A Perfect Day

I love to see the temple, I went inside today.

Ok, it wasn't today. But it was this past month.

On January 11, 2013 I entered into the "club" and let me just say, it was even better than I could have ever imagined. 

A lot of times you will hear people talk about how strange the temple is, and I couldn't disagree more. Sure, it wasn't your everyday deal but that was what makes it so special.

I have loved being on the temple grounds since a young age but there is truly no substitution for being inside and to think of words to describe just how beautiful and peaceful it is, well, I fail. 

So.. let me just share a little bit about this pretty spectacular day.

I have always known that I was going to serve a mission and with that I always knew that I would go through the temple for the first time without a wedding following. And for me, that was EXACTLY how I wanted it. When the mission aged changed I realized that going through the temple would be a little more near in my future than I though and that made me excited and a little nervous. Excited because going through the temple was one of the things that since a young age I've been preparing to do ... nervous because one time (in high school) I asked someone what I should do to prepare for a mission and he told me that it wasn't about preparing for the mission as much as it was preparing to receive my endowment.  So even though these things kinda contradict one another, the bottom line was that this was a big deal... and anytime something is a big deal there are a lot of emotions involved. For my final prep I took temple prep, how appropriate, right? And read selected chapters from a book. The more I prepared the more I realized that I was ready, well as ready as you can be. And all I could do was think about how exquisite the St. George Temple would be inside in only a few short weeks!

Fast forward a few weeks and I found myself moved home, permanently. This was not really what I thought I had planned but it was what needed to happen. Being home was great but I forgot just how busy my family is.. especially right in the middle of basketball season. And as I got my permanent work schedule I realized that that making a trip to sunny STG was going to be rushed and next to impossible. During this time I knew one thing, and that was that I needed to get to the temple as soon as possible. My mom brought it up one day and asked when I wanted to go through and just how we were planning on doing the whole thing. And randomly I just blurted out, why don't I just go through the Brigham City Temple?

So.. I made my appointment for that Friday. 

And naturally, Utah would receive the biggest snow storm of the season on that day. 

We woke up that morning and just decided that we would try our best to make it there. So me my mom and Dad loaded up and started our journey. Saying the roads were awful would be an understatement but we did our best. One of the neatest parts about getting there was the fact that even though we were pressed for time and under stress due to the weather, me and my parents both couldn't have been more calm. 

About an hour before we got thereI started to question why the heck I had decided to go though this temple, after all.. I had never seen it.. and I had no tie to it whatsoever.

Just about the time I was thinking of calling the whole thing off I received a text from my best friend and sister that just said "hope you have a good day, love you!" - Now, I hadn't told anyone what was happening and I decided to tell her. She text me back with pure excitement and joy, almost like I could hear her jumping up and down just from the words (and of course the exclamation points). At the end of the text she told me that this temple was the peach temple.

Wait, what?

Peaches?

Peaches. 

My prayers had been answered, and it was so simple.

You see... I love theme parties;

A peach themed Temple.. 

For a Sister headed to the peach state.

. . . 

Now I know that it's probably dumb to make this such a BIG deal, but it was a big deal, to me. 

We somehow made it there only fifteen minutes late and when I called to tell the temple that, they said they would wait for me! Could this day get any better? The answer: Why yes, it sure can.

We got there and well, it was strange because this place that I had never seen before suddenly had the biggest part of my heart. I was emotional before we even got in.

You don't talk about what goes inside, not because it's secret, but because it is sacred. 

Sacred -- well that is a pretty perfect word to describe it.

I loved being there, everything about it ... but it wouldn't have been that amazing had my wonderful and beautiful parents not been right there with me. 

Sheesh, I love those people.. and it just really made sense to have my family with me in the only place where families are appropriately organized.

All together, I couldn't have asked for a more special day. 

& whats a trip to Brigham City without a stop at Maddox? 

After all ... if you are spiritually fed you must be physically fed as well.

|Pin|spiration

Oh Pinterest, 

How I love thee.

Lately it seems like every single pin onto every single board all fits into a certain color criteria. 

Oh well. It natural to be neutral, right?

What have you been pinning?

A Poem For The BWH

B.W.H

There is a brilliant place

That’s not too far from here.

It’s where I go to escape the world

I find some comfort there.

Black and white damask galore;

You’ll see that I adore.

Not always clean that’s easy to see too,

Speaking of that… hey, do I still have a floor?

Pictures of people I love the most

Squeezed into 3x5’s

Trinkets, treasures, trophy’s and tacks

All shades of this girls simple life.

But it’s not the things that fill this room,

That make it a place to seek

It’s the characters that come to play

C’mon let’s take a peek.

Deep conversations and laughter;

It is clear that this room is no place for sleep or peace

No worries, though no worries;

Because my gratitude increase.

Bizarre things said, that others might not get

“You my friend, you treat me right.”

But it’s in these words and sayings too

That I realize I have sight.

Without these people around me,

To fill my already crammed space

I am emptier than ever

And have no urge to continue the race.

So take away this furniture

All pieces refurbished by me

Take away these fancy pillows

Or consider leaving three.

A stronger word than friendship,

For these bonds that I have felt;

Grateful, blessed, or thankful?

Those don’t even cover what I’ve been dealt.

What makes a house a home?

Is a question to address

I’ll tell you one thing that I know,

It’s not in my metal dress.

I could describe a small box sitting

Empty on the road

Or a room with lavish things,

The price yet to be told.

But it’s not the things contained

In a circle, cube or square

It’s the spirits, bonds and connections

That should ‘bring us safely there’.

There’s a brilliant group of sisters;

They live not far from here

We call each other family

Though no DNA we share.

From My Blog To Yours

A House Of Healing

(I wrote this post back in October and failed to post it. Woops! I really am the worst blogger on the face of the planet but better late than ever I guess…)

From my previous post ya’ll know that I spent this past at weekend in Woodland, nestled in our cozy mountain home, doing my best to help my Mom and spending quality time with my family. A large chunk of my minutes, which quickly turned to hours, and then slowly turned to days was spent laying low in the quiet, thinking about things. I hate the word “things”; I think it’s a way to avoid the opportunity of actually describing something. So, what did I actually think about? I thought about the structure of my home. No, not the placement of the windows and doors or the square footage of each room, but what really holds this place together. I grew up in this home. It’s where I learned how to be everything I am today. It’s where I discussed things with the people I that I love most. It’s where I discovered my abilities. And now, it is where I come back to. When I think of this little mountain retreat that I am lucky enough to call my home I could use the word heal in its place. This post could quickly turn into the song “the house that built me” by Miranda Lambert, and I would be a liar if I said that tune hasn’t been running through my head for the past semester of my life, but I would also be lying if I said the only thing that this house has done for me was build me. Now, even more than ever, I see that it does much, much more than that. The little unfinished cottage that is white and black in color, that sits humbly upon a manmade hill at 2706 East Crestview Drive, has the ability to heal. The word heal is a word of progression, not a word of permanence. This house won’t protect me from the evils that the world has to offer, but it will lend me strength to concquer what is to come. This house won’t give me a firm answer in challenging choices I have to make, but it will supply me with people who believe in me and my abilities and who will support me in whatever I do. Most importantly, this house won’t allow me to idle in it; it won’t allow me to find too much comfort in it’s walls; instead, it will give me exactly what I need and send me on my way. It will see to it that anywhere I go, I do all that I can to mimic the feelings of this home in the new one I’ve found myself in.




Part of me is glad that I did not actually post this when I had originally planned because it was the month and a half that followed that really taught me about the abilities of this home....

Prior to that weekend ^ I had been in a very strange place of my life… during that time I was faced with many challenges, many building-blocks, and many opportunities to learn about myself and the people around me. I had a horrible attitude and felt so defeated, but when I came back to this place and “recharged” I made my return back to my life in the south with zest and determination. Now I know it’s not the actual home that heals, but I find it somewhat ironic that this place is the gathering spot; during the holiday season this is where our large family comes to be with one another, when a person goes through surgery or is sick in any way it is upon our couch that they work to get better, and it’s where I find myself putting the pieces of my life together. I know that this place has a special spirit about it and it’s not because of the way that it’s decorated or even it’s perfect location here in the Woodland Valley, but it’s the people that fill this home and their spirits that give this place it’s spirit. In this place held together by wood and nails there is a group of people who have different roles and different responsibilities, people with different ideas and different tastes, and people who work together to make this place a home where family comes first. These people are my life. And sure, this place may be my home but it is more clear than ever that I could be placed in a box on the side of the street with my family and I could consider that home.




Because… Home, is wherever I’m with you.



♥ Miss Beasley

According To Kate: Pay Tribute

I am taking a Family Life and Human Development Class this semester and I am really liking it.

We have to write five- three page papers by the end of the semester.

Recently, I wrote one on a person who inspires me and characteristics they have.

I chose my Mom.

This weekend, I am home because she is feeling a little under-the-weather.

In honor of her, I'd like to share a paragraph from the paper I wrote.

I sure love you Mama Bear. A lot.



I think in order to see why a person inspires another person, you must have a little background of who that person is. Paula Brainich Beasley was born on June 4, 1964, which indeed makes her date of birth 6-4-64. She loves Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and hot, hot weather that even the Devil himself couldn’t sit through. She is the kind of person who makes simple things in life extraordinary. She is equal parts of sassy and bold which makes for a wonderful flavor with a mighty kick at the end. She somehow, is even a vision in running pants and a hoodie. She has brilliant thoughts… thoughts that make you step back and reconsider what you’ve been doing. She has creative ideas… Ideas that make the rest of the 4th graders in your class wish they had your Mom so that their book projects looked like they came straight out of Martha Strewart Living. She is 46. When she dances around the kitchen in her pajamas and socks, doing her high school cheer routine to Suptertramp, you would think she was 16 because of her enthusiasm. When she has you sat down on her bed, wiping the tears from your eyes, telling you that you that life is going to be filled with only great things, sure they will be hard, but great none the least, you would think she was 86 because of her wisdom. She truly is someone to be inspired by. What makes her so inspirational? There are three major things that truly inspire me about my mom and they are her selflessness, her strength, and her spirituality.



The rest of the paper was sort of thrown together.
(You know how it is trying to throw together something about thirty minutes before it's due)

I was happy with this portion though.
And I'm happy with the Mother I have.


♥ Miss Beasley

According To Kate: I've Found Another Time Consumer

First Facebook, then a Blog, now Pinterest.
What's next, crack!?!
That last one was a joke. This is where I draw the line. I will not use social websites as gateway drugs any longer.
To far? Yeah, probably. What else is new?
Anyway, follow me on this new friend.


♥ Miss Beasley

According To Kate: This Is What We Like To Call A Recap Of The Past Month Or Two Of My Life

Wow. That was a long title; especially for being so dormant lately. I'm not going to take my typical route of trying to explain why I suck for a good paragraph or two, I'm just gonna start into what has been

a b s o l u t e l y

consuming my life lately...

1) School

Oh hey Southern Utah University! It's good to be back and in business with you! This chick has made her return to the dirty south for her sophomore year of College and it's .... going. Yes, going. That's a perfect word to describe my life as of now. I think it's going in a good direction, actually I know it is. School this year is much different than it was my freshmen year, which is to be expected- I just wish I wouldn't have been so surprised. I should probably start by saying that I am taking a math class... I haven't hung out with numbers for around three years and it shows. I am making my way (downtown) I mean, through it. Sometimes I want to poke my eyeballs out, sometimes I literally yell praises out to the math god's when I get a correct answer, and sometimes I even make facebook status updates about Satan's relationship with math. On the happier and more upbeat side, I am feeling confident in my abilities and challenged, which fuels my desire to be successful. Make sense? Yeah, I don't get it either. Bah!

The bottom line is that school is school, half of me thinks that learning is the most amazing and blessed thing in the world and the other half of me wants to lite my head and books on fire and invite friends over for a marshmallow roast. I try to let the better half of me, the half that is SO unbelievably grateful for my chance and opportunity to learn, win. Most days she walks away with the trophy - and a headache from homework. But she is grateful ... and that's all that matters.

2) The BWH

That's where I live while I'm here in Cedar City. In this little home I have a little college family with the most amazing 6 girls in the entire world. My love for them is real big. Like I said, life has been going, without these ladies for support, humor, and the friendship they have offered me I would probably be stuck in neutral. I have lucked out in the roommate department twice now. I feel like I have known these girls for the majority of my life and I felt that way a week into living with them! It has also been good to be with all my people who don't live in the house. Turns out, I have really awesome friends everywhere I look. I have my own room this go around which is way different from last year when I lived with my best friend. It has been cool having a lot of space for my loads.. and I mean loads of stuff... But I miss having a room-roommate and constantly make of my friends sit in there with me or sleep in my bed. I do love love love my room though, everything came together so well and I spent next to nothing. DIY is the way to go. I went with black and white damask and burnt orange with bright pea-green accents. It's perfect. (One day I will post pictures and share my secrets to making things fab for free, or close to free, because that is the only way to do it as a college student.) Actually, all together my whole living arrangement is perfect. Sure there may be a dish or fifty not done, but I feel at home.

3) Work

Let's not spend a lot of time on this topic. I go when I'm scheduled. I do my job. I leave. I get paid. I remind myself that I am indeed grateful to be working. That's quite enough.

4) Freedom

This consists of times I am not in class, not at work, or when it's the weekend. I LIVE for these moments, even if these moments are only me listening to music and blog stocking. Ok, I have a life and do cool things too, like head even deeper into the south for some boating and cliff jumping, take a hike to Kanarraville falls, attend dances, have wild fires with fun friends, watch football games, go to Vegas for the weekend, zumba and other forms of working out, attend the temple, and of course, small, small, small amounts of retail therapy. These times ... are the good times.

5) The Sister & Best Friend

AKA - Tiff and Mer. All I have to say is thank goodness for technology. And weekends home. And the firm relationships we have built which stay standing even when we are miles apart. It has just been strange adjusting.

-

This last summer Tiff and I were both employed at both the Gap and the SSAFC so we got to spend a ton of time together, it was so strange, it's like our first year of college never happened and we were right back in high school having sleepovers all the time and more importantly acting like complete fools all the time. Except we never worked 60 hour weeks, or anything even close to that. I can tell you one thing, without Tiff this last summer there is no way I would still have a pulse. It was not cool going our separate ways, again, but things never change. No matter how old we get or how many miles apart it takes about .43 seconds to act like we are five again. No joke. Miss you Tiff!!!

-

Where to even begin with Mer -

Well first off... I fetchin' miss having my best friend as my roommate. Last year was the year of years and there is no way either of us could have gotten through it without the other. It was so hard realizing that this year would not be the same. I've come to realize though, that when something isn't the same it isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's just different. That's exactly what this year is like, just different. I wish to the moon and back that we were still roommies but I know without a doubt that we are both where we need to be. I'm just so grateful that we had the chance to live together when we did! Miss you Mer!

6) Family

In the six or so weeks that I have been away I have had the chance to head north to be with the Beasley people twice. What a blessing. The first time I went home I got to see Nick play some football and attend a missionary homecoming. That whole weekend was a little heck-tick but it was still good to be back. While I was at home my car broke down and I had to leave it there to be fixed. Luckily, Zach was nice enough to let me use his car to head home in and luckily, my parents are my parents and help me in times of trouble, and this was surely a time of trouble. When I went home last weekend I was able to swap my car back, celebrate Kara's birthday, spend quality time with not only the Beasley's- but the grandparents as well, and of course listen to parts of conference. I also got to catch up with friends and neighbors which is always such a delight. While I was home fall had arrived which was pretty neat because fall only lasts about a week in Woodland. The colors were to die for. The entire vacation I kept saying "Literally, I grew up in the most beautiful place on this Earth." I am so grateful I get to go back there to be surrounded by not only beautiful scenery, but beautiful people as well.

7) Internal Conflict

Do I stay at SUU? or do I switch schools?

Do I major in a social science? Or real science?

Prerequisites have prerequisites, wait what? Holy cow, that class is a pre-req - what does that mean the real class is going to look like?

Beef Top Ramen? Or Chicken?

Do I really want to go to OT School? Or go for OT Assistant?

Yeah --- I've been all sorts of confused.

Often...well more than often, ok...everyday, I remind myself -

"One day at a time."

I can't say that life is bad. But I can say that it is hard. Really, really hard. I can't say that life is absolutely amazing. But I can say that I am blessed in more ways than one. Really, really blessed.

Life isn't perfect, obviously. But it isn't imperfect either. It seems to be a balance of good and bad that you have to embrace one day at a time.

♥ Miss Beasley

According To Kate: Read The Secret Life Of Bees

Holy cat's, it's been far to long since I've started ... and finished a book.

Now started, and not finished, well that's a different story.

Pathetic, I know.

This book was amazing.

Sue Monk Kidd has to be one of the most amazing writers ever.

I absolutely love her style of writing. So much wit. And well, wit happens to be one of my most favoritest things.

This story was about finding peace and an inner sense of self, as well as a strong message of the power of women.

I highly, highly recommend it.

I couldn't have loved it more.

♥ Miss Beasley

Oh, and P.S, I am back to school at SUU & home in Cedar City. Blog posts to come!

According To Kate: Cook It Up!

Fun Fact About Me...I LOVE TO COOK!!!!

It is one of my favorite ways to spend time. I love everything about cooking and all of the preparation that goes into it; spending time staring at food in grocery stores, studying cookbooks and cooking blogs, preparing the food, the cooking process itself, and then the presentation of it all.

So, last night as I was whipping up a recipe off the top of my head (i'll share later, because it was delish!) I thought about how much I would love to one day publish a cookbook ... of course it would have to be years from now after I have more experience cooking for a family and more yummy recipes, but what better way to start than to add some of my experiments here on my blog! I don't want to have a cooking blog, but just a few posts here and there ...

so with that said.... Miss Beasley is happy to present....

Stay tuned for more posts and tasty recipes!

Yay!

♥ Miss Beasley