Sometimes life isn't what you think it ought to be, because sometimes you have a plan and Heavenly Father steps in and says,"You have a really great plan........ but there is something more I want you to learn. Trust me." Most of my plans have been failing lately. I keep learning and growing and becoming more of ME. I read my Patriarchal Blessing and I just cry, BUT they are tears of joy because I can see that my role model has become the woman in my blessing and I am becoming more and more like her each day. I am excited for what lay ahead. I know there will be trials and heartache, "For there must needs be opposition in all things." The difference now is I understand that. I'm working hard to enjoy the good times and search for learning and growth in the hard times. Heavenly Father is so in charge.
I am sad to give up two of my very best friends to the Lord in the next few weeks. Rachael and Drew are going to be INCREDIBLE missionaries though! They are such great examples to me and I am so grateful for their courage to give up themselves to change the world one person at a time. They have very special spirits and I also know that their grandparents, who are on the other side of the veil, will be right there with them, supporting them every step of the way. Drew and Rachael, thank you so much for all you have done for me. I look forward to letters and hearing all about your spiritual growth. You are already spiritual GIANTS! ;) Though you will be greatly missed, thank you for doing this anyway. Even if I could, I wouldn't keep you here. I know the Lord has LOTS in store for you and I am very excited to see what it all is. He saved you for this day and time to preach the gospel to all the world. The people of Portland and Baltimore are lucky to have you and I know there are specific people who are prepared to hear your message of hope during these trying times in the world. Those are people only YOU can touch.They need YOU. You are truly among the elect. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
I have never worked this hard in my entire life. Sometimes it feels like there is just no end and it gets harder and harder as the days go on. Mostly, Spanish has been my struggle. I am SO excited for this semester to end because I know that I will NEVER have to take Spanish ever again! That might sound awful, but I have NEVER struggled through a class like this in my entire life! I do just fine in my challenging classes that are in English! I just can't seem to do well on the Spanish tests, even when I have spent hours on end with the tutor and understand the concepts. I'm studying my guts out for the final though and hopefully I will at least be able to get a B- or even a C+ so that I can keep my scholarship. That is really my main worry. I have to get AT LEAST a C- in order to get into my program next year, but I have to get a C or higher (with all A's in my other classes) to keep my scholarship. With the financial strain on my family right now, I want to do EVERYTHING I can to pay for my college. So far, my dad has only had to pay for my housing. My goal is to find scholarships to pay for the rest and hopefully after I work two or three jobs this summer, I will even be able to pay for my housing. He has just done so much for me and my family and I want to be able to return the favor and help out in this trying time. I know it is possible, and I have created the opportunity for myself... now I just have to get the scholarships.
So I'm obviously a little behind on my blog. I had a spare second today... so I'm putting all the pictures on to catch you up. They are all kinds of out of order, but I don't really care because it takes SO long to download pictures. haha
First pictures are of our friend Isaac. He took us longboarding one night to try to teach us. We were having fun and everything until Isaac came up with this brilliant idea to have me AND him on the SAME longboard to "teach me how to carve". So we get on and he goes, "Ok so there are two ways we can do this. Either you can just hold around my waist and I can do all the work, OR... I will hold your wrists and you can lean WAY back and try to balance out my weight." HELLO!! Look how big he is!! He is over a foot taller than me and probably weighs 100 pounds more than me too! You think I can "balance out your weight"??? No. So I hold onto his waist and we start going down the hill. TERRIFYING. Long story short, five seconds after I tell him we better not crash and he swears there is no way we will, the wheel flies off and we splatter all over the road. We just laid there for a while and finally, at the same time, we both say, "Are you ok??" We were fine, but I insisted on bandaging him up because he was all bloody and gross. He hangs out with us a lot now and we have fun sometimes. I'm trying to teach him to NOT be a jerk... I'm not really succeeding... but he really likes hanging out with Megan. So next Wednesday, we are doing a double date and going to see The Forgotten Carols. I am SO excited!! :) I'm taking Rodney and Megan is taking Isaac. It should be really fun. Megan had to talk to Isaac to make sure he wasn't going to be a jerk about it though. haha wow.
Next, we celebrated by birthday for like three weeks haha every weekend we did something fun for my birthday. It was fantastic! This is when we finally did my birthday cake one night at like midnight.
When me and Megan were packing to come home for Thanksgiving, we were quite hyper and randomly decided to put turbans on our heads and make funny wraps and stuff like that haha we were laughing hysterically! So those are the next few pictures.
Next, THIS was an absolutely HILARIOUS moment. Somebody did this right behind Jamie's car and she was freaking out because she didn't know what to do. She was all stressed that she had SO much to do and she couldn't get her car out and everything. Finally, Brittany was all, "Jamie... just MOVE THE CONES." hahaha It was SO funny!
Like I said, the pictures are really out of order. These are from my actual birthday. Megan had said she had a HUGE surprise for me and that I would LOVE her for it. haha So they blindfolded me and drove me all around to confuse me. (it worked)
GOOD THING I GOT REALLY DRESSED UP!! :)
Jamie came and was leading me all over. I had NO idea where I was and they made me walk a really long way in my high heels so at first I was not very happy with them. haha It turned out though!
They secretively switched who was holding my hands to guide me around and I noticed when Drew grabbed my hand (because they weren't very secretive with that one), but I didn't know it was him yet. Tucker was way smooth and I didn't have a clue they had even switched that hand!
When they finally took my blindfold off I'm pretty sure I screamed! I was SO excited to see them!!! :)
I had a physics project to make a car that would hold an egg and protect it from breaking when it hit a rock at the end of a ramp. Basically... Tiny Tank DOMINATED and I won!!! It was fantastic.
The Institute announced that they were doing a Secret Santa thing and I immediately wanted to participate. Our lesson that day was about a man who constantly gave and gave and gave to the church until the day he died. I was VERY touched by the entire lesson and felt like even if I didn't have much to give, I did still have SOMETHING. So I took three stars off of the tree, got Megan to come too, and headed to the store. With my employee discount, I ended up getting a little over $100 worth of stuff for three kids. One little boy will get a coat. Another little boy will get a sweater with a cute polo to go underneath, jeans, and shoes. A little girl will also get a nice coat with a cute hat to go with it. It really got me in the Christmas Spirit like I have never really been before. I felt like I could spend money all day long on other people!! But I spent it all in about thirty minutes. haha I didn't even care though. I can keep working, and I might need to just eat Top of Ramen for a couple weeks if that's all I can afford, but I don't even care. The feeling I got by sacrificing like that for three kids that I don't even know made it COMPLETELY worth every bit of my money! It made me realize how worldly things really don't matter at all... Christmas is about Christ and I want to be more Christ-like.
The next pictures are from going home for Thanksgiving :) There is seriously no place like home!!!
Cute Erin and David are so excited for their baby :) David is so cute with her
Finally, When I got back from Thanksgiving, I had to throw our pumpkins away. I wanted to take a picture first though.
FINALLY CAUGHT UP!!! :) YAHOO!!!!
I have never worked this hard in my entire life. Sometimes it feels like there is just no end and it gets harder and harder as the days go on. Mostly, Spanish has been my struggle. I am SO excited for this semester to end because I know that I will NEVER have to take Spanish ever again! That might sound awful, but I have NEVER struggled through a class like this in my entire life! I do just fine in my challenging classes that are in English! I just can't seem to do well on the Spanish tests, even when I have spent hours on end with the tutor and understand the concepts. I'm studying my guts out for the final though and hopefully I will at least be able to get a B- or even a C+ so that I can keep my scholarship. That is really my main worry. I have to get AT LEAST a C- in order to get into my program next year, but I have to get a C or higher (with all A's in my other classes) to keep my scholarship. With the financial strain on my family right now, I want to do EVERYTHING I can to pay for my college. So far, my dad has only had to pay for my housing. My goal is to find scholarships to pay for the rest and hopefully after I work two or three jobs this summer, I will even be able to pay for my housing. He has just done so much for me and my family and I want to be able to return the favor and help out in this trying time. I know it is possible, and I have created the opportunity for myself... now I just have to get the scholarships.
So I'm obviously a little behind on my blog. I had a spare second today... so I'm putting all the pictures on to catch you up. They are all kinds of out of order, but I don't really care because it takes SO long to download pictures. haha
First pictures are of our friend Isaac. He took us longboarding one night to try to teach us. We were having fun and everything until Isaac came up with this brilliant idea to have me AND him on the SAME longboard to "teach me how to carve". So we get on and he goes, "Ok so there are two ways we can do this. Either you can just hold around my waist and I can do all the work, OR... I will hold your wrists and you can lean WAY back and try to balance out my weight." HELLO!! Look how big he is!! He is over a foot taller than me and probably weighs 100 pounds more than me too! You think I can "balance out your weight"??? No. So I hold onto his waist and we start going down the hill. TERRIFYING. Long story short, five seconds after I tell him we better not crash and he swears there is no way we will, the wheel flies off and we splatter all over the road. We just laid there for a while and finally, at the same time, we both say, "Are you ok??" We were fine, but I insisted on bandaging him up because he was all bloody and gross. He hangs out with us a lot now and we have fun sometimes. I'm trying to teach him to NOT be a jerk... I'm not really succeeding... but he really likes hanging out with Megan. So next Wednesday, we are doing a double date and going to see The Forgotten Carols. I am SO excited!! :) I'm taking Rodney and Megan is taking Isaac. It should be really fun. Megan had to talk to Isaac to make sure he wasn't going to be a jerk about it though. haha wow.
Next, we celebrated by birthday for like three weeks haha every weekend we did something fun for my birthday. It was fantastic! This is when we finally did my birthday cake one night at like midnight.
That same night, we had a whip cream fight up the street on the grass. It was an adventure and it actually was really fun :)
Next, THIS was an absolutely HILARIOUS moment. Somebody did this right behind Jamie's car and she was freaking out because she didn't know what to do. She was all stressed that she had SO much to do and she couldn't get her car out and everything. Finally, Brittany was all, "Jamie... just MOVE THE CONES." hahaha It was SO funny!
It is always my job to decorate the Christmas tree and I came home just in time to do it this year. :) It was so great. I turned the Christmas music on loud and sang at the top of my lungs.
We took family pictures and I swear we didn't really get one that was PERFECT. I love it though :) Having the whole family there was just perfect. I think it's cute when the kids make a funny face right at the last minute or Izaak puts the dog in a headlock. It's unrealistic to expect it us to be perfect. The best part is that we are a FAMILY :)
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