Letters

The AWESOME journal I got from Janet!

Dear Aunt Janet, I know this is a week late, but THANK YOU for the AWESOME giraffe journal and chocolate covered almonds! It helped me get though the craziness of finals week.

Dear Winter 2013 Ward Friends, It's been strange the past couple of days with all of you leaving. Thank you for the fond memories and the good times. It's been wonderful getting to know you all and I hope you will keep in touch!

This is just some of the bonfire crew. Many of the others had left by this point.

Dear Bonfire Crew, We rocked that. Period.

Dear Finals, Thank heavens you are done and that I can now breathe for a couple of months. It's been great, but I'm glad to not be seeing you for another 8 months.

Dear John Campbell, Thank you for the impromptu Subway lunch date. Good luck with "real" life, and have tons of fun in China!

Dear Amy, You betta' take tons of pictures and email me about your adventures in Europe!

Dear Alex, You also betta' take tons of pictures and be ready to tell me all about your adventures in Guatemala once you get back!

Dear New Roommates, I think that this is going to be quite the splendid experience, living with you all. Let's make it a party!

Dear Ryan and John, Thanks for chatting, and even more, for always being willing to chat. I love you two!

Dear Theobalds, Thank you for the fantastic hospitality and the AMAZING food. It made for a very enjoyable afternoon.

Dear Scott and Ryan, You two are going to be some of the best dads in the world someday. How do I know? Because this is what happened today while we were eating dinner at Amelia's house:

I counted while they were chasing you for the whole 20 minutes or so. There were at least 6 of them (little boys, I mean.) While they were tackling you, I turned to Emily and said: "It reminds me of how Joseph Smith was known for playing around with the boys in the town." Yup. You'll be pretty dang amazing fathers with pretty dang lucky kids.

Dear Carson, I'm thoroughly enjoyed talking to you on the car ride home from Amelia's farewell. It was so good to really talk to someone who really listens. You're an awesome friend.

Dear Ems, Thanks for running and talking and cleaning and walking and chilling and laughing and understanding with me. You're an amazing sister, and I'm glad we can be neighbors!

Dear Summer, I'm totally ready to rock this. Let's get this awesome, goal-setting/achieving, hard-working, super-partying, fun and amazing summer started!

More pictures from the bonfire:

The lovely Emma Pister and I!

Stephen, Amy and I

Drew, Gentry and Audrey

Sultry faces, anyone?

Fort Building

Once upon a time my sophomore year of college, my roommates and I built a fort. Now. This was not just any ol' fort. This was a living room sized fort. This was huge! We used command hooks to hang ropes across the ceiling and a zillion blankets. It was big enough to fit our couch and entertainment center underneath. After we finished building it, Jeremy joined in on our girls night and we watched "Red" together. It was quite the splendid evening.

Because we put in so much hard work and effort, we decided to leave the fort up for the rest of the week. We had people come over to the apartment for no other purpose than to check it out. We even had strangers, who had seen the extravaganza through our window while they were eating their Slab Pizza out on the patio outside our door, knock on our door and ask if they could look at it. It was a wonderful, delightfully happy time of life.

Upon building the fort, we decided that we needed to make rules for it. We grabbed four pieces of paper, and Amelia scribbled them down while we shouted them out. Upon cleaning out our apartment to move to another one in the complex, I found those four papers and it reminded me of what a splendid time we had had that year. The rules we made-up are as follows:

RULES of the FORT

1. Thou shalt not touch the ropes or the Kitchen!
2. Thou shalt not make-out...too much.
3. Thou shalt be ambiguous.
4. Thou shalt do no homework while in the sanctity of the fort.
5. Thou shalt not leave they brushes unattended.
6. Honor the blankets and the pillows that thy days may be long in the fort.
7. Thou shalt not covet they neighbor's blanket.
8. Thous shalt EAT!!
9. Thou shalt eat happy thoughts.
10. Thou shalt keep the girls' night HOLY.

Let me explain the inside jokes...

1. Morgan Kitchen was one of my roommates. the Kitchen is a reference to her.

2. When one of us left the apartment to go somewhere, instead of telling them to remember who they were, we would usually yell out "Don't make out too much!" (We were all seriously dating and madly in love with at least three men each at the time. So, of course, this piece of advise was very useful.) 

5. Upon moving into the apartment, Morgan and I discovered that we had the exact same brush. Several days later, Amelia went to the store and happened to buy the exact same brush. The joke was that Morgan and my brush had made a baby. Being that we didn't want any more baby brushes, we decided it would be a good idea to have a rule about not leaving brushes alone in the fort.

9. I told Amelia to write down: "Thou shalt think happy thoughts." Obviously, she was a little hungry at the time, because what came out was "Thou shalt eat happy thoughts." I think her modified version is quite perfect.

We've all moved on in different directions now, but it's nice remembering those fun and crazy times that we had together that sophomore year, like the time we built a fort.  

Letters

Dear Scott, Thanks for letting me come chill with you this evening. I quite enjoyed the company and the guitar music.

Dear Alex, Thank you so much for your wonderful note!!! I can't WAIT to hear about all the fun you have in Guatemala!

Dear Amelia, The apartment isn't the same without you here. Just thought I'd let you know you're missed.

Dear Paige and Anna, I finally wrote you two letters! They should be in the mail by tomorrow!

Dear Emily, I'm so glad that we got to go eat lunch together and to wander around the bookstore this afternoon. We make a pretty great team, you and I.

Dear Jacob, We WILL be hanging out sometime soon. Promise.

Upside-Down

Thought I'd share the short story that I wrote for my Teaching Writing class. Here it is!

Frowning Frank didn't know what his parents were thinking when they named him. There were many other lovely adjectives they could have chosen to go with his name. He could have been Friendly Frank or Fabulous Frank or Faithful Frank or Funny Frank, but no—they named him Frowning Frank.

            “Its tradition!” they had told him when he asked about it. “You’re father’s name is Cranky Carson, you’re grandfather’s name is Grumpy Greg and your great-grandfather’s name is Moody Mathew. You should be proud to be part of such a great tradition.”

            But he wasn't. Honestly, Frowning Frank did try to be proud to be part of his family tradition, but in Label Town where everyone behaved according to the personality trait their parents had given them, he couldn't help but wish that his family had different traditions. 

            Every day Frowning Frank went to school, envying all the Happy Henrys and Laughing Lauras who got to smile and crack jokes in the hallways and on the bus. Frowning Frank wanted to be a part of all the laughing and smiling and all-around happiness, but he found it a nearly impossible to when he had to keep his mouth down turned at all times. It just wasn't fun to have to always frown. Besides that, no one really wanted to hangout with Frowning Frank. They said he wasn't fun enough. 

            One day during third period math Principle Peaceful Patricia came into class. With her was a tall, lanky girl with curly blonde hair, clean cut clothes and square glasses. Frowning Frank didn't recognize her.

            “This,” said Principle Peaceful Patricia, motioning to the girl next to her, “Is Heather. She’s an exchange student from Boston who will be joining your class for the next several months. Does anyone have any questions for her about herself or where she's from?”

             Frowning Frank stayed quiet. It was one of the benefits of sitting in the back of the classroom: he didn't feel pressured to say thing if he didn't want to. He also wasn't tempted to smile or chortle when he sat away from the rest of the students. Talkative Tessa, though, raised her hand enthusiastically from the front of the room.

Great-grandma Brown

When I was five, I lived in a trailer house behind my Grandma and Grandpa Sorensen’s house. We were living there because my dad’s job had brought us to Boise and because, at the time, my family didn’t have a lot of money and my grandparents let us rent the trailer for a low price. Although living in a trailer wasn’t ideal, living next to Grandma and Grandpa’s place was. They had a garden. They had a shop. They had a huge six-foot deep swimming pool. They had two acres of land with cows and a barn that we could run around on. They had fruit trees. They had an upstairs and a downstairs. They had a pool table. They had an (extremely outdated) game station. But out of all the cool things they had, one of the coolest things was their TV. My family has never had TV, or at least, what most people think of when they think of TV. We've always had the screen and the VHS/DVD player, but beyond that, our bunny ears brought us the wonderful world of PBS and that was about it. No dish. No cable. Just normal, free TV.

But Grandma and Grandpa had TV at their place.

This was quite the awesome little detail to my five-year-old little self. Unable to let such an opportune situation go to waste, I frequented their downstairs living room. I'm fairly certain that, had they redone the upholstery at that time, they would have replaced it with something with my name on it. If their living room had been an airplane, I would have been a frequent flyer. This was serious stuff. So serious, in fact, that I often didn't even take the time to put on shoes before running across the gravel driveway to get to my grandparents' backdoor. That's right—I was willing to induce myself to physical pain in order to make it in time for the latest episode of "The Rugrats" or "Even Stevens." After a while, the sharp rocks didn't even hurt my feet because I was so used to running across them.

Every day on my way to the downstairs TV I ran past my Great-Grandma Brown. Great-grandma Brown was Grandma Sorensen’s mother and she had lived at their house for several years. She was very old and didn't ever say much. She usually just sat there in her chair, watching something too boring for five-year-old me, on the upstairs TV. Many times I paused in my mad-dash to the downstairs TV and considered joining her, but upon surveying whatever she was watching, I always considered the wonders of the Disney Channel to be more fascinating and then continued down the stairs. Except for once. One time, for a reason I don't recall, I did stop and join her. My Grandma Sorensen, seeing that I had joined Great-Grandma Brown, came over and asked her if it was okay if she changed the channel to something that I would like. She consented, and soon the latest "PB&J Otter" episode was on the screen. I sat down on the sofa next to Grandma Brown's chair and rested my head on the armrest. Somewhere within that thirty-minute episode of cartoon galore, Grandma Brown started stroking my hair. And I sat there, somewhat awe-struck as I realized that what was happening outside of the screen was probably more important than what was happening on it.

The moment ended, and a year later, so did my Great-grandma Brown's life. Though I never got to know her as the thriving, brilliant, beautiful woman that she was for most of her life, I do have this one sweet memory to hold close. It makes me think that even there at the end, when most sense and reason in the world was gone for her, she still held on enough to stroke my hair while I indulged in my five-year-old TV watching habits. She cared enough to give me that, and even though it's all just a faint shadow in my memory now, it makes me excited to get to know the "real" her someday.

Ask me to recall the TV episodes from my five-year-old TV-watching glory days, and I'll barely be able to sputter out a sentence or two. Ask me to tell you about my Great-grandma Brown, and I won't be able to tell you much more. All I have to offer is this one memory. But to me, this one memory is worth more than all the "Rugrats" and "PB&J Otter" episodes in the world. It was the moment when I realized that the important moments in life don’t happen on Hollywood’s dazzling screen. They happen, I realized, in the quiet closet of the heart.

Letters

Dearest Amelia, Going expensive perfume shopping with you was the bestest fun I've had in the longest time. For reals. From playing with the sells man to trying on the most ridiculous shoes EVER to buying ice cream even though you're not supposed to be eating dairy--you're a top-notch friend. I'm going to miss you when you leave in less than 22 days!!!

Dear Emily, I'm so glad that you came with me to visit with my boyfriend (I mean the library--don't get excited....) so much this past weekend and even more happy that we got to watch the bestest movie EVER on Friday night ("Ever After," peoples--what else would it be?) Enjoying the simple day to day pleasures of life with you is quite fantastic. Thanks.

Dear Sarah, I'm glad you could join us on Friday night!

Dear Elora, Rachel, Betsy, Ryan and Emily, I'm glad we got to all share yummy french toast on Sunday morning before Conference. The company was just as tasteful as the meal!

Dear Pisters, I'm so grateful to have friends as wonderfully selfless as you guys. Thanks for sharing your amazing Conference tickets with me, even though it meant that you guys couldn't go because you gave away your other tickets to members who had traveled here from Columbia and Slovakia. Each one of you is a champ.

Dear Amy, Being able to sit next to you in Conference was the best. I'm so glad that you were there to share in all the fun and goofiness. I'm 'cited to go running with you this week!

Dear Katt and Carson, You two make me smile.

Dear Ryan and Betsy, Thanks for listening to me last night while I vented. Thanks even more for understanding. You two are superbly awesome.

Taking the Plunge!

Today I signed up for my first half-marathon. I'll be runnin' the Hobbler Half on July 13th, 2013

and the thought makes me kind of terrified

and excited

and sick to my stomach.

I've wanted to run a half-marathon every summer for the past two years but have always chickened out of it. This past week I went through my annual "running a half-marathon sounds like a good idea" phase, which was followed closely by the annual "you will DIE if you run a half-marathon--DON'T DO IT!!!" That second phase isn't too pleasant. Like, I get sick to my stomach and want to throw-up! unpleasant. Not fun.

Before I could let the second phase completely drive away the first, I facebook messaged Eric and asked him if he'd help me in my half-marathon-ness because I knew he'd run one last year. Not even 24 hours later, he'd replied with an "Ohmygosh yes!" So, with an official support buddy to help me through this whole thing, I  held my breath, went online and signed-up before I could change my mind again. PHEW!

So am I slightly freaked out?

Yes.

Am I slightly excited to do something super hard and challenging?

Even more so.

Hobbler Half, here I come!

The Ultimate Friend

“A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.” -William Shakespeare

"And again I say unto you, my friends, for from henceforth I shall call you friends, it is expedient that I give unto you this commandment, that ye become even as my friends in days when I was with them, traveling to preach the gospel in my power." -D&C 84:77

I got this quote today in my email and couldn't help but connect it to a scripture we've been studying in my D&C class. Don't Shakespeare's words perfectly describe the Savior? There is no one in the world who better understands who we are, where we have been, accepts what we have become, and still, gently allows us to grow. There's only one part Shakespeare missed. The Savior not only allows us to grow, He is there, helping us grow every step of the way. He, being the source of all that's good, is the reason why we are able to grow. Without Him, all growth would been nothing more than a mocking gesture towards what might have been. Yes--He is the reason, the way, the hope and the light; the ultimate friend.

Seeking the Help of Angels

As I was thinking about what I wrote the other day, about reaching out for help and friends, another thought occurred to me. The Savior, in the Garden of Gethsemane, fell to His knees and sought out comfort and love from an angel. With this in mind, I think of D&C 122:8 when I ponder on my stubbornness: "The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than He?" Who am I, when the Savior of us all Himself sought out the help of angels, to not seek out the comfort, support, help and love of angels in my life? And when I say "angels," I'm referring to family, friends, neighbors, classmates and ward members. We are commanded to be like the Lord in all things. This includes being humble enough to seek out and recognize the hands of angels in our daily lives. They are there. They will help. And receiving help from them only better enables us to to the same for others, which is the ultimate goal in life.

General Conference

(D&C 124:22-55; 125; 127; 128:1-18)

“What can we do better than to show respect to our God by listening to His servant, by treating him with reverence, asking his counsel and seeking for his guidance? I know we pray to God for him, that he may be inspired from on high. Do you believe your prayers? Do you believe that God will and does inspire him? I hope you do; and I hope that having this feeling, you will be prompted to different action. … And shall we say that in some things we are willing to be guided; we think it right to be guided in matters of doctrine, etc.; but in other matters, just as important and necessary for the salvation and preservation of this people, we are not willing? Latter-day Saints, you cannot do it. You cannot get away from this authority and remain Latter-day Saints, for you sever yourselves from the Church of God, because everything you have is based on the recognition of this authority.” –George Q. Cannon

With General Conference approaching, I thought this quote that I read in my D&C manual to be especially applicable to my life right now. As the time draws nearer, we all need to ask ourselves if we believe that the words that will be spoken on Saturday and Sunday are true. I have come to realize over the past few months that I do a lot of asking and pleading for answers and not as much searching for them. Most of the answers we need are there. Though spoken to the multitude of millions, the words of God's living prophets and apostles are meant for the individual. It takes work and effort on our part--we must prepare ourselves with humble hearts to receive the word and His spirit, and then we must return to those words again and again, searching for the answers. Then, finally, the answers will come. The Lord has not left us alone in these latter days. I'm excited to listen to a prophet's voice this weekend so that I can know the will of the Lord regarding what He needs me to do with my life. It's kina' a cool thing to think that we have such easy access to knowing the will of God.

The Magic of Harry Potter

It started when I was eight. Each night, I’d eagerly ask my dad if he would come down to my room and read the books aloud to me, and he would. I have memories of laying in my bed right before drifting off to sleep, listening to his voice paint out the scenes. Privet Drive. The Forbidden Forest. Hogwarts. The Leaky Cauldron. He also introduced me to all the characters. Hagrid. Ron. Snape. Dobby. Hermione. Dumbledore. Harry. And then the group of us—Harry’s gang, my dad, and I—would go off on spectacular adventures in these magical places. It was positively splendid.

For me, picking-up a Harry Potter book, even if it’s just for a few minutes, feels like a little piece of childhood. Harry and I did, after all, practically grow-up together. When the first book was published in 1997 Harry was eleven and I was six. When the last Harry Potter book came out in 2007 Harry was eighteen and I was fifteen. These were the books that planted within me my love for reading and, as such, I read them multiple times growing-up. The first four books especially, I read like crazy. Book number two’s cover is bent and the pages are tattered. Book number four is so worn that the binding had to be fixed with packing tape. But I didn't care what the books looked like on the outside. I cared about what they looked like on the inside; inside my imagination, to be exact. That’s where the magic was.

I realize that by now I probably sound like one of those die-hard fans who walks around wearing a cape and who wonders why my acceptance letter didn't come in the mail when I was eleven, but I’m not. Really—as I sit writing this I’m wearing a sweatshirt and jeans and the only mail I've ever looked forward to getting are the birthday cards I get every year from Grandma and letters written by friends serving religious missions. But just because I don’t read fan fiction into the late hours of the night does not mean that the Harry Potter series does not hold a special place in my heart.

An Extremely (Probably Too) Long Post Wherein I Gab About Sunburns, Friendship and How the Two Relate

Heavens to Betsy goodness gracious! I was talking to my friend Charlotte last night about how we seem to learn something new every semester based on the experiences we have over the four months. Looking back on my last four months I realize that this semester, one of the things I have learned about it the value of friends. For a billion million really lame excuses, I have been extremely self-absorbed this semester. I have not been by thinking happy and outward normal self. No wonder I feel so crummy all the time! Nothing makes someone more unhappy than focusing on why they're justified in feeling unhappy. I can also testify that nothing makes you more lonely than being a "my problems/my life" focused fool. You don't have friends when you push those you already have away and exchange potential new ones for mounds of homework.