Days 260-261

Well here I am at 10:34 p.m. able to go to bed early if I wanted to... but I am always unable to get myself into bed before 11 p.m. So here I am updating my blog as a dutiful blogger should with a 365 day challenge!

So onto the service highlights of yesterday and today:

Yesterday I made quite a feast for my family for dinner. It consisted of Western Family Mac and Cheese with steamed broccoli. Yep I'm a chef! But I guess it had been awhile since either of my parents had eaten Mac and Cheese because they sure loved it and went back for seconds!
Today my mom and I had a fun opportunity to serve. We had a girl's night and went to Chili's for dinner. Chili's was doing a fundraiser for St. Jude's hospital and they had cops from the city (Centerville and surrounding areas) there serving the drinks and taking "tips," aka donations, for the hospital. So we both gave to that. I love donating to good causes. I hope they truly help those who are in need.

I just want to give a shout out to my mom. She is the most giving, loving, generous, and fun person, madre, and friend ever. She is so supportive in all I choose to do, even if it's not what she, personally, would choose for me. I love her and am grateful for her. Rock on Madre and Daughter dates!

Days #257-259

This is good, eh? I'm already updating after only THREE days??

Still sad that after such a short time I STILL struggle to remember what I did to serve... on Monday I invited someone who is newer to the ward to come and play volleyball with a big group of friends. I also sent good luck texts to my family who was going back to school. Tuesday, aka yesterday, I had a funny type of service. I was at the eye doctor getting a regular check up and I noticed a man in a wheel chair come in. I watched him for a moment or two while he was filling out some information and I wondered how his life was going, what he does for work, etc. Then as I walked by him to go to the waiting room I saw a pen fall to the floor right by his wheel chair so I bent down to pick it up for him thinking that it was such a small act of service it hardly counts at all. He gave me a quick puzzled look but took the pen anyway. THEN to my embarrassment I realized that it was MY pen I had dropped and picked up to give to him. Sheesh. Anyway, I also did the dishes for my family last night.
Today to serve I helped a friend with a project they're working on.

Boy it feels good to have updated before even a week has passed! Woohoo!!

Done any fun service lately? Pass it on!

Days #207-256

I know what some of you may be thinking... "Well seems like Kristi has pretty much given up on this goal!" That's not entirely correct. I may be INCREDIBLY bad at updating this now but I haven't, however, slacked on serving everyday. The other downside to me not updating often is that I forget what I've done to serve... yeah I have a great memory like that. And no matter how many times I tell myself I'm going to update more regularly, it hasn't happened lately. So instead of promising any of you who may still be reading that I will start posting everyday, I'm just going to say this: I'll do my best. :)

So without further ado - here is what I've done to serve to the best of my memory:
I gave a ride to a friend who was having car issues, I wrote to my friend on a mission, I went to the temple and served on six different days, I invited new people to play volleyball with some friends in the ward, I sat by someone who was sitting alone in church, did the dishes a few different days, I took the trash out a few times for my fam, I took a moment to teach my little brother a principle of the gospel (while we were picking raspberries at Bear Lake... I likened it to John 15 :) ), I shared my testimony with my other little brother, I cleaned up the water dispenser at work in the break room (I was a little grossed out about this one), I made others aware about a mutual friend being sick so they could send her get well wishes and help her feel better, I reminded a friend to say her prayers that day, I tried to make someone feel welcome in the new ward, I visit taught, I cooked a dinner my mom was craving even though I didn't have a lot of time, I gave a friend a ride home, I gave a favorite gift to a friend... that's all my memory is coming up with.

If you have any things you've done to serve, please post them! I'd love new ideas!!

Days #184 - #207

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND!!

For service these past few weeks I have:

Made cookies for friends, made a 4th of July breakfast for my family, went to the temple, picked and shared peas with coworkers from my garden (that's right! I'm totally a gardener now!), helped a coworker with their load of work, volunteered to drive my car up to Wyoming for a stake trip, cleaned and opened my room for my bro and sister in law to sleep in, folded my family's laundry, made dinner for my family a couple of times, tipped my cute friend extra to help pay for her mission, visited a friend who was having a bad day, let a friend drive the XTerra :), traded performance dates with a friend in the cast, volunteered to help with the games and activities up in Wyoming, shared my testimony with friends, invited a friend to come to my ward to meet new folks, cleaned for family on several occasions, bought a road trip package for my other bro, sister in law, and niece who moved to Iowa (we miss you!).

May God bless America and our freedoms!

Day #156-183

I'm back! Perhaps some of you were thinking I'd disappeared never to blog again. Good news! That's not true. :) And I certainly haven't stopped and/or slacked on serving. So where have I been? Selling my life to finishing a deadline at work and rehearsing for Footloose at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse. :) It's been great! Crazy... and great.
What have I been doing to serve then? Let me count the ways. I have:
Stayed after rehearsal to help a friend learn a few of the steps to the finale dance, made an ice cream sundae for my niece, gone to the temple, moved my car for my mom before she goes to work so she doesn't have to, brought "bubbly" to work as a New Mexico completion celebration, unloaded the dishwasher, donated to the March of Dimes as I went through the grocery store, took the trash out, donated to a raffle to help someone who was diagnosed with Cancer, I shared my testimony with my family, gave my cute friend a ride home from rehearsal, vacuumed, helped prepare for a family party, rolled up my coworkers windows when it started raining at work, sat by someone who was sitting alone in church, bought thank you gifts for my cute family helping me in many ways, gave rides to folks in my NEW XTERRA! :) (which was more like a service to me, really, any chance I can get to drive is a blessing), I shared some scriptures and thoughts with my little brothers, donated to another organization as I left Wal-Mart, helped teach/refresh parts in some of the Footloose songs, I taught Sunday School for a friend who couldn't, I listened when I friend needed to vent, I bought a cookie for one of the mom's daughters who is in the cast and was really hungry, I shared food with cast members during dance rehearsals when we're all hungry!

I'm really going to try and blog more frequently. I hope someone is still reading! If not, it's just a good reminder for me. :)

Days #141-155

These little snapshots ought to be enough to show ya what my past couple weeks have been about. ;) If I were to number the miracles and blessings that accompanied me before, during, and after this accident I would be writing for the next half an hour. So I will take this opportunity to testify of the great and perfect knowledge of our Father in Heaven and of the great and perfect inspiration we receive from Him if we will only listen. Because of years of putting on my seat belt it was second nature to put my seat belt on last week. Had I not done that I surely would have gone through the windshield. Because of the blessing of air bags, seat belt, and safety features on my Saturn I was protected from any harm or danger. The Lord Himself intervened, I believe and He is the reason I, and the lady at fault, were able to emerge from our vehicles unharmed. I was blessed that the lady involved was VERY honest and willing to admit she was at fault and take the blame and all that it involves. I have been blessed with an immediate rental and know that the Lord will guide me towards a great replacement car. Aka - XTerra. :)
So I have been serving everyday, but just unable to get on and update everyday due to work, test driving, working more, footloose rehearsals, teaching Spanish each week. So for the past couple of weeks I have:
Tipped the workers at Red Mango (delish!), tipped my amazing friend and hair dresser extra since she's preparing for a mission, cooked dinner for my mom on Mother's Day, checked up on a friend who is having a hard time, put dishes away from the dishwasher, helped clean up after meals, helped my niece get a bowl of ice cream, put away chairs at rehearsal, talked to people I've never met before and invited them to a get together, shared my testimony with my little brothers, bought chips and salsa for my coworkers for Cinco de Mayo, planned to bring eclairs home to my parents (until my car got hit and the eclairs went from the back to the front seat), went to the temple!!
I'm trying to keep up with this blog. I'll be better - I'll really try! The important thing is that this blog has helped me become mindful of service DAILY. I'm very grateful for that. I look forward for what tomorrow will bring! Tomorrow is ward temple night - I get to serve in one of my most favorite ways!

Days #133-#140 Hooray for life!!

I have sat here a minute not knowing what to say or how to start this week's blog. There are many thoughts that I'm having that I'd like to share before I recount the acts of service I've been blessed to do this past week. But there have been mighty miracles in other parts of my life, and I'm not sure if I should share them here, right now, or not. Suffice it to say, I feel to "sing the song of redeeming" love as it stated in the scriptures about the great love of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. He is kind. So kind that He will let us make decisions for ourselves that He wouldn't necessarily have us make, for they will bring us greater heartache than if we didn't make those choices to begin with. Yet, He allows us to make them (even after prompting us not too) and we when come to Him, beat down and betrayed because of those choices, He doesn't hesitate to wrap us "eternally in the arms of His love" and heal us, heal our hearts, minds, and souls. He helps us become better than we were before and lets us go so we can, again, learn to make the choices HE WILL GUIDE US TO MAKE. His love is perfect and I have felt that fill me and restore me in many ways. When trust was shattered, He restored it. When completely deceived, He pointed me to Him who I can always trust. When blindsided, He picked me up and showed me there's so much more than I allowed myself to see.

I just felt to share what has so bountifully been poured out on me - as it can be so on each of us! Okay, service. I have such a short memory, I should at least write down on a sheet of paper what I do each day so I can remember when it comes time to post. Because let's face it, with working full-time, as well as teaching part-time, and being in a play, and training for races, I really don't sit down at this as often as I should.

I'll try and work backwards and see if that helps jog my memory. Yesterday I helped take out the trash before going to work in the morning. Tuesday I served by staying late after my Spanish class to help one of the students who isn't going to be at the last class. She will miss pretty vital stuff so I took some time to sit down and help jump start her in the right direction of understanding how to conjugate verbs in the present tense. :) Fun stuff, eh?! Well, nerdy enough, but I love it! Anyway, it made me later for my rehearsal, but I just felt so good to completely put my schedule and own needs aside to serve someone else who really needed it. Okay I'm not sure what happened when on these days so I'll clump them together. But believe that I did them! I just don't remember when. :) *clearing throat*  I  gave a friend a ride, I helped my little brother dig a trading card out from behind the fridge by me pulling the huge fridge out and him climbing into the dust bunnies to find it. Pretty awesome memories, right there. I unloaded the dishwasher for my fam, I helped clean up after the joint-ward party (which was awesome! Go U32! And U13... :)), I went to the temple!!! Oh I love love love that place! And I helped some of the other cast members in Footloose during rehearsal.

Happy serving!