L O V E

Love means different things to different people but my idea of love has been completely altered after reading Pres. Uctdorf's talk from October Conference. You know how you can hear something at just the perfect time and it hits you like a ton of bricks(maybe two tons!). Well over the past two days reading this talk I have felt the spirit so strongly and its making me want to act! I love when that happens! If you haven't taken time to read it recently please do!

"When we truly understand what it means to love as Jesus Christ loves us, the confusion clears and our priorities align. Our walk as disciples of Christ becomes more joyful. Our lives take on new meaning. Our relationship with our Heavenly Father becomes more profound. Obedience becomes a joy rather than a burden."

Just a few ways I plan to act on this!

• Be kinder to my roommates and find out how Christ loves them.
• Tell my family I love them more! I want to write each of them a letter for Christmas.
• Give money to homeless or less fortunate people when I can.( I know... I was skeptical of this one too. But I was challenged to make November a service month and ever since then I just can't stop! I love to give my money to people who need it more than I do!)
• Quit feeling sorry for myself in social situations and start loving myself more and loving those who I am interacting with instead of avoiding them.

Also please read the childrens book " I like myself" by Karen Beaumont. It makes me way way happy. It will do the same for you!

So this week has been crazy!

I had parent teacher conferences for two epically(sp??) long nights! But I survived and one parent even cried she was so happy! I also had my interview for efy this week which I think went pretty well. It was way chill. Just me and my friend jason and two administrators I feel very comfortable with. Then I spent a lovely evening with Sam, Jason and Tristan just catching up. It was so refreshing. Then today was a day. School was kind of nuts! All I wanted to do after school was relax with some friends. But everyone I talked to was busy! So I ended up going to my sisters performance up at East High all by myself which kinda sucked. I hate going places by myself. And after I was supposed to see a movie with a friend... but he bailed at the last minute. So here's to Friday nights all by myself! I think for Saturday I will take myself out to the movies. And buy myself a large porcorn.

These are a few of my favorite things

Favorite things about Utah so far.(In no particular order... except when they came to my mind)

• So many friends are within a short drive.
• Efy counselors abound. I found a bunch in my ward and I fully intend on making them my friends. Also so many of my efy friends live here!
• Great job that allows me to make home-made silly putty, magnet fishing poles, paper plate aquariums, buy stick horses from the dollar store and have my very first pet rat(not that I plan on having more than one pet rat...)!
• Institute! I love it so much! I missed it so much being at a church school for so long. I always feel the spirit so strong. And I love that Jason Miller comes with me every week! Its so great to have friends to share that with!
• People love ice cream here! And sometimes great boys like Scott Johns buy me ice cream! I love it!
• Target and Walmart... I for real live there. I have spent far too much money there since I moved here!
• Beyond Glaze Doughnuts! You will not believe them till you try them! So SO good!
• Bonfires
• Jacket weather
• Mariah
• Conference weekend
• Amazing opportunities to hear lds musicians and speakers all the time!
• BANDSLAM!!!!
• the library.. who knew!
• finding the most perfect shoes that I thought I would never find again... but i did!!! and they were on sale!!
• Friends come and visit me from Idaho!(Hooles and Joshy)
• being bored and curious enough to put a cd out on itunes and amazon

Well thats all that I can think of now but I'm sure there is more. Some days its strange to be in this new grown up life but all in all I truly am happy. This place will provide me with so many great opportunities to grow. Thank you Draper Utah and all the goodness that comes along with you. Especially Dollar Cinnamon Rolls from IKEA, which I can walk to. Thank you.

Incredible Tender Mercies!

So ever since efy and even during efy I have felt kind of empty inside. For whatever reason I have not been getting much out of my scripture reading and my prayers have been pretty lackluster. I haven't attended the temple much either. But this week I decided I needed to really make a change. Monday I went to the church history museum and so many things there pricked my heart. Tuesday I went to the temple and tonight I went to institute. Even at the beginning of institute tonight I still had that empty feeling but my institute teacher said something that made all that change. He said that we have to make sure we schedule in the time for spiritual things because with all the things we have to do everyday it will get lost in the shuffle. This seems so simple but it really made me think back to when I took a scripture study class and we had to study our scriptures for 30 minutes a day, free of distractions and write things down. I felt like I really knew the Savior during that time. I want so desperately to do that again. But in my carnal stupid mind I find so many dumb things to put in the place of that and end up trying to squish scripture study in at the end of the day. So here's to trying to change that!!

The other thing that was amazing to me tonight was that I truly figured out what it means to be like a child. It didn't have anything to do with the lesson tonight, but amidst all my mind tangents I realized this incredible thing! At school with my preschoolers there are times throughout the day where they don't think they can do something or are afraid and need reassurance. This happens over and over again and I have to remind them that they need to trust me and that everything will be ok and they will see their parents soon. And it dawned on me tonight. The way they feel is just how I feel towards my Heavenly Father. So many times I am terrified that I won't be able to do what I need to do or I just feel like no one cares to see how I'm feeling or that I am so miserably alone. I feel like I am running to the Lord to comfort me over and over again and I know that he will comfort me, BUT here is where I often go wrong. I forget to trust that Heavenly Father knows all things and knows us so personally that whatever we tell him He already knows. Its that trust that allows Him into our lifes. Those little children that I teach taught me something invaluable. We have to trust in our Heavenly Father and know that HE WILL NOT FAIL US, no matter how many times we think we have failed ourselves!

The Katie and Sam Show

This is something that Sam and I made while I was on Site Office duty. Its pretty genius! All made up on the spot. Hope you enjoy!

Music that could change your life!

1. Parachute-- She is Love(Acoustic Version)

2. Kate Voegele--Sweet Silver Lining

3. Whitney Wiatt-- Oh, the Places You'll Go

4. Sara Haze--Balloon(Acoustic Version)

5. Allie Moss-- Corner

6. Bearfoot--Heaven

7.Shelly Fraley--Up, up and away

8.Chelsea Lee--So Far

9. Matt Wertz--I will not take my love away

10. Schuyler Fisk--Afterglow

11. Rosi Golan-Hazy

12.Lauren Zettler-- So much here

13. Ernie Halter--Whisper

14. Jessica Sonner--Just You

15. Demi Lovato--Don't Forget and On the Line

16. Dave Barnes--On a Night like This

17. Amos Lee--Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight

18.Jonathan Clay--Love at War(Stripped Version)

Hope You take a look and enjoy these artist you probably have never heard of before! Ha I just love music so much! This just makes me want to listen to all these real bad!

So I was sitting at home alone thinking about things I wanted to be doing other than being bored, at home, alone. This is what I came up with.

Laughing... I don't do that nearly enough anymore.

Eat a corn dog.. MMMM that sounds good!
Jumping in Crunchy Leaves! Thats my favorite!!
Taking a nap... but I did wake up at 11:00 so maybe thats not the best idea.
Play guitar... I think I shall go do that now!