if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear... day 11

welcome to another thursday... i love thursdays cause, hello, tomorrow is friday! anyways, i've been doing pretty well (for my standards) with my sugar intake lately. i'm such a dessert kind of girl, and love baking and just anything that deals with sweetness. the only reason i haven't been inhaling goodies, is that i haven't baked anything or really brought dessert in my house. it is easy to refrain from dessert when there's no temptation... well i got to test myself today and made some cookie dough. and i'm sorry, but my cookie dough is dang good and is definitely one of my favorite treats. so needless to say, this was a great first test for me. yes, i did partake of the deliciousness, but it was significantly less than normal and it was good! one step at a time! sorry to share this little victory, but considering i only ate like a spoonful compared to my usual intake of half the batch (literally), i am pretty relieved!

preparedness...
you know how emergency preparedness is always a topic during conference?! i have always felt like such a bad person because i don't have an emergency kit. i try to have extra food and water around, but i don't have a 72 hour kit or anything... but that changed today! allyce found a place to buy 72 hour kits (i'm sure they are everywhere in utah, but i've never bothered looking) and she hand delivered me one. i have a sense of relief now that i'm somewhat prepared. if anything happens, i have allyce to thank!

work-out...
all cardio today... 70 minute run on the treadmill! i am tired, oh but it felt good! i'm grateful for days like this.

food is fuel...
9:00am- vanilla yogurt, banana, dry cinnamon life cereal
11:30am-12 saltine crackers, grapefruit
1:15pm- clementine, stir-fry, apple
6:30pm- egg sandwich, celery and fat-free ranch... and some cookie dough :)
8:15pm- sugar-free chocolate milk
h20- 13 cup

hope, peace, faith, and assurance...
we're still studying the war chapters in institute, and learning how to apply it to real life. whilst reading Alma 58:1-12 we discussed how the Lord answered the prayers of the Nephites in such a simple way of granting them peace and assurance. i love this quote from Elder Gene R. Cook and how he explains how God grants hope, peace, and assurances of deliverance to the righteous...

"It maybe that the Nephites hoped for a miracle. Maybe they wanted angels to come to deliver them, as had happened a time or two in the Old Testament. But what did they receive? The Lord gave them assurance, peace, faith, and hope. He didn't directly destroy their enemies, but he did give them the girfts they needed so they could deliver themselves...

"In other words, the Lord put inside these men the will and the power to do what they desired--to begin with a strong resolve and then to see it through. After their prayer was answered, the Nephites went on to secure their liberty.

"When the Lord instills hope and faith and peace and assurance in people, they can bring great things to pass. This, then, is often what we should look for when we ask for help--not a miracle to solve our problem for us, but a miracle inside to help us come to the solution ourselves, with the Lord's help and the Lord's power."

amazing quote right! it totally puts things into perspective. like i pray for "miracles" so to speak, all the time, and Heavenly Father blesses me in ways that i don't even recognize. on my phone i have the quote, "every day holds the possibility of a miracle" and ya know, He truly does bless us with miracles each day whether we see it or not.

this is it...
haha, i totally watched the michael jackson movie "this is it" tonight with jess. give me some glitter pants and amicrophone, i'm ready to take on the king of pop! :) i actually really enjoyed it, amazingly enough.

"if you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make a change"

12 days til the reuniting of my little missionary...