Time Management

Honestly, I am surprised I have learned this lesson already. This week I have not done a single chore around the house and struggled to get my homework done. I procrastinated my studying and essay til 3 o'clock this morning. I only got a few hours of sleep and could not focus on anything today! Taking my test was such a challenge and it scared the crap out of me! I thought I was going to fail! Here is to starting new and awesome habits! Although you can't plan every second of every day there are some things that you can help. Working and going to college at the same time is starting to get exhausting so I am trying some new things starting tomorrow! Care to join me?

1. Get things done when you have free time ASAP. My problem is that I think I can get it done later and when later comes around something always pops up. Moral of the story.. Get it done right then and there when you have time or else it will end up not getting done at all.

2. Do not do homework at 3 o'clock in the morning the day it is due. Instead space it out. Usually I do pretty good with this but this week was just brutal!

3. Get to bed on time. There are so many issues with sleep deprivation and how unhealthy it is for you. Not only does it age you 10x faster but it also creates unwanted habits. Today in my psychology I learned that people who get only 6 hours of sleep have the same level of sugar processing than a 60+ year old man with diabetes does. Scary! You are giving yourself temporary and maybe even long term diabetes if you are not getting enough sleep!

4. Put your phone on your dresser or somewhere far away. When I am done reading my scriptures and saying my prayers I automatically reach for my phone and spend another hour on it! Turn your alarm, on set it across the room, and get to bed!

5. Do not sleep in even if you do go to bed early. I do this a lot. I will go to bed early and sleep in! Then when the next night comes I am not tired and stay up. I have learned that when I do get up and get moving I feel a lot better.

6. Set time aside to prepare somethings at night so you don't always have to do everything in the morning. I pack my lunch, get my school stuff together and make sure I have everything in my purse the night before so I am prepared.

7. Get a paper planner. I know this is a little old fashioned but seriously it has helped me a lot. When I used my phone I would press dismiss and forget about it til 5 minutes before it actually happened. Also writing it down helps me remember since I am such a visual person.

8. Last, don't forget to make family time a priority. If you are like me sometimes this is the only down you will get besides at 3 o'clock in the morning. Treasure it. This time to wind down and spend some quality time with your loved ones.

Join me in creating better time management. Til next post! Xoxo, Madison.

Day 6

Day 6 is here and I am so excited to write about how the man above influenced me to stay active in the church and lead me to the path of serving a mission. I remember one time Randy had picked me up to go over to his and Melissa's house. At that time a lot of things had happened, I had made some not so great decisions and was telling everybody I was serving a mission to get them off my back. I was honest to Randy and told him why I said I was serving a mission and how confused I was. He didn't say anything at first. Then after a moment he said "Madi, it doesn't matter why you serve a mission as long as you go. It will change your life. No matter the reason." As I was praying months later on whether to serve or not for real that conversation popped into my head and what was said ended up being the answer to my prayers. I look up to Randy so much! I watch how he not only says how much he loves Melissa but shows it! His children adore him because he makes each and everyone of them feel special including me. Someday I hope to find a man half as awesome as he is! Thank you Randy for helping me decide on serving a mission. I love you!

Day 5

Life has been so crazy with work and school that I couldn't write days 3 and 4!

Since today is little Wyatt's birthday I thought I would write about how my siblings impacted my decision to serve and change my life. It wasn't until Lilly was born that I decided to serve a mission. Being the oldest of 5 or any number of siblings, you set the standard. You are the example and the person that your younger siblings look up to. I didn't realize that until some of my siblings started following in my not so good footsteps. Then when Lilly was born I came to the conclusion that my siblings deserve a better role model than what I was giving. I made it my goal to give them the best person to look up too. While contemplating on whether to serve a mission or not I thought about Jackson. What would Jackson do? Well knowing Jackson he would say, let's do this! In reality my siblings became my example. They taught me to be a better woman! I love my siblings more than anything in this world. I want to be the best role model for them and show them it is possible to be the best person you can be! It is my hope that on my mission I can learn how to do so and come back a kick butt example for them.

A Letter From Big Sister

To My Little Munchkins:

If I could give advice in my 18 years of triumph and loss, this is what perspective I could offer. I know I am not experienced because I am still a kid myself but if I follow my own advice long ago it would have saved me so many tears and heartache. My only hope is that you will be twice the human being I ever was!

Whatever you do, DO NOT follow the crowd. They are very tricky and make you believe that the lives that celebrities live are extravagant and leisurely. Money can buy most things except true happiness. Drugs and alcohol do not make you more "chill" or "fun". In fact they make you look immature and only lead to worse things. Immorality is not okay. It is not "just a feeling" or something that should be thrown away like a piece of paper. Wait and share that special moment with the one you love under the sacred bond of marriage. You will thank yourself later and so will your future spouse. Immodesty and vulgarity do not make you cool. It does not make you smarter. It does not take you the places you want to go (unless you like dumpsters and if so I'll spank your booty because that's nasty!) It does the exact opposite. Stay pure, be kind and remember that you are a son/daughter of God.

No matter what put Heavenly Father and your Savior Jesus Christ first. If you do this I can promise that you will make better decisions, relationships and your self confidence will soar. When you remember who you come from and who loves you it is amazing how brighter life seems!

Family always proceeds the above. They will be there for you no matter what! Especially our family! Sometimes sissy would forget this and I hurt a lot of people in the process. Don't be like me! You are so much better than that! Mommy and Daddy are only hard on you because they expect great things from you. We all know that you are capable of moving mountains, trust us! We might also push you to do volleyball a little more than other things and that's because we have found so much happiness playing it, both with each other and on teams! If you don't like it tell us though.. We just want what is best for you!

Believe in yourself dang it! I can not stress this enough. Sissy could have gone so far, both in sports and academically, but she didn't because she didn't believe in herself. Now she watches college volleyball players and regrets so much. You are capable of anything you put your mind to. Don't let anybody else tell you different. YOU ARE THE BOMB DIGGITY! Stay true to you and don't forget how incredible you are!

Learn from sister. She messed up. A lot. But that's okay because now you get to learn from those mess ups and create better life for yourself. There was a method behind the madness!

The most important (well to me) is that SISSY WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU! No matter what decisions you make, how you treat me or if you decide to be a democrat. It's okay... well... Sister will try her very best on that last one! Haha. To me you are the most wonderful person in the world. Nothing can change the fact that you are my brother/sister and you are stuck with me for eternity muahahaha! Know that you can always count on me and I will always be here for you. Your dreams are mine, your trials I will help you bare and when all is said and done you will always be able to say "I know my sister loves me and to be honest.. I love her too!"

I love you with all my heart and soul!
-Your Eldest Sister Madison

Day 2

Melissa O'Donnal is my hero. I am on the road to serving a mission because of her. During my parents divorce, Olivia's passing and my dad remarrying Melissa was always there! It is hard for a mother to parent her daughter when she is a couple states away. Melissa stepped in and became that mother figure that I so desperately needed. When I wasn't making good decisions she didn't judge me and instead accepted me for me no matter how I was choosing my life. When I needed a place to run to she basically packed my bags for me and took me in as her own. She is the woman I want to be when grow up. She is the most amazing mother, wife and woman. Melissa is my best friend! My road to serving a mission is a result of her constant faith, friendship and example to me.

Day 1

In 30 days my mission papers are going in and I could not be more excited. It's amazing how fast the time has gone and I as a countdown to the day I mail in my paperwork I am going to post everyday until September 29th on how the church or others have lead me onto this path to my mission. Let's get started!

The number one person who inspired me to serve a mission (besides my Savior and God) is my dad! Through out my life he has been an exceptional example of faith and love. No matter what kind of decisions I have made or how badly I have treated him, he has always been there for me. He is the greatest man I know and has this radiating light about him. When I am sad he knows how to make me laugh, when I'm having a hard day he comforts me and I know I can count on him for anything! The other day I was looking at his mission album and it made me that much more excited to follow in his footsteps and be like him! My dad has shown me that no matter the mistakes we make or how hard times can get, if we do our best and have faith, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will make up the difference. He is my best friend and my hero. I could not ask for a more awesome father! The Lord has truly blessed me!

"Hand of Hope"

I read this and I seriously cried. How many women are told that their baby is just a fetus? How many babies have been killed because abortion is used as birth control due to the lack of responsibility in the world today? How many more? If this is not proof that a baby is a living, breathing human being then I don't know what is! How come a microscopic life form on Mars is considered alive and this baby isn't?! This has nothing to do with religion or morals. This picture and story is 100% science.

"A picture began circulating in November. It should be "The Picture of the Year," or perhaps, "Picture of the Decade." It won't be. In fact, unless you obtained a copy of the U.S. paper which published it, you probably would never have seen it.

The picture is that of a 21-week-old unborn baby named Samuel Alexander Armas, who is being operated on by surgeon named Joseph Bruner. The baby was diagnosed with spina bifida and would not survive if removed from his mother's womb. Little Samuel's mother, Julie Armas, is an obstetrics nurse in Atlanta. She knew of Dr. Bruner's remarkable surgical procedure. Practicing at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, he performs these special operations while the baby is still in the womb.

During the procedure, the doctor removes the uterus via C-section and makes a small incision to operate on the baby. As Dr. Bruner completed the surgery on Samuel, the little guy reached his tiny, but fully developed hand through the incision and firmly grasped the surgeon's finger. Dr. Bruner was reported as saying that when his finger was grasped, it was the most emotional moment of his life, and that for an instant during the procedure he was just frozen, totally immobile.

The photograph captures this amazing event with perfect clarity. The editors titled the picture, "Hand of Hope." The text explaining the picture begins, "The tiny hand of 21-week-old fetus Samuel Alexander Armas emerges from the mother's uterus to grasp the finger of Dr. Joseph Bruner as if thanking the doctor for the gift of life."

Little Samuel's mother said they "wept for days" when they saw the picture. She said, "The photo reminds us pregnancy isn't about disability or an illness, it's about a little person" Samuel was born in perfect health, the operation 100 percent successful."