Harry Potter

The last couple of months have been filled with Harry Potter. I decided I wanted to read the books before the last movie came out. I got through the first three books in decent time and figured I was definitely on track to finish them all. Then I got stuck on the fourth. It took me forever to read. The fifth...well, I didn't have much hope for it since the I took so long on the previous one. And, by that time, we were watching the movies.

Another way to prepare for a final movie is to watch all the movies leading up to it. A group of us embarked on this journey. We got through the sixth movie and then I watched the seventh by myself the day I went to watch the last movie. So, this one I did succeed at.

And the last movie was amazing! It was and epic finale! I was impressed and very pleased with how the series ended. (Aside from the fact that the snake was all over in this movie!)

All the hype leading up to the last movie was so much fun, and I definitely got caught up in it. I love remembering the details and twists to the story. It's all brilliant and so exciting for me. However, now that we've reached an end, I'm ready to come back down from the hype and take a break from Harry Potter. I definitely still love it and will read the books, watch the movies, and get into the Harry Potter mood again, but for now, I'm stepping away.

There have been lots of good times, and it's exciting...and a little weird...to think that it's done now. I look forward to new exciting things in the future!

P.S. What happened to this guy? He definitely grew up!

Priorities

I was watching President Hinckley's biography today and something really stood out to me. It tells the story of when President and Sister Hinckley were courting, and she is quoted saying,

"As we got closer to marriage, I felt completely confident that Gordon loved me. But I also knew somehow that I would never come first with him. I knew I was going to be second in his life and that the Lord was going to be first. And that was okay. It seemed to me that if you understood the gospel and the purpose of our being here, you would want a husband who put the Lord first."

I thought about that, and realized what a profound statement it is. We should always live so that we put the Lord first in whatever we do...wherever we are...whoever we are with. The Lord should always be our number one priority.

I love Sister Hinckley. She always has great quotes and teaches amazing lessons is just the smallest statements.

Countdown!

Today marks 50 Days...50 days until this boy gets home!

He's in Africa right now...Ethiopia to be exact. But in 50 days, he will be here...in Utah! I'm so excited!

Now, I know he's going to miss Africa. He's been serving those people for 2 years. He's probably going to leave a little bit of his heart there when he gets on the plane to come home. However, if I were to guess, he's also going to bring some of Africa home with him.

So, 50 days...and counting...until August 25. 50 days until I get to see my little (yes...little) brother again. Only 50 more days! I can't wait!!!

Independence Day! (or weekend)

There is something about the Fourth of July that I absolutely love. To me, it's the epitome of summer. When I think about this holiday, I think of all kinds of summer things...BBQ's, swimming, a day off work, carefree, and of course...fireworks! I love fireworks...sitting outside on a warm summer night seeing kids running around with all kinds of glowing things...it's wonderful!

The last few years...probably six or seven or so...I have seen the Idaho Falls fireworks. The are amazing...such a great show! The one time I haven't was when we were in Alaska for a family reunion. That year was sad for fireworks because they don't have the same effect in Alaska when it doesn't get dark. But...I've watched the Idaho Falls fireworks for many years, and I was kind of sad that I didn't get to be there this year.

However, things worked out great! And I got spoiled with fireworks this year!! My Fourth of July actually began on Friday. Friday night I went to the Freedom Fire in Logan. The night included Diamond Rio, a really big Military jet, Fireworks choreographed to music, and some pretty great company. :)

Saturday night I went to Stadium of Fire! This night included...

great friends,awesome patriotic stuff including parachute jumpers, F-16 flyover, and patriot music that I love;
Stadium of Fire dancers,

David Archuleta,

and Brad Paisley!

...and more Fireworks choreographed to music!

Sunday was just a great day...complete with wonderful people and going to bed way too late...mostly because I could...because I didn't work today.

Finally, actually Independence Day...I had a day off! I carefully thought out my 4th of July outfit (last night when I wasn't going to sleep) and ended up with red jewelry, a white shirt, and blue cardigan...yes, my holiday outfits are thought out. I had a relaxing day with Toni, made a patriotic jello, and finished my day with yet, more fireworks! This time we went to Thanksgiving Point. Three firework shows in four days...Yes, I feel that I was spoiled in terms of fireworks this year.

Making Sense

As I have mentioned before, I love music. It has a way of expressing feeling and emotion in a way nothing else can. I also love when a song describes the exact thoughts in my head at a specific time.

A while ago, I came across a song that I really liked. However, some of the lines in the song really confused me. I didn’t understand them, and it kind of made it hard for me to enjoy it as much as I wanted to. As a result, I put the song away, not listening to it for a while. Last night, a friend of mine was playing the guitar and sang this particular song. Last night, it completely made sense to me. I finally got it. And right now it is perfect for what is happening in my life.

Once again, I found the circumstances of my life in a song. It’s no wonder why I love music so much.

From now on...

Lately, I have felt that my life needs to change. I've felt stuck, as though I'm not moving forward. It's pretty disheartening, and makes it hard to get through the day sometimes.

Tonight, as I have been lying in bed, my mind has been racing, making it difficult to sleep. What areas of my life do I want to change? Where do I want to see myself in one year? Five years? Ten years? Of those dreams, what can I do to make them happen?

As I realized sleep wasn't going to come easily, I got up and started writing down goals. I searched for suggestions to goal setting and came across some interesting thoughts. I found a quote that says, “Until you commit your goals to paper, you have intentions that are seeds without soil.” Maybe that has been my problem...but then I realize it's not. I have written goals down a lot, but then they get put away in whatever notebook I had at the time, and I forget about them. I write them down, figuratively putting those seeds in the soil, but then I leave them. I don't water them or nourish them or do anything with them. I try to grow a garden without the work. No wonder nothing happens.

Tonight that will start to change. It won't come all at once, because that's only slightly overwhelming to any human being, but it will come. One tiny, baby step at a time, it will come. I will focus on one thing, one action, one detail at a time until I'm ready to move on to the next.

Now, basically, I have a goal to set and really follow my goals. In the new goal-setting methods I found, this requires writing my goals down in present tense, specific statements. For example, my goal-setting goal is as follows:

I have specific goals for certain areas of my life, written down, with simple steps to accomplish them by June 26, 2011.

There! It's written down, and I can look at it and remember it. My steps to accomplish this goal are: 1- Decide what I want to work on and change. 2- Word goals in present tense, specific statements. 3- Describe 3 to 5 steps of how to accomplish each goal. 4-Write down goals and steps and place them in areas to see every day.

Attacking multiple areas is hard, and I am aware of that, but I am also aware that I want to change my life. I will not change everything overnight, mostly because I can't, and I may not be able to work on every area at the same time. But I can work on every aspect and change over an extended period of time...one tiny, precise detail at a time.

Another quote I came across says, “Choice, not chance, determines human destiny.” When I read that, I immediately thought of Elder Dallin H. Oaks' talk from April conference of this year. He said, "Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions." I take these two quotes and describe the steps to change as:

Desire --> Priorities --> Choice --> Action --> Change

So, there you have it. My late night, sleep-avoiding thoughts have placed me on the path to change. It will be a long path, but I'm excited!

And now, I really am tired, so I'm going to turn on some soft piano music and attempt to rest my brain.

Toblerones

I experienced a first today. All my life I have witnessed people eating Toblerone chocolate and commenting on how amazing it was. And I just sat watching. Recently I learned about something great...a White Chocolate Toblerone. Yesterday, I found and purchased one. Today, I ate some. And, just like everyone has ever said...it was amazing! There's always a first time for everything. :)