My new place

Bedroom

For everyone who cannot come to see my new place, I took pictures!!! Some of them aren't so great, but at least it gives you an idea of what it looks like.

Bedroom

Bathroom

Bathroom

Kitchen

Kitchen

Living Room

Dining room

So there you are! A glimpse of the new digs. Someday I'll hopefully be able to get new couches, but until then, this is what I've got. And it could be a whole lot worse.

Story of my Life

I've been offline for a bit because my new condo (pictures coming soon) does not yet have internet. Today I was at my old apartment and logged onto Facebook to find that a guy I had dated in July is now engaged. Three months after he told me that he wasn't ready to be seriously dating. Why is that always the case? Why do I have to always be the one they don't want to date? I've had other guys get engaged in less time than that after he broke up with me. My first boyfriend did that. My second one was engaged 3 months after he got back off his mission. The third one, well, he just didn't want to actually date me, but he was fine kissing me. The fourth didn't actually like kissing me (not sure what happened to him). Another guy liked me just fine, but then not decided to go out with me because an old girlfriend told him he was a player and he was still in love with her. He ended up dating someone else just a few months later too.


Blerg.

The Difference

I've been thinking about marriage lately. Specifically eternal marriage. People have commented that I just want to get married and it doesn't seem to matter who I'm with, so it never feels to them like they are someone special. However, I have realized there is a difference between wanting to get married and wanting an eternal marriage. Wanting to get married can mean that you just don't want to be alone anymore, that you are afraid that you'll never find someone else, that you are sexually frustrated or any number of other things. However, when you want an eternal marriage, you are looking for a relationship that will last forever, one that upholds and honors sacred covenants you have made to each other and to the Lord. You are looking for someone to serve for the rest of eternity, someone who will help you become less selfish and for someone with with to enjoy the wonderful blessings of family and children. An eternal marriage is not entered into lightly. It is entered into with faith. A marriage because you just want to get married is entered into because of fear and lack of self control.

I have seen close family members get married just because they want to get married. I do not feel that they chose wisely in this case (though I choose to support them in their path). I think that they lost sight of the big picture, what eternity really means.

My choice is to wait for an eternal marriage. I don't want to get married just to get married, though the two may look similar to someone on the outside. I want to get married for the right reasons and to find the joy that I see in the wonderful marriages around me.

Parent Teacher Conferences

Means that I've been at the school for 12 hours. And I'll be back in less than 12 hours. That is a very LONG day.

However, I had more people come than I've ever had before. That could be because I am teaching three times as many classes. It's still exciting. And I feel like an adult doing it, not a kid pretending to do a job too big. I am in my comfort zone and I feel like I have something to say that is important. That's a nice feeling.

I won the lottery!!!

Sort of. It wasn't like a money lottery. It was a house lottery. Which means that I won the right to purchase a home. So I am now in the process of trying to by a home!! Its a little condo, and I have to live there for 3 years, but I'm so excited!! More details to follow. :)

Sometimes you've just gotta cry

Its like a refreshing rain that washes all the dirt, grime and heartache away. You can look at the world anew, with fresh eyes. Clean out the hurt and the pain and then the sun will come out. Like the song says, you can see clearly now the rain is gone. But you have to have the rain to wash away the bad.

You have to hit the bottom sometimes before you can come back up.

And then you can see the good. I am a beautiful, talented, intelligent woman and I choose to face my world with diligence and faith and all things will work together for my good.

Miracles

So I have to admit that the Lord is mindful of me all the time. And while I'm definitely not at my destination, there are signposts along the way. Every once in a while, the Lord reminds me that he is there and that he is most definitely in charge.

So I've had some financial struggles of late. Not fun. I have a job for the fall and I can quit my night job which is basically destroying my health because I am not a night person and wake up way too early in the morning to be working past midnight. But I can't quit until my fall job starts and I have been considering getting another summer job because I really can't make ends meet. Well, I finally decided to NOT get another job; my health is not worth it. And I really need a little vacation before school starts. Right after I decided this, the friend I sell ballroom shoes for called and asked me to pick up a couple more hours this summer. And then another friend called to see if I could babysit her newborn in the fall. And then the government told me they were deferring my loan because of the classes I am taking (for my credential). So I will not be completely broke in September! Yay! I cannot tell you how excited I am for this.

That was Friday. I also went to the temple and had a great day with a friend and her two kids. Saturday, I spent with a different friend and her two kids and had an amazingly productive day. Sunday was pretty productive too. And then I went to the Parade again this year and sat with my ward. I spent the day with an amazing guy that I caught up with at the parade. I consider that a miracle too. I'm hoping the relationship lasts a bit longer. More on that later.

I have a testimony of how much the Lord loves me and how involved He is in my life. Rough it may be, but I would never trade having that protection.