Dear Mindy

Dear Mindy of January 2013,

It's future Mindy again! Here to give you a little advice about your up coming year.

Let me just say, this year is awesome! Full of adventures and firsts and fun! 

Work towards those new years goals you have. Read over them and make them important.

Take heart: you get a new job! Your time at Heritage, thought fun and important, comes to an end! This new job comes very soon after the new year. Learn to love your job, love your co-workers, and love learning about everything.

Remember how you started running? You LOVE it. It's your new obsession. You love to run, love to race, and love to dream about reaching your goals. Run as much as you can. But, when your leg starts to hurt, REST. Rest it and let it heal before you really hurt it and break it and are unable to run for a few months. But that's just a suggestion.

Running does more for you than just running. It helps you realize you can reach goals and do things you never thought you could ever like. Like HIKING. You love hiking now! And you finally Hike to the very very top of Timp this year! Can you believe it?!? And can you even wait?

Go on trips and adventures. It won't be hard to convince you to take adventures to new places. Visit mom's family and get to know them better. They are fantastic people. Go to Katy's wedding. Have fun, take pictures, and remember not to stress about things you can't control. Like planes that are delayed, packing the car perfectly, or summer ending.

For some reason this year you are susceptible to getting depressed about summer ending. Don't be sad. Remember that change is not bad, that things have to keep moving forward, and summer always comes back around.

Get involved in your ward. Try to go as much as you can, especially in the summer. Try to go to activities, even if they sound lame. Learn people's names. Or else you'll end up in your ward in September, realizing you only know names of about 10 people and YOU'RE the one that feels new. Welcome new callings. Open yourself up to liking people. Read your scriptures.

Don't let your work schedule get you down. For the most part, it works out really well and to your advantage. Don't let other people take advantage of you because you won't say anything. Say something. But remember that work is just a job and it's not your life. Your life is a lot better. 

Anyway, your year is really quite great and adventurous. Live it up and love it! The end of this year is a great set up to having a fantastic 2014. I can't wait to live it!

Love,

Mindy of January 2014

The Sacred Grove

On Friday, June 21st, I visited the Sacred Grove with my mom, my sister, and my nephew.

The first time I visited the Sacred Grove was when I was 14 years old. The same age that Joseph Smith was when he went into the grove to pray and saw God the Father and Jesus Christ. 

I've thought back on my experience quite a bit through the last 12 years. I had always wished that it had meant more to me. I remember walking around the trees and thinking, "Wow, God was here once." It was beautiful and so peaceful, and you can't help but whisper when you're walking around because you can just feel the sacredness of the spot. I didn't have any big spiritual experience, I didn't cry, I didn't sit and ponder life. It was a really good experience, don't get me wrong, but part of me always thought that I should have had a bigger spiritual experience. 

As I grew up and learned, my testimony of this church has formed and it's changed my life. So many life experiences have taught me that God loves everyone of us, Jesus Christ did live and died for us and lives again, the true church was restored on this earth through his prophet, Joseph Smith, and we continue to have prophets and apostles on this earth to lead us just as in Bible times. I know these things because of life and experiences I've had.

When I was a missionary in Korea I spent every day teaching these truths to people in a foreign language, trying so hard to convey my love for the gospel to God's children. I always thought that if I could revisit the Sacred Grove, this time I would feel everything I wanted to feel that first time and it would be the most amazing experience of my life.

So, on Friday, June 21st, as we pulled up to the Sacred Grove and walked into the trees, I thought for sure a spiritual awakening would fall on me like a ton of bricks and I would be so overcome with everything that maybe I'd cry or something. 

But as I walked through I felt the same feelings I felt when I was younger. "Wow, God was here once." The beauty and peace that was there was overwhelming. We whispered the entire time we were walking through. It was so quiet that we could hear the birds singing and the breeze blowing the leaves on the trees. There were pretty butterflies. It was like the whole grove knew that it was a sacred spot and even the trees were grateful that they were able to grow on that soil. 

We took pictures of "pillars of light." I even recited the "First Vision" in Korean for my family. I always wanted to do that since I memorized that in the MTC. We smiled as we watched youth groups studying their scriptures and writing in their journals. It was perfectly peaceful.

I didn't have that huge spiritual downpour of enlightenment that I thought would come. But it was just like the first time I read the Book of Mormon. When I got down on my knees and asked God if the book was true, before I could even listen for an answer I felt my answer. I felt, "You KNOW it's true Mindy. Why do you even need to ask?" 

So as I walked into the Grove and started to ask God for the affirmation of the truth of the First Vision, instead of the emotional spiritual experience I was looking for, I just felt it. I felt, "You KNOW it's true Mindy. You don't need anything more."

I didn't have a huge spiritual experience, but as I've learned throughout life, I didn't need a huge experience to solidify what I already knew to be true. Because I already know it! I know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet, that he helped bring the restored church to the earth. I've known this since before I was 14 and before I was a missionary and before I walked in the sacred grove a few days ago. I knew this all to be true. 

I think more than anything I just felt so grateful to know all of this. To really KNOW all of this and not just believe it or think it might be true. But to know and to live life with this knowledge and comfort of God's plan for me and for everyone. 

I'm so glad we were able to visit the Sacred Grove. If anything, it just helped me remember what I know because of Joseph Smith's first vision and how incredible it is that because of that one event, I am able to be with my family for eternity and once again live with God again.

Summer Adventures Part One

I haven't really blogged lately.

I've been having a great summer so far. In fact, the other day I realized that it was almost July and I kind of got a little bit of anxiety realizing that the summer is going really fast and that it will be over before I know it! Luckily I've been doing some fun things!

Annalie and I went to the redwood forest. Luckily I wrote about that trip. I would have forgotten a lot about that. I finally am able to add pictures so here's a few.

I went camping with Lynsie, Annalie, Brittni, and her dogs in Southern Utah the last weekend of April. We went to Sand Hallow Reservoir and had a blast. We tried out my huge new tent, spent some quality time in the sun, and played in the water. I was still in the throws of my stress fracture, and my right leg started swelling quite a bit during the trip. That was unfortunate. But we had fun. We had camp fires, we played some games, and had a good time being friends again. We went in my baby little car and somehow we fit everything in the car. It was quite the Tetris game, but we did it. I am so glad Lynsie and Brittni came. I love them so so much.

I went fishing with my brother and brother in law on memorial day. We woke up at 5:30 and were out on the water from 6 until 2 or so. We fished at a park in Highland, at Vivian park at the handicapped park, and then at Deer Creek. They caught two fish at Vivian park and nothing else. But I had fun reading and floating on my boat for a while. I sure love being in the sun.

I had 10 days off at the end of May. I was originally planning on attending a wedding that week, but it was postponed, so I had a bunch of time off. I ended up going to Bryce Canyon National Park with my mom and my dad. We camped for two nights, spent time by the fire, in the little lake on my boat, and trying to warm up in our tent because it got pretty cold. My dad ran in a race. It was a fun weekend. The campsite we were at was perfect. Hardly any people, forest, by a lake, and peaceful. I would definitely go back again.

My latest adventure was to New York to visit my mom's side of the family. I'll write about that one in more detail. I was excited to go on an airplane somewhere. I went with my sister and her little son to meet up with my mom. Super fun times.

I can't believe that June is over in a few days. I still have a few things left on my summer to do list and I am really excited about doing them. I just hope summer lasts long enough to do them all!

run!

Running Update:

Well, I still love running. Its great.

I finished the winter running series that I started in January. It was hard but it really motivated me. I have now completed a 5K, a 10K, and a 15K race! Pretty neat.

The 10K was my favorite by far. The weather was cold, slightly windy, and foggy. I'm not really sure why, but I was super motivated that day. I ended up running the entire thing without stopping! Yeah, I'm sure some people could walk faster than I ran parts of it, but I never stopped jogging along. It was great and it really made me love running more.

The 15K was miserable. We started the race with clear weather, and then 3 minutes into running, the wind and snow started. It was freezing cold, dark, foggy, and snowy. It snowed about 3 inches or so on the road while we were running. I was so cold for parts of it. I also stopped running the second half. I walked very fast, but I couldn't run. It was so hard and terrible. Every time I started to run again, the snow would blast me in the eyes and I would be blinded by the snow and by my pure hate for Utah. It really was miserable. I think that I will never want to run in the snow again. 

But I got my medal! It was great. It was worth it. If anything, this race series was worth it just so I could finish the races and figure out that I can finish them, even if I don't run really fast. 

What's planned for the future of Mindy's running? I'm hoping to find a half marathon pretty soon to do. I'll have to really train harder. It's been hard to keep up the running during the week. I want to find a marathon to do this summer. And then the 50 in October is still calling my name. Wish me luck and super human abilities.

I sure love running.

Grand Canyon

Our trip to NYC was suddenly cancelled. I started the week off thinking about flying to NYC, going to the natural history museum, and central park. I did laundry, got everything ready, (all without a car, mind you), and even packed. (I had to pack 2 days before because of work.) 

Then, I woke up on Wednesday morning for work and found out that our flight was canceled. I mean, I guess in hindsight, it was good that we couldn't go because of all the power outages and subways being down. But it would have been better if the hurricane didn't happen at all. For more than just me. 

So, I was at work that day, texting Annalie to cancel our hotel and get our refund for our plane tickets. And I was sad. 

The next day at work, it dawned on me that I still had 5 days off and we could go somewhere. Annalie and I texted back and forth, I asked almost every one of my co-workers where I should go for the weekend, and by the end of my shift we figured out that we would go to the Grand Canyon, stopping in Cedar City on the way, making a detour to Snowflake to see Cyann, and then take an airplane tour of the canyon. It was set.

My mom drove me back to my house (again, no car) and I unpacked my hurricane weather clothes and re packed my Arizona clothes.

I enjoyed my food so much I
took a picture of the finished bowl.

We started off for Arizona on Friday morning. We drove down to Cedar and picked up a few things at Walmart that I had forgotten. We ate some yummy Thai food at Sweet Basil, and tried to see Brittni, but she was locked in the meeting from hell. So we ventured on our way.

Me: Feeling VERY sick. 

I started feeling "car sick" while we were in the car in Cedar. It should have dawned on me that it wasn't car sickness because we weren't even driving when I first felt it. We drove for a few hours, deciding to stop in Page, AZ. We got our hotel room, and I ended up trying to make myself puke for a while. I felt terrible. So sick.

Annalie decided to get me some Pepto while I went into the bathroom and ended up puking a few times. I felt a billion times better after that. But then waves of nausea hit again, and within another hour I puked a couple more times. I fell asleep listening to Annalie watch weird shows on TV. Then woke up after she had fallen asleep and puked again. After that, I was able to sleep. My stomach wasn't the best, but I knew I wouldn't puke again.

I woke up that morning, stopped at a store so I could buy a bunch of drugs and some Sprite, and we headed towards Snowflake.

Drugs to the rescue!

We got there and had to wait for a while for Cyann and Justin to come out of the temple. We got to sit around the temple for a while. Annalie forgot her recommend and I felt like crap, so we sat outside and talked about stuff for a while.

When Cyann and Justin came out, we were so excited to see them! It made all of the puking, cancelled trips, and horrible October worth it. I missed them so much! I'm so glad we can still be super best friends even though we never see each other and we hardly talk. We went over to their grandparent's house where Lily and Chloe were waiting. Lily was SO excited to see us! She kept saying, "I miss you so much!" and "This was a BIG surprise!" I just love them all so much. Chloe is so big and smiley. I can't believe it. Cy and Justin are just the same awesome people as they always are. They try to talk us into moving to Gallup and we try to talk them into moving to SLC.

We finally had to leave them. It was pitch black outside and we had to drive to the Grand Canyon.

We made it to the Grand Canyon around 10 pm. We got a hotel room. It was nice! And we went to sleep.

Sunday morning we got up for our plane ride. We got to the airport, and after not knowing where to go for a while, we figured it out. The airport had so many Koreans there visiting! I loved being able to eavesdrop. However, I would appreciate it in the future if they would talk about more exciting things. Ha.

Our plane was really small. It sat 10 people (including the pilot). We flew over the Canyon for about 45 minutes. The view was spectacular and so amazing. I loved it. We got to listen to a narration and some weird sound track during the ride. Afterwards I came to find out that Annalie and I had both been thinking about how we would have to save everyone if our plane crashed. We came up with a whole much of elaborate scenarios in our head where we would be heroes and use our lifesaving skills. Haha. We're nerds.

We headed to the canyon rim after that. We got out and looked over the edges. Annalie got scared being so close to the end. I love to imagine what it would be like to fall over the edges. Ha. We then walked along the rim trail. It was a nice day. Cool breeze, but warm sun. We ended up walking a little over 5 miles. We stopped at a few overlooks and took  few pictures.

We got hungry, found a place to eat, and then returned saw the IMAX movie about the grand canyon. That was pretty good. Really neat to see the bottom of the canyon. I REALLY want to go river rafting now. 

Then, we were losers, and spent the rest of the night in our hotel room sleeping. It was amazing. Ha.

Monday morning we packed up, ate, and started the drive home. We stopped at the Canyon again to see a few views, stopped in Page to use the bathrooms at the Glen Canyon dam visitor's center, and then made it to Cedar City to finally see Brittni. 

We found her and walked around down town Cedar talking about life. I miss that girl so much.

We drove up north, stopped at my parent's, and then made it home.

It was a good trip. Minus the throwing up and all of the driving we had to do. It was nice to have time off and just leave the state. And I was able to see my best friends. 

All in all, it was really good. 

Oh, and Annalie has some WEIRD music on her iPod.