'Cause The Hardest Part of This Is Leaving You

Brace yourself, I'm about to go into uncharted territories. For those of you who regularly read this blog you know I'm not much for pouring out my heart and being serious. I keep my intimate feelings buried deep, this includes my religious beliefs, and very rarely show that part of myself. For those of you who have never read this, you'll just have to take my word for it.

This semester I am in a New Testament class. We're required to complete assignments on the week's readings. We have our choice of assignments to complete. One of those choices is a blog post so here we are! While I was contemplating the reading this week it coincided with an event that has recently happened in my life and I'm going to try and integrate them as eloquently as possible and just run with it. Try and keep up.

John 1:1-14; 17:1-5

5 Truths about the Pre-mortal Jesus Christ

1. Christ was with God before the foundations of the world were laid.

2. He laid the foundations of our world.

3. He was foreordained to come to Earth to be our Savior.

4. He was the first spirit son in the premortality.

5. He was made flesh and sent to dwell with us.

5 Truths about the mortal existence of Jesus Christ

1. John was sent to testify and bear witness of Jesus Christ.

2. He was rejected by His own.

3. His mission was to bring about the eternal life of man.

4. He gave all glory to God.

5. He testified of God our Father.

Christ is referred to by many names throughout the scriptures. If you look in the bible dictionary there's an entry lists the instances and names by which Christ is referred in the scriptures. Here are a few....

1. Christ: in Greek this means the anointed; Jesus who is called Christ, is the firstborn of the Father in the Spirit, and the only begotten of the Father in the flesh.

2. Messiah: Aramaic meaning the anointed; denotes the king and deliverer whose coming the Jews were eagerly expecting

3. Jehovah: The covenant or proper name of the God of Israel; "unchangeable one," or "the eternal I AM"

4. Immanuel: God with us; sign of God's deliverance

5. The Word: messenger of the Covenant

While reading the above scripture references and contemplating the many names by which our Savior is known one thought continually entered my mind, eternity. Recently a friend of mine passed away after a long battle with testicular cancer. I met Brett at the hospital after he was first diagnosed. Through chemo treatments and hanging out we became friends. I think I was drawn to Brett by the sheer contrast in our personalities. Brett is one of the most optimistic people I have ever met, and those of you who know me well know I barely know the meaning of that word. Through everything his positive attitude and immense sense of humor shown through. He was also one of the most giving and caring people I've ever had the opportunity of knowing. I didn't know Brett for very long and didn't see him a lot in the past year, but I know that he influenced my life in ways I still don't know. It tore my heart a bit when I found out that he was terminal, and a great deal more when I learned of his passing. I've thought about it a lot over the past few weeks. It's difficult to try and wrap your head around the thought of such an amazing, not to mention young, person being taken from this earth. But while I am incredibly sad at the fact that I wasn't able to get to know Brett as much as I would have liked or spent as much time with him as I wanted to, I have comfort in my knowledge of my Savior and his plan. His plan is an eternal one and I have no doubt in my mind where Brett is right now. Even with the heartache that has come with Brett's passing it has reminded me of my testimony of my Savior and His plan. It has reminded me of the strength of my knowledge and reaffirmed those principles I know to be true and hold dear. Even though I hadn't seen Brett in awhile, I still feel the weight of this loss in my heart. But I know it's not the end, I know I'll see him again and that brings immense joy.

Get Some Now

Have you ever beheld the awesomeness that is the Olive Garden's pumpkin cheesecake? It is the best thing you could ever imagine x 100. I don't lie. Find out now.

Full of Love

DENVER.....I love Denver....I love the mountains.....I love the city.....I love the snow! Well, there was not any snow when I was there....but there will be soon! My love of Denver is not what took me there however. What other reason could you possibly have for going to Denver you must be asking yourself. A different kind of love...... I went to Denver to see the love of my life.....this man.....

I went to see him work his magic and make a mockery of that team called the Denver Broncos. This is indeed what he did. I will admit they have struggled this year, but seeing Peyton in action was a treat in itself. It was a fantastic game filled with much anxiety, mostly on my part. But at the end of the day, Peyton again delivered a happy ending :D

This was not the only awesomeness that was to be beheld in the Mile High City. The Denver Art Museum had a special exhibit. It was King Tutankhamun: The Golden King & the Great Pharaohs. It was an exhibit all about King Tut and the Pharaohs of Egypt. It was really spectacular. I loved every minute of it. We saw King Tut's gold sandals! This was my dad's favorite part. I love art museums. I love art.

Once again I must re-iterate...I love Denver...I love Peyton...I love art....this may have to become and ritual.....

You want it, you got it....

I've been accused of not keeping my faithful readers updated on the marvelous and continuous excitement that is my life. I will at this point attempt to rectify this situation.

School....I'm currently in my second semester well on my way to receiving my BSN. This is taking place through the wonderful academic instution known as BYU-Idaho (insert sarcasm here). They never cease to find ways to frustrate me and thwart my progress to achieving this milestone I have set out for. I fail to see how the Doctrine and Covenants class I took in Provo at Brigham Young University differs from the Doctrine and Covenants class offered at their fine institution. What religion are they teaching! Regardless of these setbacks I should be finished in April 2011. Go Carol!

Work....Work is....well....work. Simply put. My job has lately begun to feel like just that....a job. I'm searched within the depths of my consciousness for an answer as to what has changed, why do I feel so complacent, and why do I not enjoy where am I as I once did? It is not nursing, I love nursing, LOVE nursing. And it's not my co-workers, they are magnificent and I do believe they are 95% of why I am still where I am. I also have a very nice schedule, I work days, I only work 3 days and I often have several days off in a row. So what am I feeling? What am I missing? What am I searching for? I have an idea. I want more, I need for challenge, and not challenge in the sense that I get 5 patients all crying that they are experiencing the worse pain they've ever felt throughout the course of their 30+ years, yet the woman down the hall who gave birth to 12 children and now has a fractured vertebrae insists she is comfortable. No, not that kind of challenging. Challenging on my intellect, not my patience. So the search continues......

Social....well my social life consists of three groups....my co-workers....my sister...and those I meed when I go to the grocery store. Quite intriguing I know. This paragraph is short....as is the list of my social companions....

Travel....I have taken a few trips lately. Both to Colorado. The first was to the Grand Junction area to see family. I enjoyed some relaxing time spent with my quiet and reclusive grandparents whom I adore, my younger brother and my nephew who I do not see near enough of. The other was to Denver for a magnificent display of athletic competition. This adventure deserves it's own post and will come shortly, I cross my heart.

To my critics....here it is in all it's glory. News and excitement worthy of people magazine or TMZ....at least it's better than Jersey Shore right ;)

If There's No Soccer In Heaven, I'm Not Going

Imagine that Christmas only comes around every 4 years. Imagine this Christmas will last for an entire month. Now imagine the anticipation leading up to that and magnify it ten fold, this is how I felt as I woke this morning knowing it was the beginning the of the GREATEST MONTH EVER. And what a beginning it was. The game that unites the world for one month saw a great beginning and only foretells of more greatness to come. On the stage of the world's greatest competition it is almost poetic that the host nation of this beautiful game score the first world cup goal. A beautiful strike off the right foot of midfielder Siphiwe Tshabalala found the corner of the net giving South Africa a 1-0 lead over Mexico in the early minutes of the first half, but most importantly, scoring the first world cup goal every scored on African soil. In an article previewing the world cup a journalist for Sports Illustrated put it perfectly: "Man United. More than the name of the world's most popular team, it's a description of the state of the planet beginning on June 11. For one month in South Africa, as 32 national teams compete in the World Cup, vast portions of the globe's six billion people will be bound in an all-consuming passion for soccer. At its most basic level—a handful of kids kicking what passes for a ball around whatever open ground they find—the game is a source of joy, sometimes a means of escape. At its pinnacle it defines nations and dissolves differences. In short, this simplest of games unites humankind like nothing else." I love this game. It gives me such happiness and joy! Hope you all enjoy this month as much as I do.

Let the Danger Begin

I've never considered myself a rich person in monetary terms, lets face it, neither does the government. However, in terms of those things in life that really count, I'm one of the richest people in the world. I have an incredible family who loves and supports me. I've had an education and now have a career and am able to support myself. I have a roof over my head, food to eat, books to read, and amazing shoes to wear, all that a girl could ever ask for. I've had my share of trials and tribulations, but I've never had endure the immense tragedy of living in a poverty stricken third world country or had to endure the turmoil a natural disaster can impart on a life. My friend Lesly has. I call him my friend even though I only knew him for a little over a week, but that is enough time for you to get to know someone's heart and spirit, and Lesly's are amazing. Lesly is attempting to come to the United States to receive a higher education and my AMAZING friend Brooke and her husband are helping him. The immense response and support they have had already reminds me that there is kindness and love in this world, because I forget. If you are interested in donating to Lesly's education visit this website:

http://www.dayfordanger.blogspot.com/

Or you can find more info on facebook, or just ask me! Brooke and her amazing organization skills has calculated that it will be approximately $25 for Lesly to attend school. If you do not feel comfortable donating through the website let me know, and you don't have to do $25, every little bit counts, it really does! Email me with questions @ trist513@hotmail.com

This picture is absolutely horrible of me, but so fantastic of Lesly so I'm sacrificing my vanity so that you all may know him!

I Left My Heart in San Francisco

Two weeks ago I took a much needed vacation to San Francisco with my friend Lindsey. It was incredible. This city is so fascinating and brilliant. I love that it is built so differently from other cities across the earth. The big, sloping hills make it very unique. We did all of the "touristy" activities. Pier 39 and Fisherman's Warf were great. Fantastic shopping (3 pairs of shoes!) was had in Union square, where our hotel was located. We took in a baseball game and saw a production of Wicked. So many things to do and so little time to do it in. San Francisco is definitely a place I could see myself living.

I've discovered I'm a versatile girl. I absolutely love waking up to the sounds of the city already bustling with activity and walking outside to skyscrapers and people running here and there. However, I get a similar happiness with waking and walking outside to a sunrise unblemished by big buildings, without a soul in sight. Things so quiet you can hear your own heart beat. Which is better and where should I go? For now I'll leave it to chance.