Lewiston 2nd Ward Girl's Camp: Stand in Holy Places

I was blessed with the opportunity of speaking to these Royal Awesomenesses last week.  

Topic for the night?  

D&C 87:8 

"Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved..."

It was a lovely evening as we spoke about:

You stand in holy places when you...

-Go "AWOL":  Acknowledge that you are Worth Our Savior's Love.

-Kneel to Pray

-Change wherever you are right now into a holy place

-Remember

I can't wait to hear the result of the challenge I gave each of these lovely ladies.  And I sincerely hope they remember what I told them to remember.  Hope to hear from them soon!!!

(I'm telling the story of when the cup of water spilled on my head at the Bear Lake fireside...)

Farr West 3rd Ward Girls Camp: The Dream Team

Let me tell you a little bit about my fireside this weekend.

First, I got dressed like this:

then I drove here:

(beautiful Bear Lake in Garden City,UT)

and I met up with these wonderful MVPs:

while I spoke about this:

It was a memorable evening as I had a random cup of water spill on top of my head right in the middle of the fireside and then, as I sang the lyrics "He can calm the raging wind", a gust of wind rattled through the neighborhood and blew a toolbox off the back of a truck.  Hard to forget those events.

But also it will forever be engrained in my memory because the camp was filled with Beautiful You's who possess amazing spirits and someday soon each one of them will awake to their potential and rise to the call as they become MVPs on the Lord's "Dream Team".  And I can't wait to see that.

Declo Idaho Stake Girls Camp: Just Be Beautiful You

I had the most amazing experience at the Pine Dell Campground last month as I performed for over 200 beautiful campers in their true, wholesome spirits.  It was such a great and spiritual experience...one I know I will never, ever forget.

The camp directors chose the theme "Just Be Beautiful You".  The entire 4-day camp was devoted to helping the young women embrace the beautiful souls they possess and the invidual selves they are designed to be.  There were uplifting quotes, signs, videos (seriously. Watch this. It's super cool.), talks and crafts centered around this theme.  My song, "Beautiful You" was chosen as the theme song.  I was given the opportunity to wrap up the last evening of camp by speaking on self-acceptance, self-esteem, and self-confidence.

After my presentation, I was blessed to sit in on a small testimony meeting where the YW bore humble but emotional testimony of their self-worth and how they now know and can fully embrace just how beautiful they truly, truly are.  One young 12 year old girl has left a lasting impression on me, though, as she enthusiastically said, "I know that I am sometimes hyper and annoying and sometimes people don't like that.  But after this week, I have learned that I am who I am and with every silly little thing that I do, Heavenly Father is watching and smiling and He thinks that it's the most adorable little thing He's ever seen."

Yes, my dear.  Yes, He is.

And then, during (yes, during) my closing number, I was bombarded with wonderful hugs and handshakes and smiles and tears and pure acceptance.  I was changed because of these selfless YW.  They left a lasting impression on my mind because of their undeniable strength and testimonies.  Before I could even see them, I felt of their strong spirits and I know that someday, someday, they. will. move. mountains. 

Here are a few more photos of the evening.  Enjoy!

(Paparazzi...in bandanas and braids and "Beautiful You" t-shirts!)

I've Got News!!!

Did you receive it in your email this morning? No!?! Leave me a comment below and I'll make sure you do...

5 Simply Effective (yet Non-Invasive) Ways to Feel Better About Yourself

I've observed that over the last year a beautiful thing has taken place in the world:  people genuinely want to help other people feel better about themselves.  And, in turn, people want other people to help them feel better about themselves.  I love that we are improving our society by improving ourselves from the inside out.  

This trend has caused me to reflect on my own life and what knowledge or wisdom I have gained (mostly by trial and error) that I might effectively inspire other people to genuinely feel better about themselves by embracing their lives from the inside out without making them feel invaded.  So, I put a few ideas together and now, without further ado, I present to you:

 

1.  We are prone to uplift and compliment the doings of others, yet too often we fail to pay any attention to ourselves.  Vocalize to yourself ONE sincere compliment every single day.  Maybe you might say "Hey.  Nice eyes."  or "Good job not burning the toast." or even "You ROCKED that song in the shower."  Seriously.  Whatever you decide you did well, vocalize it.  Daily.  Your ears need to hear it.

2.  Passwords.  We all have them:  emails, Facebook, blogs, Pinterest, cell phones, PIN numbers, when people come to the door (okay, like I'm the ONLY one who teasingly asks my children for the password when they come to the door from taking the garbage out, right?), etc.  We've got a billion of them and on average, we type in a password of some sort at least twice a day, right?  So why not simply create a password that makes you think optimistically about yourself!?!  Examples:  iREAllYdorock1 or ulookAWSMtoday or yesIamAWEsome1987 or Ibelieve100inME or iwillSURVIVE2013.  PIN numbers?  Spell out a word/phrase that you have to repeat to yourself:  U-ROC (8762) or AWSM (2076) or ILVU (4588).  The possibilities are endless.  See how this could be extremely effective?  What would happen if you had to type in those phrases daily?  You. Might. Actually. Believe. It.  Right?  Hurry.  Change your passwords now.

3.  So...you ate an extra brownie.  So you didn't vacuum the floor with all the lines going in the right direction.  So you missed the basket on what could have been the final winning shot in the most inmportant game of the season.  So you accidentally sent a ridiculous text to your boss which was actually meant for your very BFF.  (Yup.  Did that one, actually. Awkward, really.)  So?  Let it go.  Don't beat yourself up about it.  That's a ridiculous thing to do.  You can opt out on dessert for the next three days.  People are just going to walk on the carpet anyway.  The past is the past.  You'll learn to double check who you're sending texts to.  Forgive yourself and move on.  Stop holding on to the burden of self-depreciating grudges.  You're doing your very best...and that means you're doing alright.  Accept that.

4.  Acknowlege the success of others is simply another person's success.  Celebrate it with them.  Do not take it as a dagger thrown towards your own life.  That's debilitating.  You will have your turn at acheivement.  And you, too, will want others to celebrate it with you.  So don't allow jealousy or pride or insecurity to get in your way of living a happy life.  It's amazing how liberating, how empowering it is when we truly give ourselves permission to unconditionally celebrate the joys in the lives of others.  (For a great read on this subject, soak in the 3rd paragraph of THIS LINK.  It's so very applicable.)

5.  I have found that I am a much stronger person if sometimes, when I begin a sentence, I say the magic words "I feel...". Too much of my life was spent suffocating emotions that I could not identify, thus resulting in a lack of communication and a lower self-esteem.  Last year, I made a conscious effort to begin at least one sentence a day with "I feel...". This allows myself to identify the true and present emotion in a conversation.  Those magic words will open a world of confidence inside a soul.  You could effectively say "I feel frustrated that..." or "I feel concerned about..." or "I feel so excited that..." or even "I feel so hangry that..."  (for the record, hangry is a word that describes being so hungry that you are angry that you're hungry...Yes, I've used it.  Many times.)  So, begin a sentence with "I feel..." and observe what happens inside.  It's a beautiful thing.

I'm anxious to hear what changes these ideas will make in YOUR life.  Which one will you begin work on today?   Plus, what else has worked for you?  Leave me a comment.  I'd love to hear any other suggestions you may have!!!

     

National Women's Day

Pretty sure that every woman in the world needs to listen to this song AT LEAST one time today, in celebration of YOU on this National Women's Day! Happy listening.

Click HERE to listen.

"Beautiful You": The Release

You can buy this single as a download on
iTunes
Amazon
and
cdbaby.com

BUT, if you go to:

www.audreybandley.com

you can buy the CD
or the download
AND you can buy THESE
"BEAUTIFUL" pearl-paper posters

or buy them in bulks of 12,

AND pick up one of these
silver vinyl sayings


to place on the car window or the mirror or right above the bed
of all your "Beautiful You's!!

"Beautiful You" Countdown: The Pictures

A picture is worth a thousand words...

~

all photos courtesy of hiya papaya photography




Beautiful You CD/Music Video Release
Tomorrow
April 21, 2012

"Beautiful You" Countdown: The Lessons...learned

This has probably been the greatest of all challenges

and
the greatest of all learning experiences ever in my whole life.
Kind of like childbirth...and parenting...and running a 5k...
~

Lessons I've learned throughout this process:

1. Geese love music. They'll even sing right with you, if it's turned up enough! (Thus why Jen and I are laughing so hard after the first verse on the video...)

2. Friends tell friends if they slouch.
(no explanation necessary... :)

3. Too often, we place "restrictions" on ourselves, fooling our minds and our hearts into believing that we are not able...we are not capable...therefore we think
"why should we even try"?

Well...

If I've learned anything throughout this project, it is this answer:
"Because. We are capable of so much more than we believe,
if we will just let go of the inner, preconceived notions we hold in our minds. "
We CAN do great things. They may be hard, they may be challenging, but we CAN do it!

4. Embrace who you are.

That's the way the Lord designed you to be, that's the way you're needed to be.

5. Things aren't really as scary as they are in our imaginations.
Really.
People are people, too.
Life can be exciting if we let it
AND,
chickens really will NOT peck your head into a nub...
~

"Beautiful You" song/video release on
Saturday, April 21st, 2012!

"Beautiful You" Countdown: The Video Symbolism

WARNING: This post has NO pictures.
Just building a little anticipation... :)

Every single thing I chose to include in my video was symbolic of something.

I have absolutely NOTHING on my set that is of little value...
symbolically speaking.
I wanted to build a video that could stir a deeper meaning.

Here are just a few examples:

The BARN: On the outside it's a bit dusty, but once we see on the inside, it's something beautiful and whole and so much more than we ever imagined. A little like each of us, eh?

The AUDIENCE: every women in all the world, different stations in life,
different shapes/sizes/ages/circumstances
yet once we embrace the "beautiful" in everyone, we will be united.

The DANCER: my beautiful, young dancer represents confidence...confidence in simplicity (thus the very basic, down-to-earth costume), confidence in oneself and confidence in life. Every move that she makes, though sometimes a little unsure or unaware, is made with the confidence that it will be enough.

The RUBY SLIPPERS: Well, to be honest with you, I never had daughters and I just ALWAYS wanted a little, tiny pair of ruby slippers...so to me, they symbolize hope in the future and faith in our daughters...of which I have none...daughters, I mean. BUT, I have hope in the future and faith in YOUR daughters! ('cause one of them might end up being my in-law someday... :)

The COSTUMES: Believe it or not, I went through a LOT of excruciating decision-making upon choosing my own costumes. It may not look that way, but anyone who knows me knows that this was by FAR the most uncomfortable part of the whole thing. First, my casual costume, I wanted to portray myself...as I am...much to everyone's travail! Jeans, t-shirt, hat and, if it hadn't been 45 degrees in the barn, I would have sported flip-flops...but I settled for the next best thing: grass-stained galoshes. Yup. I'm just that sorta gal. AND I'm totally okay with that. I am who I am. I'm at peace with myself and want the world to know that.
Symbol?: complete self-acceptance.

(oops! How did THAT sneak in here...!?!?! mwahahaha)

Just a little FYI: My concert attire, which represents the feminine side in each of us, pushed me a bit, though. I am NOT a real-accessorized sorta person. This took me literally HOURS to find and a whole lotta courage to get all dolled up, but I did it (with helpers) and discovered that I actually ENJOY embracing my feminine side a wee bit.
But for the sake of the bank account...I will resist. ;)

What other hidden meanings or symbolic natures will you discover in the "Beautiful You" video?
Keep track and let me know...
Song/Video Release: April 21, 2012

"Beautiful You" Countdown: The Story

Four months ago,

friends of mine, Jessi and Cristi,
(who happen to own my favorite photography business ever
Hiya Papaya)

ran an inner beauty campaign.
I loved it.
I asked if they'd ever considered a song for the campaign.
They told me to write one.
I did.
The End.
~

Not really.
There's SO much more to the story...

That just kicked it off.
~

I was actually in a very vulnerable place in my life, scared and nervous to try again...
or keep trying...
or whatever.
BUT,
I wanted to do this.
And I wanted to do this to the full extent-no excuses, no reserves.

I wanted to write a song that I believed in.
I wanted to write about a truth that is too often overlooked,
underplayed,
underdeveloped.
I wanted to build a song that reminded men of the beautiful women of their life
and why they feel they are beautiful.
I wanted a song that made women think of the inner strength they see and encourage and uplift in each other.
I was determined to create a song that inspired women
of all ages, in all situations, in all the world
to fully embrace who they are and what makes them uniquely beautiful.
Because I KNOW that there is something beautiful inside each of us.
There is.
I promise.

Well, knowing that in order to capture what others feel, I needed to know their feelings.
So, I turned to
asking my followers from all over the world what they felt made a woman truly beautiful.
Surprisingly enough, most of the comments were left
by MEN...and YOUNG MEN...
It made me so proud of them. :)

So, I took ALL of the comments and made a list (because I'm a cronic list-maker),
lauched myself into intense prayer and meditation
and spent lots and lots of time alternating between
the out-of-tune piano and the noisy old computer
crafting lyrics/music to capture the feelings of each and every one of those comments.

Here's an excerpt:

I see beautiful love
And a beautiful strength
A beautiful hope through a beautiful pain
I see beautiful tears on a beautiful face
Where a beautiful courage makes a beautiful....strength
(copyright 2012 Audrey Bandley Music)

I now had music and a lyric (a pretty good one, if I might say so myself)....
just one tiny problem: GUITARS/DRUMS.
How was I to put to work the instruments in my head!?! I've never worked with a band before!!! And me writing guitars with drums? What in the WORLD was I thinking!!!
(yes. I thought in EXCLAMATION points. A lot.)
Uh......so out of my comfort zone of soft, reverent, inspirational music.

Maybe I should call Hilary Weeks, who was my BFF-for-a-day...once...many, many months ago.

I didn't.

I decided I was going to do this the right way, the brave way:

I swallowed my pride (and turned beet, BEET red) as I pitched my idea to
amazingly talented, super-powered musician Tyler Castleton;
sweating bullets and shaking uncontrollably.
Immediately, he was caught on the project.
Enthusiastically.
Full support.
I about died from hyperventilation.

So....
We hired a band.
We hired a studio.
We hired a second vocalist,
Jen Marco,
(who happened to take this song to a whole new level!)
I created a "choir" with my own voice.
And now...


Well, you'll just have to see what you think for yourself...
(song/video release: Saturday, April 21st, 2012)

"Beautiful You" Release Party Countdown: The Set

I am SO excited!
Why? Because one of my greatest creations ever is about to be released.

The single "Beautiful You" will be available
THIS Saturday, April 21st.
SOOOOOOOO happy!
(you can buy it from iTunes, Amazon or audreybandley.com)

As a way to channel my inner excitement,
I'm creating a little daily countdown this week
with a behind-the-scenes of the SONG and MUSIC VIDEO...
(eek)

Day One: The Set

I had an amazing set designer, Bridget,
who had some amazing little helpers!
I was SO impressed with the way they were able to
literally transform and create something beautiful out of something like......

well,

(to give ya'll a deep appreciation of the video,
you've just GOT to see what it started from....)

We took this dirty, ole man-cave barn:


and, OVERNIGHT, transformed it into this:


WALLAH!

I KNOW, huh?
Super incredible.
They worked their little guts out.
And I'd say it paid off!!!

FYI: Yes. Our stage really IS a four-wheeler trailer.
and
Yes. There were geese and pigs and a peacock in the background
(literally in the next room) as we filmed.
~
Can't wait for you to see ALL the little details they worked on throughout the video.
AND can't wait to have you join me on this countdown!
Check back tomorrow for a little more
behind-the-scenes!

You ARE Worth It!

Once upon a time...

earlier this year...

I was put on the spot as I was asked to speak to the Young Women of a very amazing ward.
It was basically a "tell me a little about your life and discovering your divine potential" sort of talk.

I spoke a bit about my life and how it got me where I am today,
cried a tad, tiny bit,
and turned all sorts of colors

(I do that when I get emotional).

There was enough time at the end for a
Q&A sort of period.
(They come up with some pretty good questions, btw!)
But one 16 year old stopped me in my tracks.
Floored me.
Deer-in-the-headlights sort of stop!

She asked (with her head bent so low and her face so very down that I could barely hear her),

"Do you ever get so discouraged that you feel like giving up? Question if it's all ever worth it?"

I stared at her for about 10 seconds, as I pondered the depth of this question
and the courage it took for a young girl to voice exactly what I had been struggling with for the past several weeks? Did she know that those thoughts had been prevalent in my mind just that very morning? Did she know how I had been praying for answers to those very questions!?!

After I became aware that my staring at her was probably making her a little uncomfortable,
somewhere deep down inside
resonated this answer:

"Do I ever feel discouraged? Absolutely, positively every day of my whole entire life! Every day I face the challenge of 'can I really fall one more time?' or 'can I possibly stand one more rejection?' or sometimes even 'is it ever really worth it?'.
Every single morning I RISE and look in the mirror and have to ask myself those questions...
and every single morning I must be strong enough rise and look in the mirror to find the answer hidden deep inside myself.
I must decide every morning that I AM worth reaching my divine potential...whatever that may be. I must decide I AM strong enough to brave the storms.
I must decide I AM surrounded with limitless potential
and that I AM good enough.
And I must trust that I AM worth whatever Heavenly Father has told me I am.

This event changed my life forever. I will never forget the power that I felt in every inch of my being. I will never forget the connection I made, knowing that these beautiful children of God need to feel the same power in the same exact words I tell myself every morning,
every time I sit down to write,
every time I step foot into a studio,
every day of my life.



My dear friends, regardless of your situation in life,
regardless of your gender, your age,
your past or your present,
YOU ARE WORTH IT!
You have limitless potential.
You are worth every ounce of energy,
every ache,
every moment,
every try
until you have no more!
You are WORTH pushing through it all.
You are WORTH your divine potential,
never EVER doubt it;
never EVER give up;
never EVER stop reaching and trying.

You ARE worth it.

Quote of the Day

Thought that this was the perfect photo/quote to begin our New Year's Resolutions with...

and never, never forget it.

'nough said.

Another Quote of the Day

I KNOW I just barely did a "quote of the day", like, 2 hours ago...

but then I found this one...

and I really needed to hear it...

so I just sorta figured 

that maybe someone else out there needs it, too.