Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

One of my best friends, Lis Lucy, once told me this little gem:

Thanksgiving:  The only day when gluttony becomes a patriotic duty.

Hahaha!  I thought it was a perty good one, but I'm sure you've prolly heard it before, eh?

I just thought I'd 'show' you how we do Thanksgiving in this house.  You know, 'give you a little taste of the glory.  See what it tastes like!'

Yesterday, Liza, Courtney, and I visited this little guy:

Blakers!!!  We went to visit Beka too, of course.  I have to keep indoctrinating him to know who his favorite auntie is. ;)  He's a great little kid, and I love 'im.

Then, we made a mad-dash to the grocery store.  Ma (being the all-amazing woman she is) split the shopping list into six parts, and gave one to each of her girls.  Twas an epic venture.  I don't think I've ever bought that much food in such little time.  We took it home, blasted the country music, and started the food-makin'.

This morning, my family participated in this:

The Turkey Trot - 5k

Dinner had to be earned, after all!  Max came in at just over 20 minutes.  Champion time. :)  And the rest of the clan wasn't far behind.  Ma and Papa even crossed the finish line together.  How precious! ;)

Then, we all came to clean and cook and to cook and clean.  Lots of food.  Like so much, we won't be able to eat it all "in.... three lifetimes." (Movie?)  A massive turkey, two kinds of sweet potatoes, heaps and mounds of mashed potatoes, pans of green beans, oyster dressing, normal dressing, and 18 pies (all made completely from scratch) for 12 people.

Soooooo many pies... :]  Delicious.

 Our beautiful table with china dishes and Waterford crystal. :)  It was loverly.

Then, of course, we ate.

My B-E-A-Utifully splendorful family!

Soooo good!  Dad's chipotle sweet potatoes and oyster dressing were a hit!  I also think my family should win the award for the longest eating/visiting meals ever.  I love it! :)

Then, we took a nap.

PSYCH! Not for us!  Daylight was a-wastin' and we hadn't yet completed all our Thanksgiving traditions!  We............ shot shotguns!!!  Like we do every year. :)

Aaaand Daddy just happens to be the best dang clay-pigeon thrower we have...

He's legit. :)

It was soooooo fun!  Home, home, home!  I love it.  I love my family.  It's just the best.  We watched "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" and "By the Light of the Silvery Moon" trying to fit us all on the couches.  (We were cuddling much closer than most family's would.  We love each other.)

I also made these:

Homemade caramel with pecans and smothered in dark chocolate.  I'm very proud of them.  You should try them.

We played games, had tickle wars, ate and ate and ate, shot guns, made chocolates, laughed and smiled, joked, rested, jammed, and for the last 3 hours, we girls have been gathered around our piano-playing mother singing our little hearts out in 4-part harmony.  >Siiigh<  I've missed that a lot.

Thankfully, I am home.  I am comfortable, well-fed, happy, and loved more than I can believe.  Life is good.

And I'm so grateful for Thanksgiving.

They're the BEEEESSHHTTT!!!

Sometimes. . .

I need a reminder that my family is--well, let's just say they're... FREAKIN' AWESOME!!!  Truly, they're the best.  Yessir!  I have the best family there is.  If you don't believe me, just ask 'em.  They'll tell ya. ;)

Whoa, whoa whoa, you say.  You can't just make a claim like that without any evidence to back it up!

Don't you worry, my friend, don't worry.  You ready to comprehend the awesomeness?  Buckle up.

1.  The idea for this post came about 2 weeks ago.  I went to a performance of the BYU Singers and Concert Choir.  Liza just happens to be the president of Concert Choir.  Like this:

And she sings like a dream.  Aand she's absolutely gorgeous.  Aaaaand she's amazing.  And I realized that my family has performed for years and years and years...

• Daddy is a perty decent piano player, hisself.  He's participated in the Lotoja and the Spudman Triathlon and a whole slew of other racing things. :) He's just waaaay legit in everything he does.  Aaaand his handsome self is always in attendance at our events.  He keeps his family mucho happy. :)

Here he is dancing with his wifey.  They're perty great. :)

• In 1998, Mamacita played the piano solo for George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue with the Magic Philharmonic Orchestra.  I was six, and I still remember.  She's legit.  She also had the patience to teach aaaallllll of her children (and a bunch of other peoples' children) how to play the piano.  She also possesses the voice of an angel.

She also plays the Uke.  So.  Cool.

• Sam played the piano and sang for his talent in Mr. DHS when he was a Senior.  His number was, "You Gotta Have Skin," and he sounded perty good.  ...I also don't think he had/has ever made me laugh so hard. :]

I didn't have a picture of that, but here he is juggling.  He can also ride a unicycle and fly a stunt kite. ;)

Here, also, is Sammy's better half.  Megs. Is. The. Best.
I love them.

• Beks won Miss Mini-Cassia and competed in Miss Idaho with her piano-playing expertise.  She also sings splendidly, and she and I often sing the same part in our group of sisters.  She's super-duper, and loads of fun!

I didn't have a picture of any of that, but here is Beka with her other half, Eric the Awesome.  He's perty great, and he adds to the handsomeness of our family. :)

• Liza:  Well, I already told you some of it, BUT she was Mini-Cassia's Jr. Miss once upon a day (a title she also won with her piano-playing expertise).  She's also a vocal-performance major at BYU (a veeeery tough program to get into), aaaand the president of Concert Choir.

Idaho State Jr. Miss Competition

• Madi-Kakes is s'darn cute!  She received an award and scholarship for her B-E-A-Utiful and attractive vocal performance last year in Jr. Miss.  Her voice is clear as a bell, and her piano-playing is soft, smooth, and delicious.  She can also play the clarinet like a champ.

Madi.  Singing like an angel. As always.

• Max-the-Man is perty dang awesome.  He plays piano (fake-book and Jazz style).  And he plays a sweet saxophone.  He's had multiple solos in the semester-ly jazz band concerts, and he makes sure his jazz is up to par.  He's the real McCoy.

It's a little small, but here is a family jam sesh.  Liza on the piano, Sam on electric guitar (that he made hisself, by the way), and Max on Saxophone.

• Every time, I get to go to a performance or race or anything else they have been working toward, I just beam with pride the whole time.  They 're so talented and splendid.  I'm a HUGE fan of all of them, and I want to grow up to be as cool as they are someday.

2.  They're attractive.  I have one daaaaaaang fine lookin' family.

Okay, I know it's hard to see, but it's all I could find.  Just believe me. :]

3.  On the way home for Thanksgiving, Granny Rodabough let me steal some of her mincemeat.  I don't care what you think, mincemeat pie is a delicacy.  It's delicious.  And she's a sweetie-pie for sharing some.

4.  A bunch o' them are running the Turkey Trot tomorrow.  It's a 5k.  Big deal, you say.  BUT they're doing it together, and they're gonna be awesome.

5.  They understand me.  In my family's eyes, I'm splendid and funny and everything I hope to be and more. Unconditional love runs rampant in my house.  Here, I can go a whole day speaking in movie-lines.  Not only can they identify the movie, they'll reply in movie-lines.  They'll laugh at my movie-lines.  They get my inside jokes.  They get me.  Like no-one else can.

6.  Tonight, Daddy and I made home-made chicken noodle soup (with rye-wheat/Dad's specialty home-made noodles).  Ma and Megs were makin' pie, and the preparations for Thanksgiving were in full swing.  The jokes were flying.  Everybody was helping everybody with everything.  Compliments and good-natured teasing were prevalent.  We were tasting Dad's cheeses and I haven't heard so much laughing in a long time.

7.  When I got home yesterday, Daddy gave me a good ole back-poppin' hug.  Ma gave me a hug.  Madi gave me three.  Max gave me five.  Megs, Liza, and Sambo aren't stingy with 'em either.  Without asking, I get at least a hug an hour from anyone in my family.  It's so nice to be loved! :)

8.  They're just super-duper splendid, and I love them so much!

This is my adorable nephew, Blakers.  I'm his favorite Auntie.  By. Far. :)

Doncha wish they were yours?!

Weeeelllll...you cain't have 'em!
They're mine!

All mine!

And I'm soooo happy they are.

:)

Lets Hear It for the Boy[s]!

Sometimes. . .

I think we girls are a little harsh on those who make up the population of the male sex.  I am not sure if that's a function of all boys being jerks excluding only those that surround me, or if girls are just a little ridiculous.  Me?  I tend to think it's the latter.  The vast majority of all boys I have the opportunity to interact with are right, swell fellows, and I hereby offer my recognition and gratitude to them for gracing my existence with their presence.  After all, they have some mighty fine qualities about them:

1.  They seem to possess a never-ending capacity for goofiness.  I mean, really.  No girl would ever come up with this:

P.S. If the full-screen doesn't work, just click on the YouTube link at the top of it. :)

           And seriously!  How awesome is that?

2.  They are good, honest souls.  I have very seldom found superficiality in a male.

3.  They entertain me all the day long.  With things like this or this:

or this:

or this:

or perhaps this:

or maybe this:

or who could ever forget the time we laughed for HOURS at this:

Let's just say, they're never lacking for entertainment, okay?

4.  How about these little treasures from Overheard @ BYU?:

"Relief Society has a feel good moment?  We should have that in priesthood!  Manly moment: 'I fixed my car yesterday while killing a bear AND giving a woman a blessing.'"

Hahahahaha! :P  I believe that is a veeeeery good idea.  Or how about...

Boy: *whips out calculator* Can I calculate something for you?

Girl:  Okay....?

Boy: I'm going to calculate your chances of being happy forever.

Girl:  ......

Boy: *turns on calculator* what's your phone number???

Hehehe :)  I don't care who you are or what you look like.   That's awesome. :D

5.  How many guys do you know that are an emotional basket-case all the time?  I'll wager you know many more girls that fill that bill.  My man-friends make me laugh.  Without fail.  Sometimes, when I'm having a rough day, I really don't want to talk about it.  Who do I go to?  A boy because, quite frankly, they don't usually wanna talk about it either!  But they're very good at getting my mind off of things. :D
P.S.  Watch this.  It's long, but hilarious, and it explains a lot:

6.  Most of my best friends in this whole-wide-world (not including my awesome and attractive family) are boys.  I guess this does include my three closest cousins, and about six "brothers."  They, all of them, talk to me lots, make sure I'm dandy, and say something to the effect of, "I love you, Sis!" on a very regular basis. Needless to say, these guys are champs, and they have one proud "sister!"   :D  They're some of the kindest, most wonderful people I know.  They take good care of me. :)

7.They're nerds.  It's an endearing term, I promise!  Just a few nerdy things I have come to enjoy (due to the influence of guys): Ninja-Turtles (Leonardo, in particular), Decepticon, MST3K, Kung Pow, watching Zelda and Portal 2, music/science/history/math/grammar/dumb-pun jokes, VVFS, Rejected Cartoons, Monty Python, and other such nonsense.  "How neat is that?!"

8.  They do like to show-off sometimes, and I don't mind one bit.  My cousins wanna show me they can cook?  Fine with me!...as long as I get to try it. :)

  My "brothers" wanna serenade everyone with guitars and voices?  I'm sooooo down with that because, lets be honest.  They sound gooooooOOOOOd.  They can show-off if they want to.  I'm impressed. :)

9.  They know how to have FUN!!!  They're game for adventure!  They'll be goofy and splendid, and many wonderful memories have been made this way.... :)

10.  They're straightforward, and they don't change with the weather.  If they wanna spend time with you, they'll make time.  If I tease them, they tease back.  If they say something sweet, they mean it.  They don't just fish around for words to try to be nice.

11.  They do manly things! I don't know if you noticed, but which picture is more attractive?

Of course!  The one where he looks most manly.  Why?  Because it's awesome.  That's why.  They're just so cool when they get together to watch football, or when they're driving tractor or workin' hard, or when they hold the door for girls.  They wear suits.  They're especially handsome when they sing.  Girls, they're the reason we feel like girls.  They work hard and play hard.  They're champs. Fo' sho'!

12.  Last, but definitely not least, most of the guys that have influenced my life for the better are real, true, solid, honest-to-goodness men.  A great many of them, though not all, are worthy holders of God's priesthood.  How wonderful is that?  All of them have helped me see my value as a daughter of God.  I could not ask for a greater gift from them.  So many of them--family and friends, old and young, Mormon and non-Mormon alike--are great blessings and wonderful examples.  They are honestly trying their hardest to be who they should be:

I, for one, think they're pretty awesome, and I thank all of them for blessing my life and letting me love them.

:]

Some things that make me smile (and laugh) :]

Liza jumped on my bed this morning

I had time to eat breakfast and read my scriptures this morning

Autumn

the weather (it's such a B-E-A-Utiful day today!)

walking through the gardens to school

Jessi gave me a hug (she's amazing)

New Testament (Brother Griffin rocks)

The Gospel. (It's the best!)

listening to Anberlin (never thought I would say that)

Eric writes lists for me

doing the dishes :)

making lunch for Liza

going to campus early to eat with her

Paninis...Mmmm....

Liza's sad attempt at "that's what she said" jokes

laughing until I cry

Liza will be goofy with me

we definitely look related today

my homework is done

learning is fun

I am lucky enough to be at BYU

Halloween.  YAY!

Liza and I watch scary movies together

I get to see my family this weekend for a party like no other

I have a job interview tomorrow

hugs and smiles

naturally curly hair

Mike lets me visit him

Jacob tells me of his life

Megan paints my nails

Sam lets me come and steal his wife

Madi calls me to ask me questions

Mom and Dad are fun to visit with

letters from cousins

Max isn't too old to tell me he loves me on the phone

I am utterly and completely surrounded, buried in, and smothered by people that love me

I love them all right back

:)

♫♪ We'll Bring the World His Truth ♪♫

Okay, so if you don't know what I'll be talking about for the rest of this post, play this video.

This was a reflection I wrote for Brother Griffin's Book of Mormon class on January 25, 2011:

"This class (covering Alma 56) reminded me of a great experience I had last semester.  I was in the greatest FHE family that has ever existed in the history of the Church Education System.  We loved each other so much, and one Sunday night at Ward Prayer, we were going to sing the "As Sisters in Zion/Armies of Helaman - EFY medley" as a ward.  I was at the front because I had been asked to lead the altos and the boys.  The girls sang beautifully, and when it came time for the boys to sing, I was more than a little apprehensive that they wouldn't know what to do.  To my great and wonderful surprise, my wonderful FHE brothers--all of them--stood up from off the floor, strong, tall, and handsome, and started to sing that beautiful song proudly as I'm sure Helaman's sons would have done.  Their sound blew me away.  I finally started leading two lines into the song, and I almost started to cry.

Those boys, and we, are like the Army of Helaman.  We have been taught by goodly parents what we should do, and we need to have that kind of faith in God.  Now, many of those wonderful brothers are serving and preparing to serve missions.  We are not together anymore, but we will always be united in spirit and cause.  The Book of Mormon is our story.  We are to stand wherever we may be as an army of God, to fight against Satan and to bring the world God's truth."

. . . 

Today, in Sunday School, I sat thinking about the words of the song Armies of Helaman.  It is such a powerful song, and it makes me so happy to think of my super-strong cousins, grandparents, and friends who are out serving missions all over this world.  I'm such a fan of them.  They're just wonderful.  My favorite part of the story of the sons of Helaman is Alma 56:44-48:

"Therefore, what say ye, my sons, will ye go against them to battle?

And now I say unto you, my beloved brother, Moroni, that never had I seen so great courage, nay, not amongst all the Nephites.

For as I had ever called them my sons (for they were all of them very young) even so they said unto me: Father, behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall; then let us go forth; we would not slay our brethren if they would let us alone; therefore let us go, lest they should overpower the army of Anitpus.

Now they had never fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.

And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it."

Heleman's Army

These guys are sooooo cool.

What wonderful, strong young men!  Nowadays, we compare their courage and willingness to serve to missionary work--something else I've been thinking about a lot.  As I sat in church, thinking about the words to this song, I just grew happier and happier to know that God loves his children (you and I included).  I became ever more conscious of the ways in which He has seen fit to bless my life, and I will always be grateful for that.

We have been born as Nephi of old

To goodly parents who love the Lord.

We have been taught and we understand

That we must do as the Lord commands.

We have been saved for these latter days

To build the kingdom in righteous ways.

We hear the words our Prophet declares

Let each who's worthy go forth and share.

We know his plan, and we will prepare

Increase our knowledge through study and prayer.

Daily we'll learn until we are called

To take the gospel to all the world.

We are as the Army of Helaman.

We have been taught in our youth.

And we will be the Lord's missionaries

To bring the world his truth.

God loves you.  He lives, and next time you see two Mormon guys in suits (or girls in dresses (or my grandparents, if you're in Finland)) walking around, please say "Hello!"  You never know, they might just maybe be my best friends, and they have some extremely happy news to share with you.

:)

P.S. Feel free to ask me too. :]

An Epic Adventure :)

If you want Liza's spin on the story, go here.  Either way, it's epic.  I'm just a little more eloquent than Liza is.

Juuuust kidding!  We're sisters!  We're practically the same person. :P  Anyways....

It was a dark and stormy night...er...evening.  Liza and I were going to Granny's for a night of hair-cuts, visiting, tackle-hugs from cousins, and much needed family time.  Beginning our quest, we sprinted from our apartment to Roger (our car) in a manner befitting those who endeavor to avoid the rain, when lo and behold!  Roger was dead.  Dead, dead, dead.  And we, being the damsels in distress we were, called everyone from here to yon trying to find a knight valiant enough to come to our aid.

Only one was willing to answer the call to battle.  One Sir Bryan came swiftly on his--get this--brand new steed, jumper cables in hand.  He pulled up to Roger and commenced to answer the plight of these two young maidens.  Liza, being not sick (unlike me), jumped out to help.  In a moment of mis-communication and confusion, Bryan hooked his car up: black + red -  and Liza hooked Roger up: red + black-, and we commenced to try a jump.  We sat momentarily waiting for Roger to roar to life and be the brave steed he once was when...he started smoking. Woops.  And Bryan's car died.  And wouldn't start.

Not knowing what the results of such an action might be, Liza and I thought we killed it dead.  Like, deader than dead.  Like soooo dead we believed his brand new car would never rise see another dawn.  Hence, these damsels became more than a little bit distressed.  Sir Bryan, bless his soul, was a champ and told us over and over that this was just a learning experience as he tried to figure out what to do.

Eventually, a stranger in a suit came to our aid.  He was on his way to a church meeting, but, spying us along the way, decided to stop and help.  He swiftly informed us that Sir Bryan's car was simply dead and needed a jump.  Which he even more swiftly provided, and Bryan's car roared to life.  We were then advised that it probably needed to be driven for a good half hour--just to make sure it wouldn't die again.

Cue the Adventure of Epic Proportions!

We all jumped in his car and galloped off toward Provo Canyon.  We never quite made it that far, but we did embark on a journey of joy, jest, and spontaneity that has yet to be equaled among the inhabitants of this earth.

You see, I have been craving this:

for.....lets just say quite some time now.  I don't even like soda.  But I loooove this.  It's delicious!  And you can only find it at Blickenstaff's at the Riverwoods in Provo.  Therefore, we all made a stop, and Liza bought us each a bottle of the glory. (So we could see what it tastes like.)  >Siiigh...<  I need a little more of the glory now...

Cheerwine in hand, the three of us explored the toy/candy shop that is Blickenstaff's.  It's a pretty splendid little place.  Loads of fun to venture through!

They have quite a variety of old-school candies and sodas.  It's legit. :)

After playing with almost every toy that store had to sell (and after Liza rode the coin pony because she's a champ), we made for Called to Surf and the fun little recreation facility that is behind it (Provo Beach Resort).

There were clothes to buy, the smell of Disneyland, the beach/boardwalk/oceany/surfy feel, a ropes course, food, miniature golf and croquet, arcade games, a Flowrider (so cool!), bowling, and tons of stuff!  We laughed and joked and had a grand ole time exploring!  It was so fun!

And as we were heading toward the door to go back to Sir Bryan's steed and the life we left behind, we passed an ice-cream shoppe called "I Like Ike's," at which point Liza commenced to enlighten Sir Bryan and myself with her reading of the Daily Universe.  She told us all about how Jimmer and LaVell Edwards helped with the ceremonious opening of the store last week and gave us a summary of how it went down.  When she finished, Sir Bryan pointed over her shoulder and said timidly, "That is Jimmer."  We all turned around...

Sure enough, right behind us stood Jimmer and his fiance, getting ice cream and looking at us (well, Liza) with a very strange expression on their faces.

We turned to each other and laughed awkwardly before swiftly exiting the building... to fall apart laughing in a more appropriate and less embarrassing setting.  Hahaha! :P

We then made our journey back to normal life, home, campus, and existence that isn't nearly as fun.  But it's still perty good.

P.S. When I got back, one of my college-long dreams came true.  I got to go in these places:

BYU's anechoic chambers.  (Top: large Bottom: small)  They suck all sound out of the air and neutralize it for research.  The floors are mesh and there are more wedges beneath them.  I've heard that if you sit there long enough and quiet enough, you can hear the hum of your spinal chord's functioning.  ANYWAYS... it was awesome.  And I was happy.   :)

A Conference of Generals... (...Which I then made specific.)

Its true.  Elder Holland himself told us how miraculous it is to speak words that are valuable to "those who know us very well and those who know us not at all.  Within the Church alone we must speak to the children, the youth and young adults, the middle-aged, and the elderly.  We must speak to families and parents and children at home as we speak to those who are no married, without children, and perhaps very far from home."

Because the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is a worldwide church, the Brethren must give messages that are broad--messages that can cross racial, national, and ethnic boundaries--messages that God wants to give to all His children.

Thus, it is sometimes easy to listen to a talk and say, "That's not for me.  I don't fit there yet."  In my New Testament class, however, Brother Griffin challenged us to turn General Conference into "Specific" Conference--or, in other words, listen to each message and find some way to apply it to our lives instead of excusing ourselves from following certain instructions.  Good challenge, very good indeed. :)

I was amazed at how many of the messages were aimed right at my heart.  Those men are the prophets of God, and the messages they give are exactly what He wants us to hear.

My favorites?  Well, the whole thing was, but here are some specific ones:

• "To memorize a scripture is to forge a new friendship."  -Elder Richard G. Scott
• "...you are not invisible to your Heavenly Father.  He loves you.  He knows your humble heart and your acts of love and kindness."  -President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
• "God sees you as His child.  He sees you as the being you are capable and designed to become.  He wants you to know that you matter to Him."  -President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
• Hearing that there is to be another temple in Provo!  (My thoughts: What to call it, though?  The Tempernacle?) :]
• "She spoke of the greatness of those two little girls.  It was as if she were presenting princesses to a royal court."  -Elder Henry B. Eyring
• "...so we grab you by the lapels and shot as forcefully as we know how:

'Hark! the sound of battle sounding loudly and clear;

Come join the ranks!  Come join the ranks!'

• "I love you; I pray for you.  I would ask once again that you would remember me and all the General Authorities in your prayers.  We are one with you in moving forward this marvelous work."  -President Thomas S. Monson

To whoever reads this: feel free to comment and tell me what you especially enjoyed about Conference.  

(I realize one quote was from Priesthood Session, but Elder Holland is my favorite apostle, and I felt a little gypped in not getting to hear him this year.  So I listened to it this morning.)

All the talks were absolutely wonderful, and I felt that they were tailor-made for me.  Go.  Read them.  Study them.  Remember them.  I even posted link, so it's super easy for you. ;)

It also helped that Liza and I went home for it.  I'll tell you what, when General Conference rolls around, I don't want to be with anyone but my family.  They're absolutely splendid, and there was loads of time to visit, cuddle, joke, and spoil my nephew to death. :)

I just wanna let you know that I know this church is true.  I know President Thomas S. Monson is the prophet of God on the earth today.  God loves you.  Christ loves you, and they know everything you experience.  They want to bless you, and they do--more than you will ever know.

"Forget not to be patient with yourself. 

 Forget not to be happy now.  

Forget not that the Lord loves you."

-President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

(That one's from Women's Conference.  Read it.  It was splendid.)

Best. Day. EVER! :D

So, I don't know if any of you noticed, but..... I haven't been the most chipper of God's creations for quite a while now.  Like, since school started.

(Most of you prolly didn't know that, but hey! Now you do.)

Today.  It fixed all of that.  I hope.

Today, I only had two classes.  Two of my favorite classes.  And I decided that the four hour break between them would be a perfect time to visit here:

The Provo Temple

And while I walked there from campus after devotional, I called Eric William Walter Mordecai to wish him a happy birthday. :)

And while I was at the temple, I experienced an hour and a half of peace.  It was wonderful, and I was happier.

And when I went outside, I had two hours to ponder and walk around the beautiful grounds and read my scriptures some more and write.  And that was also very wonderful.  

And I was even happier.

And I started reading the writings within the book I was writing, and I found a quote from my wonderful Grandpa Rodabough:

"Whatever you're doing that's making you miserable--quit it."

What a splendid kick in the pants!  My draw dropped in amazement at the applicability of that statement to my life at that point.  And then I threw my head back and laughed wholeheartedly.  Grandpa's so great!

And right after I read that, my eyes happened to fall on my scriptures that were open on my lap, and a marked verse said this:

"Behold, my beloved [daughter], remember the words or your God; pray unto him continually by day, and give thanks unto his holy name by night. Let your hearts rejoice."

--2 Nephi 9:52

Joy! :)  I'm commanded to be joyful!  At this point, I realized that I had no good reason to be grouchy.  God has blessed me waaaaayyyy too much for me to justify myself in such an action!  So, smiling a great smile and being very happy, I put my books in my bag, took one last look at the beautiful temple and grounds, and started on my way back to campus.

And as I was walking and reading some more, I heard a voice that I knew all too well.  Elder Larsen Alma was walking by me! :D  He ran up to me and gave me a h.....hhandshake.  Gotcha! ;)  Haha!  He was smiling his biggest smile, and it was evident that he loved being a missionary and that he was thoroughly enjoying his time at the MTC.

I can't even convey my pride!  I was just so happy to see him!  He was so excited to be there, and he obviously was learning and growing lots!  He's just such a wonderful person! :)  >Sigh< He was so happy, in fact, that he made me want to serve a mission.  Right now. :P

Anyways, I left him to his volleyball, and I skipped--quite literally--all the way back to campus.  I was just SO HAPPY! :D  All in all, its been a splendid day!  I'm so joyful, and I'll just have to do all I can to make tomorrow just as wonderful!

 :)

P.S.  Just for kicks and giggles...

Sometimes, when you are an Abi, and you buy liquid eyeliner.... you draw a mustache.  

On your face.

Ees for fun.
:D

26.2 Miles of Glory...

For those of you who don't know, I have a champ for a sister.

Actually all of my family members are champs, but Liza Anne just happens to have run a 26.2 MILE MARATHON on Saturday.

But wait!  She didn't just run 26.2 miles, oh no!  She ran 26.2 miles through the rain... and hail.  That's right, my friends, through the HAIL!  It hailed!  While she was running!


Okay, not that I've impressed upon you the weight of the words '26.2' and 'hail,' I'll get on with the rest of my story...

Not only did she do all that, but she smiled.  The. Whole. Time.

Click the pictures to see them bigger.  'Cause, I'll be honest, they're kinda hard to see.

You kinda can't see her because of the green guy, but she's smiling!

She was drop-dead gorgeous!  As she was running 26.2 miles!  I know because Dad, Ma, and I all drove/rode along the course and cheered her on at 8-ish different places.

Did she collapse near the finish?  Did she waver and fall along the course?  Did she curse the weather and ask "Why me?!"  If you answered yes to any of those questions, you obvilously don't know how much of a champ she is.  This is Liza sprinting to the finish:

And this is her I-just-ran-a-marathon-and-I-need-to-go-get-my-freakin-awesome-medal-but-I-guess-I'll-turn-around-to-say-hi-to-my-family-face:

Do you SEE that smile?!  She's beautiful!

Needless to say, I'm so proud of her!

She did milk the 'Hey! I just ran a marathon!" excuse for all it was worth, but--I mean--it was a valid excuse.  For everything.  Haha!  She's just great!

And after the marathon, she ran (figuratively) for the rest of the day until midnight because she just couldn't shirk her duties.  Aaaand she had to go to the BYU football game.

Yes, my friends, she's amazing. :)

Something Sweet :)

I witnessed the cutest thing in class today.

It made me melt.

Its a small writing class (easily my favorite class this semester), and we spent today critiquing short works of literature composed by our classmates when lo and behold, some random guy pokes his head in the door.  He turned out to be one of our teachers favorite students from a previous semester and the older brother of one of the girls in our class.

Well, he walked in, and took a chair.  And he was handsome.

But that's not what made me melt.

Instead of watching him in the short conversation that ensued, I leaned forward so I could see the look on his sister's face.  That was a very good decision on my part.  That has to be one of the healthiest sibling relationships I've ever seen.  Her face lit up.  It was very obvious that this big brother and little sister loved each other with all their hearts.  Kaatje and David smiled at each other across the room with such a happy, fun-loving, slightly teasing look--MY day was made just to witness it.

The rest of the class period, they would glance at each other and grin.  It was sooooooooo happy, and I loved it.

After class, I was so glad to have a question for my teacher because it did my heart so much good to listen to them tease and compliment each other.  I loved it so much.  And I'm a HUGE fan of them both.

And they don't even know.

I'm prolly a creeper.

What is a smile anyways?

Today, I was confronted with a smile.  If you can call it that.  The teeth were showing.  The corners of the mouth turned up pleasantly.  Overall, the face looked pleased...ish.

But it didn't feel like a smile.  Not a true one.

It was just an action--an action that was supposed to mean something, but it didn't.  Not to me.  I didn't feel sincerity in that smile.  In it, I perceived a need to seem pleasant, and a wish for a good-natured interaction, but I felt nothing of the genuine cheer that should accompany such an expression.

I was stunned.  This smile made me cock my head to one side, not smile back.  I forced myself to make an answering smile--realizing as I did so that I was mirroring the expression that had perplexed me in the first place.  Why did it bug me so much?  This wasn't a smile.  What makes a smile anyways?

Being in English 218R - Creative Writing, I did what I have been trained to do.  I looked it up in the Oxford English Dictionary.  (I'll be honest, I was excited.  The OED gives the etymology of words as well as the definition so you can see  what a word meant centuries ago and discover how it has changed.  Exciting, eh?  I think so.)  :)  (P.S. I promise that smile was legit.)

According to the OED a smile is:

"An act of smiling; a slight and more or less involuntary movement of the countenance expressive of pleasure, amusement, affection, etc., or of amused contempt, disdain, incredulity, or similar emotion..."
"smile, n.1". OED Online. June 2011. Oxford University Press. 6 September 2011 <http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/182595?rskey=Yy3QQf&result=1&isAdvanced=false>

So what was wrong with this smile I'd encountered?  Was it an expression of pleasure? No. Amusement? Hardly.  Affection?  Definitely not.  We weren't acquaintances like that.  None of those, but it wasn't amused contempt or any of the others either.  This smile was not involuntary in any way.  It seemed forced.  Habitual.

Now I'm not saying smiling a lot is a bad thing.  I love to smile and see smiles because they remind me that I should be wearing one.  Often, as soon as I see one, it somehow elicits an answering grin from my own features.  It's a simple way to make someone's day, and if you haven't noticed, I seem to be bound to type a smiley face whenever what I'm writing makes me smile. (Hence the overload of emoticons.)  What I'm saying is this:  If you don't mean the smile at all, why would you give it?  If that is the case, it is, by definition, not a smile at all.

Too often, we use the kind of 'smile' that fades as soon as we turn away from the subject it was meant for.  Too often, we use the 'courtesy smile' that really has no meaning.  If it lapses into a frown, it's not a real smile.  And I guess it's okay that we have fake ones.  After all, we don't want to be straight-faced all the time.  All that I ask is that you don't let that become your default smile.  Make sure that, when the time comes, you have a ready, genuine, fantastic smile on call and ready to go.  You don't want to be known for a fake one, do you?

A real, true, honest-to-gosh smile is so much more than an action of your mouth.  Sure, that's where most of us look, but a real smile can be seen in all of you.  Your eyes join in and get squinty and sparkly.  Your face smiles, you stand a little taller, you take in a short breath, and you can feel the smile work its way from your face, through your body, clear down to your toes.  It's a real smile when your whole self is required to display the happiness you feel inside.  It's a real smile, when your body is just an outward expression of a grinning spirit.

A real smile doesn't just disappear.  It lingers.  Evidence of a true smile will display itself in your eyes, face, and heart for a while after.  A real smile changes you.

So go out and smile at someone for reals. :D

My Grandparents are Champions

It's true.

I was born to goodly parents.  And they were born to champions.

......Oh yes, and my parents are champions too.  :)

More than a month ago, my dad's parents gave a mission farewell in our ward at church.  Usually, at farewells, I sit and listen and beam with pride all the day long.  I'm just so happy and proud to know people who are so willing and worthy to go serve.  This was no exception.  And I think I was beaming even more than usual (if possible).

All during Gramma's talk, her pretty blue eyes sparkled, and I just thought of how great she is.  She's a wonderful woman, Gramma Kate.  She's taught me a lot about how to work hard, how to be kind, how to sew and paint and knit and crochet, and she's always just loved each of us with all her heart.  As she stood in front of a packed chapel to speak, she bore her testimony of the truth of the Gospel of Christ, and I was so happy and proud (the good kind, I promise) to be her granddaughter. :)

After she spoke, it was Grampa's turn.  His talk was short and to the point, and he prolly didn't say all that he wanted to, but it was so heartfelt and powerful.  I was just overjoyed at seeing them prepare to go and serve together.  It's such a wonderful opportunity, and it has been a humbling one for them, I'm sure.  He made me cry.  Like a lot.  And then during the closing song, he saw that I had been and laughed at me.  (Or, as he puts it, he smiled inside).  But he was really laughing. :]

Two weeks ago today, I moved back to school, and the day I brought my belongings and my self to Provo was the same day they came down.  The next morning, they were scheduled to enter the Missionary Training Center to begin their 18 months of serving the Lord.  Liza and I invited them to come to our apartment for waffles that morning.  It was great to have a good visit and see them so ready to go.  They're simply splendid!

This morning, I was checking my blog stats and I saw that I had two views from Finland.  That reminded me--oh! I have a half-finished blog-post about my champion grandparents! :)

Yes, they're now in Finland.  In my opinion, they've taken a bigger leap of faith than most of the younger missionaries who choose to serve do.  They've left their posterity--their children, 30 grandchildren, and 6 great-grandchildren--to serve.  I'm so proud of them!  They've chosen to follow the council of the Prophet.   I'm so happy that they have chosen to be such wonderful examples for their family.  Their great, and I love them, and they love the Lord enough to sacrifice so much to serve Him.  I'm beaming with pride as I write this. :D  I'm so happy!

Whisperings

I was reading in my Missing Book today.  I have sections of Grampa's journal in it, and as I was going through it reading about him, I read this poem that was written by my great, great uncle:

Whisperings by Uncle Arville

If you have a tender message

Or a loving word to say,

Don't wait till you forget it,

But whisper it today.

Tomorrow is a mystery,

Today is all we own,

We are living in the present,

The future is unknown.

The tender word unspoken,

The letter never sent,

The long forgotten messages,

The wealth of love unspent,

It isn't the thing you do, my boy,

It's the things you leave undone

Which give you a bit of heartache

At the setting of the Sun.

The tender words forgotten,

The letters you did not write,

The flowers you might have sent, my boy,

Are haunting your dreams tonight.

For these messages some heart is breaking

For these, some loved ones wait,

So show them that you care today,

Before it is too late.

Just a little food for thought.

>Siiiiigh<.... life. :]

I haven't written for a while.

And I apologize.

I have been, however, occupied the last little while in moving myself and my belongings 200 miles.  That's right.  I have left home again and now find myself in Provo, ready to begin a new year at school. ...Or so I hope.

It was interesting coming here.  I felt almost as nervous as I did the first time because I knew everything was going to be so different.  Good, but different.  Yes there have been a few little glitches (like trying to rent a computer and having it not work at all), but for the most part, its been okay. :) I think I should tell you some things that have made me happy:

• I'm living with Liza.  I can't tell you how nice it is to live with a sister away from home.  She's a sweetie-pie, and she takes good care of me.
• Liza unpacked and put all my stuff away.  I told you she's wonderful.
• She decorated our apartment all cute.  This is good because, as of now, I have not grown a cutesy bone in my body.
• We have two roommates—one I have yet to meet, and the other is CoUrTnEy the CUTE.  She's soooooo unbelievably sweet, and I am a big fan of her already.
• There is a dishwasher in our apartment.
• Our apartment is tall enough that I can't touch the ceiling without tip-toeing.  This is important.
• Wyview is still a wonderful place I can go to visit Mike, Marie, Jocelynn, Alex, and Kyle.  It makes me happy :)
• I live close to campus
• There is a pool in my housing complex
• I have to walk through a terraced garden to get to school.  Bad—that's a lot of stairs  Good—The gardens are sooooo B-E-A-Utiful, and it keeps me healthy.
• Yesterday, I quoted Nacho Libre with another girl at the public computers in the HFAC.  We didn't even look at each other, but we were grateful to laugh together.
• Megan-Dear helped me decide what job to take, and Sam cheered me up yesterday.  They're perfect for each other and so good to me.
• Liza warmed up my voice for Womens' Chorus auditions.  She's silly, and so fun.
• I love running into people I love and getting hugs from them.  It's great :)
• Mom and I visit on the phone sometimes, and we have a goofy time visiting
• I am surrounded by people who love me.
• Courtney gives me hugs when I have a bad day, and she read me scriptures last night.  People, she's awesome.
• I made a Missing Book.  I can read it when I miss people that I love.  I read it a lot—needless to say.
• As of right now, I can depend on myself to make money, pay for everything I need, and do what I'm supposed to.  It's a lot of pressure, but its nice to know I'm not a burden on anyone.
• Jason Alma and Kaleb Larson are coming to Provo to visit.  This is good because I miss them already.  We had lots of good chats all summer.
• I'm not starving, freezing, or un-loved.
• Life is good :)

The goofuses :]

Meet the goofuses:

Goofus #1 - Madi-Kakes

Goofus #2 - Max-a-million

In chipmunk voice: Apple?  Ees good!

Can I just say these kids are great?  They're champs.  We've had some awfully silly adventures this summer, and it's come time for me to praise them by telling you a few.

On days when it's not too hot we take Reggie (my futbol) to the school and play us a little soccer.  Just the three of us.  We pass and run and giggle and play.  We tell jokes and tease each other, and we just have a fun time.  One such day, I ran them through a drill.  One person lays on the ground, knees up.  The other stands on their toes and tosses the ball down.  Thus, the person on the ground does a sit-up to head the ball back.

Hilarious.

Max has the goofiest laugh I think I've ever heard.  It didn't matter if he was throwing the ball or heading it, he was cracking us up, and we had to stop the drill early because our abs couldn't handle the rigorous exercise of sit-ups and laughing to death. :)

On Sunday we went to Utah, and on the ride home, they'd do the craziest stuff to make me laugh.  Reciting movie lines, telling dumb jokes, being goofy, making strange sounds...  needless to say, it was a very entertaining 3 hours.  3 hours that I rather enjoyed. :)

Also, when I came home from college, I listened to music that...well... lets just say, they hated it. :)  As we've lived together, I've toned it down, and they've toned it up.  We're awesome together.

Yesterday, we went to Jillian Nicole's house for another successful end-of-summer party.  Madi and Max came, and they made the car ride rather entertaining.  And they loved being with a jillion people who were just as goofy as them.

Just some other things:

• They're both ticklish. Score!
• Madi likes it when I fix her hair.  Which I think is fun.  Win-win :)
• Max lets me waltz and quickstep with him.  Which is good because he's taller than me, and I'd make him whether he let me or not.  I'm such a good big sister.
• They keep me in line.  It's true.
• They think I'm cool, so when I want to do something crazy, they TOTALLY go along with it. (Please don't tell them I'm not!)
• We have the same sense of humor...which no one in this world gets.  It's nice to be understood.
• Max likes to test his Old-Spice and killer outfits on me.  Makes me feel special.
• Madi is a sweet little thing.
• Max cracks me up.
• The three of us fit on the love-seat to cuddle and watch movies.

Dressin' up for Harry Potter.

(Yes, Max is holding a wand.)

I just love us.

:)