Get thee hence...

Temptation has presented itself very strongly and suddenly in my life. There is a new battle being fought, and it is one against someone who doesn't want me going to the Temple to be endowed. Here, I would love to share what I know to be true, to prove to that malicious being that I will reach my greatest strength and potential, I will not falter, I will not fail, for God is on my side. I would like to start by quoting a beautiful talk called "Celestial Marriage" by Elder Bruce R. McConkie. He defines marriage in a nutshell saying, "Everything that we do in the Church is connected and associated with and tied into the eternal order of matrimony that God has ordained. Everything that we do from the time that we become accountable, through all our experiences, and all the counsel and direction we receive, up to the time of marriage, is designed and intended to prepare us to enter into a probationary marriage arrangement, one that does in fact become eternal if we abide in the covenant made in connection with that order of matrimony. Then everything that we do for the remainder of our lives, whatsoever it may be, ties back into the celestial order of matrimony into which we have entered and is designed and intended to encourage us to keep the covenant made in holy places. That is the general concept, briefly stated, under which we are operating." I LOVE that this righteous man states that marriage is what we all strive for, it is what we are all being prepared for and it is what we will continue to prepare for until we find that spouse destined for us. I reaffirm that everything after marriage will tie back to the celestial order of things. I believe that our Heavenly Father sent us here to reside in a family to prepare to create our own family and continue His eternal plan. We enter into a covenant when we become endowed in the Lord's temple, and as well when we are sealed to our family, and the Lord says: "All covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances, connections, associations, or expectations, that are not made and entered into and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, of him who is anointed, both as well for time and for all eternity, and that too most holy, by revelation and commandment through the medium of mine anointed, whom I have appointed on the earth to hold this power (and I have appointed unto my servant Joseph to hold this power in the last days, and there is never but one on the earth at a time on whom this power and the keys of this priesthood are conferred), are of no efficacy, virtue, or force in and after the resurrection from the dead; for all contracts that are not made unto this end have an end when men are dead." (Doctrine and Covenants 132:7) The Lord knows what is bound in his kingdom, He knows what is sealed temporally and what has been sealed eternally. I am so grateful to have the honor of being endowed and then later sealed in His Temple, there is no greater feeling of fulfillment than that of fulfilling the Lord's commandments. I am thrilled to be born again, born into a new inheritance, into a new family with my future husband-to-be. I hope and pray that we can continually stay true to our covenants, as we prepare in this life to join our Father again. I say these things in the name of the Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

New Boundaries...

I've discovered my love for design once again. Have you ever noticed that you go in and out of phases in your life without even realizing that you just went through a phase? Makes sense, right? Anywho, I just rediscovered my love for design.... for art... and for anything beautiful really. I forgot how refreshing it was to go out and just photograph the world around you. Finding patterns, shapes, and aligning your lens with the proportions of the world. Little did I know that this was a remedy for the soul. My passion for reading has also resurfaced. "You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me." -C.S. Lewis. There is a certain pleasure in reading I could never find anywhere else. Nothing can take me out of this world better than a book, and when one wants to escape, reading presents itself proudly. This is excellent timing for books to come into my eager perspective again because of school starting up soon. I am anxious about entering a new design program that I'm not at all used to, but I believe that my anxiety will settle once I get in learning mode once again. Lately I've discovered that there are things about myself that I cannot change. For instance, I'll always be a brunette, my eyes will continually stay blue, and most importantly I'm an independent being. I will forever want to take care of myself, and sometimes this is the worst possible mindset... Especially when you are expected to join lives with your one and only love of your life. There is a whole new ball game to be played when you fall in love, it's something I've not come across yet. I guess there is always room for something new... Yours truly...

So there's this guy...

I almost never talk about myself, and when I do it's typically through a loophole or some alternate meaning within a poem or something, but I think I'm going to try something new.. And what better way to start talking about yourself than to talk about someone else?! So there really is this guy... He makes my world pop. That's a strange phrase, and makes no sense unless you are a girl like me. Because he and I, we're made for each other and no one else. We click, pop, snap and work together. No matter the verb, it's what we do! (pun intended) I love him oh so much. This is not a typical thing I say in any public way. I'm planning on changing that. Mostly because I have this sparkly thing hanging out on my finger that's basically telling the world anyway. Oh golly gee, guys. He cares for me, and would do nothing to hurt me. I hope that every little princess has the opportunity to experience love like this in their life time. Everyone should have someone to live for. It really is a beautiful thing, and it will distract you from yourself. That's one thing I've noticed since loving the man of my dreams. I haven't kept my own dreams intact because of this beautiful distraction. And that... That is a frustrating thing. You never want to lose yourself, you'll have nothing left if you do, and when you have nothing left then you leave the love of your life with nothing left to love. That is your primary act of service in a relationship. Soooo... Be yourself. My self consists of reading, eating, loving the gospel, and loving people enough to kiss their face. I also have a tenancy to act like a little kid. This has nothing to do with wearing a diaper and throwing fits in the middle of Kmart, and everything to do with the way I love to live life a little more interestingly than others. I find no point in being bored, and find more point in dancing in the rain or scrunching up your neighbor's pants in the middle of sacrament just to make him have to put it down again. I hope I always have a zest for life like little children do, even when I'm ninety. Well, that's enough for today...

A World of Photography

Gothic Library

Here is my first complete room, matted and displayed for the end of my first semester of my Drawing and Presentation class. This living room's setting is in the Gothic Era, with Gothic styled furniture and contains aspects that would be present in the Gothic cathedrals, like the drapery and stylized clerestory look above the bookshelves. My references used were mostly from the inside of said cathedrals during the Gothic age, and my goal was to create the feel of a Gothic atmosphere in the room as well.

Being Constructive...

A construction drawing is what us Interior Designers learn to make sure we know how to see something in 360 degrees. So if I see a picture of a chair or sofa I would like to place in a room but it isn't in the right perspective, or I can't see the whole of a piece of furniture, I can transfer that image to the perspective I wish it to be by using the skills I've learned while doing construction drawings. This is my favorite construction drawing I have done so far! I'm not a violent person, but I REALLY loved drawing this gun.

Line Design

This project was a bit of a challenge, I was instructed to not use outlines to draw this rose laying on piano keys, but instead to use line weight and direction to recreate the image. I placed this photo in Photoshop and laid a red layer over the photo to bring out the feeling of the rose.