The Cure

“There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.” 

I've found it! The cure to all of life's problems, laughter. Have you ever had yourself a good laugh fest?   If you haven't I highly suggest you do. It is a WONDERFUL thing. There is nothing as great as sitting there laughing until your stomach hurts and no sound is coming out of your mouth. Yes, you may look ridiculous, but who cares?! I have been doing a lot of random research lately on how laughter benefits us mentally, physically, and socially. I was surprised to find that there are actually a ton of wonderful things that come from laughing. 

“Your sense of humor is one of the most powerful tools you have to make certain that your daily mood and emotional state support good health.”
~ Paul E. McGhee, Ph.D.

 According to studies done, laughter is a very, very good stress reliever. It relaxes the whole body, (after a good, hearty laugh your muscles stay relaxed up to 45 minutes after it! Isn't that so cool?!), it boosts your immune system,   it triggers the release of endorphins (body's natural feel-good chemicals), and it protects your heart. How does it do this you may ask, I'll tell you how. It improves the function of your blood vessels and increases your blood flow. Which protects you from heart attacks and other horrible cardiovascular problems. 
Along with physical benefits, there are mental and social benefits. laughing can add joy and zest to your life, it eases anxiety and fear, improves your mood,  strengthens relationships, helps defuse conflict, the list goes on and on. Who wouldn't want to laugh?! i mean really, come on. Laughing is great. Look at all the wonderful things you get from it! (Not to mention it gives you killer abs!) 
So, do the world a favor, LAUGH. A lot. It's good for you. Having a sense of humor can help you get a better perspective on things and just makes life more fun in general. 
If you'd like to read more about it, here's a good website. http://www.helpguide.org/life/humor_laughter_health.htm

^funny video

much love,
Katie.

A little inspiration

I love Sundays. It is a great day to just relax and  reflect on the week and what you've learned. It's a good day to do some meditating and remember Christ and Heavenly Father and every wonderful thing they have done for us. 

Earlier today I was looking up some quotes from C.S. Lewis, possibly on the greatest authors of all time. I thought I'd share some with you guys, because they are really good.

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” 

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.” 

“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”  

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” 

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.” 

What an inspired guy. LOVE HIM!

love,
Katie.

Simply beautiful

You know what two words I love put together? Simply beautiful. It seems like such a small little phrase, one wouldn't really think much about it, but yet when you sit and think about it...there is so much more to it! Think about what those words mean alone, simply, a word that implies something is just basic, nothing too special or out of the ordinary. Then you have beautiful, which implies something is unique and pleasing. Put them together and what do you get? (Not bippity-boppity-boo, if that's what you were thinking!!) You get something that is wonderful. When someone describes something as 'simply beautiful' they are saying that its simplicity is what makes it beautiful. It doesn't need to be extravagant or out of this world to be amazing. Sometimes things are beautiful in their natural state. The simple things in life are the good ones. Words never cease to amaze me. It's simply beautiful how we are able to take such simple, beautiful words and string them together to create a wonderful piece of work. Seriously, is it not amazing? Sometimes the smallest words can have the biggest impact. How cool is it that you can create pictures, people, and even whole new worlds with the composition of simple little words. Alone, they may be boring, but together, they can create a masterpiece. 

It is simply wonderful. :)

Much love,

Katie.

Simple, yet beautiful. 

What Disney taught me

Disney movies are great. They can teach you so much. As children we  loved the stories of princes and princesses living happily ever after, but now as we grow older and watch those movies again you notice something else; the lesson embedded in the movie. As my little brother watched Disney movies frequently it gives me the opportunity to see them again and I have actually learned quite a bit. Disney movies are just so much more meaningful now that you can fully understand and appreciate what the hidden meaning in them is.

1. The Lion King

The Lion King taught me that you should not let your past ruin your future. No matter what happened you can change. Don't ever forget that you have a divine purpose in life and that you are a child of a King. It may not be the King of Pride Rock, but Heavenly Father is a king nonetheless and because of that you are special. 

2. Tangled

Tangled taught me to never be afraid of chasing your dreams. Rapunzel had never been out in the world and seh found the courage to chase her dreams. In the end she learned a lot about life and about finding new dreams after your old ones are gone. (She also taught me to always carry a frying pan, you never know when it will come in handy!)

3. Tarzan

This is one of my absolute favorites. I love the story of Tarzan. This movie teaches you about families and that outward appearance doesn't matter. My favorite part of this movie is when Tarzan's mother, Cala, is showing Tarzan that even though he might look different on the outside, on the inside they are the same. I think it is very important to remember that. Every person has feelings just like you and me, on the inside we are really all the same.

4. Beauty and the Beast

Don't be afraid to be different. It's like Dr. Seuss said, "Why fit in when you were born to stand out?" I really admire Belle and the way she isn't afraid to be who she is. She embraces her uniqueness. And because of the attitude she has she is able to love other people for who they are, not what they look like. 

This movie also taught me that love can change you. Because of the love and kindness Belle showed to the Beast he became a whole new person (literally and figuratively). We need to have that love for people so that they can reach their full potential and love who they are.

5. Enchanted

"True love's kiss is the most powerful thing in the world."
Need I say more? :) True love conquers all. It is a light in a world of darkness. We should all strive to find that.

much love,
Katie.

I Am His Daughter

It's times like these when I feel so blessed to have all the knowledge that I do. What a beautiful thing to know that I am a unique Daughter of my heavenly Father. It is so wonderful to be able to see what He sees in everyone around me. Life is good and I owe it all to Heavenly Father. He has given me so many wonderful things in life and I couldn't be more grateful.

Love,

Katie.

Plain and Simple

Today is one of those days where I am reminded of all that I have. I am so grateful for all the experiences I've gone through, all the people I've met and lessons I've learned. I have met/know so many wonderful people, they always know the right thing to say to me even if it's just an accident. Today, in young women's we had a great lesson. My lovely leader seemed to be talking right to me, even though I know she was talking to everyone. I have been a member of The Church my whole life and the power of the Spirit still amazes me. One person can know what today through it. It's a truly amazing thing. It seems that when you are at your lowest, always, someone comes along and just picks you right back up. Always. I have been down many times, there's been times where I just struggle or I'm feeling sad or angry and someone has always been there telling me what I need to hear. Sometimes it's been someone I hardly know, or even a complete stranger, other times it was a close friend. It always revives me and gets me going again. It's hard to believe there are people out there in life who don't or can't believe in their Heavenly Father for whatever reason. It's sad because they are missing out on so much happiness. So many blessings that they don't recognize. Each day of their life is a gift from above. I'm so glad I have the whole knowledge of these special blessings. It makes life truly enjoyable and wonderful. Everything we have and are was created with love, so much love. It'll do us some good to appreciate that a little bit more. Everything happens for a reason and everyone that comes into your life does so for a reason. Don't be stupid and ignore those reasons, enjoy and learn. That's why we're here. To learn, learn, learn. All we can, while we can.

My rant for the week

We could what if and I wish ourselves to death.  But…it is what it is. We all love to play the what if game. What if I had done this instead of this? Well ya know what? STOP. You made your choice, you did what you did, time to move on. Just accept your choices and learn to be happy with them. Quit thinking about what could be and focus on what is. I think you’ll find that you will be a lot happier when you quit worrying about what could happen and deal with what did happen. It is what it is. Don’t fret; it will all work itself out in the end.  Quit waiting around talking about what you wish you could do. Go do it for goodness sake. Don’t be a bump on a log.  Get a move on with your life, you don’t have forever. Take all those chances while you can because they will pass you by and you probably will regret it. Don’t be that person. Quit wishing, quit worrying. Just go do. Enjoy the little moments while you can, they won’t last forever. 

Sweet Summertime

It's finally here..the days we've all been waiting for, summer! 

We get to waste our days sun bathing and swimming with good friends. There's nothing like summer! 

Makes me wish I was at the beach...

much love, 

Katie.

Ellie Goulding

My love of the week is Ellie Goulding. She is a British singer - songwriter. She has recently become popular with her debut album 'Lights'. I personally love her style, it is so unique. She has a beautiful voice and beautiful lyrics! Check her out! :) I just love British singers, they have such a different style from American singers, I'm not sure what it is, but it's very refreshing.

much love,

Katie.

^this one is my favorite of hers!

^remake of 'Your Song', originally sung by Elton John.

^her single 'Lights' 

Spring is in the air

Spring has come early this year! Tonight I sat on my porch and watched the sun set and and enjoyed a nice breeze.

The flowers are popping up out of the ground and trees are turning green again.

I love spring. It's nice to have warm, sporadic rain showers refreshing the earth. Did I mention I love spring?
much love,
Katie.

Man's Best Friend

(^my dog, Sam Wise Gamgee, rightfully named after Frodo's best friend in Lord of the Rings)

You always hear people say "dogs are man's best friend." You never fully realize how true that statement is until you experience the joy of having a dog. A lot of people don't believe that pets and owners can have a true 'relationship'. According to studies made by British author and biologist, Rupert Sheldrake, there is a telepathic type relationship that occurs between a pet and it's owner (he focused his study on dogs in particular). 

"The highlight of his study is the anticipatory behavior that indicates dogs know when their owners are about to return home, often by 10 to 30 minutes.  This telepathy occurs because of the close bond, an emotional connection, even an emotional need, that binds the sender and receiver. And I would conclude that the role of sender or receiver fluctuates back and forth between owner and animal: a telepathic receiver one time, a telepathic sender the next.   "

http://www.todancewithangels.com/is_your_pet_smarter.html

There have been remarkable stories about dogs who have saved their owners life. But there are also little stories you hear about someone who was sad and their dog was simply there for them. It's pretty amazing to see all the studies that have been conducted on the relationship between humans and their dogs. It's amazing to think that when you're really having a tough time or you're in danger you have your best friend with you to protect you. Treat your dogs right because someday it may save your life! Dogs are amazing animals, don't underestimate them. They have a special intuition when it comes to the people they love.

much love,

Katie.

Why Winter is Great

I love winter! I think it is the best season of the year, closely followed by fall. Let me just highlight some of the wonderful things about winter!

snow days spent doing fun things with great friends!

cute winter clothes!

barren trees (which I think are beautiful!)

SNOW!!!!

Ice Skating!

and last but not least...

building a snowman!!! :)

How can you not love winter?!

much love,

Katie.

Music is good for the soul

You know what the best thing is about music? The fact there is a song for every situation you find yourself in. It's kind of amazing really. You can find music about anything. I have heard a song about reading with a pickle. That's how diverse it is. Lately I've been hooked on a British band, Take That. They are AMAZING. One of the things that is a trait I like in singers is their background story. You know, how they got into the business, why they got into it. Take That has an amazing story. They have come so far, and they really put their all into their music. It's really amazing. Not only do they put on these amazingly entertaining concerts for their fans but they write all of their music. They put all their emotions into these beautiful songs and the end result is sweet music. Check them out for yourself!

much love,

Katie.

^one of the coolest music videos ever!

Loving Life

As humans our emotions are pretty crazy. We have good days, we have bad days. That's just the way it is. But lately, life has been good! Do you ever have that feeling where you are just content with life? It's a good feeling. It's like you look around and you just think, "Wow. What a beautiful world." Every little thing seems amazing to you. The way snow feels as it gently floats down from the sky, leaving cold spots on your face. The bright green grass and the feel of the wind as it whips your hair around. When you're with your friends you just think to yourself, "I am so lucky to have good friends." Sometimes you find yourself laughing a little louder than you used to. It's a wonderful feeling, loving life, and the only person who can make that happen, is you. You need to take time to realize that the little things in life really are the greatest joys. You shouldn't be dependent on anyone to make you happy, it's all up to you. So why sit around being miserable and mopey when you can be out there having the time of your life?!

Love,

Katie.