It All Started at a Sleepover

So I have a handful of stories I still want to write up here before I leave on my mission. I'll definitely try to do that. Here is the first of the lineup.

Generally speaking with girls that means a crazy night full of gossip, boys, and girlie things. This party was no exception. There were three girls, me, Abby Anderson and Courtney Carter. I can definitely be crazy, but I have to work my way up to it. These two girls are downright crazy, especially with all the crazy feeding off each other.

After settling in, we three chatted up a storm. Courtney filled us in on a boy she had gone on a date with, who was going to call during the sleepover. We were all giddy with excitement. A boy?! During the sleepover!! Duh she would put him on speakerphone.

As our excitement increased, Courtney realized she didn't want to talk for very long, she would rather spend time with us. Thus a plan was formed. Courtney would give a signal when she was ready to stop talking and we would pretend to slam my finger in a door, causing an emergency where she was needed and would have to hang up.

It was a good plan, however it was not good enough. It had to be more realistic. We found a strand of cheap beads to slam in the door so the door wouldn't completely shut and sound closer to a finger stuck in the door. Even that wasn't good enough. We decided to make my finger look the part as well. We applied marker and smudged it around until it looked bruised, though not swollen. Then we took pictures on Courtney's phone so we could send a picture in case he questioned anything.

When he called we did everything as planned. He didn't question anything (to my knowledge), Courtney got off the phone quickly, and we had an enjoyable evening. It was such a random thing to do (and kind of unnecessary) but it definitely made the sleepover memorable.

The Beanie Baby Cat Ladies

One of these days I'll end up as an old spinster with nobody to keep me company except my many cats. This sentiment has become a joke among some of my friends, namely Anna, Kaitlyn, Hannah and Kara. It started one time when Anna and I were with our grandparents for the weekend, fourth Sunday dinner. On Saturdays we're the only ones there but by Sunday evening the rest of our family arrives and all the excitement begins. We have to fend for ourselves for entertainment before anyone arrives, luckily we're good at that.

On this specific day, I stole Anna's phone (with her knowledge) and was texting Kaitlyn really ridiculous things which were definitely out of character for Anna. For some reason, Kaitlyn had no idea. I told Kaitlyn how Anna was going to live alone forever as a cat lady. Anna added to the conversation when she said, "I'm going to buy cat beanie babies because I'm allergic." We were already lying down on the floor (granted, when I lie on the floor, I tend to go crazy so it all added to the excitement) so that easily enabled me to roll on the floor and laugh until I cried (not unusual for me). Now it's pretty much an exclusive group, the Beanie Baby cat ladies.

About a month before last semester ended I had a strange dream. I came home and my friend Hannah hid two kittens in my apartment. I found them and was really surprised that my friend would give me kittens. The next morning I told Hannah about my funny dream. To me the dream meant something along the lines of, my friend randomly gave me a kitten which is awesome and cute. Hannah's immediate response was something different. She interpreted it as her enabling me to become an old cat lady, which she said she did not want for me. I guess even my subconscious is telling me I'll be a spinster cat lady one day.

I hope that all these funny pictures make all who read this laugh. Otherwise I don't think we can be friends.

Post-Provo and Pre-Mission

Warning: This post may be a little scatter brained and it's a little lengthy.

This past semester I realized so many things. There are endless possibilities for life and so many things can be worked into the timeline of life. I think that some people get caught up in deciding between one thing or another that they don't realize everything can fit together and they can do it all. Also a lot of people just dream of the day when they are not in the situations they are in at the moment. Both of these ideas work against people. They don't do as much as they can and want to be elsewhere in their life.

To a small extent, I was in that place, but realizing some things, I was able to put my life in perspective. I can do much and I can have purpose in my current life so that I will be happy exactly where I am in life. The average life expectancy is 78 years old. Comparatively, a year and a half is a minuscule amount to fully give to the Lord. I'll be in California during my early twenties, some of the most exciting years of life, but does it really matter what I'll miss out on? It will be time well spent and will be exciting for its own reasons.

I have some amazing friends (you all know who you are, but just in case you don't, I have a few pictures). These friends really helped me with realizing all of this.

To quote Princess Diaries, "And then I realized how many stupid times a day I use the word 'I.' And probably all I ever do is think about myself. And how lame is that when there's like seven billion other people out there on the planet... But then I thought, if I cared about the other seven billion out there, instead of just me, that's probably a much better use of my time."

There are so many selfish things you can do with your time. Instead of thinking of yourself, you can think about the people around you and their needs. One of my friends, Anna, is an amazing example to me. She was one of the people who drove me places while my car was broken and is probably the most optimistic person I know. She always gives complements, telling people that they are rockstars and that she is lucky to know them. She drove one of our friends, Jordan, to take a test and then picked him up after and bought him a frosty! We laughed about how funny it was, he said, "I should be buying her the frosty for driving me around!" How much better of a friend can you have? From her I just see that if you are radiating as much happiness as she is, the only thing more you can do is share it.

Some of my other friends, specifically those who got off their own missions within the past year, have made me want to grow spiritually. When we went to Idaho as a group, Dustin and Nathan went to talk to one of their leaders who had gone inactive while they were away. They didn't even have to think two seconds about it, duty called and they stepped up. I've had conversations with Jordan, Dustin, and Nathan about missions and all that comes with it. They had such great experiences they wouldn't give up for anything. To hear them talk with reverence about the things they did and taught, made me want to have that as well.

In order to share and better myself, I am going on a mission. What better thing could I be doing than helping other people, by leading them to Christ while I grow spiritually? I don't think there is anything better. Looking back at the past few years, I'm sad I didn't realize this before. I always thought I would decide when the time came, but I realize the decision could have been made earlier. My freshman roommates almost all wanted to go, and everyone who wanted to is (minus one who is married). I am kicking myself because I could have gone along with them and decided the same from their awesome examples. However, my decision to go means a lot since I came to it on my own terms and I am grateful I did make that choice. I'm so glad I've had strong friends to influence me over the past few years. Everyone has made a world of difference to me.

Now if you're still reading, wow. That must mean you're either a really good friend or family and I am appreciative for both, so thank you. You guys are the best!