Confession Time

I have a problem.... 

Last week one of my roommates bought each of us a NERF gun with intentions of battle. Super fun right? I was excited and also slightly frightened when I came home to find it on my bed. 

I mean look at this thing! Tiny, but boy it packs a punch! 

So anyways, we had a mini-war and it was disastrous. My aim STINKS. Pretty much the only time I managed to hit my roommates were the times I wasn't aiming for them. I think that takes a different kind of talent, but they don't agree. After being embarrassed, I decided I need to do some target practice, I started shooting various things around the apartment. This is where the problem comes... 

I have become addicted to my NERF gun. I LOVE shooting things and pretty much anytime I am home I have the gun beside me practicing. There is just this sense of power I gain from hitting a target. In that instant I feel I can accomplish anything. 

This is my "Power" view. 

I still don't have the best aim; maybe hitting half the times I shoot, but I am getting better. This whole ordeal just goes to show two things. 

1) Practice makes you better. It doesn't matter what you practice you will become better. Piano, crocheting, baking, shooting, it all works the same with practice. You put forth some effort, you slowly will master what you work on. 

2) Addictions can come from anything. This is probably what scares me most about this. I have literally become addicted to shooting a silly piece of plastic. Without any thought I find myself picking it up, gathering bullets and shooting a paper lantern down from the ceiling. (Shhh, don't tell my roommate.) But seriously, this is so sad! From this I have realized how important it is for me to watch what I do with my life. One little decision could lead to me becoming addicted to some unpleasant things. 

So while this isn't a serious confession it is an opportunity for me to look into my actions. Am I putting my "practice time" into what should be practiced? 

Who knows? Probably not and I should probably start working on some other things. But for now I will shamelessly wait for my roommates to return home.

THIS IS WAR. 

My "Musts"

So last week I felt like I hit the end of my rope. I ended up going home late Saturday night and spending the weekend talking things through with my mom. During the course of the discussion we developed a list of 

My Five Musts.

This is a list of the five things I must do daily. They include:
1. Breathe
2. Eat
3. Sleep
4. Pray at least once a day
5. Read at least one verse of scripture a day

That's it. Nice and simple.

Now before you start to critique hear me out! This is my list of bare minimum, the things that must be completed.
I don't know about you but in my mind there is this lengthy list of things I "should" be doing daily. When I am unable to get those things done I get down on myself. It makes life pretty miserable when you feel you are never completing anything.

Hence my list. The first three are necessary for staying alive; the last two are necessary for keeping me connected to God. They really don't seem like much but on those days when I physically and mentally can only do so much it is nice to know there is a list that if I complete I have done enough.
Having this list for myself allows me to look back on my day with the attitude of accomplishment. If I have done my five things I completed what I set out to do. The day has been GREAT!
If there are days were I am able to do more than what is on my "Must" list that is just extra added bonus!
You made it to class today? Added bonus.
You were able to really study a couple chapters of the Book of Mormon? Added bonus!
You fed yourself today? Great! You did what you had to today! 

This is a great system for me! 

I think this is an idea each of us needs to consider for our lives. We each have a "must" list; honestly that list probably changes every few months or so. What is important to remember is that it isn't about all the "should's" but rather the "musts" that determine our success. And even then, if a day goes by and you didn't get all of your musts done that's okay, you simply have a new goal for tomorrow. 

Through what Lens

So yesterday I wore my glasses instead of my contacts like I normally do. As I was walking around campus I noticed a few things.

Maybe it's because I don't wear  my glasses often, but I was constantly aware of the rim around my eyes. It was always there; as if it was a magic barrier. The instant my eyes looked beyond the rim the world became fuzzy. Honestly it was a mess.

Yet once I allowed my eyes to cross back through the barrier and to stare through the lens designed for them the world made sense again. What had been blobs of color were now people, flowers, cars and all the other magnificent sights this world gives us daily. Literally my outlook on life changed from a slight shift of my eyes!
So what?

As I made this observance almost instantly I had two lessons come into mind.

1. There is a lot in life we don't know. Sure, as we grow up we are taught what is right and what is important, but then life comes and shoves us out into an unknown world. It doesn't take much, but suddenly we are beyond the rim. We have passed into a strange new world that doesn't made any sense. Some people will end up wandering this new realm lost for the rest of their lives. Others will notice the rim is still there and drift back towards it. Allowing ourselves to once again go past the rim and view the new world through the lens of what we previously knew allows the new, confusing world to make sense again. 

Which I guess brings me to my second realization.

2. What lens am I using to view my life? There are so many different "pairs of glasses" we could put on, each altering what we see. Am I viewing my life through the glasses I have imagined my peers use to view me? Am I looking through shades of depression? Or am I using the glasses of God?   How we look at life is going to make a difference in what life will bring. 

I haven't quite figured it out. There are still many days I try on multiple types of glasses and my view on life is like a roller coaster. But I have found one thing for sure:

There are glasses out there that let me see the world with joy. It isn't possible to wear them all day every day, but that doesn't stop us from trying them on. 

So whatever they may be, bright yellow frames, hipster, stylin' black, 

We need to choose to look through the lens of Joy. 

Mi Familia (Ha, I don't speak Spanish!)

So this is my family. We have a pretty great relationship. Not that you can tell from this picture.

We love to laugh. Ridiculously. One great thing is my parents always tried to have us eat dinner each night. The conversations can be serious, but usually range from quoting Winnie the Pooh to debating whether Gandalf or Dumbledore would win in a battle. (Pssh, Dumbledore all the way, who are we even kidding?)

Sure, we argue, but for the most part we all love each other.

My dad is great – he offers sound advice, has always shown the example of working hard and was the one responsible for instilling love for BYU football in me.

My mom is pretty much the best – I was blessed to have her stay at home, which meant anytime we needed anything (forgotten homework, feeling sick) she was there for us, she made the greatest birthday cakes and introduced me to the magical realm of reading.

My brother is a mini genius – give me a bucket of LEGOs and within a day he will have created multiple creations, all from his head! I have no clue how in the world he does it. He also is genius when it comes to editing videos, and he is becoming pretty fantastic at playing piano. Pretty much he is awesome.

My sister is the youngest and loves so many things – She is pretty great. She plays the cello, loves Calvin and Hobbes and is an example of creativity to me. She’ll come up with these drawings and I just marvel how she does it.

I am so grateful that we have been sealed together for eternity. There is just something so encouraging about knowing we'll always have each other. I guess having that knowledge makes it easier to keep working together and learning to be each other's strength. 

This is Me!

Hey y’all! So I am not from the south but after spending nine months in a tiny town in Florida I have committed to forever keep y’all in my vocabulary.

I am Brenna, which is an Irish name even though I don’t have any Irish blood in me. My mom just likes Irish names for some reason.

I am a student at Brigham Young University which is definitely the school for me! I am studying family history, which is just the greatest. I love constantly learning about where my family came from and certain traits they had. It constantly is astounding how much our family influences who we are, even if we never met them.

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which gives me my core belief in God and His son Jesus Christ.

I love to laugh, especially at memes. It really is ridiculous how much I love those.

But to be honest I love pictures in general. My poor future husband will just have to deal with me taking pictures of him all the time.

One of my favorite quotes is "Live, Laugh, Love." This especially means so much when we apply it to the moment. 

Live for the moment.
Laugh in the moment.
Love the moment. 

What else matters if you remember this each day?