Ohhhh its hard to be humble

Ever heard the song "Oh Lord it's Hard to Be Humble"? Sometimes when my friends say something sarcastically about how someone is so humble that song pops into my head, "Oh Lo it's hard to be humble When you're perfect in every way. I can't wait to look in the mirror 'cos I get better looking each day To know me is to love me I must be a 'heck' of a man. O Lo it's hard to be humble But I'm doing the best that I can." It's a real song. You can look it up! Just excuse some of the words on there. But it's a funny song. 
Over here at college I have been playing on two intramural basketball teams. One was a co-Ed team and one is a women's team. Every once in a while I get a little overly-confident and I guess I need a reminder that I'm not perfect. Or even close for that matter.
So last night our co-Ed team played. We were two games from the championship and we knew that it would be a harder game than the last one. So I was prepared to play hard. When I walked in I sat down on our side by one of the guys on our team. I took off my sweats and was putting on my shoes when out onto the floor walks a 6'5" and 250+lb man. "Oh my gosh, is that who we're playing?!" I asked. Braiden, who I was sitting next to chuckled a little, "yeah, and he's not even the biggest guy on their team. They have another guy that's 6'9" and has at least twenty pounds on that guy." 
I looked at him and thought that I was going to die. I finished putting on my shoes and looked up to see their other big player walk in. And who was their other player? My former Racquetball instructor. Andrew Br-something. He previously played at California Baptist University. Started 23 of the 29 games his junior year there. Ya he was kinda a big deal. 
So the game begins. We usually have one sub for the girls and last night we didn't so we all had to play the whole game. We did ok considering that our tallest guy was 6'3"ish and our shortest guy was more like 5'5". And then, the inevitable happened. They put Andrew in. So of course our guys can't guard him. He's got at least 6 inches on everyone on our team. So he posts up and they throw it to him and BAM he dunks it with ease. My roommate Sara and I look at each other and laugh because what are you supposed to do in that situation?! We keep playing and later in the game Andrew is in again and he gets a fast break. He's a big guy but he's not that fast so I sprint down with him and stand in front of him. He has the courtesy of not full out dunking on me and so he tries to tip it in. He hits the front of the rim 3 or 4 times until one of our players finally grabs his arm and fouls him. As he walks to the foul line to shoot he looks at me, " it's awkward when you're guarding me! I don't know what to do when you guard me." I told him that I wasn't going to just stand there while he dunked it and he laughed.
So to tie this back to my song, what's more humbling than having a former college player dunk it on you while you just stand there like a six year old trying to jump up and get the ball from a big kid who's holding it over your head taunting you. It was a very humbling experience. After the game we gave everyone High fives and Andrew came and grabbed my hand to shake it and we talked for a second. He was such a good sport about beating us by 20 points. But I realized that its really not that hard to be humble. Just go play some b-ball at your nearest college and you can experience it, too.

Faith and Trials

Have you ever had one of those days that starts out well. You get up, go to a missionary farewell, go back to your singles ward church, and then after that it just seems to go downhill? No? What?! Ok, well I have. Yesterday was that day. I was able to attend a church meeting where one of my good friends gave a talk before he left for his mission to serve the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He gave a fantastic talk about service and after, I was able to talk to a friend that I hadn't talked to in quite a few months. After I went home and got my laundry, I picked up my roommate and we headed back to Logan to attend our singles ward. Etc etc, so.... I end up at my friends apartment just a couple buildings over from my apartment. They are some of my best friends but sometimes when I feel like acting like an emotional girl I let little things that they do bother me. I don't know why I do, but it happens and most of the time I can't control the fact that it hurts me a little bit. Whether its a sarcastic comment, one of them leaving us to hang out with someone else, or any small act that on a normal day would be fine. But yesterday, it was not fine.

Yesterday, in particular it was a mixture of a few things that finally set me off. I could hardly stand myself so I decided to go back to my apartment. What do you do at a time like this? Do you listen to Taylor Swift like some one just ripped your heartout? Do you shut the door and lay on your bed and cry? Maybe one of those would work but I have discovered a better solution. "Hit your knees." Not with your hands but get down on your knees and pray to your Father in Heaven. He knows how to help you no matter what the situation. So I hit my knees and prayed. I prayed that I could be comforted, that I wouldn't worry so much about the little things and that Heavenly Father could help me through my little rough patches. After I got up off my knees I opened up my scriptures.

I knew that I needed some inspiration so I just flipped open to a page. I opened up in the Book Of Mormon to Ether chapter 12. As I looked at the page, yellow and red highlighters that I used many years ago, underlined very single time that the chapter said FAITH. Within that chapter, it said faith over 35 times. Immediately, I knew that Heavenly Father was answering my prayer. Heavenly Father just needs us to have faith in everything we do. We must have Faith in His timing, His power, His mercy, His plans for us and everything else he sees fit. It is amazing that for me that scripture touched me so deeply. I wasn't experiencing a huge life or death situation but Heavenly Father hears every single prayer and knows the desires of our hearts. I know that He can help us in a way that is special to us.

Ether 12:6 "And now I Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith."

Blessings through Obedience

So today has been a good day. I went to class and after I got done my mom called me up and said, "Hey, favorite daughter (she didn't really say that but just pretend she did because it's true;)), do you wanna go shopping for your sister's birthday?" and I told her of course because who doesn't love to go birthday shopping for your favorite little sister?!
We traveled to the Cache Valley Mall because there was one specific thing that I knew I needed to get for T (that's my sister's code name). We were able to find it and did a little shopping for my mission, also. After that, my mom asked me where I wanted to go for lunch. Let me explain that there are two places to eat in the mall, a Chinese place that is a little sketchy in my book and Paradise Bakery. Initially I thought Chinese food sounded good  so I walked over and looked at the food under the heat lamps. I quickly changed my mind. So we walked across the food court area to Paradise Bakery. I didn't know that they made things other than cookies so that was a nice surprise. I ordered myself some delicious sounding pannini off of the menu. The lady gave me my receipt to give to the cashier and told me that she would call my name when it was ready. My mom and I walked over to the cashier and my mom told me to choose a cookie. I looked at my options. A chewy double chocolate chip, a yummy looking peanut butter, snicker doodle, etc. etc, and finally a gooey looking chocolate chip cookie. How could I decide?! The peanut butter and the chocolate both seemed perfect and Delicious and scrumptious. I turned to my mom, "Ooh I can't decide, chocolate chip or peanut butter?" I had hoped that she would say something to the effect of, "Oh Abby, you silly, you can have both and throw in one of every other kind, too." Well that backfired and she said, "I don't care, just pick one." So I tried again, "MMMM! It's just such a hard choice, mom. Which one should I choose?" Mom is a lot smarter than me and so she aid, "Well the peanut butter looks really good." So I gave in and decided I would heed to the council of my ever-wise and all-knowing mother and chose the peanut butter. I felt awfully bad and when the lady called my name I grabbed the bag with my sandwich in it. It was a very large bag and I thought, Well gosh heck! how much room does one sandwich need?
I peer inside my over sized bag and what is there?... To my amazement One perfect, delicious, scrumptious looking chocolate chip cookie was sitting inside a little bag on the top of my sandwich. I looked up at my mom and smiled and told her, "I got a chocolate chip coo-ookie. I got a chocolate chip coo-ookie! Whoo!"
I realized then and there the blessings that come from obeying your parents. What a blessing it was to receive two cookies, and thank goodness, two DIFFERENT kinds of cookies. I can only imagine the kind of mayhem that might have erupted if I would have ended up with two of the same cookie.
Thank you, mom!

Here We Go

Welp, here we go friends. I have decided to create a blog. What do you post on a blog like this? I'm glad you asked because I was curious myself. So, after much contemplation and meditation, I have decided to blog about inspirational happenings and stories. If you enjoy things such as this then whoo-hoo!! Keep on following and reading. If you don't like things like this then maybe this is the perfect blog to make you start liking it. So, try to keep reading my ramblings. Maybe between all of my happy, funny, and "lesson-learned" stories you'll kinda learn to love me and all of my amazing adventures.