To Begin....

This is my first every attempt at blogging, and to be honest I needed somewhere that I could put some of the things I learn every day and hope that someone can learn and be uplifted like I was. The reason I named my blog lollipops and lemon drops is because of something I learned from one of my companions while I was serving my mission. When I first met this companion I was only a few months from returning home and some days I was less than enthused about the work we were doing. This companion helped me have a better perspective. She was always happy and positive even when we had a terrible, no good, very bad day. She helped me see that every day there are lollipops-those good experiences that make life worth living. I helped her remember that it is OK to have lemon drop days and that lemon drops are sour before they are sweet. We learned a lot from each other. So, that's the background story.

The past couple of weeks I have been acutely reminded of how our dumb mistakes tend to catch up with us, but that we are never alone when they finally do. There is always a best friend or a mom or a roommate that is there to help us remember who we are now and that our mistakes do not define us. They can just point us in different directions. It's gotten me thinking about where I want to go and who I really want to be. There comes a time when everyone has to decide...really decide....where they want to end up and who they want to be when they get there. On my mission I learned that there are few things that come easy in this life, but it all gets a whole lot easier when we remember the ultimate goal. For me, that ultimate goal is returning to live with my Father in Heaven. Why do I want to end up there with someone I haven't even seen face to face? Because I know that He loves me and I want to end up somewhere I am loved no matter the mistakes I made or how many times I tripped and totally face planted it. Who do I want to be when I get there? I want to be the best version of myself. How will that happen? By making mistakes, learning from them, loving the people in my life and learning from them and remembering that it is the journey and the forks we choose to take define us.
How do your choices define you?

Well, I think that is all for my very first attempt, and I am excited to keep writing and sharing!