First Day Fall 2010

About three things I am absolutely positive:

First, that parking at any University is absolutely ridiculous.

Second, that a part of me, though I don't know which part is unbelievably happy to be back at school.

And Third, That I am unconditionally and irrevocably in love with UVU.

I am not going to lie, thus dar today has been very intimidating. I mean I am now and extremely tiny fish in a large sea here at UVU. But I can already tell I am going to love every minute of it. I am ready to be intellectually challenged and broaden my horizons. It will be no easy task. I will be spending the next two and a half hours waiting for my next class. What shall I do in the mean time you ask? Well mingle of course. Haha. More about this strange new world to come.

Happy Mother's Day

I honestly don’t know how I can describe how grateful I am for my beautiful mother, or how much I love her in only a few short minutes but I will try. My mother is truly an angel here on this Earth. I have never met a woman who is more compassionate, loving, and self sacrificing than my mom. My mom is always striving to do what the prophet asks of us with exactness. Food storage being one of the many things instances where she has heeded the prophets advice. She obeys happily and because of that she makes us all want to be better. Her spirit is undeniable. You cannot talk to her and not feel how sweet of a spirit she truly is. Her love for our heavenly father is abounding and flows into everyone who meets her. A quote by Washington Ivring reminds me of my mom.

“A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when troubles thicken around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.” End of quote.

She never ceases to amaze me. My mother is one of the strongest people on this planet, 18 and a half years ago after being widowed with one daughter, she adopted me and seventeen months later my brother Brennan. I can only imagine how hard it was to be a single woman having to support three children on her own. I would not be here today without her. She has literally saved my life in more ways than one and I am forever grateful for her and her example. She is the best example I could have growing up in the church. When I was a little girl I would constantly walk into a room in our house finding her down on her knees in humble prayer, asking for help. I don’t know if she realizes that I ever saw her doing this but I can honestly say that even at that tender age I had a testimony of prayer because of her. If ever I need something I know she will drop whatever she is doing to help me, or anyone else who seeks her help or advice. She is so in tune with and always knows exactly what to say.

All I can really say is my Dad is the luckiest man on this planet, and I know he knows that. I hope one day I can have a fraction of the love my parents have for each other and I hope I can be a fraction of the woman my mother is. I don’t know what I would do without her.

Mom, I just want you to know how much I love you. You are the most amazing person I know and I am forever in your debt for everything you do have done and will do for me. I All that I am today I owe to you. I hope you have a wonderful mother’s day because if anyone deserves it. It’s you.

Cosmic Love- Florence and the Machine :)

Life without Music... NEVER

Let's be honest, music is the only reason anyone has any will to survive whatsoever. So... why then are education systems cutting out the fine arts programs (which include music)??? Ever since I was a little girl I've loved running around my house singing to any popular song that would come on. As I grew older I joined school and church choirs. If it hadn't been for choir in high school I would've never made it through. Choir was were I met my best friends who helped motivate me to be a better person, it was also the reason I had any will to go to school at all.

Music is a major part of culture. Without it, we would be missing a certain part of our intellect that comes from listening to different cultures music. Music expresses emotions in ways that we could not speak. It's the simplicity of a melody that can make you feel sorrowful, happy, or pumped. Lyrics can provide a personal connection with anyone in the world, where a song's lyrics can relate to your life at that exact moment no matter how you are feeling, and you know for sure that someone else must have been feeling what you felt in order to write the song. How is it possible that someone could be cruel enough to take this away? Basically by cutting music programs you are taking away a productive form of expression for teenagers, which we all know is needed in order to keep away from destructive forms of expression. I need music as much as I need the air that I breathe or the colors that I see. Take it away from me and the world becomes gray. I thank my Heavenly Father everyday for allowing me to have my hearing. It is something I will never take for granted especially since there are people in the world who can't hear.

I was thinking about this while I was at work and listening to music all day. Pretty much time flies whenever I am listening to my favorite bands. Work was really chill today. Tomorrow I go to school again, and actually start doing stuff. My cousin Michelle is helping me talk my mother into letting me go to France for two weeks next month. She just barely asked me today and seriously I can not think of something more amazing to do. Shopping in France?! I think so! But my mother is very cautious about letting me travel anywhere, so her answer will probably be no but it's still good to dream right? I guess we will just have to wait and see what the answer shall be ;)

Beautiful...

"For Attractive lips, speak words of kindness, For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people, For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry, For Beautiful hair, let a child run their fingers through it once a day, For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. People, more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end

of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself and the other for helping others."

- Audrey Hepburn

Simply Beautiful. In today's society, the word "beautiful"

has become distorted by the media with models, celebrities, and artists who determine what is beautiful. But let's be honest, who are they to decide?

Since when did SKIN&BONE become the "hottest" thing? Do you find this attractive in the least bit? If looking like a twelve year old boy is what you are going for then by all means, starve yourself and end up looking like this. This poor girl probably looks in the mirror everyday still thinking she is not thin enough to be considered beautiful. Girls at the tender age of 8 years old are already starting to have self-image issues and eating disorders due to the images they see in magazines and on television. This is what the world is coming to. Why can't we have healthy, beautiful women be our role

models?

It's good to feel beautiful on the outside, but if that is what your sole purpose in life is then you are never going to be truly happy. You will always find some flaws in yourself. You can never be truly satisfied with a life like that. Take Heidi Montag (from the Hills) for instance. When she left her little town, her mother said she had all the confidence in the world. Then she enters the L.A and her perception of herself was completely altered. She started to compare herself to people who were highly thought of in L.A as the BEAUTIFUL stars. She became so unhappy that she had ten plastic surgeries in 1 DAY. Yes I said 1 day. And she is still not happy with herself. She not only looks less beautiful than when she began, but she looks about twenty years older!

We should be focused on nurturing how we are on the inside. "Looks fade, but personality lasts." When you are old and wrinkled people aren't going to remember your looks. They are going to remember the way you treated people, and the things you did in your life. Why would you want to be remember as the woman who was beautiful on the outside, but nobody liked her because she was ugly on the inside? Lend a helping hand, be a friend, serve everyone. Make your life worth something. Everyday we have is a gift, why not treat it as such? P.S Men, tell woman how beautiful you think they are for everything, what's on the outside, and what's on the inside. (it makes us feel good ;) )

Ok I am done with my little venting session. It's just I am sick of everyone comparing me to girls my height (which is short) and being well you could stand to lose some pounds. and yes that was said to me. And I know I should, I just don't see why that has become acceptable behavior in our society. Well today I started my first day at UVU. I can already tell this will be an interesting summer term... I am glad to finally start feeling like an adult. The world better watch out for me, they aren't even going to know what hit them!