Uplifting Journalism.

So I have a journal.

BUT it's not just any journal.

It's my spiritual/impressions/thoughts/quote/doodles/anything that stands out to me journal.

Every Sunday, and maybe a few random days in between, I write down pretty much anything that touches my soul.

I like to remember things that touched my soul and writing it down always helps me do that, cause my brain gets overloaded sometimes and I forget really special things.

Anyway...today I decided to read through it and guess what...

MY SOUL WAS TOUCHED AGAIN! :)

I was warmed by the things I had written and as I remembered I felt peace.

So I thought I would share a few thoughts from it!

So hopefully you enjoy even just a little bit of it...

* Thoughts > Desires > Actions...eventually it becomes who you are. Be mindful of the thoughts and desires of your heart.

* "Fear not. Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith." -President Monson

* "If ye judge people, ye have no time to love them." -Mother Teresa

* We are only people, we need the Lord to achieve and succeed.

* Blessings can only come through obedience.

* To have a pure heart means to have freedom from improper motives.

* Prayer is your personal key to heaven. The lock is on your side of the veil." - Elder Boyd K. Packer

* Have your eyes wide open to your own faults and partially closed to the faults of others. You can't change others, you can only change yourself.

* Choices become hing points in history... every choice has an effect on your eternities. Choose the right.

* You cannot have a better friend than God. Trust Him, love Him, talk to Him. He sent you here to be happy, He knows your heart, He is always there for you. Turn to Him always.

* 11/20/11 This week I felt really low. I was being stubborn and felt like I could do everything on my own. Finally I broke down and I turned to the Lord. I prayed with humility and sincerity. I poured out my heart, my troubles, how I felt. I cried so hard I could hardly breath. I apologized for not turning to Him first. I asked for forgiveness for my unhappy attitude, my self pity, my mistakes, everything I could think of. I cried and I cried until I felt a warm embrace encircle me. I felt joy and at peace. I knew I was being embraced by my Savior. I literally felt like His arms were wrapped around me. The distinct words came into my head, "The Lord still loves you Cam, no matter what." At that moment I felt like I could breath again. I felt like I was important and the things I was going through and the way I was feeling mattered to Him. I knew that I would be okay. I knew that I needed to constantly wait upon the Lord for comfort and guidance. I knew I was loved.

(Even just writing about this experience again gives me the feelings of peace and joy all over again!)

* "I believe in God like I believe in the sun. Not because I can see it, but because of it I can see everything. "- C.S. Lewis

* Live in such a way that if anyone were to speak badly of you, no one would believe it.

* Faith builds on the past, but it never longs to stay there. We need to always be progressing. 

* Because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, we can learn from our mistakes without having those experiences condemn us.

* Choose to be happy. Always! :) Happiness is always a choice away!

I'm Happy! :)

These are just a few of the many wonderful things I have felt and have written in my little journal. Reading over it has brought back so many wonderful and even some awful experiences. But they are all mine, and they have all had an impact on me and the person that I am continually becoming. I am so grateful that I wrote down the impressions of my heart and that I can look back and learn from them time and time again! I strongly encourage everyone to get a spiritual/impressions/thoughts/quote/doodles/anything that stands out to me journal. You will be amazed at how much you have learned! :)

Hurray for a new job!

I've been searching and praying for another job opportunity.

Since I'm not in school right now I need to be doing something worthwhile, and paying off my student loan seems worthwhile right?

Fact of the matter...I just don't make enough at good ol' Pizza Factory.

I love the job and the people I work with but I just don't make enough for my needs.

So I've been praying and applying like crazy.

Pause.

I just wanted to share this. I thought it was funny. We should all be grateful for the jobs we have! :) HAHA

My prayers were answered this last Thursday.

I was at Jeff's house just hanging out when his mom walks in and asks if I'm looking for a job. 

'Why yes, yes I am...'

Turns out one of her best friends asked her for references cause she is looking for a personal assistant.

'Please tell me more... :)'

She's really flexible. The work requires doing anything and everything she needs. Pay is good, better than your getting right now. And you will learn all kinds of new cool things. Are you interested???

'YES, YES, YES, AND YES!'

I feel so blessed to have this opportunity!

Today was my first day and I loved it.

I love not having a set schedule. 

I love having a fun boss.

I love learning new things.

I love always having different things to do.

I love my new job.

Of course today was the first day, but so far so good. I have a really good feeling about this job. I know I won't ever get bored with it. I know I'm going to love it!

Thank you Nancy and a big thank you to Tiffany! :) I'm so excited to learn and to work! :) I feel so blessed and I can't wait to get into all the work!!!

Gridiron Performance Weekend.

This last weekend I had the opportunity to go down to Vegas to perform in the Gridiron All-Star Halftime. The performance was great! But all the down time was my favorite!

I think the best way to tell you about it is to just caption the photos! 

So here we go...

Most of the girls in "Raspusha," aka: the 15 passenger van.

Mama T and B! Interpreter & Interpretee HAHAHAHAH

 An outfit that made us miss Sami, haha.

 Of course we had to try fun things on and take pictures...

 Shopping til they drop. Tia and Tish's birthdays are this month so of course they came prepared with money to spend :)

 Marissa, Nina, and Brooklyn rocking those hats and glasses :)

The group!

Everyone ready for a night out! Don't forget "Raspusha" in the back. We named the van.

 Everyone after riding NY NY roller coaster! It was my first time, and it was awesome! I will never forget before the ride. We all were waiting in line and a song we all knew came on so of course that meant we had to sing and dance! Everyone looked at us like we were crazy and drunk, when in reality we were probably the most sober group there. Hahaha. Priceless.

Tia being funny and playing the "chase-raspusha-and-eventually-I-will-let-you-in" game. Classic.

The beautiful ceiling in the Bellagio hotel.

 Look who we found on the strip.

 Can you see him??

 Meet our new friend, the tree awakening guy. Pretty cool. You can look up his stuff on youtube.com, type in tree awakenings if you want to see it.

 My first water show at the Bellagio.

Absolutely beautiful. I loved it.

By this time it was 10:00 and us "old souls" were ready for bed. Hahaha.

 Posing with the eiffel tower.

 Stupid tree is in the way of the awesome Mirage fire show! It was awesome!!!

 Me and my aunt!

 Posing for a picture waiting for the walk sign to come on.

 Take 2 to get everyone in. Not quite. But it was worth a try.

Treasure Island's show. Fun.

 Michael impersonator. Worst one ever. No one was stopping cause he wouldn't dance.

But don't worry...we made people stop with our moves. :)

 All ready to perform :)

Us all killing it in our performance! :)

It was such a fun weekend! I got to know everyone better, had a fun night in Vegas, and got to dance! It was awesome! :) Memories were made, fun was had, and dancing was done. What more could I ask for? It was a great weekend!

What a week.

Wow, what a week!

This has been a roller coaster week.

So many ups and downs it's hard to remember them all.

But in the end, it was great!

Ups...

• Jeff changed my transmission fluid and my oil, and I now have a new thermostat. (Haha quite the story with that one, click story to find that out.)
• I had a job interview at a place that I would LOVE to work.
• I ate a lot of oreos :) my favorite!
• I did a post on my favorite article of clothing, cardigans! Click here to check it out!
• I went to Vegas and had a super fun weekend. End of story.
• Watched 17 Miracles and was reminded of my gratitude for the pioneers.
• My face is choosing to be clear and I can't express my excitement for that!!!
• My little brother put the wrong dish soap in the dishwasher and caused a disaster. Gotta love it!

Vegas!

Yay for no major zits!

"What do I do now?"

Downs...

• Got in one too many disagreements. Quote below.
• Was super excited about the job interview but I'm afraid they are looking for someone with retail experience. But I will keep my fingers crossed...
• Happy New Year to you...a fresh start, starting with the . (period)
• A lot of self reflection and maybe even a little bit of feeling sorry, but in the end pulled through! Haha

I know I say this a lot...but I truly love my life!! :) 

And I know that everything happens for a reason, but that life is meant to be enjoyed.

We need to always remember to find joy in the journey.

How about an oil change, yeah?

Jeff is such a sweetheart.
He's always doing everything he can to make my life easier.
And sometimes that includes doing an oil change for me.

I love this boy.

Anyway, let me give you a little history of cars and Jeff and I.
First story.
Last school year it was a Saturday and I had my biology death class.
(Don't ask me what I was thinking taking a Friday/Saturday biology class, cause truly I DON'T KNOW! Sometimes I'm crazy.)
Anyway, I went to class early, of course. Got all situated, and I was ready to learn. But of course the professor comes in and says, "Whoever drives the black honda civic...you have a flat tire. It's extremely flat, and if I were you I would probably take care of that now."
Of course the professor knows best so I went out and called Jeff.
Let me give you the run down version of what happened.

Jeff gets there. We jack up my car. Try to get the spare out, but realize the bolt was corroded on so we couldn't get the tire out. While trying to get the spare out we accidentally pushed the car off of the jack so now the axle is resting on the curb. (Haha resting. What a joke.) Decide to just take the tire to get it patched. Get it patched. Take it back. Get it on. THEN Cam locks her keys in her car. (Which if you knew this car, you'd know that locking the keys in the car is nearly impossible.) Both get frustrated but just laugh. Drive to Jeff's house to get supplies. Grab the most random tools possible. Luckily and skillfully get the car unlocked. Kiss goodbye. We both go home. It only took about 3 hours. HAHAHAHAHA.

2nd experience. Run Down.
Looking for something specific at Walmart. Didn't have it in Bloomington. Started on our way to Washington one. Just past the first exit, not the exit needed, the car gas slips. No exceleration from pushing the gas. Stops moving at the worst possible place on the freeway. Get out. Run to the gas station. Call my dad. Dad comes. We rent a trailer. Have to go on the freeway for a while to get to the spot. Finally get to my car. Push the car on the trailer. Take to mechanic. Can't remember what, but something was wrong with the ignition. Fix. Took 4 hours. I'm lucky, I know. HAHAHA.

Next experience goes a little like this...run down version again.
Sami, Jeff, and Cam all decide to make a trip to Vegas to go shopping. Go to Walmart. Get treats and gas. On our way. Talking, laughing, singing, having  a good time. Ten minutes out of Vegas car breaks. Get out to look at it cause it's smoking or steaming, still not sure which. Jeff pops the hood. Puts a glove on. Sami and Cam stand back. Jeff starts unscrewing the coolant. Coolant explodes everywhere. Sami and Cam weren't far enough away. Jeff gets burned and Sam and Cam are covered head to toe with hot coolant. Did I mention it's summer? It's over 100 degrees outside. Call his family in Logandale. Call his dad back home. Sit and wait while Jeff apologizes over and over. His family get there with their mortuary van. Drive to their house. Watch "Little Red Riding Hood." Eat the most delicious BLT ever. Jeff's dad and Buck (lifesaver) comes with the trailer to pick us and the car up. Load it up. Drive back. Eat Hi-Chews. Unload the car at Jeff's mechanic. Drop off Buck's trailer. Go back to Jeff's house. Borrow his mom's van. We record each of us screaming (I don't know why, haha, seemed like fun at the time.)He takes each of us home. It only took 7 hours. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

 Ready for our Vegas adventure.

 Broken down, trying to figure it out.

 In the back of the mortuary van, can you tell we were covered in coolant?

 Loaded up! Me being a goober :)

 Me and Sami having the time of our lives.

Unloading at Papa Boyle's (mechanic)

One of our screaming videos. :)

Needless to say, not so lucky with cars.
I always tease that it's Jeff, but I know it's because of me!
So let me tell you about this oil change.
Run down of course.

So Jeff buys the oil and filter I need. He's confident he knows how to do it. We pull it up on the ramp at my house. He gets down there and I'm his tool girl. He unscrews the plug. Reddish fluid sprays everywhere but the bucket. Red fluid everywhere. We freak that my dad will freak about the oil. So we do the stupid and get the hose to spray it down the driveway. I work on getting rid of the oil while Jeff pour oil in. No oil is coming out. Realize we just drained the transmission and not the motor oil. SHOOT. Panic moment. Look up how to do an oil change on Mazdas on youtube. Jeff is upset with himself. I try to make the situation better. Jeff lays in the wet oil. Try to pour the red fluid back into the hole we drained. It won't go in. Panic again. Take a deep breath. Figure out how to get the fluid back in. But decide it's best to just get all new fluid, JUST IN CASE. Go to the store. He's soaking wet and I'm in floods and ugly work tennis shoes. I joke with him that I won't go in cause I look ugly. We both laugh but go in anyway. Did I mention he's soaking wet? Haha everyone stares at us as we just laugh at ourselves. We get the transmission fluid and a skinny, long funnel. Jeff bought everything. Such a sweetheart. We get back. Put the oil back in. Hurry and clean up our mess. Laugh hysterically. Go back in and eat Mac and Cheese. I go to work, he goes home. It only took 2 hours. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Then we finally get around to the oil change 3 days later. My plug screw thingy is stripped. So the oil change takes 4 hours, BUT it gets done. And of course Jeff replaced the screw and bought only the best supplies for my car.

I am so grateful for Jeff in all of these instances and for all instances of life. He's always so good to me. I love how no matter how big the catastrophe is, we always have fun and make the most of it with a kiss at the end of everything. After each experience we fall more and more in love. It's memories like all of these that make life so great. :)

Today I'm like a wave.

Upset. Hurt. Exhausted. Sad.

All are words that describe me right now.

Why is it that everyone always feels like they know what's best with you?

They work and work behind your back to build up all this ammunition for what?

To hurt you with it? Use it against you? Get what they want?

People always say they just want you to be happy.

But why do they close their eyes to your joy.

They pick and choose what they want to see.

Let me just say this...

Life is hard.

Things won't always work out the way you had hoped.

Or if your me, they will hardly ever work the way you'd hoped. Haha.

Sometimes they will bring you down.

And unfortunately, sometimes it will show that they have brought you down.

But you can't blame it on the sun.

It's not the suns fault things have brought me down.

If anything the sun has just been constant and comforting.

The sun has brought so much hope and love.

The sun isn't perfect, but nothing is, except for our Savior.

Have people ever sat to think how hard they make it to show the joy the sun brings me?

My prayer is that eyes will be opened, hearts will be softened, and the sun will shine through as constant and hopeful as ever.

Today I am this wave. Tossed and turned by emotions and maybe a little hurt. But every day I learn a little more and more to roll with the flow and trust that the sun will always shine through. 

I know this probably doesn't make a lot of sense.

But sometimes nonsense rambling helps the soul.

Much aloha! Have a great day! :)