"Best" in Friend

Today was one of those days
where you just want to
put on sweats,
you don't care about your hair one bit,
curling up with a book is the only thing
to keep me sane,
and chocolate would satisfy my soul
with most definite, positive results.

"Sigh"-Gypsy

Do any of you have
a person in your life
that fills every day with
sunshine?
They put the word
"merry" in Christmas
and "happy" in birthday.

They put "hot" in chocolate
and "bubble" in gum.
They put "sun" in set,
and "friend" in ship.

They simply make you smile.

They make any occasion
ten trillion times better
just with their presence.

You can't help but think,
"if they were here,
I would feel so much better".

Even though I miss them...
I am so grateful for this moment
because it makes me realize
just how much I
genuinely...
truly...
and unmistakable..

CARE.

Miss you, Chaddy.

Love always,
Little Besty

Listen

A few days ago,
my Daddy
made me a hamburger.

It was goooood.
Not because of the
savoring juices
that oozed from the meat,
but because I found
out later he was supposed
to eat the burger himself,
but he gave it to me instead.

With that in mind,
the awesomeness
continues.

I sit down at the table
and my dad stays
and talks with me.

I had just gone to the temple
and told him all about it
and how much I had learned,
and he went on to tell me
about incredible stories
and lessons he learned
while working in the temple
for 10 years.

I love spiritual talks with me dad.
He is so knowledgeable
and has an intricate perspective
on principles and life.

He mentions how
a lot of his life lessons
and answers to prayers
have come years later...
and then it all makes sense.

Sometimes...
it takes time to understand
what you're going through.

And when you look back...
it all begins to make sense,
right?

Yes.

Then my Daddy started
talking about prayer.

My mom and dad are currently
the Family History people
in my singles ward,
which is super sweet
because I still get to go to
church with them every week!

Anyway.
So the Elder's Qu. Pres.
of my ward
challenged the men
in his priesthood lesson
to pray for 15 minutes.

You'd be surprised how long
that really is.

My dad told me about his
experience doing what the Pres EQ
had asked,
and then he began to realize
something.

What do you do
at the end of a prayer?

I'm thinking,
"Say amen".

My answer is true,
but not what my dad
was looking for.

"Ally, what are you
doing right now as
I'm talking to you?"

"I'm listening."

Ah.

*"Listen"*

How many times
have I prayed and hopped
right in bed?

Do we realize that
answers and feelings
of comfort and strength
could come from our Father
and Savior, instantly?

I've asked in sincere prayer...
now am I listening for an answer?

Do we realize, as well,
that prayer is a
two-way conversation?

Working on this
in my prayers this week
as been one of the
most sacred experiences
in my life.

I've practiced listening
in my prayers
since I was young,
but to really focus on it
is making such a difference
in my life.

It's amazing what words
and advice can come from
Heavenly Father when I
listen for it.

Try it.
Give Him a chance
to be there for you.

Have a fantastic
memorial day weekend!


Love always,
Little Besty

Fail

My link
decided not to exist.

So,
let me just give you
the name of the song
that I mentioned in my
previous post.

Whole Wide World
by Mindy Gledhill.

*Love*

The music video
rocks even more.

Have a great day!

Love always,
Little Besty

Flutters

I feel like I'm slightly bi-polar.

The day starts out with rockin'
some carrots and grape juice.

I finish off the weekly letter
and want to cry-happy tears
concerning the spiritual
realizations I discovered that week
that were etched upon the paper
in the envelope.

Moments later
I have to slap myself
for lashing out at my
wonderful mother.

Wha?
Ally, where did that
come from?
She didn't do anything
to me...
why did I do that?

I know I have to go
make it better,
so I agree to journey
with her on her errands.

:)Happy mommy.

Then I'm hungry.

Then I feel like I need
to sleep forever.

Then I stare in boredom.

Then I feel so happy
about being in another musical
this summer that I dance around.

I get in the car
and get sooo excited
about a new idea I have
to help express how much
I care about someone.

Let me hear a Huzzah
for brilliance!

Then I get shy.

Then I can't stop talking.

Then I feel like I'm gonna
be a loner for the rest of my life.

Then I get excited about
decorating my future home.

Then I get a wee flutter
of frustration.

Then I am brought to
utter silence.

Then I sit on furniture and
want to tear it open.

Then I want to go lay in the rain
and dream.

Then I cut hair and feel
satisfied....

And now I'm here.
See?
Bi-polar.

My poor husband.

I just need to breathe.
Hmmmmm...

And this song helps
me do so.

Thanks Mindy
for calming my
fluttery heart!

"All is Well"

Love always,
Little Besty

Domestic Woman

So, I have a dream.
And it's pretty rad.

Become
a sweet-awesome
domestic woman.

What does these mean?

It means when I say
"I do"
to the greatest man alive,
I will be able to sew clothes
for the children.
I will have fantastic {and cheap} meals
on the table the first week
of our marriage, and forever.
I can say I bought an old dresser
and fixed it up to show it's true beauty.

I will know how to clean everything.
I will know about the plants in our garden
and know how to help them grow.
I'll know how to take care of a child.
I'll know how to pay the bills
{though my hubbie will greatly be assisting me}.

I will play with my children...
have annual mud-fights
and pillow fights...
and they will know
their mommy and daddy loves them.
I'll shower them with kisses
and make lunches...each different
to meet their needs.

And above all,
I will teach my children
the remarkable gospel of Jesus Christ.
They will know how much Heavenly Father
and Christ love them.
My husband and I will create a
"heaven on earth"
for our beautiful children.

***

With dreams
comes a lot of hard work
and "enjoying the scenery"
along the way.
{if you don't believe me,
watch Princess and the Frog};)

With the amazing help
of the Young Women Recognition Award,
I have had opportunities to learn how to
sew, cook, organize, and even budget.

So I'm not starting from ground zero. :)

Some of my projects this summer
to help me prepare for marriage
a household of babies, and develop
this young woman before you
are as follows:

*Fix any repairs for my clothing.
{College? I fixed a skirt, sewed on buttons,
patched my friend's jeans, and reconstructed
sandals. Boo-yah.}
-I'm working on a shirt right now!
I removed an unwanted ruffle
and am putting some lace on it.
Sweet.
*Sand down and repaint a desk
I bought at DI for college and my future home,
and do some crafty- mod podge on the drawers.
*Help the garden. Weed. Make name-tags for plants.
*Continue to help my mommy in cooking.
I can't believe how much I've learned
even in the past two weeks!
*Job. Budget. Period.
*Continue to write down ideas
of traditions/tips for my future fam.
*Recipe box
*Shoes? Old? Whatev. I'll make them
shine once again!
*Finally finish the scrapbook for my
Best Friend that I promised would be done
after the mish.
*Zumba


And there are many more.
The list is continual.
I refuse to be a newly wed woman
and have no idea what I'm doing.
It just AIN'T gonna happen.

I'm on my way...
doing all I can to reach
my destiny
as a domestic woman.

Little Besty
is livin' the dream.

Love always,
Little Besty

*Sigh!*

I just have to mention
that waking up
to your mommy holding a
scented letter to your nose
is completely wonderful.

*Breathe in*, *Sigh!*

Ah. Talk about a
manly, missionary smell!

I could definitely live with that
wake up call for quite some time.

Gooooood morning, Highland!!!

:) Hope you have a fantastic friday!

Love always,
Little Besty

Divine

For the past few days, I've been working on a Mommy Day program for the women of my Grandma's rest home. I always love putting together musical programs/firesides of such a nature, and have found continual joys and treasures in this project. Reasons why? Let me share::

1} I get to choose songs, which leads to my "dream of one day singing that song in a public setting" fantasy to come true. I've wanted to sing two of the songs I put in the program since I was a sophomore in high school. E-o!

2} I find little treasures...different ways to attempt a song that makes it unique and quite beautiful. Who knew adding ukelele could make a primary song even more exquisite than it already is.

3} The last two programs I've put together have involved women. Therefore, I've done a lot of soul searching on what I could say to women and mothers alike that would lift their spirits. Lots of prayer goes into these things.

4} I simply get to share my passion.

For centuries, the world has told women what they should be and how they should look.

*"You have to look gorgeous 24/7."
*"You need to make gourmet meals every day."
*"You have to be the perfect homemaker. Sewing, baking,
laundry, feeding kids properly, doctor, dishwasher, party guest..."
*"You need to be on an constant diet and exercise like crazy."

"Be what the world wants"

I'm here to tell you that all the worldly fantasies of a women are simply not real.

I may not be a mother {yet ;)}, but I have felt the pressure of what a woman should be, according to the world. I'm human, folks. Who can blame me. However, a bright, beautiful day came where I woke up and thought:

"I don't care what anyone else things of me. I only care what Heavenly Father thinks".

And all my worldly worries went away. I didn't have to have name brands. I didn't have to have the make-up they advertized on TV. I actually liked the days I didn't wear make-up. Let's just say I had a day where I had to pull out the sweats-it was totally fine-and I felt beautiful. I loved my body. It all came together...simply because I understood His love for his daughters.

I'm glad I learned this valuable lesson before I became a mother. Now I know the most important aspect of a mother is that they love their children unconditionally and do whatever it takes to keep the family protected. I am bringing up Heavenly Father's special spirits that He has intrusted to me. Therefore instilling the message of how much Heavenly Father loves them in vital to my little kiddies.

Bottom-line, I am not the world. I am a daughter of my Heavenly Father and He will give me the tools and inspiration I need to be a good mommy and a divine woman of God.

This opportunity to put together this program for women has been superb, and I look forward to the next couple days while I'm putting on the finishing touches.

Love always,
Little Besty

Anew

With only a few hours left in Cedar,
I bid it farewell.

There have been days of sunshine and laughter.

And also those of tears and heartache.

I cannot begin to express the changes
I have been through as a woman of God
in this little city.

Appearing here with a spiritual confirmation
to back me up
and lots of bean & bacon soup,
I began my journey as a college student.

I truly began to change
when I let everything go.
Back home and my past.

I believe we can cling to our precious
memories of the past,
but we must press forward and do hard things.

Hard things like starting all over
at a college where I am all alone.

All I had to comfort me were
Husband {my stuffed animal gorilla},
Little Eddie {my little monkey},
some pictures,
and my beloved Savior and Father.

It's a journey.
And a journey isn't easy...
but it's worth it.

I end this chapter of my life,
and begin anew...
with a fresh page to fill.

I dip my pen
in the awaiting ink...


And so begins
The Summer of 2011.

Love always,
Little Besty