That awkward moment on Senior Night for Cheer when your name is called at no one on your team claps for you...
Okay just had to get that out in the open. WHY YOU NO LIKE ME?!
Senior year is half way over!! Yay! My second semester classes are pretty awesome. I got a new English teacher and I'm super excited about that. I now have Advanced pottery and Child Psych 2 added to my schedule. Child psych 2 is so different from Child Psych 1. The past two days we have been learning how to write in the "proper" way again so that we can teach the kindergarteners when we start going to Harthwood Elementary in a couple weeks. I never realized how many people held their pencils wrong and wrote their letters incorrectly. Me included. It's almost pointless to teach the method because everyone develops their own style and after a while the right way feels like the wrong way. I think I've held my pencil the same way since about 6th grade so today having to hold my pencil the proper way hurt my hand.
I don't know how my advanced pottery class is going to go just yet. I got one semester of beginning pottery to learn the basics and now I'm all on my own. I think it helps knowing that I'm held to a high standard though. Today we got our first project and we were to work on our own while Mr. Jackman taught the beginning students in a separate room. Since I know what I'm capable of, I think I'll be able to do well in the class.
Oh and I have my senior presentation tomorrow! Kind of a big deal considering if I don't pass, I don't graduate. But I'm not too worried :)
Okay enough about school; seminary.
For the past few months I have say in the front row not worrying about who is around me and if I'm even sitting by anyone at all. It's a lot easier to pick up on things when there's no one around you. I've learned a ton from sitting by myself and I think I'll continue doing it. I don't say as much as I used to because I figure if I feel something in my heart, that's special to me and not EVERYTHING needs to be said. I don't want to be that girl who comments every 5 seconds, although that's not always a bad thing. A lot of times I ponder what my teacher is saying and try to apply it to my life. I probably look so zoned out most of the time. Oops. I had an experience a couple weeks ago that really bothered me. Our teacher asked us to take a survey for him about gospel principals and some personal questions. Everyone around me took this as a joke and wrote down funny, unrealistic answers. When I had finished my teacher said "I think you're the only one who took that seriously. Are you annoyed yet? Or are you used to that?" I kinda of smirked and said "Nah it's fine." I understand that sometimes it's cool to be funny or loud or make a ton of side remarks, but I thought that was really rude toward our teacher. I think he expected more out of my class and I'm sad that because of that, the results of that survey will be really messed up.
This Sunday I went to two mission farewells. Mitch who is going to San Jose and Bryan who is going to Cambodia. Both of these people have been in my life for quite some time. Both talks were awesome, but something stuck with me from Mitch's talk. And I know it stuck with my dad too, because we talked about it at dinner that night. He shared a story about a young boy who had gotten a basketball scholarship to BYU but decided to serve a mission first. When he came home, the scholarship was no longer available and he transferred to a school in Utah. The man was now married and had a baby on the way when his team played against the BYU cougars. He was screamed at and harassed by BYU fans. After the game, a few fans were interviewed and were asked "Why are you doing this to him? Isn't he of your faith?" They said "Yes, but these games are very important to us and we check our religion at the door."
If you stand for something, stand for it and never ever check your religion at the door. It's interesting as a high school student to see who checks their religion at the door and who stands up for what they believe. It makes me so sad when I see kids not standing up for what they believe just because they are worried about other people's opinions. If it came down to it, would you defend Christ? I know I would. After all, he has done everything for us and he died for all of us. We own it to him.
1.29.2013
1.20.2013
Missionary Girlfriends
I saw this on Tumblr on Friday and I just had to share. This guy is awesome!
Missionaries and Girlfriends:
Taken from a fireside by Vaughn Featherstone
Question: Is it good for a fellow to leave a girl behind?
Answer: Is it good for the sun to shine?
Have you ever heard of mission calls telling all missionaries to get rid of all girlfriends? Do you think that you could be a better missionary if she were there to help you? I think you could. Most of my best missionaries during the three years that I served left a girl behind. You notice that I said “girl” and not “girls.” There isn’t time for more than one.
Of course the first duty is to the Lord’s work, which you have been called to do; second is to your family, and third is to the girlfriend. This you should always remember.
I always interviewed all missionaries as they entered the field and one of the questions I asked was, “Do you have a girlfriend at home?” If the answer was yes, I would say, “Can I have her name and address, and would it be all right if I wrote her a letter?” Of course this would scare the poor fellow to death—then I would bring the color back to his face by telling him I only wanted to write her a letter and tell her how lucky she was to have the opportunity to share this mission for the next 24 months with one of the Lord’s chosen servants. If she is faithful, her testimony would become stronger in the gospel because of it… along with a little more advice that I will touch on later.
Young men, do not ask a returned missionary for advice on this subject. For if he has been “jilted,” should we say, he’s giving out poor advice. Pray about this together, and if you feel that you can do a better job, then go ahead. There’s nothing wrong with it. It is better to have support than to go out there wishing that you had it. This is more frustrating than worrying about a “Dear John,” and believe me, there won’t be one of those right in the beginning. The Lord always answers prayers to those who honor Him.
Have an understanding with your parents so they can encourage her and make your girl happy by showing they have faith in her and love her. Let her parents know your plans, and in most cases they will stand by her when she gets lonely. If you show them respect, as well as the girl, they will be behind you all the way.
Write her once a week or more. You can almost always write two letters a week on P-Days. There is plenty of time if they’re not books. Tell her about your mission and experiences, let her live your mission with you through your letters, and send her a snapshot once in a while. Yes, you could let her make a scrapbook for you. Mom is not going to have time and both of them would love that.
Remember that behind every successful man, there is a good woman. So why shouldn’t it be good to leave a girlfriend behind if you feel that she is special? Forget that old story of “24 months is a long time.” I have known girls to wait two or three years. Also forget the story that you will change a lot. You will only if you make yourself scarce in letters, etc. You will only change in the fact that you will be more mature and have a greater testimony and mind.
Now girls, make sure that you do things that will help you grow along with the missionary. Study the gospel; stay active in the church, pray often—morning, noon, and night. Watch out for those lonely returned jilted missionaries. You’re not in a hurry to get married.
Write happy letters every week. Let him know that you still care. He will be looking for those letters if he is really busy during the week and on P-Days. Yes, you could send him a snapshot of yourself. He would love that. So what if you don’t take good pictures—anything will look good to him. You will be busy getting the education you need, perhaps working in and out of the church, maybe learning to sew and all those lovely things, or learning to cook fancy things, but most of all, just learning the basics of life.
If the occasion arises, and you feel as if you want to accept a date now and then, it’s okay, but again… Beware of those jilted returned missionaries. They are dynamite. Stay close to your parents.
Oh yes, there isn’t any harm in leaving a girlfriend at home, if you’re both determined to fulfill the mission together. It will not be the big job you think, but a happy 24 months in both of your lives. When you are both back together again, it won’t be long before you are sure of each other because of your pure maturity. I can say these things because it happened to me, and I know of many others who have experienced the same great thing.
Missionaries and Girlfriends:
Taken from a fireside by Vaughn Featherstone
Question: Is it good for a fellow to leave a girl behind?
Answer: Is it good for the sun to shine?
Have you ever heard of mission calls telling all missionaries to get rid of all girlfriends? Do you think that you could be a better missionary if she were there to help you? I think you could. Most of my best missionaries during the three years that I served left a girl behind. You notice that I said “girl” and not “girls.” There isn’t time for more than one.
Of course the first duty is to the Lord’s work, which you have been called to do; second is to your family, and third is to the girlfriend. This you should always remember.
I always interviewed all missionaries as they entered the field and one of the questions I asked was, “Do you have a girlfriend at home?” If the answer was yes, I would say, “Can I have her name and address, and would it be all right if I wrote her a letter?” Of course this would scare the poor fellow to death—then I would bring the color back to his face by telling him I only wanted to write her a letter and tell her how lucky she was to have the opportunity to share this mission for the next 24 months with one of the Lord’s chosen servants. If she is faithful, her testimony would become stronger in the gospel because of it… along with a little more advice that I will touch on later.
Young men, do not ask a returned missionary for advice on this subject. For if he has been “jilted,” should we say, he’s giving out poor advice. Pray about this together, and if you feel that you can do a better job, then go ahead. There’s nothing wrong with it. It is better to have support than to go out there wishing that you had it. This is more frustrating than worrying about a “Dear John,” and believe me, there won’t be one of those right in the beginning. The Lord always answers prayers to those who honor Him.
Have an understanding with your parents so they can encourage her and make your girl happy by showing they have faith in her and love her. Let her parents know your plans, and in most cases they will stand by her when she gets lonely. If you show them respect, as well as the girl, they will be behind you all the way.
Write her once a week or more. You can almost always write two letters a week on P-Days. There is plenty of time if they’re not books. Tell her about your mission and experiences, let her live your mission with you through your letters, and send her a snapshot once in a while. Yes, you could let her make a scrapbook for you. Mom is not going to have time and both of them would love that.
Remember that behind every successful man, there is a good woman. So why shouldn’t it be good to leave a girlfriend behind if you feel that she is special? Forget that old story of “24 months is a long time.” I have known girls to wait two or three years. Also forget the story that you will change a lot. You will only if you make yourself scarce in letters, etc. You will only change in the fact that you will be more mature and have a greater testimony and mind.
Now girls, make sure that you do things that will help you grow along with the missionary. Study the gospel; stay active in the church, pray often—morning, noon, and night. Watch out for those lonely returned jilted missionaries. You’re not in a hurry to get married.
Write happy letters every week. Let him know that you still care. He will be looking for those letters if he is really busy during the week and on P-Days. Yes, you could send him a snapshot of yourself. He would love that. So what if you don’t take good pictures—anything will look good to him. You will be busy getting the education you need, perhaps working in and out of the church, maybe learning to sew and all those lovely things, or learning to cook fancy things, but most of all, just learning the basics of life.
If the occasion arises, and you feel as if you want to accept a date now and then, it’s okay, but again… Beware of those jilted returned missionaries. They are dynamite. Stay close to your parents.
Oh yes, there isn’t any harm in leaving a girlfriend at home, if you’re both determined to fulfill the mission together. It will not be the big job you think, but a happy 24 months in both of your lives. When you are both back together again, it won’t be long before you are sure of each other because of your pure maturity. I can say these things because it happened to me, and I know of many others who have experienced the same great thing.
1.14.2013
Keep Going...
"Keep Going..." Is what the background on my phone says. It's a good reminder, but sometimes I just look at it and say "UGH!" in my head.
Is high school over yet? Last week was an incredibly long week. I think I even made myself sick because I had a mental breakdown on Wednesday night (Yes, I'm 18 and I still have a weekly meltdown. Oops). I left school early on Thursday and didn't go to school on Friday. Missing school is the worst. I'm glad it's a new week though, and that I got so much done today. Being productive is a great feeling. Thank goodness we are halfway through the year though. Less than 5 months left! Which will hopefully fly by. Yay for being a senior!
This past weekend Jenna and I started making Valentines packages for our missionaries. It's fun to have someone to do that kind of stuff with now! Mine is also a ONE YEAR MARK and TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY package! He's almost halfway! Speaking of Aaron... I got an amazing letter this week with tons and tons of pictures and videos. He's learning how to play the guitar, so it was really cool to see what he's picked up so far. He's learned some of our songs which is really precious. I'm proud of him for all the work he's doing down in Australia! It's fun to hear that he loves his mission.
Last night I came to a new understanding of the scripture 2 Nephi 1:25-26. It reads "And I exceedingly fear and tremble because of you, lest he shall suffer again; for behold, ye have accused him that he sought power and authority over you; but I know that he hath not sought for power nor authority over you, but he hath sought the glory of God, and your own eternal welfare.
And ye have murmured because he hath been plain unto you. Ye say that he hath used sharpness; ye say that he hath been angry with you; but behold, his sharpness was the sharpness of the power of the word of God, which was in him; and that which ye call anger was the truth, according to that which is in God, which he could not restrain, manifesting boldly concerning your iniquities." I realized why people get offended in the church and that this is the exact scripture they would need to read. God is plain with us and his rules are not hard to follow if we live the life He has intended us to live. Sometimes we think our leaders or bishops or even friends are being harsh with us when in reality they are really just trying to help us and guide is in the right direction. God is no different. He's not always going to give you the answer you want to hear, and that's okay. It's okay and normal to not understand why He does what He does sometimes. He knows all of us better than we even know ourselves so all we have to do is put our faith in Him and know that He is giving us the answer we need for our profit and learning.
Remember who you are this week and keep in mind your ultimate goal.
Is high school over yet? Last week was an incredibly long week. I think I even made myself sick because I had a mental breakdown on Wednesday night (Yes, I'm 18 and I still have a weekly meltdown. Oops). I left school early on Thursday and didn't go to school on Friday. Missing school is the worst. I'm glad it's a new week though, and that I got so much done today. Being productive is a great feeling. Thank goodness we are halfway through the year though. Less than 5 months left! Which will hopefully fly by. Yay for being a senior!
Last night I came to a new understanding of the scripture 2 Nephi 1:25-26. It reads "And I exceedingly fear and tremble because of you, lest he shall suffer again; for behold, ye have accused him that he sought power and authority over you; but I know that he hath not sought for power nor authority over you, but he hath sought the glory of God, and your own eternal welfare.
And ye have murmured because he hath been plain unto you. Ye say that he hath used sharpness; ye say that he hath been angry with you; but behold, his sharpness was the sharpness of the power of the word of God, which was in him; and that which ye call anger was the truth, according to that which is in God, which he could not restrain, manifesting boldly concerning your iniquities." I realized why people get offended in the church and that this is the exact scripture they would need to read. God is plain with us and his rules are not hard to follow if we live the life He has intended us to live. Sometimes we think our leaders or bishops or even friends are being harsh with us when in reality they are really just trying to help us and guide is in the right direction. God is no different. He's not always going to give you the answer you want to hear, and that's okay. It's okay and normal to not understand why He does what He does sometimes. He knows all of us better than we even know ourselves so all we have to do is put our faith in Him and know that He is giving us the answer we need for our profit and learning.
Remember who you are this week and keep in mind your ultimate goal.
1.01.2013
2K13
AHHHH Happy New Year!! I made some new friends last night on New Years Eve :) I love new friends!
So many exciting things are happening this year!
Graduation
Aaron possibly coming home before next January
COLLEGE
My 19th birthday
Okay not that many... But all of those are BIG things!
2012 was a great year too. Although I have to admit, the first part of my year started out downhill. I realized a few months ago that I was completely distraught when Aaron left and I didn't really know what to do with myself. I didn't want to make time for my friends or anything really. I enjoined being alone and sulking in my feelings I guess. BUT! I'm okay now. It's so much easier to be happy knowing that Aaron is happy doing the Lords work. I'm so proud of him and can't wait to tell him that every day.
Today I learned that sometimes your friends can be wrong and you just need to listen to you heart. Sometimes it's okay to be alone and it's okay to think about what YOU want. Sometimes it's okay to eat your feelings and watch movies all night. It's okay to stay in your pajamas allllll day long too. Sometimes it's okay to listen to sad music. It's okay to cry. Sometimes it's okay to stand by yourself when everyone around you is doing something different. Today at cheer practice I pretty much kept to myself. Since we just got bad from break, I guess it was the day to gossip. There were cliques of girls all over the mats all with different things to say and I just kind of stood by myself and watched what was going on. I guess sometimes it's even okay to people watch. Haha. It's interesting to me how no matter how good or bad you are at something, you always want to be better than someone. Something I heard today struck me. A JV girl was talking with her friends and she said "Some of those varsity girls can't even do the jumps..." As if she wanted to say they didn't deserve their spot on the varsity squad. Yeah, they might not be good at jumps, but they might be better than you at another aspect of cheerleading. That made me think of who I compare myself to and made me want to try harder to just be myself. We are always comparing ourselves to others and I think it will be good for me to become more of my own person. I know I'm already my own person because not a lot of people understand my story, but there are still obvious things I wish I could change.
I had a talk with one of my good friends the other day and we started a conversation about the future. We are so excited to be out if high school and move on with life! I can't wait to see what this next year has in store for me. It will be cool to see the different paths people take after we graduate. I always wonder how many people from high school I'll actually stay in touch with. Kind of a sad thought. But it's all part of life anyway right? ;)
Here's to smiling faces and new friends! :)
So many exciting things are happening this year!
Graduation
Aaron possibly coming home before next January
COLLEGE
My 19th birthday
Okay not that many... But all of those are BIG things!
2012 was a great year too. Although I have to admit, the first part of my year started out downhill. I realized a few months ago that I was completely distraught when Aaron left and I didn't really know what to do with myself. I didn't want to make time for my friends or anything really. I enjoined being alone and sulking in my feelings I guess. BUT! I'm okay now. It's so much easier to be happy knowing that Aaron is happy doing the Lords work. I'm so proud of him and can't wait to tell him that every day.
Today I learned that sometimes your friends can be wrong and you just need to listen to you heart. Sometimes it's okay to be alone and it's okay to think about what YOU want. Sometimes it's okay to eat your feelings and watch movies all night. It's okay to stay in your pajamas allllll day long too. Sometimes it's okay to listen to sad music. It's okay to cry. Sometimes it's okay to stand by yourself when everyone around you is doing something different. Today at cheer practice I pretty much kept to myself. Since we just got bad from break, I guess it was the day to gossip. There were cliques of girls all over the mats all with different things to say and I just kind of stood by myself and watched what was going on. I guess sometimes it's even okay to people watch. Haha. It's interesting to me how no matter how good or bad you are at something, you always want to be better than someone. Something I heard today struck me. A JV girl was talking with her friends and she said "Some of those varsity girls can't even do the jumps..." As if she wanted to say they didn't deserve their spot on the varsity squad. Yeah, they might not be good at jumps, but they might be better than you at another aspect of cheerleading. That made me think of who I compare myself to and made me want to try harder to just be myself. We are always comparing ourselves to others and I think it will be good for me to become more of my own person. I know I'm already my own person because not a lot of people understand my story, but there are still obvious things I wish I could change.
I had a talk with one of my good friends the other day and we started a conversation about the future. We are so excited to be out if high school and move on with life! I can't wait to see what this next year has in store for me. It will be cool to see the different paths people take after we graduate. I always wonder how many people from high school I'll actually stay in touch with. Kind of a sad thought. But it's all part of life anyway right? ;)
Here's to smiling faces and new friends! :)
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