Pornography: What to do when it finds you

If you are around social media, there is a movement going around with statements like"Porn Kills Love" and the like. The pornography epidemic is serious and has gotten worse in recent years. Porn kills love, yes, but more specifically it kills relationships, families, children, marriages; everything that builds our communities. As we destroy these sacred relationships, we are destroying our community. It's a horrible, vicious cycle!

The porn industry makes over $13 billion per year; that is more than the NFL, NBA, and MLB combined. 90% of children first viewed porn as 8-16 years old, mostly while doing homework! The average age children first view porn is 11. ELEVEN. This is a serious issue.

It is no secret that I am a member of the LDS Church. I absolutely love my faith and embrace its teachings. The Church recently released this video:

It is fantastic! It is geared towards children, but we really should embrace it ourselves as adults! It gives the following advice in order to avoid the evils of pornography:

1. Call it what it is.

A lot of times we won't recognize fully what we are seeing. We can lie to ourselves and say a pornographic image is justified because it's human, it's a part of a movie and I don't want to miss any part of the plot, or even "it makes me feel good, and I am still a good person after watching it. Why should I change when I'm stronger than that?" In reality, yes, we have our free will to act for ourselves and to control our actions and even our thoughts. However, the truth is we are always affected by our surroundings regardless of how "strong" we are. When we learn to call pornography exactly what it is, we are that much closer to beating it.

2. Turn it off or turn away.

Like the children in the video describe, these images can make us curious, even if we know it is bad. We are human, simple as that. It takes a lot of courage to shut our laptops down, turn off our phones, turn off the TV, and walk away. The faster you decide to do this, the easier it will get for you. Make the decision before it even happens to close out and walk away. Go as far as deleting apps that frequently give you pornographic images or blocking certain websites.

3. Talk to a trusted adult (spouse, friend, parent, Church leader like your Bishop)

This might seem silly to adults. Maybe we feel ashamed that we were put in that situation. Maybe we even think we are fine because we did the first steps. Josh and I make a point to avoid pornography in every sense of the word. We have turned off movies before because of a sex scene or even a scene that eludes to something inappropriate. It's so important to us as a couple to be pure and faithful to each other that we don't take this lightly. If you are married, talk to your spouse about a plan and what actions you will take to avoid these situations. If you're not married, make a list and commit to yourself what you will do when that time comes.


I can't emphasize enough how important it is to kill pornography before it kills us from the inside out. You may think it's nothing to be concerned about, but it is real, it is scary, and we need to take control of our lives.

What else can we do to avoid allowing porn into our lives?

Saturday at the Pond

Tucker and I ventured outside of the apartment today and headed to one of our favorite swimming spots. When we first got there, I threw his tennis ball into a nearby clearing. All of a sudden I turn around and see another large red dog by the water with a bunch of people. I thought Tuck had made himself at home and I had to go save the people from my overly friendly dog! As I make my way over, Tucker comes bounding over the hill and I think to myself, "two Tuckers?!"

We made some new friends including the 2 year old Golden, "Duke". They look and act so similarly it was uncanny! From far away I couldn't tell them apart! We had a blast wearing the dog out.

That sweet face! So determined!

Happy Saturday! We're on our way to the Brad Paisley concert tonight. Hopefully some pictures of that tonight!

A Much Needed Change

The jury is in! I am officially moving to Timpanogos Animal Hospital. I have been hired there as a full time CVT (vet tech). I am looking forward to this fresh start!

Why I moved hospitals:

1. Location: my last place I was driving 60 miles round trip per day, which translates into about 40 minutes one way. When I worked a 12 hour work day, I added 1 hour and 20 minutes to that work day making it so LONG. I wouldn't do anything when I got home. I basically striped my smelly, hairy scrubs and vegged until bedtime. My new workplace is 8 miles away, about 15 minutes one way. Much more reasonable and I'm planning on getting more things done, like cooking for Josh!

2. Management: The old place and I had our differences. One tech was recently promoted and while she was still learning, she made mistakes at my expense that were unprofessional and inappropriate. When I stood up for myself and tried to communicate how I was feeling, they did not handle it well in my opinion. While I don't know anything really about management at the new place, they have been very involved, asking appropriate questions and even calling me in for a working interview to make sure both parties would enjoy this possible new change. No red flags there yet!

3. Accreditation: TAH is AAHA-accredited, which basically means it is held to a high standard of safety operations. Only about 12% of vet hospitals hold this accreditation while 100% of human hospitals hold the equivalent. This is important to me as I continue in my career. This will look great on a resume and learning how these standards work in the workplace will help me in future practices.

4. Experience and Skills: TAH has their techs do EVERYTHING. I would be learning new skills that I may have addressed in school but never actually got to practice including epidurals, cystocentesis, calculating dosages, etc. While I did a lot at my previous workplace, opportunities were limited and I felt like I reached that limit in the year I was there.

5. Certification: In the state of Utah, there are no laws in regulating the certification/licensing/registration of veterinary technicians. It would be like your nurse at your local hospital wasn't a RN. You know they have hit this standard of care.  I am certified through the state of Oregon. My certification for teching will actually be recognized and mean something, which didn't happen at my last place.

When it's down on paper, there is no comparison. While I am grateful for what I learned at my previous employer, I am grateful to be moving on to bigger and better things. I start next week; wish me luck!

Tomorrow may be life changing

Tomorrow may be life changing.

A man once worked in a career that he was miserable in for over 10 years. It took him that long to build up the courage to leave. He doesn't regret it one bit.

A woman was in a career for over 15 years that actually brought on severe depression. She finally quit and works somewhere that has been a night and day difference.

A woman had a melt-down because of  her lifestyle. She regrets not changing it earlier.

A man has lived a full life, yet regrets choices he swept under the rug.

I choose to learn from those mistakes. Tomorrow may be life changing.

The Blessing of Rain

It is monsoon season here in Northern Utah. While it is a blessing to be working, I longed to watch the pouring rain I heard on the roof above me. I watched out of the corner of my eye for bursts of lightning and relished in the mighty power of the thunder. It got me thinking about a time where I was caught in the rain, over 5 years ago. Back then I was much more of a writer.

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"Sometimes, getting caught in the rain is the best blessing.

After my eight to nine thirty AM class, I find myself driving towards the Rigby building, hoping not to be late for my appointment. The closest parking spot was clear up the road, past the Ag. Engineering building. I pull in, put it in park, and kill the engine. It's been a crazy day as far as weather goes here in Rexburg. Overcast, dark clouds hang overhead and you can hear the roaring of the wind gusts through the trees, against buildings, and rushing past your head. It had been raining early, too. Because I was clear up the road, I had a while to walk until I would reach the Rigby. As I start to look around, I can't help but think "it sure isn't very pretty right now". Dead grass is in front of all the buildings, no sun or blue sky, the trees are bare and everything was cold, wet, and mushy. I did, however, notice the smallest patches of green grass throughout the lawns on campus. When they did show up, they were small and they were insignificant, but they were pure, and they were definitely there.

After my appointment, I glanced out the window and made a comment to the mentor about how heavy it was raining. He wished me off well and I made my way down to the door. Before I opened it, I just stopped and sighed a heavy sigh. It was raining cats and dogs (wherever that expression comes from) and the wind was so powerful the rain was slanted. Think of a classic rain storm off of some movie - that's what I was staring at. I didn't have a hood, nor was I dressed in very warm clothes. I had a peacoat on over a skirt, tights, flats, and button-up shirt. I started my long voyage to the car.

I think about 30 seconds into the weather, it looked like I had just gotten out of a pool; my hair was drenched and sticky, my mascara was running down my cheeks, and my face was pink due to the cold air. My clothes had turned a darker shade because they were now holding water. At one point it felt like I had a brain freeze since the wind and water were so cold against my forehead. I kept glancing up to see if my car was in sight yet, and while I couldn't see it I knew it was there. I kept walking.

Just then, I realized something. Those green patches gave me hope. They were there for a reason. Those green patches were potential. Those green patches, if situations would better, would overcome the dead all around them. The rain was a trial, where often a lot of times, people take it for granted. All they see is the darkness of the clouds, the uncomfortable feelings of the rain, and the lack of life on the earth. I had lost my hope for a second. I forgot how beautiful rain can be. Rain can be a lot to deal with sometimes. We can get lost because our hair got ruined and our perfect little image is tainted, or we feel cold because we didn't prepare ourselves for the trials we should always expect. Trivial things such as those shouldn't matter.

And so I stopped. I looked up at the sky and felt the drops hit and run down my face. I breathed in the freshness of it all and I smiled, remembering how pure and blessed we are to have rain in our lives.

Through the rain, the green patches were still there. Through the trials, the potential is still there. It is up to us to decide what we do with what we're given.

And after the rain, we see the final product of life. That green will grow. We just have to stay on the right path."

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Heavenly Father works in mysterious ways. I have had a hard trial recently. I am hoping for opportunities but they may not happen, at least not now. I am hoping to changes circumstances but they may not want to. I am hoping to find more of life, but I may be looking in the wrong direction.

Rain is one of those things; we need it, despite our intentions and desires to avoid it.

7+ Blessings from Serving: LDS Mission style

For those of you that have served missions, you understand the exponential blessings that come to you and your family from your service. In your sacrifice you gain parts of yourself you never thought were possible and lose parts of yourself you never thought were detrimental. You come to find yourself in more ways than one can portray in a lifetime, let along a blog post. The following points are skills I gained from my service as a missionary that carries me though my life.

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1. making correct decisions | this has a lot to coming to know God and His light. He has given us Jesus Christ as an exemplar for each of us. I now know how to make correct decisions for my life, whether it be my major in college or the man I married. That is a whole other story, but let's just say I chose correctly and my consequences support that.

2. understanding my needs | I was always a people-pleaser growing up, not ever standing up for my own beliefs. I wanted to be accepted and so I went along with whatever was going on. Yet throughout my teenage years, I made great decisions. I grew to learn to respect myself. No drugs, sex, alcohol, etc. On my mission, I understood them greater and you want to know how I did that? By serving other people. I learned the most about myself when I was serving strangers.

3. building confidence | I could knock on strangers' doors and have them invite me in. I did this on a daily basis. I could challenge people to keep commitments and follow up with them. I could talk to people on the street. I discovered why I was out there and held true to my faith. I discovered I could do anything if I took the right path. I built confidence by coming to know my Savior, serving other people (amazing the repercussions of that choice), and learning I have a purpose.

4. knowing how to connect with people | Listening is the heart of any relationship [missionary work] I think. If you can learn to listen, you can instantly win the hearts of anyone in the room. You stand out. It's normal for us as human beings to want to be heard. It's takes patience, temperance, and love to listen, and really listen to what others' are saying. When you truly listen, you start to understand them, that that is the beginning of your connection.

5. organizing goals and priorities | Every day for 18 months I wrote down my life in a pocket-sized spiral notepad. Every evening my companion and I sat down and make goals on how many people we would talk to, which people we would extend commitments to, and personal spiritual/physical/mental goals. We then got into more depth every week in a weekly planning session. We even changed ideas and wrote down thoughts throughout the day. However, I only learned the importance of goals because I learned how to work.

6. how to work | Sadly, there are some people that do not know the value of work. My dear husband is one of those people that does truly have a testimony of work. Not just hard work, which is needed, but smart work. Learning how to get up, make goals, and to go work is invaluable in life. And I learned how to in Missouri.

7. strengthening relationships | I mentioned before how listening is truly a lost art and can take you miles. While I learned to gain trust and to trust, this point is mostly based on my family. I missed my family. I think it's true that absence makes the heart grow fonder. While I only heard from my family via a single email every week, I learned so much more about them. We actually had to tell each other stuff. We actually got to share our trials and hardships. We shared our feelings. It got raw and deep and beautiful. I learned how to connect with people, and in turn I learned how to strengthen the relationships that matter most.

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As I was preparing to leave the mission field and become a civilian again, many would ask this question: "What was the most important thing you learned on your mission?" If you've ever been asked that more than once, I bet you have answered differently each time. I know I have. But now that I've been home over 3 years, I think I have pinpointed the most important thing I have learned. I learned what the gospel is truly about: relationships. Relationships with strangers, with acquaintances, with co-workers, with friends, with family, with yourself, and most importantly, with God and Jesus Christ. The more I study, the more I am convinced.

What have you learned from your service?

Compassion Fatigue as a Vet Tech

As I'm filling out paperwork for a client about to have her beloved pet euthanized, she looks at me and says, "you must have the hardest job. How do you do it?"

I've heard this more than once. Unfortunately, we see a lot of pets come in to be humanly euthanized due to disease, age, behavior, etc. One thing I love about my current clinic is that none of the five doctors there will perform a "convenience euthanasia". But that doesn't make it any easier.

To be honest, I completely disconnect myself from whatever situation is going on. I don't allow myself to connect with the pet; hear the story. I do allow myself to show sympathy to the owners and know that the pet will not suffer anymore.

This same situation applies to pets in bad condition. As one doctor said just a few weeks ago, "it's not summer unless a good maggot case comes in". He got that this week, the last weeks of summer. A client found 2 kittens, three to four weeks old, in the field near their home. Both kittens had wounds on their legs and paws that were infested with maggots and possibly a cuterebra (a nasty little worm larvae thing). The client was unable to care for them. We started pulling out parasites from the kittens and it was obviously starving, cold, and injured. I have seen some bad cases, even worse than this, but this hurts my heart.

Compassion fatigue is a real thing, especially in veterinary medicine. I just keep telling myself I have helped hundreds of animals and I have a dog at home that depends on me. I have made a difference in my dog's life, and I can continue to help other animals.

"Compassion for animals is intimately connected with goodness of character; and it may be confidently asserted that he who is cruel to animals cannot be a good man"

-S. Chopenhauer