>sigh< Oh well!

Today was Sunday.

Yes it was, and I went to 3 different church buildings for church.

And I had a very good and enlightening Sunday experience.

BUT I missed the most important part of Sunday...twice.

I went to McCoy's mission farewell, and arrived in the middle of the Sacrament—which means I didn't get the chance to take it then.

But I thought, "Never fear!  I'll just take it at Hyrum's homecoming!"

When Elder Busche talked about avoiding haste in this video, he really was right.  It's much easier to feel the spirit of Sunday when you don't allow your hurriedness to interfere.

So, as fate would have it, and even with all my haste and frazzled feelings, I also arrived at Hyrum's homecoming right in the middle of Sacrament.  So I missed it.  Twice.

And I feel like I've missed out this week.  A lot.  But I shall take it next week.

And so, as an attempt at appeasing my uneasy feeling at not having the opportunity to complete the most important Sunday activity for me, I shall show you this wonderful video.  Because it's beautiful, and I love it.  AND (of course) Christ loves you! :)

It's true.  I know it.  Because He is the best older brother you could ever ask for! :)

This video depicts Christ's visit to the Americas as told in 3rd Nephi chapters 11-26 in the Book of Mormon.  What a happy event!  I hope you enjoy it :)

I make me laugh. :)

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Abi who attended the Burley Institute every Wednesday night.

This Wednesday seemed to be just like any other (besides the fact that Jason Alma was teaching a very awesome lesson) until something happened.

Abi decided to fix her hang-nail.

And it didn't work.

You know those ones you're trying to fix, and when you bite them to pull them off, it rips all the way along the side of your nail.  >Abi and everyone reading this cringes<

*shudder*

Yeah, one of those.

Needless to say, it hurt.  Bad.  But it quickly stopped bleeding profusely, and Abi and Kaleb were once again able to pay attention to the wonderful lesson Jason prepared.

The next morning...


This girl named Abi was getting ready to go to a long, hard day of making granite countertops, and in her preparations, she decided it would prolly be a good idea to bandage that nail.

Good idea, right?

So she did.

And she worked and worked and worked some more

And sometime (about 7 hours into her work), Abi decided that that bandage was a hindrance and that she didn't really need it at all.

So she took it off.

And lo and behold!  She had bandaged the wrong finger that morning.

The end. :)

Becoming Anxiously Engaged

Before you ask, no, I'm not engaged.  Not that way, anyways. :)
I'm talking about this phrase of glory:

"Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness." 
—Doctrine and Covenants 58:27

I've had a lot to think about lately because of this proverb, but there are three things it says in particular that seem to hit me between the eyes every time.


A good cause.


There are so many all around me.  When I'm working and have time to think about all I could be doing, there are gajillions of wonderful, helpful, fantastic tasks I could be doing.  However, when I have time to do them, I can think of none.  I find this very irritating.


Own free will.


This has also been a thorn in my side for the summer.  I can't even begin to tell you how many times I have been meaning to wake up at 6:00 so I can go running/biking/doing something active, eat a good, healthy breakfast, and have a long, quiet scripture study before work.  Have I done it once this whole summer???  The answer is this, my friends.  Sadly, no.  Well...maybe once...halfway.  Do I feel bad every morning when I wake up just a little too late to follow through?  You betcha!


The bottom line is this:  I have no self-discipline.  To do this or a myriad of other things I've been meaning to do.  I was champion at this during school, why can't I do it now?  I don't know.  And I don't know how to remedy it.  Which is much more frustrating than not knowing why.


Bring to pass much righteousness.


This is the part that has given me more qualms than either of the first two.  Much righteousness.  Much.  That's a lot one person can do.  And it's completely within my ability to do it.  Why don't I?  


I could learn to play the guitar and drums like I've always wanted.  I could practice piano.  I could sew a new wardrobe.  I could motivate my siblings to exercise, cook, clean, and be even more awesome (if possible).  I could re-finish Granny's swing, and weed the garden.  I could finally record the last 2 years of my life in my journal, and write letters to the 5 cousins, 4 (FHE) brothers, and some 7 thousand friends on missions.  I could call Lis at last, and actually figure out how to do my calling properly.  I could finally muster up the gumption to just do what's good, proper, and right for goodness sake.


And that's not even half of what I could do!  And that list is somewhat selfish.  I could do so much more.  Much...


Anxiously engaged...


Still, the good news is, and this has been the light at the end of the tunnel,  I have such wonderful people around me.  Mom and I had an hour to chat today, just us, and I needed it a lot.  She didn't know, but she helped me see today that I'm not a complete failure.  I am anxiously engaged in some things.  And in those little areas, I have done much good.  For myself and others.


Every week, I play Chicago-ball with all my cousins who live close by.  I am by far the oldest that goes, and I love it.  No one is too slow or too bad or too little to play, and every week I leave out of breath, with a smile plastered on my face, and with a month's worth of hugs.  :)


Today, I played soccer with Madi and Max.  We giggled and ran and enjoyed the sunshine and were so silly together.  We came home and cleaned the house from top to bottom together, and I rather enjoyed it.


And I do help Mom and Dad a little.  It's not near as much as I want to and wish I could, but I'm trying to do what I think to do, and it is helping some.


And I do notice the blessings God gives me everyday.  I live in a beautiful place with a splendid family.  For some reason, I have a lot of friends who love me, and I am blessed to know that God lives, that Christ is His son, and that I am supposed to struggle sometimes.  It's oddly comforting to know that.  I am human.  And I can't do everything.  And most of what I do, I don't do as well as I wish, but that's what this life is for.  To figure out how to grow and learn.  And we're supposed to be happy as we do it and find joy in the journey.  


I guess what I'm trying to say is that even though I feel so inadequate and foolish and so..... careless sometimes, I just have to keep doing what President Gordon B. Hinckley said to do everyday:

"Try a little harder to be a little better."

It's a great idea.  Read it.

:)

The Silly Saga of an Epic Enterprise (Part--The Last...finally)

Okay, I've been having a hard time trying to figure out how to end this.  Partly because I really enjoyed it so much and don't want to stop thinking about it.  BUT here it goes.  The end.  Sunday, and the departure home.....  (deep breath).

First I woke up to the smell of Mama Crookshank making her world-famous strawberry french-toast.  SO GOOD!  It's like music to my stomach! :D

Second, sometimes when I am with Eric and Mike...we tease each other.  Relentlessly.  Like so much that sometimes people think we hate each other.  But we don't.  And it's great!  :D  This day, so many Abi-themed jokes were flying, I couldn't keep track of them.  Let me just say, it's a good thing I can laugh at myself because these boys find everything there is to laugh about, and it's hilarious! :)

Third, Sundays like these that confirm my knowledge that the Church is true.  It's just so happy and amazing!  I loved this Sunday!  I got to sit next to Mike and Eric again in Sacrament meeting (just like the old days at BYU!) and we sang and had a grand time.  Audrey gave a wonderful talk, Devin played the organ like a champion, and the talks were very insightful--focused on patience and fathers. (It was Father's Day.)

Fourth, I'm so happy I get to go to Relief Society.  Mama Crookshank couldn't go with me because she is working with the Primary children, but Eric introduced me to a wonderful Sister Donaldson, and we had a grand time!  I just love the sisterhood of the church.  It's wonderful, and I felt so loved and welcome!

Fifth, I rode a motorcycle.  Eric took me on a motorcycle.  I've never been on a motorcycle.  Was I scared?  You bet.  Did I love it?  Absolutely.  He gave me all the pointers and told me what to do...and I was anxious... and it took a while to get used to...but it was so fun!  He drove me through T-mec wine country, and it was such a sunny, warm, beautiful, happy day....I just loved it so much.  So great!

Sixth, naps on the trampoline.

Glorious.  I was on there too...but I just don't sleep like these guys!  Oh well!

Seventh, Sunday walks.  They're just as therapeutic in Cali-five-nia as they are in Idaho.  Perhaps more-so...because there are palm trees.  Which happen to be one of my favorite things. ;)  While these boys continued their beauty-sleep, I walked to this beautiful place to call my own, wonderful Daddy and wish him a happy Father's Day.

I sat there and had a nice visit with him.  It was wonderful.  And I love that man.  Some other sights I saw were these:

>sigh< Beautiful....

Eighth, as I said, Mike and Eric are ridiculous.  And they make fun of me.  Which doesn't exactly bode well for serious dinner-time conversation.  Needless to say, we visited for a while, but those to boys just would not hold still! (I, of course, was a little saint. ;)  )  Anyways, after a while of trying to keep order, Papa Crookshank excused us, the college kids, from the dinner table because we couldn't pay attention.  We disrupted everything.  How embarrassing! ;)  Haha  

Ninth, the whole family went on a walk later to a grassy field where we all played catch (with a football, frisbee, and racquetball...at the same time).  We were so silly, and it was loads of fun!  We also played crack-the-whip, and then I started a grueling game of "No Bones."  Can I just say...greatest game ever invented.  The end.

The rest of the night was filled with Bang!, Father's Day gifts, The Man from Snowy River, silliness, plenty of disruption from Eric, Mike, and I, and visiting with Eric for a long time.  It was such a grand day!

. . .

The next morning, we woke up, visited, packed, wrote love-notes, hugged my Crookshank family goodbye, and left to pick up Carissa to go back to good, ole P-town.  It was a grand 10 hour drive full of visiting and joking and tons of music.  Country, because all of us like it and there would be no complaints, and we also listened to the theme-song of the trip: The Calendar by Panic!.  It's so good.  And I still listen to it at least once a day.  I'm fond of it. :] Here is a picture collage of the road home...

 We stopped in St. George on our way to eat Wendy's by the temple... ;)

So lovely!  The END.

Okay, sorry the Saga (and each post in it) was so long.  I 'pologize!

:]

Sunday Will Come :)

We are taking a brief intermission in the Silly Saga, so I can tell you about my experience today.

The title I used comes from a talk by Elder Joseph B. Worthlin in the October 2006 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  It's a wonderful talk, but oddly nothing I have to say here really references it.  It just seemed fitting.

May I just say that I love Sundays?  There isn't another day like it when I can just relax and forget about everything I have to do.  When I can be with my family and laugh and eat and have fun.  When I can take the time to be quiet and to really stop and look at the world around me.  Sundays are the days when I stop to have a "think," and it is always much-needed.

Aaaand one of my favorite things about Sundays are Relief Society.  I truly enjoy my time in that wonderful organization--whether I'm in a student/singles ward or a visiting a family ward--there is something about being surrounded by the women of the church and listening to their trials, blessings, testimonies, and experiences that captivates me and makes me want to be and do better each week.  It's such a blessing!

Today, I was visiting the family ward I grew up in.  Our lesson in Relief Society was about service--"the heartbeat of the Church."  It was so good for me to hear stories of giving and receiving service.  I felt the love the sisters in the ward had for each other.  As part of the lesson, Sister Harman re-told the story of The Good Samaritan from the Bible.  She asked a few questions, and a discussion ensued.  It was pointed out that not only did the Samaritan stop, he bandaged the man, took him to an in, paid the inn-keeper money to care for a stranger, and stayed with him through the night.

All my life, I had kind of glanced over that part.  Today, it hit me, and I sat there in silence wondering what was so significant about the Samaritan staying to watch over, serve, and care for this stranger through the night.  And then I remembered...

When I am sad and having a hard time, night is the worst time of day.  In the dark I feel most alone.  At night, my problems seem to multiply and my blessings seem to dissipate.  What once seemed just a bump in my road, sometimes transforms into a monstrous boulder.  Nights are just really hard to get through sometimes.  But, if this is the case, why was it that the Samaritan stayed for only one night?

The Samaritan, as good as he was, was also on his own journey with tasks to complete.  He also knew that, in order to become stronger, the stranger had to do some healing and growing for himself.  With the rising of the sun, it was evident that the stranger would come to recover.  This, I found is very applicable to me.  Just as my troubles seem to multiply by the thousands at night, so they seem to shrink into insignificance with the rising of the sun.  In the morning, the sun sheds light on the world--not only brightening my day, but lightening my load of cares.  In the sunshine, I can see more clearly the ways to tackle a problem or at least find the silver-lining.  Troubles don't seem so intimidating in the light of the day, and it is by struggling through my own problems that I grow most.  I don't learn as much when others fix them for me.

Better yet, by the light of day, I can see my trials put into perspective and how much I can help those around me and how beautiful everything is and how happy I am to live in this world.  Sometimes, I just need that arm to lean on when things are very hard to bear.  It is in those times that I have been rescued many times by family, friends, and most of all, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

:)

The Silly Saga of an Epic Enterprise (Part 2)

And now we're back...

So, we ended with us arriving in T-mec early in the morning.  I must say, I texted my dad to tell him we made it safely, and this is how the conversation went:

Me:  We're in Temecula :)  love you!  And goodnight! :)
Dad:  Goodnight?  I think it's good morning!
Me:  Hahaha yeeeaaahh.... for YOU! :D

He's a crazy man.  He doesn't sleep.  3:30 should never be usual waking time.

Little did I know, however that some of Dad's non-sleepyness rubbed off onto me!  I exaggerated a little in the last post saying we arrived at 4.  We really made it to T-mec by 3:30-ish, and Bryce groggily gave Mike and me directions to Eric's house.  They were hilariously inaccurate.  Mike and I just kept driving and finally deciphered (with Eric's help) what we thought the directions should say.  Aaaand once we got there, Eric, Mike, and I just had to have a short visit. ;)  The point is, we eventually fell asleep...at a time far later than anyone should ever go to sleep.

The next morning, however, I couldn't sleep past 8.  So, I was awake.  Eric had left to work, and I laid there thinking and looking at the foggy morning as everyone else slept.  And then Otis (Eric's dog) woke up...and then Ruffles (Eric's bird) woke up...and then the cats woke up...and finally jumped on the couch where we were "sleeping."  :)  And then piano lessons started at 9.  It reminded me of home... :)

In, as he said, a great lack of funds, Eric decided an excursion to the bank was necessary.  He asked if I wanted to come with him, and I said that as long as I didn't have to get out of the car (I was still in my pajamas/traveling clothes...bleh...), I would love to.  I probably will never live in California, just because of all the roads!  I grew up in the country where a block is four miles, and almost every intersection is square.  I seriously doubt I will ever come to be able to navigate around a city.  Anyways, we drove to the bank in the foggy morning, and Eric gave me a short tour of Temecula.  It's a beautiful place.  You should visit. :]


We came home to a house of busy family.  Eric's family is wonderful!  I remember acting just like his little sisters when I was their age, and it was interesting to watch from a third-person perspective.  His siblings were all smiley and happy and curious, I am sure, to see what we looked like in the mornings.  Well...they got an accurate presentation.  We were pretty cute... ;)  Alissa and Devin quickly proved to be the dog and bird whisperers, respectively.  Audrey, Heidi, and I chatted about riding horses, and being silly.  Dad (well, Eric's Dad, but I've unofficially adopted his whole family) was cracking me up, and Mom was so fantastic and took such great care of us all week!  I truly felt like part of the family by the time the week was up.  :D


True to Eric's word, at noon sharp, the fog dissipated and left, to our enjoyment, a beautiful, warm, and sunny day in its wake.  (I didn't believe it would happen when he told me, and I still think it's a strange occurrence).  We went back to Bryce's to plan a day of fun, and this unfolded:


First we toured more of T-mec.  We went to this place…

Temecula's own Old Town Root Beer Company.  Have you seen it before??? It's SO COOL! Vintage soda!  Each of us picked one, and we shared all the differnt kinds.  It was sweet! (Literally and figuratively...)

Then we headed to hike up to Hobo's Mansion.  We never actually made it there (we took a wrong turn), but our short little hike was very fun :)  

We were all holding suspicious-looking bottles, but no one said anything... ;)  Then, on the way, Eric and Mike had to climb a tree.  Why?  Because there was a platform in it, of course!  What a silly question...  :D

We eventually made it to this pretty stream-thingy, and played around for a while before heading back.  It was quite a cool place, but my fondest memory of it is this:

(You'll have to click on it to get the full experience…)

LOOK at them!  In all their awesome glory!  These are the wonderful people who choose to grace me with their presence!  They look like heroes, huh?  Yup, they do.  And is that surprising?  Not one bit.  They are heroes, my friends, and I love them.


We headed back shortly thereafter to get all spiffy-ed up.

To go do baptisms here:

The San Diego Temple.  It's soooooooooooooooo beautiful!  It's amazing!  I was so happy to get to go!  We had an absolutely glorious experience there.  And we love being silly with each other.  :P

After, we had dinner, and made fun of Hillary Dear, and visited, and enjoyed each other's company, and drove back to get enough sleep for the next busy day.

:)

On Sunday :)

It always amazes me how Sundays are so wonderful.  I woke up early this morning to get ready and shortly realized that I didn't need to be ready for church for a while longer, so I picked up a book, and was outside by eight letting the wind blow-dry my hair.  It was a beautiful, sunny morning.  I went to church with darling M'Kenzie and thoroughly enjoyed it.  It was one of those days when it seems like everything everyone is teaching is instantly applicable.  I like those Sundays.

Sunday is definitely my favorite day of the week.  It's slower, peaceful, and I can spend my day in calm reflection.  During Sacrament Meeting I was reading the words to a hymn, and they just happened echo my thoughts exactly at what I have been thinking about/doing a lot lately.

When through the woods and forest glades I wander,

And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,

When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,

And hear the brook, and feel the gentle breeze

Then sings my soul, my Savior, God, to Thee

How great thou art! How great thou art!

Then sings my soul, my Savior, God, to Thee

How great thou art! How great thou art!

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation,

And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!

Then I shall bow with humble adoration,

And there proclaim, my God, how great thou art!

Then sings my soul, my Savior, God, to Thee

How great thou art! How great thou art!

Then sings my soul, my Savior, God, to Thee

How great thou art! How great thou art!

True, in Idaho, the "gentle breeze" is more of a hurricane--especially today, but I still find it applicable.  It's a beautiful hymn--definitely one of my favorites.  Walking outside just really reminds me about how great God is, and how blessed I am.  I feel closer and more grateful there.  I hope you felt closer to Christ today, and I hope your Sunday turned out to be as great as mine!  

If not, watch this.  We watched it in Relief Society today, and it made me so happy.

"Embrace this day with an enthusiastic welcome...no matter how it looks."

Great words of wisdom, and definitely something I needed to hear:

The Coolest Thing!

Sooooo, you wanna know what it is????  Do ya? Are you suuuuure???  Okay, I'll tell you.  It's.....

.......drum roooooollllllll............

MISSIONARY WORK!  Tah-DAH!!!

I'm just really excited about it, okay???

For those of you who do not know, I am a member (and avid fan, I might add) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  Yeah, it's really up there in the list of coolest things EVER.  Fo' rizzle.

So!  What event makes this wonderful proclamation of fan-ship so suitable at this very moment in time?  FIRST, I am writing two missionary letters right now.  I'm writing them on old-school stationary.  It's exciting okay?!  Hahaha!  Well, it's exciting to me anyways....

Second, the two missionaries I am writing  are Elders Thomas Olaf and Craig Hunter.  As I write, I have been thinking about all of my friends and family members who have gone on or are going on missions.  I've made a list (as part of their letters) of all of these people, and it just keeps growing!  Granny and Grandpa Christensen got their call to serve this week even!  Everyone is going to a different place.  I know people going to Europe, Pacific Islands, all over in the U.S., Mexico, Russia, Africa, Austrailia--actually, I know of someone going to every continent (excepting Antarctica :] ). Most of them are speaking different languages from any of the others.  BUT even though they are all in different places, in different circumstances, receiving different blessings, talking to different people, meeting different challenges, speaking different languages--they are all out there doing the same work.  They are serving their brothers and sisters around the globe--helping them, loving them, and sharing the Gospel with them.  They are bringing to them the good news of Christ's life, love, sacrifice, and goodness.

Needless to say, this makes me proud of my boys.  I wish I was out there, right now, serving with them.  It's a very great and exciting opportunity to be called by God to go and share your testimony and love of Christ with people all over the world.  I love getting letters from them.  Reading their many adventures is exciting to me, and learning about the sweet people each of them come to know has been a highlight.  I can't get a letter without smiling.  Their love of God and of Christ is so strong, and their love of the people they are serving is so evident in all they write.

And it's then that I realize that I can do what they are doing, kind of.  I love God, Jesus Christ, and the Gospel, and I want to share it with people too!  Sometimes, I feel so inadequate, though.  So, as part of a cousinly-challenge (Thomas and I have lots of those ;)  ) I decided (and was encouraged) to read and study Preach My Gospel (the missionary study guide/manual).  It's been a great experience, and it's fun to know that I am doing at least one thing like my brothers (and cousins, and sisters...and....everyone) out in the field.  :)

So, here at least is a part of my efforts.  I've told you, and if you have any questions (any at all) I will try to answer them to the best of my ability.  It's an exciting thing, and I hope it makes you as happy as it does me! :)