the one about the temple

Growing up in the church, the temple has always played an important role in my life, but this past Saturday, I was able to learn and appreciate it so much more. I was blessed to be able to receive my own endowments. What a beautiful and amazing experience it was. Never have I appreciated The Atonement so much and never have I been so grateful to be a member of His great Gospel. The temple is such a wonderful place,  and it truly is heaven on earth. 

I can't say I wasn't nervous, I was. I had taken the temple prep class, I had met with my Bishop about it,  I read many many scriptures about temples and their purposes, and honestly, I was as ready as I could've been. When I entered into the temple, all my nerves went away. It was simply beautiful, as always. I know I made covenants with the Lord that day, and I renew those covenants every day now. I can honestly say, my life has changed for eternity, and for the better. The Spirit bore witness, to me personally, of the covenants I made and that they were true, and how grateful I am to have the Spirit as my constant companion to be able to have that assurance. The temple is truly the House of the Lord. I cannot say it was easy to get to the temple, it takes patience, dedication, constant prayer, diligent scripture study and most importantly the Atonement of Jesus Christ, but I can promise, it was is all worth it. The temple is not a "secret" place, it's a sacred place. As members we do not discuss the covenants made in the temple because they are so sacred to us and to our Heavenly Father. Anyone can go to the temple, if they are willing to live their life in accordance to His commandments and principles, it's not for the privileged it's for those striving to be like Him. I'm so overwhelmed with happiness that I can draw nearer to my Lord and Father in His Holy Temple and receive guidance and revelation for myself, but more importantly that I am just one step closer to being able to live and dwell with them again. I love to see the temple, I went inside November 23, 2013. I covenanted with my Father; I promised to obey.

the one about a beau désordre

beau désordre. beautiful disorder
i learned this phrase in art history.
i thought about it a lot since then.
we used it in a sense where the surroundings in the portrait were a mess
the artist thought, "what is so beautiful about order and uniformity?"
life isn't like that and people aren't like that
life isn't completely organized. nor should it be.
we aren't perfect by any means, we have flaws,
but isn't that what makes us who we are?
another thought entered my mind.
last week while in a public restroom
i heard a girl walk in,
she then proceeded in an act that made my eyes fill with tears
she gagged herself and threw up
i was stunned.
i hurt for her, why would anyone deliberately want to do that?
i so badly wanted to run out and talk to her! help her.
tell her how beautiful she was and how she didn't have to do this daily.
i wanted to tell her that her Heavenly Father loved her just the way she was.
she didn't have to change one thing.
sadly she left as soon as she was done
i thought of how lucky i was that i was taught at a young age of my importance to our Savior
and how Heavenly Father made me and loved me for me.
i thought about the constant lessons of individual worth in young womens
how very blessed i am to know that.
of course i have flaws. of course i whine about my imperfections
but deep down i know i wouldn't change a thing because this is how He made me.
and He did it for a reason
as i began writing this post i couldn't help but notice the lyrics to the song that happened to be on shuffle on my computer.

The photos in the magazines

Don't dictate who I'm supposed to be
The world can't recognize, all that I am inside
But I know in His eyes, I am a part of, the bigger picture,

There's so much more to me

He helps me see that I have so much to offer

I am His daughter

He loves me the way I am,

He's my strength when I stand

He is my King, and my Father,

I am His daughter.

The people on the TV screen,

The leaders, rulers, and queens

I watch them shape the world,

And though I'm just a girl, I still know for sure,

That I am a part of, the bigger picture

And when I'm feeling small,

And wondering if I'll ever, find courage to stand tall

Through His love I remember

There's so much more to me

He helps me to see that I have so much to offer

I am His daughter

He loves me the way I am

He's my strength when I stand
He is my King, and my Father,
I am His daughter

don't change yourself because of society's warped definition of the word beautiful,
next time you think of beautiful things, don't forget to count yourself.

Operation Beautiful

You Are

Beautiful.

just the word alone gives everyone different opinions and thoughts. 

 but each person is beautiful!

our Heavenly Father created everyone the way they are,

and He does not make mistakes.

i was reading from the beautiful Kelli's blog

and found this amazo (the wonderful abby's lingo) article!

Annie Roiphe is an elderly woman who wrote about a past experience that opened her eyes to the subject.

Every girl should read this 

My favorite part was when she wrote. . .

"I know I looked beautiful that morning. Perhaps not to the young man holding his toddler in his arms who rode the elevator with me; perhaps not to the friend I met for lunch, a true believer in botox; perhaps not to passersby on the street; but I knew it for a certainty. I was beautiful."

 

I love this. 

Maybe not everyone may think you're beautiful,

but you are, and you have to know it yourself. 

plus, your Heavenly Father knows it. 

and who else really matters? ♥

A Princess in Disguise

Can I just say that I absolutely LOVE princesses. My sister and I have always watched princess movies. We were, and still are obsessed with them. :) I love the stories and the movies! I watch and re-watch the movies all the time. My favorite princess as a little girl was Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty, because they had blonde hair and blue eyes as I do. But now I just love them all. It's funny because they seem so special to me because they played an important part in my childhood. I guess it'll always be like that for me. Here are "my" princesses;

Cinderella

Sleeping Beauty and Prince Philip

Snow White

Jasmine and Aladdin

Ariel and Eric

Belle and the Beast

Pocahontas and John Smith

Mulan and Shang

Meg and Hercules

Rapunzel and Flynn Rider (Eugene Fitzherbert)

Tiana and Prince Naveen

 I also know that every girl is a princess. We are all daughters of a Heavenly King and He loves us and that's what makes us so special. We will all meet a perfect prince and we can live Happily Ever After with him, and well until then. . . we must be patient and prepare to be the wife and mother that our husband would want and deserve. We are beautiful and we all deserve a great Prince and "Someday our Prince will come. . ." (Snow White)