Busy Bri

BYU-College Life

2010-09-04T15:35:00.000-07:00

BYU is absolutely amazing, that's all I'll say for now :)

And after 2 years and 10 months its finished

2010-05-27T17:31:00.000-07:00

Oh SWEET goodness. Ladies and gentleman I am OFFICIALLY a High School Graduate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Insane?? I think so. I've been done with all of my classes, tests, and papers since April. But as of last Saturday its official :)

And to really seal the deal I had my senior pictures taken a few weeks back. You know what I mean every senior has them done...Those pictures where you stand there, smile and try to look like your comfortable with someone taking copious amounts of pictures of you?? I'm just kidding its really not that bad, I had a lot of fun. But really, whats the use of your parents sending out announcements telling the cousin on your dad's side that is twice removed you graduated WITHOUT being able to show how 'grow up' or 'cute' you've become....or thats what I'm told :p

So here are my favs...

So yeah that's me <3 P.S. Pictures courtesy of the AMAZING April Bladh Smith check out her blog! :) http://www.bladephoto.blogspot.com/

Happy Mother's DAY!

2010-05-09T19:50:00.000-07:00

The Importance of Mothers

People often ask what the importance of a mother is in today’s busy society; I ask what the importance of a mother ISN’T. Mothers are essential to God’s great plan of happiness, their sacred work is opposed by Satan, who would destroy the family and demean the worth of women. Our Mothers who are the superheroes, the hospitals, the finest five star restaurants, the nurturer, and the one that children can turn to at any given time. So brothers and sisters my question to you is “What is the importance of Mothers??”

Do we see mothers as someone who simply cooks and cleans? The stay at home house keepers? Do we see mothers as the referrer to make a call on all of our sibling squabbles?

Or do we see them as our Heavenly Father sees them? Divine woman who help his plan of salvation continue on?

The general authorities have many things to say about mothers….

President Monson said,” Mother, who willingly made that personal journey into the valley of the shadow of death to take us by the hand and introduce us to birth—even to mortal life—deserves our undying gratitude. One writer summed up our love for mother when he declared, “God could not be everywhere, and so He gave us mothers.”

Elder Ballard stated, “I surely know that there is no role in life more essential and more eternal than that of motherhood.…..I believe that the instincts and the intense nurturing involvement of mothers with their children will always be a major key to their well-being. In the words of the proclamation on the family, “Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children”

President Hinckley said,” No one can calculate the tremendous force for good that you can become. You are the teachers of you’re children and of the rising generations…

The proverb spoken of old said, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6).

Teach your children when they are very young and small, and never quit. As long as they are in your home, let them be your primary interest”

President Tanner said, “A mother has far greater influence on her children than anyone else, and she must realize that every word she speaks, every act, every response, her attitude, even her appearance and manner of dress affect the lives of her children and the whole family. It is while the child is in the home that he gains from his mother the attitudes, hopes, and beliefs that will determine the kind of life he will live and the contribution he will make to society.”

Regarding the importance of mothers teaching their children the gospel, President Benson said: “Mothers, you are your children’s best teacher. … Teach your children the gospel in your own home, at your own fireside. This is the most effective teaching that your children will ever receive. This is the Lord’s way of teaching. The Church cannot teach like you can. The school cannot. The day-care center cannot. But you can, and the Lord will sustain you. Your children will remember your teachings forever, and when they are old, they will not depart from them. They will call you blessed—their truly angel mother”

In our most recent general conference elder Ballard said,” There is nothing in this world as personal, as nurturing, or as life changing as the influence of a righteous woman. Throughout the history of the world, women have always been teachers of moral values. That instruction begins in the cradle and continues throughout the lives of their children. Today our society is bombarded with messages about womanhood and motherhood that are dangerously and wickedly wrong. As mothers in Israel, you are your children’s’ first line of defense against the wiles of the world.”

In the beginning she fed us and kept us warm. She taught us how to walk, talk, and be kind. She’s the one we turned to when we fell down and couldn’t get back up again. Because we knew she would lift us to higher ground and wipe away our tears. If we follow her we cannot fail, because she knows where she’s going and she’s been down this walk of life before. Moms I don’t know if you really understand how important you are. You took us to kindergarten, you taught us our ABC’s, how to cook, to choose the right, clean, sow, and have compassion. While shopping for a card for my mother a few days ago I found one that said,” Mom, I’ll always remember the things you’ve taught me. Every once in awhile when I’m in the middle of doing something. I stop and think ‘Mom taught me how to do this,’ and I smile. Thanks for all the things you’ve taught me and shared with me. And in case I don’t always say it, and sometimes I forget to show it, I wanted you to know how much I love you. “We as your children sometimes put on this façade of not listening or not caring. But we hear what you say, and we remember what you’ve taught us. And even if we don’t show it we’ll always love you. You’ve taught us SO many things but the most important thing you’ve taught us of Is Christ and this gospel, that if we build upon Him we cannot fail.

Another talk this April from conference was titled “Mother Told Me” by Elder Foster. Here’s a paragraph from it. When a wayward child returns home it seems they almost always turn first toward Mother, with emotions like those expressed in a poem by Elizabeth Akers Allen:

Backward, flow backward, O tide of the years!
I am so weary of toil and of tears, . . .

Tired of the hollow, the base, the untrue,
Mother, O mother, my heart calls for you! . . .

Over my heart, in the days that are flown,
No love like mother-love ever has shone; . . .

None like a mother can charm away pain
From the sick soul and the world-weary brain.
Slumber’s soft calms o’er my heavy lids creep;
Rock me to sleep, mother, rock me to sleep!

Perhaps the reason we respond so universally to our mothers’ love is because it typifies the love of our Savior. As President Joseph F. Smith said, “The love of a true mother comes nearer [to] being like the love of God than any other kind of love.”

In the scriptures many prominent figures did great things, with the example and pure love of their mothers. One instance of this is the 2000 stripling warriors whose mothers taught them that if they did not doubt God would deliver them. In Alma 56:48 those young men say,” We do not doubt our mothers knew it” and they went forth with great courage to defeat the Lamanites. Another perfect example is our Savior in the love He showed for His earthly mother. In the final, most pivotal moment of His mortal life—after the anguish of Gethsemane, the mock trial, the crown of thorns, the heavy cross to which He was brutally nailed—Jesus looked down from the cross and saw His mother, Mary, who had come to be with her Son. His final act of love before He died was to ensure that His mother would be cared for, saying to His disciple, “Behold thy mother!” And from that point on the disciple took her unto his home. As the scriptures say, then Jesus knew that “all things were now accomplished,” and He bowed His head and died.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said to the mothers in the Church: “Yours is the grand tradition of Eve, the mother of all the human family. … Yours is the grand tradition of Sarah and Rebecca and Rachel, without whom there could not have been those magnificent patriarchal promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob which bless us all. Yours is the grand tradition of Lois and Eunice and the mothers of the 2,000 stripling warriors. Yours is the grand tradition of Mary, chosen and foreordained from before this world was, to conceive, carry, and bear the Son of God Himself.

To end I’d like to share this primary song

Mother tell me the story that I love to hear.

Tell me of heaven and why I came here.

Mother tell me how you love and gently speak and then Ill go to sleep.

Mother tell me of Jesus and how he is near

Tell how he love me and I will not fear

Mother tell how his Spirit brings comfort and peace

And then I’ll go to sleep.

The role of mothers today is NO less vital than it was when Rebecca, Leah, and Mary were around. Mothers you are our greatest hope and light, we look up to you and we love you. We lean on your testimonies until we have gained our own. You are raising the future generations the future prophets, relief society presidents, mothers and fathers. Without you we would be nothing.

I'm so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ, and that my Mother told me. <3>

"Our Littlest Angel"

2010-04-13T14:18:00.000-07:00

If you know me, you know I have a sister named Brittany. Brittany was born 2 1/2 months early and was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. She's now about to turn 25 and has spent her entire life in a wheel chair. Now don't get me wrong I absolutely LOVE my sister. But she is complete care. She has to be fed, changed, clothed, etc. So growing up with her was a challenge. But I know that she's in my family for a reason. And that my life has been immensely blessed because of her. She's taught me a LOT about love, service, and patience. This video was put out by the church awhile back, and it gave me a lot of hope. Most people have a hard time being comfortable around those who are disabled, heck I do and my sister is disabled. But I know that without a doubt those who are mentally or physically not 100% have some of the sweetest, strongest spirits. And if we just take the time to get to know them and have CHARITY our lives can be changed forever.

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It's people like these girls that make this world a better place.<3

Audrey Hepburn's "beauty tips".

2010-01-23T22:05:00.000-08:00

"For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.

For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed; never throw out anyone.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mode, but the true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.

It is the caring that she lovingly gives the passion that she shows.

The beauty of a woman grows with the passing years."

"Get thee HENCE"

2010-01-10T21:36:00.000-08:00

There has never been more expected of the faithful than NOW. It's weird to think of how TRUE that statement is. We DAILY go through things that our parents and grand parents never would have imagined. It makes me wonder how much worse will it be when I have children?? How more wicked can the world become?? How cunning Satan must have been to lead a third, a THIRD, of the host of Heaven away from the very PRESENCE of God. To of seen our Heavenly Father, know of his goodness and LOVE. But to still be swayed to the darkness is astonishing to me. But if Satan took so many of my brothers and sisters then, how much EASIER must it be for him now?? I hope and pray constantly that we as disciples of Christ will have the strength to say, "Get thee Hence Satan".

A Brand NEW Year

2010-01-07T21:23:00.000-08:00

So I was inspired by a friend's blog and I now feel the need to recap on the marvelous year of 2009!

I got to go to Prom, with a great guy, and see many dear friends.

I turned 16, and got my drivers license! Scary thought right?! DUN DUN DUN

Went to Girl's Camp. With some pretty NIFTY, amazing, young ladies!

July, what more can I say???

Teen Summit!! aka Military Leadership Camp. Zip lining, Rock Climbing, and White Water River Rafting. And last but NOT least Mustache Buddies for life...

Went to EFY for the third time, and gained a FIRM testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith.Read the Book of Mormon in under 24 hours.

Went to Vegas with one of my DEAREST friends ever.

Got 98% in two college classes. Fully choreographed Show Choirs. Started tutoring and teaching piano. Applied for colleges. Kid napped a friend,Sea Port Village <3, tortilla-ing, movies late nights,long talks on the phone...

FEET ART!!

WAY more tears than I'm used to, parties, thinking, Pioneer Trek, journal-ing, snow boarding, travels, long drives, Little Italy, growing closer to some,Mammoth, testing my limits, doing something SO hard I thought I'd break,Military Ball, letting something go, living life to the fullest, loving more freely, etc.

Getting flowers :)

There has been SO many good times and laughs. But also so many tears. I for one know I wouldn't trade these memories for anything. To all of you who've shared in my triumphs, failures, good times, and laughs. Thanks, I couldn't ask for a better group of friends. So as I close the year of 2009 I look to 2010 with HOPE. For less tears and more joy. To start the NEW YEAR with new resolutions. Have you made some?? I hope so, cause I have!! And here they are!!

1. STOP popping my knuckles
2. Get into a good, HEALTHY routine (early to bed, gym, eat healthy, therapy)
3. Only say GOOD things about others
"If you can't say anything NICE, don't say ANYTHING at all"
4. Show the LOVE and appreciation I feel to my family, loved ones, and friends.

Happy New Year!

ASL Project

2009-11-19T17:14:00.000-08:00

I love to see the Temple, I'm going there someday. To feel the Holy Spirit, to listen and to pray. For the temple is a house of God. A place of love and beauty. I'll prepare myself while I am young...This is my sacred duty.

We are daughters of our Heavenly Father, who loves us, and we love Him.
We will "stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things,
and in all places" as we strive to live
the Young Women values, which are:
Faith
Divine Nature
Individual Worth
Knowledge
Choice and Accountability
Good Works
Integrity and
Virtue.

I love to see the Temple. I'll go inside someday. I'll covenant with my Father, I'll promise to obey. For the Temple is a holy place where we are sealed together. As a child of God, I've learned this truth. A family is forever.

We believe as we come to accept and act upon these values,
we will be prepared to strengthen home and family, make and keep sacred covenants,
receive the ordinances of the temple, and enjoy the blessings of exaltation.

Why LDS Women Stress

2009-11-18T13:23:00.000-08:00

As Latter-day Saint women, we are practically obsessed with anxiously
engaging ourselves in good causes. Maybe it's subliminal.

Glancing through the hymnal last Sunday I noted that as sisters in
Zion,we who are called to serve are all enlisted to go marching,marching forward because the world has need of willing people to all press on scattering sunshine.We wonder if we have done any good in the world today because we have been given much and want to do what is right, keep the commandments,press forward with the Saints,choose the right,and put our shoulders to the wheel going where He wants us
to go.However, as the morning breaks high on the mountain top,truth reflects upon our senses,and while we still believe that sweet is the work,we also realize that we have work enough to do ere the sun goes down.

And thus we ask Thee ere we part, where can we turn for peace?

Personal Progress

2009-10-19T15:50:00.001-07:00

Sorry this post is SOOOOOOOO LONG!! BUT its a talk I wrote that I'm giving at Young Women in Excellence tomorrow.... ENJOY!!

These are dark and perilous times. Where one can hardly step outside their front door without being accosted by immorality, lies, vulgar language, and the many other down falls of man. We are faced with these things at school, at work, at the mall, the movies, the store, and just hanging out with friends. So how in a world that is SO corrupt are we to be a light unto the nations. 1 Timothy 4:12 says,” Let no man adespise thy youth; but be thou an bexample of the believers, in word, in cconversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in dpurity.”

The church has given us, its members many road maps on this journey we call life. We have the Bible, Book of Mormon, True to the Faith, and General Conference just to name a few. Even with all of this the first presidency felt we, as youth, as young women needed more. And so Personal Progress was created.

I want you all to think back to your very first day in Young Women’s and how EXCITED you were to finally be with the “older girls”. Do you remember the first time the Sister over personal progress came to visit you? And that child like excitement and thrill you had of finally being able to participate in something so great and accomplish something so grand? Sisters…. How long did that determination to be the first one in your class to receive your medallion last?

A few years ago I pulled out of public school to do independent study. Now I know this was the right decision for me, but it didn’t come without its struggles. I remember daily feeling alone and lost. I wasn’t surrounded by my friends all day long, I didn’t have teachers there telling me how excellent that essay was or how good I was doing. It was just me. One day I was feeling quite lonely and I happened upon my personal progress book. And it was one of those “oh yeah I need to finish that” moments. So I half heartedly open my book. And after that everything was different.

From the section on faith where I remembered faith is much more than a passive belief. That I had to express my faith through my actions- by the way I lived. Then I read Moroni 7:33, “And Christ hath said: aIf ye will have bfaith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is cexpedient in me.” And everything got a little bit easier after that.

To Divine Nature and Individual Worth. Where I remembered that the worth of souls, that the worth my MY soul was great.
In the book One Bright and Shinning Hope it says,” You are very precious, each of you. You occupy a high and sacred place in the eternal plan of God, our Father in Heaven; you are his daughter, precious to Him, loved by Him, and very important to Him. His grand design cannot succeed without you.” And again I took a couple more steps in the right direction.

Then I trudged forward through Knowledge, Choice and Accountability, Good Works and Integrity. And with each activity and each project I noticed a change in myself. I was happier, I got along better with my family, and my friendships had improved. I no longer looked as service or going to church as something I HAD TO do but as something I WANTED to do. Something I knew would make me happier and bring me closer to my Heavenly Father.

I don’t know how many of you have read page ONE of your personal progress book. But it says.................... “You are a beloved daughter of Heavenly Father, prepared to come to the earth at this particular time for a sacred and glorious purpose. You have the noble calling to use your strength and influence for good. Your loving Heavenly Father has blessed you with talents and abilities that will help you fulfill your divine mission. Through personal prayer, scripture study, obedience to the commandments, and service to others, you can develop these gifts.
Use your influence to lift and bless your family, other young women, and the young men with whom you associate. Honor womanhood, support the priesthood, and treasure faithful motherhood and fatherhood.

As you participate in Personal Progress, you join with thousands of other young women who are striving to come unto Christ and “stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places” (Mosiah 18:9). Prayerfully choose goals that will help you cultivate feminine virtues, grow spiritually, and reach your divine potential. Take advantage of your time in Young Women by preparing to receive the sacred ordinances of the temple, to be a faithful wife and mother, and to strengthen the home and family.”

I received my medallion over a year and a half ago and I read that page for the FIRST TIME yesterday afternoon. But it describes perfectly what personal progress has helped me become and what it has made me strive for…. Because of Personal Progress and the Young Women’s Program I can walk by faith, I KNOW I am a daughter of God with infinite worth, I know how to make good choices, exhibit integrity, be virtuous, sow, cook, be a leader, study, love my family, enjoy service and try to be more Christ like.

All these things will help me in my future. They will help me meet my ultimate goal which is to be married in the Temple. And I KNOW it will do the same for you if you just take that little step and open up your personal progress book and finish it one activity at a time.

life

2009-10-07T14:34:00.000-07:00

Today was just one of those days. When the alarm goes off and you realize.... I'm freezing cold, whats going on here!??! I live in SOUTHERN California, not Idaho. So after setting, and resetting your alarm for later times you drag yourself out of bed. And realize you have the one sock blues.... Where you KNOW you went to bed with two socks on.... but now you can't find your left one to save your life. so you halfheartedly search, but to no avail. And then it turns into trying to keep yourself moving and motivated. You clean your room, do your daily scripture study, say your prayers, and go to eat. But you're not really paying attention to any of it. You're just going through the motions of life not caring what you do or what happens. Until you get in your car to go to work and all of the sudden something inside of you just SNAPS awake. And you look at the beauty around you, and you just feel SO alive. SO happy to be breathing and moving.

This past weekend was General Conference, and sadly I had work Saturday so I missed that session....But no worries Im making it up one by one. But Sunday, was amazing! Its so cool to be able to wake up, go down stairs, turn on your tv and listen to a Prophet of God. My favorite talk probably was President Thomas S. Monson's talk on service and charity.... It really struck me personally that even though I do my best to serve others and have charity I can do SO much more! So I went to www.lds.org to re watch this talk and they have the American Sign Language translation up, how COOL is that!?!? Here's the link for it...

http://broadcast.lds.org/genconf/2009/10/40/GC_2009_10_411_MonsonTS___ase_.mp4

So I've made this CRAZY DECISION to learn how to roller blade/skate. So i went to the thrift store today and got a pair of roller blades AND a pair of roller skates for a GRAND total of...................$8.05. How cool is that???

Anyways life is good, I'm just staying SUPER busy. And trying to prepare for the upcoming changes in life. But it'll all be ok cause everything happens for a reason and all I can do is trust and take life one step at a time. :)

Dear Hollywood

2009-09-23T20:42:00.000-07:00

Reading the Book of Mormon in 24 hours!

2009-08-15T17:42:00.000-07:00

So after hearing a few stories of lds kids reading the Book of Mormon in 24 hours, my friends and I started talking about US trying it too. Well after a few months I decided ENOUGH is ENOUGH we're doing it. So I talked to a few ppl-got their input, picked a date and a time, and invited some friends.

Here's Who CAME:

Karissa Kartchner

Jared Allen

Katie Thompson

My LOVELY little sister

William Baker

and................... ME!

So at 7 am on August 12th all of my friends started trickling in... Once we all were at my house our cell phones went on "stun" and into the cell phone bucket. We started out sitting on my HUGE blue comfy couches, each reading a page... Needless to say that didn't last long. So throughout the day we'd read a column each, 2 verses, or 3. We stayed there for awhile but then we needed a change of scenery. So we moved into my dining room...And quite a few interesting things happened at that table....

1.While sitting there we realized we could stick 33 twist-able colored pencils in my hair... and they stayed.
(Here's what it looked like)

2.Karissa got all creative on us....

3.Brizzle decided she wanted to help

4.And we went a little stir crazy from reading about 5 hours....

After some intense math :P we realized in order to finish in time we had to read 25 pages EACH hour. So we'd have an hour where we'd be PERFECTLY on schedule. And the next we would find ourselves with 20 minutes left and 11 pages to read, we're some pretty talented speed readers. We read a few pages silently to ourselves once or twice, but other than that SOMEONE was ALWAYS reading out loud. For lunch Jared and I made hamburgers. Somewhere around Mosiah 27 (3 pm ish) Katie, Karissa, and I made 1-2-3 cookies. For dinner we had pasta. At 6:40 we had made it past the half way mark (Page 270) and we took the ONLY break. A 20 minute period where we didn't read. During that lovely 20 minutes of refuge Kt played the piano, I showered, and everyone else just chilled. But then it was back to HARD core reading.

Around 8-9 ish pm we had another reader join the cause

And then at 10 pm Sister Thompson brought us Slurpee's!! YUM! the Slurpee's and the cookies were the ONLY sugary things we allowed ourselves that day :)

We migrated ALL over my house. Couches, tables, floors,stairs, standing up and walking when needed, I did my postural solutions, Karissa bounced on the exercise ball, Jared and I had push up and sit up contests... ANYTHING to keep us awake.

Now around 2 AM staying awake GOT really hard. And we were ALL PRETTY LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPY!!! And tired and maybe even a little irritable. And im sitting there thinking to myself... "WHO IN THE WORLDS IDEA WAS THIS... Im SO tired I WANNA SLEEP! GRUMBLE GRUMBLE! oh wait.... it was mine... Never mind"

haha al francis?

So at around 3 AM when Sister Baker showed up and put the Pizzas in the oven. We were ALL pretty stinkin happy. And she in her motherly wisdom made us all stand up and walk around while she read to us for a few minutes. (THANKS Sister B!!) Then we ate some TASTY pizza that woke us up a bit...SO Sister B leaves and I start to get REALLY TIRED again. SO I say a silent prayer that I can stay awake... Well about 3 minutes after that I got the hiccups, and i had them FOREVER! and then my hiccups led to JARED getting them. Then Taylor falling off her chair laughing, and me RUNNING from the room(STILL HICCUPING) and laughing hysterically. It is SO hard to read when you have the HICCUPS! But hey... it kept me awake :p Thanks for not killing me guys, those hiccups where pretty annoying.... Around 4 am we lost Tay and Bailee to sleep....

But they were cute...and tired....so we didnt wake them

We SPEED read through Ether not even remotely enjoying the book of bloody death and destruction. Because we were dying off one by one....

FINALLY Moroni came around and we all sat around the table, and each read 2 verses to keep us coherent. The sun came out again and graced us with its presence... AND FINALLY, after Tay and Bailee once again graced us with their reading capabilities, we FINISHED at 6:36 AM.

We all looked at each other half asleep, gave each other some high fives and pats on the back. Then one by one slipped off into oblivion. Karissa drove home, Jared took Will home then passed out on my couch,Taylor and Bailee slept in the guest room, and Kt and I slept in my room.... And apparently I was a bed hog... Sorry KT!! And after about 4 hours of sleep I woke up, got dressed, and went to work. Delirious, but happy.

Start Time: 7:30 AM
Date:August 12th, 2009
Break: 6:40 pm- 7:pm
Food:chips, fruit chew things, salsa, fruit,1-2-3 cookies, wheat thins, burgers,pasta,slurpees, pizza, and WATER absolutely NO soda!
Finished: 6:36 AM
Date: August 13th, 2009

TOTAL READING TIME: 22 hours and 46 minutes!!

~~~What I Learned,Realized, Noticed~~~
-Get MORE than 5 HOURS of sleep the NIGHT before you start
-When Lehi had the Tree of Life dream 1 Nephi 8:21 says,"He saw numberless concourses of people, many of whom were pressing forward, that they might obtain the path which led unto the tree by which I stood." I wonder if he saw me.
-1 Nephi 11:6 says the Spirit "cried with a loud voice" How often is the Spirit LOUD? and we still don't recognize it?
-2 Nephi 27:11 I CANT WAIT!!!!
-So somewhere in Nephi he says that the Spirit revealed to him that the Saviors name would be Jesus Christ, and that was around 600 ish years before Christ was born. That's is SO COOL!!!
-Every time the Nephities go to battle with the Lamanites, or after they have almost killed them all. They ALWAYS gave them the option to yield up their weapons and live. Talk about MERCY and Christ-like love. Because it says AGAIN AND AGAIN "It grieved them to send their brethren to meet their maker unprepared"
-they use the word Betwixt A LOT
-what the heck does it mean to LOP SOMEONE
-reading the Book of Mormon straight through that fast makes the time line of it all make SO much more sense
-its so cool to see the scriptures where it talks about Joseph smith, Moses, Columbus, etc without saying their names. SO COOL
-The PRIDE cycle is RIDICULOUS I MEAN COME ON! WHY cant we LEARN!!
1.Spiritual Faith to Courage
2.Courage to Freedom
3. Freedom to Abundance
4.Abundance to Selfishness
5.Selfishness to Complacency
6.Complacency to Apathy
7.Apathy to Fear
8.Fear to Dependency
9.Dependency to BONDAGE
and it just happens again and AGAIN
-I want to marry someone like Moroni
-I want to more readily share the gospel with those around me

So yeah.... Thats my story and im sticking to it! Thanks to ALL my lovely friends who shared that AMAZING experience with me. Thanks Sister B & T for the food. And thank you Mom for letting us have this shindig at our house!! <3

GET OUT THERE

2009-07-01T15:34:00.001-07:00

So here's my thing. Its SUMMER!!! Its time to have fun! Be a little wild, a little crazy, let loose! I don't know about everyone else out there... But I tend to get a smidgen bored during summer without the constant deadlines,papers, tests, etc... So seriously GET OUT THERE! You only get to be YOUNG once. Sing, dance, act, CREATE. Just don't waste your life away inside this summer! There is ONLY one you! So bless the world by being your AMAZING self!!

What is it to be an American

2009-05-26T16:28:00.000-07:00

This is an essay I wrote for my 11th grade English class. So, today I went to class all excited to hear everyone else's opinions and feelings. I was shocked by the lack of patriotism, and the lack of understanding of how blessed we are to live in this nation.

What is it to be an American?

What is it to be an American? It’s a question that has been asked since this country was founded. Does it mean to be proud, to be free, and have boundless opportunities? There isn’t a set definition of what it is to be an American. It means different things to different people. To a refugee from the war ravaged country of North Korea this country would offer a sense of safety, and the ability to start anew. Such a person would have a very different view of what it is to be an American and live in America; compared to a cooperate executive who works on Wall Street. To me, an American is a person who wants something better, something more. In the Declaration of Independence it states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.“ Most people don’t understand the risks, lengths, and sacrifices that were made that led our country to where it is today. Being American means knowing that you have a great heritage, that people gave their lives for this country. Many people have heroic tales of ancestors who fought for what they believed in and suffered many afflictions. A story of such endurance in my family is that of Grandma Jo. Grandma Jo crossed the plains and had to bury her new born baby in the ice. She covered her child’s body with rocks for a grave, and while slowly driving away she heard the wolves scrap the away those rocks. Such is the faith and courage of our fore fathers. It means knowing that I have a father in the Air Force who has multiple times put his life on the line to protect his freedom, his religion, his family, and this country.

Being an American is the knowledge that there’s something else out there. That all reason told us we would lose in the war against Great Britain. It’s realizing that all of our fore fathers: Jefferson, Franklin, Hancock, Rush, Madison, Adams, Washington, etc believed there was a Divine intervention. In May of 1776 George Washington wrote a letter to Reverend William Gordon. In it Washington said, “The man must be bad indeed who can look upon the events of the American Revolution without feeling the warmest gratitude towards the great Author of the Universe whose divine interposition was so frequently manifested in our behalf…. In war He directed the sword, and in peace, He has ruled in our councils” We as Americans should strive to be better, do better, and do what’s right. We’ve been blessed with this free nation and it’s our job to keep it that way. An American is a person who isn’t afraid to shoot for the stars and stand up for what they believe in. Nelson Mendalah put it perfectly when he said, "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us, it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." I am an American; I come from a long line of religious stalwart people. Who were pilots, engineers, military men, spies, teachers, leaders, friends, examples, laborers, mothers and fathers. Because of those before me I can worship my God.

I know that I have the same privileges as those around me, whither male or female. I can strive to be what ever I want to be; the sky is the limit. It’s the knowledge that if I don’t like something I have the power to change it. I can vote and petition, so that righteous leaders are elected. Being American is a blessing and a privilege. Thomas Jefferson said,” If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.” This is what our country was founded on, what we need to uphold. Such statements remind me daily that I need to actively shape my future and do my best to help my country in the right direction. I will not be a lazy complacent citizen, I am American and the time is now.