Think about it.

At seminary this morning, we were asked to think about something we were sincerely grateful for. We all gave obvious answers of: family, friends, rain, shine, etc, etc... And those are good, but I know I didn't put as much thought to that as I probably should have.

A couple years ago for Thanksgiving, I made a list before I hopped into bed of things I was grateful for. (Which consisted of 500+ bullet points.) Then I thanked Heavenly Father for each thing on that list. (It was a long prayer.)

I know i've been thankful for things around me, but I haven't really thought about it since that one experience. So after much pondering on just these few things, the answer to the question at seminary...

I'm grateful for:

MEMORIES. CHANGE. JOURNALS. TIME. PHOTOGRAPHS. HUGS. PEOPLE. CLEAN-BEDDING. HEALTH. STRUGGLES. MUSIC. LAUGHTER. LISTENERS. LOVE. SOUNDS. BEING ALIVE. 

I've thought about 16 things I'm truly grateful for this morning. Just 16. I know that doesn't seem like much... But, what if you didn't have just those 16 things? I bet it would feel like you're missing out on a lot. Think about it.


"I have found that, rather than dwelling on the negative, if we will take a step back and consider the blessings in our lives, including seemingly small, sometimes overlooked blessings, we can find greater happiness."

—Thomas S. Monson

Priesthood Blessings

Priesthood blessing are really cool.

I got a belated "back-to-school-blessing"

from my home teacher, and he knows 

me, but he doesn't REALLY know me,

yeh know? So it kind of was really great

hearing him say things to me, that only

Heavenly Father and I could know. 

He talked to us beforehand and said

that his Dad died when he was only 12,

and he remembers that he would have

blessings from worthy priesthood holders,

and even though his dad wasn't giving 

him the blessing, he learned that it doesn't

really matter who gives you the blessing

because they're only a mouthpiece for the

things that God has to say to you.

I really liked that because I'm in the same

 boat. Dad died when I was 11 y/o, and

 I always have felt strange when it's not

 MY dad giving me blessings because I

 can't help thinking that Dad is missing out.

I decided to take a quick power nap before

they were to come over, which was about

40 minutes long, I woke up, and we went 

straight into the blessings. I was first. And

some things he said have answered some

questions I've been asking, and I thought it

very neat that he said something that is in

my patriarchal blessing I got over a year 

ago, and how that still stands for me today.

And I decided that although it is nice to be

able to talk to God through prayers, I think

I additionally like blessings also because 

He's talking back.

And it's not just a one-sided conversation.

All in all, I felt this overwhelming peace

in my home, over my family, and my heart.

Adrenaline Junkie

Today is day #6 in Park City. Where is the time going? 

Well I signed away my life for the second time today! ...Call me an adrenaline junkie, but taking 3 ski lifts up a mountain and paying an additional $30 to go on the big zip-line to practically fall off a mountain... Now that was fun! The last ski lift was the worst, and that was almost scarier than the actual zipline! It had a flimsy little rod in front of us but otherwise if we rocked we would be gonners! As we were being hooked up, my eagerness was building! 

Jack Sparrow: You know that feeling you get when you're standing in a high place with that sudden urge to jump?... I don't have it. 

THIS IS NOT ME! I am not afraid of heights at all, but sometimes when I'm on the tip of something, I'm scared I won't be able to fight the urge to jump off and then I'll just splat and die. For example, when walking across the Tacoma Narrows bridge, I looked over the edge and saw a boat just about under me, and the only thought in my head was "if I jumped, would I make the boat, or just dive right through the boat?"  Lets NOT confuse suicide with adrenaline. That's what scares me.

So there I am, being strapped on and I just am wanting to dive into this! After I passed that emotion and we were off, it was AMAZING being able to look all the way down the mountain, and watch Lara screaming on the line beside me, and to realize that I am WAYYY above those trees going über fast and realizing that if the main 2 chords holding me on snapped, then I'd be screwed. It was the best use for $30 EVER. Did I mention that I was wearing converse cause Lara told me they'd look better in stead of keeping my feet warm?? Oh and by the way, I beat Lara down the mountain! I am a precision instrument built for speed!

So far we've covered: House-renting. Restaurant-going. Jacuzzi-ing. Tubing. Sauna-ing. Sneaking onto a bunny hill. Ice-skating. Number-taking. Zip-lining. Signing away our lives. My family has gotten so cool! What's next, SKY DIVING? That would be awesome.

Tonight is the last night for my older siblings... ): And I got my second nose bleed today. I hate how dry it is here. But that about catches you back up on how awesome we are ...Until Monday when I go back to being boring.

GOBBLE 'TIL YOU WOBBLE

Finally here!! The day where I can eat as MuCh as I want and no one can stop me because everyone else is doing exactly the same thing! Motto: 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Yesterday, day 3 in Park City, I got to go tubing for the first time with my familia. It was AWESOME. Ryan even said it's probably one of the best hills he's been down! We raced on our tummys, and spun in groups, laughed and screamed, it was absolutely delightful! Too bad we didn't get any pictures ): cause between riding up the conveyor belt, waiting in line, then taking a lift up to the tippy top of the hill, we had ZERO time to grab the camera and take pictures! We had 2 hours there and only got 5-6 rides. But it was memorable!

This would be my family... Too picky for turkey. So we're having some type of other meat like steak or something. Not to worry, mom is buying me turkey of some sort... But seriously, they claim it's always "too dry" PSHHHH. Girl please. 

This morning, instead of being in my hometown and running the 10k turkey trot which I had been practicing for, I'm sitting in front of a TV watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade eating yummy chocolate chip bread, and it was hilarious watching Daniel Radcliffe (aka Harry Potter) dancing around cause I guess he's in some musical now... Then there was a depressing/guilt-trippy commercial which i can't find now, but it had Jennifer Aniston, Robin Williams, Morgan Freeman and Luis Fonsi on a childrens cancer research hospital about how all kids want for Christmas are to get better... Makes you feel kinda REALLY greedy.... AND OH MY GOSH, SANTA IS ABOUT TO COME DOWN 34TH STREET IN MANHATTAN! My youngest brother, Spencer, claims that it's just a "fake" Santa Clause... Whatever. You know I sat on Santa's lap this year already! He gave me a lollipop and denied my wish of a snowy Christmas... But now I'm just rambling...

So anyway, have a thankful Thanksgiving, eat lots, and be happy! (:

This is the only picture up on the internet so far of Santa Clause from the parade. BEST Santa I've EVER seen! And Mrs. Clause was there too! She's never done one of the parades before! Seriously though, they were adorable! He even KISSED her! Oh gosh. I want to meet him.

A smile is like tight underwear…It makes your cheeks go up.

Day 2 in Park City was filled with FAMILY.

I saw my wonderful grandpa and my grandma Lois... I saw my auntie and uncle and their offspring from Texas, and we all went out to lunch together where I had some rather uncooked doughy/floury pizza... But the sweet potato fries made up for it! Then we came back to the house and visited and laughed together just like we always have done before. There were snow ball fights outside, games played, funny videos watched, and then just like that they were gone. I love my distant family and hope to never lose contact with them like so many other people have done.

My calves are starting to KILL me. This whole vacation thing has turned more into a "Hey kids! You're out of shape! I'm going to fill your stomach with sugary foods and then make you climb 250+steps repeatedly!" BECAUSE THERE ARE SERIOUSLY STEPS EVERYWHERE. If I need to go to the bathroom I have to plan going 2 minutes sooner than last minute because otherwise I won't make it to the 7th floor without peeing my pants. Not only that, but my heart rate is GOIN' by the time I'm up there! 

We all were tired and ready for a nap, but instead of doing that, we kept going, and I'm glad we did! Outdoor ice-skating was closed, but the gorgeous man who was working there said that we could sneak out onto the bunny hill (which is actually a slant, not a hill) and that we could pick up speed if we had garbage bags! ...We had none though... So he told us he'd give us some if he didn't rat us out. There is just something about beautiful men. Especially in Utah because there's a good chance they're LDS. (: So we get to the hill. And the groomer was out looking like it was about to eat us. It left. We snuck onto the hill. We tried. We failed. We laughed. We got cold. It was one of those memories that you'll have a hard time forgetting. 

After that we raided Starbucks and bought all of their non-caffeinated/coffee/etc. drinks!  Now back at the house, the fire is on, Michael Buble's new Christmas cd plays, we have some jacuzzi-goers, footie-pajama wearers, and about to watch the movie Elf with my siblings. 

So that's it. Today was wonderful. It felt like Christmas. I want to spend all of my grown up Christmas years in a cute town like this... Or just somewhere with snow! Poor Hawaii. 

Grateful

I am grateful for today and what it's brought thus far:
6am I was able to go to seminary
7am I was able to get a ride from the best Opa in the world to SeaTac
9am I was enjoying a peppermint hot chocolate and a croissant from Starbucks
9:55am I was boarding a plane that showed me rain, bright sunny skies, and snowy mountains
12:53pm I was grateful to have landed safely
2:55pm I was grateful that this cute little restaurant in Park City let me get eggs benedict from their breakfast menu, even though they would have stopped breakfast hour by 3pm.
3:20pm I was grateful to be able to explore this awesome house we rented which appears to be small but in reality ...is not.
-I'm grateful for the 7 stories this house has that will help keep my legs toned while on this vacation
-I'm grateful that this house has a: sauna, fireplace, jacuzzi, queen sized beds, cable, internet, soft couch ...so I can live the high life for a whole week!
-I'm grateful that I'll get to see my siblings in a few hours (:
-I'm grateful that now I can take a nap on these heated floors in front of the fireplace
-I'm grateful for the Christmasy feeling of being in a snow-globe while snowflakes fall like powdered sugar onto waffles... I love this snow!
-I'm grateful that I'll get to spend Thanksgiving with all of my siblings.
-I'm grateful that I get to see my favorite grandpa tomorrow
-I'm grateful for taxi drivers that will bring my siblings to me soon soon SOON!
-I'm grateful that I was able to sneak onto the computer while mommy is grabbing groceries!
-I'm grateful for this awesome experience
-I'm grateful for my life (:

...It's back!!

Holy poo. It's back. So much for prolonging the inevitable. 

Warm 106.9FM radio is playing Christmas music again. At least they abstained 6 days longer than they did last year! How the heck am I to refrain the magic of Christmas now? Well, I can't. This happens each and every year; I get excited wayyyy too early so that by the time Christmas comes, a lot of the magic has faded until I realize that we're cleaning up shop in January and I squeeze as much Christmas back into my life before entirely putting it away. Well, at least I didn't start in July this year! ...Because, yes, that has happened once with our family. 

Speaking of family,  I get to go very very soon to Park City to stay in a lovely little house and hopefully play in the snow that WILL fall, and we'll have Thanksgiving there, and listen to Christmas music some more, and see extended family, and go in hot air balloons! It will be simply wonderful!

Gahh (: Happy day. 

Attitude of Gratitude>Attitude of Brattitude

A word on happy.

A lot lately I have been able to spot so many different things that I could complain about, or whine how I'm not good enough. As I saw all of these things that brought me down, I started feeling a little depressed and peeved with the world. 

The other day a blog post was dedicated to me by my dear friend Samantha. It was about how what I had to say on gratitude 2 years ago was still affecting some one's life, when I thought it was simply forgotten. This little reminder made me realize how I was in need of stepping up my game in being grateful, cause only 2 years before I was making a list of EVERYTHING I was grateful for. I had HUNDREDS of items on this list, from family to dishwashers! Once I was satisfied with my list, I prayed to my Heavenly Father and thanked him for each of those items on my list and I found that my list grew with the prayer.

Instead of making another long list, I decided it would be better to slowly add to this list. Each night in my personal journal, I have been writing down what made me thankful  that day. I realize now how many details I missed when I thought I was covering everything before. The truth is, there is no way shape or form a "list" as I have said, could EVER cover all the things I am grateful for.

One of the major things that I am grateful for are my friends. And while stuck in this funk, I've failed to treat them how they deserve to be treated. So may I just say, that being honest is a good thing, but words can hurt. And when I'm low on sleep or just in general cranky, I may say things before thinking twice. So to my friends, for when I've acted stupid, I'm sorry. And I want you all to know that you mean SO much to me and you all shape my life and help make me who I am. ...But those times when I do take cover and possibly avoid you, it's not cause I'm mad at you. It's because I know when I'm upset and when I'm vulnerable to saying things.

A thank you to my friends:

(left to right) Mesa, Hannah (me) and Lexie

Lexie. Look at us. We've been besties since we were like, seven! We endured each other's awkward stages! We laughed together, and made home videos together that we may or may not regret now! ;) You've always been this incredibly-amazing-gorgeous-BABE. We've pulled through family deaths and those emotional breakdowns. I know lately it's been tough for you, and I just want you to know that I am SO proud of you for how far you've come. God doesn't give any one of us trials he knows we can't handle or grow from. Thank you for letting me ride along in this crazy roller coaster! In a few years we'll look back and laugh!! --At least that's what they say! (: Love you beautiful woman you!  

Favorite picture of you HANDS DOWN<--whatever that means!

Mesa. You have been incredible. Thanks for putting up with me and my wandering thoughts! I've loved getting to know you better and trying to figure out how your mind works. I hope to have so many more laughs with you, and I hope you know that you don't have to be only ears in this friendship! 

So photogenic. I love this picture of you!

Lara. Sister. Friend. ...Titles ;) I look up to you in SO many ways, and am always looking forward to seeing you! I cried every time you MENTIONED leaving for college, and cried once you actually left. You always are inspiring me to do new things or try new foods or this and that! I swear I'm just one big copy cat! I miss you all the time! I miss listening to OwlCity with you, full blast, in the car ride to seminary, then grabbing hot cocoa from Seattlebest afterwards. I love singing along to Elephant Love Medley with you. I can't wait to watch White Christmas with you, and pig out at Thanksgiving. Thank you for being an example to me, and always trying to teach me how to be a little bit more mature with our little brothers. I'm proud that you're my sister, and I love you to pieces!

By the way, you're hot. :)