Sweet Serendipity.

Serendipity: the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for.

I have ALWAYS been a fan of the word "serendipity." It's one of my favorite words. One reason is because it just sounds so cool to say..serendipity..and the other reason is because I love the whole idea of it. I totally believe in it and always will. 

Sometimes life takes unexpected turns. We walk through life with certain sights in mind. We have hopes and dreams. We make plans for ourselves; as we should. So we go about living our life, looking to fulfill those hopes, dreams, and plans. And in the midst of it all something more wonderful than you could even imagine happens to you. It's like you were content and happy with the way your life was going; you can't complain. Life is looking great. But then this unexpected thing happens (whatever it may be) and you realize that you are so unbelievably happier than you were just the other day. It's incredible. It's not only Heavenly Father's way of saying, "You've done well to keep yourself happy, My Child, so I'm going to bless you even more," but it's totally and utterly serendipity. 

Amazing. My definition of serendipity is the act of finding something amazing while looking for something else good and worthwhile. You were headed towards something good, but happened upon something amazing. I mean is there anything better than that? Call it a tender mercy; it is one. Call it a miracle; it's miraculous. But me, I like to call it serendipity. Sweet serendipity. :)

Ope Just Kidding...

Ever feel like life says that to you? Things are going great. Everything seems to be falling into place perfectly. And then life chuckles and says, "Ope just kidding...here's another roadblock for you. Here's another heartbreak. Here let me throw a few more trials at you." It's like you're so excited to be back on your feet that you get distracted by the roses you stopped to smell and life comes up from behind and trips you. Down you fall again. But how far down do you fall?

Alright so obviously life isn't just a grand ol' walk through the park. I've always known that. But gee whiz sometimes I wish it would just hurry up and happen. No, not life. I don't want to die yet. Sometimes I wish there was a fast forward button so I could fast forward just a few months and see if that's any better than where I'm at. But I suppose from there I'd want to fast forward again so that's probably why there isn't a fast forward button. Don't get me wrong, I'm doing fine, but life just tried to trip me. It knocked me down a little, but it didn't knock me completely to the ground. Know why? Because I'm choosing to not let it. Sure I could give up and decide it's just not worth it anymore, but what good would that do me? Uh..none.

I'm reminded of a dream my friend had before he left on his mission. (I don't remember it exactly, but I remember the main theme of it.) He was climbing up this mountain. A very tall mountain. A mountain so tall it reached the Heavens. The climb wasn't too bad. He was doing great and covering a lot of ground. When he looked up towards the top he saw someone standing there. He didn't think much of it and continued to climb. Suddenly he was hit with stone. He looked up again wondering what had just happened. He was hit with another stone. The man at the top of the mountain was throwing stones at him. It made his climb really hard, but he kept at it. The man continued to throw stones down at my friend. Now, I don't know how the dream ended. I can't remember if he ever told it. But that part doesn't matter. My friend understood what this dream meant in his life, and it meant the same to me. We are the climbers of the mountain. We are the climbers of life. How well we climb the mountain will determine if we make it to the top or not. The man at the top of the mountain was our Savior and/or Heavenly Father. Yes, He was throwing the stones down making the climb a little more difficult. The stones represented trials and struggles in life. If life were to be easy then what's the point of it? Why would we have been sent to Earth? Heavenly Father gives us challenges and struggles. He is going to throw "stones" at us, believe it or not. I like to think that my friends dream ended with him reaching the top of the mountain and the man grabbing my friend by the hand, helping him to the top. That's exactly what our Heavenly Father and Savior would do for us. Life will be hard, but if we endure it well and the best we can, they'll reach down and pull us up.

So, have I gotten back up from my fall? No. No completely. That takes time. But I've got to face it with the best attitude possible and just hope for the best. I'll dodge as many stones as I can, but by dodging one stone I could possibly be hit by another. Life is full of surprises, some good and some bad. How we handle life and its little surprises is what counts the most. So life, bear with me as I try to recoup from the trip and fall. You haven't knocked me down completely..just knocked me to my knees I guess you could say. BUT Gordon B. Hinckley said, "If life gets too hard to stand, kneel." So maybe knocking me to my knees wasn't a bad thing, eh? I'm going to take that trip and use it to my advantage. I bet you didn't see that one coming, life, now did ya?

Don't Quit. Keep Playing.

Oh how I love church! Well, in all honesty I woke up yesterday morning thinking "Ugh, I don't want to get up for church. And it's Fast Sunday...that means no food. Maybe I'll just 'accidently' sleep in and miss church.." But instead I dragged my butt out of bed and boy am I glad I did. Sacrament Meeting/Fast and Testimony Meeting was amazing. I was fighting back tears almost the whole time. It's not like anyone said anything specific that really touched me, but the Spirit in the room was so strong. The Atonement was talked about quite a bit and that is always a touching subject for me. The Atonement has helped me more in my life than anything. But during Sacrament Meeting I was also reading the conference issue of the Ensign. I'd be just fine and then read something, tear up, and then be fine again. Like I said though, it wasn't like I had an "Ah-ha" moment or anything, the Spirit was just amazing! At least for me. I didn't go to Sunday School because there were no chairs. So we went to the "hall class" as we like to call it. (That's where sluffers hang out...in the hall.) I had a much needed chat with Kylee Barnard (love that girl!) and then we went to Relief Society.

Ok, so we weren't totally reverent in there. I'm still a kid at heart and always will be. Even so, we had an amazing lesson and I just can't help but write it down. (This blogging thing is becoming a good habit for me. Normally I hear something neat and go "I should write that down" and never do. Blogging has made that easy for me. Love it!) Our lesson was on the Relief Society and we, as women of the Church. I didn't catch all that was said (remember, I wasn't the most reverent.) But between the laughter and giggles I caught something that will forever stick with me.

 James E. Faust, in a talk titled "What It Means To Be a Daughter of God", shared a story that touched my soul and helped me in more ways than one. It goes as follows:

"The answer to those questions may best be given by relating the story of a young piano student. His mother, wishing to encourage him, “bought tickets for a performance of the great Polish pianist, Paderewski. The night of the concert arrived and the mother and son found their seats near the front of the concert hall. While the mother visited with friends, the boy slipped quietly away.

“Suddenly, it was time for the performance to begin and a single spotlight cut through the darkness of the concert hall to illuminate the grand piano on stage. Only then did the audience notice the little boy on the bench, innocently picking out ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.’

“His mother gasped, but before she could move, Paderewski appeared on stage and quickly moved to the keyboard. He whispered to the boy, ‘Don’t quit. Keep playing.’ And then, leaning over, the master reached down with his left hand and began filling in the bass part. Soon his right arm reached around the other side, encircling the child, to add a running obbligato. Together, the old master and the young novice held the crowd mesmerized.

“In our lives, unpolished though we may be, it is the Master who surrounds us and whispers in our ear, time and time again, ‘Don’t quit. Keep playing.’ And as we do, He augments and supplements until a work of amazing beauty is created. He is right there with all of us, telling us over and over, ‘Keep playing.’”  

After hearing this story I couldn't help but reflect on my own life. How many times has my Savior and Master whispered "Don't quit. Keep playing" and then filled in where I couldn't? No matter what struggle I'm going through, no matter how hard life gets, no matter how much I know or don't know about something, etc...the Master has promised to fill in where I can't. He has promised that after I have done all I can do, he will pick up the slack and help me along the way...'until a work of amazing beauty is created.' What great potential I have in my life with the Master by my side. He wants nothing more than for me to 'keep playing' and never give up. Am I letting him down? I did a lot of reflection after hearing this story. I couldn't tell you what else was said in the lesson, but THIS is what I needed to hear yesterday. This is what I needed to go to church for.

In life there are going to be times where all I can play is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. But the Savior will extend his left arm around to pick up the bass, and he'll extend his right arm around to pick up the rest. Ponder that thought for a minute. What do you think of? The Master and Savior of all has outstretched his arms for each of us. He has extended his love, mercy, and help to all individuals. There have been many times in my life where I've only been able to pluck out a simple song. Times where I felt like a novice. Ok, most of the time I feel like a novice. But there's nothing wrong with that. That gives me opportunities to grow and be taught by the Master. His desire and wish is exactly what Paderewski said to the young boy: Don't quit. Keep playing.

As I was writing this all out I thought of a poem I wrote last year. I wrote it during one of my biggest struggles, but in hopes that I could share it with others and help them during theirs. It's not anything amazing, but it helps me.

When times get hard and life gets rough

Don’t you dare back down. Fight. Be tough.

Pick yourself up and try once more

When the window closes, find the door.

You’ve got it in you. Be strong. Stand tall.

Remember, the Savior is healer of all. 

Don't quit. Keep playing. Be strong. Stand tall. This little story might have been the only thing I really caught  in Relief Society, but it was all I needed to hear. I am so thankful for this Gospel and for the opportunities I have to be reminded of things like this. 

New Year's and All It's Many Resolutions

The New Year arrives and everyone starts making resolutions. 


"I want to lose weight."
"I want to exercise more."
"I want to give more service."
"I want to just be a better person in general."


Those are a few of the many resolutions we hear being made at the start of a new year. Those are all great resolutions, but what becomes of them? Oh, that's right, we're good for about a week and then we sink into our old habits. Resolutions can be hard to keep if we aren't constantly thinking about them. I never really make New Year's resolutions because I know they might not end up happening and I don't want to disappoint myself. Well, this year is different. This year I have made some goals and I am bound and determined to see them happen. I have always heard that when you set goals you need to write them down so you can be checking up on yourself and know what you're supposed to be working on. Does this count as writing them down? I've only set a few because, let's face it, when you make too many there is no way you'll accomplish them all. Life still goes on. It has all it's many twists and turns and doesn't really take into consideration the fact that you're trying to be better at 25 different things. So let's be realistic about our goals/resolutions this year. Hence why I've only made a few. They are, however, sort of big goals. 


1) Learn how to cook. I'll be moving to Rexburg in April and I want to be able to cook for myself while I'm there. And who knows when I could meet Mr. Right...and we all know men love to eat. I better be able to cook for my hubby whenever he decides to show up. (No rush though future husband, learning to cook could take some time.)
2) Learn to speak Spanish. I have taken Spanish classes since the 7th or 8th grade. I stopped halfway through my junior year and didn't take another until my second semester of college. I didn't take one this semester because I was already overloaded with classes. Well, with how many classes I've taken you would think I'd be able to speak it, right? Ha ha, well...I can't. On Mother's Day when I got to talk to Devan I could sort of speak it (I was enrolled in a Spanish class then). When I got to talk to him on Christmas I couldn't speak a darn thing nor could I really understand what he was saying to me in Spanish. So, I have set a goal to learn Spanish by May... Big goal, but it doesn't have to be perfected by May. I just want to be able to carry on some kind of conversation when Devan calls again on Mother's Day. No, I'm not doing it for Devan. I'm doing it for me. I've always wanted to speak it. But setting my goal around Devan will help me achieve it I think. It gives me a specific date and time length to learn it in. Once Mother's Day is come and gone, I can work on perfecting it. How am I going to learn it so quickly though when I've taken class after class and can't speak it yet? Well, I found this program that was aired on PBS or something. It was more like an infomercial, I guess. But the guy who came up with this program realized that we learn to speak and understand English before we learn to read and write it. When learning a new language, you sit and memorize things. You have to write in Spanish over and over again. If you give me enough time, and I've got a book in front of me, I can write in Spanish. But speaking it is completely different. So these CD's that I bought (on sale for like 10 bucks) help you learn and understand how to speak Spanish. They are 30 minutes lessons and you only do 1 lesson a day. You can listen to them in your car, while exercising, while doing whatever. You don't move on to another lesson until you fully understand the one you're working on. You don't cram. You don't memorize. You just listen and it eventually comes to you, just like English did. I haven't gotten the CD's yet, but we'll see how it goes. I'm excited to get started! Oh, I also bought a Hispanic (actually, I think they're Latino) CD off iTunes. They are amazing singers and I'm slowly starting to pick up on what they're saying. 
3) Learn to play the piano better. I took piano for 5 years. Life got busy and I quit lessons. I told myself I'd continue on by just practicing everyday and perfecting my talent myself. Well, again, life doesn't really take into consideration the goals we set. We've got to be strong willed and determined to reach them. I slowly quit practicing and now I feel like I can barely play. It's sad. So I've been trying to practice a little everyday in hopes that I can achieve the full potential of the talent I was given.
4) Eat healthier and exercise. Of course, these two are going to be on here. I used to eat pretty healthy. And during the summer I was exercising everyday. Then school started, took over my life, and I stopped exercising. Then I think I was just stressed all the time because I started eating more than I normally eat. And I wasn't always eating healthy. So I've been watching what I'm eating more. I've been eating healthier this week and I've exercised everyday this week already. I feel good and if I can keep up with it I'll feel like I used to. I'm not really trying to lose weight or look sickly skinny. I just want to be healthy and feel healthy. 


So there they are, my 4 New Year's Resolutions. I have high hopes, and with goal dates in mind (at least for the Spanish) I think I can achieve them. We'll see how it goes. Wish me luck. 


Happy New Year! Bring on 2011!  :) 

My Older Brother...

I want to tell you a story about my older brother.

Ever since he was a young boy he wanted to serve a mission. He wanted nothing else, but to serve his Father in Heaven and bring lost souls back to Him. As a child he did all he could to prepare for his mission. He studied, he prayed, and he kept the commandments of God. The time came for him to serve and he was so excited. He went out to teach the people. My older brother taught and taught. He was so faithful and obedient. Never once did he slack off or give up. Well, there were people in the area he was in who didn't like what he was doing. They didn't like the messages he had to share. He was targeted personally. He was persecuted, beaten, and thrown into jail. My older brother was later killed...

I will never forget my older brother. He was and is such an example to me. My older brother...is your older brother too.

In Relief Society yesterday, this story was told. It brought tears to my eyes. Our lesson was on keeping the Christmas spirit with us throughout the year and not just at Christmas time. If we remember the birth and life of our older brother, our Savior, and strive to follow in his footsteps, the Christmas spirit should linger in our hearts every single day. 

I love my Savior and all he has done for ME. He lived a life no one else can compare to. He did all his Father asked of him, regardless of how tough it was. He is the best example anyone could have. He is my life, my light, and my world. This coming year I am going to strive to keep the Christmas spirit within me each and every single day. There is always a need for service. There is always a need for Christlike love. Thank you Sister Brown for your lesson. 

We Are Who We Are

The Parker Family!!

If you know us, you think we're some of the coolest people on the block. Are we humble, yes! Very much so! We're not the one's who think we're cool..you are. Ok, ok, let's be honest here..we do think we're pretty darn cool, but in our own weird, unique way. We're not cool because we have a huge house or lots of toys. We're not cool because we dress in all the name brands. We're not cool because we go around trying to impress people. In fact, we don't have a huge house, but it's big enough for us. We don't have a boat, a four-wheeler, a ski-doo, a snow machine, or any of those toys...yet we're content. We don't have any name brand clothing, but we look just as good as the next person.  If you are impressed with what we do or who we are, we didn't do it intentionally. We are who we are and we love it.

So who are the Parker's really?? Wouldn't you like to know...bahahaha! Alright, I'll tell you.

• We are a family of 8 right now, but can't wait for it to keep growing. We consist of a handsome Dad, a most beautiful Mom, 5 rockin' girls, and a wicked awesome brother-in-law.
• We laugh until we cry...literally.
• We yell "Honda...", laugh, and sometimes gag...mostly while watching TV, but it occurs at other times too.
• We LOVE to eat pickles.
• Popcorn is not complete without pickles.
• We also love cheese. Cheese, salami, crackers, and pickles are one of our favorite Sunday treats. And later on, popcorn.
• We laugh at the most random situations.
• We try to make a joke out of things that worry, scare, or upset us.
• We tease each other every single day.
• Yet we love each other with all our hearts.
• We like to dance around like fools...with our pants on the ground...minus the pants on the ground. Our pants are very much still on us.
• We (especially Dad and I) like to make up songs. No, not really songs that would become a hit...
• We like to play games with each other (ahem...except for one little fart who we are still working on, but we love her anyway!)
• We feel very much at peace with just sitting around talking and laughing.
• We love missionaries.
• We like to giggle at missionaries who are always coming over to our house to ask our daddy for a ride, but make sure they see and say hi to us girls.
• We agree with Dorothy...There is no place like home.
• Our answer for "What did you learn at church today?" is always "Jesus!"
• We try not to judge. Just love. 
• "The sweet caress of twilight" is a phrase some are creeped out by.
• Sometimes we walk into places lined up in order of age..without even thinking about it.
• We like to call our dad "Big Chief" and we are his "Little Squaw's"
• It is not uncommon to look at our pew at church and see our shoulders bouncing up and down, while tears are rolling down our laughing faces. We are totally reverent ALL the time...
• We like to smile.
• We like to love.
• We like to make new friends.
• We like to lift another's burdens.
• We like to make time for each other.
• We like to visit with our grandparents and other family.
• We like to talk about the Gospel and how it helps us in our lives.
• We are not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
• We are not ashamed of who we are.
• If you don't like us, that's not a problem. We'll keep being nice to you anyway.
• We enjoy a good movie.
• We've got inside jokes coming out of our wazoo.
• We love our vegetables.
• We quote movies to answer questions, solve problems, or just for the heck of it.
• We love our momma's cooking and think she is amazing!
• We appreciate all the hard work our dad does and love him with every fiber of our being.
• We, as sisters, have such a tight bond that is unbreakable. You mess with one of us, and you mess with us all.
• Our bro brings a special spirit into our home and lots of laughter. We love having another boy around.
• Our pets tend to drive us crazy, yet we love them still the same.
• We are Canadian, eh.
• We can't sing, yet we do it all the time.
• We've got two other sisters who we wish we saw more often (you know who you are).
• We love going on walks on warm summer nights.
• We aren't perfect, and we don't pretend to be. But each day we try to perfect ourselves individually and as a family.
• We don't like ke$ha, but...we are who we are!

We are the Parker's and we're proud as heck about it. We're not going to change to please the world. There is so much more I could say, but I don't to brag. :) To put it simply..we are da best!!

You Can't Slice Cheese So Thin That It Doesn't Still Have Two Sides

Today's Relief Society lesson was a winner! It was on how we should make good judgments for US but shouldn't judge or pass judgments on others. Alright, I don't want to sound prideful or anything, but I'm not a very judgmental person. I have always tried to see people's good sides and just ignore their short comings and flaws. So I was like, "Oh yeah, this is a good lesson, but nothing I really need to hear." Boy was I wrong! Some of the comments made by the wonderful ladies there really struck me! I couldn't help but reevaluate myself and my actions. These are the comments that hit home for me:

1) A story was told about how a friendship of 30 yrs was severed. There were many reasons for it. The friend was bringing this lady and her family down. She was causing pain and suffering to this lady. A mental illness might be the reason for it, but whatever the reason this lady felt the best thing to do was sever the relationship. It wasn't doing her any good. The comment she made that I have replayed over and over again in my mind was this: "I hope that in the eternities she and I can be friends again. I harbor no ill feelings towards her." I'm getting the chills just typing that. So why did this comment mean so much to me?? Back in late May or early June I too had to sever a friendship. This friend of mine I had always tried to see the good in. I had always tried to help him out and be there for him. I was as patient and as kind as possible with him. I stood up for him when no one else would. But things weren't good in that friendship. I was doing all I could for HIM and he was doing all he could for him too. He seemed to only think of himself. He brought me down. He manipulated me. He used my weaknesses to his advantage. He tore me apart time and time again. So much so that I felt I wasn't worth much. Any time I'd try to get away, I couldn't. I began to just fake it with high hopes that things would get better and he'd change. Long story short, he didn't change. He did some things that were pretty severe, but I was finally able to get away. I severed the friendship with him and his family. It was hard. I've never had to do that before and hoped I would never have to. But it needed to be done. I needed to be treated as a Daughter of God. I didn't do it because I was judging him. Heck, that's the last thing I did it for. If I were going to judge him I would have done it a long time ago and this trial in my life would have never happened. But we learn from our trials. Anyway, I severed the friendship because it was what was best for me and my life. I forgave him time and time again. I forgave him for this last thing he did as well. Right off the bat I forgave him. I didn't think I harbored any ill feelings towards him. But when that comment was made today, I realized I did. I hadn't finished my process of forgiving. Part of me goes, "I always saw this good side in him. I know it's there. I just hope he finds it. He could be such a great guy." And I believe that to this day. But another part of me goes, "He's a creep. He's a jerk. He's got some mental issues. He needs help." Those are ill feelings. So today I'm making a change. Today and forevermore I'm getting rid of those bad feelings towards him. He's a great guy. I've always thought that. He needs to make some changes in his life and it's best that we aren't friends. But I too, like the lady at church, hope that him and I can be friends in the eternities. I harbor no ill feelings, starting today.

2) "Cut me some slack." The question along these lines was asked, "What if someone was judging you based on a flaw that you had?" One of my favorite ladies in the Eastview Ward said, "Cut me some slack." Isn't that what we all want? None of us are perfect; we all have flaws. We don't want people judging us for those imperfections so we must not judge them for theirs either. We don't know what anyone is truly going through. It's most likely that what they are going through is harder than what we are going through. We shouldn't pass judgments so quickly. We don't have all the facts so 'cut them some slack.'

3) "You can't slice cheese so thin that it doesn't still have two sides." Hence, the title of my blog. I can't remember who said it or where it came from, but it's a quote by someone. Think about it for a minute...You can't slice cheese so thin that it doesn't still have two sides. There are always going to be two sides to a person. The flaws and imperfections, and the talents, abilities, and good qualities side. You could categorize the two sides however you please. But the point I'm trying to make, and the point that was made in church today was that we can't just look at one side of the person. More often than not the side that we see is the flawed side. We pass judgments, hurt others, and whether we want to admit it or not, that's a sin. We're human. We're going to notice imperfections about ourselves and others, but we shouldn't judge them based on those. We need to see their other side; their good and wonderful side. That is the side that should shine and be engraven in our minds when we think of that person. That is the side that means the most. Everyone..EVERYONE has this side. I'm not perfect. I pass judgments. They might not be out loud, but I still do it. When I find myself doing it I kind of kick myself in the pants..and then find the good in them. No matter how thin that slice of cheese is, there are always going to be two sides to it. So it is with people.

I loved today's lesson!! I didn't think I needed it, but I did. It really touched my heart and made me want to change and be a little better. There is always room for improvement and I need to improve myself everyday just like anyone does. My life was blessed to have been in my home ward Relief Society today, and to have heard and learned from the amazing women in that ward. :)

Let us make good judgments for ourselves and in our own lives, but judge not others. Be Christlike, see their good qualities, and love them.