Picture Tag! If you're reading this, you're it.

The rules of the game: Go to your pictures folder and take the fourth picture from the fourth folder and post it. Its fun! :) Then give us a some details about the pic.

Ok, I have lots of pictures and I am crazy about organizing them into folders, so I actually had to click on my 4th folder and then my 4th subfolder and then my 4th picture. I was actually surprised there weren't more folders I had to go through.

Anyway, this is my mom on Christmas 2006. Um, this is at our house. In the living room. That is a plant in the corner, not the Christmas tree. I really don't remember anything about this picture. But I love my mom.

fUn WiTh JaReD

Jared came to visit for the weekend and we did lots of fun stuff, but somehow I only got pictures of a couple of things. Oh well. Most of these are from when we drove the Alpine Loop (scenic byway connecting Provo Canyon and American Fork Canyon).





Jared knew about this statue garden in Salt Lake that has a sphinx with the face of Joseph Smith, so we had to go check that out. It was such an odd place. It's called Gilgal Garden.

We also went to the Body Worlds exhibit (the one with all the human bodies), ran a 5K (Jared won 3rd place! but that didn't surprise me cuz I think he might be some sort of superhuman), and went to the BYU-UNM football game. It was a great long weekend (but somehow still not long enough).

Lake Powell

This past weekend, I finally got to experience the splendor of Lake Powell. I went with 7 friends and spent Thursday through Sunday boating, wakeboarding, camping, and exploring. It was hard to believe how wonderful the weather was, considering it was the end of September. It was perfect and beautiful. I'm kind of a sissy when it comes to cold water, so I thought the water was a little chilly, but it didn't keep us from having a great time.

Weekend in North Carolina

I went to Raleigh, North Carolina to visit Jared this past weekend. Here's some photos of fun things we did.

1a) Free expression tunnel, i.e. graffiti wall. Totally legal. Totally fun. We spray painted tons and tons of things on the wall. We figured that gave us the best odds that something of ours would survive more than a couple of days. Turns out we were right. Jared walked through the tunnel a couple days later and nearly everything we painted was already covered up by other people's graffiti.

Here's where we tried out our tagging skills to see if we could ever be in a gang.

And here's where I drew a picture of myself so Jared won't forget me.

And here is lady liberty that Jared painted. She is winking. (Don't mind the pancakes. Those are part of someone else's picture. But aren't they amazing?)

And here is a portrait I painted of Jared. Jared wears bowties.

1b) This was not a planned activity, but we happened to see the Isaiah-man on campus while we were at the free expression tunnel. Here he is, standing at his portable podium, preaching to whomever will listen...which, at the time, was no one.

2) Beach. Always fun. But more fun in the Atlantic Ocean than the Pacific Ocean. Because it's warmer. The water couldn't possibly be more perfect. Unless it didn't have salt in it. That would make it better. But I'll deal with the salt if it could always be as warm as it was this day.



I love jumping pictures. So here we are jumping off a lifeguard tower.


3) The Aquarium. For those of you that don't know, I LOVE aquariums. And I really love octopuses. By the way, octopuses is the more correct plural form of octopus. "Octopi" was just a mistake that caught on too well. In hopes to maintain the illusion that I am not a nerd, I will cease writing octopus trivia and just show some pictures.

I also love carnivorous plants. Well, as much as one can love them without really knowing anything about them. Anyway, we saw some venus flytraps. They were really small, but still carnivorous.


Ok, that's enough.

So I had this epiphany...

I was driving home from work and it came to me. Actually, I was listening to a country song. Don't know the name of it, but it's a man talking about his family and there's this line that says, "little blue-eyed blonde with her shoes on wrong cuz she likes to dress herself." So that got me thinking about little kids and how they all get to a point where they want to be independent and start refusing help from their parents. Of course, if they fall down and get a booboo they always come crying to their parents for help then. But there are definitely those times when they want so badly to do things for themselves that they reject their parents' help even if it's to their detriment.

So I realized that this is exactly how we act with Heavenly Father! It's not a bad thing, but it is totally necessary for us to leave His presence (come to earth) and really learn things for ourselves. He is always there for us if we get hurt or scared, but He knows that we need independence and experience to progress. There was this great quote by Lorenzo Snow in the July Ensign that says, "We believe that we are the offspring of our Father in heaven, and that we possess in our spiritual organizations the same capabilities, powers and faculties that our Father possesses, although in an infantile state, requiring to pass through a certain course or ordeal by which they will be developed and improved according to the heed we give to the principles we have received."

Love that quote.

Living by faith, not fear

Today was one of those days where it seemed like everything I heard at church was presented JUST FOR ME. I love days like that. Except days when it's like, "REPENT, JENN!" Those days aren't as fun, but still just as important. Anyway, today was a good day. The most important thing I got out of church today was to LIVE BY FAITH, NOT FEAR. It's ridiculous to make decisions (or rather, NOT make decisions) because we are afraid! And yet I do it all the time. I'm afraid to quit my job, I'm afraid to start a new job, I'm afraid to go back to school, I'm afraid to move here or there, I'm afraid to date this person, I'm afraid to stand up for myself, I'm afraid to share the gospel...yada, yada, yada. I basically just exposed my every weakness, but whatever. I don't want to be afraid anymore. I realized that every time I make a decision (or fail to make a decision) based on fear, I am showing God that I don't have enough faith in Him that things will work out!

When it comes down to it, what I'm really afraid of is loss. Loss of life, loss of love, loss of income, loss of dignity, etc. Earlier this week, I was reading the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16. I love that parable. Lazarus was a beggar. He had poor health, no food, and we can safely assume he also had no home and probably no friends. I don't know how his life evolved into him being a poor, sick beggar, but the point is, he experienced profound loss. But God, being the just and merciful God He is, comforted Lazarus when he died to make up for the bad things that happened during his life. What I learned from this regarding loss is that whatever is lost in this life will be restored. If we die, we will live again. If we experience heartache, we will be comforted. If we endure injustices for Christ's sake, we will be rewarded. Often, God comforts us during this life. But sometimes, we must wait to receive our reward. Either way, He will not leave us comfortless.

That's pretty much all I have on this subject. Anyone else have thoughts on how to live by faith, not fear?

What I Believe

Since this blog is an account of exciting and important things in my life, it would be devastatingly incomplete without a description of my beliefs. My life CENTERS around them!

I believe there is a God who is the Father of my spirit. Jesus Christ is His Son. They created this amazing earth and everything on and in it, including ME and YOU! I don't understand how they came to exist or where exactly they are, or how they hear my prayers, but I know they are there. When my faith wavers, I just rely on my HOPE. What a sad thought it would be to think that we are alone in this world with no one to look over us or help us or direct us.

I love to read the New Testament and learn about Jesus' ministry, miracles, atonement, and crucifixion. I believe those miracles really happened! Jesus Christ has the power to heal both body and spirit!

I also know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the WHOLE world. Not only did He minister to His own people, but He also appeared after His resurrection to the inhabitants of ancient America. He said, in John 10:16, "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." The record of the people in America and the account of Christ's appearance there is contained in the Book of Mormon, which is ANOTHER TESTAMENT of Jesus Christ. It is not a substitution for the Bible, but a supplement. It is another testament of the same majestic Lord.


I believe that God has not left us without a prophet on the earth. There is a prophet who receives revelation from God for the WHOLE world! He does this through the power and authority of the priesthood - the same priesthood held by Jesus and His disciples. The priesthood was lost through apostasy, but it has been restored! Peter, James, and John (Christ's disciples) restored the priesthood to the earth in 1829 to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. They were given the authority to restore the church of Jesus Christ as it was during His ministry. That authority has been passed on and is now held by Thomas S. Monson, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormon church) and prophet of the world. To learn more about Joseph Smith and how he came to be a prophet, please see here.

I believe we are all God's children and should love each other without judgment, hate, prejudice, ignorance, or pride. We are truly all brothers and sisters. "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). "For I was an hungered, and ye have me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee a stranger and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inanasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren; ye have done it unto me" (Matthew 25:40).

I believe in living a pure life, clean from drugs, alcohol, and sexual immorality. I believe in taking care of and honoring my body, since it is a gift from God. "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of god is holy, which temple ye are" (I Corinthians 3:16-17).

God loves us! He wants us to be happy. He will bless you with the knowledge of the truth if you ask. "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him" (James 1:5).