It never really did feel like Christmas this year. At least not until I got home to Arizona and was around the family. And not even until that morning when the little girls were opening presents and shouting exclamations of "Sweetness!" and "Nice, nice." Seeing them excited made me excited. My favorite present was a pair of Hoven sunglasses I got from Jamas. They're freaking rad and I love them. Plus they won't break after two wears. It's been kind of funny updating all the older siblings on the social/love life (well more of lack thereof). Next time we're all together I'm just going to sit down all the older sisters and tell them my stories all at once so I won't be repeating it 4 times.
We left the day after Christmas for Hurricane and then the next day to the SUU lodge up in Cedar City. We spent 3 1/2 days up there playing in the snow and just lounging around (lots of time spent reading new books from Santa). Monday night we went skiing. It was my second time ever going and I had tons of fun. My body is definitely not use to it (or any form of exercise aside from walking) so I've been a bit tender all over. We had everyone at the cabin except Jamas, Erin, Auden, Marek and Brett who's serving his mission in Japan. I was happy to finally have Colton back and I managed to get away without being thrown in the snow. Saturday night him, Rachie, Tyson and I drove down to Cedar City and saw Bedtime Stories with Adam Sandler. It was super funny and I totally want to go see it again. We laughed a lot and maybe out loud too much, but I didn't care too much and the other audience members never said anything. We only had one accident at the cabin this year: Maren was going down a steep run on the sled, fell off and all of her weight landed on her arm. She didn't completely snap it in two, it was just fractured and bent. Don't worry I have pictures :) (but they'll have to come later). Don't stress though, we have really only ever had two accidents in the 7 years we've been going (this one and my Aunt Jilyn broke her tailbone one year. That's why we don't do trains on the tubes anymore).
We're now back at Grandma's in Hurricane being bums. Fed the cows last night, got IN 'N OUT for lunch and have a Wii tennis tournament planned to bring in the New Year with. No New Year's Eve kisses this year :( But at least I won't be in bed when '09 hits like I was last year. That's something to be grateful for. I'll upload pictures tomorrow, we've got a slow internet connection here so it takes much too long than I'm willing to wait for to upload photos.
School starts back up on Monday and I'm pretty excited to get back up to Provo although I'm going to miss AZ's warmer weather. At least I won't be sleeping on a couch anymore. I've got 2 new roommates and a nannying job to look forward to. Last thing I swear: In the months of August-December I traveled roughly 7,360 miles. Most of that was in between home and school, but dang! That's a lot of miles!!!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Accidents at the dinner table #2
A lap full of orange juice wasn't enough, so a few days later I got a lap full of milk. But that was my own fault, I knocked over my cousin's glass of milk into my lap and all over the floor.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Accidents at the dinner table
I ended up with a lap full of orange juice this morning after Jamas knocked his cup over handing the syrup to Fern during breakfast. What can I say? It was cold and sticky and really funny. I'm just glad it wasn't the syrup that got spilled. At least OJ washes out.
P.S. It's Christmas Eve!!!!!!!!!!
P.S. It's Christmas Eve!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Banging my head against a wall
I hate evolution, I hate microevolution, I hate macroevolution, I hate biodiversity, I hate speciation, I hate mutations, and I especially despise BIOLOGY!!! My brain just can't take it anymore! It doesn't matter how many times I mutter the definitions to myself it just never clicks. I've been sitting in this same chair at the bottom of the library (makes it sound ominous if I say bottom, kind of like I'm in a dark, bottomless pit...) since noon trying to understand how mutations are beneficial and what speciation is... It's unbelievably frustrating especially since I have a headache. That's a funny story:
I have 3 book shelves mounted on the wall above my bed. Last night I thought it would be delightsome to jump into my bed. I ended up slamming my forehead into the corner of the bottom shelf, giving myself a dent about the length of the tip of my pinky finger. It's all swollen now, but it's giving me a headache the size of Massachusettes. Lesson learned: move shelves higher up on wall.
P.S. this bio final is my last final. But I have to take it in the Joseph Smith Building auditorium which means no leg room, no elbow room, no room for anything and awkward stumblings over people who sit at the end of the row. HOORAY!!!
I have 3 book shelves mounted on the wall above my bed. Last night I thought it would be delightsome to jump into my bed. I ended up slamming my forehead into the corner of the bottom shelf, giving myself a dent about the length of the tip of my pinky finger. It's all swollen now, but it's giving me a headache the size of Massachusettes. Lesson learned: move shelves higher up on wall.
P.S. this bio final is my last final. But I have to take it in the Joseph Smith Building auditorium which means no leg room, no elbow room, no room for anything and awkward stumblings over people who sit at the end of the row. HOORAY!!!
Monday, December 15, 2008
Goodbye Waves
There is one song that makes me cry no matter where I am, who I am with, or what is happening in my life:
"Goodbye Waves and Driveways" by The Rocket Summer
It's a pretty chill song until the "climax." Yes, the singer does get a little overly vocal and screams, but not for long and not like crazy punk rock music. It's a really passionate part of the song and I think it's kind of cute. Anyway, yes I cry during this song, listen to it and maybe you'll understand where I'm coming from. Just think of a sad break up when you listen to it.
Go to this link and on the right hand side in the black box you can listen to the track.
"Goodbye Waves and Driveways" by The Rocket Summer
It's a pretty chill song until the "climax." Yes, the singer does get a little overly vocal and screams, but not for long and not like crazy punk rock music. It's a really passionate part of the song and I think it's kind of cute. Anyway, yes I cry during this song, listen to it and maybe you'll understand where I'm coming from. Just think of a sad break up when you listen to it.
Go to this link and on the right hand side in the black box you can listen to the track.
Lemons and the Atonement
You know the saying, when life hands you lemons make lemonade? And we should, we should make the best of what the Fates throw at us. But I think most of us get so use to carrying the lemons in our pockets waiting for them to magically turn into lemonade on their own. I've been carrying quite a few lemons for a couple of years now and my coat is getting heavy from the weight. It's a pathetic analogy, but at least you can do something with the lemons handed to you rather than the rocks on your back. Each time we are handed a lemon we stick it in our pockets and when the time comes where we decide to get rid of the weight we can do something magical with this piece of sunny fruit. We can turn it into something beautiful, something that we can drink that will make us feel fresh and new on the inside, something that will help our countenance glow.
I've been studying the Atonement a lot lately whether I have been planning to or whether it's been thrown in my face a lot due to the Visiting Teaching message and my Doctrine & Covenants final. I even mentioned it in one of my English final's prompts. I recently reread Elder Steuer's devotional that he gave this semester and I was kind of smacked in the head by the way he talked about how we need to personalize the Atonement, which is something I have always had a hard time doing, but know that I need to do. Of course I know that Christ suffered just for me as He did you, but knowing that He also suffered for my illnesses, and my heartaches was not something I ever really took to heart. I knew it, but I never really understood it, and I never understood it because I never really sought His help with those lemons I was carrying. I am not one to drudge up past relationships, but I want to show you an example. Earlier this year in March I had just broken up with a guy and was feeling pretty blue. I did not really know where to seek solace from but for some reason I just had a feeling to call one of my sisters and later my mom. Both of them spoke of the best remedy for a broken heart: service. As I contemplated their words then and even more so now, I have begun to understand why serving is the best remedy. In doing service we forget about the lemons in our pockets and we help another person with their lemons. In doing service we allow Christ to help us make our own lemonade. It is in those moments that we forget ourselves and that pain, it is in those moments that Christ takes away the heartache and other sorrows.
Another thing I have never truly understood about the Atonement is how I can become a new person after repentance. It is funny that I don't really understand because I spent most of Sunday sharing a thought from James Faulconer about the Atonement (James Faulconer was formerly the Dean of General Education and Honors at BYU). In a talk he once gave titled "Remembrance," Faulconer stated this:
I guess this doesn't really go with understanding how we become a new person but I love how Faulconer explains the remembrance of our sins. Here is where we see our sins as lemons and not rocks. They become that sunny, yellow fruit, bitter for a second but sweet after it becomes lemonade. Of course we won't ever completely forget our sins, but once we change our attitudes about those past mistakes we can remember them as moments in our lives where we took advantage of the Atonement. I hope that as I continue to study the Atonement and take advantage of it in my own life that I will be able to understand the great change that can take place in my life when I do make mistakes. I'm not planning on having a lot more heart breaks, but if there are anymore in store for me I hope that I remember first hand that the best antidote for that pain is service and confiding in my Savior. I know that Christ suffered for all of us. I know both our Heavenly Father and our Savior love us so much, and I will admit that I am one of the first to forget that during those lemon days. But I know it is true, it is just one of those things you "get" and can't really explain why.
I've been studying the Atonement a lot lately whether I have been planning to or whether it's been thrown in my face a lot due to the Visiting Teaching message and my Doctrine & Covenants final. I even mentioned it in one of my English final's prompts. I recently reread Elder Steuer's devotional that he gave this semester and I was kind of smacked in the head by the way he talked about how we need to personalize the Atonement, which is something I have always had a hard time doing, but know that I need to do. Of course I know that Christ suffered just for me as He did you, but knowing that He also suffered for my illnesses, and my heartaches was not something I ever really took to heart. I knew it, but I never really understood it, and I never understood it because I never really sought His help with those lemons I was carrying. I am not one to drudge up past relationships, but I want to show you an example. Earlier this year in March I had just broken up with a guy and was feeling pretty blue. I did not really know where to seek solace from but for some reason I just had a feeling to call one of my sisters and later my mom. Both of them spoke of the best remedy for a broken heart: service. As I contemplated their words then and even more so now, I have begun to understand why serving is the best remedy. In doing service we forget about the lemons in our pockets and we help another person with their lemons. In doing service we allow Christ to help us make our own lemonade. It is in those moments that we forget ourselves and that pain, it is in those moments that Christ takes away the heartache and other sorrows.
Another thing I have never truly understood about the Atonement is how I can become a new person after repentance. It is funny that I don't really understand because I spent most of Sunday sharing a thought from James Faulconer about the Atonement (James Faulconer was formerly the Dean of General Education and Honors at BYU). In a talk he once gave titled "Remembrance," Faulconer stated this:
"I’ve thought quite a bit about what it means that the Father remembers our sins no more and I think we often do not take it seriously enough. We think that the scriptures must be speaking metaphorically when it says that. . . .
You will recall that I do not equate memory and recollection. To remember something is for it to be a locus from which one has a certain attitude toward the world. Thus, I would argue that the Father may well recollect our sins after we repent – just as we can. However, one’s relation to them and to the world is very different after one has confessed appropriately and repented. The sins are no longer what they were. (This requires the counter-intuitive belief that the past can change, but that counter-intuitive belief seems to me to be at the heart of Christian doctrine.)
Formerly, my sins were a memorial of my waywardness, wickedness, and rebellion. After proper repentance, they become a memorial of God’s grace and the sacrifice of His Son. In other words, they are no longer sins and, so, cannot be remembered as sins by the Father or by myself. What was an occasion for sorrow and despair has become something new by becoming part of an occasion for joy."
You will recall that I do not equate memory and recollection. To remember something is for it to be a locus from which one has a certain attitude toward the world. Thus, I would argue that the Father may well recollect our sins after we repent – just as we can. However, one’s relation to them and to the world is very different after one has confessed appropriately and repented. The sins are no longer what they were. (This requires the counter-intuitive belief that the past can change, but that counter-intuitive belief seems to me to be at the heart of Christian doctrine.)
Formerly, my sins were a memorial of my waywardness, wickedness, and rebellion. After proper repentance, they become a memorial of God’s grace and the sacrifice of His Son. In other words, they are no longer sins and, so, cannot be remembered as sins by the Father or by myself. What was an occasion for sorrow and despair has become something new by becoming part of an occasion for joy."
I guess this doesn't really go with understanding how we become a new person but I love how Faulconer explains the remembrance of our sins. Here is where we see our sins as lemons and not rocks. They become that sunny, yellow fruit, bitter for a second but sweet after it becomes lemonade. Of course we won't ever completely forget our sins, but once we change our attitudes about those past mistakes we can remember them as moments in our lives where we took advantage of the Atonement. I hope that as I continue to study the Atonement and take advantage of it in my own life that I will be able to understand the great change that can take place in my life when I do make mistakes. I'm not planning on having a lot more heart breaks, but if there are anymore in store for me I hope that I remember first hand that the best antidote for that pain is service and confiding in my Savior. I know that Christ suffered for all of us. I know both our Heavenly Father and our Savior love us so much, and I will admit that I am one of the first to forget that during those lemon days. But I know it is true, it is just one of those things you "get" and can't really explain why.
Friday, December 12, 2008
"The book Romeo would have given Juliet; Charlie Brown would have given Snoopy; Tonto would have given the Lone Ranger..."
Almost a year ago my friend received this birthday present from a significant other:
"I Like You" by Sandol Stoddard Warburg
Basically the cutest book ever! My favorite part in the book is this:
"I like you because if I am mad at you
Then you are mad at me too
It’s awful when the other person isn’t
Phooey
They are so nice and hoo-hoo you could just about
Punch them in the nose"
Well, this part is cute too:
"We fool around the same way all the time
Sometimes we don’t say a word
We snurkle under fences
We spy secret places
If I am a goofus on the roofus
Hollering my head off
You are one too"
It's a really cute book because it's not just about couples or two people in love/like, but it's also about best friends, roommates, sisters, brothers, and even the relationship between owner and pet. If you're ever browsing in a bookstore stop by the Children's section and just take a quick peek.
"I Like You" by Sandol Stoddard WarburgBasically the cutest book ever! My favorite part in the book is this:
"I like you because if I am mad at you
Then you are mad at me too
It’s awful when the other person isn’t
Phooey
They are so nice and hoo-hoo you could just about
Punch them in the nose"
Well, this part is cute too:
"We fool around the same way all the time
Sometimes we don’t say a word
We snurkle under fences
We spy secret places
If I am a goofus on the roofus
Hollering my head off
You are one too"
It's a really cute book because it's not just about couples or two people in love/like, but it's also about best friends, roommates, sisters, brothers, and even the relationship between owner and pet. If you're ever browsing in a bookstore stop by the Children's section and just take a quick peek.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Let it snow!
It finally snowed today! But, of course, nothing stuck to the ground. This white Christmas better kick in soon, I haven't been able to wear my boots yet. Ok lame desire for wanting it to snow, but really, I miss it!
Friday, December 5, 2008
I'm ok
Finals are coming, finals are coming. I'm spazzing out just a little bit. So as of tomorrow I have 4 days of classes left and 2 weeks of this semester left to endure. WOO HOO!!! My list of things to do is actually quite small, but each things takes up probably an entire day to finish. Such as study for Biology final...3 days at least! Study for English and finish the 13 prompts that are also due for our final...I can't even calculate the time I am going to need to suffer through that.
It's been an eventful semester thus far, I won't lie. Lots of drama, lots of learning, lots of growing up (hoping on my part), broken hearts (mine and a few guys :)), broken wrists (not mine thankfully), Thanksgiving, lots of road trips, too many CDs made for road trips, not enough sticky notes used, new clothes, new friends (a lot of new friends), new job, new grandbaby, more goals, lots of sick days (yeah remember that one time I got a sinus infection and then tonsilitis [oh yeah i got tonsilitis quite hilarious moment in my life, nope those babies are still in my throat]), and way too many other things to list. It was fun. Although I could have been better about exercising and eating healthy...New Year's resolutions!
There is one thing I learned in these past four months that I really want to share. As I have come to learn more about who I am and what I really want in life I have realized that as long as I am doing the things I need to be doing and choosing the right, then I can do anything. Yeah I know it seems cheesy to say but it's so true! Not only can I do anything but I can receive great blessings. I have always been told to read my scriptures and say my prayers, attend church, etc. but it never really hit home until I started doing those things with the right attitude. I wasn't just doing them to do them, rather I was doing them because I wanted to. After that attitude adjustment I really figured all of this out. I also learned that when I am doing the right things, that's when I am most happy. That's when I am happy. After that, everything else falls into place. We don't need to worry about anything else, just get done what we need to, say your prayers, read the scriptures, attend church, write in your journal, serve others, have patience, and everything else will work itself out.
I will admit that I forget this sometimes, especially in the heat of the moment. But when I remember it's like a weight has been lifted off my chest again, and all the petty arguments and the boy drama and the overwhelming school work, all of that seems so miniscule in the grand scheme of things. I'm ok, and once I'm happy and ok, then everything just feels right in the world. I'm striving to be ok, I'm not there yet but I know that once I get there...well we'll just see what happens :)
It's been an eventful semester thus far, I won't lie. Lots of drama, lots of learning, lots of growing up (hoping on my part), broken hearts (mine and a few guys :)), broken wrists (not mine thankfully), Thanksgiving, lots of road trips, too many CDs made for road trips, not enough sticky notes used, new clothes, new friends (a lot of new friends), new job, new grandbaby, more goals, lots of sick days (yeah remember that one time I got a sinus infection and then tonsilitis [oh yeah i got tonsilitis quite hilarious moment in my life, nope those babies are still in my throat]), and way too many other things to list. It was fun. Although I could have been better about exercising and eating healthy...New Year's resolutions!
There is one thing I learned in these past four months that I really want to share. As I have come to learn more about who I am and what I really want in life I have realized that as long as I am doing the things I need to be doing and choosing the right, then I can do anything. Yeah I know it seems cheesy to say but it's so true! Not only can I do anything but I can receive great blessings. I have always been told to read my scriptures and say my prayers, attend church, etc. but it never really hit home until I started doing those things with the right attitude. I wasn't just doing them to do them, rather I was doing them because I wanted to. After that attitude adjustment I really figured all of this out. I also learned that when I am doing the right things, that's when I am most happy. That's when I am happy. After that, everything else falls into place. We don't need to worry about anything else, just get done what we need to, say your prayers, read the scriptures, attend church, write in your journal, serve others, have patience, and everything else will work itself out.
I will admit that I forget this sometimes, especially in the heat of the moment. But when I remember it's like a weight has been lifted off my chest again, and all the petty arguments and the boy drama and the overwhelming school work, all of that seems so miniscule in the grand scheme of things. I'm ok, and once I'm happy and ok, then everything just feels right in the world. I'm striving to be ok, I'm not there yet but I know that once I get there...well we'll just see what happens :)
Yeah I'm cool...er
Remember how once upon a time I said I was gonna get a new phone? (post here) I did!!! Right before Thanksgiving I got a new LG Shine and I switched over to At&t, more bars in more places. Holla!!! But really I'm just glad I don't have a lame flip phone anymore, and it's not tacky blue, but sleek black. I like it a lot a lot a lot. The end.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Coldplay
One of my goals in life: Go to a Coldplay concert...
ACCOMPLISHED!!!
The Source got tickets to the Coldplay concert Wednesday night while I was home for the holidays. It was out at the new Jobing.com Center, so my mom, my three sisters Rachel, Hannah and Addie, and I drove out to Glendale for one of the best concert ever! Yes my mom actually went with us and she even sang along to most of the songs too!!! It was so much fun being there with my sisters and also because it was Coldplay, one of my favorite bands. Everyone was ready to leave before the encore but I was not leaving that place until they had played Yellow (my favorite song in the world) and sure enough, they did! It was amazing needless to say. And we even got t-shirts to add to my ever growing collection.
Viva la Vida baby!
ACCOMPLISHED!!!
The Source got tickets to the Coldplay concert Wednesday night while I was home for the holidays. It was out at the new Jobing.com Center, so my mom, my three sisters Rachel, Hannah and Addie, and I drove out to Glendale for one of the best concert ever! Yes my mom actually went with us and she even sang along to most of the songs too!!! It was so much fun being there with my sisters and also because it was Coldplay, one of my favorite bands. Everyone was ready to leave before the encore but I was not leaving that place until they had played Yellow (my favorite song in the world) and sure enough, they did! It was amazing needless to say. And we even got t-shirts to add to my ever growing collection.
Outside the Jobing.com Center before the concert
Viva la Vida baby!
Chris Martin up on the big screen, they had a really cool lighting system and all this other stuff going on
Addie, Rachel, Hannah and Mom right before Coldplay came on
Addie, Rachel, Hannah and Mom right before Coldplay came on
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