Christmas 2010, Part 2: Oregon!

This has been one of my favorite Christmases ever! I was able to fly home to Oregon on the 23rd, and then spent Christmas eve and Christmas day with my family. My brother Brad and sister-in-law Jessica came up from Texas, and we've played games, watched movies, and simply enjoyed each others' company. Later, my younger brother, Trevor, and his new wife, Kristin, returned from their honeymoon and completed our full house. Despite preparations for the open house in Oregon, it's been a pretty stress-free last few days. Here are some of the highlights of the week:

1. Christmas Eve
As tradition, we went to a movie, followed by dinner. This year we watched the new Chronicle's of Narnia movie, Voyage of the Dawn Treader (which was good, but not as good as the first two movies in my opinion). Afterward, we ate dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, PF Chang's. Mmmm...chicken lettuce wraps! We also drove around the Portland Temple after dinner, which really set the mood for the evening. The night concluded with reading the Christmas story from Luke 2, secret Santa gift exchange, and watching a few Christmas carols. Christmas Eve is definitely the best day of the year!

The movie theater and restaurant were near a large shopping area in Lake Oswego. I loved their Christmas decorations!

Cute parents =)

Mom, Jessica, Brad, Kimberly, Me, and Dad

The beautiful lights!

We didn't eat here, but I thought it deserved a place on my blog. What an amazing combination!

Yum! Dinner!

Jessica and Brad were a little excited...

Our REAL Christmas tree! (Sorry about the yellow coloring...)

This is my favorite picture. I had Jessica this year as my secret Santa, and I had a great time shopping for her! Brad wasn't quite as thrilled with my choice of gift. Maybe Jane Austen will grow on him after the 3rd or 4th viewing?

Kimberly is the musician in the family and played a few pieces on the piano for us.

2. Christmas at Grandma Morgan's!
Ever since I can remember, we've always driven to my grandparent's house for Christmas dinner. Basically, we get up early, open presents, and then fight over the bathrooms so we can be ready in time to leave for Vancouver, WA. I always look forward to Grandma's dinners because she makes the most amazing meatballs in the world, as well as delicious ham and potatoes. This year was even better because my cousin and his wife and their two little boys joined us from Seattle. It was fun having little kids around again, especially when it was time to open presents! And, as tradition, we spent the evening playing games. It was a very nice Christmas.

Kimberly and my cute 2nd cousin, Jack

Jack was pretty excited about all the toy cars he got this Christmas!

Jessica, Brad, Kirstin (holding baby Brandon), and Dennis

Grandma Morgan always has the most beautifully-decorated house for Christmas!

3. Trevor and Kristin's open house
I don't have any pictures yet for this, but I want to say that the wedding and the open house were both successful! Trevor and Kristin got married on the 18th in Bountiful, Utah. It was a cold, but wonderful day. Their open house was at the Institute building in Gresham, Oregon. It was fun to see friends and family as we celebrated Trevor and Kristin's marriage. Stay tuned for a post completely dedicated their wedding, including tons of pictures!

Christmas 2010, Part 1: Salt Lake City

December has been a fun, busy month! It's hard to believe Christmas has already come, and now it's time to update the blog on all that has happened:

1. Festival of Trees
My Aunt and I went to the Festival of Trees the week after Thanksgiving. This was my 5th year going as a volunteer, and once again I was blown away by how impressive the trees were. For those of you who don't know what Festival of Trees is, it's basically a huge fundraiser held in the Sandy Expo Center where people donate elaborately decorated trees to auction off, and then all the money proceeds go to the children's hospital. The trees usually have a theme and are donated in remembrance of a loved one who has past away. Some of the stories are very touching. I got to guard the gingerbread houses this year, which were so creative and mind-blowing. Some people are so talented! My favorite tree was the "House Divided" tree: Utah vs. BYU.

The right side definitely looks the best.

2. Lights on Temple Square
Because I have been working on Temple Square for the past few months, I've watched the grounds crew putting up Christmas lights since September. It was fun finally getting to see the lights lit up at night! Here are some of my favorite pictures:

3. Decorating!
My roommate, Sariah, and I had a fabulous time getting a Christmas tree (sadly, fake, but it still worked), decorating our Christmas tree, and putting up stockings. I also decorated my personal "Charlie Brown Christmas tree" and put it up in my bedroom. Salt Lake City got a ton of snow this past month, which I think really added to the ambiance of the season.

Ta-da! Our beautiful Christmas tree!

Stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

I loved the way our living room turned out. It really added to the Christmas spirit!

My Charlie Brown Tree

The view from my bedroom window. We got up to about 14 inches one day!

4. Roommate Christmas Party
For the first time since we've moved in, all 7 of us roommates got together and had a Christmas party! It seriously was the first time I'd seen all of us in the same room at the same time, so it was pretty exciting. We exchanged secret Santa gifts, talked, laughed, took pictures, and ate ice cream. It was a great night and made me feel so blessed to have the roommates that I have! I know I was inspired to move where I'm currently living.

Mandy and Sicily

Kari and Sue

Sariah and Mele

Me and Sariah

We also celebrated Sariah's birthday!

In summary, my first Christmas in Salt Lake City was pretty amazing. I'm really enjoying living where I'm living and enjoying life as an independent, working woman =) This year has had it's ups and downs, but right now I'm definitely experiencing some major ups. What a nice way to end 2010!

Jesus Christ, my Savior

I had the wonderful opportunity to read the 4 Gospels in 4 weeks. My ward came up with the theme for December, "Live as He Lived," and it truly has been amazing to study Christ's life and remember the true meaning of Christmas. I honestly don't know if I've ever felt closer to Christ than I do this holiday season! In just a few weeks of study, I've been able to come unto Him more and truly know who He is as my Friend, Brother, Savior, and Redeemer. I know He came to earth to serve and save mankind! Everything he did or said or didn't say testifies that he is the Savior , the very Son of God. I love Him so much, and am so grateful for His ultimate sacrifice for me.

I am so grateful for this reminder of the true meaning of Christmas, and I hope I can continue to become more like Him this coming year. 2010 was tough, but because of my Savior and His ever-encircling arms of love, I've made it through and felt the peace only He can offer. I know that He lives!

I hope you all have a very merry Christmas!

To the Singles

Being single has been the hardest trial of my life, and not because of simply not being married, but because of this stage of life in general: graduating from college, looking for work, dating and boy drama (which I've had A LOT of in the past few weeks), moving away from friends and family, being alone, finding purpose to life, etc. So of course, these things are always on my mind, and I really appreciate encouraging words or insights from people who know what I'm going through.

For example, last month Sister Oaks (Elder Oak's wife) came to speak to the H4 (my ward plus 3 other wards we combine with) about her experience with being single. She didn't get married until she was over 50, so she knows exactly what I'm feeling now because she's been there. I ran out and bought her book, A Single Voice: The Unexpected Life is No Less A Life, and she pretty much expresses exactly how I feel and says exactly what I need to hear.

Another instance was today in Relief Society. We had a lesson on trusting in the Lord (which is something I'm always trying to work on), and the girl giving the lesson is one of those girls you look at and wonder, "Now how are you not married?" She's beautiful, funny, has a strong testimony, well-educated, etc. But something she said that stood out to me was [paraphrasing] part of this stage of life is learning to become the person we want our children to know and see. She said, "I'm doing this [going through this trial of singleness while still trying to trust in the Lord] for the people I will love, and it will be worth it." This touched me a lot.

My final example is actually a strange one, but it still gave me the needed strength for the day. I was listening to Pandora at work this past week when a song came on called "For Those Who Wait" by Fireflight. I have never heard this song or this artist before, and the music itself wasn't my favorite, but the lyrics left a lasting impression. So, to those singles reading this now, I dedicate this song to you:

This is for those who wait

Another day another waiting game
A little different but it's still the same
I am here but where's the one I'm longing for?

I'm having troubles feeling all alone
Will my heart ever find a home?
I want to hope but sometimes I just don't know
I know I'm not the only one

So you sing a lullaby
To the lonely hearts tonight
Let it set your heart on fire
Let it set you free

When you're fighting to believe
In a love that you can't see
Just know there is a purpose
For those who wait

I want to open up my eyes
I know that all I need is time
I'm growing stronger every single day

God, I'm gonna leave them to You now
Letting go all of my fear and doubt
I can't do this on my own, so I'll give You control
I know I'm not the only one

So you sing a lullaby
To the lonely hearts tonight
Let it set your heart on fire
Let it set you free

When you're fighting to believe
In a love that you can't see
Just know there is a purpose
For those who wait

The pressure makes us stronger
The struggle makes us hunger
The hard lessons make the difference

The pressure makes us stronger
The struggle makes us hunger
The hard lessons make the difference
And the difference makes it worth it

So we sing a lullaby
To the lonely hearts tonight
Let it set your heart on fire
Let it set you free

When you're fighting to believe
In a love that you can't see
Just know there is a purpose
For those who wait

Let it set your heart on fire
This is for those who wait

Goal: Accomplished

Today is the first day of December, which means my November goal of writing every day is complete! And I'm happy to announce that I accomplished my goal 100%! Hooray!

Now that I'm sucked back into my novel, there's no way I'm going to stop working on it, even if I don't "have" to. In fact, my new goal is to have the 2nd draft completely finished by the end of January. That gives me two months to work on about 250 more pages. Demanding? Yes. Difficult? Most likely. Possible? Definitely.

I also want to start researching agents and submitting query letters. This is probably going to be the hardest part yet: rejection letter after rejection letter. Let's face it, even J.K. Rowling was rejected a few dozen times before someone decided to give Harry Potter a try. And my novel is definitely NOT the next Harry Potter (nor would I ever want it to be).

But my sister did give me the best compliment ever the other day via email, which gave me another glimpse of the joys of being an author (she's currently reading my novel and is the voice of all teenage girls):

"Ahhhhhhhhh y is ur book so good? When I'm not reading it, I'm thinking about it lol . In this chapter u r using dramatic irony cuz i as the audience know about Leah and perry but Evan doesn't and ya...it's good! And sad :("

I'm not going to tell you what she means by this; you'll have to read it and find out for yourself someday ;)

Thanksgiving Daily

Writing and Harry Potter

Well, we're already halfway through November, so I thought I should take a minute to update everyone on how my writing goal is going (see previous post). I'm happy to say that I've met my goal of writing every day this month! They say it takes 21 days to form a habit, but after only a week of writing, I was hooked. Writing can become an obsession with me sometimes, especially with this novel, and I'm definitely obsessed once again. Ever since getting back into the habit of writing daily, I haven't been able to stop thinking about my story--at work, in the car, when I'm listening to music, ALL the time. It's really my favorite thing to do: come home, put on my pajamas, and sit at my computer and write. Unfortunately, most nights are too busy for this luxury, and I can only spend 10 or 20 minutes working on my novel, but it's at least something.

While I'm already adding a new post, I want to also say that Harry Potter is also my new obsession right now; at least, it's always on the brain. I was extremely lucky and got to see the movie the day before it was released in theaters! On top of that, I got to see it a second time the day it came out. My roommate and I also had a Harry Potter marathon and watched movies 3-6 every night this past week. SO, the past five days have been nothing but Harry Potter, Harry Potter, Harry Potter. And I'm ok with that =)

Rain in Oregon?!

So this post is going back a few weekends ago when I got to fly home to Oregon and spend a few days with my family. It was GREAT being able to return home and not worry about work, my social life, roommates, anything--and simply spend time with my parents and sister. Yes, there were two small catches involved: my mom needed me to help her work on a "special" project, and I basically packed up my old bedroom so my sister could move in (LOTS of fun). But despite a few hours of "hard" work, it was still a great weekend and definitely the fasted 3 days of my life!

Having grown up in Oregon, I'm pretty used to the rain and often miss it living in this desert state called Utah. Well, my parents warned me it was supposed to rain the entire time I was there, and I got excited! Little did I know how much it would rain. Honestly, I forgot how hard it can pour! On Sunday morning, I woke up to the sound of rain hitting my bedroom window faster than you can blink. As I laid in bed for a moment, enjoying the warmth and coziness of my blankets, I suddenly heard my parents' shouting and realized it was coming from outside. Apparently, the tarp covering our boat and tent trailer was filling up with water and breaking.

So, being the good daughter that I am, I decided to take a few pictures of my poor parents trying to fix the tarp IN the pouring rain. There was no way I was going to join them; instead, I recorded the moment, which I'm sure my dear parents will appreciate a few years from now =)

Here they are trying to fix the tarp. As you can see, it's not easy with that much water pelting you. They were both soaked to the bone within seconds.

And a closeup of my dear parents, who I'm sure will love me for this ;) My mom's coat left a large puddle of water in our garage after this was over.

The view from my other bedroom window. I felt like I was on a ship in the middle of the ocean (well, minus large tree blocking view). Pretty exciting, eh?

So just to eliminate any doubts you may have, it really DOES rain in Oregon...crazy.

Oh, and on a random note, here are some fun pictures Kimberly and I took in Macy's dressing room when me, Kimberly, and my mom had some quality girl time shopping:

Oh, the blessings of digital cameras and sisters =)

The Princess and the Lady Bug

This Halloween, I was finally able to fulfill my childhood fantasy and dress up as a princess--Princess Fiona, to be precise. You know--the half-human, half-ogre from Shrek? The only difference was I didn't have to turn green come midnight. In fact, my transition from human to ogre was pretty simple. Let me demonstrate:

Princess Fiona the human:

(not the best picture--not going to lie...)

Voila! Princess Fiona the ogre:

I was also one lucky princess because I got to spend the evening at a ball (well, the YSA Halloween dance, which is probably as close to a ball as I'll ever get, although Prince Charming never showed up) and hang out with one cute bug:

Miss Sariah, the Lady Bug
(aka my roommate):

Here is Fiona modeling her princess dress (yes, this was taken in the bathroom...a minor detail):

After dancing the night away (Fiona even got to dance with Dwight from The Office and Napoleon Dynamite!) , the princess and the lady bug decided that they had had enough dancing for one night and headed home, but not without taking some cute pictures together:

(Yes, that is Casper behind us)

And they lived happily ever after.

(Well, they got to watch My Fair Lady and eat buttery popcorn the next night, which made both of them VERY happy. )

P.S. As an editing nerd, I have to point out the fact that I went from first person to third person in only a few sentences. Classic.

Goals 2: Summary

This picture basically summarizes my last post. It's a picture posted on Shannon Hale's blog that represents her life right now (visit http://oinks.squeetus.com/). It's pretty much my goal someday (well, again, minus the second baby. Just one will do when the time comes =)). Writer + Mother mixed. Perfect.

(They're pretty cute, huh?)

Goals

"Keep your eyes on your dreams, however distant and far away."
-Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Last spring, I wrote about my three biggest goals in life:

1. Become a published writer
2. Get married
3. Become a mom

Well, I'm quickly realizing that I don't have a lot of control over goal #2 and #3 (I do the best I can, and then I have to trust in the Lord's timing for the rest), but I do have control over the first goal; at least, to some extent. I can try harder to write a little everyday and work towards getting published.

I never realized how important goals really were until a few weeks ago. Everyone needs something to look forward to and work towards. Without dreams and goals, life can become pretty meaningless. You find yourself going through the motions without much of anything else. It's lonely and sad and, frankly, hard to deal with. Goals point towards the future and gives you something to have hope and faith in. One of my favorite quotes by Elder Holland is, "Faith is for the future. Faith builds on the past but never longs to stay there. Faith trusts that God has great things in store for each of us and that Christ truly is the 'high priest of good things to come.'"

I need stronger faith. I need goals.

One of my favorite authors, Shannon Hale, had twins a few weeks ago. I've always admired her balance of writing and motherhood. I'm sure writing helps her cope with the strains of motherhood, as well as appreciate it even more. I honestly want to have a life like hers (well, minus the twins...), but it's not going to happen over night. Instead, I need to start TODAY working towards those goals: first, writer (since I can control that); second, marriage (I can always be working on this goal through how I see myself and who I become, as well as who I socialize with); third, motherhood (umm...see #2).

So, with that said, I'm posting my goal on my blog so I'll be more accountable for it:

I've been told that November is "write a novel" month. Well, I already have a novel--I just need to finish editing it. Here's my goal:

I will write/revise my novel at least a few minutes EVERY day the month of November.

I thought about making it a goal to finish revising my novel by the end of next month, but another important part of having goals is having practical goals--goals you can accomplish. Honestly, with over 400 pages left to revise, I doubt I could finish my novel by December, but I can at least work towards finishing it everyday.

That is my goal. That is my promise.

And I'm counting on you (whoever you may be) to hold me to it!

Our True Identity

“Trials are mandatory; Happiness is optional.”

We’ve all heard people say, “I’m the happiest person in the world!” Perhaps we’ve even said or thought it ourselves. But what made them happy? What made us happy? Wasn’t it because everything in our lives was going perfectly—everything we ever wanted was happening to us? Heavenly Father was blessing us. Our "love buckets" were full. Life was good.

Well, I’d like to propose that the happiest people really are those who can find joy in life despite being in the middle of a trial or hardship. People who—if everything was taken away from them right now—would still be able to smile. People who look for the positive despite the bad things happening to them. People like Job or Joseph Smith or those select few angels on earth that have been in your life just long enough to leave an impression on you.

No one’s perfect. Even the happiest people still cry and have moments of hopelessness. But getting on their knees means something to them, and they’re still thanking Heavenly Father for the blessing in their lives whether it’s perfect or the worst it has ever been.

I guess this has all been on my mind a lot lately. I wish I could say I was the person who found happiness no matter the circumstance, but I’d be putting up a façade. Honestly, when things are going well, I find it easy to be grateful. But when things aren’t going so great…well, I wish I could be more consistent with my feelings. I know I have so much to be grateful for, and yet the minute something goes wrong, I seem to lose sense of what truly matters. Of what I do have.

I know this is where the Atonement comes in, and the amazing power of forgiveness. I know this is why God knows all things and I don’t. I know this is why faith and hope and trust are so important. This is when I remind myself that without the truth of the gospel, I wouldn’t even have a sense of what true happiness is—and can always be.

This life is a test, but Heavenly Father isn’t going to give us more than we can handle. He wants us to be happy. But He also wants us to be like Him. And how else can He help smooth out our rough edges if we don’t go through the furnace now and again? I guess what I’m trying to say—more to myself than to anyone else—is that we’re going to have trials; it’s part of the Plan. But it doesn’t mean we can’t find reasons to be happy. If we’re only the “happiest people on the earth” when life is going grand, we’re going to be pretty miserable most of the time. At least, this is what I’m learning pretty quickly. Those perfect moments are few and rare and beautiful when they occur, but they can’t last forever. Heavenly Father loves us too much to let us coast for too long—even on the good things in life.

I hope we know what true happiness is and seek it--or seek Him, as should be said. I hope we recognize what we have and find reasons to always be grateful, whether it's hard to be or not. I want so much to be like Job or Joseph Smith or those people I admire so much, who despite adversity in their lives, trusted in the Lord and made the most of what they had. I may be struggling right now with things, but it doesn't mean I can't be happy. I don't believe happiness is an oil-in-water type thing, where bad things happening and joy can't blend. Instead, we can turn all rainy days into puddle-splashing fiestas.

If so, I'm looking forward to many rainy days ahead.

The Hunger Games

You HAVE to read this book!!!

I'm not even kidding.

Last Friday I basically sat in my bedroom for 4 hours and read it straight through. I literally couldn't put it down! I loved the characters, the plot, the concept--pretty much everything about it. I think Suzanne Collins is a brilliant, brilliant writer. Every chapter ended in such a way that you just had to keep reading.

Of course, I don't want to give anything away, but I'd describe the book as 1984 meets Hatchet (but a million-times better than both books, in my opinion--they have similar concepts, but WAY different stories). It's all about survival for the main character, Katniss, who volunteers to be a part of "the hunger games"--a sacrificial, fight-to-the death event that happens once-a-year in her "Big Brother is watching you"-type country. The story definitely keeps you on your toes, and the ending makes you long for more. In fact, I'm going to buy the second book, Catching Fire, after work tomorrow because I don't think I can stand another day without knowing what happens!

Soooo...READ IT READ IT READ IT!!! But when you do, make sure you set aside a block of time because once you start, you won't be able to stop!