Here's to another year.

I'm sitting here reflecting on this past year, thinking, writing, and listening to my Friday Night Lights Pandora station--I should add that I'm also getting weepy and emotional...wtf is wrong with me?? HA! I think I'm sub-consciously thinking about how much I aspire to have the relationship that Coach Taylor and Tami have...What can I say?

I find it crazy how the years of my life seem to pass by increasingly quicker. 25 years of my life are gone. I'm on the cusp of another year, looking forward to another year to become a little bit better. Even though nothing "huge" happened in 2013, I have grown as a person. I have done incredible things. I have lived most days, the best I could have lived them. I had bad hair days. I tried to help others. I loved others. I was more aware. I traveled. I met new people. I experienced cultures besides my own. I was in tune with myself. I fell down (many times). I embarrassed myself. I forgave. I experienced pain. I pushed myself. I saw some beautiful I got out of my comfort-zone. I felt. I exercised self-control. I was stupid. I worked. I threw myself a party. I failed. I was true to myself. I did a few things I'd never done before. Yes, I'm still the same me, but I know I've changed. I have a whole new bag of life experiences to carry me through another year. Bring it on 2014. I'm stoked for you.

I have mixed feelings about New Years. Yes, of course it's a fantastic opportunity to start fresh, and set goals...On the other hand, I feel like LIFE in general is about progression. It's not just a new year--we're given a fresh start every day. It's easy to slip into a pattern of seeing life as 'monotonous'--un-eventful, or boring. Although our days may be "the same"--we are given those days to live and breathe, and once they happen, they're over. I've tried hard this year to have a passion for life that a lot of people fail to ever un-leash. A passion for LIFE--not just longing for the "big things" but loving the "small things." I've tried hard to relish the moments that don't come often. Just the other day I had the chance to help out a friend at work who was having a tough day. I made her come with me to the mall at lunch and get a manicure. Big whoop. Why don't I do things like this more often?? I remember the feeling I had when she gave me a hug after, and just said "thanks so much Monica." It's because most of the time I'm too caught up in myself to pay attention to how others may be feeling. It's little things like these, that I want to do more of. There are opportunities all the time.

This year, my goal is not to "lose 10 pounds"--because let's be honest...won't that be on everyone else's "New Years Resolutions" list? (and it will be there every year). I want to move forward--because we all know how easy it is to stay in the same place, and maybe even gradually slip backwards. Life is constant baby steps in the right direction. That's what I want. Baby steps forward. It's not a month of leaps and bounds, and then a few months of stagnancy. Life provides us with opportunities each day, to become great. We become great, through simple decisions. Each day of our lives, we are given opportunities to make choices. Opportunities that help us to in small ways, improve our lives.

I've sat here for a while, thinking long and hard about a few life goals I really want to work on: 

NOT BE AFRAID TO LOVE, AND BE FIERCELY LOYAL TO THOSE I LOVE

LIVE IN THE MOMENT, AND LET MY SOUL STIR A LITTLE MORE IN THOSE MOMENTS

KEEP A MORE THOROUGH RECORD OF MOMENTS THAT I FEEL HAPPINESS & JOY

BE MORE GRACIOUS IN WORD AND DEED TO THOSE AROUND ME

BE QUICKER TO RECOGNIZE GOD IN MY EVERY DAY LIFE 

SURROUND MYSELF WITH THOSE WHO BUILD ME UP

INSPIRE OTHERS 

FEAR GOD MORE THAN MAN 

CONTINUE TO DEVELOP A LOVE FOR LEARNING 

BE A BETTER FRIEND--CREATE LASTING RELATIONSHIPS 

Who is it that you want to become? Don't just set goals to DO things. I have some of those too, but I really don't think life is about what we do. I want to become someone this year. Someone greater. 

Here's to another year. I'm stoked that I've been given this long. I have been blessed way more than I deserve, and I hope to be able to continuously live with a sense of gratitude and passion for life. Cheers, and happy New Year everyone !

I've thrown in a few of this years' highlights in photos. There is a story tacked to each experience, but nonetheless these are some of my favorite moments of 2013. Life is so fun. 

straight from my heart.

I really like church. Sometimes I go, and it's hard to sit there for 3 hours. I can't lie. I'm incredibly weak at times. Sometimes I'm honestly WEAK. Other times though, like yesterday--I just seem to soak it all in, and everything I hear at church is as if it's a special delivery right to my heart. I think God works in mysterious ways like that. When I'm feeling particularly discouraged, God doesn't let me get too down on myself--sometimes he lets me be discouraged for a bit. Other times, it's a pretty immediate pick-me-up. I've never seen God, and I don't profess to have witnessed anything like that. On the other hand, it would be impossible for me to ever deny the existence of God. I'm guilty of often getting caught up in my own life, and what's "best" for me. I think that sometimes though, we all sort of "miss the mark". Maybe what's "best" for us every once in a while is to feel alone. Maybe God needs us to question who we are at times, and what we believe. Do  I actually believe in what I profess to believe in. I think sometimes he needs us to feel a little bit inadequate. He lets us be low. I think all these human emotions are so we can remember who it is that gives us confidence in ourselves. I don't know how, but somehow Christ makes me be better. When I think about Him sacrificing everything, so I can be forgiven, it just makes me want to try a little harder. That was my main take-away from 3 hours of church yesterday. Somebody talked about how much it would bother them if on their birthday, everybody else but him, got presents. He gave an analogy of how on Christmas, sometimes we give everyone else presents, and fail to really remember the reason for it all. What can I give to Christ, when we celebrate his life?? All I can really do, is try to give him my best. Try a little harder every day, to help others. To serve someone. To be a friend to someone who needs it. To think a little less of myself. It really, really resonated with me. To be honest, I feel pretty crazy just thinking about how much that simple analogy really hit me. I thank God, for giving me that simple reminder through that random guy who spoke in church.

Lately I've been reminded that life is never easy, but that doesn't mean that God doesn't play a part in our lives. Yeah, I've never doubted my solid belief in God, but I do have my low moments--I love this scripture from the Book of Mormon: "And I have been supported under trials and troubles of every kind, yea, and in all manner of afflictions; yea, God has delivered me from prison, and from bonds, and from death; yea, and I do put my trust in him, and he will still deliver me." There has never been a time in my life that God has turned his back on me. Nope.  There have been times I've wanted to turn my back, but after all He has done for me, I know I could never do that. Never. I'll always trust my God. I can't say that I can always, trust everyone... My Heavenly Father however; is the one constant in my life. Here is one last scripture from the New Testament I think is super cool--(1 Peter ch. 1 vs 7) "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ" It's a hard to perspective to keep--that our trials can be more precious than gold. It's up to us, whether we allow the hard stuff to refine us. It's up to us, whether we blame the hard things on God, or we accept them as part of life, and allow them to humble us and bring us closer to him.

Jet-Lagged thoughts on Thanksgiving and gratitude

Well, here I am at 4 AM. I know that's not normal, but jet-lag. I arrived back from a 12 day trip to Nepal last night. Not just "a trip to Nepal". I shouldn't say that so nonchalantly.. It's more like, I just got back from a trip that literally changed me. Opened my eyes. However you want to word it, it was an experience that molded me into a better version of myself.

With today being Thanksgiving, I find it especially appropriate to jot down a few thoughts that have settled on me after my recent trip.

I don't believe it is essential to personally experience/witness extreme poverty to realize how tragic it is. Nor do I believe it necessary to witness extreme poverty in order to be an individual who has a daily spirit of thanksgiving. However; I openly admit, that I have lived 25 years with a rather naïve innocence of what it truly means to "go without." I'll expound. In fact, why don't you just take this as my attempt to enlighten you a bit as you watch America spend billions upon billions on the Macey's Thanksgiving parade, and as you prep your insides to stuff them with un-necessary amounts of calories. (I promise I'm not trying to make you have a lousy Thanksgiving!! My sheer writing of  this post has only made this like my BEST and most meaningful Thanksgiving so far!!! I mean that from the bottom of my Sherpa heart.

 

In Nepal, I saw people quite literally "go without."And I'm not referring to you having to "go without" your $1,000 season pass to Park City, that you just have to pass up this year. This is literally GOING WITHOUT, people. I learned what it means to "go-without"--the things that I so selfishly enjoy every day. Things like: shoes and socks, clean water, a roof over my head, food to eat, clean air to breathe, basic technologies.

 

Here are my major (yet not that profound) take-aways.

Go ahead and read on, if you want to have a slightly more introspective day of Thanks...

1. Often the things we see the most, are the same things we so easily begin to not see

 

Every day I wake up and take a shower. Never before have I realized how blessed I am to be able to enjoy the simple luxury of a hot shower. I don't think I had ever really stopped for long enough to even imagine what life would be like without that blessing. What would it feel like to shower 1X/week (if that) like these Nepali people?? Have we ever stopped to think about how amazing it is that we can take a hot clean shower every day??? My biggest concern is who I'll have to schmooze into snaking the hair out of my drain. I meaaaaan, come on. We lead  pathetically spoiled lives. It's not necessarily that we need to feel guilty for having that blessing, but I sure am grateful for showers. If you want to really gain a personal testimony of showers,  I invite you to take part in what I now refer to as a "Wet Wipe Shower".  The process is very basic. Do that for a few days, and I promise you, you'll begin to appreciate your hot, high pressure showers just a tad bit more...

2. Living a life of gratitude means you stop wanting, and start recognizing what you already have

Driving a car around, grabbing a blanket when I'm cold, sipping a hot chocolate just because my feet are cold, having a steady income, buying a new outfit when I'm feeling depressed, going out to eat with friends, taking a trip with family, watching a chick-flick, going for a run (in comfy running shoes I might add). Why do we sit on Pinterest and fantasize about useless material stuff? Then, somehow always want more?? We always need more. I drive myself crazy just thinking about my pre-birthday post I made with my Pinterest Birthday wish-list!!!!(no, I know you were wishing I was going to put a link to that post in here, but I wouldn't dare disgrace myself again like that) I want to commit myself to try a little harder to look at the bounteous life I have, and simply appreciate it-a little bit more. The "Monica's Birthday Pinterest Wish-list" post is the "old me"!!!!!! Pathetic, blugh. Below is an awesome quote from the Prophet of the Mormon church (yes, I'm Mormon :) -- that means I believe this man is a prophet of God, just like any prophet in the old or new Testament)

 

President Monson (the prophet) said: " A grateful heart, then, comes through expressing gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His blessings and to those around us for all that they bring into our lives. This requires conscious effort—at least until we have truly learned and cultivated an attitude of gratitude. Often we feel grateful and intend to express our thanks but forget to do so or just don’t get around to it. Someone has said that “feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."

 

3. There is always someone with less than you, or who has it worse

I know you think that life ends, when you only get 22 likes on your most recent Instagram post. I know you want to cry when you spill fry sauce on your fresh new shirt you bought so you could look hott when you watched the football game with all your uber-stylish friends. Let me just share with you a simple experience I had last week, in a small city in Nepal.

A very scrawny little girl about 8 years followed me around for several hours. On her hip, sat another little girl, about 2. The two year old was just as filthy. Neither had shoes, their hair was stringy, and they smelled like they hadn't bathed in weeks. The 8 year old followed me around, and continuously offered up her sister to me. No, she wasn't asking me if I wanted to hold the cute little orphaned child, she was offering her sister in a much more literal sense. Yes, she was attempting to "sell" her sister to me. That was a first.  I fought back the tears that welled in my eyes. I got back on our bus, and there she appeared, one last time. I could see her pointing at her sister, and mouthing the same words to me. We drove away, and I could hardly take it. A few hours later, this entire experience really sank in. For a few dollars, a child, literally tried to sell me another human being. That moment as that little girl stared up at me with her baby sister "for sale" I realized once more, how much I have to be grateful for.

  4. Live a more fulfilled life not just by forcing yourself to "go without" but just start to be a little more aware of what you have, and appreciate it in the moment

I don't think that in order to appreciate food, you need to run off and eat curry and rice for 12 days for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert (although I won't argue you wont get that effect if you choose to do so...) On a lighter note, what I'm saying is, say a prayer of thanks when you eat a bowl of Cracklin' Oat Bran. I mean, that stuff is delicious. I could and would eat an entire box if I didn't care about all the fiber in those, and I didn't mind the inevitable repercussions of doing so--OK, I'm about to get real tangential here, but don't even get me started on talks of fiber...how grateful I am for American toilets!! ( I almost said American Potties. HAHA! Only because I had to go in a "Squatty Potty" for the past 2 weeks. (click at your own risk, to see what a squatty potty looks like.) BE AWARE, is what I'm saying here. Think about how awesome it is that I can literally communicate with anyone anywhere in the world via my smart phone. Be grateful every time you lay your head down on your memory foam pillow, or drink water from a restaurant and not have to worry whether it contains sewage or not.

5. Be grateful not only for the good in your life, but also be grateful for the bad

I often forget to give thanks to God, for the hard stuff. Sometimes it's not easy to be like "Wow, I'm so happy for this absolutely crappy situation I'm in right now. I'm gaining so much from this. I love life. Thanks!" I get it, it's so hard to do. But something I really realized tonight, is that life is sometimes good, and it's great when it is. However; "life is not meant to only be appreciated in retrospect."  I know that we've been commanded to "thank the Lord thy God in ALL things. (D&C 59:7)" I could do a little better at that one.

 

 This trip I went on, really was UN-real and yet VERY real all at once. Things that were "UN-real" to me before, in essence, became "real" to me. I'm grateful for the chance I had to witness poverty and play a small part in changing lives for the better.

 Here is one final quote from President Monson: "When we encounter challenges and problems in our lives, it is often difficult for us to focus on our blessings. However, if we reach deep enough and look hard enough, we will be able to feel and recognize just how much we have been given."

 

“… you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you, and has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another. …” (Mosiah 2:19–20.)   I found that in the Book of Mormon last night, and loved it. It inspired me to be more grateful. I love finding gems like that in the BOM.

I truly am grateful for my life, and all the blessings I have. My family and friends, but most importantly Jesus Christ. He's the reason I can even be happy in the first place. I'm very weak, but through him, He helps me to improve on my weaknesses, and become a better person every day! Happy Thanksgiving folks! 

PS, this post was inspired by my trip to Nepal, but became less and less about the deets of the trip. An actual post dedicated to the trip + Pictures will come soon :)

PS. check this out. Absolutely loved this video. It's a great one for Thanksgiving. (and no, of course I didn't get glued to watching random Mormon Messages/ for like 3 hours... ahem. no way.)

 

October was insane!!! I can't believe how many Halloween festivities I participated in this year. I love this time of year (along with every other girl in the world). I found myself wishing I were more crafty a lot this year... I think it's one of those things that maybe runs in your genes. Or, perhaps it's just something that comes along once you have your own house? Anyway, I did help dress up my niece as a bat for her gymnastics Halloween party. Check out her face paint--talk about crafty, right? right??

Another update that has happened this month, is I got a new job. Actually, I got a major promotion. I worked in Vivint's Channel Partners department for about 9 months, and really loved it. It was a great foundation for my career. I had the opportunity to travel all over and interact with amazing people. I learned a lot about myself (and I'm not just saying that). It was challenging, and it stretched me in ways that I'd never been stretched before.

However, with time I felt that it was the right thing for me to look for a new job. My top choice was to stay at Vivint. I started looking around internally, and was pretty open-minded as to what I wanted to do. I wanted there to come a point where I could make a decision, based on my options. My fear was having to just do something. I wanted to stay at Vivint, and do something that would continue to foster personal growth, and push me out of my comfort zone a bit. Fortunately, I had options. I had a few different offers at Vivint, and I was eventually able to choose what I actually wanted to do. Looking back on the whole experience, I see that it was a huge blessing, and everything really fell into place.

My new title is the Technical Recruiting Coordinator. I love how busy I am every day. It makes a huge difference when you're at work, and the time goes by quickly. I wouldn't have it any other way. Once again I can say--"I love my job." What a blessing that is.

Here we are on Halloween. Everyone was banking that we were going to win the Company costume contest. We didn't... but I still think we were a legit biker gang.

Halloween Festivities

October has always been a favorite month, but the one thing I will say is that I've always absolutely loathed going to haunted houses. Went to the Fear Factory in Salt Lake. Reeeealllly didn't want to go. Like reeeeeeeeeally did NOT want to. I'm pretty sure I had anxiety the entire day before. I can say now that I did it, and I'm glad it's over :)

Halloween party up in Logan, complete with a pumpkin carving extravaganza.

On Halloween night, we went to shoot some Zombies--it was probably the most memorable Halloween ever! What better activity could you possibly do on Halloween, that is more appropriate than that?? (maybe trick-or-treating, but we're now past that age...)

Afterward we watched some ridiculously scary movie with Jennifer Lawrence, that gave me nightmares for a week.

Trip down to St. George

A few weeks ago I went down to St. George. We stayed in a condo for 3 days, and had a blast. It was my first time to Zion's National Park. I still can't believe I've been in Utah this long, and that was my first time there! What an amazing place! We did some awesome hikes, ate good food, played way too many games, swam, and had a blast!

Gorgeous views!

 

Oh yeah, and we also went to the coolest candy store I've ever been to in my life! They had an array of entertaining edible devices. We spent at least an hour in there (I probably could have stayed for several hours longer) Stephen's Mom was enamored by the cinnamon toothpicks! haha they apparently took her on a major trip down memory lane.

Reunion with my girl Neesh!

 I love getting together with this friend! We hit up the Aggie Basketball game vs USC, and caught up on the past few months!

Jazz Game

 For our Veterans Day activity. we sat in the Vivint Box at the Jazz game. It was a great night, and it was super cool to see them honor this vet on the jumbotron!

 

 Tomorrow I get to get on a plane and go to Nepal, a 3rd world country. It will be a life-changing experience. I can't wait.

Peace out America!!!

Vivint Imagine Dragons Concert

I work for an awesome company. Vivint threw a pretty epic year-end party last weekend, with a private concert by Imagine Dragons. My long-time BFF Kim used to be "friends" with Dan Reynolds (the lead singer) and so she used her connection to get us to the Meet and Greet before the concert. Look look.  

seeeeee.

I was literally on a "celebrity high" after meeting the band, when we spotted Jef with one "F" from the Bachelorette. Kim and I freaked out, chased him down like we were 12, and came up with some ridiculous line to get a picture out of the whole thing.  We sheepishly scuttled behind him for probably 30 seconds, and eventually both got pics wtih him--we decided we had to. And look how adorable our pics are :) Thanks for the moral support Kimberly--I would have never told him I was a "huge fan" without your encouragement!  

This was by far one of the best concerts I've ever been to. It rivaled Kings of Leon that I went to back in 2009, but I think this is now my #1! They were still incredibly appreciative of their fans--which I loved--and they put their whole hearts and souls into the show. I wish I could be a rock star.

I love Vivint.

It's events like these that make me realize how lucky I am to work for such a legit company!