c'mon mads, you know better

i learned a lesson today.. 
haha oh boy :)


one.   don't break the sabbath no matter how undesireable the rest of your food reserves are.  you will feel guilty.


two.  don't break the sabbath with something fattening. you will feel guilty.


three.  don't stay up late after completing one&two.  you will feel guilty. 


one+two+three= only lasting through my first class.  


which means-- i broke my goal to not miss any classes [i missed two] and of course to punish me more -- my third class had a pop quiz! of course!!!


the continuing stomach ache and accumulating guilt for 1,2,3+ led to the possible thought.. "maybe i shouldn't go for my run today?"  


thats it!!! i had to stop this tumultuous day before it kept snowballing into being worse and worse! hahaha


I went to the store.  FINALLY.   
I would get new, healthy food, and I could be on a a good track again, right? 


--dont worry.  had to suspend my purchases and call my mom to put more money in my account 


my thoughts: i want to CRY.


but. my day was made brighter :) thanks to: 
-a letter from joust 
-news of a letter from sweet Rosie Card who is currently serving a mission, and in hearing that I am desiring to serve a mission - wrote me! 
soo thoughtful! 
-and then an email from nate! i miss him SO MUCH :/


i let myself get away with a little more laziness, and let myself just sit there and miss him. and then i prayed. to be forgiven. and then tried to make the best of the rest of the day. i studied. then just went for a run. boy did it feel good.


so. 
        point of this little blunder...  i got it!  
             i got my punishment 
    i learned my lesson! 
                                         and i'm vowing to turn this week 
                                              that was off to a bad start 
                                 to something good.  




my conclusion :)


i'm grateful for chastisement.
i'm grateful for the people in my life that always seem to step
            in right when i need them.
i'm grateful for the commandments.
i'm grateful for running and exercising and being healthy.
i'm grateful for new beginnings.

tomorrow ..

can always be a brighter day

  and i can tell it will be :) 

always, madijane

Peeeace&Blesssssssings

i'm sorry, this title is misleading, its not going to be funny or anything to do with one of the great black girls on youtube.  It is simply my title because my life this week has been filled with...

peace & blessings :)

1.  nathaly sporl made my day again :) --okay, this girl is adorable!  It really hit me this week that we were meant to be friends.  We used to always say hello at school, but who knew that our friendship would turn out to be like this.  I just know that the little friendship that began, so small, a few years ago, was meant to grow into much, much more.  It became very apparent this week.  

In institute our teacher asked us if there was anything we have been thinking about that we wanted to share and I shared some scriptures that I had read that morning (D&C 71) and how I felt like when it said, "whoso readeth, let him understand and receive also" --[POW!] I felt like it was speaking right to me :)  And it brought me so much comfort as it said, "there is no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; and if any man lift his voice against you he shall be confounded in my own due time.  Wherefore, keep my commandments; they are true and faithful.  Even so, amen."  

[side note.. His commandments ARE true and faithful.  I am so grateful for them.  In binding us, we truly do become free and have a peace you can't get anywhere else]  Anyways after I read that, I just said that in a time when I am often viewed as peculiar, and out of the norm, it is such a blessing to read scriptures like this and then to have been able to talk to a friend [Nathaly :)] and be so comforted to have so much in common with someone.  It is so nice to find people that can understand you and relate to you.  Anyways, so during my institute class, I heard my phone beep [text].  When I opened it after class .. guess who it was?? ..Nathaly!  Saying thank you for the phone call, that she felt comforted, and that she felt like I was a blessing in her life. --umm.. not a coincidence at all that I was JUST saying the same thing about her in my institute class!  It felt so good to know that I was helping her as much as she is helping me.  I just know that Heavenly Father put her in my life for a reason!  He truly uses people to help others in their times of need.  Love you Nat! :) 

2.  I have continued to run four times a week --bumped it up to 35 minutes!  hah, I know its whimpish, but hey, in two weeks, that is a lot of progress from 15 minutes!  And have been pretty good in my eating.. thank you Nutrition class and adorable Mrs. Knox for helping me to know how to do so :)

3.  I was able to attend a baby shower yesterday --most adorable "ice-cream parlor styled" ice-cream bar.  All the toppings imaginable.  All decorations striped pink & white :)

4.  I put a lot more faith in my Heavenly Father and Savior --in their ability to help me in my studies and learning, and I felt them with me as I took my intimidating Microbiology test.  I LOVE learning more and more everyday from Them.

5.  And to end the week, a wonderful Sunday.  An especially meaningful sacrament partaken.  A couple batches of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.  Visiting Teaching.  Chat with mama.  

mmm. life is good :)

FINALLY :) ..I have returned!

Okay, this is going to have to be quick! BUT I've put it off for way too long!
[...hahaha okay.. wasn't so quick and is quite lengthy but worth it! ]


LIFE HAS BEEN WAY TOO WONDERFUL!!!

so.. I'm going to try to share with you all the things have have made me so so happy the last two months! 


ready,
     set, 
         GO :)


lets start at the beginning. the first month of 2 0 1 1  :)
[okay, pullin' out the journal]


one. I absolutely love the Doctorine and Covenants. does anyone else just think that they are the most amazing things to read ever?  i have just felt SO blessed as i have learned SO much from these incredible, modern revelations.  in reading them, i have truly been guided to make necessary changes in my life that are day by day, bringing me closer to Christ and to living a life in accordance with His.  i have gained such a testimony of Joseph Smith being a true prophet.  i have learned so much about the history of our church, and the future to look forward to.  i have been awestruck at how much more meaning the scriptures have had for me, and how much i have learned the past three months.  it is absolutely incredible.  i am SO grateful for the opportunity we have to come here to earth to learn and become like Christ.  we all have His power and light within us.  it is His Spirit.  the same Spirit that created this world.  we have the capability to, because of Him, be like Him one day, and do these same things.  
--okay, i'm sorry but i could go on and on.  this gospel is too amazing.  i definitely recommend all to read the doctorine&covenants.  it truly is of God and is the perfect addition to the Book of Mormon.  i have begun a feasting frenzy on the words of God ever since.  there is SO much to learn about this gospel--i've been a member my whole life, but i feel like i'm FINALLY getting deeper.  the surface is beautiful and is the perfect place to start, but when you immerse yourself into the depths, you will be forever changed.  you won't ever want to stop.  and it will extend into your school studies.  i'm telling you.  i sit in my microbiology, and my nutrition classes, and my chemistry classes and just think--He is truly in all of this.  He is "over all, and in all, and through all" [d&c 63:59] He is the light and power of the moon, the stars, the sun..which gives life to all living things.  we could not live without it.  and from dear nate's last letter, he added right to that: "[it] is part of our spiritual DNA... the purpose of the Holy Ghost is to INFLUENCE the light of Christ that is in us, to tell us what's true. -this is why us missionaries need to have the Holy Ghost when we are teaching people! -there is only one way to unlock our spiritual knowledge that is in us [we are all born with this knowledge] and that is through the Holy Ghost... if we are teaching without the Holy Ghost, that knowledge will not be unlocked" (February 17th). 



two.  my birthday weekend my lovely parents came down! i am so grateful for family!!! and my parents are the best! i wouldn't have wanted to spend my b-day with anyone else!   Woohoo for being 20 years old! 

[celebration with my roomies!

thanks for the cake si-si!]

  
three.  while they were there, my mom had us watch the hallmark movie : The Lost Valentine... LOVED IT! okay, so i seriously had tears streaming down my face!!!  it was the cutest little story about this girl and boy who fell in love and spent the happiest year of marriage together, [don't worry, it was in the 50's so they had the cutest clothes, and danced on the porch, oh..and the adorable couple had the time of their lives fixing up a practically abandoned home and planting a garden, and had the cutest water fight.. yeah.. i know.. but it was SO. CUTE.] but after a year was up, he had to go off to fight in WWII.  He -to all of our devastation- went MIA when his plane went down in the pacific.  The movie is all about the wife[betty white], 65 years later, telling her story, and through the help of the reporter[jennifer love hewitt], she finally finds out what happened to her husband!  oh! and after the husband went off to war, she found she was pregnant with a child.. so of course the handsome grandson[sean faris..yeah] and the reporter have to have a little romance along the way!  

--um..to die for right??

--their heart breaking goodbye [sniffle]

--isn't she to die for??

it was the cutest thing ever!!! so..after this movie..i was in love with red lipstick and the classy-ness of the 50's .. i wanted to start dressing like that adorable girl!  soo.. that brings me to my next topic:

four.  going out with the girls, all dressed up and all in a lipstick phase! yay for red! :)

--i even wore my great grandma's CLIP ON [yess] pearl earrings! --several times the past few weeks actually. ha i'm tellin' ya, that movie really got me into the old school stuff :)  

five.  okay, speaking of valentines.. can i please tell you about mine? cutie pie asian, skylar -from my and sierra's institute- was going to grace kylie with a date.  he went all out and the main plan was to teach her how to cook delicious chinese food in our very own apartment :) ..SO he made it very clear that i needed to be out of here! haha i forgot to eat before i left, so my valentines dinner was a salad i made at Harmons, in my car, outside of the computer center. HAHA ..but seriously.. i was SO content!!  i had the best view of the temple, i was listening to the cd nate made me, and i just felt so blessed.  i couldn't help but be happy.  --and two people blessed my life on valentines day: Patricia Barnes sent me a card that meant so much to me. it came at a time of great need [a little before valentines] and was such a blessing. & Nate sent me the best package with the cutest card, and a gift that meant so much to me: a hymn book in Spanish.  Nate is so in love with the language.  and i have heard so many people talk about how how it is so much more beautiful for them than english -especially in church.. there are just more descriptive, passionate, words with more specific meanings. -which apparently is more inspiring for people.  i really want to become more acquainted with the language and see this for myself :) - but i just thought that was the best gift!  


six.  i have successfully completely a week of NO nielson's, working out every day, running 4x, and eating healthy! yay yay yay. 


seven.  i have been trying to go to bed early, and wake up early.. it feels so good. but lately its been hard when my cute roommates are tempting me to go out and have some late night fun! haha :) it has been very fun though!  i love you girls!

  






makes sense why i'm so happy, right? :)






sincerely, madi jane <3    

starting off 2011 in good company :)

i don't know why this week was so hard for me.
no.. i take that back, i do :)


But  thanks to some good company, 


2011 looks more promising than ever.


i'd like to give a little shout out to emmajane.
thank you for inviting me throughout this break to come hang out with you and for introducing me to some of your great friends!  i had some of the best times with you guys!  i can't tell you how much i appreciate your lookin' out for me the past couple of weeks :)


but the best company of all has been the company of my Heavenly Father & Savior.  i have been so jealous of nate being on a mission and being able to do nothing but grow closer to Them and to have spiritual experiences that i dream about having. but last night and today, it finally hit me that i need to take that energy that was going into my jealousy, and put it towards my own improvement as a servant of God in everyday life, and improvement in my relationship with Them.  And hopefully as i improve, i will be found worthy to experience the things that i desire.  And have a much closer relationship with Them. 


there is so much at our fingertips in this life that we can have to make heaven not so far away.  i want to take advantage of that! 


i am so grateful that They did not give up on me.  There were so many times throughout the difficult week that i felt the Spirit trying to teach me this and remind me of what i should be doing in order to accomplish the things i desire.  i am so grateful for these tender mercies.  


i have so much hope for 2011, and all the years to come.

   

"Hope on the Horizon"

this image is just perfect. i wanted to put a picture of a sunrise, but when i went to google a picture, i for some reason typed in, image:hope on the horizon. this popped up. i don't think it is coincidence that that phrase popped into my head. this was the image on the temple recommend holder i gave nate before he left. wow. what a perfect message for both of us to have in our hearts this year <3

here's to 2011 

hopefully the 

good company

will just keep gettin' better :)

always the little things

My life isn't perfect :)

i may not be right where i want to be.

but by little steps, i can make it there.

Lately, i have been up and down.

struggling with my new circumstances.

but because of a little email, i was reminded,

i can make it through this.

i am a good person.

i am noticed.

i am thought about.

isn't it amazing that this sweet girl,

i never hung out with.

we just saw each other at school.

and emailed a time or two.

but by following a little prompting of the Spirit,

she was able to help someone make it through a tough time?

Tonight, i went to visit a dear friend and her newborn baby.

isn't it amazing that something so little

could have all those beautiful complexities?

little eyelids that can flutter.

a little nose that can scrunch.

little fingers and toes that can wiggle.

a little heart that can pump blood to their entire little body.

a little diaphragm that continuously contracts/relaxes 

allowing the flow of oxygen.

tiny little action potentials traveling through..

tiny little axons across..

tiny little synapses all the way up their..

tiny little spine..

..all of the details that make these complex 

-but seemingly so little- 

things possible.

it seems to me, 

that the beauty of life

lies within the little things 

:)

  

begin.

The past few weeks, but especially this week, 

has been the start of a lot of new things for me. 

I feel like i'm beginning a new, important chapter in my life.  

I am learning so much about myself and the people around me.  

I have fallen in love with life, basically. 

I absolutely adore my roommates.

I am loving life at Dixie.

I am finally enjoying Physiology.

I cannot believe how incredible the human body is.

yeah.. I know. I'm so silly, but I can't help it! 

..I just have a whole new appreciation for ..well..

E V E R Y T H I N G.

I recognize the tender mercies in my life,

and I am so grateful.

Thank you Haylie for getting me to start this blog!

I am excited for us "comment queens" to document the many

adventures of the girls in apt. #9 :)

..girls, I just finished up day two!

You know what that means!

Welcome to the life of Madi <3