For Rockel...

"The reason I am so confident about your ability to find a bright future in the midst of a challenging world isn’t because I know each of you individually, but because I know that the Lord lives and loves us. He is the real reason each of us has a bright future. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (see Philippians 4:13). Because we are children of our Heavenly Father and because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, I know our futures are bright."

-Elder Paul V. Johnson

So this post is intended solely for my friend Rockel after I read her blog today....

I may or may not be wrong but I believe at one point in our lives we both decided we were going to go to college at Georgetown because we fell in love with Washington D.C. We always had crushes on people like Randal and Bret. ; ) We became fascinated with Asian art after making mask and climbed hotel walls in NYC. We played quiz bowl and made movie sets to look like bedrooms.

Looking back on those moments we have molded into all sorts of people over the years. Those moments from burning rice krispies to doing the cha cha slide incorrectly left us with experiences that can never be taken away. Each of those experiences occurred that way we could grow in different aspects of life

I specifically remember that at one point I made a plan that I'd go to Africa and find the cure for cancer because of a video we watched while doing the save the rain forest project. It said that in the midst of all those trees there could be cures for all the things that were so mysterious to us in our lives.

This is what I have to say to you Rachel Grigg.

1. Don't sale yourself short. You are more amazing than you think. You want that old house. Make it happen. You are one of the smartest people I know. Don't let potential "unkowns" keep you from what you know.
2. Don't look back. Keep moving forward. The past is a great but the future is even better.
3. Don't get discouraged. Make being a single, UAFS, history major the BEST it could be with fully taking advantage of each moment you have.
4. And of course I would be the only person in the world to make a list of four but be flexible. Take deep breathes and be prayerful. Your "plan" will come in bits of pieces and may not be the plan you made at all.

Here is a little advice from one of our church leaders...

"Some of you may wonder: Is there any future for me? What does a new year or a new semester, a new major or a new romance, a new job or a new home hold for me? Will I be safe? Will life be sound? Can I trust in the Lord and in the future? Or would it be better to look back, to go back, to stay in the past?

To all such of every generation, I call out, “Remember Lot’s wife.” Faith is for the future. Faith builds on the past but never longs to stay there. Faith trusts that God has great things in store for each of us and that Christ truly is the “high priest of good things to come” (Hebrews 9:11).

Keep your eyes on your dreams, however distant and far away. Live to see the miracles of repentance and forgiveness, of trust and divine love that will transform your life today, tomorrow, and forever. That is a New Year’s resolution I ask you to keep."

So my comment to you is to remember that there are great things that could be hiding in our rain forest. Make sure you keep searching for ways to find them.

Epic

"It is important to tell good stories. You can tell stories even if they are not huge, epic, and wonderful. You can still take the responsibility for being a scribe of your tribe." 

-Ajay Naidu

My roommate Devaun doesn't care for the word epic. But I like it. I feel so much trendier when I use it. Maybe one day I'll fit in with all the kids from cali. If only...


Here are some definitions for epic...

• very imposing or impressive; surpassing the ordinary (especially in size or scale); "an epic voyage"; "of heroic proportions"; "heroic sculpture"
• epic poem: a long narrative poem telling of a hero's deeds

And of course urbandictionary.com says...

• the most overused word ever, next to fail. for even more (word omitted) points, use them together to form "epic fail." 
• everything is epic now. epic car. epic haircut. epic movie. epic album. 
• saying "epic win" doesn't make you sound any better, either. and don't ever say it in person.

This is what came up when I typed in "epic" in google images. Appropriate use of the word "epic?" I think yes.

(Excuse the curse word written on the picture.)

P.S. We've been sitting in the library longer than I would like to fathom and this kid has yet to leave his seat. He must be a nerdy engineer or something. 

No substitution

"A mom reads you like a book, and wherever she goes, people read you like a glowing book review." 

-Robert Brault,

I'm sure it's rather apparent but I am somewhat of a homebody. I love home. I especially have a big loving spot for my mother and the older I get the bigger that place in my heart becomes. There just simply is no substitution for my mom. 

A little bit about the woman herself. She grew up in a small southern town in Georgia. Her home, while loving, wasn't extremely educated, wealthy, or religious. One day when she was looking into schools and came across BYU's family life program. So just like that she packed up with my brother, my aunt, and her parents and moved half way across the country so she could pursue her education in a place she had never been to. From there she was able to not only get an education but became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day-Saints. Sometime after that my dad was lucky enough to find her and before you know it Richard-Ross and I came right along. 

I don't think I could have even dreamed up a mom like her. She literally has been more supportive of me than I am worthy. She has continually encouraged me to be my best, act my best, and do my best. While at points in life I felt it rather annoying, her lunch box quotes and themed celebrations always were fun growing up. 

Of course all moms are supportive, loving and caring but my mom has one extremely special characteristic. She is my best friend. She knows all my secrets, passions, likes, dislikes, interest, and definitely loves me unconditionally. From dancing in the kitchen to trips to A to Z, I can always have a blast with her by my side. 

Where did this post come from? Regardless of the fact that I've been turning to her to help me through my "growing" moments lately I just happen to have an epiphany in class today. I sat there in my Family Processes class and thought about how full circle life is. Years ago my mom, a non-member, just decided to pack up for the chance to study about families at a remarkable university. 

I'm so grateful for my opportunities lately but most importantly I am so grateful for the fact that I have a stellar family who is behind me one hundred and ten percent. I'm so lucky that  people see characteristics of my mom in me. I couldn't ask for anyone better to be like. I mean after all, she is "Debra Poppins, perfect in every way." 

Lost.

"Lost time is never found again." -Abe Lincoln

I'm at big girl school now I know but why on earth does it have to be so big? Anyone that knows me knows my directional skills are limited but who would have thought I could get so lost trying to find a flippin' class. No one calls the buildings here by their actual name but instead they all have trendy nicknames like the "swicket" or the "MOA." I swore that I knew where I was going when I looked at my schedule only to find after wondering the building for 20 minutes that room 250 didn't exist. Luckily I have a handful of friends and texted my go to gal for BYU info who directed me in the right direction. I got to the building 20 minutes after class started only to find that there are several students there but no professor? By this point I was so fed up with the whole process that I walked my happy cold butt to the HBLL (also known as the Harold B. Lee Library) and here I sit. 

Since I missed classes on Tuesday that makes me 0 for 2 with that class. A great start right? Suck.

P.S. I just received an email from my TA who explained to me that class was cancelled today. Ha! I'm not as ignorant as I seem!