The Plan

It truly is amazing how the Lord has a plan for each one of His children. I always like to have a plan and know where I'm going but recently I've let go of my plans and really became open to the Lord's plan for me. And by far it is better than anything I could have ever imagined! A few months ago I was talking to my roommate and we trying to decide what we were going to do this summer. We wanted to do something fun and we knew that we needed to get a head start on it if we going to find something great! We talked about a lot of things but nothing seemed quite right. We let it go for a few months and one day I came home from school and my roommate came in and said, "So I've decided I'm going on a mission!" I was completely shocked for about two seconds and then completely happy and knew that this is what the Lord had in store for her. She has since sent in her mission papers and received a mission call to the Sweden Stockholm Mission! I am so excited for her and she will be a great missionary! I'm still working on my plan but I am at peace the the Lord has something in store for me. I know it will be coming soon!

Learning

Last week my roommate met with the stake president to turn her mission papers in. Since she wrecked her car over Christmas break I was happy to be her chauffeur! I’ve been in this stake for over a over a year and a half and I love our stake presidency is awesome! When we got there the stake president was running a little behind, which I think is normal, so we got to meet with the first counselor while he “wailed” on us. He is a great man and knows so much about the gospel. While my roommate met with the stake president I got to continue to learn from him. He taught us about the temple and I learned so much. He taught it all from the scriptures. It made me really want to learn the Old Testament and Pearl of Great Price more! It was so wonderful to just be taught one on one by someone I look up to so much! I love the gospel and am so grateful to be in an environment where I can learn about the gospel!

San Diego State Vs. BYU

Not very often do we have a huge game played in the Marriott Center. This year we are currently ranked #7 which makes us kind of a big deal. A few weeks ago we were ranked #9 and we were hosting #4 SDSU on a Wednesday night at the Marriott Center. I feel like sports is one of those things that goes along with the college experience so my friends and I decided we were going to be serious about getting into this game! BYU was not very smart about how they planned on doing this so our journey to the game began Tuesday at 11am! We stood in line for 2 1/2 hours!

I only have one class on Tuesdays and I have a meeting at 7am. At 6:30am when I went to school it was really warm and I thought I would be just find to wear my moccasins. However, just as I got out of class at 10:45am it started to snow a VERY wet snow! I braved the weather and walked to get in line. As it continued to snow this very we snow my feet got even more wet, and soon enough they were freezing! The line moved so slowly and at one point I was at the bottom right before the sidewalk started going up. So there was a nice big puddle that I was standing in. So I huddled up to some people that I didn't know trying to stay out of the water. I was not sure how much longer I could take of having frozen feet but I had already been there for over 2 hours and I couldn't leave now! So I started to count to 1000 just to get my mind off of how cold my feet were. and by the time I got to 472, I was counting very VERY slowly, we made it to the front of the line!

When you got to the front of the line they gave you the beloved green wristband! When you saw someone else on campus that had that wristband you formed a connection and you knew that they had stood out in the cold for hours just like you just to get into the game the NEXT day!

Wednesday finally came and they told us that you had to be in line at 4pm, which was 4 hours before the game! If you weren't in line by then you lost your spot and had to go to the end of the line. So I left one class early and skipped on class entirely just to stand in line and freeze! However, today I was smart and not going to let my feet get cold again so I wore my warmest shoes!

We stood in line for 2 hours outside waiting to go in. It wasn't too bad for the first bit while the sun was up but once it went down it got pretty cold! But we had pizza delivered to us by my wonderful friend's mom and we visited and we were doing good! We finally got to go inside and man it was crazy. I am surprised the older lady in front of me didn't get trampled! They let everyone in so fast that the line was running! But we made it in and we were 4 rows up from the friends and family section which I was pretty happy with! When we got in there, there was a performance by TJ Fredette, Jimmer's older brother it is was alright, it was cool because it was about Jimmer and pretty sweet. Though I'm not sure I can take a white guy, with a missionary part in his hair, and an argyle sweater on, that can rap. But I guess we are at BYU so what can you do?

Finally the game began! It was awesome! It was so loud in there you couldn't even hear yourself cheer at the top of you lungs! it was so fun! Jimmer and the whole team played well! However, if you've ever gone to a basketball game with me you know there is something that always happens. My feet get really hot. It always really warm in the Marriott Center and I feet are temperature sensitive anyway so I always have to take my shoes off if I want to enjoy the game. So I did! And even down to my socks I'm a true blue cougar!

We were so excited to be at the game! Here are some of the friends that I was with!

After the game it was crazy! Fans stormed the court! They weren't supposed to but how can you not when we just had a game like that? So the security guards tried to make a statement and grabbed anyone they could! It really was the funniest thing I have ever seen! It it wasn't such a good game that could have been the best part. There was a cop that had a really big belly and he used to to push people out of they way! If you ask me someone I'll reenact it for you! It was the best!

It was a great day for BYU basketball and definitely worth skipping class for! I am proud to be a cougar!

Missing my brother

I love my brother! I'm so proud of him and what he's doing. He was in the MTC for Christmas but he flew out to Columbia the morning after which means we got to talk to him! It was so good to be able to talk to him. He has never been much of a phone talker and things didn't change but it was so nice just to be able to talk to him The past couple months have been a little rough not being with him. He has been my best friend from the day he was born. I have been his number one fan and always loved spending time with him. Weather is was buying lunch for him every day my senior year because he "forgot his wallet" to those early days when I would speak for him, or he would hold my hand as I got my hair brushed. or the times when we would be moving sprinkler pipes and I would complain about not wanting to carry the heavy side and he would willingly take the heavier side so I wouldn't have to even though I was older. Or the times we shared a room and we would stay up late every night talking. Or the moments when there was a spider and I would be the one sometimes that had to go smash it because we were both so scared of them. Or our trips to buy as many bottles of soda at Coast to Coast that we could fit on our bikes as be drove to the barn. Or the sometime endless dogpiles that consisted of Kati, him, and me just because he missed me. Or the texts as I was driving home,wondering where my face was because he was waiting up for me to be home. The movies that we would start too late at night and end up both falling asleep on the couch. The random phone calls I would get every once in a while just to see when I was coming home next. When he would come to visit me at school, when we would go on double dates together and we would be on the way to go pick up his date before I found out who he was taking. Or being on the big toy at McDonald's and I was so scared to go across the net because I thought it might fall and he would go over to the other side and reach out his had and promise me that I wouldn't fall and that I could hold on him to him the whole time. He always put up with the endless cute little brother comments and even when I thought I was tough and could take him in a wrestling match he humor me for a while before he would always win. Or when I met him the last Wednesday at the temple just because I needed to see him and he sent a letter home telling me it was against the rules but he was happy to see me!
He has never been a better example of me as he is now and I love and miss him dearly! Not a day goes by I don't think about him. He inspires me to be better than I am and to do things that no one thought I could. His unwaivering faith and complete willingness to do what he has always known he wanted to do gives me strength. The letters that I got from him in the MTC when he was bearing his testimony or when he was thinking of me I will always cherish! I love you brother and I would not want you anywhere else in the world! I know this is where the Lord wants you to be and that is enough to give me the strength to have my best friend 3,309 miles away.

Update on Women's Conference

Well I have talked about being called to serve on the Women's Conference committee last July and what a journey it has been! I have loved every moment of it. All of these women are wonderful! The first week we all introduced ourselves and every single one of them, except one, serve on some other general church committee. They are amazing women who have incredible testimonies and are truly doing the will of the Savior. Through the process of preparing for everything the need to have the spirit with me always has been one of the best things that has happened to me. My relationship with the Savior has grown so much! Over the past months having a greater personal, daily relationship has changed my life. I am so grateful that the Lord is mindful of me and the blessings in my life that are so individual to me. The Lord blesses me with things in my life that I did not even know I needed but as they come I realize what blessings they are.
On the 27th of January we had our presenter's meeting. All of the wonderful women, and some men, came and had an orientation and learned a little about Women's Conference. As I was there, I was there not only as a member of the committee but also as a presenter! I knew of all of the people that were asked to speak at Women's Conference and I never saw my name. The letters were sent our right after Christmas and started making phone calls as soon as I got back to Provo. As I checked the mail I saw a letter from BYU Women's Conference. I didn't think anything of it as I walked back to my apartment. I figured it was Christmas card or something. As I opened it I realized I had seen a letter similar to this one, the sample letter, but this one was for me. I will be speaking on bringing the sisters of all ages in Relief Society together. I again feel greatly inadequate, as I am again the youngest speaker at Women's Conference. Though I do know that the Lord qualifies who He calls. When Elder Anderson was called as an apostle he said this, "I know that when we are on the Lord’s errand, he will be with us, he will strengthen us, he will build our capacities." I know this to be true. No matter what our capacity is when we are on an errand from the Lord he does strengthen us, I have felt that strength. He has given me the power do do more than I ever thought I could. I pray that no matter what calling I have or what ever I may be doing that I can always be on an errand of the Lord. I am so grateful for this opportunity and pray that the Lord will continue to be with me and I prepare to speak to His wonderful daughters!

Girls Night!

Since high school we've my friends from high school have always tried to get together when we are all home. We always meet at our favorite place, Fiesta! It's so fun and it is good to get all caught up with each other. I just love these girls!

Back at the State Hospital

Last winter semester I volunteered at the Utah State Mental Hospital. I loved volunteering there! It was a wonderful experience. I really connected and was able to help several of the patients there. I was sad to leave but the semester was other and the time that I volunteered didn't work out with my new schedule. But I am glad to be back and volunteering there. Sadly my schedule, again, didn't allow me to be back with the unit that I dearly love and care for but I'm excited to see them when they come into the library where I am now. It is not near as cool and being with patients all the time and I'm trying to find another area that I can have more contact with the patients but for now I am just glad to be back! It is always an adventure there so I'm sure I'll have some good stories that come from it!