One Day At a Time

No matter what your age, life can be overwhelming. Everyday we are faced with decisions. Some are simple decisions that we make every day, others can be life changing. And it is the life changing decisions that can be overwhelming. I think what makes them so overwhelming is that we can not predict the outcome. We have no way of telling how our life will be effected five or even ten years down the road. We can make guesses that may be pretty accurate, but ultimately we cannot tell how we will be effected until the decisions is made. I have always been one who over thinks everything. When I have a decision to make I think of every possible outcome, and then from there I try and think of how each will play out down the road, and for me, that is when it becomes overwhelming. But, I have found a solution that works for me. And that is to trust my gut instinct, and take it one day at a time. I have found in my twenty-one years of experience, that ninety-nine percent of the time my gut feeling is right. It's that natural human instinct (also known as the Holy Ghost) that leads us to do what is right. And then after you make your decision, stick to it, and take it one day at a time. Some of the decisions we make will be hard. They will try our strength and our will power. Sometimes it will be easier to just quit, but that is when we really have to dig deep and find our inner strength. That is when you take it one day at a time. Each day it will get easier, you find strength that you didn't have the day before. Plus, as you strive to do right you are blessed. Life is tough and it can be overwhelming. But, if you take it one day at a time you will find that it isn't too bad. It won't be more than you can handle. You will be able to make it through and find the courage it make it another day.

So, just remember take it one day at a time, and follow your gut :)

Oh, and P.S. if you want a good song that goes a long "One Step At A Time" by Jordin Sparks is your song.

The Only Way to See the View is to Make the Climb

This morning me and my family took a hike up Waterfall Canyon in Ogden. It had been quite some time since we had hiked that trail, and my mom had never hiked it. It isn't too tough of a hike, but it taught me a lot. As we were hiking a long, we came upon a couple of forks in the trail. The first fork we came a upon was the trail head for a couple different hikes and had a sign that pointed to the trails, so we followed the trail that led to our desired destination, which ultimately was the waterfall. The next fork we came upon had no sign and the trials led in opposite directions. One that followed the river, and the other that lead away from it. So, using my logic I said we should probably take the one that follows the river since we want to get to the waterfall, and the other path leads us away from that. So, we took that trail and kept hiking along. As we got higher up towards the waterfall, the trail became harder to see, and got very rocky and rough and at one point we had to cross the river on a make shift bridge. Because of the large amount of runoff water we have this year, in many places the river has shifted courses to accommodate the amount of water coming down. As we were climbing across the rough terrain, my mom made a comment that really made me start thinking. She said, there has to have been another way to get to the waterfall, because this terrain is rough and there really isn't a trail. Sometimes the only indication we had that we were going the right way was that other people were coming down. Well, we continued the hike over rocks and river and we did reach our desired destination. The waterfall was extremely pretty, and with all the run off was pretty big! But, on my way back down the mountain I really got thinking about what my mom said, and this is how I related it to life..

We are all here on earth on our our own hike. All with a specific desired destination, like the waterfall, or in our case back to our Father in Heaven's presence. At the beginning of our hike, we are told where what our destination is and we are sent on our way. Sometimes there are signs that will point to our destination, other times we must choose which way we think will lead us to that destination. There will be multiple trails that lead us away from our destination, so we must think things through and decide which trail will ultimately lead us where we want to go. There will be things that will help indicate which path is right (like the river). As we travel on our trail of life, it won't be easy! We will have to climb over rocks, and cross gushing rivers, and continue on even when we can't see the trail clearly. Sometimes things will get in the way that will make our path change every once in a while. We will have to hike on a little bit tougher terrain because the path isn't clearly paved before us. We might get tired, we might doubt ourselves and our direction, but if we look around, and really assess our lives we will know if we are on the right path or not. Life was not meant to be easy, it was meant to be trying and to test us, and to see if we really can make it to our final destination. If we want the blessing of Celestial glory we have to put in the work to get there, just like if you want to see the waterfall you gotta make the hike.

Life won't be easy but it will be worth it because, "The only way to see the views is to make the climb." (Elder Paul V. Johnson)

I Have Been Changed For The Better :)

As the days fly by faster, and faster to July 20th, I have found myself reflecting on many different things, not totally sure how to capture my thoughts into words, but then I heard this song this week on GLEE and it captured them perfectly for me.

"It well may be that we will never meet again in this lifetime
So let me say before we part,
So much of me is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me like a hand print on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend. "

This verse is like my thoughts exactly! My friends are all getting home from missions, getting married, having children and pursuing their own lives. Who knows what will happen when I am on my mission. They will continue to pursue their lives (get married, move away to school, etc) and some of them I may never see again. As I was thinking about that the other day I knew I needed to let them know how much they mean to me! How much they have changed my life for the better, and how much I appreciate their friendship now and forever. Even if I never see them again. I know a lot of the people I care about may never read this, and I plan to tell each person how much they mean to me personally, but nonetheless, I must tell you all how I feel :)

To all my friends, loved ones, young women leaders, co-workers, classmates, any and all others that I have come to know and love... THANK YOU!!! Because of you, I am the woman I am today! Each and everyone of you has left a hand print on my heart! You have influenced me more than I can ever express! The example you are to me will forever be with me. Your love, friendship, and support has gotten me to where I am today. I have definitely been changed for good. Like the song says people come into our lives for a reason. To teach us something, to help us grow, and then we help them in return. I don't know how much I have helped all of you in return, but for the things that you have taught me, and for the growing you have helped me do, I am forever grateful. I cannot even imagine the person I would be if it were not for meeting all the amazing people that I have! So once again THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart! I am forever changed for the better because I knew you!

And "just to clear the air," I want to say I AM SORRY to all those of you, whom I may have hurt and any point in time. Whether it were words or actions I am truly sorry! I have grown a lot for situations good and bad. So I apologize for any harm, hurt or damage I have done through out the years. I am not perfect and I hope that someday I will be able to obtain your forgiveness. As I am taking the next step in life, it makes me sad to think about the people I have hurt, and hope that one day I will have made up for all the bad I have done, with good. I hope to one day help others change for the better.

As we continue on our own journeys through life, I hope that I meet up with you again. That in two months it won't be goodbye, but see ya later. But just in case it is, I want you to know how grateful I am to you all. That you will know that you have forever touched the life of Brianna Brough. Once again Thank you to every person I have met. Whether we have dated, are or have been friends, have worked together, laughed together, cried together, what ever it is THANK YOU! I cannot express properly the effect you have had on me and my life! My life has been forever changed because I knew YOU!

Ten Truths

I am stealing this from my "little sister" Courtney. I saw this on her blog and loved it!! So, I hope she doesn't care if I steal it from her.

Here are my ten truths:

- I am a hopeless romantic! Almost to the point where it's pathetic

- I love my Savior Jesus Christ more than anything!!

- I am very nervous to serve my mission, but I can't wait to get out there! ( Two more months!)

-I want more than anything to fall in love <3

-My biggest fear is failure

-I will do anything & everything for those I love

-To this day, I still sleep with a teddy bear...

-I have a hard time communicating my true feelings to people

-I have experienced my fair share of trials, and each one has made me STRONGER.

-I have made many mistakes, and learned from every single one.


Telling the truth whether out loud or written down, makes you admit it to others, and most importantly to ourselves. We cannot learn from our mistakes or change things, if we can't even admit them. So, take the time list your truths. It makes you take a step back and really look at yourself and who you really are. :)

Howdy Y'all!

Well today I opened my mission call! I am going to be serving in the Tennessee Knoxville Mission, and I report to the Prove MTC on July 20! I am so excited and absolutely cannot wait! July seems so far away! I know it will go fast, but it still seems like forever!

I couldn't be more thrilled with where I am going to be serving! I have always wanted to be a southern belle, and now i will be able to even if it is only for a year and a half. There is just something about the south that I am drawn too. I hope that I come home with an accent, because I LOVE southern accents!

As I thought about where I might possibly be called, I never thought I would serve in Tennessee, but I am SOO excited. I cannot put into words the feelings that I have felt today. I cannot wait to get in the midst of the people of Tennessee and start serving the Lord. I have never been there, but I am super excited, and have heard it's beautiful.

3 months and one week from now.. But who's counting right?

Sunshine!

Can I just say how much I LOVE the sunshine? i can't even express how happy I was to see the sun today! It has been several days since the sun has really been out, and I can't believe how much different it makes things. People are so much happier when the sun is out, and the world just feels alive!!! I absolutely love this time of year and the world begins to come out of winter, there is so much color and life! It just makes me so happy! I have been sad that we have had so much snow and rain and that we have gotten such a late start of spring, but it just makes me appreciate the sunshine that much more!! I am so grateful that I live in a state that has seasons and that i can enjoy many types of weather, but my favorite is Spring!

I Love to See the Temple!!

"I love to see the Temple,

I am going there someday.

To feel the Holy Spirit,

To Listen and to pray.

For the temple is a house of God,

a place of love and beauty

I'll prepare myself while I am young.

It is my sacred duty."

On Thursday night I was able to go to the temple and do baptisms for the dead with one of my really good friends. I was very excited to go to the temple because it had been quite sometime since I had been, and the Bountiful temple is one of my favorites! I am very grateful to have the opportunity to have so many temples close by. My visit to the temple on Thursday night was short, but exactly what i needed. I have had a rough couple weeks and my head was on overload with so many different things, that I was struggling to really get any clear direction or really anything from my thoughts. After leaving the temple, my mind was very clear and at peace. I didn't receive any big answers to my prayers or have any miraculous experiences, but I got exactly what I needed.. Peace.

I am so very grateful for the temple in my life, and I am so excited for the opportunity I will have shortly, to receive my endowments as I prepare to serve a mission. I am grateful for the peace, comfort, direction, and love that i feel every time I go to the temple. I love that as soon as you enter the grounds, you can feel the change of atmosphere. The temple is truly a very sacred place, and I cannot wait until the day that I will be able to be sealed for time and all eternity in the temple!