You name that movie!

Day 21
Today I am grateful for my sister in law, Felicia. She is one fun lady! Felicia and my brother started dating while I was on my mission, and I remember that I was a little nervous about it. I wrote Felicia a letter telling her how much I was loving my mission, how wonderful missions are, how much a mission teaches you, how a mission changes you, how awesome missions are...catching a theme here? I wanted to encourage Felicia to go on a mission, just to give me some time so that I could get to know her. Luckily, she didn't heed my advice!
When I got back from Bama she was there at the airport waiting for me with my family, and though she wasn't expecting it, she got a big hug! Since then she has been like a second sister to me. We have fun sister dates eating pizza and watching movies-we even love the same movies! Our first bonding moment was in St. George two years ago at a little store looking at jewelry. Felicia said something like "I'm just here for the food." I told her to name that movie, and she looked at me with a challenge in her eye and said "You name that movie!" That's when we knew that we were meant to be sisters!
Felicia is so much fun, and I am so grateful that she is now part of my eternal family!

She ain't crazy, she's my Mother!

Day 20
Today I am thankful for my Mother. Just in case you didn't know, she's amazing! My Mom is a woman so full of love for her family, and she works so hard to make us happy. Today I got to watch her as she and my Dad prepared a Thanksgiving feast for our family. My Mom likes to make things homey and fun, so we got holiday themed rugs in the kitchen. I love sweet potato soufle with pecans on top, so she made it. My nephew is allergic to milk, so she made him special mashed potatoes with soy milk. We celebrated my nephew's 2nd birthday tonight, so she made sure to have cupcakes and candles ready for him (on top of 3 pies that were brought) so we could celebrate. And her crowning moment for the night-surprise family pictures. My Mom is super amazing, and I am so thankful for all that she teaches me. She might be crazy, but she's my crazy! Here's to the b-e-s-t best of all the r-e-s-t rest moms!
Love,
Tinkerbelle
oops-I meant Manda...I get them confused! :)

The Young Shepherd and the Nativity

Day 19
Today I am thankful for the spirit of the temple. I love going to the temple and taking the "long way" to get there (meaning I walk all around inside Temple Square before actually entering the temple). As I walk I love to just enjoy the sweet spirit that resides on those sacred grounds. It's truly a special place. As I was walking today I found myself walking in-step with a young man. I was off in my dreamy temple-land, so I didn't really notice until he asked me where the entrance to the temple is. I politely pointed it out, and continued walking. I don't know who initiated the rest of the conversation, but for the next few minutes we talked. It was fun. It was his first time going to the SLC temple, and he was there for a friend's wedding. I told him that I really enjoy watching the happy couples come out, and how it makes me laugh a little to see these brides in short sleeves. In Utah. In November. As we reached the main entrance to the temple the young man thanked me again for helping me, and held out his hand. "I'm Lamoni, by the way." My heart smiled. Lamoni and his father are two of my favorite characters from the Book of Mormon! I gave Lamoni my name and we parted ways. Lamoni really helped to set the spirit of the temple for me-unity. As I worshiped today I felt a sense of unity not only with the women whom I was doing the work for, but of the temple workers as well. I saw so many familiar faces too, which added to my feelings of unity.
Upon exiting the temple I was feeling so blessed, peaceful, and full of joy, I didn't want it to end. I gave a little prayer asking to be guided to where I needed to be (hoping that perhaps I would run into Lamoni again...) and started to walk around. Temple Square has all of their lights up for Christmas, and I enjoyed walking around looking at the set-up. (I was there in the afternoon, so no lights for me.) I was drawn to a Nativity scene by the North (?) visitor's center. I saw a little girl in the scene area, dusting off the sheep. A little shepherd in the making! It was really sweet to see her dutifully sweep the snow off of each lamb. As I reflected on the efforts of this young shepherd I found myself gazing on the centerpiece of the Nativity-Mary and Joseph holding their baby, Christ the Lord. It was such a powerful and profound moment, from the feelings of the temple and temple grounds, to the little girl shepherding, to this depiction of our Savior. I don't even know how to put it into words! I was so full of emotion, and I could have stood there all day.
In a little manger our Savior started out His humble life-a life that was lived and spent for the sake of human kind. Because of His life I can have a day like today, full of the temple and the sweet spirit. Because of His life I know that we are all children of God, and that we will all be united with Him again one day. All things are possible through our Savior Jesus Christ, something that He proved to us with His own life. What a great day!

I'm going to say it- TGIF!

Day 17
Today I am thankful for the tender mercies of the Lord in everything that we do. Lately I've been keeping a really close eye on what I eat (school lunch=no bueno! I put on an absurd amount of weight in 3 weeks by adding 2-3 days of school lunch per week!) and trying to get to my goal weight. When I got home my Dad asked if I was making dinner, to which I readily agreed. I had been pondering something light when I saw that he had already taken out some meat-hamburger. I asked what he had planned for it, and discovered that it was all up to my imagination. I decided on tacos-sort of healthy, right? A little meat and cheese, lots of veggies and salsa...sounded good to me! As I started to cook the ground meat I noticed something peculiar about it-it was light, and stayed light even after cooked! It was ground turkey! So much better than ground beef! I smiled as I cooked, knowing that my Heavenly Father is mindful of all that I do, and that my prayers to help me take control of my weight again were not going unanswered! *Note* I'm not sure how the ground turkey came to be-it's not a staple in our house, but I'm not complaining!

Day 18
Today I have so many things that I am thankful for, it's hard to chose just one! This might be another cliche thought, but I am honestly thankful that it is Friday. Monday and Tuesday were two very difficult days to get through, Wednesday was full of trepidation and homework, Thursday still found me on pins and needles, and finally today it's Friday and the start of the weekend. My week has gotten progressively better, but the relief of being able to take a break from work is like having a huge weight taken off of me. It was funny to note at work today that everyone was ready for it to be Friday-we had all fought through the week! I know that my battles this week have left me ready for a mini-vacation and some much needed rest. Not having to worry about what tomorrow will bring at work because there is no work tomorrow is wonderful. Plus, it's snowing and looking like a winter wonderland. Life is good!

Lessons from the King

Day 16
Today I am thankful for Elvis. Yes, I really did just write that I am thankful for Elvis! Here is why: today I was driving home from work and listening to the radio (my Christmas music stations, of course!) when Elvis started singing "Here Comes Santa Claus." Lately I've noticed in the older versions of classic Christmas songs that God is mentioned a lot. This song is no exception "Santa Claus knows we're all God's children and that makes everything right...Peace on earth will come to all if we just follow the light, so let's give thanks to the Lord above..." Sounds a little out of place in a song about Santa Claus, but somehow it works!
Listening to Elvis sing about us all being God's children took me back to Tupelo, MS, and the awesome P-day when I got to visit the Elvis Presley birthplace. They have Elvis' home and church where he first sang. When you take the tour you get to watch a video in the church that portrays how Elvis started out singing gospel music. This set me off to thinking about how Elvis was from the South, and in the South God IS life. He is not a part of your life, literally He is your Life. That was one of the things that I loved about the South-how abundant God was, and how no one was afraid to talk about Him, and most especially-that people actually knew God like He was their friend. They shared a close, personal bond with the Lord, and knew that everyday came from Him.
Thinking about this I came to the conclusion that I want to be more like that in my life. Coming home from the South had me in that mindset, but having lived in the West for almost two years now I have lost sight of that. I live in a predominantly LDS (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) culture, but it's not the same as the South. God is reverenced and worshiped in a completely different way, and that experience has added to my life greatly. I have caught sight of that vision again. The King of Rock and Roll has helped me to turn my sights to the King of Kings and Lord of Hosts. So thank you Elvis, for reminding me what is most important in life, and helping me to remember my Friend.

C*R*A*Z*Y!

Day 15
Today I am so thankful for all of the support staff at work. Hooray for them! Today I had a situation where I realized that I no longer had control, and it was a relief to know that I was not in it alone. Thanks to the fantastic help of the support staff we got things back under control and rolling smoothly. Life can get really crazy, really fast, and it's nice to know that there are always people around to help ease the crazy. I am so blessed to know that this is true, not matter what and no matter where. Crazy seems to follow me like a shadow (hence the title of this blog!) and can strike at any moment. Sometimes it's funny crazy, sometimes sad crazy, sometimes out-of-this-world crazy, and even just crazy-crazy. When crazy does happen I know that it will all turn out, just like it always does! So here's to the craziness of life, and all of the crazies who help me with my own crazy!

Made it Monday

Day 14
Today I am thankful for fresh starts. Finding something to write about today has been a little hard. Today wasn't a horrible day, it just wasn't a fantastic day either. Thus, I am thankful for a fresh start tomorrow. Tomorrow doesn't have to be like today, and I've learned things today that will help me be better tomorrow. The lessons of the past prepare us for the future. I'm looking forward to a Terrific Tuesday!