Free tuition, or the Lord's tuition?

Yesterday I got a letter from this place.




For those of you who don't know, this is my second choice for college (the first being BYU FINGERS CROSSED!!!). I knew that I had already been accepted there, so I was surprised to get more mail from them. I opened it and looked like this




Except less stripey. I GOT A FOUR YEAR FULL RIDE SCHOLARSHIP!!!!!!!!!!!! I was so happy! Even though it is my second choice, the scholarship offer is very tempting.

And then this morning, I read this article.
http://www.ksl.com/?sid=18625578§ion=featured-story

It's an article, saying that the former VP of SUU has just been reinstated after pleading guilty to patronizing a prostitute.

Now, I know people can change, and I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, but let's just say that I am feeling less excited about going there.

Hey, BYU? Want to give me any news?




Allons-y!

Things that I wish I could do #1

I wish I could sing like Bernadette Peters. My life would be complete.

For those of you who don't know who Bernadette Peters is, I am so sorry. A prominent Broadway star, she's famous for roles such as the Witch in Into the Woods, Mama Rose in Gypsy, and Dot/Marie in Sundays in the Park with George.

Let me give you an idea of why I would like to sing like her. The following link is Bernadette Peters singing the famous song "Anything you can do" from Annie get your gun. It shows different aspects of her voice, from the loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong note (almost 20 whole seconds!!) to the sky high notes! Although I'm not a huge fan of the faked accent, it still sounds amazing.

http://grooveshark.com/s/Anything+You+Can+Do/2wxkNt?src=5

Lol. Her indignant "I'm a girl!"

This woman has never ending air, and a voice that sounds good in all dynamics. Who wouldn't want that?

Allons-y!

Homecoming

Death

Is just like

Birth

They both

are just a change in scenery.

There are

new faces.

Old friends.

And that one person that you

can't seem to lose.



There is sorrow

but why

the world is changing

and you change right

out

of it.


Either way there is someone

to greet you
with a smile
with a kiss

to hold you in

their arms and

whisper

welcome home

Create: to evolve from one's own thought

As human beings and children of God, we have abilities that are unique to us. No other species on the planet has the mental capacity that we have. Sure, octopi can open jars and chimps can communicate through squeals, but no beings have the ability to write music. To build an airplane. To organize books by last name. Even do something as simple as say "I love you". No other species has even the shadow of your abilities.

This is a video of President Dieter F. Uchtdorf (squee) talking about the miracle of creation.




I love this video. Lately, I have been listening to the soundtrack of Children of Eden, the musical that Mountain View is preforming this year. By far one of my favorite songs is Spark of Creation, which Eve sings before she is tempted to eat the fruit. ( You can listen to it here if you haven't heard it.)

I love this song because Eve describes the restless energy of inspiration. I can just picture her running around frantically while she sings this song, trying to do everything at once.

Sadly, spending most of my day with teenagers every day, i hardly ever see the evidence of the spark in my day to day life. Adolescence seems to come with a lack of interest in the world, and a desire to sit in front of the television. Don't think I am blaming my fellow teenagers! I have been a victim of this as well. But I just find it so sad.

Still, do you feel better after watching the T.V. for an hour, or spending an hour choreographing a dance? Sewing a blanket? Writing a poem? Even just spending an hour observing nature can be so much more beneficial.

"We think all we want is a lifetime of leisure
Each perfect day the same
Endless vacation
Well that's alright if you're a kind crustacean
But when you're born with an imagination
Sooner or later you're feeling the fire get higher and higher
The spark of creation!"

That's really what we are here for. Allons-y!

Bits and pieces

Today I decided to share with you five random pictures from my phone. I didn't decide these before hand, but I will tell you how they all make up my life.



Photo number one is a blurry picture from a Josh Groban concert. I promise he is down there, you just can't see him. :) it also exemplifies the extent of my photo skills.





Photo two is of me. Making a face. Which is pretty much the story of my life.





Photo three is a background that I have for my phone. I love space, and I hope to be able to travel there someday. Whether or not it will be with the Doctor, I don't know...





This is a tower I made out of all the Duplos that we own. It was awesome. Sadly, shorty after this picture was taken, my niece joyously knocked the tower over.





Finally, (and ironically) the final picture is of my dream car, which sits in front of one of my favorite stores, the British import market. Truly, that does sum me up.

Allons-y!

I realize that it has been a while...

I was doing so good for a time. And then came tennis. And school. And Doctor Who came back. It's not that I don't love you guys, but come on.... It's Doctor Who.

But now, I will have time to write on my blog again! (I promise you it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that the series of finale of Doctor Who aired last night AND THERE WON'T BE ANOTHER SERIES UNTIL NEXT FALL!!!) I'm chill.

I've realized lately that I have had some crazy plans in my life. Part of it is due to my friends (Remember the Picture sale, Breanna?), but I must take credit for some of it (such as singing Happy Ending in our stake talent show. yeah, didn't actually go so well.)

My current plan, however, is possibly bigger than any other plan I have had before.

I'm going to reorganize Desert Industries.

At this point, that is as much of the plan as I have. I'll tell you when I have more ;)

Allons-y!

Heaven on Earth

Sorry that nothing has been posted this week, but I was at Girl's Camp. And against my best efforts, I had a good time.

First thing you need to know about me is that I HATE camp. Not just dislike camp, but purely and truly despise it. So much that I was tempted at testimony meeting to stand up, say "I hate camp. I know the Church is true, but I hate camp.", and sit back down. But because I didn't really want to have the visit to the Bishop's office that would come after that, i stood up and bore my real testimony. And cried like a baby.

This year was the best year at camp I have ever had, probably because I was a ward YCL (Youth Camp Leader). Last year, when I was a stake YCL, certain things happened and I ended up pulling out and not going to camp. Needless to say I was a little apprehensive about how this year was going to go down.

I think that most amazing thing about camp was the spiritual outpouring from the YCL's. These amazing girls (Jessica Perl, Kayla Madsen, Betty Evans, Dannika McBride, and Becca Smith) all worked so hard to pull an absolutely astonishing camp together. The Spirit was there for every single moment of camp, something I don't think that I have ever felt before.

Heavenly Father sent me to camp this year to learn two lessons. One, was that sometimes it can't be all about me. Sometimes I need to put who I am and what I feel aside to do something for someone else. That was really hard. I spent months of camp praying that I would be able to make it through, and that I would be able to survive camp. About a week and a half before camp, I realized that I was praying for the wrong thing. No amount of prayer was going to change my personal attitude toward camp. The only thing that I could do was pray for the other girls to have a good experience. That changed me. I began praying even more fervently than I had prayed for myself, because I knew camp wasn't all about me. I knew that I could make this a good experience for someone else, and that mattered more than being able to survive.

The second thing that Heavenly Father had to teach me, was that I don't have to do it all on my own. I can turn to him in everything that I do. So often I feel like I am carrying a heavy load, and it is all I can do to make it through one day. I realize now that I was the one that was making the load so difficult to bear, because I was not letting the Lord carry it with me. He knows EVERYTHING that I have been through, and he cares so much. He wants to be able to help me. There is no possible way that I can make it all by myself, and I am so very grateful that I don't have to. He waits with outstretched arms, begging me to let him in. I think I can do that now.

Girl's Camp always helps me realize how much of a testimony I really have, and how I want to share it with the whole world. I have a testimony of this Gospel. I know it with every fiber in my being. I want to shout it from the top of the world. I want to whisper it to each of you personally. My most fervent wish is that you could all feel this, that you could all feel the light that I feel now.

You can.

But as much as I would like to try, I can't do it for you. John 7:17 says "If any man will do his will, then he will know the doctrine, whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself." The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the one true church upon the earth. Take the time to try. Read your scriptures, and say your prayers. Go to seminary and church. Seek earnestly the kingdom of God and you will find it. The Lord can not speak to you if you are in places that He is not, but I testify that he will touch you if you go to places where he is.

Guess what? I still hate camp. But I love the Spirit that is there, and I love the Gospel, so I go. I probably won't ever go to camp MIA Shalom again, which makes me sad because it is one of the most beautiful places on earth. I just hope to be able to preserve a portion of the Spirit that I have accepted there.

Allons-y!