Here is Good

Once the ward activity was over, I was still in such a crazed emotional buzz that I didn't want to go home quite yet. I really just needed to talk to someone before all my emotions burst out of me. So I hung around and asked Sydney if she could give me a ride home. At her house, we sat on her bed, and I kind of fell apart. Tears were streaming down my face as I bubblered through all that had happened, and Sydney just listened and let me cry it out. The more I talked, though, the more I started to overthink everything and soon I was telling myself that I didn't really like Josh, and that I was just jealous of Tiffany. Luckily, Sydney didn't believe a word of that and told me I needed to just meet up with Josh sometime and talk with him about everything. That thought terrified me and I probably wouldn't have done it, were it not for Sydney. She grabbed my phone, and as I half-attempted to stop her, she sent Josh a message asking if we could talk. Once I started walking h...

You know how sometimes you come across a song that seems that it was written just for you? It almost scarily matches perfectly with what you're going through at that exact moment. It seems to take all of your emotions and crazed thoughts that you don't fully understand, and puts them all together in a little 3 minute package just for you. That was this song for me.                                                                                                                The next day was busy with all of the usual school and homeworkness that comes around finals times, and so I didn't have any time to practice my song until a couple of hours before the ward social was supposed to start. The last time I ha...

This weekend, 50 Shades of Grey  will be opening in theaters, and I've been wanting to share my thoughts on it because the more I think about it, the more I know I need to speak out. No, I have never read the book, and I will never read it. I don't have any desire to read about or watch someone have sex, and there are many movies and books I will never watch or read for that reason. But I know enough to know that what 50 Shades of Grey tries to say about love is wrong. 50 Shades of Grey  has sold millions of copies worldwide and the movie has gained significant attention through the media. But just because it is being portrayed as a steamy, sexy romance that will "spice up your sex life" doesn't hide what it really is: glamorized sexual violence and domestic abuse. The saying that "anything goes behind closed doors" is false. Women do not need to be in pain in order for their husband or partner or any man to gain the pleasure he desires. Violence...

Out in the hall, I didn't waste any time, and taking a deep breath, I asked "So I was just wondering who Tiffany was." Josh got a nervous look on his face and shifted on his feet before answering. I had a feeling in my gut that I knew what the answer was going to be, but I kept foolishly hoping I was wrong. "Well, she's a girl I met at volleyball,  (Please, don't say it. Please, don't say it)  and we've been dating for a few weeks." "Oh... ok." Everything inside of me suddenly felt emptier, slower. I was crushed. And so much more confused. He had still acted like he liked me, and my roommates had told me that he still did... But he really was dating this other girl. Why hadn't he said anything?? I couldn't really think of anything else to say and I just wanted to get away before he could see just how upset I was, so I quickly said goodbye to Josh and went inside. I didn't want to think about what had just happe...

Dating is scary. You meet someone, do some random activity with him, and then if it goes well, you do it again. And then when your heart gets involved - that's when it gets hard. It gets messy. You're holding your heart out to this person and hoping that they will take it and not hurt it. It's a big risk. But we do it anyway because we hope that this time, maybe, just maybe, it will work out.                                                                                                                  As I've mentioned before, dating was never my strong suit. I got nervous enough when a guy asked me on a date, so the fact that I was considering doing the inviting of an activity with Josh was shock...

After Josh and I had our little chat, Josh kept trying to invite me to do things for a couple more days, but eventually stopped. He would still come around to my apartment to hang out and would sit with my roommates and I at devotional  and church every week, but it wasn't nearly as awkward as before because I didn't feel that pressure that I did when he was actively asking me on dates. And like I've said before, Josh was a good friend and so I was glad our dates hadn't ruined that completely. And I turned my attention back to figuring out if I was going to go on a mission. My mind was almost constantly going back and forth about it and I was getting more and more confused, and I couldn't figure out why. I talked with my parents about it, prayed about it, studied the scriptures, read talks, and such, but was still having this persistent confusion. Then one night when I was kneeling on my bed saying a prayer before bed, I was praying about mission stuff again, when...

I've heard a few people say that 23 is just a weird age to be and nothing terribly exciting happens during that year, but for me, 23 was one of the best years ever! To start it off, I started my first job as a full-time nurse at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center (or EIRMC for short) on the Medical/Oncology floor. I was so excited for this opportunity, but terrified at the same time. I wanted to be a good nurse and to be able to help people. And I hope I have. This job has pushed me to my limits in so many ways, but it has also given me the opportunity to serve people every minute I'm at work. Sometimes it's hard to remember that when the call lights are ringing, you're late giving someone their medication, doctors are calling, family is frustrated at something you have no control over, someone needs help getting up to the bathroom and you haven't been able to chart anything from the past 5 hours of your shift. But this job is worth it all too because I a...