Kolob

I was talking to my sister the other day about a movie she watched with her boyfriend and his dad and step-mom. I can't remember what it was called, but it led my sis and I to a conversation about Kolob. Now, I don't have a whole lot of knowledge about this subject, but I told her I loved the hymn "If You Could Hie to Kolob." She couldn't remember the song, so here's a version I found on YouTube that's rocked out:



I really dig this rocked out version of the hymn. Some people think it's irreverent to cover a hymn with a rockin' twist, but I think, "hey, if it makes people able to relate to it a bit more, why not?!"

So, I think this version of the song is great. Take it or leave it. :)


**A little side note from this post:

Do you think that people who have faith or believe in God and/or are active in a religion are weak or stupid for believing in something that can't be proven?

My 2 cents on Politics

With two weeks left until the polls are open, there's a lot on my mind.

First of all, I am so grateful to be an American. This country was founded on great principles, most importantly (to me) freedom of religion and speech.

I am going to vote for McCain/Palin. Their platform and values are much more similar to my own values.

I feel bad for whomever does get voted in. There are a lot of messes that need cleaning up and it certainly won't be easy.

I have faith that regardless of who gets voted in, America will be okay. I pray that America survives intact and continues to value freedom of religion and speech.

It irks me that Christians are opposed in so many areas of life. It also irks me that other faiths and beliefs are strongly opposed by radical Christians. America is a tapestry woven with people with infinite backgrounds, beliefs, experience, etc. I will never stop saying the Pledge of Allegiance with God in it, and appreciate that "In God We Trust" is on our currency. I respect all faiths and beliefs, and hope that others will respect mine.

I'm tired of people being dogmatic and thinking that we all need to think the same way. If that happened, we'd be a Communist nation, and it would flat out suck.

No politician running for the office of president is a 100% perfect candidate. This is why it is important for people to vote for the candidate that has ideas and values that are most similar to the voter.

It is unfortunate that a lot of people base their vote on what is trendy, popular, supported by Hollywood, etc. There is a lot of information available about these candidates, and taking the time to actually read about these people is important. People who can only spew out garbage about the "other party's" candidates are wasting everyone's time. If you don't know what the candidate you support is all about, you need to do more reading and ask more questions.

Anyone who is passionately anti-anything isn't someone I want to associate with. There is too much good in this life to focus on negatives.

I love this country. I love that I am able to vote.

God bless America, and God bless this election.

Such Sexy Shoes

I am totally loving these shoes. I've been on a sexy shoe kick lately, and Patrick is a huge fan of Mary Janes. So...when I see a Mary Jane style shoe with some pizazz, I'm quite naturally excited.

These shoes would look fabulous on me.

I Like:

Dyana
by Nine West

Total Random Thought

There's a store at the mall where I work called Lola Bella. One day during a break I was outside enjoying the day and noticed this little boutique. My mom's name is Lola, and I think it would be absolutely adorable if we had a daughter to name her Lola Bella Largin. Freaking cute, I say!

Norah Jones

I am in such a major Norah Jones mood tonight.



Norah Jones has one of the most beautiful female voices I've ever heard. I really enjoy listening to her when I need to take a deep breath in life and gather myself for the next step. The only thing that would make it a better listening experience would be a hot bath.

Monogrammed Handkerchief How To !!!!!!!

Monogrammed Handkerchief How To !!!!!!!

This is such a great tutorial for a sweet little gift that wouldn't be too time or resource consuming. I think I'll be adding this to my handmade gifts this Christmas!

More Dramatic Eyes

I did my makeup a little different today, so I felt like taking a picture. I realized (after looking at this close-up of my face) that my eyes are wide set. This means the space between the eyes is equal to or greater than the width of an eye. I could be paranoid, but it looks like a lot of nose/bridge between those baby blues:

I used spun silk, cinnabar, espresso, and coal eye shadows, black eye liner, and black ultimate mascara.
Also, strawberry cream blush, but you can't really see that too well in the picture.
I need some color on my lips, too.

I don't think it's as noticeable with my hair more done (okay, I didn't really do my hair, I just put a headband on) and not so close to the camera:


I must say, I look pretty good for my age. :)

(This is my vain post for awhile...it could've been worse...I could have posted fitness update pictures!!! eeewww!)

My mantra today

Life is Good and I am Happy

Zen

Apparently I'm into lists today. I found this list of Lessons from a Zen Master on the Tracy Stokes website.

Lessons from a Zen Master

Soyen Shaku was the first Zen Buddhist master to teach in the United States and became the leading academic on Zen Buddhism in the West. In 1893 he taught about karma, non-violence, an end to war, and tolerance of other religions. He also lived his life by 10 simple rules, that have inspired me greatly in my practice (life), although I struggle terribly with number 1 (and number 2, and number 3…).

1. Upon awakening, quit your bed at once, like discarding a useless pair of shoes.
2. In the morning, before dressing, light incense and meditate.
3. Eat at regular intervals and only to the point of satisfying hunger.
4. Retire at a regular hour.
5. Receive a guest as when you are alone. Be alone as if you had received a guest.
6. Be aware of what you say. Say only what you would do.
7. Do not forego opportunity, nevertheless, think twice.
8. Do not regret the past but look instead to the future.
9. Have the fearless heart of a hero and the loving heart of a child.
10. When you retire to sleep do so as if it is your last night.

Photo credit: shioshvili

Personally, I struggle with almost all of these. I have a long way to go.

Ten Rules for Being Human

Ten Rules for Being Human

by Cherie Carter-Scott

1.	You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it's yours to keep for the entire period.
2.	You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called, "life."
3.	There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial, error, and experimentation. The "failed" experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiments that ultimately "work."
4.	Lessons are repeated until they are learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can go on to the next lesson.
5.	Learning lessons does not end. There's no part of life that doesn't contain its lessons. If you're alive, that means there are still lessons to be learned.
6.	"There" is no better a place than "here." When your "there" has become a "here", you will simply obtain another "there" that will again look better than "here."
7.	Other people are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.
8.	What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.
9.	Your answers lie within you. The answers to life's questions lie within you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.
10.	You will forget all this.

I found this on a website called My Success Company. I don't really know what's on the website, but I liked this list of "rules" for being human. It makes sense to me!

100 Things

My name is Alison.
My dad didn't like the name when my parents were deciding what to name me.
I don't have a middle name.
My parents changed the spelling of my name a couple weeks after I was born, from "Allison."
I grew up in Phoenix.
I lived in the same house for over 21 years.
I have 3 older brothers and 1 younger sister.
I have lived in Arizona, Idaho, and Utah.
In Arizona, I lived in Phoenix, Peoria, and Chandler.
In Idaho, I lived in Buhl.
In Utah, I lived in Alpine, Spanish Fork, Midvale, Murray, and Salt Lake City.
I used to camp with "at-risk" youth for a living.
That was, and probably always will be, my favorite job.
I attended Arizona State University and Utah Valley State College, now Utah Valley University.
My major is Psychology.
I graduated high school in 1997.
I played volleyball and softball in high school.
I had a 3.9 GPA when I graduated and was 5th in my class.
I still have 12 credits to finish my bachelors degree.
I was married to a police officer for almost 3 years.
My marriage didn't work out.
I am now married to a super smart man who can do just about anything, including fixing my car!
I have a step-daughter from my previous marriage.
I have 4 nephews and 5 nieces, all at or under the age of 8.
My parents are still married.
My oldest brother is deaf.
He was raised orally and didn't learn sign language until he was about 20 years old.
I took American Sign Language at ASU so I could sign with my brother.
My signing is horrible, but I try.
I have around 60 or 70 cousins.
My grandfathers are still alive.
I have had 7 grandmothers, 6 of which have passed on.
I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
I love to sleep.
I am a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant.
I love food.
I play recreational slow-pitch softball.
My husband and I have 3 cats.
I own a purple 1968 Schwinn Breeze Deluxe.
I had my first job when I was 8 years old, helping my brothers with their paper route for $ .01 per paper.
I want to have at least 3 children.
I love to watch movies.
I love music.
I don't know names of bands, singers, actors, etc.
I rarely buy new clothes.
I like to embroider and do other crafty projects.
I am a "mellow" person with an energy that calms others.
My astrological sign is Cancer.
I was born on the same day as my brother who is 2 years older than me.
My younger sister was born 2 years later on the day before our birthday.
I like jewelry.
I used to have gauged earrings that I wore for 6 or 7 years.
I have a lot of different earrings now.
My wedding ring is turquoise and opal.
I am 5'2".
I am a waitress at a restaurant in Salt Lake City.
I have owned one car in my life, and I've had it since 2001.
My car turned 10 this year.
I spend way too much time on the internet.
I'm not allergic to any foods.
I played the violin for 6 years, and a bit here and there for a few more years.
I still have my violin, and I can't play it anymore.
I am a great listener.
I have been to Alaska.
The only place out of the country I have visited is Tijuana.
I don't have a passport.
I want to go to New Zealand.
I want to go to Machu Picchu.
I want to do my own pilgrimage of the road to Santiago.
Paulo Coelho is my favorite author.
The Alchemist is my favorite book.
Closed-minded people disgust me.
Generalizations piss me off.
Disrespect angers me.
I believe everyone has a choice how to feel and react to any given situation.
Because of that belief, I frustrate myself a lot.
I like to sing.
I like to read.
I wish I was more confident and more of a free spirit.
My husband doesn't like to dance.
I do.
I don't like watching tv very often.
We watch a lot of tv.
I believe in energy, vibrations, karma, prayer, divine intervention, and the power of love.
I want to lose 30 lbs.
I have hiked the Grand Canyon 6 times with my dad.
I think teenagers are amazing people at a critical cross-roads in life.
I want to be a therapist and work with teenagers.
I think parents need to relax a bit.
I'm not a parent, so what do I know?
I snort when I laugh sometimes.
I have a cute nose.
I love my eyes.
I love my chest.
I say "woof" instead of "wolf."
I am an emotional woman.
I have a pretty crass sense of humor.
I run late for just about everything.
I adore my grandfathers and love my parents.
My hero is Zina Coates...you don't know her, but she was an incredible woman.

General Conference Thoughts

I was doing my daily blog reading and a friend of mine, Jon, was posting his notes on the morning session of the LDS General Conference. His notes are on his blog Pitching In and Catching On. I think it's great that Jon took the time to log the highlights of the talks given.

So, I found myself inspired to tune into Conference. I LOVE modern technology. As a child, we would watch Conference on tv at home, and usually get dressed and watch the Sunday morning session at church via satellite transmission. Now, you can watch Conference live on the internet. That is amazing and wonderful.

I'm not the best at making sure I watch all of Conference, but I do make an effort to listen to or watch what I can. And the bits and pieces I see or hear always move me.

One of my fond memories of Conference is watching my dad and brothers get ready on Saturday evening and go to the Priesthood Session at 7pm. They had a tradition of going to the session together and going out for dessert afterward. As a teenager, it seemed like such a sacrifice for my brothers to miss out on a fun and exciting weekend night to do something churchy, but I realize now, as an adult, what a great opportunity it was for them.

I savor every occasion I had and will ever have to spend time with my dad, especially when those occasions include something where we can be united in our faith and knowledge that we are an eternal family. Now that my dad is older, and a grandfather, he is so much more open about sharing his love for the gospel and Jesus Christ with us. He did share it when we were younger, too, but I'm sure his perspective of eternal families is so much more rich and comprehensive with such a beautiful growing family.

My parents, Jack and Lola, December 2007

My dad is becoming more and more like his dad, my grandpa Mecham. Years ago, at a family gathering, we were all over at the church playing volleyball, and my grandpa sat down next to me, watching everyone play. In that room sat my grandpa, my dad and his siblings, their children, and their children. Four generations of such a beautiful and wonderful family playing volleyball together. I asked my grandpa what it was like, to see his posterity all gathered together in one room. He got teary-eyed and expressed the great love he has for all of us and his great desire for each and every family member to live a righteous life and to be an eternal family. Seeing my cute old grandpa tear up with love for his family and legacy quite obviously made me tear up. I'll never forget that moment. I love him dearly.

So, opportunities to be reminded of my family, our values, and my great love for it all are always welcome. Here's one little quote from Conference that I liked:

Faith, hope, and charity lead us to abound in good works.

I hope to always live a life that includes good works. I truly believe that when it's all boiled down, that is what matters...being unselfish and doing what we can to bless the lives of others. That's when we are blessed the most.