AHHH!!! Answers PLEASE!!!

So remember how I was debating about whether I wanted to date one of my friends or not. Well I've finally figured out my personal decision and honestly as of late the guy has become annoying. Like there has been an increase in text messages and facebook chatting, but seriously he seriously hasn't made any real effort to see me in person or talk to me verbally since he asked me if I wanted to be serious??? I told him let's go on another date and see where it goes .... you know the first few dates I thought were the hey, you wanna do this and since you happen to be my friend and a girl we'll call it a date, kinda dates, now I needed to kinda look at him from a different perspective ya know????
But my question is- he wants to become serious, and yet we've been within a couple of miles of each other and yet he's made no effort to see me face to face? How can you be serious with someone if you don't actually see each other for a few months? His interest is still there, and he still brings it up, but usually more in asking what I'd like to do and I told him to plan something, *be a man and actually plan the date- I didn't say this but I wanted to. But honestly now months later I'm just not feeling it.

I did actually see him this weekend. He actually helped me move some furniture from my old place to my new place. But there were 2 other guys over helping too, and really I wasn't to focused on any of them of them. And honestly, it kinda felt like a couple of them were both kinda doing the see how masculine and tough I can be. I'm trying to impress you thing. And then afterwards he texted me saying that he was would be there for ANYTHING and ANYTIME- Seriously those words were in caps in the text message.

So how do you break it off (when it's not even really on????) easily with someone you've been friends with forever, but that seems to have taken an intense interest in you of late and yet you still have only seen him in person like once since Thanksgiving? How is it possible for someone to be extremely interested in you, and yet, they still can't get around to planning a date? I honestly don't want to tell him by facebook or texting, because honestly, that would be a lot easier, but I think this guy needs to hear it to his face and I want to give him some pointers to save the next girl some trouble. Should I just basically plan a meeting/ DTR and just be honest with him or put up with the texting/ chatting until he finally gets a date together? And then after that just be honest with him? I'm leaning towards the later idea, but seriously he popped up on Sunday and asked me how church was and what our talks/ lessons were on. And I really didn't want to tell him- they were Repentence and ---- LOVE--- in Sacrament Meeting Class was on "Choose Ye this Day" and Joshua- and I've basically made the choice about him, and then the ultimate no topic with a guy you've decided your not interested in Pres. Uchtdorf's talk from Conference- "Happily Ever After". Those were not topics I wanted to chat about. So I just said Joshua and a talk given by Pres. Uchtdorf. It was the truth... sort of....

So yeah any advise would be helpful!

Small World

So yet again I'm discovering how small a world it is, especially in the church. So today I did a little bit of facebook stalking I guess you could say... I saw that a friend from my first ward up on campus was in a relationship. So I decided to go to the guy's profile to just see what kind of guy she was dating. On his profile I also found a link to his blog. . . Yes I wasn't kidding when I said I was a facebook stalker. I've got to say I am totally impressed by this guy's blog. It appears that he's a convert to the church and served his mission in Ogden, Utah.

He had a posting on there about the movie Blindside and then compared the difference that the family in that movie had made for Micheal Oher. Then he talked about a family that had done a similar thing for him, just by welcoming him into their home and treating him like another member of their family. He had gone to day one of a weekend debate tournament or something for school and had needed a ride home. So he had asked a guy for a ride home. Since they'd be going back to the same place the next day his friend just offered to have him stay overnight and they could ride back the next morning. This was how Jared had got invited into the home of the Hydes'. He got to know the family and then the next school year he ended up having several classes with one of the sons. And he just really got to know this family and he was welcomed like another son.

The funny thing is that Jared, grew up and was introduced to the Church in Memphis, Tennessee. And the family that he was talking about were the Hydes. Well as I read on he ended up talking about the different members of that family and the impact they'd each had on his life and one of the members of that family was Ben Hyde, who strangely enough was the 2nd year teacher who ended up being my cooperating teacher at Jefferson Elementary where I did my practicum.

I just find it really funny that with a guy that I'll probably never meet, that I've actually got at least 2 connections with him. - My friend who's dating him and Ben Hyde. But because I found this guys' blog I was also able to find a link to Ben's blog. Where I got to see pictures of his precious cute little girl! He wife was about 4ish months along when I was helping out in his classroom. And now his baby is like 3ish months?

Also while I was on this guy's blog there were several likes to his favorite youtube videos that had made a difference on his life. And I found this one that I'd seen a couple of times before as well, entitled Small and Simple things. One of my old roommates had shown us this clip for FHE one night and everytime I see it it just makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

It just reminds me of what a difference each of us can make in the lives of those around, whether we serve a mission or not. The missionaries ultimately taught this guy the gospel, but they play a small part compared to what happened before or what should happen after the missionaries taught and baptized him.

I hope that I have the opportunity to share the Gospel as a missionary, but if not I know that there are a lot of opportunities to share the Gospel just by example and being a friend. So often I think the friendship aspect is missed and new members are brought into the church and they're name is added to the ward roster solely for the purpose of another tally mark to say look we had this many baptisms.

The Church should not be this way. People should be our friends and welcomed and invited out to things whether or not they are interested in the church. You never know what kind of influence you might have on someone, but you also shouldn't be interested in their friendship just because you want to get them baptized.
And this guy Jared, who's blog I had found, I know that the Hyde family had welcomed him into their home, not because they saw him as a potential convert, but because they truely loved and cared for him as a friend. It was their example I think that taught him more of the precepts of the gospel than any missionary could ever fit into a series of discussions.

I encourage each of us to teach and share the Gospel through friendship and example.

Daring to dream

Why is it so easy to dream when your little, but once you get older, it becomes so much harder, because now they're not wishes you're daring to dream, they're wishes your daring to LIVE!
I've got a good job. It's basically the same salary as a teacher, but when I leave for the day I'm basically done. I don't have to take a pile of assignments home nor do I have to prepare for the next day. In that aspect it's great. And I currently have a fabulous apartment, however I'm moving at the end of the month to a bigger 3 bedroom townhouse in the same "complex" and one of my old roommates is going to be moving in with Hada and I.

But currently I'm trying to figure out what the next step is going to be in my life.

Obviously I hope for marriage to be somewhere on that list, but right now I don't appear to be heading that way. Mr. Right has a lot of hoops to jump through and bars to meet.

Graduate school?? Maybe.... when I get over the last 20ish years of schooling! I need a break... and to figure out what I'd study? Occupational Therapy? Social Work?

Mission! --- This is high up on the list, but need $ and at the moment with my grandpa's health I don't really want to leave at the moment. Not to mention I've at least got to make it though the audit at work before I even consider skipping the state.

Vacation--- YES!!! Hopefully! I've got a couple in the works, but at the moment they seem months if not years away. So until that time I'm going to be going on short day trips like I did last weekend where we drove throughout Central Idaho- hopefully I'll get some pictures up on my next posting.

SO I'm still not sure what dreams I'm daring enough to live... I guess only time will tell. Hopefully all of the above.....

Testimony of the Book of Mormon

What a powerful testimony! I want you all to know that I know the Book of Mormon is true. It was prepared for our day by ancient prophets and through its words and the power of the Holy Ghost it can provide guidance and direction for each of our lives. It has given me strength and peace and I know that if you read it with an open heart you will feel the blessings of Heavenly Father in your life.