Let's Play Catch Up

I am sorry for the lack of posts. You see, I just haven't known what to write. Every time I started a post it just didn't seem right. Now I think I know what all to say.

Christmas Eve went well at work. We went around with Santa and passed out blankets, coloring books, pillows, and all kinds of Christmas-y things to the kids making each one of them smile (especially the girl who got a giant stuffed Elsa (good call on my part)). I heard Christmas did not go as smoothly as we would have liked, but that wasn't our fault. I will say I am now thankful for things I have never been thankful for before. Things such as my monkey arms, flatbeds, and doorstops now have a special place in my heart while I am pretty sure other things such as hotwheels, cootie games, and walk with me dolls have a special place in hell. I am finished organizing everything. Everything has a place. Now I get to do things like making sure units have toys for kids, going through the playroom, and shadowing the Child Life Specialists. Yay!

Over the Christmas holiday a neighbor, friend, and church member passed away after having her fourth baby. This was so hard for me because over Christmas I was working so hard to make kids happy in the hospital. Seeing how important Christmas was to them made the sadness creep through me for the kids she left behind. How would their Christmas be? No Christmas should be full of sadness and mourning. When another soul goes to heaven there's so much to think about like what will happen to the spouse and the children they left behind. A lot of people say it was their time or Heavenly Father needed them in heaven. I have a hard time with that. Heavenly Father hates to see us hurt. I can't imagine Him planning things that way. There is no way of knowing for sure, but I think it is part of being on earth.  I'm extremely thankful to have my family for eternity because that is what the plan's all about.

So with a somewhat heavy heart a new appreciation for our Heavenly Father's plan Christmas came. I got two days off work, I got to spend time with my family, I got to eat as much as I wanted without feeling guilty, I got to finally wear my college class ring, I got to see my family open their presents, and I got to watch movie after movie. This is what dreams are made of. Also, Mom and I almost finished reading all of the Christmas books. Almost. Looking back now on our Christmas I realize that our tree is never perfect. Our ornaments don't match. We are all busy shopping and making sure all the presents are wrapped. We sometimes get busy in things that don't matter and worry about the minute things, but when you take a step back from all of the chaos there is true beauty and magic in the season.

One night we had the missionaries over for dinner for the first time in forever. I made that heavenly Cafe Rio pulled pork. The next day I made twice baked potatoes because Ryan had been asking for them. It makes me smile when I make things my family enjoys.

I gave a talk. It used to be that I could only say yes to giving a talk when one person asked me. Now, part of being an adult is saying yes to everyone. I might need to rethink my goal of becoming Sister Dalton. Speaking at BYU in front of peers is one thing. Speaking in front of a ward full of people much older and wiser than you makes me so nervous. Really I was fine until I choked on the sacrament bread. Then the panic set in. But, I still made people laugh and wore my sunshine yellow jacket, so it wasn't a complete failure after all.

Mom and I went to the Dallas Arboretum for the 12 days of Christmas display. It was beautiful, and I loved every minute of it. I loved the lights and seeing how they interpreted each day. Also, the night was pretty cold, and it reminded me of Thanksgiving Point there. It was just a fun night.

Now it is a new year. I tried to think of goals that I could actually accomplish this year. I think I found a few. 1. Exist to be happy not to impress. 2. Stop analying the past, stop planning the future, stop figuring out precisely how I feel, stop deciding exactly what I want, and just see what happens. 3. Know that I am kind, smart, strong, beautiful, important, fearless, and amazing. 4. Go on more adventures. 5. Be around good energy. 6.Connect with people. 7. Learn new things. 8. Grow. I think those are good goals. Bring it on, 2015.

This weekend I will work on my 2014 highlights. Get ready everyone!

No More Counting Dollars, I'll Be Counting Stars

You know when Christmas comes around and all of the sudden you are faced with an even greater demand of your time? You have to find out what people want, buy presents, follow traditions, decorate, buy a tree, find time to listen to Christmas music, bake, and so many other “Christmas-y” things. I got caught up in all of the hustle and bustle before December even began. You see, I wanted to get everything done before I started my job. I bought all of the presents for my family and had them wrapped before December 1^st. I had it down. The 1^st is when work began. On the first day of work my boss gave to me the longest day of orientation you ever did see. Sad thing is that this song isn’t quite as fun as the original because the second day was the same thing. After two days of orientation I actually started work. Thursday I felt like I spent all morning in traffic. I was thinking how a lot of my paycheck was going to go to tolls and gas. I got to work, and I did not know what to do. To be honest, I barely made it to my office. I was shown so many rooms all over the hospital the day before, and it was a little overwhelming for me. Worst of all, I had to stay late on my second day of work. Can you tell I had completely forgotten the spirit and meaning of Christmas? That night was the hospital’s tree lighting. That was exciting, but before the lighting, I got to go around the hospital with Santa Claus and pass out presents to the patients. At four we started, and the realization that I was focusing on all of the wrong things hit me. Seeing the stars in the kids’ eyes, seeing them be so genuinely happy no matter how sick they were, seeing them be so thankful for even the smallest presents, hearing a mom say, “This is the best hospital ever!” and give us all hugs as tears filled her eyes, and being able to be a part of this made my heart grow three sizes. After going around with Santa, we had the tree lighting and then we had him come out and kids could come and sit on his knee. Kids from all over came to see him. Most of them gave him a hug afterwards and said thank you multiple times. I loved the smiles that came to their faces (except those that took one look at him and burst out crying). After they saw Santa they each got a stuffed animal. I got to be an elf and pass them out. Once again I saw the stars. Even the kids that were crying smiled and hugged tight to those stuffed animals. The stars in those kiddos’ eyes were so bright it was like seeing the Christmas star in person. That is what Christmas is all about. It isn’t about the presents, Santa Claus, or shopping. Christmas is about remembering the most wonderful gift our Heavenly Father could have ever given us. It is about Christ, about His example. It is about love and service and joy. He is the gift. 

Thanksgiving Thankfuls

I feel like this month is flying by which means Christmas is getting closer and closer. Oh boy. I need to get going on the presents thing, but for now I am not going to let Thanksgiving pass by without my annual list of things I am thankful for. Some you may realize are the same from last year, but at least I am consistent. 

1. A family that loves me no matter what. I get them for eternity!!
2. My beautiful, ornery, and 100% sassy puppy.
3. The gospel that I can learn from, love, and live every day.
4. A testimony that is forever growing and changing.
5. All of the friends that are always there for me and have given me all those fun, wonderful memories.
6. My job. Even if it is only seasonal.
7. All of the experiences I have been given. Even the hard ones.
8. The colors all around me that I am able to see and enjoy.
9. My talents. Sometimes I feel like I have none, but I am talented in my own special ways.
10. My patriarchal blessing and the promises given to me if I keep the commandments.
11. All I have going for me right now. I mean, seriously, I am only 20!
12. My role models. Where would I be without them?
13. Inspirational quotes that make my heart smile.
14. Sunshine. I just has to be on the list.
15. Uplifting music. Any music that makes you feel happy and just alive.
16. A warm, soft bed because sometimes I just don't want to leave it.
17. Movies. I love them, and they are a part of me.
18. Comfort foods. Popcorn and chocolate milk anyone?
19. BYU. Being a Cougar today and a Cougar forever. Long live the spirit of the Y!
20. Books. The classics, cheesy romance novels, and all the others that I love to read.
21. Having a living Prophet and apostles on the earth whose words I can access at any time.
22. All of the teachers I have had throughout my life that have helped make me who I am today.
23. My most prized possessions that only have meaning to me.
24. Temples. They are beautiful inside and out and make you feel that way too.
25. Seasons because I like the hot and cold, but please let there be moderation in all things!
26. Food and cooking. I love both!
27. Kids because there is so much we can learn from them.
28. Pictures and artwork. I love captured moments that can be kept forever.
29. Those moments when you laugh so hard that tears come and you forget to breathe. I cherish those.
30. Moments, memories, and everything else that reminds me I can do hard things because I can.

Crashing Dishes

I just want to say that I love BYU. So much. I loved getting to hear the excitement of my friends that the First Presidency of the church was there yesterday for President Worthen's inauguration. I love seeing pictures of FOL, campus, and my Student Alumni group. I also love getting to watch the football games with my family, and seeing BYU crush Texas for the second year in a row. 41-7 was the final score, and my love for BYU just grew as the game went on.

This past weekend I also got to go to Time Out for Women with some of my family. I had so much fun, loved the lessons, the music was great, I got to see Brother Smith, and Sister Dalton was there which, as you might have guessed, made the weekend for me. I will write about it later, but there were multiple little tender messages that I felt like were just for me. So, until I write that post, here are some other things I have learned lately.

All too often we go through changes in our lives. At those moments we have feelings of fear. We are leaving what we feel comfortable with for something that is unknown to us. In those times of vulnerability we let our guards down and Satan attacks. The worst thing is that he knows how to get to each and every one of us. I will admit, my weakness is feeling that I am just not good enough. Not smart enough. Not pretty enough. Not good enough to find a good job, be a good daughter and sister, be a good mom to my beautiful and spunky puppy, make new friends, and certainly not good enough to get into grad school. 

I've said it before, and I'm saying it once again. The Atonement is real. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know exactly what I am going through and feeling at any given moment. If I have learned anything this weekend it's that it's okay to cry. If you know me you know I always try my darnedest to not cry. In Relief Society today the teacher said Heavenly Father doesn't want us not to feel it. He wants us to experience it. Part of experiencing something is going through the hard parts whether they last for a few seconds or years. Those hard parts help you experience life and they will be for your good (D&C 121:7, 122:7). Neil A. Maxwell said, "you can't have a faith filled but stress free life." As much as we wish we could, that is not part of the Plan.

Church today wasn't so great for me. I was tired. I was grumpy. I missed having friends to sit in the meetings with. All the anxiety about having to go to the singles ward next week came all at once in the middle of sacrament meeting. Sunday school wasn't much better. The whole time I just thought about all of my friends sitting in marriage prep laughing, commenting, and having fun while learning. I sat and listened to adults argue and try to be the smartest and "most spiritual" one in the room instead of trying to learn. Then, I went to Relief Society with one of my best friend's moms. I kind of sat there not wanting to talk to anyone, but everyone kept talking to me or drawing attention to me. When the teacher got up I tried to zone out, but I couldn't. She had a plate on a stand, and that plate had the smallest chip in it. I watched that plate and thought how I felt like that plate right now. She then told a story about a china factory. All of their dishes have to be perfect. The dishes go through multiple phases and then are scrutinized to see if there are any imperfections. If they find even the smallest mistake at any stage they throw the dish in a discard pile. As she finished, she picked up that dish with the small chip and compared herself to it. Then, she slammed it into the the trashcan. At the factory in the story no dish was wasted. If it was not perfect it was ground up with all of the others and given a new chance. Because of the Atonement we each have another chance. We are imperfect now, but through the Atonement we can become perfect. We may crack under pressure, get a chip here or there, or our paint may get smudged, but we always have another chance to become better. Then, the teacher did something amazing. She took out more dishes and let the women smash them. All the hurt and frustrations came out in that moment. Broken dishes everywhere!

It was after that story that my weekend all came together. Time Out for Women, the BYU win against Texas, and that lesson were all Heavenly Fathers gentle reminders of who I am and Him showing me how much he loves me, and I am so ever grateful for Him and His tender mercies.

The Best of the Best BYU Experiences

I know everyone thinks I raced through school. I know. I've heard it. Over and over and over again. I've heard it from my mom, my dad, my aunt, my grandparents, my friends, people from my ward, people from my old ward, and people from school. I. Have. Heard. It. It makes me upset not because I think they are right but because they don't understand. I do not feel like I raced through. I feel like I went at a good speed and I happened to finish early. I am sad that it is over now, but sadness often comes with change. I, however, do not feel like I missed out on anything. Not long before graduation, I went to dinner with Dani and her husband Tyler. One of the questions Dani asked was whether or not I felt like I got the full BYU experience. I smiled and felt my eyes sparkle as I answered with a resounding yes. Yes. I feel like I got everything I wanted out of BYU, and I am so thankful for the opportunity I had to go there. Let's start at the very beginning because as we all know it's a very good place to start.

Leading Up to College

First, the year before going to BYU, I went up to Utah with my family and Kaitlyn's family. We did the BYU tour on the golf cart, and our tour guide had an English accent. So, it started well. Fast forward to the application process. So stressful. I would have been able to get into any university in Texas automatically, but we all know I did not want to go to one of those. All of the girls in my seminary class and I anxiously awaited that acceptance email. The day finally came and I was screaming at 5:00 in the morning. It had been a hard choice deciding between BYU and TCU since I got a hefty scholarship from TCU, but I feel like once my decision was made no one was going to change my mind. I went to seminary that day, and Kaitlyn and I got out of our cars, looked at each other for a minute, and we both smiled because we knew we both got in. We were going to be Cougars. I will admit I creeped on my roommates once they were assigned. I couldn't decide if I was going to like them or not. Meghan was a track star and looked fun but a little crazy. Was she going to be loud and always have weird friends over? Makenna had only just gotten a Facebook and there was nothing on it. That was a little weird to me... Emilee I seemed to like when I talked to her as I anxiously awaited the time for me to be able to sign up for my first classes. And then there was Dani. Cute, beautiful, and pictures of Europe on her Facebook. I was jealous and wondered if she was going to be amazing or one of "those girls." I was just going to have to wait and see how two Utah, two Washington, and two Texas girls were going to get along.Senior year of high school flew by along with my summer, and all of the sudden I was in the car with all of my stuff on the way to Utah. I threw everything in my room as quickly as I could and kind of introduced myself to my roommates before I had to go. My mom signed me up for Foundations of Leadership. I did not want to go. I was already nervous enough about school without having to go to a leadership conference beforehand. I went and loved it more than any HOBY conference I had been to. Not only did I love it so much, but I met Rachel there and was introduced to BYUSA. Little did I know how great an impact this would have on me, but more about that later.

Fall 2011

I got back from FOL and hiked the Y with my cousin Becca since we went up to BYU the same year. How we managed to get up there without acclimating ourselves first I will never know, but we did it! Going back to the dorm I slowly got to know the roommates better. I loved all of them! I still spent plenty of time with Kaitlyn going to football games, tracing our faces on the mirror with an expo marker, hiking and lighting the Y for homecoming, being part of the homecoming parade, going to conference at the Conference Center, doing the blue foam slip and slide down a hill at Helaman Fields which is a homecoming tradition, laughing at the plastic wrapped statues on campus when the Utah game came, and took walks in our cowboy boots, but spending time with roommies was always fun. We played spoons in the elevator, ate cookies from our FHE brothers, got candy when someone (Dani was first) went on a date, watched a crane collapse, went to devotionals (especially the one with President Monson), went to the football opening party at which I won a sweatshirt, going out to play in the snow that had the biggest flakes I had ever seen, and having sleepovers in our living room.

Winter 2012

I didn't go home for Thanksgiving, but I got to go to Washington to spend some time with my favorite aunt (don't tell the others) and her cute family which may have been the best thing I could have done. I loved going home for Christmas, but it was even harder to go back to that winter semester. I think I lived off of tortillas with butter, hot chocolate, and Jamba Juice. I am not a winter fan, but when I came back I had fun roommates to look forward to and a class by Hank Smith. Winter was filled with time with FHE brothers that included shoving 13 people into a car and having the cops show up at the park we were at, walking to the temple with Kaitlyn, planking in the elevator and down the stairs, more sleepovers, spending time with a friend from FOL and heart-attacking our peer mentor's door, roommate shirts with individual quotes from our song "Party Rock Anthem", blanket forts, room decorations, snow, snow, and more snow, and of course the festival of colors. Yes, all this time I was in classes and doing presentations for BYUSA. Those presentations are where I met one of my best friends. Eric. That boy always made me laugh. I eventually made a point to go to devotionals early so I could sit in the front row because he was on the stands. Apparently he noticed because one day he texted me and asked if I could come meet him in the office. He offered me a position on his team the coming school year. I didn't really think about it before I said yes because I loved BYUSA and he was pretty great too. My mom did take some convincing though since I would be coming back to BYU for summer. I won her over. At the end of the year we had a BYUSA retreat and a BYUSA party where I beat Eric on a blow-up obstacle course, and I was in heaven!

Spring/Summer 2012

Mom came to pick me up after winter semester, but I had to go to my first friend's wedding reception first. One down! When I came back to school for summer the fun really started. Friend dates with Eric were like once a week whether we went for crepes, J Dawgs, or frozen yogurt. I lived with Meghan this summer which was easily the best choice. We went to Seven Peaks almost every day, started a Fourth of July tradition that continued every year, and became even better friends with Janessa who had lived across the hall from us freshman year. Janessa, her roommate Leah, Dani, Meghan and I had watched "When a Stranger Calls" together during the school year. After that we slept on the living room floor falling asleep to church music because we were so scared. Anyways, Jan, Meghan and I watched scary movies all summer at Jan's house. :) That summer I also was in the Fourth of July parade and made s'mores on the belltower lights with Meghan and Mallory and Jessica from BYUSA. That summer I was also a peer mentor for FOL and had a blast with my BYUSA team every single day.

Fall 2012/ Winter 2013

Fall came around which lifted some responsibility off my shoulders since I was acting as VP in BYUSA. Eric was done with his internship and took over. I had new roommates but lived in the same building as most of my old roommies so we still did stuff together all of the time. We went to the stadium party and got pics with Van Noy and Brandon Davies. #winning. We also played in the park at night and went to the Brigham City temple open house. For football games this year I had 50 yard line seats on the front row with BYUSA. Best thing ever. Seriously. BYUSA took up most of my time, but I had fun with my roommies too. I even dressed up with them for Halloween (which I NEVER do). I spent Thanksgiving in my apartment this year with Becca. We made a delicious dinner and even had a meringue war when we were making the pie. The trees with red and yellow leaves somehow changes to bare branches with snow overnight. Christmas came and went. With the snow we made giant sculptures on the patio of our apartment. Michael came to visit and Becca and I took him to Temple Square, Hogle Zoo, and the This is the Place monument with about a foot of snow on the ground. My roommates and I also went to the Festival of Colors again this year. Why miss the chance to become a rainbow? This year of BYUSA included even more adventures such as a day at Boondocks with go-carts, bumper boats, an arcade, a batting cage, and laser tag, a luncheon in the brand new convention center, a leadership ceremony where I won the BYUSA dedication award, our final winter retreat, and multiple fun, random days, events, and activities.

Spring/Summer 2013

This was the year I also dated a boy for the first time. Andrew. It lasted for one month which makes me laugh, but it obviously just wasn't meant to be. That spring I got to see Wicked for the first time for my birthday, and I spent my last birthday taking pictures with my best boy. That summer he died which took me what felt like forever to stop crying about. Needless to say I didn't get the best grades in my classes that summer. Oh! And the first of my roommates got married. Emilee got married!!! I made some of the best friends at BYUSA, and I applied to be the VP like Eric was. I didn't get the position, but I realized why later. That summer my best friend, Eric, got married, I made my first solo road trip, spent more time with Meghan (we enhanced our 4th of July tradition by going to the fireworks and concert at Thanksgiving Point on the 3rd as well as the Stadium of Fire fireworks on the 4th), made a trip to Washington with the roommates, got to see the Manti temple pageant, fell head over heels for a boy that moved away and suddenly stopped talking to me, went to a hot air balloon festival, went to the rope swings in Mona, saw a Pioneer Day parade, went to another wedding reception, got showered in glitter on a rough day, got a job, made a new friend (Julie Anne), and did the ropes course at the Olympic park. And, at the end of the summer, I was once again a peer mentor at FOL (I loved it even more this year) and was roped into being a peer mentor for New Student Orientation. 

Fall 2013/Winter 2014

This semester I roomed with Dani, Kaitlyn, and Makenna again, and we went back to our fun shenanigans and adventures which included wedding ring shopping one night. My new job was with the Alumni Association planning events. I mostly worked with the Student Alumni. It was a lot like BYUSA, but I got paid for it and worked in the Hinckley Center! This job had its perks. I got to watch the BYU v. Texas game in the President's Loge with the First Presidency of the church and the head honchos of the school. I drove the Alpine Loop in the fall, had picnics in the park with Meghan, drove in the convertible with Kennedy to the pumpkin patch, went to football games with Dani and her boyfriend/fiance Tyler, and was Becca's companion for a day before I dropped her off at the MTC. Jan, Julie Anne, and I made a trip to Park City in a blizzard, my roommates and I saw the Catching Fire midnight premier since we had seen Hunger Games together the year before. I made a trip to Arizona where I got sick for the first time since going to college, but Ami, her family, and I still ended up going to Cali anyways (my first time!). Dani and Ty got married and I got to be a bridesmaid! I survived winter once again and saw the lights on Temple Square and drove through the Thanksgiving Point lights with the top of the car down. I went on a retreat with my Student Alumni group and got to go tubing at Soldier Hollow. I went to the hot springs, planned and attended Traditions Ball, got to see Andy Grammar in concert, met and hugged Sister Dalton, and just had fun! 

Spring/Summer 2014

All of the sudden my final terms at BYU came. James and Kaitlyn got married, and I was the Maid of Honor! I finally went to Arches National Park, I hiked the Narrows at Zion National Park, Meghan, Janessa, and I went to the actual Stadium of Fire concert where Carrie Underwood performed, I spent most of my time with friends, I made a 4.0 for spring and summer, I had an internship with the Department of Child and Family Sservices, and I had almost a week long vacation where I missed class and went to California. 

So, I had good and bad roommates, I was in love and heartbroken, I had good and bad wards, I had fun and worked hard. I was involved. I made friends. I had adventures. I went to football, basketball, and even some volleyball games. I had experiences that most students don't get to have. So, thank you to everyone who made my BYU experience a FULL BYU experience. Roommates: Kaitlyn, Dani, Emilee, Makenna, Meghan, Jenn, Alanna, Melissa, Mallory, Alexis, Maren, and Ashley, their husbands, my BYUSA team: Bryon, Angela, Kennedy, Austin, and Devon, Eric Cecil, Angela Blomquist, Amanda Nuttall, my favorite teachers: Anne Hodge, Erin Holmes, Justin Dyer, Hank Smith, and Katie Isaak, my bishopric members, the Bishop's wives, the Student Alumni team: Flint, Michael, Mady, Christina, Brett, and Brody, Curtis Isaak, Julie Hatchett, my internship mentors: Liz and Kobie, Janessa, Julie Anne, Justin, Andrew, the best visiting teachers ever: Brooke Ellis and Blythe Beecroft, Alyssa Harkness, Becca, and Aubryann McClune. Thank you for allowing me to say that I had the best of the best experiences I could have ever asked for at Brigham Young University. I am thankful that I could leave my mark at BYU, but I am even more thankful that it left its mark on me.

Show Me a Sign

President Uchtdorf said to let faith replace your fears and hope replace your despair. I heard that quote this morning and thought it was perfect to open this post with.

Sometimes Heavenly Father wants me to learn or know something, and he has to beat me upside the head with it until I finally get it. I am not one of those people who consistently plead for Him to show me a sign, but I am one who constantly asks for him to lead and guide me to the right path while I am still pretty stuck on the path I want to go down. That's just how it is I guess. Yesterday was one of those times when Heavenly Father had to beat what he was trying to say into me. Lately I have felt kind of like a failure. I am leaving BYU getting married or even dating very much, I have a different degree than I ever thought I would (and I hope Heavenly Father knows what he is doing), and I don't have a job lined up for me when I get back home. Yesterday I was reading in my scriptures and came to Ether 12:27.

Heavenly Father has given us all weaknesses that we may be humble. When we are humble, He makes us strong. It was while I was reading this that I realized he gave us these weaknesses that we may be humble, not that we may look down on ourselves and doubt our abilities and our worth. We are all His sons and daughters with divine potential and infinite worth. I don't remember how I came across this scripture, but Psalms 46:5 says, "God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved:God shall help her, and that right early." Heavenly Father is there to love me and help me whenever I call for his aid. Funny thing though, He isn't only there when I need Him. He is there always, and I thank Him for that. Then, this morning I woke up and found this scripture while on Pinterest. Isaiah 54:10. It's Isaiah so I may be completely off base on what this scripture means, but to me it was saying that my life may seem like swirling chaos with everything changing at times, but Heavenly Father will always be there with his kindness and a covenant of peace. That peace will come when everything (including me) is where it needs to be for His plan to progress.

Heavenly Father is teaching me slowly that even though I do not know the exact plan He has for me, He is always there for me. He knows where I am going, and He wants me to know how important I am to Him. Apparently He also wants to know that good things are coming my way because along with all of this He also gave me two quotes to stumble upon. The first is by Jawahrial Nehru. It says, "There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open." The second quote is by Jeffrey R. Holland. He said, "We look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the ashes. And when we have learned what we need to learn and have brought with us the best that we have experienced, then we look ahead, we remember that faith is always pointed toward the future. Faith always has to do with blessings and truths and events that will yet be efficacious in our lives."

And finally, I came across the new Mormon message the church released. Watch it. It is beautiful.

I have faith that Heavenly Father knows each and every one of us personally, is always there to help us, and never fails to answer prayers or fulfill His promises. It may not be when we want or expect, but He answers. 

Kisses for Daddy

Becoming a father is one step closer to becoming more like Heavenly Father. I think my dad is pretty darn close. After all, "what does the Father ask of us?"

Have faith... Dad always helps me have faith in things to come. He always tells me that you have to kiss a few frogs before finding a prince, and a special boy is out there for me. Dad shows me his faith through his example, and I have always wanted to be like my daddy. 

Have hope... Dad has taught me to have hope. His life isn't easy, but he always has hope for better things to come as Elder Holland puts it. I see the hope he has for me each time we talk about what I am going to do with my life or my dreams. He has taught me not only to hope for dreams to come true but to go out and chase them. 

Live like his Son... It is a joke here that dads give "Come to Jesus talks." I was never sat down and given one of those talks as I can recall, but after some of my conversations with my dad I have wanted to become more like Christ because I can see the light of Christ in him. Once again, I want to be like dad! 

Help others on their way... He also helps me have faith through my trials. Being at college away from my family has been a journey I would not trade for anything, but it has had its rough patches. Good thing my dad was always there to help me make it back to the sunshine. I love him for that. So, so much. 

By being close to my dad, I can feel myself grow closer to my Heavenly Father. My dad is a wonderful example to me through being a worthy priesthood holder, loving his family, and always doing the best he can for those around him. Dad makes the best desserts, he can't help but smile when I am happy about something, he gives the best, most comforting hugs of anyone I know, and he has a daughter that loves him beyond compare. So, Happy Father's Day to the most wonderful dad around. I am so thankful I have you! 

The Standard of Truth

Since Easter I have really been thinking about what it means to be a disciple of Christ. When reading my scriptures this week I came across Helaman 5:49-50. It says, "And there were about three hundred souls who saw and heard these things; and they were bidden to go forth and marvel not, neither should they doubt. And it came to pass that they did go forth, and minister unto the people, declaring throughout all the regions round about all the things which they had seen, insomuch that the more part of the Lamanites were convinced of them, because of the greatness of the evidences which they had received." When I first read that I wondered why these people were told not to marvel. It wasn't until I was writing in my scriptures yesterday that I realized why. When you marvel you don't progress. You remain stuck in the past. These people were told not to marvel, and because they listened what did they do? They went out and told others of what had happened. I also think that sometimes when we marvel too much we do begin to doubt things that we saw/heard/felt for ourselves. Being a disciple of Christ is going and telling others the joy that comes with the knowledge of the gospel. Last week in church someone pointed out that we are part of the Restoration. It did not end when the church was restored. It did not end with the pioneers and persecution.We are living in the Restoration. I am so thankful that I am a part of it, and I hope that when I return to my Father in Heaven when He asks me what I did to help the work along I can tell Him I did something. "The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done." -Joseph Smith Jr.

The Cold, Hard Truth

Well, maybe not the cold, hard truth. Maybe it is the burned, blistered truth. Let me tell you why. So, over the weekend I was feeling a little sorry for myself. I had a wonderful day shopping with Kaitlyn, but I just wanted more out of life. So much more. I wanted to rush through stages and catch up to all of my friends. Even after the rough and somewhat stressful weekend Kaitlyn, Julie Anne, and I made the courageous decision to leave the lush valley and go to Arches National Park in the desert. It was on my summer bucket list last year, but I didn't make it there. Trekking to southern Utah was an adventure in and of itself. When we got there we were first enthralled by the frogs. I don't think I have ever seen an actual wild frog before. It was exciting. We even decided which ones we wanted to be. We are four years old. Then, we decided to hike to the delicate arch. I wore a tank top and my running pants. Not even thinking we started the ascent. Let me tell you... Not far into the hike I thought I was going to die. It is steep, and there is simply no air. And, even though it was just under eighty degrees it was HOT. After we made it up that initial hill I was fine. We climbed all the fun things and made it to the delicate arch. It was beautiful, and the view was well worth it. I finally got to see the arch on the Utah license plate. I got to see a part of Utah I had never seen before, and I loved it. We hiked to and saw other arches as well such as Sandy arch, the broken arch, and a few other unnamed arches. Utah truly is beautiful. It was even more beautiful to be with my friends and not worry about anything. On the way home I realized my shoulders were a little burnt. I wasn't worried. It wasn't the first time I got burned, and it certainly won't be the last. Later that night I realized the severity of my burn. Ouch. Eating my lunch on a rock under the broken arch I felt like I left all of my worries and misery behind. A different kind of misery set in at this point. Blisters galore. It took a few days for me to be able to wear an actual shirt. Progress. Slow progress. I loved my long weekend, although going back to work and school was a little difficult. I can't wait for my next two long weekends. I will be going to the Narrows at Zion's National Park over the Fourth of July weekend, and I will be in California for the Pioneer Day weekend. I have a fun summer ahead of me! My visiting teachers came over on Tuesday. After their initial shock of my red glow they gave me a wonderful lesson. I love them. With Blythe in her red and white striped pajama pants and Brellis with her top knot, I always feel the spirit and can just laugh. We planned a day to go and get pie at a little restaurant that is supposed to be really good. I trust their taste. Last time we went out they took me to the Provo bakery which is divine. Anyways (I get easily distracted by food. Can you tell?), Brellis shared a talk about being grateful in your circumstances. I am not always the best at that obviously, but I am so glad she shared that. And yesterday... Yesterday Julie Anne and I had a crazy whim to go see Maleficent at 10:45. We didn't get home until one in the morning, and I regret nothing. I really liked that movie. It is hard to go wrong with Angelina Jolie, a tub of popcorn, and one of your friends. I love summer so much! Also, my blisters are all gone now!!

Our before picture. 

 This is us under the first arch we came to which was on our way to delicate arch.

And then we finally got to delicate arch!!!

 After we all climbed a cliff. 

I went up even further and felt like a beast.

So, along with all of my pictures from arches I will also share a few of my favorite quotes right now. And... maybe a song.

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This is my "some days are just hard" song.