LeaViNG THe BuBBLe

Every once in a while life tends to 

grab me by the ears,

look me in the face 

and say,

"LISTEN BRITTANY, 

if you aren't going to do something about this 

I'LL MAKE IT SO THAT YOU HAVE TO."

That is never a fun time. 

You see I'm the girl who is very comfortable in my little bubble.

I tend to plan my life within the bubble;

thinking that there are no other opportunities outside of it. 

That's usually when life pulls out the pin and pops said bubble.

It's not a happy time when your bubble gets popped. 

You feel LOST.

You feel ALONE.

You feel DIRECTIONLESS.

All you want is to get back into your bubble, 

but you can't. 

It's gone.

Even if you could make a new bubble with all the same contents, it would still be a different bubble.

BUT, 

after you fall from the air and on to the ground

SOMETHING NEAT HAPPENS.

You realize that there are other people on the ground.

They have cared about you all along, 

yet they respected the fact that you liked your bubble. 

They never left your side. 

  

YOU WERE NEVER ALONE.

You still have a problem though.

You are still 

LOST

and have 

NO DIRECTION. 

At least you're not alone.

Those people who never left your side; they have some ideas. 

Some of them might sound good. 

Some of them might even seem great.

You start to consider the options they helped you to see. 

You may even consider things you really didn't want to do

(They weren't bad. You were happy in your bubble).

YOU ARE RELIEVED;
THERE ARE OPTIONS.

From there you quickly run into another problem. 

What if you make the wrong decision? 

These are BIG decisions. 

Remember?

Your life was in the bubble. 

You had it all planned. 

Now you have to plan your life, AGAIN. 

At this point you do all the things you've been taught.

You talk to your friends and family.

You talk to the others whom you trust. 

You pray.

You read the scriptures. 

From there one of two things will happen. 

You'll either get the answer you were looking for, or you won't. 

We all like to think that the first scenario is the one we'll be given. 

Honestly though, 

for myself the scenario I'm handed is usually the latter. 

That's when you have to realize that 

a loving 

Heavenly Father 

is giving you the opportunity to make your own decision. 

He's allowing you to build trust in your own abilities. 

He always has been, and always will be there for you.

What you have to do is take the opportunity he has given you and run with it. 

Amazing things will happen when you allow that opportunity to work within you.

Trust in your own abilities, 

and realize that Heavenly Father's hand is in all things. 

He knows what is best for you, 

but He also trusts you. 

So go ahead, 

TRUST YOURSELF.

and know that in that as long as both options are good

HE WILL SUPPORT YOU IN YOUR DECISION
because
LIFE ISN'T ALWAYS BETTER IN THE BUBBLE.

PuRPoSe To ouR LiVeS

I know it has been quite some time since I last blogged. 

Over a year to be exact.

Will this be a one time post, 

see you in another year kind of thing?

Or will I really start to blog again?

(like I really do want too)

Only time will tell.

For now though

LETS START HERE :)

I was doing some reading today and came across this scripture:

I found it in this month's edition of the Ensign in a talk by

PRESIDENT THOMAS S. MONSON

called

"Serve the Lord with Love"

President Monson then goes on to say this about the scripture:

"I believe, the Savior is telling us that unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives."

He then goes on to say,

"We are surrounded by those in need of our attention, our encouragement, our support, our comfort, our kindness - be they family members, friends, acquaintances, or strangers."

I know this is true. 

For the last couple years I haven't been in school, 

which sometimes I do feel ashamed about,

but in all honesty

I know this time has not been wasted.

These last couple years I have been given more opportunities to serve than I ever remember having before. 

My FAMILY.

My FRIENDS.

My COWORKERS.

My NEIGHBORS.

People I never knew before, 

both HERE AT HOME

and THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY.

Having those experiences has taught me more about life than I could have ever learned otherwise. 

The result for me has always been the same;

a GREATER LOVE for the people I am able to serve, 

an APPRECIATION FOR WHAT I HAVE been given, 

and 

a sense of PURPOSE in my life. 

The times I have been able to spend helping others truly has brought me the greatest sense of joy and accomplishment. 

"THERE ARE FEET TO STEADY, HANDS TO GRASP, MINDS TO ENCOURAGE, HEARTS TO INSPIRE, AND SOULS TO SAVE. YOURS IS THE PRIVILEGE TO BE NOT SPECTATORS BUT PARTICIPANTS ON THE STAGE OF … SERVICE."

For that I am so grateful. 

MeaNiNG iN THe MaNGoS

I've been wanting to get back into blogging for a long time now,
but getting started has been the hardest part.

Well after our trip to the Philippines this last time
(Yes, I've now been twice since I last blogged)
Ryan asked me to write a blog post for their webpage,

That got me to thinking.

Why not do that 
EVERY 
week?

It would be such a shame to not share the experiences we had there.
After all, thats what I wanted to do all along.

So I'm hoping this works,
but every
FRIDAY
I want to write a post about

THE

PHILIPPINES

PHiLiPPiNeS
FLASHBACK
FRIDAYS

(SLIGHT SPINOFF OF FLASHBACK FRIDAYS..CHECK)
(PFF for short)

Here's to hoping I can pull it off.

Towards the end of the tour we were able to spend some time in

PUERTO GALERA.

This was the one and only time we were in a place that was truly touristy. There were snorkelers, scuba divers, parasailors, and swimmers riding Banana Boars in the water. People building sandcastles, reading books, and playing sand volleyball on the beach. Plus hundreds of little shops with dozens of other restaurants and hotels along the whole length of the same beach. It would be safe to say that this is where Filipinos, Australians and Europeans would come for Spring Break.

But behind all that is a different reality. You don't have to walk far to find the type of Philippines that we were used to. The part where needs still need to be met and families still need to be fed. The part where mothers, fathers, and children are working day in and day out to make sure those things happen. The part where retirement is a just a word, not something you actually do. 

Well, what a lot of these people do for work is go down to the beach and sell things. Pearls, laser pens, excursions, hotel rooms, massages. You name it, someone probably tried selling it to us. Nine times out ten it was a middle aged man or woman. Occasionally you would find an older child, who had quit going to school so that they could support their family. Never had I seen this type of vendor in Puerto though. 

We had just spent the day at a Mungyan Village, reading to and playing with a group of preschoolers there. It was a little rainy, but since we had some free time and since there were so many souvenir shops Kade, Riley, Ryan, Todd and I decided to go find some things for our friends and family back home. 

There was one shop that we had been to quite a few times, where we found ourselves in once again. Kade was trying to decided on a couple of things when the tiniest little old lady came up to us. In her hands was a tin bucket full of mangos. Since Ryan spoke Tagalog, he was able to translate and tell us that she selling the mangos so that she could buy a bus ticket back home. My heart ached for her, but she didn't want to sell just one mango. She wanted to sell the whole bucket. What would we do with that many mangos? As much as we wanted to help her, we just couldn't take that many mangos. So we went our separate ways.

We wandered from shop to shop on our souvenir search. It had probably been about an hour when Todd decided that it was time for a mango shake. Mango shakes are a must; especially in the Philippines! So while the rest of us continued to browse, Riley and Todd ran back to the restaurant we always bought them at. Much to our surprise, it was only a few minutes later that the two of them came back. Disappointed. The restaurant was all out of mangos. 

All of a sudden I could hear someone running behind me. I turned around to see what was going on, only to find Ryan running towards the shop we met that lady at. "Are you going to go find the lady?"  I called out. That was exactly what he was doing. If we could get the restaurant to buy her mangos than Todd could get his mango shake! Everyone wins! 

I don't remember where Kade, Riley and Todd ended up. I'm pretty sure they ran back to the restaurant. Ryan amazingly found the mango lady so fast and began to walk her towards the restaurant. I met up with the two of them on a sidewalk that went along the shore. She held a black garbage bag over her head to protect her from the rain, and for one reason or another she had a slight limp that made it really difficult for her to get places fast. 

He had already explained to her our plan, so at that point he asked her for her bucket. He ran ahead to the restaurant and I stayed back with her to walk at a pace she could handle.

By the time we got to the restaraunt, Ryan had done his thing. They were going to buy her mangos! Todd was going to get his mango shake and our new friend was going to have the money she needed :)

The experience was something so unplanned, and so small. But it has stuck with me as one of my favorite memories from the trip. It is a reminder to me that when you are in the mindset of serving others, you can find those opportunities all around you.

It wasn't but a few minutes later that our dear friend pulled out a bundle of handmade bracelets from her pocket. She didn't even have to say anything. I couldn't pass her up. Suddenly I had a few less pesos, a handful of bracelets, and an overflowing heart. we went our separate ways after that but I will forever remember the things she taught me though. It doesn't matter if you've traveled to a foreign country to build schools or to spend time at the beach. There are opportunities to serve all around you. Both great and small. 

BiRTHDaY DiNNeRS & WaLKiN' THe HoMe WaRD

I don't remember where I was or who asked me, 

but sometime in the last week I got asked what my family's birthday traditions were. 

MY RESPONSE:

"We go out to dinner for our birthdays.."

HIS RESPONSE:

"Well everyone does that."

Ok it's true, maybe we aren't that original.

But we still go out to dinner! 

I LOVE IT, 

And today was the day we went out for 

MY BIRTHDAY :D

But here's the problem:

Every year without fail, 

for weeks before my actual birthday, 

 I always have this internal debate. 

It's a tough one!

Texas 

has been the prominent winner for the last couple years. 

+

Last month Taylor picked Texas for his birthday. 

So I decided to switch it up. 

CHILI'S

won the 2012 debate. 

  

Please enjoy this 

STORYBOARD.

It is about a boy named 

TANNER

who all of a sudden decided that 

MUSICAL PLATES

is how dinner should be done. 

I'm pretty sure he ate off of 

eVeRyoNeS PLaTeS.

I kind of love my family,

A LOT :)

Now, FAST FORWARD.

We are at my parents. 

In my purse are are TWO-HUNDRED & TEN flyers like this

THRILLIONAIRES: an IMPROV COMEDY group who also happens to have a piano player. Which means IMROV MUSICAL COMEDY. 

It's going to be epic :) 

So these awesome siblings of mine 

helped me put every last flyer out in our home ward,

 and then some.  

They are so great :) 

and maybe this is tacky, but I am super excited for this show! 

So if you want a good laugh, please come on Saturday! 

(click on the flyer for more info)

100% 

of the donations go to

PHiLiPPiNe IMPRoVeMeNT GRouP. 

Which means 100% of the donations are going to help better the people of the PHILIPPINES. 

Salamat Po :) 

a DaY oF SuMMeR TRaiNiNG

Today was the day officially dedicated to 

SuMMeRTiMe PReP.

I didn't even have to plan it that way. It totally just happened!

SUMMERTIME PReP

= 

EFY TRAINING + PIG RETREAT

You want to know what's odd?
I have worked 20 weeks of EFY,
11 of which were Health Counselor weeks, 
and I have NEVER been to a day of 
HEALTH COUNSELOR TRAINING 
in my life.

2009: Hired 9 days before my first session.
(aka: there were no more trainings)
2010: Had to turn down the position, 
but ended up working for 2 weeks anyways :)
**FOUND OUT ABOUT BOTH THE DAY OF**
(aka: no time to train)

So TODAY I attended my FIRST
HEALTH COUNSELOR TRAINING

and it was GREAT!


1. There are only 3 Health Counselors that have ever worked for EFY before.
2. Of those three, I am the only one that has ever been a Health Counselor before.

I'm so excited! 

My Co-Counselor 

SCOTT,

he ROCKS. 

And we are gonna  

ROCK EFY!

THEN...

it was time for 

THE PHILIPPINES RETREAT!

DoM and I went down to CoLe's PaReNTS down in LaKe SHoRe.


There we...

 met up with the rest of the
PIG Crew
(minus three girls).

Yes, you counted right.
RYaN + CoLe + 11 GiRLS.
They definitely picked the right job. haha

We ate some dinner,
witnessed a BoTTLe RoCKeT WaR,
got our ITINERARIES & PACKING LISTS,
talked about all the stuff we get to do, 
and even learned some
TAGALOG.


Then we had a BONFIRE @ CoLe's 
just like old times :) 

Thinking about this trip makes me so GIDDY :D

If I could,
I would just on a plane right now!
But since I can't, I'll just go study up on my
TAGALOG
instead :)

18 DAYS