Knocking the Curve Ball out of the Park

I feel that often in our lives we are thrown a curve ball & not sure how to handle it! A lesson has been learned by me in the last few days, one that has finally brought acceptance on a couple matters in my life. The Lord is truly in control of our lives & puts us where we need to be & with the people we need to be with for that time period. My life has taken a number of twists & turns in the last 6 months....
Moved from Logan to Springville, quit a great job, started another great job, started dating a great guy, things end with a great guy, played as much as I could for summer, moved from Springville to Provo, started school back up, great roommates, my job becomes perfect for me, working crazy night shifts, sleeping crazy hours, studying, meeting new people, working in the temple, & randomly applying to BYU's nursing school.
 & here I am laying in my bed, rather tired, but reflecting on the last months in my life. The hard times that I have faced & the great times that I have faced & just feeling beyond blessed. In my recent application for school the question was asked to explain a setback in my life, how I handled it & what I learned. & maybe the only reason for this application was for me to finally realize why somethings have happened the way they have. My setback I explained was a challenging year in Logan where I feel that I only became farther from where I need to be with my schooling. But I now see it as a detour & the Lord preparing me to come to Provo to be here at this time for who knows what reason. All I know is that I am exactly where I need to be & at the time I need to be here. A feeling I haven't had in a really, really long time. I just have this feeling inside that I'm on the verge of something great....kinda like I'm up to bat & I see the pitcher position his hands to throw a curve ball &  because I saw it, it isn't a surprise & I know I can hit it out of the park!
One of my nearest & dearest friends currently serving a mission in Germany sent this video in her e-mail this week & I'm certain that it was sent for me!! It has helped me understand this lesson that has been learned lately.

I need an update!

Seriously Caitlin. . . update your blog. You have a new computer now, push some keys and write a couple of paragraphs! PLEASE!!! Your old stuff is sooo boring now!!!

I need a vacation!!

Well I think I need a vacation.....Thank goodness in....

I will be off to Washington D.C. for 4 days, then up to New York City for 3 days!!

I went to D.C. when I was wee little one & don't remember a thing! & I have never been to NEW YORK!! I can't even wait!

Then I will return April 26th & be home for a couple days before I head to the other Washington!

For this wonderful couple who was baptized a little over a year ago.....

Because they are being sealed in the temple for time & all eternity!! I am so happy for them I can hardly stand it!! & I can't believe I get to go back to be there to share their special day!!!!! They were baptized Feb 27, 2010 (Becky's Birthday) & will be sealed May 2, 2011 (Bill's Birthday) I couldn't be more excited!!

Kissed.....

Well here is my new love & obsession.....Just let it melt your heart like it has melted mine!!

In all honestly I don't really like Gloriana all that much, but this song is my new favorite!

One day I might just get around to giving a real update on my life up here in Logan.....but I have mostly just been working at the hospital quite a bit, which is great! I have started dating one of my best guys friends, hang in there, there may be a post shortly. Due to this new activity I find myself in the SLC more than I am in Logan sometimes, which really I don't mind, I love the SLC!!

Droppin a Trannie!

Well what an eventful day hahaha! Thursday night I am driving home from Walgreens with my roommates when we hear this horrible grinding sound & my car is having a hard time shifting itself. We make it home safe & sound. I send out a little request to the ward & get a number of responses. What a great ward I have. Well they all told me it was the transmission. So I talked to my good ole father & told him the bad news, then I was planning on driving Friday, but then I didn't get off work early like I had planned & my dad said NO driving at night, the last thing he wanted was for me to be broken down on the side of the road at night. Saturday morning rolls around & I get rocking & rolling in the snow down to Provo to this transmission place that my auto body repairman cousin does business with all the time. Things are going quite well & I am feeling great about my little foci. Then I just passed the University Pkwy exit in Orem & THUD, the loudest noise I have ever heard from a car & my car goes from 70-0 mph fast!!!! I quickly pulled off the road right in between these construction cones, put my car in park then back in drive & it goes nowhere. So I called my dad to tell him I am 4.3 miles from the transmission place. I get off the phone & burst out in laughter. What else is a girl to do?? My uncle shows up a few minutes later & hadcalled a tow truck to get me. I must tell you what a miracle of how all these events played out.....

I was a nervous wreck driving my broken car from Logan to Provo. I couldn't tell if some of the noises & smells were my imagination, or for real, but I just prayed & prayed for safety. Right before the big thud I had moved over to the far right lane since I knew I would be exiting shortly, it died 20 ft before the big cement barriers started which gave me an opportunity to get off the road so I didn't end up getting rear ended. My instincts kicked right in, I actually signaled to get off the road. It just went so smoothly, I just knew someone was watching out for me & that my prayer of safety was answered.

So here is little foci being unloaded off the tow truck. I called the transmission place this morning & they reported that I had an internal transmission problem & they have to put in a new transmission. Here is the next greatest blessing, usually this kind of repair can be up to $2000, but my cousin has rebuilt a lot of focuses & so he has a couple for scraps & happened to have one with a transmission in it, that he sold to us for cheap, so I should be able to get away with only having to pay $600-700. Blessing I think so!

It is better to look up!

Today I am grateful for a Mother who is so full of wisdom! I remember hearing by Elder Ballard on my mission that a mother is the closest thing to the Savior, I know that to be true. I think a lot, I have been told that I think in a day what the average person thinks in 4 days....Anyway lately, today in particular was just one of those days! Last night my car that I have had for 4 months decides that it wants to start falling apart, I can just hear my brothers word's "american made, I told you so" ring in my head. But I try to keep my hopes high. I reached a point today while at work where I became really overwhelmed with life & what I feel has been thrown at me & how sometimes it makes me dislike Logan haha! I am on the verge of tears so I text my mom so I can get it out to keep my composure. Anyway she gives me the realistic answers then comes my drama & she says, "when it rains, it pours, it could be worse, think of something positive." I reply working on it & she returns, "I mean once you get a new transmission, you will nearly have a new car!!" Sometimes her comments just make me mad, then I get a text a little while later saying, "Jesus & I love you!!!!!!" Texting her just really helped me today, she sent me a scripture about having strength, something I feel like I could really use & as I was thinking about it before I am heading to bed. I decided to read a conference talk. I opened up to the web page with all the talks & read the titles to see which one stood out & "It's always better to look up" by Elder Cook stuck out to me. I knew it was just rubbing how I need to be positive in my face, however I almost feel like the many bumps I have had since coming home from my mission all I can do is laugh....But here are some things that just hit me so hard while reading this.....

"Experience has taught me that if we, like President Monson, exercise our faith and look to God for help, we will not be overwhelmed with the burdens of life. We will not feel incapable of doing what we are called to do or need to do. We will be strengthened, and our lives will be filled with peace and joy.³ We will come to realize that most of what we worry about is not of eternal significance—and if it is, the Lord will help us. But we must have the faith to look up and the courage to follow His direction."

I then thought back to my reading in the Book of Mormon last night, I am in Mosiah where it is talking about the story if Alma the Younger, one of my favorite stories, but how he was at the lowest low & through Christ he was brought to the greatest Joy! We can feel that same way, I can feel that same way as I look up towards my Savior instead of down at the floor feeling sorry for myself. All I want to do is what the Lord wants me to do & I feel so SO much opposition in trying to accomplish His will, however He is there to help lift the "overwhelming burdens of life."

It is time I am more grateful for the little blessings & tender mercies that He sends my way!