So inspired this morning when I woke up and read this beautiful note my mother wrote on Facebook. I am so grateful to be part of her life, in hard times and in the best of times. I love you mom.
Things will get better... by Karen D. Fraser
Life is interesting. Once upon a time I had a plan for my life, but you know what they say; Life is what happens when you're making plans. A few things lately led me to thinking about what I would tell my 20 something year old self. One thing for sure is that hind sight really is 20/20! We all have dreams, hopes, and goals for our future... I once had plans of joining the Canadian Military... didn't happen. Many of us planned to marry high school sweethearts... most don't, some who do don't last. Once married we planned to build our own home... nope! We hoped to make our lives in Alberton, PEI... we have lived in Alberton, New Annan, Bedeque, Wilmot Valley, Moncton, Charlottetown, and Milton Station. We had a plan to start a family... it took 5 years. We have had jobs, lost jobs, and made a few career changes. There have been joys, disappointments, struggles, and triumphs. We have made good choices, some not so good, others blessing in disguise and more often than not many things happened just by chance, sheer luck, or bad fortunes. We have grown, matured, and learned from these experiences and most of them have been for our good and we have been made stronger and better because of all of them. One thing that I would tell my 20 year old self is that everything happens for a reason, many times in disappointment or adversity ... it is often a learning experience for us and in many cases it makes way for something better to come along! So learn how to grow from trials, gain strength in good times and in BAD, know that life and love are not only full of good and joy, but also full of hard times and sadness. Learn to roll with it, deal with it, work through it, and above all else... rise above it! Things will get better...
Monday, November 30, 2015
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Halifax Nova Scotia Temple
We have been wanting to get to the temple for awhile now. I have probably wanted to go to the temple from the second I last stepped out of the doors on Thanksgiving weekend in October. We just knew we needed to get back too, and feel the peace that we feel there. It seemed like every weekend something came up. When I started to think about my new job on the weekend and the events that we have going on in December, I instantly knew if we didn't go now, we wouldn't be going for a long time. So we asked my parents if they would join us, helped us out a lot to make the trip over with splitting the cost. We left very early on Saturday morning to drive over. I am so grateful that we can make the trip in one day, but it is still difficult to get up so early and be in the car practically the whole day. We had a nice session in the temple. I was reminded that my Heavenly Father has a plan for me, regardless of the insecurities I am feeling at this time. I was happy to be with three people that I love very much, my forever husband and my mom & dad. I was also happy to see friends going to the temple together and as families. After our session, we went to Montana's for some lunch. It was great, but it felt like we waited forever for our food, or maybe I was just really hungry (probably both). Haig drove home, and of course we stopped at Masstown. I got the biggest two scoops of ice cream I have ever seen. It was so delicious. Everyone else got a little snack too, and Haig and I also purchased a chocolate silk truffle cake to share when we got home and it was so melt-in-your-mouth amazing.
It was also a perfect weekend to attend the temple because on Sunday, November 22nd we attended the re-dedication for the Montreal Quebec Temple. I am grateful for the opportunity that I had to be in the temple and feel the spirit and feel that same spirit as I joined many Saints celebrating this wonderful temple. The temple in Montreal was closed for about a year to undergo renovations and this means that it was not in service for people to attend and perform sacred ordinances there. When temples are built, it becomes a sacred house of worship with a ceremony called a dedication in which the temple is consecrated to the Lord. I don't know what I would do if I could not go to the temple for a whole year. I love to see the Temple and I love the House of the Lord.
Sunday, November 22, 2015
"happy" mormons, "happy" people
A couple of weeks ago now, we were so lucky to hear from the new Canada Halifax Mission President. I was really amazed by his talk and I just wanted to capture how I remembered it. The basic idea behind President Pratt's talk was "why Mormons are so Happy". I listened to him as he explained statements individuals had made about why Mormons seem to be so happy. Why do our lives seem so fulfilled? Is it just an act, or is it real?
I started to think about my own life, and I decided that on the outside, I do seem to be a pretty happy person. Of course I have struggles, and lately I have been overwhelmed with tasks as a wife and a home maker and I have also been anxious about my work. I have my challenges, but overall, I am very happy about my life and the choices I have made so far. On this particular Sunday that President Pratt spoke, I had a wonderful day at church, surrounded by my friends and family. I felt the joy and happiness radiating from these individuals, so I can see why people around us are asking this question, "why are we so happy?"
We have Hope.
This is certainly not the first time I have said this on my blog, but I know that I am a daughter of my Heavenly Father. I know that I can communicate with him each and every day, with gratitude for my many blessings, and also with the woes and struggles of my everyday life. I believe that he has provided me with a Savior, to atone for the sins of the world, so that I can repent, and be happy and one day return to live with Him. I have come to know that we will all face many trials, but that he will not give us anything that we can't handle. I know that he will lift us up when we cannot do so for ourselves. That is why I am happy. I know that whatever comes my way, I can remember that I am not alone, that everything will be okay. If I am faithful and obedient, I will be able to obtain blessings. I know we will experience sadness when faced with adversary, but I also know that we must pass through sorrow to obtain joy.
I've had some of these thoughts written down as a draft for quite some time now and I never knew how to complete it or when to post it. I have also been wanting to say somewhat concerning the events of the Paris attacks and the situation of many Syrian refugees. There is so much heartache in this world. Even with my limited knowledge of the situation and the hurtful and painful attacks that have occurred, as a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day, I have a hope for a better world. As brothers and sisters, we need to be kind to one another. We need to find ways to serve one another. I know that these things won't change the state of the world, but as we better our communities and our own towns, we will see change. Share goodness, share hope.
I started to think about my own life, and I decided that on the outside, I do seem to be a pretty happy person. Of course I have struggles, and lately I have been overwhelmed with tasks as a wife and a home maker and I have also been anxious about my work. I have my challenges, but overall, I am very happy about my life and the choices I have made so far. On this particular Sunday that President Pratt spoke, I had a wonderful day at church, surrounded by my friends and family. I felt the joy and happiness radiating from these individuals, so I can see why people around us are asking this question, "why are we so happy?"
We have Hope.
This is certainly not the first time I have said this on my blog, but I know that I am a daughter of my Heavenly Father. I know that I can communicate with him each and every day, with gratitude for my many blessings, and also with the woes and struggles of my everyday life. I believe that he has provided me with a Savior, to atone for the sins of the world, so that I can repent, and be happy and one day return to live with Him. I have come to know that we will all face many trials, but that he will not give us anything that we can't handle. I know that he will lift us up when we cannot do so for ourselves. That is why I am happy. I know that whatever comes my way, I can remember that I am not alone, that everything will be okay. If I am faithful and obedient, I will be able to obtain blessings. I know we will experience sadness when faced with adversary, but I also know that we must pass through sorrow to obtain joy.
I've had some of these thoughts written down as a draft for quite some time now and I never knew how to complete it or when to post it. I have also been wanting to say somewhat concerning the events of the Paris attacks and the situation of many Syrian refugees. There is so much heartache in this world. Even with my limited knowledge of the situation and the hurtful and painful attacks that have occurred, as a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day, I have a hope for a better world. As brothers and sisters, we need to be kind to one another. We need to find ways to serve one another. I know that these things won't change the state of the world, but as we better our communities and our own towns, we will see change. Share goodness, share hope.
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
let's talk about Inside Out
disclaimer: I have only watched the movie once, but I am pretty much obsessed with it already,
don't judge
About two weeks ago, I thought about the movie "Inside Out". I never got a chance to see it in theaters but I heard SO many good things about it. One of the biggest reasons I wanted to see it was because I knew it was about emotions and believe me, I've got a lot of those. But anyways, the month came and went that it was playing and I just never made it out to see it, no big deal I guess. So when it randomly came into my head a couple of weeks ago, I knew that it was probably almost out to rent (yes, I still rent videos because I am honest human being like that). Haig and I were out one night, a couple days after it was released and we went into jumbo video but unfortunately it was all rented out and there was already one person on a wait list for it! Talk about a popular flick. So we waited a couple more days and it was there when we went back and we watched it on our evening before Remembrance Day.
In the days after we watched it, I felt like we couldn't stop bringing it up because we loved it that much. There was always something to bring up from it, or something that we liked that we wanted to share with each other again.
disclaimer 2: there will be spoilers in this post.
This movie was so unique. It will go down in my books as a classic. One that I will want our children to fall in love with. It's story line about a little girl coming of age, working through all of these emotions that she was feeling resonated with me. Sometimes I feel like my life is just flying by. I can't really remember anything about being 11 years old, but I can remember not really liking the adjustment from grade 6 to grade 7, into a new school and what not. I can remember having a hard time making and keeping friends. I remember not really knowing who I was and where I fit in. I was still unsure of all of my likes and dislikes. Some things however were constant. I had a family that I loved and I knew that they loved me. I had the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life and I knew that I was a daughter of God. One thing I really remember about being 'younger' was thinking about what it was going to be like when I grew up, and now that I am all "grown up" I am feeling pretty good about most things.
The core memories was also something that stuck deep with me. I personally feel like we all have these core memories that do make up our personalities, who we are, our values and our morals. I like to think of moments that I can remember that are just so vivid. I can remember one of the first nights that we had Nala. Bryan, Kayla and I running and jumping all over the couch because we were having so much fun with this new and fury friend that was in our house, in our lives. I remember when the vice principal at my elementary school whispered in my ear at graduation and she said "don't forget that good things come in small packages". I thought it was stupid at the time, because I had been teased for years about my small stature, but today I love my petite frame and femininity. I can remember going to the temple for the first time and my dad performed baptisms for the dead with me. The first kiss I shared with my husband, on New Years Eve. When I hugged him during those short, but sweet kisses, I knew I wanted to be with him forever.
I loved the emotions of Inside Out. Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, Fear. The emotions we feel every single day. I loved every one of them. I am happy that I have the ability to feel these emotions. Life would be some meaningless if we did not experience each of these emotions. I use the term "roller coaster of emotions" probably more than I should, but I really do think that we all need to accept the fact that in this life, we go through everything, even if we don't want to. "Inside Out" helped me to appreciate that life is a constant roller coaster of emotions and one that we need to ride.
I loved that Riley Andersen was from Minnesota. I nearly started to bawl when she said that she missed Minnesota. This is because my dear husband, was laying in my lap and I can't even begin to IMAGINE how much he misses Minnesota, where he served his mission for two years. I have never been there, but it is a place that I hold dear to my heart because I know how much love my husband has for Minnesota. I just loved Riley Andersen too. She reminded me of me. That's crazy I know, because I am sure lots of people would say the same thing because she's just a little girl that is thinking "what the heck is going on in my life". When she cries in front of her whole class because she started to tell them about Minnesota, I was all in. I thought "that would have been me, no doubt". I love how in this scene especially, she rocks the sadness. We are allowed to feel sad, we are allowed to cry, guess what, you are even allowed to cry in public places! I do it all the time, and trust me when I say if you need to cry in a public just do it.
Of course, the part that got me the most was when Joy realizes that sadness leads to happiness and she cries. How is it that we can be happy and sad? I am happy and sad at the same time, like ALL OF THE TIME. I was seriously in awe at this point because Disney/Pixar, you win. You win everything.
don't judge
About two weeks ago, I thought about the movie "Inside Out". I never got a chance to see it in theaters but I heard SO many good things about it. One of the biggest reasons I wanted to see it was because I knew it was about emotions and believe me, I've got a lot of those. But anyways, the month came and went that it was playing and I just never made it out to see it, no big deal I guess. So when it randomly came into my head a couple of weeks ago, I knew that it was probably almost out to rent (yes, I still rent videos because I am honest human being like that). Haig and I were out one night, a couple days after it was released and we went into jumbo video but unfortunately it was all rented out and there was already one person on a wait list for it! Talk about a popular flick. So we waited a couple more days and it was there when we went back and we watched it on our evening before Remembrance Day.
In the days after we watched it, I felt like we couldn't stop bringing it up because we loved it that much. There was always something to bring up from it, or something that we liked that we wanted to share with each other again.
disclaimer 2: there will be spoilers in this post.
This movie was so unique. It will go down in my books as a classic. One that I will want our children to fall in love with. It's story line about a little girl coming of age, working through all of these emotions that she was feeling resonated with me. Sometimes I feel like my life is just flying by. I can't really remember anything about being 11 years old, but I can remember not really liking the adjustment from grade 6 to grade 7, into a new school and what not. I can remember having a hard time making and keeping friends. I remember not really knowing who I was and where I fit in. I was still unsure of all of my likes and dislikes. Some things however were constant. I had a family that I loved and I knew that they loved me. I had the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life and I knew that I was a daughter of God. One thing I really remember about being 'younger' was thinking about what it was going to be like when I grew up, and now that I am all "grown up" I am feeling pretty good about most things.
The core memories was also something that stuck deep with me. I personally feel like we all have these core memories that do make up our personalities, who we are, our values and our morals. I like to think of moments that I can remember that are just so vivid. I can remember one of the first nights that we had Nala. Bryan, Kayla and I running and jumping all over the couch because we were having so much fun with this new and fury friend that was in our house, in our lives. I remember when the vice principal at my elementary school whispered in my ear at graduation and she said "don't forget that good things come in small packages". I thought it was stupid at the time, because I had been teased for years about my small stature, but today I love my petite frame and femininity. I can remember going to the temple for the first time and my dad performed baptisms for the dead with me. The first kiss I shared with my husband, on New Years Eve. When I hugged him during those short, but sweet kisses, I knew I wanted to be with him forever.
I loved the emotions of Inside Out. Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, Fear. The emotions we feel every single day. I loved every one of them. I am happy that I have the ability to feel these emotions. Life would be some meaningless if we did not experience each of these emotions. I use the term "roller coaster of emotions" probably more than I should, but I really do think that we all need to accept the fact that in this life, we go through everything, even if we don't want to. "Inside Out" helped me to appreciate that life is a constant roller coaster of emotions and one that we need to ride.
I loved that Riley Andersen was from Minnesota. I nearly started to bawl when she said that she missed Minnesota. This is because my dear husband, was laying in my lap and I can't even begin to IMAGINE how much he misses Minnesota, where he served his mission for two years. I have never been there, but it is a place that I hold dear to my heart because I know how much love my husband has for Minnesota. I just loved Riley Andersen too. She reminded me of me. That's crazy I know, because I am sure lots of people would say the same thing because she's just a little girl that is thinking "what the heck is going on in my life". When she cries in front of her whole class because she started to tell them about Minnesota, I was all in. I thought "that would have been me, no doubt". I love how in this scene especially, she rocks the sadness. We are allowed to feel sad, we are allowed to cry, guess what, you are even allowed to cry in public places! I do it all the time, and trust me when I say if you need to cry in a public just do it.
Of course, the part that got me the most was when Joy realizes that sadness leads to happiness and she cries. How is it that we can be happy and sad? I am happy and sad at the same time, like ALL OF THE TIME. I was seriously in awe at this point because Disney/Pixar, you win. You win everything.
Sunday, November 15, 2015
classic dress
I like how versatile this dress has been for me. I stole it a couple of years ago from my sister. She seriously buys dresses like there's no tomorrow. I like the colors in this dress. They are not too flashy and I like wearing little bits of red. I think this dress is fitting for fall moving into winter because it doesn't scream in your face. It is simple, elegant and classy and I can pretty much wear anything with it, and today I decided to wear something over it!
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
mad for plaid
Let's find some new places to take pictures shall we, because the outside of our apartment building is not very fancy, and the busy street around us and old school houses don't really make a great background either. So we pulled into the parking lot behind the church that has a pathway into the forest. Still not the greatest spot, but it worked for this week.
I think I will just end up wearing the brown oxford heels for every outfit this month, maybe even all winter. I just love them so much. I've had them for about two years now, but I still love getting compliments on them practically every week, mostly from sister missionaries. I love this dress that I found at smart set last year. I am not a huge plaid girl but this color scheme just killed me. Paired it with some opaque navy tights and a new purse for the winter that I picked up at value village last week.
voila! November outfit take 2.
Saturday, November 7, 2015
Stand & Manifest
When I think about waking up, I think about the motion of getting out of bed. Some mornings that is harder than other mornings. Especially when you have a cozy husband like mine.
But the time comes, and it is time to rise up. I feel alive, this is a new day. I am on my feet, starting somewhere. A lot has been going on lately. I am about to leave a position at work, because it is not working out anymore, I am not happy there. It has been one of the hardest decisions I have had to make in quite some time. When I think about my life and the challenges I face, I feel sad to realize that other people around the world have it so much worse than I do. Some people *literally cannot get out of bed every morning on their own.
I can, and I need to. every day for as long as I can. I need to get out of bed in the morning for me. I need to get out of bed so I can work, learn, play, laugh, dance, have fun, give love, bake, cook, sing and run. I am so immensely grateful that I have the ability to do all of these things. I mentioned in my previous morning post that I have the opportunity to pray to my Heavenly Father and thank Him for all the wonderful things I can do, and the things that I have been blessed with. I have been starting my day off with a short and prayer in my heart that I know I can do all things through him, because he has given me so much.
I liked the idea of writing down some sort of manifesto to read in the mornings. The challenge is to write something that is relevant to where you are right now. Say it to yourself for the next 21 days.Put it somewhere that you will see every morning.
What do I need to say in the morning to get me through the day?
What do I need to hear in the morning to get me through the day?
Write down an affirmation here
I want to be happy today and find ways to feel joy. I can reach my potential because I have a divine destiny.
But the time comes, and it is time to rise up. I feel alive, this is a new day. I am on my feet, starting somewhere. A lot has been going on lately. I am about to leave a position at work, because it is not working out anymore, I am not happy there. It has been one of the hardest decisions I have had to make in quite some time. When I think about my life and the challenges I face, I feel sad to realize that other people around the world have it so much worse than I do. Some people *literally cannot get out of bed every morning on their own.
I can, and I need to. every day for as long as I can. I need to get out of bed in the morning for me. I need to get out of bed so I can work, learn, play, laugh, dance, have fun, give love, bake, cook, sing and run. I am so immensely grateful that I have the ability to do all of these things. I mentioned in my previous morning post that I have the opportunity to pray to my Heavenly Father and thank Him for all the wonderful things I can do, and the things that I have been blessed with. I have been starting my day off with a short and prayer in my heart that I know I can do all things through him, because he has given me so much.
Give thanks for it all
I liked the idea of writing down some sort of manifesto to read in the mornings. The challenge is to write something that is relevant to where you are right now. Say it to yourself for the next 21 days.Put it somewhere that you will see every morning.
What do I need to say in the morning to get me through the day?
What do I need to hear in the morning to get me through the day?
Write down an affirmation here
I want to be happy today and find ways to feel joy. I can reach my potential because I have a divine destiny.
read my morning series posts
Monday, November 2, 2015
cranberry & cream outfit
pretending to be a "fashion blogger" for this month
But seriously, my Sunday style has been on point lately to be honest. So I decided I wanted to take more pictures of my Sunday outfits because I feel like my style is really starting to evolve for Sundays. I think I used to dress a couple years younger than my age. I feel like I am finally starting to catch up, and now that I am married I really want to look my age with my style.
So bear with me as I pretend to be a fashion blogger for the next little while. I will probably spare you with all the minor details of my outfit. This week I was feeling inspired by cranberry and cream. I have also been loving my brown oxford heels, they are really becoming my statement shoes, so I paired my cranberry and cream with a neutral tone and a statement necklace.
cool right? happy November!
Sunday, November 1, 2015
happy anniversary!
today, our mom & dad Pinsent celebrate their wedding anniversary! I am so glad that these two wonderful people were sealed for time and all eternity 26 years ago in the Washington D.C Temple. I am also so happy that they had a bunch of babies together and raised them in the gospel! I got to marry one of them, and the rest became my brother and sister in laws! I love you mom and dad for taking such good care of us. we miss you always!
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