problem solved.

Who knew the pool could provide insight to my life.

More stories.

So I have to clean the public washrooms at the pool.

In the girls washroom the walls by the toilet looked like they had root beer running down them.

Gross.

Everyday I was disgusted as I cleaned the washroom.

I decided I need to take matters into my own hands and scrub the walls.

No matter what I tried though the stain stayed.

I thought this would annoy me for the rest of the summer.

But it didn't. I realized I hadn't even noticed the stains on the walls for the last month.

Which got me thinking

When does a problem cease to be a problem?

The stains were still a problem since they are still there but I no longer focused on it.

I think once we realize that a problem is out of our control, that we don't have the right tools or knowledge to solve it, we stop letting it run our lives.

There is probably somebody out there who knows what chemical will remove that stain.

With life we might feel bombarded with problems that we have no idea how to solve.

We've tried everything that we can but it remains unsolved.

Now we can either realize that it's not something we can fix by ourselves or we can make ourselveds more miserable by continuing to focus on it and pick it apart.

I'm sure there are a number of people that could help fix little problems, like the stains on the bathroom walls. But others can only be solved by our Heavenly Father.

He knows what will make us happiest and He knows how to solve our problems. Sometimes we have to realize that He is the only one that can help, that no matter what we try, those problems will still exist unless we ask Him for help.

Not going lie. It's been a tough lesson for me as of late.

But when I look back in retrospect and see his helping hand in my life I realize it all worked out okay. He knew just what he was doing and what I needed.

Good thing someone knows :)

Be a weed

From the title of this post you might be a little stunned.

Why in the world would you want to be a weed?

Flowers are obviously much more beautiful and liked by more people

So why not be a flower?

This is my reason why.

I was out golfing yesterday and we were driving on the paved golf path.

On this path there were spots where the pavement was being lifted up to form a mound.

Peaking out from these mounds of pavement were weeds.

Maybe that's not so shocking to most but it always baffles me that a weed will grow anywhere.

They grow on the tops of mountains, the grow out of concrete, it could snow in July

killing all other plant life but weeds, and it seems no matter how many times you spray

weed killer a dandelions little yellow heads pop up the next week.

Weeds are resilient.

They withstand any type of environment and condition they are placed in.

So like weeds, as a person we need to be strong enough to withstand whatever comes our way.

Trials, temptations, heartbreak, or simply a bad hair cut. We need to have

a good attitude and faith to know that things will be okay.

This week we might feel like we are dying but by next week things won't seem so bad

and we'll be able to pop our head out, just like a dandelion

So now I kind of think weeds are beautiful in their own way.

Dating 101

If you want to read some interesting opinions on the dating world on how guys see it I'd suggest reading Blaine and Ryan's blogs. Seriously take a look you won't regret it. Maybe you'll even recognize yourself in some of the experiences and behaviors they tell about. I know I did.

I guess I'll add my own little thoughts on dating. Nothing to crazy. Just an opinion that I've developed after talking to various girls and guys at BYU-I (so maybe it's just partial to BYU-I? Who knows) I have had great room mates. Really pretty fun room mates. I've been friends with amazing girls who any guy should be thrilled to just have the opportunity to talk to. But yet, they are single and don't get asked on dates. The biggest question they have is WHY?

Then I talk to boys about girls. And they will describe to me the girls they want to date and eventually marry. And what do you know?! They describe the very girls I'm friends with. So in my head it's not adding up. Then I started noticing the type of girls these guys were asking out on dates and they were NOTHING like the girls they had previously described. So I'm thinking they are the hugest hypocrites and that they don't know what they want.

After more thinking and talking I've come to this conclusion. Guys of course want the perfect girl to marry. But the thing is they will pass up opportunities to date those perfect girls because.... THEY ARE AFRAID TO GET MARRIED. Because of this they will date girls that don't have the qualities they want. Guys think they are "safe" from marriage if they do this. Then what happens? Boys date girls with qualities they didn't really like and then they fall in love and all the sudden they are married. Just what they didn't want and to girls they never thought they would've married.

So then you have girls like my room mates or other friends who are so awesome and want to get married but because of this they have a hard time landing a date. Or at least a second date with that guy. Then as girls we internalize this and think we need to be like these other girls so guys will date us. Tragedy right?

Okay that's my rant. Enjoy this poster I saw at BYU-I.

Keep Your Fork

In my effective living class the last topic we discussed was death.. Kind of depressing right? She even made us write out a life sketch of what we'd want someone to say about us if we died tomorrow and she had us plan out the day of our funeral. Can't say I particularly liked doing that but whatever, I guess if I do die tomorrow (knock on wood) people will know what songs I want sung and such. But that's not the point of this post. It's actually a lot more bright and cheery.

While talking about death she passed out this little story about a woman who was terminally ill and only had a short amount of time left to live. Her pastor came over to finalize the details of her impending funeral and she told him that she wanted to be buried with a fork in her right hand. The reason being because at the end of church socials and gatherings when people would come and clear your dishes they'd always tell you to "keep your fork" signifying that something better was yet to come. (genius right?)

So it got me thinking about my life and that I need to have this attitude. One part of my life might be coming to a close-like leaving rexburg for the summer- but something better is coming. I have a great summer at home to look forward to and after that "meal" I have Rexburg to come back to. There is no reason to be sad or depressed.

Stealing the title from Kristen Gibb's blog post "Only as colorful as you make it." (P.S. check her out, she is one of the most inspiring bloggers EVER) I put it together with Festival of colors and Life. Madison and I went to festival of colors last weekend in Spanish Fork Utah. Nobody there is dull and grey. Everyone has splashes of bright colors on their faces and clothes and you don't see too many sad faces, cause how can you be sad at such an event like festival of colors? (look it up online if you don't know what it is.)

So the point is, Life is only as colorful as you make it. Sure things might stink sometimes, but that's life and we can either dwell on that or we can try to make it into something beautiful and see the light at the end of the tunnel. I love President Monson's words "Your future is only as bright as you faith" Life is beautiful and full of color. If we have faith our futures are bright and we will realize that the best is yet to come. Sometimes being patient is hard but it pays off in the end. And going back to the beginning about death, make your life colorful! You never know when the end will be so make your life what you want it to be. Choose to act and not be acted upon, by life's events.

One word.

There is one word on my mind right now and that is all over my newsfeed. This one word is tinged with a lot of emotions. Two being happiness and accomplished. Reason being I helped Blaine Burton all week reach his goal. He deserves to hear this word. And while I am happy for other people who get the privilege or hearing this word I can't help but feel a little disappointed and uneasy? I don't really know how to describe it exactly. But one day, this word will be all over my news feed and I'll be elated much like these people are. These feelings of disappointment will be gone. One day, one word.

Congratulations. You got what I've always wanted.

What's been on my mind these last few days

*My pretzels today tasted like salmon. Not pleasant

*I hate discussion board questions. I always forget them and they don't help

*Birthday weekend= awesome. Forts, Minute to win it, Red Robin, Game nights, Ice cream and Cake. Fun friends. BOMB.COM

* Child 300 tests are ridiculous

* Blaine Burton had better win for president.

* I need a nap.

* There is no point to the Denver II and the HOME test.

* Harpers island-round 2

* Every problem isn't because of white people.

* Wind go away and let me enjoy the sun alittle

* I wish I had more time to devote to my blog.

Sorry this blog post is not very interesting or fun. Here are some pictures to spice it up.

Ryan Doesn't believe in eating vegetables. And I let him use my lap top and he left that creepy santa treasure. So I combined them and told him that's what would happen if he didn't eat his veggies. I'm going to be an awesome mom. Scare my kids to death.

De-junkify.

Before I start this post can I just say that the previous post was my 200th post? I can't believe it. I feel like an accomplished blogger. Anyway now on to what this post is really about.

I've been having some technical difficulties the last few days.

1. My iPod wasn't playing any sound, this problem defeats the purpose of an iPod.

2. My microsoft programs aren't running right. ( I open them and they shut down after a couple of minutes. Really inconvenient)

Solutions

1. I plugged it into my comp and then ejected it hoping that would fix the problem. It didn't. So i plugged it back in and the usual message popped up saying there were new software downloads available for my iPod so I thought, why not perhaps thats the problem. Before I started it said it would back up applications and other stuff. I assumed that meant it would save all my music. It didn't. I was really sad when I realized I had to re-upload all my music, bug bradaen hamilton to re-send me some music I got from him, and re-make my themed play lists that had songs pertaining to certain stages in my life. It was like a part of me had been ripped to pieces and I had to glue it back together.

2. With problem 2 it's still unsolved, but originally I thought "Perhaps I just have to much stuff on my computer. I should delete old assignments from last semester, pictures that I don't need or like and music I have never listened to." Like I said the problem is still unsolved but my computer is a little cleaner.

If any of you are still reading you may be thinking what's the point of these two dumb stories. Well this is what I've come up with. Sometimes we just need to de-junk our life. While I was super bummed all my music was gone a small part of me was happy. There isn't any music I don't like on there or have never listened to cause so far I've only put my favorite stuff back on. Therefore I love every song and never have to press the next button. I deleted a bunch of assignments that weren't really doing any good on my computer, just taking up space. They were useless to me. Same with pictures. Some were unfocused, unflattering, or of nothing. They had no purpose. It makes me think of what I fill my life up with. What is cluttering up my life and taking up important space that sometimes causes me to not function 100%? Sometimes I become so focused on all my clutter I don't see the things that are in front of my face. Does that ever happen to you, you are looking for say your debit card on your dresser that is filled with papers, books, maybe make up and jewellery and your card is sitting neatly on top of it all but you continue to search frantically unable to see what you are looking for, just everything else that is in the way. This happens to me on a daily basis. And I see it happening in my life. I'm focused on certain goals, I know what I'm looking for, or what I want. But there is tons of clutter in the way, obstructing my view and reach. I think it's time to de-junkify my life. I would like to reach a few goals while I'm still young :)

Social Norms.

I find that I'm a pretty observant person. I notice little details about the environment and things people say. In group settings I find myself sitting back and watching the way people act, or the things they say. There are 2 things I've noticed about people lately. (There was three but I've been really busy and delayed this post so I completely forgot the 3rd. If I ever remember I will blog about it)

Thing 1. People are lazy. I'm sure everyone already knows this but there is one example that really makes me laugh. Traffic goes in two directions when walking into a building through a door. Common knowledge. It's also common knowledge that there is a door designated for those leaving the building and a door designated for those entering it. Now this is what humors me. People are coming and leaving through one door, causing a traffic jam of people because everyone is too lazy to open up the other door and start that lane of traffic. I experimented with this the other day as we were going onto devotional. There are 100's of students milling about trying to get into the building and yet we weren't using all the doors. We were going single filling through 2 doors when there were 6 that could be used. I exerted some strength and pulled open one of the doors, after I did that it was amazing, everyone behind me started using it. But guaranteed if I hadn't opened the door, people would've still gone single fill through.

Thing 2. Bathrooms and unflushed toilets. I don't know if any of you men out there have this problem in the washroom. What happens is there will be a certain number of stalls, lets say 3, and there are 5 people who are in need of the washroom. The 2 stalls fill up and a girl in front of you goes to use the other one but walks back out and stand in line. Why does she do this? Because the toilet hasn't be flushed. Heaven forbid you flush someone else's toilet. Instead you are going to make everyone else wait in line because you can't flush, wait 10 seconds for it to all go down and then go to the bathroom. Maybe you are thinking there are more germs when you freshly flush a toilet. That might be so, but any other time you would've walked into the stall right after SOMEONE ELSE flushed. Am I right or am I right.

Anyway. That's all I've got.

The importance of a smile :)

Smile: It may change someone else’s Life—Dove Chocolate Promises

One of my favorite things will be when I'm walking to school and as I'm approaching someone they make eye contact and smile at me. Automatically my day is better. I feel happier and I feel like smiling at every person that walks by me. I don't even know why. Is a smile contagious just like laughter? A part of methinks so. If someone smiles at you, you automatically smile back and just smiling makes a person feel better. In my effective living class we watched a movie on "Happiness" It talked about what happiness is and what happiness isn't. Back in theolden days happiness was just a meal on the table, a child reaching adult hood, and a pump that brought water into the house. What is happiness today? How many of us think happiness is derived from a frivolous lifestyle, money, big homes and fancy cars? That's how hollywood portrays happiness, but I always wonder if they are really happy. I think once you have such a lifestyle you become complacent and you aren't happy anymore.Then your neighbor get something better then you so you think "if I get myself one of those then I'll be happy" but they find themselves in the same spot as before. They aren't happy cause they can't find happiness in the little things, the things that really matter. There are some exceptions to the rules. I've seen it before, but I don't think it's that common.

So what is happiness? I think happiness is having a friend with a shoulder to cry on whenever you need. It's walking outside and hearing the birds chirping and feeling the suns warm rays on your skin. Happiness is finding joy in the simple things. People that don't have a lot of wealth but have enough to supply for their familyare generally more happy then those that are very wealthy and those that are dirt poor. (I'm not completely bashing money)

There is so much power in a smile. If we are having a bad day we can turn it upside down with a simple move. And that's choosing to smile. Our happiness depends on how we handle situations We can laugh at the bad things that happen in our day and just appreciate that it could've been much worse. Also I don't know about anyone else but how much more fun do you have being around happy people opposed to grumpy bumps on a log? Let me tell you I've hung out with these 5 girls twice and they are the funniest happiest girls I've met on campus. They laugh so easily and make everything a joke. I haven't laughed so hard and long as I have on these 2 occasions. You can't help but love these girls. How can you not love people that are happy?!

If you have the time you should watch this video. It's kind of long as in about 15 mins worth of your time, But it's humorous and it shows you what just a few kind words can do to someone. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbk980jV7Ao

That's really all my thoughts on happiness. It's homemade, it changes people's lives, it can change yours. So SMILE and choose to be happy :)

Point made.

So a few blog posts ago I talked about girls and their issues with bodies. One point I made was that boys are a contributing factor whether they realize or intend to be. Here is a prime example.

We were at FHE and our FHE brothers had made a chip dip. It was a hamburger, cream cheese and salsa mixture and then they also had shrimp and dip. Madison, isn't the biggest fan of hamburger and hates shrimp, samantha is a vegetarian, and the rest of our room mates didn't come. So I had been the only one eating. One of our FHE brothers observes this and points it out. Another FHE brother, who thinks he is God's gift to woman and the funniest guy ever, says (pointing to Madison) that's because she's anorexic, and she's bulimic (pointing at me). Madison just kind of gasps and sits there, I try to make light of the situation and joke back by being like "Excuse me I need to use your bathroom" And the Samantha- the coolest girl in the whole world- Just looks right at him and in a condoning tone says " That was very inappropriate" James was a little taken a back that someone would actual talk back to him that way, and stuttered out that he was only joking. It was awkward for a few more seconds.

So like I said, boys have no idea what trouble they cause for us girls with our bodies and how we feel about ourselves. You have no idea what is going on in our lives. Any one of us could have a close relative, friend or ourself, that struggles with these issues. It's so inconsiderate, and it's not even slightly funny. I wish I could've been more like samantha and let James know how wrong that was for him to say. Boys can't be blamed entirely, because they generally don't have any idea, because we never tell them how it effects us. Anyway, I don't have much more to say about the topic. Other then boys need to get a clue and be more sensitive.

The end.

Om Namah Shivaya

I'm in this effective living class this year and it's kind of amazing. It helps be re-evaluate my life and what I find important, how I manage stress, how past experiences affect the present, how I can accept myself for who I am, and accept that some things are just out of my control. It's only a month in but I've really enjoyed it. The teacher is kind of a joke, she hardly REALLY teaches. Usually just shows us a video dealing with the topic or has some sort of activity. The real teaching comes once a week when a student is in charge of the 70 minute class period. Anyway, right now I'm reading about managing stress and one of the ways is through meditation. The book suggest repeating this Mantra slowly and one syllable at a time "Om-Na-Mah-Shi-Va-Ya" It means "I honor the divinity that resides within me" I thought this was pretty profound and it went along with what me and my room mate had just finished talking about. Which is Woman, the way they view themselves, the effects a mans view has on woman, and moderation. It was a great discussion. Here are some highlights that whoever is reading might find interesting and helpful. And also excuse the tangent. I hope no one feels offended.

• If a guy breaks up with, don't think it's because YOU weren't perfect enough. That if only you had blonde hair, a cuter laugh, a nicer body, got better grades, or whatever other destructive thoughts that plague us during this time. Really it's just that you weren't perfect together. You should never want to become some guys idea of perfect. Just be perfectly you and a guy will love you for being that.

• Moderation, moderation, moderation. How many times have the prophets given us this wise council? Yes you should exercise, Yes you should try and eat healthy but No you should not take this to the extreme. To exercise doesn't mean go to the gym for 2 hours everyday, it can be as simple as walking to the store instead of driving or doing an activity you like. I've rediscovered a love for dance dance revolution. It's quite the workout and it's so much fun.There are so many FUN forms of exercise you can do that don't just focus on how your body looks. Bike riding, hiking, swimming, yoga, latin dancing all those things can be done with friends and the focus is on the sport not the calories. As for eating, we all know eating McDonalds everyday isn't a good idea, but does that mean we can't have fast food once in awhile? Brownies with ice cream and hot fudge maybe isn't the best for your love handles, but aren't you so satisfied while you are eating it? You probably shouldn't have it all the time, but is it terrible to treat yourself? NO.

• BOYS>>>> I don't think my room mate and I stressed enough about the problems boys cause for girls. Yes we have to be responsible for our own actions. Boys never made us not eat, they never forced us to get a gym pass and go exercise, but they have pointed out celebrities that they think are hot, they talk about their muscles and how bad certain foods are, which makes us feel guilty for watching a 10 hour Jane Austin movie marathon while eating anything withchocolate in it. We notice the way boys look at other girls and then look back at us and the small references they make that probably don't mean much to them but they mean the world to us. I'm not trying to make any boys feel terrible, I'm just saying boys need to be a little bit more aware of how they make girls feel about themselves.

• Another point partially towards men. What you see now is not what you are going to see in 20 years and to think you will is a ridiculous notion. I've heard men say to their girlfriends they had better not gain weight or have stretch marks after having children. How disgusting is that? After the sacrifice a woman makes to have YOUR babies you expect her to be back to her pre-baby self. That is very unrealistic. And I'm sure your girlfriend doesn't ever say to you "I hope after sitting around in your lazy boy chair watching football eating the nacho's I made you never get fat" Not saying girls are more loving but guys think more carnally. It's a fact, but it can be downplayed.

• The media. It's so deceiving. I don't think anyone comprehends and realizes how much work goes into making a celebrity look the way they do. It's amazing what they can air brush, nip tuck, or make bigger. Technology has come such a long way. Perfection doesn't exist in hollywood so stop looking there.

• God made you just the way you are. He loves the way you laugh, the size of your nose, and the freckles on your face. Instead of focusing on having the perfect body how much more joy could we have if we concentrated on becoming perfect like Christ? He would love it if we spent more time working on what's inside of us then on what's on the outside. Honor the divinity which is within you.

I feel hypocritical saying all this cause truth be known I've done, thought, or still do many of the things I said not to do. But writing this post reminds me of what I should be doing, and should be thinking about myself. Hopefully it did that same for someone else out there. :)

Conversations

I love over hearing peoples conversation. This week I over heard a good one and only wish I was walking next to these girls so i could get the full story. It's pretty short, most people might not even find it that funny, but it certainly brought a smile to my face. 2 girls were walking home from a class and i just hear "and then we are going to go to President Clarke's house (the president of BYUI) and we are going to knock on the door and when he answers we are going to make out in front of him..." Now I can only hope that this is a dream the girl was having or something that they thought would be funny because I can't imagine ever in my right mind wanting to do something like that.

Also on the subject of conversation this guy in one my classes asked me if I spelt my name with a C or and S, I said C and he goes onto say. you are the first white girl I've met with the name Chanel. I come from LA and any girl with the name is chanel is black. This has been said to be a few times and is usually followed with I feel like calling you Shananae or Shanique (i have no Idea how to spell these names) But this is interesting to me because I've never met a black girl with the name chanel so where are they all hiding? Apparently they don't come to BYUI or live in cardston. Both of which are not surprising.

Not on the topic of conversation but I've had a great 2 last days after my stressful tuesday night and wednesday morning trying to get those stupid article summaries done. One of my classes got cancelled yesterday (i didn't find out till I had walked in the freezing cold and got to class. Note to self always check my email before class) and then my afternoon class was just an hour tour through the Labor and Delivery section of the hospital. Then today both my teachers weren't there for class. so we watched a 20 minute movie in each and were dismissed. How great. It's was almost like I get a 4 day weekend.

That is all.

If I could only see

What difference do I make in someone's life? I often think about this, because most of the time I feel like I don't do anything, that when someone mets or sees me their life goes unchanged and I don't make any sort of a difference. But then I stop and think about the people that come into my life briefly and the feelings I have every time I get a chance to see them. The past few days since school hasstarted I've run into a few people I've known in past semesters but hadn't seen ina year or so, or maybe just hadn't seen or talked to them as much as I would've liked to in the last while. Every time I see these people though it's the whole "my insides get all warm and fuzzy and my face instantly lights up" Number one reason this happens is usually because they recognize me and seem happy to see me again. After we share a few words I think about them for the rest of the night and how much it meant to me that they took a few minutes out of their day to give me a hug and catch up on my life. They don't know that the smile I wear the rest of the day largely results because of seeing them. Or the happiness and the way Iview the world that day is because of something they said. Words and expressions are so powerful and can really shape a person. So in turn, this gets me thinking about what peoples thoughts and feelings are after we depart. Are they the same as mine? Do they feel worse or just the same after seeing me. I would hope so much that they feel just a little bit better and their day is just a little bit brighter. Also there are those people who we've just met. What impression do I leave on them? Sometimes I feel like I'm a little to much of a pessimist or I have strong opinions or judgements that might scare people. Nothing makes me happier then when down the road I run into or receive an email or text from that person I met days, months, or years ago and they say something sweet. Like

*You made me want to try harder in class and be better because that's what you did.

*Your always happy when I see you, so it makes me want to be happier.

* The first time I met you I could tell you were confident and knew what you wanted in life.

* You were such a good example to me.

* I love that you aren't afraid to speak your mind and that you have opinions. I never had to wonder what you were really thinking.

* You're a mormon? That's why you are so nice.

All of this stuff is done on an unconscious level and I never think twice about it. But what I've come to realize is, is that it's the small stuff that really does matter. It's the little things we do, that come naturally to us, that change and effect people's lives. "By small and simple things shall great things be brought pass" I know that sometimes I'm going to forget but I'm going to try and do the small things that might change a persons day. A smile, a hug, or a hello how are you doing? (and then actually taking the time to stop and see how they are really doing.) are just a few of the small things. I'm going to end with a quote and a few words about it.

In 5 years I'm probably not going to remember everything a person has said to me or every nice thing they ever did for me, but I will be able to remember the way they made me feel. I hope when they think about me they feel all warm and fuzzy and a smile crosses their face.

Head Nod Hello

I'm sure many people can identify with this form of hello. It's usually done by guys to other guys. This is the problem I have. Is when I'm walking and there is a guy in front of me who looks like he is looking right at me, he then gets a little smile on his face and gives the little head nod. Naturally I feel flattered and also start thinking do I know him? I review the last few classes I have and the guys in my ward and just as I'm realizing no I don't know him. I hear him say "sup mike" and I realize that he is looking and smiling at the guy directly behind me. Then I feel lame because I've got this stupid bewildered smile on my face and have been staring into their eyes trying to figure out if I know them. I just hope guys are as oblivious as they sometimes are and don't realize that my stupid smile was geared towards them.

que sera sera

I kind of love this saying. In case you few readers that take the time to actually read my blog don't know what that means I'll state it in english, "whatever will be will be" It's a name of a song. It also goes onto say in the song "the future's not ours to see" Perhaps one can now understand why a person might love those words. I've found that life sometimes just doesn't go the way I want (this has been a recurring theme in my blog posts) but it's pretty pertinent to my life.

For example: my classes. I got a few that I've wanted but for the most part my schedule is just not working out the way I would like and it makes me a little frustrated. If I can't find 14 credits worth of classes to take I can't get my scholarship. it's not really okay, but que sera sera.

There are many other que sera sera aspects in my life. But there isn't anything I can do about it. The future's not mine to see. I just have to be patient and let things play out the way they are suppose to. Perhaps the Lord doesn't want me to take these certain classes because if I did I wouldn't met certain other people in different classes. Who knows. It's just the way it is and I might as well get used to it.

On a little side note. My new favorite old hollywood starlet is doris day. She just happens to be the one who sings que sera sera. I watched about 6-7 doris day films over the holidays. I just love her shows. My favorites are move over darling, calamity jane, bring me no flowers, and pillow talk. I'd recommend watching them. She is hilarious. Words are not needed to express

how she feels, her face says it all. She is also a very strong womanly character. Guys don't generally walk all over her in the films. She definitely gets even. Isn't she lovely?

On a serious note.

I've started a collage journal. One of my room mates does it and it intrigued me so I've started and I think it's really cool. While browsing through a magazine I found this quote that has caused me to think a long a few different lines.

"When a woman becomes her own best friend life is easier"

How true is that? When you don't like yourself nothing seems to go right. You don't treatyourself as you should and in turn you don't have other people treat you as they should. You think you deserve less then you really do.

Too many women today try to fit into what society wants. We strive to be some perfect person and go to extreme lengths to achieve it. We try to be as skinny, as beautiful, and as desired as the hollywood stars. But the fact is we won't ever get there and why would we want to? They aren't even HAPPY!

We should strive to become the women God wants us to be. And that starts with loving ourselves and viewing ourselves the way God does, as his precious daughters. He doesn't care about our dress size, the zits we have on our face, or the size of our nose. He cares about how we treat ourselves and others. He cares about the service and love we give to ourselves and to those around us.

To sum up, Life won't ever be easy, but it doesn't have to be as hard as we sometimes make it. So do yourself a favor and take a good look in the mirror and tell yourself how awesome you are and how much you love that you are you. Write a list of why you are fabulous.Treat yourself to a spa because you deserve it. Count your blessings. Smile more and never take a day for granted. Become your own best friend and wait and see how life becomes a little easier.