I'm Thankful For....

So this was just a fun way to count my blessings. Of course, some of these are cheesy because of the letter or for lack of a better way to describe it. Also, I wasn't planning on explaining everything, but I felt some needed an explanation, so I had to give all of them one. I am thankful for many other things as well. I am so blessed and at this time of year I can't help but just be happy.

I am thankful for:

Apartment – I can’t imagine not having a place to live. Even though everything seems to fall apart, I’m grateful for our little apartment.

Blankets – Snuggling up in a blanket and watching a movie or just going to bed has got to be one of my favorite things ever!

Christ – I don’t know if I can even express how grateful I am for Christ. He has done so much for me and I don’t know where I’d be in my life if I didn’t know this.

Dinosaurs – I may sound like a little kid, but I love dinosaurs! (Even though a pterodactyl dropped my sister over the Grand Canyon) ;)

Eeyore – I hated when Eeyore was sad and I always wanted to make sure people weren’t sad like him. I hope I still stick to that. I’m grateful for that example.

Family – My family is crazy, but they are the best. There really is no way to describe them. I’m grateful for them and the memories I have with them.

Gospel – This is also one that I have a hard time expressing. I am so glad I have the gospel in my life and that I know where I am headed.

Hot chocolate – Over the last month I have had more hot chocolate than I think I have had in my entire life. Not only does it warm me up, but it tastes wonderful! :)

Imagination – I am grateful that my imagination hasn’t left me and that I can still enjoy the imagination of others.

Journals – I LOVE going back and reading my journals! I love the memories they contain and the stupid drama that went on. It is fun to see how I’ve changed.

Keyboard – I’m not very good at the piano, but I always play to help calm me down. Of course there isn’t room for a piano at our apartment, so I’m glad we have a keyboard.

Little kids – This kind of relates back to the imagination thing. I just love playing with kids and becoming one myself.

Music – Well, music is just amazing! Without it, I’d probably go insane.

Nickels – This is kind of an inside thing, my sister wants dimes to go to the Nickelcade. So in a round about way, I’m thankful for the weird inside jokes I have with my family.

Optimism – The glass is half full, unless it is of something gross like medicine, then it is half empty. I’m glad that there is always a bright side.

Parents – My mommy and daddy are the best mommy and daddy out there. They do so much for me and I’m glad that they are in my life. :)

Quiet – It is always nice to find a quiet place to read or relax or just let your mind work itself out. Also, having quiet makes me appreciate the noise. ;)

Roommates – Oh, man! I love my roommates! Haha, refer to last post.

Siblings – Like I said before, my family is crazy. And my crazy siblings are my best friends. They never judge me and they always love me. :)

Testimonies – I am thankful for my testimony and the testimonies of others. I have learned so much from testimonies and I love how happy people can be because of testimonies.

Underwear – Self explanatory.

Vines – At my old house there were grape vines that went through our fence. We would go out there and try to steal the grapes without our neighbors knowing. :)

Words – I think it is amazing how the same words can describe something as intense as a battle scene or something as calm as a sunset. I just love it! And when people mix up their words and say something stupid or funny, it just makes it even better. ;)

X-rays – Well, without them how would we know when we broke a bone or something? I have broken both of my arms (luckily at different times) and without an x-ray it probably wouldn’t have healed the right way.

You – I’m thankful for people. Just everyone in general. For being examples to me, for giving me a smile, for everything.

Zippers – I am just glad that I can zip up a sweater or something to keep me warm. Haha.

 

My Wonderful Roommates (and Half Roommate)

When I started planning for college and all that, everyone warned me about roommates. I heard all sorts of horror stories - from chicken broth showers to kool-aid towels, from clean freaks to pack rats. I heard every story out there. And once I told everyone I was rooming with one of my best friends, I heard even more stories. I was warned that we'd end up hating each other within the first few weeks.

So as you can probably guess, I was really nervous about meeting my roommates. Not only was I worried about all the horror stories, but also I was worried because I'm just not good with meeting new people. I'm shy and it takes me a while to warm up to people. After I moved in, I spent the first couple of weeks up in my room with Kendra. Even though one roommate was my cousin, I just wasn't feeling comfortable with them and I was just really shy around them. But then it happened. One night I spent way too long in my room working on a paper and I had to get out. Kendra and I went outside to play volleyball and our roommates saw us at our normal stage rather than our shy stage. Ever since then we've all gotten along really well. I'm lucky I don't have any stories to add to the horror category.

I also have a half roommate, Sadie. She lives across the little grassy area but you would think that she lived with us. Somehow, I have become best friends with this crazy girl. I'm always over with her or she is always over with me. The only problem is that her and Kendra like to "fight" and I'm in the middle of it, literally. This resulted in Sadie whacking me with her arm while walking back from the play the other night...my head is still pounding. ;)

I am so happy that things have turned out the way they have. I have the best roommates ever! I know that I can turn to them for anything and they'll be there to listen. They've been there already, as I've had several breakdowns. Haha. I'm so glad that I got out of my shy stage and got to know these amazing girls. I don't know what I'd do without them. :)

Looking Up

About two weeks ago my brother Mitchell decided to see how tall I am (or how short in my case). The result was five feet and one half of an inch. This was exciting news for me! The last time we checked I was five feet and a quarter of an inch. Sure, another quarter of an inch isn't that much, but it still shows that I am growing! :)

I've always been short. Well, not ALWAYS. I remember once in elementary school we lined up shortest to tallest for our class picture. I was like three from the back. I felt so tall. (Okay, I'll be honest. I was wearing heels. haha!) And, I remember being taller than some people who now make fun of me for being short.

Being short means that I have to look up a lot.  I'm looking up to see in the mirror, I'm looking up to see in the cupboard, I'm looking up to see above the steering wheel, but most of all,  I'm looking up to look at people. Sometimes, I want to go and stand by really tall people and just laugh. In fact, I did this the other day. Kendra took a picture and we laughed about it forever! The guy was 6' 8" and that is a lot taller than me! She sent the picture to tons of people and they all laughed about it too. I'm glad that my height is bringing others such happiness. ;)

I've spent a lot of my life looking up at people. And I'm thankful for that. I'm glad that I am short and can look up to people in more ways than one. I've thought a lot about how everyone has something to offer. It is kind of lame, but being short and having to look up at people has made me try to find was that I can look up to them in the sense that I learn from them.

Everyone, even the few shorter than me, I've looked up to. I'm so grateful for the examples I have in my life. Without even realizing it, all of you (especially those who take the time to read all of this) have made a difference in my life. You have taught me how to have faith, how to be happy, how to grow, and how to believe in myself. Thank you for daring to be you! :)

Marge and Stewart

On the way back to Ephraim tonight I got bored and decided to write a story. I wrote it in about ten minutes and it really has no point to it. But I thought I would share. Enjoy!

Once upon a time there lived a fair maiden. This fair maiden went by the name of Marge. In the same town there lived a farmer boy named Stewart. Stewart and Marge were best friends. Marge didn’t know it, but Stewart was in love with her. He didn’t want to tell her because he was worried that not only would it ruin their friendship, but also it could quite possibly ruin his future career as a farmer. Marge’s father owned the biggest tractor company in all the land. Stewart knew that if he ruined his friendship with Marge he would never be able to buy his own tractor.

But he couldn’t help it. One hot summer day, Stewart let it slip to the town gossips that he was in love with Marge. So, of course, Marge found out. Marge approached Stewart and said, “Stewart.”

And Stewart said, “Marge.”

And Marge winked at Stewart.

Stewart thought she had a twitch. “Do you need a banana?” Stewart asked. “Because, you know, bananas have lots of potassium and when you need potassium your eye twitches. So, since your eye is twitching I thought maybe you might need a banana. But, do you even like bananas? Because . . .”

Marge wasn’t listening. “Stewart,” she said again (this time without the wink).  “I heard you are in love with me. Is this true?”

“Yes,” he said.

“Okay,” she said.

And that was the end of their conversation because Marge skipped away.

Stewart didn’t know what to think. He went to his stacks of hay bails and sat on the very top. A few hours later Marge came back with some sort of old parchment all rolled up.

“What’s that?” Stewart pointed to the parchment.

“I found a treasure map.” Marge began to climb the bails of hay.

“A treasure map?” Stewart asked. “Where did you find that? Is it a pirate treasure map?!?”

“Why, yes.” Marge had reached the top of the hay bails and was showing Stewart the map. “I think that we should find this treasure.”

“But what about my farm? I can’t just leave it!”

“Don’t worry,” Marge said, “I’ve got it all figured out. Once we find the treasure we will have enough money to buy a tractor from my dad and live happily ever after.”

And so they did.

The End.