Do It Anyway

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.
Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.
Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten.
Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.
Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway.

-Mother Teresa

Absolute Truths

The earth is spherical. If all the four billion people in the world think it flat, they are in error. That is an absolute truth, and all the arguing in the world will not change it.... The Gods organized and gave life to man and place him on the earth. This is absolute. It cannot be disproved. A million brilliant minds might conjecture otherwise, but it is still true. And having done all this for his Father's children, the Christ mapped out a plan of life for man--a positive and absolute program whereby man might achieve, accomplish, and overcome and perfect himself. Again, these vital truths are not matters of opinion. If they were, then your opinion would be just as good as mine, or better. But I give you these things, not as my opinion--I give them to you as divine truths which are absolute. Some day you will see and feel and understand and perhaps even berate yourself for the long delay and waste of time. It is not a matter of if. It is a matter of when. Experience in one field does not automatically create expertise in another field. Expertise in religion comes from personal righteousness and from revelation.

Catcher In The Rye

"...I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around--nobody big, I mean--except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff--I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher i the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be. I know it's crazy."

Miracles

"In the contemplation of the miracles wrought by Christ, we must of necessity recognize the operation of a power transcending our present human understanding. In this field, science has not yet advanced far enough to analyze and explain. To deny the actuality of miracles on the ground that, because we cannot comprehend the means, the reported results are fictitious, is to arrogate to the human mind the attribute of omniscience, by implying that what man cannot comprehend cannot be, and that therefore he is able to comprehend all that is. The miracles of record in the Gospels are as fully supported by evidence as are many of the historical events which call forth neither protest nor demand for further proof. To the believer in the divinity of Christ, the miracles are sufficiently attested: to the unbeliever they appear but as myths and fables."

-James E. Talmage- (<---genius)

The Scientist. My Newest Obsession.

I am in love with this video, ever since I watched it, it has become my new dream to one day go to a Coldplay concert.

Couldn't Be More Obvious.

As I go through the week I usually try to make it a concious effort to recognize blessings in my life. But one particular week I was having an unusually rough time and I was struggling to see anything to be thankful for. It was Saturday night, the week was over, and I still hadn't thought of anything. That night I prayed that I would be able to see more clearly the blessings that were in my life. As I thought about it before I went to bed I realized that maybe what I needed to be thankful for were my trials.

"There is a divine purpose in the adversities we encounter every day. They prepare, they purge, they purify, and thus they bless."
--James E. Faust, "The Refiner's Fire," Ensign, May 1979, 53

I went to sleep that night with a changed attitude about the struggles that I had faced that week, I knew that the trials that I had gone through were only there to refine me and make me a better, stronger person. I really had nothing to complain about.

God has a funny way of teaching because the next day in Sacrament I found it odd that all of the talks were on tribulations. Funny huh? Oh just wait, it gets better. So I am sitting there listening to all of these talks about trials and, out of nowhere, my dad lays an old newspaper article on my lap. This is very unusual and my dad has never done this before so naturally I was curious. As my eyes gazed down at the old tattered article I read, "Count Your Blessings Today and be Thankful Year-Round". My mouth literally dropped. I almost began to laugh, the next closest thing would be God coming down himself and talking directly to my face. I almost felt like I could reach up and give him a high-five. Anyways, I began to read...

DEAR READERS: By popular demand, here is my traditional Thanksgiving column:
Today is Thanksgiving Day, so take a few minutes to reflect upon all the things for which you are thankful.
How's your health? Not so good? Well, thank God you've lived this long. A lot of people haven't. You're hurting? Thousands -- maybe millions -- are hurting even more. (Have you ever visited a veterans hospital? Or a rehabilitation clinic for crippled children?)
If you awakened this morning and were able to hear the birds sing, use your vocal cords to utter human sounds, walk to the breakfast table on two good legs, and read the newspaper with two good eyes, praise the Lord! A lot of people couldn't.
How's your pocketbook? Thin? Well, most of the world is a lot poorer. No pensions. No welfare. No food stamps. No Social Security. In fact, one-third of the people in the world will go to bed hungry tonight.
Are you lonely? The way to have a friend is to be one. If nobody calls you, pick up the phone and call someone.
Are you concerned about your country's future? Hooray! Our system has been saved by such concern. Your country may not be a rose garden, but neither is it a patch of weeds.
Freedom rings! Look and listen. You can still worship at the church of your choice, cast a secret ballot, and even criticize your government without fearing a knock on the head or a knock on the door at midnight. And if you want to live under a different system, you are free to go. There are no walls or fences -- nothing to keep you here.
As a final thought, I'll repeat my Thanksgiving prayer; perhaps you will want to use it at your table today:
O heavenly Father:

We thank thee for food and remember the hungry.
We thank thee for health and remember the sick.
We thank thee for friends and remember the friendless.
We thank thee for freedom and remember the enslaved.
May these remembrances stir us to service
That thy gifts to us may be used for others. Amen.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and may God bless you and yours.
-- LOVE, ABBY

...yeah, lesson learned.

For Goodness Cake!

Roasted Pig Luau Cake for Tarah's Birthday


Wedding Cake


University of Utah cake for Steve's Birthday


Swan Cake for My 21st Birthday


Draper Temple Cake for Amie's 21st Birthday

Alex Beatdown

So True...

Girls are taught a lot of stuff growing up. If a guy punches you he likes you. Never try to trim your own bangs and someday you will meet a wonderful guy and get your very own happy ending. Every movie we see, Every story we're told implores us to wait for it, the third act twist, the unexpected declaration of love, the exception to the rule. But sometimes we're so focused on finding our happy ending we don't learn how to read the signs. How to tell from the ones who want us and the ones who don't, the ones who will stay and the ones who will leave. And maybe a happy ending doesn't include a guy, maybe... it's you, on your own, picking up the pieces and starting over, freeing yourself up for something better in the future. Maybe the happy ending is... just... moving on. Or maybe the happy ending is this, knowing after all the unreturned phone calls, broken-hearts, through the blunders and misread signals, through all the pain and embarrassment you never gave up hope.
-He's Just Not That Into You-

If I Were Filthy Rich...

When I went shopping, I would have the store close down so that I didn't have to use the dressing rooms. Is it just me or is it really annoying to have to keep putting on your pants every time you want to leave the dressing room?

I would buy a dolphin. Yes a dolphin. Where would I keep it? In my dolphin sustainable swimming pool of course!

I would get tickets for my brother and I to sit courtside for all the Suns games. I would also buy him his above the ground coffin thing complete with the recliner and TV that he requested.

For my dad, a library full of books. And a rocking chair on his front porch so that he can successfully become that crazy old man that yells at all the neighborhood kids passing by.

My mom would get the worlds best coupon book. Sounds cheap but that is because you haven't seen how excited my mom gets over coupons.

I would buy enough small spoons and aprons so that when we run out Amie will not have to take the big spoon and the dishtowel.

For Amie I would buy her a house next to mine with a fully equipped cake shop in the basement for all her baking experiments. It would be better than Ace of Cakes. I would also buy her a prince charming but unfortunately he does not come with a price tag. Sorry Ames.

Tarah would get a new longboard and Matt Costa. He would serenade her everyday.

I would build the worlds biggest closet so that it could contain all my shoes.

I would buy a house for my friends that they could come and go as they please. When you walk in there would be a chocolate fountain there to welcome you.

I would build a preschool, and a restaurant.

I would hire a driver to drive me and my limo around everywhere. I would be his co-pilot and we would sing to there radio together wherever we went. I would only hang out in the back if I wanted to sleep.

I would get a jet that had all my favorite people and things painted on it. You know there is going to be guacamole on it and that spokesguy for Mac. For some reason I have an unexplainable crush on him.

Unfortunately I am not filthy rich so Ames must settle with the big spoon, I will continue to wear my pants while shopping and it is not very likely that you will ever see a jet with the Mac spokesguy on it. How disappointing.

My Best Friend

What I Miss Most.

 Scripture Night with Tarah.  There was no better way to start off the week than having scripture study with one of my best friends.  Don't ask me why but during one of our weekly scripture studys we decided to act out the scene in Numbers (the story about the talking donkey). It is the odd times like this that I miss.  I would give anything to have these nights back.  

I Love My Mom!

What is considered underwear these days is ridiculous. But I say hey, its a free hat courtesy of Victoria's Secret. You can't go wrong there. My mom has excellent photography skills. I asked her if the picture turned out okay and she said it looked great. I said "How could you describe a picture as great when the girl in it has a G-String on her head?" Now that was a moment of deep laughter. Yet another reason why my mom is so cool.

Work... or is it?

I am lucky enough to have not only one but two jobs that I absolutely love. One of them is working at a Preschool and the other is working with people who have disabilities. Although I have been told to "go to hell" and I have had to stay up multiple nights to care for a sick clients, I feel like in the end it is very rewarding. Does it take patience? YES! but I like to look at them as normal people with a lot of extra quirkiness about them. No two days are ever the same and I cannot even begin to tell you the many lessons that I have learned from these people. I am constantly laughing at the funny things that come out of their mouths...


No I did not take this picture of Lau around Halloween. This is Lau. He likes to dress up in... bizarre outfits. Lau also calls me every night before I come to work and leaves me messages on my answering machine. It is usually him singing to me "Oh Lindsey you, you got what I need." or "Hey Lindsey you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind! Hey Lindsey...". A funny thing about Lau is that he doesn't have any toes but still insists that his toes are cold and he needs another blanket over them to keep them warm. Not only is Lau one of the funniest people I know he is also one of the sweetest. Every morning he gives me a snickers or a big bag of M&M's.

Lau- "You have a rose in your eye and it sparkles."

Lau- "I know I don't have any toes, but Lindsey will you marry me?"

Lau- "Will you cook me some bacon?"
Me-"Sure where is it?"
Lau- "It is in the melting freezer."

Sadly I don't have a picture of Brian. Brian is an interesting character that seems to be in his own little world. He likes to get a reaction out of people by yelling out swear words. I'm ashamed to say that I think it is hilarious so it takes all of my will power to keep a straight face when I am telling him that he shouldn't do so.

Me- "What is so funny?"
Brian- " The cat."
Me- "What cat?"
Brian- "The cat at the pet store."
Me- "What happened with the cat?"
Brian- "The cat licked me."



Diane is the one that, as Amie likes to put it, "Damned me to hell." When I first met Diane she was the most harsh person that I had ever met. I felt as though I was constantly "walking on eggshells." She was like a volcano, you never knew when she was going to go off you just knew that she eventually would and that it wasn't going to be good. I believe that no matter how coarse a person is they have a squishy inside. Some people are just harder to get through than others. Working with Diane I was determined to break through to the "squish". So I decided that I would no matter how she treated me I was going to act like she was my best friend. It was scary because I am not used to people yelling at me for no reason but in the end it was well worth it. I got Diane to laugh! I got her to laugh! This was unheard of. Pretty soon Diane was telling me that I was pretty, that she really liked me because I was really nice AND that I was her number 1 favorite staff to work with. Shocker, more than you know.

Diane- "I can't find someone to love me like Carl loves Laura, no matter how much I brush my teeth."

Diane- "Is that your tripod?" (pointing to my ipod)

Diane- "My closet is too small for all my clothes."
Me- "Well maybe if you put away your winter clothes then you would have more room."
Diane- "No then my closet would be empty. I like to look rich and like I have a lot of stuff."



Unfortunately I don't get to work with Jerry anymore because he moved to a different house. Jerry always use to say that he was my father. I would always ask him If that was the case then where he has been all my life and what the heck did he do with my child support money? We would always end up laughing hysterically. One night I noticed a picture of a black woman on his keychain. I asked Jerry who it was, he said that he didn't know, he had found it on the sidewalk and attached it to his keychain. About ten minutes later he said that it was his model girlfriend, and my new mom. Oh and Jerry prefers his bacon burnt as you can see from the picture above. In fact he likes it so burnt that when you drop it, it shatters.

Jerry-Where I'm from we don't wash our dishes
Me- "oh really....where are you from?"
Jerry-"Out of the country."
Me- "And where would that be?"
Jerry- "Indiana"
Me-"Jerry you do realize that Indiana is in the United States?"
Jerry-" No its not! I'm from Mexico."



This is Terrie. She was the very first client that I ever worked with. Terrie was non-verbal and confined to a wheelchair. One thing that I loved about her was her sense of humor. She loved to make fun of me. One day she said that I should be a client rather than the staff. (Keep in mind she is typing this into her keyboard that would talk for her.) When I asked her if I could be her roomate her eyes got really big as if she had seen a ghost and she mouthed the words NO. Sadly Terrie past away in February. Being with her in her last hours was the hardest thing that I have ever had to do. I miss her so much and probably learned the most from her. Her cheerful attitude amongst her dim situation never ceased to shock me.

Meet the Wilsons

Dinner at the Wilson house is just not dinner until my dad throws down a bet.  Best known as "The Bruce Bet". On this particular day Amie came to dinner.  I could tell what was about to go down just as soon as my dad  started to say "Amie... how much do you like rolls?".  The bet: Amie stuffing four dinner rolls into her mouth.  The stakes: A milkshake for Amie and I.   I  have never seen Amie turn down a milkshake so, of course, the bet was on. As Amie was stuffing her face it became very apparent that four rolls would result in one of us having to give her the heimlich.  Not wanting Amie's parents to forever hate us for killing their daughter, my dad lowered the number of rolls to three.

Life Lessons Learned From the Bum at Movies 9

After talking with Maria I was inspired to write down the valuable life lessons that I learned from the Bum that would frequent Movies 9 while I was working there. I only hope that those who read this can gain the same knowledge that I have, from the man reffered to as the Movies 9 Bum.

-When you have an actual job you are indeed "working for the king".
-It IS possible to loose BOTH of your shoes in a movie theatre.
-A wet brochure will not pass as a movie ticket.
-If you annoy or creep out the people in the lobby enough, they will buy your movie ticket for you.
-It is not always good to be constantly having the smell of liquor on your breath.
-Digging through the trash to find a large popcorn bag can get you a refill free of charge. 

I Want Magenta!

“Life is like a box of crayons. Most people are the 8-color boxes, but what you're really looking for are the 64-color boxes with the sharpeners on the back. I fancy myself to be a 64-color box, though I've got a few missing. It's ok though, because I've got some more vibrant colors like periwinkle at my disposal. I have a bit of a problem though in that I can only meet the 8-color boxes. Does anyone else have that problem? I mean there are so many different colors of life, of feeling, of articulation.. so when I meet someone who's an 8-color type.. I'm like, "hey girl, magenta!" and she's like, "oh, you mean purple!" and she goes off on her purple thing, and I'm like, "no - I want magenta!"”
-John Mayer-

Women

"The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. 
There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. 
There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. 
We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. 
We have enough greed; we need more goodness. 
We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. 
We have enough popularity; we need more purity." 
— Margaret Nadauld

“Woman is God’s supreme creation. Only after the earth had been formed, after the day had been separated from the night, after the waters had been divided from the land, after vegetation and animal life had been created, and after man had been placed on the earth, was woman created; and only then was the work pronounced complete and good."

"Of all the creations of the Almighty, there is none more beautiful, none more inspiring than a lovely daughter of God who walks in virtue with an understanding of why she should do so, who honors and respects her body as a thing sacred and divine, who cultivates her mind and constantly enlarges the horizon of her understanding, who nurtures her spirit with everlasting truth. 

"God will hold us accountable if we neglect His daughters.” 

"Every woman is a daughter of God. You cannot offend her without offending Him."
-President Gordon B. Hinckley

"When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? The great armistices made by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses? When the surf of the centuries has made the great pyramids so much sand, the everlasting family will still be standing, because it is a celestial institution, formed outside telestial time. The women of God know this."

"So often our sisters comfort others when their own needs are greater than those being comforted. That quality is like the generosity of Jesus on the cross. Empathy during agony is a portion of divinity."

-Elder Neal A. Maxwell

Things I Don't Understand...

-People who complain about Utah but still live here. Nobody is stopping you from leaving.
-When someone texts you, you text them right back, and they don't answer. Why did you even text me in the first place?
-How radios work. Crazy stuff.
-Why guys would want to have long hair. You boys look so cute with short hair.
-How people can like spicy food. Not tasty, torture.
-How watches work. Boggles my mind.
-Tongue rings. Ouch!
-How to play Madden. I try so hard.
-Name droppers. Nobody cares. I mean really.
-Why are pretzels shaped so oddly. Stick pretzels make sense to me, I just don't get the pretzel shaped pretzels.
-Card tricks. They get me every time.

Advice From Elder Busche

Elder F. Enzio Busche
Quorum of the Seventy
BYU Devotional May 14, 1996

I want to share with you a vehicle, an instrument, that I developed some time ago for myself and for my family. It can assist us to reach our focus as we reat the suggested vision of true decipleship as a Latter-day Saint. It helps when we, from time to time, ponder and seek identification with the following thoughts. Embrace this day with an enthusiastic welcome, no matter how it looks. The covenant with God to which you are true enables you to become enlightened by him, and nothing is impossible for you. When you are physically sick, tired, or in despair, steer your thoughts away from yourself and direct them, in gratitude and love, toward God. In your life there have to be challenges. They will either bring you closer to God and therefore make you stronger, or they can destroy you. But you make the decision of which road you take. First and foremost, you are a spirit child of God. If you neglect to feed your spirit, you will reap unhappiness. Don’t permit anything to detract you from this awareness. You cannot communicate with God unless you have first sacrificed your self-oriented natural man and have brought yourself into the lower levels of meekness, to become acceptable for the Light of Christ. Put all frustrations, hurt feelings, and grumblings into the perspective of your eternal hope. Light will flow into your soul. Pause to ponder the suffering Christ felt in the Garden of Gethsemane. In the awareness of the depth of gratitude for him, you appreciate every opportunity to show your love for him by diligently serving in his Church. God knows that you are not perfect. As you suffer about your imperfections he will give you comfort and suggestions of where to improve. God knows better than you what you need. He always attempts to speak to you. Listen, and follow the uncomfortable suggestions that he makes to us—everything will fall into its place. Avoid any fear like your worst enemy, but magnify your fear about the consequences of sin. When you cannot love someone, look into that person’s eyes long enough to find the hidden rudiments of the child of God in him. Never judge anyone. When you accept this, you will be freed. In the case of your own children or subordinates, where you have the responsibility to judge help them to become their own judges. If someone hurts you so much that your feelings seem to choke you, forgive and you will be free again. Avoid at all cost any pessimistic, negative, or criticizing thoughts. If you cannot cut them out, they will do you harm. On the road to salvation let questions arise but never doubts. If something is wrong, God will give you clarity but never doubts. Avoid rush and haste and uncontrolled words. Divine light develops in places of peace and quiet. Be aware of that as you enter places of worship. Be not so much concerned about what you do, but what you do with all your heart, might, and strength. In thoroughness is satisfaction. You want to be good and do good, that is commendable, but the greatest achievement that can be reached in our lives is to be under the complete influence of the Holy Ghost then he will teach us what is really good and necessary to do. The pain of sacrifice last only on moment. It is the fear of the pain of sacrifice that makes you hesitate to do it. Be grateful for every opportunity to serve. It helps you more than those you serve. And finally, when you are compelled to give up something or when things that are dear to you are withdrawn from you, know this is your lesson to be learned right now. But know also that as you are learning this lesson God wants to give you something better. Thus, we prepare all the days of our lives, and, as we grow death loses its sting, hell loses its power, and we look forward to that day with anticipation of joy when He will come in his glory.

The Decline of Dating. The Forgotten Courtesies.

After dating a whole crapload of dirtballs I was compelled to write a list of 

things that I feel that should be common sense, and that many (not all)

 guys have forgotten or for some reason, that is beyond me, have never

 learned...

If you have Second Week Syndrome, tendencies to Chop and Drop or

 Cali Syndrome, don't even talk to me. 

DO NOT be late. Enough said.

If you are asking me on a date then you should be the one to pick

 me up. Don't ask me to meet you at your house, or at some other 

location. Be a man, wear the pants, and pick me up at my place. 

You had better come to my door to pick me up. If you don't want to

 come to my door cause you are scared to meet who I live with then you

 might as well just go back home. If my brother doesn't like you then you

 don't stand a chance anyways.

If you have asked me on a date then you very well better have had 

something planned. When you show up at my door asking me what 

I want to do it tells me that you could not care less how the date

 goes. I have obviously impressed you enough for you to ask me on 

a date, now it is your turn to impress me.

Let me know ahead of time what you have planned for the date.

 I don't like constantly wondering when you are going to show up at

 my door or if what I am wearing is going to work for that date. It's 

rude and if you don't let me know then I will probably assume that 

you don't care and we are not going. 

Open my doors. It is a simple gesture that says a lot.

Keep your language clean all the time, not just when I am around.

 It is such a turn off to hear a guy drop vulgar language. It also makes

 me very uncomfortable.

Do not make fun of other people. It makes me think that you either

 have nothing intelligent or of worth to say or that you are just a flat

 out jerk. There is nothing more refreshing than being with a guy who

 can find the good even in the worst of people.

Just because I let you kiss me does not mean that I gave you permission

 to put your hands wherever you want. Keep your hands where they

 belong. If you really respect and care about me, or have any respect

 for women at all, you would want to keep me as clean as possible. 

Remember that you are taking someone's daughter out. Do not do 

anything to me that you would not want some boy to do to the 

daughter that you will have one day.

Anticipation is everything. Do not try to kiss me too early. I want to

 get to know you and I want to know that you like me for me not just

 for action. When you kiss someone a whole new set of feelings is

 stepping in and if it comes in to early then it will begin to cloud good

 judgement. It becomes hard to decipher if you are having feelings for

 them because you really like them or if it is cause you enjoy kissing 

them. Also if you make the move too early it makes me question

 your motives and your character. Make me crave a kiss from you,

 waiting for it makes it all that much better. And I will respect you

 for respecting me.

It is sad that I have to say it and that it is not already common sense

 but, once you have kissed me, my friends are off limits. 

When I say that I don't like to be tickled, I mean it.  I am laughing

because you are tickling me, not because I want you to continue it. 

I swear the next guy that trys to kiss me during a movie, I am 

going to slap right across the face. 

No means no. It does not mean maybe, yes, or ask me again. 

To the guys that hold and honor their preisthood, Thank You. You have

 no idea how comforting it is to be with a guy who you know if anything

 were to happen to you he could give you a blessing on the spot. And

 also to know that he is not going to do anything that will make you

 have to stick up for your morals. 

Ever heard the phrase leave things better than you found them?

 The same applies to dating. It would be so refreshing for once to 

go out on a date and have a the guy bring me home feeling like I 

was a better person for getting the opportunity to go on a date 

with him. 

Do not just drop me off on the street like I am a cheap jug of milk.

 Girls do not like it when you sit in your car and stare at them 

walking into their house. It's just creepy. Get your butt out of the

 car and walk me to my door.