Music Monday

I'm back in Rexburg. It's super windy and the air is a rustic brown color that tastes like sand paper. Needless to say I am staying inside where the wind can't get to my hair and I can stay nice and toasty. 

Enjoy this weeks music selection!

Music Monday: A New Segment

I am extremely passionate towards music. I love finding fresh, unique artists and songs. Because of this I thought I would share five songs every week that I like. The choices will most likely be very eclectic and might at times feel extremely random. I hope you enjoy at least some of the songs I choose each week. It's possible that I'll share some that you will absolutely love and some you can't stand.

I just feel that this is a way to get to know me just a little bit better, by what I like to listen to! So here is the first weeks installment, a day late. There were some technical problems yesterday but these will usually be posted on Mondays. Enjoy!

The Greatest Cures

Many times when I am uneasy, distraught, or anxious about something, I always go to my mom for comfort. Her advice is always, "Drink a cup of tea, it always helps."

So, as you might have guessed, I was having one of those days today because I moved back up to Idaho for my last semester of school before my mission and I honestly wasn't having a very good attitude about it (oops! a work in progress...). So as you can see I wasn't exactly close to home when I could run to my mom for help, seeing as we are in different states now. Since I couldn't go talk to my mom face to face, we talked on the phone and as always her advice was the same. It gave me an idea. Sometimes we all need a little extra comfort when life throws us in the middle of a storm and I thought I would share with you my top five ways of finding comfort wether you are home or far, far away.

1. Tea

Like my mom says, a cup of tea really does help. It is warm, soothing, and brings peace. I usually do quite a bit of deep pondering while drinking tea. It is almost like a cleanse for the soul. Take the time to "restart" and put yourself back together.

2. Food

This doesn't mean eat your feelings away, your waistline will expand and we don't want that. I mean eat a snack or a meal depending on the time of day. Many times I will have anxiety attacks because I haven't eaten in awhile. Many times I lose track of time and it becomes 7 or 7:30 and I haven't had dinner yet. Pay attention to that. Eat three meals and at least two snacks at pretty equal increments, it will stop you from snacking or having low blood sugar.

3. Sleep

Wether you are sleep deprived or worked to hard to the point of exhaustion, you need to go to bed. Days like today where I have been awake since what felt like the crack of dawn and then traveling and unpacking, it takes a lot out of a person and emotions (like overburdened and crying) come as a "20% battery left" warning. In these cases, just go to bed, you will wake up with a much better feeling.

4. Temple

This one feels like a no brainer to me because I do it on an almost daily schedule. Do baptisms and, if endowed, endowment sessions and such, but also, just take a walk around the property. Sit out side the front doors and gaze up at the beautiful house of the Lord. Take scriptures, a journal, a prayer in your heart. No matter what you do in the presence of the temple with help raise your spirit.

5. Music

Lastly for me is music. It can be very persuasive and meaningful. Most of my music has very deep meanings that are personal to me and my situations. Choose songs that mean a lot to you, that make you feel happy, better, and uplifting and fun. Songs that put you in a very good mood are highly suggested.

*I would have put exercise but that revs me up more than actually lifting my spirit in a much deeper connotation.

Again We Go

It seems that times keeps flying faster and faster, leaving me wondering how it is already time to go again. This time I'm not so gung-ho and chipper about going back to school and honestly I really wish I didn't have to. Winter went too fast and  school is just one of those things that I just have to "get through" before I can end at my true destination, my mission. But, it needs to be done. I can't go on my mission without graduating with an Associates, making my future education a much smoother transition when I come home. I hope things will be fine for this last semester at Brigham Young University - Idaho but I feel that most of my time will be spent in study rooms and the library -- studying for long hours at a time to insure I make the best grades possible so that I can positively know I will graduate. It might be a lot of pressure to carry but I know that it will take me closer to my MTC entry, one day at a time.

Goodbye Utah, you have treated me well! And a reluctant hello again Idaho.

Wish me luck?

8:00, Please Come....

12:00 pm - Slowly working through my Nutrition test but I am not that interested. I have an hour left of work before I can go home. I want to go home so bad and show off the "white envelope" to my family.

12:15 pm - Did I just "Save and Submit Later" on my online test? Yes, yes I did. I can't focus anymore on it. I will have to finish it when I get home. Basically after that I spun around in my chair while looking at the ceiling (because I am still a kid at heart, and my mind couldn't take the anxiousness).

12:30 pm - Thomas (the kid that takes my spot for the afternoon shift) comes in while Craig and I are talking about how to drastically discipline strong headed kids.
               Me: Wow, that is really intense!
               Thomas: I have no idea what you guys are talking about.
               Craig: Ya, but it works.
               Me: I don't think it would work on everyone though.
               Craig: I would say most cases.
               Thomas: Just have me beat them up. Just kidding. What are we talking about?
               Me: Naughty kids.
               Thomas: Oh... ya... just kidding.
Seriously the kid is crazy. Which he then grilled me on what pencil lead was and what happens when it  heats up. To all of that, I had no idea, resulting in a, "I really am failing this test aren't I?" To which his reply was, "Oh my goodness," while simultaneously sighing. Ya, I stink at science. Thanks Thomas for the science lesson though, I now know what pencil lead is (carbon - a very, very stable element), what happens when it is heated (a whole lot of "pretty much nothing") and how you can use a car battery to make a pencil into a light to help you see in the dark, on the side of the road, to fix your car.

1:00 pm - I hit the "clock" button and race out the door to my car so I can go home and wave the mission call in my parents faces! If you can't tell, I was excited!

2-8 pm - Me freaking out, having an anxiety attack about opening my call. Cleaning the house and decorating for all the company planned to arrive for the call opening. Finishing my Nutrition Exam and celebrating the fact that I have Nutrition NO MORE!! Then after all of that, a birthday dinner for Shaelie at our favorite restaurant Koi Sushi Bar and then back for cake with Grandma and Grandpa Wood just before everyone started trickling in! Yaaay!

8:15 pm - Everyone has arrived and my mom is forcing me up in front of everybody, yikes the nerves! My dad, although I told him not to, is telling everybody we are going to sing "I hope they call me on a mission" followed by "Happy Birthday." Then, it was my turn to stand up and open the call. As soon as I stood, the spirit filled me up to the brim and I just started crying. I bawled through the whole mission call.

8:45 pm - So many hugs! I felt so loved in those moments after I finished reading. Many congratulatory remarks as well as tears of joy and smiles. I just felt that after I read it, the anxiety, worry, discouragement, and inadequacy washed away leaving me happier than I think I have ever been in my entire life.  I couldn't be more relieved, excited, and in love with where I am going!

Thank you to everyone who came and supported me!

**Want to know where I am going? Click Here.

The Longest Day. EVER.

6:58 am - Dad calls down to my room to wake me up, it's already morning, wwhhaatt?? How did that happen? He ask if I want to help decorate the kitchen or sleep more. I decide to grab Shaelie's posters off my floor and run upstairs to help decorate the kitchen.

7:05 am - In the kid's office, still half awake, with camille. We finished up the posters and try finding the "blue tape" to stick them all around the kitchen.

7:12 am - Shaelie comes downstairs for breakfast. I tell her she needs to go back upstairs because we aren't done hanging up the posters. Does she listen? Nope. Instead she insists that she has to leave for school and needs to grab breakfast before she goes.

7:23 am - Shaelie is walking out the door for school as the whole family, minus Brynlee who is still asleep, yells HAPPY BIRTHDAY! (I pinned a "Birthday Girl" badge on her backpack but I'm sure as she pulled into the school parking lot, it would be off, laying on the floor of the passengers seat.

7:31 am - I walk back downstairs and turn on the music on my computer while I try to find something to wear to work for the day. I swear it takes me forever to decide on an outfit...

8:03 am - Dad calls down to my room, "Alyssa?" "Ya dad?" "The post office might just have your call." "REALLY??" *long silence* "Yes! They really do. Today is an eventful day!" "It sure is dad!" *me laughing so hard with estatic joy and amazement after my dad hangs up the phone.* It's here.

8:35 am - Dressed, hair fixed and make-up applied. I walk upstairs to cook my waffle and head out to work for the morning.

8:44 am - Driving down the drive way after scraping ice off my front window and almost spilling my peanut butter, buttermilk syrup, fresh raspberry waffle all down the front of me. (phew! A close one.) I decided that I needed to sit in silence all the way there because I have been so anxious the last four and a half days that I needed to find some "inner peace."

8:58 am - I arrive to work, only to realize that I left my badge at home, again. Day two, Alyssa? Shame on you. Next time take it out of your locker and put it in your purse, okay? Okay.

9:00 am - I knock on the mailroom back door to have my boss, Craig, let me in. "Oh hi! I'm really frazzled this morning aren't I? Sorry about the badge, again... BUT HEY! My call is here!?" He just stared. Apparently he wasn't expecting me to say that. Slowly though, a smile surfaced as he said, "Well how are we going to keep your mind off of the call until you go home, we wouldn't want today to feel too long huh? Maybe I can have you package some orders up for me before the post office, would that be good?" I just laughed and nodded my head. I need the distraction. Seriously, I have the nicest boss in the world. I LOVE staying super busy.

9:19 am - Craig leaves to go to facilities and finance to drop some documents off. I'm left to my own devices until I have to go to the post office. My choice of poision, study for my nutrition final. Gross.

9:45 am - Head out to the Lehi and American Fork post office. I decide it would be easier to swing by the AF one first and pick up my.... MISSION CALL!! And then swing back the other way on my drive back to Xango.

10:00 am - Walk into AF post office. "Hi. I'm here to pick up my... umm... mission call."

10:02 am - Out of the post office with my call in hand :) Oh my hiccups! It's real! I have it, right now. Wait what am I doing? What is air? This can't be real. *pats envelope to make sure it's real (50+times or so).

10:07 am - Walk into Lehi post office. *still stunned and worrying about it being left alone in the van by itself. I should have brought it in, just for good measure. Can't have anything happen to it before tonight. Oh well, I'll be out in a second... *still worrying.

10:20 am - So the lehi post office took a bit longer than the AF one but I am finally back at Xango, knocking on the back door, aaggaaiinn. (Sorry Craig...) I slide my call into my nutrition book and proceed to put my phone and the company van's keys away. Time to put the mail in the boxes, stop worrying about your call. It's safe.

10:25 am - Only seven letters and a return? People, where is all the rest of the mail? I get super bummed when there isn't a whole lot of mail to hand out to the departments. I sit back at my desk and stare at my UPS calendar until I start to feel a headache coming on. Guessing the only thing to do at this point is to start studying again until someone comes down with an order or requests a package pickup.

11:05 am - I start getting distracted and decide to take a break. I am soo glad winter online semester ends this week but I really am hating on finals. No one should ever have to take a test on the last week of school. We should just have an end-of-semester discussion on what our favorite part of the class was. Mine: when it's over :) hehe. I'm kidding but seriously, I'm a bit disapointed with my classes this past semester. But, oh well. Spring semester starts a week from monday so we'll see if that one is better. And then I GRADUATE LOLLIPOPS!

11:18 am - Wednesday's are always pretty slow in the mailroom so I decide that since I don't have a lot of time after work that I should probably start my nutrition final case study exam. uhgg...bleh...please no...whyy?... I can't... my brain is dead... you know what we should do instead?... no, Alyssa... stop that....it's test time... uhgg, fine!  Yup I hate tests.

11:24 am - Still stalling....

11:29 am - Okay. Question 1.

Part II: 8:00, please come...



Where in the World?

I receive my mission call this Wednesday (if any of you are in UT, you are welcome to come to my house at 8 pm to see me open it)! I can't tell you how long and anxious the wait has been for this moment. It's finally here. Honestly I never knew how hard it would be to wait six months before I would receive my call. I am so happy it's finally arriving this week!

You are probably wondering if I'm nervous. I am, but the kind of nervous that is good for you. I don't worry about where they are sending me or the language I might have been assigned to speak. My nervousness stems from how my reaction will be. I will be over joyed where ever I am sent but I don't want to feel like it's not as cool as someone else's and have people think I am going for the wrong reasons.

I love this church. I love my Heavenly Father and my brother Jesus Christ. I know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God and that he restored the true and everlasting church of Jesus Christ back to the earth. I am so grateful for the priesthood that was restored with the church. I am so very grateful to the keys and covenants that we have on the earth to help us come back to our Heavenly Father. I know that we will be able to live with our families again after death and that we will be resurrected to live with our families and Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ once again. I am honored to serve a mission of the Lord Jesus Christ for a year and a half of my life. There is nothing better I would rather do than serve! I want people to feel the warmth and happiness I feel as I do the right things and live in the Light of Christ. I am so grateful to have the family and friends that I do. Each of you have made my life better than before and I can't thank you enough! I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!