Good Sunday

Went with my friend to a small town about 1.5 hours away to hear him speak in sacrament meeting today. He did great, and I'm glad I was able to meet some of the sweet folks there. It turned out to be a nice little day-trip.

I gotta share with you what my four-year-old nephew said yesterday. We were talking about baptism and I told him that he'll be baptized when he turns eight years old. The little guy is super bright and already has somewhat of a concept of time and his future. He then proceeded to say:

"I'm going to go on a mission. Then I'm going to college, the big school. I'll take a swimming class. Then I will get married in the temple to mommy and daddy."

In response I said, "No, you will marry a nice girl in the temple."

Him, annoyed with me, "NO! I'M GONNA MARRY MOMMY AND DADDY!"

It was hilarious.



Have you heard this song before? I love it. I played it about 452 times on the trip today.

Convert Baptism and Videos

Later this evening I'm going to a convert baptism of a sister moving into my ward. I've never met her (nor heard of her until this morning when I was asked to attend her baptism), but I guess she's been attending one of the other singles wards. Anyway, I get to welcome her into the Relief Society!

Here are some recent videos I've come across recently, two music-related, and one ancient-technology-related (you'll see what I mean).

Ward Conference, Pretty Eyes, and Facebook Chat

My singles ward had ward conference on Sunday, and it was full of wonderful lessons, of which I am going to share here!

1. My stake president compared contracts to covenants (promises we make with God). When we sign up to purchase a car or to rent an apartment, we finalize the transaction with our signature. And when we "sign up" for a covenant, we use ordinances ( a sacred, formal act performed by the authority of the priesthood) as "signatures." I thought that was a pretty clever way of thinking of it. And that is why we encourage reverence during these ordinances; they are sacred.

2. One of the counselors in the stake presidency said this: "We are not meant to live the gospel in a vacuum. It's expansive." I loved that analogy too.

3. As members of the Church, we have four main duties: 1) relationship to the Lord, 2) activities in church, 3) responsibilities to others, and 4) personal conduct.

There was obviously a lot more, but those are a few things that hit home with me.



And now for a couple of videos! The first is a guy named Alex Goot singing a fun little pop ballad number, and the second is a mock Facebook chat session between a guy and a girl who should do a lot better at expressing their true feelings.

Dream and Imagine

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." Martin Luther King, Jr.

Good Sunday

You mean I only had to be at church from 9-12* today? Glorious!! That's Good Sunday worthy right there. Normally I'm at church for like five hours plus because of extra meetings, which are super important (er, super important most of the time) because I have one of those callings that requires extra meetings. But today--only one quick relief society board meeting after church (so more like 12:15), and I was good to come home, eat lunch at a decent lunchtime hour, and take a nap-a-roo!

I watched the Social Network last night, and I'm gonna be in the minority here, but I'm not a huge fan. It was okay, but I wouldn't watch it again. It was darker/more boring/more dramatic than I thought it would be. But if you're into darker/more boring/more dramatic movies, go watch it. I'd rather be involved in an actual social network.







*okay, okay, it was 12:15.

Saturdays are Good Too

Today was nice. First of all, it was 53 degrees. That's quite a change from the usual 20s and 30s we've been having.

I also helped a couple of girls from my ward move out of their apartment this morning. Later, I got a sub sammy with my friend, Jess. Then we went to the university and took some fun pics.

And then my youngest sister, mom, and I got some frozen yogurt this evening and we're gonna watch The Social Network soon. I'm excited, cuz I heard it's really good.

Happy Saturday!

Teaching is Hot and Cold. Like Katy Perry, For Example.



I have subbed at the same school the last three days. I was in the same first grade classroom Wednesday and Thursday, and in a second grade classroom today.

First grade classroom = circus
Second grade classroom = cake

In the first grade classroom, I had two kids with behavior problems. D. did cartwheels and refused to do his work, and A. called me a witch (but replace the w with a b). A lot of other stuff happened, but that's where I'll cap it.

In the second grade classroom, I had one kid with behavior issues. But his were a LOT less dramatic. And the rest of the students were practical angels.

But in good news, my teaching license came in the mail today. I'm officially a licensed teacher! Yeah!

And in other good news, I signed my offer letter from the preschool, so I'll soon be officially employed! Yeah times two!

"It's Automatic"

This video is funny.com as it is, but the inspirational poster in the background is the icing on the cake. Happy Wednesday!

3

This post will be tri-fold.

1. Notes from the CES fireside on Sunday.
2. Funny subbing story.
3. 5K training request.

Let's begin....

1. CES fireside notes:

Topic: Living Well Day by Day
Speaker: D. Todd Christofferson

• Thoughtful planning and preparation lead to a successful future.
• But we don't live in the future. We live one day at a time.
• It's an accumulation of these days that make a saintly person.
• When we ask God for certain things, we must act and do the things that are in OUR power, too.
• Sometimes we are forced to turn to God daily for days, months, years. This teaches us how to pray, get faith, and know Jesus Christ and God.
• This "daily bread" is a precious commodity. The "manna" of today is as blessed as the manna in biblical times.
• Don't give into the moment; finish the task.
• Take one day (or moment) at a time. Don't look ahead at pain. Just get through the day. Worrying about the future can debilitate us and make us quit.
• Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. (Matthew 6:34)
• The Lord is pleased with every effort, even the daily ones in which strive to be more like Him.
• Little kind acts do more in a relationship than a grand, expensive gift.
• Thank God for the manna that sustained you throughout the day.
• Manna (bread of life) is a symbol of the Redeemer.

2. Funny subbing story:
Yesterday I subbed a fifth grade class. The kids are leveled into different math groups and switch for the subject. One of my students was about to leave for his math group when he said this: "[In my math class] we're building boats! I'll be good at it because I'm Chinese." Way to racial profile yourself there, kiddo.

3. 5K training request:

I'm gonna run a 5K in April. If you have running expertise, especially for a smaller race like a 5K, please send a training regimen/tips my way! Obviously I know that I'll need to get to the point in which I can run the 3.1 miles without stopping, but I'd like to know the best way to appropriately reach that goal. I'm a moderate runner right now, if that makes a difference; I'm not a beginner, but I'm not a marathoner either.

Lame (Yet Catchy) Song Packaged in a Visually Pleasing Music Video

I dedicate this post to Tim.

Good Sunday

So far, and overall, today has been exactly what the title of this post says. Church started at 9 am (love it compared to 2010's 1 pm meetings), talks were great, I participated in the instant choir (anyone who wants to sing a specific hymn goes up and sings it in front of the ones who didn't want to sing praises unto the Lord...jk jk jk), had three additional meetings besides the regular three of sacrament meeting, Sunday school, and relief society, had good sunday school and relief society meetings, and get to attend the CES fireside later this evening. Sundays are almost always pretty darn busy for me.

As I stated in a previous post, I'm going to register for a 5K that I'll run in April. It'll be my first race. My friend Monica is going to train and run it with me. We're excited! We're not only excited for the race, but for the chance we have to get healthier by eating better and exercising. She is now transforming her personal blog into a health blog; check it out!

Happy Sunday!

Disney Quote, 5K, and New Blog Layout

Isn't this quote a winner?

“Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things… and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

-Walt Disney

I think I'm gonna register for a 5K in April. I run for exercise, and I figure that I might as well run for an additional purpose. Plus, since it's still a few months away, I can really learn how to appropriately train and psych myself up for it.

And I really like my new blog layout, so this one might actually stick around for awhile (I'm fully aware that I change it as often as Obama smokes cigs).

Create Happiness

A silly commercial aired on internet radio this evening as I was working out. It went something like this:

It's time to ponder our existence. What is the purpose of life? To play radio games of course! blah blah blah...

Now I know that the real purpose of life is all of this perfect goodness.

But I've been thinking for awhile now what my individual purpose is beyond the pat answers of receiving a physical body, learning, and becoming more God-like. My situation is a little unique in that most Mormon girls my age are married, may have a growing family, and are learning how to make a home. But Ashley is not doing any of those things. I have two degrees, still live at home, and I'm working as a substitute teacher while looking for full-time employment. There are so many things I want to dabble into, but funds and circumstances are tight. I've been feeling "trapped" by these circumstances for quite some time now, and I'm fully ready and seeking major change. I'm ready to create my happiness! (Cue cool create video)!

Good Sunday

Testimony meetings in my ward are always a crazy surprise.

People get up there and say the darndest things.

It's helpful to remember that the church is true regardless of some of the gibberish that comes out of those mouths at times.

We had a superb Relief Society lesson on self-worth taught by my too cool friend, Monica.

Monica and I Friday night at the New Years dance!

Hope your new year is getting off to a rockin' start! Check out this really inspiring video about leaving the past behind and starting anew.

My Family and Cars Not Starting 2011 Off Well



Not my sister's car, but you can get an idea of what it looked like (snow and all) from this pic.

In matter of one day, our family's car supply has been cut in half.

Yesterday, one of our garage doors broke, with my mom's car still inside. She and I normally park our cars inside this garage, but I was gone, thank goodness (so we still have access to my car). But her Impala is trapped until we get the door fixed (which should hopefully be Monday, fingers crossed).

And then this afternoon, my sisters were in a car accident due to the ice, and her Civic's hood was totaled and towed to the dealership.

In the meantime, it should be interesting getting us five around in two cars when we all have a million places to be it seems.

Twenty-eleven really is gonna rock though, in case I made it sound like it wasn't.