Tis the Season.

Hey Everyone!

I have been working on my blog, and it is under construction still, but I have had SO many thoughts that I felt I just didn't want to wait on the construction any further.

So here we are, in a blog post.

A few months ago, my husband got offered an internship in Idaho.

We actually were really excited because we had been praying and praying to know where we needed our family to be, somewhere that Trevor would enjoy his job, and where we could do the most good. It was odd, we thought we'd end up in some distant land, and actually had that opportunity, but when we looked at our children and their ability to thrive, we felt family was what we needed right now.  

We accepted his offer and then I got on to looking for housing.

And nothing felt right.

We finally found something, and it fell through.

We didn't want to sign a 12 month contract on a house we didn't see ourselves in, so we bunked up with my parents. It has been a hard adjustment, but the fact is, our children get to see their Nana and Papa everyday. They get to be loved a little more everyday. 

And that's ok with me.

About a week ago, my dad and I were talking about his yard.  Last Fall he ripped out his yard so he could kill all the crazy weeds that overtook his back yard.  He bought the best grass seeds, the best weed killers, spent countless hours prepping and preparing his yard before the snow fell.

I'm sure he dreamed of a beautiful lush green grassy yard. The kind of grass that you could lay and sink into as you watched the white clouds float away.

He saw the end result first, and then worked his way to that.

Unfortunately, the winter was warm, and the weather very unpredictable, so when the snow melted, his luscious yard, was again, left with few grass spots and mostly weeds.

My dad has been heartbroken of the countless hours he spent, trying to get his yard the way he wanted. What he didn't know, was that there was a few weeds that sprout thousands of seeds and jump off the plant like tiny baby grasshoppers. They go everywhere!

He now has to rethink his yard, rethink his tactics, and probably hire a professional to redo his yard.

I vote sod! 

Seems easier.

But my dad is a dreamer, a life long learner, and loves to take time to learn everything so he can be an expert in that area. He loves helping people through his experience.

So, he will find a way to get his dream and put in the work to do it.

And I'm sure the reward will be great.

Anyway, we were talking about the weed problem, and he came home from a long days work and looked out his back window.  He rubbed his tired, long bearded face with one hand and just said, "Those weeds are taking over! I just wish I had time to get them out!"

Insert me, with no car, and two children with a bounty of energy.

I took them out back yesterday and showed them a few tools and began to clean up the yard.

The weeds came out very easily because of all the rain we've been having, the ground was nice and soft. My kids took turns playing with the hand powered rototiller, and then collecting ants and ladybugs.  I turned on my music, and just sunk my hands into the wet soil.

I began to dream of a yard, with a little garden my kids could eat from.

I wanted them to taste the freshness of a carrot they helped plant, watch excitedly as their watermelons or pumpkins grew big, enjoy popping open sugar snap peas, and eating strawberries without washing them first.

Those are some of my fond memories of a child, and I wish them for my kids.

Its times like these that I feel the Lord's answers to my prayers, not in my way, but His.

As I pulled weeds, I thought, I'm going to buy a tomato plant.

I'm going to plant a row of carrots.

More weeds came out, and I thought, this would be a beautiful area for strawberries.

Before pulling weeds, I never had that vision.

It was the work that gave me insight.

I thought about farmers, and gardeners, and reflected on the analogy I heard in one of my previous self development times.

The quick analogy goes, A farmer would never procrastinate his planting season and hope for a full harvest at harvest time.  He couldn't decide in August, he was ready to harvest without first putting in the long hours in the spring to plant, water, and protect them throughout the summer.

It is also an analogy the Savior used in the New Testament while teaching His disciples.

You ready for me to connect my storyline?

There are times in our lives where we will work and work, and sometimes not get the reward we were desiring.  Like my husband and I, we would have preferred to have our own home after a long 7 years of schooling.  We would have preferred an adventure out of Idaho where we could be greeted with diversity.  We would have preferred to have graduated with a job, and had an internship after his undergrad.  We would have preferred instant wealth. 

But there would be no reward sweeter than seeing the labor and sweat of our own brow.

My dad would have preferred a long luscious grassy backyard.

But it didn't work that way.

I'm sure America would prefer to buy their produce at reduced prices, and I'm sure the farmer would prefer to sell his labor for more.

It doesn't work that way.

I'm sure we would all prefer a healthy, slim fit body, while eating our oreos and doritos, drinking our 44oz sodas, and downing a gallon of ice cream at 10 pm.

But it doesn't work that way.

There will be times, when we dream and wish for something, and even work really hard, and then 

we don't get it.

Maybe we haven't invested in the time necessary to attain it.

I want a garden, a big house and all the free time in the world to play with my kids.

I want my husband to be home with us, enjoying a summer water fight.

I want to help people feel the love of our Savior.

I want to go serve with the missionaries anytime they call and need someone.

I want to help stop childhood obesity.

I want to let my kids dream bigger than me!

And there is good news for me.

I am not yet 30.

I am not yet 45.

I am not yet 75.

I am not yet 95.

I am not yet dead.

Today is a great day to put in the work necessary to live any dream I desire.

I am not limited to my conditions in life.

I may not have earned it yet, but I will.

I will invest in the time necessary to have my dreams.

I will go to the gym, and eat a little less chocolate, I can sacrifice a soda a day, I can put in an extra half hour of personal development while I'm cleaning, so that one day, WHEN I achieve my goals, my labor and sacrifices will be worth the reward.

No one will give me my dreams, and I will never appreciate them as much.

Time is on our side.

Time is all we have.

And it will pass whether you are dreaming and achieving or not!

Sometimes, we will have to take an alternate route.

You just may have to humble yourself, and let someone help you.

My parents are helping us, and we are helping them.

Its not the way either of us probably hoped, but it is working and we are able to help each other's dream come alive.

What is your dream?

Are you living it?

Do you need help?

Let someone help you.

Help someone else.

It may not be WHAT you want now, but I can promise you, the reward will be even sweeter!

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Talk[ing] Dirty to Me

You all know that song, right?

(if you don't, its ok, don't listen to it)

I have had this on my mind lately and I feel its important enough to share as I feel I am probably not the only one thinking it.

The other day, I had just finished a workout, I had no makeup on and I was out with my kids who just needed to get some wiggles out.

We were riding bikes and I seriously had no problem being outside without makeup on or my hair in a frizzy ponytail because I knew I wasn't going to really see anyone.

But then what happens? 

Yep, I saw someone I know.

Actually 2 people.

Instantly I felt and thought,
 "I look like a pile of crap.
And I stink.
And my house is a giant mess.
And I knew I should've stayed inside!"

Trying to hide behind my shades, as I spoke with this person I admire, 

I saw that she had no judgment towards me.

She didn't care that I looked terrible,

at least she didn't put out any vibes that made me feel like I was being judged.

And then the thought I wanted to share is,
"If she doesn't care, then why do I?"

That thought has been resonating with me,

and it has led me to think that I am my own worst enemy.
I have set myself up for self detonation!

When I feel fat, or out of shape,

when I feel ugly,

when I feel like makeup makes me more beautiful,

when my wardrobe is just no longer tolerable and I have NOTHING to wear,

I've learned that I physically start to feel sick.

It is just a vicious cycle and here it goes,

"I look fat today."

which leads to

"I have nothing to wear!"

which leads to

"I am ugly. I need to go put on my makeup"

which leads to

"I am being a bad mom because I don't want anyone to see me when I look like this so I'm not going anywhere!"

which leads to

"I am a terrible wife because I didn't have dinner done by 5:30"

which leads to

"I'm a terrible person because I am not organized like pinterest says I should be"

which leads to 

"I should workout and eat so I can look like that!"

which leads to

"I'm a terrible person! I need to go back to bed!"

SEE?!

Sad right?

But here is what I've learned.

When I wake up and walk into my bathroom,

I look in the mirror and say, "Good morning Alicia! You look beautiful!"

Then magically, I have a good hair day, 

I have a good workout,

I have a good time playing with my kids,

and my husband thinks I look nice.

I'm not on edge because I hate myself,

I'm more patient with my kids and my hubby.

I feel good about myself because I just did good for myself.

Here is my motto:
FEEL GOOD, DO GOOD.

I may not be 100% awesome everyday and have a clean house all day,

Nor are my children golden and perfect, shiny and clean.

But I'm not miserable.

I don't feel miserable because I walked passed that full body mirror.

I'm not tearing myself down and avoiding doing the important things

because suddenly I am exhausted because that's how I look and made myself feel.

So what's my point?

Stop talking dirty to yourself.

Stop beating yourself up!

If I were to see you without makeup on and in sweat pants,

I probably wouldn't think twice about it and probably just be a little jealous that you look so good dressed down!

Enough with the "I NEED to go put on my makeup!

I have NOTHING wear!

I feel FAT."

Because you know what, it's just not true!

You are beautiful.

You are inspiring.

And you are more than you think you are!

Talk beautifully to yourself.

You owe it to yourself.

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Riding Tandem

My friend, Andrea, and I have been planning to go ride bikes since the weather got warm

We kept saying we'd go, and then the week would be over and we'd start again.

Finally, we made it happen.

We set up a time and put it on our calendars.

The date was set.

I didn't really know what to expect other than she told me she had a tandem bike we could ride.

So my first thought is that we'd be riding a cruiser tandem with pink baskets, and take a lovely stroll around the neighborhoods and chat the day away.

I had told her I saw this AMAZING tandem street bike at the bike festival over the weekend and she chuckled as she told me that's what she had.

Immediately I knew I was in for a workout and treat.

The beautiful morning came and we set out for North Logan.

We unloaded the bike off the trailer, got our water bottles set and helmets adjusted.

She put on her sweet rearview mirror on her glasses,

and we took off.

Suddenly she realized that tires were flat and we needed to circle around and pump them up.

Again, we prepared ourselves and took off.

Side note, I have a fear of riding fast on bikes.  I had two terrible bike accidents as a child and left my face mangled and sent me into surgery.

I have always wanted to race bikes, but thought that it was something I'd just admire because I'd probably crash and couldn't do it.

Andrea was on the front of the bike, steering and leading,

 and I was the back just pedaling my little booty away to try and keep up with her.

We rode up through some neighborhoods and found ourselves on a very slight hill.

She probably thought I was going into cardiac arrest as I panted and deep breathed in and out trying to pedal uphill.

We finally made it uphill and then she wanted to show me some other areas, so we headed for the bigger hills.  I had driven up this one area, and actually thought how hard it'd be to bike.

That same hill, she wanted to head up.

EEK.

I saw it and she said, "Ok, I'm gonna really need you to push hard.  We're gonna do this!"

I just yelled, "I can't look!"

"Keep your eyes on the ground or on your feet and just give me all you got!" She shouted.

She steered and my legs were on fire.

I kept saying, "You can do this Alicia! You can do this!"

We made it up about half the hill and then she turned the bike around and said, 

"We'll get this one next time!"

My heart leapt for joy and I thought, phew. I'm exhausted.

We started pedaling as fast as our legs would go and then coasted for a good couple of minutes.

She clocked us going at 31mph.

The wind in my face, my achy legs taking a rest and the beauty of the countryside was around us.

I could hear the birds singing and I just felt like life was perfect.

We zoomed past cars and they admired our awesome teamwork and bike, and I didn't want it to end.

We rode probably for 40 minutes, pedaling for the majority of the time.

I was exhausted and also so invigorated that I didn't know if I was ready for our ride to be over.

There were times that I was thinking, I'm so glad she is steering. I wouldn't know where to go, how to take this turn or that turn, what was in front of me or behind me.

She was a great leader and showed me that her sport was a thrill and beautiful.

When we pulled in to load up our bike, I was already making arrangements to go again and how I could prepare myself.  Squats and lunges, leg press and cycling at the gym.

I'd be ready for that hill next time!

We snapped a pic and headed home.

Throughout the whole ride, I kept feeling like I needed to take note of what was going on.

The gospel principles kept ringing through my head.

And I was able to put together an unrefined analogy.

First, my dear friend Andrea has always something insightful to say. She's a great example to me.

And when she invited me to "Be Friends" I was excited!

I knew much was to be learned from her.

So there was a desire from us both.

She wanted to show me the ropes, and teach me the beauty of bike riding.

And I wanted to be her friend and face my fear and do it.

This is similar with us and our Heavenly Father.

He wants to be with us, to show us how to do things, and show us the beauty that life has to offer.

We need to have a desire to have Him in our life.

And then we must act.  

We must plan to meet with Him, to set aside time where we know we can learn from Him.

Second, she came prepared to lead me.

She knew I was a beginner bike rider.

She armed herself with a rearview mirror to see any dangers that could happen.

She adjusted my helmet and checked out the bike for any future danger.

She also was in front of me, guiding me, directing our paths, and knew when to apply the brakes when we needed them.

Heavenly Father is our rearview mirror. 

He has given us the tools to arm ourselves, to make sure that we are in tune and aware of potential spiritual dangers or trials.

He is the head of the bike. 

He steers us, and takes us where we don't even know where we want to go,

and shows us how beautiful our life is.

Third, when we headed up that steep hill, there was no warning other than, "This area looks familiar, BAM, there's THAT hill!"

Andrea cheered me on, helped me focus and when she knew I was struggling, she guided us around. I am sure she knew that I wouldn't make it up that hill, but she let me think I was going to and let me go as far as I could.  

She saw my efforts and then guided me away.

How many times do we have trials where our spiritual legs are burning?

Where our legs just want to give out and we wonder, who put that stupid hill here anyhow?

When we realize that the strength we thought we had, all of sudden is a giant weakness?

I know Heavenly Father will give us trials, it is just part of our Earthly ride.

And He will be there to help us, to cheer us on when we head up a steep hill.

I also feel that Heavenly Father will let us use our agency to make our own choices.

BUT, regardless of where we get ourselves, He will be there when we decide we need Him.

He will help us turn around, and give us the best coast you could imagine.

When we turned around to just coast down that hill I once wanted to curse at,

I smiled (with my mouth shut) and just enjoyed how hard we had worked to get up half of it!

We could now enjoy that hill, and I enjoyed the beauty around us.

Again, I'm really grateful Andrea was leading us because she applied the brakes slightly when we were going to fast, and guided us to that we wouldn't slam into garbage trucks or cars at 31 mph.

Sometimes, when we are on our easy ride, just coasting along,

we can lose sight of how important it is to stay close to Heavenly Father.

We think our life is going great, life can't get better, and if we are not careful, we can run into danger and get seriously hurt.

I know there are times in my life that I feel I can't do something.

But when my desires are good, when I can find courage to believe in myself,

I will find a new passion, new strength to do more.

Bad lighting, we know, but its still my trophy!

At this time in my life, I won't be able to invest in street bikes and padded pants and everything else I'd need, but I do know I've tried it, LOVED it,

and I am no longer terrified of street biking.

I know how to prepare myself for tough journeys, and as I strengthen myself physically and spiritually, I can do hard things!

Its a beautiful thing.

My challenge to you?

Find one thing you thought you'd love to do, but thought you'd never actually do it,

AND DO IT!!

From sewing on a button,

running around the block without stopping,

or signing up for your first 5K (me).
Find it, conquer it (even if its not pretty)
and do it.

I can promise you, you will find an inner strength and learn something about yourself you didn't know.

Now get! 

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The Quieter Voice

I have this sister who once in my life was probably my greatest enemy. 

We just did not understand each other.

We borrowed each others clothes, shared a room, 

she read my journals and left funny notes in them to let me know she read them.

We were teenagers together and just loved to be in each others space.

There was a time where we tried growing up and sharing an apartment which was fun and I think the start of a great friendship.  However, there were still some harsh feelings and we hadn't completely mended them until years later when she and I were pregnant together, had little girls months apart from each other and really starting understanding each other.

Now, she is easily one of my best friends.

We talk several times a week if not every day, cheer each other on, and let our kids make silly faces with their cousins.

She lives a long way away, and I really hope one day that the Universe will allow us to be neighbors.  I love her.

She has been through a lot in her life, and has become a very inspirational person to me.

She believes in me, encourages me and helps me want to be a better me.

Today we were talking about a few things, how we have measured our success as mothers, wives, women and where we are in our life.

Have we become who we thought we were when we were kids?

Are we allowing ourselves the opportunities we need to be better?

What are we doing to better ourselves and help the world be better?

THOSE kinds of questions.

We hung up the phone, she texted me a small list of good books she's been inspired by and I hopped in the shower.

Then this thought came.

You know the kind that is almost too quiet to hear, but you do?

The thought that said, "You can do this! You will succeed!"

Then almost instantly a louder voice said,

"But WHAT IF YOU FAIL?"

It got me thinking that there are SO many times in my life that I have let the louder voice win. The loud voice that scoffs at me, (yes in my head), says 

"no way", 

or "do you really think you can do THAT?"

And then my reasoning goes like this,

"You're right. That'll be hard.

And I'll probably change my mind and not want to do it anymore..."

And then I go about my way finding something else that I think I'd love,

and then watch the cycle repeat itself.

You all may think I have schizophrenia with all these voices I have,

rest assured I don't.

But I do have an inner battle with the loud voice and quieter voice.

I believe I was carved out of excellence.

I have always done something and succeeded because its what I do.

(Insert humble voice even though it doesn't sound this way)

If I wanted something to happen, I'd do it.

But lately, I have been feeling like I have been waiting for something to happen.

You know the thoughts that go,

"When 'X' happens, then 'Y' will happen which means endless happiness"

Honestly, I am getting really tired of waiting for 'X' to happen.

I'm tired of letting the louder voice win!

SO my goal is to focus on the quieter voice.

The one that has been faded by doubt.

The voice that has been pushed aside because of fear.

The voice that BELIEVES in me.

I know it sounds nuts,

but until you are at the point that I am at in my life, 

just trust me when I say I'm not nuts.

I'm just ready for greatness.

I'm ready to BE, to DO, and to LOVE IT!!

Great things are going to happen to me because I am gonna make them that way!

You may not see it,

but I'm gonna feel it!
And I want my kids to see that.
I want them to make that quieter voice the winning one.

My challenge to you?

Find one thing you want to do to be a better you!

If thats eating more carrots,

painting on a blank canvas,

picking your nose less (preferably in public),

or connecting to family,

DO IT!

And post below and tell me what you are gonna do!!

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It takes an army...

I was laying in bed the other night thinking about my mom and how blessed I am to be a mom.  Yes, this is an after mother's day post, but I was just thinking that I have a fabulous mom.

You know those epiphanies you have while you are half asleep?

This is one of those times where I was really tired, but couldn't sleep because my mind was just racing about all the people in my life who have helped mold me, taught me, and inspired me.

Starting with my mom.

My mom, if anyone knows her they'll agree, when I say she is such a pure person.

She is one I call a good naive.

I believe that Heavenly Father has created some people with just pure hearts, pure minds and just simply good natured people.  I feel our world contains a small handful of these people, and my mother is just one of those.  I am such a blessed person to have her in my life.

She is so humble, so loving and SO ANNA.

If you know my mom, there is no better way to describe her other than, Anna.  

She is just a beautiful person.

My mom has worked full time (outside of the home) since I was 5.  She always wanted to stay at home, but was never able to.  Because of that, she also relied on "the army" to take care of her children. Before I get to "The Army" let me just express how wonderful my mom is.

She worked from sun up to sun up.  She watched as others were blessed with wealth and good fortune, and she did her best to make sure we had enough.

 I wanted her to be my best friend so I told her of all of my boy crushes, my enemies, my friends, and often sat on the edge of her bed as we chatted about my dates.

She taught me to love the Lord.

She was my cheerleader.

And she was really, really good at it!

I knew I could depend on her and that although my life circumstances were not picture perfect, 

she taught me that I was the one who could change that.

Education was important to her and she always encouraged me to do my best.

"The Army" is what I call the saints of women involved in my life who loved me without condition.

They were there because they had been called to serve, and they went beyond what they were "called to do" and did it with love.

First up, was my BFF's mom, Kelli.

I am lucky enough to have one mom who cared about me, but to have a second is more than most people are blessed with.  Kelli was everything I wanted to be.  She was a stay at home mom who spoiled her children with warm cookies and grapes, homemade dinner at 5:30 everyday, and most importantly a listening ear after school. I remember my friend, Megan, went home for lunch almost everyday in grade school, and high school.  She knew her mom would be there so she could do boy chat with her, catch her up on the latest friend gossip, and of course, have a little lunch date with her big brother's friends.

I hung around Megan's house most days, and Kelli was kind to invite me to dinner most nights.

She was Megan's best friend, and its what I wanted with my mom and my future kids.

Kelli was such an example of standing for truth and taught Megan that as well.

I still remember her giggle as we'd sit around the counter, and I remember the love that flickered in her eyes as she listened to her children.
I knew she loved being a mom and was really good at it!

In our church, we have programs for children of every age.  I love it!  When girls turn eight, they get to join a little program called Achievement Days.  It was like girl scouts, but without all the badges and pack meetings.  Anyway, I think I was 10 or 11,  and we had a new lady move into our ward.

She was called to work in our group, and little did we know, she would be one of the most influential leaders in our adolescent years.

Her name?
Patty Conan.

She didn't have children of her own, but you would never know because we were her children.

She had about 10 daughters, who she LOVED!
There was no questioning it.

Patty went way beyond herself to show us that she was in for the long haul.

She graduated with us from Primary to Beehives (12-13 year old girls program).

I remember we were getting ready to go into Jr. High and we all gathered at her house. We talked about our future teachers, future boyfriends, clubs we'd join, and who'd we be.

Patty stood on one side of her counter as we filled her kitchen and she just said, "I just love you girls" with a giggle. She listened, she cheered us on, she supported us, and mostly, she loved us.
And we loved her.

We were beyond blessed to have her in young women's for almost all six years we were there.

I loved her warm hugs, her cute Disney obsession, and everything about her creative genius.

She inspired me to be crafty and creative and I still wish I had a quarter of her genius in me.

Thankfully, her and my mom have become good friends, and I get to see her often.  I get greeted with the same warm hugs and giggle, and I still feel Christ-like love emanate from her whenever I get to see her.

Another program in our church is called Sunday School.  We have our second hour of church dedicated to learn the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I always had some pretty spectacular teachers growing up, but when I turned 16, I got to go in to Sister Jones' class.  Mary Jones was someone I will always admire and look up to.  She has set such a high bar for me as to what I can achieve, and who I want to be.  Along with every other woman I have mentioned, I want to be her.

Mary Jones talked about her mission and how great of a blessing it was in her life.

She had attended BYU-Hawaii and I really wanted to model my life after her righteousness.

I was so in awe of how much she knew about the gospel. 

She LOVED her Savior, Jesus Christ.

She testified of Him often, and prepared her lessons by the Spirit and was always what we needed to start our new week at school.

She loved us, and we could feel it.

She also loved her life, she loved who she was and it seemed that there was never a challenge she couldn't handle.  I know that currently she is a song writer and singer, a play director, and so involved in her children's life.  

I just wanted to be like her in so many ways.

The last woman I want to mention is my mother in law, Connie.

I get teary-eyed thinking about how much I love this woman.

She was left with a very unfortunate circumstance to raise her four children alone.  

Her husband, Trevor's dad, passed away when he was five.

Connie doesn't have a college education, and had to find odd jobs that she could make ends meet.

She often took Trevor with her to work (which was a job in itself from what I hear) and loved her kids unconditionally She trusted them to make good decisions and did a FANTASTIC job of raising them to rely on each other, to be forever friends and stay close to God.

She was their protector, the provider, the caregiver, the everything!

She is one of the most charitable persons I have ever crossed paths with.

I often tell myself that I agreed to marry her son, just so I could have her as a friend in my Earth life. I mean, I love Trevor and I am more than blessed to have him as my eternal companion, but I was double blessed to have Connie as my mother in law.  

I don't even know how to describe my love for her, other than just complete admiration of the person she is.

I know that when I married her baby boy, that I had HUGE shoes to fill.

She has been patient with me as I have learned to care for her son, and has cheered me, stood by me and loved me when I struggle.

I know this is a long post, and I am sure many won't finish, but let me clarify that I have had many more people involved in my upbringing. Between my older sisters, sister in laws, other church leaders and other of my friend's moms who love me, I want to say a HUGE thank you!! 

There are not enough words to express my gratitude for those of you who have hugged me, who have loved me, and coached me as I have tried to be the person I wish to be.

I have a lot of people who were in "my army" who I am eternally indebted to.

As I look at the world around me, the world my children have to grow up in, I am grateful that I have the gospel of Jesus Christ to rely on and to guide me as I rely upon "the army" that lies ahead of me.

I hope that my children can be blessed with such incredible people as I have been.

Here's to you. Thank you for being in my life as a friend and example! You may not know, but I look up to you!

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Evolution vs Creationism: An unexpected outcome.

Well, its almost 5:50 in the AM.  I'm awake.

I woke up half hour ago, thinking.  Thinking about Evolution.  

Weird? Yep!

Why?  Well, I have had this controversial topic on my mind for the last few months.  Especially with the new year.  In church we are studying the Old Testament again.  We are starting from the beginning of time, learning of where we came from. We, being, the human people.

We are reading in The Pearl of Great Price about Moses.  Moses gives the recount of talking with God, who gives us knowledge that we are children of God.  Haven't read it yet? Check it out! Its pretty cool!

Anyway, over the last couple of weeks, I have heard quite a bit of controversy regarding evolution.  According to a lot of people, evolution isn't real.  Evolution is a CRAZY scientific idea.  

"We didn't come from monkeys!" People exclaim.  "How can anyone believe that WE came from a micro-organism cell?!"  "God created it all! He can do anything!"

These are a few things I have heard over the last couple weeks, and you know what? Its bothered me.

Let me back up a little bit and explain why.

Evolution:Evolution is the change in the inherited characteristics of biological populations over successive generations (wikipedia...its never wrong!! haha)

Along with evolution, there is the idea of The Big Bang Theory.

What is it?  Not the show guys, come on!

The idea that all of sudden, things just collided and happened.

Creationism:
Creationism is the religious belief that life, the Earth, and the universe are the creation of a supernatural being.

BAM...there it is.  Black and white! Right?!?

Its one or the other, right?

UGH.  This is where I need to interject.  This is why I am up before the sunrise.

This is what is on my mind.

We know from going to church, that God is amazing, to put in simple terms.  He can probably do anything He wants to do.  BUT He doesn't.  He follows an order and laws.  Sure, He created those orders and laws. But He still follows them.  Just as we do as parents, we set guidelines, rules, order within our home.  Not a parent? Well, you probably follow the laws of the land.  

We are surrounded with laws and orders.  We don't kill (well atleast most of us don't).  We shouldn't steal. (Again, honorable citizens don't).  We face the law of gravity daily...and seems gravity fights against us as we get older.  We govern ourselves.  Its a, wait for it, Godly trait.

We need order.  We need laws!! It keeps things moving, and keeps us safe.

God, my Heavenly Father, is super smart.  That's an understatement.

He is all knowing! He knows the End from the Beginning.

God, who created laws, order, science, get this...follows His laws!

Do I sound bias?  Wait, keep reading!!

GOD, IS the beginning.  You may be asking yourself here, What comes first, the chicken or the egg?

The answer is, God.

God comes first...Then creation/evolution.

Is it possible that evolution is real?

YEP!

Evolution, as described above, happened!

It happens EVERYDAY!!

SURPRISE!!!

Lets start again.

Once upon a time, in the Earth's history, all things collided and BAM...the Earth was created...

LINE UPON LINE.

Sure, Jesus Christ, under the direction of God, gathered the elements from the black matter, aka space.  He formed the Earth.  We learn from the Bible, that the dark was separated from the light. (Night and Day...BAM)

The waters were separated from the dry lands. BAM!

Vegetation formed...BAM!

Animals were created...BAM!

Humans happened....BAM.

I think this is where people get hung up.  People, mostly Christians, believe that Jesus, in His infinite power, just placed these things.  Day one, BAM, day two, BAM.

Nope.  Thats not what happened.

He gathered the elements.  That probably took some kind of knowledge, order and wisdom to do.  He then USED His amazing scientific order to allow them to change...adapt, and be perfected.

Science can date that the Earth is billions of years old.  The Earth has gone through periods of time. Being married to a Geologist, you learn some things.

We know from SCIENTIFIC research that once upon a time, the Earth was a ball of lava...

AND some believe all the continents were one.

And then they separated, the Earth froze over, and then melted and then changed, and then changed some more.

Somewhere in there, life was happening.

Science says that they can trace our genetics back to a single cell organism that was formed in water.

And then it evolved into water beasts...who then evolved into land and water beasts.

Cells adapted, cells changed.  Fish began to learn how to fly. 

Fish began to learn how to breath on land, and walk.

Things adapted to their circumstances.

Its not crazy...its called ORDER.

There is an order to ALL things.

 Then we get to dinosaurs...dinosaurs are real! They really walked the Earth. They are not some alien form that came from other planets.  We have proof they were here.  We also have proof, backed by science, that everything was HUGE...spiders, snakes, birds, vegetation.

 ALL of it was like, "Honey, I Blew up the Kid"

Thankfully they were because thats what The Earth needed to do for US to be HERE today!

We needed all of that forming so we could have oil!

And it had to happen long ago, because it needed time to evolve...to change!

So you are asking me, "Get to the part where we come from monkeys!?"

Guys, this is Alicia doctrine.  This is not church doctrine.  This is not "The Mormon's views on evolution"

This is ME, Alicia, trying to make sense in my mind of how things happened.  I just like to try and understand such complex theories.

What if, and this is just a crazy what if...

we did come from monkeys. 

I think you'd really have to understand science and past research to understand what I am getting at here.  Google "Human Evolution, or Evolution of Man" to learn more.  We have learned in class that the History of Humans started with animals becoming progressively smarter.  They used tools, signifying that they were cognitive.  They began thinking!!

And then slowly, we see that their forms/bodies began to change.  Once they were tiny, and then with time, they changed. (I'm trying to keep this simple).

Head sizes changed, arm lengths changed. They became bipeds, walking on two feet.

And this was billions of years ago, btw.

We have skeletons showing the changes of the homo-family. (homo as in species)

The species changed as the traits changed.  I am not using scientific terms here and am probably out of order in my thinking, but hopefully you understand what I am saying.

What I am saying is that "God HAD to follow an order!"

That's how HE works.

Does that de-bunk Adam and Eve.

Absolutely not.

BUT, just a crazy thought here, Adam and Eve were created/evolved into "The Human family" because of genetics.  God saw His creation was complete in them, and gave them further light and knowledge.  But, the Earth had to be ready for them.  I imagine its like a baby.  There is a process to have a baby.  There HAS to be a male and female, sperm and egg, to create life! Then once they are together, they form a little person...who then LIVES in the mother who creates an environment for the baby to grow.  The baby evolves, changes, grows...it goes from a little tad pole, to a human being!!  It isn't just BAM...here is a baby in your arms.  

Same thing with humans.  We had to adapt, we had to grow. Circumstances HAD to be right for us to be here!  And guess what else?!  We have evolved from the time of Adam and Eve. We have different health problems, our minds think differently, we don't live hundreds of years old.  We have EVOLVED.

Point in case, Trevor stands about 4-5 inches taller than his grandpa.  Trevor's dad was taller than his dad...and Trevor is taller than his father was at Trevor's age.  According to the past, Ryker is probably going to be a little taller than Trevor.

People were smaller a hundred years ago.  Being tall was like 5'8"...now thats average for a male...maybe even on the shorter side.

I've evolved...I've adapted and I've changed.

BUT that DOES NOT change the fact that I still have loving Heavenly Father!

That doesn't change the simple truth that Jesus Christ is still my Savior.

Again, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ still follow the laws of a Supreme Being.  But they also created them.  They work line upon line, precept upon precept.  If not, it'd be chaos.

So what am I getting at? Whats the punch line? Lets wrap it up...

GOD IS THE ULTIMATE SCIENTIST!

He can do all things, and someone had to start the beginning of time!  God created the Earth, with a process.  So there is no Evolution VS Creationism.  

It is both! Why can't those two things Co-Exist?

They do.

But because Satan like to do all he can to separate the human family, to fight amongst themselves, he has made it appear that is can ONLY be one or the other.  It can't be both.

But again, it is both!  

The Earth, the human species, and everything else for that matter, have evolved from the beginning of time.  Everything has followed an order, a law and hopefully it will continue to do so as long as we don't continue to give the thought that its one or the other.

So when that thought crosses your mind, that evolution is bad...

think again eh? Its not.

Evolution is amazing!

It is proof that we have a loving, super smart, Heavenly Father!

He created the world...with order...for us to possess it.

We needed a place to learn, to grow, to adapt and to evolve because

one day, we hope to be like Him.

And we all know, thats going to take some serious evolution to get there!!

God is Great!

 

 

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Welcome 2014!!

Welcome January 2014!

Phew! We made it to 2014.  Although we had a tough 2013, (I think the number 13 is bad luck!!), we survived.  We did it!  We were still blessed beyond I could imagine, but I also learned a handful more things that I need to work on, including humility and patience.

Darn it, those two are the hardest for me!

Accepting the Lord's timing is difficult.  Mostly, because He doesn't run on time like us.  I'd like to fashion myself with "mostly on time."  I wasn't always that way, but being with the hubs, has taught me to be. So when things don't run according to MY plan, I get tense...frustrated and a little doubtful.

Thankfully, I know God is perfect.  Which gives me hope.  Hope for a better understanding. Hope that He knows better than me and REALLY does have my best interest at heart.  Which leads me to trust.

I trust that 2013 was a big learning year.  I had become complacent with my testimony, life and almost ungrateful for what I really do have.  I live in this bubble that says, "Someday." Ugh!  I really dislike that word because it means "in the future this will be."  What it doesn't say is, "RIGHT NOW" and that is what I really need to work on.  Right now, we are healthy! Right now...I can work on being a little better.

SOOOO, What does that mean for Little Alicia?  Well, guys, its a brand new year!! 

A brand new year is like the weekend cleaning of a chalkboard. (Remember that? Monday mornings that chalkboards would have been cleaned with chemical and no dust to be found?)

I have a BRAND NEW chalkboard.  A brand new slate to set goals.  Accomplish new things. 

This year, I decided is going to be AMAZING!

I am going to do something amazing. 

 I want to look back and think, that was the best year of my life so far!!

I have set some new goals.

I have kept some old ones.

I have already broken some.

***BUT***

there is a but,

its a learning curve with baby steps!

And thats why I LOVE January! Its so fresh and so clean clean!

What are my goals you ask?

Well friend, let me tell you!

First and most important is to work on my attitude!

My attitude is what will set my mood if I can accomplish my goals.

I NEED A POSITIVE ATTITUDE!

And when I'm happy, I can focus on the blessing I have, not wish I had.

Second, to spend more time in the scriptures.  I love those books! Best HISTORY I know of! I love reading the warrior stories!! I love reading about redemption.  And how when some have been at the lowest of lows, they feel love, and then their heart changes.  They feel of the redeeming love of a Savior, and find hope.  And stand firm in their beliefs and help others to come unto that hope and peace.  

Just glorious!!

Third, is a common one.

I want to be healthier.  

I want to eat better.

I want my kids to eat better and have more variety.

SO I joined a meal planning website.

Side note...I have been meal planning for about two years. 2013 was my better year and I planned by the month.  BUT I only planned dinner.  I didn't see the need to plan breakfasts and lunches, and honestly really struggled with that. So I did some research and found this awesome website that I thought would help me kickstart my healthy eating habits. 

Its called SuperHealthyKids.com.

And it is worth all 200 pennies a week to have someone do all the hard parts!

Everyday I know what we'll have for breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner.

It has TONS of veggies and fruits packed in every week.

And Ryker (and Trevor) have done remarkably well eating a wide variety of things!

AWESOME!

I have also started P90X again.

This time Trevor has joined in and we have kept each other motivated. 

And it has been an awesome experience to cheer each other on, laugh at our tumbles and fails, and get back to doing something other than watching tv.

I love him as a workout buddy!!

Ryk snapped this pic of me when we were doing yoga. He even managed to figure out the B&W.

Fourth, tone down on the TV, electronics and distractions.

I love tv! Maybe too much, so this is gonna take some work!

Those are my major ones.  I know I have a lot of work to do. But thats ok! 

Life is good!

Welcome 2014. We have a lot to look forward to!

This year is going to be AAAAmazing!

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