Me not thinking = this....

A couple of weeks ago I found these shoes at Wal-mart (around the time I went on my D.I. shoe shopping spree). They were on clearance. Unfortunately, somehow I missed something very important... they are two different brands! The insides are two different colors!!! I don't know how I missed this, but I did. Apparently the cashier missed it too (or thought I was a total ditz, which is true). I just had to laugh when I realized what I did. I guess I was just in a hurry. Thankfully they look exactly alike on the outside. In this case it's what's on the outside that matters. :)

Indiana Jones

Last weekend our family got a puppy. Although I disapproved, the vote was to name him "Indiana Jones," Indy for short. He was born June 6th. He's a cutie. He's very playful and a lot of fun.

The Standard of Truth

"The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done."

Yesterday in church I had the J.S. Manual lesson "The Wentworth Letter" for the third time. Yes, that's right, the THIRD time. I had it in my BYU-I ward before I left, then last week I visited another ward and had it there, and then I had it in my ward here. By now, I'm thinkin' "Ok, what does the Lord want me to learn from this?!?!" I'm still not quite sure, but I love the quote from it known as "The Standard of Truth". We memorized this as missionaries.

Truly, the second coming is getting closer. Persecution is getting stronger. But, the gospel is true and will not fail. I hope we will all seek out opportunities to share the wonderful message and gift of the gospel which we have.

Even More Fun Happenings! (updated)

Left to Right: Sisters Johnson, Cox, and Taylor (Sis.Taylor just got home)

Sunday I was able to go to one of my former companion's talk in church (she returned home from her mission last week.) One of my other former companions came as well. It was fun to get together again! It was quite the emotional day for me. I trained Sister Taylor on the mission, so it's crazy to think she's back now.

Also, that night Sister Powell, an amazing recent convert of mine from the Gurnee area called me. She's now the assistant compassionate service person in the ward. That is the perfect calling for her! I am filled with so much joy and happiness knowing that she still has a strong testimony of the gospel. It's so nice to know that your recent converts are staying strong. I was touched as she told me she wakes up to the picture of me and her at her baptism and prays for me everyday.

In other recent events, yesterday Nicole and I went hiking up to Stewart falls. It was supposed to be an "easy" hike, but wasn't very easy for us. But, we survived. The view was great! For more information, visit the following website.//http://www.utahadventurer.com/content/view/318/43/"

Fun Happenings

I've been pretty busy lately! I was going to have a temporary job while home for a short break- which would have been perfect- but it didn't work out. So, instead, I'm just enjoying myself while I can. :)

Today I went to the Salt Lake temple with my friend Michelle. It was my first time actually going in... doing a session there. Interestingly, while there I ran into one of my former companions! That was fun. Afterwards Michelle and I went to Paradise Bakery & Cafe. It was fun talking. She's an RM and we can relate in many ways.

Then I headed to Sandy. I visited Sarah, who was my babysitter growing up. She has three kids of her own now- the latest addition was born eight days ago. It was fun visiting her family!

The "Sweet Home Chicago" sign I found here in Utah and thought it was so cool. I think the actual place is a bar, however.

Anyway, just some of my happenings in life right now. Lots more to come- just you wait! :)

My Plan vs. God's Plan

With a short break from school and some free time on my hands, I recently went to D.I. and purchased a few books to read for fun. One such book is called "Your Divine Purpose: Discovering God's Plan For You," written by Richard Paul Anderson. I opened it up and read the following in the first few paragraphs:

"...when all is said and done, the value of your life will not be determined by your accomplishments, but by what your Heavenly Father has been able to accomplish through you. So it is a matter of trusting who is really in control, who your life belongs to, who has purchased it. You have to let go and give your whole life to Him."

These words really touched me. I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Something I've been struggling with is wanting to have total control of my life. I'm a planner. I tend to plan my life out. However, through a series of trials, the Lord has been teaching me that I don't have control of my life- He does. It's a hard thing sometimes to align our will with His.

For instance, I prayed about making the choice to attend BYU-Idaho (as a side note- BYU-I was not at all in my plan. The Lord had to use other people to even get me to think about going there!). I felt the Spirit's reassurance that this was right. So, I moved up there. This past semester was horrible for me. It was just really hard. Things did not turn out at all how I had planned and envisioned them to. There were so many times I wondered why I was there. Why had the Spirit told me to come?

Well, first of all, God isn't just going to make life perfect and easy for us. He lets us struggle and grow. And I've learned it does no good to look at other people's lives and think that they just have it all together and the perfect life. Everyone has to live their own life.

Also, we're not always going to see God's reasons and plans for us at the time. Now, looking back on some things, I can see some definite reasons of why I was where I was.

For instance, towards the end of my mission and as I got home, I had a desire to help prospective sisters prepare for their missions. I prayed that I'd have those opportunities. Well, this semester I was able to help many sisters prepare. The way each of us came together is pretty amazing. Maybe sometime later I will do a post about that.

But, again, going back to the wanting to have control of our lives- I am learning that that is very prideful and selfish. It's all about ourselves- me, me, me. What's best for me? I'm still trying to figure out and learn how agency plays into this though. Where is the medium between God's plan for us and what we chose for ourselves? I guess that's where aligning our will with His comes in...

Well, I am working on "Forget(ting) myself and go(ing) to work." It really does no good to wallow in self-pity. Nor to be bitter against God because He doesn't see things the way we do.

There are a lot of lessons to learn from life. This is one I'm learning right now.

Then and Now

Top- August 1, 2007. Bottom- August 1, 2009.

On Saturday one of my former M.T.C. companions (I had two) and I volunteered at the Missionary Training Center in Provo. I've been back a few times since I returned home, but she hadn't. It brought back so many memories! It was our two-year anniversary of becoming full-time missionaries, which made it really special. It felt so natural, in a way, to be there. It's hard to explain. It felt like it was just yesterday that we were there. Two years though! If we were guys, we'd just now be returning home from our missions. Life is so interesting...

Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House

Today Christi and I went to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house. The open house ends on Saturday, so we were cutting it close. It is such a beautiful temple! Absolutely breathtaking!

It was pretty noisy as we walked through the temple (kids and adults talking, etc). I was kind of bothered, honestly. I wanted so badly for the ushers to tell people to be quiet. You can feel the Spirit more when it is silent.

It was so interesting to see the people who were in front of us through out the tour. It was obviously a young family that were members. They brought a non-member family. It was beautiful to see the man explaining things of the gospel to this family as we went through. I was silently praying the whole time that despite the noise this family would feel the amazing spirit and power of the temple.

I was overcome with the spirit. I couldn't hold back the tears. Sometimes I wish I weren't so emotional and sensitive. Being behind those families made me ponder about the true purpose of the gospel and temples. The gospel provides happiness for us here on earth. It gives us purpose and direction. We know we can return someday to live with our father in Heaven and our families forever, if we are righteous. But, also, we must receive the sacred ordinances of the temple. I just wish the whole world understood that we have what they need and what they are looking for.

It's so nice to go to the temple- to get away from the business and, at times, nastiness of the world. The temple is so quiet, so peaceful, so beautiful. I'm so grateful I have access to the temple. In fact, in Rexburg I live so close to it I can see it out my living room window. We who have temples in our midst are so blessed. There are faithful tithe payers in many foreign places who have never been able to even see a temple, let alone attend.

Shoe Deals!

So, I like shoes. A lot. I think it came from my Grandma Cox who had a thing for shoes too. I've recently scored some good deals on shoes and am so excited that I thought I'd do a post about it.

Left to Right: Like new Skechers: $6 at D.I., Cute red shoes: $3 at D.I., Gold sandals: $1 at D.I., New Black Heals: $1 at Walmart.

I am really excited about the sandals. I've been eyeing them at wal-mart for a while now, but couldn't seem to bring myself to pay $10 for them. But, someone already took theirs to D.I. (I think wal-mart just came out with them this summer) and I am very thankful.

Then there's the heals. Brand spankin' new. I love clearance!!!

Well, I think I am done shoe shopping for a long time now. :)

My Happy Thoughts

My former roommate Kelley and I used to do what we call "happy thoughts." We'd share something (or things) positive at the end of the day.

Well, I figured since I've been a bit negative in the past weeks, It's time I share some positive thoughts, which are:

1. My teacher kept a paper I wrote to share with the class. That just made me feel all fuzzy inside. :)

2. I am actually going to get good grades this semester. I've worked REALLY hard, so this makes me very happy. So far, for sure I know I am getting a B+ in my science class. That is miraculous, my friends! It was a really hard class for me!

3. The semester is over. I am very excited about my schedule and classes for next semester. I am taking less credits. I am doing what I can handle. Others could probably handle a lot more, but that's ok. I figure I do need to enjoy my college experience here, not just endure it. Unfortunately this semester has mostly been enduring, so I am going to change that.

4. I am excited to go home for seven weeks. There's nothing like free laundry, Mom's cooking, and just relaxing. Plus, my parents are getting a cute little puppy! I am not going to be lazy, I am going to be very busy doing fun things. :)

5. One of the things that I am most excited about is that I am hopefully going to volunteer at the MTC during my break!!! I love doing that!

So, there we have it. Amidst all my negativity, there are some happy thoughts.