My little weekend getaway was the best trip ever! It was exactly what I needed and it was SUPER fun.
Before. Ish.
And after.
I hope you weren't planning on being able to breathe!
Love how this girl is getting hit in the face.
I also accomplished a life goal by going to the 50,000 silver dollar.
There you have it. Lots of driving, lots of fun! I didn't think about real life or have a care in the world the whole time. It was great! And while I ended up looking more like a diseased person instead of a pink Asian baby, it was one of the best times of my life :)
’Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer
Thought it scarcely worth his while
To waste much time on the old violin,
But held it up with a smile:
“What am I bidden, good folks,” he cried,
“Who’ll start the bidding for me?”
“A dollar, a dollar”; then, “Two!” “Only two?
Two dollars, and who’ll make it three?
Three dollars, once; three dollars, twice;
Going for three—” But no,
From the room, far back, a gray-haired man
Came forward and picked up the bow;
Then, wiping the dust from the old violin,
And tightening the loose strings,
He played a melody pure and sweet
As a caroling angel sings.
The music ceased, and the auctioneer,
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said, “What am I bid for the old violin?”
And he held it up with the bow.
“A thousand dollars, and who’ll make it two?
Two thousand! And who’ll make it three?
Three thousand, once, three thousand, twice,
And going, and gone!” said he.
The people cheered, but some of them cried,
“We do not quite understand
What changed its worth.” Swift came the reply:
“The touch of a master’s hand.”
And many a man with life out of tune,
And battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd,
Much like the old violin.
A “mess of pottage,” a glass of wine,
A game—and he travels on.
He’s “going” once, and “going” twice,
He’s “going” and almost “gone.”
But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd
Never can quite understand
The worth of a soul and the change that’s wrought
By the touch of the Master’s hand.
I couldn't not include the video (this is just the second half)
"You want to be good and to do good. That is commendable. But the greatest achievement that can be reached in our lives is to be under the complete influence of the Holy Ghost. Then he will teach us what is really good and necessary to do." F. Enzio Busche
As the year comes to a close I again reflect on what this year has brought, what goals I accomplished, and what goals I have for the year ahead. Yeah, there were small goals I never accomplished--like obtain moccasins, invent something, and donate blood--but there were a lot of big goals I did accomplish. Going to ten temples was the biggest. I also went to college, planted a garden, and gave service. This year has been very good for me!
1. Provo. January 3, 2011.
2. Mt Timpanogos. January 22, 2011.
3. Draper. March 19, 2011.
4. St George. August 16, 2011.
5. Jordan River. September 10, 2011.
6. Salt Lake. December 3, 2011.
7. Oquirrah. December 8, 2011.
8. Bountiful. December 14, 2011.
9. Twin Falls. December 14, 2011.
10. Columbia River. December 15, 2011.
A few on my list for next year:
3. Read your scriptures every day. This one I tried this year starting in August and missed like twenty days. Not so good..haha next year will be better!
8. Go on a hike. I haven't been on a hike in a long time :)
I am going to miss working at the Orem Hobby Lobby. All of the people there are so wonderful! They have become like family to me. I have loved how much they have welcomed me and gotten to know me, and I will miss each and every one of them. I hope the store continues to be successful so they are happy. I will never work with anyone like them ever again, and I will miss their different personalities and humor a lot! It has been a wonderful year!
Not a day goes by that I do not think about my brother. Sadness fills my heart when I think of him. Sadness. And hope. I love him very much.
I remember the day I told him I hated him. I remember the day he threw up all over me. I remember when we played all day with our harry potter legos, or when we played harry potter without legos and he always got to have the coolest wand. I remember watching batman and power rangers with him and pretending I didn't like it, and jumping across pillows in the living room like there was lava under them.
I especially loved when he cornered me and pretended to have a llama and that he would poke me in the butt with a stick. Or when we shoved his face into his ice cream cake for his birthday. I have loved every moment, good or bad, of growing up with him. He has always been there for me and always loved and taken me as I am. I miss how he never let me let go of the moment I ran straight into a fence on my bike, or exclaimed that I loved the jello my mom made when it was really jam!
Over this last year, I have really missed having someone I am so close to. Someone to make fun of me and to look at me like I'm stupid when I'm..being stupid! I have missed getting him to smile when all he wants to do is look like he hates the world. I have missed having a brother.
I'm grateful that in just a 'week and a half!' I will be able to see him again. I hope one day he will be able to find a true happiness that will never leave him. He deserves it. I love him very much and will never stop loving him :)
Besides the usual things like family, friends, work and shelter that I normally am grateful for, here are some of those random things I think about each day that I'm grateful for. (However that does not lessen the amount of gratefulness I have for those every day things--they keep me going through life and I love them very much!)
I'm grateful that my computer has lasted this long. They say lap tops only last a year and mine has that beat! I hope it lasts for a llllonngg time too.
I'm grateful for my car. Yes I've put more into it than it's worth, but it's good not to have a car payment. Soon it will take me to visit my nieces and nephew very often :)
I'm grateful for Grandma Jackie. She has taken me in like her own grandchild. I love to see her almost every Sunday. She is one of the reasons I have grown to love Sundays! And she always makes sure I have a family to spend the holidays with. I will miss her a lot!
I'm grateful for my blankets. They're so cuddly!
I'm grateful for the beauty of Utah. I wake up every day to a perfect scene. When it's cold and snowy, it looks beautiful doing it, and when it's cold and not snowy, it looks even more beautiful.
I'm grateful for a temple incredibly close to me that allows walk ins. It has become a huge blessing to me. Anywhere else in the world, I wouldn't have been allowed to do so.
I'm grateful for this past year. I have learned more this past year about character, about myself, and about people than any other year of my existence.
I'm grateful for institute. I will never have the privilege again that I have had this past year with institute. I will miss it terribly.
I'm grateful that I get to be home for Christmas this year. Oh so grateful. Like I want to cry I'm that grateful.
I'm grateful for my carhartt. I love it! It keeps me so warm on these freezing cold nights.
I'm grateful for the people I work with. I have so many good examples in my workplace, and the people I work with all get along well. They are amazing hard workers and amazing friends.
I am grateful for the people in my life who put up with me. I'm very odd. Sometimes people even try to understand me. I'm grateful that some people just accept me and decide to live with me.
Oh when should I stop this list? There are so many blessings I have in my life!! Uno mas.
I am grateful for the happiness I can feel through the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love life :)
"I find the whole concept of being ‘sexy’ embarrassing and confusing. If I do an interview with photographs people desperately want to change me – dye my hair blonder, pluck my eyebrows, give me a fringe. Then there’s the choice of clothes. I know everyone wants a picture of me in a mini-skirt. But that’s not me. I feel uncomfortable. I’d never go out in a mini-skirt. It’s nothing to do with protecting the Hermione image. I wouldn’t do that. Personally, I don’t actually think it’s even that sexy. What’s sexy about saying, ‘I’m here with my boobs out and a short skirt, have a look at everything I’ve got?’ My idea of sexy is that less is more. The less you reveal the more people can wonder."
We need more good examples for younger kids these days. Actually, she's an example to me! Jeni reminds me every day that I'm technically still a "teen" though :)
It doesn't matter how efficient it is. What matters is that you are where God wants you to be and where He needs you to be at that time, and it doesn't matter if that moment lasts two minutes or two years.
--Reflections on a two year mission from a guy in my ward
