A Peek at Provo!

I'm spending my spring break in Utah. For most of my break, I'm staying with my brother and his family, but last weekend I saw my Triad friends in Provo. Let me tell you, I love Provo! I am so excited to move there soon. I feel as though I can grow so much by being in Provo.

I'll be living and sharing a room with my friend, Hungry. I'm really looking forward to the chance to spend time with her again. I've missed her the last six months! It was great to preview the apartment I'll be living in and the ward I'll be attending. I thought you'd like to preview the apartment, too.

I had the chance to tour Utah Valley University (UVU) while I was there. UVU is in Orem and is about fifteen minutes away from where I'd be living. I can't say I absolutely love UVU, but it's a good school. It has a good music program and a good nursing program. It will certainly be a big and hard change to move out of the house and away from home, but I know it is what I need to do. The Lord has a plan for me. I can't see all of what it is, but I am given glimpses every now and then.

Here I Come A-Planning

As you may have guessed, I am a planner. I am constantly looking ahead at where I am going next. I'll tell everyone what my plan is, and then, lo and behold, the plan changes. With all my changing of plans, I have driven my parents nuts. They even have started teasing me about having a "plan of the day, hour, week..."

There is a new plan in the works with a lot of new and exciting things happening! I won't spoil it by saying what it is because it will change if I do. Just know it's involves a few BIG changes!!!

Paka

Lessons in Self-Control

Ah, self-control... How horrible and wonderful it is at the same time. I've found that a lot of my challenges of late have been in self-control. Some have been self-inflicted tests of my self-control.

Last week, I cut all desserts from my diet. Let me tell you that that was hard- especially when Dad brought home the brownies from Costco! Man, I almost gave in right then and there. I held strong until Mister E took me out to lunch and was disappointed that he wouldn't be able to order cheesecake for dessert. Seriously, the man can talk me into almost anything!

Speaking of Mister E, we decided to take a break from dating for a while. It's a long complicated story that even he and I don't fully understand. So, I won't bore you with all the details. However, I want to say that sitting next to him while he was so downtrodden without throwing my arms around him to comfort him was THE hardest test of my self-control. To watch him struggle and be weighed down with the world almost tore me apart knowing there wasn't anything I could do to help. I can only attribute the strength in self-control I had last night to the Lord. It is only through Him that I had the ability to refrain from hugging him till every care of the world left.

I've come to know that through the Lord, we gain strength that we wouldn't ordinarily have. We must rely on His ever out-stretched arm for guidance and support through life's many paths. It is through our practice of self-control while relying on the Lord that we ultimately overcome the natural man and become as our Father in heaven.