Alpine-German Speaking Mission

 

[Old Town, Alexandria]

To say that I love it here would be an understatement.

The brick buildings remind me so much of my travels abroad & how much I miss adventures.

Being a California girl at heart, I never thought I'd have the chance to live on the east coast, especially DC - this was the last place I thought I'd end up!

But here I am, growing in love with my husband, trying to make new friends,

working full time, exploring new hobbies, learning how to be alone (away from family/friends)

& understanding that this exactly what the Lord had in store for me.

 

February 2014 was the month I was supposed to come home from serving a

mission in the Alpine-German Speaking Mission.

It seems surreal that 18 months ago I postponed/deferred from serving to take a leap

of faith in another direction -- the completely opposite direction -- because

something wouldn't let me say goodbye.

Deep down in the depths of my heart, I knew (without a doubt) that Adam would be the one.

 Even though it wasn't a picture perfect love story,

 it was real & it was worth it.

Looking back, I cannot believe how that tiny ounce of faith has turned into blessing after blessing.
Missions allow growth but so does marriage
- a similar but different kind of growth.
So listen to your heart because I am so grateful I did.

& I relied on my Father in heaven. He was there every step of the way.

He continues to remind me that He knows me, loves me & wants me to turn to Him.

I know He wants the same for you.

 

 

Faith in God

requires faith in His

timing

.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



!!

 

 

 

25 balloons for my 25 year old.

+ dinner at founding farmers, a surprise birthday party & a peyton manning jersey

[I guess you could say he was a little spoiled]

I love you my Adam.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



t w e n t y f i v e

 

Adam Kay Jacobs

27 January 1989

names : son, brother, uncle, friend, husband

words : passionate, loyal, understanding, honest, ambitious, spiritual

heros : abraham lincoln, indiana jones, peyton manning, tiger woods, brad pitt

dreams : ambassador, teacher, businessman,  NFL player, father

pet peeves : loud chewing, crumbs falling, bad driving

obsessions : the news, golf, football, breaking bad

tastes : mountain dew, gummy candies, seafood, cheese, olives, rice pudding

countries : the middle east, netherlands/belgium, europe

fears : fearless

 

h a p p y  t w e n t y  f i v e

my love

 

 

i am extremely blessed to have you.

 

 

 

 



Do Hard Things.

 

+Sometimes life isn't just sunshine & daisies.

+You have to do hard things.

+You have to get up earlier than you want to get up.

+You have to give more than you get in return.

+You have to make the call you're afraid to make.

+You have to care more about others than they care about you.

+You have to invest yourself even though no one else is.

+You have to keep fighting, even when your already injured.

+You have to tell the truth, even when making up something is easier.

+You have to lead when no one else is following you yet.

+You have to stand up for your beliefs ; even though they aren't popular trends in the world.

+You have to run faster even when you're out of breath.

+You have to try & fail & try again.

+You have to be accountable for your actions, even when things go wrong.

+You have understand there is power in vulnerability.

+You have to meet deadlines that are unreasonable.

+You have to be kind to people who are cruel to you.

+You have to make mistakes & look like an idiot.

+You have to forgive ; even when they hurt you.

+You have to feel unsure & insecure ; when playing it safe seems smarter.

+You have to keep moving forward to where you want to be ; no matter what's in front of you.

 

 

 

You have to do hard things.

The things that no one else is doing.

Do the things that scare you.

The things that keep you wondering how much longer you are going to hold.

The things that challenge your heart & your mind.

Those are the things that build you, strengthen you, define you.

 

. . . d  o    h  a  r  d   t  h  i  n  g  s  . . .

  

 

You might be surprised at how amazing you really are.

 

 

 

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Bringing in the New Year ; better late than never

[Alexandria, VA]

Slowly but surely I am posting about our Christmas/New Years festivities which consisted of traveling back to the lovely state of Utah to be with Adam's family. Arriving on Christmas Eve night (one of the benefits of Adam working for the government...not) put us in just in time for the extravagant buffet of cheeses, dips, meatballs & sparkling cider that was prepared by my lovely mother & sister-in-laws. I loved seeing their excitement as they kept pulling out dish after dish & explaining the intricate ingredients used to make them. It sure felt & smelt like home.

 

Now that we are married & live so far away, it is difficult to now how to spilt our time off between both families. I wish I could just hold on to an object & suddenly be along the streets of Trabuco Canyon, CA...but unfortunately I am not Harry Potter...(whom I have currently been admiring by rereading the series/watching all the movies all of the days. Gosh I love them so much!) There were moments of downtime when I just sat & reflected upon how much I truly love each one of my siblings & parents. & how grateful I am for their love, support & understanding. I thought about their courage, strength & grit in raising their little ones. I admire & look up to their commitment to one another after these past few years, which have really rattled our worlds.

 

It stirred my thoughts of my New Years resolutions & how I could better myself this year in order to become like them. Man I didn't realize how many ideas came to mind. 2013 has been a year of just pure growth - marriage, graduated BYU, moved to DC - that I thought about how much more growth there is to come.

 

 

In 2014 I want to

...

1. go somewhere I have never been before

2. read at least 1 book a month

3. learn how to sew

4. be more passionate

5. cut my hair short &/or dye it another color

6. push myself with my camera

7. go sailing on the Potomac

8. smile more

9. cut out the negativity

10. make friends/be a better one

 11. encourage myself that I can do it

12. ride a horse again

13. make my phone an accessory ; not a priority

14. pray for my children

15. grow closer to Adam & the Lord

 

 

 

Growth demands a temporary

s u r r e n d e r

of  security 

.

 

 

 

 

 

NYC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[New York, NY]

Oh me oh my was last weekend a dream!? I feel like it never happened, honestly. It was so magical being there during the Christmas season. I am kicking myself I forgot my Canon so these iPhone photos will have to do. Personally, I am kind of grateful I forgot it because I really wanted to just be there - with Adam & the Andersons -

rather than be snapping pictures every moment. Sometimes I get too caught up in distractions around me that I forget to enjoy what's right there beside me. I forget about the one who continues to hold my hand & look into my eyes as we step into the unknown. It is scary to think where we will be, what we will do with our lives but that fear escapes as I realize that we get to do it together. Travel, move from place to place, have kids, learn how to become parents, go through hardships, grow old, spoil our grandchildren, travel some more & one day leave this earth.

All of that we get to experience together.

 How scary can that be? Knowing that I always have him to lean on.

I hope that we never forget who we have.

Whether that be our siblings, parents, children, animals, spouses, or the Savior,

we are never alone.

 

"There is not one of us but what God's love has been expended upon. There is not one of us that He has not cared for & caressed. There is not one of us that He has not desired to save, and that He has not devised means to save. There is not one of us that He has not given angels charge concerning. We may be insignificant & contemptible in our own eyes, & in the eyes of others, but the truth remains that we are the children of God, & that He has actually given His angels - invisible beings of power & might - charge concerning us & they watch over us & have us in their keeping."

President George Q. Cannon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

we are all the same

 

[Alexandria, VA]

 Somedays we feel like we need to write. It doesn't matter what exactly one chooses to write about,

 but that point of the matter is what everyone has something they need to say. 

I believe that the most therapeutic exercise is writing because it allows you to listen to yourself.

 It feeds my Spirit to hear truths that I have confidence in.

I also believe the brain is the most powerful muscle of the human body. In one second, we have the power to fall as prey to the delusion that everyone's life is happier, more productive & more popular than ours because of that detrimental "like" button.

 We live in a world in which social media is constantly bombarding our minds via facebook, instagram, twitter, blogs, snapchat, & pinterest -- which distort our views of reality. Every single day, we are faced with words, photographs, pieces of peoples lives that are illusions which have the effectiveness to change our self confidence & self worth. The consumption of media into our minds create ideas of comparison, jealousy, envy, & resentment that do not need to be there.

This inundation of perfection unconsciously blinds us with negative emotions.

But the truth is that everyone is out there struggling, battling, carrying the same doubts, confusion and loneliness you & I do. Everyone is simply trying to figure out how to control, understand & change in order to create a peace of mind & of heart.

So why do we let ourselves become the victim of this? Why do we let negativity bring us down so

 much that we no longer feel good about ourselves & the world we live in?

Minds have the power to choose if they want those ideas to linger or to get out.

 Minds have the ability to create, inspire & strengthen others; but also have the weakness to tear you apart, spit on you, & make you believe you are alone. 

The truth is we are all seeing the world through a different perspective but ultimately having the same experiences. Maybe next time when you feel those thoughts creep into your mind, you will have the strength, the power to catch yourself & remember that we are all the

same.

 

 

 

 

we either make ourselves

m is e r a bl e

or we make ourselves

s tr o n g 

. . .

the amount of work is the

s a m e

.

 

 

 

PS. this photo was taking in Paris, France

circa 2011