Bucket List! :)

"Life has no Limitations, except the ones you make."-Les Brown

I've decided that I am going to start a bucket list. I can't think of EVERYTHING right now... so I will just be adding more as the time goes on :)

Bucket List

Read All of Mitch

Albom's Books

Get Married in the Temple

Go To Holland

Own a horse(preferably an Andalusian)

Go to New York City

Own A Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever

Take My Mom to Hawaii on her Birthday

Buy My Dad a cabin DEEP in the mountains :)

Have Kids :)

Graduate from College

Go on an Alaskan Cruise

I am going to stay on the boat because....

"Don't Rock the boat."

As usual i have a sweet story to talk about that came from my institute class. :) Sadly, Brother Barlow wasn't there today... but our substitute was Brother Morgan. And he did teach a great lesson. We talked about Nephi building the boat which, i know, sounds like a pretty mediocre lesson. But it was amazing! :) We spent the class discussing how Nephi's Boat, the brother of jared's(mohonrimorianchomer;]) barges, and noah's ark are in all reality the same story!

We discussed questions like what was the purpose of the boats, who could be on the boat, and how were the boats built? After we read scriptures that answered these questions, Brother Morgan said... now, look at those questions/answers again, but instead of the work boat, barge, or ark, put in the words "the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.". And the answers worked PERFECTLY.

The purpose of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is to carry the people to the 'promised land' which is translated to the celestial Kingdom.
People who are willing to be righteous and keep covenants. and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is built by God, and run by God. :) I love connections!!! :)

And then we began to talk about how people jump the boat. But we are always willing to through them a life buoy. :) And then we came across this fill in the blank.. I will stay on the boat because.... what would you fill it in with?
I will stay on the boat because I know the Church is True and i want to return to my father in heaven. :)

So Again i have a quote from hoop dreams "My next year, starts now."-William Gates.
How amazing is that statement. I am going to live by this quote. My tomorrow, next month, next year, next century, starts now. That way i will never regret not doing something! :) I will be more productive, and will accomplish so much more! :)

The new,..... no Who I am Supposed to be! :)

"Everybody I know is my coach."

-William Gates (Hoop Dreams)

The past few weeks have been such an adjustment! :) WOOOOWEEE! :)

But as time has gone on, it has been the best few weeks of my life :) I have an AMAZING institute class! :) I spent an hour talking to an old friend in the parking lot of Weber State

Today! And better yet.. I am on a Spiritual High!!!! wAHOO! :)

As You all know, I usually have a main topic with each post. And today's inspiration came from a movie that we are watching in my Social work Class. It is called Hoop Dreams. Now... I've only seen the first hour of it, and it's about three. But i'm

pretty sure that they gist of the movie is about 2 boys, each having a dream of becoming a professional basketball player. Both, of course, are in very poor home situations, including poverty, drugs, and family problems. But one of them in able to push through all that, embrace education, and

become a very good ball player. His name is William Gates.

In the movie he says "Everybody I know is my

coach" as i pondered on my own life after hearing this, i realized that this is true for me as well. Every person that has come into my life, has taught me how to 'win the game' in one way or the other. Whether they have been a silly friend that I have goofed off with, or a small acquaintance that has taught me how to act like a quiet person ;).

For all of you amazing people that are listening, i just want to say, Thank You. Thank

You for the 18 great years you have formed to help me become the person I am supposed to be. :) I have no idea where I would be if I hadn't met each and every one of you. I look up to you, and I hope one day to have each of your qualities in me. :) Especially my Parents.

After I thought about all the people i've had in my life, I also began to be sad thinking about how some of us weren't very close anymore, or how we have all gone our separate ways because of schooling. But then I am happy, because as one of my good friends(you know who you are) once said "Even though we grew different, we grew different together."

I am so glad that I had friends like this one, that would stick by my side, even when I myself was changing into the person that I needed to be. I have some goofy friends that for some reason accept me as a human being. And with each of them in my life, I have become a very happy, and loving person. I love each of my friends :)

Thinking about all the amazing friends I've had, just makes me want to make more and more friends in the future. Which has urged me to sign up for a committee at institute. When i find out which one i am chosen for, I will be sure to let you know. :) I love making friends, and I hope that i don't become shy as the college years go on. Because Weber State does make it easy to not be involved, and just go to school not talk and then go home without even making a single friend. But I am going to prove it wrong :)

I also have been thinking a lot about missions, careers, and families. :) For the first time in a long time I have been considering going on a mission. I wonder if it is in His plan for me. hmm... Now when it comes to careers I am getting close, and also getting totally lost! I am now leaning more towards social work, But then I think back to occupational therapy.... hopefully i'll figure that out soon before it is a total waste of my time and money :) When it comes to families, I love mine and all.. but I really wanna find a man. Oh man do I! :) Hahaha If I could find my true love, I would be a happy gal :)

Well. i think that is the end of my post for the day. :) <3>

How do I know for myself?

I <3 My institute class! Oh my freaking goodness! I can't even begin to explain how much I love it! The spirit is ALWAYS soooo strong in there! :) My last lesson was such a good one! And to think it was all because of one girl. My institute teacher, Brother Barlow, is the type who says "this isn't my class, it's our class." So he always comes prepared with a lesson, but he likes to take the lesson in the direction that we as students are going.

So last class he tells us to please look through this section of chapters and come up with any questions that we might have. The teacher begins answering our questions. And then one girls question at first came as a shock to me.. "What knowledge do we have that can make us truly say that We are the only true church? I'm sure that every church says that, what makes this one REALLY true?" Everyone began raising their hands saying well, we don't dis the other churches, we believe they have the truth just not all of it. And then Brother Barlow quoted President Hinckley When he was asked "How do you feel about the other churches?" and he responded by saying something like this "I think they're great. I would love to have them come to our church so that we could add do the greatness they have." It was an interesting conversation with A LOT of comments. We then turned our focus away from the Book of Mormon, but towards this question. "how do i know for myself?"

I actually commented, because i couldn't just sit there anymore. I had to say the stuff in my heart. I said this. I love that we're talking about this question, because everyone in this room has had that thought at least once in their mind. But that it reminded me a lot of a talk i read by Boyd K. Packer called "The Candle of the Lord." Instead of paraphrasing the part i shared for them. I will quote it for you.

"I will tell you of an experience I had before i was a General Authority which affected me profoundly. I sat on a plane next to a professed atheist who pressed his disbelief in God so urgently that I bore my testimony to him. 'You are wrong,' I said, 'There is a God. I know He lives!'

He protested, 'You don't know. Nobody knows that! You can't know it!' When i would not yield, the athiest, who was an attorney, asked perhaps the ultimate question on the subject of testimony. 'All right,' he said in a sneering, condescending way, 'you say you know. Tell me How you know.'

When I attempted to answer, even though i help advanced academic degrees, I was helpless to communicate.

Sometimes in your youth, you young missionaries are embarrassed when the cynic, the skeptic, treat you with contempt because you do not have ready answers for everything. Before such ridicule, some turn away in shame.

When i used the words Spirit and witness, the athiest responded, 'I don't know what you are talking about.' The words prayer, discernment, and faith, were equally meaningless to him. 'You see,' he said, 'you don't really know. If you did, you would be able to tell me how you know.'

I felt, prehaps, that I had borne my testimony to him unwisely and was at a loss as to what to do. Then came the experience! Something came into my mind. And I mention here a statment of the Prophet Joseph Smith 'A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the Spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas...and thus by learning the Spirit of God and understandding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation until you become perfect in Christ Jesus.'

Such an idea come into my mind and I said to the athiest, 'Let me ask if you know what salt tastes like,'

'Of course I do,' was his reply.

'When did you taste salt last?'

'I just had dinner on the plane.'

"You just think you know what salt tastes like,' I said.

He insisted, 'I know what salt tastes like as well as I know anything.'

'If i gave you a cup of salt and a cup of sugar and let you taste them both, could you tell the salt from the sugar?'

'Now you are getting juvenile.' was his reply. 'Of course i could tell the difference. I know what salt tastes like. It is an everyday experience-I know it as well as I know anything.'

'then,' i said,'assuming that I have never tasted salt, explain to me just what it tastes like.'

After some thought, he ventured, 'Well-i-uh, it is not sweet and it is not sour.'

'You've told me what it isn't, not what it is.'

After several attempts, of course, he could not do it. He could not convey, in words alond, so ordinary an experience as tasting salt. I bore testimony to him once again and said, 'I know there is a God. You ridiculed that testimony and said that if I did know, i would be able to tell you exactly how i know. My friend, spiritually speaking, i have tasted salt. I am no more able to convey to you in words how this knowledge has come than you are to tell me what salt tastes like. But i say to you again, there is a God! He does live! And just because you don't know, don't try to tell me that I don't know, for i do!"

This story gives me goosbumps! It just reminds me that just because i can't explain how I know, doesn't mean that the truth is not there! We just need to remember that!

The girl again began to say that a lady in her church bore testimony that God blessed her, by not getting cancer, because she had been going to the temple. This girl was upset because her dad was doing all of those things too, but he did get cancer. I really wanted to say this, but didn't end up having time. There is a difference between testing and punishing. Heavenly Father doesn't punish us, because we will punish ourselves enough. There is a lot of ways to look at afflictions. But they ARE blessings. Heavenly Father NEVER gives us something that we can't handle.

It was such an amazing experience for me!

Now on to a differenct subject. I just want to say that I Love Life. :)I love being myself! And i'm not afraid to show it! :) Me and my friend kim went and took pictures of eachother. :) Which we love to do! And it reminded me of this quote.

I from now on am going to be my self 100% :) I know that those who really love me will accept me just the way i am :)







I suppose this is getting a little long, so i will end by saying Good evening :)

High of 75 :)

"It's funny how you find you enjoy your life when you're happy to be alive."-Relient K

Well man this says it all. It's so true! We enjoy our lives when we realize that we love the opportunity to have one. :) Now, time to get to my randomness :) First off, Why am i so paranoid that my teeth are gonna fall out? Stupid yes? I believe so. I don't know if i've already posted about this. But even i am sick of the fact that i think about it constantly. And today i figured out why i think they seem loose. I think that they are moving slightly. I can feel the difference in the levelness of them. Anyway. That was totally random.

I've had a hard couple of days. I was dreading Sunday, knowing that it would be the first time that i went to Relief Society. I've loved young womens, so the thought of leaving them to go to rs made me sad. Then i learned that Bradon wanted to go to a friends homecoming talk. I was happy, knowing that i wouldn't have to pull off the bandaid just yet. And then to my dismay he didn't feel well, and had to go home. So i went. And i had the worst experience. The lesson in Gospel Doctrine went RIGHT over my head. And then to top it off, we talked about food storage in rs. ... I don't have a house to do that.. I felt so alone. I missed having friends, not having to start conversations, i missed being a kid. I was so sad. But you know what happened? A good friend commented on my status on facebook and said "Sit by me next week k?" Yet ANOTHER tender mercy! The next day didn't go much better. I had a second job interview at Bravo music school. And it didn't go well. But you know what my tender mercy was? i realized that maybe it wasn't the job for me. I love when Heavenly Father helps me find out what His plan for me is :)

And it all got better today as well. :) College ROCKS! :) I signed up for an institute class which makes it good too! :)

Now to my next random post! :) I have AMAZING best friends. I <3 them! :)

Alyssa Thornley is my best friend! I love her! we are sisters! we talk to each other about anything and everything! :) we love horses, are total dorks, but love life! I met Alyssa in Orchestra. and you wanna know the funny thing? we both thought that the other was like 'too good' to be friends with us. And BAHA look what happened. I think we became close because of Seminary Last year. We shared the spirit every day in class. And if there ever was something that we didn't think was quite right about the class, we would share it with each other. How we became so close? I'm not quite sure.. We just had the same feelings about A LOT of things. And then we went to Seattle.. that's a story in and of itself :) I love her! And our kids are gonna ride horses together :) haha

Ashley Bennett is my best friend! Me and her have one of those friendships that are totally equal! She gives and i take, and i take and she gives!! :) I LOVE IT! We both were in the presidency for Seminary. But we've known each other since 10th grade. We both had Mrs. Muhlestein :) haha... wow what a class. :) We both were in the presidence in our seminary class as well. We would tell each other stories about boys! And just be all giddy so that our teacher would look at us like.... wow.. girls. :) I love her to death! We both go to weber! So we are gonna party like we're rock stars! :)

Kimberlee Owens is my best friend! And i love her! I have known her since i can remember! We have always had each others backs! It didn't matter if our opposition was right! We always backed eachother up! We've even let each other read our diaries! :) They are quite funny if i do say so myself. If we had a crush, we were the first ones to know. I don't know if i deserved the friendship that Kim has given me, but she has been one of those friends that even if we went through a rough patch, We could always fall back on each other! We listen to one another! And aske if the other is alright, and actually wait until we finally give up a true answer! We've laughed, cried, laughed til we cried, sang, played the violin, played the piano, and even taken pictures together. I can't believe that after 18 years, for the first time, we have been seperated. And not lived 2 streets from each other. I love her and miss her terribly!

Well.. That is the end of my random post! but it's funny how I find that I enjoy MY life, when I"M happy to be alive :)

I love me some Tender Mercies :)

"He's the tender behind the mercy, the unconditional in love, And when I need forgiveness, He's the redeeming Son. More and more I see He's the tender behind the mercy"-Hilary Weeks.

Doesn't it seem like sometimes everything seems to be going wrong? I sure believe so. It's been a long few weeks. With many good things happening along the way. But doesn't it seem like when we are having a major change in our life that we begin to fog our judgment; and when that happens, that is when Satan decides to attack? Well that has been happening to me.

Starting college has been a major stress, and excitement. I have been clouded over by this sin that I realized I've done in the past, but never thought about until now? Isn't that so weird? It took me almost a year and 4 Bishop interviews to feel bad for it? And so with all of this change occurring, and then remembering a past sin, Satan saw me as a fish out of water, an easy target. So I've been in this slump. Feeling like such an awful person that had no friends. And this is where my first tender mercy came into play. I was on itunes, trying to use up my gift card I got for graduation. And I remembered that a lady in my ward had said the titles of some Hilary Weeks songs that she had performed at a fireside. So I went on facebook hoping that if I scrolled down on her profile long enough, that I might be able to see the titles. As i scrolled down I found a post from her that was meant for me to see right now. "Men are that they might have joy----Not guilt trips!"-Russell M. Nelson. After reading this talk, I know that I won't become perfect, not in this life anyway. Today I began to feel bad again, and then something wonderful happened. Another tender mercy. I remembered a quote that Brother Waldron had shared in seminary class. "Christ doesn't take the people out of the slums, He takes the slum out of the people and lets them get themselves out of the slums." So, Christ has taken that sin out of me, but now it's up to be to A-get better at this sin. and B-to forgive myself so that i can fully have repented.

Tonight was such a wonderful tender mercy as well. I had to opportunity to attend a baptism of a girl that lives in my neighborhood. She had asked me to give the talk on baptism. I was so nervous. But the tender mercy I had while I was there, was to feel of the sweet spirit that resides in those meetings. I am so proud of my little 'daughter' :) "it's amazing how vital the spirit becomes when we allow it into our lives"-Brother Jenkins.

Now on to other tender mercies. I decided to be the one to talk in college. People are in their own little bubble and I'm about to pop that bubble. I sat by the only other girl in my first class that this was her first semester of college. I think that we got along really well. The tender mercy I found in that class is that me and the girl next to me, Katie, both find how my teacher writes her e's to be ridiculous! :) In my second class, I found it easier to pay attention, regardless of how i feel about the teacher. My History BFF makes everything better in that class. The election for Brother Jenkins was brought up by her. I remembered everything that happened and I started to feel so bad for him. After talking to him later, i felt the tender mercy of his testimony that Heavenly Father blessed him for not winning the election. In my third class, we introduced ourselves to the class. That class is going to be so wonderful. I can learn so much from them. :) That was a tender mercy. My forth class I found someone to talk to, another tender mercy.

To top it all off, my sister invited me to go to institute with her and her friend. Yet another tender mercy. :)

I am so glad that I could receive these blessings, and that I again am happy :)

This I Believe... :)

I Believe in Christ

• I believe that He walked this earth as the only perfect person, that He suffered for my sins, and that He suffered for yours too.
• I believe that He loves me and that no matter what I do, He is still there to cheer me on, wishing for me to make it home.
• I believe that with Him, I can accomplish any task.
• I believe that He is the one person who knows exactly what I'm going through, and exactly how it feels.
• I believe that He lives.

I believe in a loving Father in Heaven

• I believe that He sent me here to earth to gain knowledge
• I believe that He loves me and only wants the best for me.
• I believe that He gives me trials in order to give me strength.
• I believe that He is wise, and that if I will seek Him, I can become like Him someday.
• I believe that if I ask Him, He will bring me comfort in my time of need.

I believe that death is the beginning, not the end

• I believe that I will be able to see all of those I have lost in this world, and that the reunion will be sweet.
• I believe that after death I will be able to have a family, and that my role as a mother doesn't end with death.
• I believe that life after death will be perfect, but that our divine purpose and goals will continue.

I believe in a sense of humor

• I believe that "when you lose your power to laugh, you lose your power to think straight."-inherit the wind
• I believe that laughter is like an illness, it is contagious, but that if it would spread, the world would be a better place.
• I believe that when nothing else can make you feel better, that a good joke will cheer up your soul, and bring positivity to your mind.

I believe that everyone is important

• I believe that we each have our own divine purpose here on earth.
• I believe that you need to learn how Heavenly Father feels about you, because then what the world thinks won't matter.
• I believe that with a little self esteem, the abilities someone can do would surpass all imagination.
• I believe that we are all pieces to a puzzle, and that without one piece; the puzzle would never be complete.

I believe in love at home

• I believe that there is no greater love than that of family
• I believe that when the entire world is look down on you, that your family is looking up.
• I believe that those who love their family have the capacity to love others.
• I believe that home should be a place of safety.
• I believe that we are given families so we can have strength.
• I believe that families are Heavenly Fathers plan for us

I believe in music

• I believe that music can affect the mood of an individual, for the good or for the bad.
• I believe that music can touch the soul of someone when nothing else can.
• I believe that when one has the ability to create music, they have the ability to create happiness.
• I believe that music is a haven, where your mind can go wherever it wants, and where you feelings can be expressed.

I believe in true friendship

• I believe that everyone needs a friend.
• I believe that a true friendship is equal. That we each ask for help, but give in return.
• I believe a true friend is always there for you, to laugh at your bad jokes, and to be a shoulder to cry on.

I believe in crying

• I believe that crying is a symbol of humility.
• I believe that sometimes, you must cry to release any anger.
• I believe that each time a tear is released; you lose that weight of that burden from your shoulders.

I believe in expressing your feelings.

• I believe that people are sent here to help others. And the only way for them to help you, is for you to ask for help.
• I believe that by sharing your feelings, you might just resolve your problems.
• I believe that bottling emotions inside leads to an outburst that isn't necessary.

I believe in happiness.

• I believe that life is too short to be anything but happy.
• I believe that one positive attitude can overthrow 100 negative ones.
• I believe that you can fake happiness for the sake of others, and pretty soon, you will even fool yourself that you're happy too.

I believe in love.

• I believe that if we spread a little love around, that the world would be a better place.
• I believe that love can heal all wounds, even if it was love that created the scar.
• I believe that my true love is out there, i just haven't met him yet.

I believe in faith

• I believe that sometimes you need to just trust that things will go right.
• I believe that some of the truest things in the world are the things which aren't seen.
• I believe that when you look for the impossible, you will find the truth.

I believe in forgiveness

• I believe that before we can fully forgive another, we must first forgive ourselves.
• I believe that no matter how wrong the other was to you, you are lower than them unless you forgive.
• I believe that revenge is bitter, and that forgiveness is sweet.
• I believe that forgiveness is hard, but that its rewards are greater than our knowledge

I believe in hugs

• I believe that a good hug can ease a person's pain.
• I believe that sometimes all someone needs is a hug.
• I believe that hugs bring warmth and comfort that no amount of words can bring.

I believe in trust.

• I believe that everyone needs somebody to trust.
• I believe that in order to trust someone, you too must be trusted.
• I believe that if we could all trust each other, we could love everyone.

I believe in honesty

• I believe that honesty is the greatest value a person can have.
• I believe that honesty can show who is great, and who is weak.

I believe in respect

• I believe that in order to receive respect, we must give respect.
• I believe that we should respect everyone, no matter the age, gender, or maturity level. We are all human and we should be treated like it.

I believe in service to others

• I believe that everyone needs a hand sometimes in their life, and that we should offer that hand to them.
• I believe that service doesn't have to be anything big, a simple smile could be service enough.
• I believe that one small act of service could mean the world to someone.
• I believe that service is love.
• I believe that a person can grow through service to others.

I believe your body is a temple

• I believe that we should not treat our bodies like objects, that we should treat them as one of the most sacred things in the world.
• I believe that we should protect our bodies, that we should avoid toxic substances, only do respectable piercing, and never damage them with tattoos.
• I believe that how we dress our temple shows how we feel about ourselves.
• I believe that our bodies should be saved for our eternal spouse.

I believe in life

• I believe that life is a gift, and that we must cherish it.
• I believe that the journey of life will show our strengths, and let us learn from our weaknesses.
• I believe that life is a test, a test to see who we will follow, what is right, or what is wrong.

I believe in true beauty.

• I believe that beauty comes from the inside out.
• I believe that a person's personality is their real beauty
• I believe that a person can be pretty no matter what the modeling agency would say.
• I believe that everyone is beautiful in their own way.

I believe in individuality

• I believe that we were all made different in order to create happiness.
• I believe that everything that makes us different is what makes us special
• I believe that we shouldn't hide who we really are to impress anyone; we are made this way for a purpose. And we should strive to fulfill that purpose.
• I believe that we should stand up for what we want, and let go of those things which don't matter.

I believe in character

• I believe that you should never give up what you really want, for what you want right now.
• I believe that a person's character comes from how they treat others, how they treat themselves, and how they react to the wrongness of the world.
• I believe that character is how you act when no one is watching. That even though you wouldn't be recognized for your right action, you still do it with no reward.

I believe in the power of language

• I believe that your words can either bring someone up, or they can tear them down.
• I believe that our words show our character, that if we use respectable language, that we will be respected.

I believe that everyone should know what they believe

• I believe that we all believe in something, even if we don't know what it is.
• I believe that knowing your beliefs brings happiness and understanding
• I believe that believing in something brings hope
• I believe that you should write down what you believe
• I believe that beliefs lead to knowledge.

I believe that sometimes the crowd is just plain wrong.

• I believe that we need to be strong enough to stand up to the things that are wrong.
• I believe that wickedness should not be sought for, and that it doesn't bring happiness
• I believe that those who are strong enough to fight for what they believe will be look up to by those who seek for wickedness.