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.

I Love Lists Wednesday: 5 Favorite Smells

5 Favorite Smells:

1. Vanilla

2. Baby Powder...and babies:)

3. Old Spice... :)

4. Rain

5. Brownies

P.s. I know it's a day late..don't judge.

The Best Week This Summer

   This week has been the absolute best week this summer and I dare every other week to try and top it! It's been the little things that have been adding up. Honestly, at the beginning of this summer I spent the mornings in bed, the afternoons at work, and the night with some friends. I expected nothing of this summer, just resenting the fact I wasn't in Australia and nothing was going the way I wanted it to.
   Here's the funny thing-you always get what you never expect. And you get so bummed out! I was so angry that things had not gone the way I had planned, and even though I knew God had a plan and this was part of it, I was really upset that I couldn't be in charge. It took a lot of little reminders to break me back down to where I need to be and you know what? It feels so good.
   This is why this week was so good:
1. I've been volunteering with the Center for New North Carolinians and doing a summer morning day camp for the refugee youth. First off, I was placed with middle school kids(NOT where I wanted to be, but it turned out..amazing.), and I have grown to love them so much. Second, it's been an incredible humbling experience for me as you would imagine. Third, those little kids I spend a few moments with each day love and embrace me and run up and just want to play games and hug me and kiss my cheek and braid my hair and it's the best feeling ever. The older kids I get to talk to like this..
2. This week the Greensboro Downtown Public Library has come in and we've been writing books. Monday we made paper, Tuesday we made the covers by Marble Art, Wednesday we sewed the books together, Today we wrote the story, and Tomorrow we go to the library and read the books and have pizza and such. By far my favorite was the marble art, today, and I'm pretty sure it will be tomorrow. Today, we sat a few kids who were having trouble focusing on themselves and their stories by themselves. One was a boy named Ben. Ben is 12 and is so sweet. Earlier this week he dubbed me "Good Driver" since he loves my car (I walk in every morning and hear him say "Hey Good Driver!"). He's not as outspoken as the other boys, but there is something about him that appreciates more than the other boys do. I sat with him and talked to him about why we were doing these books. They were supposed to answer the questions "What Country is your family from?" "Why did you come to America?" "What is your family like?" "What do you like about where you live?" "Describe your country before you moved here.". He thought it was really dumb until I started to tell him that people like me, who really are interested in his story and his life would love to read this book. We ended up talking over all the questions and answering them until he was comfortable writing down his story. I am so excited to see and read the other children's books tomorrow.
3. Institute this week really stuck with me. No kidding, I think the people in the class thought I was such a goober since I commented so much and practically smiled my face off the entire time. I realized that Heavenly Father truly loves me. I've always known it, and all summer I've been trying to really dig it in, but it never just stuck and hit home. I was reminded why I'm here. I have been given so many gifts, and one of them is having the gospel. And having that gospel means I have a duty to share it and I know Heavenly Father loves me so much that He gave me this to start with and knows I can get the job done. I know He loves everyone else as well and because He knows I can share it, I need to share it in whatever way possible and give His light to others, so they know He loves them and in turn they can go out and show others the love and gospel as well. Really, I just forgot that this life is not for me. I let go of everything I ever wanted.
4. I DID let go of everything I wanted. I know what I would like to happen in my life, but really I am open to whatever the Lord wants. I've remembered to be more Christ centered and pattern my life on His.

   I'm not saying that nothing bad has happened this week. I've had terrible nights sleeping, cracked my iPhone beyond repair, and have not felt great. But every night when I say my prayers, I can't help but smile and end up thanking God for absolutely everything and forget to ask for anything. I've finally remembered that life is fun and life is good. It's just taken a while for me to remember:)
   Soooo pretty much this week has been amazing. And I love life. And life is just so dang good. HAVE A FANTASTIC DAY.

I Love Lists Wednesdays: Top 10 Favorite Quotes:

So I'm kiiiind of a quote freak. I consider myself not too well with the words, and I always seem to find someone else who says exactly what I feel better than I could, so here we go with my Top Ten List of Favorite Non-Movie/Non-Song/Non-Scripture Quotes!


1. "For what it's worth: it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you can make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again." - F. Scott Fitzgerald


2. "Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." - Howard Thurman


3. "Love me when I least deserve it because that is when I really need it."- Swedish Proverb 


4. "I am still determined to be cheerful and to be happy in whatever situation I may be, for I have also learnt from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances." - Martha Washington

5. "You can do anything, but not everything" - David Allen


6. "I'm going to make everything around me beautiful-that will be my life" - Elsie de Wolfe


7. "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain 


8. "Your journey has molded you for your greater good, and it was exactly what it needed to be. Don't think that you've lost time. It took each and every situation you have encountered to bring you to the now. And now is right on time." 


9. "Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and twice as beautiful as you'd ever imagined." 


10. "Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do." - Steve Jobs

"The Past Can Hurt. But You Can Either Run From It Or Learn From It."

   Thanks Rafiki and the Lion King for the advice. Pretty much my entire life I've been interested in the "Why" in people. Why do they act the way they act, say the things they say, what makes them think the thoughts they have? Digging deeper-what makes them who they are? What are the tiny turning points, or the major ones, that created the person standing in front of me?
   I'll be the first to admit, asking questions and follow up questions are not my strongest suit, but I'm becoming more and more intrigued. My old philosophy was don't ask. It's okay not to know and for them to not tell you, but accept them anyways and you'll figure it out eventually. Now, my philosophy is ask questions and if they want to tell you they will. Either way, I think the past is important.
   The tricky thing is to not judge of the past. I have actually never had this problem. Everyone makes mistakes and it comes naturally for me to forgive and move on and focus on the person they are now. There have been experiences in my life where I've been hurt and I find it so easy to forgive and I know the Lord has blessed me with this ability.
   What brought this to my attention was the pool. I was out today at my friends apartment and all of a sudden, there was screaming and crying. I felt awful for the people who got hurt and knowing that it would take a lot of time for her to heal. I had no idea what the situation was, but not too long ago I was the girl bawling my eyes out(I can never yell at people when I get mad. I just hole up and shut my mouth. That's how you know I'm angry) and feeling hurt. Theeeen her screaming got ridiculous and about sandwhiches and although the empathy was still there, it lost a little credibility..haha. But that principle stayed in my mind. This was one of those experiences that would probably shape her.
    I have a visual mind. I come up with things and interpret them through little pictures in my head. One is of a Kaleidoscope Heart. We start off our lives with our heart a certain color. But as we go through life, fall in love, have our hearts broken, break down on our knees, are filled with charity, serve others, we lose pieces of our heart and have little holes. These gaps are then filled with other peoples pieces of their color that they gave to us, service shown to us, love from our Heavenly Father, and happy moments. In the end we have a beautiful mosaic, work of art. We have a heart that is colorful, full of life, broken and mended in different places, no two exactly alike.
    I think pasts are a beautiful thing we can learn from. I haven't felt like I have a very exciting past or life so far, but the people I've met and their life's experiences and the perspective they give me has been something that has shaped me. You can learn from how people pull out of these things and how they grow and become who they are. It's an incredible thing to see just another piece falling into place, and know the growing experience never ends and to hopefully be a part of theirs.
    I think one of the best quotes I've ever heard is from Elizabeth Kubler Ros who said

"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen."

I have had the opportunity to meet many beautiful people in my life who have taught me all these things and more. My parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends, and neighbors. This life isn't easy, it wasn't supposed to be. It's how we shape ourselves and pick up the pieces that counts. Learning from the past.

What I Want To Be...And How I Got To The Conclusion.

   This weekend I took a day trip to Wilmington with my cousin Marianne. It was incredibly fun and it's been a while since I've laughed that hard! I forgot how much fun she is and I know I forgot how much I love the beach. I'm just dying to go back already!
   When I came back, I had come to terms with everything and the way my life is right now. I'm still in Greensboro. I'm going back to my old job from last school year/summer. I still live at home. I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to go to Australia for 6 months but turned it down. These are all the negative feelings I had been carrying around with me for a while now. It gets to you and it's unhealthy. Somewhere this weekend, between a relaxing day at one of my favorite places and a sacrament meeting at church that felt like it was meant for me, I realized that I am exactly where I need to be. I've had this realization before a few times, but I was in need of it desperately at this point. I needed something to pick me back up and say "It's okay you are not where you wanted to be at this point in your life. You are exactly where you need to be". I needed that more than ever.
   So tonight I was thinking about how I don't want to be the girl who stays in Greensboro forever. I don't want to be the kind of person who wastes their potential because they were too scared to take the chances. I've had so many chances pass me by, I don't want to let more of them go. I'm fighting between my eagerness to get out into the world and see things; experience life; learn and grow from others and cultures and see the world, and the feeling that I know that is the Lord just telling me to calm down for a minute, I'm only nineteen and these chances will come in the Lord's time.
   I made a list of what I want. I realize that the Lord will bless me with these things in His own time and His own way, if these are even my blessings in this life, but I have to remember to keep Him first. Here's the list: travel, marriage. That's pretty much it. Everything I want in life is summed up those two words. I want to see things most people will never get the chance to see. I want to meet people who live in a completely different culture and have completely different systems. I want to connect on a personal basis with amazing people from around the globe. But I also want a family. I want to cook a delicious dinner for my husband and family and be the domestic person I never thought I wanted to be. I want to teach my children to love the gospel and rely on the Lord and work hard. I want to go through trials with my husband right beside me and Heavenly Father leading the way.
    I'm just so eager and feel so ready to take on the world! It's so hard for me to sit here waiting for the green light. But I have have have to be patient. I have to sit this one out and keep praying about these opportunities that come by. I have to pray diligently for those opportunities and that I can be ready. I have to study my scriptures and learn from the examples in there. I have to forget myself and serve others because I have been so incredibly blessed. I have to remember to live as Christ would and keep myself thinking only of perfection. This is the only way I can get there, but sure enough, I'll get there.
    This post really didn't mean to turn out like this. I just started with a simple little thought and it turned into a super long, calming note to myself...which I'm pretty sure that's what this entire blog is anyways:)