final engagements.

The final engagement pictures to be sent out with the announcements made last night...and this is why the Foster Family rules! Thank you so much Kate!

Photo 1:

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Photo 5:

time.

I apologize for the long post and I realize that it could be more intrusive on peoples time than may be beneficial...

Today my step-mom sent me a poem that really made me reflect about what I am doing with the precious time that I have on this earth. It was written by a young girl with terminal cancer. I think about the cliché saying "live like you were dying" but this poem got me with a different angle.

Slow Dance

Have you ever watched kids

On a merry-go-round?

Or listened to the rain

Slapping the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?

Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down.

Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won't last.

Do you run through each day

On the fly?

When you ask 'How are you?'

Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done

Do you lie in your bed

With the next hundred chores

Running through your head?

You'd better slow down

Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won't last.

Ever told your child,

We'll do it tomorow,

And in your haste,

not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch,

Let a good friendsihp die

Cause you never had time

To call and say, "Hi"

You'd better slow down

Don't dance so fast.

Time is short

The music won't last...

When you run so fast to get somewhere

You miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day,

It is like an unopened gift...thrown away.

Life is not a race.

Do take it slower,

Hear the music before the song is over.

Oh how familiar and heartbreaking this was to me when I first read it. How often do I ask how someone is doing and not remember, ask a name and tune the person out before they even answer, or look through to the end of the day just wondering how I'm going to work and get the homework done that I need. It's sad isn't it. Because of those reasons Devon and I decided to hang this poem in our home some day.

In a Relief Society training meeting I attended recently the girls were given 3 categories of things we need to do; the absolutes, the necessary, and the planning to-do. After we were given the three categories we were asked to list some of the things and this is what we came up with:

Absolutes:

baptism

temple

pray

marriage

Necessary:

eat

sleep

education

Planning to-do:

movies

date

create

By my self reflection I could see a problem. I was able to see where my focus was at the time and as a leader, friend, sister, and roommate, my priorities must be in the right spot. President Uchtdorf said this:

The tendency to focus on the insignificant at the expense of the profound happens not only to everyone. We are all at risk. The driver who focuses on the road has a far greater chance of arriving at his destination accident free than the driver who focuses on sending text messages on his phone.

We know what matters most in life—the Light of Christ teaches this to everyone. We as faithful Latter-day Saints have the Holy Ghost as a “constant companion” to teach us the things of eternal value. I imagine that any priesthood holder listening to my voice today, if asked to prepare a talk on the subject “what matters most,” could and would do an excellent job. Our weakness is in failing to align our actions with our conscience.

Pause for a moment and check where your own heart and thoughts are. Are you focused on the things that matter most? How you spend your quiet time may provide a valuable clue. Where do your thoughts go when the pressure of deadlines is gone? Are your thoughts and heart focused on those short-lived fleeting things that matter only in the moment or on things that matter most?

We are all on the Lord's time, the focus of our lives should be set on the Absolutes and not neglecting them. We need to take the advice of a young girl; take the time to listen, and to be a friend. Then the advice of a prophet of the Lord; check where your own heart is, what the real importance of life is and see if our actions are aligned with our conscience and helping the Lord's kingdom. Are we furthering the work, progressing eternally, caring for his children? If we all can reflect a little more, be more aware of how we're spending our lives we can do as the young girl who had cancer did and live our lives in a way that we won't regret later.

dog lick cat scratch and a half asian.

First of all, Devon and I have a special spot. No one knows about it except for....Brynne. It has a name: Dog Lick Cat Scratch. ((We came up with the name on our own.)) The code name is important because others don't know what we're talking about and if they do know, they just don't know where. Are you jealous yet? We try to visit it daily; it is secluded, allows us to do our homework indoors and is nice because it is time and a place we can be together. I love it. We love it. DLCS has a special place in my heart and I'll always remember my last semester at BYU-I and the corner where we had our first "place" since he has been home. :)

Second, Devon woke up this morning with a swollen eye. I know I shouldn't laugh but when he told me this morning that he looked 1/2 Asian I didn't believe him. Well truth is...I should have. He really does, but he pulls it off well. Haha. When I realized it I laughed hard and truth is, it looks kinda cute for a temporary thing.

I love him.

The End.