Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Obedience
While studying the Scriptures tonight I came across an interesting verse: "Yea, how could you have given way to the enticing of him who is seeking to hurl away your souls down to everlasting misery and endless wo?" Really bleak, I know :P It's just interesting that so many people (including myself) will do things that aren't good things when we are warned so often not to. These things only give us temporary satisfaction and then make us miserable later. I guess it just played off of an idea that we talked about recently in Sunday school really well. We talked about how being obedient is protective, not restrictive and more relevant; being obedient brings freedom into our lives that we wouldn't otherwise have. When I follow commandments given through the Prophet or leaders it really does make me happier to be more productive, help others, and feel better. Following instruction and gives me a freedom that sin never will. There are BILLIONS of examples of this but Christ asked us to love one another and was the ultimate example on how to do this. I feel like when we love others, as well as help and serve them, we are more focused on others than ourselves, which allows us to be so much more productive in the world. We build better relationships with people and find more connections with people we never thought we would and become of more use to the people we come in contact with. Our horizons expand and we are able to live a more enriched and fulfilling life... Sounds worth it to me :)
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
RANT :(
I hate it when people don't trust you to do your job!!!!! It's sooo frustrating!
It hurts the most when it was the one person who believed in you the most and is disappointed in you because they won't listen to your expertise.
Everyone is disappointed and I feel like it's my fault even though I know full and well that it's not...
Sometimes, I realize that I just don't love what I do enough to put up with these catastrophes. Should I throw in the towel? There are so many other things I could pursue and want to do... but saying that makes me feel like I'm weak and don't deserve to or have enough passion to be successful at this...I feel like there should be nothing else I want more... All the drama just makes me want to close the door and move on...
I've dealt with enough crap this last year, and to even spend one moment being frustrated and unhappy is just not worth it to me anymore. I want everyone to be happy and in what I do that's not going to happen and if it does it ends up hurting someone whether they know it or not.
So the solution? Give them what they want and be okay with it...there is nothing else I can do...but I feel like that's what I spend most of my time doing.. giving into things I don't think are okay to please people!!!!!!!!!!!! I chalk it up to owning a business that deals directly with people... so I guess that's just how it has to be... that's life as an adult I guess...
It hurts the most when it was the one person who believed in you the most and is disappointed in you because they won't listen to your expertise.
Everyone is disappointed and I feel like it's my fault even though I know full and well that it's not...
Sometimes, I realize that I just don't love what I do enough to put up with these catastrophes. Should I throw in the towel? There are so many other things I could pursue and want to do... but saying that makes me feel like I'm weak and don't deserve to or have enough passion to be successful at this...I feel like there should be nothing else I want more... All the drama just makes me want to close the door and move on...
I've dealt with enough crap this last year, and to even spend one moment being frustrated and unhappy is just not worth it to me anymore. I want everyone to be happy and in what I do that's not going to happen and if it does it ends up hurting someone whether they know it or not.
So the solution? Give them what they want and be okay with it...there is nothing else I can do...but I feel like that's what I spend most of my time doing.. giving into things I don't think are okay to please people!!!!!!!!!!!! I chalk it up to owning a business that deals directly with people... so I guess that's just how it has to be... that's life as an adult I guess...
Sunday, January 9, 2011
My Car Needs a Snuggie
I seriously let my car "warm up" for ten mins. before driving it... oops! Click here for the actual site with everything on it! I just cut the important stuff. :P
1. Driving warms the car faster than idling
If your concern is not the health of the car, but simply your own creature comforts, Bob Aldrich of the California Energy Commission points out that "idling is not actually an effective way to warm up a car — it warms up faster if you just drive it."
2. Ten seconds is all you need
Environmental Defense Fund, which produced the Idling Gets You Nowhere campaign, advises motorists to turn off their ignition if they're sitting stopped for more than 10 seconds.
"After about 10 seconds, you waste more money running the engine than restarting it, said Andy Darrell, deputy director of the EDF Energy Program. "Switch the car off at the curb, and you'll be leaving money in your wallet and protecting the air in your community."
3. Idling hurts the car (this is the one that got me!)
According to the Hinkle Charitable Foundation's Anti-Idling Primer, idling forces an engine "to operate in a very inefficient and gasoline-rich mode that, over time, can degrade the engine's performance and reduce mileage."
The Campaign for an Idle-Free New York City points out that idling causes carbon residues to build up inside the engine, which reduces its efficiency.
4. Idling costs money
Over a year of five minutes of daily idling (which causes incomplete combustion of fuel), the "Anti-Idling Primer" estimates that the operator of a V8-engine car will waste 20 gallons of gasoline, which not only produces 440 pounds of carbon dioxide but costs at least $60.
5. Idling in the garage can kill you
Idling a car in a garage, even with the door open, is dangerous and exposes the driver to carbon monoxide and other noxious gases. If the garage is attached, those fumes can also enter the house.
6. Block heaters beat remote starters
Lori Strothard of the Waterloo Citizens Vehicle Idling Reduction Task Force in Canada says, "Remote starters can too easily cause people to warm up their cars for 5 to 15 minutes, which is generally unnecessary."
A block heater, which is designed to heat the engine and can cost under $30, on a timer set to start one to two hours before driving, does the trick in very cold climates.
7. Quick errands aren't quick enough
Natural Resources Canada points out that leaving your car idling while you're running into a store on an errand or going back into the house to pick up a forgotten item is another way to waste gas and pollute both your town and the planet.
"Leaving your engine running is hard on your pocketbook, produces greenhouse gas emissions, and is an invitation to car thieves," the agency (PDF) says.
8. Idling is bad for your health (and your neighbor's health)
According to Minneapolis' anti-idling ordinance, "Exhaust is hazardous to human health, especially children's; studies have linked air pollution to increased rates of cancer, heart and lung disease, asthma and allergies."
Isabelle Silverman, who runs EDF's anti-idling campaign, says that car idling "is the second-hand smoking of the outdoors. One of the problems is that cars idle close to the curb, where pedestrians are walking. And when you have a child in a stroller, they are particularly close to the tailpipe. Studies show that children's IQ levels are lower when they live near major roads with lots of traffic." (A fresh study even links autism to freeway pollution.)
Alex Scaperotta, who created an anti-idling campaign with a classmate when he was in fifth grade in Wilton, Connecticut, came up with a slogan that was used on bumper stickers and websites: "If you're stopped for more than 10, turn it off and on again." Sounds like good advice.
1. Driving warms the car faster than idling
If your concern is not the health of the car, but simply your own creature comforts, Bob Aldrich of the California Energy Commission points out that "idling is not actually an effective way to warm up a car — it warms up faster if you just drive it."
2. Ten seconds is all you need
Environmental Defense Fund, which produced the Idling Gets You Nowhere campaign, advises motorists to turn off their ignition if they're sitting stopped for more than 10 seconds.
"After about 10 seconds, you waste more money running the engine than restarting it, said Andy Darrell, deputy director of the EDF Energy Program. "Switch the car off at the curb, and you'll be leaving money in your wallet and protecting the air in your community."
3. Idling hurts the car (this is the one that got me!)
According to the Hinkle Charitable Foundation's Anti-Idling Primer, idling forces an engine "to operate in a very inefficient and gasoline-rich mode that, over time, can degrade the engine's performance and reduce mileage."
The Campaign for an Idle-Free New York City points out that idling causes carbon residues to build up inside the engine, which reduces its efficiency.
4. Idling costs money
Over a year of five minutes of daily idling (which causes incomplete combustion of fuel), the "Anti-Idling Primer" estimates that the operator of a V8-engine car will waste 20 gallons of gasoline, which not only produces 440 pounds of carbon dioxide but costs at least $60.
5. Idling in the garage can kill you
Idling a car in a garage, even with the door open, is dangerous and exposes the driver to carbon monoxide and other noxious gases. If the garage is attached, those fumes can also enter the house.
6. Block heaters beat remote starters
Lori Strothard of the Waterloo Citizens Vehicle Idling Reduction Task Force in Canada says, "Remote starters can too easily cause people to warm up their cars for 5 to 15 minutes, which is generally unnecessary."
A block heater, which is designed to heat the engine and can cost under $30, on a timer set to start one to two hours before driving, does the trick in very cold climates.
7. Quick errands aren't quick enough
Natural Resources Canada points out that leaving your car idling while you're running into a store on an errand or going back into the house to pick up a forgotten item is another way to waste gas and pollute both your town and the planet.
"Leaving your engine running is hard on your pocketbook, produces greenhouse gas emissions, and is an invitation to car thieves," the agency (PDF) says.
8. Idling is bad for your health (and your neighbor's health)
According to Minneapolis' anti-idling ordinance, "Exhaust is hazardous to human health, especially children's; studies have linked air pollution to increased rates of cancer, heart and lung disease, asthma and allergies."
Isabelle Silverman, who runs EDF's anti-idling campaign, says that car idling "is the second-hand smoking of the outdoors. One of the problems is that cars idle close to the curb, where pedestrians are walking. And when you have a child in a stroller, they are particularly close to the tailpipe. Studies show that children's IQ levels are lower when they live near major roads with lots of traffic." (A fresh study even links autism to freeway pollution.)
Alex Scaperotta, who created an anti-idling campaign with a classmate when he was in fifth grade in Wilton, Connecticut, came up with a slogan that was used on bumper stickers and websites: "If you're stopped for more than 10, turn it off and on again." Sounds like good advice.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Friday, December 24, 2010
The Three Trees: By Russell Arben Fox
This is a Christmas story I remember my family reading when I was little. Reading it really reminds me of Christmas and all that it stands for. I thought I'd share it... :0) Merry Christmas!
Once upon a time, three little trees stood in a forest high on a mountain, dreaming of what they would be when they were grown.
The first little tree looked up at the stars twinkling like diamonds in the night sky. “I want to hold treasure,” it said. “I want to be filled with gold and decorated with jewels. I will be the most beautiful treasure chest in the world!”
The second little tree looked down the mountainside at the ocean far below. “I want to be a strong sailing ship,” it said. “I want to travel mighty waters and carry powerful kings. I will be the strongest ship in the world!”
The third little tree said, “I don’t want to leave this mountaintop at all. I want to grow so tall that when people stop to look at me their eyes will raise up to heaven, and they will think of God. I will be the tallest tree in the world!”
Years passed, and the trees grew. And then one day, three woodcutters climbed the mountain.
One woodcutter looked at the first tree and said, “This tree is beautiful! It is perfect for me.” With a dozen swoops of his axe, the first tree fell.
“Now I shall be made into a beautiful treasure chest,” thought the first tree. “I shall hold marvelous treasures!”
Another woodcutter looked at the second tree and said, “This tree is strong! It is perfect for me.” With a dozen swoops of his axe, the second tree fell.
“Now I shall sail mighty waters,” thought the second tree. “I shall be made into a strong ship fit for powerful kings!”
The third tree felt its heart sink as the last woodcutter approached. It stood straight and tall and pointed bravely towards heaven. But the last woodcutter never even looked up. “Any kind of tree will do for me,” he muttered. With a dozen swoops of his axe, the third tree fell.
The first tree rejoiced when the woodcutter took it to a carpenter’s shop. But the carpenter was not thinking about treasure chests. Instead, he cut and carved the tree into a simple feedbox. The once-beautiful tree was not filled with gold or decorated with jewels. It was covered with dust, and filled with hay for hungry farm animals.
The second tree rejoiced when the wookcutter took it to a shipyard. But the shipbuilder was not thinking about mighty sailing ships. Instead, he hammered and sawed the tree into a simple fishing boat. The once-strong tree was too weak to sail the ocean. It was taken to a little lake, where every day it carried loads of dead, smelly fish.
The third tree was confused when the woodcutter took it to a lumberyard, where it was cut into strong beams and then left alone. “What happened?” the once-tall tree wondered. “All I ever wanted to do was stay on the mountaintop, grow tall, and make people think of God.”
Years passed, and the three trees nearly forgot their dreams.
But then one still and silent night, golden starlight poured over the first tree, as a young woman placed a newborn baby into the feedbox.
“I wish I could make a cradle for him,” her husband whispered.
The mother squeezed his hand and smiled as the starlight shone on the clean and shining wood. “This manger is beautiful,” she said. And suddenly the first tree knew it was holding the greatest treasure in the world.
And then one humid and cloudy day, a tired traveller and his friends crowded into the small fishing boat. The traveler fell asleep as the second tree sailed quietly out into the lake. But a thundering storm arose, and the second tree shuddered, knowing that it did not have the strength to carry so many passengers safely through the fierce wind and rain.
The tired traveler awoke. He stood up, stretched out his hand, and said with a strong voice, “Peace, be still.” The storm stopped as quickly as it had began. And suddenly the second tree knew it was carrying the King of heaven and earth.
And then one terrible Friday morning, the third tree was startled as its beams were yanked from the old lumberyard. It flinched as it was was carried through an angry, jeering, spitting crowd. It shuddered when soldiers nailed a man’s hands and feet to her. It groaned as the man cried out in agony and died. It felt ugly and harsh and cruel.
But at dawn the next Sunday, on the first Easter morning, the earth trembled with joy beneath the third tree, and it knew that God’s love had changed everything.
It had made the first little tree a beautiful treasure chest. It had made the second little tree a strong sailing ship. And every time people looked upon the third little tree, they would think of God.
That was even better than being the tallest tree in the world.
Once upon a time, three little trees stood in a forest high on a mountain, dreaming of what they would be when they were grown.
The first little tree looked up at the stars twinkling like diamonds in the night sky. “I want to hold treasure,” it said. “I want to be filled with gold and decorated with jewels. I will be the most beautiful treasure chest in the world!”
The second little tree looked down the mountainside at the ocean far below. “I want to be a strong sailing ship,” it said. “I want to travel mighty waters and carry powerful kings. I will be the strongest ship in the world!”
The third little tree said, “I don’t want to leave this mountaintop at all. I want to grow so tall that when people stop to look at me their eyes will raise up to heaven, and they will think of God. I will be the tallest tree in the world!”
Years passed, and the trees grew. And then one day, three woodcutters climbed the mountain.
One woodcutter looked at the first tree and said, “This tree is beautiful! It is perfect for me.” With a dozen swoops of his axe, the first tree fell.
“Now I shall be made into a beautiful treasure chest,” thought the first tree. “I shall hold marvelous treasures!”
Another woodcutter looked at the second tree and said, “This tree is strong! It is perfect for me.” With a dozen swoops of his axe, the second tree fell.
“Now I shall sail mighty waters,” thought the second tree. “I shall be made into a strong ship fit for powerful kings!”
The third tree felt its heart sink as the last woodcutter approached. It stood straight and tall and pointed bravely towards heaven. But the last woodcutter never even looked up. “Any kind of tree will do for me,” he muttered. With a dozen swoops of his axe, the third tree fell.
The first tree rejoiced when the woodcutter took it to a carpenter’s shop. But the carpenter was not thinking about treasure chests. Instead, he cut and carved the tree into a simple feedbox. The once-beautiful tree was not filled with gold or decorated with jewels. It was covered with dust, and filled with hay for hungry farm animals.
The second tree rejoiced when the wookcutter took it to a shipyard. But the shipbuilder was not thinking about mighty sailing ships. Instead, he hammered and sawed the tree into a simple fishing boat. The once-strong tree was too weak to sail the ocean. It was taken to a little lake, where every day it carried loads of dead, smelly fish.
The third tree was confused when the woodcutter took it to a lumberyard, where it was cut into strong beams and then left alone. “What happened?” the once-tall tree wondered. “All I ever wanted to do was stay on the mountaintop, grow tall, and make people think of God.”
Years passed, and the three trees nearly forgot their dreams.
But then one still and silent night, golden starlight poured over the first tree, as a young woman placed a newborn baby into the feedbox.
“I wish I could make a cradle for him,” her husband whispered.
The mother squeezed his hand and smiled as the starlight shone on the clean and shining wood. “This manger is beautiful,” she said. And suddenly the first tree knew it was holding the greatest treasure in the world.
And then one humid and cloudy day, a tired traveller and his friends crowded into the small fishing boat. The traveler fell asleep as the second tree sailed quietly out into the lake. But a thundering storm arose, and the second tree shuddered, knowing that it did not have the strength to carry so many passengers safely through the fierce wind and rain.
The tired traveler awoke. He stood up, stretched out his hand, and said with a strong voice, “Peace, be still.” The storm stopped as quickly as it had began. And suddenly the second tree knew it was carrying the King of heaven and earth.
And then one terrible Friday morning, the third tree was startled as its beams were yanked from the old lumberyard. It flinched as it was was carried through an angry, jeering, spitting crowd. It shuddered when soldiers nailed a man’s hands and feet to her. It groaned as the man cried out in agony and died. It felt ugly and harsh and cruel.
But at dawn the next Sunday, on the first Easter morning, the earth trembled with joy beneath the third tree, and it knew that God’s love had changed everything.
It had made the first little tree a beautiful treasure chest. It had made the second little tree a strong sailing ship. And every time people looked upon the third little tree, they would think of God.
That was even better than being the tallest tree in the world.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Family
Family is so fun! No matter how crazy and ridiculous you may be they love you! I love my family and wouldn't trade them for anything! My family is interesting... we are FAR from perfect, but we all accept each other and love each other in spite of our many shortcomings. Sure we get upset and I won't lie and say there isn't drama...because there is... a lot of drama. But somehow we all love each other. This means standing up for each other, accepting each person for who they are, and enjoying being around them. I can honestly say that my family does all of these things. I know that in this day and age a statement like that is far from true in many families, which is why my family is so special to me. I love my whole, big, crazy family! <3 <3
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