101 Happy People Project #4

So this one was simple. My FAVORITE (geography)teacher Mrs Maygren, has been out for like 2 weeks in the hospital, and so today she came back, and I brought her flowers from my garden and a note saying: Welcome back! We missed you! Love you Mrs Maygren!!!
Her face lit up so brightly I needed sunglasses. :)

101 Happy People Project #3

In the morning in my school cafeteria my friend Jillian and I paid for the next person in line's (random person's) breakfast! You should've seen the look on the lunch lady's face! Love it!!!

Smile poem :)

Found this in a chicken soup book.
Love it!!!
:) here you go:
A poem called "Smile":
"She smiled at a sorrowful stranger.
The smile seemed to make him feel better.
He remembered the past kindness of a friend.
and wrote a thank-you letter.
The friend was so pleased with the thank-you
that he left a large tip after lunch.
The waitress, surprised by the size of the tip,
bet the whole thing on a hunch.
The next day she picked up her winnings,
and gave part to a man on a street.
The man on the street was grateful;
for two days he'd had nothing to eat.
After he finished his dinner,
he left for his small dingy room.
(He didn't know at that moment
that he might be facing his doom.)
On the way he picked up a shivering puppy
and took him home to get warm.
The puppy was very grateful
to be in out of the storm.
That night the house caught on fire.
The puppy barked the alarm.
He barked 'til he woke the whole household
and saved everybody from harm.
One of the boys that he rescued
grew up to be President.
All this because of a simple smile
that hadn't cost a cent

101 Happy People Project #2

So excited! I did my second 101 happy people project today! I especially loved this one because I was able to do it anonymously! We got two dollars and a post it note and stuck it to the vending machine at my high school. We wrote, "Here you go. Have a great day! :)" on it. It was hidden so that you could only see it of you bent over to type in the numbers for you food item.
So we went back to the cafeteria and waited by a window. Person after person walked by it, each time faking us out, until this girl and her friend found it. Their faces were priceless! They totally lit up and got HUGE smiles on their faces! They just made my day!

101 Happy People Project #1

Okay, so I am so excited! I finally got around to starting my 101 happy people project. This is how i keep the dollar bills on me at all times... With my phone! and it began with girl scout cookies! Thin mints to be exact! :)
So we were at the grocery store and decided to buy a box and wait for the 'perfect' person to walk through the door. Person after person walked by and we couldn't decide. after a while we decided to just give it to anybody, but the next two people who came out both said they couldnt eat sugar! It was getting harder then we thought to give away free cookies!
Finally we saw an oriental lady picking up plastic bottles in front, walking towards us! We could tell she didn't speak English, or not very well. We walked up to her and handed it to her and said, "Would you like some cookies for free?"
Her eyes lighting up were priceless. She looked at me so warmly. I can't get that moment out of my mind! Love it! Anyway, that wasn't even the best part! She smiled. And her smile was BEAUTIFUL! And the thing that got me was that, it wasn't a #1 dentist favorite smile, she had missing and rotting teeth. But it somehow was still beautiful. :D
Wow, this left me feeling SO good! I seriously love serving people!

Surprising facts YOU didn't know about FACEBOOK

-More than 400 million active users
-50% of our active users log on to Facebook in any given day
-More than 35 million users update their status each day
-More than 60 million status updates posted each day
-More than 3 billion photos uploaded to the site each month
-More than 5 billion pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photo albums, etc.) shared each week
-More than 3.5 million events created each month
-More than 3 million active Pages on Facebook
-More than 1.5 million local businesses have active Pages on Facebook
-More than 20 million people become fans of Pages each day
-Pages have created more than 5.3 billion fans

Average User:

-Average user has 130 friends on the site (this was especially surprising since I have over 600)
-Average user sends 8 friend requests per month Average user spends more than 55 minutes per day on Facebook
-Average user clicks the Like button on 9 pieces of content each month
-Average user writes 25 comments on Facebook content each month
-Average user becomes a fan of 4 Pages each month
-Average user is invited to 3 events per month
-Average user is a member of 13 groups International Growth
-More than 70 translations available on the site
-About 70% of Facebook users are outside the United States
-Over 300,000 users helped translate the site through the translations application

Platform:

-More than one million developers and entrepreneurs from more than 180 countries
-Every month, more than 70% of Facebook users engage with Platform applications
-More than 500,000 active applications currently on Facebook Platform
-More than 250 applications have more than one million monthly active users
-More than 80,000 websites have implemented Facebook Connect since its general availability in December 2008
-More than 60 million Facebook users engage with Facebook Connect on external websites every month
Two-thirds of comScore’s U.S. Top 100 websites and half of comScore’s Global Top 100 websites have implemented Facebook Connect Mobile
-There are more than 100 million active users currently accessing Facebook through their mobile devices.
-People that use Facebook on their mobile devices are twice more active on Facebook than non-mobile users.
-There are more than 200 mobile operators in 60 countries working to deploy and promote Facebook mobile products


Here's the Facebook logo:

Sunset

I love this Earth!
K, dont want to freak you out thinking I'm some crazy earth freak but this pic is GORGOUS! I saw a glimpse of this out of my window, and literally RAN outside with my phone to take a picture! I see this and think, wow. God truly loves us. A lot.

Did you use the fatify app?

Okay, so I'll make this fast. But this is a HILARIOUS story! This morning before school Megan was on Facebook and saw a picture of spencer and said, "oh hey, did they use the fatify app on this."
Then it was SUPER awkward and someone slowly said, "No..."
Then meg started scrambling to recover, but there's not really anyway to take that back. Good thing Spencer wasn't there! (and will hopefully never find out!) this experience really hit home on watching what we say. :) hope this helps you somehow. Lol
With all my love,
Brooki

Loving Ourselves

Today I gave a talk in church :) I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Since there is Valentines Day on Tuesday, my topic was on love. Here it is:
Talk: Love
So with valentines being on Tuesday, my talk is on love. At first I thought sweet! This'll be easy. But then I tried to get some stuff down on paper and realized how broad the topic is. Since our church is centered on Jesus Christ, I looked to His life an realized everything He said and did was centered on love. My plan was to find a conference talk and base my talk on that, so I searched love and love has been mentioned 2792 times in general conference. Love is HUGE!
So then I started thinking about the ten commandments, and the first is to love God and the second is to love thy neighbor as thyself.
When the Savior was asked to name the greatest commandment, He did not hesitate. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind," He said. "This is the first and great commandment." (Matthew 22:37, 38.)
These two things are talked about a lot, loving God and loving your neighbor. And serving God through serving your neighbor, but sometime we skip over the "as thyself" part. Before we are in a position to love our neighbors, we have to love ourselves. We shouldn't go around hugging ourselves, but we need to love ourselves and know who we are.
I can't tell you how many times I have given someone a compliment, and have them respond, "No, no that's not..." and totally deny it. That's NOT being humble, that's degrading yourself, and putting yourself down. Being humble is when you accept a compliment with 'thank you' and in your mind silently thank our Heavenly Father for whatever it is. We did an activity at Be the Best You camp a few years ago, when the speaker was giving a talk kind of like this, and we were supposed to turn to our neighbor and give them a compliment and our neighbor was supposed to say, "thank you" and give them a compliment back. And they warned us not to respond with" No, no that's not true" or anything like that. And Hannah was sitting next to me, and she turned to me and said, "Brooke, your take really good notes for all the speakers," and the first words that came out of my mouth were, "What?! No I don't" and then I realized my mistake and I was shocked that two seconds after they had warned us about that, I did it! Apparently I wasnt taking good enough notes. ;)
There is great power in knowing who we are. And letting Heavenly Father love us too. We don't have to be worthy of Heavenly Fathers love. When we know and accept who we are it gives us power. We are all a son or daughter of God. We receive power from Him when we look to him.
This reminds me of Moses when Satan tempted him and called him son of Man, and Moses pretty much replied, "Who are you calling son of man? I am a son of God.
He totally knew who he was and loved himself, and because of that he was in a position to help the children of Israel escape Egypt and helped them for 40 years in the wilderness.
I'd like to bear my testimony that I know how important love is. I know that our Savior's love for us is amazing, and I am so grateful for the infinite atonement. I know that in order to fulfill the second greatest commandment, we must first love ourselves. I love our Savior with all my heart! In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Smile Flyer :)

I love this picture!!! I got this great idea to make a bunch and tape them all over my city! But, I know there are laws and all that. So, the only problem is that I don't know if the law about it just keeps you from posting it for one day (and then having to take it down) or you cant at all, or I'd there is a fine or what not. Anyways, I seriously love this and I'll get back to you guys on what I can do about the law situation and how strict is is! :)

Cage fighting (Funny!)

Okay, so, while I am working out the details for my own 101 happy people project, I want to share this hilarious story with you!!

So, today in English class, we are talking about Balck History month and Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. So, we are all supposed to think of our own dream. It could be personal (like getting a job and going to college) or for the country (like the USA's economy getting better) or it could be for the world (like world peace.

Then Ms. Lawler was asking us all to share our dreams (my dream is to be the frat woman president of the United States :) ). So she asked this girl (who sits in the WAY back, so maybe that's why she couldnt hear her too wel...) anyways, the girl says, "kids fighting" meaning to stop all fighting, prob under the category of world or USA.

And Ms Lawler thought she said CAGE FIGHTING! Lol! So, you could tell she was surprised and was trying not to embarrass this fashionista of a girl. And a group of guys started snickering (who wouldn't right?!)

But then ms lawler got all defensive, like, "there will be NO DREAM MAKING FUN OF IN MY CLASSROOM! Or you'll go straight to the Office!!!"

So, I was trying SUPER HARD not to laugh as my teacher listed five steps to become a pro cage fighter!!

Step 1: "get the courage to go in that cage and FIGHT! It's scary right?"
Step 2: "train and condition your body in the good shape"

(meanwhile the poor girl is blushing sooo bad and can't seem to work up the courage to tell her what she actually said! )

Step 3: "practice makes permanent"
Step 4: "get a manager"
Step 5: "FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!"

This poor girl! We were laughing about it later though! :)

Hope this gave you a good laugh!!!!!
Have a great day!
-Brooki
:)

101 Happy People Project

Okay, do I discovered this guy who found 100 dollar bill and decided to spend it on 100 different people. Here's his story from the New Era Magazine:

It was just a piece of paper on the ground. Geoff was on his nightly run and almost ran right past it, but something prompted him to stop and pick it up. Bending down, he saw the note, which read, "Pick me up. I'm yours!" When he opened the note, he found a big surprise. Inside was a $100 bill and a note that read, "This is for you. Hope you have a wonderful day!"
As Geoff finished his run, he thought of all the different things he could use the money for, such as new running shoes or a nice dinner. But by the time he got home, he had thought of a better idea. Instead of using the money for himself, he would use it to bring a little joy to others.
"I figured if I blew the money all at once on myself, I would forget about it the next day," Geoff explains. "I realized what a great opportunity I had, and I wanted to make a real difference. Finding the $100 bill really made my day. I thought that if I could split the money up and help out 100 people, it would be making the day of 100 people. That would be 100 times better than just making my day once."
101 Happy People

So, Geoff started the 101 Happy People Project. The 101st person is Geoff, because of the joy he felt when he found the money, and Geoff is finding ways to bless 100 other people.
Geoff was able to double the 100 dollars by putting it in a bank that was having a special promotion. Because of the promotion, after tithing, he had two dollars to spend on almost every person he helped. But can two dollars really make a difference? Geoff says it can: "I am 100 percent confident that the money involved is irrelevant. Most of the time, knowing that you are just reaching out to comfort people or just thinking about them is exactly what people need. Two dollars is enough to get that message across. You can make someone else's day no matter how much money you have."
Using the two dollars, Geoff has done everything from leaving quarters on a bubblegum machine to buying dollar-movie tickets for the people behind him in line. One time, Geoff saw some homeless men outside of a fast-food restaurant. "I went through the drive-through, and by the time I got my food, the men were leaving. I got out of my car and chased them half a block before I had the chance to give some food to them."
Usually Geoff likes to give anonymously because that's how the money was given to him, but sometimes he delivers the gifts in person. He says, "Some of the people I've helped were really having a hard time, and I've been told many times, 'You just made my day!'"
An Inspiration to Others

Geoff documents his acts of service on a blog. "The reason I started my blog is not to show off or to tell everyone how much service I'm doing, because that's just kind of weird," Geoff says. "I really want to show other people how easy it can be to make a difference. Almost everyone has two dollars; everyone has five minutes to spend to bless someone."
Geoff hopes to help people understand that there are many small ways to serve the people you see every day. "Don't hesitate to help those closest to you. Doing something nice for your parents or siblings will really invite the Spirit into your home. Help others at school. I know the difference that a simple act of service makes seems small, but it can have eternal benefits. President Henry B. Eyring said, 'Never, never underestimate the spiritual value of doing temporal things well for those whom you serve'" ("The Book of Mormon Will Change Your Life," Ensign, Feb. 2004, 14).
Trying to make 100 people happy through service isn't just something to inspire others; it has inspired Geoff as well. "It has opened my eyes to see how easy it can be to make a difference. It has made me less selfish. I have learned a lot about what daily service means and how it can help."
Everyday Service

It's hard sometimes to think of ways to serve. Geoff recommends listening to the Spirit to help you know whom and how to serve. "There are no limits to the kinds of service you can give every day," he says.
Here is a list of simple ways you can serve every day:
•
Smile.

•
Hold a door open for someone.

•
Listen to a friend.

•
Pick up litter.

•
Compliment someone.

•
Share your talents.

•
Invite someone to sit with you at lunch.

•
(Etc.)


Okay, so after falling in love with this guys story, (by the way, he posts his story @: 101happypeopleproject.blogspot.com
) I was totally inspired! So, I decided to do a 101 happy people project of my own :). I decided to donate $50 of my own money, and my parents agreed to help and donate another $50 towards the cause. :D
I bet the person who left the $100 dollar bill for him had NO IDEA how many people's lives that could affect!
So, I'm going to post everything I do to keep track of it! Enjoy!

Confidence

Okay, so recently I had to write an essay for English on any moral quality type thing I choose. And I chose one of my favorite topics! Confidence! It's crazy that confidence can be interpreted so many different ways! Not only that, but also mistaken for so many other things as well! For example, I have struggled to distinguish between COCKINESS and CONFIDENCE. I think I figured it out. Confident people are humble at the same time, and always ready and willing to take others and build them up with them. On the other hand, cocky people are selfish and greedy. Overall, the main difference is confident people know where their talents came from, God.
Here is my essay (we were supposed to act like the quality is a person, as you can tell).
Confidence
By Brooki
Confidence's story began when she was a mere child, no more than a little, bullied Insecurity. She was not content with how her life was going, so she faked Confidence until she became her. She discovered that when you believe you have it all, you, somewhere along the way, do. Now, Confidence wakes up every morning with a irresistibly contagious smile on her face. Her personality pours out grace from the start, with nothing but love flowing from her actions and words. She is not afraid to wear pajama pants to five star restaurants. But, sadly, she is often misunderstood for being cocky (to others who don't know her well), but she truly does care. The problem is, Confidence cares a lot, but simply does not put her valued self esteem in the hands of strangers, or even close friends. It is something she holds near and dear to her heart, that no one, not even her family is allowed to touch, for the fear that they would destroy some out of jealously.
Confidence walks tall, with her head held high, yet somehow does not ever look down on others. She loves the pungent smell of fresh orange juice in the morning. When she walks in the room, all heads turn because of the goodness and purity exuding, or radiating, off of her in waves. Her presence is as prominent as sandpaper rubbing against the skin. Her sense of style might be questionable to some, but overall, with her talent she can pull it off. Confidence builds, NEVER destroys. She has realized the joy that she feels when she is herself, and has made it one of highest goals to share her happiness with others.
Confidence's favorite drink is Gatorade, and she loves to slurp down a bottle after a victory in a sports game. Often times, her and her teammates with dump a whole gallon of it on their coach after an important win in a match. Her voice is as clear and prominent as fire alarm, and multiple times during the day she hears the soft thunder of footsteps behind her, following her leadership.
BE CONFIDENT. (not cocky)
Sure love you,
Brooki :)

Positive attitudes

Lately I went through a time in my life where I ONLY thought negatives thoughts. I was just overwhelmed with school and all the pressure of everything, and so I stopped trying to be positive. Before, I had made a conscious decision to be positive, and when this happened, I just let the negativity wash over me (by the way, this is a BAD idea, don't try it at home).
But anyways, I was SO unhappy. An at first I couldn't figure out why. I never even thought that my attitude had that big of an effect on my life. Well, let me tell you first and foremost, IT DOES! Then I heard this quote, "the secret to having it all is believing that you do". This is so awesome! I pondered about it for a few days and within the next week I was totally back to being happy healthy Brooki! :)
Also, I love this story that I discovered later on:
There once was a woman who woke up with only 3 hairs on her head! "Well, "she said, " I think I'll wear my hair in a braid today!" So she did, and she had a fabulous day.
The next day she woke up with only 2 hairs on her head! "Hm," she said cheerfully, "I think I'll part my hair down the middle today!" And she did and had a great, great day!
The next day she woke up with only 1 hair on her head! "I think I'll wear my hair in a ponytail today!" So she did and had a fantastic day!
Finally, the next day she woke up with NO hairs on her head! "Yes!" She exclaimed,"I don't have to fix my hair today!

ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING.
:)
Sure love ya,
Brooki

Cute puppies!

This is a picture of one of my friends puppies! They are so cute and literally fell asleep in this position!! :)
I love how they were all so sweet with one another and how you could tell they loved each other. There's a lot we can learn from their innocence.

The parable of popcorn

I love this story because it shows how we can choose to grow during trials or shy away and hide (which somewhat goes along with my last post). Here it is:
Behold at the time of harvest the ears of corn did bring forth kernels, which dried and prepared for the popper's hand.
And then it was that the popper did take the kernels, all of which appeared alike unto him, and did apply the oil and the heat.
And it came to pass that when the heat was on, some did explode with promise and did magnify themselves an hundred fold, and some did burst forth with whiteness which did both gladden the eye and satisfy the taste of the popper. And likewise, some others did pop, but not too much.
But lo, there were some that did just lie there and even though the popper's heat was alike unto all, they did bask in the warmth of the oil and kept everything they had for themselves.
And so it came to pass that those that had given of themselves did bring joy and delight to many munchers. But those that kept of the warmth and did not burst forth were fit only to be cast out into the pail and are thought of with hardness and disgust.
And thus we see that in the beginning all appear alike, but when the heat is on, some come forth and give their all, while others fail to pop and become as chaff to be discarded and forgotten.
Which are you?

How to handle challenges (that seem out of your control)

A lot of times others decisions will affect our lives badly. At the first glance it may seem that we have no control over this. They have their agency to choose right? And we obviously cant control them. So, where does that leave us? Most people don't realize the power that we have in these situations. Our REACTION to our situation is everything. And our attitude determines our reaction. I love this quote from Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "It is your reaction to adversity, not the adversity itself, that determines how your life's story will develop."
This is SO true! We are not some ping pong ball being tossed around in someone else's game. We have control over our own lives. We decide how we respond to daily challenges. So, when life throws you a curve ball, instead of muttering under your breath about the difficulty, CHOOSE to have a positive attitude and use it to build you stronger. "The strongest steel comes from the hottest fire" -Anonymous.
Overall, realize that you can't change the other person, they must make that choice themselves, but know that you can always control how you look at your life.
With all my love,
Brooki

Life

Life... Ya, it's a daunting, complicated thing. Every single person is given a life, and each one lives it out differently. But we can't look at life like something that has to be endured, but more like a gift that gets to be enjoyed. I created this blog to explain my thoughts to anyone listening, and hopefully get some reviews back.
I love the quote “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” ― Maya Angelou. I think that Maya captured the attitude that life should be approached with. There are too many in this world who don't prioritize correctly. They see it as a mission to gain as many earthly things as possible (ex: money, homes, boats, etc.) It is amazing that many wealthy, powerful, and respected people feel empty inside, like they are missing something. In reaction to this, trying to make that feeling disappear, they surround themselves with the meaningless things that money can buy, which only digs their hole deeper.
This is why it is important to remained fixed on our prize, and not get distracted, like a race horse with blinders on. Now we wonder what to focus on, or set as our prize. I, as well as over 14 million other member of my church (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saint) know that the mission of life is to return to our Father in Heaven (God). In the book of Moses chapter 1 verse 39 God states, "Behold this is my work and my glory-to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." If we then apply this to our own lives, God's greatest goal becomes ours, to return to and to be like Him. THIS is why we are here. It amazes me how many geniuses constantly wonder and struggle to find this answer, when I have been lucky enough to have my own testimony of it for my whole life. Lately, I have been feeling a very strong desire to share this treasured knowledge with someone, and I am grateful to have this opportunity to share this with you.
Ultimently, this is the reason rich and powerful people feel empty. It is because they are focusing in on the wrong prize, and as a matter of fact, in the long run, it's barely a prize at all. People say money can't buy happiness. OF COURSE IT DOES! The catch is its temporary happiness, and once that's gone, the empty, gaping hole is left in your heart. The true key to a happy life is through the love of our Heavenly Father and Savior, and the Savior's atonement for us.
With all of my love,
Brooki