The Story of The Frequent Flyers

Alright so here we go. I have lately been hanging out with some friends. One of them wanted me to post about them but specifically instead of just saying friends. We are pretty much an awesome group. We do things every weekend and usually have people come in and out. Sometimes they hang with us and other times they don't. We evolve so I am only going to mention the frequent fliers if you will:
Jason Hall: Jason Hall pretty much loves sports. He also makes really good treats and always wants to go out of Utah County or go out somewhere so we can meet people. So now we tend to try to go an adventure.
Jason K.: This Jason loves the games. If you mention that at the party "Bang" will be there, he comes. He pretty much keeps us all sane. He was the one I mentioned that came to all the Superbowl parties with me and also makes some pretty epic suggestions for going out to eat every weekend.
Megan Brooks: Megan is pretty much one of the coolest girls I have ever met. She is way down to Earth and has an amazing laugh. She makes delicious cookies (if I do say so myself) and never forgets you. She loves doing service for others whether that is throwing a surprise party or just doing something nice in general. She is there for you. She is also very good at match making. At least we all think so.
Heather Stembridge: I consider Heather a frequent flyer even though she comes off and on. She loves doing a whole plethura of stuff with us and is the one who goes about anywhere with you. She never complains and is someone who anyone can trust. She is also very good at supplying us with good conversation.
Jacob Bradshaw: He is the quiet but fun one. Jacob will sing Disney with me and pretty much just supply our group with some comedy relief. He is very good at coming when asked and is very good at disappearing at times when only one person knows where he is which is Jordin (his girlfriend).
Jordin Christensen: Jordin is pretty much one where you don't know what she is going to come up with next. She is really energetic and full of life. She supplies us with new games every now and again and will also bring anything to a party. She is dating Jacob and the whole group loves it so at times she isn't present because she is with Jacob.
Matt B.: Matt is one where you don't know if he will be in or out. He also might join up with you later. You never know with this guy but if he is there he is there. Matt doesn't mess around. Matt also enjoys "Bang". This is the frequent flyers. We have a lot of people who join us every now and again and we love when they do. It is a fun group and the coolest part is we all come from different backgrounds so each of us bring a lot to the table. I hope I did them all justice. If I didn't I am sure I will hear about it soon. :)

Superbowl and Mom Missing!

My dad had his Superbowl party again this year. He planned for weeks and invited about 15 people. Then a friend of mine and his wife threw another Superbowl party. So I went Superbowl hopping and Jason agreed to go with me on this grand adventure. The first party was my friend and his wife where the food was amazingly good! I didn't really want to leave. He had pulled pork and so much more that we missed because we then went to my father's party. Everyone was there: Rachel, Jordan, Madison, Paul, Royal, Trevor, Steven, Kristi, Lisa, Lori, Robert, Rachel & Chris (Kristi and Steven's friends),Andrew, Stephanie, Mom, Dad, Jason, and me! (Sorry if I missed anyone). :) My mom got a bunch of goodies and Steven grilled his famous chicken and there were drinks and goodness! :) After we ate some of us didn't want to watch the superbowl: Steven, Mom, Me, Jason, Andrew, and Stephanie learned how to play a really fun game that Steven taught us. It was a really fun game and we ended up playing  from 5-10 pm with only a short break to make Brownies! :) The Brownies were delicious thanks to Jason and I because we are brownie experts. If you ever need Brownies let me know.
Now to the sadness. The next day we said goodbye to my mom. She got on a jet plane and left us for a whole week! WHAT THE HECK?! :) She went to Oregon to visit Debbie! I was super sad I couldn't go with her. I also miss her cooking. Last night my dad had eggs and hashbrowns while I had a sandwich.  It also has been really quiet in the house. I was so occupied last night with FHE, homework, and sleep that it wasn't very loud. I am really grateful for my mom and that she is such a major part of my life that when she is gone I miss her. I miss talking to her and just having another girl in the house. There is a lot of Testosterone.
School is school. There isn't much to say about it. I have a couple night classes which is hard but I am getting through it and love all my professors. i am presenting at 2 conferences now which is amazing for a student to be able to do that. Both are statewide conferences for health professionals. One is up in Logan and the other is up in Salt Lake. I am really nervous but so excited I get this opportunity. I signed up for the CHES exam and now have to mail my transcripts to them. I can't believe that I am graduating in April. It is crazy insane! I love my ward. I have enjoyed being in Activities and planning those activities for my ward. I love my friends. They have helped me so much in life lately. They check up on me and we pretty much do something every weekend which is fun for me to stay busy. I love my institute classes and love going. It has been hard because on Thursday's I have been dealing with insurance companies. This week is a very slow one for me which will be nice instead of the craziness of last week. Thanks for Reading! Love you all! :)

Sickness, School, and Snow OH MY!

Will the snow ever stop?! I don't know how much longer of this snow I can take. Trust me I love the snow. I love building snowmen, sledding, and running around in it but why can't it stay off the roads and sidewalks?! That would make my life a whole lot easier. :) Just kidding. I am actually happy for the snow because that means there will be lots of water for surfing and tubing this summer with my family! So I can't complain really. Plus I am excited for Friday when I can actually go out and play in it.  I haven't been able to really enjoy it this time around because of my crazy school schedule. 
Sickness is being passed to everyone this time of year. My dad, mom, sister, and I were all sick this week and last. Then some of my friends ended up sick. It is like a plague! :) Luckily we are all on the mend and I am so excited for this weekend for my father's annual Superbowl party. It should be pretty epic! 
School is intense. Everyone told me senior year would be the easiest well you are wrong. Senior year is by far my hardest year of school. I love my professors especially Mary Brown who has helped me get so much farther in academia then I thought I could go. I am presenting not only at UCUR in a few weeks up at Utah State (so you peeps up that way we need to do something or come see me or something!:))  I am also presenting at HEAU which is a health education conference that is held in salt lake this year. It is a pretty big deal. It is all the health educators from across the state that come so this is the time for networking. I am so excited for all these opportunities. Group work still sucks! I am in this group that I am like the mother who has to tell them exactly what to do and when. It is annoying and tiring but good experience for the real world! I love working at the Health and Wellness Center. I have 2 clients this semester and have loved working with them. I tutor part time now which is nice. I have loved having some extra cash to spend so I don't have to rely on my parents as much anymore. I can't believe I am graduating in April! It is craziness! I am going to miss the mentoring friends I have made, professors who I love, and the classes that I have taken. 
I have been so blessed in my life. I keep getting blessed and I feel like I don't really deserve it at times. I owe my Heavenly Father so much! He has given me great friends, family, and people in my life to steer me in the right direction. I am excited for everything my life holds. I did get an interview for an EFY counselor position for the summer but I don't think I am going to get it. Not because the interview went bad but because I have a feeling that there is something waiting for me this summer so I need to be patient and realize it is all in the Lords timing. This is going to be a crazy semester but I can't wait to move forward to the next stage of my life. Which is graduate school and working. Unless God changes those plans for something better. ;) 

Happiness Post

I have been reading this book I got from the Health and Wellness center at UVU. I have been doing my internship there and this last semester got to do some one-on-one coaching. My client signed up for the Happiness course that is based of  the book I am currently reading called Be Happy by: Robert Holden. When I took my client through this course I started out as a critic thinking this course would never help her become happy or help her become happier. I can say that there was a true change in her. She became happier over the weeks of this course. After I met with her for the last time she asked me what I learned from teaching the course. This question through me off but I told her that I learned what true happiness is and how many of us lack true happiness. I told her I discovered my own barriers to happiness. My boss challenged me to read the book that the course was based on and go through the course by myself to help them see any flaws to their course or if they needed to add anything. 
Well I have been reading the book and was again very skeptical of it at first but I have discovered a lot about myself and what happiness is. He is not LDS but he has a whole chapter on the spiritual path and health of individuals. It is amazing how much it aligns with the gospel. The section I read tonight really helped me see what I need to work on and I hope it causes an eye opening experience to those who read this post. He starts of this section of the book by talking about why we suffer. He says: "When you forget who you are, you forget what happiness is. And when you forget what happiness is, you suffer." He then talks about how people try to discover who they really are. The first way is the search. He talks about how this search for happiness is denial of happiness. He says: "For as long as you deny the joy of your being, your ego and your personality will never be completely satisfied or pleased with the world....You only search for that which you fear you do not have, or for that which you are not yet willing to accept that you have already. The truth is, you are what you seek." Happiness is already with us and we will only discover it when we call off the search for happiness. So I have learned by just this first way that I have been searching for happiness or think that I will achieve happiness when I am married, graduated, and working. In reality I won't find it there because it is already with me. None of these things will satisfy me either because "it is impossible to find happiness for as long as you overlook your true nature." So as of tonight I am calling off the search for happiness because I already have it. This post is super long so I will write more later this week or on sunday.

Who Am I?

I decided to post again since I don't post very often. I recently went to see Les Miserables with 2 of my guyfriends. I love the song Who Am I that Jean Valjean sings when Javert thinks they found Jean Valjean and apologizes to the real Jean Valjean about wanting to arrest him. Once Jean Valjean leaves he sings this song about how could he condemn this man to slavery but yet if he doesn't then his workers won't survive. My favorite lines in the song are: "Must I lie? How can I ever face my fellow men? How can I ever face myself again? My soul belongs to God, I know I made that bargain long ago. He gave me hope when hope was gone. He gave me strength to journey on. Who am I? Who am I? I am Jean Valjean."
These lines ring so true to me. I have fallen short of who I am and wasn't sure if I could face myself again. I give and have given God my soul and He truly gave me hope when hope was gone. He constantly gives me strength to journey on because of this fact I know who I am. I am Chelsea Newsome, a Daughter of God, which no one can take that knowledge from me. I am grateful for this knowledge because even though I don't know what the future knows God does. He is constantly guiding me to where He needs and wants me to be. I trust Him because of the strength He has given me and the hope.

Weaknesses

This Christmas Break I have learned a lot about myself through my weaknesses. I have had amazing friends and family who have been there for me and helping me understand myself in ways I didn't think possible. This break I was diagnosed with Mono and had an enlarged spleen. One of my friends and I started talking about the emotional ties to sicknesses and what triggered the mono. He talked to me about different emotional triggers. He has this book of sicknesses and the emotional triggers to each one. I realized that I didn't get mono from someone else but I got mono from myself. I have been through a lot of tough things lately and felt lost. I am so grateful I knew who to turn to. I turned to God. I let Him carry my burdens & trials. I finally let Him and my family and friends in to help me. I have realized that I have many weaknesses that can be turned to strengths. I don't regret any choices I have made. They have helped me become a stronger person. I know that God is there. I know He loves us. No matter what we have done He will always love us and wants us to let Him in. 
So this friend of mine then started to talk to me about essential oils and which ones will help me with my mono and help my body balance itself back out. It helps your spirit and body become one. I have started rubbing essential oils on since yesterday I have felt a lot better. I know a lot of you are thinking it is all in my head, but I believe my body and spirit were out of sync with each other. I hope this makes sense. I am still really out of it and my brain is groggy. 
School starts next week as well. It is my last semester of school for a year. I am uber excited and also very nervous. My whole life I have been very dedicated to my education. It is going to be interesting to not start in the fall again. I have also come to love being a mentor and don't want to give that up. Luckily for me I know that with each end to something there is always something better around the corner. I am applying to be an EFY counselor and should finish that up this week and hopefully will be a counselor this summer. I feel like that is my "mission." I have wanted to be an EFY counselor since I was 14 and went  to EFY. I also want to tell my mom, dad, sister, brothers (Jordan this includes you), and sister-n-laws how grateful I am to each of you. You never give up on me and have always been right beside me supporting me. Thank you all so much for everything! I love all of you. :)

God Is There

So tonight is one of the hardest nights I have had in a long time probably since September. I felt trapped. My parents didn't want me to leave the house cause the roads were bad. My friends couldn't come get me and I felt so stuck. I didn't want to be at home. I didn't really want to be anywhere. So I went outside and read my scriptures on the porch watching the snow and reading. The scripture I read was exactly what I needed. I then decided to walk in the newly fallen snow and talk to God. He let me vent to Him of everything I didn't like in my life. I was wondering what I was doing wrong. He simply responded nothing. You need to have patience. I told Him that patience was hard and He told me it will get better. I asked Him why I couldn't be what the world marks as beautiful and He said cause you are beautiful to me and that's what matters. He also reminded me of those men in my life who find me attractive. He told me to trust in His timing. I know it is easier said than done but it just felt good to know someone was listening. I am not saying that everything will be perfect now but I know that He is there, listening. God wants us to talk to Him but He won't force himself upon us. God knows how our life will turn out. He knows the end so we need to trust Him. I am grateful to know I am doing nothing wrong but not having trust and patience.
I am grateful for this gospel. I am grateful for my blessings. Yes I have some hard times but in the end it is just a crease in the fold of time. God loves us. That's all that matters.