Until next time...

So I fear that this may be the last time I blog for a long time.... today is Friday, and next WEDNESDAY I'll be in the MTC!!! HOLY SHMOLEY!!!

I can't even begin to describe what I'm feeling!!! IT'S SO WONDERFUL!!!!!

I'm glad I could share some interesting, yet ordinary daily experiences with you! (those of you who DID read this. One can never tell)

Life is too short to not enjoy it. Live life to the fullest. Live it the way that you need to and I promise everything just falls into place. Pray to Heavenly Father. He loves you so much and only wants to see you happy and have you return back to Him. Rely on the Savior and his infinite love and Atonement.

Life is good.

I take that back.... Life is EPIC. We only get to live it once.... what are you doing with yours?

Love and peace to you all! Check out my mom's new blog for my mission so you can stay updated on my new and exciting adventures:
http://sistersunscreen.blogspot.com/

I love you all, whomever you are. Just remember how amazing life truly is.

Peace out

The healthiest princess around!

As a young child I've always been afraid of germs. I was a Germ.a.phobe.

Almost all through my elementary and junior high years I was what you might want to call a Hypochondriac. I'm sure my poor parents just didn't know how to handle their perfectly healthy "sick" child.

I'm still not completely cured of my childhood irrationalities, but luckily as the years have gone by I've become somewhat desesitized to germs. On occasion I WILL open my own door in a public place (after taking a deep breath and just telling myself to get over it), and on my trip to New York I only used ONE whole bottle of hand sani (that's not a lot for me...)

So in all reailty, I AM getting better.

I found this comic that PERFECTLY describes how I usually feel (even to this day) about "being sick" or "diseased".... Oh how I love my health-life. (Due to copyright legalities, I do not own, nor did I create what you are about to read) :)

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As I'm sure is the case with many of you, I walk that thin line between hypochondriac and a normal level of concern about my health.  So when I go through a terrifying medical saga only to come out the other side with a tentative diagnosis of "weird heart," I panic a little.  

The past week has basically just been a string of moments in which I feel almost positive that I'm going to die.  

I still don't know what is wrong with me, but I'm definitely not dead and I'm feeling a lot better, so that's good.  

When life throws you for a loop...

Let this be a lesson that no matter how difficult life can become, just keep on trying...

Maybe someday you'll get what you set out to achieve :)

It's the Final Countdown! "Duh- nuh-nuh... Duh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh!"

Time is flying so incredible fast!! I seriously cannot believe how little time I actually have until I leave for the MTC.

Only 25 days left!!! I've never been more stressed in my life, and the incredible thing is... I can't even tell! I'm just so stinkin' happy and excited that my brain hasn't caught on what my body is trying to tell it; slow down!!

And after last night I am nearly ready with everything I need! Last night two of my dear friends in our ward threw me a Missionary Shower! It was just so great, and my mom was heavily involved as well. The decorations were beautiful, the food was delicious, the guests were (of course) amazing, and the gifts that people brought were perfect. Ward friends, my family, and even other friends were there! It was so fun!

And look at these cute decorations my friends' daughters made for the party! (and yeah I made the cake)

I've mentioned it before how I can never bring myself to ask for help. When these two friends told me they wanted to do this for me I asked them to tell everyone "no gifts please"... but saying that doesn't stop all the amazing people in my life from doing what they want for me ;) I'm just so blessed and grateful.

After last night, receiving donations, items and gifts I need for my mission, and just spending time to visit was so overwhelming. I came home and just cried. Ever reach that point where you just look at your life and seriously can't complain?? Because life is just SOOO good??

Humbling.
I'm such a lucky gal!

So not only do I leave in 25 days, but I'm also counting down for a couple other things....

Technically only 5 days left until Harry Potter!!! Just this past week the bestie and I caught up on the previous movie... This "fever" is really starting to rage! And I've decided that this year, since I don't have money to spend on a costume, that I'll wear my shirt from last year. And why not? IT ROCKS!

So Mission in 25...
Harry Potter in 5...
And my last day of work in one week from today. I've loved having this great job for the past several months, but I seriously need time at home to finish packing up my room, packing all my stuff, and spending time with my loved ones.

SO MANY THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO!!!

Meg: The Princess of Hide and Seek!

This past Saturday, my mom's side of the family got together to celebrate the June birthdays. We were all sitting in my grandma's backyard eating cake (one that I made!) and ice cream.

Cousins are funny things, don't you think? I'm the oldest cousin on both sides of my family, and quite frankly, I'm  now becoming old enough to have kids some of their ages! (weird feeling) Well, my five year old cousin came up to me and asked to play hide and seek!

Sure! So I ran and hid in the little playhouse (at this point it was just her and I playing the game). I didn't conceal myself very well, mainly hoping the game wouldn't last too long ;) The other little cousins began to catch on what was going on, so they'd all one-by-one walk past the playhouse to whisper to me "She didn't see you yet!". Hehe it was fun.

My cousin rounded the corner and approached the playhouse. 'This is it!' I thought.

I was wrong. It was only just beginning!

She looked right at me all crouched in the farthest corner, quickly looked away and started looking all around. She turned back to the door and exclaimed "I just can't find her!".

And she walked away.

Now she was just messing with me. I sat in that same spot for another ten minutes before looking up again. To my horror there she was; playing another game with the other kids. And it WASN'T hide and seek.

...

So I got up, sneakily ran back over the circle of adults, sat right down on the ground in-between my aunt and uncle, and then the REAL game of Hide and Seek began.

My cousin ran back to the playhouse to "search" for me again. But THIS time she really couldn't find me. One by one all of the little cousins entered the playhouse, amazed at my "sudden" disappearance, and searched high and low.

"Wha--? Where'd she go!"
"She's gone!"
"She was just here!"
"I bet she climbed in the roof!"

They were all amazed. And I'm surprised they didn't see me walk right past them to the adults just minutes before. So they spread out all over the yard, calling my name. My five year old cuz suddenly realized she hadn't quite won the game yet!

My "search party" looked in the bushes, the baby stroller (??), the garage, and even inside the house.

Silly kids! I was in plain site the whole time!

Well in the mean-time, my three year old cousin (whom just recently became a big sister herself) was looking at her five month old sister. Madds came over and looked at the baby and said "Oh look! Isn't she so cute?"

My little cousin looked up at my sister and quite matter-of-factly said, "Yeah. She's a hamboogah [hamburger]"
.....
Yessss :)

Two mountains...

My family and I went on our last "5 family" vacation before I leave for the mish.... MOUNT RUSHMORE!!

Call us weird, but we love trips like this. We all have passports for the U.S National Parks, so any opportunity to get a stamp is just awesome for us!

Our GPS was programmed to have George W Bush's voice... It was always so great to hear him say "You have reached your desti-fication" hahahaha!! Poor W. ;)

But while we were on vacation we saw Martin's Cove,

Independence Rock,

Devil's Tower (in Wyoming),

Mount Rushmore,

Crazy Horse Mountain, (will take decades to finish!)

Wind cave, (200 feet below!)



 the Badlands,   

and the beautiful Black Hills. We stayed in a cabin in the Black Hills, and were only 15 minutes away from Mt. Rushmore.

Gosh we all had so much fun! We drove FOR.EV.ER... so we all got kinda crazy.

But it was so fun :) Jamming to Billy Hill (our favorite show at Disneyland), Disney songs, listening to Brian Regan and just dying, and having comic-drawing contests between us sibs.

We were gone from Sunday night to Thursday. It was great.

So when we got home, the next day was my birthday which meant.... TEMPLE!!!

I LOVE the temple so so much!! It was INCREDIBLE. The Spirit is so strong in the Lord's house, and I just want to go back over and over again! So much is taught in the temples, and it is my prayer that everyone lives in such a way to get themselves to the sacred temple. It changes lives :)

I decided to receive my endowments in the Salt Lake Temple. My mom was my escort, and I was so grateful to have her there right by my side. My parents were so helpful in the temple; it made me so much more at peace. It was so awesome to see so many of my aunts and uncles, and to have my Grandma Godwin and both Grandma and Grandpa Moore there. I have such an amazing support group, and it was just a little piece of heaven to have them share that day with me.

It's interesting to think of the temple as our own kind of mountain. Driving towards Mount Rushmore, you could tell everyone on the road couldn't stop looking at it. When we have something in sight, it's easier to make it to our true destination. The Temple is our mountain, and when kept as our guiding point we will reach our true destination; our Heavenly Father.

And I was right... I'll never ever forget that day. Ever.
I've said it before, but I'll say it again... My life is awesome :) And I'm eternally grateful.

Temples, bike rides, cake... just some of the blessings in my life :)

First off, this whole cake business is going amazing!! I've made so many cakes just in the past month and a half! I've been so blessed to be surrounded by such supportive friends, neighbors, family... the list goes on! Every person who has purchased a cake has contributed to the Lord's work, and there have been so many who've helped me out! My gratitude and thanks are endless! From birthdays to anniversaries and even to "just-because-cakes", the orders have been keeping me booked.

I've stayed up long hours finishing cakes, and as exhausting and time-consuming as it is, I'm grateful for the opportunity to earn money by using the talents Heavenly Father gave me.

But despite all my time being busy with cakes, I've had quite some time to play...

Ever since I was little I have LOVED bike-riding. Who doesn't love a rush of endorphins as you're speeding down a hill or down the road?! I love it.

It had been years (since I was about 15) when I had last ridden a bike. Before I got my first car it was my means of transportation. Sad to think that I gave up something so healthy and amazing for a gas-guzzling, lazy car! (Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that we have cars now-a-days. They're amazing tools for fast, easy, and efficient transportation). But I missed my bike.

So my parents got our bikes all fixed up a couple months ago, and now I can't stop riding my bike! I've ridden it to work and mainly just for fun.

The other day was simply a GORGEOUS day! It was sunny, not too hot with a slight breeze in the air... so the bestie and I went bike riding to the park.

I am telling you now, if you don't own a bike GET ONE. I'm no cyclist who likes to race on a bike, nor do I go into the mountains and go "off-terrain", but simple bike rides bring you back to childhood. It's a terrific way to excercise and have fun all in one! (Schwinn better call me for a marketing position or something..)

It was just a beautiful way of enjoying the day.

Earlier that day (Tuesday) Mom and I went shopping for temple clothing. I had such a blast! The lady who helped measure me and such was so nice. She and my mom gave me great pointers and made me all the more excited to enter the holy Temple. I look up to my mom so much. Her reverence for the temple clothing astounds me. She has such a strong testimony of this Gospel, and I know she'll always be there for me when I have any questions or need her strength. I love having her there with me as I prepare to enter the temple.

I feel so honored and privileged to be able to do this for myself. Next Friday on my birthday I will be surrounded by many of my loved ones in the Salt Lake Temple as I recieve my own endowments. This past Sunday I finalized my temple recommend with the Stake President.

The Spirit in that interview was indescribable. Moved to tears, my Stake President signed my recommend as we discussed the importance of this next step in my life. The Spirit testified that this is the true work of Christ, and that this is one of the greatest blessings I can receive on this earth.

How lucky we are to live in a time with temples and prophets.

I can't think of a better way to celebrate my own life here on earth :) It'll be a birthday I'll never forget.

Yeah... I STILL don't get it...

So Sunday was my Daddy's birthday! Yay! Happy Birthday, Dad! My Dad is an awesome guy! From taking time out of his day to teach me how to fix my bike, to patiently teaching me how to drive a manual. He's ALWAYS been there for me. He's a funny guy who can't help but try and make every situation (even the most sad or hard) a better one. I love my Daddy :)

So we spent the afternoon at Grandma and Grandpa's and had some delicious cake and dutch oven apple pie to celebrate! Well, after all the festivities, my little bro (the Dude) decided he wanted to ride home with me. Everyone else went with Madds.

So I'm driving down the freeway towards home and The Dude turns to me and says "Have you seen The Office?"

... I knew it was going to be a long ride....

Sure, it's a funny show, but I've never been able to just sit down and WATCH it, ya know? It's soooo....dumb.

But there the Dude sat, laughing his head off, telling me just about every episode he could think of at that moment. Half the time I couldn't understand him he was laughing so hard at his own story. I wasn't going to just interrupt his story-time so all I could do was just laugh right along with him.

Which only made him continue telling me more about this bless-ed show...

Somehow, even after that "long" drive home, I still can't quite appreciate The Office.

"...and the one where Dwight did that *blah blah* STUPID *blah* SO FUNNY! *blah blah* (who's Dwight?!) *blah blah*..."

Just a tad bit feverish...

Only 36 more days...

It's gonna be epic...

I'm gonna cry....

(and no, I'm not talking about my mish..just yet..)

HARRY POTTER!!! The final movie comes out so soon!!!

So to be honest, I used to HATE Harry Potter. I know, I know... I'm quite ashamed of it. I think the only reason I wasn't fond of the whole thing was because of the hype. But last summer I decided to just sit down and read them all. Last summer was the beginning of a whole new life for me: I have the Harry Potter fever. I read all 7 books within 6 weeks! I was addicted, and now the fever is starting to rise again.

I love love LOVE midnight showings and I seriously cannot wait to see this one!

Last year's midnight showing for HP 7: Part 1, I decided to "dress up".... but with my own kind of twist.

Since Twilight is HUGE right now, too, I decided to represent both! The bestie and I went to Olive Garden before the showing and that is when I revealed my own "costume"....

With just the magic touch of a sharpie, we were set! Now THIS is what I call my kind of Harry Potter!

So in celebration for this year's movie, I'm trying to think of something clever to wear and/or do.... Hm... Well in the mean-time, I found this awesome pic online.... For the Win!!

Stars 4ever...

This past weekend, the bestie and I went on our last vacation before we both leave (I on my mission and he onto LA). We love roadtripping together and to celebrate the end of the dance-teaching year, my birthday, summertime, and just because, we went to St. George!

The bestie and I never fail to have an amazing time together, whether it be just sitting by a firepit contemplating life, to wandering the aisles of Wal-Mart, to sitting in a hospital lobby drinking chocolate milk and playing games, we ALWAYS have a blast!

So on Saturday after seeing The Little Mermaid (my all-time favorite princess!) at Tuacahn we went stargazing...

Sitting on the car next to my best friend, gazing at the beautiful desert sky, I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed at all of the blessings I've received because of amazing people like him in my life. I don't want to leave anyone behind. It kind of scares me as I prepare to leave so soon... But I'll stick my chin up and move forward with confidence. Friendships and family relations shouldn't just die because one leaves on a misson..

A big part of my past makes me fear this tremendously. Saying goodbye is never goodbye with me... at least on my end. Am I doomed to that kind of fate again?

Nah. I hope not.

I know that I will be blessed for going on this mission. My friends and family back home will be blessed and watched over. I just don't want to miss anything.

It takes a great leap of faith to leave your loved ones behind. I have faith that all will be well! It just has to be...cuz why not?

This past weekend made me realize how much I'm going to miss everyone back home. (gee... I sound like I'm dying or something! Haha!)

I just have to forget myself and go to work. It's only 18 months! No biggie, right? :)

Called to Serve!

SO.... Wednesday..... :) :) :)

ARIZONA TEMPE MISSION!!

Oh my goodness, I am so super excited to serve in Arizona!! When I first read where I was going about a million things ran through my mind! But the biggest thing of all was the knowledge and an overwhelming peaceful confirmation that this is exactly where the Lord wants me to be. And I couldn't be happier!

I leave August 3rd, which is only two months away! I have the list of all the things I need to bring with me, and for some reason a coat isn't on there! ;) Oh my goodness, it's going to be hot. I heard that three months out of the year the AVERAGE temperature in that area is over 100 degrees! WOWZA!!

I'll be the queen of sunscreen out there. It's becoming the new joke that I'll be known to most of the missionaries as "Sister Sunscreen". Haha! But sadly, it'll be so true :)

I've been asked a lot if I'm truly happy with being called so close to home. To be honest, that kinda hurts! Of course I'm happy! Sure it's nothing exotic, and sure I don't get to learn a language, but I know without a doubt that it's the perfect place for me. If I would feel any different about where I'm serving, then I think I would be serving a mission for all the wrong reasons.

The people of the Tempe Arizona mission don't know what's coming! There are the Apache Indians, the Mexican border, a bit of Cali, and some New Mexico all in there.

The Lord never fails to do what's best for us, even if everyone else doesn't understand.

So if you ask me if I'm truly happy and I say yes, it's because I truly, truly am!!
I CAN'T WAIT!!!!

....WAITING...

My mom just called me and informed me that they have a giant white letter sitting on the halfwall.... from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!!!!!!!

MY CALL IS HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have to wait till I get off work to go home, quickly decorate a cake like the map of the world, and then open it at 7!!!

I'm so not a patient person.... I know that wherever I get called to serve is the perfect place for me. The Lord needs me in a specific place and that is where I'll go!!! (I just don't know WHERE yet!!) I'm hoping somewhere foreign... but then again, I shouldn't hope for anything besides exactly where the Lord needs me.

Okay, I gotta go freak out some more... new blog post to come soon!!!

When paranoia becomes reality...

It was almost midnight and I was driving home from "Scrap Night" in Bountiful. I decided to take the back-roads home. It was a beautiful night and I was enjoying the time alone, so why not? As I reached Kaysville I noticed a very nice car behind me who just happened to be turning everywhere I was turning.

This sort of thing hapens all the time with complete innocent strangers... but in the back of our minds we always wonder "is this person really following me, or do we just happen to have pretty nearly the same destination?". But we always laugh it off, because in reality, how many times is it someone who really IS following us? Hardly ever, if at all.

I decided to turn down a less busy road. So did he.

I thought to myself "maybe I just happen to be headed in the same direction he's going.

I turned my music up louder to calm my nerves. I've always been one to imagine up in my mind things far worse than they actually are. I figured this was just one of those times.

I turned into a familar neighborhood. So did the nice car. In my rearview mirror I could see the car starting to follow behind even closer. Dang, I was turning everywhere this guy had to go! So I hurried through the tiny neighborhood towards the main road. I turned into a small cul de sac to turn around. The nice car passed where I was and onto the busy street. I went back through the small neighborhood where I had come, and the car went on his way.

*WHEW* I was just being paranoid!

But as I reached the end of the neighborhood the same car rounded the corner and sped up behind me.

I couldn't tell if it was the same car, or a new one that looked similar. It was a nice car, dark silver, and tinted windows.

But how could I be sure? I turned down a less busy road. He followed.

I pulled over to the side of the road. He stopped right behind me.

I freaked. I knew I was being followed, and it was way too dark to see any license plate numbers. Immediately I knew my next destination was the police station.

All my doors were locked and I quickly turned around, passing the car, onto the busy road. I called my mom in a panic, letting her know that someone was following me. She told me to head to the police station. I made it back to the main road, the car in close pursuit. My mom said she was about to call 9-1-1 when suddenly the car behind me turned on his lights.

Cop lights, that is.

I can tell you I've never been more happy to see those three colors flash in the rear-view mirror before. I was so overwhelmed with so many different feelings at that point that I screamed into the phone "It's just the cops! I'm okay mom. I'll call you right back!"

I was so relieved to the point of tears that the pursuing car was merely an undercover cop car. BUT WHAT ON EARTH....?!?!

The policeman approached my car with a flashlight. He introduced himself as Detective so-and-so, and asked to see my license. I shoved it into his hands.

"I am so glad you are a cop," I said, "I thought you were some freak following me! I was actually headed to the police station right now."

The cop began to apologize over and over again; I think he could tell how distressed I had become from his little pursuit.

He shone the light in my car and told me, "There's just been a lot of car burglary in this area, and so I just decided to follow you for a ways and see where you were headed. When you turned into this particular neighborhood I just decided to keep following. And when I saw you make that U-turn in that cul de sac I figured you were up to no good. I was just trying to check your tags."

At this point I felt like yelling to the poor guy.... "DON'T YOU REALIZE HOW FREAKED OUT I WAS!?"

But I didn't. Instead I said "All I knew was that someone seemed to be going my same direction, and out of nowhere you came again and kept in hot pursuit. I was serious about heading to the police station to see if you would follow all the way... I'm just glad you ended up pulling me over so I knew you were a good guy..."

He told me I had done the right thing, and the only reason he hadn't pulled me over sooner was because I was driving too well for any reason TO have him pull me over to check and see if I WAS a criminal. I hadn't made a complete stop at a sign so that's when he could pull me over.

Dang cops and their undercover cars. I was so scared out of my mind...

So in retrospect; if you think you are being followed (and you truly ARE), call 9-1-1 and continue on to the police station. Too many people have been kidnapped or hurt because of idiots who follow other cars. Just get yourself to the police station and stay in your car. (I sound like a paranoid freak, but seriously..) And stay on the phone with the police station. You will get help.

I was just lucky that my pursuer was just a cop, and nothing worse.

So he apologized again and let me on my way.

Such a defining moment for me...
UGH.

Hailey? Who's Hailey?

Last night we had a wicked awesome storm! I woke up to super loud thunder and huge flashes of lightning. It was so great!! I still can't tell how awake I was for it, because I ended up dreaming about being caught in the middle of a storm..but laying there, listening to the rain pelt the window and the thunder booming louder and louder each time, I couldn't help but smile as I drifted back to sleep.

So this morning, I went into my parent's room (Daddy was already gone. He's a junior high teacher and leaves pretty early). My mom was in bed reading a book and I asked her if she heard the storm last night.
"Yeah, I had to run out and make sure my tomato plants weren't drowning or getting ruined!", she said.

My mom planted some tomatoes a few weeks ago, and they've been her "babies" this past little while... They're in big plastic planters so we can move them inside if we need to. I could just see my mom darting out of bed in the middle of the night to brave the storm and save her precious tomatoes. I don't blame her, though... home-grown tomatoes are the BEST!

So anyway... we were talking about the storm when I remembered another storm that occurred about two months ago. I was at work (I work at a boutique/craft store two minutes away from my house) and on this particular day it was hailing.

There was a lady shopping with her six year-old neice at the time the storm hit. The lady had to run out to her truck to roll up her windows, so it was just me and the little girl. And that's when the storm got really bad.

I work in what used to be a warehouse; TALL ceilings, piping visible, and all that jazz. The roof is made of some sort of tin material, so the hail was LOUD. The little girl started to freak out, not knowing what on earth that noise was. She turned to me and said "What's that noise?!".

It was so loud I felt like I was yelling... "It's okay, it's just hailing on the roof!", I said to her, trying to comfort her.

She looked terrified; "Hailey? What's she doing up there??"

....

Huh.

Rain clouds, little birds, and creatures I'll never understand

It's raining today. AND I LOVE IT! I would much prefer a stormy day over a sunny day! The clouds get dark, the world smells clean, the sounds of rain becoming soothing.... what's NOT to love about rain?? (don't get me wrong, I love beautiful sunny days; I just like rain better!)

The only downside to rain is that I have a very difficult time waking up if it's raining. If I wake up to the sound of rain I'm back to sleep within two seconds flat. I love snuggling in a blanket listening to the rain... puts me to sleep like hymns put a High Priest into a fit of insomnia during Sacrament Meeting...*sigh* love it.

So after sleeping in a couple more hours than I had anticipated (thanks, rainstorm!) I got out of bed to get some breakfast. Now, I have two birds; a cockatiel and a red-bellied parrot. They both have quite the personalities. Coby (cockatiel) is a sweetheart. He's quiet and shy at first but isn't afraid to let you know when he wants something. He's high maintenance and loves to sing at himself in the mirror. Buddy (parrot) has a big beak, and he knows it. He's very smart and loves to dance to GOOD music (he loves Whitney Houston, Rihanna, and I've recently discovered he loves Beyonce, too. He's got great taste; a bird after my own heart!).

But when it rains my birds get into weird moods. They're probably just as fascinated in the rain as I am...they'll sit and stare out the window all day at the rain. I think it makes them happy that it's raining because they'll start talking more than normal.

So as I'm sitting in the kitchen I could hear them talking away....
"You wanna peanut?" "Good morning, Coby!" "MOM!" "Pretty bird!" "Good morning Coby Coby.." "I wanna peanut." "Pretty bird" "Mom??" "What's up?" "Here kitty kitty!" "I WANNA PEANUT!"

ALL morning. Both of them non-stop.

...That is until they saw a cat cross the street outside. Their playful chit-chat quickly changed to squawking and freaking out. Suddenly a peanut on a rainy day didn't sound so wonderful anymore...

Stupid cats. I feel the same when I see cats prowling around in the rain. First off, what on EARTH is it doing outside on a day like this? Second off, eating worms? A cat? Yeah.... And third....well.... I think that alone saying it's a cat is enough of an explanation in itself...

But after a peanut for the parrot, some seeds for the cockatiel, all was well in our household... Until the cat came around again to regurgitate the worm it just ate. Right in the middle of the road.

Beautiful, cat.
Beautiful.

Serving our King...

Yesterday was a day FULL of emotion. Up and down and all around! Yesterday I completed, submitted and handed in my mission papers. I was excited, terrified, happy, sad, reverent, nervous, giddy....all at the same time! But over it all, I'm so much at peace. Signing that last paper made me realize and appreciate that I'm "signing over" my life to the Lord for an entire 18 months. For a whole year and a half I am His servant in bringing others to the Gospel.

I promised a blog about being a princess and also my mission. How's about I kill two birds with one stone here, eh?

I'm a princess. I'm not spoiled, I don't have the fanciest of things, I don't sit on a throne, I have a job, I work hard for all that I have in my life, things aren't presented to me on a silver platter; but I'm still a princess. There's nothing more humbling than truly discovering who you are. The understanding of where you're from, who you truly are, and where you're going is such a blessing to have in your life.

I used to be the princess who would wait. I would just WAIT for good things to happen to me. Metaphorically speaking, I'd sit up in my tower and just expect good things to come my way. But we can't always receive great things without working for it. I wasn't in my tower for too long before I came down, pushed up my sleeves and started to WORK.

Now, I'm not one to normally say what's on my mind, and I can be horribly shy in social situations. I haven't exactly liked that about myself, but I've come to accept it. Once you get to know me I can be just as loud and fun as ever, but from a first glance I'm just a quiet, soft-spoken girl. So working became a big part of my life to achieve great things. From music, performing, academics, social situations, being a good person, etc all came from working at it. But I soon realized that I was wrong...

As much as I worked on these things, they were blessings from my Heavenly Father. All my life I've known how much the Lord loves me. All I had to do was look around me and know that these were gifts.

But what about the bad? What about those situations that came knocking on my perfect little castle door? Moments that seemed to leave me in nothing but a tattered dress, tarnished crown, and shattered heart? How could my King let something like that happen to me? I was His daughter! It was unfair! I hadn't done anything wrong to deserve something like this!

We've all been there. We've all felt this way at one point in our life or another. And one such situation fairly recent in my life left me feeling just that.

It was at that moment that I knew I could do one of a few different things:
*I could sit in the rubble of my defeated castle and remember how beautiful my castle USED to be. But what good would that do me?

*Or, I could get up, and work on rebuilding myself every new day. If I looked only at what was right in front of me, I wouldn't be able to see past the burnt rubble to notice the beautiful things outside of where I stood. I could realize that I was surrounded by wonderful things, and enjoy them while I labored hard at fixing up my once beautiful castle.

I think we all know exaclty which one sounds better, but that doesn't mean it's EASY choosing it...
But I WORKED at it. I called on my Savior for guidance and divine help. I sought friends and family for comfort and support.

And it was moments like those that made me see how much a stronger princess I was becoming. Looking around me opened my eyes to what I needed to do next. How could I EVER repay my Savior for what he had done for me? One who suffered and died for me? One who paid the price of every sin, hurt, pain and sorrow I'd EVER felt, when all He asks in return is that we follow Him?

My heart ached in knowing how much I really had been given on a silver platter. How spoiled I really was...

So now that my castle and beautiful things are still being restored from a long and hard battle, I wanted so much to show my King how grateful I was. How grateful I AM. I want to venture out and sacfrifice my time and efforts in bringing others to this kind of knowledge!

Our world is suffering. It's sick and full of hurt. This gospel and Christ's Atonement make life so much easier! I rejoice in knowing this! I want EVERYONE to know how much the Lord has done for us! Heavenly Father sent His only begotten to die for us.. to save us.

...It's just exciting!

THIS is why I'm serving a mission. It has been so hard to prepare to leave my life behind; family, friends, a scholarship at school, time, opportunities to goof off and do whatever I want....

But when these 18 months are up I'll know that I did my best. I served my King. I labored hard in bringing my brothers and sisters in this world back to our Savior's presence. This princess just wants to pay back what she's been given. It's impossible, but at least I'm giving what I can :)

Now, all this being said, I know not everyone goes on a mission. Going on a mission isn't the only way we can show our Lord how grateful we are for everything he's done! By living our lives the best we can be, attending the temple, marrying in the temple and raising children in the gospel, studying the scriptures, fulfilling our callings, living a righteous life, acting on faith in everything we do....THESE are ways we can show our gratitude :) because really, that's all He asks of us.

It's so simple.
And I love it.

It's not an invitation...

I have a car. His name is Spud. He pretty much ROCKS.

I've had a habit of naming the family car since I was three. I've owned three cars of my very own, all of them specially named (Marv, Lucy, and now Spud). I've even helped friends name cars of their own! It's a special talent. Spud was notoriously named by the "sputter-sputter-sputter" noise he used to make when I first got him. So I named him Spud for short.

Spud's a racecar. At least he SOUNDS like one... His horn doesn't work too well, either, so the other day with the bestie in the car, a truck cut me off and I went to honk at him. Spud's horn shorted out half way through making it sound like a friendly honk instead of the "Hey jerk! Don't do that!"-kind of honk....

It sounded more like *beep beep beep!* "Dear sir, thanks for pulling out in front of us. Scared the ever livin' out of me, but just thought I'd toot my little horn to say g'day instead!"

....thanks Spud....

Also.... When I'm sitting idle at an intersection, he naturally revs. Especially when I've go the A/C going. Even yesterday I was sitting at an intersection, Spud doing his own thing, and a car full of guys of a different race south of the border from here pulled up next to me. Noticing Spud's noisy banter, THEY started to rev their car; the anticipation of a green light must've been killing them... you could see it in their faces. I just sat there, turning my music up louder, watching the busy traffic to look like I hadn't noticed. I think that got them even more excited; "Hey chica! AYE AYE AYE!! LET'S RACE!!!!"

The light turned green and they sped off. They yelled and hollered and cheered at their victory as I calmly sat in my cute little car. Silly boys...

I was turning right anyways.

Mystery solved. Case closed!

For MONTHS now I've been hearing a coo in our neighborhood: a soft coo of an owl. That's exactly what it sounded like to me. Never being able to see what was making that sound, I just assumed the tiny owl was taking up his humble abode in our neighbor's tree.

But it was bugging me. I could never catch a glimpse of this little creature.

Well, the other day as I was walking out to my car, a dove flew right past my head making a horrible cawing noise. Definitely not a crow, but it sure sounded like one! He sat on our roof and watched me move things in and out of my car. That's when the coo started again! I immediately turned to face the neighbor's tree to see if I could see the owl. But noting that it was daytime, I started to second guess myself. WHAT THE HECK?! I looked up at the dove. The cooing continued, but the dove just sat there peacefully staring at me, beak closed, and not a care in the world.

.... So it wasn't him.... right?

Last night my Daddy and I were sitting on our front porch talking and enjoying the nice weather when the cooing started up again. The same dove was sitting on the lamp-post. Piece by piece, I figured maybe the owl was non-existant, and this little grey bird was the source of the beautiful coo. (however, his caw is just plain sad...)

Googling "Mourning Doves", I discovered my new little friend has been the source of the "mysterious cooing noise". This vid shows exactly what he was doing that day that he just stared at me... they DON'T open their mouths when they coo!

Anyway... I'm a nerd. But I love birds, so just bear with me...

*ahem*

0:17 seconds starts the coo

Ain't he CUTE?! He's my new little buddy.

So, in closing, just enjoy nature. There are so many beautiful things around us... take time to notice the birds and flowers. Heavenly Father has given us this wonderful nature for our pleasure and enjoyment! SO ENJOY IT!! :) 

Thath tho thweet of you...

MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU!

I'm not a die hard fan of the Star Wars saga... I just like it. Growing up watching the "old" versions with my Daddy gives me a good appreciation for the movies. (let's face it... they rock!)

So in honor of May 4th, (known to all us nerds out there as Star Wars Day *woot*) I give you Star Wars: Cockatiel style.
(I have my own cockatiel. He's a sweety. And yes, he knows epicness when he hears it, too)

EPIC.

Let them eat cake! (Or at least let me make it for them..)

Missions aren't cheap. And since I wasn't exactly planning on going on a mission, I wasn't exactly saving money to actually GO. I'd thrown around the idea for a mission for quite some time, but never got the courage to make that final decision. "To go, or not to go?" That was the question!

So now that the Lord has made it pretty clear that this is the path I must follow, I've been putting my butt in gear and saving up and spending less!

Those of you who know me probably know I have a difficult time asking for help...or ANYTHING for that matter. I'm very passive and am truly happy to do whatever anyone else wants to do. But when it comes to asking for help, I struggle.

I'd prayed for a long time to find a way to make money without just asking for it (that idea to me is just....lame. And kinda selfish..?) so why not use the talents God gave me and use it to make money for the mission?!

I'm a cake decorator (I'm coming up on my one year mark! Woot!) so I've put on my "entrepenuer cap" and have made flyers for the neighbors and close friends. Missionary Cakes! The idea was inspired by Mom. It's perfect. This is my first week since I've handed them out and already my schedule is filling up with orders! I didn't know how effective it would be.... And I'm glad to see it's working out splendidly!

I'm surrounded by good people and I feel better that in my own way of asking for help, I'm earning my wages! All the proceeds from these cakes are going to my missionary fund. I feel good in helping others, and at the same time getting more money.

Here's some personal faves! (some more at the bottom, too)

I love decorating. I love seeing reactions when people receive their cakes. I love getting creative and knowing "I did that". :) I've been so blessed with this idea. I've even had some offers from wonderful people to not even order a cake but to just give money. That's NOT the idea, so I'm gonna surprise them with a cake anyhow! Heavenly Father has answered my prayers... and for that I'm forever grateful.

A royal pain...

So in preparation for my mission, I needed to get another dentist checkup. I've never been one to hate going to the dentist, but after THIS appointment...

My two front teeth have a small gap. They always have, and probably always will. I hated it when I was little... But I liked to imporvise and make the best of it by showing off that yes, indeed, I could stick my straw in between my two front teeth. It was a talent I was sure no one else could possibly possess.

My little gap gives me character!

So as I'm laying in the dentist chair he leans over me and says "Did you know you have a gap between your two front teeth?"

"Yes, I know," I replied.

"Well, you know, we can fix that for you. It doesn't effect anything. There's nothing wrong with it. I just figured you might want to get that fixed..."

.....Hm. The tone in voice made it sound like I really should consider it. Was it really THAT bad?

I laughed and said, "Oh no. That's alright. I think it has character! I mean, it doesn't look that bad, does it?"
I looked over at the nurse and her expression was that of disgust and concern, as if my life was doomed to be ruined forever if I said no.

*Awkward*

So I politely said no thanks, for the second time, and left my appointment. When I got in my car I looked in my rear-view mirror. It's not that big! Really! And then I was reminded of a Brian Regan comedy clip... The part I'm thinking of starts at 4:40...

"IS THAT A HUMP?!"
Thanks to all the docs out there making us more aware of our.... "abnormalities".... Thank you.

Once upon a blog...

Facebook has become a little too boring for me, so I decided to start a blog! I promise I'll try to get on here as much as I can! Now that finals are done I *seem* to have more time on my hands!

Just a little bit about me:

*I'm almost 21 years old, but I don't feel like I'm "that old". I've grown up a lot just in these past few years, but every person needs a little bit of fantasy and childishness in them!

*I love....No, let me say that again.... LOVE Coca Cola! Coke is my drink. I'm not addicted to this beautiful drink (really. I can go loooong periods of time without drinking any soda) but when I'm having a hard day, a good day, or just about any day, I like to "celebrate" with a drink of coke! Even days where I have no real reason to celebrate I find something to celebrate about! Drinks up!

*I'm a princess. Seriously. I'll dedicate another post to just that later on, but for now just know that I am indeed a princess, and with that comes great responsibility. You (whoever you are) are also royalty! We're all children of a King, and I take that knowledge with gratitude and joy! Our Heavenly Father loves us! He loves me! And I love Him!

*I'm working on my mission papers (another post for the future), and though it hasn't been the easiest thing I've ever done it has been so fulfilling! As I prepare to get out there and preach the Gospel, I can already feel the Savior's blessings raining down upon my family and I. I'M SO EXCITED TO GO!!!

*MUSIC.......Without a healthy dose of good music everyday, I turn into a vegetable. (A carrot, to be exact). I can't live without music. I LOVE to sing, and I can't help but harmonize to any and every song I hear. It's a habit that I can't seem to break. But I love it all the same. :)

*I'm the oldest child. I have a crazy-fun younger sister. I like to call her Madds. She's a sweetheart (when she's not teasing me ;) ) and she always puts other first. I truly admire that about her. We're in a rock band together. We hold performances in my kitchen every few weeks, so if you get the chance to make it to one of our "concerts" you better deem yourself PRIVELEGED. She's lead vocals, and I'm her backup. I'm also the back-up dancer. We love the power of Rock and Roll. "Be excellent to each other" .... rock on, little sis, rock on.

And then there's The Dude. The Dude is so super smart and really funny. He's 13 years old and already has a score of 22 on the ACT. Dude.... that's siiiiick. He and I love watching funny videos together. Somehow, they're only really funny when I watch them with him. When he's laughing at something stupid somehow my brain says "Huh. This crap is HILARIOUS!", and from there, it's history. Laugh away, little bro, laugh away.

*My parents are the best. EVER. I couldn't have asked for more understanding, loving, supportive, FUN, funny, and crazy people to have been my parents! These two are my strength, and I look up to them. We're an eternal family, and for that I feel the greatest joy in knowing!

*....Um, I don't know what else to say at the moment...
and to be honest this post is getting long, and I don't want my first "followers" to get too bored...

...Plus I'm getting bored of typing....

 So I'll see ya around! Till next time...