welcome may.

glad you're here.

do you get sick of me posting pictures of this temple?

it's the view from my window. 

and it makes me smile.

{oh and by "my window" i mean the window next to the copy machine.}

just a little reminder.

hello spring.

lovely day round these parts. 

i open my arms wide and welcome spring into my life again.

via instagram.

grandma eleanor.

i'm happy to announce the reuniting of my grandpa jack to my grandma eleanor this morning at 6:00am.

"and now if christ had not come into the world, speaking of things to come as though they had already come, there could have been no redemption. and if christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of death that the grave should have no victory, and that death should have no sting, there could have been no resurrection. 

but there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in christ. 

he is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death."

mosiah 16:6-9

glad to have this knowledge today.

merry christmas.

{nativity, brian kershisnik}

i hope your christmas is merry and bright and christ centered.

love,

courtney

here's some cheer for you.

{image.}

i've been re-listening to conference via this while i sit at my wonderful, happy, desk at my blessing of a job {i'm applying the teachings i learned two weekends ago and being happy with the mundane}. it's great. give it a try if you are ever forced to sit at a desk for 8 hours a day.

i feel quite productive.
and quite spiritual.

which is why i am sharing the following song with you. i think it explains, as perfect as mere words are able, the tender mercy of forgiveness, the gift of the atonement, and the joy of the gospel.

savior redeemer of my soul

savior, redeemer of my soul,
whose mighty hand hath made me whole,
whose wondrous pow’r hath raised me up
and filled with sweet my bitter cup!
what tongue my gratitude can tell,
o gracious god of israel.

never can i repay thee, lord,
but i can love thee. thy pure word,
hath it not been my one delight,
my joy by day, my dream by night?
then let my lips proclaim it still,
and all my life reflect thy will.

o’errule mine acts to serve thine ends.
change frowning foes to smiling friends.
chasten my soul till I shall be
in perfect harmony with thee.
make me more worthy of thy love,
and fit me for the life above.

orson f. whitney, 1855–1931

favored fall facets by annie.

to usher in the new season, i've asked some of my favorite people to share 5 fall loves.

ANNIE

{wife to my cousin/sister in-law/wedding planner extraordinaire/future business partner}

my five fall favs:

1. the food (spices, the produce, soup, etc)
2. the colors
3. perfect temperature
4. halloween
5. thanksgiving

**oh annie, you're wonderful. lets make lavender ice cream before winter comes and no one eats ice cream.

one of my favorite things about fall is the relief society general broadcast, which takes place the weekend before general conference. this last saturday, dieter uchtdorf spoke to women around the world about being happy now. this, i think, can be quite difficult at different times in our lives. what better way to remedy this than by gratitude. being grateful for the little things that bless our lives everyday. things like soup, and fall colors, and the perfect temperature. it's things like that that make life so wonderful. don't you agree?

things to accomplish this fall: read.

you probably know me pretty well by now. if you haven't figured it out already by reading my blog everyday {cause you do huh!}, i'm not much of a reader. the books everyone tells me to read always get made into movies anyway, so why waste 2 months reading a book that i could understand in 2 hours. that's my thought process.

but on rare occasion, i decide to read, either because i have been peer pressured into doing so {the devil wears prada, harry potter and the sorcerer's stone, the davinici code, the first 25 pages of twilight, etc} or because i think i might learn a thing or two by doing so {lord of the flies, the old man and the sea, to kill a mockingbird, of mice and men, etc}. and sometimes, if the stars are aligned just right, i even LIKE a book {the problem of pain - cs lewis, sophie's world - jostein gaarder, jesus the christ - james e talmage, the hiding place - corrie ten boom, hamlet - william shakespeare, etc}.

the reason i'm bring this up is because it is september. you know, that time of year that is known for bouquets of sharpened pencils, book bags, and teachers. this has been the first year {not including that one time i was doing something else that was really important} EVER! that i don't get to participate in it. i don't need any pencils, i use a sharpie pen at work. i have enough book bags, but sadly, have no newly purchased books to inhabit them. i don't have any teachers, i know everything now {picture my face really sad now because it is}.

to remedy this sad sad day {miss paige}, i have created a reading list {lists always seem to cheer me right up}:

• the diary of anne frank - anne frank
• till we have faces - cs lewis
• the screwtape letters - cs lewis
• a tree grows in brooklyn - betty smith
• temple and cosmos - hugh nibley
• fall catelog - j crew
• september issue - real simple

wish me luck.

cheerfully do all things that lie in our power.

"in short, to 'always remember him' means that we do not live our lives in fear. we know that challenges, disappointments, and sorrows will come to each of us in different ways, but we also know that in the end, because of our divine advocate, all things can be made to work together for our good . it is the faith expressed so simply by president gordon b. hinckley when he would say, 'things will work out.' when we always remember the savior, we can 'cheerfully do all things that lie in our power,' confident that his power and love for us will see us through."

-d todd christoffersen.

{christ in gethsemane - carl bloch}

i'm rarely overtly religious in this setting, but i thought i should share an article with you. it is primarily about the sacrament, our desire to be one with god and to always remmeber him. important stuff.

i love it.

 and i am what i love!