soul blossoms and such.

hey guys.

so this is me, right now--sitting in a coffee shop loving life. sure it's not easy right now--i have zero direction as far as where i'm going (no job ideas/offers, i could move to any city, work for just about anyone, and i'm certainly not dating anyone which always brings with a sense of anxiety for some ridiculous reason), and sometimes that's really overwhelming.

but today, instead of being overwhelmed, my soul is shining right out of my eyeballs (see picture). why?? because marcel proust said: 

“let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” that's why.

so let me count the ways in which i have soul blossoms--soul peonies, gerbera daisies, daffodils, and soul sunflowers....

1. amazing parents who support me, cry with me, send me snail mail cards with surprises, emails with endless love notes, encouragement, they pray for me and fast for me, and they make me feel like i can do anything i want.

2. old friends. a friend who brought me my favorite cupcake when she picked me up from the airport. talking with old friends on swings about life and things that are hard and put your mind in SPANX that you want to break out of...and things that are enlightening and invigorating. you know who you are.

3. new friends. new friends who have been to India and want to eat Indian food, and new friends who are interested in the same things and energize me to continue to pursue my dreams because she is pursuing her dreams!

4. and the guy at the coffee shop that sings so loudly and off-key to CCR and pink floyd. and does adorable dance moves while he's sweeping to some indie band i've never heard of. and brought me over a free drink because i've been here for hours and i told him i couldn't afford anything.

turns out, that my gratitude has been enlightening, soul-filling, and more than anything has brought me hope. melody beattie, you nailed it, whoever you are:

"gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."

mormon.org

Within my job, and more importantly among my some of my favorite things to do, I learn about social media and how to utilize it for businesses, non profits, and spreading health information. To me it is quite fascinating and growing exponentially from day to day. New groups of people are taking up texting, facebook, blogs, and the internet in general. Most organizations, when trying to market their "product," attempt to get a celebrity to market whatever it is, whether it is getting flu shots (Utah Flu Fighters), or selling perfumes. Amongst all this learning and searching for good examples, etc., the one thing has impressed me the most is: the mormon.org Web site.

The LDS church has taken up twitter, facebook, Web sites, youtube, etc. and within all of this social marketing and social media, no celebrities are involved in "promoting" the "product." What they have instead, are ordinary people's true stories of conversion. Each one is thoroughly touching, and attests to different facets of the gospel and invaluable principles in which I believe. Go check it out...

i'm kind of a big deal

okay, well not really, but i've had some fun lately. now, just to preface, this is not a bragging session, but rather a "i got to take some things off of my bucket list" session.

a couple of weeks ago, i joined the local institute choir because i heard they were singing in general conference. well, i found out that they would be singing in the CES Fireside before that, and was excited at the opportunity to sing there! needless to say it was marvelous, and "prayer is the soul's sincere desire" is now my favorite hymn due to the last four verses we never sing.

if you didn't get a chance to catch that, you can watch the broadcast here. there are quite a few times you can spot me, but in case you don't wanna watch it, i've included some still shots because i'm that vein. actually, i look funny, but hey, i got some camera time! my friend alex told me i'm a great "ooh-er." if you don't wanna watch it for me, here are several more reasons to watch it:

1. elder hales gives an excellent talk

2. prayer is the soul's sincere desire is gorgeous (starts at 7:30ish)

3. this guy (need i say more??):

well, not only did i get to be on tv for the CES fireside, but i have been on radio disney also lately. as soon as i get that clip, i'll let you know.

lastly, i got to meet carlos boozer today. this could very well be the worst picture of me ever for all time and eternity (not to mention it's my bad side!!) but who cares?? carlos' arm is around me and that's all that matters. he came for a fundraiser that was done by a local elementary school to fund one program i'm over (open airways--it's for children with asthma aged 8-11). they raised the most money, and therefore got carlos boozer at their school! (ps if you know of a school that would want to participate next year, let me know!!)

well, here are some precious pictures from the glorious event. the kids were hilarious and the girls couldn't stop giggling (and quite frankly neither could i, haha). enjoy:

Tackle the Tower!!

an awesome event......

raising money and awareness for anything lung related (lung cancer, copd, asthma, tobacco cessation, etc.)

sponsor me!

or sign you and your family up as a team

or sign up your company as a team

or sign up your friends

or sign up your relief society!

you can win TONS of prizes, raise money for a good cause, get into shape, have fun, get a free shirt and free food, and did i mention prizes??

shameless advertising, i know. but hey....

reasons why i love my job...

1. punk kids {ok they're actually adorable} who have asthma. exhibit a:

2. my office:

3. andrea, anna, emily, emily, liz, bekah, spencer, don, and craig. merry christmas from us (the first is probably the worst picture of me EVER):

4. one hour lunch breaks, which usually consist of a little of this:

and a little of this:

dear Utah Department of Health,

you. are. hilarious. paranoid. witty. under construction. one of my favorite places on earth. did i mention paranoid? your signs brighten my day every time i go there....especially the leisurely reading in the bathroom stalls.