He's gone!

The last few days at the Despain house has been full of excitement and a slight tinge of sadness. On Thursday night I drove home so that I could spend Friday with Curtis. I helped start packing and finishing getting things together for his mission. On Sunday, Curtis and Dad spoke in church. It was wonderful and they both did a great job. Of course I cried through the whole thing but that is completely normal for me to do. I was proud of Curtis because he didn't get super emotional during his talk...why don't boys cry as easily?! He did a great job though and I can tell that he's going to be a great missionary. Lot's of family has been around the last few days which I have loved. This morning we all piled out of the house around 4:45 and headed off to the airport. Curtis got off safely with all of his sisters and Mom blubbering like babies. He is going to be a fabulous missionary and it will be fun to see his growth in two years. Love you Curtis!

P.S. My computer is refusing to upload pictures right now...expect a large post soon full of lots of pictures!

MTC

Two years ago today I entered the Missionary Training Center and set off on one of the greatest, most cherished adventures of my life. I will be eternally grateful for that day and all of the blessings that the decision to serve a misison has brought onto my life. I love missions and I heart NY!!! More to come...

Catching up...

I survived my first semester of the Nursing Program. I finished up my finals yesterday, met with my clinical instructor, then came home and took a deep breath for the first time in four months! I have been so blessed this last semester. I have made so many wonderful friends here. I am thankful for the Lord's guiding hand in placing me right where I need to be. In between studying and taking exams, I somehow found the time to throw a party. My friend Britni started selling jewelry last month. We had a jewelry party and movie night all rolled into one. It is always fun to get together with friends and just enjoy each other's company. Being the typical, forgetful person that I can sometimes be, I didn't get any pictures of the actual party but I did take pictures while I was making treats for it. We had these delicious chocolate covered pretzels...my favorite holiday treat! We ended up watching The Forgotten Carols for the movie night and it was good. It was a little different than I had anticipated but the music alone makes it well worth watching.

Also, in my "free time" (that I probably should have spent studying:), we got a group together and lip synced at our Ward Talent Show. It was epic! For those of you who haven't seen BYU's Divine Comedy Provo Girls...it's hilarious, slightly exaggerated but somewhat true. We decided to create our own version of Provo Girls to perform at our talent show. If we had time, we would have changed the words to "Twin Falls" but time did not allow. Here's our version:

I am excited for a month long break from school. This first week of the break will be spent finishing things up here in Twin and then heading home for Curtis' farewell. I can't believe he's old enough to be going on a mission...makes me feel super old. Oh and as you can see my attempts in blogging my 24 Days of Christmas just isn't happening...there are more important things to be done. Maybe I'll just give a brief summary at the end of the month? Blog to you soon!

Day 5 & 6 plus an update

Yesterday's attribute was faithful. As I was reading in James 2:18, I was struck with the thought that the Savior was faithful because he acted. He didn't just say that He had faith in God, He was perfectly obedient in following the Lord's commandments. Just as Christ had faith in His Father, we must have faith in Christ and our Heavenly Father. With faith, I have been able to do things that I thought were impossible. I particularly think of the path that my life has taken. There is no doubt in my mind that I am where the Lord wants me right now. He has led me to this point in my life. I am so grateful for all of the unanswered prayers that I had. They have turned out to be blessings. I love the discourse on Faith in the Alma 32. Faith is constantly either growing or dying, just like a plant. We must constantly be nourishing out faith in order for it to grow.

Today's attribute is obedience. Of course we know that Christ was exactly obedient to all of His Father's commandments. I have seen the principle of obedience bless my life. One of my worst fears is having the Spirit leave me. I always want to be living worthy of the Spirit. This past weekend I was invited to see Breaking Dawn. I am not a hardcore Twilight fan but I have read all the books and seen the first three movies. I felt that the fourth book was a little too descriptive but it wasn't awful. I was somewhat worried about seeing the fourth movie, but I really wanted to...it's a bummer to start watching a movie series and not be able to finish it. Saturday morning I woke up with this feeling that I shouldn't go see the movie. I went to my study group that morning and was asking one of my friends about Breaking Dawn since she had already seen it. As she was telling me about it, I knew without a doubt that if I went to see that movie, the Spirit would not be with me like I wanted it to be. Let me make a disclaimer here: I know tons of wonderful people who have seen Breaking Dawn and been just fine and they are just as wonderful as they ever were. For me this was a personal choice. Anyway, I ended up letting my friends know that I wouldn't be going. Can I just tell you that I had the most peaceful feeling after making that decision?! It was such a beautiful feeling to know that I had been obedient to that prompting that I received on Saturday morning. I am grateful for Jesus Christ's perfect example of obedience.

One more thing! I have been feeling so blessed lately. I have wonderful friends who make a huge difference in my life. I was driving home from one's house last Saturday and I was overwhelmed with this feeling of love. I know that Heavenly Father does n

ot leave us alone. It is often through other people that He meets our needs.

I have been randomly posting Greg Olsen paintings throughout my post because I just love them! This one reminds me of my sister and I. My Mom a painting similar to this above our piano at home. I love the memories that music makes...my most precious memories have been made gathered around a piano or singing. Music is powerful!

Day 3 & 4: Charity and Service

I'm already behind on the 24 days of Christlike attributes thing and all I can say is that it's probably going to get worse until finals are over. 1 1/2 more weeks until I can breathe again! The last few days have been focused a lot on charity and service. It was perfect because today in Relief Society our lesson was all about this very topic. The words service and love are the epitome of Christ's life. He went about serving in all aspects. When he was a young boy he was serving by teaching in the temple. The ultimate act of service and love was when Christ performed the Atonement. I love how everything ties back to the Atonement.

Day 2: Forgiving

Today's attribute is forgiving. As Christ was nailed to the cross, he uttered these words, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." Luke 23:34 Forgiving others is a commandment. In D&C 64:9-10, the Lord tells us that we are required to forgive all men. This is kind-of a big deal and often can be a hard thing to forgive everyone. I think of all the little times that I have been offended and then held a grudge for an extended period of time. I remember one instance in particular where I someone had unintentionally hurt me. I held a grudge for against that person for me than a year! Now that I think about it....a little ridiculous of me to do. :) When I realized that I was still holding onto those bitter feelings, I made the decision to approach that person and explain my angry feelings toward them. I don't even know if this person realized that I still felt that way but it was such an amazing, peaceful feeling to finally get that weight off my chest. I was able to move on because I had completely forgiven that person and I knew that they had forgiven me. What a blessing forgiveness is and I am so grateful that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are so forgiving of the little mistakes I make everyday, as well as the big ones. Happy Friday everyone!

24 Days of Christmas: Day 1-Humility

For the past few years, each December I have read scriptures that correlate with Jesus Christ's life. I wanted to change things up a little bit. I found a list of Christlike attributes and scriptures that explain each attribute. Today's attribute was Humility. I read the scriptures this morning right before running out the door to my nursing clinical. Clinical days are usually a humbling experience for me so I figured that I would have no problem focusing on this attribute today. :) Two scriptures on humility that stood out to me today were Matthew 18:4-"Whosoever therefore shall ^ahumble himself as this little ^bchild, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven." What is it about humility and little children? As I ponder this, I am realizing that we are all like little children. We are so dependent on our Heather Father for love and guidance. If we can remember our relationship with God, then humility will be developed. Gratitude is one way of developing humility. The other scripture is located in Alma 5:27-29. We must be "stripped of pride" in order to be prepared to enter the presence of God. Humility is vital to our salvation. I love how it questions whether or not we have used Christ's Atonement in our lives. As we apply the healing power of the Atonement in our lives, we will be humbled. I am humbled to know that Jesus Christ loves each one of us so much that He suffered for our sins and trial. He knows perfectly how each one of us feels. What a blessing it is to know this!

Thanksgiving and a little bit of Pumpkin Soup

I can't believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone! It always amazes me how time flies. It was so wonderful to visit my family for a few days. It is always depressing for me to come back to school after being with my family. I just have to push through these next few weeks! Sadly, I didn't get any good pictures over Thanksgiving break. I tried to cherish the moments with my family...especially with Curtis since he will be leaving for the Phillipines right before Christmas. My siblings are growing up fast!

The week before Thanksgiving Break was spent frantically trying to finish some projects and helping out with my ward's Thanksgiving Dinner. Everything turned out great and now I have one more project left in the semester...along with a whole lot of exams! Last Sunday, I decided to try a recipe that I saw where you make soup in a pumpkin. It was quite an adventure and a good learning experience. I felt so creative cooking something in a pumpkin! I've decided to make it a tradition because it was so fun. So, I'm loving the holiday season and praying that I can survive the next two and a half weeks!

A little bit of this and that

These last few weeks have been crazy busy with school, church, and the social life. I have been working so hard to find and keep the delicate balance. I have been so blessed with amazing friends here in Twin Falls. I am overwhelmed at how much the Lord has blessed me. I know that when the Lord is put first, everything else falls into place. I have seen that this semester. Now for the highlights of October:

Sister Pitts must have seen my last post because in the mail a few weeks ago was the above postcard. REAL LEAVES FROM NEW YORK!!! Look at those beautiful colors! I am grateful for my inspired mission companions who still continue to serve me. This simple postcard helped cure a little bit of my New York "homesickness."

I was able to go home one weekend for my cousin Elizabeth's wedding to Amilton. It was wonderful to see so much family and spend some time with my long lost cousins. At Beth's Bridal Shower we played the classic toilet paper wedding dress game. Fun, fun!

Below is an amazing pumpkin from our LDS Institute's pumpkin carving contest. I loved it so much that I had to take a picture of it! It's the Twin Falls Temple...beautiful. :)

Stacie, Nakia, and I decided to team up for the pumpkin carving contest and ended up winning one of the top three prizes for our jack-o-lantern/snowman combination. We are just so creative! :)

Last but not least, Curtis went through the Twin Falls Temple last weekend. It was my first time being in the temple with not only Curtis, but also Lindsey and Brenen. It was a beautiful experience and one that I will cherish always. I am so excited for Curtis to be headed on his mission next month. He has amazing adventures ahead of him!

Looking for an East Coast Autumn

I love the Autumn season! I love the cool, crisp air. I love the excitement of upcoming holidays...lots of preparations and parties. There's always something going on. One of the things that I love the most is the changing colors that are on the trees. After experiencing a New York Fall, I must admit that it has been somewhat of a disappointment to see that the trees in Idaho just don't have the beauty that the ones on the East coast have. I miss it so much and I have been on the look out for beautiful leaves. I was so excited to finally find a tree that had changed colors...so excited that I had to take a picture with it! :) Sadly, the leaves barely made it into the picture but you can see the flecks of orange above my head.

Last Monday we had a random holiday. I've never had school canceled for Columbus Day so this was a first. I decided that my apartment needed to bond a little bit more as roommates. I have never lived in an apartment with such opposite personalities. My roommates are great, we are all have very different interests. So I took the initiative and we all agreed to go hiking together. We drove to Shoshone Falls and hiked on the Canyon Rim Trail. It was so fun and I wanted to just keep hiking all day. I decided that a backpacking trip next summer is a must because my little heart is missing the hardcore hiking that comes with backpacking.

Above: Jordan, Nicole, and I. We are missing our adopted roommate Jackie but we will have to catch her next time.

This is Shoshone Falls. Did you know that it is higher than Niagara Falls? It should be just as famous!

Other random thoughts: I passed my second Nursing Exam...I truly consider passing a Nursing Exam a miracle. There's no way that I could do it by myself. The Lord has been blessing me. Also, I think that I've matured since my pre-mission days. I went to "A Midsummer Nights Dream" last night. I actually understood what was going on and enjoyed it. I have never been able to do that with Shakespeare before.

Looking forward: Wedding bells ring next weekend and I get to see my family!

P.S. I don't know why my computer is underlining these words but I can't get it to stop....

Conference Weekend

Here are some fun pictures from Conference Weekend. I didn't get a chance to take too many pictures but here are some that I did get. Enjoy!

Reunited with my sisters! Sorry your eyes are closed Lila but this is the best one that I have. :) It was so fun to be together again...especially for Lila. That tough girl still lives at home with our three teenage brothers. She's quite the trooper!

The newlyweds! Speaking of newlyweds, how long am I allowed to call them that? Notice Lila's little head poking up in the back? Love it!

Here is a few of us in the Conference Center. Again, Lila wasn't looking at the camera. My brother look so happy and excited to be at Conference. :) It was a long day for all of us that day but so worth it!

I was wandering through my CDs and found a CD with pictures from my BYU-Idaho days. I miss these girls so much! It's been amazing how after a few years our friendships with each other are still going strong despite the fact that we are all now scattered across the country. Memories were brought back this weekend as I sat in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City Utah. I remember the time that we took a road trip to conference. Good times! I love you D-5 roomies!!!

See this beautiful building below? This is the Provo Tabernacle located in Provo, Utah just a few blocks from BYU campus. When I lived in Utah, I lived just a few blocks from this building and

would walk to it and have meetings in it frequently. Sadly, while I was in New York, it burnt down with just the exterior walls standing. It was announced this weekend that they are rebuilding it and turning it into a TEMPLE!!!

On a side note: To those of you that I didn't get to meet up with this weekend...I'm planning another trip to Utah sometime when I will have time to do things other than sitting and watching conference. :) Love you all!

Missing this...

This is the first time in 11 years (not counting my mission) that I haven't been on a competition dance team. When I made the decision not to dance this school year, I really thought that I would be okay with it. Lately though, I have been missing clogging like crazy! I am definitely a clogger FOR LIFE! I caved in and decided that I will at least be competing individual events this year. YAY! I have also been debating whether or not to start teaching dance out of my garage. The debate continues to go on in my mind. Here's an awesome video of one of the teams I used to compete against. Just follow the link and you will see why I am missing clogging so much! :)

St. George Competition 2011

On a happier note, I am super excited to go to Utah next weekend for General Conference! I am so blessed to know that God calls prophets in our day. General Conference is for everyone. Click here for more information. I'd love to have you join me this next weekend in watching the prophet and apostles of our Savior Jesus Christ speak to us! It will be a fabulous weekend at Temple Square. Love that place!

Education

I survived my first Nursing exam of the semester! All I can say about it is that miracles never cease. I really want to do well in my Nursing classes and not get behind so I have spent almost every waking minute preparing for this test. In an effort to keep my priorities straight, I have been making sure that I put God first. It has simply been amazing to see that the same things that made me successful on my mission (daily prayer, scripture study, etc..) continue to make me successful here. As I continue to do my best to have the Spirit in my life, I have been more successful in my educational pursuits. I love it!!!! Speaking of educational pursuits, here is a link to one of my favorite websites. http://mormon.org/learning/ Check it out!!! I am so thankful for the endless learning opportunities that life brings!

Mission Memories: Sister Bentley

I should be studying. School has officially consumed my life. Not cool! But in two short years, it will be worth it. I am grateful that I have the opportunity to get an education. It is such a blessing! My Nursing class seems to have several amazing people in it. I am fortunate to work with them for the next two years. I really feel like we are all on a team trying to get through these next two years of Nursing school together. In addition to my heavy Nursing load, I am taking an Institute class through my church. To learn more about what Institute is follow this link: http://institute.lds.org/ There are Institutes all over the world where people can go to take Religion classes. I am currently taking a class about the New Testament. I absolutely love it! I love learning more about our Savior Jesus Christ. I really fell in love with the New Testament as a missionary in New York. The world is blessed to have two witnesses of Jesus Christ-the Holy Bible and the Book of Mormon.

So on to my subject title. Many of you know that last Tuesday I received a phone call that I never expected. My friend Ben called to inform me that our friend, Vanessa Bentley, had been killed in a car crash while on her mission. Vanessa, Ben, and I were in the BYU 51st Ward together. A little over a year later Vanessa (now Sister Bentley) and I served together in the New York Utica Mission. Sister Bentley and I were companions for three months. I have been in shock the last week or so but one thing that I know for sure is that God has a plan for each one of us. His plans are bigger than our own. As we trust in him, I know that He will lead us in the right direction. Here are some of my favorite memories of Sister Vanessa Bentley:

*Riding back to Fayetteville from transfer meeting with Elder and Sister Hersam. We had so much luggage that we had to pack it into the back sit along with our bodies. :)

*Being in a district with more Sisters than Elders. Sister power!

*Spending Christmas together-missionary Christmases are the BEST THING EVER!

*Surviving the worst Winter upstate New York has seen in years...walking.

There are so many more memories but I would be writing all night trying to record all of them. I love Sister Bentley and I know, without a doubt, that we will all see her again. She will be with her family again. I am eternally grateful for this knowledge. It's not just good-bye Sister Bentley...it's see you later!

Now about that homework... :S

Tender Mercies!

I've been feeling pangs of guilt for already slacking in my blogging so I figured that I better update. I started the Nursing program at the College of Southern Idaho this week. It has already been an adventure but I am looking forward to the next few years despite the fact that they will be filled with lots of stress and hours of studying. People have pretty much told me that I am not going to have a life the next two years but I am determined to find the balance! It is interesting how the Lord has put me in places that I never imagined or wanted to be in. For example: I NEVER wanted to live in Twin Falls. It still is not my first choice of places to live. But after much prayer and fasting I know that I am supposed to be hear right now, in the Nursing program. I have no idea why but I have learned that when the Spirit says to do something there is a reason. My decision to attend school here was confirmed again tonight. I have been stressing for a few weeks about how I am going to pay for school. I really hate to go into debt. My mom called me tonight and told me that I've received a Nursing scholarship...totally unexpected. Out of all the Nursing students, I got the scholarship?!?!?! That is a sheer miracle and I am so grateful for the tender mercies of the Lord. With Him, all things are possible!

Week 3 of Post-Mission Life!

I've made it to week three of post-mission life. It has been rough, but I've survived. I miss the mission so much! It's painful!!! So much has happened in the last three weeks since I've returned home from New York. My family has kept me very busy with reunions. In the meantime I have been cleaning out boxes and I even made a trip to Rexburg to visit Lindsey and Brenen. While I was in Rexburg I was also able to visit with some other friends and family members. Oh how I love little Rexburg! There are so many fabulous memories in that town. Thanks to all of my friends who made my time in Rexburg amazing! Hopefully my next two years of college will be just as good. Here's a few pictures that highlight the first few weeks of post-mission life. Enjoy!

This is me with my dear cousin Katie. I was so happy to see her at my homecoming...my most dedicated, letter writing cousin. :)

Three days after being released as a full time missionary, my family went boating. Let's just say that being in the water, in a swimsuit felt completely weird after not having done that for 18 months. Once I got used to it though I loved it! Yay for family boating parties!

One of the biggest changes that has occured in the last 18 months is the marriage of my sister to Brenen. My thoughts about this were, "What if I don't like him?" Now that I've spent some time with Lindsey and Brenen, I know that they are happy and he is a good guy. Welcome to the fam Brenen and thanks for taing care of Linz while I was gone! :)

One way to break a recently returned missionary in: take her to the rodeo. I hadn't been to a rodeo in a long time. I was little leary of going because for those of you who don't know, I am not a huge animal fan. The mission didn't help this at all! It was fun though and I even had the urge to jump on a horse. Curtis will have to take me riding before I head off to school. It was good to spend some quality time with the fam!

Back to blogging!

This is my second attempt at blogging. My first attempt was before my mission and I didn't do so hot at keeping things up to date. I'm hoping that I do better this time because I need a way to keep all of the amazing people I met in New York up to date on the happenings in my life. Hopefully it doesn't bore you too much!

Life seems to be falling into place considering as of two weeks ago I stepped off the airplane from my mission. For those of you who don't know, I recently returned home from a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. If you want to see a little bit about what I've been doing for the last year and a half, check out www.mormon.org. Stay tuned for more updates on my life!