This is me, Stacey Marie!

Serve with Honor. Another Bott book

2010-12-06T10:03:00.000-08:00

Being a Greeny

Until you are established as a credible missionary, nobody will take you seriously. You must be a good follower to be a good leader.

Serve with urgency and without regret.
Each morning, recommit yourself to the kind of missionary you want to be.
Now is your time to serve! Do it right from your first day to your last!

If you're going to represent the Lord, do so by first keeping all his rules and commandments. (rules from the President are through revelation and experience. follow those too!)

ONLY DECIDE ONCE- then DO IT!

On your first day with your companion, sit down and make goals.
some things to talk about:
getting up, companionship study, leaving on time, cleaning, lenth fo time at members homes, what to do when appts fall thorugh, what time to be in at night, nonmission topics and discussions (how much/little) talking about gf/bf. just set ground rules.

Companion Compromise

D.D. Don't DWELL!

No matter what the situation or probelm, you have 3 options:
1. don't let it bother you
2. complain about it and let it affect the quality of your mission
3. evaluate the situation and do something about it.

Only YOU can made a good companionship (says smokey the friend... not funny) ba.. ha.

The more you depend on the Lord, the more he supports you

Don't find fault with leaders

You will not be able to change the whole world from negative to positive, but you will make a difference by having a positive attitute,.

LEADERSHIP

But he that is greatest amonth you shall be your servant

"servant leadership"

Also remember, you can't lead from the rear.

take criticism well

God never gives blessings to those who can't handle the blessings. Or who haven't earned them.

God never bestows upon His people, or upon and indiviual, superior blessings without a severe tial to prove them, the prove that individual or people, to see whether they will keep their covenents with Him,

"I know not, save the Lord commanded me" Moses 5:6

DON'T GOSSIP

Everyone else is in the same boat.

In the back of my journal- keep a "list" :D

write yourself a letter

Anyone can be away from their home for a year and a half, what I do with that year and a half is up to me!

Preparation Precedes Power

2010-12-06T09:47:00.000-08:00

Here's a few highlights from one of my recent reads :D
Some of it's stuff he said, some of it's stuff I read that I'm pretty sure wasn't there. Some of it's random stories or movies that i made connections to. Any way it comes, enjoy!

Preparations Precedes Power
Brother Randy L. Bott (AKA #1 professor on ratemyprofessor.com)

There was a sister missionary that couldn't pay for her mission, so her grandparents helped her. She wanted to pay her grandparents back in the only way she knew how- to be the very best missionary she could be. Guess what? We're all "borrowing" something from the Lord-- Our lives. Christ has literally paid for us to come to Earth and we must pay Him back the best way we know how- to do the very best we can to be like Him.
We are living on borrowed time. Pay Him back.

Stick to every assigned or decided task, then stick with it until it is finished.

Proof that the Church is true:
Our Church sends out 19 year old boys as our main ambassadors. It is not only sustaining memberships, it's growing.
"Wherefore, I call upon the weak things of the world, those who are unlearned and despised" D & C 35: 13
hahahahahahaha :D

Converting does not happen through charisma.
It's through the Spirit.

Even if you're consentrating so hard on not thinking of "it" (whatever "it" may be- sins, failures) you're still thinking about IT! Satan wins! so stop worrying and stop working!
"don't you realize that if the adversary can get a person to either think about "doing it" or think about "not doing it" they are still thinking about "IT!"

To be a good missionary, you must be at the top of your game: physically, spiritually, emotionally, and socially.

It is never too late to try again.

- I often talk with Latter-day Saints who say, "I don't want to go on a mission, or accept this call, or fulfill this assignment." Yet they steadfastly declare that they are "trying to be like Jesus." If we are really trying to be like Jesus, then our desire to perform an assignment has nothing to do with our willingness to accept and complete the assignment.

The Gospel
1. Atonement
2. Resurrection
3. Judgement
4. Faith in Jesus Christ
5. Repentence
6. Baptism
7. The Gift of the Holy Ghost
8. Endure to the End

God never gives a superior blessings without an equal and opposition temptation (or trial)

Satan doesn't have a veil between him and our pre-earth life- we do. He doesn't. He knows our weaknesses. He cannot control or persuade us unless we give him permission.

It depends on wheter we control our bodies or our bodies control us.

The 4 most wicked dispensations were/are
1. The times of Noah
2. the times of Christ
3. The time just preceding the 2nd coming (now)
4. The time when Satan is loosed for a "little season"

Put on the whole armor of God!!!

Have your loins girt about with truth.

Interesting: people ask this question a lot- how far can I go? This is the best answer I've ever seen
When you get to that point that you don't want another person doing that particular activity with your future mate, then you have defined the degree of sexual involvement you can be involved in on your dates. It is total hypocrisy to expect a higher degree of chastity from your future mate than you require of yourself.

Only those in the highest degree of the Celestial Kingdom will have the power to procreate. Procreation is a power for Gods. It's almost like we're on a trial basis down here. If we abuse it now, we won't have it later.

Having on the breastplate of righteousness

What God says is right is right, what God says is wrong is wrong.

life in general is pretty black and white. It's when we justify, confuse, and overthink things that it turns all shades of grey.

Prophets do us no good unless we are willing to listen to them

Your safety depends on how carefully we listen to and follow the inspired counsel of our leaders.

your feet shod with preparation the gospel of peace

Feet=Goals
Gospel of peace-Christ

Go to Christ!

When thinking "should I do this activity" think "Will this bring me closer to Heavenly Father?" If it does, DO IT! If it doesn't, DON'T!

And take the helmet of salvation

The fastest way to destroy the latterday Saint youth (and adults) is to flood their minds with the humanistic philosophies of the world.
Your "primogenerator" (first father) is GOD not SCUM. YOU can become like your father. who wants to be scum?

the only part that's not protected- the back!
We must face trials head on!
The best defense is to always have the Spirit!

D and C 101:32-34 answers it all :D

If you want a blessing, obey that law

Determine what kind of missionary you want to be, obey the law upon which it is predicated, and you'll be that kind of missionary.
Dont pick and chose

Just cuz you don't get caught don't mean it weren't wrong!

Who controls God- HIM! One of the most Godly attributes one can have is to take responsibilities for themselves.

If a person is controlled by the outside, they are completely out of control. If they control themselves, they are in complete control.

Don't just be obedient, don't just follow the rules, do what you KNOW you should do.
(Golden rule vs platinum rule)

A well served mission literally becomes the foundation for the rest of your life.
If you go expecting an unparalleled challenging experience, you will have the proper mind set.

Take everything day-by-day
Matthew 6:34

If experiencing homesickness or laziness, SERVE OTHERS!

Alma 26:27
DnC3:8
DnC 84:88

How to overcome homesickness

Pray more earnestly
Read the scriptures
repent
let go fo the past
know yourself
have a plan
AVOID ALL NEGATIVE SELF TALK- NO PITY PARTIES
"Nothing was ever so bad that complaining made it better"
count your blessings
get a preisthood blessing
tackle one problem at a time
recognize progress
re read your patriarchal blessing
write a letter to a depressed friend
EXERCISE
listen to good music
keep hanging on
read the Book of Mormon
follow the prophet
if all else fails- get help from the mission president

When you are your best physically, emotionally, and spiritually, you are the best missionary you can be

GET ALONG WITH YOUR COMPANION
if ye are not one ye are not mine

SATAN WINS WHEN COMPANIONS FIGHT

most fights are personal preference, not right and wrong

The Lord seldom answers prayers that haven't been asked

IS IT AN ANSWER? if it motivates action, then mostly likely YES!

you can still change your mind once you've recieved an answer

Don't ask a question and then hang up before you get the answer!

Only the prince of peace can bring you peace neither you or the devil can duplicate that inner peace of mind that passes all understanding

Spirit
If you can't get the Spirit during a discussion, its best to leave and set another time to teach

Don't try to tell people what the spirit feels like

pray always for the spirit.

When you feel the spirit, ask the investigators what they feel. let them know that's how they feel th Spirit.

It is the greatest nonsense in the world to NOT believe that we are daughters and sons of God.

God knew and determined where, when and how long each person would live on earth. "and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation"

It is most important to understand that God knows the end from the beginning. We are not here to prove our willingness to obey God-0 he already knows the end, We are here to prove to ourselves that we can be trusted to obey even when our memory of the spiritual past has been temporarily taken from us.

You don't need to be PERFECT to be saved. That's what the atonement is for.

we were not sent here to fail

The only difference between the old and young dying is, one lives longer in heaven and eternal light and glory than the other, and is freed a little sooner from this miserable wicked world.

Whatever level of law a person chooses to obey will determine what kingdom he or she goes into.

So I've personally been thinking about that one a lot lately. Sure, if you are worthy of a temple recommend, you're worthy to enter into the Celestial kingdom... but you got to get to the HIGHEST degree. so keep the highest laws.

We are given a celestial gift- use it wisely

we are judged on what we have become, not what we have done. we're delt different cards so we can't do the same things

tests don't matter, the end product does.

Christs ministry was 3 years. mine is 18 months. He did all he could, I will too.

When you come home, no one knows the changes you've made. only YOU know how you served. be proud of those changes.

What you will learn on a mission
Respect, the scriptures, love, understanding of people, forgiveness, leadership, humility, knowlege,

EVERY GOOD ACT WILL BE REWARDED. EVERY WRONG WILL HAVE BEEN PAID FOR BY THE ATONEMENT OF CHRIST OR BY THE SUFFERING OF THE SINNER.

Don't play both sides of the net.

Virtually anything that influences a person to be more Christlike, whether member or not, whether interested in being taught or not, whether you'll ever meet them again or not, is missionary work.
Pay it 4ward.org :D

When you give to the Lord, He gives back.

Ultimately, my reasons for going on a mission are selfish. I want to serve Him now, so He will bless me and my family later :D

hahahahaha

2010-09-12T16:02:00.001-07:00

A linguistics professor was lecturing to his class one day……

“In English,” he said, “A double negative forms a positive. In some languages, though, such as Russian, a double negative is still a negative. However, there is no language wherein a double positive can form a negative.”

A voice from the back of the room piped up, “Yeah, right.”

Send Me

2010-08-28T14:47:00.000-07:00

Jesus said it. Now I'm saying it too.

Somebody said this day would come
I never thought it would
Somebody said that I feel this way
But I never thought I could

Now soul is yearning there’s a fire that burning
The truth never felt so right and so good

Chorus
There’s a light inside that’s leading me on
And a voice that’s calling my name
And for all I believe I will go where he leads
Put my life in heaven’s hand
I know I can here I am send me

Somebody knows all of my fears
And all that I have to know
But somebody sees the person I’ll be
When faithfully I return
So I bear my witness of his mercy and forgiveness
Safe in his footsteps I’m ready to serve

With a light inside that’s leading me on
And the voice that’s calling my name
And for all I believe I will where he leads
Put my life in heaven’s hand
I know I can here I am send me

There’s a light inside that’s leading me on
And a voice that’s calling my name
And for all I believe I will go where he leads
Put my life in heaven’s hand
I understand this is his plan
Here I am Send Me.

It's official! I'm serving an LDS mission and I turn in my papers TOMORROW!!!
I understand this means giving up A LOT and it will be hard, and there will be days when I hate it, but Jesus gave EVERYTHING to me and He suffered for all of my sins so I could return to him. I can give him a year and a half of my life.

He never said it would be easy, He only said it would be worth it.

If we are the Body

2010-08-28T14:46:00.000-07:00

I love this song because it makes us realize just going to Church isn't enough. Even preaching the Gospel isn't enough. We must LIVE the Gospel and reach out to ALL- even those of your faith!

It's crowded in worship today
As she slips in
Trying to fade into the faces
The girls' teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know
Farther than they know

CHORUS
But if we are the Body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way
There is a way

A traveler is far away from home
He sheds his coat
And quietly sinks into the back row
The weight of their judgmental glances tells him that his chances
Are better out on the road

But if we are the Body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way

Jesus paid much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the Body of Christ

If we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way

Jesus is the way

Song of the moment...

2010-08-01T19:38:00.000-07:00

I'm sittin' here all by myself
just tryin' to think of something to do
Tryin' to think of something, anything
just to keep me from thinking of you
But you know it's not working out
'cause you're all that's on my mind
One thought of you is all it takes
to leave the rest of the world behind

Well I didn't mean for this to go as far as it did
And I didn't mean to get so close and share what we did
And I didn't mean to fall in love, but I did
And you didn't mean to love me back, but I know you did

I'm sittin' here tryin' to convince myself
that you're not the one for me
But the more I think, the less I believe it
and the more I want you here with me
You know the holidays are coming up
I don't want to spend them alone
Memories of Christmas time with you
will just kill me if I'm on my own

Well I didn't mean for this to go as far as it did
And I didn't mean to get so close and share what we did
And I didn't mean to fall in love, but I did
And you didn't mean to love me back

I know it's not the smartest thing to do
we just can't seem to get it right
But what I wouldn't give to have one more chance tonight
One more chance tonight

I'm sittin' here tryin' to entertain myself with this old guitar
But with all my inspiration gone it's not getting me very far
I look around my room and everything I see reminds me of you
Oh please, baby won't you take my hand
we've got nothing left to prove

Well I didn't mean for this to go as far as it did
And I didn't mean to get so close and share what we did
And I didn't mean to fall in love, but I did
And you didn't mean to love me back, but I know you did

And I didn't mean to meet you then
we were just kids
And I didn't mean to give you chills
the way that I kiss
And I didn't mean to fall in love, but I did
And you didn't mean to love me back but I know you did
Don't say you didn't love me back 'cause you know you did
No, you didn't mean to love me back
But you did

All that I have

2010-05-20T00:12:00.000-07:00

Today I decided to give all that the Lord has given me back.

If I'm grateful for my voice, use it to help others.

If I'm grateful for my family, serve them.

If I'm grateful for my friends, lead them.

If I'm grateful for others' kindness, pay it forward.

If I'm grateful for my body, respect it and demand others do the same.

If I'm grateful for my talents, use them to lift others.

and on and on and on.

A few good quotes

2010-04-11T08:56:00.001-07:00

trials and tribulations come along with happiness and success. They're part of the package, part of the plan. Heavenly Father knows we have to be cut down in order to be built up stronger. With every hill we face we need to keep in mind that at the top of each one there are many more we will climb. Some will descend lower before we ascend higher again. the key is to keep moving forward with faith, trusting in the Lord, and giving our absolute best!

The only person that needs to believe in something is you; others will follow when you don't give up.
C.J.

You don’t know if something fits until you try it on for size. It could go so wrong, or turn out to be quite an awesome surprise. So try it on, test it out. It may be something you can’t believe you ever lived without.

The trick of persuation is letting the other guy have your way
Sometimes the only way to find your limit is to push it

"Life is just as ____ as you make it!"

Your life is what you make it. If you life is stressful, it’s because YOU’RE stressful. If your life is dramatic, it’s because YOU’RE dramatic! If you're life is fantastic, it's because YOU have made it that way!

Let your heart lead and your dreams will follow

Reaction

2010-04-09T18:36:00.000-07:00

Gosh I have so much to write about, but for now- just a little

How you react when things don't go your way creates who you are day by day.

That is definitely my quote of the moment. I just have to look back on things that haven't gone my way before and realize how much of a blessing they actually turned out to be.

For instance- it took me 3 times to win Miss Murray, and I'm so glad that it did. There's no way I would've been able to help as many people as I have if I'd won my 1st or even my 2nd time. I can only be grateful to my Heavenly Father for unanswered prayers.

Garth Brooks- Unanswered Prayers
Thanks Alex for the song idea :D

Just the other night a hometown football game
My wife and I ran into my old high school flame
And as I introduced them the past came back to me
And I couldn't help but think of the way things used to be

She was the one that I'd wanted for all times
And each night I'd spend prayin' that God would make her mine
And if he'd only grant me this wish I wished back then
I'd never ask for anything again

CHORUS:
Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers
Remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs
That just because he doesn't answer doesn't mean he don't care
Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers

She wasn't quite the angel that I remembered in my dreams
And I could tell that time had changed me
Inn her eyes too it seemed
We tried to talk about the old days
There wasn't much we could recall
I guess the Lord knows what he's doin' after all

And as she walked away and I looked at my wife
And then and there I thanked the good Lord
For the gifts in my life

CHORUS

Some of God's greatest gifts are all too often unanswered...
Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers

Maybe

2010-04-09T18:31:00.000-07:00

I don't want to be the one to say goodbye
But I will, I will, I will
I don't want to sit on the pavement while you fly
But I will, I will, oh yes I will

Maybe in the future, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back around
Maybe in the future, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back
The only way to really know is to really let it go
Maybe you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back to me

I don't want to be the first to let it go
But I know, I know, I know
If you have the last hands that I want to hold
Then I know I've got to let them go

Maybe in the future, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back around
Maybe in the future, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back
The only way to really know is to really let it go
Maybe you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back

I still feel you on the right side of the bed
And I still feel you in the blankets pulled over my head
But I'm gonna wash away, oh I'm gonna wash away everything til you come home to me

Maybe in the future, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back
In the future, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back

Maybe in the future, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back around
Maybe in the future, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back
The only way to really know is to really let it go

Maybe you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back to me
You're gonna come back to me
You're gonna come back to me

!

2010-04-04T21:48:00.000-07:00

I wrote this my Junior Year of high school in a notebook that I'm throwing away for some drill thing, so I will write it all here :D yay for technology :D

My Future

When I get older I think I will be
Someone with honesty, love, and integrity
I want to help all those around
so they don't feel stuck, alone on the ground
someday I hope to help and lead
those who are suffering , or are in need
I want to help them know who they are
and teach them their worth, they can go far!
My profession- I'm not exactly sure
I don't think I'll be what my parents were
psychology or pharmacy is what I'm thinking
The pay for neither of them is stinking
But that's not why i want to do those
I just love people and I think it shows
To help people= to show them the way
is what I like- didn't I already say that? what the hay!
My schooling will be tough and very hard
but after I'm done I'll hold all the cards
I will be a doctor- I'm not sure of what
I know I'm not gonna be a slut
I wanna be the best
a cut above the rest
not so I can hold it over others' head
but so I can know that before I'm dead
I tried my hardest and never stopped
I got what I deserved- the others i topped
but a great doctor needs a loving man
someone to help her and take her hand
He WILL sing to me- even if he sucks
we will take walks in the park & feed the ducks
He'll be there to help me, hold me, support me
It will be true love, true romance, true serendipity
It's scary to think this decision must be made in a few years
because the wrong one in this choice is the biggest of my frears
So I won't rush, and I'll take my time
and I'll have those boys standing in a line
they'll show me their brains, their talent, their braun
They'll show me they love me without makeup on
But the one that I chose I'll love forever
Whether we're in Utah, or Alaska, or Denver
oh we'll have kids too- I didn't forget
they'll be the cutest, strongest, smartest kids yet!
I'lll teach them to respect- they'll never talk back
or else their bags they'll have to pack
I'll teach them to work, to sing, to cook
they'll even love to sit and read a book
I know this dream is far-fetched, but I want it!
and once I get it? Heck yes! I'll flaunt it!

My Daddy

2010-01-21T21:40:00.000-08:00

If my dad isn't the best man I've ever known, he's definitely very high up there. He is kind, loving, driven, and supports me and any of the crazy dreams that I have. He almost never asks and almost always gives in whatever way he can to whatever I ask. He will drop anything if I need him. He came to almost all of my performances and competitions. He was and is always there for me, even if its just to chat. I never realized how lucky I was until like this year when I realized usually it's people mom's that do that kind of stuff and sometimes they don't even get that much! (not that my mom isn't ridiculously supportive- she is... just saying usually people only get their moms to come to stuff:D)I really am the luckiest girl in the world.

And I realized something today... I certainly don't talk to him enough. It's not like we have a bad relationship at all, we love each other dearly... But today I started talking about Rachel Scott (a HUGE part of my platform for miss murray) and he had no idea what I was talking about.

Some daughters could choose to be offended that their dad didn't know what was going on in my life. But not me. It's my own dang fault and from this day forward I'm going to be much better in not only keeping in contact with my daddy, but with the rest of my family too. My brothers, sister, in laws, and cousins. These people are the ones who really will be with me forever and I need to keep them more involved in my life.

I love my family. I am so incredibly blessed :D

imissyou

2010-01-16T12:03:00.000-08:00

To see you when I wake up
Is a gift I didn't think could be real.
To know that you feel the same as I do
Is a three-fold, Utopian dream.

You do something to me that I can't explain.
So would I be out of line if I said "I miss you"?

I see your picture.
I smell your skin on
The empty pillow next to mine.
You have only been gone ten days,
But already I'm wasting away.
I know I'll see you again
Whether far or soon.
But I need you to know that I care,
And I miss you.

The Violinist in the Subway

2010-01-14T12:10:00.001-08:00

Have a wonderful day and remember...take time to enjoy life!
As someone once said: "Life's too short to sweat the small stuff!!"

the violinist in the subway . . .

Have a wonderful day and remember...take time to enjoy life!
As someone once said: "Life's too short to sweat the small stuff!!"

the violinist in the subway . . .

Washington DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007:

The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later:

The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes:

A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes:

A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes:

The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour:

He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100. This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.

The question is: in a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?
Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world,
playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made.
How many other things are we missing?

Stop a while and breathe in the life all around you for 20 seconds that could change your day completely.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Ok, I know this email was sent to me to tell me to enjoy life, but it really made me think. Sometimes we look at people in certain contexts and assume so much because of what they're wearing or what they're doing or where they're at. It's incredible how much of a person in under what we see every day. Some people try to seem better than they really are; others try to hide their true talent. Either way, we should be taking each person and trying to figure out why they are who they are and loving them for their true selves.

I've really learned this the last two years. You never know how amazing someone can be until you dig into their past and hear what they want to do with their future.

I liked it... then I thought I was done with it... now I have to do it all over again... I hate dating!!!

2010-01-13T21:20:00.001-08:00

So my freshman year I had a hard time with it because I missed Taylor and what not... but I eventually learned that dating can be really fun! Then I thought I was gonna get married and wouldn't have to worry about dating. Now I have to start all over again.

It's not like this hasn't been true for a long time, I just am realizing it more right now. Going back to Lamda Delta Sigma should be a happy thing for me, but it just reminds me of Mike. Don't get me wrong, I respect that man more than probably anyone I know, I just wish I could get over him... and Taylor... am I unable to get over anyone?! I think that sometimes you can't get over someone until you find someone new... but I don't want to find anyone new. I just want to have fun. I'm so grateful that I have Miss Murray cuz I have NO idea how I would survive without it. I'm still pretty sure when I have to give up my title I'll go Miss Congeniality style and try to steal back the crown.

I really am just having the hardest time. If I told you otherwise, I would be lying. But I've always heard "fake it till you make it" and that's what I'm doing. Kind of ignoring the whole need-to-be-loved side of Stacey Marie... which I don't think is healthy, but it can't be that UNhealthy right?

I really am just ranting and frustrated and my deepest apologies. really. blah.

To Just "Hang Out"

2010-01-08T23:33:00.000-08:00

So... there's been a bit of a bad wrap on "hanging out" around here. Many say we should be going on dates and what not... and I must say, I'm not really ready to go on tons of dates. I just want to hang out!

Every boy I meet now hangs out with me for one reason:to date. It's like I can't have guy friends anymore. I know it's been said that guys don't just have friends, but seriously, it's amazing to just hang out with the guys!

I've met some people recently that want to get married and dating is just a way to find that person. I date to have fun. I date to make friends. Then, when I find that one person I can't live without, I will marry him. I know not many people are like me, that's why I've learned to "just say no" because I'm not ready to be in a relationship, and we all know I'm just gonna hurt anyone who really wants to date me.

Tonight I hung out with 2 of my best guy friends- Chase and Mike. We went to Cynthia's party and then the Phi party (side note because this is gonna be turning into my journal, I have to write about it... At both parties everyone thought we were crazy! at Cynthia's we were all dancing and havin fun. And at the Phi party, we started playing body volleyball with a beach ball.. ohmigosh it was SOOOO funny! "HT!" ahhhh I love those boys. I always have so much fun with them!) It was amazing. We had so much fun just enjoying each others' company. No one had to worry about impressing anyone else. We could just let loose and be ourselves! Haha and everyone around us thought we were CRAZY!

I wish I could have more guy FRIENDS like that... I know I probably won't because that's just not the way we're raised or trained... but it certainly was nice.

My Grump's Testimony

2010-01-04T23:31:00.000-08:00

Wow... my life has changed a lot since my last blog

2010-01-04T23:17:00.000-08:00

this is a lot more of a journal entry than an opinionated blog... As the title to this blog said... lots has been going on in my life...
I was on my way to getting married... Now I'm more single than I've ever been and more sure that I'm going on a mission than I've ever been.

Let's face it, dating sucks. But I have learned a lot through it. This guy Matt has taught me a lot.
Ok I better recap so you can understand a little better...

I was invited as an honored guest to the Dillard's VIP night (and they sponsor me so I was like heck ya I better go!) and I met this kid in the shoe dept and it he was freaking funny and this is the thing that made us instant friends. These are his words "a week and a half ago, I was engaged!" all makin fun of himself, but the best part was the "me too!" added in my yours truly. ah! it was SO FUNNY!
So he got my number and we started hangin out. He's SO loud and obnoxious and freaking hilarious and being with him actually reminds me of being with Tay, we just have fun and we're a bunch of dorks. He's way more outta hand than Tay though! When we go to dances and stuff he's CRAZY! but the best part about him is that we can sit down and talk about serious stuff forever! he's really smart and wants to be a dentist. He also can analyze people REALLY well. and he's made me realize tons of stuff about myself!

He's helped me realize how guarded my heart is. I've loved so much, but been hurt so badly, so it's really hard for me to finally break down and love. However, at the same time I have this need to be loved. And I'm really good at loving others- I look at the best and forget about the rest. This is another reason why my heart is so guarded. I love so quickly and easily, and I want to be loved so much, that I constantly find myself in new relationships too quickly and then I realize that that guys not the one for me then I get out of them. This is why I had so many "boyfriends" in jr high. It's also why I stayed with Tay so long in high school. Except, I really did/do love him- not just the fact that he loved me or I just wanted a boyfriend... and Matt is sitting here trying to date me and I won't let him because I'm afraid of hurting him or getting hurt myself... It's really a funny situation. I hope my heart will get over it's stubbornness someday, until then whatevs.

Matt also made me realize why I hate it when people call me rich or anything like that. I HATE people thinking that I got where I am today because of my parents. And do be honest, they helped me a ton, but I literally worked my BUTT off! :D

I went to a really fun party the other night that Eric Beckstrand (from my math class) through and it was freaking fun! This kid Josh had a zipline in his house!!! I was super jealous. I need to go back there. The best part about the part was that no one knew each other, but everyone knew eric! it was awesome. Eric is the man.

My school schedule for next semester is rediculous, but I'm just focusing on Miss Murray :D this is my dream!

My pay it forward and neighborhood watch plans are going forward wonderfully :D

Christmas was amazing. I love my Touch. and my super cute princess sweats and my super nice suit from mi madre. gosh my parents spoil me.

I got 2nd in our gingerbread house cookoff... mind n rick won.

ya sorry no opinions today.. just crap

Oh ya!!! I didn't write my favorite part of Christmas! I GOT TO TALK TO TAYLOR! It was amazing! When his mom told me I could come I cried and ran out the door ASAP. It was hilarious. and my grumps made fun of me for it :D People will never understand our situation haha. Will we date when he gets back? I dunno. But I freaking miss him! he was my best friend for so long! I die without him here!

Just a Ride

2009-11-12T12:12:00.000-08:00

Life. is full of surpises. Here is my song of the moment
oh ps i dont update this blog as much, but i keep my miss murray one really up to date. it's missmurray2010.blogspot.com so you should all read it :D

Life, it's ever so strange
It's so full of change
Think that you've worked it out
Then BANG
Right out of the blue
Something happens to you
To throw you off course
And then you

Breakdown
Yeah you breakdown
Well don't you breakdown
Listen to me
Because

It's just a ride, it's just a ride
No need to run, no need to hide
It'll take you round and round
Sometimes you're up
Sometimes you're down
It's just a ride, it's just a ride
Don't be scared
Don't hide your eyes
It may feel so real inside
But don't forget it's just a ride

Truth, we don't wanna hear
It's too much to take
Don't like to feel out of control
So we make our plans
Ten times a day
And when they don't go
Our way we

Breakdown
Yeah we breakdown
Well don't you breakdown
Listen to me
Because

It's just a ride, it's just a ride
No need to run, no need to hide
It'll take you round and round
Sometimes you're up
Sometimes you're down
It's just a ride, it's just a ride
Don't be scared
Don't hide your eyes
It may feel so real inside
But don't forget it's just a ride

Slowly, oh so very slowly
Accept that
There's no getting off
So live it, just gotta go with it
Coz this ride's, never gonna stop

Breakdown
Don't you breakdown
No need to breakdown
No need at all
Because

It's just a ride, it's just a ride
No need to run, no need to hide
It'll take you all around
Sometimes you're up
Sometimes you're down
It's just a ride, it's just a ride
Don't be scared now
Dry your eyes
It may feel so real inside
But don't forget enjoy the ride

So i think glenn beck is hilarious

2009-11-04T21:58:00.001-08:00

and here are some good quotes

*speaking of the idiot who forced there to be a "do not use this snowblower on a roof" label and thought the company should've protected him*

I'm sorry, nobody can protect you from being an idiot. If you're an idiot, you'll always be an idiot, and if anybody's responsible for it, it's your mom and dad, not a company.

Too many people blame everythign on everybody else, and because they do, they expect too little from themselves and too little from their children.

but a good quote from him
in order to get something

you must want it
you must believe it
you must live it
you will become it

ta ta for now!
i shall go read more now because apparently i just never fall asleep anymore

a snipet from a letter

2009-08-06T11:36:00.000-07:00

so... i thought i'd posted this on my blog but i hadn't.
this is part of my so-not-weekly-anymore letter to my friends on missions. I don't want to rewrite what was around it so you can read it as is haha

One last thing I want to share before I wrap this up is what we learned today in Brother Wilcox’s institute class.we were talking about one of my favorite chapters in the BOM, Alma 32. Specifically verse 28. I hope I can explain this as well as he did. He said there are 4 ways faith can grow/ a testimony can be gained.

1. Swelling within your breast.
This is the typical one that most people look for – this or a burning in the bosom. Basically a sign that the church is true through physical means. He says (and I agree) that we tend to focus on this one too much. This is a physical, spiritual and sometimes emotional (which isn’t always that safe) way to know the Church is true

2. Enlarge the soul
This means the soul becomes better- in short, you become a better person. There are many people in the church who know that the church is true just because it makes them a better person and it’s simply a smart way to live. He told us a story of how his sister came to him and was worried about her husband because he’d never had the “swelling in the breast” or “Burning of the bosom” moment. But Bro Wilcox asked if he was a good father, husband, and member of the church. She said yes. He said then why are you worried? Haha. I understand where she was coming from, but if he knows the church is true through his own ways, then he doesn’t need to have that moment of epiphany. This is a social way to know.

3. Enlighten the understanding
I definitely think that Bro Wilcox leans in this direction a lot of times, which is great cuz he’s just an intellectual. Basically, the Book of Mormon, the plan of happiness, the word of wisdom, how everything came to be, it just makes sense. There’s no way an uneducated farm boy could create such an amazing book. If this helps people believe, more power to em baby! This is an intellectual way to know.

4. Delicious
This I think is the one that I lean to. Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints just makes me plain happy. That’s all there is to it. When I get up to bare my testimony, I don’t cry (which isn’t a bad thing… many people cry haha) but I’m just beaming. I’m SO happy and I have SO much love for everyone in the church and everyone out of the church too because I know they are daughters and sons of our Heavenly Father. The scriptures are good and delicious, the teachings of the church are good and delicious. I love everything about the church. The happiness that I feel being a member is why I know this is the true church.

This was an awesome lesson. Basically, it’s great to have that one moment when you know the church is true, but for many people that never comes. They just know because they can feel it, it makes sense, they just know. I never had an “aha” moment. It was basically just “silly Stacey, you know it’s true.” Awesome awesome lesson that I think both new members and life long members must remember. :D

I feel so lucky to be in my church. it just makes sense, it's a good way of living, it makes me happy, and it's the WHOLE truth. Thank you mommy and daddy for sure. Love you all!

The Ultimate Summer!

2009-08-02T19:54:00.001-07:00

and it's only the 2nd of August. Best parts still to come! (Mike's takin me to Cali for my birthday!!!)

Basically... this Summer has been amazing. and it's pretty much all thanks to one cute, perfect boy!

don't be fooled by the ring haha my mommy gave that to me
another rodeo
yes... this is what we do

random park city trip
our feet :D
temple square on allie's wedding day
idn't he cute?!?
um just ignore taylor :D

Pageants, Parades, Pefection

2009-08-02T19:43:00.000-07:00

Serving as 1st attendant to Miss Murray means mostly one thing- parades. some people hate it. I LOVE IT! I love every second (even the sweaty ones) standing on that float and waving to little girls. I especially love walking around before and after parades, getting pics with the little girls, and telling the girls they're princesses!
it's been a lot of work (like 13 parades?) (and getting up on the 24th after "sleeping" on the route on the 23rd by FIVE AM to be there for judging by SIX AM!!!) but it's been so much fun! and i must thank mike for driving me around and being so supportive and for simply being perfect!

yup, this is why this blog is called pageants, parades, and perfection. this is the perfection part!
4th of july

good ol chugger

SO excited for my first parade! see what I mean by perfect?

Be the Best You Camp!

2009-08-02T19:32:00.000-07:00

So I was a counselor at BBY- like EFY but just for girls. it was such an amazing experience!

Me and Barbara Barrington Jones- probably one of the most influential people in my life! I LOVE her!
awesome counselors!

Carri wouldn't let go of me :D so cute!
We are 1! Onedergirls, Onderful, and simply the best!

2 months and photoshoot

2009-06-24T09:23:00.001-07:00

I started this forever ago and then never finished

we went to the rodeo for our 2 month... which was june 19th haha... and tay came too :D. and of course me and tay had a photoshoot before the rodeo :D

a picnic lunch at the temple :D

the sunshine flowers he gave me :Dat the rodeo
i did tay's hair :D
i wanna be a photographer :D

prom dresses+bikes+summer+my best friends=

2009-06-22T16:28:00.000-07:00

Taylor is in town!

2009-06-16T07:13:00.001-07:00

my best friend taylor is in town!

phone pic!
strawwwberry!

free hot dogs! too bad i don't like them haha
my favie

show me your shoes parade for miss utah! I shoulda got a pic of me and tay and our shoes! it was way fun!
cari- miss murray!
her shoes were aweseome!
and i gotta just stick a pic of him in here too! he's just so cute!

Kidnapped!

2009-06-07T23:51:00.001-07:00

Because of the events I wrote about in my last post, I was basically a super sad little girl this week. Then my super cute boyfriend decided he wanted to change that. so he kidnapped me. He texted me at 2 am monday morning telling me he'd taken the day off (which never happens!) and he was coming to kidnap me. I was a pretty willing kidnappee, but he was such a cute kidnapper! we went to the temple, lunch at a place up the canyon, silver lake, and went to dinner with my sis cuz she was leavin soon. It was such an amazing day and I'm so blessed to have someone who would do anything just to see me smile.

Thanks Mike!

bitter sweet good bye

2009-06-07T23:44:00.000-07:00

So my long time best friend taylor t cox left on his mission this week. He's such an amazing kid and I will miss him dearly, but I'm so proud of him for making the decision to go on a mission! So much of who I am today is because of this kid and I'm grateful for his amazing influence. I could write books on what this kid has done for me but I think this picture says it all.

yup. we rock. i don't know many people who can have a relationship like ours, but I'm sure grateful for the fact that he is still one of my very best friends and knows me better than anyone else, even myself. thanks for everything taylor t!

oh how i hate weddings

2009-05-28T12:28:00.001-07:00

i like how you can see the reflection
no boquet for me! just a flower... guess that means i can get married at 41 now instead of 42
priceless!
uh oh! it's amazing how many people give you funny smiles when your boyfriend catches the garter... not cool

i love this picture

hahaha

ok so maybe this wedding was really fun. but in general i hate them... why you ask? cuz i never want to get married! ok some day i'll retract that, until them i'm stickin with the fact that i'm getting married at 42!

Taylor's Graduation

2009-05-28T12:11:00.001-07:00

I went down to Denver for my best friend taylor's graduation! it was a blast!

Hiking with the girfs :D

2009-05-28T11:51:00.001-07:00

Absolute most fun thing I've ever done in my entire life... thanks girls!
ps sorry to steal your word ellen haha i love it!

That's what I love about Summer!

2009-05-27T16:29:00.000-07:00

Acoustic night in provo

Paint pictionary

Midnight showings

Trey's 1st Birthday!

Rockclimbing

Proud to call him my brother!

The Tulip Festival

Ice Cream!
Saying good bye :(
Saying goodbye!!!
Dancing at games
ha singing the national anthem?
being a tulip
Bees games!

ahhh the bliss that is summer!

Everything Money Cannot Buy

2009-05-05T08:13:00.001-07:00

Ah another wonderful talk thanks to ldsvoices.com... I love that site! This one is really good. it's a longer one, but I'm just posting it and hopefully you'll have some time to scan through it.

Everything Money Cannot Buy

Sister Mary Ellen Smoot
Relief Society General President

CES Fireside for Young Adults
3 Feb 2002

I am humbled by the opportunity to speak to each of you this evening. Thank you for your righteousness, for your valiant stand against the forces that would pull you under, and for your desire to be the person our Father in Heaven would have you be. I believe you are some of the most outstanding young people who have ever lived on this earth. You were truly sent "for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14). I love you and pray for you and have confidence in you.

I have a good friend whose car was vandalized just a few days before Christmas. Among other things, the thieves took her attaché, which contained everything from her cell phone and Palm Pilot to a personal journal, some other sensitive papers, and her passport. By nearly miraculous circumstances, a few days later her briefcase was recovered. Everything that was valuable by the world's standards—the money, the credit cards, and anything else that could be hocked—was gone. But to her delight and relief, all of her personal papers and passport had been undisturbed. Though it was inconvenient and costly, she was able to replace everything the thieves took. Ironically, those things that were of greatest value to her—things that money could not buy—were returned.

A scripture we have read many, many times in 3 Nephi says: "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and thieves break through and steal;
"But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven" (3 Nephi 13:19–20).

Today I want to talk about what those treasures are, why we seek them, and how we can obtain them. In other words, the whats, whys, and hows.

Would you begin to ponder in your minds those things that are most precious to you and see if you reach the same conclusion as my friend—that the things of greatest worth are things that money cannot buy.

I began to learn this when I was just fourteen and earned my first paycheck. I remember thinking I would be able to do so much with all of that money. Maybe you have learned the same—that money never goes as far as you want it to, that you just cannot get enough of what you do not need, and that it is not possible to buy happiness at a store or through a catalog.

It has been my experience that periodically life's circumstances force us to stop and think about just what we do need to be happy. We have all had occasion to evaluate and reevaluate priorities. When my husband and I were your age, money was a real concern for us. But during our five decades together, we have learned that when push comes to shove, aside from necessities like food, clothing, and shelter, what we have needed most are things that money cannot buy.

I know that finances are a real concern for most of you. But for our next few minutes together, will you set those thoughts aside and allow the Spirit to "renew your mind" so that you can gain vital perspective? I love the Apostle Paul's counsel to the Saints in Romans 12:2: "Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Renewed perspective can set in motion a transformation. As we set worldly concerns aside and focus on eternal needs, we will come to know the will of God in our individual lives. We will come to appreciate those things that cannot be bought or sold.

When President Harold B. Lee was growing up in Clifton, Idaho, money was dreadfully scarce for his family. Their farm produced generously, but grain and potatoes brought little monetary return. Their father augmented the family income by contracting for custom grain cutting, drilling wells, and building irrigation canals. And so they had sufficient for their needs. The Church provided entertainment opportunities for the family.

The Lee children did not know they were poor. Their home was filled with love and laughter, reading, and music. Their mother was a skilled homemaker who made a very little go a very long way. Her children were always dressed appropriately for church. As an adult, President Lee recounted, "We had everything money could not buy."¹That is my prayer for each of you—that you, like President Lee, might have the most important things, the most enduring things, those things of greatest worth that cannot be purchased with money. What are they?

Eternal Family Ties

One of the most important, valuable qualities is love. You simply cannot buy the love created in eternal family ties.

In September our first granddaughter was married in the Salt Lake Temple. All of the aunts and uncles (and some of the older cousins) came together for the sealing. You have heard it said before, but I want to say it again. Nothing compares to the joy of being surrounded by your family in a sealing room. At times like these, when earth communes with heaven, all material concerns, worries, and pressures vanish. You realize just how priceless an eternal family unit can be.

Late that afternoon the whole family gathered to help prepare for the reception and take family photos. All of the family worked together decorating for the special event. Joy and excitement filled the room! As a wife, mother, and grandmother, I stood back watching the love, respect, and unity in our family, and my heart filled with deep joy and appreciation for the blessings of family.

We all tasted a bit of heaven that day. Everything that you take with you into the next life is everything that money cannot buy. Covenants that seal husbands and wives, parents and children, are of inestimable worth. Love that spans the generations and binds hearts together is nothing less than divine.

If your family of origin is not ideal, please do not despair. You can set in motion a new pattern of behavior. You can be a transitional figure whose love and light will ripple through the generations. Hold on to gospel truths and begin a transformation in your own life and then in your own family when you marry and raise your children.

As young mothers put their pen to paper and evaluate the cost of working outside the home, I deeply hope they will not sell themselves short. I am so proud of those who clearly see the importance of their role. Mothers who make the choice to stay home with their children, teaching by precept and example, make lasting investments in eternal accounts. Their preparation and education does so much more than draw a paycheck. It enriches the whole family and shapes the lives of their children. Such mothers become refined by their righteous choice. They love and serve and sacrifice, and they are blessed in ways that they could not otherwise be. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation.

As I watch young fathers work hard to provide a living for their families, "to preside over their families in love and righteousness,"² I applaud their noble efforts. Oftentimes they shoulder these responsibilities while they are still receiving their education. As difficult as it may seem at the time, such fathers will look back at this stage with satisfaction. Someday they will recall the sacrifices they have made and the eternal bonds that were forged, and they will feel grateful that they put first things first. They brought children into the world when, by worldly standards, they could not afford to. They took care of their families even while they were still learning how to provide for them.

I love the story our prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley, relates about a conversation he had with his wife, Marjorie, on the eve of their wedding. He was anxious about the economic realities of their marriage. He had totaled his assets and realized that he had less than $150 and, even more alarming, that he made only $185 a month. Marjorie put his fears to rest. She replied that "she had hoped for a husband and now she found out she was getting $150 too. ‘This will work out wonderfully,' she told him. ‘If you've got $150, we're set.'"³ And, as you well know, they were.

Knowledge and Intelligence

Another thing that money cannot buy is knowledge. Yes, it usually takes money to pay for an education, but it also takes desire and diligence to acquire knowledge. And I speak here not only of formal education but of a lifelong quest to live and learn. You have to read and study. You have to put forth the effort if you want to learn. And when you do, when you really learn something, it can stay with you forever. In Doctrine and Covenants 130:18–19 we read: "Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.

"And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come." Learning is a lifelong process that neither begins nor ends in the classroom.

All around the world some people feel helpless because they lack the means to improve themselves. Recently in Abomoso, Ghana, a forty-foot container of books was being unloaded, and all the leaders of the community were there to receive it. These books were being distributed to fifty-two schools. Standing next to our LDS charities leader was a little girl about eight years old. She had bare feet and a torn dress and eyes as deep as her desire to learn. She had no uniform and could not respond to English. Her mother lived in Accra, and she lived with her grandmother in Abomoso. They had no money for school fees—which were $1.85 in U.S. money—or for the required uniform—which was an additional $7 to $10. The most she could do was wish to read. So money was left for this little child to attend school. That kind act could impact the little girl's life forever.

We may have to pay for our own education, but in most cases we can work and save and enroll in school. We can "seek learning, even by study and also by faith" (D&C 88:118.). Money purchases the opportunity to take a class, but real education comes only through diligent study.

As you enroll in religion and institute of religion classes, afford yourself the opportunity to immerse yourself in the word of God. Learn the gospel, know its doctrines and teachings, and study the history of the restored Church. Take time for religion classes; take time for eternity.

The Restored Gospel

If you will study the gospel with a humble heart, you will come to treasure its truths above all worldly wealth. Everything that money cannot buy is contained in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In his autobiography, Parley P. Pratt told of his conversion and then of his compelling desire to share the gospel with others. Parley's brother William, however, was more impressed by Parley's material success and could not understand why he would give it all up to teach the gospel.

William asked Parley, "This is your all; you have toiled for years to obtain it, and why not now continue to enjoy it?" Parley responded, "I see plainly you know but little of my circumstances—of the changes which have taken place with me since we parted five years ago, nor how vastly wealthy I have become within that time. Why, sir, I have bank bills enough, on the very best institutions in the world, to sustain myself and family while we live."

Again William questioned, "Well, I should like to see some of them; I hope they are genuine." Parley replied, "There is no doubt of that. They are true bills and founded on capital that will never fail, though heaven and earth should pass away." Parley then unlocked his treasury and took out a large pocket book, full of promissory notes like the following: "Whosoever shall forsake father or mother, brethren or sisters, houses or lands, wife or children, for my sake and the gospel's, shall receive an hundred fold in this life, and in the world to come life everlasting." Parley explained to William that the words of Jesus Christ will not fail and then he said, "I feel called upon by the Holy Ghost to forsake my house and home for the gospel's sake; and I will do it, placing both feet firm on these promises with nothing else to rely upon."⁴

Still not fully convinced, William left to do his business, and Parley made preparations for a mission that would be lifelong. Parley was not conformed to this world. With all his heart he sought to both obtain and share those treasures that money cannot buy.

Have you ever noticed how much more you prize something you have worked for? Sometimes when things are just given to us without any effort on our part, we do not appreciate their full value. The same principle applies to the gospel of Jesus Christ. If you were just handed the gospel and if you have never taken the time to ask yourself why it is so important, I challenge you to do so now. Ask yourself: Why can the gospel of Jesus Christ bring us lasting peace? Why is there no other way to experience true joy? Why is it the source of those things of greatest worth?

My dear brothers and sisters, the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored. No one will force us to accept this gift of inestimable value. Why? It is up to us to determine why it is important and give it the highest priority in our lives.

All of us, whether a new convert or a lifetime member, have had to think through these things before. We may not remember the details, but we all participated in the Council in Heaven during our premortal life. The plan of happiness was presented by our Father in Heaven. The Savior accepted His plan, and our agency was preserved. We were given a choice.

Choice is a big word in our society today. People insist on the right to make a choice. We are determined to choose what we will do each hour of the day. Choices without responsibility, however, can bring heartache and adversity into our lives.

The Savior believes in agency, and so must we. We are here today working out His plan of salvation. Do not let that which is most valuable slip away from you because you have not made a conscious choice to safeguard it. The Savior will not force us to seek for everything that money cannot buy. But He will lovingly guide us.

Napoleon Bonaparte drew some interesting conclusions about how the Savior leads with love. While in exile at St. Helena, Napoleon asked another man in his suite, "Can you tell me who Jesus Christ was?" Then Napoleon went on to say: "I will tell you." Napoleon compared himself and other heroes of antiquity with Christ and then showed how far Jesus surpassed them all. "I think I understand somewhat of human nature," said Napoleon, "and I tell you all these were men, and I am a man, but not one is like Him. Jesus Christ was more than man. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and myself, founded great empires; but upon what did the creation of our genius depend? Upon force. Jesus alone founded His empire upon love and to this very day millions would die for Him."⁵

Most of us sitting here today would say we are among those willing to die for the Savior. Would we not have defended Him if we had been there that night He was sentenced to death? We would not have denied Him. The Lord, however, does not ask us to die for Him. He asks us to live for Him. We certainly chose, in the premortal world, to live for Him— meaning to devote our lives here to Him. He asks us to choose to follow His example to love and serve one another. To the degree we accomplish this, we are valiant in our testimony of Jesus Christ.

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught us that when we were baptized we left neutral ground, and we can never get back to it. If we choose not to follow the Savior's example, we are choosing to follow Satan. The promise of glory in the life to come is too great a gift to foolishly squander. President Harold B. Lee taught that we must remember that we are here today to earn our eternal salvation, and we do not want to "be like those foolhardy ones on the river above the Niagara Falls who were approaching the dangerous rapids. . . . Despite warnings of the river guards to go toward safety before it was too late, and in complete disregard of the warnings, they laughed, they danced, they drank, they mocked, and they perished."⁶

Webster's dictionary gives us a clear definition of the word strategy: "A careful plan or method . . . toward a goal."⁷ We each need strategies in our life.

How do we acquire these strategies or "careful plans" and make them a part of our lives? In Deuteronomy 5:27 we read that after Moses had received the Ten Commandments, the Israelites said, "We will hear it [the word of God], and do it" (italics added).

Not in some distant future when life gets easier, but now, tonight, as we leave this meeting, I hope each of us can begin to make deposits in our spiritual bank accounts. If we are not continually building these assets of most worth, they soon become overdrawn. And we are left feeling helpless and hopeless.

Money cannot buy love, health, or happiness, or even what it bought last year. Money may be used as a universal passport everywhere except in heaven. If I asked you how to receive the best returns on your spiritual investments, I am sure you would know the answers. Unfortunately, common sense is not always common practice. So let me be a grandmother for a minute and whisper a few words of experience in your ear. Since I have been balancing my spiritual checkbook just a little longer than most of you, allow me to offer four tried and true strategies for obtaining a life of lasting worth. This list is not intended to be complete, but it will give you a place to start.

Determine Your Plans for Spiritual Growth

The first strategy: Determine your plans for spiritual growth. Remember to say your prayers—morning and night. In Alma 37:37, Alma instructed his son Helaman to "counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God."

When you pray, have you ever considered not only pleading for help but also reporting for duty? Ask for the Spirit to guide you. If you will pray for direction and listen for promptings, you will become familiar with those promptings and learn to act on them. The gospel will come alive in your life. You will have more of those "aha" experiences that help you see what really matters.

Also, do not forget to read your scriptures. For the past two years my husband and I have discovered one of the best spiritual investment programs we have ever undertaken. We determined to read two chapters of the scriptures together every day. It is not a matter of how busy we are; it is simply placing a high priority on reading the word of the Lord on a daily basis. And what a difference doing this together has made! Greater harmony, peace, and insight have come into our marriage.

We are all given twenty-four hours a day. Each of us can choose what we will do with them. Decide now to read your scriptures every day. I think we all can budget ten to fifteen minutes a day to find out what the Lord wants us to know. By committing to read just two chapters a day, you can read the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, and the New Testament in one year. It works! If you are reading as a couple, it is a great bonding experience. If you are reading alone, it is a great time to commune with the Holy Ghost.

All investments in our spiritual growth lead to the keeping of covenants. More than a hundred years ago the prophet Brigham Young counseled the Saints: "Now is the time for labor. . . . Let the fire of the covenant . . . burn in your hearts, like flame unquenchable."⁸ More recently, Elder M. Russell Ballard has said: "Sometimes we are tempted to let our lives be governed more by convenience than by covenant. . . . But there is no spiritual power in living by convenience. The power comes as we keep our covenants."⁹

As I have met and been inspired by Saints the world over, I have seen what happens to people who keep their covenants. I have seen what happens when they take time to invest in their spiritual well-being. I have watched their lives change and their testimonies grow.

Four years ago I was in Kiev, Ukraine, and the mission president's wife took me to the home of Katya Sarduk, a lovely young woman with two children. Katya had just joined the Church, and her eyes sparkled as she told about her conversion. She loved her new faith and was committed to living the gospel. As I left her home that day, I prayed that the fire of the covenant would continue to burn in her heart. I prayed that her children and her children's children would embrace the truth.

I returned to Kiev just two months ago and wondered if I would see her again. I arrived for Church meetings on Sunday. Soon I was introduced to my interpreter, a lovely blonde woman with sparkling eyes who said, "Do you remember me?" Her countenance was even brighter than before. Katya Sarduk had grown in the gospel. She had invested in her spiritual well-being, and her joy was overflowing.

I cannot help but wonder about the missionaries who taught her. Does the fire of the covenant still burn in their hearts? My dear brothers and sisters who have returned from missions, if the people you helped bring into the Church were to see you today, would they recognize you? Would they see a bright countenance when they look into your eyes? Are you praying, reading the scriptures, going to the temple, and otherwise investing in your spiritual well-being? With all of my heart, I hope so. I hope that worldly concerns have not kept you from investing in eternity.

Serve Others

The second strategy: Serve others. Make unselfish investments that will produce spiritual dividends. In my personal life I have found that what you give to others always pays dividends. Service to others is a wise investment. In Matthew 10:39 we are told, "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."

One wise young couple determined soon after their marriage that with every paycheck they would delegate a portion to help others. Over the years their ability to give enlarged with their ability to produce, and now they are among the most generous, charitable, and successful people I know.

Service to others is the very essence of the gospel. Service brings joy as nothing else can. It develops our inner strength and helps us feel more grateful. Service brings us closer to our Father in Heaven. In Matthew 25:40, the Savior taught: "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

In our families, in our ward, in our own communities, we find countless opportunities for meaningful service.

Recently another financier was asked about his extraordinary success in life. His reply was: "Study the tree and put your basket where the apples will fall."¹⁰ The Lord provided the organizations of the Church for the purposes of filling our spiritual baskets, and as we serve others, blessings come into our own lives. We don't need to start a new program, establish a foundation, or enlist in all kinds of causes. But we do need to fulfill our callings as visiting teachers and home teachers and reach out to others in our own ward. We need to be kind to roommates and family members. More than an activity or a project, service is a way of life. It is a way of being! Priesthood holders serve. Members of the Relief Society serve.

The Relief Society declaration makes this clear. It says that we "delight in service and good works" and we do!¹¹ We want to fill our baskets and partake of the fruit of the tree of life.

One group of young people from a college ward and a stake institute class determined to spend a Super Saturday serving those in need. They started in the morning with baptisms for the dead, and those who were endowed did an endowment session. There were 113 who turned out, and they spent the rest of the day making hygiene kits for Humanitarian Services. They produced 3,500 kits. Each kit contained two unbreakable combs, two toothbrushes, one tube of toothpaste, a bar of soap, one bottle of shampoo, one travel sewing kit, and one hand towel. These kits are sent out to orphanages, women's shelters, and homeless shelters. They are also used for emergency relief efforts. After this activity the consensus of this youth group was that with every future activity they needed to include a service project.

If you have a Humanitarian Service Center in your area, you can call ahead and make arrangements for a time you would be able to assist. There are needs to be met everywhere. There are bishops' storehouses, canneries, and welfare farms. If you do not have these facilities in your area, look for ways you can be of service in your own communities. Organize your young people and check out orphanages, hospitals, and homeless shelters for possible ways you may be of service. Present a proposal to priesthood leaders for their counsel and direction.

An organization has been formed in which students have an opportunity to help in an orphanage in Quito, Ecuador. They help care for and love the children, prepare food, and will often spend nights with a child who is in the hospital in need of medical attention.

In Bucharest, Romania, an estimated sixty-five young single adults gathered for a conference, studying the gospel and participating in community service. They donated blood to the local blood bank and spent time at a local orphanage. Participants at the blood drive received food credits that were used to purchase food to help a home for the elderly.

More than 180 young single adults from Ontario, Montreal, Ottawa, New York, Michigan, and Ohio gathered to paint the fence surrounding the Toronto Ontario Temple grounds.

From countries in what was formerly known as Yugoslavia, youth and young adults gathered in Slovenia for a three-day conference. The conference included a pizza party, "secret friend" assignments, dancing, and a service project.

Be examples. Look for needs. Make the world a better place. It will pay dividends in the future.

Cultivate Humility

The third strategy: Cultivate humility. Remember your indebtedness to the Lord and never become indebted to the things of the world. No person can fully and completely discharge his debt to our Savior for what He has done for us, but we can make regular payments. As we give our will to Him and do what He would have us do, we are showing appreciation for His gift of the Atonement.

One mission president I know talks about the obedient missionaries in his mission. He never indicates that he hopes his missionaries are obedient. He always speaks in the affirmative: "Our missionaries are obedient." If for some reason he finds one doing something that is not appropriate, he corrects him or her immediately, reminds him of his expectations and the Lord's expectations of him, and then becomes his friend.

Our Father in Heaven will do the same. We can go to Him and pour out our hearts, ask for forgiveness, and promise to do better. He will again become our personal friend. We never need to live outside His influence if we will be obedient and listen to His promptings.

It is always best to avoid sin. None of us can avoid it altogether; we all draw upon the powers of the Atonement. Sin can be compared to debt, which has been said to be like quicksand and just about as hard to get out of.

President Hinckley was speaking to missionaries, and he reminded them of what Sir Galahad said: "What was it that Sir Galahad said? ‘My strength is as the strength of ten, because my heart is pure.' What is it that the Lord said? ‘Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly.' That's the commandment of the Lord through modern revelation."¹²

Recently a professor on this campus told me about two different students who came to him with confessions of cheating. Each had lied about completing reading assignments in order to receive a higher grade. As the days passed, both realized that they had cheated themselves. This incident plagued the conscience of one student, and she decided she must set things straight. The other was preparing for a mission and could not feel good about teaching others to keep the commandments and be honest. And so they sought for forgiveness, and inner peace was restored.

Repentance is a priceless gift, bought with our Savior's sinless blood. No amount of money can buy the sweet peace that forgiveness brings or the hope that we can change. We can overcome. Our lives can be rich, purposeful, happy, and hopeful.

Evaluate Your Priorities

The fourth strategy: Evaluate your priorities. Examine your life's portfolio. What kind of returns are you receiving on your investments? Have you invested in that which you value most? The Lord has provided us with parents, leaders, and organizations of the Church to assist us in developing standards to guide our lives. Almost without our knowing it we can be trapped by worldly lures and lose sight of eternal goals. All through the ages prophets have sounded the warning: "The love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows" (1 Timothy 6:10).

Periodically we need to examine our life's portfolio and evaluate the kind of returns we are receiving. In other words, we need to evaluate the direction we are going and make adjustments where necessary. Do we feel good about who we are and have confidence in the decisions we are making? Do we have joy and peace in our hearts?

Along with renewing our minds, spending more time on our knees, and reading the scriptures, we also go to places where we know we will be taught truth, and then we act upon the truths we are taught. That link many times is missing, the link of acting on what we hear or on what we learn. It is only as we act on those promptings that come to us as we attend meetings or read and study that we can feel real joy. Blessings will come into our lives through obedience. Putting off renewing our minds or seeking the perfect will of God brings regret and many times great heartache.

We live in a unique period of history. Here we are in a new millennium. You are beloved youth. Our Father in Heaven is depending on each of us to do our part. The Relief Society declaration says: "We are beloved spirit daughters of God, and our lives have meaning, purpose, and direction. . . . We are women . . . who: . . .

"Dedicate ourselves to strengthening marriages [that includes preparation for], families, and homes.

"Find nobility in motherhood and joy in womanhood. . . .

"Rejoice in the blessings of the temple, understand our divine destiny, and strive for exaltation."¹³ We know who we are, and we have total truth to guide us.

We can change. We can overcome. We have the Savior to assist us, and He proved so many times that He can change people's lives. Look how He changed Peter. Look how He changed Mary Magdalene. He gave sight to those who could not see. He healed the lame, and He can heal us too. He can make our lives rich and purposeful if we will give our will to Him. "Evil multiplies by the response it seeks to provoke, and when I return evil for evil, I engender corruption myself. The chain of evil is broken for good when a pure and loving heart absorbs a hurt and forbears to hurt in return. The forgiveness of Christ bears no grudge. The love of Christ allows no offense to endure. The compassion of Christ embraces all things and draws them toward himself. Deep within every child of God the Light of Christ resides, guiding, comforting, purifying the heart that turns to him."¹⁴

President Harold B. Lee told this great story: "In a . . . meeting I listened to a young girl's heartwarming testimony. Her father was afflicted with what the doctors had pronounced was an incurable malady. To his wife one morning, this stricken father, after a night of pain and suffering, had said with great feeling, ‘I am so thankful today.' ‘For what?' she asked. He replied, ‘For God's giving me the privilege of one more day with you.'

"Today I . . . desire with all my heart that all within the sound of this broadcast would likewise thank God for one more day! For what? For the opportunity to take care of some unfinished business. To repent; to right some wrongs; to influence for good some wayward child; to reach out to someone who cries for help—in short, to thank God for one more day to prepare to meet [Him]."¹⁵

Can we each find something for which we need to repent? Are we working on overcoming that weakness? Do we need to correct some wrongs or misunderstandings? Can we influence some person who we see making wrong choices? Are we grateful for this day—one more day to prepare in every way to meet God?

Conclusion

I believe that each of us can be renewed in mind and spirit as we sincerely seek for those things that money cannot buy. We must want to do God's will and gain the knowledge necessary to act accordingly. In other words, we need to put Him first in all the decisions we make. Each of us need to ask ourselves, "Are we ready? Are we ready to have the kind of experiences that are life changing and exhilarating? Are our hearts and minds pure?" The way we choose to spend each day of our lives will dictate the direction we will go and the joys that will fulfill our lives now and for all eternity.

September 11, 2001, will be a date forever chiseled in the stone recesses of our memory. At the last October general conference President Hinckley lamented the state of the world. A prophet of God essentially said to us that these are perilous, precarious, fragile, and dangerous times.¹⁶ But are we without hope? Absolutely not. As President Hinckley stated: "Our safety lies in repentance. Our strength comes of obedience to the commandments of God."¹⁷

My dear brothers and sisters, "Lay up for yourselves a treasure in heaven, yea, which is eternal, and which fadeth not away; yea, that ye may have that precious gift of eternal life" (Helaman 5:8). No other gift is greater. Of this I humbly bear testimony with grateful heart and with confidence in each of you to accomplish this, and I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

vids

2009-04-30T11:17:00.000-07:00

vids

2009-04-30T07:18:00.000-07:00

new peektures

2009-04-30T06:09:00.000-07:00

Don't ask...

If I grew up (not literally... i know that will never happen) to be anything like either one of these two incredible people, I would be one of the most incredible people I know.

Me and Chan Chan at the David Concert

An edit for the beatufiul aubrey

And this is what we did on our first date hahahahahaha

I don't really know how I took this, but my camera did it haha. this is what my room would look like with pink walls! :D ps what am I to do with that GIANT pic of myself from miss murray? bleh!

Some of the Sigma Boys!

Sigma and Zeta Exchange! (ya Mike is in Sigma - what a funny story we have... he's President next year!)

Need someone to sing the anthem? no worries Stacey, Cass, and Emma will! haha Emma has never even sang in front of people before! We actually weren't too shabby! was pleasantly surprised

I love my dance team! (well this is one of them - I love them all but... you get the point haha!)

love love

hahaha
I'm ALMOST as cool as michon... sometimes

super cute right? :D

zeta!

I'm sorry if this isn't appropriate, but this picture is way too funny!

My poor attempt at trying to be as amazing as nate... pretty dang cool shirt through.

Basically... I love my friends... and I love pictures. So pictures of my friends = choice!

God is the Gardener

2009-04-26T15:31:00.001-07:00

So here is a talk that I first heard through one of my great friends and inspirations, Elder Nate Ruben. Since then I heard it on ldsvoices.com and decided it's definitely in my top 10 favorites and I wanted to share it :D

Hugh B. Brown (1883-1975), First Presidency

You sometimes wonder whether the Lord really knows what He ought to do with you. You sometimes wonder if you know better than He does about what you ought to do and ought to become. I am wondering if I may tell you a story. It has to do with an incident in my life when God showed me that He knew best.

I was living up in Canada. I had purchased a farm. It was run-down. I went out one morning and saw a currant bush. It had grown up over six feet high. It was going all to wood. There were no blossoms and no currants. I was raised on a fruit farm in Salt Lake before we went to Canada, and I knew what ought to happen to that currant bush. So I got some pruning shears and clipped it back until there was nothing left but stumps. It was just coming daylight, and I thought I saw on top of each of these little stumps what appeared to be a tear, and I thought the currant bush was crying. I was kind of simpleminded (and I haven’t entirely gotten over it), and I looked at it and smiled and said, “What are you crying about?” You know, I thought I heard that currant bush say this:

“How could you do this to me? I was making such wonderful growth. I was almost as big as the shade tree and the fruit tree that are inside the fence, and now you have cut me down. Every plant in the garden will look down on me because I didn’t make what I should have made. How could you do this to me? I thought you were the gardener here.”

That’s what I thought I heard the currant bush say, and I thought it so much that I answered. I said, “Look, little currant bush, I am the gardener here, and I know what I want you to be. I didn’t intend you to be a fruit tree or a shade tree. I want you to be a currant bush, and someday, little currant bush, when you are laden with fruit, you are going to say, ‘Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for loving me enough to cut me down. Thank you, Mr. Gardener.’ ”

Years passed, and I found myself in England. I was in command of a cavalry unit in the Canadian Army. I held the rank of field officer in the British Canadian Army. I was proud of my position. And there was an opportunity for me to become a general. I had taken all the examinations. I had the seniority. The one man between me and the office of general in the British Army became a casualty, and I received a telegram from London. It said: “Be in my office tomorrow morning at 10:00,” signed by General Turner.

I went up to London. I walked smartly into the office of the general, and I saluted him smartly, and he gave me the same kind of a salute a senior officer usually gives—a sort of “Get out of the way, worm!” He said, “Sit down, Brown.” Then he said, “I’m sorry I cannot make the appointment. You are entitled to it. You have passed all the examinations. You have the seniority. You’ve been a good officer, but I can’t make the appointment. You are to return to Canada and become a training officer and a transport officer.” That for which I had been hoping and praying for 10 years suddenly slipped out of my fingers.

Then he went into the other room to answer the telephone, and on his desk, I saw my personal history sheet. Right across the bottom of it was written, “THIS MAN IS A MORMON.” We were not very well liked in those days. When I saw that, I knew why I had not been appointed. He came back and said, “That’s all, Brown.” I saluted him again, but not quite as smartly, and went out.

I got on the train and started back to my town, 120 miles away, with a broken heart, with bitterness in my soul. And every click of the wheels on the rails seemed to say, “You are a failure.” When I got to my tent, I was so bitter that I threw my cap on the cot. I clenched my fists, and I shook them at heaven. I said, “How could you do this to me, God? I have done everything I could do to measure up. There is nothing that I could have done—that I should have done—that I haven’t done. How could you do this to me?” I was as bitter as gall.

And then I heard a voice, and I recognized the tone of this voice. It was my own voice, and the voice said, “I am the gardener here. I know what I want you to do.” The bitterness went out of my soul, and I fell on my knees by the cot to ask forgiveness for my ungratefulness and my bitterness. While kneeling there I heard a song being sung in an adjoining tent. A number of Mormon boys met regularly every Tuesday night. I usually met with them. We would sit on the floor and have Mutual. As I was kneeling there, praying for forgiveness, I heard their singing:

“But if, by a still, small voice he calls
To paths that I do not know,
I’ll answer, dear Lord, with my hand in thine:
I’ll go where you want me to go.”
(Hymns, no. 270)

I arose from my knees a humble man. And now, almost 50 years later, I look up to Him and say, “Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for cutting me down, for loving me enough to hurt me.” I see now that it was wise that I should not become a general at that time, because if I had I would have been senior officer of all western Canada, with a lifelong, handsome salary, a place to live, and a pension, but I would have raised my six daughters and two sons in army barracks. They would no doubt have married out of the Church, and I think I would not have amounted to anything. I haven’t amounted to very much as it is, but I have done better than I would have done if the Lord had let me go the way I wanted to go.

Many of you are going to have very difficult experiences: disappointment, heartbreak, bereavement, defeat. You are going to be tested and tried. I just want you to know that if you don’t get what you think you ought to get, remember, God is the gardener here. He knows what He wants you to be. Submit yourselves to His will. Be worthy of His blessings, and you will get His blessings.

Hugh B. Brown, “The Currant Bush,” New Era, Apr. 2001, 12
See also his talk: "God is the Gardener"

Mere Christianity

2009-04-25T09:37:00.000-07:00

So I am reading Mere Christianity right now by my favorite author CS Lewis and I wanted to share some quotes/thoughts on the reading and write some other good quotes I've heard recently. They're kinda mixed in cuz usually I just text them to myself so I dunno which is which haha :D
Enjoy!

We all want progress. But progress means getting nearer to the place where you want to be. And if you have taken a wrong turning then to go forward does not get you any nearer, If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; and in that cease the man who turns back the soonest is the most progressive man. We have all seen this in arithmetic. When I have started a sum the wrong way, the sooner I admit this and go back and start again, the faster i shall get on. There is nothing progressive about being pig headed and refusing to admit a mistake. a And I think if you look at the present state of the world, it is pretty plain that humanity has been making some big mistake. we are on the wrong road. And if that is so, we must go back. Going back is the quickest way on. 28-29

Progress is not only changing, but changing for the better

When you have reached your own room, be kind to those who have chosen different doors and those who are still in the hall. If they are wrong they need your prayers all the more and if they are your enemies then you are under orders to pray for them. that is one of the rules common in the house.

If you are a Christian you do not have to believe that all the other religions are simply wrong all through. If you are an atheist you do not have to believe that the main point in all the religions of the whole world is simply one huge mistake. If you are a Christian, you are free to think that all those religions, even the queerest ones, contain ant least some hint of the truth.

But, of course, being a Christian does not mean thinking that where Christianity differs from other religions, Christianity is right and they are wrong. As in arithmetic- there is only one right answ2er to a sum, and all other answers are wrong; but some of the wrong answers are much nearer being right than others.

There is no sense in asking the multiplication table to let you off when you do syour sums wrong, You are bound to get the wrong answer. And it is no use either saying that if there is a God of that sort - an impersonal absolute goodness - then you do not like Him and are not going to bother about Him. For the trouble is that one part of you is on His side and really agrees with his disapproval of human greed and trickery and exploitation. You may want Him to make an exception in your own case, to let you off this one time; but you know at the bottom that unless the power behind the world really and unalterably detest that sort of behavior, then He cannot be good.

On the other hand, we know that if there does not exist na absolute goodness it must hate most of what we do,. this is the terrible fix we are in. If the universe is not governed by an absolute goodness, then all our efforts are in the long run hopeless. BUt if it is, then we are making ourselves enemies to that goodness every day, and are not in the least likely to do any better tomorrow. We cannot do without it, and we cannot do with it.

Goodness is either the great safety or the great danger - according to the way you react to it. and we have reacted the wrong way.

Selfishness has never been admired.

You can think of all actions as keys on the piano. all are right or wrong at one time or another.

You cannot be more right or wrong than another unless there is a true Right and Wrong.

In religion, as in war and everything else, comfort is the one thing you cannot get by looking for it. If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end: if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth - only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin with and, in the end, despair.

Your religion is not the only good one. There are truths in all of them. Find them.

(speaking of death) The pain you feel now was once balanced by someone's joy when that baby was born.

He had all the attributes of a man, but seemed to be something greater.

Life is what happens to us when we are making other plans

Goodness is always itself. Badness is only spoiled goodness; that is why the devil is the fallen angel.

In fact, it needs a good man to repent. and here comes the catch. Only a bad person needs to repend: only a godo person can repend perfectly. The worlse you are the more you need it and the less you can do it. The only person who could do it perfectlky would be a perfect person - and he woudl not need it.

To what will you look for if you will not look to that which is stronger than yourself?

Christians are the physical organism through which Christ acts. (So I gotta add myself, are you a muscle or an appendix? haha)

God is going to invade, all right... It will be too then to choose your side. There is no use saying you chose to lie down when it has become impossible to stand up. That will not be the time for choosing: it will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realized it before or not.
Now today, this moment, is our chance to chose the right side,. God is holding back to give us that chance, It will not last forever. We must take it or leave it.

A Conscience is like a moral machine - if you don't use it properly it will break.

The human race is like an orchestra - there are two ways of erring. One is when human individuals drift apart from one another. The other is when things go wrong inside the individual.

We are to have a child's heart, but a grown ups head.

People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed.

There is no ending that is not also a beginning.

Happy makes the world go around.

The best thing to do behind someone's back is pat it.

If your heart can perceive it and your mind can believe it, then your hands can achieve it.

Don't dream your life, life your dreams.

The Platinum Rule : treat others as they should be treated as sons and daughters of God.

Good people know about good and evil. Bad people don't know a whole lot about either.

You understand sleep when you are awake, not while you are sleeping. You can see mistakes in arithmetic when your mind is working properly: while you are making them you cannot see them. You can understand the nature of drunkenness when you ar sober, not when you are drunk. Good people know about both good and evil: bad people do not know about either.

A real desire to believe all the good you can of others and to make others and comfortable as you can will solve the most problems

When people break the rule of propriety current in their own time and place, if they do so in order to excite lust in themselves or other, then they are offending against chastitty. But if they break it through ignorance or carelessness they are guilty only of bad manners. When, as often happens, they break it defiantly in order to shock or embarrass others, they are not necessarily being unchaste, but they are being uncharitable: for it is uncharitable to take pleasure in making other people uncomfortable.

Never mind. After each failure, ask forgiveness, pick yourself up, and try again.

A cold, self-righteous prig who goes regularly to church may be far nearer to hell than a prostitute. But, of course, it is better to be neither.

These are from a book I had to read in school about a Native American boy.

The world, even the smallest parts of it, is filled with things you don't know.

It's not weather you win or lose, it's how you play the game.

The quality of aman's life is in direct proportion to his commitment to excellence, regardless of his chosen field of endeavor.

"I suppose it hasd something to do with confidence. I mean, I'd always been the lowest Indian on the reservation totem pole - I wasn't expected to be good so I wasn't. But in Rearden, my coach adn the otehr players wanted me to be good. They needed me to be good. They expected me to be good. and so aI became good
I wanted to live up to expecations.
I guess that's what it comes down to.
The power of expectations.
As they expected mroe of me, I expected more of myself, and it just grew and grew until I was scoring twelve points a game - AS A FRESHMAN. It was crazy"

Other random good quotes

He doesn't just cleanse us, He changes us.

Know, be, DO!

It's not self confidence - but confidence in God.

Sometimes the best things in life are so simple, but they're the hardest to understand.

What do we do with our testimony if we can't share it with others?

Conference

Discipleship is a journey, not a spectator sport.

This is a race of endurance.

It's worth it!

His warmth is as the sunshine at midday :D

Making Christ the center of our life is what will make us victorious

Be optimistic.

The future is as bright as our faith.

You can't be a lifesaver if you look like all the other swimmers on the beach.

We are all entitled to our crown - we are princess and princesses of a Heavenly King :D

Our lives depend upon the decisions that we make - our decisions determine our destiny.

A successful person is someone who can kneel down at night say Lord, this is what I did today, I did my best. Help me do better tomorrow.

We are literally saviors when we do missionary work.

More quotes from institute and such

Don't worry about who you are or who you're with - Do the Lord's work. -Stolen from Mike's notebook haha

Nothing trumps the spirity.

Jesus was an outward turner. He turned to others when he was in trouble.

When you dig a pit for your neighbor, you usually fall in

A man with a weakness is a man you can make money from. A man with a weakness is a man Satan can make sin.

The more evil a people become, the more they associate cowardace with bravery.

Heavenly Father only does things for our good.

You must be willing to act on the revelation you recieve, otherwise don't ask for it.

Welp... there's a lot of stuff I may elaborate on later. But I'm way sick of doing this even though it makes me happy and stuff.. I'm just sick of sitting here.

Love you all!

Everything happens for a reason

2009-04-22T12:22:00.000-07:00

So
Recently some things have happened
that I never woulda seen coming
I still can't believe it's all real
I am so blessed
I love life

Oh ya, ladies and gentlemen, this is Mike

Songs of the moment

2009-04-13T16:31:00.000-07:00

Child of Light
Mindy Gledhill

Do you ever wonder who you are?
Do you ever wonder as you stare into the stars?
Where you began and how you got this far,from home.
Have you ever walked along the shore?
Have you ever seen the water dancing back and forth?
Did you look inside to see if there was more, to life.

Chorus
Well, there's a dream taking wing.
There's a voice that wants to sing.
Even in the deepest, darkest night.
The torch is raised to the sky, there are hands that hold it high.
You were born to keep it burning bright.
You were made to fly.
You were meant to shine.
Child of light.

You will never ever stand alone.
You were never called to bare the burdens on your own.
Where there is fear, love will take control, and lead you on.

There's a dream taking wing.
There's a voice that wants to sing.
Even in the deepest darkest night.
The torch is raised to the sky, and there are hands that hold it high.
You were born to keep it burning bright.
You were made to fly.
You were meant to shine.
Child of light.

So this song came on on my way down to try outs, and I've always loved this entire CD, but it just made me feel so peaceful. I knew that whatever was supposed to happen would happen and I'm just so relieved with everything that did! He knows what he's doing!

Never Saw Blue
Hayley Westinraw

Today we took a walk up the street
And picked a flower and climbed the hill
Above the lake

And secret thoughts were said aloud
We watched the faces in the clouds
Until the clouds had blown away

And were we ever somewhere else
You know, it's hard to say

And I never saw blue like that before
Across the sky
Around the world
You've given me all you have and more
And no one else has ever shown me how
To see the world the way I see it now
Oh, I, I never saw blue like that

I can't believe a month ago
I was alone, I didn't know you
I hadn't seen or heard you're name
And even now, I'm so amazed
It's like a dream, It's like a rainbow, it's like the rain

And somethings are the way they are
And words just can't explain

Cause I never saw blue like that before
Across the sky
Around the world
You've given me all you have and more
And no one else has ever shown me how
To see the world the way I see it now
Oh, I, I never saw blue like that before

And it feels like now,
And it feels always,
And it feels like coming home

I never saw blue like that before
Across the sky
Around the world
You've given me all you have and more
And no one else has ever shown me how
To see the world the way I see it now
Oh, I, I never saw blue like that before

Oh, I, I never saw blue like that

This song is gorgeous. I want to dance to it!

Songs of the moment

2009-03-31T21:27:00.000-07:00

I've decided most of my emotions I get out through song and dance. 
What I'm listening to completely depends on my mood. 
 Here are some songs of choice for my life. 
Some of them do have meaning, some of them i just enjoy listening to.

The Show
Lenka

I'm just a little bit caught in the middle
Life is a maze and love is a riddle
I don't know where to go I can't do it alone I've tried
And I don't know why

Slow it down
Make it stop
Or else my heart is going to pop
'Cause it's too much
Yeah, it's a lot
To be something I'm not

I'm a fool
Out of love
'Cause I just can't get enough

I'm just a little bit caught in the middle
Life is a maze and love is a riddle
I don't know where to go I can't do it alone I've tried
And I don't know why

I'm just a little girl lost in the moment
I'm so scared but I don't show it
I can't figure it out
It's bringing me down I know
I've got to let it go
And just enjoy the show

The sun is hot
In the sky
Just like a giant spotlight
The people follow the sign
And synchronize in time
It's a joke
Nobody knows
They've got a ticket to that show
Yeah

I'm just a little bit caught in the middle
Life is a maze and love is a riddle
I dont know where to go I can't do it alone I've tried
And I don't know why

I'm just a little girl lost in the moment
I'm so scared but I don't show it
I can't figure it out
It's bringing me down I know
I've got to let it go
And just enjoy the show

Just enjoy the show

I'm just a little bit caught in the middle
Life is a maze and love is a riddle
I dont know where to go I can't do it alone I've tried
And I don't know why

I'm just a little girl lost in the moment
I'm so scared but I don't show it
I can't figure it out
It's bringing me down I know
I've got to let it go
And just enjoy the show

dum de dum
dudum de dum

Just enjoy the show

dum de dum
dudum de dum

Just enjoy the show

I want my money back
I want my money back
I want my money back
Just enjoy the show

I want my money back
I want my money back
I want my money back
Just enjoy the show

Right now I really do want my money back. Who knew Gadzooks had
such a horrible return policy? Anyways this song to me is just chill
and happy and fun. and that's the way I like to be. I like how
it's like c'mon slow it down, just enjoy life! which I'm doing
right now. I love my life :D

Goodbye From California
Lindsey Ray

I dipped my toes in the ocean today
I felt the sun shining down on my face
There isn't even one single cloud in the sky
The only sign of doubt is the one that's behind me
So tell me, how are you?

What did you think that I would do when I told you I was leaving?
You didn't blink, you just assumed that you're the one I needed
And I tried and I tried and I tried some more
Then I thought what is all this trying for?
Don't say I didn't warn ya
Goodbye from California

I'm in my flip flops on Hollywood and Vine
I heard it snowed another foot there last night
And even though the life I have at home is ending
I've really got a feeling that it's all beginning now
So tell me how are you?

What did you think that I would do when I told you I was leaving?
You didn't blink, you just assumed that you're the one I needed
And I tried and I tried and I tried some more
Then I thought what is all this trying for?
Don't say I didn't warn ya
Goodbye from California

Now that I've had a taste
Got no more time to waste
With my head up in the clouds
Is that a lump in your throat
As you're reading what I wrote?
It's over now

What did you think that I would do when I told you I was leaving?
You didn't blink, you just assumed that you're the one I needed
And I tried and I tried and I tried some more
Then I thought what is all this trying for?
Don't say I didn't warn ya
Goodbye from California

What did you think that I would do when I told you I was leaving?
You didn't blink, you just assumed that you're the one I needed
And I tried and I tried and I tried some more
Then I thought what is all this trying for?
Don't say I didn't warn ya
Goodbye from California

This is the song I enjoy listening to right now in the snow because
I've decided I'm moving to California until spring actually comes.
It's also a very fun song!

The Ending
Lindsay McCaul

I would be lying if I said it didn't hurt just a little
watching the years go by and knowing you're not here
every confusing situation plays itself out like a riddle
since I'm being honest might as well admit my fear

Cuz it seems like ages that I've waited for the feeling for the knowing
everyone farther down the road says is a sign
so I'll just keep walking I'll keep on waiting
through the heart ache and the growing
cuz baby I know you'll be worth the lonely times

And so I will wait for you
You know I will wait until I'm sure that it is you
cuz I would hate to miss the ending
of a story that is pending till the author moves to see our story through

If i had a dime for every time an intention intervention
tried to convince me you were only in my dreams
well then I'd be rich but I'd be wishin you could join my celebration
if only to prove I'm not as crazy as I seem

And so I will wait for you
You know I will wait until I'm sure that it is you
'causeI would hate to miss the ending
of a story that is pending till the author moves to see our story through

and every bend in the road gets my hopes up
that you are just around the corner out of sight
but if it takes a hundred years through the longing and the tears
rest assured my heart is steadfast day and night

And so I will wait for you
You know I will wait until I'm sure that it is you
'causeI would hate to miss the ending
of a story that is pending till the author moves to see our story through

This song is just beautiful. I choreographed a dance to it this year for my clayton productions group and I'll probably post that on here sooner or later. Right now the song doesn't really mean much cuz it's not to anyone specifically, but I'm enjoying my wait. May it be a VERY long one. Once again, I love my life!

"Love Another Day"
Rascal Flatts

It's 3 AM and you're still wide awake
Wondering how much more your broken heart can take
All he left you with was shattered dreams
I know it's hard to see right now, it's not as bad as it seems

You'll live to love another day
Happiness is on it's way
Hold on
It won't be long
I know the pain you're living in
Sometimes you've got to lose to win
It's okay
Don't you worry baby
We all live to love another day

I know you say you've lost your faith in love
And it's not written in the stars above
I wouldn't tell you anything but the truth
I've been where you are
And I'm living proof

You'll live to love another day
Happiness is on it's way
Hold on
It won't be long
I know the pain you're living in
Sometimes you've got to lose to win
It's okay
Don't you worry baby
We all live to love another day

What's here right now didn't come to stay
The sun is gonna rise again and the clouds will roll away
Believe me when I say

You'll live to love another day
Happiness is on it's way
Hold on, hold on
I know the pain you're living in
Sometimes you've got to lose to win
It's okay
Don't you worry baby
We all live to love another day

Don't you worry baby
We all live to love another day

My friend showed me this song after my silly childish ranting about love post. I enjoy it. I enjoy her. Thanks lovey! Anyways. It's a goody and it makes me happy!

There you go! Stacey's songs of the moment. I will put more up later, but for now I'm going to bed. Gnight ya'll! May your dreams be as sweet as you are! haha I'm tired :D
love you!
ps i know the spacing is weird and I really don't want to fix it right now so have fun reading this!

I love my life!

2009-03-30T07:31:00.000-07:00

#1 reason why I love my life. My parents are amazing. My family is amazing. Without all of them my life would be so different!
Newsflash: We are hot! :D

I love love love my niece!
"Most people can't do what we do" "Ya, high fives to us. We rock"
Definitely one of the nicest girls I've EVER met

I love you celeste!

I love my life. not because of the actions, but because of my reactions.

Sure some crappy things have happened to me, but I chose to be happy.

That is all.

Oh ya my best friend Taylor (the girl one baha) is visiting this week. for yay!

I am ready for love... not!

2009-03-29T22:18:00.001-07:00

This is a rant on love. It's pretty childish, stupid, and lame, but it's just gotta get out somewhere. Not really inspirational or helpful so... ya.

So I was reading through my ninth grade blog and I came across a song I put on there called "Ready for Love" here's the lyrics. it's a beautiful song and I highly recommend you download it.

I am ready for love
Why are you hiding from me
Id quickly give my freedom
To be held in your captivity

I am ready for love
All of the joy and the pain
And all the time that it takes
Just to stay in your good grace
Lately Ive been thinking
Maybe youre not ready for me
Maybe you think I need to learn maturity
They say watch what you ask for
Cause you might receive
But if you ask me tomorrow
Ill say the same thing

I am ready for love
Would you please lend me your ear?
I promise I wont complain
I just need you to acknowledge I am here

If you give me half a chance
Ill prove this to you
I will be patience, kind, faithful and true
To a man who loves music
A man who loves art
Respects the spirit world
And thinks with his heart

I am ready for love
If youll take me in your hands
I will learn what you teach
And do the best that I can

I am ready for love
Here with a offering of
My voice
My eyes
My soul
My mind

Tell me what is enough
To prove I am ready for love

Now I look back at that and I just must laugh really. The thing about why I felt I was so ready for love in junior high is (i didn't figure this out until my senior year) a large portion of how I felt about myself was based on how boys felt about me. The longest time period that I was single from like 6th grade to 12th grade was like 3 weeks. yikes. not a good idea.
So when I had struggles with my relationship my senior year, my entire world went to chaos. I lost like 15 lbs in a month, I couldn't eat, I HATED the sound of the alarm clock in the morning cuz I just had to wake up to go to school and see him flirting with her. it was awful and I was an idiot.
So that's a foreword to why I think that song is so funny. Ever since my last real relationship, my heart is still broken. It literally still hurts. I know that's cheezy and stupid but it's really hard if you didn't break up cuz you didn't like them anymore. If you still have feelings for them. If they're still your best friend. Now I have a wall around my feelings. I don't want anyone to hurt me and even more than that I don't want to hurt anyone else. It's not really a healthy way of living. Or is it?
Anyways, my bishop does this cool thing where he answers the questions from kids in the ward. The last question was something along the lines of "What do I do when my heart's been shattered?" Katie and Celeste laughed but it really struck a chord with me. That's really how I am right now. Can't give away my heart cuz I never really got it back and if I ever do I know it most definately won't be the same. I was just hurt so badly. So badly. Anyways again, my bishop reminded us that "it only takes one" and to be honest, I'm not looking for "the one" right now, I don't even want a boyfriend. But I should let people into my life and love them. I should be willing to be friends with guys. I shouldn't dread every night I go on a date. Because sometimes, you end up having a really great time and even if it doens't go anywhere, you had fun. And fun is good :D.
I really don't know what my point is in all this. Basically I think I just would never say this to anyone, but for some reason I can type it all up. Oh and please don't think I hate anyone for ever hurting me. I've learned so much from every relationship I've ever been in.
I just don't want to get hurt again.
But I should be willing to let people get close to me.
Now I just wonder if I actually will.

Why I loved Junior high

2009-03-25T12:13:00.000-07:00

I won't lie- this probably was the #1 reason. what an amazing kid. He'll probably never know how much he impacted my life.

Brother Smith changed my life! Without him my entire way of studying, and maybe thinking and acting would be different.

I love these kids!

Crazy day... YESSSS
The play! made my life busy, but it was so worth it! look at cute little alex!

SBOs these girls were so great to work with!

Allie and Jaimie - you will never know how much you helped me. You're amazing

Such helpful friends! They helped with both my brothers weddings, they brought me soup and cards when I was sick AND they cleaned my house with me when I was grounded until it was clean!

My two best friends in Jr high for sure!

Best Friends Forever! I'm so glad we still get to play in our ward! I love you girls!

Monday I was in my institute class with Michael Wilcox and he was talking about how badly he hated junior high. He said it was a terrible time to be alive then he asked if anyone in the class actually liked junior high. I raised my hand high. I LOVED junior high! and I was THE ONLY PERSON in a class of about 50 to raise my hand... woah dude I had no idea! (He then made a funny comment "oh that's just stacey, she'll be translated in a few years" which I though was silly and he really was just making fun of me, but it is nice to know he thinks highly of me because I have an amazing amount of respect for that man - he's amazin!) anyways that's not the point. This is the point:
THANK YOU ALL OF MY AMAZING AND WONDERFUL FRIENDS!
I had the most amazing friends in junior high! (and high school and college- I love you guys)I realized the reason why I loved junior high so much was because of my friends. Ninth grade was seriously the best year of my life (so far!) I had incredible friends in such a critical time in my life. I will never be able to thank you enough. ever!
Going back to institute - Brother Wilcox then told a story of how when he publishes his books, he always thinks "what would brother Packard think about this?" Then he realized he should be thinking "what would Christ say about this?" then he made another realization that it's ok to wonder about Packard too because he would think along the same lines as Christ. Then it was time for me to make a bunch of realizations. I realized I always think "What would Nate or Celeste (or any of my amazing friends!) think about this?" and even though I realized I should be focusing more on Christ, its ok to think about things that way too because you guys are helping me go in the right direction! how amazing is that! thank you all so much!

To my amazing friends: you have made me who I am. consider yourself accountable.

A story so good it deserves its own post

2009-03-08T21:38:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, something really special happened. As a prequel to this story, I must also remind you of another story I’ve told. At least I think most of you know about it. I’ve just recently listened to one of Bednar’s talks and he talked about how quickly his wife was at responding to the spirit. He said that she always helped others out and they always asked him “how does she know?” I decided that I want to be that person who answers prayers, who helps other people. That is what I want to do with my life. My number one goal.
SO… For my sorority, we do a 24 hour golden fast and we’re supposed to fast for one of the four ideals (sisterhood service scholarship… I can never remember the last). I chose to fast for sisterhood since well… I don’t think I’m very good at that considering I have like 3 girl friends… the rest are dudes. any ways I wanted to improve my relations with my girls around me and be able to answer their prayers, help them out, and most importantly bring them closer to Heavenly Father. (cuz you can’t bring someone closer to God without getting closer to God yourself right? :D) When I fast, I like to go from noon to noon just because that’s the easiest way for me to do it. I decided to start my fast at the institute and end it at the institute because I’m write around there at noon everyday… just what I thought was a random decision. I went in to start my fast and had one of their delectable soup bowls number one because it would fill me up really well and number two because they’re amazing. I ate one of those, randomly decided to play basketball for a while, then I finally decided to go sit at the trax station and wait for my chariot trax to take me to my palace (NOT!) On my way out, I noticed one of the girls in the presidency of Lamda Delta Sigma, Jessi, sitting down. I went over and talked to her and just told her that I look up to her and think she’s amazing and beautiful and she’s a light to everyone at the institute, everyone around her, and myself. This is something I say to a lot of girls and never thought much of it. Not about what I was saying but I never thought it made that big of impact on their life (and no worries I don’t say it to a lot of people to make them feel good, I say it to a lot of people to show my appreciation and gratitude for how many amazing people I’m associated with, I would never tell that to someone if I didn’t believe it) anyways as soon as I said that she sort of looked up and began crying. She told me I was an answer to prayers with tears in her eyes. Since then, I’ve become her friend ( I didn’t know her at all before) and I still don’t know what her prayer was but it was amazing that TWO minutes after I started my fast for sisterhood, my prayers were already answered by me being an answer and strengthening my relationship with the wonderful women around me. I’m so grateful that I had this experience! Afterward, I just wanted to jump on the trax and yell to everyone “THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATER DAY SAINTS IS TRUE!!! I KNOW IT I KNOW IT I KNOW IT!” but you can’t really go about it that way… so I didn’t. But I have shared the story with some people and I hope it’s helped them to know that God loves every one of us!

so basically that was amazing... and this has nothing to do with it. but i like it.
My cousin in law sent me a quote the other day and I want to share it with you all. It’s
“Dance with God and he’ll let the perfect man cut in”
I love this so much and it’s totally the way I’m living my life right now!
I'll be honest I'm kind of avoiding the whole boy thing right now... they scare me. long story why which I may tell one day. but I think I just won't worry about it and if the perfect man comes along, he will!

Oh ya! one last thing! tonight I got to announce John Bytheway for the fireside... read his bio and such. it was awesome. he is my favorite for sure! I love how he 1 can be funny and keep the spirit and 2 breaks down gospel principals in easy to understand bites!

I love you all!

BYU Scholarship

2009-02-26T22:31:00.000-08:00

So I'm transfering to the Y and I'm hoping to get the scholarship that I was rewarded last year back, or even more hopefully (me go college to) get an even better one. Katie who is basically my best friend ever is going to read these essays and let me know what she thinks. If you are not katie, do not feel obligated to read these. if you are katie, you don't need to either , but you are amazing so you will and I love you!

Brigham Young University Scholarship Committee,
If you would have told me a year ago that I would be going to the University of Utah my freshman year of college – or ever – I probably would have laughed at you. Now after going against my “true blue” family and running with the Utes, I’ve learned that everything has its good qualities.
The circumstances of why I ended up at the University of Utah are complicated, but put simply – the Lord is a better planner than me so it’s better to follow him in the light instead of trying to find my way through the dark. I know that I was to stay at home to be a missionary, to help my mom, and to ultimately make me a better person and prepare me for life.
As my friends are getting called to exotic places to speak a Babel of different languages, I am teaching the same gospel of Jesus Christ here at home. I have been teaching everyone around me the gospel of Jesus Christ – non-member, inactive-member, and member alike. I am being the best missionary I can be first through being an example. I am living up to the name I accepted as I was baptized. I’ve grown to know that Matthew 6:21 is true when it says “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” My heart it devoted to Christ, his teachings, and his church. It is something that comes up with my peers on a daily basis because I’ve learned that it is what has made me who I am. I tell others about the Church when I tell them about my weekend. I tell others about Christ’s teaching when they ask me my opinion. I share my testimony about the Book of Mormon when I set my Book of Mormon on the seat next to me on Trax to hopefully start up a conversation. I do the Lord’s work as I go to the temple for baptisms every Friday. Even if I don’t end up baptizing any of my new friends this year or bring others back into the church (which hopefully will happen!), I am being the best missionary I can be by being an example.
I know a huge reason why I was to stay at home this year was for my mom. There are intimate details which I won’t get into, but with all of her kids now married and her only other daughter moving to Washington D.C. this year, I just know she would’ve had a hard time without me staying at home. I’ve grown closer to my parents than I’ve ever been and have learned to show my appreciation through a trick I learned in one of John Bytheway’s talks – I write them thank you notes and stick them on their bedroom door at night. This is just one of the many ways I’ve grown closer to my parents, especially my mom, and I am blessed to have been able to spend another year with them.
The University of Utah has made me a better person and I have tried to make it a better place. I have learned a lot of patience and understanding being surrounded by vocal students who don’t agree with my beliefs. Many times during class (where I know I wasn’t the only LDS student) I have had to stand up for my beliefs and clarify different ideas others have about the church. This has been a huge growing experience for me and I’m grateful I was able to have it. Because I am being made a stronger person at the U, I’m trying to help the U become a better place too. Most of this is being done through the institute – my home away from home. I am enrolled in 5 classes (Book of Mormon 2, New Testament 1, Choir, Freshman Committee, and Fireside Committee) and am also in a sorority so I basically live there. I have learned so much through my teachers and leaders there, that even though I’m trying to give back all that I can I will never be able to repay them all.
As you’re awarding scholarships this year, I felt I should mention I am putting myself through school.
I’m so grateful for my experience at the University of Utah, but I’m ready to trade in my feathers for some fur.
See you next year!
Stacey Marie Hansen

Please write a brief biographical sketch about yourself.

If someone else was writing my biography, they could write of the awards I’ve won, the leaderships positions I’ve held, and the hours of service I’ve given to everyone around me.
This is not a biography, but an autobiography.
My mom used to call me a “walking resume” because I’d accomplished a lot of things and if you knew me, you knew about those accomplishments; however, now I’ve finally learned something I’ve always known, but never truly understood – no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.
Starting the first day of the Junior Miss State Scholarship Program, I dedicated my life to others. I wasn’t in it to win it – I was in it to help others a long the way. I wrote thank you cards and notes of encouragement to everyone in the program; I listened to how amazing the other girls were instead of telling them about my accomplishments; I congratulated them on their achievements and thanked them for being an example to me, being proud of them instead of making myself look better than them. I learned what it was like to really love others.
I think the other girls could tell how much I truly loved them and they showed their appreciation when they voted me the “Miss Congeniality” – the first of three times I won that award that year.
This one week set the precedent for the rest of my life. I’m never in anything for myself; I’m always there to help others along the way, especially in our most important journey - the journey back to our Heavenly Father
Now my whole goal is to help others along the way, and it helps me too because it’s impossible to help others become closer to God without getting closer to Him yourself.

Please describe your educational, professional, and other goals. Describe how BYU
will help you achieve them.

I had the best job in the world. I worked in a salon for girls 14 and younger called “Sweet and Sassy.” During the Summer, if you asked me what I was doing that day I would reply “I have work today!” and not in that bored or dreaded tone, but an enthusiastic one. Every day I got to do girl’s nails, make up, and my favorite – hair. Sweet and Sassy was my dream job.
Then on September 13, 2008 my dream business became nightmarishly bankrupt. I never received a call, text, or even an e-mail from my boss. A text from my coworker telling me the business had been shut down and she would miss me was the only indication I received of the failure. I was crushed.
I feel like the business was closed down because of poor management. Those running the salon were nice girls, but they weren’t educated as well as they should have been to run a serious business. This is why when I open my own Sweet and Sassy, I will do it with the knowledge, background, and degree in business at Brigham Young University.
Even though I’ll be working with hair and nails, I must learn how to work with numbers and balance sheets too.

Please list and/or describe your participation and leadership in extracurricular activities, including performance groups, athletics, cultural

Service
• Make a Wish Foundation, 2005-2008
• Big Brother Big Sister, 2006-2007
• Volunteer Taught at Clayton Productions, Summer 2006
• Raised $600 for a Sub-for-Santa, Christmas 2004
• Locks of Love, 2005
• Interact Club, 2006-2008
• Key Club, 2006-2008
• Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, 2007-2008
• Renaissance Club, 2006-2008
• Art With Heart, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
• Capitol Ambassador, 2008
• Helped with Church Meetings at Murray Care Center, 2002-2008
• Service through my Young Women group in my ward, 2002-2008

Leadership
• Institute Freshman Committee, 2009
• Institute Fireside Committee, 2009
• Student Body President of Hillcrest Jr. High, 2005-2006
• Senior Class Vice President, 2007-2008
• Head Captain of Drill Team, 2007-2008
• Captain of Drill Team, 2006-2007
• Drill Team Member, 2005-2006
• Captain of dance team at The Winner School, 2004-2005
• Building Coordinator for my ward house, 2009
• Beehive President 2003-2004,
• Mia Maid Counselor, 2005-2006,
• Laurel Counselor, 2007-2008
• Kiwanis Freedom Leadership Award, 2005
• Senior Representative for Renaissance Club
• Interact Club Historian, 2006-2007; Secretary, 2007-2008
• Homecoming Royalty, 2007
• Senior Ball Princess, 2008
• Seventh Grade Vice President, 2002-2003

Academic Achievements
• 4.0 at University of Utah, 2008
• Dean’s List, University of Utah, 2008
• 4.0 Cumulative GPA, 7th - 12th grades
• 29 Composite ACT score, September 2007
• Top Ten Student at Murray High, 2008
• All Region Academic Award, 2006, 2007
• All State Academic Award, 2008
• National Honors Society, 2007-2008
• Honor Roll, 7th - 12th grades
• 1st in Class Ranking, 7th -12th grades
• Recognition Award, 2005
• President's Education Award, 2005

Honors and Awards
• Young Womanhood Recognition Award, 2004
• Top Outstanding Service Award, 2009
• Above and Beyond Award, Make A Wish Foundation, 2008
• Miss Congeniality, Miss Murray, 2008
• Miss Congeniality, Miss Castle Valley, 2008
• Utah’s Spirit of Junior Miss, 2008
• Junior Miss “has been” Motivational Speaker, 2008-2009
• Junior Miss Northern Utah, 2008
• 1st attendant, Miss Murray, 2008
• Miss Photogenic, Miss Murray, 2008
• All-State Drill Team, 2008
• Soroptimist International Violet Richardson - Volunteer Community Service Award, 2008
• President’s Volunteer Service Award, 2008
• Top 25 Corps Basic Dance Training Drill Camp, 2006, 2007
• Choreographed 1st Place Captains Routine, 2006-2007
• National Hip Hop Champion, 2008
• National Military Champion, 2007
• Dancer of the Year at The Winner School, 2005
• Hardest Worker of Drill Team, 2006
• Hip Hop Scholarship at NUVO Dance Convention, 2008
• Jazz Scholarship at Jump Dance Convention, 2005
• Most Excited Award, 2005

Athletic and Other Involvement
• Institute Choir, 2009
• Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert Dancer, 2008
• Day of Celebration Dancer, 2005
• Sweet and Sassy “Glittery Glam Girl” and Receptionist, 2008
• Wasatch Revolution Dance Team, 2009
• Teaching Dance, Clayton Productions, 2008-2009
• Dream Company, Clayton Productions, 2009
• Drill Team, Member 2006, Captain 2007, Head Captain 2008
• The Winner School, Company Prep 2005 Senior Elite 2006, 2007, Senior Company 2008, Taking classes 2009
• Utah’s Junior Miss Scholarship State Program, 2008
• A Capella Choir, 2007-2008
• War and Stake Choir, 2004-2009
• Miss Murray Scholarship Program. 2007, 2008
• Hunt's Gymnastics, 2006-2008
• Clayton Productions, 1995-2005

Bowl Blog

2009-02-01T18:50:00.000-08:00

incredible shirt... it's a children's nightgown.. size 6... i added rhinestones.
never tell me i'm too old to be a princess
i am a daughter of a heavenly king and always will be!

what better to do during the bowl than blog?
This week was like the rest of my life. Incredible.
Tuesday I went to the U of U vs BYU game with the Sigma boys… I go to the U… My cousin plays on BYU’s team…
I wore purple
Wednesday I had institute choir (we’re singing in conference! Saturday afternoon!) and it was awesome! The Sigma boys are amazing and came and brought me a rose with a cute poem. I love them. They’re incredible. All the girls (like all 60 of em) did that whole AAAAwwwwWWW thing. Great. Incredible. Love it.
Thursday Me and Jessica Wathen went to the temple open house. Recently, we’ve both been a bit of cry babies. She is about to go on her mission and I’m just realizing how incredibly blessed I am and the spirit is just too much for my body and comes out through my eyes I guess? Haha! Anyways it was an awesome adventure – like all of the times me and Jess hang out. It was really interesting for me because I’ve never been able to see that much of the temple, I’ve always been cut off at the baptisms. It’s crazy how much of all of the temples I’ve been to I’ve never seen.
My favorite room was the sealing room. Everyone I’ve talked to says the Celestial room is their favorite and yes, it is SOOO gorgeous. And I love how the temple worker explained it – it keeps you looking up – reminding us of how we should always be focusing on higher things than ourselves. But back to the sealing room. They had this super cute old couple explaining what happens in the sealing room. How we believe that when we are sealed in the temple, we are sealed for eternity to our family – our spouses, our children, and all of our family before and after us that have/will have the same ordinances done. Holland said in the video before the temple something along the lines of “I can’t imagine heaven without my family. It wouldn’t be heaven without my wife and children. That theology of neither is the man without the woman or the woman without the man is not only our theology, it’s good sociology” I loved it. I love him. But as me and Jess sat in there I just thought about how she could’ve gotten married so soon, but she’s giving it up to go on a mission. I thought about how some day (a long loooong timne from now) I will kneel at that alter with some incredibly amazing, spiritual, (and beautiful )young man who has kept himself clean for me as I am doing for him now and it just struck me. Oh my gosh this is incredible. If this church had nothing else to offer, but to be with your family forever, it would all be worth it. Once again I just bawled as is common in my life and everything was grand.
I heard an interesting thing from a friend of mine. Her family used to be in the church, but has left and I think they have some pretty bitter feelings toward the church. Her grandma went to the temple and decided it was extravagant and that we were just trying to show off. That made me really sad. The open house of the temple is an opportunity for those who are interested in the church or have questions to come see what happens and what we believe in and stuff like that. Plus, the temple is the house of the Lord! Of course we’re going to make it beautiful! It just made me really really sad, but grateful that I understand the truth.
Thursday night I went to desert star house with my parents. It was super fun. I love my parents. I love singing and plays. I love laughing. The worst part was that I was ridiculously tired and like coulnd’t even laugh I was so tired. It was still fun though!
Friday day I went to the state drill competition. It sure made me grateful for all of my friends who came to my competitions! It took a lot of time out of my day, I hate driving far, and it cost money. So I gotta give mad props to everyone who’s come to my competitions!
Friday night was my sorority retreat. It was fun to play with the girls! We had good chats and I just love those girls.
Saturday I was fantastic! We had a prom for Jessica since it’s her last weekend here. She leaves on her mission Wednesday holy crap! But it was way fun! I took Michael sandberg. We went to Tuscany (the restaurant not the country;)) for dinner and then came back to my house to dance. Michael is an AMAZING photographer and took some amazing pictures which I am SO excited for!
Today in sacrament I realized how much I love watching the boys pass the sacrament (not because they’re cute or anything like that… I mean I go to the singles ward and sometimes they are but that’s not why!) I love watching them (especially when they finish and look up to the bishop so he can OK it) and realized how much power they have and that sometime soon they will be the ones OKing the sacrament prayer.
W have a new “member missionary” Sunday school class and I’m so excited about it! Adam Hathaway teaches it (Katie hathaway’s big bro) and it was awesome! I’ve had a lot of opportunities to share the gospel and this class just inspires me more. One of the guys in my class told his conversion story and it just made me so excited. (Once again the spirit was just shooting out through my eyes… it’s a good thing I really don’t wear make up anymore!) I just want the faith that the man from my class had for my friends who don’t have it. They may think they’re happy and they don’t need anything else in their life, but really. This church is incredible. It not only brings happiness to those in it, but it brings them purpose. This class inspired me to read Preach my Gospel a third time – this time I will read it in my own context and make it so it makes sense for me at home because I may never be a full time missionary although that still is the goal.
Wednesday in institute, this girl spoke up in class about how she was trying to be a good example for her family, especially her little sister because they’re not active in the church. For some reason I felt prompted to tell her her Heavenly Father is proud of her for what she is doing and to stay on the path she’s on. It was the most incredible feeling and just reminded me of one of Holland’s talks. He spoke of how his wife always prayed for the spirit to help her help others, and I’ve decided I can be that person. I can be that answer to prayers! I have to stay in tune and act when I feel a prompting. The Lord can count on me to be a tool!
Yay for random thoughts. Here they are!
So basically my whole ward was released and put into new callings this week. It was really cool because my new relief society president stood up to speak in RS and it was like… oh ya she’s the president. The mantle really had been passed and I know that it’s not like priesthood-it’s a calling but I dunno it was just great to me.
I love my ward – if you’re not up right after the bishopbric member sits down, you don’t get to speak. It’s basically a race to the pulpit haha!
I hate cell phones in church. I know that sometimes I text in church and it really just makes me mad at myself. I’ve been a lot better about it lately and its incredible how much the spirit was being chased away when I was texting. Makes me think of Nate Ruben and how he wouldn’t get one in high school (something that was really annoying to me actually) but it really makes sense to me now.
This is some of the things that people spoke about in testimony meeting.
• He guides us in ways we don’t comprehend
• Adam Hathaway came up and said you can tell when it’s fast Sunday… sounds like a creeky old ship! I thought that was funny!
• Adam also told a story about how attitudes can be contagious. He said that in his work the staff had stopped working as hard as they had been. Their reasoning was that they weren’t being treated as they should. He had even stopped working at hard until he talked to someone else at his work. His friend was still working really hard and he explained why and it had to do with the company, but this story has more meaning than that to me. We can always “be a wall” as he said, to stop bad attitudes and the best way to do that is to be an example. I want to always be a wall and stop bad attitudes, or anything else that I feel that needs to be stopped!
• Tell those who inspire you what they do
• Without the spirit, there is no way to convince someone the church is true, we are just facilitators of the discussion, there to help them think and pray about it.
• I know it to be true, I do I do! I like this!
• The problem is not the negative thought – its your reaction to it
• A girl told a story in RS of how her mom met this homeless man and talked to him and it turns out he’s not like your regular homeless man. He lost everything because he had recently been in a divorce and was doing all he could to make it better. The lady wanted to help him, but only had 20s in her purse. She decided to give one to him anyway and felt like she should say “happy birthday” when she gave it to him. Turns out it was his birthday that week and he said “I knew my Heavenly Father loved me” and it just goes to show how we must always follow His promptings! You never know how much of a difference you can make in one’s life!
• I was just thinking about how cool the priesthood was and then I was thinking about myself, sure I don’t have it, but I have my own roles in this life. Number one would be to find someone that I will be able to have the priesthood in my home with, and then my job will be to take care of children and teach them the gospel, but until then I realized what I must do. I am here to help others and I’m going to be the best member missionary I can be, and its something I will be working on my whole life! Wow incredible!
• The greatest gift you can give a child (or anyone) is your testimony
• Obedience is not perfection, but constantly trying to walk as He walked
• Teach by example – I love this. Brother Wilcox talked about Alma the younger’s little talks to his sons in I think alma 25 through 27ish… basically it was do this “as I have done” I love that line. Be an example
Brother Wilcox told a story that I thought was so awesome. He had the question “Lord what would you have me do with my children” in his mind. He was sitting in sacrament and his daughter was a baby then and being really loud. He was told once that when his children weren’t being the best during sacrament, think of Jesus with children so you can still think of Christ. He was trying to think about it when he kind of was swept away by a vision. He was taken away to where Christ came to the Nephites and was blessing the children. He waited in line and then took his daughter to Christ. He felt like if he could just have Christ bless her, then she would grow up strong in the church and everything would be good – it would kind of take the responsibility or blame off of him. When it was finally his time, Christ took his daughter and when he blessed her, he said “I bless you that you will walk in the footsteps of your father and become like him” I love that. The Lord blessed her that she would follow her father. Making Brother Wilcox feel somewhat bad because that means he must be an example to her, to lead her to the kingdom. The whole “as I have done thing”. Incredible. He also talked about how it was like Christ asked him “do you understand your influence? Your ability to influence is greater than mine.” wow.
Isn’t it incredible that in our church, visions still happen? I’ve actually had one myself 2005 baby. Incredible. I love my church. I love that we have a living prophet today that talks to God. I love that we can each get our own revelation. I love my family. I love everything. I love my life.

Mentor

2009-01-26T22:58:00.000-08:00

So today as i was teaching dance I let the girls have a stretching song and they could do whatever they wanted as long as they were stretching. it was so cute. at first they were just kinda doin whatever you know, then i started stretching and they basically all started following me. just magnifies how much the people around you follow someone who knows what they're doing instantly. i love it. i want to be a good example to other girls like jessica has been to me, and i have that opportunity every week at dance. i can help these girls become better dancers or i can also help them become better people by being an example. i love teaching dance. i love my life. I have a poem that i shall post tomorrow about being a dance teacher. its helped me grow so much. love love love it :D

Letter January 26

2009-01-26T14:41:00.000-08:00

I am so blessed. For the past few days I've just been so close to tears all day (and sometimes in tears.. I'll explain) just thinking about how incredibly blessed I am. I have an incredible family, incredible friends, and I know the Truth… what more could you ask for? Seriously!

Last week was rush week for the LDS sororities and fraternities. It was so much fun and I met so many incredible people! I'm SOOO blessed!

This last Sunday I attended two farewells. One was for this kid max doxey, went to East, goes to USU, good friends with schu and jolley. And the other was THE most influential girl (besides family) in my life, Jessica Wathen.

Max's farewell was awesome. There were SOOOO many people there! He's such a great kid - one of the greats like you. After he spoke the line waiting to talk to him at the church went down the entire isle like 3 times! We had to wait like an hour to see him! He knows basically everyone. Anyways, his talk was real good. He talked about the scriptures. I really loved some of the things that he said

· We hear these answers (primary answers – read scriptures, pray go to chuch) so much that we forget they are essential to our salvation

· You must know something before you teach it. Just as you can't tell someone how to get there if you've never gone down that road before, and can't help others come to Christ if you're not holding on to the rod yourself.

· That one reminds me of another thing I think I heard in a Wilcox talk. You can't help someone to God's kingdom without getting closer yourself.

· He realized that he must learn to love the people first before he can teach them the gospel. I love that because I feel like that's something I'm good at – I LOVE people – seriously they're my favorite! So that makes me a perfect candidate to help others come to Christ!

· He also made a good point about faith. He told a story of how a guy was pressuring this man because he had no tangible evidence that the Church is true. He answered "I know I love my wife – no one can prove that wrong through the scientific method" I liked that!

I also went to a fireside that Sunday. It was Judge Durrant, Utah's supreme court judge. He spoke on judgement. Ironic eh?

· He shared an amusing anecdote before he started his talk that I thought was hilarious so hopefully you will too! He was talking about how righteous the people down in Provo are, so righteous that they pray silently over their food before they eat in the cafeteria. One day he saw a particularly striking girl praying on her food in an empty booth. He slid in beside her and when she opened her eyes, he said "your prayers are answered" pahahahaha

· The biggest points that I got out of his talk were how he said that they have to have certain kinds of evidence (ie can't have someone's monkey's uncle who said he heard her say this to that guy) before we can make any kind of judgment. Too often I find myself making myself on other people based on what other people have told me when I should find out for myself.

· He although we don't have the kinds of judging power Christ has, we should judge as Christ would, which means giving the benefit of the doubt. Always have a presumption of good faith and give generous judgements.

The best talk and most moving to me that I've heard since I last wrote was Jessica Wathen's talk. It was incredible. She is such an amazing example to me. I've always looked up to her, she's been a mentor of sorts to me. And when I got to her farewell I realized how many other girls lives she's changed. Here are some highlights

· Like me, she grew up as a Disney Princess. When she converted to the Church, she didn't know much about the church except she knew it was true and there was a Disney Princess castle in downtown salt lake that she was going to get married in. cute! I love it!

· There is nothing better than the temple for the living or the dead

· Liberty Jail was called a "prison temple" because God was there. I can make every place I am a temple by having the spirit there. Isn't that cool?

· Her conversion story is one of the most incredible I've heard. She got herself into some pretty bad stuff and one time when she thought that everything was going to end and there was no way she could make it through she heard the words "everything's going to be ok" and she was like… how? But its all because of the church! Now she's as happy as can be! This can just prove that some of the most profound and spiritual experiences can occur in the darkest times or places in your life – just keep hope!

· Trials cannot only happen to us, they must happen to us. That is how we grow

· Can't handle life? Turn it in to the Lord and he'll make it a blessing

· She spoke of when she was Miss Murray, how influential she could be to other young girls, and now she's trading in the crown for a name badge that holds his name.

· Considering everything he's given us? Is a year and a half (or 2) really all that much?

· Sacrifices for the Lord aren't sacrifices at all, you trade in something good for something better

· See people the way the Lord sees them, treat them like the person you think they can become

This girl has seriously changed my life. Because of her, I'm making some changes in my life, or changing my attitude about why I make certain choices. I've been going to the temple every week for myself, and its been really great. But I heard from a girl in her ward that Jessica takes her all the time. I want to be that girl. I want to help out the other girls and let them know they're beautiful and take them to the temple when they can't drive and bring them to Christ hand in hand with me. Because of Jessica, my passion for serving a mission has grown even stronger. I still don't know if I will, but preparing for it certainly doesn't hurt. I just say that I'm on a mission now!

And here I am on January 26th and this letter is still not sent! I'm sorry! But now I must add more!

Here's some other things I've learned this week, some are in talks, some are in church, and some are things I just realized on my own

· When chosing friends, ask where they are going and if you want to go there with them

· A boy said this at his farewell "I want to tell my friends they are responsible for who I am" and it makes me wonder what kind of people am I making my friends

· I know this is different for those on missions, but think of when you were home on this one. Think of how much time you were doing homework, playing sports, playing on the computer, or stalking people on facebook. Now how much time did you serve the Lord?

· Only the home can compare to the temple in sacredness. What am I doing o make my home a sanctuary and a holy place?

· Service in the home – I think I'm doing better on it but this is something I need to work on. In church, the speaker talked about how we need patience, selflessness, to spend time with them, to forgive your family, have unconditional love, help them, cry with them and serve your family. I know I need help with lots of those, but I'm trying to get better at them by helping out with cleaning, and my favorite- I'm writing a note to my parents every night and sticking it on their door. I haven't been very good at it yet but hopefully it'll get regular

· How can I shrink from my responsiblilty or calling when Joseph Smith still did all of his responsibilities and even spoke to the congregation the night after he was tarred and feathered?

· Find joy in the journey!!!! I love this one

· The door to Satan only swings one way, and it only opens wider. Individuals may chose to close it or leave, but society never will

· Story… there's two guys at a train station talking and one says to the other I have 2 wolves inside of me, fighting all the time: good and evil. The other man asks which one is stronger and the first says: "the one that I feed" wow.

· Oh ya one last thing. I was listening to a talk and the speaker… I don't remember who it was.. Wilcox? Bytheway? Anyways. He said that when others ask us about our weekends church often gets forgotten, it should be put into our stories of weekends because its an opportunity to share the gospel or at least let people know how important it is to you so if they ever have questions they know they can talk to you. I've already shared my church stories with several of my nonmember friends and will never forget to tell about church in my weekend stories again :D

I know my thoughts are so scattered but that's just the way I think. I don't always explain how I feel about certain things because I think you can figure it out. I love you all!

Update in pictures... cuz I can

2009-01-26T13:20:00.001-08:00

Letters

2009-01-26T12:47:00.000-08:00

This is the easiest way of updating... this one i wrote jan 7

The Motab thing ended up being so awesome! I got to perform for over 80,000 people plus, oh, ya know, THE PROPHET! And uchtdorf! It was SO incredible! Brian Stokes Mitchell (the singing voice of the main guy in Prince of Egypt and the original singer of “The Impossible Dream”) and Edward Herman (the grandpa in Gilmore Girls and a whole bunch of other cool stuff… they’re both apparently really famous but I never knew the names of either of them before) So it ended up being incredible! And I made lots of friends! To the left is some of the funnest girls I know and on the right is me with the choreographer :D

But there was a problem within the show… on the way to the Sunday performance…

MELEA!!!!! Yup… I got in a wreck. I slipped on the snow, did a 290 and hit the back of my car on the middle wall on I 15. and it was really stupid of me because my mom warned me a billion times! Drive SLOW! And I really thought I was because people were passing me right and left, and I know you’re not supposed to turn the wheel or push down on the breaks but… my instincts totally took over. Plus I think I got arrogant… I was like “Oh I’m serving the Lord, I won’t get in an accident on the way down…” Seriously, I did… I’m an idiot. But now after THREE AND A HALF WEEKS of being in the shop, melea is back with me and looking better than ever! Yay for insurance… boo for deductables

Christmas was AMAZING! I won’t even tell you everything I got because to be frank, I’m embarrassed with how blessed I am… But I’ll tell you about my favorite present…

MY PUPPY BEBE! i have pictures of her.. which are on my other computer so i don't want to go down there now...

She’s the cutest dog in the whole wide world! Well… close to it at least! I really love having her around because as hard as it may be to believe… and even harder, and possibly embarrassing, for me to tell you is that I’ve had a really hard time making friends at the U. The only people that seem super excited to talk to me are guys… and I’m SO not interested in ANYONE (weird huh?) right now so I just… never call or text them back… I know that’s kind of rude but ya. And its really hard to make girl friends because they’re all already settled in their little groups. So basically, I don’t really have any friends right now, (or they live far away… My best girl friend Taylor Custer lives in Denver, and my sis Mindy just moved to Washington DC with her hubby) but I’m really ok because I know what matters most and it’s actually drawn me a lot closer to my Savior because unlike so many people, he’ll ALWAYS be there for me.
But Bebe is the best dog ever too! Not only is she cute, but she just follows me around, cuddles with me when I sleep, and just loves to be around me – she’s exactly what I need right now and I love her SOOOOO much!

Coming up now, I’m going to be going back to school the 12th (yuck) but my classes are actually really great. I got a 4.0 this last semester so when I transfer to the Y it should be a full ride! I’m pretty sure I’m going to be joining the institute choir this year that will BE SINGING IN GENERAL CONFERENCE! It’s sad because that means I have to miss my (LDS) sorority, but I think I’ll survive. I’m also starting dancing on another dance company that is at Clayton. It should be fun; however, not near as challenging as my other company.

That’s pretty much what’s going on in my life right now, but it’s not really what’s shaping me. I’d like to tell you now about what is actually important!

I have so many things that I’ve learned and I wish I could tell you all of it, but I know you’re busy so I’ll just tell you the most important things!
My life has changed A TON this past year and my priorities have been turned totally around and college is just WAY different than high school… I used to talk on the phone every night as I went to bed (yes I fell asleep on the phone every night for like 2 years!) , now I listen to inspirational talks.
I used to try to impress people by telling them how much I’ve accomplished so they’d be my friends, but it had the opposite effect (my mom even called me the walking resume.) But now I’m a true believer in the fact that “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” My whole life now is based on building others up, I know who I am well enough to not need others to do that.
I’ve also taken into account (I’ve changed the wording a little bit from Sister Dew, but it works for me) “No amount of time spent in front of the mirror will make you as beautiful as having the holy ghost.” I used to want to look cute to impress people – especially boys. But now that I’ve put that on my mirror (Along with my other fav “Have I received his image in my countenance” [thank you brother smith freshman year!]) I read it every day and realized that that’s what’s actually important, being beautiful before the Lord… I think that’s another big reason why I’m so not interested in anyone right now too, I don’t need a boy to know who I am! I know that sounds so silly, but I’ve struggled with that fact the my whole life! This is the first time I’ve been completely single since like sixth grade and I’m LOVING IT! It’s really helped me to focus on what I really need

Here’s some things that i've learned/quotes

• It’s incredible how much missions change so many of the boys around me, makes me so much more grateful for those who have been preparing their whole life instead of just starting to think about it when they turn 18.
• More important than what you learn to do (as a missionary) is who you are; you can make a bigger impact being an example than a teacher.
• People do not join this church because of what they know. They join it because of what they feel and see
• Nobody is ever condemned for their sings. We are only condemned because we won’t leave them
• The path of least resistance makes men and rivers crooked
• The only scripture some people get is your life? What are they reading in you?
• Stand tall – even if you have to stand alone
• God did not put us here to fail – but to succeed and become like Him
• We’re not asking for perfection – the work of the Lord is done by ordinary people in an extraordinary way
• Forget yourself and go to work!
• If you’re used to getting your way every time – get over it!
• One of the greatest secrets to missionary work is work
• Nobody is perfect – love them anyway
• Don’t make yearly resolutions, make daily goals
• This one stands true in Cali (prop 8) In a story my teacher told us some gay men were complaining because they wanted “God to accept them as they are.” We’re asking them to “accept Him as He is.”… that one sounded way better in the story
• One person with God is a majority
• “I’ve never seen Jesus face to face, but I’ve met men who have”
• We have no time for contention. We only have time to be about our father’s business
• If we live on the Lord’s side of the line the adversary has no power.
• There are no short cuts to anywhere worth going
• A half hearted effort is not an effort at all.

I love you all! another should be up later tonight!

My War

2009-01-02T00:39:00.000-08:00

I have at this time decided to wage an all out war against Satan. If successful this war will last the rest of my life. I plan to make myself a better person. I am going to use every blessing and every talent that God has given me. The power of prayer and fasting will be used. My leaders my friends and my family will help me. I have the power given me by God to win this war.

I know many of you have heard this talk before (Kent Williams) but I'm stealing this too. Many battles have been going on my whole life, but I'm declaring war today!

My New Years Resolutions

2009-01-01T23:20:00.000-08:00

Happy 2009 to everyone, and just like everyone else, I'm thinking about my new years resolutions and who I want to be by 2010. The more I write blogs, the more you guys will know I'm totally obsessed with quotes so here are a few...

Oprah Winfrey
Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right.
Cheers to a New Year and a change to get even better!

Joey Adams
May all your troubles last as long as your New Year's resolutions!
ha I think this one is funny!

Anais Nin
I made no resolutions for the New Year. The habit of making plans, of criticizing, sanctioning and molding my life, is too much of a daily event for me.
This one and another one are my favorites I'll explain why in the other one

Anonymous
A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one Year and out the other.
silly silly

Never tell your resolution beforehand, or it's twice as onerous a duty. ~John Selden
and this is exactly why I'm putting it on my blog - so i'm held to it!

Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us. ~Hal Borland

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day. ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce
I like how she looks at it as a new thing, a new start, but you do always have to understand that you're who you are today because of what you did yesterday.

People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas. ~Author Unknown
ha this is so true, but there's way more treats around the house betweeen Christmas and new years!!! if you've known me very well my whole life, this is another thing you'd know about me. I've always had a struggle with my weight - like almost every other girl out there. I try not to focus on that now or whatever but i still think this quote is funny and true.

I think in terms of the day's resolutions, not the year's. ~Henry Moore
Ok. this one is my favorite becaue it's me. my life is scheduled in days. my mentor (yay parker!) taught me that I should write down my goals, short term and long term and read them to myself OUTLOUD every day. yes sometimes i feel silly but its incredible how much this helps! I also write a to do list at the beginning of the day and cross it off at the end. I love to check things off the list, even if they're little. makes me feel more accomplished! there is no way I would've gotten through high school without lists... they're incredible. you should all write them!

Ok now for why I really started this before I got off on a quote tangent. My new years resolutions. Of course I always want to be a little more fit, as Elder Holland says (in my favorite talk ever) "we could probaboly all do a better in that reguard," but that's not what I'm focusing on this year (even though it is important for one of my resolutions) So the last three were not actually my idea... I stold them from someone else but i like them so... there! :P

First and foremost is my life goal to make every person a little happier when they say bye than when I said hi. This has been my life goal since my junior year and according to my three "Miss Congenialities," I'm doing pretty good on it, but there is no cap on happiness, so I always want to make everyone happier! I've also discovered that the people I need to focus on this with the most are the people that are closest to me.

Second, I will be Miss Murray this year. No, that doesn't necessarily mean wearing a crown because I believe there's a little Miss Murray in every Murray girl! (Plus I can't really set that goal because in the end it's those 5 judges who chose who gets the crown and no matter how hard I work and prepare it's out of my hands) All you need to do to be a Miss Murray is be a good citizen. A crown sure can be a platform and an assitant in getting where you want to get, but in the end it's your drive and not the crown that makes you a Miss Murray. Miss Murray is someone who wants to make the city a better place, and I believe every Murray girl is a Miss Murray!

Wage my war on Satan... explaination of this in a later blog

These are the three that I stole from Chelsea Hubbard's mom. They came to relief society and did our lesson.... it was so good! my favorite lesson every year! (her and her daugters all come and sing and give a message - YES!)

Become more childlike.
Yes, I'm very good at being immature I know that for a fact, but I know that's not where she was gonig with this. When she announced this resolution, she told the story of how her daughter Melissa was pregnant, and when the first blood tests came back they found out the child could have down syndrome. The family had a fast and when Melissa's 40 year old cousin with mental problems (he had the mental capacity of about a 7 year old) of his own found out, he refused to eat the next day and his mom caught him on his knees that night waaaaaaaaaaay past his bedtime. The mom asked him what he was doing and he replied "I'm praying for lissy's baby mom." Isn't that great? That he could be so childlike to fast and pray for her even though he couldn't fully understand the situation? Well, the baby ended up just great with no mental problems, but I hope she's grateful for an uncle who would do anything for her. I want to be someone who would do anything for anyone to help them out reguardless of whether I benefit.

Be the one who answers prayers.
We're always told of these incredible stories where our prayers were answered, but I don't think we ever realize how crucial we are in His plans. We must always be in touch with the spirit becaue we never know when someone will need us. Once I felt like I should really text this girl on my drill team. I didn't. come to find out Monday morning her parents had decided they were getting a divorce and they told her right before I thought I should text her. I regret that. I texted her that day and she said it helped her out a great deal, but I know it would've been more helpful if I'd done it when I first felt the spirit. Now, I have many stories the other way around where I've helped people, but the funny thing is they don't stick with me as well. yes they make me feel good, but I guess I just have to have lots more of them to make up for that one regret. I'd rather bug someone too much then let any of my friends ever feel unwanted, unloved, or confused.

Put Christ in the center.
She presented these in a different order, but I saved this for last because I feel like it's the most important - and in reality it's the only important decision anyone will ever have to make. If you put Christ in the center of your life, everything else will be the right decisions. Of course, not everything will always work out everytime, but you'll at least know the right thing to do. If we truly put Christ in the center of our lives, we will reach our final resolution - returning to Him.

In Sacrament on the same day this story was told... My mom read it to me when I was little. made me cry then, till makes me cry now. But I think it's very appropriate to end this blog with it.

The Lesson: A Fable of our Times by Carol Lynn Pearson

“On Robert’s first day at school, he had a wonderful time. He swung on the swings. He sang with the other children. He listened to the stories. He loved siting at a desk and smelling new paper and touching new pencils. And his teacher was very, very nice. One day Robert’s teacher said, ‘Children, it’s time for our lesson. We are now going to learn how to solve a problem. One plus one equals what?’”

Robert solves that problem and is very happy because he has learned how to solve the problem. However, the next day he looks at the blackboard and sees a new problem.

“‘What?’ Robert looked at his teacher in surprise. ‘Another problem?’”

“‘Oh Robert,’ the teacher said . . . ‘this is just the beginning. There are lots and lots of problems.’”

And so it goes– every day there are new problems for Robert to solve and sometimes he says that the problems are not fun. However, his teacher tells him he must solve the problems anyway because that is what he is there for- to learn. So he keeps solving problems and he moves up a grade.

Soon Robert is solving story problems–

“‘If you are outside playing . . . and you have three cars and one truck and Joey comes along and grabs two cars and the truck, how many times should you hit Joey?’ Robert thought and thought. ‘Two times!’ he said. ‘Wrong,’ said the teacher. ‘Three times!’ said Robert. ‘Wrong,’ said the teacher, and looked at him with soft, expectant eyes. Robert puzzled over this for a little while, then his hand shot up and he said brightly, ‘I know! No times!’ ‘Right!,’ said the teacher.”

Robert smiles as he realized that he has solved yet another problem, but as Robert grows bigger and bigger, so do the problems he must solve. While Robert has lots of fun at recess, there always come the problems and sometimes Robert “slumped down in his desk and said, ‘I am not enjoying this! Why are you punishing me with all these problems?’”

“And Robert’s teacher, now twinkling as if the secret were even more wonderful, answered, ‘Oh, Robert, I am not punishing you. It’s just that you have moved up a grade and are ready for harder problems. And here comes one now . . . Robert, if you ride your bicycle two blocks east and three blocks north, and you fall off and break one leg, is it your fault or the bicycle’s fault or the sidewalk’s fault or your parents’ fault because they gave you the bicylce for your birthday last August? And do you ever ride a bicycle again, and what do you do while you are lying in bed and can’t go out to play?’”

“Robert worked on that one for a long time, and it was not fun at all, but finally he got it right, and his teacher smiled . . . and moved him up another grade.”

And so it continues- Robert is faced with more problems to solve. They become more complicated and more difficult to solve. Sometimes Robert cries out, “‘Oh, no! . . . I don’t want that problem. Give me a different problem!’ ‘But I can’t,’ said the teacher. ‘This is your problem and you must solve it.’”

And so he does. Sometimes he cries a little, sometimes the problems scare him so much he hides under his desk to avoid the problems. He doesn’t always get it right the first time, but always the teacher is there to lovingly help him through the problem with extra loving care and attention.

“‘Whew! That was a tough one!’ ‘It was indeed, Robert,’ said the teacher, ‘But you solved it and I’m proud of you.’”

“Robert’s teacher gave him all kinds of problems, and he eventually learned it was no use to hide uner his desk or to tell the teacher no or to yell. They were his problems and he would have to solve them. And sometimes a new one came before the last one was finished. There was recess, and there were weekends, and there were long holidays. But always the bell would ring and there was his teacher with a new problem. And as soon as he got it solved- you guessed it- he was moved up to the next grade. And it felt good.”

And so the problems continued . . . “Robert sat at his desk for years and year and did his best. And everyone who loved him gathered around and encouraged him, but they knew they could not do Robert’s homework for him, for these were his problems. And they each had problems of their own, and Robert encouraged them, but the only problems he could really work on were his. And when he couldn’t solve a problem, no matter how he tried, the teacher was very patient and smiled and said, ‘That’s all right, Robert. We’ll come back to that one some other time.’”

In time Robert quits questionning the teacher about why he is being punished as he learns to realize that “he was there to learn, and he learned that learning made him happy.”

(ok so I couldn't find the whole book online but this is what the other lady said in her blog. It also leaves out the two most heart wrenching problems. 1. his parents are getting a divorce and he's doing bad in school and there's a whole bunch of teen problems and his choices are a)take drugs to deal with it b)kill yourself c)blame your dad d)figure out another way. it says he didn' get it right the first time [obviously he didn't chose b because well the story would end] but then he finally finishes.

[The next problem he faces is if he was 80 years old and [once again I dont' remember it exaclty and I'm too lazy to go grab the book] and he had a heart attack and he's going to miss his children and all this stuff and the question is "who will miss you" then it says all this next stuff)

In the end Robert ”realized that all the lessons he had been learning all his life had really been only one lesson, that all the problems he had been working on all his life had really been only one problem- this problem:

‘Robert, how much do you love?’”

(and then he gets it right and he moves up another grade. and then I bawl)

What an amazing story. I love love love it and will read it to my kids like my mom did to me (in a very verrrry long time.) It just strenghtens my belief in this next quote "people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." I learned this the hard way... mom used to call me a "walking resume" because I wanted to get people to like me because of my accomplishments, but in the end all they care about is how they feel when they're around me. I want to keep working on this this year, day by day for the rest of my life!

I love you all, thank you for your wonderful examples!

I now officially have 363 more days to make this year the best year ever by making others happy and keeping Christ in the center of my life!!!

Update

2008-12-30T21:39:00.000-08:00

So I'm not super swell at keeping up at this but I think I'll get better considering I can write it in my bed (thank you and mommy for my christmas present!!!)

Right now I'm going to school at the University of Utah and surprised as I am, I'm loving it! I just finished my first semester with a 4.0 (hallelujah!) and I want to keep that up so I can get a scholarship when I transfer to the school down South. I'm studying business and I love my business classes, but I think I'm changing my major to dance when I go to the Y with a minor in business.

My favorite class this semester (besides institute of course - it's THAT good!) was my business foundations class with Cal Boardman. Wow he's a stud haha. He compiled a book with works from Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, Ford, Confucius, and even Darwin. I loved the class because he would take something like evolution and teach us something about business with it. I kept the book because I love it so much! I want to always remember the teachings from it. It taught a lot about well business of course, but honesty and stuff like you. A keeper for sure!

I also took a LEAP social science for business students class. I love this class because it's small and all of my friends are in this class PLUS we won't get shuffled around next semester -I will have a class with all of them again which is so nice when you're going to a commuter school. I love all of my friends from this class and I've learned a ton in there too.

this is and inside joke with the class... my professor and this guy have the same name. I've never met the other but i'm sure they're both amazing! :D

I took two dance classes. One was modern and one was ballet. The modern class was hard because it was more out of my league than I thought it would be. I felt like the teacher was pushing us too hard since it was just a non major class and I didn't like her for it. Now I feel terrible for thinking that. By the end of the semester a lot of the people came up with some INCREDIBLE choreography! Because she pushed us so hard, it made us become better! (This is why free market is so great, yay adam smith) but for real, that taught me a huge lesson... I was so unhappy to be getting pushed so hard and then in the end I thanked her for it! Next time, I will work hard the whole time and thank the person the whole time too. Ballet class was waaaayyy fun! it's also a beginning level class so there were a few who'd never danced, a few who had some training, and a few like me who'd danced their whole lives. It was so much fun to get to take dance every m,w,f (at 730AM!!!) and I'm taking another one next semester. Dance classes are so much fun because you get to interact with your peers the whole time and they're usually really small. that's part of the reason why I want to switch to a dance major at the y... but i could never do it at the U... You can only be a ballet major or a modern major...I'd have to lose like 20 lbs to be a ballet major there, and I'm just not a modern major because... well I'm not. (they're different - can't say weird because I'm weird too and I love weird people but... ya

I took tennis for the first half of the semester. mostly because I needed on more credit hour to use my scholarship and heck, I wanted to wear the cute skirt! It was pretty fun, but I'm still terrible at it.

Institute is like no other place on campus. There's a sign when you walk in that says "your home away from home" and it really is! I love the feeling when I walk into that building. I feel safe. Not just in a physical sense, but safe from judgement too. I get "bullied" a lot because of my beliefs at the U, it's just as liberal as people say. I guess it's my own fault though. Some people just let it slide, backtrack on their beliefs, or just don't say anything.. but I usually say exactly what I believe and I get lots of different reactions for that. Anyways... back to institute! The people there are so nice. I love to just sit down at a table next to people I've never met before and make a bunch of new friends! I also love how we have a fireside like every Sunday. The speakers are always really good and even though sometimes I go alone, they're sure fun to go to with friends!

I'm took two institute classes: Mission Prep with Brother Reading and Book of Mormon 1 with (dun dun dun DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!) Brother Wilcox!!! (Michael)

Mission Prep was a little bit hard for me to get into at first... it was a lot of work haha! I guess that's what being a missionary is. The class was pretty small, and one of my girlfriends from my LEAP class came into it and she loves to talk... she was going through a hard time with her boyfriend so I felt bad like... I dunno it was just hard to pay attention. There's so many little stories I wish I could type for you all, but basically, the closer those boys got to their missions, the more focused and righteous they became (most of the boys got their mission calls during the class, one actually gave his farewell Sunday!) I'm amazed at how much missions change boys... but it sort of makes me wish they would've been that focused on the Lord their whole lives. I know a few boys who have always been like that (Mark, Nate and a few other of my friends) and I just look up to them SO much! But as long as their getting closer to the Lord, I'm not complaining! My favorite lesson was when we all thought of a Christ like quality that we thought we needed to work on, and we basically all worked on the same thing. We talked about it in a big circle and it was just an amazing lesson. (then I took the actual quiz in preach my gospel(by the way thats an amazing book) and i SERIOUSLY need to work on patience....NOW!... *Angel smile*) Most of us worked on charity and serving others and putting others first. It made me want to be 21 SO bad so I could leave on a mission now! (once again with the patience thing...) but then I realized I don't have to be a missionary to make a difference now! I don't have to wear a badge to teach someone about the gospel, help them out, or even make their day better! I dedicated my life to others this last trek and it just inspired me to do that even more!

Another reason why I like that class was because of what happened after. This kid in my class - Ethan is "one of those guys." Ya know, the amazing ones that you swear is perfect. We went to the temple together and afterwards he took me home and we talked about a lot of stuff - girls, school, drumming, stage stuff, and every time it turned into something gospel related. I loved it. He just told me how he's always been so focused on his mission his whole life he never really had time for things like girls. Reminds me a lot of other "those guys." and I wish I could remember specifics, but I just realized, I kind of want my life to be like that right now. I don't want to worry about stupid stuff like boys, shopping, clothes, and the way I look. I need to focus on the important things like the Church, my family, and (even though I WISH it wasn't that important) school. People that make me realize stuff like this are the people that I like to keep around. they're the people I want to become more like because they're a lot like Christ. I love people!

My second institute class was with the most amazing institute teacher ever and I'm so happy I got to take a class from him! the class was huge (well for an instititute class - like 50 people) but I still made some good friends from it. I learned something new every day in that class. It was like I was back in ninth grade again... just learning SO much. never having to worry about if it's cool to love institute... just learning! the funny thing about both Wilcox and Smith is that I never felt like I was just going through something we needed to read... they'd take one chapter or a few and make an awesome lesson that I could put into my life THAT DAY. I just loved it! I just love institute! Institute is the best! (plus there's ALWAYS food there! :D)

I'm doing a lot of dancing right now (thanks mom and dad for the thousands of dollars you spent on my dance!!!!!!) I'm teaching technique and hip hop at Clayton Productions, dancing on a semi-pro dance company On Queue (which is also the wasatch revolution football team's dancers, so we'll be getting paid!!!) I danced in the Motab's Christmas concert, and I'm starting on a dance company at Clayton called Dream with all graduated dancers.

Dancing is a joy, but taking something that I learned and teaching it to somebody else is amazing! it makes all of the hours that I worked my rear off dancing worth it! Then, each time they get better, I just want to cry! I LOVE MY GIRLS! I teach girls from second grade through high school. My youngest girls are pretty hard sometimes... and they've sort of made me dislike "Crush" (sorry david) that's the only song they'll dance to!!! Even though I love the song, and I love David it's just, well, hard. My junior high girls are funny because they're still in that stage of life where they're trying to be cool and listening to your teachers not exactly cool so ya. my high school girls are the bomb.com. they work so freaking hard and a lot of them are in my hip hop company too,AND well, they're my friends! I LOVE teaching my hip hop company. those girls work so hard and i just love them! if i can figure it out I'll post their dance. they're so cute!

On Queue is kind of hard sometimes. I'm the only girl on the team that has never danced with any of the other girls (2 are from Alta and everyone else is from Bingham) It's kind of like starting Winner School over again. The girls are really nice though, it's just hard when they know nothing about me. and I tend to be so focused at dance that people don't really get to know me because I just want to focus, work hard, and get better. I'm excited for when we started dancing for the football team though!

Dancing in the Motab's program was an amazing experience! At first it was hard because it was really under my level of difficulty so I talked... a lot... and then the problem with that was I stopped paying attention then the lady didn't like me then I didn't get put in the front and I was mad. and it was all my fault! I will NEVER not try as hard as I can just because it's under me EVER again! but, even though I didn't get put where I wanted to be and I had some hard times through it... oh ya, and I wrecked my car getting to the Sunday morning performance, I loved it! I got to dance for uchtdorf and oh ya, PRESIDENT MONSON! not to mentions brian stokes mitchell... he's amazing. but ya. priceless experience that I'll never forget. I met a lot of awesome people there too!!!

Dream will be fun. I don't really know exactly what to expect yet, but I know that I'll be choreographing at least one number for it :D yay!

I love to dance!

That's all the big stuff. oh ya! I got a puppy dog... well she's four. but I don't think my dad's gonna let me keep her and that's a big long story that I don't want to get in to right now, but I love her soooo much!

Welp I dont want to type much more but I think I want to put up some pictures.

I love you all!!!
Thank you for your love, support, and examples!

First Entry!

2008-11-16T21:54:00.000-08:00

So this is my first entry! I have a lot to say... but I should be going to bed. so I'll leave you with some quotes from church/the fireside I went to today :D

"So I haven't done much public speaking, so when I was asked to speak I talked to my friend who does a lot of it. I asked him what the best way to start a talk is. He said a joke or a lie. I don't know any jokes so I'm happy to be here today!"

(this isn't exactly what he said... but I like my way better :D)
"Stand tall, even if it means standing alone"

and here's some good quotes from my friend :D

"As we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same"
-Nelson Mandela (ps I highly recommend this whole talk... its amazing!)

A smile and a laugh is a language that everyone can speak
-matt

I've never seen a smiling face that was not beautiful

wear a smile and have friends; wear a scowl and have wrinkles
-george eliot

If you dont start out the day with a smile, its not too late to start practicing for tomorrow

a smile is an inexpensive way to change your looks
Charles Gordy

Christ doesn't make UP all the difference. he makes ALL the difference
-Bro Wilcox

The tongue only weighs an ounce but only some can hold it

Well... I love you all!!! MUAH~