Shout Out Part TWO

Happy 18th Birthday Emileah Ann Nichols!! 
Okay you guys I have the greatest little sister in the ENTIRE WORLD!! Since she is turning the big 18 just have to do a post about her.  These are 18 random reasons why I love this girl!

1. She can always make me smile!
2. Has an awesome memory
3. Takes the best pictures
4. Great Listener
5. Always on my side
6. Tries really hard not to judge me when I am weird
7. Sticks to it
8. Has the biggest Heart EVER.  When I lived at home she would clean my room for me when I was really stressed!
9. Never afraid to give of her time
10. DJ & Clark, she is always willing to do anything for them
11. Puts up with our CRAZY family
12. Likes doing her CNA clinicals
13. Not afraid to just be herself
14. Makes a mean Turkey Sand-which
15. Likes the same movies as me
16. Will quote our lives for hours
17. We are telepathic
18. She is my best friend!

Love you Suzie Q!!

                    

 

Shout Out

First off SHOUT OUT to Lauren Meek.  She is a sweet and super kind family friend who just happens to be an AMAZING photographer!  After hearing my favorite quote (the title of this blog) and me raving about how much I love canoes and water she sent me these BEAUTIFUL pictures from a summer vacation she took Canoeing in Canada.  Basically this girl has inspired me to add two new things to the Bucket List:  

1. Go on a Canoeing Trip

2. Become a good photographer  

Thanks for letting me share Lauren!

P.S. On my Bucket List it talks about this desire to become a proficient cook.  I think I am getting closer. Here are my lovely cupcakes.  I should probably let you all know that Cupcake Wars called and asked me to be on their show after seeing these bad boys! Ha ha

Giving Thanks

At the beginning of this month I decided to keep a Thankful Journal to prepare me for Thanksgiving.  I have loved taking a little time each day and recording what I am thankful for.  More than anything I think this became a tender mercy journal.  By looking for things I was extra thankful for each day I was able to see not only the many blessings from my Heavenly Father, but the tender mercies I am blessed with every day.  I have so many things to be thankful for, but I have been reminded time and time again of three main things that I couldn't live without.

1.  My Family.  I love my family.  They are always there for me and I am so excited to grow closer as we get older.

2. My Religion specifically The Atonement. 

3.  All of my supportive friends.

Music With A Message

I love the resources of the gospel.  It is so amazing!  Recently I found this little thing called Music With A Message.  It is a thirty minute radio program that explores gospel themes through inspirational music and poignant narration.  Each episode investigates on important gospel topic. These episodes have become a huge comfort for me as I have put them on my iPod so when i need a little break from the stresses of the world I always have these comforting words on call.  I would love to share these with you.  Simply click here. Thank you for letting me share this!

Veteran's Day

I realize that I am a little behind, but I would like to say Thank You.  Thank you so all the service men and women.  I love living in the United States and am so thankful for the opportunity I have to live here free.  I would like to especially thank my sweet Grandfather who is shown below.  

Love you and THANK YOU!!

Thank you Provo.

Dear Provo,

Thank you for letting me come visit this weekend.  It was wonderful!  There are two main reasons why it was such a blast.

1. Friends.

I loved visiting my long lost friends!!  Thank you guys so much for making this such a wonderful experience.  I love and miss you all!

Oh Annalise!

Oh Becca Anne!!

Love all of these girls! 

We be gettin pretty FRESH @ Farrs!

2. Halloween Half.  
I was able to run my second half marathon.  Whoot Whoot! (creepy I know)

Both of these experiences helped me learn so very much!  I learned that first off the Lord knows where I am suppose to be and has blessed me with the experiences that I need, but the ability to keep the friendships I value and love so very much.  I also learned that the Lord has blessed us with wonderful bodies.  What amazing creations he has for us.  Also I am so thankful for my supportive parents who were so awesome and drove down to Provo to support me.  I am such a lucky girl talk about blessed in so many ways!

Reading.

I love to read.  Reading is my peace.  Reading is my escape.  Reading is my safe place.  Reading is my happy place.  Okay so I just love reading!  I have always had this dream and it is actually on the official bucket list and that is to ....(drum roll please).... be apart of a book club!  Someday hope to sip a beverage and discuss a great book with my buddies.  Until then you just get to hear my recent and current reads.

My most recent read was "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett.  Loved it.  I am super excited to see the movie.

I am just about to start "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott.  This is one of my sister-in-law's favorites and I have always wanted to read it also it is one of my Penguin Classics!!!

"A Countess Below Stairs" by Eva is my I WILL FINISH BOOK.  I have been trying for two years.  My sweet friend Becca let me borrow it and still is and I just have to finish it!  Becs I will be returning it to you by Christmas!

My final book is "Uglies" By Scott Westerfeld.  I hear the series is a must read. I like to follow the crowd.

What are you reading?  

Running.

Today my run was cold, wet, dark, and frankly depressing.  So this is to help me remember why I run even on the cold and dark mornings.  The other day I had a roommate ask me what I like to do.  As I was thinking she said, "Well besides running...clearly you like that."  I would never consider myself a runner or list running as one of my hobbies, but slowly it is becoming the thing I do when I have extra time.  Running is saving my life...literally.  When life seems to be too much a run has the ability to just take away the stress I am feeling and I love it. I am so thankful to my Heavenly Father for helping make this an option for me and blessing me with a strong body that can run.  I hope that I can always treat this blessing like a treasure by not constantly putting junk into it and giving it the exercise it needs.  I found this picture on pinterest (if you don't know what this is please let me know I would love to share the joy of pinning with you)and it is a perfect reminder of some of the reasons I am running (please excuse her attire).  

    

“While there may be thorns and disappointments, while there may be heartache, even heartbreak, there can be peace and comfort and strength from the Lord for those who follow Him.”
Gordon B. Hinckley


Thank Heavens!

Lord of the Small

The Lord of the Small

 by Johanna Anderson

Praise to the Lord of the Small Broken Things,

Who Sees the Poor Sparrow That cannot take wing.

Who loves the lame child and the wretch in the street

who comforts their sorrows and washes their feet.

...Praise to the lord of the faint and afraid

who girds them with courage and lends them his aid,

he pours out his spirit on vessels so weak,

that the timid can serve and the silent can speak.

Praise to the lord of the frail and the ill

who heals their afflictions or carries them till,

they leave this tired frame and to paradise fly.

to never be sick and never to die.

Praise him, O Praise Him All ye who live

who've been given so much and can so little give

our frail lisping praise God will never Despise.

He Sees His Dear Children Through Mercy Filled Eyes!

As many of you know.  I love my Kyle so very much and I miss him daily.  This poem/song has brought me so much peace.  The Lord loves us all so very very much he has a plan I believe it and I know that if I do my part I can live with my Kyle again.  I am so thankful he is no longer sick and is getting to spread the gospel in his own way.  If you would like to listen to this song here is the link. 

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SmxA_F6ZlM

Love you Kyle man.

FRIDAY

Today is Friday!! It is the best day of the whole week


so please throw your hands up in the air and


CELEBRATE!

Friday is most certainly the greatest of days.
The reasons it’s great are too many to say.
But with that said, I’ll try to explain
Why Friday is better than a day without rain.

You see on Friday, you can work with a smile.
You need only work, for a little while.
For the weekend is near and then you can play.
Much fun to be brought by the most generous of days.

And generous it is, as morning treats can attest.
The cream filled donuts are definitely the best.
But don’t dare forget, the bagels are good too.
If there’s none in your office, that’s too bad for you.

Friday isn’t all treats and happy things.
There is but one obstacle the day does bring.
And that, my friend, is the slowing of time.
But if you can bare it, you’ll do just fine.

So join with me and laugh and cheer.
The work week’s end is drawing near.
Join with me and praise this day.
I’ve said what I’ve said, and I’ve nothing more to say.

TGIF!!!

Too Blessed To Be Stressed

Ending summer on the perfect note.

Thursday. 8:30pm Leaving UT. Arriving in my most favorite place 11:30pm.

Friday.  Up by 5:15am.  On the lake by 6:30am.  Trying to get down the perfect cast until 1pm (Goofy is much better than me).  Lunch. Nap.  Huckleberry picking 5pm.  Warm River Fishing 7pm. All you can eat Chicken Strip Baskets 9pm.

Saturday. Up by 6:15am.  In Ashton by 7:30am.  Waiting at Bear Gulch by 8am.  Running through the most beautiful country 8:30pm.  Crossing the finish line 11ishpm.  Watching a Moose though kitchen window 2pm.  Huckleberry Shakes 4pm.  Sandwich Tree 5pm.  Logan City Lights 9:30pm.  Chocolate Milk with great friend 10:30pm.

Yep this was how I ended my summer and I loved it!!  My sweet Father and Grandma fulfilled my dream of going to my cabin before school started.  While I was there my very patient father taught me how to fly fish and just spent time with me.  We spent hours picking huckleberries and just talking.  I had the coolest thought occur to me while we were picking.  I was spending the day the exact same way my Great Grandparents spent their summer days.  They loved picking huckleberries in many of the same areas me and my father were picking that day and we went fishing to some of their favorite places.  This was a really cool moment for me to just connect to those who have come before me.


Saturday I ran my first half marathon.  My time was slow, but I FINISHED!!  I hope this is the first of many and I can just continue getting better.  I loved ending my summer with what is in my book a big accomplishment.  I do have to say that I believe this is another check off the bucket list!!


This weekend was exactly what I needed to begin my next year at Utah State University.  I am super excited to be living with Callie Stats!! 

 I am also excited to jump in to my major.  I am dueling Special Education and Elementary Education with an English as a Second Language emphasis.  This major for right now feels so right I can't believe it!!  Yipee here we go again!!

Happy Fourth

FREEDOM

“The Savior’s atonement reminds us that real freedom is freedom of attitude. One may be bound in chains, whipped, enslaved, or mocked. He may lose freedom of movement, expression, and religion. But there is one freedom that no man on earth has power to control or to confiscate—each person’s freedom to determine his reaction or response to a given circumstance.”

Carolyn G. Depp, Ensign, February 1986

Talk about a different perspective on this awesome holiday.  I'm so thankful for my Savior.  I also love all those who have given their life for my freedom.  It is clear that we are lucky to live in a choice land the Lord set aside for us.  

I'm going to completely switch gears and inform all of you that a bucket list item was checked off this morning.  I ran my first 5K!!  I am alive and well what are the odds! CHECK OFF!

HAPPY FOURTH!!!

"When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves." ~Victor Frankl

We move away from home, our friends, security, money, and community.  We are excited and have anticipated this change all of our lives.  We save and plan for this day.  Now we are here....We live in an unknown home, we have new friends, our security is a lock on the door, we have no money and we are trying to fit into a brand new community.  Is this really living the dream?  Well you better believe it!  This is never what I would have anticipated, but I love it.  I love learning and growing from each experience.  I love how when your path gets a little rocky and decides to take a sharp incline you are never really alone there is always the hand of our Father in Heaven reaching out just waiting for us to grab hold and scale the climb.   The Lord will never ask us to run faster (climb higher) than we have strength (Mosiah 4:27).  

Through this changing time I have much to be grateful for:

My Family.  Oh how I can't live without them.  They are always there for me, I love them!

(Can I please introduce you to the handsome Noah(Left) and Liam (Right))

My Religion. It gives me strength and hope in what I am doing and the future.

(Greg Olsen)

My roommates.  I can't believe how lucky I am to have such wonderful girls around me.  They have accepted me and treated me with such kindness. 

My Girls.  Love them.  Thank you for all you have done.

As you can see I am a VERY lucky girl.  Within this post there is no exciting story of a bucket list check off, but I do believe and I think you will agree that some experiences are better than the bucket list.  

  

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."     -Helen Keller

Every day we try something new whether we know it or not.  This summer I tried something new!  Originally when the idea was presented to me to hike into the Grand Canyon I thought it sounded really cool, but kind of unreasonable for me.  Imagine my surprise on the morning of July fifth when I was on my way to Nevada.  I had never slept in a tent let alone gone camping.  I bought water shoes from Wal-Mart, borrowed camping stuff from my friend and I was on my way.  The only reason I think I ended up going was because it was on my bucket list and I had no idea what was coming my way.  

          Number one thing I learned...trust.  I hate trusting not only those around me, but the things around me too.  When you are hanging off a cliff holding on to only chains, rusty old chains, and the only reassurance of safety you have is from your friend saying that you are going to live, you have no choice but to trust.  Guess what I lived and I now want to show it to everyone I know. 

          Number two was that things in life are simply mind over matter.  The moment you decide you can do something no matter how scared you are you realize you can do anything thing you want and that the world has opened its self to you.  

          Number three goes as follows.  Have you ever slept under the stars and felt God's love for not only you, but for all of his children on the entire earth.  I loved becoming closer to the Lord through this experience.  The whole time we were camping through this beautiful part of the world the words to a children's song continually came to mind.  "My Heavenly Father Loves Me" written by Clara M. McMaster and has the following lyrics:

 Whenever I hear the song of a bird

Or look at the blue, blue sky,

Whenever I feel the rain on my face

Or the wind as it rushes by,

Whenever I touch a velvet rose

Or walk by a lilac tree,

I'm glad that I live in this beautiful world

Heavenly Father created for me.

He gave me my eyes that I might see

The color of butterfly wings.

He gave me my ears that I might hear 

The magical sound of things.

He gave me my life, my mind, my heart: 

I thank him reverently

For all his creations, of which I'm a part.

Yes, I know Heavenly Father loves me.   

And I know that my Heavenly Father loves me.  I feel so incredibly blessed.  I am surrounded by the most amazing people ever.  I cannot believe the blessed I am.  I truly know my Heavenly Father loves not only me, but all of his children.