Happily Ever Afters and Epic Stuffs

Are we truly aware of how much Heavenly Father sincerely loves us? He genuinely love us. He loves us so much that we're all He thinks about. Right at this very moment, He is looking down on us, setting in motion the next great adventure in our stories. Some stories might be full of laughter and joy, others might be seasoned with mystery, intrigue, and suspense. Some might be a bit slow at times. And the really good ones, they're full of trials, and hardships. Because they're the ones that stick with you. *Queue Epic Samwise Gamgee Quote* 

Sam: "It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something."

Frodo: "What are we holding onto, Sam?"

Sam: "That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo... and it's worth fighting for."

I myself, want a good epic story. One that will stick in the minds of people and inspire them. Luckily, I am living it. I have great obstacles to overcome, mountains to climb, princes to save. And at times things get really hard... like "Slopes of Mount Doom" hard. And sometimes I really need my Samwise Gamgee to carry me up the steep cliffs. And guess what. I have one. My Savior, Jesus Christ. He's the one behind the scenes, encouraging me to aspire to the highest. He wants me to achieve the greatest I possibly can, and more. He wants me to succeed. And He carries me when I cannot even breathe, let alone haul my burdens up that mountain. He is my rock. Without Him, how can I even hope of attaining my "Happily Ever After". But because I do have Him, I know that I can do it. I know that God has set every single speck in motion for my fairytale ending. I know this because I'm His princess, and I really love fairytale endings. 

God DELIGHTS to bless us. "For Behold, this is My work and My glory- to bring to pass the Immortallity and Eternal Life of men."(Moses 1:39) He wants nothing more than to give us each our own "Happily Ever Afters". And it doesn't matter who we are, what we've done, or where we've been. You could be a bushman from the Kalahari, a world famous musician, or even a young single adult from Grantsville, UT. The point is, HE CARES. You matter to Him. And HE LOVES YOU! There is nothing insignificant about you. Do you really think that God would put someone on the earth just because they were there? NO. He made you. You are His! You were made to do things in this world that no one else can do. You were brought to this specific time, in this specific place because God is building up your story. He is creating your "Happily Ever After". And if your life may seem dull and boring at the moment, how much more exciting will it be when then next chapter unfolds. If you are going through trials, and may feel inadequate for the daunting task ahead,take courage because your story is gonna be that much more awesome when you've overcome that. If you feel lonely because maybe your prince/princess hasn't come along yet, cheer up. That just means that He's taken special care in arranging that moment when true love sparks. And that moment will far surpass all the nights spent crying yourself to sleep, all the kissless "Happy New Years", and all the cold nights with no one to cuddle up to.

Live your life. Laugh lots. Love God AND trust him. And above ALL else, know that you are His and He loves you!

Day 2: the Meaning Behind My Blog Name

A few months ago, I was feeling overwhelmed with life. It was a Thursday, which in my case means Institute night. Normally I love Institute and strive to make it a priority, but that day I just felt down in the dumps. It was 7:30 already and I was stuck at home without a car anyways, what was the point in going? Regardless of my feelings to stay home and wallow in self pity, my mom arrived home five minutes later, split second decision: I took the keys and left. Even on my way to Institute, I debated just turning around and skipping that night. I finally arrived in the Institute parking lot, staring at the clock, knowing that there was only a half hour left. Grudgingly, I grabbed my bag and walked into the building. I entered the classroom, taking the spot in the very back. What I learned in that next half hour changed my outlook on life. Bro.Wardle was dissecting a talk given by Jeffrey R. Holland called: "Terror, Triumph, and a Wedding Feast". While absorbing the information from this talk along with the inspired words of the institute teacher, I couldn't help but just sit there and weep from the overwhelming feeling of love that my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ had for me. Any feelings of self doubt I had seemed to wash away as I listened to my teacher describe the hope that so many prophets throughout different dispensations have for me, and also the trust that my Heavenly Father has in me. He sent me here not just to be, but to be GREAT! Our ultimate goal as human beings in this world is to eventually become as our Heavenly Father is. This life is a growing process for me to become a Goddess and live eternally with my loving Heavenly Father. He sets things in our life to help us attain that goal, and He is in every single detail of our life. Everything is on His time, and we just need to trust that. At the end of the lesson Bro. Wardle stated that not only are we meant to become great, but we are meant to BE great! Our biggest dreams we can accomplish, because we have the capacity to do so, and we have a loving Heavenly Father who delights in every way to bless us. Nothing gives our Heavenly Father more joy than seeing His children succeed. Dream BIG, Live BIG!!! I am meant to succeed. 


Don't ever give into Satan's temptations of not being good enough. Satan knows who we are, and who we are meant to become, and what plans of his we are meant to thwart, and he is going to stop at nothing to bring us down to misery. Trust Heavenly Father, and always know that you are His child. And YOU DESERVE NOTHING BUT THE BEST!!!! You deserve the best because Heavenly Father wants us to settle for nothing less. Trust Him!!!

Here is a link for the talk given by Elder Holland: http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=8366

Day 1: Introduce myself and 15 interesting facts

My name is Amy Woodruff. I am 23 years old and the luckiest girl in the world. I am number 5 of 6 children and I have two happily married parents. My family is incredibly awesome.... really they are. They've had my back my whole life, who could ask for a better support group?! I am also a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon/LDS), because of this I know some of the most precious truths ever given to man. I know that I have a Heavenly Father who loves me, I know that I will be with my amazing family forever, and I know that God can make more with my life than I can. These are pretty much what encompass my life, my religion and my family. 


Now for the exciting part... 
15 interesting facts

1. I have a phobia of eggs. 
2. I am incredibly nerdy about many things... Star Wars, Harry Potter, Dr. Who, LOTR, Psych, Indiana Jones, Disney, pretty much anything worth being nerdy for. I must exclude a few things though. I don't enjoy Twilight or Star Trek. I just don't get them.
3. To go along with the previous fact, about 80% of my vocabulary can be attributed to these nerdisms.
4. I often giggle uncontrollably by merely thinking of funny situations. I love to laugh. I can't help it.
5. I love to sing, and I do so whenever possible. 
6. I also attempt different accents, and means of singing. I once tried to yodel, and ended up laughing so hard I had to pull over to the side of the road. Whether or not any of these attempts succeed, I have no idea.
7. If ever put in a room with nothing to do, I often think up a situation of a natural disaster, and I would pick out random people who would play different parts. Example: who would be the leader, who would be the comic relief, who is only thinking of themselves, and who could single-handedly tear down a wall with their bare hands, basically things along those lines. It can be rather entertaining.
8. I would live off Jamba Juice if I had the means to.
9. I want to be a Disney Princess.
10. I love dressing up, and I would wear glitter every day of my life if I could get away with it.
11. I love doing spontaneous things. The only problem I face often is someone to do those spontaneous things with. 
12. I feel truly blessed to have gorgeous eyes, amazing hair, cute lips, and not a big nose. Not that I don't like big noses, but I would look extremely funny with a big nose.
13. I have only kept a straight face in a funny situation once in my whole life, with only my best friend/little sister to witness it. It is a very rare occasion. 
14. I fully believe that math (aside from the basics) was created to aggrivate people, and if used in the right way could've easily been used as a cruel form of torture.
15. I feel that there are few things that are more precious than a little girl with her daddy. And it's 10 points more precious if the little girl is wearing a tutu.

30 day challenge

I want to change the world! There, I said it. I have admitted my biggest ambition in life. But somehow, I always complicate this thought with the idea that I have to prove myself in some extravagant way, which leads to feeling overwhelmed and ultimately discourages me from even taking the first step. Well, I have things that need to be said, and dreams that need to be shared. So this is me taking the first step... a blog. This way I can share what's on my mind. And I am starting it out with an idea that has been plucked from my sister's blog. A 30 day challenge.... DUN Dun dun... 


Day 1: Introduce, recent picture of yourself, 15 interesting facts
Day 2: Meaning behind your blog name
Day 3: Your first love
Day 4: Your parents
Day 5: A song to match your mood
Day 6: A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 7: Favorite movies
Day 8: A place you've traveled to
Day 9: A favorite picture of your best friend
Day 10: Something you're afraid of
Day 11: Favorite tv shows
Day 12: Something you don't leave the house without
Day 13: Goals
Day 14: A picture of you last year - how have you changed?
Day 15: Bible verse
Day 16: Dream house
Day 17: Something you're looking forward to
Day 18: Favorite Place to Eat
Day 19: Something you miss
Day 20: Nicknames
Day 21: Favorite Picture of yourself ALL TIME Why?
Day 22: What's in your purse?
Day 23: Favorite Movie
Day 24: Something you've learned
Day 25: Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs
Day 26: Your Dream Wedding
Day 27: Original Photo of the city you live in
Day 28: Something that stresses you out
Day 29: 3 Wishes
Day 30: a picture of yourself this day and 5 good things that happened since you started the challenge