The type of Mother I hope to be.

I may not be all that close to being a Mother but that doesn't mean I can't start thinking about the type of Mother I want to be.

I want to be a Mother who prepares dinner for my family to sit around the table and eat together, whether its a nice home cooked meal, pizza or take out. I want to be a Mother who will let my children sleep in my room (not bed) when they are scared. I want to be a Mother who gives my children chores and teaches them how to clean so they can learn the value of having a clean home. I want to be a Mother who chases her children around the house as a scary tickle monster, even when they are old enough to push me off. I want to be a Mother who will support my children's after school activities by helping out in a soccer concession stand for 8 years in a row and going to as many of their games as possible. I want to be a Mother who will learn to love the sport they play or activity they love to do even if it's not the one I wished they would have done. I want to be a Mother who will fulfill all of my church callings to the best of my ability, no matter what calling it is so I can teach my children the importance of serving in the Lords church. I want to be a Mother who will stay up late helping my children with school projects when they procrastinate. I want to be a Mother who will listen to my children's endless stories of what happened at school or with friends whether they are actually interesting stories or not. I want to be a Mother who my kids friends love and think is awesome. I want to be a Mother who will always remind my children to say thank you. I want to be a Mother who will be honest with my kids and let them know when they are being weird. I want to be a Mother who will let my children make their own decisions when they get older and will support them in whatever that decision will be. I want to be a Mother who will do all I can to help my children in whatever part of their life they need help with. I want to be a Mother who would be willing to drive 6 hours to be with my child when they are upset and embarrassed because of a gross bug bite. I want to be a Mother who will spend hours, days and months helping plan and set up an amazing wedding reception for my daughters. I want to be a Mother who will be able to encourage my children to continue to grow in the gospel and who will love me so much that they always strive to not disappoint me. I want to be a mother that my children trust to tell everything to. I want to be a Mother who my children respect, love and can call their best friend. I want to be a Mother who will pray for my children everyday and hope that they make good decisions and live a life that will bring them real joy.

There are without a doubt many other things that I could add to that list because all that a Mother does for her family is endless. I want to be this kind of Mother because this is the type of Mother my Mom is. Mom, you and all that you do for me and for our family does not go unnoticed. Whether you believe it or not you are all of those things I hope to be as a Mother. I can't thank the Lord enough for blessing me with such an amazing Mother. I can feel and have felt the love that you have for me every day of my life, even when you may not be in the best mood :0) Knowing how much you love me and how much you want me to have a good life makes me want to work hard every day to become a daughter that you can always be proud of. I love you so much and I hope you are able to feel that love more than just today.

I am a Swan

So while working my coworkers and I try and find anyway possible to pass the time. Sometimes this involves telling riddles, giving each other relationship advice or playing various sports. The other day we took this personality test called "The Animal in You" personality test. Usually when it comes to these type of tests I could care less about the results, and Im not saying I have been pondering about this particular one too hard but I found it interesting. According to this test the animal I would most be like is a Swan. Here is what it says in regards to having a "Swan-like" personality.

"Throughout the ages, swans have been venerated for their elegant grace and gentle beauty. So it's little surprise that these personalities attract such admiration as they sail serenely through life. The swan's noble reputation is its greatest asset and it takes care to cultivate its image by always appearing calm in public.

Things are very different just below the surface, for fueling the swan's elegant glide is a high-energy paddling that consumes most of its emotional stamina. While it's common for a bird personality to exhibit this kind of emotional volatility, it is particularly noticeable in the swan when contrasted with its tranquil exterior.

Supporting a high-profile swan persona requires substantial energy, and a high metabolism can leave them feeling exhausted and drained. When life gets overwhelming, they will take off and find a tranquil, gentle place to meditate and recharge before returning to the real world. This unsettled aspect of their personality means that a swan has probably moved to a different city at least once its life, or is at least planning to do so.

Appearance is important to the swan who enjoys the finer things in life and it spares no expense in pampering itself. It would be a mistake to simply dismiss it as a fragile beauty though; for it is a well traveled, worldly bird who has seen the best and worst of the human condition. Its experiences have made it a well-rounded and worldly individual who can adapt to almost any career. It has no problem with taking direction from a boss and is always prepared to accept input from others.

Its work is well integrated into its life and it strives to find balance in its career and family life. Because swan personalities are often gangly and awkward as children, they have substantial experience in dealing with difficult people and are well equipped to handle conflicts in the workplace. Their innate empathy makes them ideal therapists, doctors, nurses or personnel managers. With their natural beauty they are also well suited for careers in the arts, with a particular affinity for music, ballet and acting."

So I'm curious from those who actually took the time to read this. Am I really a swan? :)

What animal are you? Find out: http://animalinyou.com/test.php

Roots Before Branches

I love the music on Glee!
It makes me want to dance, sing and makes me wish life were more like a musical.
However the final song performed on this week's episode really made me think, so here is where I attempt to explain my thoughts in a not so drawn out way.

The song is called "Roots Before Branches", originally done by Room For Two.

The entire episode was about the characters graduation and how far they have come since the first season. Oh, graduation...I remember how sad I was about leaving high school. It was an amazing four years. However, while the last three years since graduating from high school have been filled with many challenges, stress and lots of changes I think I have to say that I have truly come to appreciate them much more than I did my high school experience.

Florida is a great place to live. Where I live especially; it's paradise, but I knew that if I wanted any sort of growing experience I would need to go somewhere after high school that would give me more opportunities to do so. To make a long story short, 3 years and 4 schools later I have finally found the place where I belong (please excuse the very cliche phrasing, I simply couldn't think of any other way to say it).

..............................................................................................................

So what does this have to do with the song? Well it is all about growing up, finding out who you are and becoming the person you want to be. The song pretty much put into perfect words what I feel like the last few years have been for me; growing those roots, creating a foundation, learning lessons and going through experiences that have helped me really grow up and realize that while high school was great and I definitely had my standards set, that was really the time in my life when seeds were being planted, and now is the time for roots to begin growing. Okay, I feel as though I have sort of exhausted that metaphor for life, so to end I will just say that I don't completely agree with those who say its good to just put the past behind you. I think it is good to look back on the past in order to see how far you have come, and to remind yourself that there is always room for growth in life. We can always be growing those roots, and the stronger the roots we have the stronger we can become.

"God Be with You Till We Meet Again"

The last month I have thought a lot about loss.

I have never really known anyone that close to me who has passed away, until a month ago.

I met Rachel Kekauoha this last semester at BYU-I. I remember walking into the competitive futsal meeting and she was the first person to introduce herself to me and I was so grateful for that because I am not the most outgoing person. What I quickly noticed was how easy she was to talk to and I was so excited to hopefully get to know her better and luckily I did. We didn’t end up playing on the same team but our team’s practiced at the same time and we always scrimmaged them, so every Monday and Wednesday I could look forward to seeing Rachel’s smiling face. We both wore the #12, so we always joked about having some sort of special connection. I have never enjoyed playing against someone so much. Every time we scrimmaged Rachel’s team or played them in real games there was never any doubt that it would be a blast because Rachel was there. She was one of those players that I enjoyed going up against because I knew it would be a challenge. She always gave it 100% and it forced me to do the same, plus she always made it fun. If she ever knocked anyone down or pushed them too hard she would instantly apologize and you could tell she was always genuinely sorry. One of the things I loved most about Rachel was how after every single game, whether she had won or lost she would always come up to me and my other teammates and tell us how amazing we played, when she was the one who really deserved all of the praise. I can honestly say that I have never met someone more humble. Rachel really made this futsal season such an amazing experience for me.

I am also incredibly grateful for the fact that we were able to become friends outside the soccer world. That I was able to talk with her about life and school and church and all those things that friends talk about. Being around someone like her with that much light, kindness and humility just made me want to be a better person. That is why I feel so blessed to have had the chance to meet Rachel, while I may be a few years older than she was I learned so much from her in just those 4 months of knowing her. She was an amazing soccer player; friend and just an all around incredible person and I know that she touched the lives of every single person she met. She definitely made an impact on my life that I will be forever grateful for.

.............................................................................................................

So now let me go back to my thoughts on loss. When I found out about Rachel's death the flood of emotions that came over me were indescribable, after all I had never known someone who has passed away. I was, to put it simply, heart broken. I sat there alone in my sister room in Utah trying so hard and failing to stop the constant flow of tears that were escaping my eyes. I didn't want to believe it. This friend of mine that I had just starting becoming so close with and had just talked to a couple days before was gone.

Well since then the Lord has reminded me several times of what I believe and know to be true. The words in particular that really helped me find comfort these last few weeks came from the devotional given at BYU-I by President Clark and his wife entitled, "We Lived After the Manner of Happiness". In one section of this devotional they talk about overcoming challenges to happiness and say...

"Opposition is part of Heavenly Father’s plan. Sometimes opposition to happiness comes from things that happen to us. Sometimes opposition comes from things we do to ourselves. No matter where the challenges to happiness come from, the questions for us are: do we overcome them, or do they overcome us? As we work to overcome life’s challenges, we gain experience, grow in faith, and add to our foundation of happiness. We want to consider with you today three challenges to happiness that seem especially important for us. We begin with pain and suffering.

Pain and suffering come to all of us. Illness, accidents, death, natural disasters, depression, disappointments of all kinds, and the actions of others cause physical and emotional pain and suffering. They disrupt our happiness.

The pattern of holiness the Lord has given us helps us overcome the effects of pain and suffering. Here are the lessons: Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ—trust in His love, mercy, and power, and in His timing. Resist thoughts of anger, bitterness, or despair. Act with faith in Christ to do His will, no matter what comes. Remember, the Savior sees the end from the beginning. His will is the very best thing that could ever happen."

As hard as it was, and as hard as it still is at times to think that she is gone from this earth, it gives me great comfort to know that the Lord has a plan for her just as he does for each of us, and through the atonment which I feel like I understand so much more clearly now because of this experience I know that because He died she will live again and I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for her.

Another part of that devotional that reminded me of Rachel was when Sis. Clark stated that "our work is to let the light of Christ shine in us that others may feel and see Him through us." That is exactly how Rachel lived her life, and so I feel like the best way to let her memory live on would be to strive to live the way she did.

I know this is a longer post, but I just want to end it by sharing this beautiful message I heard was shared at her funeral that is just perfect. It reads...

"You can shed tears that she is gone, or you can smile because she has lived. You can close your eyes and pray that she will come back, or you can open your eyes and see all that she has left. Your heart can be empty because you can't see her, or you can be full of the love that she shared. You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday, or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday. You can remember her and only that she is gone, or you can cherish her memory and let it live on. You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back, or you can do what she would want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on."

I love and miss Rachel beyond words, but I look forward to seeing her again one day!

I Won't Give Up

I often find songs that I really like falling asleep to.


Lately that song has been "I Won't Give Up" by Jason Mraz.

I was thinking about it today and realized that I have been listening to Jason Mraz for about 10 years now. I don't know why I find that so cool? Maybe because I like the thought that maybe I have been a fan of his for longer than most people? Or just because it is cool to know that I had good taste in music back then? It really doesn't matter I guess.

.......................................................................................................................................

I don't really know how to put my thoughts into words today, so I would just suggest listening to the song and let it create some thoughts of your own. It's always nice and healthy I think to just take some down time and think about life while listening to some calming music. Or maybe thats just me?

working on my fitness

I have pretty much been active my whole life.

According to my mom as a kid I was always running around and playing.
I can recall many many days when we lived in Washington spending time outside playing basketball, baseball, football, kick ball, climbimg trees, roller blading, riding bikes and just loving it.

Then I started playing soccer. Soccer was my life in high school. High school season was always intense, and then when that season was over we started another for rec. And if a season wasn't going on we were always practicing. There is nothing more fun than the competitivness amongst teammates to make eachother better and nothing more fullfilling than reaching a new goal of number of juggles you can do in a row.

I also did cross country in high school. That opened my mind and body up to the world of running. To those who have never competitively ran in a race before there is a lot more strategy to it than one might think. And as fun as it is to race, it is even nicer to just run and have time to think about things other than how fast of a pace you should be running, who to pass, when to pass them or when to start your final sprint.


Then college came and life got "too busy" to be as active as I was before. It is not the fact that I have been in this sort of cycle of "gaining some weight and then losing weight", that has had me thinking about how active I was but more of the fact that with my major being "exercise physiology" I feel like unless I get back in the habit of being active everyday I will have to consider myself a hypocrite. So starting tomorrow my days of being "too busy" are over. Not only am I going to start eating better and exercising more but I also want to just do more outside. Florida may be hot, but I feel like after living here for so long I should be use to it.

Lesson to learn here: If its not easy then its not worth it. I am really going to have to work hard and push myself to do these things. I know I can but it will take time before it starts to get easier and more or the norm. Im excited to see how it changes my life though. When I live this way it makes me feel just more happy overall, and that is a great way to feel. Plus a healthy body is more inviting to the spirit too because it shows that you care about this precious gift that was given to us. That will be my motivation!

Failed Blogger

So basically the title says it all. Thus far in my blogging experience I have failed. Failed to have a point to my blog, failed to keep up with it. I have just failed, and I have accepted that. Well now that I know I have failed I have decided to once again try to do this again only this time I want to succeed. My motivation to do so came from a couple of very spunky sisters I met a couple months ago who keep wonderful blogs themselves. Reading through their posts made me miss typing out my thoughts for people to read, that is if they care to.

With a new name, a new layout and with having summer(so I will actually have time to write), I think I am ready to begin this new online journal-esque experience. To those who will actually read this I hope I don't bore you, and I will apologize in advance for any rambling that may occur in future posts.

............................................................................................................................................

This will be my first little thought. My new name "Another Day Wiser".

I have to thank "Yours Truly, Madison" for coming up with it, as well as for designing my header since I was too lazy to do it myself :)

Anyway, as I was thinking about the title "Another Day Wiser" and how I could tie that in for a sort of theme for this blog it made me think about this past semester I had at Brigham Young University-Idaho. It was an amazing semester and I can honestly say that my experience there has made me the happiest I have ever been in my life. A main part of that came from the people that I met, my roommates in particular.

We would always have hour long talks about the gospel and life, and one principle amongst the many that I truly came to appreciate through those talks is the fact that in this life we are constantly progressing, and that progress will never end unless we let it. While we may think we know a lot, there is ALWAYS something new to learn and that is so exciting to think about. So with this blog I want to try and focus on that principle. The lessons I learn each day, and how I become in a way "another day wiser".