Home Sweet House of Cards

I watched both seasons of House of Cards over the past two weeks. It's horrifying and disturbing and caused debilitating sleep deprivation and overall made me seriously consider moving out of this deranged circus. I live right next to Rock Creek Park, which would make a prime location to stash a dead body. But then I remembered that my car is registered here until 2016, so I'm trapped like Rachel Posner is trapped in her janky Baltimore apartment (bad joke). I'm also dangerously suspicious of my own politician family members and I think it's starting to show. 

Would I recommend watching House of Cards? About as much as I would recommend looking away from a train wreck. 

Happy Sunday: You Know Enough

Last month I gave a talk in church on this subject. What I know vs. what I don't know had been on my mind for the past several months. So when I was asked to speak, I welcomed the opportunity to articulate what I'd been thinking about, but which I'd never talked about openly.

I put a lot of thought and prayer into what I might say. I didn't write my talk down because I'm more of a bullet-point person, but I felt like it came out coherently. At least people seemed to look like they were understanding...

Anyway, I thought I would share my thoughts via blog. In more words or less, this is basically how it went...

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About 5 years ago, I was contemplating serving a mission. After months of careful deliberation and prayer, I was almost positive this was something I should do. But there was one major hang up: I felt like I didn't know enough. I doubted my knowledge of church doctrine. I was intimidated by the scriptures. The thought of having to explain these things to strangers was frightening.

With this dilemma on my mind, I settled down one morning to watch the October 2008 General Conference.  A relatively new (to me) general authority named Elder Neil  L. Anderson gave a poignant talk conveniently entitled "You Know Enough." That was as strong an answer I could ever hope to receive. I put in my papers shortly thereafter and left on a mission to Romania the following July. Since that moment 5 years ago Elder Anderson's words--"You don't know everything, but you know enough"--have served as a constant source of encouragement.

Conversions

Before I go on, there is something you must know about Mormons. Mormons LOVE conversion stories. We love finding out what possibly convinced someone to join this church. Whether that someone had lifelong exposure to the church, or whether they had been investigating only a few short months, they obviously did not have a perfect knowledge of the intricacies of the gospel before being baptized. But they knew enough to be compelled to make that sacred covenant and take upon them the name of Christ.

When my mom joined the Church 30+ years ago, she actually hadn't "investigated" at all. I wouldn't say she was anti-Mormon, but she had been known to disseminate anti-Mormon literature...She was living in Salzburg, Austria at the time. One of her best friends lived in Italy, so she occasionally would make the not-too-distant journey to visit him. On one such visit, her friend announced to her that he had joined the Mormon church. You can imagine her utter shock at this news. She told him he was crazy; he's throwing away his life; Mormonism is a cult; he has no idea was he's getting himself into. But he made her promise to contact the missionaries when she returned to Salzburg. Out of respect for her friend, she did.

When she called the missionaries, it was mainly just to argue with him. They somehow convinced her that arguing in person would be better than over the phone, so she met them at the chapel. There, they showed her a slide show presentation of the story of Joseph Smith. Something to note about this particular slide show: the slide projector was malfunctioning or something, because it was out of sync with the recorded narration. So each slide was one off from the recording. "I can't believe this," she thought. "This is crazy. These boys don't even know how to work a slide projector. What on earth am I doing here?" But she remained seated for the duration, and thank goodness for that because the next moments that ensued changed my mom's life forever. The presentation came to the First Vision, when Joseph Smith prayed in the Sacred Grove to know which church to join, and God and Jesus Christ appeared to him. She was struck. An overwhelming feeling came over her, rendering her unable to deny that whatever feeling this was came from God. She knew it was true. She knew Joseph Smith really did see what he says he saw. "If this is true," she thought, "then so is everything else." She was baptized less than a week later. My mom certainly didn't know everything. In fact, she knew almost nothing. But she knew enough. And that faith has developed into a strong and shakeless testimony over the years of her membership in the Church.

Trials

How does this same principle apply during times of struggle and personal hardship? More often than not, the Lord's response in the midst of our trials is "you don't know everything, but you know enough." I was talking with a good friend of mine who has recently experienced a trial that highlights this concept beautifully. She allowed me to share it with you:

I recently had the opportunity to take a job that seemed as if it would be the perfect fit for me in the long run. In fact, it was the most ideal situation given what I had studied [in college] and what my ultimate career goals were. However, a part of me felt very strongly that I should reject the offer. God never told me outright that I needed to reject the offer, but through prayer, fasting and reading the scriptures I came to understand that it was not the thing that I should do. After I made the decision, it was subsequently confirmed to me after I got in a car accident and it took me out of commission for the next two months. I probably could not have accepted the job anyway, given that I needed that time to recuperate. I asked God a lot of times why this had to happen to me-- Why I shouldn't take the job, why I should leave... I asked him and I actually received somewhat of a feeling reassuring me of the reason why I could not take it, but I never received any more specifics after that. I knew enough. I knew that I wasn't supposed to take the job... I knew my next steps for the next few months--and that was enough. Truly, it was enough. Sometimes I doubt that though. Why could't I know more? Didn't I need more information to make such a tremendous leap of faith? Nope, I only needed what I needed in that moment. God would take care of the rest. Some days I very much struggle with the will of the Lord, but as of right now I know enough. It is still hard though but I have a measure of hope in the future, because the Lord never forsakes us. 

Mark 5:36: "Be not afraid, only believe."

Doubts

In his aforementioned talk, Elder Anderson said, "There are days when we feel inadequate and unprepared. When doubt and confusion enter our spirits. When we have difficulty finding out spiritual footing. Part of our victory as disciples of Christ is what we do when these feelings come."

This room is filled with very intelligent people who I'm sure have the answers to an array of complex mathematical, scientific, sociological, and financial questions. But when it comes to religious questions, especially trying to reconcile spiritual convictions with moral, social and political controversies, I don't think I'm the only one here who's been faced with significant doubt and confusion.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, in his most recent General Conference address, said this: "Some struggle with unanswered questions about things that have been done or said in the past. We openly acknowledge that in nearly 200 years of Church history, there have been some things said and done that could cause people to question. Sometimes questions arise because we simply don't have all the information and we just need a bit more patience. When the entire truth is eventually known, things that didn't make sense to us before will be resolved to our satisfaction."

We WILL be faced with doubt. That is okay. That is normal.

He went on to say: "There are few members of the Church who at one time or another have not wrestled with serious or sensitive questions. One of the purposes of the Church is to nurture and cultivate the seed of faith."  So please, doubt! I encourage it because I feel that is leads to a stronger, deeper conversion. But when you find your doubts and confusions begin to overshadow and overpower your faith, do as President Uchtdorf advised and "Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith."

We have moments of profound spiritual inspiration. Moments when we feel the Holy Ghost testifying the eternal truthfulness of a certain gospel principle. Remember those moments. Sink them deep into your soul. Make them a part of who you are. Draw on them in times when you need reminding that you don't know everything, but you know enough.

A legitimately candid photo taken after I opened my mission call.

In Love with Love

A few things I'm in love with...

This "Girls With Glasses" video about love.

These lovebirds on the NYC Subway.

Photo Cred: Matt Weber

This charming French film (and its soundtrack!).

"Heartbreaker." Watch it on Netflix.

This strawberry butter cream frosting, which distracted me during this week's government snow day.

Strawberry jam, butter, and powdered sugar. Piece of cake.

Happy {belated} Valentine's Day, lovers!

SH

2014: Turning Over a New Leaf. Actually, I just went ahead and uprooted the entire tree.

To begin, a formal apology to the blogging gods for my absence these past months. 2013 was a Mad World fail. Parlty because my world was particularly mad. Oh, woe is me! I'll explain in a separate post.

Alright, enough of that. Here goes 2014. I've never been one to set New Year's resolutions. They just weren't my thing. I was a lot better at setting short-term goals throughout the year. Less intimidating, less...I don't know...final. And so much easier to keep (and--let's face it--remember). But this year is different, as the title of this post implies. I started thinking about my resolutions in October of last year. I wanted them to be well-thought out. I wanted to give myself time for them to sink in. I weighed them all individually. I threw out some and kept others and continued refining the list until I came up with a handful of goals that I was genuinely excited about. 

I am also not usually one to publicize a list of my goals. I mean, what better way to parade around all your weaknesses. "Hey, everyone! This is what I suck at and am trying to improve! This is what I really want to accomplish and I'm going to look like a tool if I don't!" Not to mention the added sense of accountability that comes along with sharing my goals. Yeesh. 

That said, here goes nothing:

1. Make serving others a priority

My headliner quote for the year.

2. Learn a language

Preferably Russian.

3. No more gluten

Which sadly means no more doing this.

4. Exercise 4-5 times a week

This body ain't getting any younger.

5. Delete Facebook

This will free up time for #6 and #8 and life in general.

6. Research my family history

Even if it requires rummaging through graveyards in Ireland.
Yes, I realize there are two pictures of gravestones in a row. 

7. Budget my money

I thought I'd ask Congress to help me with this one.

8. Write in my journal and/or blog weekly

Writing is my creative outlet.

9. Frequent museums

10. Leave this continent 

The travel bug is itching something fierce. 

Several of these seem pretty ordinary. But all are rooted to a deeper cause. Something that I am working to change or develop in myself. I feel like I'm already doing fairly well on many of these and lagging behind on others. But there you go, world. All on the table. I trust you'll hold me to these. 

Happy New Year,

Sarah

Mindy Gets It

Hey! Remember me? I'm the mad girl with the mad life who writes this mad blog. My world has been SO MAD these past few months--so much so that blogging has taken a back seat to things like, oh, I don't know...working, traveling, socializing when possible, sleeping, and reading. In that order.

My reading list of late has been made up of books with all female heroines, written by female authors. Girl power! Woooo! Sister before misters!

HAH. I kid. I'm no feminist. I typically read books about war and chronic diseases, so this is a new chapter for me (pun fully intended).

Most recent read for my book club...which is all girls...I get it now...

Mindy Kaling is up there with Amy and Tina on the list of women I want to adopt my children if my husband and I are ever in a fatal car crash. She's edgy, outspoken, and blunt (any wonder why I love her?). She can command an audience with her wit and and honest humor. Best of all--she has values! And morals! AND she's famous. Seems downright contradictory.

In her book, Mindy talks a lot about her traditional views of relationships and home and family and love. While ranting about the "depressing, zeitgeist-y magazine articles about relationships" like 'how women don't need men anymore' or 'monogamy is dated and we should all be swingers,' she says this:

"This wretched little magazine article has helped convince more open-minded liberal arts graduates that the nuclear family doesn't exist without some hideous twist, like the dad is allowed to go to an S&M dungeon once a week or something. It makes me cry because it means that fewer and fewer people are believing it's cool to want what I want, which is to be married and have kids and love each other in a monogamous, long-lasting relationship."

I think it's saying you want these things that's uncool. Most people secretly do want them. But openly admitting that you have any sort of traditional life ambition (what? your number one life goal isn't to start a non-profit in Ethiopia? or be Hillary Clinton's speech writer after dedicating the whole of your 20s to putting her in office? or work for some ultra-hip start-up in NYC where you wear sound-cancelling headphones and drink coconut water?) is viewed as, well, lame in this "progressive" world we live in. I detest the word progressive. It's obvious to me the human race is reverting steadily back to neanderthalism (godless, hairy, Paleo-dieting bush men: I'm talking to you. I'm also talking to you, Miley Cyrus.). 

Anyway. go Mindy. Read her book. 

Skull and Cross Fit

I hopped on the Cross Fit bandwagon. For those who are contemplating trying it out, you definitely should. Look how glamorous it is:

 

 

Nothing more glamorous than sweating buckets and panting like a donkey in the Gobi Desert in front of a beautiful men. No shame, my friends. No shame.

Branding Myself

At work, we hear all the time about building a brand. What do we want to be known for, professionally? What do we want to be experts on?

There are also countless workshops and networking events where we inevitably end up at group tables, being asked to share a fun fact about ourselves as part of standard introductions.

There is one fact about myself that I have on reserve, solely for these kinds of things. And also to make sure that I always win at Two Truths and a Lie.

Consequentially, this is how I've been branding myself in the professional world. Dangerous things, those fun facts.

This isn't all. I'm on a role at my new company. I said to a male co-worker one day, "Hit me up if you want a snack." Oops.Tricky things, those innuendos.

But wait, there's more. I was training a new member of my team a week or so ago. We use a company-wide IM system for most quick correspondence. Like in GChat, green means you're available, red means you're busy, etc. Conveniently enough, this also creates excellent innuendo material.

Roxanne, anyone? Yeah...

So I'm on the fast track to branding myself as the company circus freak/prostitute. FML.

I've been planning for Halloween since March...

So remember when I was Leslie Knope last Halloween? And how people still refer to me as Leslie Knope? And how I was at the Embassy of Estonia (of all places) and a guy shouted "Knope!" and I answered (right?) and he actually was shouting "Knope!" and not "Nope!" (because then I would have been extra embarrassed that I answered)? Yeah, it's a little out of control.

But I still love Leslie Knope and everything she stands for and it was the greatest, easiest costume ever so naturally I'm going to be her again this year. But what will make Halloween 2013 even better is that this year I will have a crew.

You guys, I have a Tom, an Ann, a Ron, and a Jean-Ralphio.

I met Jean-Ralphio during interviews at my current job. He's got wild curly hair and a massive, story-telling, one-upping personality.

I met Tom, Ann and Ron at the airport on a business trip. They also work at my company. When I met Tom, he was still slightly tipsy from the pitcher of sangria he drank at brunch. He's a swag dresser and a firm believer in the "Treat Yo'self" philosophy. And he's Indian. SAY NO MORE.

Ann is demure and sweet, with a hint of sassy wit. The more level-headed of the bunch. A joy to be around.

Ron is a black-haired Jew, but his hair is full and he could pull off a gnarly mustache if he wanted to so he is a natural default.

My company is a GOLD MINE for Parcs and Rec look-alikes/act-alikes. I am in Heaven. Halloween couldn't come quicker.

Happy Tuesday: For Mom

Today is the midway point between Mothers Day and my lovely mother's birthday. The OCD in me who seeks symmetry and synchronization in all things says that this day is the perfect day for a tribute to Mom.

As I sit in my rent-controlled studio apartment, reflecting on the journey that got me here, there are three lessons Mom taught me that stand out in my mind as especially worth highlighting on this inbetween day of celebrating the greatest woman I know.

1. Mom taught me to have a sense of adventure.

When Mom was young she packed her backpack and left the Home of the Free to explore the mountains, meadows, villages, and cities of our motherland to the east. She slept in Irish fields, roamed Italian streets, ate with Nords, Swedes, and Danes. Postcards home were few and far between for this bright-eyed adventurer.

 

For as long as I can remember, I wanted to follow in her globe-trotting foot steps. I did so as soon as I legally and financially could. Mom let me go wherever I wished, as long as I emailed her every time I arrived in a new country. How many mothers let their firstborn, blonde, seemingly defenseless daughters gallavant across Europe, shacking up in seedy hostels and on park benches, living off of cheap salame and bread, with scant means of communication? I asked her once if she ever worried about me. "Sure I worried," she said, "but I couldn't not let you go because I did the exact same thing when I was your age." Mom worried because she's a mom, but she never showed it because there's no point in worrying your children.

This brings me to the next lesson learned...

2. Mom taught me to roll with the punches.

Mom has this miraculous ability to find the good, the comical, the memorable in every unfortunate situation. Never any worries. Never any stress. She calmly faces hardship, frustration and grief with a smile on her face. So when things like surviving as a missionary in Romania and graduating with a European Studies degree and no career plan happened in my life, I leaned on her and on the optimism she instilled in me since birth.

In a phone conversation a month or so ago, she told me all about her new life philosophy: "Have fun!" All she does is have fun. The woman cannot be kept down. Tennis every week, bike rides to the beach, hikes with Dad and the pup, sleepovers with her best friends, dancing at weddings...Occasionally she'll remember I exist and call to inform me of all the fun she's having. Life is to be enjoyed, not stressed over. I thank Mom for that golden lesson.

This brings me, again, to the next lesson learned...

3. Mom taught me to trust in God.

Mom's story is one of steadfast faith. She taught me how to recognize God's hand in my life - the daily miracles that so often go unnoticed, either because we are distracted, absorbed, or otherwise unable to perceive the sweet moments and tender mercies as evidence that God is aware of, and actively involved in, our day-to-day lives.

Everything that has led me to where I am now - new job, new city, new friends - is so far from my own doing. I was guided here by a power beyond me and never could have accomplished as much as I have without the constant guidance (pushing, really) of my Heavenly Father. I'm a West Coast girl who enjoys the slow life. I have little to no qualifications for the unreal job I landed. This clearly wasn't my plan, guys. But it was someone else's, and I trust that this particular Someone knows what He's up to.

So with a combined sense of adventure, utopic optimism and trust in God, I live a pretty darn awesome life and I have Mom to thank for it.

Cheers to my mom, the greatest woman I know.

Happy Sunday: Smart Mormons

Happy Sunday, peeps. You can all rest easy, I AM alive and well. To kick things off after this month-long hiatus from the blogosphere: a fantastic, well thought out article written by a non-Mormon about Mormons. Maybe true, maybe not. A logical and interesting perspective, nonetheless. Less spiritual and more political than the average Happy Sunday post, but a solid glimpse into an elemental LDS belief.

Enjoy.

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"SMART MORMONS?" By Mike Jensen Tuesday, January 22, 2013, Canada Free Press

Mormons have intrigued me ever since Mike Huckabee back in 2007 claimed that Mormons believe that Jesus and Satan are brothers. With the recent election over, I decided to check out Mormons a bit more.

My hope in doing this was to explain to readers who Mormons are and whether or not 22 percent of the people were justified in opposing having a Mormon president.

But instead I’m going to share an intriguing bit of Mormon theology I learned that I think makes them perhaps the most politically wise human beings on the planet. Ironically, this story stems from that Huckabee quote about the relationship between Jesus and the devil, but the lesson to be learned is one that, regardless of our political or religious views, we would all be wise to consider.

So here’s what I learned: Mormons, unlike most other Christian sects, believe that all humans lived a life before mortality. They call this the pre-existence or pre-earth life. At birth a veil is placed over our minds so that we don’t remember it (you’ll see why in a minute).

In this pre-earth life, we were all in the presence of God as His spirit children. Jesus was there—the first-born of God’s spirit children, and a leader in the councils in Heaven. Lucifer was also there, and was another leader among the children of God. He was called a "son of the morning."

At some point in this existence, the Father called all of His children together to explain how things worked. All of His children would have to leave His presence and come to earth for a period of testing. The goal was to see if we would live a righteous life even when we had to live by faith, as we would no longer be able to remember God or heaven (that’s the reason for the veil).

If we would live a righteous life, we would be given the opportunity to return and live with God forever. Otherwise we would forfeit that chance, because no unclean thing can live in God’s presence. However, God knew that we would all make mistakes, so he would provide a Savior for the world. This Savior would live a sinless life, and because of that, he would qualify to pay for the sins of the world through what would be called the "Atonement." If people would sincerely repent of their sins, then the Atonement would essentially erase their sins, and they could still return and live with God. The Father called for volunteers to be this savior, and two stepped forward: Jesus and Lucifer.

Lucifer said that he would be the savior and he would force everybody to live righteously, thus guaranteeing that all of God’s spirit children would return to Him in heaven. Jesus said that He would follow the Father’s plan and allow God’s children their free agency. They could choose for themselves whether to live righteously and take advantage of the Atonement or whether to live in sin and forfeit the opportunity to return and live with God.

God rejected Lucifer’s plan, causing Lucifer to rebel and declare war on God. One-third of God’s spirit children joined Lucifer in this rebellion. In the end, the rebellion failed and Lucifer and his followers were cast out of heaven. They came to earth without bodies and now, continuing the war they started in heaven, they tempt men to do evil to one another and lose out on the chance to return to God.

PAY ATTENTION HERE; THIS IS THE GOOD PART

Now, any traditional Christians reading this will see similarities to their own belief system. Most traditional Christians believe that Lucifer lived in heaven as an angel, but then declared war on God and was cast out.. However, the causes for that war are not necessarily clear in traditional Christian theology.

That is where Mormon theology is so intriguing. For Mormons, the greatest of all battles, the war in heaven, was fought over LIBERTY—or as they call it, "free agency." Lucifer wanted to take it away, while God demanded that humans have it.

Although a Mormon might balk at my making comparisons between their religious beliefs and modern politics (and as I said earlier, every Mormon I’ve ever known was a very good person, so I apologize to any I offend), I see a direct correlation here. For a Mormon, the battle for liberty is not unique to this life; it is the core battle of the ages. Lucifer lost the war in heaven (he really thought he could beat God?), but the war continues on earth. So seeing the government become more and more tyrannical is not just a political concern; it’s a fundamental, eternal concern. I’m inspired by this Mormon theological idea: God intended for humans to be free to make our own choices and live with the consequences of those choices. The Founding Fathers of this country said essentially the same thing in the Declaration of Independence: We hold these truths to be self-evidence, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

My study of Mormonism has not only given me new-found respect for this people and their religion; it has also made me evaluate my own attitude towards the liberty that seems to be slipping through all of our fingers. Is this just something that is nice to have, and for which I thank the Founding Fathers? Or is it really something that is endowed by God, and that He expects me to fight for. According to Mormon theology, I already fought for this once. The fact that I’m here says that I was on God’s side in the war in heaven, and fought for liberty. A Mormon might ask, why should any of us be less willing to fight for it here than we were there?

Happy Sunday: Christ is risen, indeed

I celebrated this rainy, yet lovely Easter morning at mass at the National Cathedral with Gma and company. I loved singing about the resurrection of the Lord accompanied by an angelic choir, a brass ensemble and an organ. There's just something so impressive about organs in massive cathedrals. At one point the reverend proclaimed, "Christ is risen!" to which the hundreds in attendance responded, "Christ is risen, indeed. Alleluia!"

This was repeated back and forth about 6 times and I was so overwhelmed with joy because that is exactly what I adored about celebrating Easter in Romania. For at least 2 weeks preceding Easter, and another 2 weeks following Easter, Romanians (and others nationalities that are predominantly Eastern Orthodox) greet each other with this same dialogue. On the phone, in stores, on the street...family, friends, strangers... For a month Christ and his resurrection are at the forefront of everyone's thoughts and incorporated into daily salutations.

May we remember the blessing of the resurrection always. Christ is risen. He lives. Through him the bonds of death are broken that we may all rise and live again.

Happy Easter.

The Name Game

A couple weeks ago, I was making my merry way across the Key Bridge towards Georgetown. I usually despise traffic but sometimes it facilitates exciting conversations with strangers. Like the guy driving behind me who started wildly honking his horn and shouting out his window when he saw my license place and alma mater sticker.

Stranger: "UTAH! WHOA!  Utah, hey, Utah!!
Me: "Wha...the...?"
Stranger: "OH MAH GAH you went to BYU! Woooo! Go cougars! AHHHH! JIMMER! Do you know Jimmer????"
Me: Not personally, no.
Stranger: My sister went to BYU! Do you know [insert name that at least 200 other people have here]?

There is something you should know about Mormons. We have a weird fascination with playing the Name Game. You know, the game where you list off every possible Mormon you know and hope that the other person knows one of them, even vaguely. Mormons have this lofty assumption that they share all their connections with other Mormons. So we play the Name Game to confirm those connections.

This is the first time someone has played the Name Game with me in the middle of DC traffic. Impressive.

Happy Sunday: Perfection

I heard this insight about perfection today.  

The girl sharing the comment more or less said that being a perfectionist is a sin, in the sense that perfectionism is self-absorbed, rather than Christ-centered. A perfectionist relies solely on himself and his own capabilities, therefore eliminating the assistance of the Atonement and the whole idea that we are made perfect through Christ. 

In the Book of Mormon it says: "Come unto Christ and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then his grace is sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God." (Moroni 10:32)

Perfectionists base their worth and success on an imaginary idea that humans, acting by their mortal power alone, can be perfect. And they measure their progress according to what they deem is better or "more perfect" in others. 

Let us not be perfectionists but rather come unto Christ and strive for perfection, recognizing that we are inherently weak and that it is only in and through Christ's Atonement that we can be made strong. 

And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." (Ether 12:27)  

I feel like this would significantly decrease the amount of stressed out people in this mad world.

For more fantastic Pinterest fails, click here. 

Shout out to St. Pat, from this Galway Girl

What kind of person would I be if I didn't give a shout-out to the mother turf on this day of celebrating St. Patrick, who rid the Green Isle of all snakes. 

Fact. I swear. 

I thought I'd throw some photogs of my favorite country up here, from our last trip in Summer 2011. These pretty much sum up Ireland for me. Music. Green. Dancing. Beer. Music. Rainbow-colored houses. Sheep. Music. Castles. The jolliest people in the world. Did I say music? 

On our first trip in 2006, my cuzball Katie and I started the tradition of rolling down the hill of the Rock of Cashel. It was my brother's turn the next time around. This castle was built by Brian Boru, founder of the O'Brien dynasty. Blood runs thicker than water, so sometimes you have to do foolish things to honor the dead. 

Happy St. Patty's Day! Erin go bragh!

Happy Sunday: Grace

Today I heard it described as this:

Justice: When you get what you deserve.
Mercy: When you don't get what you deserve.
Grace: When you get what you don't deserve. 

Read it like 50 times and ponder it for 20 minutes. It'll make sense. And then all of a sudden God's love will take on a whole new meaning.

I finally fully grasp how God can be both just and merciful. And it is through His grace that I can truly feel His love, even especially when I don't deserve it.

Happy Sunday.

Snowquester

Fresh Prince marathon!

I've been as productive today as Congress has been all year. 

Wait. What?

This was roughly my reaction when I woke up one morning last week and realized I had registered for a half marathon. 

There are few things in life I hate more than running. 

Despotism. Bullies. The plague. 

But it's to raise money for Crohns Disease research. So I guess I can do it. 

February was

a FAILURE. As far as blogging goes. 

HUGE FAIL.

Like the time I closed my eyes on the treadmill.

True story. December 2012.

I'll do better this month. [Both at blogging and running on a treadmill]

Happy Sunday: Hollywood and Heartache

The pre-ceremony red carpet coverage of the 2013 Academy Awards is on the t.v. as I write this. I watched the above video as Kristen Chenoweth interviewed Hollywood starlets about their designer gowns in the background. Interesting juxtaposition. Glamour vs grief. Stardom vs sorrow. Power vs pain.

Certainly Kristen Chenoweth knows nothing of self-doubt. Look at those perfectly sculpted arms.

Jennifer Lawrence has probably never been lonely. She's funny and witty and talented and charming.

Reese Witherspoon has no idea what helplessness and hopelessnes feel like. She's one of the wealthiest women in the world.

Maybe. Maybe not.

I'm leaning towards maybe not.

Marilyn Monroe is quoted as saying: “I've never fooled anyone. I've let people fool themselves. They didn't bother to find out who and what I was. Instead they would invent a character for me. I wouldn't argue with them. They were obviously loving somebody I wasn't.” 

May we be sensitive to the inner struggles of those around us. Let us remind them that they are never completely alone. And when it is us that is suffering, may we remind ourselves that there is One who suffered before us, who knows our heartache better than anyone and is there to offer us hope.

"The Son of Man hath descended below [it] all. Art thou greater than He?" (D&C 122:7)

Happy Sunday,
Sarah

iCaveMan

I was the technophobe who never wanted an iPod.
We all know how well that turned out.
And it's only been downhill from there.
Down.
Down.
Down.
Here I sit in an abyss of technology. Work laptop on my knees. Personal laptop open next to me, playing Steel Magnolias. Work iPhone 5 came in the mail today. I stare at it in disgust. Personal Smart Phone lays ajacent to it. I feel sick.

I was meant for a different decade century.
The only thing feeding my old school soul right now is Steel Magnolias.