Best Birthday Ever

This weekend was the best ever. It was my birthday and it was so much fun. That morning mom and I went to breakfast and shopping. It was nice to spend the morning with her. I really wanted to go to Disneyland for my birthday, but that didn't happen. So, I decided on the next best thing... Toy Story 3 at the drive-in with my AMAZING friends. They are so good to me. It was such a blast.
Look at how cute we all are. My friends are
GREAT!!!

My friends thought that they were funny and sang Happy Birthday very loudly to me before the movie started. It was kind of embarrassing, but really fun.

The next day we went to Cowabunga Bay. I totally turned into a kid again. We were there for 4 hours and by the time we left we were all exhausted. Not to mention sunburned. It was so much fun though.

My cute sister and I after our Cowabunga Bay adventure. I am so glad that I have the greatest friends and family in the world. They made my birthday the best EVER!!!!

What if...

So a couple of my friends posted things about "If I Was..." I loved it and I am eventually going to do it too, but it got me thinking about other what ifs that are all around.

What if... it never rained, would we appreciate the warmth of the sun?

What if... we were never sad, would we ever know true happiness?

What if... we never lost a loved one, would we cherish the time we have with them?

What if... we were given everything. would we learn the value of working for what we want?

What if... we never went anywhere, would we develop the Spirit of Adventure?

What if... we were always afraid to fall, would we ever learn to soar?

What if... we never spoke our minds, would we ever be independent thinkers?

What if... we never left our circle of friends, would we ever discover the joy of new friendships?

What if... that one person never broke our heart, would we recognize true love?

Sawtooth

This weekend I got the chance to see my sister run in the Sawtooth Relay. It was really fun. I felt like I was in a car for three days straight though. Sawtooth is a 62 mile, 6 person relay and each person runs two legs. It was awesome to be a part of. :) My sister's team is named the Marauding Monkeys. Those six people were amazing. This year the team consisted of Claudia (my sister), Brice (my sisters friend and returning monkey), Danny (again friend and returning monkey), Liz (my sisters assistant track coach and first time monkey), Rusty (head cross country coach and first time monkey), and Launa (first time monkey). There was also Seth (the monkey gone mad). Seth decided that he was going to run it on his own this year. They are all amazing. I was so inspired by these awesome people. Now, like I said before, I am not a runner, but watching these crazy, determined people I was so moved that I have decided that next year I am going to run Sawtooth so, my training starts today. Slow and steady wins the race right, so that is how my training starts. Slow....

Infinate worth....

I don't know if I am the only one who ever feels this way, but sometimes I feel like I have no purpose or direction. I sometimes feel like I am wandering. At one particully difficult time in my life I had a very dear friend invite me over to watch this movie and she made me pay special attention to this song. It helped me remember that I needed to rely on the my Heavenly Father more. To this day when I am struggling I think of this song and it makes me remember that although I can't see what the Lord sees and I often don't understand what He is doing or His timing, I know that He will pull me through and I will be better for it.

Don't forget to pause my music and enjoy this wonderful song. =^)

I believe in Miracles

So this week has been an interesting one. Mom went in for a knee replacement on Wednesday and I would be lying if I said that I wasn't a little bit nervous about it. She had an amazing doctor and the staff was just as amazing I am sure. Everything went well though and she has pulled through like a champ. She was in the hospital until today when we were finally able to spring her out. =^) While she was in there she had two of the best CNAs. Mark, a big, burley, bald guy and Ren, a smaller, younger kid. Mark was loud and funny and made me laugh and Ren was quieter, but still funny. They were amazing because, even though they were as different as night and day, they both had a knack for putting me totally at ease. They were attentive and caring and they made sure my mom had everything she needed. Miracle #1.

Also while my mom was in the hospital she had lots of love from those that we love. She lots of visitors and well wishers. Flowers littered her room. The flowers that mean the most to me came later last night. A very kind and loving friend, who has never met my mom, sent her flowers. A beautiful reminder of the kind of love Christ has for all of us. Miracle #2

The best miracle of the week though came from a very dear friend of ours. One who for a long time mom and I thought that we had lost. It has been months since we have talked to her and we thought that we would never hear from again. While we were at Wal-Mart filling mom's perscriptions this friend texted me and asked if she could come and see us. Tears filled my eyes as a door that I thought was closed swung wide open again. She came, we talked, and the air was cleared. Miracle #3.

Thank you Heavenly Father for the tender mercies that fill my life and bless my soul.

Change is in the Air...

Why is it that just as you get used to something and think you have it figured out everything changes??? I don't know that I like change... I mean I accept it and I move forward, but I am not sure I like it. It takes a bit for me to warm up to the idea. My ward recently lost A LOT of members and we are gaining A LOT of members. I was not very happy about it at first, but now that I have warmed up to it I am kind of excited. The anticipation of a new adventure makes my heart beat a little faster. Change is what makes or breaks us. It is how Heavenly Father helps us to grow and makes us the people he wants us to be. It's a good thing He knows us so well that He how best to help us along our journey.

Happiness Is...

Happiness is...

• A warm hug
• A smile from a friend when you need it the most
• Family who love and support you
• The laughter of a child
• The smell of rain
• A good book, warm blanket, and a cup of hot chocolate in the middle of a snowstorm
• Homemade cinnamon rolls
• The first flowers of spring
• The feeling of accomplishment after you finish a project
• Midnight movies with my big sister
• Talking to mom
• Meeting your favorite Disney characters
• Laughing until your stomach and face hurt
• Talking all night long
• All night video game marathons

And most important

• The gospel of Jesus Christ
• A living prophet who leads us
• A testimony
• Knowing I am a daughter of God