incrediblility.

if we're friends on facebook, you probably know that i'm in slave lake for a bit. my dad is working to help rebuild the city, after it was ravaged by a wild fire, and then a flood. (read this article for details.)

anyways, slave lake has definitely been on the radar since may. i've heard so many things about the fires and the floods and i had this image in my mind of a broken city, sad people, a feeling of loss.

the houses to the right and the left of this lot were completely untouched by the fire.

trees - or what's left of them - along the highway.

remains of a quad.

bbq.

a truck.

what's left of a gas station.

but now i'm realizing how terribly wrong i was. the residents of slave lake did not let the fire - or the flood - break them. they are growing. they are rebuilding. they still have hope. 

we went to church here yesterday. my family, heather, justin and their baby, kevin, sheena, their two kids, and mark joined the ranks of the branch. in total, there were 42 of us. it was fast and testimony meeting, as many of you know. and through the testimonies of the members of the branch, i realized that hope is not gone. tragedies to not define us.

slave lake is a beautiful city. the citizens are so faithful and brave. seriously, if you ever have the opportunity to come to slave lake.. do it. i plan on spending a lot of time up here, getting to know the city and the lake and the people. 

there is hope. there is always hope.

ps, sidenote.. i am loving instagr.am !!! :)

it's been rough.

so, i know a bunch of my posts in the last week or so have been pretty sad. but i've been pretty sad!

last night, i was super super sad. like so sad that i was awake until 2 in the morning legitimately bawling my eyes out. carter was trying his best to comfort me - he's the best - and i had talked to my mom for over half an hour on the phone.. but it's not the same. i wanted my family home. and i wanted it now. finally, it was like a brick hit me.

i needed to pray. i needed the ultimate comforter to be there with me. so that's what i did. i went and sat in my room and prayed that i would be comforted and not so lonely. then it came to me. a scripture i had had on my mirror for a long time, but forgotten about.

"i will not leave you comfortless; i will come to you." - john 14:18.

i went back to carter and i was fine. he was kind of surprised to see how well i had recovered, but i told him not to worry about it. so he went home, i went to sleep, and everything has been fine since then.

i'm so grateful for a heavenly father who understands our wants and our needs, and is willing to help us at any time.

now, family.. please come home.

missions and suits and ties - oh my!

another one of my best friends has received his mission call!!!!!

Adrian Glenn Jones

has been called to serve as a missionary

in the

South Africa Cape Town Mission

speaking

English.

He will report to the

South Africa Mission Training Center

on

December 15, 2011.

How terribly exciting!!!! :)

primary :)

i am loving primary these days. if you ask me, i have the best calling in the ward. because i get to just sit and listen to the children learn, sing, and teach. today was definitely my favorite sunday in a long time.

every week, the primary president asks us to hold up our hands if we've read the scriptures that week. then, she counts the hands and puts (x) pennies in a jar. those pennies go towards the purchase of Book of Mormons for the missionaries. since we've raised enough money for 2 BoMs, today they asked the kids for tidbits of their testimonies to write in the front cover of the books. oh, how sweet are little children.

in junior primary, it was a lot of: "i'm thankful for my dogs." "i love my parents." "i like my brother, even though he is mean to me all the time." "i know the church is true." "i share my toys." and, my personal favorite, "Jesus made crackers so i can eat them." it's so incredible to me that these children are so confident in the gospel, that even the simplest of treats - a cracker - was given to them by the Lord.

in senior primary, it was more of: "Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father in the sky." "the Book of Mormon is true." "i'm grateful for my friends and family." "i love coming to primary and learning about Jesus." and, of course, a favorite.. "i am so thankful for the temples so i can live with my family - and my husband and my kids and my dogs - for eternity."

then, to top it all off.. we sang my #1 ultimate favorite primary song of ever. "I Love To See The Temple." every single child knew all the words to that song. even the little sunbeams!

I love to see the temple.
I'm going there someday
To feel the Holy Spirit,
To listen and to pray. 

For the temple is a house of God,
A place of love and beauty.
I'll prepare myself while I am young;
This is my sacred duty. 

I love to see the temple.
I'll go inside someday.
I'll cov'nant with my Father;
I'll promise to obey.

For the temple is a holy place
Where we are sealed together.
As a child of God,
I've learned this truth;
A fam'ly is forever.

oh yeah, then i got to listen to boyfriend give a talk on the role of fathers in the home and how he is excited to raise a bunch of little carter juniors... and i fell in love with him all over again.

the church is so incredible. in no other religion will you go to a meeting to find 12-17 year old boys blessing and passing the emblems of the Lord. in no other religion would you see young couples teaching the gospel to the congregation instead of an old(er) man pounding the pulpit. in no other religion are 8 year old kids baptized - BY CHOICE. in no other religion do you find 19 year old guys giving up two prime years of their lives to go to foreign - or not so foreign - countries for the purpose of saving other people's salvation.

i love the gospel. i am so grateful that i was born and raised in the true church. i am so glad i am able to go to church every sunday and take the sacrament. and i can't wait to be married for time and all eternity in one of the above temples.

coincedence?

i think not.

this week, i started reading the book of mormon every morning. remember that challenge i posted? 7 pages a day? yeah, i'm doing that. i started on tuesday.

tuesday night? was amazing. i had the best workout at zumba, woke up wednesday morning feeling SO ready to go.

wednesday night? i got a job!

thursday? i had a great day of job training.

and i just realized i haven't read this morning. which means that RIGHT NOW i am going downstairs to pull out my mini BOM to read another 7 pages, so hopefully - probably - i will have another great day of job training.

INCLUDING

getting my very own set of CUTCO knives.

guys. if you wanna check these knives out..

gimme a holla.

starting saturday night,

i'll fully be qualified to show them!!

Day 28 - A song that makes you feel guilty

Concrete Angel - Martina McBride

here you are.

How exciting can life possibly be? One of my dearest, darlingest, bestest friends recieved his mission call to Philippines Angeles! He reports to the MTC on September 28 of this year, and he'll be learning Tagalog! Ohh my lanta. What a happy happy day.

Day 22 - A song you listen to when you're sad

I Won't Let Go - Rascal Flatts

say WHAT?!

guys.

one of my best friends in the whole wide world,

who goes by the name of ETHAN CRAIG PALMER

got his mission call today.

he's opening it tonight.

at 6:30 pm.

sharp.

and i am so flipping excited.

i shall inform you of where he is going ASAP. :)

Day 21 - A song you listen to when you're happy

Stronger - Glee

A Challenge!

K guys.. My missionary best friend [aka. Elder Paxman] emailed me this morning. And I am challenging all of you to do it with me!!

Here is a reading assignment from my mission president and he wants
all of you to do it. I have done this once before and it is really
cool and will help you with any and every challenge or trial that you
all might be going through. I love it so PLEASE do it and we can
write each other every week and talk about some main things we liked
and stuff it will be awesome. Love ya

Love Elder Paxman
-------------------------------------------------
Dear Elders and Sisters,

As you know, the Book of Mormon, combined with the Spirit is the most
powerful resource in conversion. The most important person for you to
convert is yourself! You can't do that without the Spirit, and you
can't have the Spirit if you don't read the doctrines of Jesus Christ.
Despite how many times you may have read it in the past, the most
accurate place to read the doctrines of Christ is in the Book of
Mormon. It will draw you closer to God than any other book. The
Spirit will come into your hearts, and you will be strengthened
against temptation, gain a stronger testimony of the Savior and his
Restored Gospel, become a better example and servant in the Kingdom,
you will have greater love for the Savior and greater resolve to live
His commandments, and you will acquire the strength necessary to face
the adversities that are ahead as we advance through these latter days
in preparation for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Thus, I am
asking you to read the following and PLEASE FORWARD this email TO YOUR
PARENTS OR GUARDIAN or others you so desire to join you in this
exercise.


MEMO: To ALL Missionaries of the Georgia Atlanta Mission, their
parents, guardians, siblings, or other supportive people that may be
invited by a Georgia Atlanta Missionary to join in this opportunity.

FROM: President and Sister Steven H. Satterfield

Beginning 18 May, 2011, you are all invited to participate in reading
the Book of Mormon together over a 12-week period, concluding 9
August, 2011. Fundamental to the "restoration of the gospel" in this,
the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times, is the Book of Mormon
Another Testament of Jesus Christ. "The Book of Mormon is a powerful
evidence of the divinity of Jesus Christ. It is proof of the
Restoration through the Prophet Joseph Smith." PMG page 103

Here are the parameters of the assignment:

1. Begin reading by 18 May, 2011 and conclude no later than 9
August, 2011. This will require reading about 7 pages per day.

2. Before reading, kneel down and pray, asking for the Spirit to
be with you as you read.

3. In your weekly emails (between missionary and those at home)
to each other have "some" dialogue about something that impressed you
about your reading of the Book of Mormon that week. Keep a sticky
note or notebook handy to record those thoughts.

4. Obtain a new, inexpensive Book of Mormon and three different
colored pencils to use in marking scriptural passages along with one
blue pen. Use these three different colored pencils and pen to mark
the following types of scriptures:

a. Colored pencil #1: Mark all passages that make
reference to "Christ", His name, His words (often preceded by a
prophet saying "thus sayeth the Lord", His mission and/or His
atonement for mankind.

b. Colored pencil #2: Mark all passages that refer in
anyway to the The Doctrine of Christ: Faith in Jesus Christ,
Repentance, Baptism, the gift or influence of the Holy Ghost and
enduring faithfully to the end of ones life.

c. Colored pencil #3: Mark all passages that teach
Doctrines of the Gospel (not included in "a" or "b" above) such as:
prayer, resurrection, judgment, priesthood authority, forgiveness, the
Fall, Gathering of Israel, etc., etc. Mark the scripture and write in
the margin the doctrine taught.

d. Blue pen: Circle the word or various forms of the word
"deliver" whenever it is used directly or as a metaphor to refer to
the deliverance from sin and death the Savior will provide for ALL
mankind. (This will include the vast majority of the times you see the
word deliver or forms of that word.) In addition, circle the word
"remember" or versions of the word such as "remembrance" and write in
the margin what the writer is asking us to remember.

SUGGESTIONS: Use a new, inexpensive Book of Mormon. Do not worry
about marking things neatly since you will need to read 7 pages a day
and must "move along". Reading the Book of Mormon at this pace is
different from studying individual verses. You want to get the "big
picture" of the Book so DON'T SLOW DOWN. Read at least 7 pages a day
and quickly mark scriptures. Save close study of individual passages
or doctrines for another time and a different exercise.

Some years ago Sister Satterfield and I were invited to read the Book
of Mormon three times in twelve weeks or once every 30 days! We both
did that, and it was one of the great experiences of our lives.
Heavenly Father seemed to "run interference" for us with our worldly
cares, as we diligently prioritized to put Him first. When I finished
the assignment on the 90th day, I remember setting down the Book of
Mormon, turning to my wife and saying: "No WONDER they changed the
name of the Book of Mormon to: 'The Book of Mormon Another Testament
of Jesus Christ!' You CAN'T read that book without knowing Jesus
Christ is our Savior."

The restored Gospel of Jesus Christ is TRUE. The Book of Mormon is
the physical witness to the truth of the Restoration through the
Prophet Joseph Smith. This we KNOW to be TRUE.

President and Sister Satterfield
Georgia Atlanta Mission

-----------------------------------------------


Why do it? Because, like David said, it will help us through whatever challenge, trial, or tribulation we're going through. And I don't know about you, but I have my fair share of those right as we speak. And the more I think about it, the harder life is getting. Why not try it? :)

Day 19 - A song from your favorite album.

Here (In Your Arms) - Hellogoodbye

From the album: Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! 

i stole this!

10. Favorite places to be:

Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

Carter's house.

My bedroom.

In Carter's car.

Henderson Lake Park.

On an airplane to anywhere.

Laying on lush green grass in the sunshine. 

Swimming pools. With Carter. Obvs.

Ice skating.

David's house.

9. Weird things about me:

I despise shaving. Sometimes - more often than not - I just don't.

I love Harry Potter. LOVE LOVE LOVE.

One of the most relaxing things for me to do is get my eyebrows waxed.

I have a 'thing' for gingers. Not like I'd want to date one. But I just love red hair.

I love the smell of campfire. 

I check the mailbox at least once a week for mail for me!

I don't save money. It's a disease.

I crave normalcy. Unfortunately, it's something I'll continue striving for. Not gonna happen.

If I could eliminate one thing from the planet.. It would be diabetes.

8. Things I am going to do this summer:

Get a job.

Legit, save money.

Get a sweet freaking tan.

Move out!

[Maybe] buy a new car.

Get in a hot shape!

NOT dye my hair.

Plan out the next year of my life.

7. Things I am thinking of:

Draco Malfoy.

Popcorn.

My sore back.

The Sacrament, and how amazing the Gospel really is.

Carter Mitchell Peterson. Always.

Lip chap. Where would we be without it?

Facebook.

6. Things I am always wearing:

Brasier.

Underwear.

Pants/shorts.

Shirt.

Insulin pump. We wouldn't want Nicole to die now, would we?
Homemade bracelets.

5.  Things I am worried about:

My best friend's family.
Decisions that affect not only me, but my immediate family, my future family, and my extended family.
Money.
Finding a job.
Not being able to sleep.

4. Things on my floor:

Clothes. Clean, dirty, folded, rumpled..
Letters. Speaking of which, David is waiting for a letter from moi..
My brush.
A glass full of water.

3. Things I want to do today:

Laundry.
Take a nap in the sun.
Watch Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets with my darling boyfriend.

2. Things I will reveal:

I'm scared. Of the present, of the future, of the past. Of things that are happening, things that will happen, things that have happened.
I'm also very excited. For the future. For life to start happening.

1. Secret:

There is no one more important to me than my future children.

Day 18 - A song you wish you heard on the radio

Cyclone - Baby Bash

what's your opinion??

okayyy, so i'm a slacker and only watched one session of general conference this month. and it was sunday afternoon. naturally, my favorite talk of that session was elder richard g. scott's about his wife. so i wanna know what your favorite talk was from the whole conference, cause i wanna listen/read/watch some online before the ensign comes out. sooo help me out!!

Quote of the Day.

Uh huh.. 3 posts today. Forgive me? Kaythanks.

"Father in Heaven knew that you would face challenges and be required to make some decisions that would be beyond your own ability to decide correctly. In His plan of happiness, He included a provision for you to receive help with such challenges and decisions during your mortal life. That assistance will come to you through the Holy Ghost as spiritual guidance. It is a power, beyond your own capability, that a loving Heavenly Father wants you to use consistently for your peace and happiness." - Richard G. Scott

How right Richard G. Scott is... There are so many choices I have to be making, and decisions that I really can't do on my own. Sometimes I feel so alone, because I feel like talking to anyone would be silly because I am at the age where I should be able to make these choices by myself. It's really quite stressful, as anyone who has ever been 18 would know. Luckily, Heavenly Father knows me and how stubborn I can be, and He has given me the gift of the Holy Ghost. Now, I always thought of the Holy Ghost as a completely separate being from Heavenly Father and Christ (and He is, yes), but then I found this scripture, and I realized that the Holy Ghost is an incredibly good messenger!

John 14:18 - I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

I am never alone. Ever. All I ever need to do is get off my stubborn feet, down on my knees, and pray to the Lord to send me comfort in my decision making. Although, I also need to remember this :

D&C 9:8 - But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.

I am so grateful for the knowledge of the gospel in my life! :) It's such a comfort to me!! I love the priesthood, and I am so happy that I get to have 4 worthy priesthood holders in my home, and that all my best friends also hold the priesthood! I am so glad for the church leaders, and my bishop, and my visiting teaching companion. I love my parents, and I love their testimonies. I love institute, and I'm super glad I got to graduate from seminary! I'm thankful for the opportunity to take the sacrament every Sunday, and to listen to the beautiful hymns. I lovee them!! 

:) Elder Paxman!

Look at this handsome boy! Haha! :)

This, everyone, is my very best friend in the whole wide world. His name? 

David Scott Paxman.

He's currently serving an LDS mission in Georgia, Atlanta.

And guess what!

He gets home in

THIRTEEN MONTHS!

I can't believe he's almost been gone for a year! 

How quickly it goes!

If you'd like to write him - which I know you would - his address is :

Elder David Paxman

112 Governers Square, Ste A
Fayettville, GA

USA
30215-4805

Quote of the Day.

Laura Quinton inspired me to do a quote of the day. I mean, I'm not gonna have one every day, so maybe it'll just be a quote of the week? Or of the month? Depends if I find good ones. Anyways, I was looking for some good quotes to scrapbook for Elder Paxman's 20th birthday (I can't believe it!!), and I came across a whole page of Gordon B. Hinckley quotes. One stood out to me.

"Be believing, be happy, don't get discouraged. Things will work out."

This reminds me of my all time favorite quote, by Joseph Smith Jr. - "Never be discouraged. If I were sunk in the lowest pits of Nova Scotia, with the Rocky Mountains piled on me, I would hang on, exercise faith, keep up good courage, and I would come out on top." 

If this man, possibly the most persecuted human being of the last 200 years, had the faith to not get discouraged, why should I (a silly, extremely blessed, fortunate, lucky teenager) become discouraged because I can't make up my mind about while university to attend? because I didn't get all 90%s in my classes in high school? 

I'm going to make a conscious effort to be more believing, more happy, more faithful, more enduring, less discouraged, less frustrated, less annoyed person.

Thing will work out.

25 Things that make Me ME!

1. I love food a little too much. Mm.. I basically love everything edible. However, I HATE tomatoes, mushrooms, and dill pickle chips.

2. I love music more than anything on the entire planet. There is a song, artist, or genre for every mood and situation. I always have music with me, whether it's playing out loud, in my ears, or in my head.

3. I have the most amazing family ever! Even though me and my brothers give each other a hard time, we all know that we're really there for each other. Not even to mention how much my parents have done for me. I also have an incredible extended family. Aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents.. They're all amazing. Loud and obnoxious.. But amazing.

4. I love blogging. I don't have a lot to blog about.. But I blog whenever I think about it! I might even just copy and paste this into my blog! If you haven't ever seen my blog.. Check it out!! http://lifeof-nicole.blogspot.com :) Note, I wrote this before I realized I was going to be posting it on my blog!!

5. I am diabetic. And I suck at being diabetic. It's really a challenge.. But I deal with it. And when I don't deal with it, my amazing family (see item #3) helps me out. And even though I complain about people riding me about taking my insulin.. I really do appreciate the help.

6. I graduated!! This is kind of a big deal for me, since my whole life I've been in denial of getting old. But now it's finally here. (Speaking of old, I turn 18 in like 20 days!!!) So this fall, instead of returning to high school - I hope.. Diploma marks aren't here yet.. - I'm working as a nanny for the McLaren family in Lethbridge. They have 2 little girls - Madi is 5, and Taylor is 2. They're adorable.

7. Hawaii is the most beautiful place I've ever been. And I plan on going MANY more times before I die. I seriously just love it WAY too much! I guess this random fact about me is that I love travelling. I've been so fortunate to travel around the world.. Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Hawaii, and most of the western States.

8. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.. And I LOVE it! There is nothing more satisfying than knowing that everything has a purpose and there's a plan for everything and everyone. I love going to all my meetings, and I can't wait to get my memberships transfered to the Young Single Adult ward!! :)

9. I love potatoes. Potato chips, fries, hashbrowns, baked, scalloped.. You name it, I love them!! (I now realize that this has a lot to do with item #1.. But that's fine!)

10. I have some pretty awesome high heels, if I do say so myself.

11. I love to have gel nails and toenails on. I love getting my eyebrows waxed. I love shaving, I love having my hair done all cute. However, I'm not high maintenance. I don't mind getting dirty, and I don't always have to look perfect. In fact, I rarely do. I love running around in sweats and a hoodie, hair thrown back, no make up on. It's the way to go!!

12. I hate driving. I don't know what it is about it, but it just freaks me out. Maybe it's not knowing what the other drivers are thinking, or maybe it's being responsible to all the other people out on the road. And having passengers doesn't help, 'cause then I'm responsible to them too. But I think I'm a pretty decent driver!!

13. I love good smelling people. Like, for instance, my dear boyfriend.. Yeah, he always smells amazing. :)

14. I watch a lot of movies. Like.. Really. A lot. I usually watch at least a movie every day. No big deal. My favorites? Princess Bride, John Tucker Must Die, Heavyweights..

15. I love Apple, Mac, iPod, iPhone (An amazing device. Get yourself one.).. You know. Steve Jobs stuff.

16. I have the best friends in the whole world. I can't even begin to write a list of all my friends.. But the important ones are Carter, Marshall, Myriam, Jessica, Viktoria, Elder Paxman, and Kaiti. :) The rest of you are just as important, I just don't have time to write an elaborate list! Just know that I am incredibly grateful for everything you do for me, have done for me, and will do for me! :)

17. Diet coke is my guilty pleasure. However, I rarely feel guilty for drinking it. And I do drink it with great pleasure. I just love diet coke.

18. Summer is the most incredible season. When I'm all grown up, I WILL live somewhere where they have summer for at LEAST 3/4 of the year.. I am cold unless it's like 26ºC outside. Ask Carter. It's true.

19. I have a great memory. Once I've been somewhere once or twice, or dialed a number, or seen someone I remember it forever. I remember how to get there, the number, and names. Not to mention I remember experiences and happenings. And it's even better that I always have music playing - see item #2 - because music triggers memories! Bet you didn't know that!

20. I hate dogs. I mean, I happen to have 2 that live in my house.. And they're alright, sometimes. Most of the time I hate them. I hate strange dogs that think they own all the land. I hate dogs that bark. I hate dogs!

21. I love pictures and picture frames and taking pictures and cameras and stuff. Not like, professional stuff.. Just spur of the moment - HOLD THAT POSE SO I CAN TAKE A PICTURE - sort of stuff. Plus, when I take pictures of me and my friends - see item #16 - I usually get them developed and put them in a frame and put them in my room. I have SO many pictures in my room!! :)

22. I LOVE SLEEP. There is nothing better than crawling into my bed after a long day - or short day - and just crashing. I have a gorgeous quilt that my Gramma just made me, and it's absolutely fabulous. I also love my down pillows from the Hutterites - they're awesome people, you know! However, I HATE waking up. I'm the least of all the morning people you ever will meet. I dunno how I'm gonna fare when I have to be in Lethbridge at 7:30 every morning for my job!

23. I have a love/hate relationship with cleaning. I love the satisfaction of having a clean house or bedroom or bathroom or truck.. But I hate the effort required.

24. I think showering is a real hassle. I think it's because I have so much hair. Because actually, I love feeling refreshed when I get out of the shower, and being all clean and what not.. But I hate doing my hair. I hate having wet hair on my neck and face. But I don't like blow drying my hair because I use so much heat on it that it's fried as it is, without blow drying it every day!! Easy solution? Shower at night, braid the mop, and it's usually dry in the morning. If it's not, it only takes like 5 minutes to blow dry it, instead of 15 or 20.

25. I've always wished my mom would have put me in dance or gymnastics. And then in soccer. I'm such an untalented, boring person. If it hadn't been for piano lessons, some singing lessons, and Show Choir.. I'd be nothing.