[OVER]whelmed

I want to start off by saying this: Life is good. I am seriously so happy, and things are going well for me. If the following sounds complainy/whiny/pity-party-y that is not my intention.

Its "that" time in the semester; finals are looming, projects are piling up, and I'm just ready to be done with school for awhile. Add in 20-40 hours of work and you have me- a hot mess (::a state of disarray so chaotic that it's dizzying to look at. A mess that is beyond the normal range of disarray. Visual clutter that draws attention to itself).

I am proud of myself for being so organized, I really feel like I stepped up to the plate. I have my homework done almost a week in advance and have spent 1-2 hours the first day of each week planning out each and every detail of my life; when I'm going to do which assignment, where I need to be when, and when I'm going to work in eating and sleeping....all without causing a major emotional meltdown.

I am concerned- concerned that I will never have time for anything but work and school. I want to have time for my husband, friends, church, and fun. I know that there are people out there who do it; who work more than me, go to school, maintain relationships, and fulfill their callings in the church. My question is: how?! How do you know when to say no to work and yes to friends, or vice versa? How do you meet your financial goals without eliminating everything else in your life?

I know I can do this. I've balanced work, theater, school, and relationships...the situation now is just slightly different. Help me, oh wise ones!

.Betrayed.

TWIZLBERRY IS CLOSED.

To understand my unhealthy love and obsession for frozen yogurt refer to this post.

Chris and I decided to go out for some Fo Yo this evening. We drove up to Twizlberry and it was dark. Honestly- I thought it was kind of some sick joke someone was playing on me, but Chris looked as surprized as I did. There was a sign on the door that said "Twizlberry is now closed. Thank you for your business. Happy Holidays."
What. The. Crap. I need more closure than that! Did it simply go out of business? Did the owner relocate? What happened to my favorite dessert place?
Does anyone know the cause of this atrocity? I feel utterly betrayed.

As an aspiring therapist, I am wondering if it is unhealthy to be this upset over the closing of a frozen yogurt bar. 

Hobby Crisis

For those of you who don't know...I have changed my major to Social Work with the hopes of becoming a Marriage & Family therapist. I think its great, and am so excited to learn and work in this field. There's just one downside: I miss singing and doing theater. Up until about April of last year it was my whole life. I didn't think I was capable of doing anything else. I am glad to have found a new path in life, but I want to make room for something I still love and hold near & dear to my heart. Theater is so time consuming; how do I make room for something in my schedule that has a tenancy to take over? School is hard, I want time at home with my husband, I want to sing again. Is it possible to have everything that you want? Or am I being totally selfish?

How do you make time for things that you love, that aren't your #1 (or #2) priority?

Cancer of the Mind

 "Pornographic or erotic stories and pictures are worse than filthy or polluted food. The body has defenses to rid itself of unwholesome food. With a few fatal exceptions, bad food will only make you sick but do no permanent harm. In contrast, a person who feasts upon filthy stories or pornographic or erotic pictures and literature records them in this marvelous retrieval system we call a brain. The brain won't vomit back filth. Once recorded, it will always remain subject to recall, flashing its perverted images across your mind and drawing you away from the wholesome things in life."
It seems to me that, lately, I have heard a lot of depressing pornography statistics. Did you know that 82% of college age men admitted to viewing pornography regularly (that's admitted...). In a BYU-Idaho study 62% of male students admitted to having/had pornography problems. Those odds are terrible! Ladies- we are not immune! 32% of college age women admitted having a pornography problem. This epidemic is growing on all planes. No one is immune.
Pornography is such a scary thing. It is terrifyingly accessible and literally impossible to avoid-- even unintentional contact.
For an assignment in my Family Foundations class we were asked to read several talks regarding the issue. The most influential talk (for me) was Pornography given by Elder Dallin H. Oaks in the April 2005 General conference. I received a lot of comfort from this talk and thought I'd share. I hope that you can find some hope in Elder Oaks' words like I did.
The body/mind analogy can be somewhat depressing, but I saw it as a defense mechanism. The first step to protection is prevention. I take comfort in knowing that I can prevent pornography by staying away from all filth, not just that found on the internet. I know I can improve in the areas of the music I listen to, the movies and TV I watch, and the media I read. Elder Oaks says "the test of what is evil is not the degree but its effect." By eliminating the "smaller" evils in life, the "bigger" ones become less of an issue.
My biggest source of comfort came from this statement; "an endowed priesthood bearer's fall into pornography never occurs during periods of regular worship in the temple; it happens when he has become casual in his temple worship." What a great promise! As long as we are renewing our covenants and diligently attending the temple...we cannot fall into pornography. No wonder we have been counseled to have a photo of the temple in every room. The spirit will make us strong and we will be able to resist temptation and our Heavenly Father will bless us.

That's enough from me! I hope that someone, somewhere will benefit from reading this and that we can all protect ourselves from this cancerous addiction.

Fumptastic

So....lately I've been feeling frumpy

meaning basically I hate most of my clothes and I don't like getting dressed

-or getting ready

-or looking in the mirror

It doesn't help that I have beautiful, fashionable friends. 

So, my question is...how do you look cute on a budget?

I get $5 a week for my allowance.

I don't seem to have much luck at DI.

Any suggestions are welcome, so are donations. :)

Maybe someone could nominate me for "What Not to Wear?"

Also, my wise sister-in-law says that "the best thing you can do for your wardrobe is lose 10 pounds."

Weight loss can be free, right?