Gettin' Ready

The past 5 nights I've been having some very interesting dreams. Dreams about traveling, making crafts, writing lists, shopping... It's been a busy few nights in my head.

Two of the things I dreamed about were getting recipes and cute magnets for my little whiteboard so I can be "ready" for my next semester in January.

So today I was rather busy.

I began by thinking of ways to make cute magnets with the things I have or have bought throughout the years that I've kept around. Fabric, glass beads, scrapbook paper...

So I had the thought that I'd make myself a flower magnet, and one made of fabric!

On to the wonderful know-it-all machine Google:

"how to make flowers out of jean material"

Haha!!!

Found it!!

And I followed the instructions until the part where they talked about using a button, because I just hot glued it to my glass bead and then the magnet.

I also cut out interesting designs from the scraps of the scrapbook paper and glued it to the magnet and then the bead over it.

This is what I've made today:

I've also gone through my cookbooks and begun the steps of finding my favorite recipes and writing them down on cards for my Recipe Card Collection. My plan is to go through and create menus so I can mix and match and figure out what it is that I'd have to have in order to actually make the food. This way I won't starve and I'd be healthier! and Hopefully, even save some money.

If anyone has some favorite recipes that they'd be willing to share with me, please oh please contact me!

:)

It has been a good day!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

It is difficult to wake oneself up at 11 pm when you went to bed at 9 and actually fell asleep.

Last night, my mother, littlest brother, and I went to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. I had been debating if I really wanted to see it and if I really wanted to watch it at midnight. But there were several arguments as to why I should go.

I had no school, work, or activities the following day (today) to discourage attending.
It would be an opportunity to just have a moment with my littlest brother as he's a HUGE fan of Harry Potter. Looking at his blog, you can tell.
It was Harry Potter. It's a phenomena in modern culture. If I had missed it what would I tell people? Especially those who are fanatics. They'd be majorly disappointed. Haha.
My mom was paying. Yay!

The end result? I went with my littlest brother and mother. It was a lot of fun! I love to see people who are the true fans all dressed up and somewhat obsessive over the movie.

However, waking up to leave was one of the most tedious things I've done for awhile. How? Well, I had actually fallen asleep. Amazing. But I was. I was also having some pretty interesting dreams/thoughts. I rather enjoyed it. But of course, when my phone alarm vibrated, I looked at the time, turned it off, rolled over, and immediately went back to sleep. To my tired mind there was no real reason as to why I should wake up. No reason at all. Yes I'd miss the movie. But oh well. Sleep is something I love. I woke up again and looked at the clock because I knew there was a very good reason why I should go and I should wake for it. But it was only 3 minutes later. That is NOT enough time to sleep in pass an alarm, so I slept again.

Eventually, I did get out of bed. My little brother was the cutest to get out of bed. I'm pretty sure that he was half asleep all the way to the movie theater. He woke when the chilly air burst upon his face when we stepped out of the car.

At the theater itself as we waited for the movie to start, people began arguing over Twilight vs. Harry Potter. Even the security peoples. It was an interesting debate to hear from the diehard fans.

It was around 3:30 AM by the time we arrived home from a good movie. An hour and a half later my sister began readying for the day. I didn't wake until 11 AM.

What an adventure it was!

A Little Better, a Little Brighter

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."

~Anne Frank

(http://annefrankbiography.com/)

It's amazing to me that Anne Frank only lived a few short years and died at the age of 16 and yet has affected much of the world through her written words that were jotted down only for her audience of "Kitty".

Joan of Arc also became an influential person. She died at the age of 19 years. She helped to reclaim her country, but was captured, put on trial, and executed by being burned at the stake.

I am all of 19 years and almost 6 months. What have I done with my life? Certainly nothing like those girls I've mentioned. I have not suffered as they had. I have not fought in a war. I have not been a source of inspiration for countries, nations, and people.

However, I am still me. I influence those around me daily by what I say and do... or don't. Helping to make one person's day a little brighter is something that makes the world a little better. I know that I could be doing better. I know that I could reach just a little further to help another.

We do not need to become war leaders, presidents, or a symbol of a cause.

What we must do it make each of our "Corners of the World" a little brighter, a little better. If we each focus on the places around us, the light will shine and spread. It may move slowly. It may move backwards. But someday, sometime, it will be everywhere.

I'd like to think that is what I have done in my life. I have made the places where I've been a little better, a little brighter. 

There is always work to be done. I may have just shined one place, but it will need shining again. So we do need each other to make the work easier. But if we do our own part it does become

a little better

a little brighter.

Counting Down

My vacation is coming to an end and I'll be going back to Idaho in January. I'll miss my family. I'll miss my ward. I'll miss the kids I babysit. However, I'm excited to go back to the college life. It went by so fast last time, and I'm sure these next two semesters will be no different. I'll be home again soon enough.

What's exciting is that for the Spring semester my brother will be up at school with me! This will probably be the only semester I'll have with him as he'll be turning 19 next Fall and going on his mission. The Spring semester is the best! It's warm! It's bright and sunny! It'll be a lot of fun! and my brother will be there!!!

But I have Winter to go through first.

Today I registered for my classes. I was able to get most of the ones I wished to have. Young Adult Literature, The Developing World, Family Foundations, Essentials of Human Nutrition, Money Management, and Intro to Web Design/Development. It looks to be a fun semester!

Young Adult Literature fits with my major and is something I have an interest in. I love to read all types of books and young adult literature is always a favorite.

The Developing World will be a foundation course, but looks really quite interesting. I like to learn about other countries and how they work. I don't know how exactly that class will go, but I'm excited for it!

Family Foundations is a religion course based on The Family: A Proclamation to the World. I had a Family course the last semester, but that was for my minor. This will be a different aspect of it.

Essentials of Human Nutrition will obviously be about nutrition. I think this is an important subject matter for me to know as being healthy and being wise in one's intake is something that will be significant for me to work towards living in tip-top shape.

Money Management is a class that will be much appreciated and valued. I, as a poor college student, will hopefully learn the wisdom and knowledge of how to best handle my money throughout my life. It also happens to work for my minor.

My Intro to Web Design/Development class will be for me to know more about, well, Web Designing and such. My brother is into computer programing and it might be helpful for me to know these things in the future.

In anycase, I am rather excited for this next semester. It'll be cold, but it'll be fun!

A few more weeks.

Faith

It's interesting to note the way the Lord works in our lives. Several months ago I was studying the topic of faith. I read a few scriptures on the matter and read a few Ensign articles. In fact I have several pages of notes and thoughts on each. Today in Relief Society we had a lesson on Faith and I had just happened to have my journal with me. Knowing I had several pages of thoughts on Faith I just whipped it out! I was so happy with myself. But in anycase this is what lead to today's thoughts on Faith.

Hebrews 11;

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith is an action. Faith can accomplish many things.

Alma 32:17-42;

Faith is not a perfect knowledge. In fact, that is exactly what Faith is not. Faith is the hope for things which are not seen, which are true. Have faith in all of God's word. For His word comes to men, women, and children (families) through personal revelation if we but listen. His word is later supported by wise men (researchers and those who are educated in their area of study) because it is the Truth.

Begin gaining faith a little at a time. Faith evolves into a prefect knowledge. We must exercise faith so that it will strengthen and so that we can know.

Perhaps begin by experimenting on God's word. Test out a commandment of God by obeying it. That is exercising a particle of faith.

Faith is a seed. You test the seed to see if it is good by planting it and watering it to see if it will grow. Water by the Holy Ghost and obedience. Just to test the seed. But obedience and following the Holy Ghost leads to keeping the plant growing. The seed was only an experiment to see if it was good. Now it requires work for it to continue producing good fruit.

Ether 12:6-22;

You don't have a perfect knowledge until after the trial of your faith. Miracles occur because of faith, without faith there is no miracles. Having faith so strong that you cannot be kept within the veil. By faith promises are received.

Joseph Smith-History 1:11-20;

If you want wisdom act in Faith and you'll receive it. Draw near the Lord in your heart. Have Faith.

Today with the missionaries we were discussing faith for a little bit. How can your faith effect others? Well, you can be an example, you can share the gospel with others, etc. But I had a thought. You having Faith in the Lord is the strongest foundation of anything. You having such faith in the Lord creating the strongest foundation causes you to be a stronger foundation for your friends. You become someone your friends can rely on.

Faith in the Savior. What a wonderful thing it is.

My Brother's Assignment

My brother, Benjamin, is off at BYU-Idaho and has sent us an assignment of his. It's impressive. His teacher gave him a 100% and told the rest of his class to look at it. My brother is quite proud. And so am I. I love my brother.

"In life there are numerous opportunities to learn, whether it comes from an experience shared on TV or a classmate talking about the mountains of homework his/her teacher is assigning to get the students familiar with the material. The difference between an educated person and a normal person is the will to learn more than what is expected of him/her. Eliot A Butler says, 'An educated person is one who by his or her own initiative and discipline is consciously, vigorously, and continuingly learning.' According to Eliot, the person with a mountain of homework would quickly get on top of the pile and get ahead of it maybe by reading into the next section the teacher is planning on talking about the following day to be prepared with any questions or to give insight for what the teacher is talking about for the other students.

"Alexander Calandra told a story about a student who didn't want to be held back by procedures of how to do stuff. This student thought 'outside the box' and had no end to his ideas. It is important for an educated person to constantly apply what has been learned in different situations to figure out what direction to head would be best for a given predicament.

"The more a person learns in the right spirit the more he/she is humbled. The reason behind this is that the more a person knows about a particular topic the more a person can do with what has been learned. For instance, a person may know only how to do basic math problems consisting of dividing, multiplying, adding, and subtracting but all they may use it for is for is dividing up 12 apples between 4 people while if they had learned a littler geometry they can now figure out how to build buildings with support beams that will allow the structure to stay standing longer in addition to what could be done before. This continues to happen until a deeper insight of the subject causes a realm of ideas of what can be accomplished to be flowing toward it's pursuer. Eliot quoted Will Durant who said, 'Sixty years ago I knew everything; now I know nothing; education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.' The more we learn the more we realize we haven't learned.

"Many may wonder why they ought to be as educated as they can, Eliot has pointed out that in D&C 88:80 it reads 'That ye may be prepared...'. Our wisdom and knowledge are two of few things that we get to keep after death, so building ourselves an abundance of knowledge and wisdom would help us be prepared for whatever waits for us after we return to live with God. Besides, God has commanded us to be educated, isn't that a good enough reason in itself?

"Some advice given by Thomas G. Plummer of how we can be more educated is as follows: We should keep a journal to 'find [our] own voice, [our] own thoughts'; We should take a second opinion on an important matter and 'study it out in your own heart' (D&C Section 9); We should take a break once in a while to idle our thoughts. If we are always under pressure it would be hard for us to not make a mistake, getting back to work after taking a break from all the pressure is like getting a jumpstart in your own heard.

"Unfortunately many of the outspoken criticizers in the world today are the people that know the least about the matter (Eliot Butler). If a person were truly educated they would to tell the world that they are because they'd aso have a considerable amount of realization of the stuff that he/she doesn't know. An true educated person would be open to all ideas and suggestions on a topic and not just rely on his/her own wisdom/knowledge because they would know that there are more things that they do not know than they do know."

Talk: Service and Obedience

So I gave a talk today! Yay! First one I've given for a few years. Apparently I was pretty good. Yay me! But of course, I had a ton of help from the Lord. My talk would not have been successful in the least without Him.

TALK on SERVICE and OBEDIENCE:

When I was assigned this talk on Service and Obedience I was very excited. I felt that I knew a lot on both subjects and would be able to come up with a talk just like that. However, I soon came to the realization that I wasn’t sure how the topic of Service and the topic of Obedience were connected. I had absolutely no clue. I’ve learned that combining two simple things can become very complicated in my head. So I asked some of my friends from college on their suggestions.

Here are some of their responses:

“Well. If you are helping others you are obeying the Lord’s commandment.”

“Service makes you feel better! No joke... Sometimes when I am feeling sad or something, I do service and it always make me feel good. I LOVE service! It is one of my favorite things.”

“When we serve, we are being obedient. I’m not sure where in the scriptures, probably New Testament, but the Lord commanded us to feed his sheep.”

“There are different types of commandments that the Lord has asked us to obey and if we obey them, in many cases, we are serving other people.”

I love friends.

Anyways, with all these suggestions I decided that I was going to make a list of the common things in between Service and Obedience.

Service is obeying the Lord.

Obedience is serving the Lord.

Service is attached to expressing Love.

Obedience is an action taken to show you Love your Heavenly Father.

Service blesses the lives of others, and yourself.

Obedience blesses your life, and the lives of others.

It turns out that they are more intertwined then I had originally understood.

We are all asked to serve others. When I was young, every once in awhile my family would pick a park to visit for Family Home Evening and we’d go around with the plastic bags from the grocery store and pick up trash. Our ward helps clean a school and a cemetery yearly. I remember when my family’s house was being built, and our neighbors’ houses as well, and having people move in and out of the ward throughout the years and having my dad and brothers and occasionally the rest of us help. I remember all through my years having messages on our phone asking for my parents help with a sister in the ward who just had a baby, or a brother in the ward who was in the hospital, or how so-and-so might like it if we helped them in their yard for a mutual service project.

We are asked to serve others. And we do. Sometimes we are asked by the Spirit to serve in ways that we never would have supposed. We all try our best to serve and grow.

I’ve learned that obeying the Lord is serving the Lord. We each have our agency and what we do with that agency determines what kind of life and legacy we leave. But because we have agency we have a choice to NOT serve and to NOT obey. When we chose to obey the Lord, to give our Will willingly to the Lord, we are serving him.

This brings me to the next connection between Service and Obedience. Love. We serve others because we Love them. We care for them. We wish them the best. We truly wish to serve them because we Love them. Sometimes there are times when you don’t particularly care for someone, but when you begin to serve them, you begin to Love them.

Up at BYU-Idaho my second semester, my roommates and I had a very interesting FHE group. They put us all into “families” so that on Monday nights we can have Family Home Evening together. Well, this second semester we had some very interesting people in our group. One apartment of girls did not much care for the rest of us. My roommate truly struggled with this problem because she was what we call the Family Home Evening Group Leader, or “FHE MOM”. She was in charge of helping to arrange our Family Home Evenings; the lesson, and the activity, and the treat (because not very many starving college students would show if there was no treats). Generally, she was just supposed to help get people together and be a sort of family with Love and HomeTeachers and even annoying Brothers. It was difficult however with 1/3 of the girls not liking everyone else. So my roommates decided that they’d respond and attack with the master plan of Loving Them To Death. The agenda? Serve them by making them cookies, inviting them over for pizza, helping and asking for homework help, etc. Amazingly, by the end of the semester, they didn’t seem to not like us as much as they used to not like us. We will probably never be the closest of friends without further work, but I can say that I did end up loving them.

When we Serve and Obey the Lord we are expressing our Love for the Lord, for all He has done for us that we can never repay because every time we try we just get more in return.

Obeying the commandments that the Lord has given to us, we are blessed with more abundant blessings, even if they are not readily obvious. Let’s take a commandment we all know and love. The Word of Wisdom. We all obey the commandment because we are told to and we do what we are told because we Love the Lord and have Faith in Him. The blessing is being healthy. Sometimes, by obeying this commandment we are an example to others in our lives who notice and we may help them on their way to learning more about the Savior. That’s a rather simple example, but it shows how when we obey a commandment it helps us and others.

When we Serve others we are obviously blessing others, but often through serving others we are serving ourselves. My roommates and a couple of my neighbors, every Sunday at 3:30, would go to the nursing home and visit this wonderful lady, Anita. We began this little tradition because we all wanted to serve together and some of our friends worked there at the nursing home and so we chose to visit on a day that we could all regular make it. She was fabulous. We truly loved her. None of us were from the area, nor knew her prior to our first visit. But she taught us so much. She could never remember us from the week prior and sometimes she would repeat a story that she had already accounted to us, but Anita and my friends and I grew and learned and loved each other. There were days that were hard for her to enjoy because of pain and struggles and regrets, but when we’d visit she was always ready to impart to us a new piece of knowledge. We gained so much knowledge and wisdom from a lady who, when first married, lived in a tent during the Depression while her husband built a highway, who, with her sister-in-law whom she didn’t like much, began riding her bike everyday because it was a good form of exercise and would also help her understand this sister-in-law and force this sister-in-law to exercise because it was good for her. This sister shared her wisdom gained from the experiences of her life as we had served her by visiting. Often I think that my friends and I were served more by her than we served her.

One of the greatest examples where Service and Obedience are joined and intertwined and have much in common is in Luke 22:42 when Our Lord, Our Savior, Our Elder Brother, knelt down in the Garden of Gethsemane and prayed saying “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, by thine, be done.”

What an ultimate source of Service for all of us. What a magnificent example of Obedience to Heavenly Father. Such an exemplary act.

How I love my Savior. How I love all He has done for us. It is hard to express in words. I know, with all my heart and soul, that our Father in Heaven, and His Son, Jesus Christ, knows each of us. Knows all of who we are. Who loves us in spite of ourselves. Who will help us overcome our imperfections so that we may return to our Father. I have a testimony of the importance of Service and of Obedience in my life to express the Love I have for Them in return.

The Memory Base

"Knowing a great deal is not the same as being smart; intelligence is not information alone but also judgment, the manner in which information is collected and used." ~Dr. Carl Sagan

There is a distinction between knowledge and wisdom and intelligence. Knowledge is "the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association" according to Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary. Being a wise person is marked by deep understanding, keen discernment, and a capacity for sound judgment. Wisdom is the knowledge of how to apply all other knowledge. Intelligence incorporates both knowledge and wisdom. Intelligence is the process of collecting the facts and how one uses those facts by using judgment.

Intelligence is also what all are (D&C 93:29-30, 36). But God is more intelligent than the rest of us (Abraham 3:19-22). However, even though intelligence is not made nor created we can obtain it through diligence and obedience, as whenever we receive a blessing from God it is by obedience to the law upon which it is founded (D&C 93:29; 130:18-21).

The other day I was reading an address by Elder D. Todd Chrisofferson entitled "The Blessing of Scripture". Scripture enlarges the memory of a people and of individuals. It helps us to always remember the Lord and our relationship with Him and the Father.

It teaches you about past people, cultures, and events we did not experience personally and might have forgotten otherwise in our histories.

It shows you that life is only a small little moment on the timeline of Eternity. It reminds you that the trials you experience are only a moment, but that it is significant in the fact that what occurs on mortality affects the rest of your existence and what kind of existence it will be. So it enlarges your memory to all of forever rather than just limited to mortality.

However, I was struck with the inspiration that scripture can do more than that.

The scriptures can be read in so many ways. It can be read as a story of a real people. It can be read as an instruction manual for specific or broad topics. It can be read as a compiled biographical work or the first history books invented. It can be used to study economics or perhaps politics. The scriptures are multidimensional; there is more than one aspect to it.

As a result, the scriptures can literally enlarge our minds in another way that I had never before considered.

Let's add Cognitive Psychology into this explanation. (Though I honestly can't claim to know much about Cognitive Psychology). But I know that somehow it fits into this explanation. If I knew more about it. Meanwhile, until I do, let's just keep to my theory and for those of you who know more please ponder upon the matter.

We are told to make personal connections to the scriptures so that its teachings can become more applicable to our lives (Teaching from the Scriptures). However, in connecting a thought to multiple topics it is easier to recall that thought. In the process of connecting the thought to other topics it becomes a bigger aspect of our lives and it is easier to apply when it has such a presence in our minds.

So if we can connect the scriptures to every aspect of our lives, and our lives to every aspect to the scriptures, then just the process of opening and reading the scriptures should bring to the forefront of your mind a thought or memory. Opening the scriptures opens your mind and allows the Holy Spirit to help connect the thoughts in your head to other thoughts, creating that 'lightbulb' moment, especially if we have actually already begun to connect to the scriptures. The scriptures become an extension of your memory, of your life. You would have made the scriptures truly applicable when it becomes such a part of you.

I think connecting to the scriptures in such a way will help you organize your life, your mind. The scriptures have a format, a structure in physical form. When we connect to every aspect of the scriptures or the scriptures to every aspect of our lives we will have a format in which to organize our thoughts, and by extension, our lives.

I think that this level of connection could occur with most anything as your base, if you can make a great many connections to it. I think this should be kept in mind and perhaps studied by those who are in that particular field of study, or at least in a related field.

However, the scriptures are probably the best source in which to base yourself upon. There are several reasons for this. First off, they are the words of the Lord. There really can't be anything better in which to listen and obey. Also, as perviously mentioned, the scriptures are so comprehensive and so specific that one can truly connect to such a work on a variety of different levels and a variety of different topics. It is something in which if you truly connect you it can help you verses harms you in an obsessive sort of way.

The scriptures is not just one thing to be focused on and worshiped. The scriptures, if read and connected to truly, brings you to other elements in life and other teachings and expands your memory. Where most other works, if connected to, will only limit the expansion of your mind.

I would love to see a study about physical objects, sounds, and smells becoming an extension of a memory, but to see it developed further and see if a person could be healthily connected in all memories and thoughts to the scriptures and the things of the gospel. I'd love to learn more about this and where exactly Cognitive Psychology fits in.

Traditions

I have a Family class this semester for my minor and it is an excellent class. The textbook we use is entitled Strengthening Our Families: An In-Depth Look at the Proclamation on the Family by David C. Dollahite.

This engrossing textbook I plan on keeping it for the rest of my life. Or at least until I can hand it down to someone to be used. The best books should be used over and over and over again and be studied, and written in, and marked, and much thought put into it.

It is fascinating, this book. Recently we just studied a chapter entitled "Valuing, Preserving, and Transmitting Family Traditions" which is Chapter 23. But how interesting this chapter is!

The textbook defined what traditions are: “Traditions” are defined as beliefs and practices enacted to repeatedly from generation to generation and taught by face-to-face contact within small groups (314).

Susan Abel Lieberman said, "Family traditions counter alienation and confusion. They help us define who we are; they provide something steady, reliable and safe in a confusing world."

Family traditions give each family an identity, both extended families and nuclear families. There are traditions that are handed down from parent to child and parent to child, as a result, the cousins, aunts, uncles, etc all have bits and pieces of the same traditions. But each nuclear family has their own unique traditions as well. Two people from different families, with different traditions, come together and pick and choose which traditions they wish to continue from both sides of the family. Then they create new traditions that better define who they are as their own family. The traditions express a shared interest in most cases.

There are seven issues related to the creation and perpetuation of family traditions:
1. Distinguish between good and bad traditions
2. Encourage a unique family style
3. Be selective and creative in fashioning new traditions
4. Be inclusive
5. Be service-oriented
6. Foster storytelling
7. Nurture natural traditions

Number 1:
There are many traditions that we can develop in our lives that will not better ourselves or our posterity. Some traditions can actually be a hinderance to growth and progression. When we create our own traditions for our families, perhaps they are the best we can do at that point in time, but in the next generation children will only add upon the foundation of the traditions you have taught. If they are positive traditions and leading in the right direction, usually the traditions added on to the former will be even better. Having the best traditions now create the greatest traditions later. But it goes the other way around too. Bad traditions are added upon. Obviously, children have agency and they will choose their own way, but when you raise them with certain traditions they will remember them.

Number 2:
There are many traditions that are held among many families, but it is possible to have a common tradition become very specialized to your family. For example, many families have prayer. But where they hold family prayer can give meaning. Or a certain treat made and eaten only at Easter/Christmas.

Number 3:
Traditions should be adapted from the families of both spouses. It'll encourage a healthy new family unit verses favoring one side of the family over the other.

Number 4:
When creating new traditions the variety of interests and ability of family members must be taken into account so they help build closer family relationships.

Number 5:
"Performing service as a family is one of the best ways to perform service within the family" (314). Having a tradition that serves others on a yearly or monthly or weekly basis instills in the children habits of service that will be perfected as they mature.

Number 6:
Telling storys about ancestors or relatives creates unity between the generations and strengthen family relationships. In my family my mother frequently tells us stories about her siblings, her parents, her aunts and uncles, her grandparents, my cousins... and as a result, even though we live so far away from them all and my great-grandparents have passed on, I feel like I really know each of them and family reunions are always so much fun. "Sharing the stories of daily experiences, both humorous and difficult, encourages a sense of common experience that also units families – sometimes over generations" (314).

Number 7:
"Traditions that are unrelated to actual family life often feel forced and uncomfortable; with good reason, theses are the least likely customs to be continued" (314). Many family traditions grow out of things that are already done: game playing, celebrating holidays, eating, working, traveling, singing together, etc.


We should also be recording these traditions down.

Elder Dennis B. Neuenschwander has said, “That which I do not in some way record will be lost at my death, and that which I do not pass on to my posterity, they will never have. The work of gathering and sharing eternal family keepsakes is a personal responsibility. It cannot be passed off or given to another.”

Also, President Spencer W. Kimball has said, “Let us then continue on in this important work of recording the things we do, the things we say, the things we think, to be in accordance with the instructions of the Lord. For those of you who may not have already started your books of remembrance and your records, we would suggest that this very day you begin to write your records quite fully and completely.”

Journals, scrapbooks, etc are not just for thoughts, experiences, events, memories, although those are very good things to write down. But they are also for writing down traditions you have and the purposes behind that tradition. That way, several generations down, if someone wishes to know the reason why they do a certain thing, then it is understood. In my class one girl brought of the matter that her mother would always cut off the ends of the roast for Thanksgiving dinner. Her daughter asked her why she did that, because it was perfectly good meat, and she said she didn't know, that it's what her mother had always done. So she when to her mother and asked her why she cut off the ends. The reason? It wouldn't fit in the pot otherwise. Traditions and their purpose should be written down so others can choose to continue or discontinue or revive a tradition.

Here are a few articles:

Preserving Your Family Traditions

Creating Family Traditions

I'm sure there are tons of other articles you could research if you wish too.


So, Question.
What are some of your favorite family traditions?

The End of A Beginning

One. Two. Three.

That is the number of days I have left here in Rexburg, ID.

At least, the number of days I have left until the end of my first semester at BYU-I. It's amazing at how much I've learned this semester. The door to a wider world has been opening. I am beginning to see more of the things I never knew of. Its... remarkable.

What have I learned? What are the things that caused the door to begin opening?

Knowledge, of course. College has a lot of that.

Wisdom. Something gained through experiences.


Being the oldest, I imagine myself to be an adventurer, a discoverer. I helped to map a portion of the wilderness so my younger siblings can see what is out there and perhaps make their own adventures a little easier in a certain way.

I've learned of things that are immediately applicable to my life. If it not so immediate then it is certainly going to be helpful in the future.

My HIST 101 class has taught me that you can learn to enjoy a class that normally you might not enjoy. That even when you've changed your minor to something else and you no longer need to worry about the class too much, you still put effort into it. That just the process of doing something that you don't quite enjoy is something worth learning. It teaches you to be always cheerful and positive and looking on the bright side of things. I've learned to love that class for a variety of different reasons, rather then dislike it for one. It has become a worthwhile class just from the attitude I've had.

My SFN 302 class, or as I call it, my Nursing class, is a wonderful one. There are only 12 girls in the class and its a class where we are all there just to learn. We aren't taking the class in order to pass a test, but rather for our own personal use. Its a class where Learning by the Spirit is something that causes miraculous things to be discussed and learning about in the two hours we are in the room. The girls in this class are close. We honestly learn from one another and the experiences we have had.

My General Studies course 105, or College Success, was an extremely helpful class. I just learned about things that I probably would have discovered and learned about well into my Sophomore year at minimum. I learn of things that the college student should know. Like where all the buildings are, and generally what type of building it is. I've learned of strategies to help me acquire and remember the knowledge I learn in my classes. Its been extremely useful.

My Writing Class, or FDENG 101. I love this class. The first day I didn't know quite what to think. The second day of the class I didn't know what to do as my group from the first day all dropped. But as the semester continued it became one of my favorites. I've gained a whole class of friends. The style of teaching was different in this class then any other that I had ever had. But I loved it, if only because it was what I personally agreed with from my High School years. I've recognized the things that are taught were usually already incorporated into my life, but I became aware of them and try to improve them. Things such as writing about what you really care about and for an actual reason. It has been a great semester.

My Book of Mormon 2, or FDREL 122, class has been quite fun. My teacher had surgery and was gone for 4 weeks, but in the meantime we had 2 other teachers, elderly teachers that were well retired from teaching seminary. I've learned so much. I've read the Book of Mormon several times, but learning different lessons from most every verse and discovering the words of the prophets on a particular issue that I had never thought of before.... it was fantastic! I already had a strong testimony of the gospel, but its definitely be strengthened as I read the second half of the Book of Mormon again.

American Foundations, or FDAMF 101, is a great class. Because of the program I was in in High School, I took 3 classes of American History and Government. Much of it seemed repeating, but I always learned something new. This class I expected to be the same thing, but we learned more about the economics and the principles behind our government. I have learned so many things to be applied to my life. I've learned to have better faith in God in the aspects of the economy and government in my life. I've learned how miraculous it was for the creation of our Country and what it has led to. It has been so amazing to be able to have gospel truths and principles taught in relation to both government and economics, things that many people think are entirely separate.

My Intro to English Studies class, or ENG 110, is a requirement for my English major and it has also been extremely useful. It helped me to discover all of what I could do with my major and how to accomplish getting there. Both in school and in the world. It makes me more sure of the things that I have decided to study.

These are only my classes and the surface of what I learned in each of them. But the rest of college has been just as much of a learning experience. I have learned how to love those that are hard to love. I have learned how to live on my own. I have learned how to be more responsible of self and others. I have discovered that a good attitude truly does make a difference. That a smile can mean the world. That life is hard and challenging, but worth it.

I'm wondering what exactly it is that I'll be able to learn the rest of my school semesters. What an adventure.

"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." ~Winston Churchill