A House of Strength....

I LOVE THE TEMPLE!!

In the last three months since receiving my endowment, I have had the wonderful blessing of attending the Temple at least once a week. It is such a strength to me. I know that it is truly the house of God. His spirit abides there like none other.
Answers come in the Temple. Learning comes in the Temple. Strength comes in the Temple. The power to endure comes in the Temple.

I am going to miss the Temple so much while I am in Bulgaria, but I am grateful for all of the times I have been able to attend(and will be able to attend until February.) I can pull those times from my memory when I am struggling and I know that the same spirit and power that I felt in the Temple will bring peace to my soul once more.

I challenge you to make the Temple a Priority! You will be blessed for your faithfulness! Those on the other side of the veil that you will be performing the work for will be blessed. and They will thank you.

again I repeat... I LOVE the Temple!

My mom and I got to go to Salt Lake and do a session in the Salt Lake Temple. It was a wonderful experience!!

The Day before I met with the Stake President to submit my mission papers, one of my best friends and I went and did Baptisms for the dead at the Bountiful Temple. I am thankful for Ashley, and for all of the times we have been able to do baptisms together. My love of the Temple began at the door of the Baptistery when I was 12, and has continued to grow each time I attend the Temple.

My friends Russel, Mariana, Amanda, and I were able to attend the Brigham City Utah Temple Open house before it was dedicated. This was a few weeks after I received my endowment. This temple is Beautiful, and it was so neat to go through the tour of the interior and know what everything was for! I love that they hold open houses for those who desire to see the inside of the Temple who do not have recommends!

When my mom and I went to California we were able to do a session in the Sacramento Temple. It was beautiful and a wonderful experience. It made me really appreciate how blessed I am to live in Logan, because I only have to drive 15 minutes to get to the Temple, instead of the 50 minutes it took to get to the Sacramento California Temple.

In July my best friend Heidi moved to Delta in Central Utah. I had the opportunity to go and visit her and we took a day trip to the Manti Temple. It was AMAZING! I have never seen anything quite like it. It was the First Temple in Utah to be finished and to begin performing ordinances. The spirit of the Pioneers who labored so hard to build this Temple still lives within those walls. It was a wonderful experience.

On the way to Cedar City to visit friends, Kevin and I stopped to do a session in the Manti Temple. He had always wanted to go there, and it has quickly become my favorite Temple. It was a great experience to share with him and to once more experience the power of the Manti Temple.

My friends Ashley, Ashley, Kevin, Kasey, and I took a day trip from Cedar City Utah to Las Vegas Nevada, where we made a trip to the Temple. :D It was so great to do a session with Kevin and Kasey while the Ashley's performed Baptisms for the dead. This temple is.... remarkable! As one of the boys said, "it is as amazing, clean, and white as Vegas is dirty." I agree with that entirely! It is simply, majestic!

I am so blessed to have so many Temples so close to me! It is going to be so different going from Utah, where there are 14 Temples in the state of Utah itself, to going to Bulgaria where the closest temples are at least 17 hours away....

A House of God....

August 9, 2012

"And we ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them;
And from this place they may bear exceedingly great and glorious tidings, in truth, unto the ends of the earth, that they may know that this is thy work, and that thou hast put forth thy hand, to fulfill that which thou hast spoken by the mouths of the prophets, concerning the last days." Doctrine and Covenants 109: 22-23

All my life I have prepared for the day I would enter the Temple and receive my endowment. However, I always thought of it as part of the "Marriage preparation" process because I didn't ever truly see myself going on a mission. However, I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to enter the Holy House of God and and receive my Endowment.

I am grateful for the choices I have made in my life to keep myself worthy of the Temple. I am thankful for the people that I have been blessed with to help me prepare to Enter into the House of God, and for the people that I was able to share this experience with. I have been so blessed with so many wonderful friends and family members and I do not know what I would do without them.

The Temple....

It was breathtaking! It was everything I imagined and more, and yet nothing that I had ever thought of. It is so worth keeping myself clean for. The spirit was overwhelming and the beauty of the Temple was more than words can say. I am looking forward to being able to attend the Temple for the next 5 months as I prepare for my mission!

Ashley was waiting outside for me when I got out and Heidi was able to go through the session with me. I love these girls!

Just a few of the wonderful people that I was able to share my amazing day with!

I love my family! My mom, Mark, and Camille were in the session with me and Gina and Callie were there waiting for me when I got out.

My mom, my strength, my biggest fan. My mom was my escort through the temple and I am so blessed to have her in my life!

Called to Serve.....

August 8, 2012

This song has been playing through my head all day.....
TODAY IS THE DAY!! My call has arrived! :D I have not been able to contain my joy all day!

"Dear Sister Davidson: You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Bulgaria Sofia Mission..... As you serve with all your heart, might, mind and strength, the Lord will lead you to those who are prepared to be baptized."

............ I'M GOING TO BULGARIA!!!! .......... I report to the Missionary Training Center December 19, 2012..... it is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 18 months.... you will prepare to preach the gospel in the Bulgarian Language....

My joy is most full tonight.

I Love Conference!

I found this post typed up and saved in my archive, I figured I might as well post it. :D It's a little pre-curser to a soon to follow post.

Every 6 months I look forward to the wonderful experience and blessings that come from watching General Conference.

This April Conference I wasn't able to watch the Saturday morning session, but I am looking forward to being able to watch it online when I get the chance and read it when it becomes available. I love the resources the church has for being able to view conference after it is over.
Growing up, I have been taught that if you go into conference with a question in your heart, sincerely seeking an answer, then your answer will come. I have done this a few times, and the answers have come but they've never really been that big of questions.
This time, the question was pivotal, and the answer was life changing.

I had the opportunity of going to Salt Lake city and going to the Sunday afternoon session of conference with three of my favorite people!
My roommate Mariana, and our two great guy friends Russell and Travis.

As I sat there in the conference center, with my question in my heart and mind(and my friend Travis next to me knowing full well what the question was) My answer came.
The question: Should I go on a mission?
The answer: a resounding YES!

So, with the spirit nudging my soul and Travis nudging my arm, the next year and a half of my life is set before me on a path I'd only ever considered to be possible.
I will be meeting with my bishop next week and I will begin my mission papers.
I am really excited. This is something I have been thinking about off and on for the last few months and now it's really what I'm going to do. I can't wait to see what my future holds!!

I LOVE CONFERENCE!!!

Just a little up-date...

WOW! I haven't written since January.... ;S I'm really awful at this whole Blog thing, hopefully I can do better.
A lot has happened in my life since January.... A LOT! Granted, I can't cover all of it, but some of it is definitely worth covering. :)

*My big brother got married! :D

*I survived my second semester of college
*My dear friend Paige got married!
*I moved back home
*A few of my best friends got home from their missions






*I got a really big white envelope in the mail :D

*I entered the Temple and recieved my endowment
*Some of my dearest friends had babies!
*I went on a great trip to California to see my grandma one last time before I go on my mission.

and I've got to spend time with friends and family and prepare myself for my next big adventure.
It's been a pretty busy year, but I honestly don't know where it all went.... I can not believe it's NOVEMBER!! Ready or not, 2013 here we come!

Just Give It Time.....

I heard this song today and it really hit home. I wish I could have heard this song a few months ago, but it is so true!! I have never heard it before. I just wanted to share it. Even if no one else likes it as much as I do, now I will always remember what song it was(in case I forget-- which I do. a lot.)

Stop and feed the Duckies....

I love my roommate!

Yesterday when she got home from work I was just sitting at my apartment watching a movie and getting ready to write some letters. She asked me if I wanted to go feed the ducks at the dam and to be honest, it sounded fun but I was feeling kinda lazy. She finally convinced me I wanted to, she grabbed her camera, and we headed up to the dam.

There were SO MANY DUCKS! Which kinda scared me. Mostly, I'm afraid of the geese- we use to have some really mean geese when I was little. But it was so much fun!!!

The weather was so nice(which is strange since it's January) But it was such a pretty and warm day! It gave me some time to stop and think about the simple blessings in life.

Friends, sunshine, laughter, nature....

The Next Chapter.....

Well, 2011 has come to an end and "the end of the world" is here!

I don't know about you, but I was ready for 2011 to end. It was a pretty good year for the most part, but the last few months just kinda stunk. I had a lot going on in my life that I just wasn't balancing very well. By the time Christmas rolled around I had kinda got my feet back under me and was doing a bit better, but I am excited for the new year and the chance to start over. It's pretty crazy that a new year kinda washes your slate clean, but isn't that the way the world sees it?... if only!

2011 brought me a lot of new blessings, adventures, and trials.

My nephew Xander Scott Allen was born in April

I had many friends get married, engaged, and pregnant(which are all so very exciting!)
I had friends leave on missions and other friends come home
I got to go to California again and visit my grandma, aunts and uncles, and cousins. I also got to spend quite a bit of bonding time with my wonderful big brother and mom.
My brother Mark went through the temple and received his endowments.
My beautiful niece Kaysia got baptized.

I discovered Pandora- and with it LOTS of great new music
I went on some pretty fun adventures
I made new friends, and strengthened friendships with my old ones
I moved out to my own apartment which is great! I love the freedom and self-reliance that comes along with living on my own. I also have the most remarkable roommate ever-- Mariana has been there for me through so much and I am so very grateful for her, her love, and her support. <3

I FINALLY started college, and survived my first semester with A's in all my classes but one!
I dated a really great guy who taught me a lot of wonderful things. Things didn't work out the way I may have thought they might, and I got pretty hurt. But because of it I am stronger. and I am more prepared for next time.
I discovered a little bit more who I am and what makes me tick.
I went to Frightmares for the first time ever!!
The last Harry Potter came out(yes that is worth mentioning!!)
I took some pretty amazing pictures.
I went to my first Masquerade ball!
My brother Mark got engaged to the wonderful Camille!

Not everything in the year was good. I stressed myself out wayyy too much, doubted myself more than I should have, and forgot to look up quite a few times but I have changed because of it. Both the good and the bad were given to me to do with as I wanted. I definitely could have done things different but I wouldn't have learned the lessons that I learned.
2012 brings the opportunity for even more blessings, adventures, and trials. I know I can't avoid the trials(even if I wish I could) and through my trials will come even more blessings.
I have a lot of things to look forward to this year:
* More weddings! Especially my brother Mark and Camille(and inheriting Callie and Josh as my niece and nephew!) and my friend Paige and her Fiance Alex.

* Continuing my education
* MORE BABIES!!! :)
* Deciding if I am going on a mission or not-- at least for now
* A possible trip to Las Vegas for my cousins graduation
* turning 21(hamubrger at the white owl!)
* and even more Love, laughter, friends, and family! :)
* oh and naturally, surviving the end of the world!

I have a feeling it's going to be a good year. and I have 2011 to thank for that.

New Years Resolutions 2012

I generally don't make new years resolutions. Let's face it, I'm pretty bad at keeping them. But the last several months have left me feeling like I can do a WHOLE lot better this next year. There are a lot of things I'd like to improve on. So I figured, what better umpf to do it than by setting some resolutions to start the year out. So, here's to hoping I can keep them up for a while!!
* Come up with a better time management plan
* and a money management plan
* get good grades(not just passing grades, but good grades B or up!)
* keep on top of the cleaning/organizing. it's depressing when I get behind and then I just sit and look at the mess but don't know where to start!!
* cook dinner AT LEAST once a week(like-- not from a box or anything) but the goal is to do that more than once a week!
* get to sleep at a descent time(as I type this at 11pm.... oops!)
* follow through with plans-- whether it's "hey we should do something!" or, "let me do this for you".... i'll do it!
* do homework BEFORE the last minute-- no more super crazy cram stress sessions!
* remember: there's more to life than guys, what others think about me, if I have the cutest clothes, most fashionable hair, or skinniest waist. There's more than how many facebook friends I have, what I do on the weekend, and how much money I have. That's not what life's about-- life is about love, family, friends, happiness, God, and finding yourself- and feeling comfortable in your own skin.
* Try to figure out what I'm doing with my life..... (education, future career, mission or not... etc)
* Read The Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price, and D&C
* Spend more QUALITY time with family.(and friends)
* BE POSITIVE! Even when it's hard
* get to work 5 minutes early every day
* don't let one little thing in life throw me totally off track.... things are going to fall out of place and tip my life upside down but if i continue to remember the Lord has his and in everything then I shouldn't let it effect me as much!
* write missionary letters--at least once a month
* Read good books- just to read!
* exercise regularly
* not let my past hinder my future. My heart will probably get broken a few more times, my trust will be placed in the wrong hands here and there, I will disappoint myself, and I will be disappointed. But I can't turn bitter and cynical. I can't build walls or turn my heart off. because that will NOT help me at all!
* Perform a random act of service and kindness each day.
* Pack lunches most every day and not spend money on lunch at work or on campus.
* not be so reliant on technology(cell phone, ipod, computer, tv...)
* become more crafty
* Don't Complain
* improve my photography/photo editing skills.
* express my appreciation for those around me.
* Remember, I will fail at some things. But that doesn't mean to give up. It means "try again."
* write in my journal at least once a week
* and when all else fails, Smile, turn to the Lord, and remember- he's got this!!!

So, this is kinda a lengthy list, and I will probably keep adding to it(unintentionally) but, they are things I need to work on majorly this year. I know I'm not going to be perfect at them, and I wouldn't be surprised when a few of them seem to find their way off my list(sad but true) But I'm going to try my hardest to improve in all of these areas. I'm going to try to keep a smile on my face even when it's the last thing I feel like doing, I'm going to complain less, and remember my blessings more. I'm going to serve others when I feel like I have nothing to give, and I'm going to express my thanks for those around me. I'm going to remember that everything will get better, trials lead to triumphs, and I am never alone.

And I'm going to remember that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!