happenings

my niece aliya. do i even need to say how cute she is?

speaking of cute kids - these ones are some of my faves. i went to boise a few weeks ago and got to spend some quality time with the payne family. they took good care of me while i lived in idaho and i love their kids with all the love i have.

aside from spending time with my favorite family, my best friend katie got married. we discovered that we were like 'two peas in a pod' after bonding over important things like high school musical, new york city, nintendo, building tents, shoe shopping, and disney. she is the most genuinely kind person i know and i love her. also, she was such a beautiful bride.

luckily i got to see this gem of a woman. Libby was on my basketball team freshman year and took me under her wing: she was a senior and I was the loser mormon freshman who no one liked and so she warned me when my drink was spiked, watched her language around me, and talked to me on the bus when the team watched rated R movies. She made it easy for me to live the Gospel and that is a wonderful trait. She is the sweetest girl.

When I lived in Boise these little girls were 5 and 3. They keep growing up but luckily they aren't too cool for me yet.

forgotten fire

"This is how steel is made." This book is HEARTBREAKING. There was even a moment as I read it that I literally threw the book across my bedroom because I could not believe what this poor Armenian boy was expected to endure. Towards the end of the book he says "I walked away as a boy who had lost all his battles yet somehow won the war." And that is what this book is about: every single battle this poor boy faced it seemed he lost but somehow he won his war. It is amazing and inspirational and incredible to see what the human spirit can endure.

however hard and long the road

why did that happen?

what did I do wrong?

why is it so hard for me?

I have great people in my life who have had great struggles. I myself have been given a struggle or too as well. When these struggles come we find ourselves at a cross roads. We have a choice to make. We can chose to give up and to disbelieve. We can chose anger and offense and hate. We can chose to stop. OR we can chose to fight. We can chose to believe and we can chose to hope, even if that hope is only a glimmer. We can chose to never, never give up.

But why? Whats the point?

Ask Elder Holland what the point is:

http://lds.org/new-era/1983/09/however-long-and-hard-the-road?lang=eng&query=however+hard+long+road

p.s. I made my choice. I am chosing to fight, to believe, and to never, never give up.

thankful

pizza.

my adorable niece.

college football.

gorgeous mountains.

trials.

youtube videos like this one.

amazing parents.

hoodies.

fabulous sisters.

the gospel of Jesus Christ.

boy #1 - 'hey do you want to go to cowboys and aliens, a movie you have absolutely zero desire to see, in stead of watching the LSU vs. Alabama football game?'

boy #2 - 'hey do you want to go salsa dancing? even though you have no rhythm and will most likely make yourself look like a fool?

boy #1 again - 'hey do you want to see the symphony and miss your flag football game?'

where are all the men that will appreciate my limited likes of football, basketball, and not salsa dancing? am i asking too much?

fight for your life

i miss my mission. that life was so much easier. it was harder, but easier. you know what i mean?

i was reminded this week of a few things: a testimony has a short shelf-life. nourish it or lose it. i've never really had a broken heart before. it hurts. winter is coming and i have even less enthusiasm for it than i did last year. nuskin distributors want the want when they want it, i wonder if they know the wrinkles are coming no matter what. christmas music makes me happy, always. after years of resisting, i love to shop.

most of all, i learned that it could always be worse and that to love what I have, fight for what I want, accept the failures and losses, and never give up.

so ha 2011. take that.

padre

optimistic. forgiving. fun. happy. generous. humble. strong. smart. determined. accomplished. creative. enthusiastic. warm. comfortable. loyal. kind. my dad.

my dad turned 55 this past sunday. he is my favorite dad. i have always had a special bond with him. i used to call him to see when he would be coming home and then walk around the corner and wait for him to drive by, he always let me steer the wheel. he has never let me down and he has never let me stay mad, he always is the first to forgive. he is unwaveringly optimistic. i have lost counts of the nights i have woken up to find him studying the scriptures. i can remember times when i have woken up with the tramp taken down because he had a bad feeling that someone might get hurt, always following the spirit. he used to play dress up and scare us, sometimes a little too much. no matter what he says, every year i get a christmas present. he wrote the best letters to me on my mission. his granddaughter loves him more than the rest of us. and i have never had a day when i didn't know that my dad loved me with all his heart

he is my hero and the most Christ-like man I know. He is a living testimony of what being a mormon really means: having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ by understanding his teaching, living his teachings, and going about doing good.

Happy Birthday Dad. I love you.