-time this week. Monday I managed 7 1/2 hours. It's kind of funny to me actually. Monday I was determined to spend the whole week working 8 hours each day, however, by the time Monday was over, I was exhausted! I went home and didn't want to do anything but... rest... (I even skipped FHE... I KNOW, right? Yes, I did feel guilty...) }
So, ANYWAY, when Tuesday arrives, of course I'm planning to work the whole day... However, I realize I have a list of things to get done: check out an apartment before it gets sold, make a doctor's appointment, etc, so I decide after having hated so much the day before, that I would just scratch the 8 hours a day idea and do some things that I enjoy rather than return home drained of energy again. Even better was when Mike (name has been changed), a friend of mine, called asking for a ride from the car shop. So, it was the perfect excuse to leave! Besides, I think I have better productivity when I'm happy. I left work at one, checked out a condo or two (I can't decide where to live!!), made the appointment with an orthopedic (Finally- in two weeks- I can get my knees checked out and find out what the damage is!), and picked Mike up about 2:40 ish. Okay, I know, I haven't really gotten to the exciting parts yet.
Sooo... Mike, I pick him up all alone, stranded in the dusty car lot, in what he calls his "late to work" clothes, without his car. An hour and a half until its ready, so He asks if He can buy me lunch! Of course I'm all about lunch, so we go pick up some Subway and eat it at a nearby park! This is where the fun begins! After a great conversation about happiness in the scriptures and personality characteristics and things like that (being the NFs that we are), we go for the swings! I LOVE swings! Up, so high, with the wind in your hair, and then back down again! Mike spun me in circles and then a little girl next to us came and wanted to be spun too! Soo cute! I loved it! Next, the playground! You can't believe the adorable children we found there! I wish I had a picture of them! I latched on real quickly to one little two year old girl in particular. Oh, how I fell in love with her! The kids would climb up the slide instead of the stairs-being the brave creatures that they are, and then once they got to the top, would of course turn around and slide back down! When this little two year old decided she wanted to climb two, I felt nervous letting her go by herself, so I climbed with her! -work pants and all! When we got to the top, she jumped into my lap and we slid down together! She was so cute!! We did this many times before the kids decided to go down the other slide-which was much hotter and burned their little feet. So, after getting my bum all dirty and playing with this adorable two year old for a while, I decided to rejoin Mike who had sat himself down in the grass to enjoy the scenery. I think He abandoned me after I opted to play with the two year old instead of Him, ha ha. ;) No, I'm just kidding... Ahhh... the pleasures of being with children! Next stop... a spitting water and ninja fight... hmmm... pretty self explanatory.
After taking Mike to his apartment, I returned home to mine to find even MORE good news! A letter had come from my last two companions in the mission! OH MAN did I love hearing from them! Their letters filled me with emotion as I read about the progress of some of the investigators I had been teaching before I left. I was so happy, in particular, to hear about the upcoming baptism of Jessica, a wonderful young woman, who had been to church for the first time on my very last Sunday in Brazil. She had such wonderful questions when we taught her, seemed to understand everything very well, and had even begun attending the activities before I had left. I was SOOO HAPPY to hear about her conversion and see how well she had grasped the gospel message! I love this woman! I was also happy to hear about the Aaronic Priesthood ordinations of two of our recent converts! Let me just tell you how much each of these little steps means in the life of a recent convert. They are crucial, essential, exciting, and so relevant in their progress as newly baptised members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. What a testimony builder it is to me, to know that the spirit really does witness and testify of the truthfullness of the gospel, that there really are people looking for it, and that the Lord helps his missionaries to find them when they are ready. I love the purpose of missionary work! and I love that feeling you get when you see someone truly grasp the gospel-in its fullness. I wish so many others could just understand! Anyway, I laughed as I read the inside jokes my companions reminded me about and felt so glad to see their own progress as missionaries and servants of the Lord. I love the Garden of Eden (my last area on the mish).
Then, after reading my wonderful letters (I feel like I should frame them-that is how special to me they are!) I put on a skirt and went and picked up my two old roommates from before the mission: Mary and Shauna, (one of which got married, and the other of which received her endowment while I was away in Brazil) and we went to the temple to do an endowment session! It was so special to me to be able to be there with both my "sisters" seeing them in such a sacred place, practicing the same "covenants" that I myself had made almost two years ago. What a special, wonderful place the temple is, and oh how I enjoy being in that spiritual place, where the real world, and its/our own problems are all but forgotten and peace can settle in, even for just temporarily. It's just so nice to be there, and have that spirit of happiness carry with you even after you have left. So afterwards, (and after stopping at Mary's to see her cute new wall frame display!) we went to eat at Los Hermanos (after much trying to decide, since the three of us together are bad at that: Hey, what do you get when you have someone who is bad at making quick decisions... the same thing as someone who is good at it, but you loose twenty minutes. What do you get when you have three people who are bad at making quick decisions... the same thing, but instead you loose an hour. Three people who are bad at making decisions are not better than one, lol) -Anyway, Los Hermanos is a place I've been wanting to visit since returning home! so all our slow decision making skills paid off! and we had a lovely time-as sisters- just the three of us! (We missed Briana of course, our fourth roommate... but we didn't want to invite her to do a session if she hasn't been endowed yet...sorry Briana! we still love you!!!!) So, yeah! Those were the happy moments of my terrificly filled Tuesday yesterday! It was a day full of fun and adventure and I enjoyed every minute, from work, to play, to being spiritually fed! It was a terrific day! Oh... and I forgot to mention the not so terrific part, which was having my own car have a problem on our way to the temple... I will have to get that one figured out sometime soon. Oh, and we saw Mikey, too! as we were driving to pick up Mary! Boy do I love days like this one! I was DEFINITELY happier yesterday than I was working all day long on Monday. I love being with the people I love! It makes my day/life so much more worth it- so much more happy and FUN! Thank you friends for a great day!

What's my Purpose?

Well, I've gone and now I'm back from my mission in Brazil! It was a wonderful experience! A year and a half of challenges and struggles sugarcoated with delightful blessings and surprizes! A loved being a missionary, but am also thankful to be back. It has its pros and its cons however. On the one hand, I miss that mantle, that special feeling and purpose of being a missionary. I miss being "called" to bless people's lives to do the very work the Savior would do if He were here himself. There is power and purpose in that. On the other hand, I am thankful to be back, where I can see and be with my family and friends once again. Oh, how I missed them while I was gone. I spoke with my friend, Mikey, after having recently returned from Brazil, and He asked me, "Doesn't it just seem like the last [year and a half] of your life was all a big dream?" I can honestly say, "yes, it does." I even ask myself sometimes... did I really just do that? Did I really just serve a mission for a year and a half? Because now that I am back in the real world, back in my SAME OLD apartment, in my SAME OLD ward, at my SAME OLD school, with my SAME OLD job... it hardly feels like I even left at all... I mean... despite EVERYTHING ELSE. Ha, the location, the job, the major, may all still be the same, but the people have changed. My friends have all moved on to bigger and better things. Many are married. Many have graduated. Others have gone on missions of their own. Sometimes I wonder, what is left for me? Well, obviously, there is a lot... but amidst all the changes that have happened over my year and a half absence... I still wonder. Am I doing the right thing? Am I in the right place? What IS my purpose post-mission? I'm telling you, this really is a hard thing to figure out. I am trying to find it... Is it in work? Is it in my degree? Is it to date, find a guy, and get married and start a family? What IS my purpose these days? Does it have anything to do with accomplishments? Or is it about serving? Becoming?
I talked to Dr. Gibbons today, (the Department chair in the office in which I work)well, He talked to me, about this very topic. Being a returned missionary himself, He suggested a few things I should be doing to find my purpose post-mission. He mentioned using my patriarchal blessing, finding out what my gifts of the spirit are and studying about them. He mentioned staying close to Heavenly Father through my daily scripture study and prayer. But not just routing reading. He mentioned studying with a real question in mind. So I suppose to do that, I need to be aware of and come up with some questions. I think I have a bunch already (like this one-what is my purpose post mish?) or maybe something more specific like the events in Christ's life or how to develop a specific attribute. He mentioned making sure my prayers are more conversations and emphasized the hearing part. It's true. I seem to have forgotten how to do that post mission. and lastly He suggested paying close attention to conference talks and finding for myself a standard by which I should live. I am quite grateful for his advice.
You know, it's amazing to me, how quickly Heavenly Father hears and responds to our concerns. Isn't it perfect, that upon thinking and praying (and even going to the temple) about my purpose, Heavenly Father placed Dr. Gibbons in my path, ready to offer counsel. Boy am I thankful for this tender mercy today. :)
Well, those are just a few of my many thoughts about post mission life. I need to find my purpose. In addition, right now I am working on a few other essential life items: finishing up my degree, working (applying to the MTC), and trying to find a place to live for Fall! It's been an adventure for sure returning to normal life. As I said before, there are things I miss about the mission. For example, yesterday I received a letter from my last two companions. They spoke of the successes they are having in my last area. Oh, it brought back a flood of emotions and joy as I heard about the progress of those I was teaching before I left. It made me miss the friendships I had there, the security, my 24-7 companion, my constant daily schedule. All of it now gone... but on the other hand, I love my new freedom, my free time, seeing and catching up with my old friends, WATCHING MOVIES! Ha ha! But something is still missing. I need to find out what it is. I will follow Dr. Gibbons counsel and begin a search- a search for me. Who am I post mish? It's funny how people keep asking me how I'm doing with the transition. I keep thinking I'm fine and how silly it is that they keep asking me. But now that I've been home for two months, I am beginning to understand what they meant. There really is something missing-something different, and now I have to go find out what it is. Life is a treasure hunt after all. Full of mysteries and surprises! Our map being the scriptures, the Holy Ghost our guide. There is a grand reward at the end, but we must remember to find the pieces of 8 along the way!
Well, I suppose that concludes-for now-my first blog post post-mission. Hopefully there will be many more blog entries to come dealing with all the different facets of my new post-mission life- and my journey. Life IS an adventure, so I will post my explorations and discoveries here!

Test-Finding Joy in the Journey

This is a test to see if I can post something today: December 13, 2011, but mark it for a past date, like... let's say April 8, 2011, the day I arrived in the states from my mission. The reason for this is because I have a lot of past photos and things I'd like to "blog" about, for example, mission entries, not to mention all the great things that have happened to me post-mission! I want to blog about them all! I've never really had much time for blogging, nor have I really ever known much what to blog about. However, today, as I was looking through some of the old pictures in my camera and was wondering what to do with them, I realized: BLOG! There are so many single images I took with one person on some random day and I think the best way I can remember those moments is to blog about them! It's perfect! Now, I've debated for a while whether or not to do this and if so, how, because I already have my journal which I use to write down the things I'm feeling, but it just finally clicked is all. My blog doesn't necessarily have to be my journal, because there are a lot of personal things that go in there, but it can be more for the fun moments in life... I think I've decided on a new title for my blog: finding joy in the journey... I mean... I feel, really, that that is what life is all about: finding joy in all the little moments that make up our days and our lives. It's not about getting to the end as fast as possible, but about making every day important, and finding ways to find enjoyment and fulfillment daily. I mean, in the end, life won't be made a certificate saying "Congratulations, you did it!" but it will be a conglomeration of all the experiences, friendships, hardships, achievements, good days, bad days, realizations, learnings, etc. that have made up our existence. After all, eternity is not a destination: it is a journey. :)