The Will to Change

This past month I have finished reading Gone With the Wind and A Christmas Carol. Each book had me thinking of our choices and our ability to change. In Gone With the Wind Scarlett O'Hara develops through the book but I don't feel that her true character changes, her main concern is her needs. Contrastingly, in A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge is able to recognize a need for change and he works to change himself. My favorite part of the book is when Scrooge is standing at the grave with the Spirit but hasn't yet seen that it is his grave they are standing at:

"Are these the shadows of the things that will be or are they shadows of the things that may be, only? . . . Men's courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which if persevered in, they must lead," said Scrooge. "But if the courses be departed from, the ends will change. . ."

I love this part so much because it shows us the moment Scrooge learns he has the power to change. Scrooge realizes that there is a chance for him to change his future. He is later able to act on what he has learned and improve his life by repairing relationships with those around him.

Similarly we are able to change and grow. This blessing of change and growth comes to us because of the Savior's atonement. Without the atonement we would be stuck. No growth would occur because our mistakes would be permanent. Luckily we have a loving brother in Jesus Christ and he has made it possible for us to look with hope to our future. When we make a mistake we can change it. We have the opportunity to change our course and change our ends.

We are blessed with the ability to use Christ's atonement to change us. As you look forward to this new year look to Christ to help you grow and make the changes you see necessary! Trust in God and trust that you can change!

Joys of Life

STRESS!!!!! That has been my life recently and I’m falling behind on E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G!!! So much so that, even though I thought of it all month, I didn’t even stop to do my November post until now… DECEMBER 1^st! (I’m still counting it, I’m too invested to miss my 27 by 27 because of something as trivial as a date!)

I had decided to write about some joys in my life for November because, despite the stress, there are so many things to be grateful for… I think I’ll go with 27 to fit the theme for the year.

1.     This month, just in time for stake conference I finished re-reading the Book of Mormon. As I read I was marking references of Christ and is was great to see how many different references of Christ were found in the pages. Even with all my finds I know there is more. The whole book is a testimony of Christ so He can be found throughout!

2.     My family, they are so sweet and supportive. I am so lucky to have them close so I can spend time with them.

3.     I have almost finished the data collection part of my thesis project! I just need to get a few more parents to fill out a survey and then I can start the data analysis. I’m really excited to see how things turn out. I feel like my Homework Challenges have been going really well this year and the students are really responding to the challenges I’m giving them.

4.     The Atonement, I am filled with the joy due to the knowledge that we can change and become more than we currently are. I am so grateful that Christ lived for us and is our advocate with our Heavenly Father.

5.     My roommates and adopted roommates are such a joy in my life! They are constantly making me smile!

6.     Music… need I say more.

7.     I have an amazing class and such wonderfully supportive class parents.

8.     My team, they make the days so much better. Especially when I am stressing over what to do with my students.

9.     My car, it took me forever to find a car but I am so glad I kept looking. I love my car!

10.  My calling, I am a Relief Society teacher in my ward and I love taking the time to study the manual. Having the responsibility gets me to be more active in what I do.

11.  The Falling leaves, as much as I love all the seasons the colorful leaves are one thing I will never tire of.

12.  Books, Gone with the Wind is slowly coming along but I love the chance to escape to another world.

13.  My Job, kids are the cutest and I love the chance I have to interact with them on a daily basis. Earlier this week one of the 5^th graders came up to me and said, “Miss Fiso, you are the most positive teacher!” I just love that I have the chance to brighten the day of others.

14.  Revelation, I am always happy to receive guidance for my life. I don’t know what to do a lot of the time so it is nice to know that when I ask for help I can receive it.

15.  Temples, the temple is such a peaceful experience whenever I go. I am thankful that there are so many in such a short distance.

16.  My couch, I know it is funny and I don’t use it very much but I really love my little couch in all its glory!

17.  My Ukulele, I am so happy when I have the time or make the time and just play my Uke. I’m not too great but it is so fun to just sing and strum.

18.  The delay on the snow, I really need to get my breaks checked so, as much as I love the snow, I am happy every day I wake up and see no snow on the ground.

19.  My phone, I love my phone isn’t it crazy to see how fast technology evolves!

20.  Honesty, sometimes it’s not what I want to hear but there really is a joy that comes from truth.

21.  Vacation days, breaks from school always come at just the right time and I am always happy to have some extra time to myself.

22.  People who will support me in my goals, I have so many people who have been so supportive of my 27 by 27 and trying to find ways to help me accomplish my goals. I love having such positive people in my life.

23.  Sunrises, usually I miss them but I have been sleeping in recently and I have seen some breathtaking sights on my drive to work.

24.  Bread, the smell of fresh bread just makes me so happy.

25.  Games, I love the strategy involved in playing new games and the joy of figuring things out.

26.  Sales, I got some great new stuff on Black Friday and Cyber Monday and got a great deal on them it was quite joy inducing.

27.  My Kitchen Aide, I’ve had it for a year and I absolutely love having my mixer available when I get those urges to bake.

See, look at this GORGEOUS sunrise!

Happy Halloween!

Yes, I really procrastinated this month but, believe it or not, it was on purpose! I had to wait until today to explain how proud of myself I am! I have wanted to be Belle for Halloween for so long and... I F-I-N-A-L-L-Y did it!!!!

I really was all set to do it last year but then we had a school-wide theme going on and I didn't want to break it. So minions it was. I took a long time to make the skirt (not that it was hard but it was time consuming) and was proud of the final product but it wasn't the 'Belle' I wanted to be.

This year I was determined to be Belle and the people who suggested otherwise were promptly shut down (It's amazing how many ideas are floating out there). I even added it to my 27 by 27 list (Number 20) so that I would have to follow through. Sometimes follow-through is not my best attribute...

I had the best intentions to get my Costume all set while I was off track but October turned busy. I had lots of unexpected subbing (Yay money!) and I had to catch up on my Book of Mormon reading in order to finish by November 12 for Stake Conference. Due to all of that my Halloween costume (and my car registration) fell by the wayside. Don't worry, it all worked out... I got my costume done and my car was registered tonight (Yeah, pretty last minute)!

The week I was about to track back on I decided I really needed to start looking for my costume. As luck would have it I was finding absolutely nothing! I was told to look for parts that would work and nothing was promising. I finally decided I would have to make my dress on my own. I searched the YouTube tutorials (What did people do without YouTube) and created an idea for sewing my dress. My wonderful roommate let me use her sewing machine and I finished the dress in one day (Before tracking back on)! I did the whole thing without a pattern so there are definite flaws (I don't know how well I would have done with a pattern anyway) but it worked and there was only a little injury (My nail has grown out well enough...).

After making the dress I had talked to a friend who sharpies shoes about doing some for me but then I slacked off (See? Horrible follow through). I finally texted to see if she would still do them and she said yes so I got the shoes to her and another part of my costume was in progress. I got the shoes back on Sunday and they are FANTASTIC! Rachel did a great job!

Monday I realized that all I had for my costume was a dress and shoes so I went in search of a shirt. I was able to find one at DI. I also found a pillowcase that I could use to make my Apron (That way I wouldn't have to worry about making it straight). I wore what I had for my costume to the FHE Halloween Party Monday Night and it was a hit!

I was close to being done but I really wanted a skirt/petticoat underneath so I went and got some more fabric after the party and went home to make the last part of my costume. This morning I did my 'newspaper nails' and borrowed a 'classic looking' book from one of my teammates. My favorite part is that the book is called "How to Read a Book". The kids, and parents, loved the costume and I'm happy to say lots of them figured out who I was supposed to be but a lesson on Disney Characters might be in my students future's...

In all I am so proud of my efforts! I am definitely not a seamstress but it is fun to say that I did it!

My Saga With an Unsatisfying Ending

Once upon a time the mirror on the passenger side of my car started to come off.  Being a responsible adult (maybe a bit of an exaggeration) I put off fixing it and temporarily fixed it with an outdoor version of superglue until I went off track. In January, I think, I went to Nissan and talked to them about getting it fixed. The guy helping me (We'll say Joe) talked about how most parts come not painted so I may have to pay extra to get it white but he would have to see if that was the case when they found the part. I sat in the dealership for maybe an hour waiting for Joe to see if he could find the part to fix my car. Joe finally came back and told me that he found a mirror that was painted (Yay!) and would order it in. He had me sign a confirmation page before telling me that when the part came he would call me. I got busy with other things (went back to school) and a while later (a month or so) realized that the call hadn't come.

I was a little confused that I hadn't heard anything and decided to call to see what was going on with the part. When I called I was shocked to hear that I, apparently, had been in earlier that week to get the part. I assured them that I most definitely had not and my mirror was still broken. Believe it or not, they never called me and then gave away my part! It turns out Joe is no longer working there. I don't know if that is why I never got a call but it was a mess to figure out! After clearing up a lot of confusion the new person helping me went to look up the part for me and found a mirror that was more expensive and NOT painted! I was frustrated that through no mistake of mine I was expected to pay more to get my car fixed. I decided to wait, once again, to fix my car in hopes that I could figure out another option.

It was fine until I went through the carwash and my mirror came out hanging to my car. I, being a fixer, got a shoelace and tied my mirror to my car. It looks lame but it works. I decided recently that I wasn't going to do research in order to find another fix so, Monday, I went to Nissan to see about ordering the part. This time around it was quick. The girl helping me (let's call her Jane) was able to find the part quickly and it was pre-painted so that was exciting! Jane ordered the part and told me that I would pay for the part that day and then pay for labor when I came in to get the work done. I grabbed one of Jane's business cards and then went and paid for the part leaving with hopes of getting my car fixed Thursday (today) or Friday.

Last time the call never came so I decided to be proactive and I called Jane this morning to check on my part. She was busy helping someone else so I left a message for her to call me back. About an hour later I got a phone call from Jane. She said she was told I had called and she had looked up the part for me. My luck being as it is I got to hear the following, "Even though the computer says we have the part and you paid for the part, it never got shipped because we don't have a part." Jane then told me that she was looking into other options for me so we can get my car fixed and she would call me back before the end of the day.

A little while later I got another  phone call from Jane. They had found another mirror but it comes black so I would have to get it painted so my options were...

1. Buy one new mirror and leave it black.
2. Buy two new mirrors and have them be the same, both black.
3. Buy one new mirror and pay to get it painted white.

Well... choice one would drive me crazy, and choice two would cost a lot more money so, for me the best option for me was choice three. I told Jane that I would like to get the part painted and asked when they would get the part in and be ready to do the work. She confirmed for me that it would take  two weeks.

So now is the waiting game to see if this actually pans out. The good news is it's Fall so the colors outside are gorgeous and conference is this weekend! Despite my frustrations I always feel joy when I get to hear the word of the Lord through the living prophets. We are so blessed to have the gift of revelation and the knowledge of the gospel! If you aren't already excited, this trailer should get you pumped!

#My27by27 Update

1. Picture a day- I haven't missed one yet!
2. Family History (3 Names)- Family search gave me two so now I have to go research and make sure they are legitimate.
3. Temple (3 times a month)- I've made it work the first two months.
4. Scripture buddy/study- This has been going well but I've been slacking some days.
5. Learn 10 hymns on piano and be ready to play them- I have learned two and I played them in Relief Society last week.
6. Go to two plays- I went to see Newsies at Tuacahn!

8. Five Runs- I have done two (Temple to Temple run, and Color Run) and will be signing up for one in October (BYU Sugar rush)

13. Try something new (2 a month)- I have been doing this each month, it's been good! This month I tried a new hairstyle and something new at a restaurant.

15. Finish a journal- I have less than 20 pages left!!! This is BIG news!

16. Blog once a month- We're going strong on this one!

22. Finish the Standard Works (Seminary version)- I am to 2 Nephi in the Book of Mormon and 2 Samuel in the Old Testament.

27. One act of service each week- This is one I am struggling with, I want to make it so my acts are intentional. More often then not I just look at what I have done and choose one to be my service for the week.

**If there is a number missing it's because I have done absolutely nothing with it thus far...**

One Inch Short

     This weekend I got to go to Aspen Lakes for a stake campout. At the site there was a team building area where there were different obstacles to get through. There was no direction for the actual obstacles so we made up our own rules and had fun playing around.

   
     One of the obstacles had some logs that were spaced out and some boards that would go in between them. The goal was to move from the log at the start to the log at the end without touching the ground (at least I made that my goal). There were five logs and four boards. As I was trying to get from one end to the other I noticed that one of the boards didn't fit. It was the last board that needed to be placed before I could get to the end. It was maybe an inch too short to fit in the distance so I wasted no time and decided to try something else. I picked up the next closest board and tried to fit it in the space but it was too long. I ended up measuring the boards with my feet to find one that would be smaller but not too small. I found it and moved it to the end and crossed to my finish line.

     As I was thinking about the experience my roommates were helping each other walk across the boards. Balancing was hard so they were lending each other shoulder support. As they were talking Janessa mentioned how it was like the Savior. He is always there to guide us and to help us keep our balance even when things are a little offsetting. I loved this thought and decided to continue my own analogy. Yes the Lord is always there but sometimes we need to shift the pieces to make things work. There was no way the short log was going to help me across. It was there as a distraction and focusing on making it work would have been pointless. Instead, I needed to recognize there was another way and adapt my plan.

     This is similar to our lives and our circumstances. Sometimes we focus on an idea that sounds good at the time and try to manipulate things until we find something that works when really we need to take a step back and look around at other options. I know this is not always the case but this is the beauty of prayer and revelation. We are ALWAYS able to turn to the Lord and we will always find guidance through Him. We may need to readjust but if we are focused we will make it to the end!

My 27 by 27

People have been asking about #my27by27 and the answer is quite simple. Before my birthday I came up with a list of 27 things I want to do by the time I turn 27. It started because one of my friends has done it a couple of times and I have liked what I've seen. It seems like an opportunity to have an adventure and improve myself and I hope to do just that!

Some of the items on my list are a little sillier and some of the items are going to take a lot of work but I have a year and I figure if I am working on them diligently I should be fine! In case you were wondering, here's my list...

1. Picture a day (I stole this one from Jessica, it always looks so fun!)
2. Find at least three family history names to take to the temple
3. Attend the temple three times each month (Rotating through the ordinances) 
4. Keep a scripture study log (My roommate is helping me out with this one)
5. Learn 10 hymns on the piano AND be ready to play them
6. Go to two plays
7. Audition for something (Hopefully when I finish my masters and have more time)
8. Five runs (I have one 5K done already)
9. Travel somewhere I've never been (I'll take ideas...)
10. Memorize "The Living Christ"
11. Get a Passport (Mine is long expired)
12. Drive the Nebo loop in the fall
13. Try something new twice a month
14. Go to two new temples
15. Finish a journal (Writing is a weakness of mine)
16. Blog once a month (Not that I have much to say but I want to work on my writing)
17. Make a memory quilt (I've had fabric ready for years I just lack motivation)
18. Fly Somewhere
19. Attempt a dating app for one month (You have no idea how much this one worries me!)
20. Dress as Belle for Halloween (Blue dress of course)
21. Go Zip-lining (The real deal)
22. Finish the seminary readings for the standard works 
23. Make a crayon picture (Yay for back to school sales!)
24. Read 5 classics (I'll take ideas)
25. Learn my back handspring (or try...)
26. Learn to do pull-ups (I'll aim for 2)
27. One act of service each week

I feel like I have a pretty good mixture of ideas involved and I am really excited to see how this goes!