Dating Advice

Yep I'm writing about dating... I probably could have a whole blog about the awkward, hilarious moments in the life of a girl that is trying to find love. But I guess I want to keep some of my life personal...  A few weeks ago I was participating in a dating class as a kind of demonstration for one of the classes for my degree. I've never once thought about taking a dating class.  Not that I wouldn't take one, it is just that it has never occurred to me that there is such a class.  Most people I know just date and get married with no education needed.  I guess for those of us, who dating doesn't come so easy to, they have dating classes. HA! This one is taught in the community for anyone to take, but particularly for those in the dating years.  I am only taking a portion of the class but I would recommend it if you are wanting some advice on how not to date a jerk, that is actually the title of the class "How to avoid Dating a Jerk or Jerk-ette."  There is more info about the class here. ANYWHO!! I wanted to share some of my new found knowledge to all of yall that are looking for a little help in this stage of your life.

The best dating advice that I heard was to first figure out who you are! The best time to seek out a committed relationship is when you feel that you don't need one, when you aren't seeking someone to fill any unmet needs.  The truth is we aren't meant to be alone and we all have that innate need to be loved. We all come with pasts and weaknesses. But it is harder to foster a healthy relationship when needs that should be met aren't and then we seek them from someone else. We need to first love ourselves before we can love another, especially that deep love that all of us look for. If we can cope with life challenges on our own how great will it be when we can share them with someone else.  My challenge then to you, is to find ways to love yourself today.  Whether that be cooking yourself a lovely dinner, renting a movie you've been dying to see, a little retail therapy, reading a book, taking a walk in the park

, or just taking ten minutes to stop and think about the great things you've done today!

What is some good dating advice that you've received?!

hermanas {part 1}

I know so many sweet sweet girls that already have their calls or are putting in their papers to serve a mission  and I am absolutely so so so EXCITED for them.  I wouldn't change those eighteen months of my life for anything and because I absolutely loved my mission and will take up any chance I can get to gush about my mission I'll take it.  This post is dedicated to the things I wish I knew before I left.

• Read and KNOW Preach My Gospel!! Every mission is a Preach my Gospel mission and you will be such a wonderful missionary if you are already, at least familiar with the book!   If you are worried about not knowing your scriptures or the lessons I would suggest looking up the scriptures in the boxes under each section of a lesson.  Those made all the difference for me, I tabbed my scriptures and by the end I was so grateful that when I needed a scripture on the three kingdoms of glory I could know exactly where it was. 
• The month or so leading up to when you leave I would suggest starting to live the mission life... integrate more spiritual music into your ipod, try and get to bed earlier and wake up earlier.  Especially for those of you coming from apartments with cute roommates that gab (ha this is totally me) ten thirty seems incredibly early.  Make time in this last month before you leave to visit friends and family.
• Depending where you serve I would say some clothing must haves are cardigans and scarfs.  You can dress up any skirt with a cute cardi and a floral scarf!  And currently sisters and can wear pretty much anything.  It kind of ages me but when I got my call we still had to wear skirts that were plain colors mid calf or longer... do you know how hard those are to find?!  But thankfully all you beautiful sisters can wear patterns galore and the cutest skirts.  
• If you serve where it is cold I would invest in warm cute coats.  I served in Western New York and for a big chunk of my mission all I did was wear a coat.  It was too cold to really worry about what was worn underneath.  So I was grateful to have a cute coat! 
• SHOES: hmmm...  I wish someone told me that it was okay to bring a lot of cute flats... Some of the shoes I ended up wearing the most were flats from H&M (cheap and cute) and some a sister gave me from Target.  We definitely did our tracking but for the most part we didn't need heavy clunky scary looking shoes.



here I am with her at the Hill Cumorah Pageant
Love you Hermana Garcia

• CONFESSION!! I had some pretty stylish companions especially my baby!! She is from San Diego and seriously a babe! I trained her my last two transfers (well she came trained...) and I was so frumpy by the end that she was definitely  a princess to my plain jane style.  She knew how to be modest and cute with bright blue skirts, cute belts, my favorite flats from FOREVER21, and cute cute scarfs.  Anyways I learned a lot about style from her. Love that sister!! 

Changes

Oh goodness.  I've been gone for a bit... A good eight months... Well I'm back! I'm trying to be better at this whole blogging thing not because I'm good at it but because I feel that it is some sort of journal and a healthy way to put my feelings out there.  Also one of my bestest friends, Alyssa, started a new blog and I realized that I haven't posted for ages.

Well all I can say is that life in all its ups and downs is beautiful.  I can't believe how incredible it all is.  I was just driving to school this morning and started giggling, I couldn't help but smile at the beautiful world we live in. The last few months have been trying ones for sure but ya know what? Everything ALWAYS works out. Thankfully we don't even have to go through it alone, I'm so grateful for friends and family that have helped me go through some odd transitions in my life that were very unexpected.  I am most grateful though, for my Father in Heaven.  He has blessed me with extra goodness lately! I was thinking how great the works of our God are! How magnificent is He who created us?! This is why I have been able to feel so happy the past few months even with a broken heart and uncertainty about my life in the next few months.  

So guess what?! I'm 24 yep the big two four! Weird.  I secretly love it and any chance I get I find myself saying, 'yeah well I'm 24...' What a great age to graduate from college and to start on my many adventures.  Having said that though,  my life is full of adventures, NOW!! Such a fun life.  My advice of the day is to look for opportunities to just exclaim how much you love life.  Try it right now.  No matter where you are, whisper it, shout it, sing it; I LOVE LIFE!! I promise you will feel better.  Well anyways I'm back and am committing to be a more faithful writer. 

P.S.  I got a new, beautiful camera for Christmas so hopefully I will be able to share in my learning how to use such a incredible piece of technology.  Look how happy I look!!! 

SUMMER

Okay yes this post will include a lot of pictures, it is just that I've been seriously running around and playing this summer so much that I haven't blogged.  And... today a friend pointed out that I hadn't blogged in a while so here is my life in pictures from June on.

First was the big trip to PUERTO RICO!!! OH man it seriously was paradise.  I met some pretty incredible people and saw so many wonderful places.  The food was to die for and every where we went was gorgeous.  My beautiful puerto rica sister, Laura, showed me around with her lovely fiance.  Oh they were just the best hosts. To finish off my trip was their wedding.  Does't she look beautiful?! 

                                                                                   I helped at a girls camp called LTC, it is for 17 and 18 year olds. The theme of the camp was 'look to Christ.'  It was such a blast and we got to meet Torah Bright an olympic gold medalist. This is our moment of fame with her. Aren't my girls cute?! 

                                                                                                                          I went golfing for the first time with my brother and mom.  It was such a blast.  I think I might take it up, I was pretty good... I've been trying to fit in as much reading as I can which is what summer is all about right?!

 okay and lastly this weekend we went to WICKED!!! Oh my goodness it was incredible.  Seriously more epic than I thought it would be.  I went with all these lovely ladies and we had a wonderful night with a little P.F. Changs and dressing up.  Thankfully one more month of summer, hopefully I can squeeze all the splendidness of summer out of it as I can.

 The gorgeous ceiling of the Capitol Theater

dreaming of a bike...

With such warm weather I have been itching to get a bike.  I have been drooling over this one:

Or this one:

But I am not too rich right now, So I might end up renting a bike.  Which will be great nonetheless :) At the University you can rent bikes for free for the whole summer.  So I think I might do that. I hope I can find one with a basket!!! I am daydreaming of riding that cute little thing to the grocery store and it would be so much better with a basket!! 

Anything you've been wanting lately?!

Happiness

Okay so I have totally been MIA for the last couple of months and so much has happened, hence while I've been an awful blogger.  But summer is here and so I'm hoping to write a ton more. I have been feeling overly inspired by this blog a friend showed me, its called, a blog about love.  Check it out. Seriously inspiring. Anyways it has helped me and reaffirmed how great life is and that being happy where your at is totally possible.  Being twenty three is an age where you have so much hope for the future that sometimes I feel myself getting caught up in just that, the future.  When really I should just enjoy now and all the great things that come with it.
I guess you could say I'm refocusing my life on Happiness in the NOW!!! It is really fun.  I'm trying this new thing were I am just stopping through out my day to just be happy.  Today's moment was in the sunshine under a big tree, just sitting.  I'm reading this really great books for one of my classes, the automatic millionaire (UBER GREAT).  Here is the authors website if you want to check it out.  Anyways I just stopped reading, put my book down and couldn't help but think how great my life is.  A great job, wonderful family, an overabundance of incredible people in my life, opportunities to be bold, so many things to learn, deliciously warm weather, and an incredibly loving Father in Heaven. What more could a girl want?!! Maybe time and money... but I'm extremely happy with out those two things!!
Well just a little month at a glance, I'm taking two summer classes, moving into a new apartment (So excited to decorate), working, running, reading, oh and going to Puerto Rico!!! It is busy but oh so fun.  Well I hope to write more soon.

The Bachelorette?

So I am completely obsessed with the the Bachelor.  Not because I feel uplifted or enriched after watching it, but I'm a girl and seriously who doesn't love a little romance on the side of overly dramatic girls?! SO every monday night I hush everyone in my house and turn to my two hours of bachelorness!! Since I love the bachelor my brothers have defined me as the bachelorette. 

We get our sunday calls from the married siblings every sunday and there first question to me always is, 'how was this week on the bachelorette?'  They then are stuck listening to my recap on the weeks dating stories always ending with a rose ceremony of who stayed and who left. I guess thats what I get for having five brothers.  They have to turn my life into a reality television show to hear about all the drama.  I was thinking about this the other day just laughing but realizing how true it might be.  Sometimes people come back into my life, even though I didn't give them a rose in an earlier "episode".  Or times when I gave a rose and everyone knew it was wrong and was practically screaming at me not to do it, but I still did, and it was no bueno.  Wow who would have thought I live such an exciting life. Thank heavens for brothers who make life as exciting as possible.