One thing that I've learned while living at Wymount, is the grass is green where you water it.
In our previous Wymount ward, I didn't care for the sisters and didn't have any friends. I felt like an outcast and didn't feel that I fit the "Utah Mormon Women" mold. I really didn't enjoy it here in Provo. Of course, I must admit, I kind of came kicking and screaming, you could say. We moved into a different ward, and it took some adjusting. I was no longer working and just doing homework. I spent quite a bit of time alone and quickly got lonely. After being stubborn for so long, I finally decided to pray for a friend.
Well, in July I found out I was pregnant, (which I later lost). I knew that I needed to exercise. I was also praying for a friend. Well, I had seen a sister in my ward a few times, but didn't know her very well. I felt prompted to ask if she'd like to be my walking buddy. God answered my prayer for a friend. I asked her if she'd be my walking buddy. We formed a great friendship which lead to many others. Now, I really enjoy Provo, which I never thought possible. I really enjoy our ward and the families here. Who would have thought?
I finally learned that the grass is greener wherever I water it. It's not going to be greener in another ward, or with a different job, or when ever we "get out of here". I had to make the decision to water the grass now. Water it here where I'm standing and not be jealous of someone else's "green grass". Once I learned that, I became quite happy. My whole perspective changed. Life changed. I've grown from that experience. Most of all, I know I'm right where God wants me to be. Now that I'm not so selfish, He can use me for good to help bless others because I'm not focused on how miserable I am. Now, I'm really quite happy, life is great and enjoyable. I feel like I'm moving forward in life, even though I'm here "stuck" at Wymount. :) I've been able to have many experiences which have enriched my life and blessed me. I'm grateful my eyes were opened and my heart was softened. I know I'm better for it.
- SamiMae
Sunday, December 28, 2014
Ramblings about Future Dreams
Any hobby or skill that I pick up and learn is all for a purpose. It's based out of my innate desire to be self-sufficient. Call me independent, that's fine. Lately, among my school studies, I've found myself with a little bit of spare time, which I've taken to research the old skills lost to the new generation. (I've been putting my Pinterest account to good use.) I've been practicing and using skills in canning and dehydrating among others. Call me old fashioned, of which i'm proud. I have borrowed my mother's sewing machine, which I soon hope to start practicing and learning how to sew. I've taught myself how to bake bread, which I now no longer purchase. I've stocked up on food storage. I also experimented and had a container garden this past summer.
Learning to make my own bread has enabled me to stock up on flour (I would stock up on wheat, but don't have a grinder yet). I have (2) 5 gallon buckets full of flour, which I do use. It's handy and helpful because I just purchase flour in bulk when it goes on sale for super cheap. It's also handy because I only spend about $20 on food each week. (This doesn't include my occasional Costco shopping trip). Instead of spending $3 on a loaf of bread, which goes quickly, I can pick up 3 different veggies.
I've learned how to dehydrate, since I just got a brand new, very nice dehydrator. (THANKS SUZIE!) Now, I won't waste potatoes that we can't eat, and I can stock up on veggies when they are on sale! I've dehydrated onions, green onions, carrots, celery, bananas, apples, and kale. It's super handy to have them. I try to always have a project which I'm working on, whether it's canning, dehydrating, or something else.
I've found that I'm not afraid to experiment or fail. We don't learn much from our successes. We learn the most from our failures. I'm not afraid to try something new. That's why I tried having a container garden. That's why I make new dinners. I try using new things or techniques. I have had many loafs of bread not turn out wonderful, but because of my failed loaves of bread, I've been able to perfect my recipe and now make perfect beautiful loaves - and save money while enjoying a lost art. I'm not afraid to deviate from a recipe in order to save money or tailor it to my family and pantry. I've greatly increased my cooking ability since I've been married. It's great been a great accomplishment
Like I said in the beginning, most things I do or make an effort to learn about it because I want to be self-sufficient and do things on my own. I have researched many web pages and have many books on homesteading. These skills give a person the ability to be free. Free from the necessity of the grocery store - if it came to it. This desire does not only reach the physical aspect. I enjoy yoga. I'm not very good, but I do it and enjoy it. I enjoy the physical and spiritual aspect of it. I enjoy essential oils and having various scents in my home. I like living in a holistic way, in a natural way. I avoid medication until it's truly needed. I would take a natural remedy over a medication. This desire expands to the spiritual aspect - which is a whole other post entirely. :)
I've taken it upon myself to learn the skills required to be self-sufficient and take care of my family. I have big dreams. A future goal of mine is to own some land. Raise cows, goats, chickens, pigs, etc. Have an orchard where I can grow our favorite fruit. Have a garden and grow our fruits and veggies, I want to can or dehydrate our food and do everything I can to provide for ourselves and not rely on anyone else, like a grocery food store. I also want to have our house off the grid. Have a windmill and solar panels, have a water well. I'd love to get into aquaponics. Have a greenhouse. I also plan to homeschool our future children. Call me crazy. But that is my dream, But plans and reality can change. But it's important to always have a dream and a goal. I've enjoyed researching everything that I have. I've been working on teaching myself the skills I need and the skills that are possible to learn now. (Clearly, I can't have a cow while living in a third story apartment). I've felt blessed from learning the things which I have. I know it'll benefit me in the future.
- SamiMae
- SamiMae
Change of Paths
Man, life has been pretty crazy these last few weeks. Our path has completely changed. It's interesting to watch God work in our lives. We've seen Him guiding our lives a lot these last few weeks. It's interesting to take a step back and look at the whole picture so far and see what's happened.
January of this year, I parted ways with my previous job. It was a weekend of prayer and faith. It was suppose to happen. I've spent this year finishing up my bachelor's degree in accounting. I've cut over a year off of school and have done all my core classes in this year alone. I made great progress. Now I'm 3 tasks, 1 test and a capstone project away from graduating. By April, I'll be finished! (My original projected graduation date was August 2016).
Well, on the 5th of December, some things changed. Trevor hadn't heard back from the company we really wanted to get an internship with. And, I had a doctor's appointment which confirmed that I have PCOS. (Polycyctic Ovary Syndrome). That day sucked all the way around. We were back to square one. We still have no internship lined up for next summer, and I'm working on handling my symptoms.
So the next day, which was Saturday, Trevor took some time to go up to the temple and ponder and think on the temple grounds. Later, when he came home, we talked about it. He felt he should ask me to look for a job. I agreed. I'm near the end of my degree, and he's the Priesthood holder for our family. So, that night I got online and started poking around. Turns out that 6-8 jobs had just been posted that I was qualified for! While looking at the jobs, I prayed to keep my heart and mind open to the right thing.
I had been thinking about getting my QuickBooks certification for quite some time. But, it requires a large sum of money to do so, which would require us to pull from savings. As I prayed and thought, I felt that I "would not get a job without it." Which I agreed with. Most accounting jobs require QuickBooks experience - which I didn't have. So, Sunday night, we purchased me a spot in a class, the following week to receive some training. Later that Sunday night, I also sent in my resume to about 5 places online. There was still one job I wanted to apply for, but had to do it in person.
So, Monday I did just that. I went into this business and sent in my application in person. I felt the worst about this application. I didn't have strong references, and I didn't allow them to contact my last employer. But, later that night I received a phone call asking for an interview!
Great! I thought. Tuesday I had a 20 minute interview that went really well. Wednesday morning, I receive a phone call. They offered me the job! I was so excited. Then they asked, "Can you be here by noon today?" Hahaha.
Within one week, I went from not even looking for a job, to working. It's a wonderful job. I quite enjoy it. It's giving me experience in every main aspect of accounting. AND, I'm learning the real estate industry.
It was so awesome to see everything unfold before us. I feel like God literally picked us up off of one path and put us on another one saying "No, you really want to be over here." This experience has also been an example that God knows all. In November I received a calling in the Relief Society presidency. This is a one year calling. Trevor and I were planning on moving out for the summer, which would only give me 4 months in my calling. Well, now we are here through the summer because I have a job and Trevor will start his masters in September. God knows all. If we do his will, He will lead us, and we will be in the right places at the right times.
The path and plans that Trevor and I thought would be good for us, turned out to not be the best. God knew that, and showed us that by leading us in another direction. We also know that we have to be willing to change and search for the correct path. It's funny, because Trevor and I had never thought of staying in Provo next summer. But since we will be here, and we've been lead down this path, we know that Trevor will be lead to the right internship/job for next summer and that it'll all work out. :)
- SamiMae
January of this year, I parted ways with my previous job. It was a weekend of prayer and faith. It was suppose to happen. I've spent this year finishing up my bachelor's degree in accounting. I've cut over a year off of school and have done all my core classes in this year alone. I made great progress. Now I'm 3 tasks, 1 test and a capstone project away from graduating. By April, I'll be finished! (My original projected graduation date was August 2016).
Well, on the 5th of December, some things changed. Trevor hadn't heard back from the company we really wanted to get an internship with. And, I had a doctor's appointment which confirmed that I have PCOS. (Polycyctic Ovary Syndrome). That day sucked all the way around. We were back to square one. We still have no internship lined up for next summer, and I'm working on handling my symptoms.
So the next day, which was Saturday, Trevor took some time to go up to the temple and ponder and think on the temple grounds. Later, when he came home, we talked about it. He felt he should ask me to look for a job. I agreed. I'm near the end of my degree, and he's the Priesthood holder for our family. So, that night I got online and started poking around. Turns out that 6-8 jobs had just been posted that I was qualified for! While looking at the jobs, I prayed to keep my heart and mind open to the right thing.
I had been thinking about getting my QuickBooks certification for quite some time. But, it requires a large sum of money to do so, which would require us to pull from savings. As I prayed and thought, I felt that I "would not get a job without it." Which I agreed with. Most accounting jobs require QuickBooks experience - which I didn't have. So, Sunday night, we purchased me a spot in a class, the following week to receive some training. Later that Sunday night, I also sent in my resume to about 5 places online. There was still one job I wanted to apply for, but had to do it in person.
So, Monday I did just that. I went into this business and sent in my application in person. I felt the worst about this application. I didn't have strong references, and I didn't allow them to contact my last employer. But, later that night I received a phone call asking for an interview!
Great! I thought. Tuesday I had a 20 minute interview that went really well. Wednesday morning, I receive a phone call. They offered me the job! I was so excited. Then they asked, "Can you be here by noon today?" Hahaha.
Within one week, I went from not even looking for a job, to working. It's a wonderful job. I quite enjoy it. It's giving me experience in every main aspect of accounting. AND, I'm learning the real estate industry.
It was so awesome to see everything unfold before us. I feel like God literally picked us up off of one path and put us on another one saying "No, you really want to be over here." This experience has also been an example that God knows all. In November I received a calling in the Relief Society presidency. This is a one year calling. Trevor and I were planning on moving out for the summer, which would only give me 4 months in my calling. Well, now we are here through the summer because I have a job and Trevor will start his masters in September. God knows all. If we do his will, He will lead us, and we will be in the right places at the right times.
The path and plans that Trevor and I thought would be good for us, turned out to not be the best. God knew that, and showed us that by leading us in another direction. We also know that we have to be willing to change and search for the correct path. It's funny, because Trevor and I had never thought of staying in Provo next summer. But since we will be here, and we've been lead down this path, we know that Trevor will be lead to the right internship/job for next summer and that it'll all work out. :)
- SamiMae
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