Lessons From The Past Week

1. Even though bread with cheese looks harmless, it packs a powerful punch especially if it is made in a pizza place. My taste buds loved it, but my stomach, not so much.
2. Getting to sleep at 2:00 a.m., after some rough times, and then waking up at 8:15 to get you out the door and to church before 9:00 is not easy or fun.
3. A Sunday full of meetings cannot be looked at as a day of rest in some ways. There was church, a meeting during the Linger Longer, another one after that, and one more after that. Between all the meetings and getting done what was discussed in those meetings, I was sick and tired by the end, thanks in part to #2.
4. Heavenly Father really knows me. I received a blessing on Monday. I was told some things that those guys who assisted with the blessing, did not know about me. In fact, at one point, I just about started laughing when something was said, but I did not want to take away from the spirit that was there. There were things that I needed to hear in that.
5. Family Doctors probably will not ever want to take care of me. Within five minutes of talking with one, he decided I needed to see a GI doctor because he thought all my issues were related to my lovely stomach.
6. Apparently, the “pins and needles” feelings that I have been having constantly since #2, are not low potassium like I thought. I got a call saying that everything in my blood tests came back normal, and I was pretty sure I was really low.
7. I have a wild imagination to feel these feelings, when they are not really there.
8. It takes forever to get into a specialist, even if your body is going crazy.
9. There are some random places on your body that can feel the “pins and needles”. For example: knees, bottom, cheeks, lips, back, neck, and others. Basically I think it has been everywhere but not at the same time. Right now, it is in my cheeks, lips, hands, and right upper quad.
10. Life can be crazy, but you have to take care of yourself first and then worry about the other things that need attention.

Reasons I Love My Pillow

This morning, I rolled out of bed around 8:15. I usually try to be at work by 8:40 so that I get a little lunch break. By 8:35, I was out the door and driving through the falling snow to get to work (which is only a couple of blocks away). Once I got to work, I realized that today was not going to be the greatest day in the world. It has made me so grateful for my pillow.



Here are the reasons that I love my pillow.
1. It is super comfortable and makes those last few moments in bed worth the
rush to get ready in the morning.
2. It is durable. No matter how much it gets thrown around, hit or rearranged,
it has not yet fallen apart.
3. It hides sounds pretty good. If I ever feel like a good scream or
a frustrated growl, it always gives me a place to let go.
4. It is just the right size!
5. There is a nook in it, where my head fits perfectly and is formed exactly to
my perfect sleeping specifications.
6. Look at the colors! Need I say more :)
On a rough day, it is nice to know that there is always at least one thing that you can count on to make you feel better.

If I Could........

If I could make a classified ad right now, or a help wanted poster, this is what it would say:

HELP WANTED/NEEDED:
Ideas for Other Relief Society Meetings (The meetings formerly known as Enrichment)
QUALIFICATIONS:
Activities and ideas that do not take too much time, as most people in the ward are students, but still draw people closer to Christ. They can include ideas with homemaking, self-reliance, spirituality, sharing the gospel, compassionate service, etc. It would be nice to have fun with them too. Keep in mind, this is for a singles ward so ideas that have to do with children, strengthening our marriages, and preparing our families for different events are not needed.
TO RESPOND
Please post ideas in the comment area. All ideas are welcomed and appreciated.

What a Difference a Year Makes

I was going through pictures last night on my camera that I got last year at Christmas time. It was full on some fun pictures and memories. As I looked at some of the pictures, I realized how much I had changed this year. I have had several different hair styles and thought I would share those.

Here are the hairstyle of Whitney for 2009:

These are in order from the first of the year to the end.
I hope you all have a wonderful new year!!!!

Crazy! Busy! Fun!

This past week was a lot of fun. I was able to do a lot of things that I would not have ever done, if I did not live here. They were wonderful experiences!

~SUNDAY~

Last Sunday, I drove up to Pocatello after church. I was able to watch the Christmas Devotional with my family and really enjoyed it. After that, I went to visit a friend who I miss not having around. It was a good night.

~MONDAY~

I went to the orthodontist on Monday with high hopes that he would say it was time to take these braces off. It did not happen. I go back in January and hopefully they will come off then, but I am not going to get my hopes up this time. After the appointment, I drove back and went to work. It was finals week down here, so for home evening we had a bread and jam social. That was nice to talk to people and relax, even though I tend to talk with a lisp now, thanks to the lovely elastics that I have to wear.

~TUESDAY~

Here is my confession. I am one of those who people who love watching "The Biggest Loser" while enjoying a treat. This week was no exception, especially because it was the finale. I went over to a friend's apartment and watched the finale while enjoying some delicious peppermint fudge.

~WEDNESDAY~

This was probably the least exciting day, but I used it to get caught up on some cleaning that needed to be done and to do my laundry. Nothing too exciting there.

~THURSDAY~

It was ward temple night. I love that the temple is so close and that I can go there so often. I was a little nervous going into the session this time, because the previous week I had been pretty sick and I did not want to have problems. It was an amazing session for me and I was able to get some assurances that I needed about my life right now. There is no doubt in my mind that I need to be living in the present and not worrying too much about the future. The way will be prepared when the time comes!

~Friday~

I had the awesome opportunity to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah with some friends. It was so much fun, and might I add that the food was amazing. We ate latkas, hala bread, and matzah ball soup. It was amazing. We also lit the menorah, played dreidel, and read a book. It was such a cool experience and I am so glad that I was invited to participate/

~Saturday~

I woke up to snow, and lots of it. A friend and I decided to go to a Spanish session at the temple. (Yes I went to the temple two times in one week. YEAH!!!). It was so nice to be around the language again. When we got out of the session, my car was covered with snow. I ran a few other errands and then decided that it was time to start my Christmas shopping. For those who don't know, I do not like shopping. I within 2 1/2 hours I had basically finished all of my shopping. It was nice to get it done with. That night I spent some time with some friends and took it easy.

~Sunday~

Our ward is combined with another ward for the next couple of weeks. This week we had a Christmas program that was so neat and I got a lot out of it. I love Sundays, and spent most of the day after church relaxing and studying. I got invited to a dinner and enjoyed some good food, good friends, and fun.

This week was crazy, but it was super fun. We'll see what this week brings!

The Four F's

FAMILY

I was able to spend a lot of time with my family this weekend. We were all there, except for my bro, who is serving a mission. It was so nice to see my sister and her family and be reminded of what sweet spirits children bring, especially around the holidays.

FOOD

What Thanksgiving would be complete without a Turkey dinner with all the trimmings. There are so many parts of the meal that are my favorite. I love Mashed Potatoes. The marshmallow fruit salad was amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed the yams. The rolls were amazing. Here is the best part, I ate a little bit of turkey!!!!! I forgot how good that turkey tastes. Yum!

FRIENDS

I was able to see some of my most favorite people in Pocatello. There were some that I did not get to see, but I will get to see them the next time I am down. I went for ice cream with one friend and saw some others in the store on Saturday night.

FUN

The weekend was filled with activities to bring in the Christmas Spirit. We had a light parade where people were literally pouring bags of candy in front of us and onto the laps of those who were sitting. The nephews really enjoyed the parade. Saturday was the fireworks. I LOVE FIREWORKS!!! They are some of my most favorite things. There was also football (and basketball on too). That made the Thanksgiving holiday complete.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you found new things to be grateful for.

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

Click the link above to see the movie.

I loved watching this and it has made me do some thinking. I hope you all enjoy it too! I am not going to lie, this week has not been an easy one for me, but I am grateful for my family, friends, and most of all a loving Heavenly Father and Savior.

I am grateful for the opportunities that I have had throughout my life. I have learned so much from the past. Hard times do make us stronger.

I am thankful for those quiet moments when you know that everything is going to be alright.

I am thankful for the opportunity I have to live so close to a temple and go there often.

I am thankful for random moments that bring laughter and joy to my life.

I am grateful for the tender mercies I have been shown.

I am grateful for the love that I can feel, when sometimes I don't think I deserve it, or at other times when I really need it.

I am thankful for the gospel.

I am grateful to all of you and everything that you have done to help me to find peace, joy, comfort, love, and strength in my life. You are all amazing. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.