So Online Dating....

So as you know I started an online dating profile. It has been interesting, to say the least. I have over 220 page views, ha ha ha. I find that funny and exciting, who knew I would have so many guys intrigued by my photo. But my favorite are the messages I get, here is a sampling of some of my favorites, "Mmmm, Michelle Williams called, she wants her face back," "You are like an attractive Mother Teresa." Both very funny. Online dating is weird and awkward, you are basically selling yourself. Weird.
And I have another problem. I have a very hard time telling people no. I don't want to be mean! But I had a talk with my good friend Paul and he gave me his big talk, "You can tell guys no Leah." He is brilliant.
But is hasn't all been bad, I have corresponded with some, what seem like, really good guys.

So on another but related note, I have been on a couple of dates with this new guy in my singles ward. He is on the Hockey team and just moved into the ward. He is pretty awesome and he will totally get along with my brother Ryan. (I know what some of you are thinking, if he gets along with Ryan how is Leah interested in him? He plays hockey ok, and he is really nice and good looking, so we will see).

In Honor of Valentines Day

So it is not really in honor of V day, I actually totally forgot about V day, honestly, I have no reason to celebrate it and it is not like it is a actual holiday that I get off work or anything, so anyway. I have signed up for online dating, and it scares the ba-gee-ba-dee's out of me. But the last 3 days I have had 3 people suggest that I do it, and I was told that I "need to put myself out there". So I thought what the hay, I might as well try it, so I went to LDS Singles and signed up. I actually signed up on Saturday and I have over 70 pageviews, so that is good I guess. I have had a few guys send me messages, can I just tell you that I am having a little panic attack right now even thinking about it, it is so scary, I don't know these guys, they could be lying about everything. I really hope they are not and I am trying to be really optimistic but knowing my track record they are all crazy creepers.

Fix it.

FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2009

Oh that I were an angel

"Oh that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart.....that here might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth. But behold, I am a (wo)man."

Oh I wish this! I wish there could be no more sorrow on the earth. It is too much, too much sorrow, to much suffering, too much sadness, too much pain, for people who do not deserve it. I wish I could take it all away. Give happiness and joy, love and charity. But I am but one person and can only do so much. Oh that I were an angel! But "perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God....and this is my joy."






100 points if you can guess the reference...not the normal 10 for guessing my ringback, this is big! :)

POSTED BY LEAH JONES AT 4:44 AM


So this is actually a post, as you might tell, from my blog that I kept while I was in Africa. I was having a bad day and I saw somethings that I really wanted to fix and I knew that I  couldn't fix them myself. I had that feeling again yesterday and today. There are so many things  I  want to fix.  Conflict, war, anger, hunger, poverty, injustice, ignorance, intolerance, hatred,  but there is only so much that I  can do.  But I will try my best and be the best that I can be, and do as Mother Teresa said, "We can do no great things, only small things with great love." 

Good enough

I had an amazing RELIEF SOCIETY lesson today about self-esteem. and it made me think of this post and my time in Africa. The lesson was from Elder James E Faust Address at a CES fireside called the value of self esteem. 

In the address he gave six keys for healthy self-esteem

1) Keep your AGENCY. 

"This means that we must not surrender self-control nor yield to habits that bind, to addiction that enslaves, nor to conduct that destroys. To keep our agency we must avoid the deadly traps and pitfalls from which there may be no escape. Some, having been ensnared, spend the best years of their life trying to escape and so exhaust themselves in the process that in the end, even though they ultimately find themselves freed from the addiction, they are spent, burned out, their nerves shot, and their brains dulled forever."

2) Humility 

"I mean the humility that comes with inner strength and peace. It is the humility that allows us to accept and live with our own warts, without cosmetics to hide them"

3) Honesty 

"Honesty begins with being true to one’s own self.... Being true to one’s own self is the essence of honesty and a keystone of self-esteem." 

4) Love of Work

"In my experience, there are very few people who are of true genius. While there are those who are gifted, most of the world’s work and some of the greatest contributions come from ordinary people with a talent which they have developed....What we accomplish helps our self-esteem. Sometimes we may think, “The work I do is unimportant,” or “I’m only this or that.” Every job that has to be done is important, no matter how minimal it seems; someone has to do it." 

5) Ability to Love 

"Am I secure enough in my love of myself to laugh at myself, to admit mistakes, to graciously accept a compliment? Am I secure in my love of others to smile and say hello to a perfect stranger? "

6) Love of God 

 

It was a really good lesson and I just wanted to share, because I know so many people suffer from low self-esteem (I get down on myself a little too often). It is good to remember that we really are good and we don't have to be perfect, every second of every day. There is only ONE person on this earth that has been perfect. And we can strive to be better every day, but remember that it is a life long process, and into the next life. We just need to be a little better today than we were yesterday. If we do that then we are on the right path and there is no need to feel bad or feel like we are not good enough. Because we are good enough.

 

Words:

Respect

Esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability.

Chivalry

The ideal qualifications of a knight, including: courtesy, generosity, valor,  and dexterity in arms.

Gallantry

Dashing courage; heroic bravery; noble-minded behavior.

Amorous or courtly attention to women.

A gallant act, action, or speech.

Whatever happened to these words? 

Why can't people act like this? 

People.

People make me laugh. Like the old woman at my early morning water aerobics class, yes laugh I am going to the old people class...you may snigger but it is a good work out that doesn't hurt my knees, feet and back, I am pretty much an old lady, so it works out perfectly, and it is the only time my mom, bee and I can go together, so any way this particular old lady made me wonder about people. Not just her but a few people this week. Mostly old people I guess. So the story, my mother was saying something about how normal workouts, running, walking, standing, is really bad for her feet because she has some medical foot problem, so the workout in the water is good for her feet. Then this woman goes on about how she totally understand, but really she doesn't because she started talking about how she always wears water socks and that you can get warts and what not, she is a 'huge advocate' for water socks and that Smiths is having a sale, we should go get some. I think she just heard the work feet and jumped on the opportunity to talk. Did she listen at all, no. But I don't think that mattered to her. Then there was the instructor. She was pretty much the worst instructor ever. But the funny thing was, she asked if we had just gotten passes at the fair, my mom said yes, I said that I had one all last year, which I did, and she asked if I had ever come to this class before, I had, then she quickly said that I had looked familiar. But little did she know that I had only been to the class twice and she had not been the instructor. I had never met her in my life. Isn't it funny how people just grab onto the smallest speck of anything to feel smart and included, even if it means making stuff up and looking stupid? I find it fascinating.
I also find it fascinating how people get mad at you for not listening or not reading something when they are really the ones who don't understand. I had a volunteer get pretty mad at me for that reason. Here is the story. We had reports due. So I sent out the reminder and the report form. It is a new form that the state is having us use. It is saved in a newer version of word so I send out a patch they can download to it is compatible with their program. Most people got it to work. I had a few people email me with problems. So I sent them the patch again, with detailed instructions on what to do, You click on this page and then click the big blue download button. I also copy and pasted the form right into the email so that they could either copy and paste it into their version of word or just type it up into their email and send it back. But I didn't hear from this person and they didn't get their report in so I sent them an email seeing if I could help them figure it out. Well it turns out this person didn't have word so I again sent it in the email so they could copy and paste it into whatever they did have and I saved the document as a .doc instead of a docx and sent it to them. They need called me telling me that I didn't listen at all, that they don't have word! This person read the first line of my email and called me upset and while they were on the phone with me they opened the .doc I sent them and guess what it worked! Amazing how I fixed the problem my not listening. I really don't understand people. Why don't you try first and then get mad instead of getting mad and then try and have it work. You waste a lot of time and energy and you make me upset. I really frustrates me when people don't use the knowledge and common sense I know they have, but they take the easy 'solution' and blame someone else.  Do you know how many conflicts we could solve if we just thought about things first and tried to see things from other peoples persecutive? Because I am sure if this person thought about it they could have figured it out the first time I sent it out, but instead they gave up, blaming me for changing it, festering bad feelings towards me and then blew up at me when I tried to help them and solve the problem. Something I didn't need in my busy day.

Just my thoughts.

I love Sundays

So I really love Sundays. They are the best day of the week. Today was an especially (said in a Nacho Libra voice, you know the part I am talking about)  good Sunday. It is a new year, so that means church is at a new time. The best time ever. 11:30. Best time. You get to sleep in and you still have time to make dinner after. So it being the first Sunday of the month that means fasting, testimony meetings and ward council. The ward council was at 10:30, so much better than 8:00 in the morning. It was all good. We had good discussions and all that. We got to hear some really good testimonies, and some I could have lived with out, (you know there is always that one person who gets up every month and tells everything that happened in the month, not a testimony, just a story, well we have that guy, but he also tries to be funny and fails horribly. Today it was something about everyone should know his name and that he knows that he gets up all the time and if we are tired of hearing from him, there is an infirmary down the hall and we should go there to...something...that is when I put my head on my knees and my fingers in my ears, and hummed a hymn.) So anyway a pretty dang good meeting, a little over but pretty good. The best part was the callings and releases. Mister, from the last blog post, got released, he is apparently moving to Provo, and a new RM got called. He is from my home ward and will be wonderful! I am very excited! So church was good. I got home changed and started on dinner. I have to brag a bit, because it was a really really good dinner, and I didn't think it would turn out this good. Someone ALWAYS finds something not to like about it, but every one ate it happily, even my extremely picky little brother. It was apple soaked pork chops and scalloped potatoes. It was really good! I am going to have to make it again, because it was good and because my sister and brother in law were sick and couldn't come up. Good day, only down side I didn't get an afternoon nap.

Oh so I start my new institute classes this week. I am very excited. Pretty sure I am a stoker and might have another class with Mr. P ;)