Monday, October 7, 2013

Getting Personal

I have been really wanting to share an awesome experience I had, but it comes with a personal back-story so I haven't yet. If you don't want to read something sappy, I suggest you stop now. haha!

Ever since I was a little kid I've struggled with really bad anxiety... like really bad (I like to think I hide it well) haha. I have times where it's more under control and times where I feel like I can't even handle it. Ever since my dear friend Cody passed away, my anxiety really showed itself. It's been a really hard year, since he passed and many other things that have really pushed me to learn how to handle it. I would also like to say right here, that my family is full of the most incredible people who are so patient and helpful with me. And that priesthood blessings are truly one of the greatest gifts we have been given.

So, now for the experience: a couple of Sundays ago, I was at a friend's mission farewell. The speaker before her gave a talk on how to prepare for conference. And to be completely honest, at first, I wasn't paying a ton of attention to the talk. Then she said that we should write down questions that we want answered by the speakers. And I was thinking, "I want to know how to better deal with my anxiety, or how to have peace from it." And I decided to write that down as my question. I honestly was thinking that I would have to dig through the talks to search for an answer to that question, because that topic isn't usually one that's just laid out in front of you... OH BOY, was I wrong!


Elder Jeffrey R. Holland spoke during the Saturday afternoon session, and honestly it felt like he was speaking to me (I've heard people say that so many times but this was the first time I actually felt it) and it was amazing! That was such a huge testimony builder for me.



This talk honestly greatly proved to me that God is very aware of every single one of us. It's so true that no matter the circumstances or problems, no matter how simple or severe, God cares and he wants us to be happy. I am so thankful for General Conference and for these amazing men and women who share such inspirational messages with us.

Even if you aren't LDS, I STRONGLY recommend you watch this:

You can watch other talks from this conference and past conferences, as well on: www.lds.org.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

23!

WOW! I can't believe that I'm 23..

Birthdays were all fun and games for me until my 20th; that's when I started to think, 'Oh crap, I'm old.' And now all birthdays are the 'Oh crap, I'm old' kind! Even though it's just a day difference, I hate having to say that I'm 23 instead of.. 19. 19 is a good age. haha.

This was a great birthday though because I have THE MOST amazing family and friends ever. I seriously love every single one of them.

Here are a few pictures from my day. I don't have pictures of all the awesome people involved, but I'm just as thankful to them!