Something I've Been Avoiding

   I haven't wanted to write about this for the longest time, but I feel like this is my area to delve into what really makes me...me. Relationships have been a crazy ride for me. I feel like every year there is at least one story of a boy and how they helped push me to grow into myself or how I became me. It sounds sad and weird and all sorts of messed up and I swear I'm not boy crazy because I really get along just fine without them, but everyone is different and learns in different ways.
   As a heads up, none of this is going to make any sense or be, in any way, fluid.
   I have had some amazing boyfriends. Most of them I didn't deserve, but all of them I learned amazing lessons from and grew from. All of them I needed to date. Even that one. That one who would make me feel like I wasn't worth it. Like I couldn't keep anyone's attention more than a few weeks. The one who made me feel insecure and lonely and broke my capacity to truly trust. But I learned. Oh, did I learn! Those feelings and insecurities stay with me now. They didn't hit until a year after the fact, I don't know why, they just didn't. And when they did, they hit hard. I didn't know what I was feeling or why. I didn't know why I felt like I couldn't trust any relationship I was going into. It wasn't until after I was down and out again when I truly recognized, sat down and took a look at what happened to me, who I had become from those things. I didn't like it. I still don't. It's still  hard for me and I know it will continue to be. But I also know that these things take time. I know what it is now and I'm not entirely sure how to deal with it, but I'm ready to give everything a shot. I want to feel happy and secure and comfortable again.
   Every day, with the Lord's help, I become stronger. I realize what I am worth. I know what I want. One day I will get it. I've become more able to realize when I sink back to these awful feelings of unworthiness and pull myself out of it. It's not easy-it never is. These challenges and setbacks are there to help perfect us. We are all given these challenges and trials to help our weaknesses become strong. It's the only way to become perfected and that's the ultimate goal! Obviously we can't make it there in this life, but if that is our goal all of the time, we will eventually get there in the next life.
     I know this hasn't really said much of anything, given any insight, or done anything really, but this post needed to happen for me. I have refused to address the problems I have because, like most people, I wanted to pretend it didn't happen. It was nothing huge or way major, but major enough to cause me to have these emotions and thoughts. It was enough to make my weaknesses become strong:) Looking back, and forwards, it's a true blessing to be able to have my Heavenly Father think I am ready to become one step closer to being perfected! I am so grateful for that trial and that I could learn and grow.

Happiness is Anyone and Anything At All

  Happiness is gratitude. Needless to say, this weekend was fantastic! Besides Easter and then Christmas, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite Holidays. What better day than the one where you are surrounded by people you love and eat tons of amazing food and being reminded of how many blessings you have in life?! The answer is there is none. On Thanksgiving everyone got on me cause I banned saying thankful for family and the gospel. But here is the thing: Those are the two most outstanding things that I am thankful for and I know everyone there was thankful for as well. I like hearing the little things people are thankful for. Family and the gospel are the two most consistent things in my life and my rock and foundation. They are the things I am most thankful for everyday. I see Thanksgiving as a day to not only recognize those things, but what the past year has brought and the blessings I have been given.
   So here goes what else I am thankful for this past year-well at least a little bit of the things:
1. The opportunity to further my education
2. My major: Anthropology.
3. My desire to learn
4. The trials I have gone through this year
5. The testimony I have gained and strengthened
6. Tithing
7. Fasting
8. My Health
9. Doctors
10. My wonderful job and that family!
11. Living on Campus
12. My amazing roommates!
13. Netflix
14. Blogging
15. The people who have influenced my life this year and been there to help me grow and push me to be the best version of myself
16. A new, reliable car
17. The relationships I am gaining with my family
18. The ever growing relationship I have with my Father in Heaven
19. The influence and comfort the scriptures have and my patriarchal blessing
20. The talents I have
21. Friends getting the opportunity to serve missions
22. General Conference and General Authorities
23. Instagram
24. I got to see my baby nephew boys this summer...and my sister and brother!
25. I saw my best friend for the first time since she moved!
26. Halloween decorations in my dorm
27. Dermatologist
28. Really good music:)
29. Quotes
30. Odwalla Drinks

So like I said, those are just a few of the other things besides my family and the gospel I am thankful for this year, granted some aspects of family and gospel were in there!

I also had the opportunity to sing for my friends mission farewell yesterday. Most of the time, I can get through a song without crying. But sometimes I really listen to the words I am singing. So if you need a good boost to get you through the day and remind you how much you are loved, check out this beautiful hymn - "I Know That My Redeemer Lives".

So this weekend for Thanksgiving my family and I and two of my friends went to a cabin in Maggie Valley just past Asheville. It was gorgeous!! We drove on the Blue Ridge Parkway, went shooting, ate tons of food, sat in the hot tub, played card games, and visited funky little stores! Here are just a few of my favorite pictures from the weekend!
Hope everyone had a fantastic Holiday! And Good Luck with Finals!

View from the Porch!

Me and Soph Soph

Photobomb turned one of favorite pictures

Blue Ridge Parkway!

What A Wonderful Weekend!

     This title has too many W's.
     First off, I want to apologize to anyone I offended with my last blog post. I have very strong beliefs and realize that other people have their own as well and may not coincide with mine. I respect everyone's opinion and love to learn about their beliefs, so please share yours with me and why you believe that! Part of being an anthropology major is not only just learning what people believe and do and how they act, but why . So throw it at me!!
     Second, I have so much to say right now. Literally so many thoughts have come through my head this weekend and I have been amazed at what the gospel teaches us and how I have seen it in my life. It started off at the Raleigh Stake YSA conference where the theme was "Come As You Are" (not only the Nirvana song that was stuck in my head all weekend, guys). Right off the bat I thought of Christ's plea to "Come unto Me". He goes on to say everyone come to Him. Everyone. Those who think they are having a great time in life so far and those who are not. Everyone is invited to partake of His blessings that he WANTS to give! This is going to be a jump ahead, but I talked to someone tonight who went to the temple today and she said "The more I looked at the temple yesterday, the more I was struck with how unworthy we all are to go inside and do what we do and make covenants with Him, yet He wants us to go so bad so He can give us those blessings." I'd like to add even though He knows we are imperfect. So that was the "Come" part. The "As You Are" part was what else I focused on this weekend. Who am I right now? Who do I want to be? Who do I want to become? And HOW do I get there? First off, one speaker made me realize that I need to stop being my own worst enemy. I need to stop bringing myself down and realize how much the Lord see's in me. I can do whatever I put my mind to as long as I keep the Lord in front and beside me every step of the way. I wish I could post all the notes from this weekend!!
     Another one of my favorite things was the last presentation on Saturday. The couple presenting had us think of a moment or a day that meant something to us and why and how it shaped us. We then got into groups and discussed and shared. I was so struck after reflecting on my own and listening to the others in my group on just how strong we all are. We are all made for our trials. We are designed to overcome anything we are put to. As I sat back and looked at everyone, I wondered just what they have all been through. All around my same age, but so very different and unique and as unique as we all are, the Lord loves each and every one of us and has such a divine purpose and mission for each. We all have very important missions in life. Tonight there was a CES broadcast for the YSA as well and guess what the topic was? Basically just the same thing we talked about this weekend and more of the how to all of it. This weekend was one that I needed more so so that I can focus on how I can serve others and see the beauty in them and how Christ see's them. He didn't see them as weird or freaky or odd, but saw them as beautiful and perfect. I just hope I can become better at seeing people through God's eyes and be better at serving all of His children!
      Now that the spiritual side has been talked about-OH! I'm reading "The Miracle of Forgiveness" by Spencer W. Kimball right now-SO GOOD. And I just want to sit and read it all day:) I recommend it and I'm not even done.
     Anyways I made tons of good friends this weekend and had a blast BecUAE I WAS NHHAYLEY-from Hayley. But that's pretty much been life in a nutshell! Those thoughts and school. Which will be over in four weeks and then one more semester and I'm halfway through college and then soon I will be all the way done with college and have to do something with my life and I'm about to have a midlife crisis bye!

It Just Makes Sense

    I should be studying for my Archaeology test right now, but I decided to start studying off by reading a talk from this Octobers General Conference. I stated it before in a previous post, but for those of you reading for the first time or just need a refresher, LDS (Mormon) believe in modern day revelation and prophets on the earth like back in the times of the Bible. We have a prophet on the earth today named Thomas Monson and he leads the church through revelation from God. Twice a year we have General Conference, where he speaks to us as well as some other members of the church who are ordained as apostles and other authorities over the church (Read what they said in October here!).
     That being said, I was reading a talk by Elder Russel M. Nelson, one of the Twelve Apostles today, titled "Ask the Missionaries! They Can Help You!" (which you can read here). I have always known this church is the true church of God and has the full gospel, but reading this talk just made so much sense to me of the mission of the church and what we believe. It's not a new idea to me, as I have grown up in this church and experienced it's truths and felt the power of it in my own life before, but the way he says it is so clear and simple. He said:

"The true name of the Church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the reestablished original Church of Jesus Christ. When He walked upon the earth, He organized His Church. He called Apostles, Seventies, and other leaders to whom He gave priesthood authority to act in His name.³ After Christ and His Apostles passed away, men changed the ordinances and doctrine. The original Church and the priesthood were lost. After the Dark Ages, and under the direction of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ brought back His Church. Now it lives again, restored and functioning under His divine direction."


      Wouldn't it make sense for the true church of God today to be just like the church He created back when Christ was on the church? With a prophet, apostles, the same doctrine? I think so. I believe that to be considered the only true church of God, you must have prophets and apostles called of God. And guess what? The LDS church does! I was so blessed and so lucky to be born into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I didn't have to search. I didn't have to be conflicted between what different messages church's of the same faith say about the Bible. Because the Lord's true church has all the answers and it is the same throughout every country it is on. He has made it so clear to us, not only through the prophets, but through the Book of Mormon. Please don't trash talk that wonderful book if you have not even read it. It's like saying you don't like a food when you haven't tried it. How do you know if you won't try? How do you know what Mormon's believe if you don't ask? If you don't look to the proper people for guidance in what they truly believe. We won't all try to convert you-that's something you do of your own will and desire. But we want you to know what we believe so it's not so misconstrued out in this crazy world. Go to www.lds.org or www.mormon.org if you want the true knowledge and answers about our church. Find your local LDS missionaries if you really want to know what we believe. Better yet, actually visit one of our churches (you can find the location and times of the one nearest you through lds.org)! Talk to the people there. Actually get to know us. Don't assume. Keep and Open Mind and Heart.
     Have you ever wondered why other church's don't have a prophet or apostles like back in Christ's time? And they don't have the priesthood? Yet they claim to follow all of His teachings? I believe that Christ intended for us to have prophets and apostles because times do change, but one thing is for certain is that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So shouldn't His teachings and His church be the same yesterday, today, and forever?

"For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith." -2 Nephi 27:23 (Book of Mormon)

      I have such a strong testimony that this is the true church of God. That His son, Jesus Christ, came to the earth to show us the way to live our lives, to establish a church with everything we need, and to suffer for all of our sins-physically, emotionally, and mentally-so that we can live with Him and our families once again in the highest degree of glory. I know that we have a living prophet today that is here to help us remember the things Christ taught us, so we can all strive to be perfect like He is. I know that after Christ died for our sins, He showed Himself to the people on the other Continents, the "others who are not of this fold" ( John 10:16), and they saw his pierced hands and feet and sides. They established His church as well. They were blessed by Him and taught by Him. It was all recorded in what is now the Book of Mormon. I cannot think of a better way to surround my life than with His love and His guidance. So please, take a moment and actually look at what the Mormon's believe. We are Christians. Life is an ongoing process and we can all learn to be a little kinder, show more compassion and love, and learn to be better people. That's really what God's church teaches.
        

Music Please!

Just some songs I'm in love with at the moment! Also, if there is a guy out there that can sing and play guitar and wants to do that for me, I would be ever so happy...because a few of these I would LOVE to do!

Mumble.

   I have a new goal. I want to fully prepare myself for Sunday. This means getting all my homework and studying done before Sunday, waking up a few hours earlier, studying talks and preach my gospel, and reflecting and pondering among other things. I think I've neglected that spiritual aspect of Sunday and really taking advantage of the mornings since church starts at 1:30 now. Today I started it and I noticed a huge difference in the way I felt the spirit and received the lessons.
   And now onto other things: How about the fact that I love my friends? Seriously, I have the best friends ever. They are such examples of friendship and through their testimonies. AAAANNNDDDD they make me laugh. And yeah I love them:) I've been feeling super grateful for them lately.
    Okay also, whoever has the new anberlin CD can make me a copy. Please and Thank You.
    Also I went on a hike yesterday to Hanging Rock. It. Was. Gorgeous. I know I'll be super sad when I live somewhere else and the fall isn't like it is here I will be glad I had the 952000 pictures I took of the leaves and hike with me. Seriously. I can't get enough of the beautiful world we have. And this gorgeous weather.
     Another Thing Is that I miss my siblings. I love them so much and would love to have us all live closer and be able to hang out and such! But phone calls will have to do for now!
    So that's it. I'm not in a typing mood but I had stuff to get out...like the first two paragraphs. And I can't get the words right so this will have to do:)

Hazy

    Really things are very clear to me right now. Actually, that's a lie. Nothing is clear to me. Right now the plan is to stay here and finish school. I think I might actually like that plan. But as far as the rest of life, it's pretty Hazy. Two songs that I love that just came on Pandora and are basically what I am feeling lately: Gravity-Sara Bareilles and Hazy-Rosi Golan. Look em up cause they are wonderful! So basically yeah.
     This is a super random post for the week but I guess here it is! So basically this week I got super homesick. Not for places but for people. My best friends are all scattered and I was just stuck. But it's okay because I realized I have some pretty awesome people here:) I've been trying to look into some summer jobs that pay well cause I am buh-roke. So that would be nice!
     This weekend is fall break and I am staying at home-aka I cleaned. Pretty fun! Well last night was girls night and it was super and today was church and that's pretty awesome always.
     Sometimes I wonder if I lived when Joseph Smith did if I would have joined the church. I'm glad I have ancestors who did. 
     I wish I was a mind reader. Because some people you just can't figure out. Never. Some people you catch on to and some people it's instant. Me? For the most part I'm an open book. A lot of people have told me my face says it all. But I do have some stuff I try to keep not posted on my face. Other people you just want to know what they are thinking or what their plans are or their next step. That's why. But I never want to be a mind reader when I do something embarrassing. Because that would not be fun.
      Anyways, I'm kind of bland tonight. Sorry! I'll leave you with a picture of a kitty named Gimpy.

Life Is Amazing

    Sometimes you just have to remember how amazing life is and how amazing the Lord is. I feel so extremely blessed to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I always have peace and happiness in my life if I am following Christ and have faith in the Lord that everything will be okay. Twice a year we have something called General Conference where apostles and the prophet of our church speak to us and give us divine revelation and just general advice. Two major things about this conference. The first is that, even though I have yet to watch the first two sessions from Saturday, I found out that they lowered the mission age. Young Men age 19 can go out and serve missions for our church for two years. The age for Young Women was 21. Yesterday they officially lowered the age to 18 for men and 19 for women. This opened up the opportunity to serve a mission now. I don't know if it is the right thing for me, but I am so excited to see some of my closest friends serving missions so soon! And I can't wait to read the talks tomorrow on www.lds.org (that's right, look it up tomorrow if you want to read and see what amazing things the Lord is telling us this time!)
     The second thing about this conference was what I needed to hear. I need to rely on the Lord's timing and have more faith in the fact that He knows everything. He has a plan and a mission for me. I need to trust and not rush into anything and not rush my life. Life is meant to be enjoyed one experience at a time. Everything will fall into place as it is needed. I just need to remember that He always has a plan for me that is so much better than I expect and it will happen in the right time. He has my best interest in mind.
     In other news, I had a pretty slacked off week. I didn't get a lot done even though I should have an had the time to...sometimes I'm just silly like that and forget. So Saturday I went to the Archaeology and Heritage Day at Jordan Lake for extra credit. It was actually really neat! We saw tons of booths with information about NC archaeological sites, a man who collected all sorts of spear points and rocks from dig sites, snow cones, hot dogs, peacock feathers, face painting, chickens and bunnies, a miniature pony, owls, and a saw and log. Pretty neat and had a good time getting to know some of my classmates that came with! I went home and tried to watch conference on my computer, which ended up not working cause of my wifi, but then I went to a concert! I know a few guys who are in a band called Airial Down(yeah, look them up because you won't be disappointed!) and they were so awesome! I'll post a few pictures of the weekend next time I get on here because my photo thing is being stupid tonight.

I hope everyone has a great and fantastic week and finds a chance to serve someone each day!

I Stand All Amazed

   I love church. I love the gospel and I love Christ. I just love it! I get so excited talking about it(like when I talk about FALL! And elephants and sunny weather and thunderstorms. Which is a discussion for later when you have an hour and 43 minutes)! But church. Every Sunday, I get to go to church, take the Sacrament and feel the power of the Atonement, listen and be strengthened by other people and their testimonies of God, and strengthen my knowledge of the scriptures.
   This past weekend and what has really been on my mind all week can be summed up by the hymn "I Stand All Amazed". I really do just stand all amazed. The love that Christ has for me and you, is so personal and so profound. Something my friend Liz said tonight really hit me. She said that our parents love us a lot and they can't even express how much they love us. But God loves us so much more than that. His capacity for love is infinite and He loves each of us that much.
    I think the words in that hymn are so direct and so close to what I feel. I do "tremble to know that for me He was crucified. That for me a sinner He suffered, He bled and died.". I really cannot express how much gratitude I feel when I think about the atonement and the pain He felt for me and the actions He did for me. All so that I can be reunited with Him and God again and I can become perfect. In my times of deep pain and struggle, I know that Christ has felt absolutely every ounce of that pain. He knows exactly what I have been through and am going through. He is so aware of everything. I feel so unworthy of this great gift I have been given.
    Which brings me to another hymn that I love-"Because I Have Been Given Much". My favorite verse says "Because I have been sheltered, fed by Thy good care I cannot see anothers lack and I not share my glowing fire, my loaf of bread, my roof's safe shelter overhead that he too maybe be comforted.". That really sums up how I feel most days (it sounds terrible saying most days, but sometimes you get prideful and forget! We are all human!). I just get so overwhelmed with gratitude that I know I have not been given this great of a life for me to just stand around and marvel at it. I have been called to share what I have with others. This not only goes for temporal things, but spiritual things as well. My testimony and faith, spiritual gifts and talents, and the biggest blessing of all is the gospel. I have been given these things not so I can use them for myself, but so I can go out and help bring others to Christ and help them share the joy I feel and the immense gratitude and pure love I feel.
     When I think about these things it's so hard for me to be upset when one little thing in my life is not right. And I feel terrible in saying that that is how I have been feeling the past few days is sorry for myself because I don't have the one thing I want. But that's not why I am here. I am not here to wish away my life and to have my heart set on the things that I want, no matter how good or bad that thing is. I am here to help others and be a tool in the Lord's hands. He has given me the blessings I need and the knowledge I need to help others in any way possible.
     I guess you could say these two hymns have really impacted me this weekend and really opened my eyes again. Which is exactly what I needed! I can only pray I am successful this week in doing what I have been sent here to do!

I Stand All Amazed:

I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me
Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me
I tremble to know that for me he was crucified
That for me, a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died

Chorus:
Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me enough to die for me
Oh, it is wonderful
Wonderful to me

I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine
To rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine
That he should extend his great love unto such as I
Sufficient to own, to redeem and to justify

(Repeat chorus)

I think of his hands, pierced and bleeding to pay my debt
Such mercy, such love and devotion can I forget?
No, no, I will praise and adore at the mercy seat
Until at the glorified throne I kneel at his feet

Because I Have Been Given Much:
Because I have been given much
I too must give
Because of thy great bounty, Lord
Each day I live
I shall divide my gifts from thee
With every brother that I see
Who has the need of help from me

Because I have been sheltered
Fed by thy good care
I cannot see another's lack
And I not share
My glowing fire, my loaf of bread
My roof's safe shelter overhead
That he, too, may be comforted

Because of thy life's mission, Lord
I too will serve
I'll leave the comfort of my home
To teach thy word
I'll seek thy sheep who've gone astray
And those who've never known the way
I will make thy work my work today

I shall give love to those in need
I'll show that love by word and deed
Thus shall my thanks be thanks indeed

[Insert Cheesy Friend Quote Here] for my Soapbox.

   I should be writing my paper on the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, but something has been gnawing at me for a few days now. And it's a simple little question, but I feel like every day there comes a time when I am disappointed at how "friendship" has become defined to the people I'm surrounded with.
*Before I go any further, this is not an attack on any of my friends. I love you all. I love everyone. But there are idiots in the world that my friends deal with and I hear about it and it makes me sad. That's all this is. It's the other idiots.*

   Yesterday while babysitting, she told me about a girl in her class. This girl is 9 years old, and I didn't think this started so young, but I guess it does. She's been telling everyone in her class lies about Gabby and spreading rumors. Then they got paired up for a project and she had no regard for the way they were supposed to do it. It kills me to hear Gabby talk about how much she hurts because of this. She said that her girl friends don't believe it, but all the boys do. Knowing Gabby, the boys are some of her best friends. Keep in mind that this is the 4th grade so there is obviously a boy/girl line, but no matter what, being publicly humiliated isn't fun.
Rule #1: Be Kind. To Everyone. 
 There is no other way to sum that up. Just smile at everyone. Because life is an amazing gift and journey and no matter what, all we have in this life are the people we meet and relationships we build, knowledge we gain, and wherever our faith lies and our testimonies of that. When you get to heaven you aren't going to escape these people. Just remember that;)


   I really like people. I admit that I am a lot less social now than I was in High School, but even now I run into problems with people and how they handle information. One of the worst things in the world is finding out something you said to one person got passed around and twisted. We are all human. It's so unhealthy for us to keep every emotion and thought inside. Some people talk about it just so naturally, but some people like to keep to themselves. Both are fine, but the people who keep it inside need to get it out sometimes. At least to one person, just so they can have someone to talk with and get insight and just vent sometimes. Venting is healthy! The people who talk about it naturally need to remind themselves that sometimes it is not all about you. And not everything has to be a big deal. I'm with that second group. I vent to anyone and everyone about things and I have really been trying to work on that the past few weeks. It's not hard, but I'm actually liking having a personal and private life. Back to the whole keeping your nose out of everyone's business thing. If someone comes to you and tells you a deep dark secret, it's hard not to go to tell your best friend. But you know what? Then that best friend goes and tells their best friend and they tell their best friend and pretty soon, your game of telephone has just exploded into a game of megaphone. And that person who had the original secret now has a lot of explaining to do and a lot of embarrassment. No one likes to be in that situation. Everyone hates to be on that end. So really, if someone tells you something, keep yer mouth shut. They told YOU because they wanted to tell YOU and not tell Susy over there and Bill next to her.
Rule #2: Keep Your Mouth Shut. 
The explanation was above. Just don't tell business that isn't yours.


  The final issue I bring up today regarding friends (mostly because this post is getting way too long, not because I don't have anymore friend rules) is focusing on the other person. We get so caught up in ourselves, that we forget the world doesn't revolve around us. We have so much to offer the world, but the world we are offering it to is our own if we don't reach out and try to enter someone else's. Everyone is broken. Sometimes we are the one's with the glue that others need and sometimes they have the glue for us. But if one person is carrying the weight in the friendship and is always the one the other has to lean on, it's not healthy. If they are not carrying the same weight than someone gets hurt. If we actually pay attention to our friends lives and keep in touch with them, it is a very rewarding friendship. I know a lot of people, who are there for their friends all the time. I have some amazing friends. They always know just how to fix people, exactly what to say, and exactly what to do. THAT is what a true friend is all about. Doing little things for each other, like texting them to tell them good luck on a test they have that day or making cookies just because or listening to their favorite music instead of yours in the car or actually listening to your answers when they ask the same question "how are you?" every day and asking follow up questions. When you have a real, true friendship, these things will not be hard. And friends like these don't come by so often. I have been truly blessed in my life to have these friends.
Rule #3: Pay Attention

Let's Re-Cap my rules:
1. Be Kind
2. Keep Your Mouth Shut
3. Pay Attention

All three of these just stem from one common theme-the Golden Rule. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". It's so easy to say, but before you do something or say something next time, just think of that rule. Would you like it if someone said that about you? Would you like it if your friend decided it was your turn to pick where to eat? Would you like it if someone remembered the little details?
I write this mainly because I have been annoyed with the amount of hurt I have heard about in people I know lately because of people not following these rules. But honestly, we are all human and we all make mistakes. I know I am terrible at following these rules and I wouldn't be surprised if my friends secretly hated me (haha...I kid..hopefully :) ). But if just once every day we thought about the Golden Rule, I wonder how much better our friendships would be. So this is my challenge to myself and to everyone who reads this. Repeat the Golden Rule.

Good News! This Week Is Over

    But really. I know I didn't post two weeks ago, but if only you knew this past week!! Which you will know now:)
    Can I state the fact that I am only taking 15 credit hours? Which really isn't a lot. But add a part time job and church into the mix and it's a little more work to keep up than originally planned! But I got this! This past week was torture. Absolutely torture. It started off with having three exams, a paper (which included basically reading a whole book before writing), and two quizzes. Well apparently Life decided I needed a little break and my History professor emailed and said the essay won't be due for another week. Crossed that one off the list!
    I don't remember much about the beginning of the week...Just breakfast Tuesday morning that Koury made for us! MMmmmm Bacon, Eggs, and Cinnamon Rolls:)
    Well studying all evening Tuesday night and having another allergic reaction to a bee sting which resulted in some Benadryl turned into Wednesday morning sleeping in...past 10...past my exam. I think I about died when I woke up at 10:20 and realized my exam was taking place at. that. moment. So being me, I almost cried, emailed my teacher and explained the benadryl and the fact I had 3 alarms set that morning but none went off or I didn't wake up and all of a sudden I'm freaking out. Luckily, she let me take my exam the next day. Turns out Thursday I had another exam to take in class and one online due. Hm. The fact that I was so nervous about sleeping in again made it so I didn't fall asleep more than 30 minutes at a time, resulting in probably 1.5-2 hours of sleep overall. Longest Day Of My Life. Needless to say, I called into work that afternoon.
    So it was also Hayley's birthday that day so we went out to Harpers for dinner and had a grand old time! She also got a fish for her birthday, which I thought I wanted until I realized that fish are super boring. And I want a kitten cause they cuddle up with you and you don't really have to take care of them too much. But then I remembered they are mean. And I'm allergic. Maybe I'm just better off with my puppy that lives with my parents.
    Friday came and I had a few quizzes and a discussion to write for my online class and then that night I got to see my Jenny!! Now for those who don't understand, Jenny is two years younger than me, but totally is me. Like get this: she worked at Chuck E. Cheese this summer. Um, hello! I worked at Chuck E. Cheese three years ago! And she is just awesome. It was so nice to see her! Later we had another game night with Dallas, Amanda, and Savannah, which included dark hide and seek, Mofia, and the game of things.
    Saturday I helped a girl from church with her senior project. We played Mud Volleyball as a fundraiser for breast cancer awareness! We had a team made up of 6 people and played some really fun games in the grass and then actually won against a team! Whaaaat!? And then of course our mud games where we won against the same team and then completely lost, but being in the mud and having fun with my team was so great! Now showering was not fun. My feet are still stained orange and it looks like I have one of those rolled in Doritos spotty tans. But it was worth it!
    Tonight was the regular dinner/laundry at the home night and it was a blast! Especially with our new friends:) And "My Fair Lady" is good as always, but sometimes I forget how long it really is...
   So at least the weekend was fun! Considering the entire week I was not sure I would make it another hour. And you know what? I pulled it off. Even went to institute one night and made A's on all three tests. Like. A. Boss. And a B on the test the week before that I was sure I failed. But really, it's before midnight and I'm positive I will be asleep within the next half hour. How do I do that again? It will be nice to be reminded!

The Daisies Are Dying-Life Shuffles On!

   So here we are, another weekend come and gone! Sort of crazy to think I've been in school for three weeks. It kiiinda feels a lot longer than three weeks. Kind of like I want it to be fall already. Considering I have the best mom who got me the cutest sweater today and the cutest skirt and I just like scarves and sweaters and jackets and FALL HURRY UP.
  I guess I didn't really do a legit "weekly" post for last week but more like put some random thoughts down earlier this week..or last week..I don't remember. Well, last week was super fun. Okay, the week itself wasn't really too much fun, but the weekend was awesome! There wasn't really anyone in the suite except Christian and her boyfriend AJ who came up for the weekend, so Liz and Aja came over for a girls night. We went swimming, got pedicures, made fried chicken and the works with that, watched Luke Bryan videos, went on a quest coming back with Strawberry Daiquiri mix that we made with Mountain Dew instead, a very exciting 10 minutes on our way back to the dorm to vote for our friend Jay Carl's contest in time, sleeping on the floor, and a thousand and one giggles! The next day I spent quality time with my boys Seth and Jason at Target and Toys R Us! That night was phase two: Goodbye to Mitch. We went out for cheesecake and such with him and had a good evening just hanging out!
   This week was kinda crazy. Wednesday classes kind of clicked for me and I overwhelmingly knew that Anthropology was the right track for me. I'm kind of in love with it and I cannot wait to get out in the world and do what I can! I went to institute where we talked about A Proclamation To The World: The Family. Then I got all excited to have a family of my own one day. So now that I'm excited for any direction my life goes, I'm excited to see where life takes me and what roads pop up!
   This weekend has been kind of mellow! Last night I caught up with an old friend which was a lot of fun, and then had quite the bonding experience with the roommates! We tried to make a giant cookie in the oven, but bake it in a frying pan so it basically makes a giant deep dish cookie cake. Well, our ghetto stove decided that it would just be itself and start smelling like nastyness so we turned it off pretty quick. We never took the cookie out, but about 15 minutes later we checked the oven and magically the cookie was cooked to PERFECTION. Literally the best cookie ever.
   Today I just did some laundry, some reading, hung out with my mom, took a quiz, babysat, and made some dinner! Quite eventful, I know. But here are some pictures for your entertainment! And some of the suite because I don't think I've actually posted any anywhere.

Jason with his artwork on our mirror

What I like to spend my evenings doing..snuggled up reading Mythology!

Reason #487 I love my job: It was 88 degrees outside.

The Perks of Coming Home to do Laundry!

Our giant cookie will last for quite some time

So this is the living room/kitchen/dining room:) Complete with the mystery stained couch

The Possessed Stove.

The Bathroom. Toilet on the left, shower on the right. 4 of the 5 bedrooms are connected to the bathroom.

I just love my pillows:)

Rice and Beans: The dinner of champion broke college students.

My room!

So this is life! Have a great week!

Decisions, Decisions!

    I have a lot of decisions coming up in my life. I don't want to get into them because they are personal, not set in stone, and I don't want another fiasco like the Australia incident earlier this Spring. But I have some decisions to make.
   Up until last year, every decision in my life I had never had to think twice about. Sure, there were hesitations, but it was really I just did what I wanted. I had no major decisions to make, and even when applying for college came around, that decision was basically made for me. Everything ended up pointing to UNCG and I have never doubted that this was the place for me to start my college experience and education. I don't think I even prayed for confirmation about it, but I know now that it was very right for me to be here.
   Now I am faced with so many options. The world is becoming so small, yet is so large, and with my young age and my desires, there are many things I want to do and accomplish in this life-both personally, spiritually, physically, and academically. To be a well-rounded person and to become the best, most perfect version of yourself you can be, you have to focus on each of these areas. All of my decisions come down to those four ideals and they even intertwine with one another.
   After my decision with school and growing up a little, I have been faced with decisions that I have needed to pray about. Starting off last school year I had something I needed an answer on. My faith in the Lord and His ability to answer me was always there, I had just never used it. After one year, I can see how my testimony in prayer and personal revelation has grown.
   The biggest and hardest decision I ever had to make was the Australia one. I was told so many things and pulled in so many directions, it was really hard for me to determine what the Spirit was telling me at first. I wanted to go so bad. I cannot express how badly I wanted to go and how perfect the set up there would have been. The family was wonderful and so kind and I know I could have done many great things while being there. I remember as I fasted about it, I felt like I would be protected if I made the decision to go. I interpreted that as "it's the right decision to go". What I didn't think about was if that was truly the BEST decision and if it was the absolute most right thing to do.
   I had been told that sometimes the Lord just lets you do things and make those decisions and He will later confirm they were right. I had experienced this in little ways throughout my life and I had put any feeling of not going on the back burner, telling myself it was fear or anxiety and it would go away in time. I told myself that this time was one of those times that He was saying "do what you want and I will be with you because I trust you to make that decision". He does say that sometimes, and I knew what it felt like for Him to say that. I knew this was not one of those times, yet continued to put that feeling in a box deep inside myself. I knew what fear felt like and convinced myself that this was a different kind of fear that I had never felt before because this was something I had never done before. Obviously, I lied to myself a lot.
   Over the weeks and months it took for me to make my decision, I accepted the position as an Au Pair with the family in Brisbane, Australia. Later that night, I received a priesthood blessing and read my patriarchal blessing over and over again. I looked at things with an unbiased eye and felt an overwhelming attitude of remorse and guilt for pushing away the signs and the whisperings of the Spirit telling me to stay. That night I went to bed with a heavy and prayerful heart, hoping I was wrong, but knowing I was right when I finally let the Lord in to tell me I had made the wrong decision. I let the feeling sit for a day, as I needed to in my own personal way, and went to bed with the same feelings. I woke up the next morning and emailed the family back, telling them I could not come and apologized for the back and forth decision. I was sad. There is no other way to say it. I knew that I wanted it more than anything I had ever wanted before. It was the chance of a lifetime. I had told everyone, got my passport, started the VISA paperwork, and started shopping(what girl wouldn't?!). Now I had to break the news to everyone, sit and look at my empty passport, and wear the clothes I had picked out to live in a different country. I just want to give a shout out to everyone who stayed with me during this time. I was not a happy person. I was not a nice person. But everyone who ever gave me advice, talked with me for hours, and helped me realize these things made every bit of difference and I cannot thank them enough.
    Over time, I realized I made the right decision. I will always wonder what I would have done and how I would have turned out if I lived in Brisbane for 6 months, and I still feel embarrassed and ashamed for pushing away the Lord who was only trying to help me. While I'm making these decisions coming up, I am keeping Him by my side. I do not want to make the wrong decision, but I know He won't let me if I'm making the right daily choices. It is hard for me to break down and just tell myself that I am not in control. With God, I can do what He wants me to do in my life and I know He will let me travel and see the world while I am doing that. If I had gone to Australia, I never would have volunteered with the kids at the center this summer. I wouldn't have learned so many great things and grown in my testimony in the ways that I did. I wouldn't have met the people I did, become the person I am, and helped the people I helped. Yes, He would have made sure I learned and grew in these areas later and in different circumstances, but it all comes down to timing. He knows the perfect time. He knows the perfect place and the perfect people. He knows the experiences that you need at the right time and in the right place. As I go into making these decisions, I know that without a doubt, I will make the right decisions for my future and He will not leave me.
   So here is to growing up, making "big girl" decisions, and being led to the people who need my help the most!

Some Nights

   Some nights I have so many emotions I just don't know what to think anymore. And most of the time that's overwhelming for me. But sometimes it just goes like this where I feel so calm and there is no reason other than Christ that I should feel calm.
   My insides should be churning. It sort of is, but overall I just feel calm. I feel reminiscent of the past, sad because I know how incredibly happy I was then and how confident I was, blessed because I just have so much to be grateful for(don't even get me started...I can't stop my list of things I am blessed with!), confused by my own feelings, but just an overall sad/happy combo.
   I kind of hate nights like this-where I don't even have a word for what I'm feeling. I want to cry but smile at the same time. I'm so so happy because I have a testimony of prayers and of the Lord and that I am His daughter and He loves me so much and is making sure I am on the right path. But there is just some sadness under there.
   In the end, I know it will only last for a night. I'll listen to "The House That Built Me" three more times, do my stuff before bed, and snuggle up under the covers of my fake bed. I'll wake up in the morning with the sun shining and the promise of Friday, a day off work, and a three day weekend to make me smile. And this feeling will all be over.
   And yet, as I typed that, it kind of makes me sad that this feeling will leave. Sometimes it's just nice to feel calm and know that everything is being taken care of.

Week One: DONE!

  So I survived the first week of classes. I say survived because this was one rough week! As much as I love school, love learning, love my major, and love my classes it was just hard to jump right back in to the amount of work in balancing school, a job, and getting myself together!
  Now onto each of my classes:

1. Into to Cultural Anthropology: THE BEST CLASS EVER. No, seriously. My professor is about as crazy into this stuff as I am and I start my Monday mornings off great! The class is fun and interesting and we don't have to come to class Friday's so we can watch pieces of documentaries:)
2. Archaeology through World Prehistory: Kind of not as exciting as I expected. If I were an archaeologist, I would die. You just dig up dirt to find rocks. When you find those rocks they could be one of three billion things man used to use. One of those options is just a dumb old rock. Not my cup of tea! But it should be more interesting as we dive into the actual stuff? At least the professor is really nice and quirky!
3. Mythology: I like it. It's a lot of the same kind of themes, which makes it easy. And the professor even said to think of it as story time, so...don't mind if I do!
4. Philosophy (Contemporary Moral Problems): Well, the class is all online. Even the quizzes and exams, which he tells us to use our books and notes for...Also, we have the most hilarious videos to watch to help us learn. Do I see an A+ coming??
5. The World in the 20th Century: Literally have done nothing for that class. He just posted our first assignment Saturday morning, so it will be a little bit of a challenge for me to like that class.

So these are just my first impressions of my classes and how the semester is going to go! Thursday, I came up with a list of goals I want to complete this semester. I hope that if I post this and people read them, they will help me accomplish these!!

1. Exercise every day. Most of the time it will be morning, unless I don't have to work. Then it will be afternoon. And not on Sunday.
2. Read D&C all the way through
3. Make All A's.. :)
4. Volunteer at least once a week!!

So pretty much that's been my life in a nutshell this week! Here's to hoping week two is a little more normal!

Oh, and a picture of me and how excited I am for class tomorrow..

Independence...And The Likes Of!

    Well this past week has been quite eventful! I went back and babysat Gabby for a few days and had some fun with her, moved in to an on campus apartment, took a road trip to Georgia to say "Good-bye" to some very good friends, went to a Jason Mraz concert, and made it back home to suit 211 in one piece while making new friends:)

    I babysat Gabby on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and we went swimming and had a blast just trying to get back into the swing of things! Thursday I moved in to Suit 211 and met my roommates and went to bed super early! It was a really long day filled with multiple shopping trips, chocolate, and  good feeling about my new home:)
 
    The next morning I woke up and my friend Liz and I drove to Georgia for the weekend. It didn't feel like a five hour drive because we made it so fun! That afternoon I saw two of my best friends before they left the next morning for BYU. Let me just say, these two boys are some of the best guys I know who can make me smile with the smallest things! Matthew and Stephen and I have been friends for a few years, and I hope we can have lots more! BYU is lucky to have them there:)

    The next day, Liz and I decided to try this thing with our hair... We put two egg yolks, a teaspoon of oil and two teaspoons of vinegar in a bowl, whipped it up, and put it in our hair. Yes. We did that. But the result after the wash and shampoo? Shiny, soft, strong hair!
 
    That night was the Jason Mraz concert. Let me just say, Jason is an odd fellow, but in Middle School I fell in love with his music. We had lawn seats and ended up renting chairs there, so when the rain came pouring down in line we had no cover! We had done our hair and everything for the fun night ahead, but only to look like drowned rats after! The concert ended up being a super fun atmosphere and really chill but hyped up at the same time. Definitely worth the half hour drench!

    This morning we woke up and drove 4.5 hours back home, went to church, and this evening I went home for an hour to grab some stuff and hang out with the fam. Let me tell you, I have spent one night in this place, but driving home felt so weird. I love going home, but it will definitely be different. I know it's time for me to move on and grow up and hopefully get married one day! But I'm taking it a step at a time and it means I get to live with some really great people! Tonight we hung out and just talked for a while. We have to make a Roommate Agreement and making one of those means you get really close really fast! I hope we can all keep getting along and everything!

    Tomorrow my Sophomore year of college starts. I am nowhere near who I will become, but looking at myself just a year ago, there is a huge difference. I have grown stronger in my testimony of the gospel and of Christ, realized so much more about myself, changed my priorities and my major, found my focus, and made mistakes as well! This coming year I hope I can find exactly what the Lord has planned for me, serve others in more ways than I can imagine, grow stronger in my relationships with the people around me and God, and grasp every piece of knowledge I can find. I hope this new school year will be great all around:)

Our Egg Yolk Stuff..

Gimpy Really Hates Me

Before the Concert!

After the torrential downpour!

Jason Mraz!

Right Time and Right Place

    I always wonder why I am in a certain place at a certain time. I'm pretty sure that's normal...right? Well for me it is. I know I shouldn't sometimes because it could turn angry in bad situations, but most of the time I try to flip it and say "If I am here, I am here for a good reason, so I might as well just do good things to let that reason come to pass!"(...that was such a Mormon thing to say.."come to pass"...). As you know, I've been volunteering with the Center for New North Carolinians and I absolutely love it! I feel like that is a huge part of why I am here now. I know there are probably tons of little reasons why as well, but this is just something that I feel completely natural doing.
    I walk in and it feels like home. The walls have old murals on them of symbols from different countries and fun colors, the rooms smell absolutely horrid, the children run up and hug you and ask to play tag or have you read to them, the A/C is broken, I smell of dirt the moment I pull up, and there is no place I would rather be. These people get volunteers randomly and from different organizations, but I feel so at home there and so at peace. Nothing else is on my mind but how to serve them. All of my needs and wants are completely out of my mind. And that's exactly the way it's supposed to be.
    I am looking now at filling out an application to volunteer in an Orphanage in Ghana next summer for 8 weeks. I feel like ever since I've been at the Center, everything in my life just falls into place. It's not how I would have pictured it, but I also know that the Lord has better plans for me than I could have come up with. For the past three weeks I have had this stupid, silly smile on my face and I realized last night that my cheeks literally hurt from smiling so much. I spent 5 hours yesterday moving things out in the heat and I couldn't stop smiling all afternoon and night! I feel like a psychotic person. But I know it's supposed to be this way.
    I just can't get over how extremely blessed I have been when I know I have not deserved it. I know the power of service and what it really means now to have love for everyone and only the will of the Lord in my heart. I wouldn't have traded this past summer for anything and I love that feeling.

I Love Lists Wednesdays: Top 8 Childhood Memories

Okay, as many of you know, my family is quite interesting. And that's probably an understatement. But I love them and I'm part of the crazies:) This week I chose to write 8 of my favorite childhood memories. These memories come from when I lived in Virginia, which means I was 7 years old or younger..enjoy a blast from the past!

1. Playing Indians in the backyard. We had huge berry bushes in the backyard and when you squished them, they would dye whatever article of clothing you had purple. We also had a plethora of costumes for the occasion. Our elementary school did some sort of festival every year for Thanksgiving and we had tons of "Indian wear". So all of us with our braided hair and random feathers and beads would go outside and dye our shirts and hands purple with berry juice and play Indians.

2. Playing Roxaboxen in our backyard. We had a huge backyard with a rolling hill, a creek, and tons of woods. We would pretend the backyard was our city "Roxaboxen" and we would have a baker who would bake treats(rocks and pinecones), a mayor(ALWAYS Danika or Jeff...no I'm not bitter), a banker passing out money(usually leaves), or whatever else our little hearts desired that day:)

3. Sledding. We had a huge yard with a steep slope in the front and a kind of rolling hill in the backyard, so any day it snowed, we had friends over and would sled down the driveway all day, only to take a few breaks and go inside for some yummy hot chocolate!

4. Putting on Plays. Danika, Jeff, and Nicole probably didn't really want me in their plays considering I was really little and just wanted the world to be about me, but they were kind enough to let me in! We would put on plays all the time! I remember a few about Vampires and Princesses, and vaguely remember watching my sister put on a play with her friend about the Little Mermaid in the backyard.

5. Destination Imagination and Oddessy of the Mind. I watched as my mom helped my older siblings through their O.M. competitions and skits and in the first grade, I was able to be a part of D.I. These are competitions where students are put into groups based on school and grade range and given a topic to write and put on a skit about and are judged and given awards. I have so many memories of traveling with my family to watch these skits and go to their competitions at different schools. I loved being a part of it when I got older. I was best friends with my group and I think our skit was about kangaroos and an armadillo or something in a rainforest and I'm pretty sure I was a ladybug and we had a talking rock. But these are experiences that helped me love theater and have fun out on stage!

6. Christmas!! Christmas at my house has never changed, but it was so magical. We would get pajamas on Christmas Eve, most of the time it was matching. We would read the Christmas story, watch a movie, and eat Chinese food. Then we would all grab our stuffed animals and sleeping bags and pack into the same bedroom and camp out for the night. We would stay up late playing cards and games and talking, wake back up around 1:30 after Santa left our stockings at the end of our beds, look through the loot and swap interesting items, fall back asleep for a few hours and wake our parents up at 7. We always had the same picture on the staircase, go to the tree, and the person playing Santa would pass out presents. Then the missionaries would come over and we would have a big breakfast.

7. The Missionaries. I don't remember any of their names or most of their faces, but I distinctly remember their presence in our home all the time! We had a bonfire one time where the Sister missionaries burned a piece of their clothing to mark their one year, one of them gave Jack his first haircut, they took me to the park and pushed me on the swings, and they always had to get a picture in the harry potter glasses and bunny ears. It was pretty much a staple in our home to have them!

8. Our FHE board. We have not been the most consistent family with FHE, but when we lived in VA and had less kids, I remember the peg board we had for FHE. Every person had an animal on a little string and it was under a category- "prayer, treat, lesson, etc".  I just remember that dark green board like the back of my hand and wanting to place everyones names.

Just some memories from the Virginia house!

Fun In The Sun-One Final Summer Hoorah!

I know no one reads this, but I like posting anyways! This past week I was pretty much in the sun the entire time. I went to the beach with my family (see Previous Post!) Sunday through Thursday night and had a blast!! It was so fun to have all of us there together and spend time together. I loved every second of it! Then Friday morning I got a lot of chores and housework done before the rest of the family arrived home and went to a wedding reception (Congrats Scott and Kathleen!!). The next morning I ran some errands, hopped in the car, and went to Lake Norman with some friends. We ended up taking a boat ride and joining the YSA for their dinner, Liz and Jennifer tried water skiing, Megan got stitches in her foot, and went back to the house for a nice evening.
   The next morning, we went out on the Lake around 10:30 a.m. Most of us put on sunscreen around then and didn't re-apply till 2:30. Bad decision!! We attempted knee boarding, which turned into belly boarding, and had such a blast! Kevin was the only one to actually knee board and almost died doing it. Then we just chilled in the lake in our life vests (Mine was a child's and made me look like a princess as it was pink and purple and teal and Liz had the beautiful fishing vest...) and took turns on the Jet Ski! The time was wrapped up with more knee boarding, watching a little of the Olympics, delicious dinner and snacks, and one final boat ride. I'm pretty sure all of us are in pain today with our skin as red as ever! Sitting down makes me feel like I'm on fire and don't even get me started on how bad a bra strap feels.
    We got home pretty late last night, but this morning I still wanted to go to The Center this morning. This post is going to get off topic now, but it's just a little something I thought about today. Sometimes you just wake up and you don't feel close with the Lord. But you just really want to be close to Him. And sometimes it's really hard to get there. But there are certain places and certain things that will bring you closer no matter what. For me, it's going to the Center for New North Carolinians and seeing the kids and helping out. I don't play a big part there. I really don't play a part at all. Summer camp ended last week and I'm not an intern so I don't really have a place, but I still go over and help out when I can. I just love being there. Today I helped an intern sort books they had into keep and give away and throw away piles since the center is moving locations in a few weeks. We then set all the give away books on the picnic tables and had the kids come pick out a few books each to take home. I ended up reading "Junie B. Jones and the Stinky Smelly Bus" to a first grader named Grotti. She is so cute and wouldn't let me stop reading the book! I ended up reading 8 of the 11 chapters to her before I needed to go, but wished I could have finished the book with her. Our deal was she had to read a sentence a page for me to read the rest of the page to her. It was tough work for her, but she did it! Being with those kids and helping out over there just feels so good. When I came home, I really did feel closer to Christ. I have a picture on my desk and it's my favorite one of Christ, where He is in Africa and is holding a little African Boy. It's called "The Worth of a Soul". It was such a reminder to me today that even though I don't make a huge difference when I go to the center, maybe I made a little difference in Grotti's life today by reading with her. And that's what it's all about-the little differences in peoples lives each day.  I love it.

Bruise from the Knee Board

More Bruises!

Reeeallllyy painful sunburn!

This burn is probably the worst on my thighs

I Love Lists Wednsdays: Things I Can't Get Enough of This Week

Things I Can't Get Enough of This Week-The Beach!

1. This little boy - Archer. Always has food in his mouth!

2. And This little boy - Henry. Always wants to play in the water:)

3. These Friends 

4. This Family

5. Goofy Faces

6. Beach Night Storms

7. FOOD. Between steak, white chocolate oreo fudge, oreo's in general, cinnamon apple rolls ups, smores bars, and all sorts of delicious things, I think I've gained 10 pounds. 

8. THE BEACH! 

-Among other things:)

The One Thing I CAN Get Enough Of: SAND.