An Irish Convert

I usually don't post more than once a month let alone more that once in a week, but today I heard a story that I really had to share with everyone who reads my blog. For those of you who don't know already, I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and I am attending Brigham Young University Idaho right now. I can't imagine myself being at any other school right now. I have had amazing experiences here and met some of the most amazing people who have changed my life, even if they do not realize it. 

Anyway, this week we are only in session for two days because of Thanksgiving and some of my classes are cancelled for the one day this week they are supposed to be held. So today I had major issues with having the will power to go to my classes but I eventually convinced myself to go. I am so glad that I did.

 In my Old Testament class we were talking about scripture study and how it can change our whole day and even our lives. I personally have been horrible at reading my scriptures so this lesson was just what I needed to hear, especially all of the comments from my classmates. 

There is a man in my class who immigrated from Ireland when he was a teenager. Throughout the semester he has shared bits and pieces of his conversion story, and every time he shares his story it hits me really hard. Today he told us that when he first received a Book Of Mormon he read it in 2 days (which took me well over a year to read completely). He read it knowing that he would be thrown in jail because of it, but he read it nonetheless. He told us how in prison they took away his scriptures, so he wrote his favorite scriptures verses all over his body so that he could still read a scripture everyday. I sat there in my seat in shock and in admiration at the faith of this man. He risked everything and was thrown in prison for something he believed in. How many of us can say that we would have had the same strength and courage? I honestly don't know if I would have. He also said to us that if we aren't reading the scriptures for ourselves then we should read them for the people who went before us and died for those scriptures, to honor them. I had never thought of scripture study in these terms. We should be so thankful that we have the freedom to read our scriptures and practice our religion, and in my case I am so thankful that I am able to attend a university where it is the foundation of our learning. 

Well I hope this story has helped some of you out there in the internetverse. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday!

P.S. Here's Mumford & Sons singing one of my favorite gospel songs! 

Band I'm Obsessed With #2: LP

Helloo!! So I should be doing homework right now, but instead I'm deciding to blog. Yay for procrastination! I've been deciding what to blog about for a while but today it hit me to write another band review. I'll post later about what I've actually been doing with my life during the past few months. 

Lately I cannot get enough of an artist called LP. She's amazing and her music just pumps me up and inspires me at the same time.

LP aka Laura Pergolizzi started performing roght after she graduated from high school in the late 90's. Her most popular hit "Into the Wild" has been used in a variety of commercials, the most well known in a CitiBank commercial. LP's voice is the perfect mixture of Adele's power and Florence and the Machine's unique sound.

Personally my favorite song of hers is entitled "Wasted Love" it's the perfect angsty break up song ever written. I have listened to this song so much over the last few weeks and it's just one of those songs that everyone can relate to on some level after going through a break up. Some of my favorite lyrics from this song beautifully say, "You used me up. Wasted love, wasted all my love on you. But I was hoping I could change your mind. Wasted love, wasted all my time on and all my love on you. When times were rough. All along I knew something was not right." After I first heard this song I thought how perfectly she put into song all the feelings a person goes through after ending a relationship.

So definitely take the time and check out this amazing artist, and enjoy!

Be Inspiring, You Never Know Who Is Watching

I'm horrible at regularly blogging, I really am trying to get better, but it's a struggle. Little update about what I've been up to lately, I've been back up here At BYU-Idaho for 2 weeks now and this semester has already come with a handful of trials, but somehow I've made it through them so far. 

The main reason for this post is to tell you all one of my stories. This time it's not going to be exactly a fun one (I'll post a funny one later), but this is a story I really feel like I need to share. The other day I was going through all of my old photo's from high school and I found one particular photo of an article that I was written about me and published in Seventeen Magazine. 

Not too many people know this little fact about me, especially all of my friends I have met in College. When I was in junior high I was bullied pretty severely and it really took an emotional toll on me and really has changed my life forever. My life got much better once I was in high school, and even better now that I am in College, but it has given me and entirely different outlook on life. During my junior high years my self-esteem was basically non-existent and it has taken years and years to re-gain. 

A few days after finding this photo my wonderful mother randomly posted a video on my facebook wall, I'm sure a lot of you have already seen it, but she posted it on a day that I really needed to hear the message it is sending. I wish this video was around when I was in junior high. This video has one of the strongest, sweetest messages that all women of all different ages need to hear, and understand that every word spoken is true. I was in tears watching this video. So I strongly, strongly recommend all of you to click here, and take in every word that is spoken. 

Well I hope you all have a fabulous week, and I will post again soon!! 

                                                                                   -Amberly 

Wonderfully Unexpected

So in my last post I talked about how I was planning on staying in Utah this fall to save money and such. I was excited for this plan for a few weeks, but then it wore off and I was dreading coming back to Utah for that long. Everyday closer to the end of the semester I was so uneasy about leaving. So after I had this feeling for a few weeks, yesterday I finally sat down and made a pros and cons list. Most of the pro's of Utah were material things, while Idaho was more emotional. I mean I would love to be closer to my family, but in the end being in Utah is what I sort of wanted, while being in Idaho is what I need.
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Yesterday morning I didn't have an apartment set up, roommates, or a on campus schedule for fall. After making my decision to stay everything just fell into place so quickly. Within about an hour I had an apartment, roommates and my schedule all done for fall, and any student will tell you that the schedule part is really amazing. So I know that this is what I am supposed to be doing, and I feel 100% better about life. So I will be home on break from this Saturday until September, so I will still be able to get a little bit of Utah in my life for a while and go to some family events while I am there.

My life in Rexburg has been so amazing, I couldn't imagine being anywhere right now. The people I have met up here are all so amazing.

This week is finals week so I've been so busy. Just today I've had 3 final projects/presentations due. Plus last night I didn't go to bed until 5 ish and I woke up on my couch using my binder as my pillow. Saying I'm stressed is a bit of an understatement, but after Friday morning I am all done with my finals!  Hooray!

                                                                                                     -Amberly

Updates and Music

Hello my beautiful readers! So  it has been quite a while...my bad. I've been super busy with school up here in Rexburg. It's really weird but I really enjoy being in school during the summer. When I walk to and from campus the sun shines and there's usually a nice slight breeze the perfect weather. I especially love it because I can study outside. School takes up about 90% of my time, so the other 10% is made up of church stuff, working out, and eventually sleep. My midterms just got over last week, so in about 5 short weeks i'll be back at home in Mona.

So my sorta big news in this post is that come this fall I won't be coming back up to BYU-Idaho. For the fall semester I am going to be taking online classes so I can save money, live at home, and get a job so I can save more money. There are some other goals of mine which I really want to accomplish in the next year and so the best thing for me to do was to live at home. It's gonna be a bit of a change after not living there since last September but it will be fun. I'm really excited to be able to see my dog everyday...okay and my family too :)  So this is the new adventure/chapter I'm taking and I'm pretty darn excited.


In other news I listened to the new Cloud Cult CD today and it is amazing!! It;s been on my 'to listen to' list forever and I'm just now getting to it now. My favorite track has to be 'You're The Only Thing In Your Way' is has some of the best lyrics.

 You are the wind, the flood and the flame.

Nothing here can get in your way.

You've come too far to care what they say.

Now you're the only thing in your way.

I'll probably be listening to this album over and over along with the new Vampire Weekend CD. 
                       
                              Well have a fantastic day! I'll post some recent stories soon!! -Amberly

                                                                    

Rants and Rambles

Hello readers! I hope you all have been having an amazing month! Mine has been pretty busy and hectic, i feel like i have just been going and going. I started my third semester at BYU-I two weeks ago, and so I've been busy with my classes and still unpacking and getting organized. My picture wall isn't even done yet which I usually have up by the second or third day of the semester. Right now I have one picture up, so there it sits quite lonely on the large, blank beige wall.

Anyway my classes have been going really good, I love basically all of them. My favorites right now are Marriage Prep and Interpersonal Communication. Both classes make me think in a different way and puts me a little outside my comfort zone, which is scary but refreshing in a way. Last Wednesday my communications class went to the university's rope course. Not my thing, but I tried and that's all that counts.

Yesterday I got my hair done and I am so in love with it! It's a bright red color, and I am probably going to keep it this color for a long time. I went to Form Salon up here in Rexburg and it was overall an amazing experience, the stylists are so nice and they provide awesome service.

Well if off to Bear World now, to see da bears. I'l try to post a more meaningful post either later tonight or tomorrow.


                                                 Have a great day!!
                                                                    -Amberly

Being a Good Example

Hello all you beautiful readers! Sorry it has been so long since I've posted anything. I have basically been living in two different states for the last 3 months and I haven't really made the time to blog. So I've really been thinking about what to blog about next, and  I have decided to go the more personal route this time.

This last weekend was the LDS General Conference and I really made a goal for myself to watch and really listen to the talks given so I can apply their teachings in my life, this was a pretty big challenge for me because  I get distracted really easily. I mean I've never even made it all the way through The Princess Bride!

After I was done watching the 2nd session on Saturday I got to thinking about heroes and people I really look up to in my life and there is such a huge assortment of people and all for different reasons. I strongly believe that people are in your life for a reason, even if it is for just a short amount. From every person I meet I learn something about myself, how I do or don't want to be. Which got we then thinking about an experience I had a while ago.

Two Sundays ago i was in relief society with two other girls i had grown up with, Kaylea and Lindsey. We were having a lesson on progressing and growing spiritually. Sitting in a room filled with older women who were all married and had kids, some even having grand kids we felt a little out of place. So of course the lesson then got thrown in our direction (my luck) when the teacher asked us, "So you three girls, do you think you still have to progress even at the stage of life your at?" The entire room filled with wiser women, most of whom I have looked up to my entire life stared at us with encouraging smiles. It was quite intimidating and so we nervously came to the conclusion that we must always be progressing in life, because if we aren't then we are going backwards. Especially at this stage of life we are at, we need to soak up all the information we can so we can be better wives, and mothers whenever that time comes.

After having that experience I have come to learn a lot more about the person I want to be, mainly because I have been blessed to have all of these amazing examples in my life of the kind of life I was to have and the kind of person I want to be. Heroes, that is the only way I can explain these people I have come to look up to so much and admire their example in my life. Not only in my home ward, but in my family and my friends. Being a good example can shape and change a person's life. One of my favorite quotes is from L. Tom Perry saying, “A good character is something you must make for yourself. It cannot be inherited from parents. It cannot be created by having extraordinary advantages. It isn't a gift of birth, wealth, talent or station. It is the result of your own endeavor. It is the reward that comes from living good principles and manifesting a virtuous and honorable life.” 


Well I hope you all have an amazing week! Do great things!

                                                                                   -Amberly