"The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do.You can act to change and control your life and the procedure; the process is its own reward."-Amelia Earhart

I honestly don't know how to begin this blog post. So we'll just start with this quote by a boss woman! :) I picked this because in my life, it's so true. Making decisions is always a super long process for me. And the longest decision making I've had recently was making the decision to serve a mission. Trust you me, like I described in my blog last time, it took me forever. But once I decided and told the 'world' my plans, everything seemed to work out so smoothly. I truly believe that "fears are paper tigers." One of my favorite things I've ever heard was from Sheri Dew who said that we "vote with our feet," meaning that when we act on our faith and show up to meetings, church, etc. we are actively choosing Christ in our lives. I love that! And because of that, I've decided I'm going to buy a step counter for my mission so I can know exactly how many steps I have take from Him. (I may have stolen this idea from a recently returned sister in one of my classes, but it tied in very well with how I was thinking, so I'm still going to do it!) 

I am so happy right now that I wish I could bottle it up and hand it out to everyone I meet. Or, for selfish purposes, I wish I could can my happiness and save it for a weaker time. These past few months, I have truly come to know how much my Savior loves me both individually and perfectly. This alone is the greatest assurance. Through the process of deciding to serve a mission, I realized that I do really care what people think about what I'm doing. Heck, I almost didn't decide to serve a mission because I knew that everyone was expecting me to go to Georgetown (and because that's what I wanted). But if it's one thing I've learned, it's that I should follow the plan that my Savior has for me. Are there days when I sincerely wish I was going to Georgetown this fall? Yes. Absolutely. There's always going to be a part of me that wants to be a barely 23 year-old with a MA from Georgetown.I still have pride and it was my goal for so long, but the joy of knowing I will help bring the same happiness I feel right now to other people full-time for 18 months makes me feel a thousand times happier than anything I would be doing in school this fall. 

With that introduction out of the way, here are some more musings and events that have happened recently: 

• It's all about persepctive.  If I could sum up my life in the last few weeks, this would be the only sentence I need... but I AM an English major, so I'm going to expand on that idea. I just want to blog about three people who have shown me that it's all about the perspective you choose.
• Helen Keller. Yes, I've mentioned her several times. But recently I was reading her book on Optimism (conveniently published online!) and I found this quote and it nearly moved to my tears:

"I know what evil is. Once or twice I have wrestled with it, and for a time felt its chilling touch on my life; so I speak with knowledge when I say that evil is of no consequence, except as a sort of mental gymnastic. For the very reason that I have come in contact with it, I am more truly an optimist. I can say with conviction that the struggle which evil necessitates is one of the greatest blessings. It makes us strong, patient, helpful men and women. It lets us into the soul of things and teaches us that although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it. My optimism, then, does not rest on the absence of evil, but on a glad belief in the preponderance of good and a willing effort always to cooperate with the good, that it may prevail. I try to increase the power God has given me to see the best in everything and every one, and make that Best a part of my life. The world is sown with good; but unless I turn my glad thoughts into practical living and till my own field, I cannot reap a kernel of the good."

Um what? Couldn't have said it any better myself. I just love that line that the world is about overcoming suffering. Here she is, blind and deaf, and she still tells us exactly what I've been feeling the last few days. I have also been really into the law of opposition recently and she perfectly explained why we need both good and evil in the world. #boss

• Jesse Owens.  First of all, I'm sure you shocked that I am going to talk about a boss man. I really am trying to get better at having boss man examples. This one is largely a shoutout to my dad, who told me about him because he was an olympic runner. One of the famous things about him is that at the Olympics in Germany, Hitler wouldn't shake hands with him because he was black. Whenever I've heard this story, I instantly get angry and think about how this is so injustice. But then, I found this quote: “Although I wasn’t invited to shake hands with Hitler, I wasn’t invited to the White House to shake hands with the President either.” Ummm what?? This truth cut me to the very center (to borrow from the BOM). Again, it's all about how you view your circumstances. While I was only focused on what other country's officials were doing, I failed to notice injustice on our own soil. I also liked this other quote from him: "Find the good. It's all around you. Find it, showcase it, and you'll start believing in it."
• Anne Frank. After learning more about her, I am just quite amazed. I tried to read her diary a long time ago and  I hated it. But I've found so many gems from it. Again, here she was in horrific circumstances, hiding in an attic because of her skin color/religion. In the midst of the terrible situation, she said some pretty great things: 
• "How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."
• "It's really a wonder that I haven't dropped all my ideals, because they seem to absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart." 
• "Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness."
• "Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy." 
• "The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely, or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. As long as this exists, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be." 

So here's my point: if all these people can have a good perspective on life even with all their trials, and be thankful for them, I'm thinking we could all do a better job of maintaining better attitudes about our lives. 

• Perfect weekends. Last weekend, Ellie, Linds and I celebrate Lindsey receiving her mission call (to Cambodia!!!! #dreamscometrue) at Olive Garden. I may have eaten so many breadsticks that I indicated I would have to go the hospital to our waitress- who literally had no idea what I was talking about. NBD. Anyways, then we decided to head over to Barnes and Noble so we could look at books and look at the travel section for Linds. We walk in and I kid you not, Elder Holland is standing 3 feet in front of us. Once we got over the shock, Ellie walked right over and shook his hand. We followed suit and had a brief conversation with him. It was so cool and definitely would only happen in Utah. We then drove in the mountains, laughing about our hike to Timp in September and ate cupcakes. It was perfect and magical. Just like your second semester of senior year should be. That Saturday I went to see a play adpation of Pride and Prejudice with my friend Tracy and it was hilarious! I loved it so much and I loved eating ice cream at Tracy's house while we caught up! :) Then later one, Ellie, Lindsey and I saw Divergent, which was pretty good. I have to read the book now! :) 
• The Good News. Georgetown will let me defer!!!!!!!!!!!!! For two years!!!!!!!!!!!! Because my life is awesome! And, all I have left is my interviews for my mission paperwork... and I found out I can submit them whenever, which means I will most likely be getting them the last day of finals. Of senior year. Speaking of, only 10 days left of class and 28 days until I'm a college grad. This is real life folks. And it's so exciting. 

My new screensaver/ life reminder

Linds pre-opening of her mission call!

The reading of her going to... CAMBODIA!

Throwback photo with Caitlin and Ms. Frandsen from sixth grade 'graduation'

We may have been a little over zealous on the idea of  getting Girl Scout cookies...

Just imitating Hillz cerca her years as a Clinton

Finally, here's my current jam of the week. It's a remix of Ellie Goulding's "Hanging On" and it's from the Divergent soundtrack. I could listen to it on repeat for dayssss.