Turtles, Ties, and Puppies!

It's summer!

That doesn't actually mean too much for me though. But it does still feel different than the normal school year, and I am excited! I am doing a lot of things that will be a bit challenging, but what better a time do them? The Young Single Adult population in Tucson has drastically dwindled for the summer, so I had better find something to do! Here's what I am up to this summer:
- An internship at Eye Care and Cure. I started last Monday. It's pretty cool. Lots of hands on work, which I am not really used to. In a lot of ways it beats sitting behind a desk all day.
- A biology class at Pima Community College. It's a lower division class that I neglected taking a few years back. The material is simple, but it is time consuming. The summer only adds to that because everything is so condensed. I got 100% on my first test today though so that's good.
- Both Organic Chemistry Labs at U of A. I took the lectures during the school year. So again, I don't think the material will be too hard, just time consuming.
- Studying to retake the OAT (optometry admissions test). I already took it last year, and I did well enough to get accepted into most schools, but I would like to really crush it and give myself even more of an opportunity. I also took it before I had completed at least six courses who's materials were included on the test. I have now completed most of those course, so hopefully I can do better.
- Singing in the Cornerstone Dedication of the Tucson Temple. I know what you're thinking, I can't sing. While that's true, I'm excited to work really hard and hopefully develop a new skill. What a wonderful opportunity that's truly once in a lifetime. I'm glad I was picked to participate.
- Attempting to have a social life.
- Skateboarding.

I'll catch you up on some highlights of my summer so far!

My Grandma Debbie has retired from Burns Pest Elimination! She has been there for 18 years so it was kind of surreal. I can tell she doesn't know what to do. It was funny, I called her yesterday, which was her last official day of work, and I asked her what she was going to do the next day. She was just like uhh... Well I'll go to the bank... and uhhh idk. She will get to help my Aunt Sherri bake some cakes or something  on Friday. She was so excited for that because she has never really been able to do things like that. She has worked full time almost her entire life, including when she was raising 5 children. I am so happy for her and my grandpa, who also retired :)

I found a freaking TURTLE!! Technically a tortoise. A sulcatta or something like that. It was in the middle of the road right down the street from my house. It was definitely someone's pet, but there was no way of knowing whose it was. So Caroline and I took it to my friend Brittany's grandma's house who also has another Sulcatta turtle. And she loves her. Even if we do find the owner, which doesn't look too promising at this point, I don't see grandma giving her up anytime soon. I'll attach some pics.






We have had some pretty fun game nights! I've had to make new friends and so far I haven't scared anyone off! So we're doing something right!

Friday Night we went up to Mount Lemmon for a ward activity. We set up all the tents for girls camp, and tbh I had a blast. I wasn't too sure if I was gonna go, but ended up going with Aaron and Joel. We played an epic game of Werewolf (literally the best I've ever played, shout out to Matthew Grabinger for being a Lycan and confusing everyone). Then in the morning I got up early and started to prepare a talk I was giving the next day. There's nothing better than a peaceful scripture study up in the mountains, early in the morning. I have received sacred revelation in places like that. The peace and serenity that can be felt are so great.

On saturday I went to Mesa for the night, and I hung out with Jenny and her mom. Her mom was super fun and literally acted like she was our age. At one point she even encouraged me to "just make out" with someone haha. We went to Frost at San Tan and subsequently ended up at Barnes and Noble, which is my favorite. I've yet to meet a member of the Aranda family I don't like!

My mom got a new puppy! Same as my other dog Romeo, just smaller and a girl. I'll post a pic.



On Sunday I gave a talk. This was the fifth talk I've given in the last 8 or 9 months, and honestly besides my little scripture study on the mountains I didn't do much to prepare. There was the slightest touch of arrogance that I was carrying around with me because I knew I could give a decent talk. That came back to bite me it the butt, hard. After leaving jennys on saturday my engine guard came loose on the bottom of my car. I was dragging it and throwing sparks while driving down the 202. That was fun, and I didn't get home until very late, leaving no time to finish my talk. I told myself I would finish it in the morning. Yeah right. By the time I got out of the shower in the morning it was 8:45 and I needed to leave for Tucson to give my talk at 11. I told myself I would get there a few minutes early and put the finishing touches on it. As I was driving I had the impression that I should include in my talk the difference between church culture and the actual doctrine of Jesus Christ. I just couldn't think of how I was going to do that over the pulpit without accidentally offending someone or any traditions that they might hold near and dear to their hearts. Because to be honest it is actually a good thing to have certain customs or cultural norms that we follow, but it's when we allow those things to take precedence over the true essence of the Gospel that we can get into trouble and really miss the mark. I decided to dismiss that thought since I couldn't see how I could fit it in with so little time. Well, it's funny how the Lord works in mysterious ways (cue the forest gump voice). On the way there I realized I did not have a tie, and I did not want to take the time to run home and grab it since that would be cutting it pretty close. I called my roommate and asked him to grab me a tie and bring it to church. He didn't know I was giving a talk, so I don't think he sensed any urgency in the situation. He also wasn't feeling very well, which I didn't know. Anyways, I got to church around 10:45 and my roommate was nowhere in sight. 10:55, still no roommate. I'm freaking out at this point as I have no tie and only about 4 bullet points written down for my talk. At 11 oclock he texted me and told me he would be leaving the house soon.... Meltdown mode. I admitted defeat and slowly walked up to the stand... with no tie and with virtually no talk. To make matters worse, I found out I was going first. I was shaking I was so scared.  Guys giving talks is my thing! I'm an extrovert times 10 and I might speak every week if they asked me to. But this day was different. I felt so embarrassed, but I decided to just suck it up and put together what I could during the sacrament. I realized that this was the perfect situation to teach the difference between culture and doctrine, because guess what! Wearing a tie is a part of our culture not our doctrine. We are asked to wear ties and we should do so. There's nothing wrong with it and it can help promote a certain level of professionalism and reverence that should be present at church, but there isn't any actual power in the tie. The power is in Jesus Christ.
I calmed myself down, gathered my thoughts, and gave my talk. It was one of the best talks I've ever given. At least that is how I felt about it because i learned a powerful lesson that day. When the Lord needs something done, he'll get it done. He is the one who provides the power so that our words reach the hearts of those we teach. It doesn't matter how skilled we think we are or how much knowledge we believe we have, we will always need our Heavenly Fathers help. He'll humble us to make us remember that if necessary. He'll also provide us with spiritual help and power even if sometimes we don't totally deserve it. I'm grateful that the Lord found it worthwhile to help me, as insignificant as I am, to deliver a talk. I'm sure someone needed to hear what he had to say.

After church I had a meeting with Bishop Call. He is a great friend and I appreciate the loving help he offers to me and others in our ward. He's a good man.

The rest of the week consisted of two pool parties for memorial day. Work and school the rest of the week, and three movie nights. Shout out to Maddy Truman for being a constant at all three of those movie nights. She seems to just follow me around....

Tucson Temple Open House starts on Saturday! Make sure you come on down to see it!

My friend Don King (No, not THAT Don King)

I'm just gonna be real with you guys... One of my least favorite things to do is give service. Seriously. I remember telling a mission companion I didn't want to do service during the week because it was a waste of time and boring. He probably thought I was some heartless heathen. I know though that whenever I do give in and go serve someone it's an amazing experience. It's just hard for me to actually go do it!

So fast forward to November 30th of last year. The church was just starting to launch this new Christmas initiative all about serving other people and doing good acts every day leading up to December 25th and what not. I had also just given a talk about losing ourselves in service to others and I really felt like I needed to find someone to serve. I of course have a myriad of formal opportunities to serve in my church callings, home teaching, etc. Sometimes, however, unstructured service is a lot more important than what we do at church. Actually, anyone can put on a suit or a dress and go to meetings all day on sunday. True christlike service  is a part of us. Jesus Christ always found small ways to serve those around because he loved them and that's what mattered most to him, even though he had many administrative duties to attend to.

Obviously, I was lacking in the service department, and that needed to change. So on November 30th I walked outside my house, and lo and behold, a man in a wheelchair struggling to throw away some trash. I of course ran over and threw the trash away. Patted myself on the back, and felt better. That's what a true christian is supposed to do, right? Now I was ready for Christmas! Now I wouldn't feel so bad when I drove past the people begging for money, because I had already done my christlike service for the day. Bam. Good to go.

Hopefully you pick up on my sarcasm and don't stop reading there. I don't quite remember why, but a few days later I went back over to the mans house. I found out his name was Don King and that he was actually a pretty interesting guy. We initially hit it off because he likes Star Wars just like me. So we just nerded out about Rogue One for a little while. Eventually, I started going over pretty routinely after school/work. He talked me into watching Star Trek as well as star wars, and now I'm a borderline trekkie. If you see pictures of me at a Star Trek convention wearing Vulcan ears anytime soon... Blame it on Don. Haha. Essentially, Don and I have become really good friends. His service dog of EIGHTEEN YEARS just passed away before I met him, and needless to say he has been very lonely. I'm very grateful that he is in my life because I have been given the opportunity to serve and I really think that I've been helpful to him at this time in his life.

Still. I haven't been feeling very Christlike. Quite the opposite really. This semester I seem to be constantly stressed and constantly snapping at people. I've been ready to argue about every little thing and subsequently drive the spirit away almost on a daily basis. A lot of good things are happening too of course, and I've done a lot of great things. I won't be too dramatic because life is good. But there has been the slightest element of inner peace missing from my life. And to be honest a lot of times that I've gone over to see Don, its felt almost obligatory. Like since I don't feel the spirit right now, I should probably go see Don and see if he needs any help or something like that. That way I'll feel better.

Well yesterday I was in a particularly grumpy mood, but I had plans to go with Don to help him pick out a new puppy at the Humane Society. So I went, just kind of forcing a smile on my face and doing my best to help him have a good time. Unfortunately, we got there and they had not opened yet. That was kind of sad, but we just loaded up the car and started to head home. Then he asked if he could treat me to breakfast. I hesitated because I had a pretty busy morning, but I eventually said yes. We drove to Mimis Cafe and talked about Star Trek the whole time. I got to learn a lot more about him and listening and talking to him helped me to put my own life into perspective. He's been through so much, I was still all in my feels and feeling grumpy, but he didn't care. He was just so happy to have someone to talk to. And so was I actually. I didn't realize how much I appreciated Don until yesterday. I know that I matter to Don, and he knows that he matters to me. As unlikely a friendship as this might be, it's exactly what both of us need right now.

The moment I started to recognize Don as simply a friend, and not just a way for me to check off my daily service, was the moment I started to recognize that Christlike feeling I was looking for. I can help him and he can help me. I don't believe Jesus Christ helped people simply because they needed help or because he knew it was a duty of his. He did it because he loved them. He spent time with them because he wanted to spend time with them, not because he thought that he had to. He  knew he was the Son of God yet he never saw anyone as less than him. He saw their potential as children of God as well, and I believe he approached every situation knowing he could get as much from them as they could from him.

Basically, as we serve others, we should look for what blessings they have to offer us as well. I don't know how effectively the Lord can help or bless us if we view his children as simply an opportunity to serve. I do believe that Christ can work in relationships where two people view each other as equals and are both looking to help each other in anyway they can. I believe they call that symbiosis.

Anyways. Don King is a very positive influence in my life. I'm sure over the summer we'll become even better friends!

General Conference Takeaways... And other random things from the week.

Last week I had a PPI with my bishop, and it lasted a solid hour and a half. If you are in 3rd ward, you know that this isn't all that uncommon with Bishop Call. As I spoke with him though, I got the sense that I was speaking with a man who was really trying to connect with me and be my friend. Even if he wasn't that good at it and was definitely keeping me longer than I would have liked, the genuine attempt he was making resonated with me. As I settled in and just rolled with what may be the longest "brief review" of a ward mission plan ever, the spirit was able to begin teaching me some pretty important lessons. I learned of some of the hardships Bishop has been through, and I understood how much of a sacrifice he was making, both physically and emotionally, to serve as our singles ward Bishop. He's been through things most members of our ward would probably never even imagine. I gained a greater appreciation for him and all that he does. It gave me a greater desire to be patient with some of his quirks and to search for the good he has to offer me, which is a lot! He is a great man, and I am glad to be serving with him.

Fast forward to General Conference, and that same principle was pressed upon my mind even more. A lot has been going on with many movements that have been attempting to undermine the leadership of the Church. To preface what I will say, I will let you know that I have been going through my own personal revolution of how I view the church in my own life, and my ability to separate doctrine and church culture. Especially in regards to gay people, which maybe I will write another blog post about someday. We'll see if this blog thing sticks. Anyways, as conference started, my main thought/question was should I follow the prophets and apostles? How can I know to trust and follow them with so many other things going on and SOO many questions that still need to be answered? Satan is alive and well and is definitely stirring the pot right now. It is hard to know what is right and what is wrong as those lines are continuously being blurred. First thought, which I got from Elder Hales was that we are first and foremost called to be disciples of Jesus Christ. If we don't have that foundation first, it doesn't matter who we follow! Second impression, which came to me during Elder Hollands talk, was that we are not following the prophets and apostles because they are people that we personally know or respect or appreciate. We are following them because we have faith in the office which they hold. The holy apostleship. Jesus Christ himself established that office and authorized the 12 to function under HIS authority. The Authority that the apostles hold is not theirs, it is the Lord Jesus Christ's authority. We are to trust the authority, not the person holding the authority. If I can learn to distinguish between those two things I believe that will protect me from losing my faith in the gospel because of the imperfections of men.

 I might add that I believe the Prophets and apostles are doing their very best to do the Lord's will. Two general conference talks helped me to enforce that belief. Elder Anderson (I think?) spoke about Elder Bruce D. Porter who passed away last year. He suffered from a debilitating kidney disease but he still served until the very end of his life as a general authority of the church. He served for 22 years and died when he was 64 years old. That means that when he was 42 he dropped everything to serve the Lord.... Think about that and compare that to most of our own retirement plans for the end of our own lives? Probably not exactly we have in mind. To add to that sentiment, another elder spoke briefly this morning about his own service in the Church. When he was released as a stake president his son told him he was excited to spend more time with him. 3 weeks later he was called as a seventy (an even busier calling), to which his son responded something to the tune of "That's okay, i know that we are an eternal family." This speaks volumes about how large the sacrifices the leaders of the church make for us and for the Lord. These are living breathing human beings who have worries, dreams, hopes, and cares just like everyone of us. I wonder if sometimes we hold them to a standard of a perfection that we wouldn't want to be held to ourselves. Mistakes can be corrected and Policies can be rescinded. But being patient and loving with one another, even with our leaders who are imperfect and that we don't agree with sometimes, that will edify and build the Church faster than anything else I know. Love is powerful. That is why love is the essence of the gospel. Our church leaders deserve our love and support, ESPECIALLY when it is hard to love them. That's the only real way to inspire any changes.


                                                                  Exciting Things

I'll talk about my week. Because I know you all want to know!

mmmm.... I've almost learned two new tricks on my skateboard. A full Cab flip and Blizzard Flip. Look them up! I skate with a guy named Jon Choi who used to be sponsored by Adidas, and he definitely pushes me to be better.

I had three tests this week. O Chem, Bioethics, and Biochem. My butt has officially been kicked. Only a month or so left of school :) Hallelujah.

I was officially offered an internship at Eye Care and Corp. for the summer. That will really be helpful as I apply for Optometry School again this summer. If you don't know I applied to a school in Oregon which has an early entrance type program. Essentially you can skip your senior and start Optometry school early and therefore be done a year early. I kind of applied for kicks and giggles, but then they actually invited me out for an interview! If I got in that meant I would I would have been starting in August of this year. They put me on their alternate list, which felt like an honor in and of itself. I decided to decline that offer and just finish at U of A as was originally planned. If a spot did open up, Moving to Portland and starting professional seemed a little too overwhelming at this point in my life. I have the OAT done already now though and I have the interview experience. So I am excited to really started applying for other schools this summer!

mmmm... On wednesday my roommate Jeremy had an interview with the stake president for the Melch. Priesthood. I'm excited for him and the changes he's making in his life to serve the Lord! Then we had a movie night at the beezies.

Thursday I studied all day and finished my last test, and then Jenny, Mckenzie, Shawn, Aaron, and Eleanor and I watched signs at my house.

Friday I went to Sauce with Alex, Carly, Travis and Alex's friend Katie. I got some weird salad pizza thing and was a bit bummed. But everyone else shared their pizzas so it was good. Then I dumped like 4 sugar packets in Carlys drink and she didn't even notice. Way to ruin my joke. Then we went to Brittanys for cookies

Saturday was conference and then a group of us went and saw Beauty and the Beast, which I liked a lot. I'm trying to not spend a lot of money so we went to the five dollar harkins (5 dollars all the time!!) and then my friend Milena said it was her treat anyways. Shout out for being a true homie.

The second session of General Conference starts in 15 minutes, and I grateful to be here at the institute watching it with some great friends. :)