whew...

what a busy week, but a good one too! So much has happened since I got my call... I've pretty much been busy every moment!!

School is almost over for this semester, and that's hard to believe! The past two weeks I've had a test (or 2) in pretty much every class, and I can feel the momentum building towards finals. There really aren't enough hours in a day to get all my studying, teaching and practicing done. Today in piano lessons my teacher actually told me that I did a good job, something he's never done! For him to say "that was 100% better" and "you'll have to play this for people, you're great at it!" just about knocked me over!!

Oh, and yesterday relief flooded over me as I finally sold my 2 angora rabbits. I put an add online Saturday evening, and Sunday I had two people call me! I took down the price quite a bit, but it's so good to know that they are in good hands... much better hands than mine! Just before their new owner came to pick them up I spent a good hour cleaning them up, talk about DIS-GUS-TING! I think the male rabbit (Knightly) lost about 5 pounds after I cut off all the matted, poopy, wet hair. EEWW! Anyway, I'll spare you the details.

I also had a fabulous birthday and turned 21! I'm officially legal now. I've never had this happen before on a birthday, but I definitely feel older, in fact, I feel ANCIENT!! For my birthday I just got money so I could buy the things I need for my mission, and that certainly is a LOT! I have to have 2-3 suit coats, and I just about died when I looked them up online. There is no way that I'm going to pay $200 for each one! SO, I went to the local thrift store and the Wal-Mart and found two... both in superb condition and together for less than $20! Heavenly Father is EXTREMELY good to those that seek to do His will! Even though life is full to the brim and super busy, I just love being alive!!!

LIFE IS GOOD!!!

i am...

anxiously waiting for a large envelope that will change my life forever. Only two more days of waiting, but I'm not sure that I can stand it! I've had the craziest most vivid dreams and I manage to wake up with 7 hours of sleep, but not rested. I can't wait for wednesday!!

dancing

I LOVE TO DANCE!

Last semester I had the privilege of taking a ballroom dance class. We learned the fox-trot, waltz, tango, cha-cha, swing, and polka. There is something so wonderful about dancing. When I dance I forget my troubles and when I'm done I have a much lighter heart! One day I was having a terrible day, and I got on someone's blog and some music came on. It just happened to be a song that I had danced to in class, and I couldn't resist dancing! My mom also loves to dance and so I taught her the tango and we had a rousing dance around the house. I happened to come across several of these quotes about dancing awhile ago, and I enjoyed them so much I thought I'd post them for ya all! ENJOY!

...in 1959, a national news magazine described the LDS Church as the "dancingest denomination"

(all quotes are by President Brigham Young)
"I want you to sing and dance and forget your troubles... Let's have some music and all of you dance"

"I want it distinctly understood, that fiddling and dancing are no part of our worship. 'The question may be asked, What are they for, then? I answer, that my body may keep pace with my mind. My mind labors like a man logging, all the time; and this is the reason why I am fond of these pastimes—they give me a privilege to throw everything off, and shake myself, that my body may exercise, and my mind rest."

There is no music in hell, for all good music belongs to heaven. Sweet harmonious sounds give exquisite joy to human beings capable of appreciating music. I delight in hearing harmonious tones made by the human voice, by musical instruments, and by both combined. Every sweet musical sound that can be made belongs to the Saints and is for the Saints. Every flower, shrub and tree to beautify, and to gratify the taste and smell, and every sensation that gives to man joy and felicity are for the Saints who receive them from the Most High.

If you wish to dance, dance; and you are just as much prepared for a prayer meeting after dancing as ever you were, if you are Saints.

doesn't doing laundry...

JUST MAKE YOU HAPPY?!?!

On Saturday I was folding some sheets, and I said the above to my mom... "doesn't folding laundry just make you happy?" Apparently she didn't agree with me, and she told me that I should post it on my blog... so here you go!!

I just love doing laundry, I know... I'm weird, but I just love doing it! In fact, that's pretty much all I did on Saturday and when one of my sisters brought up her HUGE pile of dirty clothes, I got giddy. ;) I love pretty much everything about laundry, but here are just a few of the things that I love most.

1) I love seeing how much I can stuff in the washer
2) I love pouring in the laundry soap and vinegar
3) I love taking clean smelling clothes out of the washer
4) I love cleaning the lint tray
5) I love putting in homemade dryer sheets (they smell mmm-good!)
6) I love taking fluffy clean clothes out of the dryer
7) I love shaking out warm clothes and folding them up
8) I love folding socks... they're my favorite!
9) I love seeing huge piles of dirty laundry disappear
10) I love seeing empty laundry baskets.

every day zeal

every day is an opportunity to make a new happy ending

I choose every day as the title for my blog because I love having every single day as the opportunity to be alive, to do great things, to learn, to love and to live a life full of zeal!

zeal... what exactly does that mean? In the 1828 Noah Webster Dictionary, zeal is described as "an eagerness of desire to accomplish or obtain some object." In a more recent dictionary, it is described as "enthusiastic devotion to a cause, an ideal, or a goal and tireless diligence in its furtherance". For a long while, zeal has been one of my favorite words...

a zealous life... is the life that I strive to live! Have you ever had the feeling of being on fire about something? There are so many things that I have zeal for. I absolutely LOVE being alive! There is no use in living a half-hearted life... only one full to the brim with everything good! I have such a passion for the gospel of Jesus Christ! I'm so glad I know of God's love for me... THAT fills my heart with fire!

On this blog I hope to share with you some of my zeal for life! Here is a little bit about me and some of the things that I have zeal for...

* I love music and am going into Music Therapy... I'm loving every busy moment of it! My main instrument is piano, but I'm also learning guitar and taking voice lessons (a lifelong dream!).

* I love my fabulous family! I am the second oldest of a bunch of kids... and it's lots of fun to have so many people around, there is never a dull moment at my house! One of the benefits is that I can study pretty much anywhere, in fact I can't study much at the library as it's so quiet!

* I love animals and farming... sometimes I wish I were born in the 1800's and were a pioneer! We have a small parcel of land and have rabbits, bees, chickens, milk goats and a dog. We had some beef cows until just a couple of weeks ago... :)

* I love cooking and homemaking of any sort. Call me weird (many people do) but I love doing laundry and when I'm not studying or teaching piano, I'm using getting some laundry started.

* One of the things I have the most zeal for is helping girls love being girls! I helped with a girls group for awhile and loved teaching them different things... one of my lifetime goals is to write a book for girls/women. More about that later!

* Last but definitely not least... I LOVE children! I hope to have a minimum of 12 children someday and love reading about different ways of parenting. Keeping that in mind helps keep me mostly patient!