The Cleaning Tornado

When I was little, I used to get in these "moods" where I felt like I wanted to clean and organize everything. My mom loved these moods. And, I admit, I did too. To make it even more fun, I would write, "The Cleaning Tornado!!" on a piece of paper, punch a few holes, string a ribbon through them and hang the sign around my neck. I would then run throughout the house, putting away toys, socks, games, trash, and anything else I came across.

Though it's been years since I've made myself a sign, the cleaning tornado is back in business!

And it's got a plan.

I suppose I got bit by the cleaning bug. Or maybe it's that I'm just plain strange. But in either case, let me tell you, there's some intense self-satisfaction that comes from scrubbing counters for hours, throwing out 12 bags of trash and junk, and especially seeing the reaction on mom's face when she sees my latest cleaning accomplishment. It's honestly been a blast!

Plus, it's been keeping me busy. I mean, let's be real, here. If I weren't cleaning all the time, I'd probably be doing something stupid, like playing pokemon or laying spread-eagle on the floor moaning, "I'm booooooreeeed!!!" (which I have been known to do on occasion.) Instead, I get to listen to jazz music for hours at a time whilst being productive! What better way to kill three weeks than to clean the house spotless?!

The Man Who Thinks He Can

If you think you are beaten, you are,
if you think you dare not, you don't,
If you like to win, but think you can't,
It's most certain you won't.
If you think you'll lose, you're lost,
For out of the world we find,
Success begins with a person's will-
Its all in a state of mind.
If you think you are outclassed, you are,
You've got to think high to rise.
You've got to be sure of yourself  before
you ever win a prize.
Life's battles don't always go
to the stronger or faster man
but sooner or later the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can!


-Walter D. Wintle, The Man Who Thinks He Can

The Warning Label

I think people should come with warning labels.
Neatly printed and handed out on street corners, and left in the practice rooms, and scattered over various sidewalks and apartment complexes. Better yet, we should all have a warning label taped on to our foreheads or worn on one of those, "Hi, my name is..." stickers.

Mine would probably say something like:

Hi. My name is Brittney
I'm slightly insane
a little neurotic
an avid over-thinker and
a musician at heart.
I tend to be indirect, insecure, and inconsistent,
but I'm also the best person I've ever been, as of today.

So let's be friends.
Life can only get better!
But just a warning: being friends is for forever.

Dear Sister Theurer,

"You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

You are assigned to labor in the Virginia Richmond Mission.

It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 18 months.

You should report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on Wednesday, July 3, 2013. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the English language."

I'm not eloquent or inspirational,

but I just want to reach out through this screen and hug every single person who reads this.

I feel so much love, for me, for you, for my family,  for the Lord, for my friends in Virginia.

I am so grateful to serve,

and I can't wait to go out there and give it my ALL.

My heart, might, and strength.

:)

Every day.

yep this made me laugh. so relatable.

Anyways. . . 

Finding Friends / / I Hope They Call Me On A Mission

Last night, it was 11 pm, and though I was tired, I did not want to go to bed. Now, normally, when I procrastinate my bedtime, I start feeling spiritually down, because surfing the web and checking social media does not bring the spirit, and neither does being tired beyond rationality. But last night, strangely enough, I did not have that feeling.

I was looking through some blogs I hadn't read before and I chanced on this one. Written by Emilee, it is one of the sweetest and inspirational blogs I've read. The atmosphere invited the spirit, and I found myself feeling uplifted as I read occasional spiritual thoughts and missionary experiences. 

Then, I came across a post which had copy/pasted this story. It's about missionary work. It's also about love.

Read this:

"The following event took place in a ward in Salt Lake City in 1974. It occurred during a sacrament meeting and was told to me by a Regional Representative of the Twelve who was in the meeting. A young man, just before leaving on his mission stood in sacrament meeting and bore in essence the following testimony:

Brothers and Sisters, as you know, the past two weeks I've been waiting for my mission call. During the time I was waiting I had a dream. I knew it was not an ordinary dream. I dreamed I was in the pre-existence and awaiting my call to come to earth. I was filled with the same anticipation and excitement that I had before I received my mission call. In my dream I was talking to a friend, and I felt a special closeness to him, even though I've never met him in this life. As we talked a messenger came and gave me a letter. I knew it was my call to go to earth. In great excitement my friend and I opened the letter. I gave it to him and asked him to read it aloud. It said: "You've been called to earth in a special time and to a special land. You will be born to the true church and you will have the priesthood of God in your home. You will born into a land of plenty, in a land of freedom. You will go to earth in the United States of America."

My friend and I rejoiced as we read my call, and while we were rejoicing the messenger returned. This time he had a letter for my friend. We knew it was his call to earth. My friend gave me the letter to read aloud. His letter said: "You've been called to go to the earth in circumstances of poverty and strife. You will not be raised in the true church. Many hardships will attend your life. Your land will be fraught with political and social difficulties - which will hinder the work of the Lord. You will be born in Costa Rica."

We wept, my friend and I, as we read his call. And my friend looked at me with tears in his eyes, and said, "When we are down on earth, you in your choice land and me in Costa Rica, my friend, please come and find me."

The this young missionary, with tears in his eyes, said, "Brothers and Sisters, I have received my mission call. I am going to Costa Rica."

There is a sequel to the story. About a year after the sacrament meeting, the bishop received a letter from the missionary in Costa Rica. The letter had one sheet of paper in it and on that sheet written in capital letters were four words:

I FOUND MY FRIEND"


source: http://www.comportone.com/cpo/religion/christian/motivate/testmony.htm
If you didn't already know, I am planning on serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am currently working on my papers and I am almost done. For a while, especially at the beginning, I wasn't sure exactly what my reasons were for going on a mission. I simply felt like it was right, like it was what I had been preparing for my whole life. I didn't know much more than that.
But, as I've been studying more seriously, I have been finding reason after reason why I want and need to serve a mission. And after reading this story, I realize the most important reason of all:
I need to find my friends.
There are people out there, I don't know where yet, who are waiting for me to come and find them. I have been so blessed, and it's my responsibility to share my blessings of the gospel with them as a full-time missionary, but also throughout the rest of my life. I can't wait to get out there, and serve, and love, and become a better person so that they can become better people and that my Heavenly Father's work can progress. It's daunting, yet exciting, and I can't wait until they call me on a mission. :)

1, 2, 3

1.
If there's any fact about me that I should know for certain by know, it is that I am not a writer.
I write essays extraordinarily well, but as far as writing for artistic, free-spirited, or inspirational purposes...
Yeah, it's not my thing.
But I've always wanted it to be. I pride myself on being a deep thinker, but if I can't write, does that mean I can't really think, or is that my thoughts have settled in an inexpressible medium?

2.
The world: "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
Me: "Unique"

And the world looks down at me sadly,
but heaven smiles.

3.
I am one person made of scraps of a thousand different people.
No part of me is my own, not
My hair, my eyes, my personality,
Love of music, love of life
Academics, talent
Ideas
Joys
Experiences that molded me, shaped me...
Every part of me came from somewhere, from someone.
From Jann and Jeniece and Mike and Paul, from
Bradley. Cambry. Sabrina. Caleb. Kevin. Megan. Brandon. Lauren. Cory. Ben. Brandon. Emily. Kolten. Amy. Tom. Daniel. Garrett. Howard. Brianna. Ray. Sarah. Angie. Marianne. Keri. Shaylia. Brayden. Nicole. Julie. Cheri. Cindy. Natalie. Katherine. Mandy. Cody. Kathleen. Xane. Jory. Daylin. Landon. Grace. Anna. Tyler. Sam. Courtnee. Marie. Eileen. Jennifer. Joanne. Shelli. Channing. Cammie. Ashley. John. Chris. Will. Amanda. Stephanie. Tyson. Anne. Kristen. Maryn. Brennan. Haley. Kimi. Brevin. Lisa. Daron. Jeremy. Addy. Calea. Elizabeth. James. Nate. Dan. Tiffany. Karen. Aaron. Scott. Spencer. Kaden. Nick. Dallin. Kennen. Kayley. Rachel. Jessica. Clint. Tucker. Curtis. Sharalyn. Aisha. Courtney. Benjamin. Kerry. Kristy. Todd. Diane. Jenny. JanPaul. Matt. Randy. Brett. Shay. Brad. Zach. Jackie. Adam. Kito. Alex. Caley. David. Jacob. Nathan. Eric. Hannah. Jason. Hunter. Katie. Joe. Hayden. Dessa. Lorilee. Jill. Mariah. . . . . . and who knows how many more will find a part of themselves in me, as time goes on, as life goes on, as I go on?