Happiness Inspiration

Got the radio on, my old blue jeans

And I'm wearing my heart on my sleeve

Feeling lucky today, got the sunshine

Could you tell me what more do I need

If I could only take the credit for those words...I'm working on it though! I've decided to let my creative writing side take over more often and I have some good poems/lyrics up my sleeve for later. But I love finding those lyrics that just work for me as well as whoever wrote them! It has been a while since writing on here and I think I know why. With having a journal, study journal, letters I write to my missionary friends, and all that is in between....it just seems redundant to repeat myself on here yet again. Kind of like when I was on my mission we'd write to our parents about goings on, in a teaching record, and to our ward and stake leaders...by the time you got to your journal it was hard to keep it sounding fresh. but alas!! I have been inspired.

My sister Ashleigh just started a blog that has a theme...and I thought maybe I should put a theme to this thing...until I realized I ALREADY HAVE ONE! HAPPINESS!

So from now on...I will write about things that happen during the week that just made me happy...maybe the whole entry will be about one subject and maybe many...but this is it!

Words make me happy and I think everyone who really knows me knows that. But they always say that pIctUrEs are worth a 1000 words.

Pictures=Happiness

I have been digital scrapbooking my mission for just the past two days and it's been so much fun. I've been using shutterfly.com which has been a great starter place, who knows there might be more out there. Of course learning how the system of it all works took some time but now that I have that down it's been so much fun to look through my pictures and put them in order and tell the story behind it. I started at how I opened my mission call as the first page and went into going to the temple, setting apart, the airport, the MTC AND transfer 1....all in about 24 hours. It's been surprising how many pictures I have and how good record I kept of my mission. I always thought I could have done better but I can give myself a healthy pat on the back. I love technology. I am more a digital person than an artsy one that can put her own spin on things, so it has really worked out for me to have some here-say in how it looks but not make it too complicated. Just my cup of coco! :)

I am leaving for school on Thursday and it's still hard to believe that the mission is really over...I went and came back. The pictures reflect so many memories and allow me to realize it really happened and that there will be more pictures to come of my next adventures.

Bask in your happy moments,

~Arica

Miss the Most

I have found there are funny things I miss about the mission this week:

• always having someone riding in the car with me.
• crazy appointments that don't go as planned at all
• eating and then finding out there's more food at the next house you're at.
• always being ready at the same time everyday so you don't have to get ready right before you want to go somewhere...
• personal study set aside!
• believe it or not having someone back me up...haha

These things are small but I love that they remind me of my mission...it doesn't seem as much of a dream as before...it's slowly coming back. It's interesting because when I first went on my mission my pre-mission life seemed like a dream and I had a hard time remembering some of the experiences that I had to relate to the people I was teaching...so I had my mom send one of my old journals to help me. I guess it's the same whenever you're adjusting you just have to recall and relive and retell experiences to remember them and keep them alive and I think that's why so many returned missionaries talk about their mission so much. I know some people get annoyed with the "when I was on my mission" jargon but now I understand it...we just want to remember that those months of intense spirituality actually happened...and that they changed us. I love to talk about the mission but describing it in such a broad since is impossible.

Well I've been reconnecting with people and trying to keep in touch with those who I became close with on my mission. It's been partially successful because there's really not enough time in the day to really sufficiently talk to all the people and relive all the experiences that we've had in the last 18 months but it's fun to try. ;)

I've been thinking I need to think of some new hobbies to develop. Of course while I don't have much responsibility I'm looking for things to develop but I know once school starts I'll be super busy I won't have time to think about what hobbies I want to develop. I guess hobbies fill in the cracks of the busy life. Something that doesn't feel like a chore. So I went to this women's conference and they showed us how to do come canning of meats, fruit, and veggies. I was actually interested in it and I think I want to develop that.

List Time:

• canning
• writing (which I've said before but I think I can count this blog as a hobby and also my journal but both can definitely be improved. But also writing my novel)
• service projects for local charities and foundations. We made some baby burp cloths for less fortunate mothers and it turned out they didn't have much support so I want to find out more things like that and just get things going!
• now here's the time that I want suggestions....I just want more things to try and see what I am not only good at but enjoy. :)

So there you have it. My life is going great. School is coming soon...I'm excited and stressed. But all is good.