Sister Barton :)

I had such a great time doing an impromptu photo shoot with my sister-in-law Sarah.  You can check out more of her pictures at www.bellepetitephoto.blogspot.com.  She is amazing and so talented.  We set out to get just get a picture for me to use on my missionary plaque and we ended up doing a whole photo shoot outside too.  Too bad I don't have my missionary tag on.  I guess it will be official soon enough (23 days!!!).  Enjoy! :)

The one above is the one I chose for my plaque.  It was so hard to choose because there were a lot of great ones.

Finals can be over now; I give them permission.

I just got out of my third final and all I have to say is ughh.  Not the best feeling.  The only good thing about it is that on my way home, I stopped at the office of my apartment complex and they had hot dogs out at the grill.  Yummy.  I have another final Monday, which I already know I'm not going to feel prepared for because I would need a whole week to study for that one, and my last one is Tuesday at 8:00 pm.  Meanwhile, as I study in my hot, lonely apartment, there are over 50 people at the pool/volleyball court/courtyard soaking up the sun.  Too bad all of my studying is on the computer and my computer battery lasts about 5 minutes.  I'm so excited for finals to be over so I can start packing and move home.  I'm not happy to leave my roommates, but I think it will be a fun change (not to mention the fact that I can get away from blasting scream-o music often played in my apartment that ruins the Spirit).  I'm enjoying the great weather and the happiness it brings.  My visiting teachers stopped by today and brought me a super fancy cupcake from a local cupcake shop.  I'm really excited to eat it.  I have loved getting to know them this year.  They are wonderful girls.  I better go be productive before I go to my friend's bachelorette party tonight :)  Thanks for reading!

Disneyland is definitely NOT the happiest place on earth!

February 26th, I had the wonderful opportunity to go through the temple and receive my endowment.  Without the temple, God's plan could not be fulfilled.  It is the only way to return to live with Him in complete, ultimate joy FOREVER!  I would never settle for less than that :)

My mom and me before going in the temple.  I love her so much!

:)

I'm pretty sure I have the best sisters in the whole wide world...and I get to be with them forever! 

A few weeks later, my sisters and I planned a trip up to the Salt Lake temple.  My Grandma Stevenson, who lives in Salt Lake, also came.  It was so beautiful in the temple and it was so great to be with some of my loved ones.  After the temple, we went to my grandma's house for a yummy lunch.  I wish I could do this every weekend!  I've gone to the temple every week (sometimes multiple times) since February 26th and I learn many new things each time I go.  The temple is the house of the Lord.  It brings peace.  It seals families together for all eternity.  It is beautiful in so many ways.  :)

My future adventure in...

Many of you probably already know, but I received my mission call in February!!!!  I received it in the mail on a Wednesday and waited until Thursday to open it.  It was fun to have the envelope for a day and know that it held life-changing information in it.  I opened it February 18, 2010 and it was so wonderful to have so many friends and family members there to celebrate with me.  

CANADA TORONTO WEST MISSION!!!!!!!!!

Reporting to the Provo MTC on June 2, 2010.

So happy!  I knew right when I opened my call that it was inspired.  It feels so right and natural.  It has been fun to research about my mission since then.  The city of Toronto actually is not in my mission.  The west mission is a lot more rural, but we do have some bigger cities too.  My mission home is in Brampton, ON, which also has a temple!!!!  I'm so excited to finish school so I can solely focus on preparing to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  It is the only true church on the earth and it has made me who I am today.  I literally could not live forever without it.  It is amazing that I have come to this point in my life and am blessed to have this wonderful opportunity.  I know it will be hard, but it will be worth it!

WARNING!

This is my short warning message:  I am about to blog a LOT in the next few weeks.  I have lots to catch up on.  I decided to copy pictures off of my sister-in-law's blog to use in my posts so I don't put it off any longer.  I've got exciting news (which most of you probably already know...does anyone even read my blog? lol) and lots to talk about.  You've been warned :)

Is it really necessary?

I went to the doctor today to get my second Hepatitis A/Hepatitis B shot (there are three shots total).  The first shot I got didn't really hurt.  I have the advantage of having pretty big arm muscles, so shots really aren't too bad...until today.  I'm sorry, but does it look like the lateral side of my collarbone is covered with my biceps femoris (thank you anatomy class :) )?  She literally stuck (stabbed!) the needle in the joint that connects my arm to my body.  THEN....proceeded to push the end of the syringe with the PALM of her other hand with lots of pressure.  Is that really necessary? I've never been to nursing school, but I'm pretty sure I could give a better shot...in someone's MUSCLE, NOT their bone!  Haha...sorry, I'm overreacting.  The main message of my story is 1.  My nurse today will not be giving me my third shot, and 2.  Maybe nurses should pay a little more attention to where they are injecting sharp, metal objects.

The Music Within Each of Us

I know I already posted twice today, but this will be more of a thought post.  Church was really good today.  I got a new calling and I'm excited for it.  It was nice to talk with my bishop for a few minutes.  He's become one of my close friends the past year and a half.  I went to Temple Preparation class today, which is always a great spiritual lift.  A girl that went on a mission to Russia teaches it every other week and every time she teaches, I cry.  Missions are amazing.  What a wonderful gift from our Heavenly Father to be able to bring people to His Gospel, all the while molding individuals into the spiritual giants they can be.

I was sitting in sacrament meeting and I got out a paper with quotes for 2010 that my grandpa gave the family.  As I read the quotes, one of them popped out to me.  I had to blog about it because it is perfect for my blog name.  It is by Oliver Wendall Holmes and it says "Too many of us die with our music still in us."  When looking at the definition of music, it says that music produces beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion.  Form can be defined as the arrangement of parts.  When I titled my blog, I wasn't completely talking about actual music that is inside of me, although there is a lot of that too and I'm grateful to be able to share it with others.  This music that is inside of each of us is our emotions, our testimonies, and our beliefs that work in harmony to make us who we are.  It is the power and strength of our soul.  It is the knowledge that we are each beautiful sons and daughters of God. 

I like to think that some of the "music," or testimony that is in me shows outwardly each day that I live.  I had a recording session and retreat for BYU Singers yesterday and our awesome president gave a great spiritual thought about having enthusiasm.  He had each of us turn to our neighbor and give them a genuine compliment.  I was touched by what my friend said to me.  She said that I show my faith on the outside, not just deep within myself, and that not very many people do that.  I don't share this to boast, only to show that by sharing our light, being positive, cultivating a hope in Christ, being a friend, and sharing our faith outwardly, we can touch lives.  My life has been touched by so many the past few weeks.  My testimony of the importance service and kind words has been strengthened.  It's amazing how the plans we make for ourselves can be completely turned around by an all-knowing, all-powerful Heavenly Father who has things in store for us that we can't even imagine.  He knows what will make us truly happy and will walk with us to help us achieve that happiness.

 

So it is my goal to never let the music inside of me be confined within myself alone.  What a difference you can make if you do the same.  There is a whole world that needs your light, your testimony, your love, and your beautiful music.  Never hide it.  Share it!  Embrace it! Live it!