Things that make me SmILe

• Someone getting baptized
  
• Disney movies
• Laying under the stars
• General Conference
• The World Cup
  
• Show stopper performances
  
• The cool summer air at night
• Lightening in the mountains
• My dad sends me random texts
• Watching exciting football baseball or basketball games
• Seeing the temple
• Understanding something I haven't before
  
• People that are truly in love
• Sweatpants, sweatshirts, blankets and anything WARM
• COLLEGE FOOTBALL
• Campfires
• Southern accents
• Seeing my family happy
  
• Banana Republic and Gap Outlets. ALL outlets
• Having a friend that you just can't wait to tell things to
• Reading good books
• Music
• Live John Mayer Music
• The show "Wipeout"
• PJ's
• When someone asks me for advice
• Missionaries
• A good workout
• Frozen yogurt
• Ice cream cones from Macys
• Mexican Food--ALL Mexican food
• Karaoke
  
• Rain when I'm sleeping
  
• Missionary moments
• Most country music songs
• Meeting people from the Carolinas in Utah
• Pedicures
  
• Learning about Jesus Christ
• Playing board games
• Completing a hard task and doing it well
• Homemade meals from my momma
• Institute
• When there are a ton of people singing the Hymns at church.. it just sounds so cool
• Clean Kitchens
• Falling asleep to music
  
• Fireworks
• Soft, soft beds ...
• Skyping
  
• Getting my hair played with
  
• Tubing
• Having good hair days
  
• Swimming laps
• Being clean
• Letters

SHARK WEEK!!!!!!

SHARK WEEK!!!!

Definition: The Discovery Channel's Shark Week, first aired on July 27, 1987, is a week-long series of feature television programs dedicated to sharks. Shark Week is held annually, normally running in July and/or August.

More exciting definition:
1.) Shark week is a whole week dedicated to laziness.
2.) Every night for a week you sit and watch sharks eat people and animals.
3.) You scare yourself out of ever going into the Ocean again .. but eventually you go get over it. At least I do.
4.) Usually shark week is better watched in a group of 2 or 3 people but if you have to watch it yourself it is still acceptable.
5.) Shark week is pure bliss.

Used in a sentence: WOOOO HOOO, it's shark week!!!!

Excuses you can ONLY use during shark week:
"I can't river monsters is on tonight."
"I can't it's shark week."
"I can do anything before 9, after that shark week starts."



Check out my favorite video from shark week so far!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MSx1NEV4ug

My First Summer in Utah!!

My first summer in Utah has been spectacular!! I won't lie, the first two months living here were completely awful. I couldn't wait to get back home ... but everything has changed! I love Utah! It is such a great place to be. We are so blessed here! We are surrounded by temples, our churches are close to our homes, and you have so many opportunities to brush shoulders with members of the church that are great examples.

July aka the BEST MONTH EVER! Why???

A.)It was my birthday
B.)I just had a ton of fun.
Let's start from the beginning.
So technically June but a July "celebration" I went to my first fireside in the Marriott center with a bunch of friends from my ward. I think it was a kick off to this big Freedom Festival they have here in Provo. It was really cool. Steve Young (who I guess is a pretty big deal .. ) spoke. They had guest singers like Jenny Jordan Frogley (my fav LDS artist) and Alex Boye who is just a ball full of energy. Jenny Oaks Baker was also there playing her violin. She is an awesome musician! It was so great. The music was beautiful and it was a great way to spend a Sunday evening.

July 3rd. Stadium of Fire. I would put this night in my top five BEST nights ever. Seriously. I went with some friends to see Carrie Underwood. Yes. I said Carrie Underwood. This is like one of my dreams. I guess I can check that right off my list. :) It was SO much fun. My favorite part wasn't even part of her concert. She came out and sang the national anthem and there were fireworks and planes ... and it was just nuts!!! I had such a good time. I did though manage to lock my keys out of my car haha so after the concert Logan, Laura, Lane, and I had to walk back to their house. It actually wasn't too bad. The weather was nice and it was kind of fun to see everyone out still from the concert. Great day!!

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July 4th, one of my favorite holidays! So I don't know if you know this about me but I just LOVE fireworks. After church a whole bunch of us head up to Park City, UT to watch some fireworks. We find a good spot on a hill and just lay there for a few hours until they start. Ok, it's July and I am in TWO blankets and a sweatshirt. It's flippin freezing!!!! Welcome to Utah! The fireworks were great, all they needed was a little music. Luckily, Logan and Lane met us up there and Lane performed some Neil Diamond during the grand finale. Oh my goodness .....

P.S while I was in Park City, I think I fell in love with it. I also eyed a Mexican restaurant that I juts had to try ... so guess what? Logan, Lane and I went back up the next day!! Woooo hoooo!

July 5th, continuing an amazing weekend! So, we head up to park city and check out the outlets. We end up spending 70 percent of our day there. I bought way to much. Me in a Banana Republic outlet is just BAD NEWS. I got some really great stuff. We all found some really sweet jackets at Oakley that were on sale so we got em. Then it was freezing.... again... so we wore them around matching like losers. haha. We went to a really tasty Mexican Restaurant and then got candy apples at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. While we were walking downtown Main street Logan got sucked into a time share but I'm pretty sure it was a good deal. Swweettt!!

Random Day in July. I get this absolutely great Job with Provo Canyon Schools as a PNR Team Coach. I go threw three WHOLE days of training and just loved it more and more each day. PCS takes kids that have been taken out of their homes and they are admitted with a physc disorder. The kids are put on a plan to success and my job would be to just watch them in their dorms and keep everything safe. I would love waking up and going to work thinking I am making a difference in someones life. It actually made me think about changing my major to Behavior Health. Anyway, after three long days they found out I was 20 and not 21 and apparently you have to be 21 to work there. They said I could have the job back next summer. I was so bummed but it was such a great experience! :)

Shortly after my random day in July...I decided to fly home!! I randomly flew home to South Carolina for like 4 days. It was a lot of fun. I had to learn how to drive a stick shift because my car is now in Utah and all my friends are pretty far from my house. My 17 year old brother taught me around our neighborhood and I was determined to learn. I've been trying to learn for 4 years now. You know something weird? So I've never really have gotten out of first gear, but I have a lot of dreams driving stick and I think because I "practice" in my dreams .. I just got it right away when my brother taught me. Maybe that's not it ... but that is what I am sticking with. So Saturday, I went to Ashely WATSON'S wedding reception. It was pretty beautiful and the had SHRIMP from CHARLESTON ... it really couldn't get better. Eating shrimp and catching up with all my now married friends. I love South Carolina! :-) After the reception Jam Jo and I had our weekly Saturday night sleep over at her place .. it her twin bed. Yes, we are lame. We went home and looked at some stuff for her wedding and just passed out. Oh yeah, we did go to the grocery store at like midnight to get food for the next day. I wore ... my green shorts with soccer balls all over them and pastel Sperry shoes... with a WVU t-shirt. Let's just say, I looked hot. We actually even got invited to a party by a couple of gangsters ... lol weird. So Sunday I went to my old ward. It was awesome, like always. On Tuesday we went out to Monterays ( my favorite Mexican restaurant) to celebrate my birthday. EVERYONE CAME even bishop and his wife. I just love them. I got some beautiful earrings and necklace from Milka. :) The next day I went home and got stuck in every city possible. It totally stunk!! I was in such a bad mood. Eventually I got home (did I just call Utah home? uh oh .. ) and Lane picked me up from the airport. We went and ate dinner at the Mayan. Which is awesome! People jump from like cliffs and waterfalls while you eat MEXICAN food. NuTS!!
Oh ya and while I was home I met my mom's new boyfriend and he got me a bunch of Red Sox stuff for the game I was going to see the next week in Anaheim. He's a huge fan! I rubbed it in Lanes face!!!!

The Sunday after I got home Lane and I left for LA! We were suppose to meet everyone down there .. but it didn't really work out and they left before we got there. Sad. Next time!! We still had a great time though. We did get stuck into traffic once or twice .. ok maybe three or four times. Luckily we played the license punch game which I thought was a good idea at the time ... I now have a huge bruise on my left thigh. So while we were down there we went to Universal City, Hollywood, Rodeo Drive, THE LA TEMPLE, Downtown Disney (kinda), and the Red Sox game ... at the Angles stadium. WHICH WAS AWESOME. We just picked like a really good game. We also didn't have bad seats. I have a favorite player all ready and that would be David Ortiz. He was my favorite way before the game because I have his t-shirt lol ... but once I saw him hit two home runs it was a done deal. He's this huge black dude that is totally awesome. Overall, LA was so much fun and I want to do it again ... when I'm rich!

The end of July and everything I missed after I got home July slowly got boring. I helped Logan and Lane move .. that was semi exciting. Their new place is pretty cool. OH! Pioneer Day in Utah is awesome!!! I saw some really cool fireworks! Loved that. Hm, I went to a couple Orem Owls games .. which again I LOVE. I gave my first lesson in Relief Society and I will be giving my first talk in a few weeks. That's kind of a huge deal for me .. but I'm not even nervous anymore.

July was such a good month and even having as much fun as I did ... I learned a lot of new things about myself too. I know who I am and what I want and that feels so good. My testimony continues to grow everyday and I am surrounded by great people that help to strengthen it and I am grateful for that. This really is a good life ... even in Utah! ;)

Love

For the past couple weeks, on Sunday nights I have been picking a Christ like attribute to work on during the week. Last week was Patience. I learned a lot and surprisingly feel a lot better about my patience. Yesterday, I decided to work on Love this week. Today I was reading some talks by President Uchtdorf--my favorite, and I came across a November 2009 Ensign talk called "The love of God." Heavenly Father really always knows exactly what I need!!!

I took three pages of notes on this talk--yes, it was THAT good!!

How do we become True Disciples of Jesus Christ?
When I first thought about this question .. I was like ... this has a billion answers. Seriously... how am I suppose to pick one?! Well, surprisingly enough the answer is simple! "If ye love me, keep my commandments" John 14:15. Easy right? Ok, so maybe not THAT easy ... but totally possible with some help from our Heavenly Father. As I kept reading I was kindly reminded that love, is the greatest commandment. Matthew 22:37-39 says, "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." If we always try our best to love God and each other, our lives will have direction and meaning. We will never be steered down the wrong path. President Uchtdorf tells us, as well as providing direction in our lives and the Lord's Church here on earth this will also provide us direction for the Lord's Church on the other side of the veil! What a profound promise!

When we start to love God, and love others as ourselves ... our lives take on a new meaning. When we love God all of our priorities are align. "Obedience becomes a joy rather than a burden", because we are showing God that we love him by keeping his commandments!

But why should we Love God?
Just like we are taught that God doesn't NEED us to pray to him... God doesn't NEED us to love him. But WE NEED to love Him. President Uchtdorf says, "For what we love determines what we seek. What we seek determines what we think and do. What we think and do determines who we are-- and who we will become." If we choose not to love our Heavenly Father and instead love something or someone else more ... we will let go of the grip that we have on the iron rod. We will start choosing to put other things before scripture study, prayer, and even our church meetings. Slowly but surely we will loose total sight of the iron rod and be completely lost. I am so thankful for this knowledge so that I can do my best not to make these mistakes. But I do know that if I do ever loose sight of the iron rod or just my grip ... I can ALWAYS find it again. Which brings me to the next point.

Why does Heavenly Father Love us so much?
As no surprise to you or me, we are Heavenly Fathers children!! Why wouldn't he love us? We are created in His image. Just as your parents love you and would do anything in the world for you, Heavenly Father loves us just as much and even more. Everyday, here on this earth we make mistakes ... we hurt peoples feelings ... and sometimes choose not to love one another because of our flaws. Great news is, is that Heavenly Father will ALWAYS love us no matter how wicked, poor, or selfish we might be. So back to my point, if we loose sight of that iron rod or just our grip, we can ALWAYS find our way back!! " What this means is that, regardless of our current state, there is hope for us. No matter our distress, no matter our sorrow, no matter our mistakes, our infinitely compassionate Heavenly Father desires that we draw near to Him so that He can draw near to us."

So, just like our testimony should be strengthened everyday, and become more strong ... so should our love for god increase everyday and become stronger.

How can we increase our Love for God?
"God is love, the closer we approach him, the more profoundly we experience love."

As I read this part of the talk, I made a list of everything that I can do to become closer to God and feel his love ... that way I can increase my love for Him by doing these things.
-We must seek the spirit
-Keep his commandments, all of his commandments ... not just the easy ones
-Talk to him ALL the time EVERYWHERE and about EVERYTHING. D&C 19:28 says, "And again, I command thee that thou shalt pray vocally as well as in thy heart; yea, before the world as well as in secret, in public as well as in private."
-Proclaim publicly that we love Him.
-Share are testimony with others
-Align our thoughts and actions with His
-Read the scriptures
-Listen to General Conference
-Visit the Temple
-Study the words of His Latter-Day prophets
-Listen and do what he asks
-ENDURE TO THE END

Be still and quiet, listen for Heavenly Fathers voice in all things. Listen for it in the temple, during General Conference talks, while in nature or reading your scriptures. I know that when I make time for Heavenly Father and do not rush ... I hear his voice and I have confirmation that He really does LOVE me.

To conclude, I will share my favorite quote from this talk. "Love is the healing balm that repairs rifts in person and family relationships. It is the bond that unites families, communities, and nations. Love is the power that initiates friendship, tolerance, civility, and respect. It is the source that overcomes divisiveness and hate. Love is the fire that warms our lives with unparalleled joy and divine hope. Love should be our walk and our talk.




It is only Monday ... and that is what I have learned about Love so far this week. Let's hope I can put it to good use! I have 6 more days before I pick my next Christ like attribute to focus on!! I'm going to be a ball full of knowledge!

A small world, a big plan.

I hate the coffee mugs that say, "Life sucks, then you die." To whoever wrote that... I wish you knew what I know!!! Life is amazing, somewhat unpredictable, interesting, and miraculous! Life is part of our Heavenly Fathers greatest plan!

Life is so exciting! It is full of the unexpected. It is full of love and laughter, heartbreaks and let downs...changing and growing. There are not many people that take the time to sit down and really think about their life--what they have learned and experienced, good memories and bad. Sometimes it takes special moments that prick our hearts to remember these kinds of things.
I experience moments like this ever so often ... and when I'm in a calm place ... I can sit and think about them. I think about the things that I have experienced so far that have built the person I am today. Whatever they may be good or bad, I am thankful for them all.

Update

My facebook deactivation lasted a day. Go me!!!

It's official!!

I deactivated my Facebook account. Now, I don't know how long I will be able to go with out it ... but I'm trying. I just checked the thing WAY too much. Maybe a little time away will make it not so addicting. Most of my friends have no idea I don't have a Facebook anymore, they are probably all going to think I deleted them. Haha funny!! :-)

This counts Day 1 of no facebook.


Good night!!

Introducing the Fabulous Five!!!

So my roommates and I were talking tonight about my previous blog about the weird things in Utah. They are convinced now, that I hate Utah. They suggested that I write a nicer blog about Utah .....and them. Hahah, so here it goes!!

Fun (and very legit) facts about Utah...

• A good friend wrote this to me as I was getting ready to move here ..."'Of the 50 states, Utah has one of the largest concentrations of computer software firms; one of the four larger concentrations of biomedical firms; the youngest population; one of the highest birth rates; the second lowest death rate; the healthiest population; the highest literacy rate; t...he highest percentage of high school graduates; and the highest number of people with a college education.' So clearly you'll have plenty of men to pick from, he'll probably be wealthy and work in some kind of firm, you'll be super healthy, you'll have lots of kids and they'll all be well educated. What more could you ask for?"
• "The Great Salt Lake is 3 to 5 times saltier than the ocean. Fish free, the lake's largest aquatic critters are brine shrimp" I wonder if people swim in it ... can you eat the shrimp?
• To clear up all the jello confusion from my last blog, I found this online at awesomeamerica.com/utah... "Utah is the Jello capital of the world. More jello is eaten in Utah than any where else in the world. I can't wait to try all the kinds that DO NOT have cottage cheese in them ;)
• My last fun fact is about the State bird, the California Gull ... and why it is the state bird. Here is the story.
• "The settlers' first winter in the Salt Lake Valley had been a hard one. Food was scarce, and all hoped that the next year would bring a large harvest. Crop failure meant disaster for the present colony and no food for the more than 2,000 Saints planning to immigrate to the Salt Lake Valley that year.When spring came, the hopeful pioneers planted grain and vegetables. Unfortunately, catastrophe after catastrophe hit. First, a late frost damaged much of the crops. Then, in May and June, a drought injured more of their potential harvest. Finally, hordes of crickets descended from the foothills and began devouring the remaining crops. For two weeks the pioneers battled the crickets and prayed for relief.Seagulls from the Great Salt Lake flew to the fields and began devouring the crickets. For two weeks they continued their attacks and many of the crops were preserved." SWWEEETTT ....

Introducing The Fabulous Five ....

I figured I'd take the time to introduce and tell how awesome my roommates are. :)

ESTHER

She is awesome and totally full of life!!! In fact, all my roommates are full of life! It's so much fun to live around people that are happy ALL THE TIME. I've only seen Esther somewhat in a bad mood once ... and it lasted a whole hour. She is great!! :) My favorite thing about Esther is that she is very spontaneous!! Today she performed for all my close friends back in Carolina a Tahitian dance, costume and all. They loved it!! She also helped me pick out a really cute outfit for this weekend, which I am really thankful for!!

KIM
Kim might just be the most positive person I've ever met. She always looks at the good side of things. I came across something that she wrote on her facebook that describes this perfectly. She said, "hope for the best and expect the worst". Even when the outcome is, "the worst" ... she still makes something good come of it! Kim and I are grocery shopping and ice cream eating buddies. She's way fun!

CASSIThree words I would use to describe Cassi, only knowing her for 3ish weeks would be ...
honest, sweet, and humble. Thank you for letting me borrow your nail polish last night!! I love when Cassi makes cookies!!! Her cookies are WAY good. Cassi was the most concerned that I hate Utah (which I don't), so this blog is for her. :)

AMBER AND ASHLEY

I put Amber and Ashley together, because they are ALWAYS together :) They are the cutest best friends!! My favorite story about Amber and Ashley is the other night when they come into Esther and I's room at like midnight ... to ask if we have any yarn. We are like why do you need yarn? "We want to go penny tapping." Don't worry I had to ask what it is too.... so you get yarn and tie a penny on the end of it ... then you take a band-aid and stick the yarn to a window ... as you pull the yarn the penny taps on the window and it's supper funny because they don't know where the sound is coming from. Did I get that right? These girls are SOO funny!! I love that they listen to me complain, vent, and to all my crazy stories.

SO, that is it. I love Utah, and I love my roommates. I can't wait to have many adventures here!! :)



Do you believe me now?

Those weird Utah things...

I have officially lived in Utah more than three weeks and already, on several occasions .. I have used the phrase, "must be a Utah thing" ... I'm pretty sure I even said that when I bore my testimony on Sunday. Haha at least they laughed...

Anyway, I am here to tell all you of ... some of the "Utah" experiences I have had thus far... I'm sure their will be MUCH more to come.

1.) This Sunday was "break the fast" in our clubhouse here at Raintree where I live. I was really excited ... because I was really hungry and figured it would be something like our Hilliard Linger Longer's. Well, we are totally spoiled at Hilliard because there is some WEIRD food at these things. I joked before I went that is was going to be casserole and jello ( a Utah thing, I hear) and guess what it was!! I ate jello with cottage cheese in it ... DISGUSTING!!




2.) My best friend Marissa goes to Institute at UVU on Monday's and Wednesdays. She is in a dating and courtship class ... and told me this : The class was having a discussion about dating do's and don'ts. They got on the subject of something a girl does on a date that makes the guy say " she's a keeper". The guys, and she said ALL OF THE GUYS ... said ... if they were on a date and their car didn't have automatic unlock ... they would open the door for their date .. and if she leaned over and unlocked his side before he got there ... she was a keeper? What the hay? Are you serious... how does that make somebody fit to be your eternal companion. Anybody want to explain something I'm just not seeing. I mean I realize .. that it's thoughtful ... but really... it makes you a keeper? Come on!!

3.) I was having a discussion with my roommate Kim about the gym. Which is the best thing about Utah, by the way!!! I mentioned, how I noticed that guys there wear their socks really high .. and odd looking shoes to work out in. But, honestly, I admitted it was kind of cute. So she decided to tell me what she thought was cute ... this is what she says.. When she sees guys on BYU campus with Oil Vials on their key chains .. excuse me WHAT? That's weird.....

4.) I went to go send a letter the other day, to Jordan's awesome missionary in San Diego. EVERYONE and I'm not exaggerating ... EVERYONE in the post office was sending a letter or package to an Elder ... somewhere. It was definitely really cool, and really weird.




5.) Get this-- it's 48 degrees .. and every guy in Raintree is laying out in his bathing suit ... sunbathing? I have seen this happen several times. It's true, guys sunbath. The look somewhat like this...





6.) As well as guys laying out ... a good percent of them also go tanning. Unless they are just using orange markers to color themselves in the morning. It could be a possibility...

7.)Funny story: Alright, it’s Sunday night … about 1am and my roommate and I are both sleeping. Our window is open because it was really nice out. All of the sudden this guy is outside singing “Come thou fount of every blessing” at the TOP OF HIS LUNGS. I kid you not; I’ve never heard someone sing this loud. I decide to look out the window and he waves and smiles …. Utah is really weird.


8.)Last but not least, DANCE PARTIES EVERYWHERE. People throw dance parties ... like everyday here .. and there isn't just one to choose from. There is like a dozen. I figured I would see what they were like my first week here. Marissa and I walked in ... and there were 10 people throwing glow sticks... we walked out.





I have come to a conclusion that I have a love hate relationship with Utah. These things entertain me so much, that I don't think I hate them. I actually really like them. I LOVE the mountains, I love seeing temples and church buildings EVERYWHERE and I love being around my best friend all the time!! Overall, I think I made a good decision on moving to Utah. But I will forever love my home, Carolina!! :)

I admit it, I'm a pessimist sometimes...

I was reading in my scriptures before bed tonight .. and I was in the Book of Mormon in the last chapter of Mormon. I read verse 27 and it was like a big smack in the face!! "...ask the Father in the name of Jesus Christ what things soever ye shall stand in need. DOUBT NOT, but BE BELIEVING...". I know that if it is important to me ... it is important to my Heavenly Father because he loves me!! I definitely have to work in putting more trust in Him ... he IS taking care of me ... I am blessed beyond measure ... and I am never alone. That feels amazing!!

Day 1 of 3

My trip down to Utah will consist of 3 separate drives. First day: Drive down to Missouri to my Grandpas!!

I left my house around 8:45am, after to saying bye to Jordan. :( I was so sad. I'm not going to lie... I probably cried for a good twenty minutes until I sucked it up. I made it Ashville by 10:45am ... and I was feeling good. Ashville was pretty exciting to drive through. Usually when I go to Ashville I fly so it was cool to actually drive through the "mountains". Haha, I sound like a brat! Here are some pictures while I was going through Ashville/Carolina. Pretty!!OK, so I guess like in October... the rocks on the side of the road ( like the picture above) fell. So, they closed like a ton of I-40 down ... so I had to take an hour detour .. which kind of stunk... but watcha gonna do?

First place I stop to get gas was Temple Hill, Tennessee. Before I started my trip... I grabbed 30 pass-along-cards that I'm planning on giving out before I reach Utah. I counted #1 in my blog before this to the AAA guy. At this gas station I have #2 to the "gas chick" ... is what I'm going to call them. I was shocked at how easy it was. So I get back on the road, and the next time I stop is also in TN at Faststop were I give out #3, also to a "gas chick". About this time in the trip I'm surprized I haven't gotten lost yet... that I was actually driving to Missouri by myself. I can thank my dad for that. He had mapped out my whole trip and we both had the same exact directions. He would call me literally every 30 minutes and tell me where I was. It was pretty fun. He is such a good Dad. He carried around the map all day just in case I needed him! :)
So, around 2:00... I get to my next big city which is Knoxville. Did I mention that I LOVE Tennessee almost as much as I love Carolina. Ever since I took a road trip there with a friend my senior year of High School to visit his family for Thanksgiving... I have had this weird obsession with it. It's so pretty. ANYWAY, Knoxville. I make my fourth stop just past Knoxville at a gas station, Exon. Now usually when I stop I only take one pass along in with me but for some reason .. I felt like I needed to take three? So I did. Well, as I was walking in there were three workers standing outside taking their smoke break .. and I handed them out :) #4, #5, and #6!! Everyone that I handed one to by this time was so nice. They looked at it and said they would check it out. Maybe I should tell the missionaries they should go contacting in gas stations? It seems to work... I thought maybe it was because they get so many weird people coming in that they are kind of immune to them now. I got a little picture of Knoxville. Shot from behind my head because it's hard to take pictures and drive at the same time! lol
Now, I was heading to Nashville...which I was pretty exciting about until I got there. When I thought of Nashville ... I thought big country town ... and everything looked country ... and old ... yeah not at all.... it's just a city...


Just 30 minutes after I passed Nashville, I got into Kentucky.......... uhhh


Dinner time!! I really wanted Subway and I really needed gas. Next sign I saw, Subway and gas ... in the same building! SCORE! So I stopped, gassed up ordered my sub and that is where my story got interesting. So pass along card #7 goes to "gas chick" who I later had to come back to and ask why the pump wasn't working. She said because you haven't pressed start yet.. What? You have to press start on your gas pumps in Kentucky? Pass along card #8 goes to "subway chick". She looked about my age so I decided to ask her what there was to do for fun in Kentucky because clearly nobody lives there. She said actually... there is nothing .. especially in this town (Paducah). Then she goes .. actually during the summer there is a lot to do. I'm like oh yeah.. like what? She goes ... well, where are you from. South Carolina. Then she says ... so do you know how everyone thinks we are just kind of like a bunch of "hillbillys" down here. Yeah. She said we have something called a "tots festival" ... so I automatically think of potatoes... and she starts laughing at me .. and shes like no... its where everyone drives around and walks around with confederate flags .. and no black people come around.. I imagined it something like this ....Once the complete shock wore off....I got back on the road!!!!

From here on my trip was one big blur. I learned Kentucky really likes to smoke cigarettes... and that you can get them cheap there....here is proof!

• At one point.. I got a little lost.... but I stopped a retirement home and this old lady helped me! :)

• I saw a deer, and crossed over the Mississippi in the same mile!!

By this time my cell phone battery was running out and I still had like 5 hours to go ... so I had to find a Walmart. The only problem was .. I was in the middle of nowhere!!!! Eventually I found one. I had no idea what town I was in until I asked the guys that were cashing me out in the electronic area. Sikeston, Missouri? They had some funny accents. Well, they were definitely hitting on me... so I thought I so have two pass along cards.. and gave them out!! #9 and #10. BaDDa BiNg BAdda BOoM!

My last pass a long card went to a lady in Van Burney, MO ... another "gas chick". After this I had about 3.5 hours left .. and was ready to get there!! I listened to the Michael Buble CD a couple times that I bought in Walmart and that sure made the time go by faster. Around 10 the sister missionaries call me!!! Yey!!!!! I love the sisters :) I told them all about my day.. and they told me about theirs ... technically they said we are still allowed to talk until I officially am not in the ward anymore. It was WAY exciting. Well, because I was so excited... I lost track of the speed limit .. next thing I know .. I catch up to a cop .. so I slow down so I don't pass him. At this point I have no idea what the speed limit is.... so he keeps slowing down and I keep slowing down. Eventually he pulls me over. Missouri has the NICEST cops in the world. He was all cute with his hat and accent... awww. Well, to make a long story short he just said pay attention to the speed limit .. and you are allowed to pass cops. hahahhaha No ticket for me :)

I got to my grandpa's around 11 o'clock and was afraid to get out of my car because I wasn't sure my legs worked anymore. Good news... they do!!! :)



I was so tired. I went right downstairs to my room ... read my scriptures .. and then turned on BYUTV and fell asleep to President Monson's talk he gave at the October Conference on Service :) What a good way to end Day #1.

My last day in Carolina...

My last day in Carolina was bittersweet. Mom woke me up at 9:45 .... to get the ball rolling! We had a lot of things to do. First off, we went and picked out new bedroom stuff for me. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my new comforter. It's tan with white stitched flowers. Then we went to Walmart and bought everything you could possibly need for my car. I have four hubcaps now :). That is huge news!! After Walmart... we had to get my oil change... b-o-r-i-n-g!! After getting my oil changed, we came home and I packed the rest of my stuff and took it to my car. Luckily, we still have the passenger seat open or else my Grandpa probably would have to have been tied to the top of the car. I'm sure the view would have been great though!! :) OK, so we do all that. Then my mom lets me decide on any food I want for dinner. I decide Sticky Fingers... which kind of shocked me because ... I've only been there once.. and I never thought I'd go back. I got a good ol southern meal... BBQ, slaw, beans, and baked mac and cheese!! Yum!! So we get home from dinner... OHHHHH I forgot to mention... BEFORE DINNER.. my MOM.. LOCKED... MY KEYS .. in my CAR!!! Drrrrrrrrr Who does that? Just kidding, I do it all the time. So after dinner, the AAA guy comes over to unlock my car. This man is awfully friendly. He tells us about his love life... his 22 month year old daughter ... what she likes to do... what kind of clothes she likes... he was so sweet. We got on the topic of me driving to Utah tomorrow and he asked where Utah was (hahahhahahaha) so I explained where... and he was pretty amazed. He was then telling my mom that she should be proud of me for going to college and all that baloney ...and he asked how long I was going to be there. I said I'd probably move back once I graduated and got married . He was shocked, he then when on to tell me more about his love life and how I definitely shouldn't get married until I'm 35. Then he went and told my mom the same thing. I joked and said I'd send him a wedding announcement....he took me seriously and gave me his card!! WELL, if he is just giving out cards then I figure I'm just going to give out cards. So I go in my car and get him a little pass along card!! :) He asks what it is for .. and I said a free book called the Book of Mormon. He promised to order and read the book as long as I sent him a wedding announcement!! Ohhh how the Lord works in mysterious ways!! :)

A Hour plus for disater time.....

So my new friend Jordan and I decided to venture down to Columbia, South Carolina for a YSA conference a couple weekends ago. I was invited down by Jacki (Matt who got baptized in October... girlfriend) to stay with her and then i decided to drag Jordan along... (well not really she went willingly). Ok, so Friday I pick up my check so i have plenty of money for the weekend. As I'm driving home (it's about 5 o'clock, banks close in an hour.. i think) I can't fin a Bank of American ANYWHERE on Independence... one of the BUSIEST roads. I get home and Jordan and I end up heading out around 6:15 and on the way to Cola, I stop at BOA in my home town. Because it is already closed, I have to use my debit card to put the check into the ATM. All is well. We are driving, I look down and I need gas. So Jordan and I stop and I realize I don't have my freakin debit card. Are you serious? Who does that? I make fun of the people that "forget their debit card" at the ATM... karma.
So, in Jordan's words after calling "the smartest person we know, Jasher", everything gets figured out and I picked up a new card the next morning.
Now, may I remind you that the title of this blog is --An hour plus for disaster time... that is how much time we had to screw up on the way to Cola... and we definitely used it all. After Jordan bought the gas we decided why not get some taco bell to go. Steak burritos on a huge platter with chips and salsa + me driving with NO hands + Jordan on speaker phone arguing with Jake about anything + Jordan eating + other cars on the road = DISASTER!!! Don't worry thought, the car and us both made it in ONE piece!!

COLA

• Walking into the dance, awkward pretty much smacked you in the face!!
  
• We went to the ZOO!!!!!!!!!!!! Look at our pictures!!

• I won mini-golf, Jordan came in 2nd ...loser... just kidding <3
• Seminars=amazing!! The 3rd one was the best and I've actually got to share what I learned there a few times already.
• Brusters Ice Cream, double scoop... made our day!
• UNTIL, Mellow Mushroom
• Although we would have like to have gone in, seeing the temple and buying a whole bunch of stuff in the bookstore was satisfying
• Ride home on Saturday night--Relaxing. We both saw a shooting star!!
• Sunday!!!! BEST DAY OF THE WEEK. I met Milcah who got baptized last weekend. She already has this amazing testimony... and when she bore it the spirit was incredibly strong. It was awesome!!!
• Nap at Brandon's after church...followed by dinner with the Elders and the Sisters and then thanks to Jam Jam, the MOST embarrassing moment of my life... (story later to be told... MAYBE... If i feel like it) I love you Jam!!
  

Longest Flight Ever!!!!

3:30am, I woke up to head out to Utah. I got to the airport around 5:30am and my flight left at 7:30am. I didn't bring much to do on the plane (big mistake) ...so I'm really bored. I decided I would write blogs on airsick bags.. and put them on the computer later! I just finished reading 3 Nephi in the Book of Mormon, probably right now I have to say it is my all time favorite book in the BOM. I've also been reading a book by Ted Callister (now one of the 70) called The Infinite Atonement. All the concepts in the book start out pretty basic, stuff we already "know" but they are explain in a more profound way. A couple of things that I have ready so far really stuck out to me, so I wrote them down.

• Until reading this I never thought about the people in the Old Testament. I just figured they were the same as us. That they could repent and be cleansed of their sins ... well, this is true. But then you think... well ... the Savior did not exactly atone for our sins yet ... in the Old Testament. Does the Atonement reach that far? The answer is yes!! "The headnote to Alma 39 reads in part, "Christ's redemption is retroactive in saving the faithful who preceded it." The gospel was preached in full ( faith, repentance, and baptism) from the beginning, and through every dispensation. I thought this was awesome... because it was all stuff I already knew.. and just had not connected together.
  

• The second thing that really stuck out to me was this quote. "It should be no surprise that as we become more godlike we become more powerful. Knowledge brings power; purity brings power; love brings power. Power and godhood are directly related." Then it goes on to say that the Savior's life is a confirmation of this truth. D&C 93:17 says, "And he received all power, both in heaven and on earth, and the glory of the Father was with him, for he dwelt in him." Now I know I will never in this lifetime have as much power as this verse talks about, or be even close to being godlike but this quote and verse motivates me to do as best as I possibly can to gain knowledge, to keep myself pure, and to love one another. I know as I strive to do these things that I would become more powerful to withstand the things of this world.
  

I feel like I have been learning a ton lately. My new calling allows me to go out on teams with the missionaries all the time, which i totally love!! Don't get me wrong--the Elders are awesome but I really really enjoy going out on teams with the sisters. They have such a peace to them and approach sharing the gospel in a different way than Elders do.

The big move is coming up here soon. Yesterday one of the Elders here asked me what I was most excited about for Utah. I had to think about it a little bit but I decided that I'm really excited to be close to the family that took me in as one of their own and introduced me to the gospel. Every single one of them ( and boy, have they grown since then) are an example to me. They all live in Utah and that makes me so excited!! Marissa, (shes my bestie by the way), her and I will go to the same school and live in the same apartments. APARTMENTS, notice not APARTMENT (we'd kill each other :)) Anyway....although, we won't be in the same ward we decided that if my ward is the bomb.com that she can just come with me--or if it starts later... duh...LOL
Another thing I am really excited about is being around so many members at one time. People say it's a little bit of a culture shock... and I'm sure I'll meet the crazies but I will also meet people that will teach me knew things and help me to grow! :)
Thirdly, I am really excited to get my butt into school again. UVU has the 2nd biggest institute--I'm guessing the first being BYU haha. I have no idea... anyway.. Brother Fear ( my institute teach here) told me that there are about 27 classes that you can pick from to take there. How exciting is that?!?! Let's see, ok, so I definitely don't know how I feel about the cold, wet, snow BUT I might as well learn to love it! Right? I would love to learn how to ski!!!! Infact, I would want to do all the cool things you do in mountains like.... rock climbing, long hikes, bike riding, and whatever else is thrown at me....

Besides from being excited to move to Utah, I am also REALLY scared, sad, anxious, impatient, patient because I'm scared (contradicting, i know), joyful and fearless... but I know what I'm doing is right and I know as long as I'm being obedient, Heavenly Father will bless me!!

TEMPLE.TEMPLE. TEMPLE.

I've decided the FIRST thing I'm doing when I get to Utah is going to see, in person, my all time favorite temple!!!!



I have pictures of this temple (about 10) all throughout my room and in my scriptures. Oh, and it's on my cell phone and computer background haha. Not sure why it is my favorite temple, all temples are great... but I have just always loved this particular temple.

In a perfect world I would love to be sealed here!! I plan on just hopping in the car, all by myself and driving there. :) I can't wait!!! Which temple is it?? GUESS




BOUNTIFUL UTAH TEMPLE!!!

The Bountiful Utah temple was the eighth temple built in Utah. It was also one of the two temples dedicated by President Howard W. Hunter (the other one being Orlando, Jam's fav!!). The ninth temple built in Utah, Mt. Timpanogos, is very similar to Bountiful. They have the same floor plan and also look very alike on the outside. I definitely can't wait to see this temple also!

I am the luckiest girl alive!

Sometimes when I think about all my blessings that I have .. It is almost to hard to comprehend. These past couple weeks have been like a dream. Getting into two schools, finding an apartment, all the time I'm getting to spend with my mom teaching investigators, nannying for the sweetest kids alive, my friends are awesome ... it's like the blessings aren't stopping. I'm not complaining at all, my heart is just so full.

I have some pretty exciting dates coming up!

• The biggest one of course, is moving to Provo, Utah!! 23 days!! I'm hoping Brandon is going to take a couple days from work and drive me down there! We are still working on that part, but I'm sure everything will work out. It should take 3 days to get there. The first night we would stop in Missouri at my grandparent's house. The second day we would stop in Colorado Springs at my mom's best friends house. (Her kids used to be members of the church) I'm excited to meet them again ( I haven't seen them since I was three!!). The third day we will get to Raintree apartments where I will then live until I finish college at Utah Valley University! I am really really really excited but sometimes when I think about it to much I have a mental breakdown .... I've never had to do things totally on my own. I've always had my wonderful mom to rely on. I'm really thankful that she knows that I'm going to be fine. She gives me a little pep talk whenever I need it. The whole trip it about 2,000 miles.. and it's going to be long. But, totally worth it!!!
  

My new home!

• Next weekend I get to go to Columbia for the YSA Conference. I'm really excited because I get to see my good friend Matt and finally meet his girlfriend ( we talk a lot over email... we just have never met.. weird I know) !! Matt and I managed pools together this summer. He shocked me when he messaged me in October telling me he was getting baptized. He asked me to go, and I did. It was one of the coolest experiences. I've never witnessed a bigger change in somebody's life (except my own baptism). He has so much joy!! That is exactly what the gospel brings to us, Joy! So, I'm staying with his girlfriend Jacki in her apartment on Friday. That night there is a dance, the next day there is a service project and some classes, lazer tag, and of course another dance. It's going to be a blast!!

Matt's on the left... I didn't have to tell you that ... lol

Even though it ended with a cold....

I don't think I could have asked for a better week. It was beautiful weather 3/5 days. I got to go out with the missionaries three times. Institute twice. Shopping with my Mom. Movie with my Mom. BYU received my application this week so now I am just waiting. I probably check the website 8 times a day on average... like it's going to change or something...
I'm ready to MOVE. Ready to meet new people .. and create new memories. Don't worry Carolina, I'll be back someday :)

Life's not a fairytale, but it can have a happy ending!!

So, today was really awesome!! Going on teams with the Elders or the Sisters is by far one of my favorite things to do! Today I met the Elders up at UNCC campus around 4 o'clock to teach a girl named Kristin. After about 30 minutes of waiting we finally excepted the fact that she was not coming, it was a big bummer. So now with an hour to burn before the next appointment Elder Melville and Elder Perkins made a few phone calls to investigators to see if anybody wanted to meet up for a bit. No luck. We decide we are going to walk to the next appointment. As we are walking, Elder Perkins decides we are going to play a game. There was a big group of people coming and all four of us had to split up and each talk to a person. Whoever wasn't talking to somebody else, lost. Haha. This caught me a little off guard and yes, I was nervous... So the Elders did a fine job of handing out their pass-along cards as I kind of just followed the other guy around that was with us as he talked to people. We meet back up. That was an ultimate fail.. I'm beginning to see how much courage being a full time missionary takes. Well, we are walking and it's freezing and two other girls are walking behind us. Elder Melville decides to say hello, asks how their day was, what they are majoring in. Then Elder Perkins takes it away!! He asks them if they would like to know more about God and his "Plan of happiness/salvation". They barley hesitate before excepting the offer. So we find a nice quite room and sit down with the girls. The Elders taught the girls about Heavenly Father's plan for us ... and that he wants us to be happy too, here on this earth. One of the girls talked a little bit about how when she has a bad day she would just sit down and meditate, vent to God ... and she knew that God was there listening. She had no idea that she was practically praying until we told her! I got to bare my testimony to her at the end about how the church has changed my life and made me into a happy person. I love baring my testimony during discussions with investigators because as a convert myself, I feel like I can really relate to them. It also gives me a little reminder of the testimony I do have. I always have it in my heart but it is not everyday were I get to verbally speak it to somebody my age who is searching for answers.

Overall, the girls set up another appointment with the Elders on Thursday. I am really excited to see how this plays out!!

My First Blog!!!

I have attempted several times to keep a personal journal and it always fails. Possibly by starting out with a public blog, it might help me to make my way up to the goal of keeping a personal journal. Just a thought.

SUNDAY. The best day of the week!! Today I had the opportunity to attend church. That is what makes Sunday so good! It is truly a blessing to have this gospel in my life. I am so thankful for Marissa and her family .. and there diligence in teaching me the gospel by their examples and words. Today I got set apart in my new calling as a Ward Missionary. I am so excited!!!!!! I attended my first, "Ward Missionary" meeting today and my first assignment is to read a chapter in preach my gospel and to hand out a pass-along card to whomever I feel inspired to give one to this week. After church I took Jay ( A new friend of mine I pick up and drop off for church) back to his dorm at Johnson and Whales and waited while he changed to go over to Jay's ( a different Jay, often refereed to as "Jayster") house! When we got there "Jayster" was up in his room taking a nap to Jamie ( my bestie), Jay, and I watched WE wedding Sunday TV downstairs. I'm actually surprised how well Jay took to that idea. At times I think he was paying more attention to Rich Bride, Poor Bride then Jamie and I were. At 6:00 I had a meeting with President Jackson about attending BYU or BYU-H. Pretty much he just asks you questions to see if a church school is the right option for you. He helps you understand that at the BYU's you have to follow their rules and guidelines as well as the church's rules and guidelines. It all sounds GREAT to me!! After I was done I went back over to Jay's because he was having the Elders and the Sisters over for a hamburger helper dinner... yum! Non of the investigators that Jay invited showed up but we still had a really good dinner. Elder Perkins told a interesting story. It starts out about him explaining how he was a "loner" in the fourth grade. His parents were getting a divorce so he moved to a neighboring city with his Dad. It was his first day in a new school in the forth grade and it was recess time. He was city in the field all by himself when this boy came up to him and accused him of stealing his Yo-Yo at the end of last school year. The boy was demanding it back but Elder Perkins had no idea who he was. The boy ( which I think his name was Mark) got angry with Elder Perkins and decided to punch him in the YOOOO HOOOO..... Elder Perkins said he cried. He wanted revenge! Elder Perkins said he gathered up all the loners to create a posse and they were going to get this boy Mark back for what he did! They planned it all out and when the day came for revenge Elder Perkins and two other boys walked up to Mark ready to fight and just as Elder Perkins was ready to go .... the two boys bailed!!! Elder Perkins was still all about getting his revenge so he beat this Mark kid up. Later when he was in the principles office he tells her the whole story. The principle then responds with .... mark is mentally re tarted ...... Elder Perkins had NO IDEA!!! hahahahhahahahha
There is no way that I do this story justice, but it was sure hilarious to hear it during dinner.
After dinner Jayster, Jam, Jay, and I played a quick game of Phase 10 ( A Sunday staple here in Charlotte) ... Jayster won!

On a more serious note... a lot changes in a year!! I was thinking all day... this time last year I was at a sorority bid party...getting my bid...for Zeta Tau Alpha. That was one of the coolest days in my life...
Freshman year I was a little wild but I'm glad it happened. It made me appreciate and understand the atonement even better. You must fall in order to rise back up... ( a thought that was shared in Sunday school class today).

It's off to bed. I'm singing out with my first post!!! :)