A Slice of Zion

Merry Christmas, everyone! Like always, this post seems closer to the New Year instead of Christmas. I honestly have no excuse this time. Uni is on break and I have become a regular ole lounge lizard. Believe it or not, but I've been clocking a healthy 9 hours of sleep almost every night. My body is thinking, "Oh, yay! She's stopped doing those late nights! We can rest!"  Don't tell my body, but it's in for a cruel awakening in about a week. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas season. I know I did. The week leading up to Christmas was a whirlwind of fun and activity including a trip to Louisiana and to the Birmingham, AL Temple. The day after finals ended, I was waking up early to go to the temple. It was a beautiful day and I was able to be baptised for my Mimi (mother's mother). Also, it was my boyfriend's first temple trip! How awesome is that? Chrismas was on a Sunday this year so my ward held a beautiful sacrament meeting filled with ...

Amazingly, I have somehow survived my first four weeks of college. I nailed my first exam and am proud to say I'm sporting pretty much all A's. But, to be honest, it's been a whirlwind of stress, late night Walmart runs, numerous calls to my mom about laundry and classes, and ice cream. Thankfully, one thing has remained constant in my life and that is the gospel. I am so thankful for the restored gospel in my life. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten to read as much scripture as I like, but I am slowly learning to tear myself away from my work and dedicate some time to the Lord each day. College is a whole lot different. There is no mom or dad to remind that you should probably stop doing homework and eat something. Despite all the hard work, it has also been a lot of fun. My suite-mate and I get along really well. My roommate is nice. My boyfriend came and visited me and this past week and then him and my parents came to my college for Parent's Weekend. And of cour...

A year and a half ago, I was baptised and confirmed into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Sister Stratton claimed that I was overdosed on the Spirit. However, I have come to know of the huge importance of baptism by fire. In Matthew 3:11 it says, "I indeed baptise you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptise you with the Holy Ghost, and with  fire."  Often, baptism is referred to the cleansing of our spirits. This allows our souls to be worthy vessels of His Spirit. Receiving the Holy Ghost completes the sacred covenant of baptism in my mind. It is our baptism by fire. The fire of the Spirit is often likened unto a refiner's fire. By receiving the sacred gift of His spirit, we are able to be more aptly shaped and guided by His will. His Spirit confirms and testifies of our identity as beautiful sons and daughters of a gracious Heavenly Father.  When you think about...

I know this post is like majorly late, but I just wanted to tell you guys about my Fourth of July. Why? Because it was fun. That's why. The day started with a fun shopping trip with my mom. We went searching for things for my dorm room. (Move in is in a month!) Of course, I managed to pick out the most kiddish things like a stuffed unicorn. Yes, I am 18, going to college, and I bought a stuffed unicorn. Her name is Matilda and I love her. I also got a nice throw pillow, but the unicorn is the most important thing here. Yeah, yeah, I guess technically the unicorn has no practical application. Like, at least, you can rest on a throw pillow. I think Matilda offers more of a moral support component that is essential to survival in college. That's the story I'm going with. Anyway, after a very exciting shopping trip where I laid on a mattress pad on the floor of Bed, Bath, and Beyond (my mom told me to), I went over to Man-friend's house where I can't quite remember w...

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats  is a special book. I mean, it is  an international best seller, but that's not the only reason why this book is a diamond in your library. I honestly feel in classrooms 20 or 30 years from now this book will be a topic of discussion. At least, I hope very hard that it will make it that far. This novel has two stories going on. One is of Julia Win who travels to Burma to try and find out why her father disappeared from her life. The other is the tale of Tin Win, Julia's father, told by U Ba. Julia is shocked by the things U Ba tells her: her father used to blind, he had another lover named MiMi, and much more. While on one hand I wanted to be upset with Tin Win for just up and leaving his father in New York, his life story brought me to tears. A basic overview is that when he was born, he was born on a Friday in December. To his mother, this was a bad sign. After repeated "bad luck" such as the chickens dying, his superstitious moth...

Sarah Dessen, the author of The Truth about Forever, said  “There is never a time or place for true love. It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment.”  This rings true in Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. In a simple, elegant style, Moyes somehow captures the essence of love in ink. I do not know how she does it, but she takes readers on a journey that fills your heart with love. Except this love is not what you would expect. In fact, the romance between Louisa Clark and Will Traynor for most of the book is so subtle it's hard to recognize. However, in a mere chapter, it exploded into something absolutely beautiful.  This is definitely a book I would consider reading again and again. The book evolves around Louisa Clark, a spunky 28-year-old living in a tiny English village. When she loses her job at a local café, the Job Centre does not offer her many fulfilling occupations. Jumping from factory worker to fast food, she is...

Neil Gaiman, the author of Coraline and The Graveyard Book , once said, "Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be beaten." The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly is an excellent example of a fairy tale teaching us that our inner demons can be beaten. The author mixes children's stories with mature issues such as accepting the  death of a loved one and change at a young age. In this fashion, John Connolly crafts an excellent tale that is intended to be read deeper than face-value. When I first read this book, I was in a dry spell of reading. Nothing seemed worth reading as everything sounded the same. Books were predictable. However, John Connolly offers a strange new view of classic fairy tales that will pull at the heartstrings. His novel follows a young boy named David. He lost his mother at a young age and struggles to find acceptance. In the months following his mother's death, he turns to ...

As senior year is winding to a close, I have begun to reflect on the past year. Since my last post, a lot has happened that has put my faith to test. Lyndon, the person who baptised me and I was dating, broke up with me and cut me out of his life. The personal details of such will not be discussed. All I will say is I miss my best friend dearly, but I guess the Lord is putting us on separate paths for now. Who knows...maybe I'll bump into him at Walmart in like 5 years and I can be all like, "Hey, still hate me? *finger guns*" and he can be all like "Yup, go away, weirdo-meanie". All in all it will be a fantastic and so very loving reunion that it will bring even the Queen of England to tears. A  wonderful quote by D. Todd Christofferson I look a lot now is "Challenges are are at times an indicator of the Lord's trust in you." I truly believe that the Lord is helping me get through this year and the person I have to thank for knowing that is...