Mistakes......

I actually had a request to update my blog! Hence.....the new update.

I am in Utah on a much less exciting adventure than my one to England. I basically came to satisfy my need to be a part of Salt Lake City. I have been spending all my time with old friends, and got to go to my best friends wedding reception (where I caught her bouquet, and I am thrilled about the possibility of what that might mean), and wandering around from friend to friend, and doing a LOT of thinking.

Most interesting, is that I have been spending most of my time, with my friend Brooke Walters, who was my very best friend in the whole world......in 4th grade! I haven't seen her in 12 years, and I found her on facebook, and she invited me to stay with her!

Brooke and I were talking about our agency. Sometimes it is SO hard to make a decisions, because what we want is to follow the will of Heavenly Father, however we don't always know exactly what that is. We just want to scream......just TELL me what to do! I will obey! I want to just use my agency to give up my agency in pure obedience! This way of life would be so much easier than worrying about mistakes that we might be making.... However, life is NOT that way, why is that? In fact, this idea of using our agency to give up our agency, is very similar to a plan I have heard before, and I KNOW was rejected!

Making mistakes is how we learn. I can see that you might read that and say "duh!" But i want you to think about it. Mistakes are actually a beautiful thing. My Organic Chemistry professor used to teach us over and over, that he can give us the answer to a problem and we can say "oh! I would have gotten that answer" but 90% of the time we do not know the subject, until we have done it on our own. Most likely done similar problems (especially retro synthesis) over and over and over, before we get the right answer to prove that we know.

In other words. It is one thing to study principles, and theology, and rhetorical, abstract ideas. It is another to practice them. This is why our life is the way it is! We have to make mistakes to be perfected, so we can learn the ways of perfection. I worry for hours and hours about the consequences of making a mistake, but what I need to remember is that "If our lives and our faith are centered on Jesus Christ and his restored gospel, nothing can ever go permanently wrong. "(Hunter)

Anyway..... Updates on everything else. Not really much..... I haven't been working, not in school.... and boys :D well.....I don't really ever talk about them on the blog anyway. Though, on a side note, I have developed this wonderful attraction to mushrooms. A certain mushroom to be exact ;)

Sorry for the really long blog update. I do try to keep them short. I guess sometimes i just have a lot to say!

KP

Summer Excitment

Summer is here! I have NO idea what my grades were, I am way too scared to look. but I am D O N E ! This is a big deal, My junior year is behind me, and I can move forward. I have my regrets, and my sucesses, and I have learned enough to keep me going through one more year. The question is: What do I do differently? 1) remember that the first midterm really DOES effect your grade. 2) smiling is the ONLY way to go, complaining really gets you no where, just smile and get to work 3)Where are you going? is that where you want to be headed? huh kara? where? 4) Burn out is REAL, don't let it happen. Take breaks, good ones, but don't let them get to your head.

Work : Good, I love my students. I love to teach piano.....I might do it for the rest of my life as a hobby, I wish i was taking lessons myself.

Oh, and this is SO unbelieiveable, but my freind Leslie called me up the other day, and said "kara! my family is going on a cruise, but my brother can't go, would you like to come?" Here's me "YES!!!!!!" :D I can't believe it, I feel SO blessed, and I can't wait to go. I really feel so lucky, like I won something. Anyway, it's hot, and all the fungi have withered away (if you get my meaning :D) so here is the plan for this summer.

These are my summer goals. These are the "have to's." I have been feeling a need to be really busy recently. Busy with things I always complain I can't do. I hope I can find the 1)money, 2) time and 3)freinds that will do them with me.....hence why I put them here for EVERYONE to see. What do you think?

1.Learn three new songs on the Guitar
a. Finish writing my own song
b. Two by different artists
2. See 5 new places…
a. Utah,
b. Seattle
c. North Montana
d. California :D San Diego, or others….
e. Angel’s Landing (oh please, oh please, oh please)
3. Hike Timpanogos (Boo ya!)
4. Make 30 new friends
a. Already started, Steve, Chad, Alisha, Emily….that’s an easy one :D
5. See some Indian ruins.
6. Read 4 books, legit ones not children’s stories.
7. Get a tan…..healthy one. Just enough that people don’t look at me and think “look dead body!”
a. Go swimming everyday
b. Outdoor activities
8. Exercise, I don’t care if it is hot, I never get to feel healthy, and I am so excited to feel better.
9. Get good grades in my online classes.


Here is a list of the FUN things I would like to do, but I don't have to (though some are a lot more important than others)


1. Lagoon
2. Go to the beach, learn to surf…..
3. Find my way to Boston , or Washington DC
4. Quadding…..3 times
5. ONE boating trip (tubing, in particular, or I’d like to learn to wakeboard)
6. See Erin, from England.
7. Watch lots and lots and lots of movies.
8. Mountain Biking
9. See Brandee and Jamie at least once.
10. Buy a summer dress and wear it


Anyway......So here is YOUR job as a reader. You have to ask me, EVERYTIME you see me, if I am fullfilling these goals. It helps to think someone might be checking to see how well I am doing.
Wish me Luck!

This is your life......are you who you want to be?

Um......switchfoot is my favorite :D *sigh* good song, good times.

I am not up to much (again) finals are insane and I barely made it through today, so I am feeling really grateful at the moment......trying hard not to think about tomorrow quite yet..... Anyway, here's a thought that has been dying to come out....

Last general conference Elder David A. Bednar suggested a comparison to the creation of the earth, to prayer. I had to read his argument a few times, before I felt I really understood. Just as a reminder, though I would hope that you would read it for yourself, He explains that “[the Lord God, created all things… spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth] (Moses 3:4–5)… meaningful morning prayer is an important element in the spiritual creation of each day.”

We have the power every day, to create our day. Now obviously, we are given the agency to do our will, and to put into motion the activities of our everyday life. But how often do we succumb to our own excuses, not enough money, not enough time, I am not that kind of person, I am trying my hardest, I just got so angry……

But I am talking more than just the daily struggle. I mean to suggest that we can create our environment, our opportunities, or even our personalities. Maybe I should say especially our personalities, I get so scared that I might be stuck with the habits, and character traits I have been taught, it gives me hope to think I might use this tool in overcoming natural tendencies. However I can see this being a very debatable subject, because sometimes it is hard to accept that we have to power to be happy, and we are choosing to be unhappy. It is much easier to believe that Life just handed us a bad hand. I don’t mean to minimize the pain of any suffering person. I just want to express my excitement and hope with rediscovering this tool this week.

I believe what I am talking about is what some call “the Secret” but I have decided that in Truth, prayer plays a crucial part in creating. When we have sufficiently grown so that we can have the faith it takes to rely on Heavenly Father’s will, and trust and believe. When we include Him so entirely in our lives that we are spiritually counseling, and creating every detail of our lives here, we will be to the point where prayer is being used as it should be. No more victimization, only a deep belief in what “I can” and what “He can.” More than belief an actual knowledge that it works, which was a result faith, and the proof that will follow.

This is my act of faith, small as it may be. I believe this, and it is my goal to put it into action. Hence my brand new prayer rock, to remind me how important my morning prayers really are….



Kara Joy :D