Monday, December 29, 2008

Last Days of 2008

Wow!

It's hard to believe that the year 2008 is almost DONE! I remember growing up that time didn't pass that fast. Now it seems like 24 hours aren't enough in a day, that 7 days aren't enough in a week and so on...

I have been so caught up in school and other activities that I didn't see the time fly by... AMAZING! However, I am SO READY to start 2009! I believe it's going to be a great year for a lot of people, and that dreams will come true... :)

Here I am at work. Trying to find stuff to do hehe... Better go ask around ;)

Helga

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Before the Day is Over...

Day 25...

It's HERE! Christmas! I spent it with my friend Etinha. It was pretty good! We've been locked in the house the whole day because of the snow storm that came together with Santa... But it's better than being alone. I'm hoping to be able to go back home tomorrow. I'm afraid of driving so I'm really hoping the roads will be plowed, and the parking lot at my apartment complex as well.

I am so grateful for this year that has passed, and I hope that 2009 will be the best year EVER!

Merry Christmas! Before the day is over :)

~Helga

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

It's coming...



Day 23...

That's what I do on my new job... Design stuff.
That's my first baby :) What do you guys think?

Monday, December 22, 2008

Almost there...


Day 22...

Christmas is going to be here. In REXBURG. Today we had the worst snowstorm ever, and it's not going to get better for a very long time. In my five years living in the US, I have NEVER seen something like this. My car is beautifully parked and should remain like that, unless I REALLY need to go somewhere like the grocery store for example. I walked to work this morning and it was a real challenge. I had snow up to my thighs and that wasn't fun, even though it was NOTHING compared to what the Pioneers have gone through. How grateful I am to have heat, power, internet, and a TV to keep me distracted. I am also loving my job. Time flies by and I LOVE it!

I'm posting a picture of the snow on my legs when I got home...
In the meantime, please be SAFE...

"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, ther came wise men from the east to Jerusalem.
Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him." (Matthew 2:1-2)

Enjoy the last days of waiting for the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Please keep Jenni and her family in your prayers. :)

Saturday, December 20, 2008

It's sinking in...

So I kinda realized today that I really don't know how my Christmas is going to be... I'm trying to get used to the idea that I might spend it by myself, at home, watching tons of TV. I miss my family. I would love to be with them this Season, and feel the spirit that I know will be present at my house. I just have reasons to be grateful though. One of these days I was talking to my mom on Skype about how I am longing to be there in July (it's not official yet, but almost). She all of a sudden said that she wants me to go to the Temple with her. It was so smooth, but I was kinda caught off guard. I am so excited. There are a bunch of goals that I need to set for this coming year, and maybe, instead of waiting til New Years, I will start setting them right now. :)

As for Christmas, I really hope everyone enjoys being with their loved ones. This is probably not my case this year. I hope I will spend it with someone even more special: My Savior, present in my heart.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

And Keep Counting!

Days 17 and 18...

On my last post I mentioned that I got another job at the Bookstore as a Graphic Designer/Advertiser... Boy do I love it! It is pretty fast-paced but it's awesome to see the buyers' faces when I hand in the project they asked me to do way in advance. They get tickled!!!

The project that I'm working on today and tomorrow is the Bookstore's Calendar for January and February... And guess who is on the calendar??? ME, of course ;) I feel like a model hehehehe... It was so fun to use the magic of Photoshop to extract all the background from the picture, now in a more professional way. I'll have tons of fun playing around with it. I need some training anyways, so learning something new is always a plus.

I had to share the happenings of today. My brain is totally dead, but I feel it was well used :) Cool thinng is that being a Business Major, I use a lot of my left side of the brain... With this experience in Designing and Advertising, I'm giving some more use to my right side of the brain... :) I intend to use my brain as much as I can, and train it regularly :)

As the time approaches, I get more and more pensive... When I walk to work in the morning I try to think about my Savior and about the things I'm grateful for... Even though the snow can cause some hassle, it looks SO BEAUTIFUL on the ground... When I come back home at the end of the day, there is the Temple, imponent, with the sunset on the background, and the white snow surrounding it. It definetely looks celestial. It's if like Heavenly Father wanted to portray the Heavens during this time of the year. How I love my Father and my Savior and Redeemer...

"And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end."

(Luke 1:31-33)

ENJOY THE SEASON!

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

And Counting, and counting...




Days 15 and 16...

So, these are some pictures that I've been wanting to post for sometime... They aren't in chronological order but I thought it would be fun to post them.

The one on the bottom was taken on my last visit to Salt Lake, about three weeks ago... It was a ton of fun. I went down with Anselmo and Cefas to help Cefas buy a car... He got a wicked Ford Escape Jeep... I want one of those :)

The middle picture was taken this Saturday, in the middle of a road, and in the middle of the snowstorm :) I was helping Anselmo move and we thought it would be cool to sit on the chair and take pics hahaha... Talk about lack of what to do...

The top and final one, was taken Saturday night. I went sledding at the Upper Play Fields on Campus :) The weather might not be good to drive, but to sled... Oh yeah! We've had about 2 feet of snow come down and Rexburg looks gorgeous... But VERY cold!

I got a job as a designer at the Bookstore. I am so excited! I get to do the Advertising for the Bookstore. I already started this afternoon and already had work to do. I am anxious to learn the wonders of Adobe Illustrator :) One more for my wonderful resume!

How merciful is my Lord... I've been pleading with Him for that job for a long time. The fact that I won't have to shovel snow at 4 am is a plus :) I'll miss Ben, my previous boss. He' such a good kid, but life goes on and I need something that relates to my major.

How grateful I am!!!

CHRISTMAS (Continued)

"And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth.
To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
And the angel came unto her, and said, Hail, thou art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women."

(Luke 1:26-28)

Monday, December 15, 2008

Counting the Days for Christmas...

Days 13 and 14...

The Snow decided to come down on Rexburg this last Saturday... Oh, boy and it has been coming down like CRAZY!!! The roads are icy, the weather is bitter and all I want to do is stay home, eating and eating non-stop... Talk about getting fat!!!

My car doesn't help me very much when it comes to driving on the snow... On Saturday I got stuck and also did a 360... Looks like Utah will have to wait for me for a few more months... There's no way I'm going to drive under those conditions... My mom pleaded with me not to go down to Utah and I think I'm going to take her advice...

Too bad. I think this is going to be an awful Christmas, but I'll try to take the best out of it. After all, it's the Savior's Birthday. He gave His life on our behalf.

Happy Monday!

P.S. I'm posting from the school's library... Internet hasn't worked the whole weekend...

Friday, December 12, 2008

Counting the Days for Christmas...

Day 12...

Fall Semester is OVER!!! It has been crazy, but at the same time it went by SO FAST it's not even funny... I guess I had a good semester... I'm waiting for some of my grades to be posted. At least one of them is an A :) How cool is that? Given all the challenges I had to face, it was a great semester!

I had to clean my house today because tomorrow there's white glove cleaning check... Oh well... Also, I get to stay here over the break. I'm hoping to go to Salt Lake for Christmas, but this, just the snow will tell...

I also prepared a package to send to my parents through my friend Anselmo... I really hope they like it. I wish I was on my way to Brazil... But the world is not perfect... At least not yet.

"Of all things of heaven and earth of which we bear testimony, none is so important as our witness that Jesus, the Christmas child, condescended to come to earth from the realms of His Eternal Father, here to work among men as healer and teacher, our Great Exemplar. And further, and most important, He suffered on Calvary’s cross as an atoning sacrifice for all mankind.

At this time of Christmas, this season when gifts are given, let us not forget that God gave His Son, and His Son gave His life, that each of us might have the gift of eternal life."

(Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Son of God,” Ensign, Dec 1992, 2)

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Counting the Days for Christmas...

Day 11... Christmas TAG for KIKA!!!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both, but I have to be in the mood to wrap!

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial... Saves the real trees :)

3. When do you put up the tree? First day of December... My roommate put it up this year though

4. Do you like eggnog? With Sprite... Reed's Dairy here in Idaho has CHOCOLATE nog... I'll have to try it.

5. Favorite gift received as a child? A big XUXA doll...

6. Hardest person to buy for? Everyone else... I like buying stuff for myself hehehe.

7. Easiest person to buy for? ME!

8. Do you have a nativity scene? I want a Blossom Bucket one.

9. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail.

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Do not recall.

11. Favorite Christmas Movie? A Charlie Brown Christmas

12. When do you start shopping? Don't know

13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Nope.

14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Chester da Perdigao, mom marinates it in Beer. It's yummy! (Don't worry the alcohol goes away when you bake it - FYI Mormons)

15. Lights on the tree? I like the white ones

16. Favorite Christmas song? Michael Buble singing "I'll be Home for Christmas".

17. Travel at Christmas or stay home? I want to travel HOME...

18. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? no...

19. Angel on the tree top or a star? Tree is not mine.

20. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas Eve.

21. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Materialism... When it should be all about Jesus
22. Favorite ornament theme or color? It changes every year but I saw some gorgeous Teal ones this year... I wish

23. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Food in general.

24. What do you want for Christmas this year? I want to go home but that ain't happening... So I'm sucking it up...

I tag:

Meg Cannon
Camila Wilson
Reni Vee
Marion Dyer
Barbara Pretel
Anna Baer

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Counting the Days for Christmas...

Day 9...

Hey Megs, thanks for the message by the way!

So, day was still full of stress today, but at least I didn't feel like vanishing from the Earth. Somethings went well. I get to stay in my apartment during the break, which makes me really happy :)

Project are pretty much ALL done and I just have a couple finals... Can't wait for Friday!!!

"Faith is the principle of action in all intelligent beings." (Joseph Smith Jr.)

Let us be FAITHFUL... Thanks to our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, we are here :)

Monday, December 8, 2008

Counting the Days for Christmas...

... And not really wanting to count... Day 8.

Today was one of those days when all you want to do is VANISH from the Face of the Earth. First of all, I woke up to a "wonderful" winter weather! ALL was covered in snow. We had about 3 inches on the ground, maybe 4. Procrastination of my group led us to have not a very good grade on our presentation today. I did my best and yet apparently it wasn't good enough. I don't take criticism over e-mail. That ticks me off!

Another project was the Advertising Project... They printed out the final book, that cost $25, and yet they did not proof read it!!! Are you kidding me? Well, first thing teacher asked today: "Did you guys proofread it?" - So tomorrow, since no one wants to spend $25, it's on me. I'm printing it. But it WILL have to be PERFECT! I don't care, I want an "A" in that project. All those things kinda took me away from the Spirit of Christmas. Car already slipped on the ice... how literally COOL is that!

To complete the 8th day of the Advent... I am missing home so freaking bad! I was listening to that song "I'll be home for Christmas" and in my case... yeah... "If only in my dreams."

Hopefully spirits will go up tomorrow. I think i deserve a little happiness.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Counting the Days for Christmas...

Days 6 & 7.

Instead of quoting the prophets, today I want to do something different...

These two couple of days were very interesting for me. Yesterday when I came home, there was a note on my bedroom door that said:" #207 Helga (Calling, Tithing Settlement) with the Bishop 12/7/2008 at 4:10." That note left me puzzled. Not because of the Tithing Settlement, but because of the calling thing. "Don't I already have a calling?" - I thought. And off to bed I went.

Woke up this morning, tried to do some homework because it's finals week and even though I didn't procrastinate in many of the things I still have a ton to do, and got ready to go to Church. It was great! When I first got there I wasn't very excited to be honest, but as time passed I was able to feel a strong spirit by the time the Relief Society lesson was done.

All of a sudden Jason (the ward executive secretary) came over to me and asked me if I wanted to meet with the Bishop earlier... I liked the idea and there I went...

After Tithing Settlement, bishop started telling me that they were rearranging the Relief Society... I bursted out laughing! He looked at me a little puzzled and I replied: "I knew it!" I actually had a gut feeling the last night... So anyways here I am, the new Relief Society first counselor. I told the Bishop I was scared but I'd take the challenge. He went on to say: "Your enthusiasm and spirit will make up for the language barrier that you say you have." Isn't he sweet?

I love my ward and the chance it gives me to feel the spirit every Sunday. The Spirit of Christmas this month, but most of all, The Spirit of CHRIST all year long!

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Counting the Days for Christmas...

Day 5...

Some thoughts from our beloved Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS EVER

"At this season of the year, the airways are filled with the music of Christmas. My heart often turns to home and to Christmases past as I listen to some of my favorite Christmas songs, such as this one:

Oh, there’s no place like home
For the holidays, ’cause no matter
How far away you roam
If you want to be happy in a million ways
For the holidays, you can’t beat
Home, sweet home.

One writer said: “Again Christmas, abiding point of return. Set apart by its mystery, mood and magic, the season seems, in a way to stand outside time. All that is dear, that is lasting, renews its hold on us: we are home again.”

President David O. McKay (1873–1970) declared: “True happiness comes only by making others happy—the practical application of the Savior’s doctrine of losing one’s life to gain it. In short, the Christmas spirit is the Christ spirit, that makes our hearts glow in brotherly love and friendship and prompts us to kind deeds of service.

“It is the spirit of the gospel of Jesus Christ, obedience to which will bring ‘peace on earth,’ because it means—good will toward all men.”

Giving, not getting, brings to full bloom the Christmas spirit. Enemies are forgiven, friends remembered, and God obeyed. The spirit of Christmas illuminates the picture window of the soul, and we look out upon the world’s busy life and become more interested in people than things. To catch the real meaning of the “spirit of Christmas,” we need only drop the last syllable, and it becomes the “Spirit of Christ.”

(Thomas S. Monson, "The Best Christmas Ever", Liahona, December 2008)

Friday, December 5, 2008

Counting the Days for Christmas...

Days 2, 3, and 4

Continuing the article...

"And so at this Christmas season, we sing His praises and speak our words of faith and gratitude and love. It is His influence in our lives that stirs within us more kindness, more respect, more love, more concern. It is because of Him and His teachings that we reach out to those in trouble, distress, and need wherever they may be.

What a glorious season is this time of Christmas. Hearts are softened. Voices are raised in worship. Kindness and mercy are reenthroned as elements in our lives. There is an accelerated reaching out to those in distress. There is an aura of peace that comes into our homes. There is a measure of love that is not felt to the same extent at any other time of the year.

Said Jesus: “Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.” (Matthew 7:12.)

May I remind us at this Christmas season that if only each of us would reflect occasionally on that Christ-given mandate and make an effort to observe it, this would be a different world. There would be greater happiness in our homes; there would be kinder feelings among our associates; there would be much less of litigation and a greater effort to compose differences. There would be a new measure of love and appreciation and respect.

There would be more generous hearts, more thoughtful consideration and concern, and a greater desire to spread the gospel of peace and to advance the work of salvation among the children of men."

(Gordon B. Hinckley, "A Glorious Season", New Era)