Chaos Is A Friend Of Mine

This picture pretty much sums up my life for the past 2 months. Chaos. Busy is probably a better word, but chaos sounds more dramatic. I have been going NON STOP for the past 10 weeks and I'm beyond exhausted. I would rather work tax season year round than repeat these last few months. Have I made myself clear?? :)

Recap of the last 10 weeks in sequence order:

• Started dating a guy in my ward, my home-teacher to be exact, and found out my Mom dated his Dad when they were our age...haha
• Cassie's Bridal Shower
  
• Dad's Birthday
• Flew to Utah for Andrea's Wedding (Bridesmaid)
  
• Went to Brazil in August for work
  
• Cassie's Bachelorette Party
• MY BIRTHDAY
• Parents Anniversary
• Signed up for an 8 week Managerial Accounting Course @ DeVry in Phoenix
• ASU Games
• Mom's Birthday
• Cassie & Jeremy's Wedding
• Babysat my co-worker's dog for 2 weeks
  
• HOMEWORK every weekend
  
• Connor's Birthday
• Ward Campout (Activities Committee Chairman)
• Hosted BUNCO at my house in September
• Midterm
• Insomnia
• Broke up with my guy
• Crazy-busy @ work preparing 2009 taxes that were on extension and due by the October 15th deadline
• Went to Brazil in October again for work
• My entire bag of jewelry was stolen from my luggage :(
• Worked 14 hour days the week of Oct. 10th
• Had a giant pole smash by bosses car windshield while driving on the freeway
  
• Cousin Houston got married
• Finished my Managerial Accounting Course

What's that you say?

Can I breathe now?!?! MAYBE...just maybe. I have never been so busy in my life with so many things going on.

"The busier you are, the more interesting you are. The more you're off doing your thing and loving your job and your life, that's fascinating." - Claudia Christian

FIRST, I want to say that I am grateful for life in itself. I have SO MUCH to be grateful for, it's incredible. I've been blessed with a great family, I've been blessed as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I've been blessed with a great job, I've been blessed with a home and a car, I've been blessed with great health, I've been blessed with a Bachelor of Science Accounting Degree from BYU Hawaii.

Simply blessed.

Every day something happens to assure me I'm in the right place and it reminds me of how blessed I am.

"Victory is sweetest when you've known defeat."
- Malcolm S. Forbes

Recently I overcame something that has been a struggle of mine throughout my life. I have been really down and discouraged about something that I needed to finish and I finally got over my fear of "failing" and conquered it the best way I knew how. It's so funny to me how temptation falls into place in almost anything we do. I could have EASILY taken the "easy way out", but then I would have played the "what if" game. I knew I was smarter than to take the "easy way out" so I didn't. I prayed, studied, and did the very best I could and success was the end result. I almost want to cry I am so happy.

"Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence." - Aristotle

My parents, G'Ma Levi, Jenny, and Debra Jo have been a great support to me, especially my parents. And I needed support because it helped me push through the difficulty of what I was facing. Only a few of you know what I'm referring to and for those of you who don't, that's okay. All you need to know is.....I am so flippin' proud of myself!!!

HALLE-FRICKIN'-LUJAH ;)

Elder Richard G. Scott said, "The Savior gave His life so that you can completely overcome the challenges you face." I overcame what I considered a "Goliath" in my life and I did it with the help of the Savior. He is the reason why we are here. We were put on this Earth to gain a body and live a mortal life. How boring would it be if everything came easy to us? He placed us in a world full of challenges and trials so that we, through opposition, could become stronger and experience happiness and joy.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, "The scriptures tell us there must be opposition in all things, for without it we could not discern the sweet from the bitter. Would the marathon runner feel the triumph of finishing the race had she not felt the pain of the hours of pushing against her limits? Would the pianist feel the joy of mastering an intricate sonata without the painstaking hours of practice? In stories, as in life, adversity teaches us things we cannot learn otherwise. Adversity helps to develop a depth of character that comes in no other way."

The whole time I was facing this hurdle of mine, I couldn't help but think of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Look how much he faced, and never once did he deny that he saw God the Father and the Son. Not once. He was beaten, tarred and feathered, ridiculed, jailed, and spat upon and he did not waiver. Joseph went through WAY MORE than what I've ever experienced in my life time, but this particular thing I was facing reminded me of a scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants when the Lord was speaking to Joseph while he was a prisoner in jail at Liberty, Missouri:

"My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes." D&C 121: 7-8

I'm grateful for a Heavenly Father who cares about me and knows me by name. I'm grateful for a Savior who died for me and for you so that He could help us through our experiences, good and bad. I'm even more grateful to know that my prayers are heard and answered and that there is a God. Life is so much easier when you rely on Him to help you.

What a great learning experience this has been. I told my Dad last night, "I'm floating on Cloud 9!" and he said, "You deserve to feel that way." And I do.

I'm ready for November :)