"the best is yet to be"... day 3

happy "hump-day"! yes, it's wednesday and so far, so good.

sweet dreams...
so i really didn't have or don't remember any sweet dreams from last night, but i did wake up at 4am in a panic. i had a dream that i was running away from some scary guy with my kid (i don't remember what my precious child looked like). but it was stressful... there was a car chase, gun shots, and fighting to escape with me and whoever was chasing/trying to kill us. i don't think i've ever had a dream about that, and its been awhile since i've woken up due to a nightmare. i really had to calm myself down and think happy thoughts so i could fall back asleep. what a relief that it was just a dream! and ps. for the last few nights i've had the best sleeps ever! i'm nice and cozy and have gotten like 7-8 hours which is amazing! sleep is blessed and definitely necessary for me to be a happy girl!

workout...
20 minutes on the eliptical w/10-20 second sprints... 500 jump rope... brittney squats... 100 lunges... hip/booty band work-out... more butts, abs, and hamstrings
*bonus- 35 minute morning run with some legs and ab work... i was tired! and a light 45 minute bike ride this evening (at the gym)... i started reading Pride and Prejudice!

food is good...
7:00am- apple
9:00am- bran cereal w/banana and skim milk
11:30am- orange and 10 saltine crackers
1:00pm- turkey sandwich w/lettuce and mustard, apple
6:30pm- homemade chicken noodle soup (definitely not as good as mom's!) and crystal light
9:30pm- a few more bites of soup and yummy sugar-free chocolate milk
h20- 10 servings

wonderfulness...
besides getting so much sleep and a good run in, i received a visit from my dear friend Allyce! she is such an incredible person and we just get along so well. she is truly one of my greatest true friends who i can talk to about anything and who is such a wonderful example to me. love her!
i actually ended up having a few good chats today with some good friends, and that just makes me happy. i have the greatest friends and family! i got to talk to my precious roommate, Florida, tonight. she is such a beautiful and outgoing person, and it's always humbling to hear her talk about her struggles in life, which usually deals with the males in her life. i just want her to find that hope and strength in the Savior, and know that He does have a plan for her which may definitely include a husband and family. it just makes me grateful for my experiences and testimony of the gospel and Savior, and definitely motivates me to strengthen it.

spiritual upliftment...
i started reading the january 2010 ensign again today, and there is so much good stuff in it. the first article by President Uchtdorf is titled, "hold on a little longer" and is just incredible and goes right along with Elder Holland's article, "the best is yet to be". there is just great counsel from these great religious leaders that gives me faith and motivation to keep striving to do better. instead of recaping all of it, i just wanted to pull a few of my favorite quotes...

President Uchtdorf quotes President Harold B. Lee: "Testimony isn't something that you have today and you keep always. Testimony is either going to grow and grow to the brightness of certainty, or it is going to diminish to nothingness, depending upson what we do about it. I say, the testimony that we recature day by day is the thing that saves us from the pitfalls of the adversary."

President Uchtdorf: "If ever you are tempted to become discouraged or to lose faith, remember those faithful Saints who remained true in Kirtland. Hold on a little longer. You can do this! You are part of a special generation. You were prepared and preserved to live at this important time in the existence of our beautiful planet earth. You have a celestial pedigree and therefore have all the necessary talents to make your life an eternal success story."

Elder Robert D. Hales: "Self-reliance is a product of our work"

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: "Dismiss the destructive, and keep dismissing it until the beauty of the Atonement of Christ has revealed to you your bright future and the bright future of your family, friends, and your neighbors. God doesn't care nearly as much about where you have been as He does about where you are an, with His helo, where you are willing to go."
"Faith is for the future. Faith builds on the past but never longs to stay there. Faith trusts that God has great things in store for each of us and that Christ truly is the 'high priest of good things to come."

Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Presidency of the Seventy: "He cares, He whispers, and He watches over us in ways unique to eah of our lives."

Elder Neal A. Maxwell: "One's life... cannot be both faith-filled and stress-free... Therefore, how can you and I really expect to glide naively through life, as if to say, 'Lord, give me experience, but not grief, not sorrow, not pain, not opposition, not betrayal, and certainly not to be forsaken. Keep from me, Lord, all those experiences which made Thee what Thou art! Then let me come and dwell with Thee and fully share Thy jov!'... Real faith... is required to endure this necessary but painful decelopmental process."

i love gospel quotes and am grateful for their inspiration in my life.

dork moment...
whilst showering this evening, i'm pretty sure i washed my face twice! my mind was so not there, so my face received some extra cleansing.

i love busy days like this when i go from one thing to the next. it makes me happy to be productive, and i'm grateful that Heavenly Father continuously blesses me with opportunities to work and serve... now i just need to take better advantage of them.

... "draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me"

20 days til jakey's home!