:D A Picture is worth a thousand words.

YES!!!! I did it!! I have been accepted to Southern Utah University! I am so excited and so happy to have things rolling so smoothly. The Lord surely has blessed me with everything that has happened lately. I was really worried about getting accepted and scholarships, but my mother shared some wise words with me. She said well all you can do is sit back and watch the miracles unfold. :) oooh how happy am I!!

This is all so exciting and nerve racking!

Wow! My graduation is creeping ever closer and the reality of really being gone and never seeing most of my friends again is really depressing, but the chance to go out and experience a life outside of the one I am living is exciting! I have applied for 2 different colleges, still unsure of where I am actually going to go, but keeping my options open. In the end I think I will have applied for 4 different colleges, then I will sort through which ones really matter :)

High School life is great :) I am going to fail pre calc though... WHY on earth did I not get any of the math genius of my father?? I can't fail!! I am trying not to and I do say getting a C to a B is great improvement! Hopefully it will be up to an A!!! Pray for my math grade everyone reading this!!! It needs all the help it can get!!!!! Well, I do, but specifically in math.

Well, I hope all of you have a wonderful Saturday or whatever day it is where you are!

Why am I so lazy??

You would think that because my blog is my home page on my computer that I might actually write stuff on it right?? Well, I have no idea why it always takes me so long in between post. I apologize!! The reason why I waited so long this time was because I was going to get pictures done, and then post them, but we have had to reschedule and stuff so many times! I feel soo bad for my photographer :P

Well new developments, um well school is absolutely HECTIC and crazy. Homework is never ending and the drama is just as bad. I am getting by though, and that is all I can ask for :) We do have 3 foreign exchange students! A girl from Columbia, a girl from Denmark, and a boy from Germany. I have mixed emotions about my classes, but one that I love for sure is my AP European History class! I love learning about history, and as my teacher told us today, if we don't remember or learn from history, we are bound to repeat it. It is really sad when we look at our education system and see how 1/2 of the high school seniors out in the US can't even find Cuba on a map so they give us more science and math to do. Yes, that makes a ton of sense to me too. When we will hardly EVER use upper math in the real world, we will use history for the rest of our lives, and we should be taught about it more.

Ok, that was my ranting for the day :D

The rest of my life is actually going pretty well :) I might be getting an amazing new job and I am stoked for it!

Anyway, I hope to have my pictures taken soon, and I will post them on here when I do have them completed lol :D
On a side note, tennis went really, really well this season! 3rd varsity singles was an awesome spot to play in. I came close to all of the team this year and I am so glad that I played again. It is so sad to think that I am done with it though! Last year and it depresses me. The good thing about tennis is that it is a life time sport! I can play it for forever! :)

Well, till next time!

Its been awhile :D

So school starts really soon, and I am sooo not ready to have to start my senior year. So many of my friends all want to move out already, and get their lives started now, but I am the complete opposite! I don't want to have to grow up. I don't want to have to move away from my parents and have to worry about paying for college and such. I don't even really have an idea of where I want want to go for college! :P Blah... I am so nervous for a lot of things. I know that if I can just get over the fact that yes I really do have to experience life on my own, I will be good. I know that this feeling will fade and I will have senioritist (its a "disorder" most of the seniors get when all they want to do is leave high school and graduate) and just want to leave for forever!!

On a brighter note, official tennis practice started today and I am SOOO stoked for this year. At practice today, my coach said that my serves are looking really good and that I am soo improved from how I played at the beginning of the summer. Going on 4 years about with tennis, and it is still my all time favorite sport to play!

Hopefully I will write some more soon! :D have a great rest of the summer and keep all that you hold dear close to you

Girls Camp!

Girls camp this year was very rewarding and I loved it :D It was my 6th and last year. I can go one more year, and I am going to, but not everyone does. So the make a big deal about the 6th years and you get to answer questions and the stake young woman's leader writes them on a poster and people have to guess who you are. Its a lot of fun and I had looked forward to that since I was a 1st year camper.

Our theme this year was "Your Happily Ever After". It came for President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk which you can read here (it is the most amazing talk, I recommend you read it!)We all had kingdom names for our wards and such and acted like princess the whole week. Our testimony meeting at the end was heart warming. Our ward is the biggest ward with about 21 young women who went to the camp, and almost every girl but about 2 or so bore their testimony and it was amazing to hear what those girls know and believe at such a young age (12 years old is the youngest you can be in young womens :) In those four days I was there, I came to truly understand my Divine Nature and that I am a beloved daughter of my Heavenly Father who loves me. He has a plan for me, my own happily ever after, all I need to to do is turn to him. I am thankful to my leaders and the stake leaders that took SO much time and put in so much effort to make this an amazing experience.

Here are some pics :D

Here is the raging river we camped by. The Forest Service came up and put police tape so that we could go by it.

The river again

Here is what our camp ground looked like

This is a blury pic of my and the other JCs (junior councilors: 5th, 6th and 7th years) up singing songs on JC night. We all leave a day earlier than the other little girls :D

JCs, blury again. :) our young womens president didn't know how to work the camera

Here is Morgan, Rachel, me, and Ashley at dinner on JC night. All but Ashley are in the same ward :D

hehe this is Rachel, Me and Morgan (who is taking the pic) on the bridge by the river... this is before the tape went up ;D

Here is my young womens leader, one of our young campers tied up, another girl from our ward, and in the back is another one of my leaders. lol oh the joys of girls camp ;)

These ladies are our stake leaders doing their skit :D it was hilarious!

Trek 2011

:D holy cow has my summer been busy!!! I have been to Wyoming and back and girls camp and back in just these few weeks :) I have had the most amazing experience in the one month to last me for forever!

Trek:
I had the opportunity to go on the trek in Wyoming with my stake. If you don't know what a trek is, it is where young men and young women are put in families with a ma and pa, uncle and aunt and siblings, and they reenact the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies treks in Wyoming. We don't do the whole thing, but we go to important spots along the trails they forged. We pulled handcarts with all of our belongings (besides our bedding and tents and such, those were in a trailer that met us at each campsite) I was put in a family that made my experience all the more special. I loved them so much and I still look to my ma and pa for things :) I love my "brothers" and "sisters" too and I will forever look at them that way.
We had trouble from the very beginning of our trip which started at 3:00 am June 8th. Instead of getting nice tour buses, we rented charter buses that were regular old school buses. They were horrible! Our stake is big, and the buses we so uncomfortable even though we had 3 of them. We took the long way, which now as I look back, I see it as a blessing. One of the buses broke down because it over heated. They put more fluid in it, but it burst the radiator tube thing and got stranded in Colorado. Our bus got a flat tire in Baggs, Wyoming. We had to wait for 2 hours for it to get fixed, and it was a VERY HOT day. We had to wear our pioneer clothes and we were soo hot. I see it as a blessing because if we had gone through the Flaming Gorge way we would have had no way to get help for the 2 broken down buses. God's hand was surely there to protect us and watch out for us. We were behind schedule 4 hours when we finally got to Independence Rock.
The weather was extremely bad some days too. The first day was waaaaay windy. We got to our camp ground which had some 4,000 other youth from other stakes and states, and tents we blown over and poles were snapping all over the place. Luckily the our girls tent was an old spring bar tent and it stayed up really well. In fact, our tent was used as a wind block for our Ma and Pa's tent and our Uncle and Aunt's tent :D The second day started out good, but was a little cold and rainy. It quickly heated up and was a pretty nice day until the sun started to go down. It got sooo cold, and that night was the only night I froze. When we woke up in the morning, there was ice on the water we were going to cross that day (in part of the trek you cross the Sweetwater River like the pioneers did, but the run off was so bad, meaning the water was 15 ft deep,that we had to cross smaller parts of the Sweetwater). The deepest it got was up to my waist, but I am short 5'0 tall, so it wasn't that bad on everyone. This was also the day where we had the woman's pull. This is where the men are called out like they are leaving for the Mormon Battalion and the women are left to pull. The hill we pulled up was very very hard. It was steep and the climb with a full handcart was not easy. Our cart had 3 of us girls (our other sister got a really bad bloody noes and had to ride in a truck for awhile) and our ma and aunt, but other carts only had 3 girls at the most. Those of us who finished first ran back to help the other who were struggling more. There were times where I KNEW we were not the only ones on the cart. We had divine help from those brave pioneer women. I could feel their spirits helping us onward. It was amazing.
The last day was our testimony meeting. I rained, no let me rephrase that, it POURED rain and the wind howled. It was the coldest I had been in a very long time. I was soaked even through my rain jacket, but the spirit I felt there will never leave me. It was the best feeling I've ever had. I got up and bore my testimony and the spirit touched me and told that this was true, these people went through so much so that we can have what we have today. I am so thankful for my ancestors and the other pioneers that risked their lives to follow a Prophet of God and come to Utah. This experience was amazing for me. I love every moment of it and I am sad that I will be too old to go in another 4 years. They hold the trek every four years and I will be out of young womens by then :P oh well, maybe I will be called as a ma or an aunt and get to go :D

Here are a few pics from the trek

Here are my sisters and I posing for the camera with our skirts pulled up to they didn't get soaked

Here is Independence Rock

Here is a picture of my trek family that I edited :)

We (my siblings and I) had just finished with our visit to Martins Cove and we were ready to move on.

We had to duct tape my flip flops on so that I could cross the river, and this what they looked like! My ma taped them really well :D

This was the trail that had been flooded. Now remember how I said there was a thin layer of ice on the water? Yeah it was sooo cold

Getting ready to cross :D lol you could hear the screams of the other kids as they hit the water lol

Here we are after the woman's pull. It was the most amazing feeling to walk through the men and know that although they couldn't help, we were receiving divine help. We recited the Young Womans theme and you could feel as you named each of the values, it helped strengthen you.

Here I am taking a rest. I was too lazy to take off my backpack, plus it popped my back and made me feel better lol :D

Here is my real brother and I after we had got home :D on Saturday June 11th. I missed it already, I really could have gone on and done it for a couple more days.

I loved my experience with the Trek and I would never trade what I felt there for ANYTHING!

Let The Good Times Roll

Talking about Carpe Diem in my Honors English class got me thinking. Do we as overly busy teenagers, and even most adults, actually stop and take a moment to think about things that have happened that we have just let slide by? I certainly don't. I have let more than one thing in my life slide by that probably could have helped me take a breather from all the things that pile up on me. I just want to get through that "pile" of things that never ends and never take a moment to stop and look at each thing individually.
Seize your day. No one else is EVER going to go it for you and like Pink Floyd so perfectly put it, "No on told you when to run. You missed the starting gun." If we don't seize the day and stop taking everything we have for granted, one day we are all are going to find that we have nothing and we are going wish that we had stopped to smell the roses. That we had sat in the green grass just soaking up the sun. That we had danced in the rain and done other things that we can never find time do and if it does happen we just speed right on through that moment in our lives.
Just yesterday, I was sitting in Mrs Carters class again talking to Whitney Withers. We were finishing up with Carpe Diem and she said something that has stuck with me. She said, "I hate realizing that every minute of everyday is one that I am never, ever going to get back." Have we wasted part of our lives? We are never going to get those moments back. Ever. Did we make the right decisions? Did we stop to relish in that one moment? Maybe one day there will be just ONE moment were if we just stop and relish in it, it could change our lives for the better.
I was listening to my playlist and I found a song that fits Carpe Diem perfectly :D

"If Today Was Your Last Day" by Nickelback

My best friend gave me the best advice
He said each day's a gift and not a given right
Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind
And try to take the path less traveled by
That first step you take is the longest stride

If today was your last day
And tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past
Donate every dime you have?
If today was your last day

Against the grain should be a way of life
What's worth the prize is always worth the fight
Every second counts 'cause there's no second try
So live like you'll never live it twice
Don't take the free ride in your own life

If today was your last day
And tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past
Donate every dime you have?
Would you call old friends you never see?
Reminisce old memories
Would you forgive your enemies?
Would you find that one you're dreamin' of?
Swear up and down to God above
That you finally fall in love
If today was your last day

If today was your last day
Would you make your mark by mending a broken heart?
You know it's never too late to shoot for the stars
Regardless of who you are
So do whatever it takes
'Cause you can't rewind a moment in this life
Let nothin' stand in your way
Cause the hands of time are never on your side

If today was your last day
And tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?

Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past
Donate every dime you have?
Would you call old friends you never see?
Reminisce old memories
Would you forgive your enemies?
Would you find that one you're dreamin' of?
Swear up and down to God above
That you finally fall in love
If today was your last day

:) so live life to its fullest cause you NEVER know when your last moment will be

Ugg...

I am here sitting on my bed at home, missing a whole bunch of opportunity to learn something because I am sick. I hate being sick! The pain that radiates through your lungs as you cough yet again, how it feels like you ate sand paper and it got lodged in your throat making it scratch the inside of your esophagus every time that you do cough, or the head that feels like it is seriously going to explode and no matter how many Motrins you take it never goes away :P Ugg I really really hate being sick.

Any way, while I am stuck at home sick I have had to time to catch up on much needed sleep and I have gotten to think in the quiet of my room. Something that would never happen at school. Thinking about what you may ask? Everything is all I have to answer. Yesterday, I was on Facebook talking with one of my friends who asked what was on my mind. I answered the same way as I just did. Everything, or a whole bunch of random, useless nonsense. To that they replied: u should try to clear ur mind a bit...it'll make things less stressful someone younger than me just told me that my life would be a lot less stressful if I just let go of all the useless things I was thinking about. You know what? They're right, more than they've been right their wholes lives! I really do need to let my mind rest. Stop thinking about those stupid ACT things all the time. In English class yes, think about them all the time, but outside of class? Forget about them for a moment. Forget about what so and so said, it really doesn't matter anyway. Stop thinking about what you could have done differently almost a month ago, it doesn't matter any more!

Living a stressful life is probably why I happen to be sick right now. All the stress can lower the immune system, therefore making you more susceptible to what ever bug is floating around at the time. The only problem is I can't seem to let go all of this stress. Some of it yes, it's easy, but letting go of the rest of it is going to be the hardest thing I have done in my entire life. There are certain things that are just hard to let go, and I don't know why.

So after all of this I think we now know that living a stressful likes sucks :) Getting out and living your life is so much better for you than sitting around letting your mind be full of useless things that aren't going to help all that much.

Just some stuff that have been on my mind lately :D

Jr. Prom

Last night I went to my Jr. Prom. It was the best experience of my entire life. My date was a total gentlemen and along with my corsage he got me a bouquet! It is beautiful :)

The junior class preformed a promenade dance to Forever by Chris Brown for the parents to watch then the prom started afterward. It went really well, the only thing I would change was how my dress bunch up in the back with the laces. It made me look really funny :P. Oh well :)

My date and I were really good looking otherwise I would have to say :D

I would not change the experience I had there for anything else ever. I will never forget the time I had and the way I felt.

Ugg...

Well, as a team we did a really good job. I, however, did the worst at impromptu that I have ever done in my life. I don't know what happened, I guess I didn't feel it on Saturday. One of our PF (public Forum)took 1st another took 3rd and then our other 2 5th and 6th. The thing is that our PF team that won 1st had never done it before, it was their first time ever! They did really amazing though and we were all really proud of them. I didn't try to do congress and impromptu, it would have been all to crazy to have to run back and forth all day and never have a chance to relax.

This weekend is State Basketball!! Our girls made it!!! I am soo excited! No school on Monday, and then only two days of school and I am gone! Not to mention those two days of school, the teachers don't really do anything because a lot of people are gone any way!! I can't wait!

What a non-stop life I am living!!!

I have not had a real weekend till just this last one. All of the other weekends consisted of me going to speech and debate meets all over the place. I went to Taylorville for Warrior Wars, then I went to West Lake, then the team made its way down to Snow Canyon in St. George 2 weeks ago. This Saturday I am going to go to another meet in Richfield (we are SOO going to dominate region!! Total sweeps!! Down with Juab!! hehehe). I did really well on all of my events at all of the meets. I placed in Novice Student Congress at West Lake and with impromptu, I was ranked 2 5's(superiors) and one 4(excellent)!!! At snow canyon, I was ranked 1st and 2nd speaker in congress and received 4th place in impromptu!!!
Not only does my life consist of speech and debate, I have state basketball next weekend, then prom on March 4th!!! These past few months have been SOOO crazy and non-stop!!

I was able to get a dress that I love, and it is Tangerine!! SO not what I expected, but it is beautiful none the less :) Will be posting soon after Richfield to say if we dominated or not :)

The last straw...

Ever been pushed to the edge of what you are capable of handling? Ever been so close to that precipice that if you shift just a fraction of an inch you fall with out warning and spiral into what seems like a never ending cycle of everything bad? Yeah the month of January was that way for me.
I have a lot of friends that are all really close to each other, but as high school goes, drama becomes a part of everything anybody does, and it somehow found a way to weasel into my friendships. I have had to be between 7 different friends. I was the one they came to when they needed help, and they all came to me when they all ended up having problems with each other also. I was so happy that they came to me. I was happy that they knew that they could trust me, and I like helping my friends, but it got a point where the problems were the only things that mattered. I was in turn ignoring some of my own pressing matters, and it got so bad that I pushed myself to the edge.
It was on the 31st that I finally let it all go. I let out all of that stress and all that had built up, I cried and all that I wanted to do was stay home for ever and never do anything again. It taxed me mentally and physically. I didn't know if I could go on anymore, but then I learned an important lesson. I am not alone, and I never was alone the entire month of January even though I thought that I was. I just didn't turn to my Savior. He was waiting the whole time for me to realize that he was there and was willing to take all that I was feeling if I just gave it to him. It has taken me all month to realize this, but I know now that he cares for sure. He wants to help you with all if the things that seem too frivolous to bother Him with, but nothing is too small OR too big. He loves us. I know this. Turn to Him and he will help you in any situation.

Way I see it

The way people view things is always going to be different than yours. The way my mom may look at something is going to be totally different they what my little brother sees. It can be difficult trying to get along in life being hindered by that, but that is what is good about having different opinions or looking at things differently. You don't want to look at a flower just see a rose like someone else may. You want to look at it and see love, passion, fire, ect things that come to your mind when you see a rose or a puppy or anything else.

I hate trying to tell someone something you felt when you know no one else is going to have the same reaction to that certain thing, but when you really think about it, do you really want to have that feeling that meant so much to you being as popular as wearing socks with shoes?? No, I wouldn't. If something was that special to me, I would want to keep it to myself and never let anyone feel that feeling. It wouldn't be unique and it would make things way common and too much the same. Difference is good.

I also think that change is really important for us to see as a good thing. I have a friend that seriously can not take change. It takes him sooo long to realize that it is ok, change is good for you. The most consistent thing in the world is change. Isn't that so true? There is ever going to be change in the world, it is bound to happen. Letting your mind change and your heart change sometimes is a good thing. If you need to let go of something, you can change your mind and heart and say I am changing this, I need something new. I recently did that by changing my hair style and color.:) It was great to look in the mirror and see a new me.

The way I see the world is ten times different than how anybody else sees it. I like the way I see it. You are going to have people in your life that try to beat you down and make you see the world in the way they see it, but no can do with me. It is my life and the way I look at things can be different.

Any way that was just a bunch of rambling, but I needed to get all of this off my mind :)