So Good

catch up

  

niece and nephews

mckelle adriana me

angels landing

rock climbing chuckawala

Austin me batting in the virigin river

kurt fixed the dent in my car

jam packed and ready to go

cousins! love this kid with all my heart

I am in Provo.

I LOVE IT!

i miss my friends. so much, but i am meeting so many awesome fun people.

i love being so close to my brother. he is the bomb diggity.

everyone has been super friendly.

i love my roommates.

i am just being spoiled.

i have been looking for a job and i have had to take the office skills test.

the people in the employment center has had an addition to their daily routine...ME!

seriously, i have gone into the employment center everyday they are open since i have moved here. 

but today i finally achieved the desired scores.

WOOHOO!!

i also finished my resume.

go me!

so now all there's left to do is actually find a job.

pray for me!

Guess what? Second Chemistry test, maybe wasn't so good, but third...I got a 95%

I might pass Chemistry with a B this semester! I am pretty stoked! I tried to study so hard this time and I prayed constantly that I would be able to understand and do well on my test and God truly is merciful. When I was up at BYU-Idaho I took Math 110 which is just college algebra, but it was a lot different than any other algebra class I had taken. I remember going to the library, sitting down, and telling Heavenly Father that I needed a miracle and that I was going to put faith in him to help me pass this class...God can do a lot with a little bit of faith and a lot of hard work.

Guess what else?? I got a letter from Mckay! This is my third time hearing from him since he has been in Brazil. He is so awesome. I love and respect him so much. Not that I am counting, because I really am NOT waiting for another missionary, but, last Friday he hit 9 months being on his mission. Where does time go? I love being busy, but sometimes it is a little frightening how fast life goes by if you aren't paying attention. Anyway, I am happy for him and it sounds like he is loving it in Brazil. He told me in his letter he is starting to really love certain things about Brazil, like eating beans and seeing horses tied up like pets in people's yards. The beginning of his letter was really weird looking, but he said that he was writing on a rock and it was pretty difficult. He is such a goofball!

Guess what else??? I have been accepted to BYU-Provo for Summer semester and am moving to Provo May 14. Crazy right? Who would have really thought I would end up at BYU? Not me! that's for sure. Still, sometimes I think about it and wonder how this happened?? :) There are still a lot of kinks to work out, like finding a job, and paying for everything, but I am just going to move forward with faith and work really hard! But, I am officially a BYU Cougar!  

Can I just say...I love this girl so much. She is the most beautiful girl inside and out. I don't know how she got so good, but I hope one day I can be more like her. I am so thankful for her friendship, patience and constant encouragement. It is amazing how much easier life is with good people in your life who believe in you and look out for you. I am going to miss her like crazy when I move. It makes my heart so sad, but it just means lots of visits and texts, and calls. :) 

There has been a lot more things that have happened this semester, but it would just take so long to write. Maybe after finals I will try to summarize....maybe. 

Well, have a great day! 

Peace and Blessings

Peace and Blessings 

Victory

I took my first Chemistry test yesterday and I just barely looked to see what I got.

70.83 out of 100

WOO HOO!!

You might wonder why I feel so good about a C, but this is my second time taking Chemistry. Last semester I recieved a big FAILURE on every test I took. I feel so good!

"But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." -1 Corinthians 15:57

It's In!

My application to BYU- Provo is in!! Now all that is left to do is pray I will get in and earn some money! I am super stoked! I have more to blog about, but it will have to wait. I just don't have time right now. WOO HOO!!!

Wise Use of Words

I am a fan of poetry. It is beautiful.

"Myself"

I have to live with myself, and so

I want to be fit for myself to know,

I want to be able, as days go by,

Always to look myself straight in the eye;

I don't want to stand, with the setting sun,

And hate myself for the things I've done.

I don't want to keep on a closet shelf,

A lot of secrets about myself,

And fool myself, as I come and go,

Into thinking that nobody else will know

The kind of man that I really am;

I don't want to dress up myself in sham.

I want to go out with my head erect,

I want to deserve all men's respect;

But here in the struggle for fame and pelf,

I want to be able to like myself.

I don't want to look at myself and know.

That I'm bluster and bluff and empty show.

I never can hide myself from me;

I see what others can never see;

I know that others may never know;

I never can fool myself, and so,

Whatever happens, I want to be

Self-respecting and conscience free.

--Edgar A. Guest.

"The Pearl"

Each of us desire beauty in our life.

But, often we see only chaos and strife.

Frustration sets in as we seek for order,

Unable to see past the walls of our self-proclaimed border.

Longing we seek for the Masters hand,

Desiring only a glimpse of His all-knowing plan.

Our loving Father will always come to our aid.

It pains Him to see us feeling alone and dismayed.

Fortunately His eyes see beyond our frame.

He knows what we need and in the end what we'll gain.

So with patience we must act upon what we know to be right

Until the Father graces us with further light.

When irritations come, give thought to the oyster

Whose example of patience can give cause to bolster.

A single grain of sand, though uncomfortable it may be,

Time and consistency develops a beauty unseen.

A pearl that is priceless beyond all measure.

Comparably, trials, through sacrifice, become our greatest treasure.

Through our trust and good works God can fashion a pearl,

And a path once unclear He begins to unfurl.

--Blaine Ladd

"I Will Not Fail Thee"

A baby was born

On a starry night.

They named him Jesus

and called him the Light.

He illuminates the way

on earth, where we are.

His life was perfect,

but he left with a scar.

He suffered much pain

For the sins we commit.

All he asks is our heart;

Our will to submit.

A covenant he makes;

A gift that is free.

Our savior, he promises,

I will not fail thee.

That night in the garden

I saw your sweet face.

I felt all your worries,

Your fears, and disgrace.

I conquered it all

So that you might live.

My peace and my comfort

Unto you, I give.

Fear not my sweet child,

And hear my plea,

Have faith in my Grace

For I will not fail thee.

Through the spirit

I know that this message is true.

I have felt of his love

Ans his assurances too.

Sometimes we walk blindly

not know before

Of the blessings ahead

And the truths in store.

So humbly I plead

A favor for me,

Trust when he says

I will not fail thee.

--Joanie Panganiban 

The Monument

God,

Before He sent His children to earth

Gave each of them

A very carefully selected package

Of problems.

These,

He promised, smiling,

Are yours alone. No one

Else may have the blessings

These problems will bring you.

And only you

Have the special talents and abilities

That will be needed

To make these problems

Your servants.

Now go down to your birth

And to your forgetfulness. Know that

I love you beyond measure.

These problems that I give you

Are a symbol of that love.

The monument you make of your life

With the help of your problems

Will be a symbol or your

Love for me,

Your Father.

--Blaine M. Yorgason

"Someone is Watching"

Someone is watching

and that's a fast.

Someone will copy

The way you act.

So make this your motto

and put it to use.

Be someones example

and not their excuse.

--Kathy McDonald

Festive Mood

So, it has been a while...

Life is so good. I have been so thankful for all that has been happening in my life. There is so much unknown in my future, but it just adds to the adventure of life! I am starting to appreciate this time in my life where there are so many decisions to make. I love it. It is stressful beyond measure, but through the stress and decisions and mistakes I feel like I am becoming the person that I want to be. I am starting to recognize the miracle of making choices and learning from those choices. Nothing in my life is perfect. I seem to find at least one way to fail everyday, but I am grateful for each new day that comes where I can have another try.

Lately I have been trying to learn how to go with the flow. Trying to figure out my future has led me to the realization that I worry like a big worry wart! I want to plan and know every detail of my life, but where's the fun in that? I feel the Lord just saying relax and enjoy the ride. Everyday He gives me another little piece to the puzzle of my life and it is so exciting. I just have to figure out how they all fit together! 

I was thinking the other day about work, working at Pasta Factory. In the past four years I have spent so much time at that place getting to know all the people that I work with. My co-workers and I have so many interesting and diverse conversations. Although I feel more and more that I need to find a better and more challenging job I am so grateful for the time that I have spent there. This semester my school schedule has allowed me to work a lot of 12-5 shifts at work. This shift is right around the time that the restaurant gets slow so I get a lot of time to talk to the 12-5 waiter. Yesterday we were talking and I realized that the people that I have associated with at Pasta Factory has shaped me to an extent. Is that good or bad? I'm not sure, but I love it. The other weekend my old roommate Kaylee came to St. George to visit and I got to introduce her to all of my work friends and I realized that Pasta Factory is so much a part of my life. The people that I work with are my friends. Whenever I have something on my mind I can tell them and sometimes I get all sorts of crazy advice, but most of the time I get some really great advice that helps me. They also give me support. Every time I tell them my new future plan they are all supportive and encourage me. Of course there is relentless teasing mixed in, but that's what makes it fun. Ah! I am crazy. I need to get out of there! I will. I commit, right now, that I will find a different job.

So here's the update:

Plan A.

Stay here at Dixie and get my Physical Therapy Assistant Associates Degree and then take the few classes left to get my exercise science degree at BYU-Provo. Either continue to mooch off my parents while it's still semi-okay, or move out and lose a lot of money. Find a different job and work at Pasta minimally. Enjoy the amazing weather and recreational fun here in Southern Utah for another 3 1/2 years. Oh man, that's a long time.

Plan B.

Apply to BYU-Provo now and study Exercise Science. Move out and meet new people, be with my brother, and be in the dreary cold. And lose a lot of money.

Plan C.

Finish out this year of school, work my little tail off, and put my papers in to serve an LDS mission next Fall. Then figure out my life from there.

So many paths. So many positive options.

"Sometimes we have to take a step in the darkness and have faith the light will follow." 
 

Last week I was able to get Mckay's Holiday package together!

The package consisted of his Halloween Card, a Thanksgiving tree, a Christmas card and poem, an ordinary poem, and a few pictures. I have spent a lot of time putting this package together and so I have been so excited to send it to him. All I have heard of sending packages or letters to Brazil has been negative so I have been praying for the past month that this package would make it to him safely. I received a letter from him earlier this month. He made it to Brazil safely and is now struggling to get the language down. He is having so many crazy adventures though. I am so thankful for his example and that I get to write him and hear from him.

Occasionally I will visit his family. I love them so much. Every time I go over there I learn so much about families, about the gospel, and about being happy. They are kind enough to let me read some of his emails. Oh man, he is so funny. A couple of weeks ago he sent them an email and he said that he realized the importance of finding joy in everyday life. So he wrote about a bunch of funny things that happened to him that week. He is such a great example to me. It was cool. The other day I was reading in The Book of Mormon and the spirit led me to 2 Nephi 2:25. Men are that they might have joy. He is miles ahead of me, but I realized that he is so right. Those everyday moments that make us smile and laugh are the moments that mean the most. Those are the tender mercies the Lord gives us through all the stress and trials on earth.

I hope that my package gives him a little joy during this holiday season!

Well, I have to study now and write a paper that I should have been writing right now.

Happy Finals Eve!!