Spooky Adventures.

This week was very adventurous for me. 

• I went to a seminar on "How to succeed in American Heritage" (pretty good advice there)
• I went to a Chinese movie with some friends (the whole thing was in Chinese, it was pretty entertaining, cheesy, and hilarious, we pretty much peed our pants)
• I went to the Hunted Forest (ps, BEST haunted house I have been to yet)
• I stayed up till1:00am watching a weird werewolf movie. 
• I stayed up till 3:11am talking on the phone. 
• I stayed up till 4:30am working on a paper. 
• I woke up at 7:00am for school. 
• I went to sleep at 9:15am.
• I woke up at 2:30pm. 
• I went to dinner with my aunt, uncle, cousins, and roommate. 
• I went to an orchestra concert. 
• I watched the new Psych. (and cried laughing)
• I cleaned. 
• I went to the BYU game. 
• I ate dinner at my aunts house. (she makes the BEST food!)
• I drove around like a maniac with my cousin and sister with fake teeth and mustaches on. 
• I went to a haunted door. 
• I ate ice-cream at Macey's and saw M'kenna there. 
• I went back to my house and watched The Last Song with my sisters. 
• I went to church and loved it so much. 
• I baked from the time I got done with my meeting (1:00) to 6:00 with out stopping. 
• I wrote some love notes. 
• I took food to the attractive man house and to other people.

So, I have had a very very good week! All of this happened on the weekend as well. 

But, I have more to explain. 

HAUNTED FOREST:

So I went there. It was very awesome. I got pretty scared. But I'm not sure if that was just the people I was with or what? I went with Ashley, Austin, Sydnee, Kiley, Jake, Jake's woman friend, and Brother and Sister Miller. It was very fun and exciting. They have added and changed a lot of things and we had fun. But, after we were done and were walking back to our car Sister Miller told us that on their way here there were tons of cops and they were at every corner, almost looking like they were looking for someone or trying to catch someone. On the way to the Haunted Forest the freeway was backed up going South on I-15 because of an accident. We just assumed it was from the accident and maybe someone fled the scene.

The creeped us out just a little bit. But then we thought of it and while we were in the Haunted Forest, there was a security guard (not meant to scare) and he was standing there looking around and at everyone. We realized that he was looking for someone. 

That made me want to pee! I was so scared! We were in a Haunted House with a creep! So we drove home and it was all good. 

Then, when I was driving home I was stopped going onto the freeway on the American Fork entrance to the freeway for 10min. I thought it was for construction, apparently not. They had a huge light (once again, like they were looking for someone) and no cars were driving on our side of the freeway... 

Finally I saw a bunch of cars. They were being lead by a police car... a little odd. So we joined in. It was really slow until we got to the PG exit and then it was back to normal. 

I read the news the next day and apparently the police were trying to catch a man in a high speed chase from Riverton. He got off the AF exit (right where we were by the Haunted Forest) and he went on foot. They found him in a canal later that night. 

That's super creepy cuz they really were looking for the guy! Ah! It just made it even more spooky! 

So that was that... 

The BYU game was awesome. After was a blast with my cousin and Ash. But I don't really have anything details... 

Sunday church was amazing as usual. 

That's all folks! 

My favorite quotes :)

Here are some of my very favorite quotes! Sorry, when I write them down I don't really write who says them so I will try and remember. But if some of them kind of don't make sense that's because I'm a weirdo and all these quotes are for an idea I have for my future house. Some of them need pictures to make sense. ;D But, when I get old and this happens I'll take some pictures so you can see my amazing vision :)

PS I will be adding more to this :)

The past does hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it.

Having someone help you doesn't  mean that you failed, it just means that you're not alone.

It is not our abilities that show who we really are, it's our choices. 

If you have a reason to live, you dont have a reason to quit 

Sheep go away not because they are wicked, but because they are hungry. 

You see what you look for. 

To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world. 

If happiness is the most attractive accessory a young women can have, then a smile would have to be the most charming make-up.

You are never lost when you can see the temple. 

Have faith in what you know. But have humility in what you don't.  

Don't lose faith in what you know because of what you don't know. 

You try, you sit. This is about doing. 

When life gets tough the tough find the humor :) 

If you live up to your privileges, the angels cannot be restrained from being your associates.

-Joseph Smith 

You can't live your life worrying that the world is staring at you. When you let peoples opinions make you self-conscious you give away your power... The key to feeling confident is to always listen to your inner self- the real you.

 D&C 60:13

D&C 122:6

"Bring them to me" 

"I loved the challenge to follow in his every footstep" 

-Elaine S. Dalton 

Be loyal to the royal within you.

It's ok to be different, different just has a different mission. 

Alma 29:1-10 

The joy you receive later will far exceed the pain you feel now. 

Be yourself... Everyone else is taken. 

On your knees is where you stand the tallest. 

He answers our prayers in ways that don't fit into our plan, but that fit into his. 

We may not know when, but the Lord keeps his promises. 

Life's too short to not do what you love.

If you are striving to do right, the Lord will let you know if you are starting to do something wrong. 

Sometimes we have to travel over rough waters in order to appreciate some of the fundamental blessings we have.  

A ship on a harbor is safe, but that's not what ships are made for. 

No matter what the Lord requires of you, if you keep trying you will be able to fulfill the mission he has in store for you. 

Be happy, and tell your face about it. 

What manner of men ought ye to be? 

Even as I am. 

"Art, like morality, consists of drawing the line somewhere." 

-G.K. Chesterton 

It's easier to keep the commandments 100% of the time than 98% of the time. 

-President Monson 

You exercise faith by causing, or by making your mind, accept or believe as truth that which you cannot, by reason alone, prove for certainty. 

Boyd K. Packer 

There's no room for sorrow in the great plan of happiness. :) 

When necessary, the Lord will carry you over obstacles. 

Peach the gospel. And if necessary, use words. 

We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become. 

After the sunset of mortality we rise to see the Son again. 

                                RK Oscarson

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. 

                                 3 John 1:4

"love gives you strength to do what's right. Even when it's hard. 

There is no hurt so great that love cannot heal it 

Righteousness comes from planned consistency. 

Life is not measured by the number or breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. 

"Even when we fail, we can find peace in remembering that we tried our best"

"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity"

If you think you can or think you can't, You're probably right. 

Most people would rather see a sernum then hear one. 

Our eternal happiness will be in proportion to the way that we devote ourselves to helping others. 

-George Albert Smith 

It's not about who you've been with. It's about who you end up with. 

Sometimes the heart doesn't know what it wants until it finds what it wants. 

The gospel of Jesus Christ is is not an obligation, it is a pathway marked by our loving heavenly father. 

-president Uchtdorf 

Living with differences is what the gospel if Jesus Christ teaches us we must do. 

-Dallin H. Oaks 

Take honor from me and my life is done. (shakespeare)

If your not willing to sacrifice everything, you've already lost. 

Sometimes, all you need is 20 seconds of  insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it. 

We're human. Making mistakes is part of what we do. It's how we go about fixing them is what really matters. 

We pray in our time, and God answers in his. 

Sometimes the Lord may not deliver us from our trials, but make it possible for us to endure them. 

You can't miss out on something great just because it might also be hard. 

Discipleship isn't a spectator sport. 

We grow in two ways- removing negative weeds and cultivating positive flowers. 

The only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it. You either have to laugh or cry. I prefer to laugh. Crying gives me a headache. 

-Marjorie Pay Hinckley 

Give me a young man... 

- President Benson 

We combat our fears by increasing our faith. 

-Russel M. Neilson 

Honor. There is no finish line. 

Anything worth having is hard work. 

The less you reveal, the more people can wonder. ;) 

We are not obedient because we are blind. We are obedient because we can see. 

-President packer. 

Sometimes the biggest shadows in life are caused by us standing in our own sunshine. 

Sometimes tests aren't about passing or failing.

If you haven't failed, you haven't lived. 

We must not only say our prayers, we must live them. 

Priesthood Clears the path and protects the path. 

Destiny is matter of chance, its a matter of choose 

Dont forget to Share your testimony. You never know when someone might need to borrow it. ;) love Jackie ;) 

God will do anything to bring us back

to him. Even if it might be painful. 

I dont know everything, but He does, And that's enough for me. 

No one knows how much confidence you have so take all you want! 

It's not what you do, it's what you learn from what you've done. 

You can do anything. But you can't do everything. 

If you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot, and hang on! 

You don't really need someone to complete you... You only need someone to accept you completely :) 

"Our decisions do determine our destiny"

Thomas S Monson

Endure= To withstand with courage. 

Life by the yard is hard, by the inch it's a cinch. 

-Thomas S. Monson

Charity covereth a multitude of sins.

Peter 4:8

Zachs fave

Being humble means recognizing that we are not on earth to see how important we can become, but to see how much difference we can make in the lives of others. 

-Gordon B. Hinckley 

Having faith in God means having faith in His timing. 

-Neal A. Maxwell 

Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start and make a new ending. 

Faith- when prayers go up, blessings come down. 

Cherish your life 

Follow your heart 

Embrace your dreams 

Prayer changes things. 

We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust our sails. 

Life is a journey, not a destination. 

Love and laughter make happily ever after. 

"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 and remember that faith is always pointed toward the future."

Elder holland

 

Strength isn't something you have- it's something God helps you find. 

Sometimes God bring us low, only to lift us higher. 

Sometimes you know things with your heart that you don't know with your head. 

"The Lord’s way is not to sit at the side of the stream and wait for the water to pass before we cross. It is to come together, roll up our sleeves, go to work, and build a bridge or a boat to cross the waters of our challenges."

"Don’t limit yourself and don’t let others convince you that you are limited in what you can do. Believe in yourself and then live so as to reach your possibilities. You can achieve what you believe you can. Trust and believe and have faith."

"We may not avoid every storm of life, but following the counsel of living prophets will help us ride out the storm."

Live on such a way that if someone were to talk bad about you, no one would believe it. 

Sometimes the answers to our prayers don't come while we are on our knees, but while we are on our feet. 

Zion isnt where, it's how. 

True strength often rises at our weakest point. 

Courage Awakens

If we have faith in Jesus Christ, the hardest as well as the easiest times in life can be a blessing. 

The Savior has promised angels on our left and our right to bear us up. And He always keeps His word. 

"The search for the best things inevitably leads to the foundational principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ—the simple and beautiful truths revealed to us by a caring, eternal, and all-knowing Father in Heaven. These core doctrines and principles, though simple enough for a child to understand, provide the answers to the most complex questions of life."

"Things that are fair in this life, will be made fair in the next through the atonement of Jesus Christ. 

"We need to prepare ourselves spiritually so we can be ready to help others along the way."

Christ hugging-my family 

"We can feel of their love and compassion through our sorrow."

19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; (New Testament, Revelation, Chapter 1)

"God is preparing people to receive your testimony of restored truth. He requires your faith and then your action to share fearlessly what has become so precious to you and those you love."

-President Eyring 

Giving thanks helps us realize our blessings. 

It's not a race. It's a journey. Enjoy the moment. 

"The decision to serve a mission will shape the spiritual destiny of the missionary, his or her spouse, and their posterity for generations to come. A desire to serve is a natural outcome of one’s conversion, worthiness, and preparation."

We are not mortal beings having spiritual experiences. We are spiritual being having mortal experiences. 

D&C 84:87-88

We must develop the capacity to see men not as they are at present but as they may become when they receive testimonies of the gospel of Christ."

"If we have not made the kingdom of God first in our lives, in the end it will not matter what we did make first." 

-Bruce R. McConkie 

Why???? Weeeelllll...

So... just for fun. Here are some reasons that I want to be an Athletic Trainer :)

1. I like blood and guts.

2. I love sports.

3. I like learning about medical things.

4. I took Sports Medicine and fell in love with the whole idea.

5. It's only 4 years of school and it's a medical field.

6. There is only one math class in it!

7. There is NO CHEMISTRY classes!

8. My favorite thing is getting to share with people what little I know about medical things, this way I will know A LOT!

8. I will be able to help my kids if they are hurt or something and not have to wait for an ambulance while people are dying.

9. I love the idea of sports and what it can do to one's character. It builds people not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. I want to be a part of that!

10. Funny dumb reason, I think taping things is really fun! (like ankles and wrists)

11. I feel like I would actually succeed.

12. I get to watch sports games from right there on the closer than front row!

13. I get to see what's going on with people when they don't show it on TV.

14. I could see myself doing it.

15. I have just always loved the idea... I think I already said that...

There are probably more things. But this is all I can think of right now :)

Haunted houses... and craziness!

First off. Sorry if there are type-0's in these. I don't really like reading what I've written. And, I don't really try to make them sound awesome, I just write what I'm thinking ;)

Annnnnnnndd... Sorry by blog isn't that pretty, i really just don't know how to work anything... ;)

So LOVE going to haunted houses! It's one of the funnest things EVER! I think I have already spent 100$ just this month... and more to come!

This weekend on Thursday me, Ashley, Austin, Sydnee, Jake and Brother Miller set off to a bran new one we haven't been to, that is actually new this year. I forgot what it was called... but it was in the parking garage of the Provo Mall Cinemark.

It was pretty good! Not the best, but still good! But we told the guy at the front that we went to a lot of haunted houses so he assumed we were like reviewers or something...

Soooooo at the end they gave us all a free ride one their ride: "Buried alive." It was AWESOME! You got into this coffin and it moved and you could hear people talking and stuff to make you feel like you were being buried alive! SO COOL! Plus, there was a camera so everyone else could watch your reactions and laugh.

Friday Me, Christina, Ashley and Austin went to "Insanity Point." It's at Thanksgiving Point it was actually very very very good. You got a lot of attractions for your money and it was just a good time with my favorite pals :)

Saturday- BYU game. We won. Of course ;) (ps, I love that I get to say "we", it makes me smile really big and get tickles in my stomach)

Sunday- so much fun! Went to church, "chased boys" took a nap, ate food, talked with my roommates, went to a family history thing (very fun, we laughed pretty hard!), then went to family prayer and wrote love notes! Sadly, the 1st counselor in my bishopric is getting released and we were very very saddened by that :( he's awesome. But, he's going to be a bishop in his ward so that's awesome! PLus, all the talks and lessons on Sunday were very inspiring! I was more than uplifted!

Monday- Went to school, studied all day long while going to class and then taking a test (I did not do good on btw) than running to the store and then running to my house and grabbing dinner with Katelyn and then going to NIGHTMARE ON 13th with Kailey and her AMAZING family! We had so much fun! That was for sure the best one I have been to! But if I remember right I think the Haunted Forest might be better, but I will have to go again this year to compare ;) got back at my apartment at 12:00. Lovely.

Thursday- Went to class- but only my 8:00 class because I had to get back home right after that class so I could go to Vista Heights Middle to speak to them about drugs. That we so much fuN! All the little boys wanted to give me hugs, the girls told me I was pretty, I got to sign a bunch of autographs, take pictures, and of course talk to them about drugs. It was so much fun! I would do it every day if I could! It totally boosted my self esteem and made me super happy :) I don't think I will be able to give this crown up! Then I chilled at my house studying and hanging with my family. I even snuck a well needed nap in there. I think it was only 20min though... oh well. :) Then me Ash and Austin watched: "Life as we know it" (really good movie;)). Austin ended up taking me home in my mom's car because she had only gotten one hour of sleep and Ash still needed help with her science project. So he took me. Trouble with the key because I took it with me on accident but we worked it out. I ended up getting home at 12:30. Getting to be around 1:10. Lovely.

That brings us to today. I woke up, went to class. Studied every waking moment I wasn't in class and then after. Took another test, did pretty good. Came home did laundry and cleaned. So much fun I know :)

Sorry to bore you with my life!

But, one last thing. I love it here at BYU and wish that everyone could have the same experiences I am having here. I seriously can't even describe my love for this place and the people! ( I swear I'm not bragging! I'm just sharing my thoughts)

The end!

"Bloggity Bloggin Award"

I was awarded the"Bloggity Blogging Award" from Ashely Powers :)

P.S. the picture is because the first thing I thought of when I heard this was "Bibbidy Bobbidy BOO!"

Yay! This is exciting! ;) I feel like a celebrity from this (jk times a million)

Soooo here's what I have to do...

1. State 7 facts

2. Pass it on :)

I'm going to try and make this interesting if I can...

1. I think I'm legally addicted to sugar, and I'm pretty sure it's genetic from my grandpa to my mother then onto me. ;)

2. I'm deathly afraid of sharks and snakes. (the truth- I've actually come in contact with a dead snake and I cried...)

3. This one is super weird, all I think about now a days is marriage. It drives me crazy because I'm not even dating anyone.

4. I KNOW I have the best family in the world... (we are stating facts here right??? :)

5. I'm a chicken when it comes to haunted houses and scary movies. Me Ashley and Austin go to them all the time but I freak myself out bad after words and can't go anywhere alone.

6. My dream job (that I think is kind of embarrassing because normally a dream job is something really cool that most of the time is close to impossible) is to be a wedding photographer. I love photography and I am in LOVE with weddings and I'm just in LOVE with LOVE in general. :) (check my ipod, all there is is love songs)

7. I love singing really loud in my car while no one is watching. It makes me feel like I'm a good singer (NOT!) and I just have a good time :)

There you go my friends. :) Not too interesting but they are all facts about me :)

I'm going to pass this wonderful thing on to.....

Rachael Guyant

&

Katie Calder

Really because I love you both and love reading your blogs :)

THE END!

True Blue Football :D

So yesterday me and my roommate/cousin Emily did something very very exciting.

Last week was BYU's homecoming and they had a lot of activities going on. But there was one I especially wanted to go to, and that was the true blue football. I was super excited, but then come to find out, it was cancelled because it was super duper cold that day. So, they postponed it until the next Wednesday.

The weather was actually really good yesterday which made it really fun because it wasn't so cold!

So, this is how it went.

We got in a line and they had us sign a waiver (I'm not even going to lie, I don't know what I signed, I just wanted to get started!) and then gave us a wrist band. Then we walked in and waited in the line for the giant slip n' slide. We probably waited in line close to 25min. It was totally worth it!

Well, first, we made friends because of my Psych phone case (yep, that's how I make most of my friends) they were standing in line by us. So we talked with them and ate free ice cream sandwiches while waiting. Then because I am such a good observer I noticed that people who already had a bunch of foam on them went faster down the slip n' slide. So, me and Emily ran over to the big sea of foamy goodness where there was tug o' war and a person holding the hose of blue foam and played in it for a little bit and then went back to our spots.

They had a tub of goggles you could put on before you went down. That was nice, besides the fact that afterwords when you play in it you get it all in your eyes anyways.

So, I took a big long run and slid face first into the blue foam. IT WAS AWESOME! I went so fast and was being completely covered in foam as I went down. (Like literally, you couldn't even see the people when they went down, it was like a big soft blue blanket)

Problem, it was almost too long of a slip n' slide. I could' breathe once I got to the bottom. You are covered in foam. If someone was just walking they would step on you because it was so deep.

So I had to breathe once I got down so I took in a ugh breath and swallowed a bunch of foam.

It tasted nasty.

But it was sooooooooo worth it!

Emily came down the slide sitting up with her head out. Hahaha I laughed pretty hard. I'm not going to lie, it looked like a big party with a bunch of drunken people. We all just were falling and laughing so hard.

But anyways then we played some more in the foam. The foam they just had everywhere was up to my knees! Ahhhhhhh! I want to do it again! It was so much fun!

Then we walked home carrying our shoes and covered in blue foam. Plus, our faces were dyed blue from the coloring in the foam. We got some long confused stares. It was hilarious. Haven't people seen weirder stuff in their life!? ;)

Oh, but they did have a giant hose going that you could wash yourself off in, but we just wanted to walk home with it on and just shower so we weren't even more cold.

We got home and showered. Ever piece of clothing I owed was blue. Hahahahaha I'm not going to lie, I had yellow underwear on. They turned COMPLETELY green. So cool.

It all came out in the wash though!

Oh man I'm totally doing it again next year :)

Then we did some homework, when and got shakes, and waited until 11:00 to watch Psych. :) BUt we watched part of Pinocchio before.

Good day :)

And Psych was AMAZING! :D

The end

Paper Writing =)

So this is my paper that I had to write for my Human Development Class. I enjoyed writing it, although it was hard because we had a billion and one requirements and so I couldn't just write how I wanted. But that's ok :) I actually learned some things out of it ;) You really don't have to read it though, it's just kind of the story of my Dad and what I gained from that experience. :D

Introduction

June tenth may seem like an ordinary date to most, but for my family, this important date changed the outcome of our lives dramatically in more ways then one. My father was always my hero and best friend, as he was to many. His trials and death literally made me who I am today. This huge test in my life helped me powerfully build a firm relationship with my family, understand not only spiritually, morally, emotionally, and socially who I am but physically, and academically as well.

My Dad

New Year’s eve going into 2005 was a night to be remembered in countless ways. My family and I played our new Nintendo Game Cube at our cousins on their big screen TV all night long, laughing till we cried. Going home that night we were long past exhausted, not prepared or expecting what was about to slam into our path. All I remember about that night was my mom waking me up and telling me to go and wait for the ambulance so I could open the door for them when they arrived. Terrified and confused I ran downstairs to wake up my younger sister to tell her to open the door because I was too chicken. All I could do was stare and let my heart drop as they rushed my Dad out the door on a stretcher.

The next morning I will never forget. After my mom arrived back home from the hospital she told us the life changing news. Our Dad had had a Grand Mall Seizure that night at 3am, lasting a deathly five minutes. The MRI and CAT scan revealed he had brain tumor on the left side of his brain, thus resulting in the seizure. Being only 12 years old, I didn’t really know exactly what all of this meant. I thought, oh, well, they can just take it out and everything will be normal again. I didn’t know the half of it.

This very small event lead to a complete flip in not only mine, but dozens of others lives. The video games we had played literally had saved my Dad’s life. Yes, they did trigger the seizure, but that was exactly what we needed to find the tumor. If he hadn’t had the seizure we wouldn’t have found it as soon as we did.

The next month he had surgery to remove the tumor. They removed it and everything was fine for a while as he recovered and went through radiation and chemotherapy. Later on the doctors realized the tumor had re-grown, but this time, they wouldn’t be able to remove it because it was too close to his brain, and removing it could paralyze him. He underwent another surgery where he was actually awake and they talked to him, having him move his arms and legs to make sure he still could. The surgery ended, it went well. So we thought. My Dad became paralyzed on the right side of his body. This brought on a whole new book of challenges.

In the end we got to spend a tremendous amount of time with my father before he passed away, just 3 years after he had been diagnosed. Those 3 years were some of the best years of my life. Your life brings on a whole new meaning when someone close to you, that you love more then anything, is going through a severe challenge. This experience changed my life remarkably in many different ways.

Domain

The first and probably the most obvious thing that changed in me was my spirituality. Not to say that I wasn’t doing well spiritually before, I was doing just fine; this hardship just brought it to a whole new level. The experience did this by increasing my understanding of the plan of salvation excessively. My grandpa (my Dad’s father) passed away just 2 years before my Dad was diagnosed. I thought I understood what it meant to be with my family forever through that. I was proven wrong. I now know on a much deeper level how much I want to be with my family forever. This knowledge helps me set goals for my future family and myself so I can reach my goal of someday marrying in the temple, so I can live with my family forever. Another thing that helped my spirituality was my Dad’s great example. He always had a good attitude about church and always attended, no matter what. Through the long course of his trial he only missed church once due to his condition, and that was because it was right after he had brain surgery. This example showed me how dedicated I should be to the gospel, and how important it is in my life. My testimony overall grew immensely through this time, and continues to grow even now as there are trials that still come from not having my father.

Domain

I was always able to empathize with others well. This experience incomparably helped me with this. When my friend’s grandparent’s die, or my family members pass away, I am able to connect and emphasize with the people grieving way more then I could have before this trial. There was no other way to teach me how to passionately emphasize with others. Many people do not believe in miracles. I don’t know how I could deny them after all I have seen. I saw so many miracles and know that they weren’t just coincidence. The things that happened didn’t just happen. Heavenly Father helped my family by sending us countless miracles, therefore increasing my faith more then I could ever imagine. I look now and see so many miracles in my life because I learned to recognize them and be grateful for them. Then in turn I can help others see miracles in their own lives as well.

Domain

The next important thing that changed in my life was my relationship with my family. My family has always been very close, we have something beyond special. Going through this trial made us closer then close. We spent every waking moment together because we knew our time with our Dad was limited. We literally became best friends. My two best friends that I know I will never lose, are my Mom and my Sister. This may not have happened if we didn’t go through what we did together. Spiritually as a family we were able to talk about things and understand things together that you can only understand when you have a family member struggling with what my Dad was going though. Because I was the oldest I had to help my sisters a lot of the time. Whether it was with homework, friends, or even just being someone to talk to. This helped me in turn build my relationship with them, but it also helped me learn that I was an example and needed to be doing the right things.

My Dad always treated my Mom like a queen. He would do anything and everything for her, even if he was the one that needed more help. That example greatly impacts me today and influences the way I treat my Mom. I try and treat her like my Dad would, always making sure that she is taken care of.

Domain

Thirdly, my cognitive development was also changed. I never really enjoyed school; I did fine but never really had any goals. I wanted to go to college but never really knew why. My Dad always encouraged me to do my best. Through the end of his trial he was always there when I got home from school, and without fail asked about my day. My goal: to have something good to say every time. I knew he cared, and would ask me. That encouraged me to do my best so I would have a good report. The greatest thing that helped me see the bigger picture was seeing my Mom handle providing for our family. Because she had an education and a stable job, she was able to take over and provide in the place of my Dad in providing for our family. This made me want to go and prepare better for college because I knew that anything could happen and that I might be put into the same situation as my Mother later in my life. I wanted to be prepared and be able to get through it like she did.

Luckily for me, my Dad just happened to be friends with my junior high counselor. Through that, my parents were able to check up on me and have someone keeping an eye on me while I was at school to make sure that everything was going well. That also helped me to know that I had someone I could go to and talk about what was going on in my life and he would understand.

My dream had always been to go to BYU. My Dad’s family is die-hard BYU fans. I grew up surrounded by blue. I loved the school from the time I could talk. My Dad always encouraged me that I could do whatever I set my mind to. I knew it was hard, but I was determined to get in. As my junior year approached I became more and more discouraged about getting into BYU. My Dad had passed away before this time so I didn’t have him cheering me on. My grades were falling; I started to make new plans thinking I wouldn’t have a chance of getting in. Surprisingly I was selected from 10 students in my grade by my seminary teachers to be in a program for BYU. This gave me hope, but I was still thinking I would never get in. Once again, huge surprise, I didn’t think it was real when I made it in. I had almost paid the commitment fee for SUU. I was shocked. I knew this was because of my Dad and Father in Heaven. It was a huge blessing; I knew he was proud.

Domain

Because I was the oldest I had a lot on my plate through all of this. I had to take on new responsibilities. This helped me learn new skills about myself. It especially helped me set goals to for my future family, and set a goal to be as good of a Mom as my Mom is. I learned to appreciate what I have because even though I was going through a rough trial, I still had my family, food, a house and schooling. I was so blessed, and finally realized it. I also really learned who I was because the trial did increase so many other aspects, through that, I learned who I was and where I was going.

Domain

Socially I grew drastically. I was pretty shy when I was young. I wouldn’t do things by myself. I never was the first one to talk to someone, and when someone talked to me I got nervous and often said confusing things. Because I had to step up so much just at home it helped me grow socially by taking on more responsibility and being able to communicate with people better. People would always ask me how my Dad was doing, it was intimidating at first obviously because I was shy, but then as more and more people kept asking I became more comfortable telling them. One experience that really kicked me out of my shell was when we were at the airport. My Dad was in a wheelchair and he had to go to the bathroom. So, I pushed him to the Men’s bathroom. I waited outside the door for him. After a few minutes I heard a loud yell coming from the bathroom, I knew it was my Dad. My instincts kicked in, I didn’t even think as I ran into the men’s bathroom pushing people out of the way as I went. I came in to find my Dad on the floor out of his wheelchair. People were standing all around him, I asked him if he was ok. He was fine, just a little bruised. I think the men in there were astonished I would have the guts to come into the boy’s bathroom. I was too. We found out that a man had accidentally knocked my Dad over while he was walking with his cane to his wheelchair. This experience helped me socially by making me realize that sometime you have to do things you really would never do or even want to do, but you do them because you love someone.

Domain

Physically I grew because I learned the importance of staying healthy. My Dad was always very active and healthy, that’s why he was able to be with us longer than expected. My Dad also helped me grow physically through basketball. That example made me want to be healthy throughout my life. Basketball was my life from seventh to eleventh grade. My Dad never missed one of my games. He encouraged me to practice, participate, and stay active in basketball. My Dad was a basketball star when he was young but I guess you could say he was when he was old as well. He worked with me all the time on my skills and was very knowledgeable. Even when he was in a wheelchair, he still took the time, though difficult, to work with me and spend time doing what we both loved. One last maybe abnormal way my physical growth increased was from always pushing my Dad in his wheelchair. We all loved to push him and it made us physically stronger every time we did.

Domain

Emotionally I learned again, how to truly empathize with others more fully. This may sound funny, but I learned that you can cry. It’s ok to just break down sometimes and let your emotions out. I remember an experience I had, someone had said something mean about one of my friend’s Dad’s. I just wanted to blow up in their face and chew them out because they were saying those things. I learned that wasn’t always the best option, and most of the time would get you in trouble. Lastly I learned that you will have a lot of emotions in your life and there is no way to predict how to deal with them or when they will come, the only way to deal with them is to talk and work through it.

Domain

Morally I grew by knowing where I stood in the gospel. That may have just been through growing up in my teenage years, but I think it was because of this trial. My integrity grew from my Dad’s example and him always being honest with people and what was going on. I learned that bad things happen to good people. Just because you may be living a close to perfect life, bad things will still happen. I also learned that trials are for your good. Maybe I didn’t see the whole picture while I was going through it, but I definitely see it now. I would have never had the growth I had in my adolescence if it wasn’t for this trial. The last thing I learned: The best way to get through something is to surround yourself with good friends and family.

Conclusion

I am the person I am today because of this trial. There could have been many different outcomes from this. I could have left the church because I thought Heavenly Father wasn’t being fair or was giving me too much and I couldn’t handle it. Or, I could have chosen what I did and made the best of my situation, looking on the bright side and making the most of my trial. My Dad was very special to me, but this trial was also a very special thing at a very special critical time in my life. Trials may seem more then bearable at the time. But they are only to help us, not make us fail. I know that my family agreed to have this happen to us, and we all promised we would stay strong and become better from it. I believe that is exactly what happened. After all, that’s what our trials are for, to help us learn and grow in ways only trials can.

Grandpa :) plus more

First of all I want to make a confession. I'm a sucker for love. It's kinda a problem I have. Austin pointed out to me that the only songs on my phone were love songs, and church songs. I wanted to prove him wrong. Ya. No. Literally almost every single one of my songs is a love song. That's just what I love to listen to. Love songs put me in a good mood and they are just super duper cute :D but anyways, ya, that's my big problem.

Soooooooo this week... it's kinda been crazy. Monday we missed our FHE because no one really told us where it was. By the time we found out it was a little too late and they had already left and it was raining so we figured they were going to be coming back soon anyways.

Tuesday Austin came over and we hung out a little bit then he took me and my scooter to my Mom's house. I actually don't even remember why I went home... oh ya jk it was because we went to a haunted house with all my friends. After it was over it was really cold and late so I decided that I would just leave the next morning.

Ya that wasn't going to happen. I work up at 6:00 and really didn't want to go, plus it was freezing cold. So I decided I would just stay another day. I didn't really have hard classes the next day. So I spent the day sleeping in, watching Psych, and going to the movies with Austin. (we saw Abduction ps) Anyways that was really fun because I kind of just needed a break and it was fun to relax ;)

So it was even worse that day. It had rained all day Wednesday so I couldn't ride my scooter. My mom figured out a ride for me and I got a ride Tuesday morning with someone from our ward. I got back to my apartment at 7:00am then left for school 40min later.

School that day was good. I came home and slept for a little bit and worked on some homework.

The sad part about Thursday was that I was informed that my Grandpa Bezzant (my Mom's Dad) had passed away that day. I loved my grandpa so much and I'm going to miss him :( but he's in a better place up there. Plus, he can hear now so that must be wonderful :) Another thing I thought of is, well, he's with my Dad and his daughter and son. They must be having a party up there ;)

But I'm also glad for my strong mom and her faith. My mom is amazing. I love her more then anyone and she is my best friend. I have never lied to her, and I always tell her everything. (I hope that my kids feel the same way about me). But I just cannot even imagine what she has been through in the past 4 years. She lost her brother in 2007. Her prince charming in 2008. Then her sister and Dad in 2011. I cannot even imagine. But she is strong because she knows she has to be for us and I admire that. I hope I can one day be that strong.

It was really sad to think about. Especially because my grandma just had found him that day. It was unexpected, but kind of expected at the same time if you know what I mean.

The rest of Thursday me and my roommate watched "Mega Mind" and ate our weights worth of muddy buddies.

Friday was crazy. I stayed up till 4:00am talking to my friend Zack Wilson for 4 hours on the phone. That was really fun we talked about everything and it helped me vent about things for a little bit.

It wasn't till later that day that the sorrow really hit me of my grandpa's death.

I was working on this paper for my Human Development class, it's an Adolescent Autobiography on a trial(s) that happened in our adolescence that changed the course of our life. It's not really an easy paper, it has a lot to go into it and a lot of points you have to make. It takes a lot of thinking. I decided to write on the biggest thing that has changed my life more then anything and that is when my Dad died. As I was writing it I became very emotional, more emotional than I have been in a very long time. The spirit hit me as well as sorrow. It was very mixed emotions. But I realized something...

My Grandpa Calder passed away a few years before my Dad did.

My Dad passed away in 2008.

Now my other grandpa on October 6, 2011.

I have no brothers.

I know those are kind of weird things to point out. But it hit me that I have no male figures directly anymore. I mean, yes, I do have friends and uncles and cousins. But I don't have a brother, dad or grandpa to look up to. I know it doesn't sound like a big deal but it almost makes me crave that kind of love, I guess you could say even more. So it's been a struggle. N0t only now, but for a long time.

Anyways. Enough with the sad.

The rest of Friday...

Ash came and picked me up from my house late that night because we had to practice a song we would be doing for my grandpa's funeral with my cousins that morning.

I stayed up late with Karly and Ash laughing and talking. Plus, practicing because I was playing the piano for the song we were doing and I needed people to sing with me so I could get the song down, and because I had never really played the song.

The next morning we went and practiced.

Funny story...

I wasn't doing so good with the song like playing it. I have this stupid "disorder" where I cannot play the piano with people singing with me. For some dumb reason it's always been a struggle. But I really wanted to do it. So I had the song alright before we left to practice. But I prayed that Heavenly Father would help me so I wouldn't make this whole piece a disaster.

I got there and played the song perfectly. Even though there were people singing with me, and my 4 cousins playing the violin and one playing the bass with me. I was the leader and I had to keep on time and not mess up. I was so glad that Heavenly Father helped me and I know it was all him :)

The song sounded beautiful! I'm so excited! I'm glad our family has musical talents so that we can do these kinds of things :)

Th rest of Saturday Ash had to babysit and none of my other friends from home were home. So I made yummy chili, slept (that was nice), and watched Psych. Then we went to the BYU game. I had a great time with my family at the BYU game and got to talk to my aunt Debra the whole time :) Like I said Heaven for me, haha funny, but it's my whole family at a BYU game. BYU wins of course, and the game is against Utah. ;)

Then church today was amazing. It was fast and testimony meeting and I was touched by all of the testimonies in my ward. Plus my roommate gave a great Sunday School lesson. It's been great day over all ;)

The end :o

(Sorry, a lot of blabbering)

General Conference and fun Bishops!

I had a great weekend! Kinda a boring week, but a WAY FUN weekend. That's usually how it goes.

On Monday I got put into my very first FHE group! I literally think we have the best group!

Then also this week I went visiting teaching for the first time! I LOVE my partners and my sisters!!!

So this weekend first, BYU ROCKS and I got to see that amazing last second touch down that almost wasn't a touch down against Utah State right in front of my very own face! I was in row 3 right by where he caught that ball! It made my life so that just set the tone for my fabulous weekend!

So my friend Jordan who goes to BYU-ID texts me and asks if I'm going to conference, I told him I was just watching it. Then after a little bit we made plans to go together and watch it, even though we didn't have tickets. So we finally get my cousin Danny to come with us. We woke up early on Saturday after last nights game excitement it was pretty hard, but I did anyways. We drive pick up Jordan at his sisters (he was down for a missionary reunion this weekend) and headed to the conference center.

We get there find parking (that was no small task) and head to find the stand-by line. We get there, and see what we thought was the end of the line... ya no, it wasn't. It just kept going and going and going! It was like a mile long! We just thought, there is no way we are going to get in. So we get to the end of the line feeling a little discouraged thinking what are we going to do next? So we were talking and Jordan and Danny were talking about their bishop in Florida (this is how Danny and Jordan met: Danny went to Florida for like 3 months and met Jordan who was on his mission there in his singles ward) named Bishop Waters. Jordan said hey he's down here right now! (this Bishop is very rich and has 2 houses in Florida and 1 here. So the bishop was here in Utah for conference. Danny had his number, but was too chicken to call so Jordan called him and is was the home phone so he got their cell from the home phone. We call it, no answer. As Jordan was calling though, this girl comes up to the end of the line where we were and said, does anyone want tickets? I have 5. Jordan went over told her we wanted 3, but there were other people there so we only ended up getting 2. We were like man now we only need 1! So Jordan goes to see if he can get one while me and Danny wait in the line. We were only waiting in the line for about 1min and then decided why on earth were we waiting in line. So we go and try to catch up with Jordan. While we are trying to find him he calls and said Bishop Waters had called back and guess what, he had ONE extra ticket! I wanted to cry I was so happy! I cannot believe how blessed we are! (Oh and ps I did say a prayer that morning that we would find a way to get it, and of course it worked ;)) So we meet up with the bishop (he is one of the most amazing men I have ever met, there was an instant spirit as I walked up to them and they were so nice inviting us to have lunch with them and dinner the next day, I loved them already! SOOOOOOO NICE!) and his wife, got the ticket and headed in.

But I forgot to say about how there were so many protesters that were yelling at us. They were saying things that didn't even make sense... like "Jesus died for all our sins"..... ummmmmm ya pal, we believe that too....? And all kinds of crazy stuff like: "what do Mormon's do on a Saturday night? Go to the club, or the bar?" No friend, we go to conference, duh. But they were kinda getting me boiled inside, but then there was a group of people that just stood by them and quietly sang hymns. It was so peaceful and comforting. Then when we walked onto the ground of the tabernacle it was even better! You could hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing through the speakers and all the great people surrounding you! How could you not know this is all true!? I loved and could really notice the difference!

Conference was great! I loved when they announced the new temple in Provo, everyone just gasped! It was so awesome! I'm excited! But I love that they are building it on the grounds of the tabernacle! And one in Paris and Africa! Yay! An overwhelming feeling came over me when he was telling us this, that our church is growing, it really is being spread across the nation, just like Joseph Smith said!

But ya that was fun. We got lunch then went back to Danny's to watch the 2nd half. Talked and talked and talked forever. Went and got shakes, they went to priesthood while I went shopping with my mom and sister. They came back we talked and talked and talked again at Danny's and watched funny videos almost peeing our pants. Oh good times. You never go wrong when it's with my family!

Then Sunday GC was great! I got to sleep too! I went to my mom's house for Sundays.... we ate a yummy breakfast and Dinner.

Then I came back and went to bishop Water's with Danny we stayed forever at his house playing games all night! I loved it! Holy cows!

Best weekend EVER!