blogtember day 2 (because starting with 1 is overrated.)

One word. Redundant. That's what I feel about my day today.

So remember that whole Blogtember thing I was supposed to start yesterday? Ya I promise I didn't forget about it. I simply had this fantastic idea that since the prompt was "where are you from" I would upload all these photos of me from my childhood. I spent a long long time going through old pictures, even longer trying to take good pictures of them (with my iPod, so you can all imagine how great they turned out, and even longer trying to figure out how to get them all from my iPod to my blog. (My blog app wouldn't let me upload that many, and apparantly you can't copy and paste from the "synched with phone" feature on facebook.) I tried and tried and eventually got so frustrated I turned off the computer and went to bed, therefor, no blog post.

But the rules did say there are no rules, so I am now making up the rule that I get to miss the first day. (Atleast it's not something too important like the first day of school right?) So here is day 2.

Wednesday, September 4: If you could take three months off from your current life and do anything in the world, what would you do?

If I could take three months off from my current life (I am going to add here that money is limitless in this situation, and also that it is summer. Because EFY happens in the summer.) I would probably spend a portion of it attending sessions of EFY and the other portion of it in other countries volunteering at orphanages around the world. That's about it.

 Now, because this isn't actually true, I now have to go get ready for work. I promise to give you a better post tomorrow. I feel like this one is slacking a little, but I'm out of time. I love you all! Go read your scriptures!



Feel my Sunlight



p.s. I really enjoy sign language. #ASLlife
 

eternally changed

Well my friends, I survived schoooool!! (The first week at least). And I am so glad it's Friday.

It's hard to keep up a blog with Honors, AP, and CE classes. Especially when I don't have any classes where I just sit at a computer the whole period like I did last year. That is, except for CE digital media, where we actually made blogs for class. That was kinda fun. CE digital media is kinda the best class ever, I mean, we made blogs for crying out loud!!!

So I am sitting here at the sunny yellow computer desk at 10:36 at night planning on writing a blog post. Lets see how this turns out.

This week has been crazy. And by crazy I mean stressfully phenomenal, dreadfully stupendous, hopefully wonderful, excitingly tiring, newly tedious, and strangely not that bad. I actually love most of my classes and I got some pretty dang good teachers this year. I am predicting it is going to be a fantastic year and I can't wait.

I learned something this morning while I was reading my scriptures. (5:30 am scripture study is where it's at! Brown Sugaring it up! By far the sweetest part of the day.)

In 1st Nephi 3:29-31 Laman and Lemuel are visited by an angel, and immidiatly following the angels diparture they begin to go back to complaining and begin to revert to their old ways.

I sometimes wonder how many times we do this in our own lives. How many times do we have a very spiritual experience that seems to change us, but then immediately revert back to our old ways when trial comes? How many EFY sessions, treks, girls camps, and youth conferences experiences have "changed our lives" but, in the end leave us unchanged? How many times do get home from church and begin to block out everything we felt that day?

I think this is something we could all work on a little. There is always room to change, but we must remember to remain changed when the wave hits. We must be able to not just remember what we felt, but to feel it again and again as the rocks begin to crumble. If we strive to hold on, how much easier it will be to hold our ground in this crazy war of life.

I often joke that I wish I could just go to EFY all year long instead of school because I love the atmosphere and everything about EFY while I'm there. But I think we can create that same kind of atmosphere in our daily lives if we are doing whats right.

I was once told that I should make the week after EFY the greatest week of my life because that's when I get to apply what I learned. If you have ever been to EFY you know that the week after is always the hardest week because that is when you are thrown back into the world of immodest clothing, bad language, idleness, and temptation. When you are thrown back into a world where the less virtuous choices are easiest and sin surrounds you. But I truly believe that we can see an angel, and be forever changed by it.

I decided to make this my goal for the next week. (and forever hopefully) To always be remembering and having spiritual experiences and not sitting and waiting for next years EFY to have another one. When I was baptized I was given the gift to have the constant companion of the Holy Ghost. Why on earth would I want to only use this gift every once and a while?

I have a testimony of this gospel and it's changing powers. I know that it is the only true church and that it can change lives. I know that if we strive to live what's right, we will be forever changed.

On an entirely different note, please take a second to look at this picture. These girls are from all over the nation. They are all from different teams, and they are supposed to be rivals. But regardless of all of that they still support one another and have peptalks before competition. I think the world needs a little bit more of this kind of awesome.

Jr Elite Girls at the Stars and Stripes Cup today

Feel my Sunlight




p.s. This blog post from NieNie just about sums up what I think about TV. And people wonder why I don't watch TV.

p.s.s. I went to the football game tonight and we lost sadly. But I got a cookie dough shake so I'm happy.

forsaken week, and the first day of school

 I'm sorry I've forsaken you this week, I really am! This last week was crazy fun and jam packed with awesome. I could blame my lack of posts on that, but in reality, I was just lazy when it came to posts. Sorry.

So this last week I did a few things in my final attempts at living it up in my last days of summer. I mean, I went to the temple! I know that's not most peoples idea of "living it up" but it's sure mine! It was the highlight of my week just as it always is.

It was also my cool sister Danielle's 15th birthday on Sunday. Here is a picture of her with a fry that looks like a hat from her birthday dinner. Happy birthday beautiful sister of mine!

happy birthday Danielle!!!

I also had the opportunity to run The Color Run 5K in Salt Lake City with my dad and one of my best friends Lauren. That was so much fun! They aren't kidding when they say it is the "Happiest 5k on the Planet".

Before...

...After.... (sorta)

...The REAL after!

race swag

color color color

CTR remains clean!

Be happy

Be really happy

We got covered in colorful cornstarch and my hair (as well as my armpits, and pretty much everywhere else on my body) turned an awesome sickly color of green. I washed my hair 3 times before realizing my hair was going to need special treatment. When talking to Amberleigh (one of my super amazing EFY counselors, whom I love lots and lots.) days before going to school I realized that there was a large chance I would be going to school on Monday with green hair, I also realized that the situation wasn't going to change, but the way I looked at the situation would determine what I made of it. I thought of a quote by Marjorie Pay Hinckley...

             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 as      

crying gives me a headache.      

                         -Marjorie Hinckley

While I wanted nothing more than to go to school not looking like I had dip dyed my hair in pureed green beens, I knew that I needed to have a positive attitude, or I would ultimately have a terrible first day of school. I decided then and there that I would laugh about it. 

Now, I tried everything. Lemon juice, baby oil, hot oil treatment, 8 time shampooing and conditioning my hair, and lotion. Oh, and a few prayers. The lotion and the prayers helped the most and I was so blessed to go to school this morning with BLOND HAIR! I was more than pleased. So if you ever get green cornstarch in your hair that dyes it green, put lotion in it and start to pray. Ha

Me, in the truck, about to drive myself to my first day of Junior year. Crazy stuff.

 So like I said, today was the first day of school. It was surprisingly one of my better first days of school that I've ever had. I was not happy about ending my summer of fun, but I think it will be a pretty good year this year. (I mean, when you have a volunteer from an outlying district, that's something you can't ignore. #namethatmovie) But it really was a darn good day. I mean, I had TWO missionary experiences at school today and it was only the first day of school. Life is good. team mates make things fun. School is good. I hope tomorrow brings the same amount of joy as today did. Go read your scriptures, say your prayers, remember who you are, and so on, and so forth, and whatnot, and what have you. I love you all!

Feel my Sunlight 

p.s. I love people. Like a whole lot. And if you are reading this, you are one of those people I love a whole lot.