it is quite wonderful

today i left my apartment at around 3pm and didn't get back until 8:30 or so. and what was i doing? just exploring orlando and being a photographer for the day.
i started over by lake eola, which is in the downtown area, and ended up all the way on the other side in eustis, i think. to be honest, i'm not even sure where i was half the time.
all i know is it was beautiful outside. it was so nice to just drive around, listen to music, and clear my mind for a bit.

i may have used up a little too much gas, but it was totally worth it.

 >>i really wish that i had someone sitting on the bench, or that it wasn't there.

it was such a beautiful day, even though it was a bit stormy, it made the sky so much prettier.

God is so good and i am so grateful for this place that i live in. i know that He loves me so much, and even though we all go through rough times, it is only because we are doing so well, and it is time for us to do some more growing. He is my strength and my rock. He is leading me on the straight and narrow, and even though i'm not entirely sure where i'm going, i know that i won't be lead astray. Christ will always be walking beside me, shoulder to shoulder.
i know that my Redeemer lives and loves me. i know that the atonement is real and that my sins can be forgiven, only because Jesus Christ died for me. it is such a wonderful time to be alive. make the best of it. go on adventures, make friends that you can make memories with, love one another. life is really too short to be anything but happy.

 Psalm 9:10  And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

xoxo,

jacquelyn

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more about the 'we'

we { basically the whole population } are so worried about the "i," that we don't realize that what we do and say affects other people too. i am just as guilty of this as everyone else. it is a beautiful thing when someone is truly appreciative of the things we do. a lot of people just expect it, and we should just be willing to do things for others, but it is still nice to be appreciated.

we live in such a selfish world, that we don't even know that we're doing it sometimes.

if we could all focus more on the 'we' and the 'us' the world, as a whole, would be such a better place.
i know, it's hard. we are naturally selfish and more worried about ourselves; but, that's okay. all we need to do is try, put in the effort! just try to do something small everyday.
through small and simple things, great things come to pass.

no one is excluded; it's something each and every one of us does. we need to look out for each other, have each other's back. help each other more, not less.
if my car broke down on the side of the road, i would want someone to pull over and help me. just one person can change someone's day.
a single smile can change a person's entire day. be a friend, be someone that people feel comfortable talking to, be a loving child of God. love one another.

xoxo,

jacquelyn 

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bradentucky

this place will always be home.

it's crazy to think that i haven't actually lived here in 5 years. wow..that makes me feel wayyy older than i need to.
i've made many memories here. so many good times, and so many bad times.

i couldn't have asked for a better place to spend my childhood.
i had such great friends and such wonderful role models! i truly wouldn't have had it any other way.

bradenton will always have a piece of my heart. it is so lovely to come back for long weekends and spend it with old friends and family.

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kindness matters

be happy. be kind. be loving.

growing up means letting go.

it's time to let go of hard feelings, bitterness, and selfishness.

i know, it's hard. especially because doing most of those things means letting go of yourself. it means letting go of certain feelings that you have. it means putting other people's feelings before your own, at times.
sometimes it feels like you just have to hold on to that grudge, or it just seems totally impossible to let go of something that hurt you.

sometimes people say stupid things that they don't mean, and sometimes they do mean things.
we can't take things to heart so much, we need to learn to let go.
everyone has their own battles that they are fighting. we don't know how much someone needs a friend. it's impossible to know what is going through someone's head, until we try talking to them.
i know that when i get in a bad mood, or i start thinking too much, i can be mean and rude. it is something i need to work on. but i know that i'm not the only one.
when i get like that, i really just need to talk to someone.

it's hard for us to put ourselves aside and open our eyes to what's really going on. sometimes we just need to be a friend. and it may be to someone we don't particularly like, but that's okay.

if we are putting God first in our lives, it should be pretty easy to help out others.
if we are continually repenting, it should be easy to let go of bitterness and hard feelings.
if we can set aside just 10 minutes a day to dedicate purely to the Lord, our days would go so much smoother. we would be in such a better mood.
and if we could apply the things we learn, from those 10 minutes a day, to our everyday life, it would be so much easier to love one another, and to be kind and happy.

if we are happy ourselves, it is so much easier to love and be kind to others.
we need to be selfish with our own happiness, but unselfish when it comes to other people's feelings and loving everyone.
let go of things that make you unhappy, and find the things that make you happy.

James 1:19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

20 For the wrath of man worketh not righteousness of God.

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i have some splainin' to do...

the past few weeks there has been a lot on my mind. i've been trying to get all my mission stuff together, spending time with my family, with my friends, and just trying to do my own thing.
i kept praying and studying my scriptures, obviously, just trying to gain a deeper testimony and more knowledge for myself, and for when i go on my mission. and as i would pray, i would lose myself in my prayers and i would start praying for things that i wasn't even thinking about. like being a mom, having a family, going to college, getting a job.
i started to get a little freaked out. that isn't what i was supposed to be worrying about or focusing on.
so, i continued to just push those thoughts out of my head.
i had the typical, "should i go on a mission?" thoughts. but i figured satan was just getting in my head. i went to the temple and just prayed, harder than i ever had before.
Heavenly Father, what is your plan for me? do i go on a mission? or do i stay home, get an education, and prepare to have a family of my own?

i didn't get my answer that day, but when i opened the scriptures, i opened to two different ones..one was about putting all your trust in The Lord, and the other was Proverbs 31. which just talks about how a woman should be, and what i need to be striving to be.

i kept praying and reading scriptures. then i read my patriarchal blessing...

i got my answer loud and clear. a mission is not in my cards.
i went back to the temple for confirmation of my answer. and i received it.

i had been so excited for my mission! i couldn't wait to go! i wanted to teach the people of australia all about the gospel and show them the joy that i have been able to feel.
but it isn't God's plan for me. and that's okay.

i don't know what His plan is for me, but i will know eventually. i don't need to know right this moment. i just have to trust Him, and i'm trying my best to do that.
i know His plan is going to make me so much happier and that, no matter what anyone thinks, i am doing the right thing.

just because my plan is different, doesn't make me any less of a person. just because i won't be serving a mission, does not mean i "just got cold feet," or that i don't love my Savior. it simply means i have been sensitive to the spirit, and that i am trying to follow the path that is being laid for me.

i know that i am doing the right thing, and i know it will make me so happy. my plan is special, because it is mine.

i am so excited to find out what is in store for me!


xoxo,

jacquelyn

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trust

sometimes, life can get the best of us. it is so hard. i feel like i just can't handle it or do it anymore. it's just so overwhelming.
so much is going on, and it is difficult to even think. i don't know.

all i know is that Heavenly Father will always be there for us. He is the one person who is always listening. it is hard to receive our answer, sometimes, but if we are able to listen closely, it is possible. we have to read our scriptures to get our answers.

even when it feels like my whole world is crashing down around me, i can feel peace and comfort { most of the time }.
it is so important for us to understand that Heavenly Father's plan for us, is not always our plan. but His plan is always better.

trust is the biggest factor in our relationship with Heavenly Father. we have to trust Him 100%. all the time and with every question we ask and decision we make.
recently, i've had to make some really hard, and really large life decisions. it wasn't easy, and it wasn't a quick answer. i had to work to find my answer. i had to put in effort. and i didn't really like the answers i was getting, but i just had to have faith and trust. i know that if it's His will, He will pull me through it.
God doesn't give us anything we can't handle. right now, i feel like i can't handle anymore...but i know that there is always rain before the rainbow. it is hard for me to remember that some { a lot } of the time, but that's okay. i read my scriptures and pray and go to the temple as much as i can. i know that through those things, through my efforts, the Lord will meet me in the middle and give me the answers i am seeking.

Mark 9:23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

xoxo,

jacquelyn

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oh, hey.

i've been so mia lately..there has just been so much going on.

i feel like i've been so busy..yet, somehow, not busy at all. does that make sense? probably not. oh well.

so first things first..sonny and i are officially over. we have been for over a month now. we talked everything out and came to a mutual agreement. we need to respect each other and he needs to focus on his mission, while i focus on what i need to be doing.

we started as best friends so there's no reason to be immature about this. we will probably be friends, but for now, i know it's hard. who knows what will happen.

i've gone on a few dates. but now i'm dating this one guy and he's so great. soooo, that's pretty great!

i've been going back and forth between orlando, bradenton, and key west a lot lately. and it's great, but also kind of hard. it's wayyy too much to explain tonight though.

the temple has become my top priority. i try to go every week, twice a week, if i can. it is such a blessing to live so close and to be able to go whenever i want/need to.

things just seem to be crazy right now. my mind is going in so many different directions. i know it will all work out though. my path isn't too clear right now, but at the same time, it's very clear..kind of confusing..i know.

but there is so much more i have to say. that will have to come later though, after my meeting on sunday..then comes the real update.

(sorry for the picture overload)

so stay posted!

xoxo,

jacquelyn

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