Giving Thanks

10 things I'm grateful for. There are so many more than that, but I figured the beginning of each week during November I would share 3 things I am thankful for. I know I already missed a week, but better late than never. 

Thanksgiving is such a good reminder of the things we have in our lives. I have had some struggles this year but that doesn't mean that I'm not grateful for so much. My life is full and I have so many amazing people surrounding me.

 1. I am grateful for sunsets and the ocean. I love spending my days on the boat fishing, snorkeling,  or just swimming.

2. My fur babies. I love them all so much! The white and grey kitty is Kate Wiskerton and the multi colored kitty is Hermione and our dog is Bowzer. They fill our home with joy and lots of laughter. There is definitely never a dull moment with them.

3. My best girl friends. I love them so much. They make my life whole and add so much joy to every life experience I have. I am so grateful for each and every one of these ladies. They are always there when I need them most.

 4. Whale sharks! They are my favorite animal EVER! And I was lucky enough to go to the Atlanta Georgia Aquarium to see them up close and personal. The next step is going to Mexico to swim with them.

5. My parents. I am so extremely grateful for my parents. They have given me a wonderful life. I was blessed enough to be able to travel with them and be homeschool up until 7th grade, which allowed me to spend my days on the boat fishing with my dad. I hold those memories near and dear to my heart. They are also the best examples. My mom is currently in nursing school and I couldn't be more proud of her. 

6. My in-laws. I am so happy to have another set of parents and so many more sisters and brothers! I love them all so much and they all mean the world to me. Hamilton's mom and dad are my parents too and it is so amazing to have in-laws that I am close with.

 7. My nieces and nephews. They are growing up way too fast! I remember when they were all born. It is really not okay how fast they are growing up! They are so smart and so loving. They are the best and funniest bunch of kiddos ever.

8. I am so grateful for my calling. I am the young women's 2nd counselor in my ward. I love those girls so much already and I hope that I can teach them as much as I know they will teach me.

9. I am grateful for the gospel. I am grateful for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am so grateful for the temple and that I am able to go there with my husband and friends. It means so much to me to have a place to go where I feel safe and at home. I love having the knowledge that my Heavenly Father is always watching over me and helping me along the way (way more than I will ever know).

10. My husband. Hamilton Aaron Birkeland. I am so grateful for him and all he does for me. He is kind and patient and all the things I need to work on. He is an example to me each and every day. I love him more each day and can't wait to see what the future holds for us.


Tell me what you're grateful for! This month is all about being thankful and grateful. Pass it along and share what you're grateful for.


xoxo, Jacquelyn

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marriage

june 18, 2015. the best day. the start of forever. the day 'i' becomes 'we.'

that was the day i married my best friend. i dont think my cheeks have ever hurt so much..from how much i was smiling. we're such goofs and in the sealing room we kept everyone entertained with our silly faces and my shuffling around. it isnt that we weren't taking it seriously, we were just so excited and that's how we act when we're excited!

the day before, my amazing friends took me to a super nice hotel for a spa day. it was so amazing and relaxing and just what the doctor ordered. later on we went to mackenzie's house and watched legally blonde. we all went to sleep later on and then when i woke up, it was time to get married!

so i headed on over to hamilton's parents house. we ate a little and i met some family, and then we headed off to the temple.

it was finally time for us to be sealed for time and all eternity. i thought i was in love before, but i have never felt more intense emotion than when we were in that room across from each other. my heart was so full and it was so amazing. his smile just melted my and the kisses were just a million times sweeter.

that day will forever be my favorite, im sure once i have children those days will be amazing also, but it all started here.

this one is probably one of my faves haha

xoxo, mrs. birkeland

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oh how He loves us

i feel so beyond grateful and blessed to be a member of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints. the road has certainly been a rough one, but i know that i have always been led in the right direction. being a member of this church can be difficult at times, not because i can't keep the commandments, but because it means holding myself to a much higher standard. and when i fall short, i get frustrated with myself. it is so amazing to me to have a Heavenly Father who loves us so dearly. i can't even begin to understand the love He has for me and all my brothers and sisters. i have felt that love when i'm in lessons with the elders or sisters and it is such an undeniable and amazing thing. it just gives me a small glimpse of the way He loves us. 

i am constantly reminded of His love by everything around me. just by being able to wake up each and every morning, to have the strength to get through the day, to have a job and go to school. there are so many things that i am blessed to have and it's so important for me to remember that.

i have been having a really hard time lately, not with the gospel or the church or anything like that. but with the small things. daily prayer and scripture study. i am working on it, but it's just been so hard lately and i'm not sure why. i know that those are the most simple things, but they truly set the tone for our lives and the way we live them. i know that when i start my day or end my day by reading the scriptures, i just feel better. i'm able to feel the spirit so much better and so much stronger. it is so wonderful and such a blessing to have that constant companionship and it is something that i need to strive for each and every day. 

having the temple so close is a huge deal, there are so many people who don't have a temple so close to them and i need to not take it for granted as much. i need to take advantage of it much more. i love the temple so much and being able to go and being worthy is one of the best feelings ever and i don't ever want to lose that. it's the one place that i can go to and forget everything outside of those walls. it's the place where i can feel my dad and satch with me and know that they are always watching over me. 

i know that repentance is real and that we can't put it off. Heavenly Father is waiting for us to come to Him and repent. He loves us so much and wants us to come back to Him. He will always love us no matter what and He sent Jesus down to be our Savior and we can't take that for granted. he payed the price for all of us and it is such an amazing and beautiful thing to know that no matter what mistakes we have made, we can always be forgiven. 

i fall short each and every day, but i know that no matter what, Heavenly Father is always there with me, waiting, longing for me to come to Him in prayer. i am so grateful for such a loving, kind Heavenly Father and an amazing, perfect older brother, Jesus Christ, who was willing to bear all of our burdens and sins on his shoulders. i love this gospel and know without a doubt that it is true and i couldn't be more grateful for those who have helped me along the way.

xoxo

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"too much"

i don't really like being praised for joining the church. it was a huge deal, don't get me wrong. but it was not "too much." sure, at the time it was really hard. and i didn't think anything could ever be worse. but looking back, that trial made me so much stronger, and despite the difficulty of it, i never once questioned my decision or even considered backing out. 

i strongly believe that if we have faith in Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father's plan for us, than we should not have a single reason to say no or to postpone anything. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been the biggest blessing in my life. it has helped me so much, with many things. i am grateful for the people that have helped me through this journey, and i really do appreciate the people who support me and are proud of me for my choice. 
but i do not like being told that "it must have been awful" and "how did you do it?" and "i don't think i would have been able to do that!"
because 1) it was awful, yes. but it made me stronger and it prepared me so much for the trials that i have had to face since then. 2) i did it because i had faith. plain and simple. i had a testimony and i was converted to the gospel. 3) if you don't think you could make it through, then how do you make it through the current trials you are going through? it was hard yes, but i know that my Savior lives and came to atone for my sins. i am so grateful for the huge sacrifice that was made for me, specifically.

it takes great strength to make such a large change in one's life. change is hard and can be very scary. religion is such a broad yet specific topic. making a change of religion, most of the time, requires us to change our lifestyle a bit. 
it is hard enough to make such a huge change on your own. but to do it despite what your family, friends, or even people you don't know might say, that makes it an even greater challenge. i really hate calling it that. it is pretty accurate though. it is a challenge, just like anything else. trials are just that, challenges. and even though not everyone will be happy with the choices we make, if they love you, they will accept you, it may not be right away, but they will eventually.

my family did not accept my decision, nor did they support it. it has taken almost a year to get to the point where we can openly talk about my religion without it turning into a huge argument. but i would not change a single moment of it. and now, they accept and fully support all i do, even if it has to do with my religion.
i am who i am today, because of what i had to go through. i have the strength that i do, because of what i had to deal with. i have such a strong testimony, and i know that i have truly been converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ because of all the things that i have had to overcome. 

struggles, trials, and challenges are real. they will happen to us no matter what. i know that if that wasn't my struggle, something else would have been. if i didn't go through that, i would not be where i am now. i am so grateful for all my trials, but that one specifically, because it set the tone for what was going to come next. 

if we can't do the simple things like have faith, trust, and hope in our Heavenly Father, how in the world would we be expected to act upon our promptings? how would we be expected to overcome our difficulties? 

it really is quite simple. pray. keep that line of communication open at all times. it is so important to have that line to Heavenly father. read your scriptures. He doesn't ask much of us, but He does ask that we read. it is how we receive most of our answers. have faith. having faith can be very tough, especially when it seems like you have no faith left, but i know that if we can push through those hard times with a strong and steady faith, we will come through on the other side. and we will be much stronger for it.

Heavenly Father will never lets us down. He is the one person that is there for us 1000% of the time. He cannot and will not lead us astray. sometimes it seems that His way is much longer and much more difficult, but that is because we need to gain strength and we need to learn some more things along the way.

i know that the things i went through/are going to go through are tough. but i also know that my faith is unwavering. as long as i am doing all that i can, as long as i can push myself to be better each and every day, i will be blessed and i will be able to overcome all that comes my way.

He will never ask "too much" of us, He will push us, yes. but it will never break us, and it will never be something we cannot do or cannot handle.



xoxo,

jacquelyn

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patience: a precious and rare virtue

so, i'm starting this new thing. every month, i'm going to try and work on something new.
i've been trying to work on kindness lately, so i decided to just start fresh, since it's a new month and all.

patience.

i really do struggle with this, quite a bit. how much i struggle depends on what it's about and what it is that i'm doing/waiting for. 
life can be hard, and at times, overwhelming. it doesn't always seem fair, but life isn't really supposed to be fair or easy. we are constantly growing and trying to be better, so of course it isn't going to be a breeze.

"How much of life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow before thanking God that there is rain?" -Dieter F. Uchtdorf

there is so much going on around us, all the time. 

in today's world, it shouldn't be too hard to be patient because there is always something to distract us or something else we can be focusing on. but at the same time, we live in a world where everything is at our fingertips. it is so easy to have access to almost anything, instantly: internet, friends (Facebook, instagram, twitter, texting), books, tv, music, amazon..pretty much anything and everything we want is just a click away. everything is becoming electronic. there are ebooks, which i hate, and netflix, and there's pretty much an app for anything you can think of. and because of all this "convenience," we get impatient by the smallest of things.

>>waiting in line at the store

>>waiting at red lights

>>not being connected to wifi

>>waiting for food at a restaurant

>>having to wait a few minutes for something to load, either on your phone, computer, or tablet

>>basically anything that we can't get instantly

it is pretty sad that we have this "i need it, and i need it now" mentality.

it is not realistic, not in the slightest. almost anything worth having and worth working for, takes time and effort.

-a relationship. if you want it to work out, it will not always be easy. you have to work for it, you have to truly want it. you have to be willing to make some changes and willing to work with each other. there must be patience on both sides; otherwise, it will never work. if you want someone to be patient with you, you must return that same patience. and, of course, if you want something to last forever, you must treat it differently.

-being successful in work, or any business related pursuit. you almost always have to work your way up. you don't just wake up CEO of the company you're working for. or in my case, you don't wake up a best selling author, or a photographer that everyone knows. it takes time. you need to have patience with yourself. spend time making yourself better. make improvements. don't expect it to all work out overnight. hard work pays off.

-getting back in shape. you will not be skinny or have a beach body after one week. you need to keep it up! fight for it. work for what you want. don't get too frustrated. you won't see results, and neither will anyone else, for at the very least, 4 weeks.

it's okay if you don't see progress right away. keep pushing. keep working towards your goals. one day, it will all pay off. life has a funny way of working out. 

if we could all have the "His will, not mine" mentality, the world would be so much better off. i do try my very best to remember that. i may have to force that into my head, but i always remind myself when i'm praying. 

sometimes the Lord has us wait for things, not to punish us, but so we can realize that it wasn't right for us, or so we can be even more grateful and appreciative of it, when we do get it.

lately, there has just been so much going wrong. family troubles, no luck trying to find a job, no luck with the apartment search, having to go to the police with fraud. it just seems like as soon as everything is going well, everything starts to tumble down around me. and that is when our patience is tested the most. 

not our patience with worldly things but our patience with God, and mostly, His timing.

i often wonder why things happen the way they do, and in the order they do. but once i have time to reflect and really think deeply about what's happened, i realize that i wouldn't have it any other way. the Lord's timing really is perfect. His way is so much better than my way. even though it seems like He is dragging me, kicking and screaming at times, when i look back, i see how much i've grown and how much stronger i have gotten. and then, i am entirely grateful. 

i love my trials, as odd as that may seem. they have shaped me into the person i am today. they have made me independent and strong. they make me have a sense of reality and peace. 

and even though each trial gets just a little harder, i am able to have a sense of peace and calmness; because, i know that Heavenly Father has a wonderful plan for me. when i do my best to follow Him, He never leads me astray. He is always right beside me. He guides me down the straight and narrow, as long as i am doing my part.

and i know that He does this with each and every one of us. we are His children, and He wants us to come home to Him again, one day. He loves us all so dearly. it is impossible to comprehend. 

someone once told me that the reason God gives us trials is not to punish us, but because we have been doing so well, and following Him so greatly, that He has to give us trials so we can grow even more and just get stronger and gain a deeper testimony. 

which, once i really thought about it, is entirely true. if we didn't have trials, or rough patches, we would just be cruisin' through life. and that isn't what this life is about. it is about growing and learning and trying to be as Christlike as we possibly can. and if we weren't tested, that would be completely impossible.

- God won't take away our burdens, but He will give us the strength to carry them ourselves, without being weighed down. 

Romans 5:3  ...but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope.

i know i already said this, but i just want to emphasize.

our trials make us stronger! they make us who we are! without them, we would never be able to grow and progress. 

life can suck sometimes, but, duhh, we think that because we let ourselves. 

part of patience is being positive. we can be patient, but if we are complaining the whole way, and dragging our heels, that kind of defeats the whole purpose.

instead, try to be happy, enjoy the wait { as much as possible } and do other things that make you happy while you're waiting. 

and patience is far more than waiting..we must actively wait and actively endure. 

in reality, impatience is selfishness. 

patience is letting go of yourself, and letting God take the wheel. and that can be hard, and really scary sometimes because we don't always know where He is taking us.

but it really can't be anywhere bad. He is our loving Heavenly Father and His plan for each of us is wonderful. and it may not be our plan, but it is always 100000x better. 

patience and trust go hand in hand a lot of the time.

think of how patient the Lord is with us, we can try a little harder to be patience, both with Him, and His children.

the effort is what really counts, just make the effort. do it.

xoxo,

jacquelyn 

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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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ft. laudy temple trip

so we are getting another temple here, in florida, and soon! the dedications is may 4th! and the open house is going on now!
i feel so very blessed and privileged that i was able to attend the open house, with such amazing friends. i truly do have the best of friends. i don't know what i would do without them.
even though the temple wasn't dedicated yet, the spirit was still extremely strong. it hit me like a ton of bricks. it is just so beautiful and perfect.
it really is heaven on earth. there is no other way to describe it. it was amazing and wonderful. it is so great that we have these temples here on earth. we have 142, soon to be 143, operating temples. and so many more under construction! it is so amazing to see how much the church is growing.
to learn more about temples, click here.

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#ldsconf

oh my goodness! where do i even start?
conference is always amazing and truly speaks to us all in different ways! it is crazy how it seems like they are speaking only to me, specifically, at times.
if you have no clue what i'm talking about, i suggest you click here. i promise, you won't be disappointed.
the prophet, apostles, and other general authorities are so wonderful. it is amazing how each and every talk is different; yet, somehow, they all come together! i am happy to say i watched every single session. women's, priesthood, and of course the regular saturday and sunday sessions.
just because you aren't a women or a priesthood holder, absolutely does not mean you can't get something out of every session. there is always something that applies to us all.

President Uchtdorf's talk was spot on. it was everything i needed to hear and then some. it answered every question i had and is something i really needed help with.
gratefulness. that word is sometimes hard to understand, and sometimes seems impossible. it seems like the biggest word in the world at times.
but i know it is a simple thing that everyone could really work on.
each and everyday has some sort of challenge within it that we must overcome. sometimes it is so small, we don't even realize it. other times, it seems like our world could come crashing down at any time.

lately, my life has been more on the side of crashing down around me..
so many things are going on. there is so much i need to do. i feel like the bad news just never stops coming. i get insecure with my decisions. family problems seem to just be getting worse. i just feel sad all the time. my mom is putting so much pressure on me. i feel like i'm failing my parents. i'm always everyone else's shoulder to cry on. why can't someone be mine?

despite all those things, there are always things to be grateful for..
i'm healthy. i have a loving Heavenly Father. bad news and trials will make me stronger. there is always rain before a rainbow. blessings come from being faithful through trials. these things will make me stronger. my family is close enough that we can all be there for each other. being sad is a choice - choose happiness. my mom putting pressure on me means she is trusting me. my parents will always love me. people trust me enough to be their shoulder to cry on. i am a beautiful daughter of a King whose love will never fail me.

life is about perspective. if we have a negative attitude and just an all around bad attitude, we really won't get anywhere.
but if we are able to understand that God doesn't give us anything we can't handle, than we will be able to make it through anything. we have to be grateful for our trials and heartaches. without those things, we wouldn't be able to get stronger, we would be able to progress.
this life is about progression, without it, where would we be? where would we be going? would we be the people we are now?
i highly doubt it.

we have to try and remember that we are His sheep. He will always leave the 99 to find just one. we are that important to Him. He is the most loving and perfect and wonderful Father we could ever ask for. Matthew 18: 12-13. read it.

just a few of my favorite quotes from conference (they are not all word for word)
>> is it worth it to take a stand? yes, it is. -Holland
>> flow true righteousness. -Holland
>> act on your beliefs. -Amado
>> change our wants and desires - and be humble enough to ask for help! -Reeves
>> God expects us to follow His commandments no matter what the world says. -Anderson
>> sometimes you must stand alone. -Anderson
>> our duties may be difficult, but that's because we are aiming for eternity. -Eyring
>> faith is the antidote of fear. -Nelson
>> live your religion - be securely tied to God. -Nelson
>> one thing to make life even sweeter - even joyful - is being grateful. -Uchtdorf
>> gratitude is a way of life. -Uchtdorf
>> we resist endings because we are eternal beings. -Uchtdorf
>> the gospel is not weights - it is wings - it carries us through. -Sister Stevens
>> the atonement makes up for our mistakes, but don't abuse it. -Stevenson
>> make your faith so strong that you won't hesitate to drop everything in service. -Walker
>> recognize when you have enough - you don't need the newest and latest. -Teh
>> don't have hard feelings toward God. -Teh

i missed the last talk and President Monson's talk. but i am so excited to watch them!

it is really important for us all to remember the words of our past and present prophets. they are here to help us. they are our source for knowledge and goodness.
they may be quite a bit older, but they understand the trouble and temptation we are faced with. they love us and want us to do our best in this life.

i encourage everyone - member or not- to listen to just one of these talks. they are beautifully worded, and i can guarantee that you will get something out of it.


xoxo,

jacquelyn 

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i love to see the temple

i'm going there someday. to feel the Holy Spirit, to listen and to pray. for the temple is the house of God, a place of love and beauty. i'll prepare myself while i'm young; this is my sacred duty. 
i'll go inside someday. i'll covenant with my Father; i'll promise to obey. for the temple is a holy place where we are sealed together. as a child of God, I've learned this truth; a family is forever.

i had the most amazing and beautiful opportunity last saturday.
march 15, 2014 was probably one of the most special days of my life. i can't quite explain how i felt.
it was bliss, it was a burning in my bosom, it was immensely uplifting.

before i was feeling a little anxious, but mostly excited. the moment i walked past the front dest, i almost burst into tears. the spirit was so strong, and it was actually happening! i didn't think i would receive my endowments until i was about to get married. plans change though! and i couldn't be happier or more excited. going in, i wasn't really focused on receiving answers to specific questions. since it was my first time, i was just focusing on the feelings and the emotions. and boy, it was crazy! it wasn't too overwhelming! just intense! and i don't really know what words to use! it was so powerful!
i think i was more prepared that i thought i was; i know that this is where i belong. i know that what i am doing is right. i know this is what i need to be doing! i know that the things i will be teaching and learning are true. there is nothing else i would rather be doing!
i made covenants with my Heavenly Father and i will do everything to keep them!
it is home, my heart and spirit feel so at peace there. it is the House of the Lord and i know that. i can feel it anytime i just look at it.
i am so blessed with the amazing support system i have! they are so amazing and so understanding and loving! i don't know what i would do without them, it's kinda crazy <3

i have truly never felt more pure and clean in my life! i literally felt like i was glowing! my mind and body was incredibly tired afterwards though. it was such a crazy, amazing, and joyous day!
it's one to be cherished :)

just some before and afters ;)

 i wouldn't have wanted anyone else to be my escort, thank you for all you do/have done fore me <3

the only thing that could've made it better would've been my own parents being there. but that's okay, maybe one day we can go together :)


xoxo,

jacquelyn

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