Well considering today is Thanksgiving, I think its a good time to think of things I myself am thankful for. I decided for the month of November to write down ten things I was thankful for for that day each day in my journal. This lasted about 4 days....hahaha(got a little bit distracted and not as much journaling has been going on since a boy has entered my life..haha...I'm trying to do better though!) So I think I will make another one...albeit is definitely NOT complete!
Family
Friends
The Gospel of Jesus Christ (Truth!) and the Restoration of the truth back on the earth that was lost after the death of the Apostles.
Sunshine
Summertime
Spring
the Scriptures
A car that runs
A roof over my head
A heater
Warm bed to sleep in
A job (and I even get out at 3...its great. It makes me get up early too...which I think is good for me!)
A body that can move and breathe and eat and that works pretty well for the most part!
A head of hair (PS my aunt that has lung cancer is in remission as of this week! YESS!!!)
The Temple. Oh how much I love the temple!!
Good books!
A chance to live in this country where we have everything we need for the most part, and don't live in fear of our lives
Cell phones (how would we get along without them!!)
Texting
Good movies
Entertainment
Facebook
Computers...everywhere!
Hot running water! (oh come on, you all know at least once you didn't have hot water for one reason or another! Isn't it fantastic when we have it???)
My mother and father
The Gift of the Holy Ghost
The Atonement of Jesus Christ, without which we would not experience any real joy in this life I dont think!
A washing machine...even if it isn't IN my apartment....at least there is one nearby...and at least I have been able to pay to use it!
Neighboors!
Coworkers..the people at USH are so friendly!
Cool websites like Pintrest...
A swimming pool!
Education
BYU
Running shoes :)
....Shoes...
Cookies (especially pumpkin chocolate chip)
MUSIC!!! (it can seriously turn my entire mood around!)
Quotes from Sister Hinckley
Toilet Paper (can you imagine the alternative?) and feminine products..I dont know how the pioneers did it. Gross.
The ability to read and write.
Medical supplies (thank you medical world! You save so many lives!)
....
I could go on forever! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!
11.24.2011
11.22.2011
Dating Can Be a Challenge!
So, as many of you know, or maybe you don't know, I'm dating a mister Peter Decker. This has been going on for about 3 months now. I NEVER EVER expected to be dating him. Ever. lol. And yet I'm going to meet his family on Thanksgiving....eek! I've already met his brother and sister-in-law, and his oldest sister and her family. I'm coming to enjoy all of our game nights at his brother's house. They are pretty hilarious when you get them together....
Peter treats me really well. And this is why I like him. He's a kind person....despite his intermittent annoyances with certain people--and occassionally his annoyances with just people in general. He has a quirky sense of humor--and just the other day I was asking myself why on earth I am dating a guy who is getting distracted by listening to all the ogre and troll belching noises from some video game called Starcraft or whatever....lol...but he's very kind to me. Even if I am rude to him or critical. He's kind.
That brings me to another point. Me and Peter are both similar and very different. For example, we are both pretty stubborn. I'm not so sure this is a good thing. Haha! For another thing, we both value education and being prepared for the future. We both value intimacy in relationships (I mean, emotional intimacy...cuddling isn't so bad either :) We both come from families we love (accept his isn't all divorced and all over the place--his parents are still happily married and his siblings are happily married from what I understand...) We both like to work out and stay healthy, both want a happy family, both love the gospel...we also have both worked in facilities with troubled youth. He got his degree in Psychology, I got mine in marriage, family, and human development. So we are similary interested in people. We are also both pretty frugal--I think he may even be more frugal than me! (I admit I've loosened up quite a bit in this arena in the last couple of years) We also both moved around a lot as kids. And we work through our problems pretty well I think.
We are different in sooo many ways though as well, and this causes quite a bit of conflict between us. For example, just on Sunday, there were tons of things going on as usual. Lots of gatherings of people--ward prayer, meetings, a party after ward prayer for a sister in our ward..I wanted to go to all of them and mingle with all the people. I feel like I get socially starved during the week. Though I really enjoy my time with Peter, I really enjoy my time with other people as well. Peter, on the other hand, is more of a small-crowd person. He prefers the intimacy of one-on-one interaction or just being with close friends. He figures, I have my girl, so what is the point in interacting with all of those OTHER people that he isn't close to, and who frankly annoy him? This causes a conflict mostly because our inherent belief of why we socialize in this gospel is different. (ex: I think that we all have a responsibility to be a friend to everyone, especially at this time in our life when there are many lonely people around us who can very easily slip off the gospel path. and Im thinking we shouldn't get so annoyed with people but find things to love about them...and he's thinking, we are supposed to be focused on our family, not everyone else) We also have a very different sense of humor. He laughs at things that I think are not all that funny.....and when I tell my sarcastic jokes like "I hope you have an AWFUL day!" he calls me a jerk. haha So I get mad at him for getting so annoyed with people..and I get frusterated sometimes at how we look at things so differently (which comes from the way we were both raised I imagine). He's super nice to me and I, well, I feel like I tend to be more critical. Maybe this comes from fears? I laugh at the things that are difficult....he withdraws and feels depressed. I want to live in California, he wants Missouri. I like music that makes me want to dance, he likes music that matches his mood or that is a little more serious (and that kind of music gets me down sometimes). I am a dreamer and idealist, he is definitely not. haha. I want to play in the rain and laugh through life, and he's focused on the more serious things. (I'm not sure playing in the rain would be very fun for him...lol) He's timley and efficient and to the point, and sometimes can come across as being hard nosed and wanting to be in charge of everything. I'm like, lets enjoy the moment!
But he's so sweet! And all the people in my ward just tell me that he's "so nice". I don't even ask their opinion. They just tell me. :)
I guess this is why dating is stressful sometimes...but I imagine no matter who you date or marry, you will have differences. Trying to take two people who come from different families, backgrounds, cultures (even though we are both American, our family cultures are different) and blend them into one requires a lot of personal changing. I might have to start laughing at those troll farts (oh...forgive me...OGRE..) oh man...and I might have to start enjoying video games (which I feel suck out my brain cells) and maybe even learn to play chess (yes, my friends, he says chess is one of his passions....I guess it could be worse ;) haha) and if I marry him I'll have to get used to snoring (one of my pet peeves) lol.....
but what can I say? we are both stubborn....I just hope and pray that we can figure out a way to blend all of this together....lol!
Have an AWFUL day! ;)
Peter treats me really well. And this is why I like him. He's a kind person....despite his intermittent annoyances with certain people--and occassionally his annoyances with just people in general. He has a quirky sense of humor--and just the other day I was asking myself why on earth I am dating a guy who is getting distracted by listening to all the ogre and troll belching noises from some video game called Starcraft or whatever....lol...but he's very kind to me. Even if I am rude to him or critical. He's kind.
That brings me to another point. Me and Peter are both similar and very different. For example, we are both pretty stubborn. I'm not so sure this is a good thing. Haha! For another thing, we both value education and being prepared for the future. We both value intimacy in relationships (I mean, emotional intimacy...cuddling isn't so bad either :) We both come from families we love (accept his isn't all divorced and all over the place--his parents are still happily married and his siblings are happily married from what I understand...) We both like to work out and stay healthy, both want a happy family, both love the gospel...we also have both worked in facilities with troubled youth. He got his degree in Psychology, I got mine in marriage, family, and human development. So we are similary interested in people. We are also both pretty frugal--I think he may even be more frugal than me! (I admit I've loosened up quite a bit in this arena in the last couple of years) We also both moved around a lot as kids. And we work through our problems pretty well I think.
We are different in sooo many ways though as well, and this causes quite a bit of conflict between us. For example, just on Sunday, there were tons of things going on as usual. Lots of gatherings of people--ward prayer, meetings, a party after ward prayer for a sister in our ward..I wanted to go to all of them and mingle with all the people. I feel like I get socially starved during the week. Though I really enjoy my time with Peter, I really enjoy my time with other people as well. Peter, on the other hand, is more of a small-crowd person. He prefers the intimacy of one-on-one interaction or just being with close friends. He figures, I have my girl, so what is the point in interacting with all of those OTHER people that he isn't close to, and who frankly annoy him? This causes a conflict mostly because our inherent belief of why we socialize in this gospel is different. (ex: I think that we all have a responsibility to be a friend to everyone, especially at this time in our life when there are many lonely people around us who can very easily slip off the gospel path. and Im thinking we shouldn't get so annoyed with people but find things to love about them...and he's thinking, we are supposed to be focused on our family, not everyone else) We also have a very different sense of humor. He laughs at things that I think are not all that funny.....and when I tell my sarcastic jokes like "I hope you have an AWFUL day!" he calls me a jerk. haha So I get mad at him for getting so annoyed with people..and I get frusterated sometimes at how we look at things so differently (which comes from the way we were both raised I imagine). He's super nice to me and I, well, I feel like I tend to be more critical. Maybe this comes from fears? I laugh at the things that are difficult....he withdraws and feels depressed. I want to live in California, he wants Missouri. I like music that makes me want to dance, he likes music that matches his mood or that is a little more serious (and that kind of music gets me down sometimes). I am a dreamer and idealist, he is definitely not. haha. I want to play in the rain and laugh through life, and he's focused on the more serious things. (I'm not sure playing in the rain would be very fun for him...lol) He's timley and efficient and to the point, and sometimes can come across as being hard nosed and wanting to be in charge of everything. I'm like, lets enjoy the moment!
But he's so sweet! And all the people in my ward just tell me that he's "so nice". I don't even ask their opinion. They just tell me. :)
I guess this is why dating is stressful sometimes...but I imagine no matter who you date or marry, you will have differences. Trying to take two people who come from different families, backgrounds, cultures (even though we are both American, our family cultures are different) and blend them into one requires a lot of personal changing. I might have to start laughing at those troll farts (oh...forgive me...OGRE..) oh man...and I might have to start enjoying video games (which I feel suck out my brain cells) and maybe even learn to play chess (yes, my friends, he says chess is one of his passions....I guess it could be worse ;) haha) and if I marry him I'll have to get used to snoring (one of my pet peeves) lol.....
but what can I say? we are both stubborn....I just hope and pray that we can figure out a way to blend all of this together....lol!
Have an AWFUL day! ;)
11.11.2011
Another note on holidays....
So did anyone hear that a ton of retailers are opening their doors now at midnight of Thanksgiving night (for the Black Friday fiesta)? I'm not so sure how I feel about this. Part of me says, well sweet, I don't have to get up at 4am! Yet...the lines will be crazy, which means you probably have to leave early, like around 10, and MY family is usually still hanging out around that time. So it seems like retailers are kind of messing with our family time during the holidays. Of course, we don't HAVE to go shopping, but you know what it will look like just a few hours after you get started--everything will get picked clean!
Our world is really becoming so commercialized and focused on STUFF :( Sad!
Our world is really becoming so commercialized and focused on STUFF :( Sad!
Halloween is Over!
Well, halloween is officially over! (ok I know this post is a little late.....)
Anyways, it is now time to move into the HOLIDAYS!! Yesss!!!! Not Christmas quite yet....come on people...haha....
But when I think of Christmas I think of cheerfulness and joy. I think these are very wonderful qualities to cultimate in oneself. There is a proverb that my grandma had on her wall that said "A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance." When I think about it, some of my favorite people in my life have been those who have been full of cheer. They buey me up and give me strength to enjoy my life! My sister Courtney is one example of a cheerful person. My Grandma June. My mom at times. Some of my best friends. :)
Where does cheer come from? Well, from the mouth of Shayna, it seems like cheer comes from someone who actively seeks the good around them. They are full of gratitude and humility and see things from an optimistic perspective. They think, "How can I make someone's life great today??!" They see the good in everyone around them. (or at least they try to...) It exudes in their very countenance. It comes from several personal decisions to think of good things. When I meet the Lord face to face, I would like to think that He will be a cheerful person.
Anyways, that is my thought for the day! Let us be cheerful! :)
So...ready, set, SMILE!
Anyways, it is now time to move into the HOLIDAYS!! Yesss!!!! Not Christmas quite yet....come on people...haha....
But when I think of Christmas I think of cheerfulness and joy. I think these are very wonderful qualities to cultimate in oneself. There is a proverb that my grandma had on her wall that said "A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance." When I think about it, some of my favorite people in my life have been those who have been full of cheer. They buey me up and give me strength to enjoy my life! My sister Courtney is one example of a cheerful person. My Grandma June. My mom at times. Some of my best friends. :)
Where does cheer come from? Well, from the mouth of Shayna, it seems like cheer comes from someone who actively seeks the good around them. They are full of gratitude and humility and see things from an optimistic perspective. They think, "How can I make someone's life great today??!" They see the good in everyone around them. (or at least they try to...) It exudes in their very countenance. It comes from several personal decisions to think of good things. When I meet the Lord face to face, I would like to think that He will be a cheerful person.
Anyways, that is my thought for the day! Let us be cheerful! :)
So...ready, set, SMILE!
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