#newyearnewme

reflecting on '14

January:
starting anatomy- and ready for a semester of torture
helping with the auditions for the 2014 Nauvoo Brass Band in SLC

February:
literally making so many new friends in my ward and bettering my old relationships
celebrating my birth with the big 20

March:
eating Juicy Lucys with Cali and Sean for her birthday
my BEST FRIEND got ENGAGED!!!
going to see one my favorite Sisters get married in the Rexburg temple!!
(good month)

April:
finished with Anatomy! and Winter semester.
going to see Wicked with my momma
saying so many freaking goodbyes. "see ya later"

May:
moving to Boise and trying to find work
started a job through a temp agency and the Village Cinema

June:
stopped working for the temp agency. (so not good!)
started watching an elderly lady
began my job at Massage Envy (very good!)

July:
made the yummiest trifle with Momma for the 4th
GOT A CAR!! (car loans stink)

August:
dyed my hair for the VERY FIRST TIME!
drove back to Provo all by myself with practically everything I own.
Love at first sight with all my roommates.

September:
Provo Rooftop concerts
jumping my car
blind dates

October:
weddings
HALLOWEEN- pumpkin carving, dressing up, LOTS of candy, and dance parties

November:
being set apart as a temple worker for the Provo Utah LDS temple
ward parties and hot chocolate
THANKSGIVING- most importantly, seeing my family! (oh and black Friday..... or Thursday?)

December:
Share the gift promotion for the LDS church
DONE with Fall Semester!
Christmas with the Fam Bam



Looking back on this year, my life has been SO GOOD!
I don't have enough fingers, toes, eyes, body parts in general, to help me count my blessings. My heart is overflowing with what I have been given in this life and the people that have helped me along my way.
I am so HAPPY! My heart is happy and I cannot wait for all the happiness that his new year will bring!

#newyearnewme

gift of happiness



day 12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Isn't amazing how we can go from feeling so overwhelmed and stressed to feeling light and loved?

 

 

I LOVE that feeling.

 

 

It is one of the most beautiful feelings I have experienced. I seek that feeling knowing exactly where it is coming from.

 

You know how people say when you have weaknesses or trials, you need to humble yourself and give them to the Lord. I always say that and I literally have to imagine giving the Lord my load of burdens in order for me to do it. Then it is like magic.

 

LITERAL MAGIC!

 

 

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Matthew 11:28-30

 

 

 

I can promise you that if you give it over to Him, you will have the most wonderful feeling EVER! It is different for everyone, but for me, I always feel so freaking HAPPY and light.



#sharethegift #sharegoodness

Been a while... Welcome back!

It's been a while my friends, but I am back and ready for a new adventure of life and happiness.

I have been through A LOT this summer.
There have been things that have tested the limits of my ability to forgive and forget.
I have learned that everyone deserves to be loved and cared for, no matter what they have done or what they believe. Everyone deserves to be forgiven and loved.
And that is my goal for the year. To show people that no matter their circumstance, no matter how far they feel they have fallen off the edge, they are still here, still deserving of every ounce of love and compassion that is out there.



Everyone has been through things that have changed their perspective, life, and hearts.I have been through the hardest test of life and still struggle with it DAILY. It never leaves me. But I chose to push through it and let the warm sun radiate my spirit because I can't let the gray clouds of doubt and fear seep in.
If they do, I am afraid that I will go back to who I was.
So, I will be happy. I will chose joy and smiles over sorrows and pity.
I will help others be happy and want to choose joy over their sorrows. I don't want anyone to feel the pain and sorrow that comes from mistakes and a PAST.

Thanks to a special friend of mine, this is what my answer has been to many of my questions.

Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen. (Alma 26:37)

In Sister Byers words, "it doesn't matter where we are physically, spiritually, or emotionally- no place is too far to not feel his love."

In Jeffrey R Holland's words, "the thought I heard many years ago that surely the thing God enjoys most about being God is the thrill of being merciful, especially to those who don’t expect it and often feel they don’t deserve it."

I want to be more like the Savior and be merciful and show compassion because everyone deserves that. Because that is what I deserve.

I love my God. I love my faith. I love the mercy that comes from a Savior who knows EXACTLY what I am going through, each and every day.

This one goes out to my BEST FRIEND!

Driving all day, then crashing for 3 hours makes you forget really important things.
Like your best friend's BIRTHDAY!
Whoa, nearly punched myself in the face for forgetting....

Well, Camille Williams, my best friend,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

A Birthday hug and kiss sent your way.... Miss you to the moon and back!!

You have been a blessing in my life in more ways than I can describe. I would find every cute and adorable picture and quote on pinterest to show that, but for now, know that I love you and love our friendship. 

xoxo- Em

The Universe

“I believe the universe wants to be noticed. I think the universe is inprobably biased toward the consciousness, that it rewards intelligence in part because the universe enjoys its elegance being observed. And who am I, living in the middle of history, to tell the universe that it-or my observation of it-is temporary?”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

We are, and always will be, a part of a bigger plan, a bigger idea.

And that my friends, is a joyful thought.

Feeling Different

I'm not a pessimistic person. In fact, most people would describe me as a sunshiny, bubbly, happy person. 

But I'm going to take a moment to express how different I have been feeling lately.

Ever since my birthday, something has been off. I don't feel the same. I'm not so inclined to be happy. I'm not so encouraged to be nice to other people. I feel like I am just a mean person and that no one really cares about me or about my life. 

I could go on and on about how terrible I feel, but like I said, I'm not a pessimistic person. 

But the last straw was noticing that a girl I visit teach unfriended me on facebook. A girl who I have tried and tried to show love to and serve in ways that only I could do, but it hurt.

I was so confused. Did I do something wrong? I have tried to see her and show her my love for her, but apparently she doesn't see it the way that I do. 

So this is me trying to turn myself around to have a better perspective about everything. 

I watched a Mormon video that helped me. View here.

He said that he needed to get a better perspective, so he asked himself, Who am I?

Who am I?

Right now, even that question is a little difficult to answer.

I am Emily Jex. I am 20 years old. I am trying each and every day. 

I am a child of God. I am the receiver of so many blessings. I am a believer in forgiveness, in the atonement, in my Savior, Jesus Christ. I am a promoter of life, happiness, and fun. I am an enforcer of truth and fairness. I am a lover of family, friends, and hope. 

In no way, shape, or form, am I perfect. 

I am guilty of so much wrong, but I am worthy of so much hope for the future regardless of my past.

Recently, I was accused of talking about my mission too much, but I remember an experience that is so relevant to my life that I don't understand why I wouldn't talk about it.

I was helping with the Trail of Hope, leading a group down the trail, in the dark, using only the lamp I was holding and the light of the moon. At the very end, I had the opportunity to bear my testimony. The Spirit witnessed to me what I needed to say to this group. I talked about how the Lord is mindful of all our needs, of all our worries and weaknesses and wants to be a part of everything we go through. 

When I closed, I watched them walk away, knowing that they were affected by the words that the Spirit conveyed to me that I should say. 

This experience came to mind because I realized that I needed to remember the things that I said to the group for myself. The Lord is mindful of MY needs, all of MY worries and weaknesses and wants to be a part of everything I go through. 

I can do it. I can still be happy and joyful throughout my hard experiences, whatever they may be. 

Even if it feels as though the world is tumbling on top of me, telling me that I am not doing enough and not worthy of love, I know that the Lord is watching out for me and that He loves me. More than any girl I visit teach, more that any guy I may be interested in, more than the world.

Turning 20

Who would have thought that turning 20 could be so dang awesome!

I was a little nervous that my birthday wouldn't be anything special because my parents weren't coming down and my roommates wouldn't do anything for me, or that it would just be a regular day, when in fact, it was a big, special, important day to me.

I had expectations. And they weren't met.




They were EXCEEDED!



I woke up and started to make myself look cute. I mean, c'mon, I'm 20, I should be looking HAWT!
Then my roommates made me chocolate chip pancakes! In cool/weird/creative shapes. Then I was greeted by lovely faces in another apartment that made me pancakes too! With whipped cream and strawberries!

observe picture below

I then headed off to church in my cute springy clothes because the weather was so FREAKING AMAZING!

In choir I was sung to, along with a fellow ward member/friend/kindred spirit. We share the same birthday which means we were just meant to be friends!

Sacrament meeting was a blast because I got to sit next to the gorgeous girl, shown above.

In Sunday school, my wonderful roommate Gina taught the lesson, but decided that everyone needed to sing to me again. ;) Her lesson was great and I loved being surrounded by people who love me.

Relief Society was brilliant. My new friend Mandalee, shown below in red, taught the lesson. She is returned missionary and just oozes love for the gospel and the spirit. She is a genuine person and I have been blessed to get to know her better. Then I was sung to again.

Feeling a little overwhelmed, I kept reminding myself how special I was to my Heavenly Father, and that this was His way of showing me love. Because, it was His day too. He let me have some of the recognition on my birthday.

I came home and went to my friends' apartment to find them excited to see me with a balloon and a yummy looking lemon square.

Picture required.

They are a lovely bunch of people and my life has been lifted and blessed for knowing all of them.

I walked quickly home to see my home teachers walk around the corner with a guitar. Another Happy Birthday to me! Ah!

Aren't they the cutest things ever?! I might be in love with both of them! ;) Just kidding. They have lifted my spirits and bore strong testimonies to me. They have strengthened my testimony of the gospel and of the power of the priesthood. I am grateful for their worthiness to hold such power. They are wonderful people and I am happy to call them my friends.

I was then picked up to go to my sister's place where  food was being cooked from a recipe I pinned on pinterest. A tester that turned out to be DELICIOUS! With homemade pazookies, presents from home, and Mario Party 9, I left feeling on top of the world.

I loved every minute of my birthday. I felt loved and special and important by those who matter most to me.

But it didn't even end on my birthday!

I went into work today to find one of my coworkers had made a cake for me! CRAZY!
They all sang to me and then we all ate cake! I gave some to the "full timers" I work with and they all wished me a happy birthday as well! I have continued to feel loved and treasured by my friends and family.

And all it makes me want to do is share that love with everyone around me. I want them to know that they are special too. That they are important.


To those reading this blog,
I don't know who you are, but I appreciate you. All that you do. You contribute to this world in a way that no one else can. Thank you for all that you do.

"Repeat the Sounding Joy"

Repeat:
the laughter
the cries of surprise
the smiles that last forever
the longing gazes into the fireplace
the warmth received from the piles and piles of blankets
the marathon of movies
the endless knitting
the beautiful decorations that never want to be taken down
the times when i can look and see my mom and dad beside me with smiles on their faces
the hope
the everlasting joy that comes from the knowledge that there is a Savior who did it all for us, and we can celebrate His birth because He means so much to all of us.

I believe in Christmas because I believe in Christ.

Day 18

Today I am grateful for all the studying that I have been able to do within these past few days for my stats exam.

I took my exam tonight and am proud to announce that the score shown on the screen is significantly more impressive than my last test score which was not good.

I am happy.

Plus. I went ice skating tonight.
Boo yah.

Day 11 and 12

These past two days have been my lowest days. But it is amazing how gratitude can make it seem so much better.

I am grateful for this gorgeous weather we have been having lately. It has lifted my spirits when I felt like all was lost. It felt good on my skin and rejuvenated the energy that had disappeared.

Tradition

Hey, do you remember last year when I wrote something I was grateful for for the month of November??

Well, I am a creature of habit and tradition, so......... :))))))  
(the multiple parentheses means I am smiling really big.)



Gratitude turns what we have into enough.

Shout Out!

So this post is all about my sister.

Cali.

Tomorrow she will be running a marathon. Her first marathon. EVER.

That is a big deal folks! I mean how many of you can say that you have run over 26 miles.

Well Cali will be running 26.2 miles and she will be rocking it every step of the way.
Keep her in your prayers that she will be able to do it. I have total confidence in her.

YOU ROCK CALI!

(it was really cute, she dedicated each mile to someone who has helped her some time in her life and then asked that person to give her a couple songs so when she hears the song she will think of that person)

So this was the song I picked for her and I really think it fits perfectly. :)

A week.

So it has been a week.
A week since I left Nauvoo
A week since I entered Idaho
A week since I was released
A week since came back to reality.

Wow.

My mom asked me today what I missed most about Nauvoo. Was it the place? the people? the costume?(heavens no) the music?

Everything. Everything about Nauvoo. The whole ambiance. (except the costume.... most definitely not the costume!)

Lately I have been trying to keep up with some of my friends in Nauvoo, but I have to remember that they have families too! They are in homes that they have grown up in, with friends that have known almost their entire life. I just moved to a new home in good ole' Idaho. I don't know anyone. I am at least 5 hours away from anyone I know. It's hard.
But enough with the pitying.....

Being home, I have been able to spend so much time with my mom and dad. helping them move into their new home and exploring the farm country that surrounds us.
(seriously, we were stuck behind this big vehicle today- on a main road!)

Is this for real?







I have loved the experiences I have had.
In a week I will be back in Provo headed to school.
I can't wait to get back to business and work my butt off getting those rockin' grades!

Here's where most of my motivation is coming from.

Optimism in ALL things.

Here is just a peak at the summer I had.

 aw... look at these silly elders :)

 ummmm. ya. that's a sunset- brilliant huh?

 the woman who changed my life

 those super fun packed lunches from the Myers

 Meeting the actor who played Joseph Smith in the Nauvoo Pageant

 shaking Dallin H. Oaks' hand 4 times

 this place. so beautiful

 super fun teamsters

 bike rides through old Nauvoo

 my Mission President and his wife!

 spinning- but not the costume- bleh

 random dental hygiene parties

 wagon- everyday

 working with these talented stage performers

 flowers as big as my head!

look at that view! never gets old

These experiences.... will last forever. How can you not look at them and just fall in love?

I left my heart in Old Nauvoo!

Leaving

Alright folks, it is goodbye for now.

I am headed to dinner with my family, then I will be set apart by the wonderful President Todd.  After that, I will not be allowed to use any sort of electronics.

I cannot describe the happiness I am feeling. I am about to burst!!

Before I go, let me leave with you my testimony.

I know that Jesus is the Christ.  He is my Redeemer.  He suffered for me in the Garden.  Because of what I did, I can repent and be clean again.  I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God.  He restored the Gospel on the Earth as it is today.  I know that the God the Father and His son, Jesus, appeared to Joseph. I love this gospel. I know that the Book of Mormon is the Word of God.  I know that the Lord listens.  He knows all and wants for us to do the very best we can do each and every day.  I know that we have a living Prophet on the Earth today. He is President Thomas S. Monson. He leads and guides us.  I know that if we are obedient to the laws and covenants we make with our Heavenly Father, He will bless us immensely.

I know these things to be true.

I thank each and every one of you for your constant support.

If you would like to write me while I am in Nauvoo, feel free.  I would love any correspondence.

Here will be my address

YPM Sister Jex
PO Box 215
Nauvoo, IL 62354


LOVE YOU ALL!!

One Special Night

So last night, I had the most magnificent opportunity to enter into the House of the Lord.
My family accompanied me through, and I can say that it was wonderful.

I have so many things to learn.  But I know that with the Lord on my side, I can do all things.

Some pictures to show my happy night.

What a night.
I love this gospel.

Coming to an End

So this is the official last week of school.... well finals week.
Then it's all done.
No more school.
or tests.
or apartment living.
or waking up at 3:50am.

It's all done.

I haven't really had a moment where I thought "Oh wow, I am going to miss all of this...."

But it will be bittersweet.
A farewell and good wishes to everyone I have met here at BYU my first year.

So as tribute to all the love in our apartment, we had our pictures taken, by none other than the wonderful Alissa.

Some will not be shown due to embarassing-ness or just plain awkward....

dude. I have never been able to take a jumping picture ever.... and I am pretty sure I beasted this one.

check out the booty on that blondie..... oh wait that's me.... ;)

This is one of my favorite people ever. I love her to death and am so grateful for her friendship!

This was the most painful picture ever!!! But oh so worth it.

I don't think I would be the person I am right now if it wasn't for these wonderful girls. I will miss them, but they have wonderful opportunities ahead of them.

PS don't forget I now have 11 days til I leave!!!!! AH!

A REALLY REALLY good day.

I haven't one of these sort of days since high school.

I love days like today.

lemme let you in on the secret of why today was so great.

.......because I made it great......

Sometimes I forget that I am in control of all my happiness.
I make the choices that affect how I feel. I choose how I feel.

I think Harold B. Lee said it best.
"Happiness doesn't depend on what happens outside of you, but what happens inside of you."

So Saturday was my birthday and my sister and brother in law gave me the best birthday I could have ever asked for. Especially being away from home.... it made me feel like I was at home because I was with people who loved me and I love them too!

Then Sunday, I was able to meet with my Bishop concerning some confusing details about my mission to Nauvoo.  He was so kind and willing to help me figure out the situation.  We both are new at this type of thing.  But he was wonderful to help me.

Then today, I had scheduled an appointment to meet with my counselor to change my major and get more information about the direction I want to go with Communication Disorders (which is my new major). My appt. was at 2 and my classes ended at 12 so I spent the time studying for my midterm for my ComD class.  I really wanted a good grade on the test because I want to prove to myself that I can work hard and understand these things pertaining to my new major.  I ended early so I wouldn't be late.  But I was super hungry because I didn't have any lunch.  Then I remembered a coupon my roommate had given me for a free Jamba! So I treated myself. It was grand. :)

Then I met with the counselor.  I can say that it was sooooooooo helpful and beneficial.  I explained what happened with the school of music and what I wanted to do now.  I told him that I originally wanted to minor in music because I still wanted to be a part of it but I didn't think careers would look at a minor in music as good....
To my surprise, he disagreed with me.  He said he knew a kid with autisim that was told by his speech pathologist that he should learn to play the trumpet because it would strengthen his face muscles and help with his speech.  It has actually helped him.  I was amazed and so grateful.  I could still do something I loved.

Then came my midterm.  I studied with some friends and then I prayed and headed off to the testing center.
When I came out, I was greeted by a wonderful 90%.
I did a little double fist in the air for joy.

It has been great.  Because I wanted it to be great.  I wanted it to be better than the days I have had before. I love days like today.

Days like today are the ones that we live for.