4. Nurture Your Spirituality

Last week I got to go home and visit my family.  My mom and I worked hard to finish all the wedding planning we could think of.  With so much wedding on my mind, I suddenly remembered something from when I was probably about 14.  So I began the daunting task of searching for my boxes in my parent's storage room until I found what I was looking for.  Behold, the wedding time capsule:

Holy smokes!  Words cannot describe this little gem.  Allow me to show some snippets to you.

What I wanted my dress to look like...

What I wanted my colors to be...

How many kids I wanted...

HOLY SMOKES THAT'S A LOT.

A note to my future fiance...

And even a note to myself...

Who knew a little can could have so many treasures in it?  Anyways...

How does this relate to "Way to Happiness" number four?  Well, when I was looking through those boxes of my old things, I couldn't believe how much stuff was church related.  I had Personal Progress jazz all over the place.  Things from camps.  Notes I'd written to myself containing goals, thoughts, and impressions all relating to the church.  After laughing at my past self for such over exuberance I couldn't help but pity my present self.  What happened?  Why am I not still writing those notes?  Why am I not still striving to grow stronger in the gospel?  Some time, somewhere, I just plum plateaued I guess.  And everyone knows that a spiritual plateau is really just a very, very gradual slope downwards.  

So what did I do to nurture my spirituality?  Well, I decided the best thing for me was to get to know someone a little bit better.  I got to know him so well back in High School after reading Lloyd C. Douglas' book "The Robe", but I feel like my firm relationship has dwindled to more of an acquaintance.  So I went out and bought this book and have been studying from it everyday after reading my scriptures.

I cannot describe how amazing it is and I'm only a few pages in.  I highly recommend it.  Perhaps alongside a dictionary.  

Next thing I've done is hopped aboard the indexing train.  

And indexing is amazing!  It is so easy to do and kind of addicting.  All you do is type out the fields you see on an old document.  Sometimes the handwriting can be quite tough to read, but you feel so awesome after you translate it.  And it's also super interesting.  Lately I've been doing death certificates from Texas.  It's neat to figure out things about these people you're indexing, such as how old they were, how they passed away, what they did for a living, and so on.  Seriously, start indexing.  You'll love it.  I'm even starting to feel like my old spiritual high school self.

Now perhaps you started reading this thinking I was going to talk more about trendy spirituality.  You know, like yoga and month long silence retreats into the Himalayas.  Nope, sorry.  But I can tell you this.  Some of the most spiritually insightful and uplifting moments have happened sitting down on a rock all tired and sweaty looking out at this:

I'm no scientist or spiritually affluent person, but I personally testify to you that the moments you will feel best spiritually are when you have been using your body and when you are made to feel small by the natural grandeur around you.

And that is how I nurture my spirituality.  And I sure do feel happy.

3. Snog. Canoodle. Get it on.

The third "Way to Happiness" is pretty much just affection I guess.

Sidebar:  I remember reading the fifth Harry Potter book and coming across that mysterious "snog" word for the first time.  What the heck?  The English just have the most peculiar way of putting things.

Anyways, I really have no intriguing thoughts, suggestions, or ideas on this topic because:

a)  Jon and I have this nice big list of rules from his Bishop which state we can only hold hands and have a teeny peck goodnight, and

b)  I'm all alone for like a week while Jon visits his friend down in Rexburg.

So as you can see, this post really stinks.  But fear not, I thought of a substitution for affection.  And I realized I'm not even a real blogger yet because I've never even posted a recipe.  So please enjoy the following.

Substitution for affection = Chocolate.  And ice cream.

Recipe = Kristen's Homemade Ice Cream Cake

Sometimes I sit around and daydream about what would taste really good.  So one day I was day dreaming about a multitude of things.  It went something like this:  

"Dang, I could really hork down some cookie dough right now.  And ice cream would taste like a million bucks too.  Oh man, but I'd also love some brownies.  I could seriously just eat all of them together."

So I made an ice cream cake that had all of the above.  Plus crushed oreos.  And chocolate sauce.

To share this goodness with you, I made my family a Cookies 'n Cream Ice Cream Cake this weekend and documented the process like a real blogger would.  So hold on to your seats and try to stop your drool from dripping onto your keyboard.

In all my years of eating Dairy Queen ice cream cakes, I felt as if they were missing something.  And then I realized it was a crust on the bottom.  So the first layer of the cake is:

1. The brownie crust

Cut up an entire bag of Two-Bite Brownies into smaller pieces.  Spread it across the bottom of a spring-form pan.  I put Saran Wrap underneath the bottom and then up the insides of the pan to tell peel it off the ice cream when you serve it.  The next layer is...

2. Chocolate Sauce

Just a fine drizzily layer should do the trick.  Next layer...

3. Vanilla Ice Cream

Spread an entire box of Vanilla ice cream gently across.  Be sure to let the ice cream sit out for just a little bit so it's not to hard and doesn't ruin the delicate brownie crust.  Next, you gotta...

4. Crush Oreos

Yup.  Crush enough Oreos to cover the vanilla ice cream.  Sure, you could buy Oreos crumbs, but then you're cheating yourself from the exquisite cream center of the cookie.  It's your choice really.  Next, you guessed it...

5. More chocolate sauce

Don't act like you're surprised.  Drizzle another fine layer across the crushed Oreos.  Next layer is...

6. Cookies 'n Cream Ice Cream

Yes.  Another, more decadent layer of ice cream is necessary.  Remember, let the ice cream soften before trying to spread it across, or else you end up just mutilating those perfect layers you've already made.

7. Then preheat oven to 350 degrees

Just kidding.  But this is what you're masterpiece will look like.  What you've really got to do next is put it in the freezer.  The first time I made it, I only let it freeze for like 5 or 6 hours because I really wanted to eat it.  This one froze overnight.  Lastly, you'll want to...

8. GARNISH and SERVE!

YUM DUDE.  If you're wondering about Nutrition Information, this is all I've got for you:

Calories:        It's worth it so don't ask.

And there you have it.  If you can't snog, make yourself an ice cream cake.

Real Estate

Dear Jon,

While driving home yesterday, I came across another place up for grabs that we might be interested in buying.  It's only about 10 kms away from the other place we love by Granum, but it's quite a bit smaller. I think it would be a great place for us to live after getting married, but once our family started growing, we might need to find a bigger place.  I took some pictures, let me show you.

It's really quite cute.

And it's got lots of nice windows.

The kitchen comes complete with a large oven and I loved all the counter space.

There's an outhouse not too far from the house.

And it has several holes, so going to the bathroom could be a family affair!

And the workshop just past the house and outhouse would be great for all your projects!

I think I look pretty good in this place.

And here's a self-portriat I took for you.

All in all, I'd say it's a pretty good deal and we should really consider it.

Let me know what you think.  If you want, we can both look at it sometime.  I miss you lots.  Drive safe!

Love, 

Kristen

2. Hear the Music

"What music?"

"And why does it say hear and not listen?"

That's what I thought when I first read "Way to Happiness" number two.

And then I thought about how while growing up it was just a fact that we never listened to the radio or any music in the car.  Didn't matter how far we were driving, us Gibbs drove there in silence.  And I wouldn't change that for the world.  I'm glad things happened that way.  Because I think this is what "hearing the music" might be about.

Driving without music forced us to:

1. Make our own music.  I can remember entire drives to or from Hillspring where our family would sing the song "Down by the Bay" with our own crazy and unique rhymes.  
2. Talk to each other and play games.  One of our personal favorite games was guessing exactly what time we'd arrive at our destination.
3. Embrace silence.  I have absolutely no qualms with silence.  It's one of the most peaceful and comforting things out there.

I think "hearing the music" is about making your own, or the sound of a family getting to know one another and playing, or the melodies that arise from letting yourself embrace silence.  In order to be happy, you need to be able to listen to yourself and your surroundings and not always be drowning in other music or noise.

Oh!  And another type of music I love to hear is nature.  The hills really are alive with the sound of music.  Being in nature, or simply going outside, is one of the best types of music out there.  I miss the music of standing up here and looking out across this view.

And that is my best effort at trying to interpret "Hear the Music".  I could completely be out to lunch.  Go figure.

And...

Hope ya'll had a lovely Valentine's Day.  I know I did.  Jon is simply the best.

I'm a lucky scum.

1. Count Your Blessings

"Oh duh."  --  was what I thought after reading this was the first suggestion on how to be happier.

"I knew that."

I sing about it in church.  I give thanks when I pray.  As far as I'm concerned, I know I have a lot of blessings to be grateful for, so that makes me a grateful person right?

Well, like I said I would, I put this "way to happiness" to the test.  And I realized that the only thing I spend my time counting are how many minutes I have in a day and how many calories I have in a meal.  As far as blessings are concerned, I know I have them, but a census of them is very rarely taken.

So I knew I had a few ways to go about "counting my blessings".  I could sit down at my laptop for an hour or so and spit out a blog entry listing all those blessings I hold dear to my heart.  Nah, not for me.  I could simply sit in a corner and meditate about each and every blessing in my life and let the power and energy distill upon my soul.  Pass.  I could jot all my blessings down in my journal.  I don't want to do that either.  Then I began to wonder if I am just an ungrateful noob because I didn't feel like "counting my blessings".  Fortunately, over the course of two days, I had some moments where very specific blessings were realized and counted.  Allow me to share some of them with you.

Blessings I Counted:

1.  I am blessed with ears that work.

On Sunday I had the great pleasure of accompanying my Aunt to her family ward.  There was a musical number.  And that musical number was simply beautiful.  And different.  Two very talented and well rehearsed gentlemen played a number by Tchaikovsky on the violin and piano.  And despite all the worries and thoughts I may have had circulating through my head, I was able to let go for a few minutes and bask in the glory of ear lobes and ossicles that work.  It was such a blessing to be able to hear and enjoy those talents shared.  

2.  I am blessed with kids (that aren't my own).

My cousins' kids.  I get to play with them on Sundays when they come over for dinner.  And although their energy and noise and clinging and running and yelling and pinching and pulling and hollering can leave me wanting to run away and hide, I'm surprised by how much I've grown to love playing with them.  They make me feel like a million bucks when I hear them come in the house and the first thing they say is, "Is Kristen here?"  They even draw me pictures when I'm sick.

3.  I am blessed with literacy.

Have you ever wondered how different your life would be if you actually couldn't read and understand the words on this computer screen?  Well, to say the least, it would be quite different.  I'm so grateful that I can read, but most of all, I'm grateful that I can write.  I love to journal.  It's my therapy.  Nothing compares to picking up a pen, putting it to a clean page, and then letting your thoughts take shape and form.  When I'm having a tough time in my life, I buy a handsome new journal.  And then I take a new stance or position on how I write my entries.  Say hello to my newest journal, inspired by "way to happiness number one".  I plan to sincerely start counting my blessings.

4.  And best of all, I have someone to lean on.

I've never been one to believe in all that "soul mate" hocus-pocus.  Life is more real than that.  "You choose the one you love and then you love the one you chose."  Things don't get more real than that.  But then the unthinkable happened.  I fell in love.  And not just the sappy, head-over-heels kind.  Real love.  And it turns out that real love is a lot like finding your "soul mate".  Funny how that works.  Jon, I lean on you.  Consider yourself a blessing I count everyday.

Do I feel happier?

A little.

Stay tuned for "Way to Happiness" number two.

20 Ways to Happiness

I'm pretty sure Joseph Smith summed things up right when he said, "Happiness is the object and design of our existence."

I know without a shout of a doubt that I'm here with the specific purpose to be happy.  So naturally, when my teacher clicked to a powerpoint slide entitled "20 Ways to Happiness", I couldn't help but suddenly start paying attention.  Not that I wasn't already...  Okay fine.  I probably wasn't.

Anyways, what I would like to do is spend the next month or so actually putting each one of these 20 points to the test.  Will they really lead me to happiness?

But you're already happy.


Not as happy as I'd like to be.  I've had a fair share of discomfort and disappointment with myself in the past little while, so this experiment comes at much needed time.  And even if I was already pretty happy, it's always possible to be a little happier right?

Wish me luck!