book reviews #17-19.

There is nothing better than finishing up with school and knowing I get to read whatever I want now. And let's be honest, I read whatever I wanted during school as well, but nowhere near as often as I wished I could and always with that slight feeling of guilt over my neglected textbooks. Now that I'm done I expect I'll be making some real progress toward my 30 book goal. We'll see!

Believing Christ: The Parable of the Bicycle and Other Good News by Stephen E. Robinson...

I loved this book so much. It sort of fell into my lap at a time I was struggling and it's simple and powerful message was life changing for me. It's beautifully written, full of hope and the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I was reading a borrowed copy from a friend originally, but had to buy my own copy. It is dog-eared and highlighted all over. If you are looking for a deeper and purer understanding of the Atonement, you really should pick this up.

Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart...

I enjoyed this book--it was beautifully written and full of lovely descriptions and imagery. As well it had a lot of the elements I love in gothic/romance/suspense type stories. My only issue was how easily the major conflicts in the story were resolved; everything continually fell into place without much trouble. As well it was a little slow for me in some parts. But overall I liked it a lot.

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley...

The Winter Sea is beautiful. There is a bittersweet sort of feeling that came with finishing this book and I feel like the next book I read will fall short in comparison. I loved it so much--and because of that I wish I could continue reading for another 500 pages. I fell in love with Kearsley's writing and was continually caught up and lost in the language. The setting, the descriptions, the characters, everything. I was hooked from the very beginning and found myself staying up late into the night and waking up early to read.

Books read: 5 out of 30

one.

This week was our first anniversary! First of all, I cannot fathom how we went from newlyweds to one year under our belts so quickly--seems like it's been days or weeks rather than months. And yet I feel as I did when were were just babies (read: dating), that I have known Ryan my whole life. I get him, and he gets me. We have always just clicked. 

Though my life is filled with wonderful, selfless, hilarious and kind people, I do not think I know a person who is more genuine than Ryan. He is sincere and honest in everything he does. He feels deeply, so deeply, for those around him. People we know and those we do not. He is diligent and loving. He is the best of friends. Full of hope and ambition, ready to laugh (or cry) right along with you. He is both tender and strong and amazingly funny. 

I think being loved by Ryan is a particularly special blessing shared by those who know him. His love is pure and generous and the brightest of lights in a world that can be pretty dismal at times. Ryan is wise beyond his years. He can see the good and the hope in every situation and gives the best advice in the world. He is a problem solver, a doer. And he has that boyish charm that is full of smiles and adventure, which is adorable and endlessly fun. 

I love this boy of mine with everything that is in me. Here's to an eternity of great memories, adventures and blissful happiness. 

we're official.

These pictures don't need much of an explanation. We graduated! Braving the crowds and wearing the graduation duds was only slightly painful and our families came and it was wonderful to see them and play and eat too much yummy food. It feels so good to be done, but doesn't quite seem real yet.

I have a lot of thoughts and feelings about my time at BYU. There were highs and lows, amazing experiences and tough learning curves both in life and the lecture hall. I could write several posts worth on the wonderful experience I had in my program, the friends I have made and the struggles and growth that came out of these last four years. For now, I'm content with those stories being captured in my (rather long-winded) journals. But the best thing I am taking with me from these beautiful years is my husband. We will always remember BYU as the place where it all started, where our paths crossed and became one.

It is always bittersweet for me to move on to the next phase (I cried like a baby the day I graduated high school), but as I leave college behind I feel ready. Strong, grounded, and ready. I feel that I got everything I could out of these four years and am up for whatever life brings next. Plus no one can make me use an iClicker, recall any mathematical formula, present an oral report in class or take a German pop quiz again and that feels pretty good.

kiva.

This is a shout out to one of my favorite organizations. Have you heard about Kiva? I hadn't really until last summer. In a nutshell Kiva is a non-profit micro-lending/micro-financing organization. Lenders make small donations to people throughout the world looking to reach their goals and make a better life for themselves. You can read a simplified version of how it all works here. Or, watch this handy little video!



As an incredibly unique and thoughtful wedding present, my older brother gave us a $50 Kiva certificate with the promise that as we focus on others and seek for opportunities to lift those around us, we will find life to be even more fulfilling. This has certainly been my experience. And after lots of searching and reading we made our first loan!

Enter Vuthy, a 28 year old man living in Phnom Pehn, Cambodia. Vuthy needed the capital to break out and run his own business selling recycling materials. We were drawn to his sincere desire and positive contributions to his community and family. With an average annual income of $2,600 in his area, we realized how daunting a task it must have been to need $1,200 to launch this kind of a business.

Vuthy has long since reached his goal of $1,200, grown his business, and paid back our $50 investment waaaay ahead of schedule.

My newest loan is to a woman named Andrea living in Bolivia. She is 57, was never able to attend school, and supports her small family by growing and selling vegetables. Her goal is to buy two dairy cows so that she can add milk and cheese production to that list and better provide for her family. She needs $1,500 to do this and is about half-way there so far.

As a college student living thousands of miles away from these people, loaning through Kiva is something I can do to help the world around me in a small, but meaningful way. My $50 alone cannot do much, but when combined with the generosity of hundreds of other strangers? It's huge.

If you have the means and desire, you should look into Kiva. I have a link for inviting friends and family that will set you up with a free trial membership and $25 to make your first loan. So if you're interested, send me an email or leave a comment here with your email address and I'll get you set up with that free $25 loan! And get ready for the warm fuzzies and good karma headed your way :)

chance encounter.

Sam posted this fantastic video on her blog today and I couldn't help but scoop it up and post it here too. There is a lot of good happening in this little documentary. Watch it, it's only a few minutes long.

And now for a personal story. I work on campus at BYU and one day a few weeks ago, Brian Kershisnik came in to our office. After silently freaking out for a second I tried to play it cool and asked if he was, you know, Brian Kershisnik the artist. And for some reason I used those exact words: "Are you Brian Kershisnik the artist?" Spoiler alert: he was.

We talked for a few minutes and I could not believe how down to earth and genuinely kind he was. I told him about my art history degree and he asked if I was planning on going to grad school. It was at this point that the conversation turned to my on-going existential crisis on the issue. He sweetly reminded me that everything will work out the way it's supposed to and life will be great either way. And it completely made my day.

So if you are looking for a reason to like Brian Kershinik beyond the amazing art he creates, he's also a really great guy/gives timely advice. And now here's some of his art.

Nativity

Detail of Dancing on a Very Small Island and Gardening in the Rain

Young Astronomer

You can check out his website and see more lovely art here and in case it needs to be stated, these images don't belong to me.

google reader, what?

I don't know about you, but I like to keep track of the blogs I read with Google Reader. Or, used to. I guess Google decided to end that little service come July so I'm looking at alternative ways to keep track of blogs I read. I'm going to try Bloglovin for now... I'm only 70% sure how it works so we'll see how this goes! But let's be honest... other platforms just won't be as easy to use as my good pal Google Reader.

Bloglovin also suggested I paste this little number on a post to "claim" my blog. Which I had assumed was already claimed by me because you know, I write it. But claim it anyway, I will!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

In other news I just wanted to give a shout out to this guy...

aka husband. He really is the best of the best. He works harder and cares more about people than anyone I know. He is as genuine as it gets which is very admirable and he is exceptionally thoughtful which is very charming. And he jumps up to do the dishes/vacuum/takes out the trash/do the laundry when I'm busy writing a paper and does it with a smile. And I mean he's so cute, right? And probably very embarrassed at this point so I'll stop.

nothing but love.

Oh hi, blog.

It's not that I forgot you existed... it's just these last few months haven't produced much in the way of "noteworthy moments."

Actually that's not exactly true.

And it seems kind of lame to only write when I have pretty pictures or a mouthful about some experience to share. These last few months have been full of activity and new things and happy things and sad things. Life is happening, even if I don't do a very good job of documenting it.

I kind of decided in January that 2013 was going to be the year.

The year I run that half marathon, graduate from college, get really good at yoga, learn how to file taxes flawlessly, read every book sitting on my bookshelf, cook without recipes, procrastinate less, pick up knitting again, give Indian food another try, save the world... basically become the fabulous adult I've always planned on becoming.

As the months have progressed, I've realized that I am growing and changing despite being nowhere near that bright, shiny, updated version of myself I had made plans for. I feel myself being molded more into the person that my Heavenly Father wants me to be and less into that vision I had for myself.

And it's a humbling experience. Because we usually do our best learning through trial and error and sacrifice and waiting on the Lord. Making mistakes and struggling a bit maybe. Trusting in Him and His timing. Having faith that regardless of what we envision for ourselves, He has bigger plans for what we can do with this life. He can see the big picture even when I can only see the next couple of steps. Sometimes it can be discouraging to compare that picture of yourself reaching your full potential to the one of you now. You know, just... being regular you.

These last few weeks I've learned that my growth into the fabulous version of myself that I imagined is  not really that important compared to the fabulous version of myself Heavenly Father has planned for me. I am slowly, but steadily learning this. The Lord is patient with us. He knows our abilities and capacities and that some lessons take longer to learn than others. Growing brings growing pains, but none that won't just make you better in the end. Right?

So maybe 2013 won't be the year I accomplish everything and reach outstanding adult status. Maybe it will be the year of growing pains and slow, but steady progress. I think I'm ok with that.

So, you look nothing like I thought you would, 2013. But I've got nothing but love for you anyway.