Adjusting Focus

My blog posts in November always have some Thanksgiving theme so I've been thinking a lot about what I'm thankful for. While the list can go on and on, the biggest thing for me is how grateful I am that school has been going so well. As I've said before, I was really worried about how things were going to end up being in Idaho. While I completed an Associate's, I had never been away from home. As my brother and I got closer and closer to school, I felt the longevity of my stay. The new environment and people were all slightly horrifying. Part of me really just wanted to stay in my senior/sophomore year of school forever. Now, a couple months later (though it's felt like a year while simulatenously feeling like it's only been 2 weeks), I've made it to Thanksgiving in one piece and I've already made some good memories. I was so worried about making friends because I'm often very shy and quiet when people first meet me. It takes some time for me to war...

Umm, technically it's "The End Part 4", but I failed to write a post when my summer semester finished. I only took 3 classes, and 2 were online, but it still sort of counts. But since I didn't write a post, here we are. I am glad to announce that I have finished my 4th semester at MWCC. I only have one left before I graduate, which is kind of terrifying and exciting all at once. It's hard to believe that I'll be done with high school and two years of college. A year ago I was just finishing up my first semester... and that thought makes me slightly uncomfortable. At this point I had barely decided what I was going to do with the rest of my college career. Nursing, or human services? In the end, I know I made the right choice for me. All of the classes I have taken related to my major have continued to confirm to me that I am doing the right thing. I know I'm where I'm supposed to be. My college applications have finished, which is a huge relief. ...

Tonight I had the opportunity to speak at the Interfaith Thanksgiving Service with the churches of Littleton. It was really nice and I enjoyed hearing others speak. Although kind of nerve wracking, I was glad I had the opportunity to give a small talk. I've decided to post it up here for others who weren't there, or perhaps missed some things with my habit of talking too fast in front of large groups (I apologize). You'll find it down below. Tonight I would like to start with a quote by President Gordon B. Hinckley, prophet of the LDS church, who once said, “When you walk with gratitude, you do not walk with arrogance and conceit and egotism, you walk with a spirit of thanksgiving that is becoming to you and will bless your lives.” I like this quote because it's very true. Gratitude enables us to focus on all that is good, instead of all that is bad. It is not prideful and believing you are better. It is thanking the Lord and being humble. People enjoy being around ...

Recently I've returned from the usual 2 week New Hampshire trip. We had to go extra early in the summer due to the fact that I have classes starting next Monday (*cries*). Until then, I have one more day of freedom, Youth Conference, and Sunday before I start waking up before 7:30am. I'm only excited because it now means I don't ever have to take gym for the rest of my life, and it's only a month and a half of going to class 2-3 days a week, 4 hours a day. New Hampshire was good, though, and I enjoyed it for the most part. After Cherish left I was pretty lonely, but I managed to do a boatload of homework while my parents worked on the house. I did some tests and quizzes. My parents and I went to Castle in the Clouds (the coolest/prettiest house-mansion I've ever seen). One day my mom and I went out to pick fabric for a quilt she'll make for me. We played some games and watched a lot of Criminal Minds at night. I ran most mornings, doing 3-4 miles after the firs...

So 2014 was quite the year. I guess I'll do a quick recap of the past 12 months in case anyone is even remotely interested in my adventurous life. I'll add pictures to make everything better. JANUARY: At the end of the month once the semester was over I jumped out of one school and hopped into an old/new one. I made new friends and reconnected with old ones, so that was really nice. David left on his mission which was sad but also amazing all at the same time. FEBRUARY: I finally turned 16 which meant I could finally date. I also got my permit after failing the test the first time... MARCH: Um, I'm sure something happened. APRIL: April was the month of prom.  My first one and I was pretty excited. :) MAY: ??? JUNE: I stepped foot onto GD floors for the last time. I wouldn't be returning for the next year as I would be a part of the MWCC Pathways graduating class of 2016. JULY: Youth conference happened and that was truly a great experience. Everyone worked...

Everything has finally come to a close and I honestly couldn't be more happy. While this semester was good, it was beginning to feel incredibly long and I really just wanted the new semester to start. All in all, I'm glad I can say that I've successfully finished my first semester of college at MWCC. I feel like I've learned a lot since the beginning of September. Going into this semester I was worried what it would be like. I wanted to make new friends and I wanted to learn new things. Part of me was afraid I would end up drowning half way through and I would be the first one to have to leave. I was excited for my classes and excited for the people in the program. I was fortunate to know at least one person heading into Pathways, but everyone else was a stranger. And I just really didn't want to go back to my high school (no offense or anything). Things started to roll and I was handling everything well. I made friends and I felt like everyone in our program see...

In no particular order, here are some of the things I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving*: 1. Family Mom and dad (do absolutely everything and more). Brothers (weird but they're pretty amazing). Two sisters-in-law (my favorites).They are all quite possibly (or actually) my favorite people. I love them all dearly. They've done an infinite amount of things for me that would take forever to write down. I always have fun with them (we'll pretend I've never gotten mad at them because that would be silly ). 2. Friends All of my friends are truly amazing. They always know how to make me laugh and I can always manage to have a great time with them. After my family they are my favoritest (pretend that's a word) people. I can always count on them. I trust them with a lot. 3. A home I think there's a difference between a house and a home. A house is a place you live. A home is a place where you create memories and spend time with your family. It's a place fille...