"She loved life and it loved her right back"

I know, I know... I need to to write about the Eric Church concert and I promise I will... I actually didn't want to write another blog until I got my pictures on my computer and had written about the concert... But today has just been a great day and I kept feeling like I  need to put this down on paper, or computer.... same difference :)  So today I woke up and went to water aerobics, which is always a great way to start the day.  I came home and read out of the George Albert Smith manual so I could be prepared for next week's lesson.  No big insights of glory, but just a good spiritual boost.  Then I had work this morning.  It was super slow at the beginning, and then all of the sudden hell broke loose and we were packed!!  Lucky enough, there weren't any big parties or big mishaps so that's good!  I made about 70$ which I am MORE then happy and ok with :)  Then it was MOVIE TIME!!!  The theater here has $5.50 movies between 4-5:30, and I  never get to go because I'm working.  But because I had the night off, I was off in time and headed to see "The Lucky One," ha ha I know, what a surprise, and I went by myself :)  So once the movie is over, I'm driving home, just enjoying how beautiful it is outside..  I get to the road towards my house, and decide I wanna go for a walk on the greenway and take pics!! I park and pull out my camera, and it was gorgeous!!!!   And instead of bring my IPod to listen to music, I just decide to walk in silence, which if you know me, I NEVER DO!! I love me some music! :)  But it was nice to enjoy nature, to see how beautiful this world is around me, and appreciate and be grateful, today, for where I am.  I am sitting in my living room right now, doing the same thing; writing this blog, in silence, doors open, windows open and the fan a flowing.  It was such a simple day!  No big events, no life changing, earth shattering moments, no one praising me, no major decisions made, really no one around me, just a day that I enjoyed what was around me...  And how I felt the spirit these last couple of hours..  It just shows me again that these simple moments in life, that's when I feel the Spirit the most. Coincidence? I think absolutely not... And it's these moments that continue to show me how much I LOVE my simple life, when things are about the here and now, not the later..  So I just needed to get this down.  Today was a great day!! AJ, I thought of you while I was taking pictures and hope you'll be proud when you see them :)  Ladi, I thought of you too because I hope once in a while you have days like this too!! We all deserve to have days where we just realize what is important in life and how the simple can make us happy.  President Smith said in the chapter I read today that the greatest library we can have and learn from is the scriptures, this is what will help us to learn how to get back to the celestial kingdom... I feel like I had one of those days where I enjoy life, and look forward to that day of "Paradise" when I'm with those who love me unconditionally and I do them the same.  Until then, I'm going to love life and I KNOW it's going to love me right back :)

Love Y'all

Lil' Miss Lolo <3

(Livin' life & lovin' it, from the South)

It doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone

I'm sure y'all are DYING to hear about my experience at the Eric Church concert, and I promise that will come for sure!!! I just had such an AWESOME weekend!!!!! and that includes church!! It was great!! One thing that I've come to realize, and am kinda starting to be ok with, is that I might not hold a job that makes a lot of money, or makes a huge difference in the world, but that most, if not all of my influence is going to be through the church, so I really need to focus on that..  I love this line for Elder Uchtdorf's "Forget Me Not's" talk. "Our journey towards perfection is long, but we can find wonder and delight in even the tiniest steps in that journey." And though yes, I'm 26 with no degree nor am I married, I am trying to find delight in the small steps that I am making in my life. So right now my life consists of this; going to work, church, church activities, and concerts.. ha ha I LOVE IT!!!!!! But I need more, so I've decided to set goals each month for 4 aspects of my life: temporal, spiritual, physical, and mental...  It was something that I felt I could do each month that, if prayed about and led by the spirit, would help me grow as a  person.  So yesterday at church I thought of the ones I'd like to do for May and here they are!

Spiritual: study my scriptures with real purpose 4x a week

Physical: exercise 3x a week

Emotional: Do 1 craft a week 

Mental: cook one meal a week

I know that these might sound dumb to some people or things that I should obviously be doing, but I know myself well enough to know that I suck at setting goals and actually sticking to them..  So my first craft I'm gonna do is make a poster or card of all my goals for this month, and I'm gonna hang it next to my calendar because it's something I look at every day when I write how much money I made for the day.  I'm pretty stoked and feel real good about this..I've been reading Elder Uchtdorf talk, "Forget Me Nots," and he says some amazing things in there.  " Never stop striving for the best that is within you. Never stop hoping for all of the righteous desires of your heart. But don’t close your eyes and hearts to the simple and elegant beauties of each day’s ordinary moments that make up a rich, well-lived life." "The happiest people I know are not those who find their golden ticket; they are those who, while in pursuit of worthy goals, discover and treasure the beauty and sweetness of the everyday moments. They are the ones who, thread by daily thread, weave a tapestry of gratitude and wonder throughout their lives. These are they who are truly happy."  
 I'm just realizing that I have to create the greatness in my life, it's not just gonna come to me, that I want to be that truly happy person because of the small, simple things in my life, because I'm living in today, instead of the what if's of tomorrow.  So in the eyes of the world, I might not be saving lives, or making a huge difference, but in the eyes of my Heavenly Father and His children, I'm going to be exactly what He needs me to be; His hands...What that's going to mean for me, I'm not sure, but what greater accomplishment in life can there be..... :)

Love Y'all
Lil' Miss Lolo <3
(Livin' life & lovin' it, from the South)

"Sometimes things fall apart so that better things can fall together."

I have to believe this....  Leaving home this time was hard, harder then I ever expected..  I felt sad the whole last day I was there, while saying goodbye to my dad, my mom, my sister, while boarding the plane, while flying back to Tennessee.  I sit here in my room, trying to figure out what to do with my life... I loved my time back in Arizona. Going to concerts, hanging out with the family, seeing some great friends.  If you know me, you know how easily I get bored..  I want to do something with my life that makes a difference, in the community I live in. I want to live in a small town and drive down back roads in my truck, blaring my country music.  I want to work at a radio station and go to country concerts all day every day.  I want to be a wife who adores her husband and is adored as well.  I want to plant a garden and grow my own food.  I want to not worry about the way I look and just love myself unconditionally.  I want to be forgotten by those who think negatively about me.  I want to be remembered by those whom I was able to influence for good.  There's so much that I want in my life, but yet I don't know what to do with my life.  Do I stay in Tennessee, get residency and get that stupid math class out of the way so I can get my AA?  Do I try and find a job that allows me to travel and have fun with my life?  Do I move to Texas because I love rodeos and I've always wanted to live there?  Do I try and find friends that I can just cling on to and go wherever they go?  What do I do with my life?  Why can't I be that kind of person who just knows what she's meant to do, and go with that?  Why do I have to be so fickle, like stuff that I can't build a life in?  Why can't I just like medical stuff and be a nurse so then my future is set and I can always live in a small town?  Why do I have to be the way I am?  Why can't I have a different personality?  Why can't I have different likes?  Maybe my life would be a lot different if I could only like other things...Maybe I should have done what my Dad always said and stuck with sports...Maybe I should have stayed in Tucson and finished at Pima.  There are so many possibilities that I had in life and very different roads that I chose..  Do I regret them?  maybe.. Do I wish my life was different? sometimes...  But why??  I have a job, a place to live, beautiful country around me, my health, my family.  Why can't I just be happy with that?  How do I find my purpose in life?  Maybe I've realized part of it, but because I don't get praise from other people is a reason why I won't just accept it.  My life is simple, and I love simple... So why am I not satisfied?  Why do I feel like I've ruined things?  There can't just be one path in life that we all go, because we have agency and sometimes our choices move us from where we are going.  Our personalities are too complex for us to just do one thing our whole life.  "Sometimes things fall apart so that better things can fall together."  I'm trying to be happy while this is happening, and I'm trying to do what I can to make this happen.  All I can do is enjoy my life, as it is, and be happy.. And I think I am :)

Love Y'all
Lil' Miss Lolo <3
(Livin' life & lovin' it, from the South)

"The times in life, that seem to be the worst, always turn out for the best!"

Man I can't believe how long it has been since I've written in my blog!!! Over a month!!! Crazy how fast time flies by!!! It'll be three months at the end of March that I have been in Tennessee and it really is crazy how fast time flies by!! I'm trying to think about what I have been doing that would be of any interest to y'all..... I've been working a lot and seem to be getting a lot of good shifts, which must mean that they like me and trust me enough so that's good!! I've definitely been making enough money to pay my bills, keep my savings up, while putting a little bit away and still going out and having fun. The thing that I love about here is that Nashville is only 40 minutes away, and a lot of the stuff I go up and do there, like the Blue Bar and Rack Room, which I'll talk about later, don't cost a single thing to get in to!! Mind you, gas continues to go up, but I'm not gonna sit at home and not do anything because of that fact. So there are a couple of local honky tonks that I go to and lately have been going by myself... Fun but not as much fun as it could be.... The other day though, word came through the grapevine while I was on my break at work that Eric Church was in Murfreesboro filming his video for "Springsteen" You better believe I booked it over there.... after many texts and phone calls and missed turns I finally got to the scene!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was being filmed in a house for sale right by this girl I work with.... So I'm waiting there, and Eric Church walks by, but totally doesn't say or look at any of us.... I call my work to see if I can get it off, nope I gotta go.. So I'm pissed but I'm driving away and they're filming him walking and singing, and i was gonna take a picture of him, but he looked at me and gave me a head nod and I couldn't do it!!! Get to work, I'm pissed, in bad mood, it's slow, after an hour my boss let's me go, so I pay people to do my side work and I book it back over there and am there for like 5 hours just watching the video being filmed!! iT was awesome! I got a picture with him, like his face was next to mine but the flash didn't work so i was like screw it!! oh well!! So the next day, I had my exam for math and I totally bombed it... oh well!! ha ha That night I went to the Blue Bar and Rack Room, and met up with a friend, Kristen that I had met a couple weeks before there. She's actually a singer/songwritter but she's way nice and fun to hang out with.. Anyways, usually on Wednesday night some pretty good people play. Trent Tomilson played and he has ome hits on the radio and she gets a list of who's playing that week, and she told me JOSH THOMPSON was gonna be there, and I was just talking to AJ the day before about how I really wanted to see him, and how she's taking Braun to see him... anyways so I go there and we are at the table right in front of the stage... it's super small, real intimate, bar mainly accoustic sets are played.. so he gets on and there's this song I love of his, "Down Homegrown," look it up and if you know me, you'll understand why I like it. I found it on Youtube and I shouted out twice for him to play it and both times he was totally talked to me!! "who are you? where are you from? are you from around here? how do you know that song?" ha ha it was awesome hahaSo I've definitely been having a blast here, to say the least. I'm gonna look into horseback riding lessons too so that should be fun!! I love it here, but it's real hard to be so far away from the singles and my friends that I've made at church. And it doesn't matter where I go, certain insecurities follow me... I try my best to not let them affect me, because I know people have other trials that are FAR worse then anything i've had to deal with and I think about how selfish and immature I am to complain about things in my life, when everything is going so well! Except for small things. One of my good friends here sent me this text tonight and it really hit me: "You are great!! Life is wonderful!! Don't be blah you are crazy for not being super confident and whatever! Gosh it's people like you that go far because you are crazy incredible so embrace it lady! I'm serious. You have so much potential." She's actually in the entertainment industry and when she said it's people like me that go far, it made me think, why am I not going far? Why am I not accomplishing everything I want, things that I have control over? Am I the kinda person that could succeed in the music industry, and go far? Could I actually make my dreams come true, at least the dreams that I have control of... what's holding me back from this potential that soooo many people see in me.. And how do I grasp on to this potential and make it reality? That is a huge fear I have in my life, is that I'm going to not live up to my potential, and fulfill what I'm meant to do in this life, especially with choices I've made, or a lack of confidence I have... I really don't know why I lack confidence so much... Being here in Tennessee has really shown me the complexes that I have acquired from my past, and they definitely are paralyzing me, making me afraid for how the future might be. I just want to be some incredible and someone who uses the gifts she's been given to be incredible and help those around me.. I want so bad while I'm here to figure out what direction the Lord wants me to take, where he wants me to end up in life, especially with certain parts of my blessing.. I'm tired of getting the feeling that I can do whatever I want and it'll be ok.... I want to have certain and clear direction as to where the Lord needs me in order for me to become my best and to help others do the same... But feeling the way I do about my insecurities isn't going to help me fulfill that desire... I know that I have soooo much to learn while I'm here and that these days are creating my future, but I want it to be a great one, one where I live up to my potential and am not worried about being what the world wants me to be, but being who the Lord needs me to be.

Love Y'all

Lil' Miss Lolo <3

(Livin' life & lovin' it, from the South)

Country girl or Redneck Woman?

TRACTOR PULLS & BUCKING BULLS

That has been the most exciting parts of my life the last couple weeks ha ha... I'm still working, but it's been so slow, so I'm trying to budget my money better, ha ha but I splurged a little for these two. Bull riding and tractor and truck pulls.

BULL RIDING:

Oh my gosh, let me just tell you have freaking fun this was!!!!!!!

ere hootin' and hollerin' all night long!! I even won a hat 'cause I was one of the best dancers there.. oh yup! :) And I say we were noticed because the announcers on Saturday night turned around and said, " they let you back in?" ha ha why yes, yes they did Mr. Announcer!! And then Saturday night, my friend Lenzie and I went to this after party for all the cowboys and we talked to some of them, and almost all of them mentioned that they had seen us, both nights, dancing and cheering up in the stands. PERFECT!! So bull riding in person is CRAZY!!!!! Mom, I don't know who you're gonna do it 'cause being that close to the action almost caused me to have a panic attack!! It was way intense!! This is me sitting in front of the arena, waiting for the show to start!! There were 40 riders there, and this was actually the SEBRA National Finals!! Crazy!! It was cool how they opened it up.!!!!!!!!!! It wasn't nearly as packed as the tractor pull, but it was way more fun!!!!!!! I went with Tamie and Heather the first night, and then Tamie and my friend Lenzie the next. It was awesome!!!! We definitely made our presence known.. ha ha :) We w

They announced all the riders and had them stand in this V shape

that they had lit on fire!! ha ha it was crazy!! There was this one guy there who has qualified for the PBR 9 times!!!!! So ya, he's kinda a big deal :) I wasn't able to get a real good picture of the opening, so you'll have to settle with this -----> this was it beginning to light on fire.. and then this is when the guys were standing in it--->

It was sweet!! They all were very different, but they has some sweet chaps!!!!! We watched a 11 and 12 year old buckin' on a bull....

There's not much to say about it.... just let you look at the pictures, though not very good, they're still pictures!! Look at those boys' chaps!!! OW OW!!! And I can't help but laugh when they practice!!
I think I was in my own personal heaven :) :) :)

So they definitely weren't PBR bulls but still some good rides!!! I absolutely loved it!!!!!!!! It was awesome!!!!!!! It was a bummer 'cause there wasn't more people there but fine by me! We got some rockin' seats!!! Now these were the cowboys and such. On to the rednecks and hillbilies for sure!!!! I wasn't sure I was going to go to the pull because I worked that day and was super tired.... I finally decided I would and figured it was gonna be like this, not super packed and I could get there late and not have to worry about traffic or parking......uhhhh ya no!!!!!!! IT WAS PACKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND THERE WERE TRUCKS EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!!! and all I wanted to do was say screw the pull, let's get into one of these trucks and go mudding!! It had been raining all day and the ground was perfect for it!!! But of course, I don't have a truck, I have my hippie lesbian car and I don't know anyone with a truck so i just went into the pull. I had to park far away in some wet gross, and hoped that I would get out! ha ha obviously I did :) And the collisium was packed!!!! I really had no idea what was going on or what was so exciting about it, but the trucks were wayyyyy hot!!!! Definitely liked those ha ha :) And it was extremely loud!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't believe that people brought their babies and kids to this!! Rednecks are just born for this I guess :) I don't have much to say about it 'cause I went by myself and just enjoyed the scenery... here are some pics!

I served them at work today and they won their division!! yah! :)This tractor caught on fire when pulling... that was crazy!!And then my night was made when Mr. Mullet man walked out!!

So it wasn't a bad night at all, just need to learn a little bit more about this Southern love. The moral of this blog is though the tractor pull had some hot trucks, and hot boys around, I would choose bull riding any day!!!! Looks like I really am more of a country girl then a redneck woman :)

Love Y'all

Lil' Miss Lolo <3

(Livin' life & lovin' it, from the South)

It's the LITTLE things that make a HUGE difference

It’s 12:12 at night and I am still awake. I’m watching the news, as the weather continues to get worse and the storms get closer to where I live. I do feel scared but not really worried.. I know it’s not my time to die, but that doesn’t mean that things aren’t going to be hard. This is something I’ve never had to deal with; a tornado… The other night the weather was crazy!!! I never once opened my eyes, but my eyes were lit up from the lightening, and my house was shaken by the thunder. With pluses, always must come minuses, and this is a huge one here in Tennessee. As I sit here writing this, watching the weather get worse and worse, all I can think about is my family, and how much I miss each and every one of them. I miss Ladi and her crazy accents, never judging me, only loving me, even knowing my secrets and imperfections. I miss Adam and his bluntness, but only because he loves me and wants what’s best for me. I miss Damien and his humor, making situations lighter, but being an anchor for our family during the hard times. I miss Amee and the way she thinks of others, hoping and wanting to make them happy. I miss Ellie and the way she tries to get people involved in things with her. I miss Brigg and how he cares about other people. I miss Cason and his sweet eyes that are too young to know anything but love. I miss AJ and her determination to make sure everyone else is happy, even if she isn’t . I miss Braun, who is just himself, and allows and loves my sister and our family for who we are. I dearly miss my siblings, and their families, but most of all, I miss my best friends. I miss Mom and Dad. Not for the free food, or free rent, or free couch I slept on. I miss their company. I miss them just loving me!!

I miss Daddy….. I love that I’ve been able to see him more as a person this last year of living with him. Being able to be around him when the stress is gone, or at least he handles it better has been amazing. I’ve learned to not only love him more, but to actually like him, to respect him and see him as a friend, someone I can rely on and tell things to, knowing no matter what he will ALWAYS love me and ALWAYS be proud of me. And when he says it, you know he means it because he wants to make sure you understand he means it. I love you Daddy.

Mommy, I don’t even know what to say about her….. Though she might have opinions about us, she never judges us. My mom is my best friend. She knows more about me than anyone, and she still loves me unconditionally, never judging any of my choices. She realizes that people need support in order to change, and though she might not like or approve some of our choices, all she wants is us to be happy. And she never wants us to be like anyone us. She loves the people her children are and just wants us to be happy, to be us. I miss all of you!! It’s really the little things that make a huge difference, that make us a family. And we may not be perfect, but you’re all perfect for me. J

Love y'all

Lil' Miss Lolo <3

(Livin' life and lovin' it from the South)

“And we all were, for a moment, Southern by the grace of God.”

“Hey ya’ll welcome to Chili’s, my name is Lolo and I’m gonna be takin’ care of ya today.”

That’s right!!!! I’m officially a ChiliHead!

I am so grateful to have been able to get a job... There have been so many tender mercies from the Lord since I've been here, and I thank Him every time I see one.… Obviously it’s a serving job and I’ve served before, but never in a place like this! I’ve been doing my first week of training at Chili’s and it’s quite overwhelming. There’s so much to remember ‘cause the menu is huge!! And I’m use to serving in upscale restaurants, and Chili’s is definitely NOT like that! Haha They literally train you to kneel down at tables, sit town at the tables, pretty much make they feel at home. It’s nice ‘cause I’m able to show my personality, but I haven’t gotten to that point yet where I’m comfortable with doing that because of places I use to serve at. I’m still not a huge fan of their food but they do have some good choices! And each day we’ve been training, they let us try some of the food…. Here’s a sample:




No I didn’t eat that by myself, but I probably could have. And let me remind you that this is my 4th day of training, which means that there are 3 other days of meals that are just like this that I've been eating........





I really need to join a freaking gym ‘cause I will get fat because of this place!! I’ve been running outside, but the weather is getting WAYYYY too cold for my little Arizona self can deal with!! But I’m resourceful, so I’ll figure it out... But back to my heifer self and work. It’s been good so far.. Anyone who has worked in a restaurant knows the atmosphere that is there, not always the best language and conversations. Today I was trained by a girl name Faith. She’s 24 and she has a 4 year and a 10 month old, two different fathers. And then I worked with another girl, almost 30, divorced with 2 kids, who moved here from Texas because her ex moved here after the divorce. So needless to say, the morning shift has mothers. No matter their circumstances, they all are mothers, which means, for the most part, they are mature, understand the meaning of hard work and being able to provide for their families. They know how to work together in order for everyone to succeed. I really like working with them.
So these Southerners are something different. They are constantly calling you babe, sweetie, hunny, miss (insert name here), mam, sir, fixin’,bless yer heart, and so on. They also have weird tastes like fried bolongia, ranch with their chips, and I’ll keep you updated on the food. One thing that is so true is that Southern hospitality with those accents. It doesn’t matter who they’re talking about, what they’re saying, you can’t help but think they are just the “sweetest people.” (in that accent you all know and love) I swear on my life that they can literally get away with ANYTHING because of that accent!!! It’s insane!! But they do say “gurl” a lot and ya’ll know how much I love that word!! Who knows, maybe I will have a lil’ accent when I return home :) ha ha probably not… but I do have a friend Tamie, who lived in Arizona for the last 5 years, then moved here in June and has an accent.



Speaking of Tamie, that’s me and her! ----->>>




She’s awesome! 31 and lives in Murfreesboro. I met her through my roommate and I’m so glad I did! We have a lot of fun together, and she loves when I sing, “Red Solo Cup.” She says it just warms her heart! We very much enjoy just going out and not worrying about anything but being ourselves and enjoying our life! We have a lot of great conversations and she’s someone that I am truly grateful for here in Tennessee. And she’s also down for going to concerts w/ me!!!! She spent $200 to go see the best cellist in the world!! So she’s my kinda girl! :)

And speaking of concerts, I just bought myself a ticket to go see 2 of my FAVORITE artists who are touring together, ERIC CHURCH AND BRANTLEY GILBERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

don't judge, just love :)

You better believe I’m excited, but it was short lived because I then watched the last episode of “Extreme Home Make Over” and they went to Joplin, Missouri and I felt so selfish for spending money and being ungrateful and wanting to much, that I didn’t need, when people that needed so much, wanted so little…. That’s for another day, but I realized that sometimes you have to forget about the troubles of the world and of your life, and just live. Do something for others, but don’t ever forget to do something for yourself :)

Love y’all

Lil’ Miss Lolo <3

(livin' life and lovin' it!! from the South)