FINALS ARE OVER!

I CANNOT EXPRESS HOW HAPPY I AM THAT FINALS ARE OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't wait to...

1. PARTAY HARDAY!!!!!!!!!!
2. sleep... you can't forget to make up for the lost sleep.
3. lounge around in pajamas watching Vampire Diaries.... :)
4. make money for next semester
5. enjoy Christmas
6. rejoice for a new year
7. write my missionaries :)
8. study and take the math placement exam
9. marvel that I'm almost half way through college
10. be amazed at the fact that I've been graduated from high school for a year and a half. Woah. it seems longer than that, but it also seems like yesterday... ha ha.
11. and many more amazing things :)

I'm SO EXCITED that I don't have to work until 5 on Monday.... so I'm gonna party it up (and sleep, don't forget sleep) before then!

Thoughts :)

I feel very much like a typical college student right now. I'm laying in my bed with these things on it: my 2-liter bottle of Dr. Pepper 3/4 of the way gone, my Psychology textbook, my cell phone, my Patriarchal Blessing, a big bag of Sour Patch Kids, three jackets, two stuffed animals, a bunch of blankets (my heating blanket is turned on), the towel I used as a cape this morning to dress up for my English class, (yup, it was a requirement that I dress up as a superhero today) and about four pillows. I'm super comfy and I don't want to leave this spot. :)

Holy cow, do I feel so blessed despite my trials this semester! I've learned so much. Heavenly Father has blessed me in so many ways- a lot of which I probably don't even recognize. I'm so grateful for the wonderful support system I have and for the wonderful spirit of the Christmas season.

I'm very relieved that this semester is coming to a close soon. It's been a rough one. I'm excited for the holidays, new classes, and more people to meet! I feel that I've grown a lot this semester. Latter Day Voices has been such a blessing as I've gone through these challenges. I've gained some great friends and have fostered relationships that I gained last year from it. I'm so grateful for Latter Day Voices in my life.

Good luck to my college friends on their finals! I hope things go well for you!

My Grandpa Hall

Who knew that within a month, both of my grandpas would have been gone? I wouldn't have guessed it. I don't know why this happened, but I know I'm supposed to learn something from it. I have been tried so much this semester. It's been so hard to try to juggle work, school, deaths, emotional breakdowns, and everything else that comes with life. It's been so overwhelming, but I've felt the Lord by my side. I know he's there even though sometimes I feel so alone. He sends me angels when I start to feel alone.

The night my grandpa passed away, I was basically alone in my apartment. I panicked. I didn't know what to do. I hadn't showered all day, I couldn't get a hold of my best friend, my other best friend is on a mission and my other best friend just moved out state. I was so emotional and lost. I felt as though Heavenly Father was taking all of the people away from me when I needed them most. The Lord took care of me though. A sweet friend of mine in LDV called me at just the right time. I told her what was going on and she came and picked me up right then. It was an answer to my pleas. She took me out and we had fun that night. I was so grateful for that phone call. I honestly have no idea what would have happened if she hadn't called me. She was my angel that night.

As my dad sad, my grandpa's 6'3" giant frame was hard to miss. He was one of the most faithful men I have ever met in my life. He loved his family dearly, was passionate about our country, and stood up for truth and righteousness. He was a great example to me, and I can't wait to get another great big hug from him when I see him again! I love you, Grandpa!

Time Is Flying Shockingly Fast!

I can't believe that I basically only have a month left of school. That's just weird. WEIRD. I feel like we just started school.  My best friend, Carlee, is getting married on Saturday and I'm in shock. I remember when she told me she was engaged, and it doesn't seem like that long ago. I'm happy for her!

I have another friend getting married too! Angie Holdaway! We've been friends since high school. I love her to pieces. She found her prince charming too. She's getting married on December 9. I'm really hoping I can be there for her, cuz that's my last day of classes and I have a choir concert that night!

Halloween was weird this year. I felt like by the time Halloween was here, it was over. I celebrated it the week before twice, once with the ward and once with LDV, and I just kinda felt like it was done. When I got to campus and people were wearing costumes, it dawned on me that it was actually Halloween. Ha ha. Here's a few pictures from the LDV party we had :)

 Amanda, Madison, and me :)

 ha ha, this picture makes me giggle :)

 Oh James Harris, ha ha. He's so awesome!

 Angeles, the mime and me. :)

Matt, Amanda, Kerstin, and me :)

My grandpa passed away on Halloween. Little trickster, my mom and my aunts and uncles wanted to be with him when he passed and he chose to pass when everyone but my grandma had left the hospital room so they could change his sheets. I think he decided to pass on Halloween because he wanted to play tricks on everyone in heaven and watch everyone on earth be crazy. Ha ha :) I'm gonna miss him a lot. He's in a much better place now though, and he's not in pain. He's happy and he can see! :) I'm so grateful for my knowledge of eternal families. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't know I could see him again!

Grandpa and me :)

I know the Gospel is true. I am so grateful for a Father in Heaven that loves me. I'm grateful for the knowledge of the Atonement that I have. I know that my Savior loves me and is there for me always. I'm grateful, despite my weaknesses, that there is a way back to our Father in Heaven. I know that the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and that Christ will come again on this earth. 

Update on Life! :)

So.... I fail at blogging this semester. I've been super busy!

I no longer work at Payless... but I work at Kmart as a Cashier now! :) YAY! I started on October 22 and it's been wonderful! I started using the register on Tuesday and I'm getting the hang of it! It's a seasonal position for now. I'm hoping that they'll hire me on as a permanent employee after the season.

Latter Day Voices is great :) Still loving it! I'm taking an institute class with Brother Salmond as well and I'm learning loads of stuff I didn't know about the Gospel before! It's been such a great experience!

My schedule has NEVER been so demanding in college! This semester has been CRAZY. So much homework! I'm definitely learning how to utilize my time. I've been able to fit a lot of fun things too. Here are some pictures! :)

USU had Ag Week. 'nough said. ;)

LDV parties :)

LDV Retreat :)

Surprise Spoon with the roomies ;)

Carlee came to Logan and we had a fun sleepover :)

Dance parties in the car on the way to Ward Prayer :)

Caramel Apple Cider :)

Christy and I visited Carlee so I could try on my bridesmaid dress and I got my pillow pet, Geoffrey the Giraffe, from Carlee :)

Stake Halloween Activities

And those are just some highlights :) I've been a lucky girl! So much fun! I have a bunch of Latter Day Voices things this week and Carlee's wedding next week! Life only gets busier! I'm enjoying the journey!

Living Life as an Aggie :)

This semester has been more demanding than anything I ever had last year. It's still been quite the ride! :) I've learned a lot! Not only have a I learned secular things, but I have also learned a lot about the Gospel and have increased my testimony.

I've been learning a lot about revelation. It's something the Presidency and Brother Salmond focus on a lot in Latter Day Voices. I've learned to how to be more receptive to the still, small voice of the Holy Ghost. I've also learned the importance of writing your promptings down. Not only does it help you remember your promptings, but it also helps you in times of need and opens the door for more revelation.

I also recently bought a $2 copy of the Book of Mormon from the Institute store and started reading it. It has been such a blessing to me to start reading it over again on a clean slate, without all of my previous markings. It's allowed me to search for things that touch me and highlight  them and write promptings in the margins instead of reading over my already highlighted Book of Mormon. This is only my second day doing this, and I can already tell it's going to help me out a lot. If you've never done this, try it. It's already starting to strengthen my testimony!

Writing missionaries also strengthens testimonies. I just wrote a letter to a dear friend of mine and shared my testimony and some spiritual experiences, thoughts, and quotes with him.

I've had a lot of fun the past couple weeks! We had Latter Day Voices Retreat and our very first fireside! Such a BLAST! I can't wait for our fireside this Sunday and I hope I can attend the Seminary we're attending on my birthday!

Today was a rainy day in Cache Valley! We had some really bad rain and snow storms last year and I never got soaked through. But.... today was my lucky day. I got SOAKED. My sweats were all wet, my RAIN coat was sticking to me because of the rain, and my socks were soaked. I should have taken pictures, it was hilarious. I had my hood on and my bangs were crazy curly by the time I got to class and the front of my hair was soaked. I do have to say though, having short hair does help with the whole hood thing. You don't have to work as hard to get it all back in the hood. Ha ha :) I need to find my umbrella.

Lovin' My Crazy Busy Life!

These last couple weeks have been so busy I didn't have time to blog! Having a job, doing Latter Day Voices, going to school and keeping up on homework keeps a girl busy! ;)

A few highlights of the last couple weeks:

Three of my roomies and I thought it would be great fun to go to True Aggie Night and just watch all the awkward couples. It was actually fun. We had to document this, so we took a picture!

Bryanne, me, Christy, and Bree!

I went to lunch w/ Amanda, Taylor, Brenna, her new roommate and her roommate's boyfriend. That was fun! We were crazy and didn't have a care in the world for about an hour at Charlie's! :)

ICE CREAM :)

Amanda and I went and stayed the night at my parents house this weekend :) it was so fun! I did laundry and spent quality time w/ the fam and my bestie! Couldn't have been better!

My schedule only gets worse.... I have a test this Wednesday and more homework on the way! But my good times outweigh the stressful, sad and hard times. :) I LOVE LATTER DAY VOICES! :)

I got a letter from Skylar today! he leaves the MTC tomorrow for Chile! It's nuts! I'm still waiting for my letter from Joseph.... it's been almost a month, but I know he's been busy. he just left the MTC this past Wednesday! CRAZY how fast time has flown by!

I've Learned

One of my friend's from college posted this on her blog and she got it from her friend :) I was very touched by it and thought I'd share it as well.

I’ve Learned

I've learned that you cannot make someone love you.
All you can do is be someone who can be loved.
The rest is up to them.
I've learned that no matter how much I care,
some people just don't care back.
And it's not the end of the world.
I've learned that it takes years to build up trust,
and only seconds to destroy it.
I've learned that it's not what you have in your life,
but who you have in your life that counts.
I've learned that you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes.
After that, you'd better know something.


I've learned that you shouldn't compare yourself
to the best others can do,
but to the best you can do.
I've learned that it's not what happens to people,
It's what they do about it.
I've learned that no matter how thin you slice it,
there are always two sides.
I've learned that you should always leave loved ones with loving words.
It may be the last time you see them.
I've learned that you can keep going
long after you think you can't.


I've learned that heroes are the people who do what has to be done
When it needs to be done
regardless of the consequences.
I've learned that there are people who love you dearly,
but just don't know how to show it.
I've learned that sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry,
but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.
I've learned that true friendship continues to grow even over the longest distance.
Same goes for true love.
I've learned that just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to
doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.


I've learned that no matter how good a friend is,
they're going to hurt you every once in a while
and you must forgive them for that.
I've learned that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others.
Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.
I've learned that no matter how bad your heart is broken,
the world doesn't stop for your grief.
I've learned that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are,
but we are responsible for who we become.
I've learned that just because two people argue, it doesn't mean that they don't love each other.
And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.


I've learned that sometimes you have to put the individual
ahead of their actions.
I've learned that two people can look at the exact same thing
and see something totally different.
I've learned that no matter the consequences,
those who are honest with themselves get farther in life.
I've learned that your life can be changed in a matter of hours
by people who don't even know you.
I've learned that even when you think you have no more to give,
when a friend cries out to you,
you will find the strength to help.


I've learned that writing,
as well as talking,
can ease emotional pains.
I've learned that the people you care most about in life
are taken from you too soon.
I've learned that it's hard to determine where to draw the line between being nice
and not hurting people's feelings and standing up for what you believe.
I've learned to love
and be loved.
I've learned...

Omer B. Washington

Stressful and Fun!

My week has been so stressful, but it's also been fun!!!

I have the majority of my classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, so Monday was stressful. I was so overwhelmed and didn't know HOW I was going to be able to handle school, work and Latter Day Voices. I worked that night and didn't get to bed until late. :P I have an 8:30 class on Mondays and Wednesdays, and it's kicked my butt this week, because I am NOT a morning person, ha!

Tuesday was an alright day. I didn't have as many classes, but I had to work and here was so much I wanted to get done that I didn't that I was really frustrated. But, talking to Amanda that night made it better. :)

Wednesday was such a good day for me! Classes made sense and I was able to relax a bit more. I got to go to a BBQ at the house Amanda lived at during the summer and mingle for awhile. I had a yummy dinner, grilled sausage, watermelon, cantelope, and cookies. YUM. I had a work meeting that I got paid for and then I went home and crashed. I actually got about 8 hours of sleep Wednesday night, so Thursday went well!

I had English and gymnastics on Thursday morning. First of all, my English teacher is the chillest teacher ever. He let us take our expensive book for the class back to the bookstore to get a full refund. I was stoked! We had a really funny lecture that day. After English, I went straight to gymnastics. I am SO SO SO SO SO SO SO excited for that class! It's going to be great! I have it with Amanda and a girl I met from Latter Day Voices last year, EmaLee Millar! It's so fun :) The workout is great and I love the stretches!

Friday I got home from school, did some homework, and took a nap. I woke up to a text from my boss wondering if I wanted a few extra hours of work. I went in for a few hours that night and then Whitni and Brad visited me :) Brad is leaving on his mission this upcoming Wednesday. He's going to be such a wonderful missionary! I'm gonna miss him!

I auditioned for Latter Day Voices Saturday morning! I think it went alright. I hope to find out if I got in again and who else got in this year soon. I got a haircut on Saturday night! It's shorter than I've ever gone before, but it's a fun change :)

I went to church my family today and I'm spending some time with them :)

I can't believe it's already September! This year has flown by! I'm going to leave my teenage years in only a little over a month! Strange? I think yes. But, I'm WAY excited for the future! :)

Moved to Logan!!!!! :)

Monday I got up early and went to work in Logan at Payless. It was a crazy day! SOOO many people came in! I came home and packed for Logan in spurts. Ha ha :) I had a hard time motivating myself to pack. I just hate it! But.... all that matters is....

Tuesday, I moved in to my new apartment! I met my new roommate, Bree :) She's a freshman this year and is adorable! I love her so much already! It was also good to be reunited with Christy and Lauren again, although Lauren wasn't there that night! Kaity and Bryanne didn't move in until Saturday. But Bree and I went and got pizza that night and talked for awhile before we went to bed.

Wednesday I went to work and then came to hang out at the Institute and use their internet. It was so nice to just relax :) I feel like I've just been constantly go go going! They had someone in the front entryway playing church music on the piano and it was beautiful. I was in heaven. I went home and took a nap afterwards :) It was a glorious four hour nap, but then I had a tough time sleeping that night. No worries, I'll figure out my schedule.... ha :P

Thursday, I went home and had lunch with my mom, Janet Green, and my little sister Brittany at Bella's. Mmm... so good. :) I went shopping with my mom, grabbed stuff I needed at home, and then came back to my home in Logan. I hung out with Whitni and we ended up talking in the parking lot when I took her home until 3:00 in the morning. :)

Friday I slept in and ran some errands. Then my family came up and they took me to dinner because I got a job! :) It was fun! After they left, I went to The Antics with Kaity and then played games with her and her friends afterwards. :)

Saturday I slept in again, because my sleep in days will soon be limited. :P I was a bum around the apartment with a few of my roommates until Bryanne moved in! Then I got ready and figured out our internet for the apartment. After two hours of dealing with that, I went and took care of some other things I needed to do. That night, I had Ryan Archibald come over and Kaity, John, Lauren, Ryan and I played Bubble Talk. It was quite hilarious :)

Sunday I went to church and then socialized with some people after church out on the lawn by my apartment! My family is coming up to bring me some things that I needed and then I have a Get-To-Know-You interview w/ the Bishop. Then I need to get ready for classes and work tomorrow! Yikes! :) I'm so nervous, but I'm really excited too!

Crazy Week! :)

Wow. I can't believe summer is almost over. It's insane! School starts on the 29.... CRAZY. I CAN'T WAIT for Latter Day Voices! :)

Monday I worked at Payless and then hung out with Brenna :) We got food and visited. It was nice to hang out with her! I've missed her.  I spent the night at Whitni's house. It was so fun! We stayed up until 5:00 in the morning talking! I enjoyed it. :)

Tuesday I worked at Payless and watched Soul Surfer with Whitni that night. :)

Wednesday, I drove home and worked at Megaplex that night. When I got home, I purchased my textbooks, wrote three missionaries, and showered. I thought it was quite the productive day :)

Thursday, I hung out with Carlee for her birthday on Saturday.  She'll be out of town on her birthday, so that's why we hung out early :) It was fun to spend some time with her before life becomes a lot more busy with work and school. After we hung out, I went to my little sister's voice recital. Boy, did she do great! She's getting more and more confident every time she sings! It's fun to see her improvement! She has a beautiful voice :) My sisters and I watched The Last Song that night while I packed for Logan to work this weekend and to move back up to Logan.

Carlee and me :)

Friday I drove to Logan and hung out with Shaun for the last time before his mission! He had to gain residency here and now he'll be moving back home to Alabama to receive his mission call and shortly leave after that :) Another friend off serving the Lord! I'm so happy I have so many worthy friends that are willing to drop everything for two years to bring others to the Gospel :) I worked at Payless that night and then went to Village Inn with Whitni to get some food. :)

Shaun and me :)

Saturday I hung out with Whitni, her roommates, and some of their friends before going to work at Payless. After work, I hung out with Brad, Whitni, and Amanda and we went to Village Inn again. Ha ha :) It was great fun!

Today I work at Megaplex for the last time this summer! It will be bittersweet. I'm sad I don't have free movies anymore... but the discount shoes pretty much makes up for it! I'll hopefully pack a little today as well, because my life seems to get crazier by the second! :) It's weird to think that a year ago today, I was moving into my dorm room to start my first year of college..... SO WEIRD how time flies! A year ago, I didn't know a lot of my friends that I have now. I'm sure looking forward to my  next adventure in life :)

A Week In Logan :)

Monday, I went to the eye doctor's in the morning for my preventative checkup and then went school shopping :) I got a new shirt and some pants for work! I love them! I came home, ate, packed for Logan, showered, and finally went to bed. My eyes were so tired after the dilation and the reverse drops. :P ha ha.

Tuesday I woke up early and went with Carlee to get a ring for Austen. After we were done, I drove up to Logan and spent an hour with Amanda before I worked. After work, I got some dinner and went shopping for some more school shirts and had no luck. But that's okay! I had some great time to myself that I needed. When Amanda got home from work, we went to Walmart to get some stuff and decided to pull out mattresses into the front room and had a gigantic sleepover with Kara and her little brother Emery. It was great fun!

Wednesday I went shopping and found some new school shirts! I was so excited! I got me a USU lanyard for my keys, and then went to work. I learned a lot at work! It's going great! After work, I went back to Amanda's and Emery, Kara, Amanda, Matt Robinson and I watched Hook before we went to bed :) Wonderful day!

Thursday was a blast! I slept in and went and visited Brother Salmond with Amanda at the Institute! It was so good to see him again! Afterwards, Amanda and I came home and fixed up something to hold us over before we went to Kaylie and Alex's wedding reception! I'm so happy for them! We drove back over to the Institute  for Summer Choir that night and then watched The Last Song together before going to bed. Had a blast on my day off!

Aren't we cute? Ha ha :)

I worked on Friday night and then went Michelle's house (she's one of my new coworkers) and we made cupcakes for our boss's birthday! When Amanda got back from work that night, we watched Free Willey before going to bed. It was great fun!

Saturday morning I woke up early to get back to Pleasant View and run some errands. I got my paycheck.... and I was pleased! It's really nice to get big checks you're not expecting :) I got a letter from Joseph as well! I was excited to hear from him. The newness of the MTC is wearing off, but he's doing well :) I also worked that night and made some more money! Happiness!

Sunday I sang "Beautiful to Him" in my home ward and then my family and I went to SLC for a family get together :) It was nice to see the family! I love them :)

School is going to start soon! It's crazy! I'm so excited to get back into the groove of it all and to start Latter Day Voices! I get to be in the choir for a full year this time! I'm really looking forward to it! I'm excited to have a job as well! It'll be nice to have that money coming in. I'm looking forward to meeting new people and having a whole new experience. :) It'll be hard, but it'll be SOOOO worth it!

My New Adventure Is Unfolding!

I slept in, showered, and applied for Payless in the morning and then worked Monday night :)

Tuesday, I was woken up by a phone call from Teri, my young women's president before I graduated to Relief Society. :) She called and asked if I would like to come with the Laurels on their Laurel Retreat! Thankfully I had work off, so I said YES! I packed my bag as fast as I could, threw my swimsuit on, and went down to Kathy's. We hopped into cars and away we went to Salt Lake Seven Peaks! Oh my goodness, it was a blast! We went down so many slides and floated in the lazy river and just enjoyed the water and sunshine! I loved it. While I was there, I got a phone call from Payless and they asked me to interview with them on Friday! I was so excited! It was such a good day! We went to In-N-Out Burger afterwards and then drove to Wolf Creek to stay the night :) It was so much fun! Wolf Creek was so cool! Such a nice place :) We played games, laughed and just had a blast!

 Me, Marissa, and Kennedy :)

 Most of the group :)

 We like to be goofy :P

 Ha ha ha, Becky's pose. THEE best. Ha HA!

Becky and I :) She's been in Young Women's since I was a beehive. She wasn't in YW for a short while, but then got put back in at the end of my YW years :) I just love her!

Wednesday morning I woke up so sore from Seven Peaks! Ha ha :) There were so many stairs! I felt so out of shape when I woke up, ha! I was sore. I don't think I've climbed that many stairs in a day, and that's saying something since I lived on the fourth floor my freshman year of college! Ha ha :) We had a great breakfast prepared by Teri and then we packed up and went home! I came home and talked with my family! I found out my aunt's surgery went well and I was happy for that! I also got a letter from my friend, Skylar Combe, that's on a mission! I was happy to hear from him! He's sounds like he's just loving the MTC :) I love getting missionary letters! I watched some Bachelorette and cleaned my room before heading to work. I got sent home early cuz we were so slow, so I finished watching the Bachelorette. (SPOILER AHEAD) I do have to say that I was really sad that she broke Ben's heart. Ben was my absolute favorite. But oh well. It's just a show, ha! But I felt bad for him. Poor guy. I was sad to see the show end! Ha ha! It's been my summer show! Well.... besides Vampire Diaries, ha! But a new season of Vampire Diaries is going to start in the fall, I'm stoked! :D

I woke up and put papers in my "Book of Remembrance" Thursday morning and then my family and I went swimming at Spilker's pool! :) I hung out with Carlee that night and we watched Vampire Diaries, talked, and saw Planet of the Apes for a work screening. I thought the movie was good until the end. It had my attention until the end and then I was really disappointed. Oh well. Ha! It was fun to chill with my coworkers :)

Friday I woke up, got ready, and headed to Logan! I met up with Amanda and hung out with her for awhile before Daniel came over. I'm gonna miss that boy! Today was probably the last time I see him before he leaves on his mission on August 24.  He's serving in the Mexico Monterrey West mission, the same one as Justin! The three of us had a blast! After that, I went to my job interview with Payless and...... I got the job. I was SO EXCITED!!!!!!! :) Finding a job in Logan is so hard to do! It's crazy! It all fit together perfectly! The whole story of how I came to apply for Payless in the first place is just hilarious. I start on Tuesday of this upcoming week! No more working with food!! (for the time being) :) It'll be sad, once again, to say goodbye to Megaplex, but I'm excited to start this new journey! I can do Latter Day Voices with it as well! This has been such a blessing! I'm so grateful for it! After my job interview, I went back to Amanda's and then we met up with Brad Rassmussen and Whitni Gardner at Panda to have dinner! That was yummy :) Then we went back to Amanda's and started watching a movie and I drove home. I was happy to have a letter from Joseph waiting for me when I got home! He was homesick this last week, but still loving the MTC. I hope the homesickness passes fast. I felt bad for him. But he'll be okay :) He's amazing!

I worked all day Saturday and then went over to my grandparents house to visit while my sister mowed the lawn (her summer job)  After Grandma and Grandpa's, my sisters and I came home and we watched Soul Surfer. AMAZING movie. So touching. What a beautiful story. I loved it!

Sunday I slept in and went to church :) I went right to work after church. It was a good day at work cuz I worked with Marcy! Just love her. I got to talk to my new roommate today as well! Her name is Bree and I'm really excited to meet her in a few weeks!

This week, I really contemplated how the things of my past have made me the person that I am today. How the little decisions and the huge decisions have made me, well, ME :) The friends that I have, the attitude I have for life, the way my life is going are all outcomes of decisions that Me, Myself, and I have made. The gift of free agency and the gift of the Holy Ghost have been such important gifts in my life that I have utilized and hope to continue to use the rest of my life to make the best decisions I can make. I am so grateful for the Plan of Salvation and the Atonement and ultimately, the Gospel! What a blessing to have to be able to be born into the covenant and have the truth right there for me my whole life! I'm grateful for a loving, wonderful, and caring family that loves me for who I am and has greatly influenced who I am today.

An Eye Opener

This week was kinda an eye opener for me.

I worked Monday morning and got time and a half for the holiday! YEAH!!! I love extra money :) I got home and showered and then spent the night with the fam. We had dinner, relaxed, and did sparklers to celebrate the 24th! It was grand :)

Tuesday morning I worked and then came home to get ready to hang out with Carlee. When I called my mom to tell her I was headed to Carlee's, she told me that my Grandpa Blackburn was rushed to the hospital and that we might be going down to SLC later if we hadn't heard anything. We didn't know how critical his condition was. I headed to Carlee's and was there for about an hour before my mom called and said the family was on their way to pick me up and we were driving to SLC because we hadn't heard anything and if we were needed, we'd be that much closer. At that moment, I wasn't sure that I would see him alive ever again. That caused me to contemplate. I was so grateful for the knowledge of the Gospel. In that moment, I just knew that if I didn't see him alive again, that I would in the next life! It was a great comfort to me. On our way to SLC, we got a call that he was okay and his sugar had bottomed out. We were pretty close to being to SLC, so we went and visited with him for a few hours before heading back home. It was good to see family again and know he was okay. Time really does fly by in this life, and you have to live life to the fullest or you're just wasting time.

Tuesday also made me realize how grateful I am to have a father that is a worthy priesthood holder. As soon as my uncle found out that my dad was coming down, he was happy that he didn't have to hunt for a worthy priesthood holder to help him give Grandpa a blessing! I was so grateful that my dad has been living his life worthy to hold the power of God and be able to touch my life and my family's lives with that blessing. I realized how important that is to me to have in my future husband. I have to have a worthy priesthood holder, no questions asked. :) I'm so grateful for this Gospel, this good news!

After we got home, I watched the Bachelorette with my sisters. I definitely want Ashley to marry Ben. :) he's a sweetie. Ha ha. I love that show!

Wednesday I took Marissa to voice lessons and then we went swimming at Grassli's! It was great :) After we went swimming, I went boating with my home ward! It was a blast! My sister and cousin went with me and I just loved it! I love being out in the water :)

I slept in Thursday morning and then went to work. The night went by pretty fast cuz I didn't have to close and I worked with Marcy! She's one of my coworkers that I just get along with so well! :) I look up to her a lot!

Friday I went out with Debbi and she taught me how to drive Rhonda, my stick shift car!!! :) I'd been out a few times, but it just hadn't clicked yet. We went everywhere around town. Up and down hills, up and down Washington Blvd., on the freeway..... we went to my parking garage by my work and made sure I could park and also get out of the parking lot okay, we covered just about everything. It was great fun :) She took me out and we decked out Rhonda too! We got new seat covers, a steering wheel cover, CD holder and a smelly good hanging decoration :) It was a lot of fun! When I got home, I had a letter from Joseph Ditton! I was so excited to hear from him! I drove my car to work that night and we closed fast! It was a great day :)

Saturday, we drove up to Paris, Idaho to the Budge Family Reunion! That was a fun day :) They had a thing set up where the kids could make rockets and launch them and the kids made swords out of noodles and PVC pipe :) It was a fun day! We came home and my sisters and I went on a drive in Rhonda :) it was a good day!

 Bear Lake! :)

 Family Reunion!

 Rocket Launcher!

Brigham City Temple on the way home :)

I went to church with my family today and I work later in the day. :)

I only have a few weeks before I move back to Logan! It's crazy how fast this summer has gone by! It's been a good summer. I miss my friends and Latter Day Voices! I can't believe I'll be back in Logan so fast! I'm hoping to find a job this year, so if anyone hears of anything up there that's part time, let me know! :)

I realized this week that unexpected things can happen super fast. Your best friend, a family member, a boyfriend, can be taken from you in a flash. You need to appreciate the people in your life and treat them like you would if you knew that today was their last day, or your last day. I'm grateful for the knowledge that I have of the Gospel and I know The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the only true church on earth. I know that Joseph Smith was the prophet of the Restoration. I know that we have a living prophet today that leads and guides us in the right direction. I'm grateful for the missionaries who are serving the Lord and bringing our brothers and sisters back to the Gospel. I leave you with my testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

The Future Always Has Potential :)

This week, I had a really bad day and I was complaining that night to my dear friend, Carlee. She told me, "Tomorrow has potential." and that made me think. In reality, we aren't always going to have good days and we aren't always going to be happy, but what is ahead of us has potential. :) That was a lesson I learned this week.

Another thing I realized this week is how much time changes things. A month isn't really that much time, but in reality.... so much can change in a month. So much can change in a day! It's CRAZY how that works. How even the littlest things can change you for a lifetime. Looking at experiences I've had in the past and the people that have been in my life, my religion, my standards..... That's really what has made me who I am today. I can only keep pressing forward and try my hardest to not fall backwards! :) I'll stumble and fall sometimes, that's a fact of life. But what really matters is how I handle it and what I learn from those bumps in the road. Life really is a test. But you need to have fun and be positive :)

My weekly recap:

Monday wasn't a great day overall. It wasn't all bad... but I felt like one thing after another came up. I got some stuff done and worked though. Right after work, I called Skylar and talked to him for the last time before his mission! Pretty crazy! Another good friend gone! He is exactly where he needs to be though! :) I'm so happy for him! He's up for quite the adventure!

Tuesday I worked and then got some new jeans for school! YAY! I hung out with Carlee that night too :) We talked and watched Vampire Diaries. I got to gaze at Ian Somerhalder and some other attractive men for a few hours while I caught up on the episodes I missed. I was totally okay with that. HA! I can enter dreamland every once in awhile, right? ;)

Wednesday I worked all day and then went on a drive to learn stick again! :) I did pretty well! I still have a lot to improve on though. But I got on the road and even drove on the highway! Yay me!!! :) I can't wait for the day that it's just natural. I'm grateful to be picking up this skill now.

Thursday was a fun day with the family! My mom and sisters and I helped a lady move in our ward. Afterwards, we went to the neighbor's to swim and I got some sun :) YAY! We all got cleaned up and then went to my grandparent's house and had a family night! My Aunt Kelcie was there and cut our hair. I just got my bangs trimmed, but Brittany got a new style! She looks super cute :) Her hair cut is basically the same as mine. It looks adorable :) It was fun to spend time with the family.

I also got my first letter from Joseph on Thursday! I was so excited! My mom got the mail right before we went to my grandparent's house and handed me the letter. He's doing really well! He says that he's already starting to think in Spanish! I laughed super hard when he told me that everyone but one sister in his district is as loud as him :) Ha ha! He loves the MTC! I'm so glad to hear it. I can't wait for more letters! I've already written him back and wrote Skylar for the first time! :)

Friday I did some job hunting for the fall, cleaned my room, put in USU dates for my mom on the calendar, and got my fishy all set up in his new(ish) home! :)  Don't worry, the rocks now match my hot pink decor! ha ha ha ;) I went to work that night and got ready for our family bbq on Saturday!

Saturday we had a Blackburn Family barbecue and day in the mountains! It was so nice :) We ate, visited and played, laughed, and just relaxed. We got to watch some squirrels play, that was entertaining :) They were cute! It was a good day with the family! Then I came home and went on another drive to learn stick.

 Cami and I :)

 Allyson, Isabelle, and Kaden :) Aww!

 Isabelle and Kaden :) two peas in a pod! 

Grandparents :)

Today, I'm pampering myself before I go to church, aka doing a facial mask and maybe doing my nails, going to church, and then going to work. That's the plan!

I can't believe there's only a little over a month until I move back to Logan. I feel like time has flown by! Last summer seemed to drag on, but this summer moved fast! I've had a pretty awesome summer! I'm hoping that I'll be able to find a job in Logan and start anew again! I realized that even though I know a lot of people up in Logan now, it's still a fresh start. I'll have a whole new apartment, a new ward, a new roommate, new classes, new people in LDV (that is, if I make it in again) new people in general, and new experiences! If I make LDV again, I'll get to go on the retreat at the beginning of the year, which will be so fun! I'm excited to hopefully be in Latter Day Voices again and this time, for the full year. I have such an adventure waiting for me, and I'm excited to jump right into it! :)

Accio Summa Fun! ;)

Like my Harry Potter Reference in the title? Yeah, I know it's cheesy, and I'm proud of it :)

Monday I drove home from Logan and went to work that night. :)

Tuesday, I had work in the morning and then called my best friend, Joseph after work to talk to him for the last time on the phone before his mission. I talked with him for about five or ten minutes before he had to go. I'm looking forward to writing him and keeping in touch :) He's such a great example to me and I'm grateful to have him as a friend! Later that night, I went with my mom to the Relief Society pool party. It was a BLAST. Oh my goodness! I played Colors with grown women. It was amazing! Probably the most fun game of Colors I've ever played! It was great to spend time with these wonderful women that I've associated with in the ward while growing up. :) After the pool party, I went to Linda's house and we sat in her hot tub for awhile and talked :)

Joseph and I :)

Wednesday, I went and laid out next to Debbi Spilker's pool for a few hours with my mommy and sister and then I hung out with Carlee for the rest of the night. We went shopping for new work pants since both of ours were worn out and chilled until we went to the work screening for Harry Potter! It was a nice, relaxing day.

Carlee and I :)

Thursday, I worked until 5 and then my mom, Marissa, her friend, Nicki, and I went and saw Harry Potter at 7:00 in Perry :) They're first time, my second. So great!

Friday, I called my land lady to find out who our roommate was going to be in the fall and "Facebook friended" her. I'm so excited to meet her in person! We're going to have a great year! That night, my sisters and I had a girls night and did facial masks and painted our nails! It was fun!

Brittany, Marissa and I :)

Marissa and I :)

My newly painted toes!

Saturday was a long day. I had a nine hour shift at work! It started at 8:15 and didn't end until 5:00. Harry Potter.... Harry Potter... ;) That night I drove with Marcy and her boyfriend to Logan to visit Shaun and Michael for awhile. It was a blast! Made me realize that by the end of the summer, most of my pre-missionary friends will all be gone. :P I'm looking forward to the letters and the stories I hopefully be getting and a fresh start in the fall!

Shaun and I :)

Sunday I went to my Singles Ward for the first time in a long time :) it was great! That night I went to a fireside where Elder Holland spoke for Pioneer Day and then came home and relaxed. Really great week!

Every Day Is A Gift :)

Forewarning! This post is long, but well.... I'm not going to condense it :)

I've been contemplating the concept of change for the past while. Recently, I've been looking at "old" pictures and seeing how much my appearance has changed just in the last two years. My hair went from an accidental few inches cut off, (I wanted a trim, but the lady didn't seem to get that term...) to me getting bangs, to chemically straigthening my hair, to me chopping my hair off! I'm also starting to look more like an adult, apparently! I was talking to a coworker and she told me that I'm actually look like an adult now. It was funny to hear that from someone other than family or close friends. Not only did I change physically, but I grew in other ways as well. I graduated high school and moved out of the house for the first time. Went to my first year of college. Met a whole new set of friends :) so many changes! I haven't even covered them all! It just gets worse from here too! Friends and family getting married, sisters getting older! Friends and family leaving on missions, some out on missions, and some soon coming back! I never believed the grown-ups when they'd say that time flies by fast when you're older, but I sure do believe it now! Blown away at how fast things happen!

Monday was the 4th of July! Happy birthday, America! I slept in and cleaned the cars. :) Later, my dad took me to the church parking lot to learn stick on my Rhonda the Honda. UGH. It'll take some getting used to, but I'll get it :) We had a very yummy dinner and then I went to Carlee's house and did fireworks with her family. We were going to go to Weber to watch theirs, but instead we watched them from Carlee's house and got to watch Marriott-Slaterville's fireworks as well! We finished the night chillaxing in her room watching Jeopardy and Vampire Diaries. What a wonderful 4th!! :)

Tuesday, I woke up, ate breakfast, and picked weeds for awhile with the family :) It was so nice outside. Perfect temperature and it even sprinkled rain. I showered and then went over to Jessica Jenkins's house :) We had such a fun girls day! We sat and talked and had pizza together and then put in a movie... that we didn't watch. No worries ;) make that two movies we didn't watch. We took pictures, painted nails, Facebook stalked, laughed and giggled and just had so much fun! We had delicious homemade strawberry ice cream too! YAY! Jessica is such a beautiful daughter of God. She always seems to have the perfect advice for me and is always in tune with the Spirit. Super talented and beautiful daughter of God :) I'm so grateful that I have her as a friend!

 Just havin' fun with the camera :)

 Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream :) SO delicious.

 We painted our toes :)

 Painted our fingernails :)

I just love this beautiful daughter of God :) 

Wednesday, I got up and took my sister, Marissa, to voice lessons :) that was fun! A few hours later, I took my sister, Brittany, to Cars 2. It was a cute show! We came home and I chilled for awhile before I ran a few errands for my mommy. Then I just hung out for the rest of the day! 

Thursday was Marissa's birthday! I got up and Brittany and I played Mario Kart with her and then got ready for the day. We picked two of her friends up and saw Monte Carlo! It was the cutest movie! I love it! There were so many great quotes from that movie. Later that night, we had a barbeque dinner and visited with my grandparents for awhile. After they left, we watched Tangled later that night. Ahh... so many college memories flooded back by watching that movie! I was happy I was going to be heading to Logan the next day, because the movie made me Logan-sick. 

Friday, I got up, packed for Logan, and then went to the dentist. NO CAVITIES!!! YAY!!!!!!! :) It was a beautiful drive to Logan! There was a bit of a wait in the canyon though, cuz there was an the accident. I went to Amanda's and we hung out all day. We got dinner at Panda and Matt Robinson came over to chill for awhile. Shortly after he left, Joseph came over :) Amanda, Joseph and I hung out for the last time as the trio before Joseph leaves on his mission. It was a great night! Never gets boring when it's the three of us! I'm gonna miss my brother. Amanda had to work early in the morning, so she "kicked" us out and I went to Kaylie's house! Kaylie's fiance, Alex was over and I visited with them for awhile. They are THE cutest couple ever! Just love them to pieces :) I want a relationship like theirs. They get married on August 11th. Can't wait! After Alex left, Kaylie, Kaylie's roommate Misty, and I stayed up way late just talking. It was a fun day!!!!

The three of us on our "trio" night :)

A picture of the adorable couple :)

Saturday was quite the random day. I woke up, got ready, and went job hunting for a few hours. I grabbed some Jamba Juice for lunch and then went with some of Misty's friends to the Sidewalk Sale on Main Street. After that, I got myself some dinner from Panda (yes.... I realize I ate at Panda two nights in a row.... I love Chinese :) and decided I was going to go look at Walmart for some things and then I saw my LDV friend Sarah Knudson walking outside. I stopped to say hi and we talked for a minute. I ended up chilling at her house for awhile instead and then her and her friend Lauraly came to Joseph's last Hurrah before his mission. It was quite a wonderful evening. I'm going to miss him so much!

Sunday, I woke up in a panic. I thought that I had slept through my alarm to go to Joseph's farewell talk because it was so light outside. I grabbed my phone and realized.... it was 7:30 in the morning and I didn't need to be up for another half hour. Thankfully. I rode with Madison and Amanda to his farewell :) He did such a wonderful job! He's going to be a great missionary! He will be missed by his friends and family, for sure. Skylar's farewell was an hour after Joseph's ended at the same church house, so we just stayed and chilled there. Skylar also did a great job on his talk. :) After Skylar's talk we headed over to Skylar's house for his family's luncheon. It was so good to mingle and chat with all the LDV people that I've been missing! I can't wait for this next year! Brother Salmond told me there's quite a few RM's that are coming back from previous years... I JUST CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!

I can't believe Joseph leaves this Wednesday. I feel like it was just yesterday that he was complaining that he had two long months before he was going to leave. Well.... those two months that were definitely not long are now over and he's leaving! He's going to be such a wonderful missionary and I can't wait for all of his mission stories! He's quite the character, that one, and I'm sure that he'll have quite hilarious stories for me to repeat to my friends, HA!

Skylar leaves next Wednesday, and I can't believe that either! I feel like he just barely announced his mission call in LDV yesterday! He's also going to be a wonderful missionary. I'm so glad I got to become closer friends with Skylar towards the end of the semester and during the summer. He's an amazing man! I'm looking forward to his mission stories as well!

This is a random thought of mine that I wanted to share. Have you ever had a moment in life when you look at a picture of yourself or you look in the mirror and just feel pretty? One of those "aha" moments where everything clicks and you realize who you truly are and what your potential is? I had a few of those this week, where I truly felt beautiful. I knew despite my many flaws, that Heavenly Father still loves me and will always love me,  no matter what happens. That He will always be there for me :) That I have friends and family that love me unconditionally, and how lucky I am to have all of it. I realized how incredibly lucky I was to have spectacular support from friends and family, and to be blessed with material things as well, such as my electronics, a car, my bed, etc. Yeah, you have hard times and heartaches and life isn't perfect, but it's perfectly imperfect, as Jess says. :) If you haven't had an experience like this in awhile, I advise you to pray for one. It strengthens your testimony and your self image. Keeps Satan farther away. :)

I had such a fun week. Emotional and a bit random, but so fun :)