35. Today I am grateful for roommate pizza night

I have now lived in my new place for a week now and being that we are all busy I hadn’t really had a chance to get to know my roommates. Last weekend, one of the girls suggested having a pizza night that Friday and we all agreed that it would be a good idea. It was fun and I enjoyed getting to know my new roommates.

34. Today I am grateful for crisp air and crunchy leaves

I live by part of the river valley, which is probably the most beautiful area of Edmonton which includes several parks. After work, I went for a walk today along one of the walking trails. There is just something about the crisp weather that seems to add a bit of freshness to the air. I also enjoy walking through the leaves on the ground and hearing the crunchy sound. It brings me back to my childhood days of playing in the leaves and “helping” my dad rake up the leaves.

33. Today I am grateful for frozen strawberries

People, who know me, know that I love strawberries. They are my most favourite food. When they were cheap and in season I often bought 2lb cartons of strawberries. I ate some and froze some. I am grateful that I did freeze them because now I can go into my freezer anytime and pull out some strawberries to thaw. Well, we will see how long they last for. Today I made a spinach salad with strawberries ... uuummmm ... delicious!

32. Today I am grateful for my job

At the beginning of August I started a new job working for a Head Start program in family support and I love it. I feel so blessed that I was able to get a job in my field so soon after graduating. Although, I am starting to see how much work is involved and how busy it is, I am glad to have the opportunity to work with families and gain the experience I want to add to my education. I am grateful for those who offered me the opportunity to work for them. I am sure that I am not alone in having wanted someone to just give me a chance. I am grateful that I have been given that chance.    

31. Today I am grateful for potlucks

There are several reasons I am grateful for potlucks. One being that I only have to make one dish and have many others to sample; I always enjoy a good variety of food at potlucks. Another is visiting with people and meeting new people. I am blessed to have had a potluck to attend yesterday and today. Yesterday I went to a potluck at the home of my new bishop on the first Sunday in my new ward. The main course was tacos, which is always a good choice and I did get to meet some new people. I will miss my old ward but I think I will enjoy my new ward.  Sometimes we need to be forced to make changes. I also attended a potluck today at work with a lot of delicious food. There were also people that work out of other offices so I did get to meet a couple of new people as well.  

30.Today I am grateful for the beautiful colours of fall

Summer is my favourite season but I do love the transitions between the seasons. For example the leaves changing colour just prior to fall. I love how beautiful the city looks decorated in all the vibrant colours. I live in the River Valley in Edmonton and feel especially grateful to be surrounded by trees with leaves in beautiful reds, oranges, golden yellows and greens.

29. Today I am grateful for Pres. Uctdorf’s 5 forget-me-nots

Today I enjoyed the General Relief Society broadcast which occurs every year on the last Saturday of September. Relief Society is the women’s organization of the church and it is wonderful to listen to our leaders speak specifically to the women of the church. One of the speakers was President Dieter F. Uctdorf who started speaking about forget-me-not flowers. He then spoke about 5 things that we should not forget – “forget-me-not’s”. Sometimes we need reminders of what are the most essential things to focus on in our daily life so I am grateful today for that reminder.

The 5 Forget-Me-Not’s:

1. To be patient with yourself
2. The difference between a good sacrifice and a foolish sacrifice
3. To be happy now
4. The “why” of the gospel
5. That the Lord loves you

Read the talk here

 

28. Today I am grateful to have some summer weather left

Today is the first day of autumn but it felt like summer which was wonderful! Before I left for Scotland it was really hot in Edmonton and then I spent two weeks with rain and cooler weather. Now, don’t get me wrong I would choose to be in Scotland with rain over hot weather in Edmonton. Yet, it is nice to enjoy some more summer like weather before winter comes.  

27. Today I am grateful for The Book of Mormon

In the last few days I have been thinking about what institute class to sign up for. Institute started last week so I decided that I would go to a Thursday evening class so then I would only miss one week. However, after getting home from work I was contemplating whether I should go to institute that evening or just relax and go to sleep early and then start institute next week. I decided that I should go to the “Pearl of Great Price” class that evening and I am glad I did.

At the beginning of the class our institute teacher mentioned that today was a significant day because 184 years ago on this day Joseph Smith obtained the golden plates. Joseph Smith translated the golden plates which became known as the Book of Mormon. I love the Book of Mormon, not only is it the cornerstone of my religion but through reading this book I have personally come to know that Jesus is my Saviour and the Saviour of the world. The Book of Mormon contains a record of the people on the North American continent which includes prophets who prophesied of the birth of Christ and talked of his mission on the earth. It also gives an account of Christ’s ministry among the people of the North American continent after his resurrection. Before his death, Christ taught that he would visit his other sheep: “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: Them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold and one shepherd (John 10:16).”

There is so much I could write about the Book of Mormon. I have read it, I have prayed about it, I have come to love it more than any other book and I know that it is true. Latter-day Saints read the Book of Mormon along with Bible. The Bible testifies of Christ as does the Book of Mormon which is why it is known as “Another Testament of Jesus Christ”.

Many people consider Joseph Smith’s experience to be impossible but I know that with God, all things are possible. Through his prophets in biblical times many things were accomplished that many today would consider impossible but they were accomplished. God has not forgotten us and miracles will happen today just as they have for thousands of years. If you would like to know for yourself if the Book of Mormon is true I would invite you to read it and pray about it and you will receive an answer.

26. Today I am grateful for friends to pick me up at the airport

The first day of summer is commonly known as the longest day of the year with the most hours of daylight in a 24 hour period. However, today was the longest day of the year for me. I got to the Glasgow airport at about 7am and arrived in Edmonton at what would have been 1am the next day but with a 7 hour time difference it was now 5pm and still Wednesday. I did manage to sleep a bit but I am still really tired so I am very grateful for my friends, Kristine and Taylor will be picking me up from the airport.

25. Today I am grateful to spend time with my Grandma

One of my main reasons for coming out to Scotland was to see my Grandma. I have written a bit about my gratitude for my Grandma in a couple of entries. However, today I just felt gratitude for spending time with her. I went to visit with my Grandma today and as I was there I couldn’t help but think that this could be the last time I see her face to face in this mortal life. As I left I thought that I would feel sad but I didn’t, I felt at peace. Whether that means the next time I see my Grandma again will be in mortality or immortality, I’m not sure. However, I am grateful for the time I did spend with her; it has been two weeks of memories to cherish.

24. Today I am grateful for a stranger offering help

On my last trip to Scotland I spent a lot of time searching for my ancestor’s graves and visiting the streets and areas they lived. This trip has mostly been spent with family events and touring various parts of Scotland. However, since then I had found the grave number of where a set of 2^nd great grandparents were buried so I convinced my brother to travel out to the Cathcart cemetery in Glasgow to help me find it.  We found the section number and split up to look for the headstone. While I was looking a lady walking by asked me if I was looking for a particular grave and I told her I was and she asked if she could help me look. She said she often walks around the cemetery and has met people from all over the world looking for a grave of an ancestor. On many of the headstones the lair number was hard to see but the number before and after the number I was looking for was clearly marked, the one in between them would most likely be the one of my 2^nd great grandparents Andrew and Annie Burrows Primrose, but unfortunately had fallen over facedown. It was disappointing but I am grateful for that lady who took the time to help me. She suggested calling the cemetery office to see if they can get someone to lift it up. She also took my name and email and said that she would keep an eye on the area and let me know if it does end up being raised back up. I just love it when people selflessly serve others and this was a wonderful example to me.

23. Today I am grateful that I captured a photo like this...

I’m not sure I have to explain too much about this photo. It is hilarious and has kept me laughing all evening. This photo of my mom was taken on our drive back up to Scotland from our overnight stay in England. I am grateful that the car drove by at the time it did, making this photo so much better!

22. Today I am grateful for events that bring families together

I love events that bring the family together whether it is my immediate family or includes extended family members. Today, my cousins wedding, was an event that brought part of our extended family together from Scotland and Canada. My cousin’s husband is from California and it was so wonderful to get to know his family.

The wedding was really nice and I am grateful that I was able to be there to celebrate. The wedding ceremony was held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Dumbarton, Scotland. After some photos several of the family members and other guests travelled down to Chorley, England for the sealing at the Preston, England temple. Normally LDS couples who marry in the temple will just have their sealing ceremony at the temple without having a civil ceremony. However, England laws require that a civil marriage is performed prior to the sealing. The civil ceremony was nice with wonderful and spiritually uplifting talks but it doesn’t compare to the sealing. It is hard to explain really but to witness the sealing of this couple and the covenants made between them and God and to hear them pronounced as husband and wife for time and all eternity was a beautiful thing to witness.

We also had lots of fun after! Everyone that went to the temple stayed at the Preston temple accommodations. In the evening we all hung out and ate some yummy Indian food and played games, my favourite being “Do you love your neighbour”. I am grateful for this time I have been able to spend with some of my immediate and extended family. 

21. Today I am grateful for ceilidh’s

Ceilidh (pronounced Kayley) is a Gaelic name for a social gathering, particularly one that includes traditional Gaelic folk music and dancing. My cousin had her reception tonight and all the music featured traditional dances. Even though at times I didn’t really know what I was doing I had a lot of fun dancing to the different dances. The couple will be moving to Mexico so we had Mexican food for dinner, making the pre-wedding reception party a Ceilidh -Fiesta! 

20. Today I am grateful to explore the beauty of Scotland

Yesterday I wrote about the beauty of the highlands but today I would like to expand that to the beauty of the whole country. I love the rolling green hills, lochs, rivers and flowers. I also love the castles and historic buildings. Now there are definitely some sketchy parts of Scotland, just like anywhere but I am constantly amazed by the beauty that surrounds me.

Today was the first day I have been here where it didn’t rain at all so I thought I better take advantage of the nice weather and go explore somewhere. From my previous trips to Scotland I have come to love Loch Lomond. It’s a beautiful peaceful lake surrounded by trees and flowers. The area of Loch Lomond is also home to Scotland’s National park. I have been to several parts of Loch Lomond and I think my favourite is Luss which has a romantic and almost enchanted feel to it. I also like the area of Balloch which is more touristy but still very beautiful. I went out to Balloch today because it is the closest to Dumbarton and easily accessible by train. When I got there I went to the information office where I picked up a guide to the walking trails in Balloch around the shores of Loch Lomond. I love walking, especially when I am surrounded by beautiful scenery. I also found out that there is a bike/walking path around the whole loch, if I had planned better I totally would have done that. I most likely won’t have time to do that during the remainder of my trip but I will have to definitely put that on my list to do next time.

p.s. Even if you have never been to Loch Lomond, you have probably heard of it because of the well known song, “Loch Lomond”.

19. Today I am grateful for rainbows

This has been my 6^th trip to Scotland but only my first time going to Northern Scotland and driving through the Highlands. It was so beautiful! Before today I thought that the driving through the mountains in British Columbia en route to Alberta was the most beautiful and it is. However, I have now concluded, based on my experiences that driving up the West Coast of Scotland, from Dumbarton to the Northern Highlands is the most beautiful. I am grateful for my uncle for driving us and allowing me to experience the magnificent beauty of the Highlands.

One of the things we saw was a beautiful rainbow. The beauty of this rainbow really impacted me, particularly because it came at the end of the storm. It reminded me of the rainbow Noah saw after the earth was flooded which symbolized the covenant made between God and all living creatures that the whole earth will never again be flooded. I love this scripture found in Genesis 9:16 which reads “And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth”. Every time I see a rainbow, I am also reminded me of a line from a primary song “I like to look for rainbows whenever there is rain and ponder on the beauty of an earth made clean again.”

18. Today I am grateful for a place to stay

I am really grateful that my Uncle Alex and Aunt Muriel have allowed me to stay with them. Especially when there are so many other people visiting for the upcoming wedding. Not only am I grateful for a room to stay in (Thanks Heather!) but I am also grateful for the family I have been able to stay with. I wish I could see this side of the family more often.

Last night we had lots of fun together helping out with wedding preparations. My cousin wanted some dream catchers as part of her wedding decorations so I had made some prior to coming to Scotland and then bought materials to make more. It was really fun teaching people how to make them and seeing how everyone’s turned out.

17. Today I am grateful for galaxy McFlurries

I woke up to howling winds, dark grey sky and pouring of rain, a continuation of the storm that started yesterday. Turns out, it’s the remnants of Hurricane Katia that went through parts of the Eastern United States and Canada (earlier this summer). Winds reached ... but it’s supposed to subside by tomorrow morning.  We did manage to be adventurous which included walking through the winds and stopping to watch falling tree’s. I should also be grateful that we weren’t hit by any of those trees or injured by flying objects.

We stopped off at McDonalds for a Galaxy McFlurry. Galaxy chocolate bars are one of my favourites so I was really excited to see that McDonalds had galaxy McFlurries. It was sooooooo good! Creamy and delicious! I bought some galaxy chocolate bars back with me and I also have an ice cream maker so I am thinking of trying to make some galaxy ice cream when I get back to Edmonton.

16. Today I am grateful for Family Stories

Being Sunday, I went to church today in the Dumbarton ward. I knew a few people from previous trips and some I met at my Grandma's birthday party. Everyone I talked to were very friendly and welcoming. The Relief Society lesson that was given was the third time I had heard the lesson, it also happens to be a lesson on eternal marriage. The first time I taught this lesson in my ward, a couple of weeks later someone else taught this lesson (not knowing that it was already taught) and now again in the Dumbarton ward. It is a good lesson though. J

My Grandma recently received a birthday card from her sister in Germany, which was all in German and everyone that stopped to talk to her or walked by she would ask them if they could read the card. Hahaha. There were some people who knew a little bit of German but no one could read the whole card. It was entertaining to watch my Grandma give it to these people and see each one attempt to read the card. After church we all (meaning my mom, brother, grandma and my uncles family and cousin's fiancé’s family) along with some friends went back to My uncle’s house. By the end of dinner time there must have been at least 30 people over.

 It was pretty stormy outside so it was a nice afternoon and evening to spend inside with the family. I spent most of the time talking with my Grandma. My Grandma has a few stories that she will share several times. What I enjoyed the most was when she would talk about her family (parents and siblings) and a little bit about her experiences growing up. One of the things she spoke of was how her father always said that “Hitler was no good for us (meaning their country, Germany)”. She also spoke of her three young brothers who died in a barn fire 6 months before she was born. She said her mother mourned for the loss of her sons until World War II broke out and then her feelings turned to gratitude that those boys would not have to be forced to fight in the war. My grandma also talked about a boyfriend she had who said that he would rather take his life than fight in the war, he did fight in the war and was killed.

I am grateful for family stories such as these because it helps me to know the connections my family has to history and to know who my ancestors where. I am exactly half British (with a Scottish Grandfather and an English Grandfather) and German (my other Grandmother was of German-Russian descent and grew up in a German-Russian community in southern Manitoba). I am grateful for my heritage and for the sacrifices of my ancestors. From the stories my Grandma shared this evening, I am grateful for her father who showed sorrow in what Hitler had done to the Country and its people and the devastating effects on the world and the loss of many lives. I am also grateful for her mother who out of great tragedy was able to recognize the hand of God.

15. Today I am grateful to have attended a fireside

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we often have firesides. These are meetings with one or more speakers and include an opening and closing hymn and sometimes a musical number. They can also be on any day of the week but are most often on a Saturday or Sunday evening. Anyone may be invited to speak at a fireside; they may live in the area or be a visitor from across the world.

Tonight, I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to attend a fireside tonight in Dunfermline, Fife in which the young single adults (single members aged 18-30) from all of Scotland were invited to attend. The speakers were Elder Gerald J. Causse, From France, a counsellor in the Europe Area Presidency and Presiding Bishop of the church H. David Burton, from Salt Lake City, Utah; along with their wives.

I am grateful for the messages that were shared by the speakers as they reminded me of the important things in life (those things of an eternal nature) and in making decisions and following the promptings of the spirit. I loved Elder Causse’s message, especially when he mentioned that often when making decisions we spend more time thinking with our heads instead of feeling with our hearts. I find that is true for me, I try to process things in order to make a rational decision. Although, I will admit that sometimes I make un-rational decisions or those without really thinking (or feeling) but most often I spend a lot of time thinking.  However, as Elder Causse wisely counselled that sometimes you don’t have time to think about how you’re going to answer a question or react to a situation, you have to do what you feel is right. In pondering this talk I know that it is important to be prepared to act on what I feel is right which is done by living in such a way to be guided by the spirit.

Bishop Burton counselled us to focus on the things of Eternal Value, in particular our family and the gospel. He stated that we will know if the activity we are involved in is of an eternal nature because it will bring us closer to Christ. In pondering this talk, I know that it is through the gospel that I can receive Salvation and it through having an eternal family that I can receive exaltation. This reminds me of the scripture found in D&C 14:7 - “And, if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God”. This is a gift I want to claim.  

I also thought it was pretty neat to be listening to Bishop Burton speak in Scotland because in the last General Conference (in April) he spoke about President David O. McKay's missionary experience in Scotland.  You can find the talk here.

14. Today I am grateful for travel adapters

I know that electrical outlets can vary from Country to Country and I knew that in Britain outlets are different than those in North America. However, I did not even think about that when I was packing, which included my hair straightener, battery charger to recharge batteries for my camera and my laptop along with its cords. I likely forgot because I am usually a last-minute packer and was also packing for my trip and packing to move at the same time. However, I soon remembered yesterday evening when I went for a shower and decided to straighten my hair – I just ended up going with a ponytail instead.

I decided to look about the shops in Dumbarton to find one and I did – at “Poundland”, Britain’s version of “The Dollar Store”. I love that it enables me to use my Canadian appliances in Britain and has also allowed me to use my laptop right now and will allow me to recharge my batteries so that I can take more photos.

13. Today I am grateful for my Grandma

Awhile ago I decided that I would like to go out to Scotland to celebrate my Grandma's 90th birthday with her on September 8, 2011. I am really grateful that I was able to arrive in Scotland this morning in time to celebrate with my Grandma. My Uncle Alex booked the hall at the church building and organized a nice party that was attended by family and friends (mostly members of the Dumbarton ward where she is affectionately known as ‘Granny Couper’). After napping for a few hours I went and helped set up. It was neat going through the pictures that had been enlarged and printed off and put up on the wall. There were a couple that I had never seen, such as ones of her with family members in Germany right before immigrating to Scotland.  

Elisabeth Couper (nee Tautz) is the only grandparent I have really had the opportunity to know personally and even though I have not had the opportunity to see my Grandma very often as she lives in Scotland she has been a great influence in my life.

I recently wrote about how grateful I was to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is because of my Grandma that the gospel was brought into my family. She has also been an example of someone who was able to at times stand alone in her faith. She has also been an example of overcoming adversity. My Grandma was born in Germany and soon after the war their town of Eisersdorf, Germany was placed under Polish administration and the family lost their home. This area is now called Klodzko, Poland. Sometime after relocating to another part of Germany, my grandma immigrated to Scotland. She often talks about how her father did not like Hitler and what was happening in Germany but living in a communist country, there was little citizens could do. I can see though that my Grandma strives to look at the positive and she also has a great sense of humour and finds joy in both the simple and great things in life. One of Grandma’s favourite things is the birdie dance which we played during the party, she loved it!

It was nice to see that all four of her children could be there to celebrate and several of her grandchildren and one great grandchild. It would have been so nice to have all of the grandchildren and great grandchildren there to celebrate. However, due to people being spread out throughout the world (From Canada, the USA, and France to New Zealand) and working and going to school it wasn’t possible. Maybe for her 100^th birthday party? J

12. Today I am grateful to be going to Scotland

I am currently at the Calgary airport waiting to board my flight to Glasgow. This will be my sixth trip to Scotland but the last time I went was 6 years ago so it has been awhile since I saw my Grandma and other family members. However, I did see some cousins in Utah last summer which was really nice. I was really hoping to go out for this year because my Grandma will be celebrating her 90^th birthday. It would have been so nice if my whole family could go but with my two younger sister’s just starting school and Melissa and JJ being busy with their children and school only me, my mom and brother were able to go. My mom and Craig are flying from Vancouver so I will see them at the airport. When we were planning on the dates to book the flight my parents told me that they would pay for my flight as a graduation gift which I think is a  really nice gift and I am really grateful to them. I am also grateful for my supervisor and program manager who hired me knowing that I had this trip booked and would be gone for 2 weeks. My friend, Nathan gave me a ride to the airport which I would also like to express gratitude for.

11. Today I am grateful to not be going back to school.

Many children and post-secondary students will or have started back at school sometime last week or this week. I work at a pre-school and the first group of children started today. I loved seeing the children come to the school for the first time. Most were excited and some were nervous. It was also great to meet with the parents I will be working with. I am excited for my first school year on the job.

Part of me misses the first day of school as a student and the excitement that comes with the new school year and starting new courses and going through the syllabus to see what we will be learning that semester. However, most of me is glad to be done school. I do prefer working over going to school. It is nice to have a job where I come home and I don’t have all the extra’s to do, assignments, reports, papers, studying, etc. I also love how with my job we have workshops and training sessions often so I am always learning in an academic setting but getting paid instead of paying to attend a course It is also nice to have a steady income. I am also so grateful to have found a job that I really enjoy in my field soon after graduating.

10. Today I am grateful for Labour Day

On Saturday I was starting to wonder how I was going to get everything done that I needed to before Wednesday. Then I remembered that it was a holiday! It was great to have an extra day off work to get things done, especially with moving. I got most of my stuff moved to my new place and am truly grateful to those who laboured on Labour Day by helping me move. Thank you to my good friends Kristine, Diana and Kelby. We got most of the stuff moved in large part to Diana having her Dad’s truck.

I hope everyone had a great labour day!

9. Today I am grateful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I feel that living the principles of the gospel have brought me much of the happiness and peace I feel on a daily basis. On the first Sunday of the month members of the church are encouraged to fast for a purpose of their choosing. I find that those times I put more effort into pondering the reason I am fasting and more sincere in my prayers for that purpose I feel more spiritually uplifted and less hungry. We are also encouraged to make a "fast offering" (donation) to the church. Those funds are then used to help others, often within the ward, who are struggling financially to purchase food or cover other living costs.

Also, on the first Sunday of the month we have a testimony meeting where members of the congregation are invited to come speak about the things they know to be true pertaining to the gospel. Often those who speak will express their gratitude for the gospel in their lives. Today while listening to the testimonies of others and also taking the opportunity to share mine, I particularly felt the love of my Heavenly Father, not only for me but for all of his children.  I know that we are all children of God and that he loves each of us. This is evident through the atonement of His son Jesus Christ who atoned for the sins of all people.

The church recently launched the “I’m a Mormon” website in which members of the church from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds share their experiences and testimonies through their own personal profiles. At first I wasn’t sure if those who were not members of the church would be interested in reading these profiles but it seems to have gotten quite a bit of media attention so I assume that means that people are interested. The church and its members are often misunderstood and people are often confused about what we believe so I hope the “I’m a Mormon” site can help more people understand who we are as a people and what we believe.

You can also read my profile here.

8. Today I am grateful for a place to live

Yesterday I wrote about how grateful I was to have lived in the Compassion house. however, it was only a temporary placement for the summer. My church has a housing board with posts on a facebook page, church building bulletin boards and on lists kept with people designated in the ward (congregations) as housing coordinators. Although, it is a great tool to have, finding a new place to live proved to be a frustrating experience for me. Many spots did fill up quickly but what was most frustrating was that often people did not reply to my messages. I was contemplating moving somewhere by myself but didn't really want to because I felt that I would get lonely. I was also hoping to find a place for October because I am going to be gone for most of September.

Being that this is a blog of gratitude, I will stop complaining. One girl that did reply to my messages and contacted me about available housing called me yesterday to say that her and another girl found a house to rent. After work I went over to see it and I loved it. It is a really beautiful house. The thing I love the most is the kitchen which has a lot of cupboard and counter space. I like to cook and bake so that was a good feature. It also has a dishwasher, so hopefully that means the kitchen will stay clean too. J One of the things I find most annoying is dishes pilling up, it doesn’t take much time to do your dishes right after you eat.

Anyways, I thought about it overnight and decided that moving in would be a good decision to make. It will mean some changes, moving out of the Whyte Ave area which I really like because it’s so close by to lots of places I can walk to. It will also mean moving into a new ward. I have been in Millcreek ward ever since I moved here which was exactly 5 years ago and I have really come to love this ward. I am sure that Highlands will be a great ward too and I am looking forward to some new experiences and meeting new people. The benefits will be living in a beautiful home in a really nice area of the city and a shorter commute to work. In fact my commute time will be almost cut in half!

I am also grateful for my friend Kristine, who helped me to start packing today. We got quite a bit done in the couple of hours we spent packing which included an ice cream brake.

7. Today I am grateful for the Compassion House

This past summer I have been living at Sorrentino's Compassion House as a live-in volunteer (Night duty manager). This home serves as an out-patient residence for women undergoing breast cancer treatments and follow up care. It is a really beautiful home and I had many of the guest tell me that despite what they were going through they were grateful to have had the opportunity to stay at the Compassion House. The women I have met while living here have been a great inspiration to me as they have maintained a positive outlook on life and created a wonderful support network for each other. The staff has also been wonderful to work with and are really sincere in the work they do in operating the home and supporting the guests. My main responsibility is mainly in the security of the home overnight but taking the opportunity to talk with the guest and doing other activities like scrapbooking, cooking and baking have really enhanced my experience.

This weekend I will be packing up and getting ready to move. It will be sad to leave; however, I do plan to keep in touch with those at the Compassion house and being involved in other ways.

6. Today I am grateful for exercise

I came back from the retreat this evening feeling very full. I am pretty sure I ate as much in 2 days as I do in a typical week. The food was really good but sometimes being too full leaves you feeling kind of sluggish. Once I got home I felt like I needed some exercise to feel more energized. It worked! I really like the adrenaline rush that comes from cardio exercise. For me, exercise is about feeling good and staying healthy.