Day 1

I recently read an article that I found super interesting.  Again, I don't claim to be a food expert or anything of that sort, but I have taken some nutrition and physiology classes which have helped with my understanding.  As this is a blog, I will post something that I find that seems credible and write just my thoughts - my opinion is not necessarily facts.

http://ldsmag.com/article-1-14983/

I think this article was very eye opening.  I decided to read Doctrine and Covenants 89 this morning to further understand for myself the definition of the Word of Wisdom.  There are the more obvious commandments such as no tobacco use, no coffee or tea (later clarified..."Tea and coffee...are what the Lord meant when He said 'hot drinks.' Voice From the Mountains).  A lo of the time, I think we forget about the other important details of the Word of Wisdom.  Moderation in all things is essential, making sure we don't eat in excess, etc.  I think it's important to eat what makes one feel good.  Actually feel good - not the junk food or candy that gives us the temporary satisfaction of eating something sweet.  Cravings are often hard to bypass.  When I say eat what makes one feel good, I mean in general.  There have been times when I have listened to my body, practiced self-control, and eliminated things (specifically in this case it was refined sugar) that I found to have an effect on my mental, emotional, and physical well being.  Still, this is a learning process and I haven't mastered that ability completely.  I can say I am able to look back on those times, though, and look at the effects.  For me, my grades and study habits were better.  I wasn't as distracted on eating and satisfying my cravings because they weren't as obvious.  I felt better about myself.  I could think more clearly.  I felt I could eat more at meal times because I was practicing self-control throughout the day.  From personal experience, I can say that sugar is a very addicting substance.  Some people have the self-control to give themselves a treat every so often.  For me, I either can eat it or I can't.  The article brings an interesting point that sparks my attention.  There is so much money to be made off of these processed foods, but we all know it's a difficult process to stop eating these tasty yet damaging foods.  They are ready to grab or seem less expensive, last longer, or whatever.  I'm with y'all there when you say you don't have time to cook, etc.  Yet, we don't see promotion for fruits, vegetables, and so forth quite as much as the different restaurant advertisements (which lets be honest, most of the time doesn't even turn out as appetizing as they make it seem), etc.  One thing I am starting to research are substitutes for the tasty things that we as humans enjoy.  I'll post recipes on the blog after some cooking trials!

Also, here are some healthy plant-based substitutes I found:

http://nutritionstudies.org/plant-based-food-tips-healthy-recipe-substitutions/

Later on.
Going to bed soon, but feelin great.

Dat Foodie Thang

In the past 2-3 years, I've done a few experiments of eliminating refined sugar from my diet.  Every time I do this, I feel amazing after I get past the cravings portion, but it hasn't become my solid way of life.  In my teen years, I never really had a severe eating disorder or anything, but I was always concerned that I wasn't as curvy as other girls or I wasn't as fit.  I did sports and tried to keep in shape, but I'll be straight up when I admit that I love to eat.  Two years ago, I had a health condition that forced me to eliminate all sugars from my diet.  It was really challenging for me, and I probably wouldn't have been as motivated to do it if it weren't for the fact that it was for my health situation.  I remember that by eliminating those sugars, I eventually didn't feel as tired or grumpy.  I felt I had greater control when it came to my diet and mood.  This was something I had always wanted in my teen years.  I'd see other girls who seemed like they could control themselves so well.  This time period only lasted about two months.  The first cookie I ate after my health was better didn't really taste as good as I remembered.  I remember going to bed that night with my heart beating extremely fast.  My guess was that my body wasn't used to processing sugars like it used to or something.  I couldn't sleep as well.  To this day, I definitely have cut back on the amount of refined sugars in my diet, but my goal is to make some lifestyle changes that will make me feel better.
Eating a certain way, for me, is so helpful, but why is it so difficult?  The cost is one thing.  The time and effort needed to put into it is another.  I forget about all the great health effects and the way I feel.  That's why it's so important to remember the reasoning behind goals - for me, I forget and when I forget, I am good for making excuses. I think in my head that one little thing won't hurt me, and in reality, maybe one cookie or one piece of pie won't hurt my body that much, but the fact that I am giving into something is what I find more alarming.  I've learned a bit about different alternatives for recipes that don't contain harmful ingredients.  I've even tested some of them out and have been impressed with the results!
So, I've made a new goal.  I want to make some diet changes.  Nothing unhealthy or completely insane, just eliminate the things that are getting in the way of me feeling good.  I know I'll probably mess up a few days and it might stink for the first bit, but I want to see if blogging my journey will help it be better.  In the end, I know I'll feel better!  I'll post a Day 1 picture below.

Went to the Provo City temple open house with my mummy! 

Best day of the week!

Adult life totally helps me appreciate and understand better why God made respecting the Sabbath Day (Sunday) one of the first commandments.  When I was growing up and before I understood it better, Sabbath Day meant putting on a dress, going to church for 3 hours, no trampoline, tasty family dinner, and no worldly movies.  With time, I've come to appreciate it and the concept of 'God created Sabbath for man, not man for the Sabbath.'
3 hours seems like a long time to be sitting still, and I'll admit, it can be, but it's so worth it!  Let me tell you why.
For starters, I feel like going and listening to the words of my fellow peers and leaders helps me find answers to my prayers.  I know people say that all the time, but it's true!  It's an experience we can't really get in any other way unless we go to church.  It's kind of like a big group of people running a race, except everyone is on the same team.  We can encourage and lift one another.  The words and lessons taught, I've found, remind me that I can do this thing called life, and help those around me too.
I go because I feel God's love for me.  Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, things can be made right again.  We can receive the strength we need.  Everyone is in need of it.  It's the chance to repent and make right the things we've done wrong, and give strength to do that.  This is truly a miracle in itself because who wants to live the rest of their life feeling like poo?  Nobody.  It can help us where we fall short and remind the need we have to rely on Him.
I also feel God's love through people I talk to at church.  Obviously, church is more than just social interaction, but I think that social interaction is important too.  We can be strengthened by one another, remember those people who care about us and we care about them.  Life is hard enough on our own, so we might as well enjoy it with the folks around us and try and help one another!

In the end of the Book of Mormon, the final prophet, Moroni writes his final words, and among these, he talks about the importance of going to the church each week.

"And after they had been received unto baptism, and were wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost, they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ; and their names were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ, who was the author and finisher of their faith.
And the church did meet together oft, to fast and to pray, and to speak one to another concerning the welfare of their souls.
And they did meet together oft to partake of bread and wine, in remembrance of the Lord Jesus."
-Moroni 6:4-6

A little side experience. I had a good personal experience at church today - lots of good testimonies, the stop bullying mormon message by Uchtdorf where he says to knock it off, but one thing at the end was special to me.  The closing song in Relief Society that we sang was "Be Still My Soul."  I love that song so much, and I remembered the last time I sang it was at my neighbor, Sherri Schloss's funeral.  She was truly an inspiration to everyone she met, and singing that song alone, sort of touched my heart, reminding me of her positive and joyful example.  She was truly a fighter and hero.  Remembering the courage of others also helps me regain mine, and to keep on trying, even if we don't always succeed at first.  The little moments and tender mercies in life remind me that God truly does exist, and is aware of us and the trials we face, whether they be small or big!

Yogi

I've been practicing my yoga more frequently, and now, it's part of my daily routine.  Here's a few of the poses I've learned! It's probably one of my favorite things to do!  Anyone who follows me on instagram or facebook can probably agree...haha

top: Head-Toe scorpion...took for freaking ever to touch!  And plenty of back flexibility exercises...

 Pidgeon pose

Head-stand variation

Valentine's Day Grinch....no longer

Well, it's been for-flipping-ever since the last time I've actually written in my blog.  But, I want to be better about it and start writing more frequently because it really is relaxing. If the right ideas come and all.  As it is Valentine's Day today, I figured it would be appropriate to write about Valentine's Day.
If you have been around me this time of year, you would probably be familiar with my opinion of Valentine's Day.  I loved it as a kid, like pretty much every other kid because of the cool Valentine's with candy and stuff.  So many different varieties of Valentines, from Harry Potter, to homemade, to Star Wars, to Barbie.  Plus, getting candy was always a plus.
After the elementary years stopped, I kinda started to dislike it, and pretty much for the same reasons as everyone else.  It seemed to revolve so much around romance and couples and stuff like that.  I will admit, I had a rather negative attitude towards this holiday until this year.  Even until a week ago, I still was grumbling about how much I really don't like it.
This year, instead of waking up to, "Oh great it's Valentine's Day, pull out my hair" I kind of woke up to, "Hey, maybe this day isn't so bad if I think about the real meaning of it."  I decided to look at it in a different light.  I thought, "What harm is in a day dedicated to remind us of love we have for others, and love others have for us?"  I don't know!  I've changed my mind.  There needs to be a little more love in this world as it is.  So.  From now on, in my books, Valentine's Day is no longer something I will hate.

Hello Spring Break 2015...

Finally done with finals and on to my grandparents for a week!!! I seriously love them and hanging out with them.  Latest update:  I just introduced my grandma to the wonderful world of youtube.  She is sitting next to me watching quilting videos.  So cute!

SHE'S BACK!!!

My best friend Hayley finished her mission!  It was so good to see her!

One of my Favorite Mormon Messages!

I want to share one of my favorite Mormon Messages of all times.  It's one that I could watch over and over for a variety of reasons.  I love the power that Elder Holland speaks with and His testimony gives me chills every time I hear it.  It is also a message that causes me to think and put things into perspective.  When things aren't easy in life, this video helps remind me that I don't have to do things alone.  Christ knows how we feel when we pass through difficult times.  He will be there with us, and send others to help us.  I am a firm believer in angels, even if they are just people who are surrounding us and feel inspired to help us.  

I know that Jesus Christ lives and loves us which is why He gave His life and suffered so much.   

I miss my best friend! 

I want to learn Hebrew

If there is anywhere I could go to right now (besides Chile), it would definitely be Jerusalem/Israel, or I would go to New Zealand.  I've always had interest in Middle Eastern culture, especially in regards to the bible and history of that region.  Part of those interests is learning the ancient languages from that part of the world.  It is a goal of mine to learn Hebrew one day.  IT WOULD BE SO COOL.  I think of the different ways things are translated, and I want to learn Hebrew and then read ancient texts with that skill.

Unfortunately, right now, I only have so much time to do so many things.  This is one of those times when I look at the 50-60 more years I'll be alive and I think of all the things I have yet to learn.  Just take a walk through a single library and you'll know what I mean.  I also loving having intelligent conversations with people about cool stuff.  For example, I have a friend in my English class who is a physics major because he wants to be an astronomer.  Sometimes we talk about really cool stuff concerning the universe and space.  I find it fascinating!  Maybe I'm not a physics major, but I like to learn about cool stuff.  Learning is one of my favorite things in the world, and that is why I think it would be really neat to be able to read ancient texts in their original languages. 

The Beautiful Wall of Andrea Burton-isms

From left to right: Carrie, Lexi, Katherine, Me, Ashlee, Andrea

This semester, I had roommates who were awesome.  We like to laugh and have a good time.  To describe them further:  Katherine is my roommate who also served in Chile (not in my mission).  She's engaged to be married this April.  Then there's Carrie.  She is basically hilarious.  I say this because I will literally be getting ready in one room, or eating breakfast and all of the sudden I hear an outburst of giggling.  I don't really know how to describe it.  Its just funny.  She's an English major and a cowgirl.  Yes, there is a John Wayne calendar in our room (courtesy of Carrie).  Then there is Ashlee.  She is the food genius because she knows how to cook way good.  I would also never want to be in a debate with her.  I mean, ever.  Then, there's Lexi who got married halfway through the semester, and Kaitlin who lives here the other half of the semester.  And finally, (drum roll)......  Boom.  Andrea Burton.  She is awesome and one of the funniest people I've ever met.  She's a convert of 3 years in the church.  This semester, we've laughed at so many funny things she's said, and to sum it up, it is of common opinon she should write a book or a memoir.  Here are just a few of the quotes from her in honor of her great hilariousness:

(Side note: They may be 'you have to be there moments.' Sorry...) 

Anyways....

The Wall of Andrea:

-"Do you have a brother named Ham?" (The first day our home teachers came over to visit us, one introduced himself as 'Shem.'  This is the response of Andrea.)

-"Emily-Freaking-Hanks" (I'm not really sure how this came to be, but she just randomly started calling me it one day, and now it's kinda just the only way she says my name.)

-"Do you need any sage?" (Our home teachers came over to give a blessing on the house.  She asked them this question.  Lol.)

-"All two of you?" (Typically there are 4 boys in an FHE group here.  Only two came over to introduce themselves.  Therefore, yes...all two of them.)

-"So I dubbed him 'Nazi Joe'" (Referring to an old FHE brother)

-"This one time, at Awana-Camp..." (Andrea told us her many stories of a Awana camp as a child.  Pretty much every story she tells us starts with, "this one time, at...")

-"Oh. You're like the posterboy for Mormonism?" 

-"Release your inner-fish!" 

-"Spawn of Satan!" 

-"Sometimes I ask, wait, why did I join this church again?  Oh yeah, cuz it's TRUE!" (She was wondering if  skirt was necessary to wear because she was already comfortable in her pants.)

-"Can we help it if the food here is better than the men?"

-"I believe that Satanas had a hand in the creation of math 108." (Math vs. Andrea)

-"I hate to burst your bubble, but my dad grows bigger cabbages than that." (When we went to the grocery store, and Ashlee bought cabbages to make St. Patricks Day food)

-"Well if it isn't Mr. Big Deal himself." (Background story:  Our FHE brother said people should talk to him because he is a big deal in testimony meeting on fast sunday.  This occurred at the family home evening following that meeting). 

-"This cake is better than making out." (One way of saying that the cake was delicious).
-"He doesn't like Star Wars.  It's sacrelige." (in a southern accent.)
-"We could dress up as witches and go visit Jared." (brainstorming april fools day pranks)

hammocking

Who doesn't love reading in their hammock on a nice sunny day?

"Real Age" quiz results?

Yesterday, I was randomly scrolling through my facebook newsfeed when I saw that someone had taken a quiz of "what is your real age?"  I thought, "Oh, that sounds interesting."  I take the quiz of "how old are you really/maturity level." It asked me different kinds of questions, and I figured you know, maybe I'd get a 20-30 year old result.  OH no. My real age?  Take a guess. 62 years old.  62!!! Yikes.  I'm guessing this could mean three things.  I am very wise and mature, I am an extremely boring barely 21 year old, or this quiz is completely rigged?  It makes me wonder.

I feel as if I have been living under a rock the last 7 months.

I am an avid reader and I love to learn new things.  As a freshmen in college and all through high school, I would always go to the library during lunch hours or study time.  IT WAS AMAZING.  I sort of stopped going during the day up here at Idaho because there are so many people and it bogs down the internet.  We did, however, go there for my morning class, and then last night, I went to study and there weren't many people there.  I have forgotten my love of libraries.  Being around a lot of books gets me excited because there is always a billion more things to learn about, it's usually quite peaceful, open late hours, and I feel like I enter a different world because my imagination opens up.  Moral of this random post?  1. I love libraries and I am wondering why the heck I haven't been there all this winter semester.  2.  Someday, when I'm rich, I want to a library of my own.  3.  I love books/learning.  4. Libraries seem very calming.  5.  I prefer physical textbooks to electronic books (cuz you can annotate the heck out of them).  Indeed, libraries are a beautiful thing.

Ghost Town

Recently, my friend, Julianne, and myself, had an epic adventure to R Mountain.  It's really more of a hill in my books, but nonetheless, it makes for an epic adventure.  We woke up at 4 in the morning or so, and we drove out there, relying on nothing more than my 'faithful' GPS.  For the most part, my GPS was faithful, and we made it to the trail safely, and hiked to the top (with some other friends whom we met up with).  I love hiking, but it was completely miserable at the top because it was freezing cold, and I was definitely wearing my warmest hiking clothes.  Some people were wearing shorts.  Crazies.  Anyways, afterwards, we were driving back to my apartment.  The way there and back is literally just field and country land.  Julianne noticed something on the side of the road, with an old building or two.  I didn't really notice it, but we decided to turn around and see what it was.  I thought I had seen one or two houses, but what we really found was an old ghost town that had been slightly restored.  It was soooo cool!  Most of it.  We just explored it and took a lot of pictures.  The only freaky thing was in one of the older sheds, we found this creepy clown which will probably give me nightmares the rest of my life.  Beside the point, it was probably the most adventurous thing I've done in a while.  Will I return?  Oh yes.

Are you, are you coming to the tree?

Some old cabins

Pretty sure this place was filled with bats. 

Love those mountains, even if it's -10 degrees. 

Scary clowns in an old shed.  Hello nightmares?

Best Quote Ever!

My mom posted a small quote on facebook that was amazing!  I don't know who said it, but I absolutely love it.  It says:

"When you are going through something hard and wonder where God is...Remember the teacher is always quiet during a test."

Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice:  As a kid, I never wanted to read these books/watch these movies, but now i am converted.  I've never been much of an English literature person, or romance reader, but I watched the movie for the first time a few weeks ago.  I LOVED IT.  It all started with me randomly listening to the soundtrack to the movie which is also way good.  Moral of the story?  As soon as I have some free time on my hands, I will be borrowing the copy of Pride and Prejudice from my roommate and reading it.  Jane Austen, here I come.

Doctrine and Covenants Essay

For my Doctrine and Covenants class, I had to do a project and make a "Book of Remembrance" that contains a few personal experiences when I have felt the spirit with a principle from the Doctrine and Covenants.  Here is a part from that essay:
Charity was a Christ-like attribute that I felt I had always struggled with.  As a full-time missionary learning Spanish in a foreign country, I felt that I did love these people, but maybe not so much as I wanted to.  Moroni the prophet tells us to pray to God with all of our hearts that we might possess it in the last day.  I knew that this was something I needed to possess to be a better representative of Jesus Christ.   I began to pray that I could develop this Christ-like attribute, and began to fast so that I too, could love those people as the Savior did.  One day in particular, we found one of our investigators in her house.  On the previous visit, she had told us of some of the difficulties she was having with her family.  She was going through a divorce, and her children were struggling a lot.   I felt on this particular occasion the need to help her with something as simple as her house.  We offered to help her clean.  She let us clean her dirty old kitchen with the stacked dishes, and then we mopped the floor.  While we were doing it, I remember feeling lots of peace as I helped her.   There was no rush.  This was what I was supposed to be doing in this moment, and this was what God wanted me to be doing-helping this woman clean her house and showing love.  We sat down afterwards to teach her a lesson.  She immediately pulled out a cigarette and asked us if we would mind it if she smoked because she felt so stressed.  It was kind of an uncomfortable situation, obviously no, she shouldn't smoke, but it was her house after all.  We felt that it would be appropriate to teach the Word of Wisdom, which is basically the Lord's law of health.  I'm not a person who gets very emotional, but I remember this time, I could feel a strong desire for this woman's happiness.  I could hear my voice starting to crack, and I was somewhat surprised with myself.  It could have been just an emotional day, but I remember that being a time when I felt a great amount of love for someone.  As we learn in Doctrine and Covenants 46, charity is a gift of the spirit.  Nobody can beat the Savior's example of charity.  He was beaten, mocked, persecuted, and everything other cruel thing, and yet, He continued to love the people with all His heart and soul, even those who hated Him.  I think of all the times I probably let the Savior down with my imperfections and it helps me be more patient and loving to others.  Christ has never given up on me, nor has He given up on anyone else.  That is a quality I want to try harder to live.
I think of charity in my life as a normal person, without the missionary name-badge.  Oftentimes, its easy to get caught up in my own life.  My life is busy, my schedule is demanding, and time is little.  I truly believe that is part of the test.  After all, I'm pretty sure God didn't say," serve others, give to the poor, be charitable...but only if you have the time!"  That would be all too easy and we wouldn't grow as much from that.  I think that the test of life is putting others needs before ours.  In the end, we will feel better about ourselves, and everything will work out in the end.  There really is not bad side to having charity because the promises of the Lord are great.  "But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him."  (Moroni 7:47).  

Always an Anne Frank fan

Thought I'd share one of my all-time favorite Anne Frank quotes.  For some reason, it came to mind today.  I always admire people who remain positive, in even the most awful of circumstances.  It is something I want to achieve in my own life.  Anne Frank inspires me!

 "In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.  I simply can't build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery, and death.  I see the world gradually being turned into a wilderness, I hear the ever approaching thunder, which will destroy us too, I can feel the sufferings of millions and yet, if I look up into the heavens, I think that it will all come right, that this cruelty too will end, and that peace and tranquility will return again."
-Anne Frank

I admire positive people.  Positive examples of people in my life are first of all, my brother.  In his first 2 years of married life, he has been through a lot.  He was diagnosed with cancer when they found a tumor, the size of a large tomato, near is his heart after about 3 months of getting married.  When they first found out he had this large cancerous tumor, I was still serving as a full-time missionary, and I felt a little bit afraid.  I think one thing that helped me a lot in this time was his positive attitude toward everything.  Never once did I receive an email of complaint from him.  Now, that's not saying much because I wasn't there on that side of the world, but I felt comforted nonetheless, and could continue focusing on my mission.  We thought that the cancer issue was over with for just about a year, when they found that he was still having some other problems with other potential tumors or cancerous tissue, and he may have to repeat chemotherapy, or other treatments.  It was hard news for my family, and probably harder news for him, but he still manages to keep his head up and be positive.  Having the gospel of Jesus Christ is a huge blessing in my life, and the life of my family.  If I didn't have the assurance that in the end, things will be okay if we endure it well, I don't even want to imagine how I would feel.  Sometimes, for me, it's easy to lose sight of the eternal perspective because of the storm of stuff happening around us, but it's the small and simple things that keep us going and enduring.  I have started to realize that from trials in life, we start to appreciate more and more the little tender mercies the Lord gives on a daily basis.  There is always something new we can learn  and be grateful for.  What a blessing that is.