sunshine in my soul.

Basically, I am obsessed with sunlight. I like to take pictures of sunlight, or at least I used to, back when I knew where my camera was. I love sunrises and I love sunsets. I love how sunlight makes people look more beautiful. It makes their skin glow more and their eyes become lighter. I like how it makes my hair slightly more red.

If you know me really well, you know that my favorite flower is the sunflower. I'm sure, by now, you can guess why. I think it is beautiful because it's bright and a happy-looking flower and reminiscent of the sun.

I love how the sun makes things clearer. Each little ridge on a mountain, each little ripple in a river, each little blade of grass, as the sun shines on it, empty spaces are made into shadows and details become more noticeable.

Colors are made brighter and more rich by the sun.

 Essentially, the sun is one of my favorite things about life. And one of the most beautiful parts of it. It is warm and it makes me happy. Vitamin D, ya know. I am much happier in the summer because I spend much more time outside hiking, going on walks, just sitting out in the sun, and getting a little sunshine every day really does influence my mood for the better.

A couple of weeks ago, I attended my singles ward. In Relief Society we were talking about something that I don't even remember and we read D&C 88:4-6 or something like that. I loved verse 6 so much so I read on in my own personal study. D&C 88:6-13 have become some of my favorite verses because I think they are so beautiful and poetic. All these verses emphasize is light and how the gospel is the source of all light.

6 He that ^aascended up on high, as also he ^bdescended below all things, in that he ^ccomprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the ^dlight of truth;

 7 Which truth shineth. This is the ^alight of Christ. As also he is in the sun, and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was ^bmade.

 8 As also he is in the moon, and is the light of the moon, and the power thereof by which it was made;

 9 As also the light of the stars, and the power thereof by which they were made;

 10 And the earth also, and the power thereof, even the earth upon which you ^astand.

 11 And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your ^aunderstandings;

 12 Which ^alight proceedeth forth from the presence of God to ^bfill the immensity of space—

 13 The ^alight which is in all things, which giveth ^blife to all things, which is the ^claw by which all things are governed, even the ^dpower of God who ^esitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things.

Isn't that freaking amazing? This got me thinking about light in relation to the gospel. The gospel is another source of light in my life, it is something even more powerful than the sun because it is the light of Christ which is the source of power for the sun and the moon and the stars and the earth. So, I think all of the qualities the sun possesses also apply to the light of Christ. With the light of Christ, people become more beautiful. Their countenances glow because there is light within them (v. 11). The gospel makes life more beautiful because it gives us meaning and teaches us to appreciate the people and nature around us that enrich our every day lives. The gospel makes things clearer to us, it shows us truth and we are better prepared to recognize shadows or actions that will lead to emptiness. Verse 11 says that this light "enlighteneth your eyes" and "quickeneth your understandings." 

With a proper dose of the gospel every day (scriptures, prayer, etc.) we can find happiness much like how getting sunshine every day influences my mood.

I love the gospel and I love my Savior. And I love sunshine. 

Make sure you're getting a good dose of vitamin D every day. :)

Phil's Wise Realization.

Watch it:



Several years ago, I attended some sort of Young Men/Young Women fireside. I don't really remember anything from it except that the speaker counseled young men to be wary of giving women advice. He said that there is a time and place for it, but that is usually when it is asked for. He explained that when women talk about their problems, they don't want to be told how to fix it because usually they already know. They want someone to listen, to side with them, and to validate them.
I had never noticed this before, but for weeks, months, even years afterwards, I paid attention to how I felt when my guy friends tried to give me advice. Or how other women in my life responded to it. And I found his explanation to be very true. Maybe it's not always true, but generally, that seems to be the case.

Photo Credit

So, I saw this episode of Modern Family and I loved it--it's hilarious because it's so true. Originally, I was going to write this blog post to explain to men that they should only give advice when it's asked for, but now that I'm actually writing it, I think I need to re-evaluate. Although that is a good thing to keep in mind, I think maybe I should work on being less prideful and take advice even if it's not asked for. I think it's maybe not even just a problem that women have exclusively (I may be wrong) but I think everyone sort of takes pride in being able to think of answers and solutions to their own problems.   Women are just more likely to respond with "Oh, you are so right!" and "I am so sorry" while men are more likely to try to fix the problem.
So I think I want to work on being more open to suggestions and advice. And I want to be humble enough to accept it as their way of showing they care. Because, although I love Modern Family and I love Claire and Phil, I really really don't want to be a Claire haha. Or a Phil for that matter.
Yup, just some random thoughts.

Swedish Alphabet.

My amazing sister, Camille, is going to be leaving soon for her LDS mission in Swedish.
We're all really proud.
We're all going to really miss her.
But, I'll post about that in more detail later.
Today, I want to share with you a video she showed me.
We think it's hilarious.



...Have you ever seen anything like that in your life?