My Daily To-Do List

I don't know about you, but I love lists. I write lists for everything. Grocery lists, to-do lists, wish-lists, project lists, you name it! I write lists because they keep me organized and productive. I feel like I am in control of my day and can better manage my time when I have structure. But despite all of these lists, at the end of the day I feel that there is never enough time to accomplish everything I'd like to. There is always one project left unfinished, one more item awaiting completion, the last checkmark calling my name. A woman's work truly is never done.

But maybe it's ok that I am only human. Maybe it's even a good thing that I will never have a finished to-do list in my life. President Uchtdorf says it best:

Isn't it true that we often get so busy? And, sad to say, we even wear our busyness as a badge of honor, as though being busy, by itself, was an accomplishment or sign of a superior life. 

           Is it?

I think of our Lord and Exemplar, Jesus Christ, and His short life among the people of Galilee and Jerusalem. I have tried to imagine Him bustling between meetings or multitasking to get a list of urgent things accomplished.

I can’t see it.

Instead I see the compassionate and caring Son of God purposefully living each day. When He interacted with those around Him, they felt important and loved. He knew the infinite value of the people He met. He blessed them, ministered to them. He lifted them up, healed them. He gave them the precious gift of His time.

These inspiring words by an apostle really put life into perspective for me. I realized that I don't want to live my life at such a fast pace that I lose the time I am so frantically trying to save. I want to live each day purposely, and as a result I decided to make a different kind of list today.

Although this new to-do list seems daunting at first, I know that it will be worth every effort! Below is one of my favorite video clips of all time. The simple message has done a lot for me over the course of my life. It especially lent me inspiration for this blog post, and I think it will help get me started and properly motivated for this new to-do list of mine. I can't wait to see how my week goes! Enjoy lovelies :)

Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Sandwiches

Are you ready for the easiest dinner ever made? Prepare to be amazed. My sister and I tried this recipe last week and you bet your bottom dollar we are making it again this week! Say hello to slow cooker chicken Caesar sandwiches.

 

 

 

Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Sandwiches

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup Caesar dressing

1/2 cup Parmesan, shredded

1 tablespoon dried parsley

2 teaspoons pepper

2 cups romaine lettuce, shredded

Hamburger buns

 

 

Arrange chicken breasts in a single layer in base of slow cooker. Pour ½ cup water into basin and cook on low for 3-4 hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred with two forks. Drain water from crock pot. Return chicken to basin and stir in caesar dressing, parmesan, parsley, and pepper. Cook on low for 30 minutes. Remove and serve on buns with romaine.

Gone Camping

This weekend I escaped the monotony of everyday life to go on a young single adult campout at Navajo Lake. My sister and I headed up the canyon right after work, and the drive alone was enough to make me sing of happiness! The green forest landscape against the vivid red cliffs was absolutely breathtaking. As I took in the sight, I felt the weight from my stressful week begin to lift off my shoulders.


We were half-way to the lake when it began to rain. Hard. Assuming that our ward members had ditched the lake and headed for cover, we passed Navajo Lake in search of the cabin we would be lodging in that night. We had a map and instructions to follow the signs with orange tape. Well, the map was nothing but a line scribbled on a half-sheet of paper and there were NO signs with orange tape to be found. The dirt road quickly became a mud slide streaming with water. After about a half-hour of searching in frustration, we decided to give up and get a pizza in town instead. But just as we were passing Navajo Lake, we saw a figure standing on the side of the road. As we got closer, I peered through my window and realized it was the YSA bishop from the 12th ward! He flagged us down and said that everyone was down by the lake having dinner. Hallelujah!



Navajo Lake

The sun started to break through the clouds as we ate our hamburgers grilled on the camp stove, and the rain let up just enough so we could go walk around the edge of the lake. The water reflecting the sky was stunning, and I couldn't get enough of that fresh mountain air in my lungs! After exploring for a bit, we had our stake president Brother Esplin speak to us for a fireside. He spoke about Satan's biggest tool - discouragement. He said discouragement is dangerous because it allows for us to look back at things that happened in the past and lose hope for our future. We discussed different ways we can continue to live life with hope and remember our worth, such as relying on the Savior's atonement, looking to positive role models in our lives for guidance, staying true to our values, etc. I felt truly inspired by the topic, and the discussion combined with the beautiful mountain backdrop made me feel revitalized.









Members of YSA 2nd Stake
 

After the fireside, we played volleyball on the lake's edge until it was too dark to see. Then we loaded into our vehicles to head to the cabin. By sheer miracle, by Dodge Stratus made it down the winding, muddy path to the cabin hidden in the forest. The place was quaint, complete with a vintage cook stove and a massive stone fireplace in the center of the living room. We played the card game Scum for awhile and then the girls went to bed upstairs while the men set up a tent outside. Although the mattress was lumpy and I had seen way too many large insects crawling around for comfort, I fell asleep immediately and woke up bright and early the next morning for breakfast. The bishop from the 12th ward cooked us pancakes, eggs, and sausage on the camp stove, and it was delicious! It had rained all night so the world seemed shiny and new. We took a group picture and headed for home. I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to breathe in some fresh air this weekend and clear my head. Sometimes life gets so crazy busy, and it takes going somewhere new to disconnect from all that & find yourself again. I feel more alive among the trees.

"Yay pioneers!"

Mormon pioneers

pi·o·neer noun : 1. a person or group that opens up or prepares for others to follow.

The Mormon pioneers made it to Utah July 24, 1847

Yesterday I had the privilege to celebrate "Pioneer Day," or the 24th of July, with the rest of the state of Utah. To start the day off right, my sister and I met up with a bunch of friends on Main Street for the city parade. We laid a blanket out on the side of the street and cheered as people walked by dressed as their pioneer ancestors pulling handcarts. We compiled quite the stash of candy and popsicles during the course of the parade. I guess some things never change! 

After the parade, we headed to Great Harvest for a yummy lunch and then walked around the city park for awhile. After lounging in the grass and giving each other fake tattoos, we decided to cool off at the city reservoir. The water was so cold we could only bear to go in up to our waists, and then we'd freak out whenever we thought a fish touched us. One guy even ran out of the water screaming a fresh-water eel had grazed his leg. Chaz, our friend from the Caribbean, said very seriously, "There are no eels in this water." Yeah. We always have a good time.

Well, the reservoir quickly became a little too cool for us after it started to downpour. Welcome to Cedar City in July. Although the thunder was quite impressive as it echoed across the water, we decided to ditch the beach and make chicken parmesan for dinner instead. There is something about a rainy summer's afternoon that is so comforting to me. I loved the feeling of spending time with good company: pots and pans clattering, people laughing, distant thunder and the smell of rain wafting through the windows. Could life be any more perfect? Yes, yes it can because we followed dinner with cheesecake and the movie "Star Dust," which is probably one of the best movies ever made. We ended the night with a bang by playing some mud volleyball in the Stadium Way Apartments volleyball pit. Due to the thunderstorm, the pit was full of wet sand and big puddles of rain water. We slipped off our shoes and had a ball running around in the squishy sand, splashing water and oozing sand between our toes. For one hilarious moment we tried to use the parking lot garbage can to scoop up some of the water, which worked to no avail. The night air was so clean and fresh, and there were fireworks exploding  in the air all around us as we played two rousing games of mud volleyball. I am so fortunate to have such a great group of friends!

Brent, David, Chaz, me, and Quinn at the parade.

 

I am even more fortunate to come from a strong pioneer heritage. My pioneer ancestors on my mother's side traveled all the way to America from England. The two women were sisters, who also happened to be royal duchesses, and after meeting two Mormon missionaries on the street one day they snuck away on a ship to come to Zion. They gave up all their riches and comforts of life in exchange for hope of a better future. These women packed only the bare necessities in a little wooden handcart and made the treacherous trek across the continent to settle in Utah. I can only imagine the determination, the pain, the relief that these women, and countless others, must have felt on their journey.  And I can only hope that if I were to be  given the same opportunity, I would have the strength and courage to take it. I owe everything to my ancestors. I would not be where I am today without them, and I will be forever grateful for their sacrifices. I am hopeful that I can continue to honor our family name  as a latter-day pioneer by paving the way for future generations to follow. 

Crockpot Italian Chicken & Breadsticks

Wow. Today my unhealthy addiction to carbs has greatly deepened. My sister and I typically crockpot it up on Sundays, and today we tried crockpot Italian chicken with taste-a-like Olive Garden breadsticks. This stuff isn't just yummy, it's yum-OH!



Crockpot Italian Chicken & Breadsticks

Italian Crockpot Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 packet Italian dressing seasoning
1 8-oz cream cheese (I use a little less)
1 can cream of chicken soup

Layer ingredients in the crockpot and cover with tinfoil. Top with crockpot lid and cook on low for 4 hours. Serve over pasta (I use rotini).

Olive Garden Breadsticks

1.5 cups warm water
1 packet active dry yeast
4 1/4 cups flour
2 T. unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup margarine
2 T. sugar
1 T. salt
2 tsp. garlic powder
Parsley flakes

In a large bowl, dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water and allow to sit for 10 minutes, covered. Mixture should be frothy.

 

In a separate bowl, combine flour and salt. Add to yeast mixture. Add melted butter. Mix with paddle attachment of stand mixer or wooden spoon until fully combined. Knead dough for a few minutes just until dough is smooth. Do not overknead!

 

Grease a cookie sheet. Pull off pieces of dough and roll out into strips. Cover the dough and let sit in a warm place for 45 minutes to an hour. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and slide in the bread sticks.

 

In microwave, combine the following: 1 stick unsalted butter (or 1/2 cup margarine), 2 teaspoons garlic powder, and 1 teaspoon salt. After bread sticks have cooked for 6 or 7 minutes, brush the bread sticks with half the butter mixture. Then continue to bake for 5-8 more minutes.

 

Immediately upon removal from the oven, brush the other half of the butter on the sticks. Allow to cool for a few minutes before eating. Enjoy!

          

Kill Them with Craftiness

I heart crafts. Give me an afternoon, some scrapbook paper, and a glue gun and you have one happy girl. This also explains my unhealthy obsession with Pinterest. A-hem. Anyways, I like my crafts to be sweet, short, and to the point. That being said, if you are looking for a fun, practical project that is relatively cheap and never takes more than an afternoon to complete, read below!

Menu Board

Let's get organized! I don't know about you, but I plan my meals by the week, and I wanted a place to organize my meals so I could refer to my plans throughout the week. With a cheap picture frame, some scrapbook materials, and a couple of clothespins, I was able to recreate a craft that I found on, you guessed it, Pinterest. Click here for detailed instructions on how to make your own menu board.




My menu board

Paper Flower Bouquet

After my sister moved in with me, I figured it was time to revamp our bedroom with some new décor. Using materials laying around the house, we were able to create a paper flower bouquet to place on our nightstand. For starters, I smoothed down some sticks from the backyard and spray painted them black. While the sticks dried, I added white beans to the bottom of a glass vase and chose three scrapbook paper designs to use for the flowers. For details on how to cut the flowers, click here. Next, I layered the paper cutouts and used a mini brad to secure the flowers. Then I arranged the dry sticks in the vase and hot glued each flower to a stick. Pretty darn cute, eh?

Our paper flower bouquet

 

Embroidery Frames & Glass Jars

The women in my family are professional seamstresses, but unfortunately for me, the word "sew" might as well be the s-word. Surprisingly, I have recently picked up embroidery to design my own frames. And trust me, if I can do it, anyone can do it!

 

To start this project, I used my computer to design the lettering and graphic image in Microsoft PowerPoint. Next, I laid my material over the computer screen and traced my design lightly with a pencil. After picking my color palette, I went to work outlining my pencil tracing with needle and thread. Next, I cut down cardboard to fit in the picture frame, centered my material over the cardboard, pulled the edges tight, and stapled the material to the cardboard. After securing the cardboard in the frame, I had a new cute-as-a-button decoration for my home!

 

As for the jar, I am one of those weirdos who saves every glass sauce jar from the store and washes it out "just in case." Well, this year I had many "just in case" situations, and I have been having a grand ol' time wrapping each jar in scrapbook paper and adding ribbons, buttons, glitter, you name it! These jars could not only be used for decoration but for stuffing with gifts as well.  

Embroidery frame and craft jar


 

Well, that's it for today. I promise to share my new craft findings as I go. As for now, remember: Kill them with craftiness!

Crockpot Chicken Tacos & Homemade Tortillas

Can I just say how much I love cooking with a crockpot? Seriously! You just throw a bunch of ingredients in a pot, forget about it for several hours, and then POW! An insanely delicious meal is ready to enjoy. As of late, I have been obsessed with crockpot chicken tacos layered in homemade tortillas.  Read below for the recipe and let me know if you enjoy it just as much as I do!  

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

1 envelope taco seasoning
6 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 16-ounce jar salsa

Dump everything into a crockpot and give it a little stir to blend the seasoning with the salsa. You do not need to add any water to the taco seasoning. Cover with tinfoil and top with crockpot lid. Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. When done, the chicken should shred easily when stirred with a fork. Serve with soft flour tortillas, guacamole, lettuce, shredded cheese and/or sour cream.

Soft Flour Tortillas

3 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 c. shortening

3/4 c. very hot water

 

In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder . Cut in the shortening with your fingers or pastry cutter until the flour is crumbly. Add the water and mix until the dough comes together. Place on a lightly floured surface and knead for a few minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in bowl, cover with a slightly damp dishtowel and let sit for an hour. Divide the dough into 5-6 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball (if you are making soft taco sized tortillas, divide it into 10-12 pieces).

 

Preheat a large skillet or pan to medium-high heat. Use a well-floured rolling pin to roll a dough ball into a thin, round tortilla (if you want it perfectly round, get a large round plate or serving platter, flip it upside down over the dough and cut out the circle). Place into the hot skillet, and cook until bubbly, golden, and no appearance of doughy-ness, about 1 minute (DON'T OVERCOOK.. remember these are supposed to be soft flour tortillas, you don't want them to be crispy); flip and continue cooking until golden on the other side. Place the cooked tortilla in a tortilla warmer or on a large plate, covering with a slightly damp towel. Repeat with remaining dough.

The Science of Happiness

So I was on Facebook the other day (with a beginning like this you KNOW this story is gonna be good) and a Youtube video that one of my friends had posted caught my eye. The title was "The Science of Happiness." Quite the eye-grabber, eh? Somewhat skeptically I clicked the play button, and by the end of the video I was smiling ear-to-ear, wiping away little tears of joy. Are you dying to know the secret to happiness yet?

 

The answer is gratitude. Crazy, right? I feel that in today's society, happiness isn't about wanting what you already have. It's about chasing what you don't have. That is, society projects happiness as obtaining something - money, popularity, success, beauty. But in the end, the greatest source of happiness lies in appreciating the people and things you have had from the very beginning.

The funny thing is, I already knew this answer. Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have been taught gratitude since my first day in primary. In fact, our current prophet Thomas S. Monson has stated "gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues." As a result, I felt almost stunned that this answer was "breaking news" to people! But then I felt overwhelmed with a deep sense of gratitude that I have known "the science" behind happiness my entire life. Specifically, I am grateful for my testimony of this gospel, which literally means "good news," and for the knowledge I have on how to live my life in such a way that I can be happy and make decisions that result in ultimate joy. I am so grateful for a loving & merciful Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ, who know me personally, listen to and answer my prayers, and bless me and my loved ones on a daily basis.

Regardless of belief, I know that recognizing and expressing gratitude will make a huge difference in anyone's life. Gratitude has a funny way of putting life back into perspective. In one way or another, we have all been blessed with incredible beauty in our lives; it's evident in the bodies we have, the relationships we build, the talents we possess. In that sense, I am going to make it a goal to express my gratitude more often, so that I can keep focused on what matters most in life and spread the joy to those around me.

So what do YOU think? What are your views behind the "science" of happiness?

I love my job.

I have the best job in the entire world. Nothing brings me more satisfaction or joy than knowing I made a positive difference in someone else's life, and my role as orientation leader allows me to do just that. My responsibilities as an orientation leader include taking a group of timid, anxious strangers and transforming them into confident friends by the end of the day. I start each orientation session with a new group of students with totally different backgrounds and dynamics. My first goal is to help these students find common ground with each other, and I do so by leading group activities and discussions to get them to open up and make connections with each other. After that, I take my students on a tour to orient them with campus, present in workshops of multiple topics, and answer any questions they or their parents may have about making the transition to college. Throughout this process, I have been making a concentrated effort to learn each one of my student's names by heart as well as an interesting fact about them so I can maintain the connections we have made and help them find their place at SUU. I can't wait to see my students again at Flight School in August, which is a conference we host the week before classes start for first-year students. My hope is that they will use the resources and knowledge from orientation as they grow to become independent and take charge of their college experience. I am also hopeful that I have inspired them to take advantage of all the opportunity there is to get involved and make SUU their home away from home.

Name tag :)



Writing postcards to my students
 

Me and Thor

Some rowdy o-leaders and overnight orientation students
after a grueling Zumba class.

 

 

Introducing ourselves to first-year students and their guests.

Group ice-breaker activity

Taking my wonderful pre-nursing students on a campus tour :)

 

The o-leaders teaching the students the "Thunder Train,"
one of the many traditions at SUU.

 Of course my type of job requires lots & lots of constructive feedback, and the following comments I have received so far make all the hard work and long hours worth the time!

"      She was great! She was able to answer questions for me about the school, and help me build more confidence about my choice to attend SUU.

She was absolutely fantastic! I was impressed with all that she knew about the school. Genuinely friendly and felt like she cared about our experience.

She was so sweet and helpful and made me very excited to become part of the t-bird nation!

She didn't come off as a superior  . . . she was a student like us and treated us like friends. She was easy to talk to and very understanding.    "

I am also grateful for the incredible orientation staff that I get to work with. My boss Sheena, and our graduate intern Kol, have both made huge impressions on me and make me want to always improve my performance and ensure all incoming students feel valued and prepared. That being said, my fellow orientation leaders amaze me more and more every day. I feel that I learn so much from each of them, and I know there is still much yet to learn! Each one of them is so uniquely talented and bring so many wonderful qualities to the team. I honestly don't know what we would do without every single one of them, and my goal is to make sure that they all know how much I appreciate and look up to them. I have a favorite success quote by Oprah Winfrey that says, "Surround yourself only with people who are going to take you higher.” I can honestly say that the friends I have found through orientation take me higher and farther than I could go on my own. We have come so far since the beginning of the year; I can't wait to see how far we go! 

Sweet Summertime

I cannot believe it is the middle of JULY already. Times flies when you're having fun! Here's a sneak peek of what I have been up to these past two months.

My sister Katie moved in with me the beginning of June, and it has been one adventure after another!
Here we are at the Green Show, a public performance the Utah Shakespeare Festival puts on every summer.
 

Cedar City hosts Groovefest every summer at the city park.
My sister and I met up with a bunch of my coworkers to jam out to the bands!

 

At the July Jamboree. Main Street was flooded with sports cars,
BBQ vendors, and free entertainment.




I really liked this sassy '69 Ford Mustang ;)

At the same time as the July Jamboree, Cedar City had a Renaissance Fair
in the park with some pretty legit stuff.

"Do your best gladiator face."



First Impressions

Well, I have gone and done it. I have officially joined the blogging world. My goal is to use this blog as an outlet for all the stories, experiences, & feelings that tumble around in my head yearning to escape. I hope that anyone who reads this blog will be patient with me as I get a handle on things, and that we can inspire each other in the process!

Let me introduce myself . . .

1. I am a junior at Southern Utah University studying business and serving as Director of Special Projects in student government.
2. I work as an orientation leader on campus, which really isn't a job at all because I have so much fun meeting the first-year students & helping them ease into the transition of college life.
3. I love anything that has to do with exploring the great outdoors & roasting marshmallows.
4. I am a wannabe fashionista and aspiring chef.
5. I am an endorphin junkie & want to run a half-marathon in the near future.
6. My ideal afternoon is spending time with those I love & watching "I Love Lucy" reruns while crafting up a storm!

Thanks for stopping by! <3 <3