More is Less

I don't know what happened this week, but my busy world somehow slowed down. I felt a balance that I've been searching for over the course of this semester hit me all at once. I'm not expecting it to completely stay as finals approach, but I want to relish in it. I want to remember this precious lesson that makes my heart so happy: More really is less. 

With more time on my hands, I feel happier. I can ponder my life and evaluate things I need to personally change. I have time to sleep, exercise, and feel a little extra healthy. I feel the Spirit more, perhaps because I take time to notice it. I get to love the people I love the most a little extra. I am more grateful for all sorts of things, big and small. 

When I simplify my life, I'm happier. 

Throughout this week, I've developed a deeper conviction to simplify my to-do list. I know I'll have insanely busy times in every stage of life, but I'm continuing to process that finishing my to do list is not the most important part of my day. The most important parts of my day are all the things that surround the to-do list. Experiencing, loving, and living those moments are really what I want out of my daily life. 

And because I absolutely adore President Uchtdorf, I'll wrap this up with one of my favorite quotes. 

"It’s rather easy to be busy. We all can think up a list of tasks that will overwhelm our schedules. Some might even think that their self-worth depends on the length of their to-do list. The wise...resist the temptation to get caught up in the frantic rush of everyday life. They follow the advice “There is more to life than increasing its speed."...They focus on the things that matter most."

 So now that I've learned this lesson, it's time to put it into practice when life is crazy again. Gotta love challenges. Happy November!

A Homey Home

I made a goal this week to work on making my home a little more homey. I asked a few friends about it, read my scriptures searching for an answer, and pondered a whole lot about the homey homes I've been in lately. I then began making an extra long list in my journal. 

In the middle of the week after a lunch date, Chad and I decided to take a drive around the temple. As we drove, Chad asked me how long it had been since I'd gone on this drive. It surprised me when I realized the last time I drove it was April.

My temple loop drive used to be my safe haven -- my way of staying sane when the world felt like it was erupting into chaos. I'd leave behind school stress, all friend or boy drama, any family worries, and just drive for 15 minutes. I would ponder about my life and pray at times, but mainly I would listen to music and feel that peace I love that comes with driving. 

I'm embarrassed to say that I used to take that drive twice a week...every week. And now it's been months. It was just a casual question, but I kept thinking about it. Why didn't I need that drive anymore? 

It hit me the next day while I was driving. My home with Chad is that peace that I crave. It's the place I go and all that is chaotic seems to be okay. Isn't that exactly what a homey home is supposed to be? A safe haven. 

So instead of finishing my list of what makes a homey home, I began a list about what makes our home homey. Here are a few of my favorites on the list...

• Chad is here. I could probably stop this list there. 
• We have pictures on our walls, yummy-smelling candles, soft blankets, and music playing all the time.
• The day we moved in, Chad dedicated our home. It's really a simple thing, but that prayer to keep our home safe and protected is one that I really love. 
• We already have some great memories here -- from coming home to a piano in the corner on my birthday, to complaining with Chad about the holes in the walls right when I knocked over something and made the largest hole of all and laughing at the irony of it all.
• We pray and read our scriptures here. There really is a power that goes along with that. 
• It's clean and organized. It's definitely not perfect, but that order makes me happy.
• Chad and I have similar goals. We are working toward the same things. When there's unity in my little family, there's definitely a good feeling in the home. 

My life lesson of the week was recognizing what really makes a homey home, and then realizing how homey my home already is. I love our home. I love that we all can have a place that is our kind of homey. 

More Than Worth It

I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, even when all the little things are going wrong.

After hearing some sad news about an old friend last Friday, my husband and I decided to stick to our plans and go to the temple. After getting all ready, I couldn't find my temple recommend. We spent the next half hour searching, but we ended up empty-handed. Annoyed that Satan was getting his way, I became a little frustrated. My cute husband noticed this, grabbed my hand, and said he had another idea. 

 We took two steps outside when he suddenly stopped having realized he locked the door and the keys were inside. For the next hour and a half we tried every window, called our landlord to find out he was out of town, and then spent 150 dollars to have a locksmith come and open our door. At this point, I was more than a little frustrated.

That Sunday, I ran around church setting up interviews, being interviewed, and then ending up with a new recommend in my hand, so Chad and I could go to our ward temple night that coming Thursday.

On Thursday, my husband's meeting ran late, so I had his dinner in my hands and raced out the door. As I closed the door, the container flipped and out came every last bit of rice, chicken, and vegetables. I stared at it for a second, grabbed him a Clif bar instead, and ditched the whole mess, praying we wouldn't get another mouse. 

As I knew it would be, the temple was everything that I needed and more. I learned exactly what I needed to that night. Words can't really do it justice.

Moral of the Story: Yesterday, I grabbed something from my back seat and found my original temple recommend right where I had looked three times for it the week prior. As I began to roll my eyes, I felt the Spirit bring quiet, perfect clarity to my mind. This life lesson wasn't about keeping better track of my things (though I obviously need to learn that too), it was about being reminded that the temple is always more than worth the sacrifice.

Time? Yes. Money? Yes. Effort? Yes. Going against my natural instinct to clean? Hard decision, but yes. 

When hard things come just as you are about to go the temple, don't let them stand in your way. Fight a little harder than you normally would. Because of the temple, we can learn more about our purpose on earth, discover answers to questions we have, serve our ancestors, and most importantly...have our families for eternity. Every sacrifice we make for the temple is more than worth it.

Happiness is...

• Sitting down to write this list in my family room with candles lit and a diet pepsi nearby.
• Walking around my favorite park on a gorgeous Sunday evening with my husband.
• Sharing faithful teenagers' testimonies everyday for my internship.
• Running to the grocery store late one Tuesday night in PJs because my husband and I were really craving Captain Crunch.
• Taking my first bite of rolls I made that morning and realizing that I can actually make something scrumpcious. 
• Opening snapchats from all my favorite people and feeling like they're closer than they are.
• Listening to podcasts that open my mind to completely new trains of thought and ways of thinking.
• Singing "Families Can Be Together Forever" in Relief Society as a wave of gratitude hits me for my great family.
• Planning for upcoming three-day weekends and adding to the Taylor Family Adventures list.
• Having a question I sincerely want the answer to and finding the answer in my scriptures.
• Talking over lunch with my grandparents and darling aunt.
• Playing a nerdy game my husband loves and realizing I am actually enjoying myself.
• Ditching whatever important things I need to accomplish to play the piano until I really can't contain my happiness anymore.
• Laughing as our Saturday cleaning turned into a spontaneous kitchen dance party.
• Ordering tickets to a local play, reserving seats to 5 dollar Tuesday movie night, and booking spots to adventure to the Timp Caves in a few weeks.
• Looking through my wedding photos for the millionth time realizing that we are in fact married. 
• Learning that life isn't about the things you do, but the people you do them with. 

Moments of Inspiration

There have been very distinct points in my life where I can see that I am on a good, comfortable path. And then, a bell goes off in my head and I am continually reminded that there is a better path I haven't considered.  Naturally, it's always a scarier, more challenging path (makes me feel like Chad's facial expression on the right).


A decision has to be made. Do I stick with the easy path that I'm content and comfortable with, or do I pick a better, unknown, scary path that feels right?


My life is littered with these little moments of (somewhat bothersome) inspiration. The first one I remember acting on was when I was 17 and deciding who to room with my first year at BYU. I had one comfortable option that I knew and liked, and yet I felt the Spirit whisper to ask another girl I didn't know as well. These moments have continued over the last 5 years, helping me to continually pick the better path, instead of the good path my safe self naturally heads toward.

Without these moments of revelation, I wouldn't have found a kindred spirit in my freshman roommate, (who also introduced me to my future husband-fun side note). I wouldn't have gone to Cambridge as a naive 19 year old and fallen in love with school and England. I wouldn't have applied soon enough to go to Jerusalem. I wouldn't have had the courage to leave all that was safe and homey to serve a mission that helped me become so much more of who I'm meant to be. I wouldn't have started dating Chad so quickly after my mission.

And even this week, I wouldn't be at the point I'm at with school. Since getting home from my mission, I've had a very clear plan when it comes to my education. I like it that way. (Doesn't everyone?) But this week after someone asked a simple question, the Spirit began whispering repeatedly again that there was a better way than the one I was holding so tightly to.

So here's to harder, scarier, better paths. These are the paths that lead us closer to Heavenly Father, and therefore, closer to complete happiness. Thank goodness for moments when the Spirit inspires us to change our lives.

Dear Dad

As my cute husband fell asleep, I found myself incredibly awake staring at the ceiling last night. I walked into the other room and began writing Father's Day cards I had been putting off amidst the craziness of life.

The following hour was a sacred one. As I wrote, I felt overwhelming gratitude. I began with my father-in-law of 3 weeks, surprised by how much I already adore him. I then wrote my mission president who is still serving in Jacksonville Florida and teared up realizing that his wisdom from the mission is continuing to bless me in my marriage. Then, I wrote my husband to thank him for being the one I couldn't imagine passing up because he's exactly who I want my  future kids to have as a dad. Next up was my darling grandfather. It was a powerful reminder of the strong foundation he set for my family.  I saved my dad for last. I was almost frustrated at how simple and little thank you felt as I wrote him. It's funny that the man who always reminded me to say thank you is the one I most want to say thank you to.

All in all, I love my dad. I love all the father figures in my life. I am so grateful Heavenly Father's plan involved earthly fathers. Happy Father's Day!

The Specific Kind of Gratitude

Sometimes I feel like God is lightly tapping me on the shoulder to tell me something important. Often it takes much too long for me to notice what He's trying to tell me. But I started listening a few days ago and realized He has been simply wanting me to be more grateful. Not just generally grateful, but grateful for the specific blessings in my life. I've set a goal to tell Heavenly Father all the specific things I am grateful for the first five minutes of my drive to work everyday. And because I can't help it, I'm going to share some of the specific aspects of my life that I am most grateful for this week.

So, I'm grateful for the following:

• Lexy Cline and I went to dinner and lost ourselves in the kind of conversation that can't be recreated. It can't be relayed to someone else. It can't be understood by bystanders (or sitters) in Blue Lemon. Those kind of moments with Lexy are one of my absolute favorite things.
• Jaclyn Michele Hutchins is about to be Jaclyn Michele Mann. There may have never been a better sentence uttered than perhaps... "Jenessa is becoming Mrs. Taylor and Jaclyn is becoming Mrs. Mann ALL in the same summer." 
• There's this moment in my morning runs at about my half mile mark when my feet hit a rhythm. It's the kind of stride that makes you feel like nothing can stop you. It's a feeling I crave. It gets me out of bed in the morning.
• In the midst of moving in and building furniture, Chad said a prayer to dedicate what will soon be our home. There's this distinct kind of exquisite happiness that I feel when Chad's by my side in our little home. I can't really contain it. 
• With living in Julinannner's basement, I begin and end every day talking to Jewels.  I get to talk to her, learn from her, and laugh about these Sore to the Core ab workouts we do. She's the kind of wife and mom I want to be.  
• I love the audible app. Yes, listening to the Fault in Our Stars did cause me to cry in the middle of work, BUT that's beside the point. I've missed books more than I realized. Listening to books makes work my happy place. 
• Miss Charlotte May is one giant blessing in my life. Without her, this upcoming wedding (almost down to three weeks!!!) would be a mess. She is my hero. She has quite the knack for creating perfect moments in her children's lives. 
• With school ending and full time work starting, my days have been all over the place. Some people may roll their eyes at having a set routine, but this week I nailed down my ideal routine and I feel so much more at peace in the world.
• As I've been pondering, praying, and studying gratitude, I've noticed a truer kind of happiness in my life. 

Be grateful today. The end. 

We Have Been Given Grace #BecauseHeLives

I used to poke fun at people who loved to run. It didn't make sense to me. Who wants to pound the pavement with their feet, feel pain for miles on end, and be out of breath the entire time too!? But somehow the way it always does when I'm being stubborn,  my perspective changed.

A few years back, my sister and I decided to change our tune and set a New Year's resolution to run a half marathon. To this day, it is one of my favorite New Year's resolutions of all time. After persevering through the first four long months of running, something clicked for me and I fell in love.

Yesterday after working all morning at a computer, I happily slipped in my headphones and started what I assumed was a perfectly side-walked, relatively flat, 10 mile run to the Timpanogus temple and back. My assumptions were wrong. The side-walk disappeared every 3 minutes for no apparent reason. The route went up and down and up and down again more than a few times. And those 10 miles were really 12.

 As I reached the temple at my 6 mile mark, I quickly took out my headphones ("I Got It From My Mama," was the furthest thing from reverent). I paused my workout and walked around the temple, admiring the peace, the gorgeous flowers, and the happy people all going about their own lives around me. We've all heard LOTS of people use a marathon as a metaphor for life, but it really is the root to why I love running. Enduring to the end of race is always a glimpse for me into enduring to the end of this life and through the eternities. The truth I gleaned today from my run centered on grace. 

"For we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do."-2 Nephi 25:23

We may have a life path that seems to disappear before our eyes and switch to the other side of the road at inconvenient times.  Some of us may face more than our fair share of ups and downs. And still others will realize that enduring to the end is a bit longer than they imagined. But we are NOT left alone. 

Because He lives, we have been given grace. With His grace, we are enabled to accomplish and be more than we could be alone. Elder Holland says it best,"Christ is not waiting for us at the finish line once we have done 'all we can do.' He is with us every step of the way." Every step we take in this life is not taken alone because He really does live. I love this time of year to remember our Savior. Happy Easter!


P.S. Watch this #becauseHelives Easter video and just fall in love with it for me please!

I HAVE A DREAM

I'm a planner. And a tad crazy.

At the age of 17, I wrote out a 10 year plan for my life. For the past few years, I've been motivated by this dream plan of who I was going to be and the life I was going to lead.

As big, daunting, adult decisions have come my way, I've been prompted to walk a surprising path. And as that path has gotten better and better, a hidden part of me was sad that I kept drifting further from that plan.  But just like my plan, my perspective changed too.

While walking around DC this weekend, Heavenly Father showed me that as the planned direction of my life has changed, my dreams of who I want to be are changing with it.

So what if I'm not going to be the woman my 17-year-old self wanted me to be?

I'm going to be someone better, someone happier, someone that is more of who God intended me to be.

I just didn't know how to get there when I was 17.

You see, God's molding me to become what will make me happiest. My 17-year-old self could only grasp a bit of what would make me happy. Now, my 21-year-old self can grasp a bit more, but not enough. True happiness requires trusting promptings from the Spirit, no matter the changes that come with it.

Imagine if we were stuck with being who we wanted to be at 6 years old? Let me tell you...I'm no Pocahontas mommy-artist, but in first grade I sure thought it would make me happier than anything else in the whole world. Was my 6-year-old self wrong? No, not then. But if I stayed stubborn and stuck in my funny and naive little kid ways, I would have missed changing to find what actually makes me happiest. (Not to mention I'd probably feel a bit foolish telling people my job title.)

I love that a happy life always comes back to remembering the basics. Heavenly Father loves us. He has a divine plan of perfect happiness. We just need to exercise a little bit of faith in Him because He really does know what is best. He's teaching me to trust that plan and I've never been happier. Now that's a dream come true.

Oh How I Love the Spirit

This weekend I had the privilege to speak to an incredible group of young adult Relief Society sisters in Washington DC. I had been asked to speak on social media missionary work. As the trip came closer, I became more and more nervous. I felt a bit overwhelmed at the idea of coming to DC to tell a group of intelligent, educated, women how they should conduct themselves through social media. 

Luckily, that all changed. As the retreat began and the Relief Society sisters walked in, a sweet feeling came over me from the Spirit. The presentation that felt scattered and unfinished two minutes prior, felt just right. The stubborn projector that wouldn't play my power point actually became an answer to prayer because I could switch the order of my presentation according to the Spirit. The women in the room suddenly felt more like friends than intimidating strangers. I didn’t question if I should stand or sit. I didn’t worry about whether or not I should hold my lap top or set it on the table. Everything became simple and through that simplicity, my heart was open to learn a lovely lesson from these inspired women during the presentation.

I learned that each and every one of us contributes to social media missionary work in a different way. We all have a distinct and individual light. God isn’t asking us all to be a light on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram the same way. He works through the Spirit to inspire us to know just what role we are meant to play so we can fulfill the measure of our creation.

I am so grateful for the Spirit in my life. When the Spirit is with me I don’t feel overwhelmed, inadequate, or unsure. Instead, I feel confident, capable, and ready to do something beyond my comfort zone. When the Spirit is with us, life can be oh so simple. We can truly be taught from on high. Love you all.

Here are a few tid-bits about what I love most about DC:
1. I love walking the monuments at night. There really is no better way to see DC.

2. The darling Taylor Fidel lives there.

3. There is a magic about this city and its architecture. It is the closest thing to Europe in the US. I really can’t get enough of it.

4. HELLO—We have a national cathedral! Who even knew? Way to be America.

5. Food is just better in DC, especially ethnic food and burgers. Already craving the Thai food I ate last night.

6. I LOVE museums. From the botanical gardens to the Spy Museum, I could walk around all day learning about the crazy cool things in the world.
7. Everyone should eat bakery cinnamon sugar pop tarts at least once in their lives. Talk about Heaven.

The Hardest Options are the Best Decisions

I've been learning lately that more often than not, the harder option is the better decision. Two years ago last week, I made the hardest decision of my life. I had two options -- to serve a mission, or not to serve a mission. 

I chose to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And today, I can sincerely tell you that I am and forever will be so grateful that I chose to the harder option for me.

[Fast forward to today.]

Today was one of those miraculous days where I had the will power to make those harder decisions and I loved it. When my alarm went off at 5:30, I didn't press snooze. Instead, I rolled out of bed to work out. When I could have avoided talking with my professor, I embraced it and it is going to lead to some incredible new learning experiences. When I could have just zoned out and listened to music as I drove to work, I called those precious people I have been meaning to call for days. When I was walking the aisles of the grocery store, I could have grabbed chocolate and yummy chips, but I grabbed snap peas and cuties instead. When I could have stayed inside to do homework and skipped Family Home Evening (because honestly, I'm engaged haha) I went and felt such a beautiful spirit. 

Somehow it always works out. Simply and perfectly.

Me/You + Harder Option = Greatest Happiness

P.S. One exception to this "harder" rule...has been choosing Chad Morgan Taylor. Perhaps Heavenly Father knows life is full of hard decisions, so He gives us that ideal buddy to help us make it through. Let's just say, I'm more than excited for May 30th. 88 more days.