My Saturday epistle to the internet

I don't really know where this blog post is going this morning. So hold on and lets find out...

I leave to Missouri in less than three days. I am freaking out a little, but am super pumped at the same time. Does anyone know of anything fun to do, or good places to eat in Kansas City? We need some ideas. I'm ready to take over this town!

Now I must ask, who ordered this heat?! It's a little crazy. My summer is jam packed with awesome and it is just nearing the crazy. I can't wait. Basically all I'm going to be able to do when I'm at home is unpack, do laundry, and pack again. But I promise I will try to fit a blog post or two in there somewhere.

I came across a video that I just loved {It seems like I say that a lot...} and that I needed so much this week. So click play.

If any of you have ever been to EFY, or had an equivalent spiritual experience. You know that the week after is always the hardest. The week after is the hardest because you are suddenly separated from the people who became your family. You suddenly find yourself spending your time doing things other than church stuff. You are suddenly thrown back into the real world where a lack of virtue is accepted and encouraged. The adversary works hard to pull you down and to make you forget everything you just learned. Though you have made a significant change within yourself, you still look the same. It seems as if when you return home the world should change as well, yet the world continually tries to throw the same stuff in your face. We as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints must do everything we can to avoid the tactics of the adversary every day, and every second if we want to remain guiltless when we stand before our maker. And because we are all human, and we all make mistakes, our merciful God has provided a way. He has sent his son to atone for our sins so that if we repent, we might one day be able to return to live with our Father in heaven for eternity. We must remember that we are never alone.



Feel my Sunlight



p.s. Holy it is hot outside. Good thing I'm going to Missouri next week where the high for the week is 88 degrees! ha!

AF13

Temple Thursday with these cute girls this morning!

So there is this countdown you see, and it is counting down the number of workouts left until National Championships. Today I changed this countdown to 1. I'm not sure how I feel about it. 1 more time I get to set foot in the gym before I hop on an airplane to Kansas City. No pressure. But besides the fact that I am not where I had planned to be at the beginning of the year as far as tumbling goes I'm having a good time. This summer is already going super fantastic and I must say it is one of the greatest summers yet. I mean, I'm going to EFY twice. Can it get any better? I submit that it cannot. {fist bump to my sister who was probably the only person who got that.}

Now, I went to summer seminary today {because it is the only kind of school I will even think about during the summer.} And I gave an impromptu devotional that I got from a session of EFY a few years ago that I thought I'd share with you. The thirteenth Article of Faith says:

     "We believe in being 

honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in    

          doing good 

                            to all men;

 indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—             

              We believe all things, 

we hope all things,                       

             we have endured many things,   

and hope to be able to endure all things.      

               If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, 

          we seek after these things."

                        -Article of Faith 13

I have noticed that with media today we seem to think that just because a movie is PG13 and you are over the age of 13 you can watch it, but in reality the only rating you should be worried about is if the movie is AF13. Article of faith thirteen that is. A movie can be rated PG, but if it does not fit into our AF13 rating it shouldn't pass our eyes or ears. The same goes with music, books, or any other form of entertainment.

If it isn't AF13, it's not clean.

{yes, I did just come up with that saying all by myself.}

This should be what all of our ratings looked like.

I have been really working on this the last couple of days and one thing I have done is I have swapped out my country music in my car to my collection of EFY and Jenny Phillips CDs. Now I'm in no way saying that country music is bad {I still love my country music!} and that any of you have to change what you like to listen to, I am saying that I have found that when I drive with uplifting music I am in a much better mood, because lets be honest, country music {and pop music for that matter} sometimes lacks on the virtuous side and uplifting music is an awesome way to invite the spirit. 

Well there is my motivational minute for the day. I hope you all take a second to look over your lives and see where you could use a little more AF13. I love you all! Thanks for reading and making me feel good about myself! ha

Feel my Sunlight

p.s. Today was just perfect. Absolutely incredibly perfect. Except for the fact that I just drank some delicious pickle juice and now my tummy is unhappy. YOLO my friends. YOLO.

Choose this day

This is me after I drove myself to the doctor... I'm old now.

Like the caption says, I drove my self to the doctor today and now I feel old. I have had quite a few of these realizations recently that the "someday" when I get old and have to do things on my own, really will come. I realized a long time ago that Barney wasn't always going to be my favorite TV show and that I wouldn't always choose to spend my free time playing with play dough. But It seems as if I never truly thought I would see the day when I drove myself to the chiropractor. It seems I never thought I would see the day where I would get on an airplane and fly to a different state without my mom, but that is happening in less than a week. The more I think about it the more I realize that the end of my K-12 life will come and that pretty soon I will move out of my house and live on my own. I realized that pretty soon someday will fall upon us and that if we don't start working on what we want to accomplish, then those things will slip from our finger tips like grains of sand never to be found again. The sand is falling fast and there are many opportunities that will soon be gone if we don't reach out and take them. For me one of those opportunities was EFY. While I knew I only had a few years left to attend, I wanted more. That is why I signed myself up for two sessions. Because while I may not have buckets of money to waste, I don't want to miss any opportunity that may arise. I realized this week that the small things really make a difference in our lives and we should be working on grasping those grains of sand just as much as grasping the larger pebbles. I don't want to miss any opportunity to spend with my family because I know that in a few years we won't live together anymore. I don't want to miss any days of scripture study because there is always something to learn and you can never have too much spiritual time. I don't want to miss any warm-weathered-mornings because before we know it it will be snowing again and we will have no sunshine to tan our skin. I don't want to miss any opportunity I have to run with my little brother, because I never know how long I will have the ability to run, and I won't have my brother asking me to run with him forever. I don't want to miss any opportunity I have to be a friend, because you never know when you will need one yourself.  I don't want to miss any opportunity I have to share my testimony with others, because you never know whose life you can bless by being a good example. I love this video and the message it brings about choosing this day what you will do.

     





Feel my Sunlight




p.s. T-5 days until Nationals. That is the amount of fingers I have on ONE HAND.

Reserved for these later days

WhitneySuePhotography.blogspot.com

I have updated my photography blog! Feel free to take a peek!

WhitneySuePhotography.blogspot.com

Lately I have been thinking about what it means to have been reserved for these later days. As a later day saints we are on the earth when the fullness of the gospel is restored. We have a work go do.We have a friend to help, a person to serve, an example to set. We have the responsibility to bring others to the light and to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord. There is much to do. Lets get to work.



Feel my Sunlight



p.s. Isn't summer the greatest?

#TheCharitytez A week of EFY

Notes from our lovely boys.

Scriptures scriptures scriptures

We did baptisms on Thursday

Our lovely counselors Mama Shell Bell and Papa Spence

"If this isn't your castle, then you aren't my prince." Yes, I did take and edit this picture
 

Hiking Ensign Peak

The Beehive House

Our wonderful company at the top of Ensign Peak. {don't mind my awesome bangs...}

Last week marked my third time attending EFY and it hasn't ceased to be my favorite thing of the year. I'm sure you all ready know I have an obsession with EFY and dream of being a counselor one day, so I will spare you from hearing that again. What I would like to share with you are a couple of things I did, felt, and promised to do.

WHAT I DID

Now I won't share with you everything I did because well, that would take a week. But I will share with you a few of the highlights form each day.

Monday-Monday I met my wonderful counselors and my fantastic room mate, and hiked Ensign Peak with my new family. How much better can it get?
Tuesday- Tuesday we spent the day at This Is The Place National Park. We also had the best donuts ever eaten by man. There was also a dance at the end of the day.
Wednesday- Wednesday we pretended to be missionaries, we played a bunch of games, and pigged out on pizza while we laughed until we cried. "call Ellen right now." "I heard you were more beautiful on the inside, so I brought a knife."
Thursday- Thursday was spiritual day and we spent the day at Temple Square. We did baptisms in the morning and that was when we almost met the prophet but didn't. {more on that story later.} We toured a bunch of things and spent a lot of time in the scriptures and I sang and bore my testimony in the musical program. We also had testimony meeting. Thursday is always my favorite day.
Friday- Friday is always a hard day because it is the last day you get to spend with your new family before they all hop on airplanes and fly out of the state. We danced like we had never danced before at the second dance, and we cried a little bit as it started to get dark.
Saturday- We got up early so we could spend our last final minutes with our company and counselors. We gave lots of hugs and before I knew it I was in my car driving home.

WHAT I FELT

I felt the spirit constantly testifying to me thought the week that this is the true church. I felt the presence of the prophet when we sat in the chapel of the baptistry on Thursday, I felt extreme love for people I had just met. It always amazes me how much you can love a group of people after only knowing them for a week. I felt love for my amazingly wonderful counselor/ mama. I felt gratitude towards my Savior for all he has given me and all he has done for me. I felt a little piece of heaven.

WHAT I PROMISED TO DO

Every year at EFY you make commitments to be a little better and to stand a little stronger. I made the commitment to be open in sharing the gospel by bringing it up whenever I have the opportunity while talking to people. I made the commitment to help hasten the work of salvation by indexing at least three times a week. I made the commitment to make my scripture study better by studying in the morning and by not setting a time limit on my study. And my final commitment is to use my "castle license" {temple recommend} more by attending the temple at least twice a month, and every week where possible. {if anyone would like to join me in my temple attendance any time I would love you forever.}




It was a super fantastic week and I am so excited that I get to go back and do another session in a few weeks. I'd just like to say thank you to my amazing new family for making it so wonderful. #TheCharitytez

Now, I have a week of normal life, and then I get to hop on an airplane and fly to Missouri to compete in the 2013 US Junior Olympic National Power Tumbling Championships. AHHHHHHHH! I am so excited I can not even stand it. This week will consist of nothing but preparation for that. Wish me luck.


Now that I have talked about myself, myself, and myself, I'd like to share a video with you that I have posted before, but that really shows what EFY is all about, and how I feel right now.

Feel my Sunlight




p.s. I really love summer. 

I'm back!... for a week

My view of the Temple on Thursday. Same day I almost met the prophet... cool stuff.

Hey friends! I'm back from my summer adventures for a week and I must say I had one of the best weeks ever. I spent the week in Salt Lake City at a special edition of EFY and it was fantastic. I will post more about that later. 

Now I have a week at home, and then I leave to Missouri to compete at the US Power Tumbling National Championships. I'm excited. kinda sorta extremely excited. I just wish I didn't have to return to real life this week. Sorry this post is short I promise to post more later today. Love you all! I wish all of my EFY friend from out of state safe travel home. {ha! The perks of living the closest! No long road trips or plane rides.} You guys rock!

Feel my Sunlight

p.s. Have I ever told you I love EFY?

I hope everyone is having a super fantastic summer. Sorry this post is short

and of a good courage

This picture is the definition of team family

Sorry I've been absent lately, I have been quite busy since school got out. It has been fantastic and hasn't ceased to be awesome. My heart is full and I just have to say I absolutely love the people around me. My accomplishments from this week include crashing some random stakes fireside {#yoloswag}, a successful all nighter at the gym breaking my record for longest time spent at the gym with 16 hours and 47 minutes, as well as getting in and out of Wall Mart to buy athletic tape in under 5 minutes. I'm pretty sure that broke some kind of record or something.

Shout out to our missionary that went into the MTC yesterday. Good luck Stir Fry! You will do great things in Rome! Flipside will miss you!

I am so pumped about EFY next week that I can not even contain my excitement. I am also pumped for National Championships in 19 days!

The message I want to share with you can be summed up in these two clips. Please watch them both.

 I have learned that there are some things that are far more important than what kind of clothes you wear, what kind of car you drive, or how many people you know. Things like standing up for what you believe in even if you are the only one. Things like being a good friend and supportive team mate no matter how hard it becomes. 

This last week I had a small experience that took a little bravery. I was at the gym sleepover and I knew I hadn't read my scriptures and that they were waiting in my bag. I knew I had to read them, but also knew that that would mean leaving the group games we were playing and explaining why I was going upstairs all by myself. It wasn't too hard, but it took a little bit of courage. I am so thankful that I had that faith to do it even though it was hard. I encourage you to take that leap of faith in your life to step out of your comfort zone to become a little better and to be a better example and a better friend.

          Be strong           

          and of a good courage;        

                 be not afraid,                        

                  neither be thou dismayed:                

                for the Lord thy God          

        is with thee                     

                whithersoever thou goest.       

                  -Joshua 1:9

Feel my Sunlight

p.s. I promise I will post more often this summer!

I have learned

I’m not sure where this post is going to go so I guess we will just flow with it and see where it ends up. It has been a nonstop party for the last three days and I have had a lot to think about. Last night I had a talk with an old friend. I had had a talk with this same friend exactly a year before, the subject the same, but the circumstances very different. We learned this year that the world hits us and it hits hard. We learned that things aren’t always what we think and that we are stronger than we previously thought.

I learned over this last year that my world doesn’t float on a cloud and that that cloud thought I was floating on wasn’t a cloud at all, but a deceiving mist that would soon bring a reality check. I learned that boys aren’t needed to be happy, in fact, they sometimes make you very unhappy. I learned to ignore the taunting about being a part of the VLs and never have been on a date. I learned to accept the fact that the world doesn’t always bring a piece of cake; sometimes it brings a table spoon of “grape” flavored medicine. While this medicine may not taste remotely of grapes, but the tears of small children, it is the only thing that will make you better.  It is the only thing that will make you stronger, and we could all use a little more strength to face the world. I learned that sometimes people are put into your lives for a reason, and sometimes they are taken out of our lives for another reason. I learned that having fewer friends makes you appreciate the ones you do have much more. I learned that sometimes the greatest friendships only last a week, yet still last a lifetime. I learned that there is a lot more to life than the pictures you post on Facebook and that the things people pin on Pinterest are both unrealistic and unattainable, and that they certainly don’t matter in the long run. Because the things that actually matter in life aren’t things that you pin. They are things that you feel. I learned this year that you don’t go to parties to be more popular, you go to parties to strengthen your relationships with the people in your life. I learned that a party can be 5 girls in pajamas in the morning. I learned that people aren’t always who you think they are and sometimes their actions will surprise you. I learned that sometimes people are kind and sometimes the world is good, and that sometimes people are EXTREMELY kind and sometimes the world is EXTREMELY good. I learned that blogging is a very good way to get things off my chest. I learned that while I may not be the greatest singer, and that nobody would ever want to buy my album, I should sing anyways. I learned that guitars can be the most comforting when used correctly. I learned that country music and sunshine make everything feel all right. I learned that fake isn’t fun and that rude isn’t respectable.  I learned to accept the fact that not everyone feels the same as I do and that it isn’t worth it to try to impress everyone. I learned that the things I want the most are things the world would laugh at. I have had my worst days, and I have had my greatest days. While I learned many things this year, the thing I learned about the most is that the greatest work we could do is the work of our Father in Heaven. We have a great responsibility. Let’s get to work.

Feel my Sunlight

p.s. Sorry it has been a few days, like I said, I have been partying hard. Have a fantastic summer!

p.s.s Notice how nothing In this post has anything to do with Columbus or radical numbers? Just saying.

p.s.s.s. I am in a fantastic mood, and have been for three days. Please don't rain on my parade.

Last day of school

city creek a the beginning of the year

Well, this is it. One year later and there are no more tears. Our last day of school has come and I couldn't be happier. It is a very different feeling than last year. Last year consisted of mushy gushy feelings like THIS and, THIS. But today I don't think I will cry at all. To tell you the truth I still long for my Jr. High days because they tasted so sweet, but nevertheless, life goes on.

It has been a good year. If you would have asked me at the end of last year what I would have thought this year would bring I would have a very different answer than what really happened. I would have thought I'd at least gone on one date. I thought I would just have a million friends, I didn't know quitting theatre would have such an effect on my social group. Though some of this year has been bitter, It wasn't all bad. I wouldn't have thought I'd have gotten this close to my small group of friends and I wouldn't have thought I'd have met my childhood idol! This year has proven to be great for our little group of 5. I eat lunch in the park every day and I drive a minivan to school. Boys don't talk to me much, but the ones that do mean so much more to me. It wasn't what I thought it would be, but it was good nonetheless. Now I can't wait until summer!

Kellog's Tour. BEST DAY EVER!

Now while my time at the school wasn't my favorite, the time at the gym was. This year there has been a few changes and I am now one of the oldest. I have made many close friends this year that I have never had with anyone from tumbling before. I have become much better friends with my Co-workers and we have a blast every day. I can always count on them to pick me up when school doesn't go the way I plan. I know I made the right decision to continue in this and not theatre, even though it was difficult. I love you guys! And Stirfry, you will make a fantastic missionary! We are so proud of you!

So I don't know where that leaves me. Back in the gym I suppose? After the initial pool party, the burning of the homework, and the inevitable sun burn I guess I’ll find myself back in the gym 4+ days a week and blogging often. I’ll attend EFY, girls camp, 4^th year hike, trek, National Championships, and possibly EFY again this summer, but other than that you will find me in the gym. It will be one of the greatest summers ever, but then again, every summer is the greatest in my book.

Thanks for a great year guys! See you next September!

 

 

 

Feel my Sunlight




p.s. Is it bad that I think I'm more sad about finishing the last season of Jonas LA last night than I am about the school year ending?

cubical final words

I am sitting at my computer tech cubical for the last time this year and it feels a little odd. It feels odd in the sence that it seems like we have been in school for years and haven't had a break, yet at the same time it feels as if the school year has flown by. I am supposed to be working on my final project that is due at the end of class today. My teacher has already entered them into our grades to show us what we would get if we didn't do it. I have an A so we will see how much of that actually gets done. YOLO!

This year has been good, though not my favorite. I have grown a ton this year. {not literally... I'm still only 4' 9.5" tall} I have increased much in wisdom. I survived Mr. Conners class and enjoyed every second of it. And well, I learned to drive a car this year {not an easy task}. I have increased in stature by strengthening myself at tumbling as well as recovering from an injury so I could compete. I have increased in favor with man by learning to talk to people more and to say hi to other first. And I think the thing I have increased the most is in favor with God. It has been a great year for strengthening my testimony and I am proud to say I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints and I know the church is true.

I thought I'd share with you something I thought was funny.

This is my blog.

Scroll down a bit and you will find this.



 

 

zoom

 

 

 

 

zoom

 

 

 

 

Now notice the thing circled in red.

I find this funny. There is supposed to me a Book of Mormon there. The school district has blocked the Book of Mormon link at the school. I'll show them!

                                                             

Here is the picture

Here is the link ------------------------->  http://mormon.org/free-book-of-mormon/

MUAHAHAHA!

 

 

 

 

Have a great last bit of school!

See you on the Flipside!

 

 

 

 

 

Feel my Sunlight

 

 

 

 

p.s. ya, not much work was done this class period. At least I worked on my computer skills right?

 

 

 

 



"I can't find..." prayers

You know those prayers you say when you can't find your cell phone or your wallet where you call to God and tell him to reveal its location to you. You know how those almost always work and how sometimes it seems like they are just coincidences?

Ya, well they are not.

I have this very important flash drive you see. It contains all the assignments I have done all year, as well as the baptism pictures I took for my baby sister.

I had yet to save the contents on my computer at home so when my mom asked me to pull up Miki’s baptism pictures I immediately went to my keys looking for this flash drive. Only, the flash drive wasn’t there!

DUN DUN DUNNNN!

I kinda freaked out a tiny bit. I said a prayer kinda like the one I talked about earlier. I told my mom and my dad immediately walked in the room. We told him our dilemma and he just stood there looking confused for a second, then he announced he knew where it was! He said “it’s in the parking lot at Bowman’s!” {Bowman’s is a local grocery store that my dad just so happens to work at.} I had been there earlier that day to get ice cream for my brother’s birthday party.

So we got in the car and headed over to Bowman’s and sure enough, it was in the parking lot! It had been run over and several of my charms were broken or missing {including the coke one that I just bought!} But the flash drive was fine! We went home and I said another prayer thanking God for another “I can’t find…” prayers answered.

 

 

Feel my Sunlight



p.s. I am in Photography and we are watching Charlie the Unicorn... It is awesome. #not

p.s.s. Jonas LA, Sonny with a Chance, Hannah Montanah, HSM, Camp Rock. Your argument is invalid.