My Future path?

February 21st 2016
My future path?
This week I have been thinking about what I want to do… With so many things and so much drama on a daily basis you can't help but to ask yourself “Is this for me?” And my answer at this time is unknown! I love what I do but physically how long will I be able to keep going with minimal pain, mentally are you willing to drop your standards to make everyone happy and eat your pride? Is the money worth it? Though the pay is great for now but in the end I feel it is going to cost me more than I can make especially with health issues getting worse and I believe what I do as a mechanic isn't helping with the amount of bad chemicals I am around on a daily basis to the exhaust, to the extreme exposure to the cold weather with playing on frozen metals and the high stress that comes with being a mechanic, I have been a mechanic since 2012 and no longer feel 100% that this is what I'm supposed to do! I have a doctors appointment on March 3 and they are going to do allergy testing to try and narrow my issues down. I've had they really important stuff tested for a month ago and they didn't find anything however just because they didn't find anything the first time around don't mean there's no problem it just means it's in a neutral state at the time of the blood draws. I have thought about going into business for myself as a mobile mechanic and thought about it for about 3 weeks and decided that isn't for me either (at this time) so recently it came to mind that we may eventually end up in Oregon but don't know why right now, I have never been there in my life! (That I can remember) as far as my career I am going to look into becoming a building/construction inspector I love doing construction but it's to seasonal so I can't do that here in Alaska and I'm not ready to move! Anyway that's my current thoughts and what's going on! I hope you all enjoy it!

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PSA: Our Future Pregnancy Announcement Will Be Super Obvious

The following is a public service announcement from Tabitha:

I'm not trying to be rude, but I feel the need to say something. I know that people mean well and that they are eager for us to expand our family. Nevertheless, I'm irritated that whenever I post anything about kids, people tend to think that it's an announcement. Nope, I'm just posting something that I thought was cute or interesting. It's come down to me having put a disclaimer on every child-related thing I post.
Allow me to let you in on a secret: when I'm really pregnant, I won't announce it by posting some random picture or article. What I post will include both Brandon and I with something baby-related and a caption that's extremely obvious about what's happening :-)
Of course, family members and close friends  will get a phone call or visit where we tell them the exciting news. We love you too much to tell you by some random Facebook post.
Just in case anyone is curious, I am currently working on improving my health. Once I can resolve health concerns and we improve our finances, we will be  in a better condition to welcome a little one. As for specifics of our health and finances, we prefer to only discuss this with family and close friends.
Again, please understand that I'm not trying to be rude. I just felt that it was important to share this information so you can better understand where we're at and not jump to conclusions based on what we post. :-)

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~An Open Letter to My 17-year-old Self

I wrote this letter to a younger version of myself, looking back to when I was a Junior in high school. This was a way for me to reflect on what have learned over the past few years and to think of advice that I would give to myself as a teenager.

Hey Beautiful!
Congratulations on turning 17! By the way, you're already more than halfway done with high school! I know that the decision to switch schools was tough* but you were brave and took the plunge. You're going to learn so much at this school and meet some amazing people.  I know right now you're excited about cheerleading, fun assignments, and cute boys in gym class, science class, every class.... But I have a little bit of advice to help you through the next few action-packed years.
1.   You are beautiful, inside and out! You don't need to wear shorts skirts or cake your face in makeup to be beautiful. You have a light that shines from within. It may take you a while to recognize that light, but when you do, it will be glorious. All of the jewels in the world can't compare with the beauty of a young woman who knows who she is and shows respect for herself and others.
2.  Talking to cute boys is fun and exciting (and I know that boy a few lockers down has his eyes on you), but you don't really need a boyfriend just yet. You need to get to know and love yourself better first. You're going to transform over the next few years. Yes, you'll meet some good-looking guys, steal a few hearts (and kisses), and maybe get your heart ripped out a couple of times. Everything that happens will shape you and prepare you for the future. God has an awesome guy waiting for you; He just wants you to be better prepared for your future relationship. Be patient; it'll take a few years.
3.  Treasure your relationships with your family and friends. Yes, I understand your siblings are annoying, I had to grow up with them, remember?  The good news is, they will grow out of their annoying habits.  They may even surprise you with what they know and the skills they have. You guys will help each other through trials and grow closer together. You may even become really good friends.  Also, don't write your parents off as old farts who don't know much. They know A LOT and have really good advice. Listen to them and consider their advice. It can save you a lot of headache and heartache.  And enjoy your friendships. Get to know different kinds of people. Learn to get along with different kind of people. It will help you a lot!
4.  Don't be afraid of your school teachers and church leaders. They are actually pretty cool. You'll be surprised by the stories they tell and the advice they give. I know that it can be hard to pay attention sometimes, but listen up. You never know what you could learn! Also, don't be afraid of your bishop or branch president*. They want you to succeed, and they are here to help! You'll make some great friends by getting to know your teachers and leaders better.
5.  Be yourself! Be genuine. Be real. You don't need to be someone you're not to get people to like you. Don't be afraid to speak up. People will love the real you, quirks and all!
6.  Find a balance. Life can be pretty tricky when you have to balance early-morning seminary*, school, cheerleading, homework, and church activities. Things will get even crazier after graduation, when you have to balance a job, classes, homework, church responsibilities, a social life, and a car with which you have a love-hate relationship.*   It will be tough. You'll crash and burn. But eventually you will find a good way to balance your life.
7.  Exercise and eat healthy foods!  This one is hard to do! I know you're probably about to shove a pizza into your mouth and then eat some candy. I know that at this age, carrots and apples do not sound as appealing as pizza and soda, but you'll pay for poor health habits down the road. It's much harder to get back in shape and change eating habits when you get older. I'm having quite the struggle to lose weight and be healthy. Cultivate good habits now. Trust me, you'll thank yourself when you get older!
8.   Do your best work.  A lot of subjects come easy to you, and you find a way to put your personality into your assignments.  I have some bad news for you: classes are not always fun or easy. You will have some tough classes in college, and sometimes you will be bored out of your mind!  But don't give up. Remember that mediocre efforts results in mediocre grades and mediocre learning. Study and apply what you learn. Don't be afraid of talking to your teacher or going to study groups.  There are people who want to help you succeed.
9.    Be open to the unexpected. Life will throw you curves and give you unanticipated opportunities. Things will happen that will shock you. Doors and windows will open up when you least expect it.  For example, for a couple of years, you'll tell everyone you know that you're not going to serve a mission. Then you'll eat your words when you're 22. You'll end up serving a mission* and loving it.  Life isn't going to go exactly how you expect it. You won't always get what you want, but you will get what you need.
10.   Pay attention in your church classes. I know it's hard to stay awake at 7 in the morning*. I know it's hard to understand Bible language. You will learn some valuable lessons when you pay attention. You will learn about how to build a relationship with God. You will learn about what Christ's sacrifice means to you. You will be able to apply what you learn on a very personal level and become a better person. Even when a class seems endlessly boring, pay attention, and you can pick out hidden treasures of knowledge.
Well, dear, this about wraps it up. I hope you learned something from the future version of yourself. These next few years will be fun and challenging. You will be stretched. You will laugh, you will cry, you will learn many things. Hang on and enjoy the ride!
Love, Future You in 2015

* Some background information:
1- My Junior year of high school I switched to a high school that was technology-based because I was ready for a change.
2- A bishop or branch president is a leader of a local congregation of my church.
3- I had a car in college that happened to break down at the most inopportune moments. Being stuck on the side of the road at -40 degrees is not fun!
4- I served an 18-month mission for my church. I served the Spanish-speaking population of Las Vegas.
5- Youth in my church attend a class during the school year, called seminary, where we study the scriptures. In Alaska, the class is held before school.

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Conference Review

This month, we had two conferences for our church. They were awesome! What I got out of General Conference (a worldwide broadcast) was that families are super-important and that we need to all work together to bring to pass much good. Everyone plays an important role; we all need each other. From Stake Conference (a local meeting), I received a message that I really needed: I am enough. I don't need to be Super Woman; I just need to do the best I can and understand my limitations.  I loved both conferences and learned a lot. What did you learn from conference?

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Trials and tragedies

I have been thinking a lot lately about trials I've had in the past. Many of these trials were because I needed to learn something. I have this stubborn tendency to want things done in MY way and in MY timing, but that's not how it works. I've had many trials in my life, but it's been interesting to see how the Lord gave me a trial but prevented a tragedy. For example, I have had a few experiences where I was involved in an accident: I fell down a hill, I fell backwards off a horse, I smashed up a car or two, I nearly drowned. I should have died or been seriously hurt, but I walked away without a scratch from each incident. To be face to face with death and walk away without a scratch is a miracle to me.  If I have had had several experiences where I stared death in the face and was able to just walk away, that must mean that my life is worth something! This gives me the courage to press forward in whatever struggle I may face.  I know that these experiences help to shape me into a better person so that I can be a greater influence for good in the world. I know that all things will work out. They may not work out when I expect or how I expect, but I know that I will be blessed.
Love,
Tabitha

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Continued of what's to come!

Hi everyone I wanted to continue my post I made a few days ago. I wanted to let you all know we're doing great and we have been thinking hard about what we want to do for our future living arrangements and I've been doing a lot of research on buying a house or property VS renting and feel like if I play my card right we can buy a place to live for less than renting which is sad and also I will have the freedom to do as I please to my place! I'm not going to tell you all the specifics but I will tell you that I fear renting a place and not being able to move out because we would be stuck in a stupidly expensive apartment. I know if I worked the cards right I can get something around 70,000 or less and a few acres of land  and have a lower payment then rent and we can pay it off within five years easy fix it up with repairs and improvements and have something with more value to sell and use towards our final resting grounds with sizable land.  That amount of money would get us a 2 to 3 bedroom house and the down payment is about the same as security deposits here in North Pole and Fairbanks yes I know most of you aren't going to support us buying a place and that's why we're not asking, I do not like apartments and will not get stuck in one for 10 years it's a dumb place to be and I know many people that are there now and I will not be one of them. I love my land and freedom to do as I please within reason in my yard! Anyways that's what's up in my head and I miss you all and miss hanging out with everyone. Oh and no we aren't buying a place until December if we do at the earliest, it depends on how some things on my credit go as they are resolved! Have a good night.

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What Lye's ahead?

Hi everyone! I know your wandering what we're up to these day's so let me tell you! I have been working for RWC International now for almost 3 week's and I love it! I feel so much respect there and I'm doing stuff in learned in school, like today I was taking a truck apart to remove the head! I haven't done that since school! Anyway its late and I want to watch another episode of Boy meet's world before bed! Greatest show of all time!

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