We All Wear the Same Jersey

“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.”

I love sports! If I could find a job that paid me to travel and watch and participate in every sport all around the world, I would take it! I feel like Sports and Food have a great thing in common-they bring people together of all backgrounds of life! I feel like life itself is one giant Rugby game...or football game...or track meet. There`s always a champion at the end...but it takes a lot of work to get there. And it takes a good team! Even in track and field, a more individualized sport, nothing brings greater joy then helping score points so your TEAM can bring home the prize. In track, you work hard as a individual to master your race, and reach your greatest potential. But it takes teammates to encourage you, push you, and make up for the times when you don`t hit your goals...

“Individual commitment to a group effort -- that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”

Like every team you have a coach too. The man who you believe has all the answers. The man you trust to teach you all you need to know to be successful. Someone who educated and trained. Someone with experience. Most of the time you have assistant coaches as well. People who will encourage you, and help you specifically with life and your own individual problems. I like to think of my Head Coaches in Life as my Father in Heaven and his Son Jesus Christ. My Assistant Coaches are my parents, good friends, and Leaders of the church including teachers and other organizational leaders who have helped inspire me.

“It doesn't matter who scores the points, it's who can get the ball to the scorer.”

Every team has a playbook and our guidelines to follow to help keep the chaos minimal, and make it organized. There are also rules to follow that help make the game more fun and easier to understand. There are opportunities to cheat...and many times, people do. There are opportunities that we get to make a score...a touchdown, but we are taken down right before the goal line. We know what are playbook is. The Scriptures and the good books of life. We know also the the enemy waits to deceive us. They come in full uniform, with black marks under their eyes, ready to distract us from our ultimate goal and tackle us before we gain any more yards. But we also have been trained on what to do to defend ourselves. If we listen to our coach instead of the voices of the crowd , who really know nothing of the game as they are seeing it from a different point of view...we can find joy at the end result of making score, and helping lead our team to victory.

"If for a while the harder you try, the harder it gets, take heart. So it has been with the best people who ever lived."-Jeffrey R. Holland

There are things to avoid when playing the sport of "life" such as pride, cheating, dishonesty, jealousy, envy, mocking, and forgetting your true potential. I used to love Marion Jones! She was my favorite runner in the Olympics and I had dreams that I ran next to her when I was just barely beginning High School. However, I lost respect for her when I learned more of her lifestyle and her decisions. I realized she had a tough life...And I didn`t know why she resorted to cheating in her race, but  I was very disappointed and let down. Often times, we must deal with the let down of people who we believe to be our heroes, or good friends. My mother always said, "You can love and be kind to everyone...but they do not have to be your best friend". Make sure the team you are a part of and the fans you love are people who will build you up, and not destroy you.

“The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.”

Pride, jealousy, mocking, and envy do not create positive team spirit. These things are found not only in the team setting of your own team, but in the spectators. When you go to a football game, you are amongst individuals you may know, and some you will never see again in your life perhaps. Some of the most evident places to find pride and harshness towards other individuals by watching and hearing the fans of each individual team. When I play a sport, I often find myself getting angry or discouraged when my team is loosing. I want to jump in and play the whole game--thinking I`m the only one who could make a difference. Pride comes quickly and consumes me. And even though it should not be, it is easy to try and justify pride. The best cure for pride, is constant prayer and a reminder that in Life-WE all wear the same Jersey! We are all on the same team!

"God expects you to have enough faith and determination and enough trust in Him to keep moving, keep living, keep rejoicing. In fact, He expects you not simply to face the future (that sounds pretty grim and stoic); He expects you to embrace and shape the future--to love it and rejoice in it and delight in your opportunities.

God is anxiously waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as He always has. But He can't if you don't pray, and He can't if you don't dream. In short, He can't if you don't believe."
— Jeffrey R. Holland

The Love Doctor-Readers Digest Version

"Aim high, but do not aim so high that you totally miss the target. What really matters is that he will love you, that he will respect you, that he will honor you, that he will be absolutely true to you, that he will give you the freedom of expression and let you fly in the development of your own talents. He is not going to be perfect, but if he is kind and thoughtful, if he knows how to work and earn a living, if he is honest and full of faith, the chances are you will not go wrong, that you will be immensely happy."
— Gordon B. Hinckley

My first day in massage therapy class was a lot to consume. I am super excited for all the things I am going to learn this year. My teacher was going off about the "power of touch" and the importance of mainting professionalism with your clients as you are giving a massage. "Remember, you are using a really serious power...one that effect the brain and causes the body to change...You are using the power of touch. Often times, clients tend to fall in love with the people giving them massages..."
My first thought....GREAT! I`m down for a little loving! ;0)
My next thought....what is it that makes touch such a trigger point to so many emotions...

Luckily for me for our homework we were assigned to write a paper regarding our reasoning for choosing the massage therapy program and the ideas behind massage therapy. So, I got to go home and do some research! My research led me into what I did not realize really excited...."The SCIENCE of LOVE"

There is a reason why when we are in love we endure more then at other times and we submit to everything. Now, my dear readers, please don`t read this and base all your feelings for that "spark" you have been waiting for on this scientific evidence...you can still find your prince or princess and fall in love or whatever! These are just the reasons behind the emotion...I would hate to break up anyones dreams of finding their fairy tale! I mean, I`m still looking for mine!

Love really is: "All in your head"...The activation regions associated with intense romantic love are mostly on the right side of the brain, while the activation regions associated with facial attractiveness are mostly on the left. There is a Biochemistry to attraction and love. Love comes in three stages:

Lust-Which lasts weeks or maybe a few months. At this stage there is a release of hormones such as testosterone and oestrogen. You know that "weak in the knees" feeling you get when you first see a attractive person of the opposite sex? Well--it`s real...really a hormonal response! Ain`t that just dandy! ;0)
Attraction: This is your "romantic stage". This is a continual release of the "LOVE HORMONE:" that you hear most about. The PEA(phenylethylamine), which is a neurotransmitter chemical in the brain. This chemical release is responsible for the stress like symptoms you fell when you are "falling in love". (sweaty palms, increased heart rate, heavy breathing, etc) It is a natural form of amphetamine. And you all can go ahead and look up the result of amphetamine. The story behind, "Love at First Sight"-is associated with the direct response to a release of the PEA. This release is short lived...3-5 years. Which is perfect for the procreation stage that has been handed down from ancient times....wowser! But don`t worry, you can always work up another batch of PEA...so love lasts...forever!;0)
ATTACHMENT- Going to the chapel...(temple)...and we`re....gonna get married! (stage). Oxytocin is the chemical released here! And this is how we relate love to the power of touch! Oxytocin is the "mature love" chemical or...the "touch" chemical. Oxytocin is a brain peptide secreted from the pituitary gland in the brain. It`s the "holding hand fever" kind of feeling you get. This is the reason why touch in a relationship\marriage is so important. Just keep in mind that it doesn`t take much...just a little hand squeeze will improve your relationships dramatically! ;0) Keep in mind that ROMANTIC LOVE is more POWERFUL then LUST LOVE! That`s why it can last longer.

Don`t think just because you haven`t felt these "love tingles" that you are missing some hormone or you are broken or something. Truth is, you just may be functionally lacking in the chemistry of love...but it`s still there...in eeveryone! So get to class-and find your chemisty!

That`s the biochemistry. There are more parts to love related to physiology. a part of love that originates from the hypothalamus that is programmed into our DNA where men are attracted to women because they appear more fertile (ex. a waist size no more than 68 percent of the hips) and women... are attracted to men who appear strong and powerful due to the hunting gathering mentality of our ancient ancestors...we tend to seek "protection" and "SECURITY"...I left with this thought: Boys, don`t hate me because I want a wallet size as big as your muscles...it`s my natural instinct!

There are elements of love that I don`t even want to start going into...;0) But for all you die hard love fans...It`s out there...But there is something we always forget:
"True love is not so much a matter of romance as it is a matter of anxious concern for the well-being of one's companion."

The Cosby Show - Sit there until you eat them

I LOVE THE COSBY SHOW! I don`t watch TV very much at all, but if there is one thing that I love to watch, it`s the Cosby Show! When I think of raising a family, I feel like my family should be very similar to when I have a family! The Cosby`s spell the word Family the right way: T-I-M-E... Note to future prospects: If you can`t unleash the Bill inside you...it just won`t work out between us.

Here are 10 lessons I learned from the Cosby Show:
1.) Never Let the Challenges of a sibling get in the way of you progressing and pursuing your dreams!
 "Dad, Denise pushed us out of the bathroom, so the soap's in Rudy's eyes and she wouldn't let me rinse out the shampoo like Mom said and now Rudy might be blinded for life! If she is, can we get a dog?"
- Vanessa 

2.) You won`t believe it now...but sooner or later, your best friends will probably be your family!
"What did I tell you about pushing your sister?"
"I'm just hurrying her along."
"That's fine, she's only 5 now, but she IS going to grow up and she MAY get into body building. And then she'll track you down and say "Remember all the times you used to push me around?" and clean your clock!"
- Cliff and Vanessa

3. Your Children will be your greatest struggles, yet your greatest joys...and in the end...totally worth it!  
"So you don't want another one? child"
"There's times that I don't even want the ones we have."
- Clair and Cliff 

4.) Education is important! Learn all that you can now, because that`s what you get to take with you! Even in all you learn here on this earth, Never forget who the ULTIMATE Scientist is!
"What's the matter?"
"I'm bored."
"You're bored? Well that's funny because I've got $3 million of books up in your room."
- Cliff and Rudy

5.) There`s no greater love, then the love of a mother. 
 "I don't understand why it is that you get to rant and rave and I'm the one that has to be calm."
"Because, Cliff, that is my baby in there!"
"Well, that's my baby, too!"
"No, Cliff, you did not have that child. I had that child. I was the one who was lying on that table screaming "take it out." And if it takes the last breath in my body, Sondra IS going to become a lawyer!"
- Cliff and Clair

6.) Being a adult is not as wonderful as we think it is! It`s a lot of work! Parenting is a full time job! Thank your parents for all they taught you...if you have a poor relationship with them, do your part to strengthen it. And while your young...milk that opportunity you have to live free and easy under your parents roof!  
"Mom, will you stop? I'm not some criminal. I'm your kid!"
"No, you're not. You said you wanted me to you treat like an adult."
"Is this how you treat adults?"
"When I take 'em to court, yes!"

7.) Men are Men...they are the same today as they were yesterday....and unfortunately, they will probably be the same tomorrow. 
"Getting up at 4:30 in the morning to prove myself to a group of men basking in the nonexistent ray of their own intelligence is not my idea of fun."
- Clair 

8.) Parents lead a life of adventure too...
about being romantic "I've got five children...I don't need to prove anything to anybody!"
- Cliff

9.) Everybody plays a unique and special part in this world...from the millionare to the broke bum on the street. Where would we find humilty but to give...and drive to succeed-if both the poor man and the rich were not present? 
"It's like 'oh you're the A's, well you're way up here', and 'oh you're the D's, well you're way down here'...and...I just think we should all be one happy alphabet."
- Denise

10.) Seek after riches of heaven, instead of riches of the world...there are some things in life that money cannot buy!
"All of you who do not have a job, raise your hands. And while you have your hands up, I want you to look down because for guys who aren't working, I'm seeing expensive sneakers."
- Cliff

21 Things I learned while being 21 (Lessons 1-5)

"There must be a day or two in a man's life when he is the precise age for something important"
By Franklin P. Adams

Before September 7th 2010, I hated the age of 20. I thought that nothing good happened when you were 20 and that is was the most boring age ever! I also thought that 21 had to be the perfect age! Because when you are 21, everything wonderful happens! First, I could finally go on my mission! That long awaited dream would finally be here, and the moment I had my birthday, that very day, I was turning in my papers! I would also have traveled to Europe, seen the world, be completing my bachelors degree, and have read every Jane Austen book ever written in the course of history. I would have a job, be making enough money to get me through my last year of college, and I would have cute clothes, hair, and accescories to boot. Well, as September 7th started rolling closer and closer, I started getting real comfortable with the age of 20. I had been 20 for a good long year! And it was tough! But 21, was now not looking so wonderful! In fact, I`m 21 now...and I hate it! I can`t wait til I`m 22! By the time I`m 22 I`ll have accomplished all the things I was suppose to accomplish when I was 21! and that `s a promise!:0) Well...Let me tell you some things I learned while being 21:

1.) "Life is to be enjoyed, not endured"...Everything wonderful happens to everyone else...but never me! That was my 20 year old attitude;0) Well, guess what...life is what you make of it! I may not have traveled to Europe, or I may not be on my mission...and I may not have been Homecoming Queen...but I`ll tell you what I have been:

I had the blessing of being in 10 leadership and volunteer organizations while attending WSU in Ogden
I got to build a house for habitat for humanity in ventura California
I have lived in 4 states in three years
I have been traveled to NY, Canada, PA, Louisiana, Texas, Idaho, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, California, Utah, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Virgina, Nebraska, Kansas, and South Dakota.
I have been Rock Climbing, canyoneering, camping, snow shoeing, snowboarding, skiing, Yurt Tripping, Cross country Skiing, and repelling.
I have been a pig farmer
I started and organized a College Rugby Team
I have completed 3 years of college and have earned scholarships to help get me through most of it
I have never been jobless for more then 3 months. (even then I still found a way to make some sort of income)
My face is on a bus
And....I`ve never been hit my a train!...Life...is pretty good!

2.) "Stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight."
I think it`s very easy to focus on the hard times in life and forget the blessings because we human and forget the eternal perspective. It`s important to grasp the concept that in all actuality,  we are better then we think we are! Moving to California has been one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life! The funny thing is...nobody made me come here! I did it all on my own! But man, the growth I have experienced since I have came here! When it comes to learning to forget the storms and enjoy the sunlight...what better place to practice then good ol' Southern California! ;0)

3.) "Let us never forget to pray. God lives. He is near. He is real. He is not only aware of us but cares for us. He is our Father. He is accessible to all who will seek Him."
I love Prayer! I have witnessed many a mighty miracles in my short time here on this earth. It`s impossible for me to deny that there is a higher power looking after me in all that I do. I have been away from my family for over 3 years now. It`s been hard to miss birthdays, parties, struggles, and growth...but I have been able to stay close to the ones I love and be of service from a distance-through the power of prayer. I love that!

4.) "Aim high, but do not aim so high that you totally miss the target. What really matters is that he will love you, that he will respect you, that he will honor you, that he will be absolutely true to you, that he will give you the freedom of expression and let you fly in the development of your own talents. He is not going to be perfect, but if he is kind and thoughtful, if he knows how to work and earn a living, if he is honest and full of faith, the chances are you will not go wrong, that you will be immensely happy."
Everybody already knows that my love life is a little...off! ;0) But I have to say that despite it all...everyone that has ever professed love for me...or I have professed love for...has changed for the better! change for me, and change for themselves...I`m a firm believer that sometimes...good things in life fall apart so that better things can come together.

5.) "Go forward in life with a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face, but with great purpose in heart."
I know lately I have not been my best self. But that`s okay. Because I don`t have to live in the past or in my mistakes. Just learn from it. I am so ready for growth! The other day a friend asked me if I thought I suffered from depression. Oh my that took me back! I never thought about me being depressed. I was not myself, that was for sure. I could feel it. There was a heavy burden associated with the stresses of life, finances, trying to get by, integrity, and living up to my full potential. But lucky for me I was reminded of the blessings that come from repentance, faith, and perseverance.   It isn`t as bad as we think sometimes...It all works out in the end...for those of us that are willing---to trust, and wait....

" I just want to live happily ever after, every now and then."- Jimmy Buffett

I attended a Conference a few months ago where the speaker began by reading a book written by a first grader a few weeks prior to the conference. The book was a fairytale. The young author had even drawn pictures of the princess and princes who and their homes. The book was simple, but left a everlasting impression on all of those who attended the fireside. I can`t remember the story in detail, but this is somewhat of a idea of what it said:

Once Upon a Time there was a princess named Belle.
Belle decided to have a party at her castle and invite her princess friend snow white.
Snow White of course wanted to come and she invited her cousin, Sleeping Beauty.
And Sleeping Beauty invited her cousin Jasmine.
The girls were having so much fun at their party.
The Princes came to the Princess Party and wanted to stay and play.
They asked, "Can we play with you Princesses?"
The Princesses all said, "NO!"
And the boys went home...and cried!

That was the end of the story! So simply written, and the laughter still slips out even months after the story has been written. It met the requirements for a wonderful fictional piece. The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what fiction means.

“In my dreams, I could be a Princess, and that's what I was. Like most little girls, I believed nothing less than a Prince could make my dreams come true.”

If your waiting for your own happily ever after, I have great new for you! It`s already here. Your "Once Upon a Time" is Right Now!