drum roll please....

the bestest most incredible boyfriend award goes to......MINE!!!! Seriously, David was the biggest lifesaver ever for me today. One of the many joys of woman-hood that i take full part in are cramps. and let's be honest here, i'm not the happiest when it comes to dealing with them. (just ask my mom) but david was too good to be true and suffered through them with me today-from scratching my tummy and back to rubbing my feet, getting me oreos to fulfill a craving and even getting me a cup with a lid so i wouldn't spill-he spoiled me rotten! I am so incredibly grateful for him and all of the love and care that he gives me. i mean really, most guys shudder at the word "period" but once david knew what was the matter he stepped up to the plate and hit a home run. 

Something that i've been thinking lately was how i am so very grateful for the Priesthood and it's influence in my life. especially lately i've tried to notice the many blessings which we receive from it throughout the week and our lives. If it weren't for the Priesthood we wouldn't be able to partake of the Sacrament and renew our covenants with our Heavenly Father. Not only with the Sacrament, but we wouldn't be able to receive blessings and have the guidance and the comfort that it brings. I love being able to go to the Temple and feel and know of the power within the walls-how reassuring it is to know that when we follow the Lord's commandments and His teachings, He will always provide a way for us to return. When we keep our covenants, we receive extra strength, and blessings-we will still have trials and temptations, but the blessings and the power we have to resist them will be just as strong and stronger. 

I've recently learned that when we put our will into the the hands of the Father's we become more than we would have if we were to just follow the teachings. let me try to explain-I know that the commandments were given to us to keep us on the right path, and to help us return to our Heavenly Father and family. BUT, hear me out-we can just follow, but then we can willingly follow. give ourselves fully to our Heavenly Father and have Him guide our lives. Not just live according to the commandments-those are there to protect us, but then what Heavenly Father wants of us is so much more-and that is what will help us progress.  We read in the Doctrine and Covenants of the Word of Wisdom and how it is for the weakest of the weak-so then, if that commandment is for the weak, what is for the strong? what is the higher law? and that my friend, can only come to you through the spirit. When you are personally ready to receive the higher law, you will be able to have that because you want it. you desire what the Lord desires, and so he is willing to give you more intelligence so that you can grow grace by grace. I've come to realize that this principle is what i want for my life-and what i need to govern myself by. living the higher law, and being worthy to receive it. and that has posed many thought provoking questions personally-what do i have to do to be worthy of the higher law-and as i pondered and meditated about that, i realized that there is not a checklist of answers, but it is a lifestyle. you need to purify yourself. 

on that note:purifying yourself. i have recently done a presentation on the lotus flower and it's symbolism and the purpose of it in Buddhism . The lotus flower is a symbol of purity and of rebirth. coming out of the muddy waters every morning it rises above the sins of the earth and blooms into a beautiful pure and clean flower. then at night, it goes back into it's shell type thing and sinks back into the water where it is covered. so it is able to be in the water, but not apart of the water. Legend says that Buddha was born from a lotus flower and sleeps in one 6 months out of the year-that is also why you see pictures of Buddha standing or sitting on top of one. symbolizing how he has risen above the filth of the world and into the purity of meditation and the spirit. 

So i was about to end my post until i went searching for my favorite picture of President Monson. Oh how i love him dearly. he is incredible and i am so grateful that he has lived his life worthy of becoming our beloved Prophet today. well, i was searching for the pic, and then i got all of this anti-mormon stuff and it just broke my heart. it was all from bitter people who have had bad experiences with the church and some have even been through the Temple. How my heart aches for them-all i could do was x out of the window because it almost made me cry with some of the things that they were saying. how sad it was to know that some of these men and women had solid and growing testimonies which were broken down over time and now they are bitter and want to share that with the world and bring others down too. it makes me sick to my stomach thinking that people devote their lives to disproving the simple truths of our Savior. But, in the end, it just makes me realize how I need to make sure that i am continually growing and strengthening my testimony as well. To never let your guard down and to always make sure that you keep the Lord first in all that you do. :) oh how i love the gospel and it's teachings!!! 

you sunk my battleship!

Battleship: noun-a game in which people sit in canoes and paddle around trying to sink other people's canoes by pouring water in them. you are not allowed to take water out of your own canoe but you are allowed shields and buckets. you play 3, 15 min. games and the last one standing wins. it is a game of pure skill and strategy. 

yes, it sounds a little weird, but in all reality, it is so much fun and actually i really good work out for your arms and back. In playing last night i realized a few things:

1. i am very out of shape (not just how i looked in the bathing suit, but how i can hardly move today)

2. i forgot how much i love being at the pool

3. people get VICIOUS over petty things-it's actually quite entertaining. 

4. i think that people are uglier in the winter because of the lack of sun. if we could all have that summer glow throughout the year, i think the dating rate at BYU-idaho would go up in the winter-or just even out instead of decrease. (and yes there are actual studies on this) 

5. i have the best fans EVER!!! so dedicated. i mean really, who would stay in a stuffy pool deck and cheer me on for 2 hours?! 

it was a delightful match and let's be honest here, my competitive side came out and we were in the top 2 the whole time :) do i regret going all out now? eh...maybe a little, i'm quite sore and my thighs have been screaming at me all day. stairs are a killer and lucky for me, my english class is on the THIRD floor of the smith building, so i had a lovely reminder of what i put myself though last night. but all in all it was totally worth it. :) and yes, i will be playing again next week. but, i will be having knee pads and goggles-my eyes were BURNING so bad by the end of the night, and my knees and the tops of my feet were rubbed RAW from sitting up the whole time.  

and really, it doesn't help that my back is sore from my period-ugh speaking of periods, for all of you who don't care you can skip on down a little bit-but really, i was freaking 5 days late this month-just started today so i'm a little feisty, but seriously, i'm NEVER late!! i always dreaded my period, and then when it wouldn't come for 5 days, i never thought i'd be happy to see it! and now all i can do is pray for it to go away again. i think that's why my back is so tender. ok, sorry about the rant, oh ps with that, i was SHOCKED at some women! i'm seriously NEVER late, EVER and so suddenly when it doesn't come i start to get a little nervous and i ask a few friends and the one is just a girl in my communication class who's a nurse and when i asked her she assumed that i was pregnant! ha-only at byu-idaho, i was like ummm...i'm not married, and then she said again-but do you think you're pregnant? i looked at her and said in my nicest voice "no" she then went on to tell me how there's a high abortion and pregnancy out of wedlock percentage for this area so she was just making sure-i was shocked and tried not to be offended by her thinking i was that promiscuous, but whatever-she was a nurse and was just asking a standard question. 

food=love...and now safety

you too could be saved from your love handles


just look at it. 1. i didn't feel guilty for eating oreos today and 2. i feel much better walking the streets of rexburg-i mean really, what if i get shot too? i NEED my love handles to save me-maybe i should keep my little pooch/gut and then try to add a little more. i mean really, the more protection the safer i will feel here. :D 

my name is mandy and i am addicted to guacamole.

it's official. i'm addicted to food. today it's guacamole and town house flipside crackers. they are INCREDIBLE (together and separate) i believe that they are both my guilty pleasures-and how sweet they are. 
guacamole hasn't be a prominent part of my life until i went on the mission-but since then, it has become the apple of my eye. there is nothing better than freshly homemade guac!! oh how my heart skips a beat when  that first taste touches my tongue. for that moment, my life couldn't get any better. 


today has been pretty uneventful. i realized that i had failed to finish my rough draft of my 4 page paper at 8 this morning and successfully cranked it out for my 9.45 class-while i was studying in the MC david got out of class early and surprised me and then helped me study. 
 last night david and i had a delightful dinner a olive garden where we coincidentally ran into my cousin morgan and his girlfriend julie. we joined tables and ended the night with playing scattergories and blokus. 
so maybe this is the lamest blog ever-but things are kinda chill here at the home front. all is well, and i'm happy. mmmmhm, life is good :D 

Hell has gotten a little cooler..

No hell has not frozen over, but yes, I am officially a blogger. Let's be honest here, for many months I saw blogging as the World of Warcraft for stay at home mom's. I saw it as a hobby for angry mom's who were sick of yelling at their children so they would complain to the world about their petty woes-but then I began to see the light...

Something changed...my family started blogging, and then my friends, and suddenly I was becoming one of the blogless. Sad, but true, I was becoming an addicted blog stalker of close family and friends. So finally, I have succumbed to this addictive networking system and have joined the band wagon.

Well this weekend has been intriguing. And when I say intriguing, I mean eventful. Started out with my dodgeball game which ended up with a forfeit and getting in on a pick up game. I have to say, I have quite the arm, the men shudder in fear when I pick up a ball. At times when I don't dodge, I can catch-and get the men folk out as well. Needless to say, I am quite the asset to the team. Luckily this semester I haven't gotten hit in the face so I deem it successful thus far. Following this, I had the privilege of watching David man-lead and stunt with the cheer team during a basketball game. I got a little sick so we went home and finished the first season of the Mentalist.

Side note. The mentalist is the most amazing and incredible and addicting TV series ever. I would highly suggest anyone and everyone to buy it and watch it immediately. Sell your first born if you need the money, it's worth it.

Saturday morning consisted of cutting some hair and then having a lovely breakfast cooked by David who had been singing Flight of the Concord all day. After that we were engulfed in curling and nap taking for a few hours and then went to a delightful wedding reception for our dear friends Chad and Katie where we ran into John myers-who just happens to be Katie's brother. btw, right at this moment David is pretending to be a raptor and screeching at the top of his lungs while standing on top of the back of the couch-and sometimes I wonder why I love him. haha, not really-I enjoy every moment. ok, back to saturday...after the reception we took a jaunt over to Laura's house and then spent the rest of the night with our favorite married couple Travis and Chelsea and had Red Robin and did a little bit of shopping at Winco-aka me chasing David as he hid with the cart.

Sunday hasn't been as eventful...8 am church was uneventful as everyone was still fighting sleep-then I partook of 2 fruit leathers, got picked up by David, partook of more fruit leathers, painted my toes, had another little snack, enjoyed some hockey, had my traditional sunday coma, and now we're about to have breakfast for dinner.

Life is good.