Family Family

Well now, my family came into town so I guess I will put up a little post for you. There was much laughter, much winning of games (mostly by me ;), some tears and blowouts (mostly by my nephew) and lots of love.  

My Fam> Yours

So you know how it seems like I'm an only child? Well I'm excited to inform you that I'm not! This week my wonderful family came to town and we basically had a wild rumpus. We played games, we watched a ridiculous amount of The Great British Baking Show, we fought over my oldest sister's adorable baby, we made some great food, and we talked a lot of baby talk. It was incredibly wonderful to be with my favorite people in my life. The great thing is our family is forever and we can have lovely weeks like that for eternity. 

Because words are hard.

Not gunna lie. I'm not really feeling like writing blog posts lately. Especially when I already have to write six BYU essays, three essays for English and one ridiculous essay for Student Council. I guess you could say all my writing skills have been taped out. So let's try something new. A video! My family went to Bryce Canyon over New Years and so I made a little video of the trip. Hope you enjoy!

oh de lally, oh de lally, golly what a day

Day one of summer went a little bit like this:
Breakfast, temple, swimming, snow cones, softball, photoshoots, cousins, and more snow cones.

Texas McAllen

Hey now Texas, what a classy missionary you'll be getting.
P.S. Check out the video here.

Just a few things that have happened over the past few weeks/months that i've neglected to tell you:

• I got out of school. First year of highschool-done.
• I bought loads of makeup because I'm an addict and enabler. 
• I went on vacation.
• I wrote to a missionary to the horror of my sister. I refused to read her the letter. 
• I took a friend to breakfast and spilled Kneaders on my pants.
• I got my drivers license. 
• I went on my first date.
• I realized that my brother was going to be leaving for two years. 
• I cried a little about that. 

Brother, brother

When you're favorite brother turns 18.

You should celebrate. 

By the way

30 Things about April:

-Reading sad books

-Trying to serve

-Packing light

-Flying for a long time

-Days that run into one day

-Getting sea sick

-Cutting my hands on wetsuits

-Hating tourists

-Reading children's books

-Feeling homesick

-Getting sick of reggae 

-Flying more

-Napping

-Getting head aches

-Ignoring my to do lists

-Blasting music

-Going to morning sides

-Renewing temple recommends 

-Going to the movies

-Making to do lists

-Thinking about art

-Being humbled

-Going to 100 graduations

-Chilling with my family

-Being a wing man

-Watching lacrosse games

-Eating gelato

-Enjoying Oscar Wilde plays

-Funding raising

-Liking my family more than anyone else

Because He lives

Hey there reader.
Happy Easter.
Easter is one of my favorite holidays.
I love celebrating Christ's resurrection and Atonement.
Because He lives I can do so much.
Because He lives I can wear my Roatan hat everyday.
Because He lives I can go out for pizza at lunch.
Because He lives I can drive next to my friends as they walk home.
Because He lives I can take pictures with my best friend.
Because He lives I can drive to Provo and see my sister.
Because He lives I can do basically all the things that make me happy.
Because He lives I have the agency to do these things.
Because He lives I can be with these people now and for eternity.

back to the break

Sea Turtles

Hand and Foot

Checkers

Books

Wet Suits

Early Mornings

Terrible Music

Conference on the Bed

Tic Tacs

Boat Rides

Sea Sick

Family

French Fries and Icecream

The Fantastic Four
Spring Break

Some thoughts about the month of love.

Have you ever noticed that when someone has a nice singing voice it makes them that much more attractive? I never understood why, but it's true. 

Have you ever wondered why people who are not actually six years old give other people teddy bears for valentines day? It's like "here, I got you a teddy bear because I don't do a good enough job of cuddling you." Just saying. 

Have you ever thrown up at the cheesiness of valentines day in general? Why does everything have to be bright pink? There has to be a better way to show someone you love them than shoving pictures of cupid and red roses down their throats.

Have you ever thought that the millions of couples in high school is disgusting? Seriously, there's so much love in the air it's giving me mono.

Have you ever noticed that nobody actually likes valentines day? I think that this is because we, as a country, as a community, as a world, celebrate it wrong. All wrong. Love is not made out of teddy bears and cupid arrows and great pink hearts. It's something all together more wonderful. 

So, since it's the month of love I guess I will share with you some things I love and am thankful for and hopefully this will make up for not buying anyone a dozen red roses. 

I love my parents. They watch over me and protect me. They help me grown and want what's best for me. 

I love my sisters. They're my best friends and I can't imagine life without them as constant sources of comfort. 

I love my brother. He's an idiot some of the time, but I look up to and admire him. I know he wants what's best for me. 

I love my friends. The ones who sit and listen to me talk about my meltdowns, or put up with my constant teasing about "Missouri". I love the people who have stood by me when nobody else has. 

I love my teachers. My church teachers and my school teachers. I love what they have to share with me and how they want me to succeed. 

I love my Savior. I love my Heavenly Father. I love the Holy Ghost. They are the ones who know exactly how I feel and how to help me. 

Thanks for reading my sort of sappy post. I hope the beginning wasn't too cheeky for those of you who believe in the commercial side of Valentines day. Please enjoy the rest of this month of love and don't take love for granted. 

Oh hey.

Hello friend, I'm back from St. George and I already want to go back.

On this trip I bought some lip gloss, 

played mermaids,

missed a great friends birthday party,

watched some pointless Mormon movies,

sang too much Little Women,

walked a 5K,

had a sleepover with the coolest 12 year olds,

ate trillions of cookies,

took some family pictures, 

got my makeup done, 

chilled in a bubble bath, 

creeped on some kids, 

just kept eating Neaders, 

watched the SAG awards, 

ignored all the social media for which I am totally not sorry. 

Happy as can be

You know that primary song you had to sing every Father's day? The one that goes like this:

"I'm so glad when daddy comes home, happy as can be. Clap my hands and shout for joy then climb up on his knee." Well that song is currently stuck in my head, and you know why? Because my dad's coming home tomorrow. That's all. 

I've turned myself into a zombie by reading a ridiculous amount each day. It all started when I was reading Pride and Prejudice and they used the word "fortnight" a lot. (a fortnight is about two weeks, by the way) Then the next few days after I finished reading Pride and Prejudice I kept reading a lot and I decided I wanted to keep reading a lot every day for a fortnight. Just so I could use the word fortnight. 

Every now and then I try and imagine what people's inner animals might be. Once someone told me that my inner animal was a lion and I kinda stuck to that. So far I have given out the inner animals, a fox, a gazelle, a flamingo, and the cat that Esma turns into in The Emperor's New Groove. I've decided sometimes inner animals can be changed depending on someone's mood. Lately my inner animals have been Crookshanks (Hermione's cat), something dead that still has to get up and walk around, and Elvis. I'm just sayin', he's an animal. 

Goodbye readers or whatever. I imagine I'll write again in about a fortnight. 

The End

You're just my best friend.

Highschool's a hard time.

When I feel as though I am the second choice of so many. 

And the last choice of some too. 

When I feel as though friendships are dropping like flies. 

I am so grateful for my brother.

Who is my best friend.

Who tells me that he would punch anyone who looked at me wrong.

And asks me for advice on what shoes he should wear.

Who lets me pick whatever I want to listen to on the radio.
And is my best friend.

Feliz cumpleaños

I know I've been sharing a lot of birthdays on this little blog, but I just want to put it out there that I love and value these people so highly. Happy Birthday to my beautiful sister, she is the best example to me and to all who meet her. 

Making history

This blog is starving, but I'm listening to High School Musical and my clothes smell like my dryer sheets so it's all alright. I've found that I hate blogs that write too many words and say nothing but I've also found that I don't care so suck it up and read, it will get you ready for school to start again. 

Once upon a time I creeped in the middle of the night (aka 10:30) with two good friends to a boys house and threw rocks at his window. As luck would have it, he wasn't home. I think I said YOLO a lot that night. I hate myself for that just so you know. 

Stake dances, I've become an expert. Let me teach you the trick to slow dances. A) Mentally will yourself not to sweat on your hands. I believe in the power of the mind. B) Develop the ability to make slow dance small talk i.e. "Where do you want to go on your mission?" "Who would play you in the movie of your life?" "if your phone had a voice, whose would you want it to sound like?" C) Never ever, ever ask what color their toothbrush is. It's just getting old. 

If you haven't ever read Ella Enchanted then you are missing in a piece of literary magic. I swear that book will never get old. The ending always brings me to tears and I don't cry easily. Well except lately, lately I cry over everything and then people have to put up with me crying to them over the phone or opening all the cupboards. 

My cousin and his wife have two little boys, they are huge, curly haired, polynesian boys and they're adorable. They know my name but like to call me "girl" or sometimes "blue girl". Maybe I should stop wearing blue around them. They like to pick unripe grapes off the vine and pucker up their faces when they realize they're super sour. They are coming to live at my house for two days and I can't wait. I had better take lots of naps until then, they are very exhausting. 

Fortune Favors the Brave

Summer so far has been great fantastic perfect

Last week I took a creative writing class and learned that 9:00 is too early for me to write. 

This month in June I learned that adventure is not hard to find. 

I've gone hiking, swimming, camping, biking. 

I've hung out with family, and friends. 

July is promising to be even better. 

What a great invention summer was. 

5 stars for that one. 

Double Feature

This entire weekend has had something to do with my dad. 

Yesterday was his Birthday and today is Father's Day.

I guess you'll just have to hear me go on about him one more time.

My dad keeps us from falling apart. 

He has set the example of respect for his priesthood and for my mom.

I am so grateful for this wonderful guy.

With all this talk of fathers I can't help but want to thank my Father in Heaven as well. 

Truly, nobody could ask for better. 

Big symphony bars

Quick story about my mom:


Once upon a time there was a mom whose favorite child was her youngest daughter, Janna. Janna loved her mom very much and wanted her to know how grateful she was for her. Janna supposed that the whole world felt the same way because on May 12th there was a holiday created called Mother's Day. On Mother's all the kids tried to show their mom's some small portion of their gratitude for everything their mothers had given them. To celebrate mothers, Janna's ward sometimes passed out flowers, or letters, or big honking symphony bars. Janna's mom was such a great, selfless lady that when it was a big honking symphony bar that the ward gave, she gave it to Janna. Janna marveled at how someone could be so selfless that she even gave away the gift we tried to give her for giving to us.

Happy Mother's day.

Posterity

 Remember those missionaries I told you about? Well These are their kids:

And these are their grandkids:

Give or take a few. My sister, Cammie, is the only grandchild missing. During my grandma's farewell talk she talked about us mentioning how only one child was missing. My dad leaned over to my brother and asked who was missing. My Grandpa described how he used to make cigarets out of newspaper when he was a kid before he joined the church. He also spoke another language for a lot of his talk. Gosh I'm going to miss those guys.