Thoughts that probably only make sense to me :)

Apparently I'm really good at this whole two posts a month thing....ha ha ha. :)

Sigh.

Sorry, blog.

Something that has been ringing true in my life lately is the notion that everybody is different from....everybody else. :)

Well, duh.

Honestly though, I think people forget that and they expect that other people are going to appease them when in all reality everyone is so different it's hard to be appeased!

Appeased is a weird word.

I'm one of my only friends in all of my groups of friends that has a boyfriend. Jeff and I have two friends that are seriously dating, but preeeeetty much other than them....we are it.

Therefore, I have lots of girls and guys alike that come and talk to me about their problems! Ha ha. Even back in high school is seemed like I was the psychologist of my group of friends, and well, that hasn't really changed.

It's weird though, because I feel like since I'm dating Jeff people think I have more knowledge to share. I guess that's part of dating is trying to cultivate the relationship you have and if you're constantly doing that, then you'll understand things better.

At church today we had a 2 hour discussion with everyone in the ward about dating. Ha ha ha ha ha! It was really funny, but really really good at the same time. I commented a lot.....

I think the main reason I spoke up so much was because I knew that I didn't want to date any of the guys that were there cause....I'm dating Jeff....and so I just spoke honestly and openly about what I thought. I think that's harder for girls that are "on the market", as it were, because they are afraid they will appear un-marketable (?) if they say anything wrong? I actually had some guys come up to me after and thank me for all of the "mature" comments that I had made.

Let me just say this though....I don't think I'm mature. I honestly don't! Actually having a relationship is hard work and I mess up a lot! Granted, Jeff and I are really honest with each other so we are still together and in love, but really...it's hard work and most of the time it's hard being mature.

I think that's one of the fundamental things that single people don't understand - that having a relationship is hard. Everybody wants to be dating and everybody wants to be in love....which is awesome! But lots of young single adults don't realize that it takes effort and sacrifice.

I'm pretty sure that's why so many of my friends come to me and toil over their dating lives or their lack of dating lives, because they want it so bad that they don't realize all of the deeper meaning behind it all. (that maybe if they had said boyfriend or girlfriend they would have to face bigger challenges! :) )

There was a girl in my ward that was talking today about the different stages....the "good, better, best" parts of a relationship and she said you can equate "good, better, best" with "interest, attention, sacrifice". I think that's so true! So so so true.

Jeff sacrifices and does a lot for me and that's how I know that we have a good relationship. I guess I do stuff for him sometimes too, but he's much better than me! This is the part of my blog that I'll probably leave a lot out and hopefully write later for a much more private journal (ha ha ha ha), but really sacrifice is a huge part of a healthy relationship.

So yeah, that's just been on my mind lately because I've had lots of friends who are struggling with that, I suppose.

Everybody is different, but I guess in the end a lot of things about relationships has to be the same. People have to be willing to sacrifice to make things work....they have to be willing to be open and communicate! It's just interesting to think about. We had all of the people in our singles ward today discussing lots of different things and we are all SO different personality wise, but when we really started discussing the fundamental things about dating it was like we were all the same person/people.

I'm grateful for the Gospel and the people in it. It's truly a blessing to have so many people that believe in the same values as yourself.

I'm a very lucky girl. I have a wonderful boyfriend! I have lots of friends that go to far away universities that have been getting engaged recently and I often wonder how they can be so happy when they aren't with my boyfriend....? Is that selfish? No.....it's a reality! I really do wonder that!

The whole ranting about open communication and sacrifice thing that I just did is true, but for some reason it comes easily for Jeff and I. Ha ha ha! I probably just jinxed us. Yay....

Jeff really does make my life easier, though. He makes things happier and better and all around great! And that's kind of hard to do considering the fact that I'm a really optimistic person in the first place!

I really love life right now. Sometimes it's hard to be patient about the future, but all together life is moving along beautifully.

Well, my whole going to the temple twice a week thing has slowly been dying lately. It's kind of hit and miss. Hmmmm... yeah! I've been trying to go with Jeff as much as I can and then I'll try to go alone once a week still, but it's been a tad difficult! I truly do know that Satan doesn't want us at the temple because it seems like sometimes ridiculous things get in the way of me going.

I did go yesterday though and had a good experience. I really don't know where I would be without the temple. I wouldn't be as happy as I am. Truly. I definitely wouldn't have the testimony that I do without it!

My friends and I went to Vernal the other week and it was way fun! There were 9 of us that went and my sweet boyfriend drove the whole time! Geez....he must really like me or something. It was about 3 hours each way! It was fun just being with all of the people that came! It's comforting to know that I have friends that love the temple like I do and that want to go and participate in the wonderfulness! I really am grateful for good friends.

There was a sweet spirit at the Vernal Temple. I guess there is always a good spirit at all temples, but I guess just the way that we set up the day and had fun together and we were all there for the same purpose, it just left me with a wonderful spirit.

Now I just need to go to the Provo Temple and I'll have done baptisms in all the Utah temples. Crrrrrazy! Hopefully I'll do that before the end of the year.

I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for all of His children and He wants us to be happy. I know that He makes us be patient, because in the end the virtue of patience that we learn really does make us happier.

I'm grateful that I'm in the family that I'm in, that I was sent to be with them and be blessed by them. I'm grateful that my Father in Heaven has sent me people to be with now, like Jeff, that I can grow with and find true happiness with. This life is all about timing and I know that God times our lives in such a way that is perfect for us. We have our agency and we choose what path we are going to be on, but Heavenly Father throws in the blessings and trials needed for whatever path we choose to take.

‎"We all face dangers and hardships, but there will be angels round about you, to bear you up. They will sustain us as we carry our earthly burdens. Often in our lives, those angels are the people around us, the people who love us, those who allow themselves to be instruments in the Lord's hands."
-Susan W. Tanner