New Years :D

For New Years Eve i got to play with my friends and family. I even got to play with Marisa! She came down and played with me. We had mucho fun :]

New years this year has been more meaningful to me than ever before.
Late late at night on new years day i was actually cleaning my room and found some of my old journals. I read through them and i read through my patriarchal blessing. I prayed a lot, read the scriptures and wrote more in my current journal. I feel like i got a lot of guidance for what i need to be doing in my life right now.

Another cool thing that happened is i started reading this book called Simple Abundance. I didn't know anything about it other than my mom and sisters really liked it. I stumbled across it really late last night and just started reading. Come to find out its a book where you read a page everyday for a year starting with new years day. I thought it was neat that it found its way into my hands right at the beginning of January. So far what i can tell from the book is that its a compilation of inspirational thoughts and ways to nurture yourself. I'm excited.
I have a very sad confession. I have never read the Book of Mormon all the way through by myself. So, this year, I will, seriously.


Everything in my life is going very well right now.
One of the only ways i can think of to describe it is that I feel like I'm in this perfect bubble.
Well, I'm scared that bubble is going to pop.
I'm sure everyone understands that emotion.
Its just things are so good right now that they have to head downhill sometime, right?
This has just been bothering me a lot lately and last night i had a huge realization!
Bubbles don't have to pop! i know that things are going to get bad and trials are going to come but my bubble doesn't have to pop. I can choose to be happy and grateful no matter whats going on, because i know that i have a heavenly father that loves me and watches over me.
During Young Womans today i felt like the lesson was designed just for me.
It was about knowing that you are a daughter of God and that he is watching out for you. Which like i said earlier, is something that i am finally really knowing. I have been told this my whole life but just now am i understanding it.
My teacher gave us some quotes on a paper to take home, and I'm going to put a few on here.

"The truth is... man is a child of God- a God in embryo...
That man is a child of God is the most important knowledge available to mortals."
-Marion G. Romney

"I would charge you to say again and again to yourselves,...'I am [a son or daughter] of God' and by so doing begin today to live closer to those ideals which will make your life happier and more fruitful because of an awakened realization of who you are."
-Harold B. Lee

Welll. i'm done posting for today :)
I just helped my mom post about Adam coming home on the Phillips family blog!
woo hoo! i can't wait to see him.
I hope you all have a happy new year! :)
ttfn.

Tis' the Season

For Christmas we got to have the Jeffreys stay with us! Having the little boys around the house brought the magic of Santa back to all us old fogies (haha). One of the cutest, most christmasy things that happened was on Christmas Eve. We were doing the nativity and Elijah was playing the Inn keeper. Mary and Joseph went to several different inns and at each inn the inn keeper would say, "Sorry no room." Elijah, being the Inn keeper (at every inn), said no every time, and got a bit of a kick out of it. But on the last Inn, Mary and Joseph (mom and Alex) were very insistent and explained their situation, instead of leading them out to the stable Elijah said, "Oh! well come in, you can have my room!"

:) Elijah is such a cute kid, i thought that was very Christ like of him.

On Christmas morning we had 2 webcams going so that Dans parents and the Soderquists could (sorta) be with us. It wasn't near as good as the real thing but it was 10 times better than nothing at all. Us, Albas, Soderquists, and Jeffreys all got webcams for Christmas. I am lovin it, I get to see my forever away sisters on a daily basis. :]

Sooo i feel like i got spoiled this Christmas, no joke. Santa must love me or something :)

I got a new cell phone, a trip to disney land (with Acapella in feb), clothes, my friends gave me the sweetest gifts, and we all got stuff from Adam in Peru. Wow. thank you thank you thank you. I can't say thank you enough. I am one lucky girl :)

Merry Merry Christmas Everyone!

Love, Sarah

An Acapella Christmas

Wow! this has been a way busy holiday season. It started out with trying to finish up school and doing tons of Acapella performances. This year I sang in the Forgotten Carols with Michael McLean, it was such a good, spiritual experience. We had a couple of benefit concerts, our annual Christmas concert, performed with the orchestra, went up to temple square, and sang at an old folks home! We went caroling to collect money for the orphanage and such, I can't even express how much i loved singing in Acapella this Christmas season. I loved being up on stage singing the Hallelujah Chorus with 160 voices behind me. I couldn't stop crying through that one sometimes. It was just so spiritual for me.

Fun little story, while we were up at temple square my friend Lya and I met two Apostles in an elevator. We were coming down from the top floor of the Joseph Smith building and Elder Oaks and Elder Nelson came onto the elevator with us. I have never been so excited in my entire life, haha, i think i almost went into shock. They were super friendly and asked us where we were from and such, it was so awesome. They kind of glowed, they had a light around them. I feel pretty lucky to have met them. (me in my Acapella dress)