Kindergarten stuff.. sorta?

So last sunday in relief society we had a wonderful lesson given by a wonderful lady named Chanelle!! it was apparently a super last minute lesson but i gotta say it was TOTALLY inspired.. hah so i decided to take some notes and blog about it. in her lesson two lists were mentioned that stuck out to me. i will share and expand!! :)

List 1: How to Live the Abundant Life 
(or the ABC's)
A) change your inner ATTITUDE, and other aspects of your life will begin to follow suit.
B) BELIEVE in yourself, in those around you and in eternal principles.
C) face your challenges with COURAGE

List 2: Important things to Remember While Preparing yourself for HIM :)
(or the 123's)
1. just cuz suzy's getting married, doesn't mean its the right time for you. everybody's life is different, don't spend your time comparing.
2. being single is not a cause for embarrassment. but waiting and wasting for that to change sure is.
3. give yourself every opportunity possible to grow as a single woman.
4. remember that preparing for marriage and looking forward to it doesn't necessarily mean letting it consume your life.
5. marriage in and of itself has never changed and unhappy person into a happy one.

THANKYOU CHANELLE!!!!!!

So if you haven't already figured it out, my name is Maddie Graham and I'm a member or the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints.... or, I'm a Mormon. :)
I'm nearing my twenties and at this point in an LDS woman's life, marriage becomes a pretty big deal. well for most that is. there are some that really don't care for it, some that are all fine and dandy, and then there's the ladie4s who run around like chickens with their heads cut off after they turn twenty one screamin "WHY ARENT I MARRIED YET?!?!" and that is what this post is all about. lets start with the second list.

1) just cuz suzy's getting married, doesn't mean its the right time for you. everybody's life is different, don't spend your time comparing
COMPARING IS BAD! NO NO!
some people are ready for marriage light years before others, for reasons that can't necessarily be explained. don't fret if you're nearing your twentieth birthday and you haven't experienced your first kiss.. ITS OKAY, you're not retarded. being single is a privilege in itself, you have to embrace that before marriage even becomes an option. and that brings us to numero dos!!!

2. being single is not a cause for embarrassment. but waiting and wasting for that to change sure is.
enjoy the single life while you're still single!! life is meant to be experienced one step at a time. if you rush through it you will regret it. i don't know from experience, but i have been lectured enough to know that it must be SOMEWHAT true.. haha. in your single years you are supposed to let yourself grow! graduate from high school, make plans, go places, meet new people!! MAKE MISTAKES. life is an adventure, make it so!! and that brings is to the third point! :)

3. give yourself every opportunity possible to grow as a single woman.
(keep in mind these points don't only apply to women, men could use some of this advice too!)
let yourself grow!! a friend of mine once shared with me a quote she heard from a loved one, and it goes a little bit like this... "wake up every morning as if it's the BEST DAY EVER!" cuz if you want it to be, it can be!! I'm not saying you have to be uncomfortably happy all the time, that's just awkward, but don't bring yourself down.  don't sit there thinking negative thoughts (guilty) BE HAPPY, be the person you want to see in the mirror every morning, because only you have control over that. not suzy, not bob, fred or joe or mary, YOU. if you have a list of qualities you are looking for in a spouse, make a goal to emulate those qualities. but DONT gwet carried away... so here's number four

4. remember that preparing for marriage and looking forward to it doesn't necessarily mean letting it consume your life.
yea its good to prepare yourself, in fact its fantastic! but you're not going to get anywhere if all you think about is getting married. (fyi ladies... that's not attractive) like it says up above, enjoy yourself!! if an opportunity to grow as an individual presents itself, don't let it pass by because you're waiting for mr right!! who knows you might just encounter this mr right while grabbing life by the horns and making memories!! life is good! live it!! so this isn't exactly a segway into the final point on the list, but i think this point is the most important, and i want to just get to it.

5. marriage in and of itself has never changed and unhappy person into a happy one.
BE HAPPY SINGLE. marriage is not a problem solver. in fact, when you get married, you are not only still stuck with your own problems, but you are faced with the problems your spouse brought into the picture. now i don't mean to be telling you marriage sucks and its all a load of whooey and all you get is problems... WRONGO. as long as you go into marriage for the right reasons, and with the right attitude, it can and will be the best decision you ever made. (again I'm not exactly qualified to lecture on this, but trust me, I've heard it enough times to be able to reiterate it.... haha)

so that's list 1.. any questions??? well this isn't exactly interactive... so i cant really answer them... hah sorry!!
but now its time for list number two, and i do believe this list was in a talk by President Thomas S. Monson. he's THE BEST! so without further ado, tips and tricks on how to live the abundant life :)

A) change your inner ATTITUDE, and other aspects of your life will begin to follow suit
this point has already been stressed pretty well so far.. but ah what the hey, its a gooder!! be happy!! like seriously look at the bright side of life. it can be REALLY hard sometimes.. trust me, this one i know from experience. but let me tell you, if a guy is going through some tough times in his life and still he hold his head high as if he just found twenty bucks on the sidewalk, THAT is attractive. and I'm pretty sure i can speak for the men and say it goes both ways! nobody likes to hang around someone who is so down all the time! it drag others down with you! and that ties into the letter B.

B) BELIEVE in yourself, in those around you and in eternal principles.
your life will be a whole lot easier, and staying happy will come more naturally if you have faith and believe in yourself. look in the mirror ad smile :) i promise it looks good on ya! :) you are not worthless. every single human being is of AMAZING worth. you don't need to be rich or skinny or popular to be worth something. you're alive aren't you??? you've been given this life for a reason, get off your sad but and be grateful!! :) so now were at the letter C...

C) face your challenges with COURAGE
life is NOT easy. and a lot of the things i mentioned so far will be really hard for some of you. everybody has their strengths and everybody has their weaknesses. don't be discouraged. again don't compare yourself. Suzy might be great at staying happy, but you might be better at reading your scriptures or home teaching or even baking! for some it may take courage to pull out the apron and bake a pie, who are we to decide what's easy or hard for everyone. I personally stink at staying happy a lot of the time. i have really high highs and really low lows, but because i know i can do anything i set my my mind to, so I'm working to improve that bad habit and make it into a good habit. on the other had it takes not courage at all for me to whip out the recipe book! i LOVE baking, in fact i find it a comfort when stuff gets tough.

so i hope this post did something for somebody out there. i taught myself a thing or two as i rambled on... haha much love to you all!! later! :)

chocolate

you know those scenes in movies where a girl gets her heart broken and she starts watching chick flicks and throwing chocolates at the guy when he gets all sweet? well right about now i can relate to those women.

day 5. a vent.

have you ever gone from cloud nine to the bottom of a lake in the middle of nowhere?? well thats kinda how this week has been :/. thursday night i was the happiest girl in the world. evrrything was perfect. but see, because im so accustomed to my life being imperfect, my mind has been filled with nothing but negative thoughts. and im extremely mad at myself for it... i have mentioned before that im not the most patient individual when it comes to whats around the corner... and i want whats around the corner.. im just scared because im so used to things back firing... this week has been really hard. and i cant wait for it to be over. just a vent. sorry.

tell me something

looking through the blogs i follow i came across a survey... and decided to give her a whirl... hah enjoy!

NAME: Maddie.

AGE: 19 going on 20

BIRTH DATE: December 21st, 1992. 

WHAT WAS YOUR:

1. last beverage = ice water <3

2. last phone call = my boss

3. last text message = Roxanne!!

4. last song you listened to = Superman - Taylor Swift

5. last time you cried = yesterday night. happy tears :)

  

HAVE YOU EVER:

6. dated someone twice = nope.

7. been cheated on = yes.

8. kissed someone & regretted it? yup.

9. lost someone special = not really.

10. been depressed = It's possible.

11. been drunk and threw up = h no.

LIST THREE FAVORITE COLORS:

12. robin's egg blue

13. salmon

14. mint green

WITHIN THE LAST YEAR (2012), HAVE YOU:

15. Made a new friend = mhmm. :)

16. Fallen out of love = nope.

17. Laughed until you cried = haha yea, weekend camping with the fam <3

18. Met someone who changed you = yes... :)

19. Found out who your true friends were = no?

20. Found out someone was talking about you = no?

21. Kissed anyone on your FB friend's list = yes.

GENERAL:

22. How many people on your FB friends list do you know in real life = all if not most

24. Do you have any pets = not anymore :(

25. Do you want to change your name = nope.

26. What did you do for your last birthday = i went to work.

27. What time did you wake up today = 8:00

28. What were you doing at midnight last night = listening to music

29. Name something you CANNOT wait for = next week.

 30. Last time you saw your Mother = about an hour ago

31. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life = can't think of anything off the top of my head

32. What are you listening to right now = Time to Let Me Go - Gloriana

33. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom? = most likely yes.

34. What's getting on your nerves right now = a flipping fly.... i swear they stalk me...

35. Most visited webpage = Facebook.

37. Nickname = goat cheese... hahahahahaha

38. Relationship Status = 

39. Zodiac sign = Sagittarius

40. He or She = SHE!

41. Elementary =  Mazo de la Roche, Corsair, Crossland, Bogart

42. High School = Newmarket, Raymond

43. College = U of Lethbridge

44. Hair color = blonde. 

45. Long or short = long :)

46. Height = 5"10.5?

47. Do you have a crush on someone? = yuuup

48. What do you like about yourself? =  my voice?

49. Piercings = ears.

50. Tattoos = none.

51. Righty or lefty = righty

FIRSTS :

52. First surgery = left arm. broke both bones rollerblading

53. First piercing = ears.

54. First best friend = Anna? or Faizah...

56. First vacation = Palmyra Pageant with the fam jam and g-parentals :)

58. First pair of trainers = iiii don't know what that is.....??

RIGHT NOW: 

59. Eating = dates.

60. Drinking = water.

61. I'm about to =  watch another episode of bones... attempting to speed up this next week's passing

62. Listening to = Holding Out For A Hero - Ella Mae Bowen

63. Waiting for = nothing.

YOUR FUTURE :

64. Want kids? = eventually :)

65. Get Married? = yes.

66. Career? = not sure... speculation in midwifery..?

WHICH IS BETTER :

67. Lips or eyes = eyes... <3

68. Hugs or kisses = kisses.

69. Shorter or taller = taller.

70. Older or Younger = older.

71. Romantic or spontaneous = A spontaneous romantic!

72. Nice stomach or nice arms = if i ask nicely for both can i have em?? please?? :D

73. Sensitive or loud = sensitive.

74. Hook-up or relationship = relationship.

75. Trouble maker or hesitant = ummmmm idk...

HAVE YOU EVER :

76. Kissed a stranger = ew no...

77. Drank hard liquor =  h no

78. Lost glasses/contacts = of course i have.

79. Sex on first date = gross.

80. Broke someone's heart = um... i hope not :(

81. Had your own heart broken = yes.

82. Been arrested = nope.

83. Turned someone down = not that i can remember..?

 84. Cried when someone died = no.. :/

85. Fallen for a friend = yes..

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

86. Yourself = yes :)

87. Miracles = yes.

88. Love at first sight = not exactly

90. Santa Claus =  always :)

91. Kiss on the first date = not really

92. Angels = YES

later all :)

roughians.

can i just say? I. LOVE. CAMPING!

k. glad i got that out of my system. but seriously. i just got back from four days of camping bliss. nothing is better than just saying goodbye to the technology for a few days and getting to know the people you know and love ALL OVER AGAIN.
hate camping you say?? shame on you. boo.....
k jokes i wont judge you, it is definitely something you gotta really LOVE to appreciate.
i mean yeah sure you've gotta plug your nose to pee. and yea you SHOULDN'T be wearing makeup. but ladies admit it, the feeling of being able to rub your eyes till your eyelashes fall out... FAN FREAKING TASTIC!!!!
anyways, i just figured i should post on my lovely blog since i know how much you all missed me this long weekend... (JOKES) and letcha know how perfect my weekend went. (seriously best weekend ever)

THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT

later :D