Boobs and Bellies and Butts... Oh My!

Ah, yes!  It is that time of year again here in State College, PA, home of Penn State University -

BACK TO SCHOOL!

As an undergraduate student, I was always fairly excited for back to school season because it meant seeing friends again, a new year of classes, being back in the Happiest of Valleys, and warm weather.  However, as an alumnus living in the area with her husband (who is still an undergrad student...), I have noticed it is the onset of the warm, summer weather that is causing some uncomfortable and unsettling realizations as of late.

Anyone who has visited or lived in State College can attest to the fact that the weather in Happy Valley is very rarely "sunny and 75," as the country song goes, unless it is the beginning or end of the school year.  Happy Valley is normally overcast, if not raining, or snowing.  So, naturally, when PSU is blessed with gorgeous weather, we take advantage of it.  Some more than others...

We Are... a college town.  Simple as that.  State College, PA was built around Penn State University and it's student body.  When the students are gone for the summer, S.C. becomes a quiet, family town that just so happens to be home to one of the best (if not THE best) universities in the world.  However, when the students come back, Happy Valley quickly becomes host to hordes of college-aged co-eds, most of which decide to show off a little more than their brains... if you catch my drift...

It is deeply unsettling for me to look around at the student population that has invaded campus, our downtown, and surrounding areas and notice that females in particular have taken to the very immodest and unflattering trend of baring their bodies for the sake of "fashion."  Summer "fashion," if left to be defined by the female population at Penn State, would consist of flagrant displays of cleavage in low cut or strapless tops, unbelievably short shorts or skirts that are often accompanied by glimpses of butt cheeks (or worse!), and (the most confusing trend, in my opinion) crop tops that bare the girls' bellies and usually not-so-flat stomachs.  

So, why do I have such a problem with this?  Don't call me bitter.  I, for one, am NOT.  I am simply disturbed at the lack of modesty young women are now exhibiting so naturally and freely.  

Almost 2 years ago, I was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and knew that I would need to make a change and promise between myself and Heavenly Father to wear modest clothing in order to preserve and uphold my integrity and virtue.  With this promise comes the duty and blessing of wearing the "garments."  For those who might be reading this and either don't know what the heck I'm talking about or have an idea and think I'm insane, let me break this down for you...

This past December (2012), I entered the Bountiful Temple (see picture below) in Utah and came out wearing the "garments."  These garments are worn under my regular clothing that represent and remind me of the sacred promises I made with Heavenly Father.  For the sake of this post and to maintain the sacredness of the garments, I will not go into too much detail regarding what they look like and what the garments' doctrinal meaning is, but I will summarize in saying that I covenanted to keep my body holy and modest by not showing it off with the immodest clothing being flaunted by today's young women.

Simply put: this means those little strappy tops and short skirts/dresses I've been seeing traipsing around campus are no longer in my closet! 

While I no longer own a strapless bandage dress or a pair of shorts, unfortunately, there are MANY girls at Penn State and other areas of the country who do.  The reasons that this makes me so uncomfortable are pretty obvious:

1) I have a husband and a younger brother who are subjected to viewing these young women in their skimpy clothing DAILY.  They are at Penn State to receive an education in their respective degrees, neither of which are studying "intimate female anatomy."

2) While I COULD certainly wear (and work!) these immodest clothes fashionably, I choose not to because I recognize the gift and worth of my body.  Unfortunately, most young girls don't see my example as the majority... they're seeing "Barbie Butt Cheeks" and "Candy Can-Cans" and wanting to emulate them and their style.

It is my sincere prayer for today's young women to recognize their self-worth and cover up their "assets" so they can be role models to the next generation and can be aware and proud of their worth in Heavenly Father's eyes.  Heavenly Father doesn't care that that crop top is "in style" or "cute."  When your belly is hanging out and causing the young men to objectify you, THAT is when He cares.  Heavenly Father doesn't care that the dress you just bought makes your boobs looks "huge!"  When your boobs are causing young men to struggle with immoral thoughts and desires, THAT is when He cares.

Ladies, we need to be a strong, holy example to our following generations.  We can do that by choosing modest clothing and covering the parts of our bodies that are intimate and sacred.  I promise that by doing so, we will be happier and the blessings from Heavenly Father will pour out upon us.

Bountiful Temple in Bountiful, Utah

Hello, Spirit!

You just never know when the Holy Ghost will touch your heart..

Last night I finished a book and, like any other time I finish one book, I became excited/nervous about picking a new one.  This may be something only book nerds (such as myself...) understand,  but SO. MUCH. relies on what book you pick next.  You're basically deciding: will the next few days/weeks of reading totally SUCK? or will it blow your mind with awesomeness?!  Sometimes the mere thought of it is too much to handle.

As I was working all day, I thought to myself, "Okay, Lauren.  When you get home tonight, you will pick your next book.  Make sure it will be enjoyable.  Make sure it will be something WORTH reading.  You know what, use that new GoodReads app to help you decide."  You see, I had just spent the last evening/night/mid-morning scanning in ALL of my books in my "personal library" into this AMAZING/REVOLUTIONARY app (GoodReads) and sorting them by "read" or "to read."  I came to find out that I have ~300 UNREAD books in my library!  Bring it on!

But, in typical "Lauren" fashion, I kept putting it off and putting it off until... well, just now.  I finally got off my butt and trudged downstairs to the "library" (okay, in reality, it WAS a man cave and is now just a laundry room with my bookshelves and a futon in it...) and set out to pick my next book.  The first book I picked up was one I had just purchased at a Goodwill today - Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews.  Sounded a little cliche, but readable, so I put that on the "maybe" pile.  Then I reached for a book I've had since last summer - Chicken Soup for the Latter-Day Saint Soul.  I think I bought this after I first discovered Amazon's option for buying used books.

To be honest, I hadn't planned on reading a church-related book.  I usually reserve those books (and the Book of Mormon!) for times of need... or, in terms of the BOM, two chapters every night before bed.  I certainly don't want it to seem like I'm discrediting any church-related books, especially the BOM, but I've just never really had the motivation to read one as a "personal book" yet.  I apologize if this isn't making sense, so I'll try another way of explaining: I usually split my reading into 2 categories: personal and church.  "Church" includes reading 2 chapters from the BOM every night (usually I re-read the chapter I read the night before and add on the next chapter), while personal is any other book that I read.  There, that sounds a little better...

Either way, I thought I'd at least look through Chicken Soup for the LDS Soul and see if it was something I'd like to read for the next few days.  Immediately, I felt a sense of calm and familiarity - just from the Introduction!  It began by inviting every reader to feel welcome and then referenced the types of stories that one could expect to be reading in the upcoming pages.  It referenced different types of church meetings and family activities that this book and the stories in it could be used as lessons and testimony builders.  I was becoming surprised at how these words on a page were making me feel so happy and comfortable!  It was all so familiar!  But it was the first sentence of the third paragraph that really pulled me in:

While I appreciate the non-coincidence of the publishing of this book, it was really "Joseph Smith" and "the Church" that stood out to me from that sentence.  For whatever reason, it was that moment that I felt the Holy Ghost reach out and tap me on the shoulder.  Not literally, of course, but figuratively.  I have read Joseph Smith's name hundreds of times and seen the church referenced like that just a handful of times more, but at no other instance have they jumped off the page at me like they did tonight.  I felt so happy, so calm, and so sure that the Church and the Gospel are true, and that Joseph Smith was a prophet. 

I usually don't like to say that I am "proud" of my church or "proud" to be a member of the Church for fear of seeming prideful, but dang it, I am proud!  I don't allow it be something that is obnoxious or that gets in the way of my day-to-day life with others, but I am always pleased to let others, members and non-members alike, know that this is who I am: I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and I have never been happier!

Dear Martha Beck...

I realize it has been an EXTREMELY long time since I have posted on my blog.  I hope to justify whatever reasons I have for it in another post, but I felt very compelled to write this particular post as soon as possible.

Since I haven't updated my reading list in what seems like a decade, you wouldn't know that I have steamrolled through numerous books since July and am now reading EXPECTING ADAM by Martha Beck.  You can read more about the book by clicking HERE.

Martha Beck (according to the back of the book) is "a writer, life coach, and columnist for O, the Oprah Magazine."  She also has 3 Harvard degrees, a handful of best-seller books, and 3 children.  While she currently lives in Arizona, Beck is originally from Provo, Utah.  Upon her mentioning this in the book, I felt immediately bonded to her under the assumption she was Mormon (like me) and shared the same values that I have as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  As I read on, I realized my naive assumption couldn't have been further from the truth...

You see, Martha grew up in Provo and was a member of the LDS church.  Somewhere along the line, however, Martha left the church... and decided to write a book about it (ah, freedom of speech at its finest!); apparently, that heart-warming best-seller is called LEAVING THE SAINTS: HOW I LOST THE MORMONS AND FOUND MY FAITH.  (Side Note: If only I had paid closer attention to the back page of the book where this tid-bit was advertised before buying Expecting Adam, I would have saved myself a lot of grief and money.)  Now, I have not read more than a blurb about Beck's book LEAVING THE SAINTS, nor do I intend to.  She makes it very clear she desires no continued affiliation with the church or the people of Utah by referring to both as a "bubble" of "religious fanatics"  quite often.  And, so, after I finish this book, I don't desire to have any continued affiliation with her either.

However, what compelled me to write this post so abruptly is not the irony of Ms. Beck calling herself a "life coach" when she willingly abandoned the tools/ability the LDS church provides to actually UNDERSTAND and FULFILL the meaning of life as intended by our Heavenly Father... but instead, my desire to write this post stems from a happening in one of the chapters.  In chapter 11 of this book, Beck and her toddler daughter are saved from their apartment stairwell when a downstairs refrigerator catches fire.  During their decent from the 10th floor, a pregnant Beck is overwhelmed from smoke inhalation and no longer has the strength to continue on.  Miraculously, she feels the strong grip of a firefighter who leads her to safety into a nearby parking lot.  Afterwards, Beck searches for the man who saved her, but cannot find him among the many firefighters that were called to the scene that day.  The following day, Beck sees a classmate's copy of the Boston Herald that displays Beck and her daughter front and center, emerging from the smoke-filled building.  Oddly enough, they are alone.  The man that Beck felt and testified of helping her out of the building at that exact moment is not there - he never existed!

At this moment, I smiled in my mind because I was thinking, "Finally.  Now she will recognize the protection and influence of angels and of the Spirit in her life.  She can't possibly continue to deny it now!"  I read on to the beginning of the 12th chapter and begun to see excerpts like "paranormal assistance," "the 'Something' that helped me down the staircase," and "supernatural beings and protectors."  If Matt had not been quietly researching .22 revolvers next to me in bed, I would have threw the book across the room and utterly LOST it.  Instead I politely discussed it with him and continued to read.  

In the opening paragraphs of chapter 12, Beck doesn't abandon her "anti-Mormon" writing style and continues to project her misunderstood ideas and values (the same ideas and values, I assume, she teaches to the idiotic saps that PAY for her "life coach" experience) onto the reader.  Below are a few of my favorite quotes by dear Martha Beck"

"How many times a day does some poor hapless human REALLY NEED a good supernatural protector and fail to get one?  People are tortured and killed and raped and pillaged on a daily basis, and if there are angels in the vicinity, they apparently just sit around watching - wringing their ectoplasmic little hands, perhaps, but letting nature take its course."

NOTE:  I can only imagine what happened in Beck's early life that lead her to be so cynical and hopeless in her faith and in her faith of angels, but I hope she is able to find peace.

Oh, and here is my favorite excerpt... pay special attention to the bolded statements:

"A great deal of human energy, including mine, has been spent trying to figure out why some people get help from angels and some get lobotomized by flying debris from freak wheat-threshing accidents.  Religious people always seem to have simple formulas to explain this.  If you're very, very good, say the formulas, you can avoid the gods' disfavor and court their assistance.  If you sacrifice a goat, you will be blessed.  If it's the wrong goat - say, one with a gimpy foot - you will be smitten with a pox.  If you join the right church, you will live long and prosper; if you leave it, you are consigned to eternal misery.  Believe me, you don't grow up in Utah without hearing a great deal of this sort of reasoning.  But none of the causal connections I have heard preached by any religion fits the facts as I see them.  All I can say for sure is that whatever supernatural beings are operating around us, they are working from a priority list that is different than mine."

All I can say to that, Martha Beck, is THANK GOODNESS they are working from a priority list different from yours!  I'm sure you must be exhausted from pondering the meaning of life and divine intervention with your 3 Harvard degrees in sociology of gender, but, honey... what you're trying to answer for the world here isn't part of your job description.  There is someone else WAY more equipped to answering our questions and He WILL answer them... to those who are willing and able to accept and listen to Him.  Let me make it easy for you: Study the scriptures - the Bible, the Book of Mormon, etc.  Pray in faith.  Go back to the church which you abandoned and simply LISTEN.  Ignorance isn't bliss.  You will receive answers; I can PROMISE you that.  How do I know this so surely?  Because I was there before, right in your shoes.  I doubted and scoffed at the idea that these so-called "supernatural beings" existed and that there was a Heavenly Father that loved me and knew me.  But, surprisingly enough, I didn't need a mortal life coach to see the plan which these "paranormal beings" have for me, I needed to truly know and love them all in return: Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints - the greatest "life coaches" of all.  The blessings that have been given to me and brought to my attention since accepting their existence and their love and the LDS church are absolutely astonishing, and I hope and pray that my loved ones who have not yet accepted all of these things will one day be able to also.  And I also pray that Martha Beck will be able to accept these truths and love again.

Needless to say, this book is and will be difficult to continue to trudge through now with Beck the "all-knowing" life coach spewing her opinions on how religion (or lack thereof) SHOULD be, but I am dedicated to reading the remaining knowledge that she does have on other subjects, such as pregnancy, child birth, and raising a disabled kid.

"Hoppy" (late!) Easter

I absolutely love Easter! Not only is a great time to enjoy warmer weather, have fun with family, and eat a lot of candy, but it is most important to understand the actual meaning of this holiday: our Savior, Jesus Christ - He is Risen! I am so blessed with the ability to comprehend and appreciate our Savior's atoning sacrifice. It is something I just want to share with everyone!!! I have such a strong testimony of the atonement and its power, and I recommend that everyone visit LDS.org to learn more about Easter and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Matt and I began our first Easter together by attending the family ward's church service. Since we had plans to spend the day with my family, we decided to go to the earlier service rather than our branch. Unfortunately, my day didn't start off on the right foot - I overslept by 45 minutes and, on the way to get Matt, my entire bag dumped over in the car. I was stressin'! To top it all off, it was a bit of "shock therapy" going to a family ward after only ever going to Penn State's university branch. I don't particularly enjoy listening to upset children and I've been spoiled since joining the church with complete silence during Sunday morning church service... needless to say, my blood pressure was through the roof after church! Despite my high cortisol levels and serious consideration to schedule a hysterectomy ASAP, I enjoyed the service and was looking forward to spending the rest of the day with my family and Matt!



We arrived to celebrate with my Mom's side of the family around noon and enjoyed playing a few rounds of croquet in lovely weather! One of my absolute favorite things is being able to walk around barefoot. I hate having to wear shoes (despite loving high heels!), so it was very refreshing to walk around in the soft grass barefoot! Next, we visited my Dad's side of the family and had a cute, impromptu Easter basket hunt outside. Unfortunately, the weather was much colder now, so I had to wear shoes :( boooo...

BUT... to add to the happiness of the Easter season, I now have yet another reason to celebrate...

I'M ENGAGED!

Matt caught me completely off-guard by proposing at the Montour Preserve (one of my favorite places at home!) after spending the day with family. We left the Hemrick family's Easter dinner and headed to the Preserve upon Matt's request in the evening. I had thought it weird that he would want to go at night when we definitely had time to stop in-between families, but went with it! And, boy, did it pay off!

So now the fun officially begins! August 10th, 2012 is the date we chose, and there will be many more details falling into place soon. I am the luckiest girl! :)

Embrace It

I don't deal well with change and/or confusion. I like having plans and, in my (often arrogant) opinion, my original plans are usually "the best." But, when these plans get thrown up in the air or are changed entirely, I go a little crazy... and that's putting it lightly.

There have been many instances in my life where I have had a plan, only to have it crumble before my eyes and leave me wondering what to do next. However, there is always another step or another path waiting for me to take, which leads me to a happiness I could never have imagined for myself. It is truly incredible.

While I recognize these altered or entirely new plans aren't necessarily the ones I initially had for myself, I know that what ultimately is to be is according to Heavenly Father's plan for me - and His plan is the only plan that matters.

I have faith that God's plan for me is perfect... I just may not be able to see or understand it fully at the moment. I can get frustrated and irritated and shut myself down all that I want to, but ultimately I know that I have to embrace the confusion and chaos and simply live out the plan God has for me.

Mark 11:22