Sleep. Please.

Good gosh!!  Why the heck am I up at 3:30 AM?  I have tried all my usual tricks to get to sleep, but my mind WILL NOT stop going.  Let's be honest, I hate taking medicine but I really needed it today.  I should've gone without the caffeine, that probably would've helped.  Funny how now that I have the laptop out to write to try and clear my mind, I can't collect my thoughts to be able to write them down.  Actually it's not all that funny, it's rather annoying.

With the expansion of the church using media, and by reading a certain blog (which may or may not be disclosed in the future), I keep having the impressions that I should start using my blog as a way to express my testimony of my knowledge of the Gospel, and share some of the experiences I'm going through and have been through in the past.  I've had many experiences lately (and that I've been looking back on) that have helped me be who I am today, and I can only hope and pray that I continue to have experiences that continue to grow my faith and strengthen me each and every day.  "It's not the experiences we go through that make us who we are, it's what we choose to do with it that does."  From reading this "certain blog", and having the words that are written feel like they were written directly for me {being a wo[man] of faith is real easy till that faith is tried}; to conversations with an atheist {trying to understand the ability to have a lack of beliefs}; to my calling {the lessons I've learned from young women age 12-18 and really discovering I DO have a testimony}; and a makeup boot camp in LA {an experience I will never regret for the lessons I learned, the friendships I made, and the difficult decisions I faced}; recalling dating drama from the past {blind dates to Vegas; my BFFAE spitting ice cream on my date; not understanding why the atheist, different from the one above, was such a better kid than the R.M.'s; not having been on a 'real date' in over 3 years and wondering what it would be like to go on a date again and getting the butterflies of all of that} and sorta being an 'outcast' in the Utah Mormon culture {28 and not married! "Oh. My. Gosh!  What is wrong with you?!"}; to being a business owner - and trying to figure out a way to be back in the social scene {I am married to my job.  I knew that going into it - I'm grateful and blessed to be able to do what I'm doing.  I love it!  But now I have more time to be social and don't know how or what to do.  Don't have any desire to meet people at a bar.  Don't have any desire to go to the Singles Ward (the movie is kinda how it really is), I left my high school for a reason; now I'm not sure where or how to meet people and NO it will not be by internet dating}; to having to help take care of my parents recovering from surgeries and finding out Dad has cancer again and having to go to multiple doctor appointments to figure out what's going on and what the game plan is (and Uncle G being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer just days before Dad); fighting my own health battles {mono, shingles, a destroyed immune system, surgery; for being an active/athletic/competitive girl it is a shot to my ego every time I have to climb back up this ladder}; by being around so many incredible people {how am I so lucky?}; and reading status updates from mentors and others who are making a difference; to remembering some pretty dark times from my past and being grateful for the people that were put 'back' into my life when my Savior knew I needed them them most - I don't know as anyone will read my blog, but if they do stumble across it, that maybe, just maybe, something that is written with help bring the Holy Ghost into their life and inspire it like others have done for me.  Granted some of the things I might write about might not all be centered around my testimony, but think about it, God has to have a sense of humor or otherwise he wouldn't have given me the opportunity to walk into that glass door when I was at work trying help the cute kid.  It's a good thing I don't get embarrassed too easy!

I'm debating on how much I want to re-vamp my blog.  I will remove my private setting, I'm debating about starting a new page all together though so I might not.  Who knows?!  I guess time will tell.  But hopefully some how, some way I can be a light for someone else.  Whether it's like how the "certain blog" has been for me, or by putting a smile on your face for some of the dumb things I've done; I hope to be able to 'Pay it Forward' and make a difference for someone else.  I hope to be a Daymaker (make someones day better - something I am glad I embraced from my Paul Mitchell culture/family) and make the world a better place.  Yes I just referenced Michael Jackson, aren't you glad it's 4 am! haha

I know I'm not very good at this whole writing/blogging thing.  I've had my blog for how long?  and I've only posted how many times?  I've left blogging about vacations in the middle and never finished how often?  I don't have too high of expectations for me to do this all that often, but as I've been driving around town for work, I've had to pull over and jot some notes down quite often since the same thoughts keep coming and I realize I don't want to forget them.  With the promptings I've had to get back on here and change how I've been doing things - I might be better at this!  Cross your fingers.  But don't hold your breath.

Now that it's past 4 am and I've got to be up in just a couple hours to take the parentals to more doctor appointments, I think I'm going to take a shot at this whole sleep thing (coming from the girl who's still struggling with the effects of mono, this is not going to be a good thing).  Hopefully I've been able to clear my mind enough that it can stop racing.

Where to begin

It has been so so long since I've updated this. I know I need to be better at keeping a journal of my life, but I really struggle for some reason. My BFFAE is so amazing at keeping journals, pictures, mementos from events in life. I really admire her and her perseverance to do so.  I wish, so badly that I could write so eloquently as other friends, or even just write.  Period!  I do have the thought that I need to start writing more about my life growing up and let you all indulge on some of the events that have happened in "the story of MY life" including the many struggles, trials, and funny times (like the random blind dates, or other dates, but the blind ones are definitely more entertaining).  I hope that I now have a little bit more time to rearrange my time, that I can be better at this. I enjoy reading about others experiences and I can only hope that is the same for others reading mine.  I also hope that I can share my testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  I am typing this in between Conference session on Sunday and I do know that we have been given such technology to better this world and share the gospel.

I went back and was looking through some of my last posts and I can't believe that it has been so long since I've updated things.  I look back at where my life was, and where it has ended up right now.  Never would I have thought that my life has taken the changes that it has.  I couldn't be more grateful for the experiences that I've had.  Never in a million years would I have thought that I really do, at the age of 27, own my own franchise (of course not without the help, support, and partnership of my family).  I've always thought about it, but never really thought that it could happen.  Everyone said to not go into business with family.  I'm so glad I chose not to listen.  I couldn't imagine going into business with any one else.

I'm 27. Single. A business owner. And taking my life into my own hands, with the guidance of my Heavenly Father.  I'm going to make something of my life.  I'm not going to sit around and wait for the next adventure to present itself.  I'm going to go find it!

PS
I have a couple of drafts of the cruise to the Bahama's, I just need to find the pictures.  Hopefully I'll get the chance to blog about my other cruise with the Julian's to the Mexican Rivera, as well as the many adventures in between then and now.

the Bahamas!! Day 2 - Key West

 So we came into port, sometime in the morning. I'm not sure what time it was, all I know is that it was really loud, and scared the bajeebers outta me! Since our room was towards the front of the ship, when they docked at the port we could hear all the motors running to let out the ropes.

We got up, ate, and with our Seapass and ID in hand we walked on to solid ground. Apparently there is a lot of history in Key West. Ernest Hemingway spent a lot of time there (for those of you like me that don't like books, so you might not know who he is, he's a famous author. I can't tell ya what he wrote, I just know he wrote words on paper. . .). You can go to the southern most point of the continental US. The first Sloppy Joe's Bar is located there. I mean honestly, how could you get any cooler than Sloppy Joe's?! (I actually ate two of them today! Not the original ones, since I'm back home and posting this. Just good 'ol homemade Paul Sloppy Joe. So I guess that would make it a Sloppy Paul. Anyways!)

As soon as you get off the ship, they have TONS of shops. Yes it is a total tourist trap! It was still cool. It was almost as if between every other shop, there was a food place to get some Key Lime Pie. I didn't realized the connection between the two till about mid day. KEY West - KEY Lime Pies. Go figure! ;) (No worries, I know I'm blonde. It's cool!) So before the day was over we had to be sure to find a shop with some true Key Lime Pie from good 'ol Key West! We walked all over Key West. Can I just tell you, there are some of the most interesting lil shops there I've ever seen! They have a ton of shops that sell t-shirts with different things on them. A lot of them were not very nice shirts, but they were still pretty funny! I had to take a picture of this one for my dad!

Leave it up to me to be sure and find the Harley store!

The group was walking down the street and I just got sucked into it. Next thing I know, Sharesa is right there in the store with me. I guess the group noticed I was gone so they looked back, and Sharesa knew exactly which lil store I had to have gone in :D She's such a good friend! After we wandered our way through the streets, we found Ernest's home. We then decided to head to that most southern point. It's only 90 miles to Cuba from there. . .I guess we saw all the cool stuff we could see (so we thought!) so we headed back to the ship. On the way back we saw the Hard Rock Cafe, more t-shirt shops, bought our pie to eat on the ship, and we then saw this man. . .

bahahahaha!!! Only in Key West!!

  

Once we got back on the ship we were of course hungry, so we went to Johnny Rockets! It was the only restaurant on the ship that you had to pay to eat there. $4.95 for all you can eat. . .it was definitely worth it! While eating, we came across our 'friend'. Did I mention that I saw more speedo's this trip than I have in my life!? With our bellies full we decided to head out to the pool for a bit. Today's pool side entertainment was the Belly Flop contest! There were some GOOD flops!! And some total duds too. But all in all, we gotta see Tom, and have a good time! By the way, Tom is our new friend. He's from Australia, and he works on the ship. He's just under the cruise director so we saw him A LOT. Shalese is gonna marry him. NBD :) haha After the poolside fun and gettin some sun, we decided to head down to our rooms and get ready for dinner.

Tonights dinner was the formal night. Ya'll know me, I'm not the girly girl type to get all fancied up. But it was a good time and pretty sure we had the best lookin group on the ship, for sure!! OH and this is the night we learned our magic trick from Samphan!!! Dinner this night was better than last night for sure! Eating amazing food (as much of it as you wanted), and laughing for two hours straight, is probably the most fun you'll ever have! This was the first night that Marco decided to start coming over to our table and hanging out with us, even though it wasn't his table to wait on. Sanjeev and Samphan were HILARIOUS!!!

Tonight we had our first lil towel animal. . .our cute lil Elephant! After taking pictures with our new friend, Mr. Elephant, it was off to dream land to prepare ourselves for the next day to come! zzzzzzzzzzzzz