"How to Avoid Marrying a Jerk"

Sorry guys, this post is not really about how to avoid marrying a meanie... it's a post about some valuable lessons I have learned from my two favorite Abigails. you'll see how the title fits in momentarily.

 This is me, Abigail, and a llama.


One time Abigail checked out a book from the library titled, "How to Avoid Marrying a Jerk". This cracked me up because during our late-night, "I-hope-we-wake-up-in-the-morning-and-don't-freeze-to-death-or-get-kidnapped-or-eaten-alive-by-fleas," talks in Peru, we would often talk about Abigail's fear of marrying a less than nice man (growing up, my mom frowned on the word "jerk" and I just realized how much I dislike saying it... or even typing it for that matter!).

This always reminded me of another Abigail who, unfortunately, lived the fate that my Abigail feared so much. This Abigail married a not very nice man named Nabal. The Abigail in this story, very much so like the Abigail pictured above, was beautiful and intelligent, yet the man she married  was evil and "churlish" (a super cool way of saying he was a big fat meanie), but he was rich!

So I highly recommend you read this story for yourself, because it's fantastic and you can find it here: 1 Samuel 25.  Read it. The rest of this post will make more sense :)

Ok so the gist of the story is:

Nabal is rich and has lots of provisions. David and his people are in a rough spot. David heard about Nabal and sent 10 young men to very politely and kindly greet Nabal and ask him to share some of his goods with David and his people. Nabal had plenty to spare, however he was rude and sent them away empty handed and insulted. This upset David and he decided to seek revenge and prepared to attack and kill Nabal.

Abigail, Nabal's incredible wife, caught word of David's plans and that woman "made haste!". She didn't say a word to Nabal as she gathered tons and tons of food  and hurried out of town to meet David and stop him.

 Abigail intercedes just in time, in behalf of Nabal, saving his life, yet also in behalf of David, saving him from committing a terrible sin. She takes the blame upon herself, "taking the iniquity" upon her own shoulders so that forgiveness could take place between the foolish and the angry. I love, love, love the "type and shadow" in this story about forgiveness, however that's not the direction I want to go today. (P.S. Please read The Peacegiver by James Ferrel, it's incredible and also talks about Abigail's incredible story).

No this post came about because of something that Brother Rowe said at FHE last Monday that really hit me. It was a lesson on judging others and taking the beam out of our own eye rather than commenting on the mote in someone else's.

He said, "It's not about being right, it's about doing right."

This is a lesson I learned at a young age. Growing up in a family of 10 very strong personalities, I found that we cared a lot about having the last word, winning the argument, being "right". Yet, some of those were the most petty arguments, such silly things that had no value, yet we were determined to make sure that the other knew that we were right.

 David and Nabal from the story above were both puffed up with their pride, Nabal's from riches and David's from anger, and they both were out to prove that they were right. Abigail didn't give two cents about who was right. All she cared about was doing right and that's exactly what she did. She didn't argue, point fingers, or even bow out innocently. She was close to the spirit, put her own personal interests aside and did exactly what the Lord wanted her to do.

Mull that one over for a bit. Let it sink in. Where can I apply that in my life? Do I believe it? Do I believe that it's more important to do right rather than be right?

So, dear Abigail, I know you won't marry a churlish man, like our other Abigail friend. But just in case you do... you'll know what to do when he angers some other man who comes ready to kill :)

But I sure hope you won't have to worry about that.

Obsessing Over Favorites

Favorites are tough for me. Yet, despite my efforts to avoid them, they come each and every first day of classes, first date, any introduction etc.

Don't get me wrong, I'm an incredibly passionate person, very capable of liking something a great deal. But that's just the problem... I'm an incredibly passionate person, very capable of liking a great deal of somethings. How could I ever possible pick one "All-time FAVORITE"?

I can't.... but that never seems to be a suitable answer, and I am forced to pick one movie/song/book/season/color/animal over all the rest.

It's a cruel, cruel world.

To counter this, I will admit to something. I don't have favorites, I have bouts of Obsessions: Times when I find something, fall in love with something and obsess over said something for an unknown period of time.

My current obsession you ask?

Guess!

Ok, you'll never guess. It's a super weird one.

For the time being, if someone were to ask me, "Who is your favorite apostle?"
I would, without a doubt, hands down, unhesitantly answer: Elder Richard G Scott!

I absolutely adore him!

Here's why.

I'm in a Teachings of the Living Prophets class. It's amazing. Brother Peck is amazing. Take this class.

At the beginning of the semester we were told to pick an apostle that we wanted to give a presentation on. At first I thought, "Meh, I don't care which one I get, they're all amazing!"

But as I read down the list and my eyes hit the name "Elder Scott", I knew he was the one for me!

I cannot get enough of when Elder Scott talks about his dear Jeanene. He talks about her with the most tender, sincere, loving words. There is not a doubt in my mind that they are completely, totally, irrevocably and eternally smitten with each other. I'm so glad that he mentions Jeanene so often because I love the example he gives of how we should treat those we love. His stories are so stinking cute... and we all know what a sucker I am for stuff like that.

But that's not what I've focused on with this presentation that I gave about Elder Scott, I wanted to know more about her, Jeanene. I wanted to know what kind of a woman she was and what kinds of things she did. Clearly she was loved for a reason, and I wanted to know what it was.

After some research, I've decided that Jeanene Scott is a saint! She was so in tune with the spirit and knew exactly what her family needed to make them happy and strong. She set strict guidelines and rules for herself so that she stayed worthy of that spirit and never got caught up in complaining, slacking or not fulfilling her duties as a wife and mother. She knew what mattered most and her priorities were in line. The more I read about her, the more I just loved her and wanted to be just like her.

She's amazing and it's easy to see why Elder Scott is crazy about her. To learn more about those  two love birds, go here, here or here.

This is one of my "favorite" videos. "Not a spoonful, a whole ladle!"

Ahhhh I love this!!!



Love, Noelle

Dear Diary,

When I was 14, I had a little pink journal that I got from Young Women's with a jar full of strips of paper that had questions on it. Everyday, I would pick out a question, tape it to a page in my pink journal and answer the question. Here are a few of the entries I read today.

Keep in mind, this is 14-year-old Noelle.... Brace yourself

Friday, January 21, 2005

Question: Who am I closest to in my family? How did our relationship grow?

Answer: It changes from time to time. Right now I think it's, believe it or not, Daniel. Even though I hated his guts last year. It's not close, close, but we seem to get a long. I think it's because we're alike in some odd crazy ways. And Travis, I know you're reading this, so close it now. You too Natalie.

Thursday 8/4/05

Question: Who are some of my favorite people and why?

Not in any specific order-
1. Heather Humes - YW President and her kids
2. My Mom
3. Bolton Family
4. Taryn Leavitt and Chelsi McConnell and Grace Turner (My best buds)
5. Oprah Winfrey   **What the??

Friday February 3, 2005

Question: What are my goals and dreams?

 1. Be valedictorian                                                **Check
2. Recieve a full ride scholarship to BYU-I             **Check
3 Get a job and a licence at age 16                         **Check 
4. Get married and live in Utah                             **Half Check
5. Never go into debt                                                **Check
6. Have $1000 in the bank by the time I graduate     **Check
7. Get straight A's 'til college                                    ** Check
8. Marry in the temple            
9. Get a green bug                                              
10. Be laurels president                                         ** Check
11. Work with animals
12. Marry an animal accepter
13. Live until I'm 90+
14. Be on the tennis team for 4 years                       **Check
15. Be the best I can be!


There you have it. A glimpse into the life of 14-year-old Noelle. Oh my.... For the record, I'm totally ok with never owning a green bug and I'll live if my husband is not an "animal accepter".

I Do Hard Things So That I Can.... Do Hard Things

Today, a girl in relief society said that.

And it stuck.

It's so true isn't it?

Remember my first week in Peru? It was HARD.

I was sick the entire time. I was exhausted. We had black mold carpeting our ceiling. I couldn't understand anyone. I shivered myself to sleep every night and woke up at least 6 or 7 times each night out of discomfort, frozen-ness or bugs biting me. We didn't know where or how to buy food. We didn't have a refrigerator or carpet. We didn't have washers or dryers. We didn't have hot water. We didn't have an oven. We didn't have family close by. Most of the days we didn't have running water or electricity. Gosh. It was hard.

At the end of that first week, I told my parents that I was booking my first flight out of there because this was just too hard.

Well, I stayed. And it was still hard, but it got easier. We learned to do with out and make do with what we had. We learned to love our living conditions and those around us. And after a HARD first week, I had three of the best months of my life.

That really hard first week and those challenging three months have prepared me for this next chapter of my life.

See if you can find the parallels.

I know nobody in Riverton, thus I was searching anxiously for a place to stay. Last minute, I found a family who was renting a room out of their basement. So without any further questions, I loaded up and drove to Riverton to move in.

I moved in and was put in a room in the basement...with carpet!! Looking good so far right? I have a place to live! Well not really. Because they weren't planning on having somebody move in so soon, so they weren't really ready for me.

I had no refrigerator to put my food. No oven or stove to cook my food. No sink to rinse my vegetables or wash my dishes. No counters to prepare my food on. No toaster, microwave, toaster oven etc. Essentially no kitchen. I also had NO money. I spent every last penny in Peru and couldn't even afford to pay the $20 bucks a month they were asking to use the laundry room. So I was without a washer and a dryer as well.

But guess what? This was nooo big deal to me! My mom  kind of wanted me to move out of there asap and find something a little bit more suited to my needs, or at least the needs of a normal person... but I had spent the last three months living in such uncomfortable circumstances that a few weeks with out any means to keep/cook/wash/prepare my grub seemed like cake. And it was!  Eventually, the so called "necessities" started popping up, a fridge here, hot plate there. I'm still without a sink or running water, but hellooo that's what the hose outside is for right?

I did those "hard" months in Peru, so that I could do these "hard" weeks in Riverton. So grateful for that prep.

Here's another one.

Remember how we shipped ourselves off to a foreign country where we did not speak the language? Yeah I do. Ohh how my head would ache as I'd desperately try and understand what these people were desperately trying to communicate to me. It expended my brain power like none other I tell you.

Well guess what. I just started a job in a building of 1300 people who speak a completely foreign language. Servers, Oracle, Beach Picture Apps, Remedy,Configuration Items... and don't even get me started on the acronyms! SM, DTE, NPS, EIM, KPI, DSA, CAB, COB, EDDI. Seriously, I almost wish that they were speaking Spanish.

Lesson Number One in ICS lingo

It's hard. But I was totally prepared for it by my time in Peru. I'm used to that "Oh my gosh, they're saying something important, and I'm trying really hard to understand it.. but I'm totally lost" feeling, and I know that I'm a fast learner and that I'll catch on to the language in time.

So everyday as a new "hard" thing comes up...(i.e. My car is a goner so now I'm living and working in this brand new city...with my two feet as my only means of transportation..) I know that I'm doing them in preparation for... more hard things. You can look at that as a downer... my whole life is and forever will be hard, or you can look on the bright side. Either way, the hard times keep on comin'.

So perhaps the fact that I have to wake up an hour and a half earlier than usual so that I can walk to work in the chilly mornings (tomorrow it's supposed to rain... not sure how that'll work out), is simply preparation for another hard time coming.  I'll be ready for it.

Love, Noelle

Why Aren't We Laughing?

Remember how on Pinterest the following saying was being posted like crazy? You may not recall, but I do. And here's why:

I remember it partly because I didn't like it, and mostly because I didn't get it. I can pretty much not relate to this quaint, little phrase one bit!

I've made plans my whole life. I remember at a young age (maybe 10 or so) hearing the word Valedictorian for the first time, and making a plan at that moment that I was going to graduate 8 years later with that title.

I made plans to get involved. To be an efy counselor. To work in the Kimball building. To memorize documents that are important to me. To learn Spanish. To get healthy.

Eight months ago, I made a huge plan that (to be honest) I didn't really think would follow through. I decided that I wanted to travel and do humanitarian work, and I decided that I wanted to intern for the church. These were two things that I have dreamed about for a long time, but they just didn't seem in my reach. 

But, I planned on them anyway. Lo and behold, those dreams became plans, and those plans became a reality. Here I am, living in Utah, interning for the Church after having just spent three of the best months of my life serving in Peru.

I have my graduation plans all lined up. I have a plan for another internship. I have plans for exactly where I want to work when I graduate. I have plans to marry in the temple and raise the cutest little family that you ever did see. I have plans to run a marathon. I have plans to make a difference. I have plans to see more of the world. Oh do I have plans....and I tell God my plans.

 And you know what.... I'm not hearing much divine laughter.

Love, Noelle

Things To Do Before 22

Oh hey everyone. It's Noelle. THE TWENTY-ONE year old!
( I went to the Homestead on my birthday and Ila guessed that I was 15, Margie guessed that I was 19, and Oliver just said that I was "Old enough for me, oooo la la" ha... oh Oliver. Gross.

Gosh I'm going to like this age. I can already tell.

I've got to set goals or I'll get nothing done as a twenty-one year old.
We shall review these on the eve of my 22nd birthday and see what I've accomplished in the next 364 days. 

In no particular order... 

1. Ride a horse
2. Bear my testimony to someone in Espanol
3. Obtain a car and learn to love driving it
4. Come up with a talent that I could perform at any talent show if needed
5. Run a half marathon
6. Catch a fish
7. Secretly pay for the person in line behind me (at the grocery store, ticket office, toll booth, fast food..etc)
8. Become an aunt again and gain another sister in law (I know I don't have much say in either of these, but they're on my list, so they must happen!!)
9. Give someone my watch when they ask for the time
10. Be able to play at least 10 hymns beautifully on the piano without mistake
11. Meet the man I'm going to marry (We don't even have to start dating this year, I'd just like to meet him :)
12. Fix my chipped tooth
13. Print my blog into a book
14. Buy a real camera
15. Make a Peruvian Facebook friend
16. Visit South America
17. Be able to do 20 consecutive man push-ups at any given time throughout the year
18. Successfully complete an internship for the church
19. Have plans for a second internship (I'm thinking a second one for the church, or perhaps one in Wisconsin:)
20. Donate more money than I feel comfortable with to a really good cause
21. Give up my lunch, right as I'm about to eat it, to someone who needs it
22. Throw a fistful of glitter into the air
23. Memorize The Living Christ in Spanish
24. Do and record at least one act of service every single day.
25.  Double dutch jump-rope
26. Play in the snow
27. Compile all of my favorite recipes for my future family
28. Go through and clean out (aka toss) my "College Boxes"
29.  Re-Design my blog
30. Buy a whole outfit from a thrift store

I have a feeling that this year is going to be fantastic.  I know for sure that it will be a year to remember. I think that being 21 will suit me quite nicely.

You Gave Me A Casserole

'Tis the season of Secret Santas, ding-dong-ditched goodies and donating money to those who need it most. There are random acts of charity going on all around us this time of the year. I love it. I've come to love doing this kind of thing, it's just amplified around Christmas time. 

Whenever I feel like a friend or stranger is having a hard time, I have my pile of go-to's. Usually a plate of cookies, a bag of hugs, or a bowl of soup. Easy, but it let's them know I'm thinking of them right?

 Yeah I guess so. But now that I've got that mastered, it's time to upgrade.

Check out how Bro. Riggins, my New Testament teacher explained this to me.

He read to us Matt 25:35-36. You know the verses well.
"For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked and ye clothed me: I was sick and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me."


Doing any kind of service is wonderful. It's what God want's us to do. So when we bring a plate of cookies or a casserole over to a struggling friend or neighbor, we are indeed serving and doing good. However, we can do better.

Brother Riggins then re-read the same verse like this:

"For I was an hungred... and ye gave me a casserole."
"I was thirsty..... ye gave me a casserole"
"I was a stranger.... ye gave me a casserole."
" Naked.... and ye gave me a casserole."
"Sick.....and ye gave me a casserole."
"I was in prison.... and ye gave me a casserole."

I realized that giving "casseroles" is just fine, there is nothing wrong with it. I'm sure the receivers are very grateful. But why do I see a need and immediately try and make it better with food? 

Because it's so easy! It's so in my comfort zone, it's not awkward, it's normal, it doesn't take much thought.

But do they really need my casserole? Or do they need my time, my listening ear, someone to walk to the store with, someone to watch their kids for a few hours, help with their homework, a shoulder to cry on, an invitation to do something... the list goes on and on.

I realized this when I first started visiting the elderly at the rest homes in Rexburg. I wanted to serve them, but I couldn't bring them a plate of cookies they weren't allowed to eat. I had to dig a bit deeper and stretch myself out of my comfort zone.

I've learned the need to be "quick to observe" the individual needs of those I come in contact with. I need to discover my own talents and use them to lift and edify others.

I'll leave you with one of my very favorite quotes by President Monson (it's the first quote pictured below):

That's just something that's been on my mind quite a bit and I thought I'd share.Now, if you do feel the desire to bring me a casserole, by all means, go right on ahead :)

Birthday Wishes

I will be twenty-one next week. Woooooo! I've been planning what I want to do for my birthday for the past.... ohhh 365 days or so.

Want to hear what my immpecable plan consists of? Ok :)

5:00 pm-  Roommates and I go out to eat. Costa Vida perhaps?

6:00 pm- Meet up with everyone I know at the Homestead for an hour or so of pure bliss.

Who wouldn't want to spend their birthday here??

7:30 pm- Go to the sled hill with even more people and sled the night away. Followed by hot cocoa and apple cider... and maybe a fireplace, if we can find one.

Oh how I love the snow!!

All of my most favorite things with all of my favorite people!!

I can't even tell you how fantastic this sounds to me!

Unfortunately 'tis just birthday wish-ful thinking.

Here's why:


1. Unfortunately Rexburg doesn't seem to believe in snow this semester. There is no snow on the ground. I can't believe it and have never been so distraught about the weather in my entire life! Where oh where is my beloved snow?? I've been itching to go sledding since our last sledding extravaganza last year, but something tells me that won't be happening. That "something" could possibly be this:

Note the fact that there is NO SNOW in our forecast

2. It's like pulling teeth trying to get people (except dear LeeAnn :) to go to the Homestead (although they always have a lovely time while there). The fact that my birthday is during finals week will not help my plight much I'm afraid. Everyone is very busy, which is understandable, but while going to the Homestead alone is still fun, it's 1000 times funner when I can bring friends... and when I have a ride :)

Sooo while my plan won't work for this year, I had to document it here so as to not forget it. Next year I'll start praying for snow in June. Then perhaps by December we'll have some sled-worthy snow.

Also, it's Friday. Wahoo!

Have a good one,

Smiling With Teeth

I make it a practice to smile and make eye contact with people as I walk past them.  And if I happen to know their name, I always try and use it.

Oh and when I say that I smile at people when I pass them. It's usually a closed lip smile. Nothing grandiose, but hey, it's still a smile right?

Wrong!

Story time:
One day I was walking down the street on my way home from a very busy day of interviewing, work and school. Did I mention that I was exhausted?  I was on the sidewalk in front of my house doing my usual "smile and make eye-contact with people" routine when a blonde-haired boy passed me. I made eye-contact and gave him my weak, closed lip smile.

Guess what he did?

He smiled back at me.
Wait there's more.
He smiled with his teeth! He gave me the most fantastic full-blown smile I had ever seen! I had no idea who this boy was, but I couldn't help but return it with a full-blown, tooth-filled grin of my own. I grinned the whole rest of my walk home.

From that very second onward, I decided that I was ridding myself of that quaint, pathetic,closed-lip smile I'd been giving out like candy. If I was going to smile at someone I passed, I was going to really smile at them.

December 2009: Ok so these are awful picture examples (in more ways than one) but we're going for it anyway :)

I've been doing that for over three months now. I love the reaction to it. It's usually a quick look of surprise followed by an extraordinary smile (with teeth) right back at me.

However, now that it's gotten quite chilly outside, this practice of mine has gotten a bit difficult. You see, If I'm outside with less than 4 jackets on, my teeth chatter uncontrollably (really, I've tried to control it, but it just doesn't happen) So giving a full-blown smile while my teeth are chattering a million miles an hour is quite the feat, and I'm sure it looks pretty ridiculous, but that's ok :)

Now, I know what you're all wondering, "Wait, what happened to the mystery blond-haired boy who caused Noelle to change her ways??" Don't worry, I've gotcha covered.

Follow-Up Story Time
I was at my friend's birthday party when I saw this boy sitting on the couch. Sometimes I don't think before I speak... so as soon as I recognized him, I rushed over to the couch and said, "You're the boy who smiles with teeth!" Hahaha just thinking about it makes me laugh. How ridiculous am I?

Luckily, he is a very nice boy and didn't make things awkward. I recounted the aforementioned story to him and he enjoyed it. We even went out on a date and became good friends. All because of  a very non-pathetic smile.

What I hope you gained from this story: A new-found desire to smile at people with your teeth. You never know where it'll get you, and how it'll influence the receiver of your smile.

Also, if you happen to pass me one day and I give you my pathetic smile, feel free to reprimand me... but do so kindly :)

Love, Noelle

We're Official :)

Let it be known that it all officially went down on 11-10-2011

a. I officially bought my non-refundable plane ticket to Peru.
b. I officially accepted a Project Manager internship position at LDS IT and Communication
c. My mind is officially blown.

This is really happening. My goals and dreams are now a reality. OH MY GOODNESS. Ok here's the whole story. Feel free to keep reading, but I don't blame you if you don't.... this is going to get kind of lengthy :)

a. See all my other posts about Peru for more info here. the non-refundable tickets were purchased today, so this is a done deal!

b. At the beginning of the semester we had a career fair on campus. I'm a junior and have been getting anxious about getting an internship before I graduate (a requirement for my major). So I attended in hopes to get the ball moving on some sort of internship. Secretly I wanted something super chill in Rexburg so I could stay here for my off-track and kill two birds with one stone. That would have been so easy and so comfortable.

Well, that night I took a shot in the dark and signed up for an interview with LDS Information Technology and Communication. In my mind I had worked up this plan in my mind here's what it consisted of:


I would spend my winter semester in Peru doing Humanitarian work, and then I would come home and spend my spring semester interning for the church. It just seemed so right!

Well, a couple hours before my interview I had a total melt down! I had told a few people about my plan to interview for this department of the church and they all asked, "Uhhh do you know anything about Information Technology?" My answer was of course no, and I began to feel so inadequate and so under-qualified. I even got on the computer and logged onto the website where I signed up for the interview and came THIS CLOSE to cancelling it. I was so discouraged!

Well after a chat with my dear mom, I decided to go for it anyways and give it all I got. So I did. The interview went well, I applied for a Human Resource internship, something I'm very interested in. Towards the end of the interview I was told that they'd like to interview me further for this position, but I had to understand that this was a one-year internship. I'd have to leave school for one whole year. ONE YEAR! That didn't feel right to me, so I asked if there was another position I could apply for. He told me to think about my decision for a few days and to let him know if I'd like to continue on with the interview process for human resource. He then directed me to the man in charge of interviewing for project, product and process management (at the time I had no idea what any of that meant :) So I did another interview right then for those internship positions.

I left the interviews feeling ok, but not very hopeful. It was a good experience, but I realized how under qualified I was. Two weeks later I received a phone call from the church's hiring department. They told me that they had two hiring managers who each wanted a follow-up telephone interview with me. So I set them both up and interviewed for them later that week. Holla

The first interview was for project management. Let's just say that it was 50 of the most vigorous, intense minutes of my life. When I hung up the phone, I seriously collapsed on my bed out of sheer exhaustion. It was not child's play that's for sure. At the end of the interview I was told that he was very confident in my communication skills and how well I handled the stressful situations he put me in (we did a simulation) without letting emotion get in the way. He just worried about how little I knew about computer information technology. So he said he'd give me the next two weeks to learn as much as I could about CIT and then he'd call me back and interview me on it. My homework began that night and I have studied my guts out since then!

Five days later I had another interview with the same company, but a different hiring manager. This one was not as intense, and rather enjoyable. He went through my resume (he was impressed :) and we talked about some leadership experiences that I've been in. It was great!

Ten days later, yesterday, I received the phone call saying that I got the internship. I was seriously speechless when she was explaining things on the phone. I couldn't believe it! I was so overwhelmed and seriously just wanted to cry. I called my pops and told him post haste. My mom squealed :) I had four classes to attend right after that, and I couldn't tell you a single thing that was said in any of them. I was so side tracked. My mind was racing all day long.

So this is it! My dream is coming true! I'm deferring from school for the spring semester (this breaks my heart, but it must be done). I start the week right after I get home from Peru. I will be interning in Riverton, UT as a project manager. I'll be working 40 hours a week and making 2.5 times as much as I do now :)

My heart is so full of gratitude for these amazing experiences. I was so dreading turning 21 next month, but something tells me that this year will be one of the best I could ever imagine.

And since this post is so lengthy, I'll leave you a picture that's worth 1000 words:

This is me and my goober-FHE brothers. How I love them!

Thanks for listening :)

Love, Noelle

Admirable Quality

One of my very favorite talks ever written is titled "Our Refined Heavenly Home". I have probably read it at least 100 times and it never gets old. Allow me to share with you one of my favorite quotes from it.

Read carefully.

"There are those who always speak of themselves, and they are either insecure or proud. 
There are those who always speak of others. They are usually very boring. 
There are those who speak of stirring ideas, compelling books, and inspiring doctrine. These are the few who make their mark in this world. "

This quote hits me every time I read it.
It's the same process every time.

Goes like this:

1. Noelle decides to read favorite article. 
2. Noelle is reading along loving the article. 
3. Noelle comes to aforementioned quote.
4. Noelle says, "Darn it, I'm insecure, proud and very boring." 
5. And then Noelle makes a resolution to speak of "stirring ideas, compelling books and inspiring doctrine"

You guys, it is no small task to try and speak like that. Everytime I read thid quote I instantly think of my brother. I have a brother who is so speaks of stirring ideas, compelling books, inspiring doctrine and many other things of that nature. I've always been so impressed with that quality in him. 

I went to the mall on Friday and spent a bit of time in Barnes and Noble, what a magical place. It made me fall in love with books all over again. Keep in mind that this is coming from  6th, 7th and 8th grades' voted "Radical Reader" hahah.

I simply can't wait to have a library filled with the classics

"Classic: A book which people praise but never read" -Mark Twain. 

I will read this book. Soon

I love reading people's stories.

Condoleezza Rice: My childhood icon, I'd love to read her book.

Shout out to Grandpa Cleon making it right next to President Monson on the Barnes and Noble bookshelf.

Aren't books fabulous?  I have a new found desire to delve into book after book and enlighten my mind that I might be one who can "speak of stirring ideas, compelling books, and inspiring doctrine." and in turn make my mark on this world.  

Love, Noelle

Because I Have Been Given Much

I too must give.

So I didn't go into much detail about my upcoming Peru adventure. Here's a few more details to tide you over until I get a chance to really delve into it. p.s. have you noticed that I say "delve" a lot? I'm not even sure I'm using it correctly... hmmm

The organization I'm going through is a humanitarian organization called Eagle Condor Humanitarian. They have projects set up throughout South America. Each project is either a Step 1, Step 2, or Step 3 project. My particular one is a Step 2 project. 

"Step 2 projects focus on working directly with children and/or training heads of family to become more self-sustaining so children can stay in school enabling them to gain access to better jobs and futures. Step 2 projects are able to focus on education and community development."

So as a Step 2 volunteer, I will be involved with the following:

• Discover social identity and self-worth
• Educational Opportunities
• One-to-one mentorship programs through interns
• School Enhancement – Literacy Centers, Computer Labs, etc…
• Community Development – Greenhouses, Bathrooms, , etc….

You guys, I can't even tell you how excited I am. I'm seriously geeking out. To be honest I've all but dropped out of school at this point.  I don't have any desire to do homework or study or ANYTHING. I just want to run away to Peru. Right. this. instant. Can you blame me?

I can't wait til I'm posting pictures of me with Peruvian kids!!!

 Any advice? Words of Wisdom? Concerns? Shared Excitement??

Love, Noelle

Dare to Do Great Things

A few days ago, Sister Dalton came to campus and told us to get out of our comfort zones and dare to do great things. Dream big she said.

Here's what's in my comfort zone: Hot water. My favorite foods. English. My family. Rexburg. BYU-Idaho. Claire Salmon. America.

Here's what I dream big about:

Children

Humanitarian Work

Peru

Making a Difference

It's blog official. I am stepping out of my comfort zone.  Come January, I'm leaving America, my family, Claire, Rexburg, school, my food, my hot water...everything for three short months.

I'm going to Peru. How could I not?
Love,
Noelle

Investments

I've been thinking a lot about investments lately. What is an investment? What does it mean to invest in something? How does it correlate with potential, devotion, time?

RFAM: One of my very favorite movies is Confessions of a Shopaholic. I think that I could watch this movie everyday for the rest of my life and it'd never get old.

This is the character in question, Luke Brandon. What an amazing name. His real name is Hugh Dancy. Also a fabulous name.  Gosh isn't he adorable?

So in this movie, Luke Brandon (see above) asks Rebecca Bloomwood what he thinks of him as a person, as an investment. She told him quite frankly that as an investment, he stinks. A marriage investment that is.


Well, the other day I had a dream in which I was chatting with a friend.. a very honest friend, who in not so many words told me that as an investment, I pretty much stink.  I was taken back, but let him/her explain themselves. They told me that I was a great girl: fun, outgoing, nice yada, yada... but with my up-and-coming adventures to Peru and my internship in Utah (mainly the fact that I won't be in Rexburg til next Fall)  put a complete hold on any chance I have on getting married. Who would want to try and get to know someone who's leaving the continent and not coming back to Rexburg for quite some time? Why would someone invest the time in me right now? In my mind I was thinking, ok that's fine, I don't mind not getting married the second I turn 21, I can wait. 

Don't worry, this gets better...(sarcasm)

 I was then told that as soon as I get back to Rexburg I would be career-driven and completely intimidating to any and every man I come in contact with. Pretty much my adventures and age would scare them off and that I'd be destined to live my life as a workaholic with a cat, a blog and lots of money. I should probably walk around with a name tag that says: 
Noelle Rust- Not a Good Investment.

Depressing huh?
Good thing it was just a dream, because I've got other plans in mind.



That's all I have to say about that.

Love, Noelle

Peru....ok?

You guys. I. am. going. to. Peru.

Wait. What?

I AM GOING TO PERU!
Now to answer the questions that immediately came to your mind upon reading this fantastic statement:

 1.  WHAT???

NO, I do not speak Spanish, and no I'm not crazy! I took 4 years in high school, thanks for making me stick with it Senor Larsen! And then I took Spanish 101 last semester. Sooo I feel like I've learned plenty from a textbook and the only way I'll ever learn more is to get out there and submerge myself into a Spanish culture.

2.When

I'm leaving in January and I'll be back in March or early April. This is during my off-track at school, so it works out perfect. It's so weird to think that I'll be missing a Winter in Rexburg. Winter is always my favorite semester and I have loved spending in them in Rexburg, buuuut I'll be skipping the winter season altogether seeing as it'll be Spring/Summer in Peru.

Kind of sad that I'll be missing out on prime-time sledding season...

3. Where

  We have a few options as to where in Peru we're going. An official decision hasn't been made yet, but I'm leaning towards the jungle/mountainous area :)

4. Who

Abigail Tucker introduced me to this program just about a week ago. She is also off-track in the Winter, so we're doing this together. Thank goodness! I think we'll make a fabulous team, and I'm sooo happy that I'll a bit of home there with me. Not to mention an American who speaks English! YES!

5. Why

  Ahhh where to even begin with this the whys. I feel like there are so many reasons why I am doing this, and reason's that I'm not even sure of yet. But here's a few of the basics: I've finally figured out what I want to do with my life, my career. I've bounced around between a few things here and there, but none of them have ever truly appealed to me. Here's what appeals to me: Humanitarian Work. I've known I've always wanted to work for the church, but I thought that it might be in their Public Relation department, or their Human Resource department. Both would be great, but... eh, great for someone else maybe. I want to work in their Humanitarian Aid department. Too bad BYU-I doesn't offer that as a major :)..so Communications is going to have to get me there, and I think it will.

Cool huh?
Love, Noelle

Hymn. Him. Hmmmmm?

This post will consist of three segments. Hymn. Him. and Hmmm? Hopefully one of them will tickle your fancy :)

HYMN 

Pretty much, every semester I pick my favorite hymn at the time and completely delve into it and study the guts out of it. And somehow they have completely applied to that time in my life and have been a huge source of comfort and guidance. They've kept me sane.

Last Winter, easily one of my favorite semesters, my hymn was "More Holiness Give Me".

Winter 2010: Homestead. Oh yes.

Genius of a song really. It was so perfect for what was going on in my life and so perfect for what I wanted to accomplish that semester. I took it apart phrase by phrase, and worked on and studied one phrase a week. Oooo, even just thinking about it gives me the chills. Such a good experience.

Last Spring, easily one of my weirdest semesters, (which doesn't really mean much because it was still an INCREDIBLE semester) was just a super interesting time in my life where I really didn't know what I wanted to do with my life and I just needed some direction.

Clearly In Need of Some Direction :)

And fittingly enough, the song that I couldn't get out of my head ALLL semester was, "Lead Kindly Light". Ohhh I love that hymn. So beautiful. So comforting. So perfect.

Fall 2011- Off to a very good start

I'll give you a hint as to what this semester's hymn is. Open up the most recent General Conference Ensign to a random page and you have like a 75% chance of opening up to a talk that deals with this topic. One talk is even titled the name of this hymn. Got it? Yup, it's "Have I Done Any Good".  So this is the one I'm focusing and studying now, and I love it already. The lyrics are packed with "Duh!-no-brainers" that we could all do to hear more often. So I'm pretty excited about this.

HIM.

 So people are always asking about the men in my life. So I figured I'd sort it all out for you right here... ha if you thought I was seriously going to spill my guts about boys right here, you are sorely mistaken, sorry folks :) If you're really that curious, come to me and I'll tell you everything you want to know.
Moving on...

Hmmmmm?

Here's also what I'm pretty excited about. PERU. Yeah. Peru. Can't get that off my mind either... so maybe it's supposed to be there. More on that later, but until then... PERU PERU PERU!!! If that doesn't make you say Hmmm.. I don't know what will!

That's all for now folks (is it obvious that I ran out of time and had to rush the ending of this? Yes? Whoops!)

Goood night all, I'm a happy, happy girl!

Love, Noelle

Benevolence and Benadryl

So I was out on a run last Wednesday evening. It started off as a great run, beautiful weather, pleasant breeze and I was just feelin good all around.

By the end of the run, my eyes were practically swollen shut, I had tears streaming down my face, I couldn't stop sniffling and I thought I was going to die.

What happened you ask?

Hay-fever happened. Allergies got the best of me.

I guess I just forget that I get allergies really bad every spring. So they came again and snuck up on me this semester. And let me tell you, they sure have been kicking my toosh. The sneezing, the watering eyes, the runny nose, the foggy thinking, the energy zapping etc etc.

Anyways, back to my story, so I'm walking up the stairs to come home from my run, and I run into my dear friend LeeAnn. I was so very happy to run into her because she was leaving for home (Ohio) the next day, and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to say goodbye. 

This is LeeAnn and I on a group date. She is seriously one of the most gorgeous girls I have ever met.

Anyways, I had a nice chat with her, during which she noticed my apparent allergy problem. Well, I woke up the next morning only to find this on my kitchen table:

IT says: "Noelle, hope this helps! And they say that a spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down, or in this case, some chocolate. Feel better! Love, your fairy GodMother"

My first thought when I saw this was, "This has visiting teachers written all over it!" Wrong, this was simply a good friend who went way out of her way on a day where she could have been doing a million other things (seeing as she was preparing to fly across the country) to help out a sniffling, sneezing friend.

I couldn't believe it.

It made me think of this talk given by Sister Cook in the April 2011 General Young Women's conference. SUCH a great talk, I highly recommend reading it. In it, she encourages us to become benevolent.

Benevolent: "A lovely word that we don’t hear very often. Its roots are Latin, and it means “to wish someone well.”To be benevolent is to be kind, well meaning, and charitable."

LeeAnn Riggs is benevolent. She and Sister Cook have given me a new found desire to become more benevolent. To be a little kinder, to be more selfless, to forget my own needs and desires for a moment to focus on the needs of others. Benevolent. Gosh, that is a lovely word isn't it?

Thanks LeeAnn, I shall pay it forward for sure.

Love, Noelle

Betcha Didn't Know That

10 Things You May (or May Not) Already Know About Myself

1. I almost never paint my fingernails. Always the toes, but the fingers only on special occasion.

2. I didn't attend school my 6th grade year,  I did an online schooling program called Odyssey. This could possibly be the reason why the idea of taking an online class makes me queasy.

3. I have/remember my dreams almost every night. A dream journal has been started, and my roommate Keri has graciously agreed to interpret them for me :)

4. I absolutely loved Powderpuff football in high school

5. It has been my dream for quite some time to intern in Washington D.C. or New York City

6. I love garlic. In high school I would come home after school and roast an entire head of garlic in the oven and then eat it plain.

7. I ate my very first hot dog ever about two months ago. I regret to inform you that I've eaten some since then as well.

8. My teeth chatter like crazy if I'm even the slightest bit cold.

9. I read this talk by Elder Holland a little over a month ago, and I do believe that it changed my life!

10. I don't like Crest toothpaste one bit. Colgate all the way! This particular kind is my toothpaste of choice

Well, how'd you do? Learn anything new? Find anything in common? Discrepancies? Surprises?  Hope so :) Have a great day!

Love, Noelle

"Look How Fast I'm Going!"

Keri Rich, Claire Salmon and I spent our Saturday morning hearing comments such as the following:

"You Rock!" - Old guy with glasses and Hawaiian shorts

"Come finish it for me!"- Old guy

"That way?"-Old man

"Thank you!"- A guy with a heavy accent

"GRRRRMMMMAMMMAAAWWWW!"- A nice young man with a lot of energy

"Do you guys have any morphine??"-Old man

"Now that's inspiration!"- Old man referring to our sweet dance moves.

 And my personal favorite:

"Look how fast I'm going!"- Hispanic man said with a cute accent

We also heard several, "You're awesome!" 's and even more, "You're the best cheerers so far!"

Any guesses as to how we three ladies spent our Saturday morning? See if you can guess from a few pictures: 

So our morning started at about 6:15 am. Claire was the drill sergeant in charge of waking us up.

I wasn't very happy about being awake so exceedingly early, until I found out that lovely Claire had made and packed German Pancakes for our breakfast once we got to our destination. That put me in a good mood :)

After breakfast, we crashed. I'm sure we were a sight to see: Three college girls passed out on some random Rexburg street corner. It was cold :( and it even started raining on us!

Then things brightened up and we got our groove on, right in the middle of the street, for about 3 hours!

Poor Keri :)

And then we crashed...again, but in a more comfortable place.

Ok, if you haven't guessed, we spent our Saturday morning as volunteers for the Teton Dam Marathon. We were in charge of standing on a street corner all morning and cheering runners on as they ran past us. We were located at mile 25.5 out of a total of 26.2 miles, so we were right there near the end. Despite the early hour and our grumpy beginnings, we finished out strong and had so much fun cheering on the runners as they ran by. We jumped, kicked, danced and yelled our hearts out. I'd be willing to bet we burned just as much calories as those runners... ok well maybe not quite as much, but we were movin like crazy!

By the end of the race, we were worn out and our throats were raw, but we had a blast! Good thing it was National Be Outside day, because we were outside all morning. It was great!

Also, I made it a goal, if I'm in Rexburg next spring, to run the Teton Dam Half Marathon. That's 13ish or so miles.. with a little training that's totally doable!! I can just imagine the feeling of accomplishment I'd feel, ahhh bliss. There were so many elderly folk out there running; if they could get out there and do it, so could I! The only thing that throws me off is that you have to pay like $45 to participate. Pay money to run... what?? Minor details, minor details. Running a marathon is on my bucket list, so $45 or not, it must be done!

My lovely roommate Hannah Salmon finished the half!

The half marathoner and I!

Salmon Sisters

Soo... half marathon next spring? :) Who's with me?

Love,
Noelle