Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my birthday. Hurrah!

It was a pretty rough start. I had to get up early to drive 2.5 hours to the funeral of a good friend. I cried my eyes out. It was really hard to see them like that. It hardly looked like them. Thankfully I was surrounded by friends who were also feeling the same way. I am grateful to have the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life to bring me peace in these tough times.

After I got home I bused to the Museum of Nature. I met a few friends there and we enjoyed learning about dinosaurs, mammals and birds. I even ran into a girl from high school that I haven't seen since! It was pretty fun. They even surprised me with birthday cake! Yum! It was chocolate, if you wanted to know.

The point of this post is actually about how I make a number of goals for the number of years I'm turning. This year it's 29! These are my goals:

1. Go to Greece

2. Read The Book of Mormon 4x's

3. Learn the Ukulele

4. Learn the harmonica

5. Pay off OSAP

6. Take an art class

7. Save 1000$

8. Get G2

9. New Recipe Every month

10. Photo every day

11. Learn French

12. Blog once a week

13. Read Much Ado About Nothing

14. Do income tax on time

15. Run 1/2 marathon

16. Only have a sugary dessert once per month.

17. Buy a bike

18. Go to the Hill Cumorah Pageant

19. Daily act of service/kindness

20. Temple Monthly

21. Study Preach My Gospel

22. Buy new luggage

23. 12 Names for temple work

24. Write in my journal everyday

25. Write a missionary once per week.

26. 100% Visit teaching

27. Set and live by budget

28.Learn about astronomy

29. Call Mom once a week

For the most part I have a plan for each of them. I have a rough calender to get them done. I divided them into daily, weekly, monthly, once, and ongoing categories to help me keep track.  I am going to have to work really hard on some of them. I already have #10 started and an appointment set for #14.

Wish me luck!

Still, not a good day

You know how you wake up feeling great, there's a bounce in your step, the sun is shining and the sky is blue?

That is how my day started. It quickly diminished from there. I got to work and my manager is outside talking to a coworker in her car and walks over to me with a grim look on her face. I knew it was bad news, but it wasn't the bad news I was expecting. I work in a retirement home. Bad news happens. This was worse, much worse.

My dear friend and coworker committed suicide. It has been a difficult day. I loved my friend. I knew they were going through some really tough times. No one expected this. I don't even know what to think or what to feel. I feel like I'm in a haze.

I am well acquainted with death and grief, but this was new for me. My neighbourhood grandfather passed away when I was 19. My Gramma at 20. My boyfriend, three weeks before I turned 22. And many since then. It doesn't get easy. I, thankfully, know where I can find peace. I know that I will see them again. I know that they are not gone forever. I know.

Until We Meet Again

This is a short video from a talk that President Thomas S Monson, prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gave.