Thursday November 19

I've always seen pictures of this temple in Kaneohe,  so i told all my friends and everyone lets go to the byodo-in temple all the time but plans just always fell through. so finally! one weekday we were just like you know what lets go. so besser, emily and I went to it. what an amazing place. it's nestled in the mountainside in a place called the valley of temples. which is a large cemetery under the HUGE MOUNTAINS. it's the prettiest cemetery I've ever been to. huge rolling green hills. it's a Buddhist temple. and it made me feel like I just took a trip to mainland China. 

a crazy bamboo Forrest near the temple 

Tuesday December 1st

okay so one day besser is like wanna swim out to chinamans hat??? which is a tiny island about 3/4 a mile off the coast near kaula ranch. it looks like a chinamans hat hence the name if you needed some clarification. I was like heck ya!!! why not friendship fun I love spontaneous adventures. so we went on a Tuesday afternoon. we got out our snorkels and floaties and we swam out there. it took FOREVER. I was so so tired swimming is really hard with a floatie. and word on the street is there are sharks out there so I got really nervous and thought this was how I was gonna die. but besser was more scared than I was. hahahha. and his roomie and our best friend peter came with us too! plus the reef never really goes down, so you can touch almost the whole way. we got to the island, and I got huge cuts from hitting the reef. we hike to the top, and ah amazing. such a beautiful view. then we had to hurry cause the sun was almost setting. paddling back was much easier cause of the current, so I just sorta kicked back and relaxed and watched the clouds turn into a light pastel pink. God took his time on this place man. the dark tall green mountains against ocean sunsets. I was lucky to be right in that moment watching. 

Sunday December 6

so savpin invited me to this guys home by the name of PJ Rogers a couple days ago for dinner, and I was so pumped. you never not take an opportunity to get a home cooked meal. I would get super upset for some reason when my dad invited people Over at our house expecially college students. I think because I felt like my dad was just being annoying, but he was just being a homie. I don't know why I would get mad, but now I understand. I am officially a poor hungry college student. and our species will do anything to get food. anything. hahaha anyways so we met him about 2 months ago at a fireside. he teaches financial something here and byu-h. is from Texas, but has the kindest heart and gives the best advice I have ever heard. he could talk to an audience for hours and I still would be mesmerized at everything he says. yeah, he's that good. his children welcomed us with jumping hugs and holding our hands, and talking to us like no big deal. it made me miss Reagan extremely because they reminded me so much of him. just so loud and annoying and brave and charismatic. ahah but we had family chat. something that I loved. we went around the table and told him what each of us learned at church. I loved listening to it. he then gave us some crazy crazy ideas about life. how God is bound to us, that we CAN receive and get one thing to God even if he doesn't want us to have it. and it's the miracle of life. we can create life regardless if God wants us to or not. AINT THAT CRAZY??? we are Devine beings and that power to create life is something so valuable and precious. it made me appreciate it so much more. 

he then gave us desert which was like hot tapioca pudding that was unreal. and then he talked to us about marriage and boys. and it kinda struck to me how much people talk about it in my life now. marriage could be a next step in my life. I'm not saying it is, but now that I'm this age there's that possibility. but he gave us 5 steps to having a successful marriage that I think is crazy crazy good. I just have to share. cause anyone can benefit from this. 

wives need from their husbands: the doctrine of pj Rogers 

1. affection (over and over again) not necessarily sex. but affection is the most important thing wives need. daily! girls have to be reminded every day that you love them. by cuddling, rubbing her back, asking how they are, telling you love them. Daily. DAILY. 

2. communication: guys- don't care how you feel, don't need a lot of detail. girl: do care how you feel and need detail. girls and guys are different. 

3. open and honest. over the top open and honest. 100% 

4. family commitment. dedicated to family. his family period. the wife first.  then the kids. then his parents/ your inlaws.

5. finance is last. people think this is the main cause of divorce, but people can be poor and happy. if they do the first four steps they will be happy, but finance is important. 

go to marriage counseling BEFORE YOU GET MARRIED 

IF HE WONT, find another dude. 

take counseling when it's good. If he won't do marriage counseling when its all good, why would he go when it gets bad. if your partner is not willing to compromise, go Find a new spouse. period 

well I think I just have been prepared. hahaha brother Rogers is an amazing righteous guy that I am so thankful I met. 

Saturday December 5

okay well this weekend was so good. every weekend is good. I counted it out and I realized I only have 10 weekends left in Hawaii! GAH so so sad where did the time go? 

but on Saturday we went in the afternoon to keikis. which is a beach in the heart of north shore between sunset and sharks cove. the waves are insane I can't even describe it to you. like the waves get over 20 feet high no joke. and they are so strong and scary. but me, sav, emily and Carissa went. and it was fab. it started trickling rain and we got there around 1. but it got super hot like we haven't had this weather in weeks! I sat watching the waves crash mesmerized while picking out a lot of shells. the sand is super thick and really yellow and full of shells! so pretty! then about 20 kids from byu showed up. and it was just a party. I went into the water, but far away from where the waves crashed. I was next to besser, and the white wash came in and was insanely strong and I fell mostly cause I didn't want to resist too much because of my knee, and I got dragged closer to where the waves crashed. besser starts pulling me to hurry and get up and run because we were super close. another wave crashed and another white wash pulls us both in. and I was just laughing cause we both got pulled in but besser was just pulling me out freaking out cause we got close and we were gonna get these 20 ft waves crash on us. hahaha not funny, but I ended up having sand in every nook and cranny of my body. and save even though I got the wind knocked out of me. hahaha also another time savpin fell in the white wash and took out 6 other people hahaha. so funny! anyways, we stayed for the sunset and it was incredible. so pretty. we got to meet a way famous photographer clark little! life was so good. I've learned in Hawaii that life goes on like it's always done, bad things can still happen, but here in Hawaii the atmosphere, life becomes a lot simpler and black and white. for me at least. you find deeper value for what's important. here are some pics 

here's two pics clark little took of THAT DAY OF THE VERY BEACH WE WERE AT, and the waves we were watching 

The Month of November

GAH dudes seriously november was crazy. There was the end of the semester, which wasnt as crazy as i had expected considering how in highschool i procrastinated everything untill the last week of the term. hahah but i was focused and so it wasnt too difficult for me. But with the end of the semester came the end of many things, including soccer and saying goodbye to the friendships i had made with people. Brooke Johnson. DANG DUDE shes gone. she left hawaii to utah, and is currently in california, and then is going to Argentina to be with her parents, then going on a mission to Jamaica. NUTTY HUH? ive never really been good at goodbyes, i tend to withdraw myself before they go, and then im sad alone all by myself like a couple weeks later. We went to waikiki, went to the Hard Rock Cafe, which is not as good as i had anticipated just fyi. Then walked around, and eventually said goodbye to her. everyone cried but me. i guess i am just a heartless hag. i have just said so many goodbyes now that im not effected by it. 

Then we had the break between semesters, which was filled with alot of beach days. like everyday. it was perfect sunny weather. so i just enjoyed going to nearby beaches like temple and hukilau to get some sun. dont worry mom i wore sunscreen. im so responicible.

Bessers friend Kenzie Evans came into town, so we spent alot of days with her. she is so rad. we went to the Swap meet which is not fun on crutches. (its just a bunch of people selling cheap stuff around the aloha stadium) 

Then the last soccer game.. wow where has all the time gone? i was kinda relieved for it to be over, considering i had to watch every single day my team mates play a game they didnt want to play (they were over it and always complaining to me) that was the only thing i wanted to do ever but i couldnt do it. That just constant headache of trying to be happy while watching others play soccer secretly destroys me. but ive gotten good at hidding it pretty well .But i was really really sad because i wouldnt see these girls as often as before, and that we would become super distant. 

Then goodbye to daryl. It didnt feel real honestly, she came into the dorm one last time and just talked to Savpin and i. But i felt like she had already gone. considering she had to get out of the dorm a week before, and was basically homeless. hahah and she couldnt stay with me. ANd i had rarely seen her. It wasnt really sad for me, because i knew she was so happy about her decision leaving and i knew it was what was best for her.. and not necesiarily me. that is true love people. 

Honestly all of my time is spent either doing school, or being with Bess. but i wouldnt have it any other way. I see him prolly 5 hours out of everyday. no joke. but i cant even function if i dont. its so weird. he's such a big chunk of my every day life now. 

Thanksgiving

i know it has been awhile! so many things have happened in the last month. end of fall semester, the break, the beginning of a new semester, thanksgiving break. too many things to write down! I am just going to tell on what happened this thanksgiving break. as it was a huge learning experience and it was so fun. Wednesday November 25 I went to one of my neighbors best friends house, and help her prepare a thanksgiving meal for that night. we spent the hours making food, cleaning, talking about our acl injuries (she has had 3 which I am very grateful has not happened to me, but knock on wood right?!? haha I hope not... ) making limeaid, cutting potatoes.then I had invited besser, peter and taylor. and then her other friend that goes to school here taryn, who brought brando. and we all held hands and told what we are greatful for. It was just kinda crazy how I was surrounded by people I didn't know 3 months ago celebrating a holiday I usually spend with my family. it made me super super homesick. I really grew to realize how important my family is to me. we then after just hung out, went to our friends house, played games. then on thanksgiving, besser invited me to go to this Latin girls home whose family lives on the military base. she drove us and it was like 2 pm and i hadn't eaten anything and I was so starving. I got car sick cause legit the girl was the worst driver ever, and I was cramped up to besser, crazy hungry and it was rainy. but there was a point where we had just passed the mountains, the mist and fog was insane. but I've never felt more peaceful and amazed as we drove through the tall dark mountains with fog everywhere listening to hozier on thanksgiving. my life is awesome and so beautiful I kept thinking to myself. we then finally got there ( I almost legit threw up) and were welcome by her amazing parents who made me feel so at home. the food was different, there was a lot of Latin dishes.

 but I scarfed that up real quick. then my family FaceTimed me and made me feel even more homesick. but it was so good to see and talk to them. besser came out and I introduced him to them and I feel bad for the gay. poor besser. he was so nervous hahahhaha! I can't wait to have my family meet him in real life though. we then watched a football game and I totally fell asleep on bessers lap with such a content happy stomach. we then drove home, then we decided to go Black Friday shopping but that was a huge mistake. because we went at like 12 but didn't know where to go. so peter just got a gopro and then we went to 7/11 and had slurpies. hahaha then drove all the way back. me and bess sat in the back of the car and just talked and I seriously started crying cause I was so thankful and happy at that exact moment because he truly has helped me with a lot. emotionally has changed my focus on just getting to know me, helping me forget about my injury and always serving me when I needed it. (like pushing me in a shopping cart.) but I didn't let him see me cry cause I was a little embarrassed and it wasn't too good of a reason to cry. I was crying cause I was happy?!? that doesn't make any sense!! and it was like around that time of the month ya know so hormones were a little insane. but it ended one of the longest but best days ever! 

thanksgiving away from home has made me realize how thankful I am for my family, and the current circumstance I am in, the people who have come into my life  and completely molded me into a better me than I was before. 

Talk on Gratitude

I had to give a talk on gratitude this past week and i think its perfectly fitting for this wonderful holiday! Being away from home has made appreciate and love my family so much more. This is the only time i have missed being home. I miss home so much. much more than i would ever expect!

Gratitude

Brother and Sisters ALOHA

Hi for those who don't know me, my name is Ekaterina Herrod, I was in this ward last semester. I'm from Provo Utah.

Today I have been asked to talk about Thanksgiving and Gratitude. Brother Smith asked me to give a short outline on the History of Thanksgiving and what this Holiday is kinda all of about.

After the Fourth of july, Thanksgiving day is our most observed national holiday. The traditional harks back to the colonists of Plymouth Plantation, Massachusetts, who after their first harvest, a celebratory feast in the fall of 1621. a three day celebration in which local Native American chiefs and tribesmen participated. But the first national Thanksgiving, authorized by the federal government took place in 1789, the first year of George Washington’s presidency.

This holiday is supposed to be about appreciating our blessings in our lives because of the sacrifices of those who made this country. It includes a large feast which includes turkey,mash potatoes, and stuffing. most americans enjoy thanksgiving that carries a spirit of gratitude.

Into fuller depth, Gratitude is a feeling of appreciation and thankfulness for blessings or benefits we have received. As we cultivate a grateful attitude, we are more likely to be happy and spiritually strong. I might add that gratitude is also a feeling of appreciation and thankfulness for the struggles, trials, obstacles and hardships that we are faced with in this life.

Having Gratitude is a commandment. In D&C 59:5-7 It States “Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things.”It is evident in this scripture that thanking the Lord is not merely a courtesy, it is a commandment like any other commandment we are given.

Not being grateful leads to Pride, which is one of the worst sins you can have. The opposite of gratitude is having pride.

In order to show gratitude you have to recognize the many blessings and enjoyments in your life.

There are many things we can be grateful for including friends, family, this beautiful earth, having a healthy body, but i would like to emphasize the importance of the gratitude we can have for adversity.

If you think about it, adversity can humble us, help us become stronger and grow to becoming the person God wants us to be. “ A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor” and “the stronger the wind, the stronger the trees” are what come to my mind. I would like to share a quick story Elder Faust shared.

“I am grateful to have lived long enough to have known some of the blessings of adversity. My memory goes back to the Great Depression, when we had certain values burned into our souls. One of these values was gratitude for what we had because we had so little. We had to learn provident living in order to survive. Rather than create in us a spirit of envy or anger for what we did not have, it developed in many a spirit of gratitude for the meager, simple things with which we were blessed, like hot homemade bread and oatmeal cereal and many other things.” As another example, I remember my beloved grandmother, Mary Caroline Roper Finlinson, making homemade soap on the farm. Her recipe for homemade soap included rendered animal fat and wood ashes. The soap had a very pungent aroma and was almost as hard as a brick. There was no money to buy soft, sweet-smelling soap. On the farm there were many dusty, sweat-laden clothes to be washed and many bodies that desperately needed a Saturday night bath. If you had to bathe with that homemade soap, you could become wonderfully clean, but you smelled worse after bathing than before. Since I use soap more now than I did as a child, I have developed a daily appreciation for mild, sweet-scented soap.”

In Experiencing difficulty you always have two options; to become become grateful or hard, to become bitter or better. I have a personal testimony of this principle as I have learned to have a positive attitude on trials. Last semester, i was playing on the soccer team and tore my ACL a second time. The first time was just a year previous. I was immediately faced the trial of getting surgery on my own in the middle of the semester without my family and at the same time of being a full time student on a teeny tiny island. After i had surgery being on crutches i soon realized that it was much harder than i had anticipated. I could barely do any simple tasks such as putting my shoes on, walking to places, getting food, taking a shower, and so on. I prayed so so hard every day that the people around me would recognize when i needed help. Simple favors such as holding the door for me, helping me get food from the caf, cheering me on as i crutched to class, where all the answers to my prayers that may have seemed miniscule to those who performed those favors but for me testified of God's love for me and that he answered my prayers. I grew to have a greater appreciation for these small deeds that i could not do and realized how simply incredible all the things that we do in our day that we take totally for granted like walking to class. i learned to focus on the things that i still had instead of the things i couldn't do. One of my favorite hymns is Count Your Blessings, and i would like to just share a few verses with you.

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings; name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord has done. …

So amid the conflict, whether great or small,

Do not be discouraged; God is over all.

Count your many blessings; angels will attend,

Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

Thomas S. Monson suggested when experiencing difficulty to “think to thank” which creates a course for a happy marriage, enduring friendships and a pattern of personal happiness. I encourage you all whether you are facing trials today or not, to always remember to think to thank. He also said and i quote “ it is difficult to develop a spirit of gratitude if our thankfulness is only proportional to the number of blessings we can count. True, it is important to frequently “count our blessings” and anyone who has tried this knows there is many, but i dont believe the Lord expects us to be less thankful in times of abundance and ease. In fact, most of the scriptural references do not speak of gratitude FOR things, but rather suggest an overall spirit or attitude of gratitude.” end of quote.

A grateful heart is the beginning of greatness. An expression of humility. A foundation for development of virtues such as prayer, faith, love and happiness. THINK ABOUT IT. Most things that are good all come from being grateful. One of my favorite books is called the Tao of Pooh and one of the quotes that has stuck with me is this: “do you really want to be happy?You can begin by being appreciative of who you are and what you've got”

In addition to personal gratitude as a saving principle, especially in our trials,  I would like to express a feeling for the gratitude we ought to have for the many blessings we enjoy. Like living in one of the most beautiful places on earth. I try to thank God everyday for living in such a wonderful place where i so often feel his love for me amidst His simple creation of nature. Yes we have our families, we have our friends, we have this church, but the one person we must always strive and be eternally be grateful for is God and Jesus Christ. We should thank our Heavenly Father for His goodness to us by acknowledging His hand in all things, thanking Him for all that He gives us, keeping His commandments, and serving others. We should especially thank Him for His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, for the Savior's great example, for His teachings, for His outreaching hand to lift and help, for His infinite Atonement.

“He taught us how to pray. He taught us how to serve. He taught us how to live. His life is a legacy of love. The sick He healed; the downtrodden He lifted; the sinner He saved.Only He stood alone. Some Apostles doubted; one betrayed Him. The Roman soldiers pierced His side. The angry mob took His life. There yet rings from Golgotha’s hill His compassionate words, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”

How can we show gratitude for our Savior? By using the atonement alot. It never runs out, so why delay is repenting and use its power to its maximun potential. By praying daily and night and expressing our gratitude to God through our prayers. By keeping his commandments. Let us follow Him. Let us emulate Christs example. Let us obey His word. By doing so, we give Him the devine gift of gratitude.

I would just like to close with the scipture Alma 37:37 “Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day”