The best time is FAMILY time!

So, as this Christmas season approached, my mom realized that this would probably be our last Christmas with all of us kids home, since my brother leaves on his mission soon (42 days!). When she realized this she decided that we needed to do a bunch of stuff as a family. I have to say, that this Christmas has been one of the very best, at least for me. I have spent more time with my whole family than I have in a long time. It has been pretty neat. It didn't really hit me until today, that my brother is really leaving soon, and that all this family time we are enjoying is about to change. I am so very grateful to have such an amazing family to spend my time with. They truly are my bestest friends! They have been there through everything for me, and have strengthened me more than ever lately. I have come to appreciate my family so much more in the last year, and cherish every moment we get to spend together. This Christmas has been amazing because i got to spend every minute of it with my best friends. We have enjoyed many laughs together this Christmas season, and have created memories that will last a life time. I don't care what you think I have the BEST, most fun, CRAZIEST family ever!!!

Tomorrow is my brother Justin's 19th birthday! He is all grown up!! In just over a month, he will off to serve the people of Hawaii, and they don't know just how lucky they are. He is one amazing young man who is going to make an awesome missionary!! He has been such a strength to me, and has helped me through a lot of tough times. Growing up we didn't always get a long too well, we were either the best of friends or worst enemies. Although we still have our moments, I consider him one of my very best friends!!! He really is an example to me and I look up to him so much! He has taught me so much about living life, and enjoying every moment! He has such a free spirit, and can make people laugh. He knows how to enjoy life, and live it to the fullest! He is the best younger brother any sister could ask for!! I love him so much and am so grateful he is my brother and best friend!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUD!!!

something clicked!

So, since my last blog I have had this amazing experience. Not even so much an experience as a turning point, a new perspective, different point-of-view. It's been pretty cool to see in myself! It hasn't even been a week yet, and I have this whole new outlook on life! It's like something finally clicked i guess. It's taken a long time, but the effort finally paid off! I have know gone over a week without drinking Cherry Pepsi (pathetic I know), I have worked out everyday for a week, and on Saturday I organized all of my living space bathroom included. Needless to say, my parents were shocked! They weren't quite sure what had happened to their daughter, but they weren't about to jinx it. But really, if you know me, you know how surprising all of this is! I am surprising even myself. But aside from just these physical things I have done, I have amazed myself with my new found perspective, and point-of-view! It's amazing to me how one conversation ( a very inspired conversation to say the least) can change everything! Since Wednesday night, I have totally changed the way I think, and feel, and act based on one simple truth. What is this simple truth?? That it all happens in His time frame, and when I am doing what I need to be, I will be blessed. To you it might not seem like a life altering concept, but for me it was! It was something I had heard pretty much my entire life, but it finally clicked for me. I may want something soooo badly, but if it's not the right timing, then it doesn't matter how badly I want it. He knows best what i need and when I need it, so until that time I am just going to keep pushing along, enduring, and living life to the best of my ability! Watch our world, Brianna has found her game! Nothing can bring me down!!!!

Some days I need to take my own advice!

So today I had a very humbling day. I don't want to go into a ton of details, but let's just say I had a breakdown of sorts and was venting to a friend, feeling pretty down on myself and beating myself up. There was a point in our conversation when my friend says to me "Bri, what do you always tell me?" My mind was blank, I couldn't think (plus I didn't really want her to tell me I already knew the answer) so, she says you always tell me that everything will be okay in the end, if its not okay than it's not the end. After she said that, I remembered because this is one of my favorite quotes. I don't bring this up because I want to sound like I have all the answers , but instead to show that sometimes we just way over think things and totally over complicate something when its actually something we already know the answer to. Today was one of those days that started out great but quickly went down hill, and I began to question a lot of things I was doing. And the funny thing about it is that I talked to four different people about a couple of my challenges right now, and none of them told me things I didn't know, or things that I hadn't heard before. They all gave me advice that I actually give to people all the time. Sometimes we just need to listen to our hearts or our heads, whichever is speaking to us. Sometimes its our hearts, and other times its our heads. A lot of the times we already know the answers, but are just to preoccupied with our trials and challenges that we forget. I am thankful that I have an AMAZING friend to remind me of things that I need to hear. Tonight she knew exactly what I needed, when I didn't even know it myself. and for that I am extremely grateful!!

So, when struggling with something, just remember most of the time we make it harder than it needs to be and we often know what we need to do, but have just forgotten. It's okay to take our own advice. Because after all if it can help others it can surely help us!

How did I get so lucky

Today has been one of those days that I have looked at my life and said, "How did I get so lucky?" I have the most amazing people in my life! What did I do to be so blessed!?!? I mean really I am one lucky girl! I have great friends, an amazing family, and church leaders who are very dear to my heart. I have learned that i need to be more careful of how i treat these people, and that I make sure and let them know on a constant basis how much they mean to me. Today I was reminded of just how lucky I am. There are many who come and go but the ones that matter most are the ones who will stick around. I have been so blessed with amazing people who care about me and my well-being. People who go out of their way to make sure i am okay, and those who will drop what they are doing to listen to me, give me advice, and provide a shoulder to cry on. I love these people very much! So, this is a shout out to all of my friends, family, and other loved ones who have touched my life for the better. You all know who you are :) I wouldn't be the girl I am today if it weren't for you and your loving influence. Thank you for all you do! You are indeed making a difference in the lives of others, or at least in the life of Brianna Brough.

Thankful to be me!!

Today I am thankful to be me!! I can't imagine wanting to be anyone else! I am proud of who I am now and who I am becoming! I have always struggled with my self-esteem, but lately I have found confidence in who I am. I am no longer afraid to be me. I may not be a size two model, a star in a movie, or the girl on the cover of a popular magazine, BUT I am ME, plain and simple and that is all that matters!! I am comfortable in my skin! I am finally happy with who I am. After struggling most of my life with self-esteem issues, I cannot tell you how liberating it is to finally be free from it! Don't get me wrong, I am sure I will have my struggles along the way, but not like I have had in the past, because I now I am beginning to see myself the way my Father in Heaven sees me. I am a daughter of a king, a princess, a child of God, and no one can take that from me!! I was born to do great things, and no one can stop me, because knowing who I am and where I come from gives me power that I cannot find anywhere else!


I maybe a girl who is crazy, out of control and full of emotion, but I am ME!!!

Marilyn Monroe says it best "Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it is better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring!"

Today is an UP day!

So, today was a typical monday...

From the minute I woke up I knew it was going to be one of those days... My day started with me waking up ten minutes before I had to be to my work meeting. After my meeting I remembered that today was the last day I could take my accounting test, so I went home to study, then when I was all ready for work, I looked outside and it was SNOWING!!! I was not really dressed for the weather, but I was running late, so.. I wore what I had on. Work wasn't too bad( other than I had to take down our stupid sign in the pouring rain) I studied for my test and got a lot of things done. Then after work I went to take my test feeling very confident that I knew the material and that I would do well, even during the test I felt good. But when the test was over and I saw my score, I wanted to cry!! I BOMBED it!! After all that work and all that effort, I felt like nothing had paid off and that studying wasn't worth it. I came home feeling very down on myself, hoping that my family would help cheer me up...

... and that they did. After a day that I was so ready to be done with, I thought I was just gonna go to bed feeling sorry for myself. But then my little sister changed my whole perspective. If you know my sister you know how positive and enthusiastic she is. We have a joke in my family that based on her mood she is either having an "up day" or a "down day," and when I got home from work she was off the wall hyper, laughing and giggling at nothing, definately having an "up day." It was her that made me realize that no matter what our day is like, or how things turn out, we are the ones who determine whether or not it will be an "up day." My little sister is not afraid to show how she really feels, and so you always know what kind of day she is having, but it is amazing to me that regardless of all the stress she has in her life, she can still have amazingly good days, and that she doesn't let things get her down. She is an amazing example to me of staying positive through stressful times. She reminds me every single day, that life is short and that we need to live it to the fullest!

So, today I start blogging about things I am thankful for, I start with my little sister Courtney... As you can tell, she means a lot to me and I don't know what I would do without her!! She really is one of my best friends. She knows best how to make me smile, and make me mad. She knows how to make me feel like a pretty cool older sister! She makes me look up to her more and more everyday!! She knows how to love more purely than a lot of people I know! She is so quick to forgive, and let people know that they are loved! She is such a good example to me, and I am SOOOOO very grateful for such an amazing little sister! She truly is a blessing to me!!

QUESTIONS!!

So I was tagged in a blog, and so I decided to play along :) If I tag you just answer the questions I post at the bottom!

1~What would your perfect day be like?
Hmm... My perfect day would consist of sleeping til about 8 or 9 and then getting up, working out, and getting ready for the day. Then I would spend the day with my family and friends, because no day is better spent than with family and friends. We would just relax and do whatever we wanted with no cares in the world. (I actually spent a day very close to perfect this last weekend at Bear Lake)

2~ What is your favorite reality TV show?
My favorite reality TV show is definitely Biggest Loser! I love, love, love that show! It is very few shows that actually help people change their life for the better. It's not about greed, or money(sort of is), but instead about health, and living the best life you can. They are helping people extend the length of their life. I love to watch it every week, and i will admit, it makes me cry!

3~If you could go back and give advice to your 16 year old self what would it be?
As much as I hate to admit this, I would say.... Listen to your parents!! I could have saved myself a lot of hurt, heartache and trials, if I would have just listened to them. They really do know what they are talking about. I would also say, not to forget about family. I wish I would have been a little more focused on them instead of my friends.

4~Post one of your favorite pictures and WHY is it your favorite?
I love this picture!! This picture is of me at one of my friend's wedding with her little brother. We were waiting for her to come out of the temple, and we were just talking and he randomly starts saying pick-up lines on me. It was so funny, I couldn't help but laugh. Right be for this picture, He said "So do you come here often?" and right before that he informed me that mine and his wedding would be next! ....He is 16, so I guess I have some waiting to do. :)

5~What is one thing that always makes you smile?
Lots of things make me smile, but something that always makes me smile, is hearing others laugh. I love the sound of laughter, and those who know me know that when others are laughing I can't help but laugh even if I have no clue why they are laughing. I know I am a dork.

6~What has been the happiest moment of your life so far?
Hmmm... that is a tough one, I would have to say it wasn't really a moment really but a short period of time, and it was when I discovered who I am as a person, and as a Daughter of God. I have always struggled with my self esteem so when I finally started to see who I really was, my whole outlook on life chaged.

7~What is one of the saddest or most heartbreaking moment of your life so far?
Another tough one. I would have to say though that it is seeing friends settle for things. I have seen too many people settling, because they are scared they will never find what they really want.

8~Whats your wish list for Santa this year?
I want others to be happy and to find the joys in life. I know Santa can't really bring it, but the true meaning of Christmas can :)

Finally A Break!

So after a few weeks of tons of stress and crappy things happening, I finally had a week that was more relaxed, one that wasn't as demanding on my time. It was actually an AMAZING week!!! I had so many cool experiences this week. Things that made my testimony so much stronger!!! This week was a week of confirmation and reassurance for me. There were things that I had been struggling with and trying to find answers to, and this week a lot of it came to me. It started with General Conference last Saturday. I was able to attend the Saturday morning session, which was awesome! The spirit was sooo strong. There were a couple talks that I felt were given just for me, they were very specific answers to questions I had. Next was a couple neat experiences with the Spirit bearing witness of the Truth! Things I already new but just confirming and reassuring my knowledge. Things that I hadn't ever questioned, but need just that extra strength in my testimony. There were many more experiences I had that were just too special to share on a blog. But things I will remember for the rest of my life. Things that I hold dear to my heart.

This week as I experienced these things, it reminded me how much our Heavenly Father loves us. And that most of the time he let's us suffer, before he blesses us, for us to prove to Him of our faithfulness, but He will ALWAYS bless us! He loves us more than we can comprehend, and wants the best for us. More so than any other person! He is our loving Father in Heaven. He created us in His image, He put much effort into creating each and every one of us, and loves us all individually. He loves us purely, and gets discouraged when we are down on ourselves. He sees us perfectly, He looks beyond our flaws and imperfections, and sees us as we truly are. HIS CHILDREN! As children of God we have so much potential! We have the potential to become Gods and Goddesses, Kings and Queens, Fathers and Mothers to our own eternal families! I cannot think of any greater potential we could have. We can have all this if we are faithful, and endure to the end. We can have all that the Father hath. Sometimes things don't go the way we planned, or the answers to our prayers are not what we wanted, but as we trust is the Lord, and follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost, we will be putting ourselves closer to that potential, and soon it will become more than our potential it will become our path way in life our destiny. We ALL have that potential, will we live up to that potential? We all can do it, even through the hard times, the Lord loves us and will help us every step of the way if we just ask. So don't let the rough weeks get you down... they will come and go, and you will make it through. :)

F.A.I.T.H

The last couple weeks have definitely been rough ones. Work + school + friends + not very much time = a very stressed Brianna. On top of all of this stress, I have been faced with some difficult trials. Things where I have had to search deep down, to find out who I really am, and who I want to become. While going through these trials, I found something that I wrote a few years ago in a journal of mine. Something that really helped me through. What I found was an acronym for the word faith that I came up with while in Young Woman's. We had discussed the value faith, and had been asked to write what it meant to us. I didn't write very much, but what I did write has been exactly what I needed these last few weeks. The acronym I came up with was this, Faith is...

Finding
An
Inner
sTrength in
Him.

When I read this I knew that if I had faith in my Savior, I also had the strength to get through my trials. Not only the trials I was, and am facing now, but everything that I will be faced with in the future. I have learned that the only way we receive true strength is through our Savior Jesus Christ. When we have faith in him, we are given the strength that we need to make it through this life. None of us can do it alone. Not one of us on this earth. We all need the love and mercy of our Savior in order to return and live with our Father in Heaven. This life is hard, we will be faced with things that will test our faith, and shake our testimonies, BUT if we have true faith, we will be blessed more than we can imagine. We will become closer with our Savior, and as we become closer to him and our loving Father in Heaven, we begin to see who we really are. We will begin to see ourselves as they see us. And when we know what are potential as children of God is, when we see ourselves as God does, that is true strength. Satan does not want us to see that, he does not want us to know our true potential, and he will do anything to try and stop us. So, when life gets tough, remember to have FAITH. It will give you the strength that you need to make it through.

Once Upon a time. . .and They Lived Happily Ever After!

Everyone has a story; each person's life could be written down and published like a book. I like to think of my story as a fairytale! It started with Once Upon a Time, and will end with and they lived happily ever after! My life is like the fairytales we all know. No I do not have a wicked step-mother, seven dwarfs, mice that do my cleaning, I don't live under the sea, I have never been on a flying carpet, and I have no fairy godmother. But I do have trials. of my own, I face setbacks every day of my life. Just like the princesses did in their stories. There is not one fairytale I know where the princess just had everything perfect. They all had things they had to face and over come before they reached their own happily ever after. As do we all! Cinderella, Jasmine, Belle, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, the Little Mermaid, they all had their problems and struggles, but the kept going, tried to be happy, and eventually the found their prince charming and lived happily ever after! That is how we have to be in our lives. When we face trials and difficult times we have to try and be happy, keep going, and the hard times will pass. I have a favorite quote that says, "Everything will be okay in the end, if it's not okay, It's not the end." Fairytales are known for their happy endings. The ... and they lived happily ever after. I bet if you were to ask Cinderella how things were playing out in her life in the middle of her story, she would probably be a little discouraged. Fairytales aren't happy all the way through, they don't go straight from once upon a time right to and they lived happily ever after, they have their rough times the times when they just want to give up and cry and call it quits. At the same time look how they all end. They all end happy, with them falling in love and riding of in to the sunset with their prince. It was okay all the way through, but in the end it was. That is what keeps me going, it's what keeps me writing my story. Even though it is hard now, and sometimes I want to cry and give up, knowing that it will all be okay in the end make me want to keep going.
We all have the opprotunity to have a happily ever after. No matter who we are we can all get through the struggles we face, find love, and with our prince charming live happily ever after. It is possible!

I know I probably sound like a hopeless romantic with this crazy view of love. But we a can all have our own fairytales, we can make life whatever story we want it to be, we just have to choose. Each of our lives has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Many times throughout our stories we will be faced with hard times, don't let it get you down. It will all be okay in the end!

Change...

So last night I attended a meeting where they combined our singles branch with another one from Syracuse to form a ward. We knew change was coming, and that this was probably going to be what happened but that didn't make it any easier. Our branch presidency was released, which is the hardest part of this change. We have had the best presidency, and we were all really close. With new boundaries in effect, we also will lose a few of our dearest friends. Last night was a tough night. Our branch didn't want to make this change. We wanted to keep things just the way they were. But this got me thinking.. Life is full of change, most of which we have no control over. Sometimes we like the changes that take place, but most of the time we don't. Change is good for us, it's healthy, and it keeps us on our toes. We can make the best of every change, if we go into it with a good attitude, and give it a try. I look back at the many times in my life that something changed that I wasn't happy about, and how more often than not, it ended up being a very good thing for me. Things turned out way better than I thought they ever would, and I met people I never would have met. Things happened in my life, that needed to happen, whether or not I wanted them to. We have a loving Father in Heaven, who knows what we need way more than we do. He can see how it will affect our future, where as we can only see how it effects the here and now. If we trust in the Lord, and have faith in His plan for us, and accept change with a good attitude, our lives will be blessed!

No change won't always go our way, and we probably won't like some aspect of it, BUT change is good for us. It provides us with learning experiences, and opportunities to get out of our comfort zone and become stronger, more knowledgeable people. Make the best of every change that comes your way, and you will be made a better person.

P.S. Although I am sad to see our old branch presidency go, and I will miss them tons and tons, I am very excited to get to know our new Bishop, Bishop Read and his counselors. They will do an amazing job.

Laughter!

The final post of my week of gratitude! I have to say this has been a very good experience for me. I have taken time each day to reflect on things that I am thankful for. I wish I could write everything that I am thankful for, but the truth is that there just wouldn't be enough space. I am so blessed and cannot express enough gratitude to my Father in Heaven for everything that he has blessed me with! I am one lucky girl!! I have everything I could have ever asked for, and so much more!

Laughter..such a simple thing, but today I am extremely grateful for it. Laughter is one of my most favorite things. I love to laugh, make others laugh, and hear the sound of laughter. Laughter is something that I think we all to often take for granted. We get to caught up in our busy lives to take the time to relax, have fun, and laugh. Laughter is healthy, and fun! I am so very thankful for all the times that I have spent rolling on the floor, in tears because I have been laughing so hard. Laughter has gotten me through some of the toughest times in my life. When I learn to laugh about what I am going through, and finding something to make me laugh, things seem to go so much smoother. The sound of laughter brings a smile to my face, and it is contagious. When I hear others laugh it makes me want to laugh. I will admit, if someone around me just starts laughing a lot of times I do to. I know this sounds weird, but I do. A couple of people I work with will try to get me to laugh by doing nothing at all, the will just randomly start laughing or something stupid, because they know they can get me to laugh. I am so thankful for laughter. For the chance every single day I have to laugh at myself, and to help find the positive happy things in life. :)

So in conclusion of this week of gratitude I have learned a lot but to sum it up i will use a quote!

LIVE!!! LAUGH!!! LOVE!!! (and of course appreciate everything you have been given!)

To My AMAZING Friends!

I was so tired yesterday that I didn't write my gratitude blog.. so here is yesterday's, and today's will come later. :)

I am extremely grateful for my friends. I truly have the most AMAZING friends, and yesterday was proof of it. I had kind of a rough day yesterday. I wasn't in the best mood at first, and I was struggling to stay positive. BUT my day got better and better as the day went on. I have to give credit for this to my friends. They are the best! They know just what to say and do to cheer me up, to reassure me, and to help me through things that are tough. They are always right there to pick me up when i am down, to make me smile when I frown, and to help me stay positive about any and every situation. My friends give good advice, just listen when I need to cry, and make me laugh when I don't feel like it. I don't know what I did to deserve such good friends, but whatever it is I am so thankful for them. One of my favorite quotes is "A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten how it goes." My friends have done just that for me in the last few months. There have been so many times when I have forgotten how my song goes, and my friends have been right there to remind me. They know me, yet love me anyways. They really are the best friends. I have been very blessed through out my whole life to have amazing friends. Friends I will never forget, even after our lives went separate ways. They have left a mark that will never go away!!

So to all my AMAZING friends. You know who you are! Thank you and I love you!

Sleep!

Because of my lack of sleep this week, and adjusting to my new schedule, I am very grateful for sleep! It is Wednesday night, and I have already started to drag. It's only been 3 days of this schedule, and I am dead tired! But it sure makes me appreciate the sleep I do get so much more! I take all the sleep I can get now. I love every minute of sleep I can get!! Not that I didn't before, but even more so now!!! I hope that my body adjusts to this new change, so that I am not as tired all the time. But nonetheless, I love my sleep, no matter how long I sleep I am grateful for every minute of it!

And since I love my sleep so much, I am gonna cut my blogging time short so that I can go to bed! :)

School. Yes, I am thankful for it!

So, like I said in yesterday's post, I started back to school this week, and so far I am loving it! Yes, I have only attended my classes on time, but I can already tell that I am going to enjoy them! I am excited because I know that there is a lot to learn! I love learning, and I am so thankful for the chance I have to go back to school, and to get a college education. After being out of high school for two years, and saving my money for school, it feels so good to finally be doing what I have been planning. I could have gone to school right out of high school, I would be knee deep in student loans, but I could have gone. But because I waited two years, and worked hard and saved the money, and it means so much more to me now. I appreciate the opportunity I have to go to school , and that I was able to save the money myself. I will work harder, and do better because I know how much effort it took for me to get to the place where I could pay for school. No it hasn't been easy to save the money, and no this semester probably won't be easy, but it will be so worth it. I am so grateful that I could go to school. My professors are great, and the classes fun! I will learn a lot this semester, not just about the subjects I am studying but about life in general, I can already tell. I forgot how much I love to learn, and study, and broaden my knowledge. I have missed being able to spend time each day learning new things! And now that I have gone back, I want to learn more! I am so grateful for the chance I have to attend college, and to have done it myself!

Gratitude: Mornings!

For those of you that know me well, this post may surprise you a little bit, because you know how much I am NOT a fan of mornings! I am a total night owl, and would much rather stay up late than get up early. However since I am now in school I have to have an earlier schedule. As today got closer and closer, I was dreading waking up early, more and more. I did not like the idea of having to be out of bed by about 6 or 630 every morning. It still doesn't sound too fun to me, but today I realized that I have been missing out on soo much. Before today, most of the time I didn't have anywhere to be before 11 when I had to be to work. So most of the time I would get out of bed between 8:30 and 9:30, leaving me just enough time to get ready, and be to work on time. I never had time to get anything done before I went to work, and a lot of the time I wasn't in the best mood. And so it surprised me today, when I woke up (hours before I normally would) and realized how much I was missing out on. I saw the sunrise over the mountains for almost the first time since I graduated high school (two years ago), I ate breakfast (another rarity for me), and I was able to get my room clean, all before I went to work at noon. I know to some of you this may seem funny that I have such a hard time, and that this morning thing is new to me, and my mom is probably saying something like "I have been telling you this for years now!" haha but I can now say that I am thankful for mornings, for the happy, cheerful feeling there is in the air as everything begins to wake from sleep. I loved watching the sunrise this morning and seeing everything come to life, seeing kids leaving for their first day of school, and to be honest, just experiencing morning. I forgot how amazing it is to see the sunrise, to hear birds chirping, and to feel the crisp morning air. It is all very refreshing! I am very grateful that I was blessed with a positive experience on my first morning of my new schedule. It makes me more excited to see what else I have missed out on while I am sound asleep in my bed.

I know this may seem like something small, but to me it was one of the coolest things to experience. It opened my eyes to the beauty and glory of God's creations, and today I am grateful for mornings!

Gratitude: The Savior, The Atonement, and The Gospel

Today as everyday, I am grateful for the Savior, and his Atoning sacrifice. I am so very grateful that my Savior loved us all enough that He gave his life so that we could all return and live with our Father in Heaven again. I am very grateful that through the Atonement I can repent and become clean again. And that even though I make mistakes everyday of my life, I can repent and start again. The Atonement is amazing, and I have gained a greater appreciation and knowledge of it in the last few months! I have a deeper love for my Savior, and have become closer to Him, through the Atonement! I am so grateful for the knowledge that no matter what I do, if I repent, turn to the Savior, and give it my all than I can be forgiven. I am very grateful that I was born into a family that is a part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. To have grown up in a home where the gospel is the center. To be an active member now, and to be able to recieve the blessings which come with that! I am so very thankful for the Gospel, it has made me who I am today. Without it in my life I would be lost a hopeless. But I am not! And for that I could not be more grateful!

Gratitude! Today it's family!

I have decided that I need to be more grateful for everything I have. So everyday for the next week I am going to post something I am thankful for. Starting today!

Today I am grateful for my family. I have the BEST family on the planet earth! They have been there for me through everything! No matter what they have always been by my side! I have amazing parents who have sacrificed so much to get me to where I am today. They have given me everything I could ever ask for, the gospel, a loving family, and a place where I can come home to. My parents truly are my heroes. They mean so much to me. More than I ever can or do express to them! I owe them my life. I have 3 amazing brothers, Justin, Josh, and Wyatt, who I can always count on to be there for me, tease me, and to cheer me up when I am sad! These boys are studs, and I am so lucky to have them as brothers. I look up to these boys(figuratively and literally), they are such good examples to me of how life should be lived! Next is my little sister, Courtney! She is my favorite sister, and my only sister! I am so blessed to have a little sister like her! I don't know what I would do without her! She is such a strong young women already and she is 13. She is way stronger than I was at her age!! She is the cutest, spunkiest, full-of-life, girl I have ever met! I am so grateful that the Lord blessed me with a sister. My family means the world to me, and I dont know what I would do, or who I would be without them, and I never want to find out! I have 6 best friends that I can count on to be there for me now matter what happens with anyone else!! I love them so very much! I haven't always been the best daughter, or sister, but I am trying. These 6 people mean the world to me, and I am so lucky to have them in my life!

Plans change.. and that is okay!

So as I have reflected on my life, and the plans I have made, and am currently making, I realized that plans change... A LOT!! I used to think that once I made a plan for my life, that it had to stay that way, that it was set in stone. I quickly realized that is not the case. Our lives are susceptible to change, and that it's not a bad thing. That sometimes we may think we know what we should be doing, when in reality, we have no clue!

Let me start of with an example from my own life... I graduated high school two years ago. When I graduated, I had my life planned out. I knew exactly what I wanted to do, and where I wanted my life to go, and I was ready to start living that life, but things changed, and as things changed, so did my plans. And here I am today nowhere near where I thought I would be. Two years ago I was planning on moving to Utah State, majoring in Dental Hygiene, I was going to get a part time job as a dental assistant to work my way through school, and I was going to make tons of new friends. Well if you know me today, I am still living at home, starting college(two years later), working part time for Zions Bank, and I have my small but close group of friends. If you look at my life from an outside point of view, you might say wow! She is nowhere near the person she wanted to be. But let me tell you from an insider's point of view I am so much closer to the person I want to be! Did I think my life would be where it is today? No I sure didn't, but I can tell you, that I am so glad, it is where it is!! Like I said, the life I had planned probably would have been a great one, but I wouldn't have gone through the things I have. I wouldn't have the amazing friends I have, I wouldn't have a job that I LOVE like I do now, I wouldn't have as close relationships with my family. And I wouldn't be the person I am today. So, even though at times I look at my life and think I am so far from where I should be, I wouldn't change a thing! I love the fact that things happened the way they did. I love the person I am, and the person I am becoming.

When I graduated high school, I thought that planning away every detail of my life was necessary. I thought that if I didn't plan my life, than I would be a failure, that I would never be able to succeed. But I was wrong. Yes, plans are good, and we need goals to work towards, but is it necessary to plan every detail of our lives? NO! It definately isn't. Is it bad, that as we start pursue our goals that our plans change? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Our plans will probably change millions of times through out this life. As we learn and grow, we see what is best for us. I look back at who I was two years ago, and who I would have become (if I would have stuck to my plans), and even though that life would have been a great one, I look at who I am today, and where my life is headed now, and I am so grateful that my life took the turn it did. That I chose to do the things I did. Because if I hadn't, I would not be the person I am today. The things that I have been through, and the lessons I have learned are priceless to me. They are things that I will cherish forever! They are things that I learned, as I discovered how to adapt to change, and how to make my plans fit with what I need to be doing in my life.

So, to sum it all up...Plan your life, make goals, have something to work towards, BUT don't be so set in your plans that when opprotunities tcome up that you can take them, or at least consider them. Because as we learn and grow in this life, we recieve information that can change our direction, and plans. As we gain that knowledge, other opprotunities may come about that will be better for us that we never had even thought of. So when plans change, embrace them! Take the change and let it better your life! Plans change, and that is okay!

Life's lessons

In the last week, I have had a lot of time to reflect on my life. Where it's been, where it is, and where it is headed. And I can honestly say, that even though I have had my ups and downs, and have struggled more so than I ever have, I LOVE MY LIFE!!! I have learned so much in the last little while. Things about myself, life, and love. It's amazing to me how much I still have to learn, it's like the older I get the more I have to learn. Life has so much to teach us, if we only open ourselves up to it! Learning opportunities are everywhere, watch for them, you never know what you might learn!!

So I decided that since I am learning a lot about life right now I would share some of the things I am learning, so here we go!

1. It may be stormy now, but the rain won't forever!
In other words, when things get tough, keep pushing through, it made be hard now, but trials don't last forever! There is always sun after the rain. Be patient, have faith, and keep pushing through. Things will work out. "Everything will be okay in the end, if its not okay, its not the end."

2. When life gives you 100 reasons to cry, show life 1.000 reasons to SMILE!
Smile, smile, smile!!!! It makes life a lot easier. Life will get rough, but if you can keep a smile through it all, your experience will be so much different. There is so much to smile about! Thousands of reasons everyday, find those reasons!

3. Sometimes good things fall a part, so better things can fall together.
Just because something is good, doesn't mean it's the best. You never know what is in store. Something may seem like it's a good thing now, but who knows what better things are ahead. Good things will fall apart, but better things will come to be.

4. You will never be old and wise, if you aren't Young and CrAzY!
We learn from our mistakes. We take what we learn now, and incorporate it into our lives. Yes we keep learning our entire lives, BUT now is a time of huge growth. We have a lot of decisions to make, and as we try different things, we take what works and what doesn't, and that is what makes us in to mature adults! This is our time to be young and crazy, and to learn along the way! Live it up!

5. Never fear an unknown future with a known God.
Have faith, be strong! Our Father in Heaven will lead and guide us! We have no reason to fear the future when we have a guide like Him. The future is bright, and although it maybe new, or unknown, we have NOTHING to fear!

6. You don't just stop loving someone, either you never did or always will.
Love is one of those things that will be engraved in you forever! When you have emotion like that it isn't easily erased. But, just because you love someone, doesn't mean it is meant to be. You can love lots of different people in lots of different ways! Nut true love lasts forever, it never fades, even with time!

7. In a world where you can be anything... BE YOURSELF!!!
In today's world people too often get lost in trying to become someone they aren't. People are too busy trying to gain the respect and love of others they often miss the key to it all. If you want people to like YOU, than be YOU, don't try and be someone else. People will love you for who you are, and if they don't then they are the ones missing out!

These are just a few of the things that I have learned. It's been rough, but as you can see I have learned a lot. As I continue on my journey I will continue to share the many lessons that come my way!!

Heart or Head!?

So tricky question. When trying to make a decision, do you listen to your heart or your head? I am at a point right now where I am beyond confusion. My heart is telling me one thing, and my head another. So which one do you follow? These two very contradicting concepts.

On many occasions, I have sought advice from family and friends. I have received both of these as answers at different times. People have said to me "Think things out, use your head, and everything will workout." Then at other times they say "follow your heart, it will tell you what you need to do." These pieces of advice came at different times, with different situations. So at the time it was easy for me to decide what to do. I would be logical and think things out, and they would seem to work out just fine, other times I would follow my heart, and once again things were good! Both of the concepts have proven effective in the past. But here is the kicker.... this time around I have no clue what to do! Some people have told me to "think it out," others to "follow my heart." SO what do you do when your heart and your head don't agree? When your heart is telling you one thing, and your head the complete opposite. Those concepts don't really apply. How do you know which one to follow? Which one outweighs the other. I wish it were as simple as rock, paper, scissors. Rock beats scissor, scissors beat paper, and paper beats rock. It's that simple, everyone knows the rules. So what are the rules of life, and love, and choices? Are there any? Does heart beat head, or does head beat heart? or do they work together? This situation would be so different if my heart and head agreed, if they were telling me the same thing. BUT that is the problem, I know exactly what my head is telling me, and exactly what my heart is telling me, and they are completely opposite!! I wish they could just agree, together they would make a great team, emotion and logic. But of course that would be the easy road.

So all you wise ones out there, help me out! What do I do? Do I follow my heart, or do I listen to my head? Do I let my feelings and emotions guide, or do I logically think things out, or how do I get them to agree, and find a balance between them both. Help me!!

Operation SMILE!!!

Today I came up with something that I am going to implement into my everyday life from this point on. I call it operation SMILE. My goal is to make people smile. I love seeing people smile and hearing them laugh. It makes me happy when I see others who are happy, it's contagious! So my goal is to get 5 people a day to smile! Whether it be myself, a family member, a co-worker, a client, or a complete stranger, I want to see them smile. I have a few ideas of how I am going to do this, but I can't wait to come up with more as I go along. I will keep you updated on how it is going, and hopefully will have some stories to tell too! :)

So, along with operation SMILE, I also decided that I am going to try and be more positive in every aspect of my life! I have really been struggling lately with staying positive, and seeing the good in my situations, life in general, and in others. So I am going to try and see the best in everything, and everyone. I want look for the best in every situation! I want to be happy, and positive, and lively! Life is just too short! We don't have enough time to sit and pout, and complain, and wish things were better. The time is now to make everything happen! We never know when our last day will be. If we are too busy wishing our lives were better, we miss out on so much!! We are only given so much time, so why not make the best of it! Good things come from even the worst situations. So my goal is to find them!! I am sick of feeling like I am not happy, and that I will be happy after certain things happen. I want to be happy NOW! and I can be, we all can! It's just a matter of choice. So let's choose to be happy, to see the best in everything, and everyone, and let's smile lots and lots!!! After all life is too short to be anything but happy!!!!

Stop worrying and believe in yourself!

I went and saw The Sorcerer's Apprentice with a friend of mine tonight, it was a very good movie!! Way better than I expected!! I loved it, and came away from it with another quote!!

In part of the movie Balthazar is training David (don't worry I won't ruin the movie), and David is really struggling, so Balthazar says to him "Stop worrying and believe in yourself." He proceeded to tell David that he worried too much, and that he just needed to believe that he could do it. Well this made me think about myself and how much I might be able to do if I just believed in myself. All my life I have struggled with my self esteem and confidence, and I have always been a worrier. Don't get me wrong I can fake it pretty well, but it has always been a weak point for me. I don't think I can do something so I talk myself out of it, or I don't think I am good enough so I don't even try, and I worry about pretty much everything. You name it I have probably worried about it, and a lot of the time I let my worries stop me from doing things. But tonight, while I was thinking I realized how much I am missing out on! So many things that I have passed up, or given up on because I didn't believe in myself! I think we all have times in our life where we get down on ourselves, or we think the task is too big for us to take on, or we worry about things out of our control. But when we believe in ourselves, and find the determination within us, amazing things can happen. Opportunities that we never would have imagined will come, things that we never saw our self doing, we do. All because of something as simple as believing we can do it. I think it's crazy that us humans can give someone else so much credit, and support, but then we can't do it for ourselves. Seems kind of messed up huh. That we would believe in someone more than the very person we know best(our self). But like I said when we believe in ourselves amazing things happen, it's like magic. Something that simple and that easy that makes it all possible. So let's all have a little more faith in ourselves. We can do it, we are strong, able people who can do whatever we set our minds to, if we just believe. I know all this may sound a little bit cheesy but it's so, so true! We are amazing people and we have endless possibilities to do what we want. We can achieve anything we want to if we just put our minds and hearts into it! There are no limits to possible, there are no boundaries for determination, there is no exact blueprint for life, there is only giving it all we have, and achieving what we set our hearts on. So to quote Balthazar one more time, "Stop worrying, and believe in yourself."

Just one more thing before I end, you never know where you will find just what you needed. Tonight I found what I needed sitting at the movie theater in a movie about Sorcerers. What we are looking for will come to us when we least expect it. Make sure you are ready so that you don't miss it!!

Turn the page, start a new chapter, and keep writing your story!

So, I have this obsession with quotes, which if you don't already know, you will catch on quickly. But I just love it when I find a quote that fits perfectly with what I am struggling with, or excited about, and pretty much for anything I think or feel, there is a quote for!

Today I found a quote that fits my life pretty well right now. The quote is "Move on, it's just a chapter in the past. But don't close the book, just turn the page." I find this quote very appropriate for my life right now. I have gone through somethings that have really tested my faith, and things that have made me struggle more than I ever have. And as hard as it is to move on, I know it is what's best for me right now. And I always though that moving on meant starting completely over again(starting a new book), but I realized that I was wrong. Moving on just means that you move forward with things(turning the page, and starting a new chapter). Books don't have the exact same story line in every chapter. Things change, that is what new chapters are for. New story lines, different ideas, other characters. Think how boring a book would be if the story stayed the same the whole book, no new characters, ideas, or stories. After all that is what makes stories so enjoyable! You don't know what is going to happen next, or who will enter the story. So it is with our lives! That is what makes it exciting, we never know who or what is coming next! So moving on means don't let things get in the way of your own story progressing, but don't start completely over either. Maybe moving on just means that something minor needs to be changed. Maybe it's your attitude, or your approach, your direction. But just because you need to change one of them doesn't mean that you have to change them all. This is something that I am learning quickly. Life throws you so many curve balls that if you had to start all over every time you wouldn't get very far(and you wouldn't have a very good story either). Instead life is about learning to deal with change and embrace it as it comes. To incorporate it in with what you are already doing(make it a part of your story). We are in this life to learn and to grow and be tested. Change is a huge part of our learning and growing process. Change is inevitable, we can't stop it, so why not make the best of it. After all we are the ones who decide if we will be happy or not. No one else can decide that for us. We can make the best of every situation. Bad things might happen, or things that we may not have expected, but we can still be happy. We can continue on this journey and be successful and enjoy life, even through our trials! Happiness is a decision not a destination. So if you CHOOSE to be happy, you WILL be!!

So in short keep writing your story, don't let things get in the way or get you down, and if you choose to be happy you will be, and your story will have a happy ending!

The simple things in life!

So I have started to notice that life just keeps getting crazier and crazier. And that as I grow up there is just more and more that I need to do, and more and more I want to do! Which means that I have to choose, and that can get complicated and usually leaves me running from one thing to the next. This leaves me very little time to relax and just spend time thinking, but the other day i had a little while to just think about life and everything that I have been blessed with (which is a lot)!! I a realized that the things I am most grateful for are the simple things. Time spent with family, notes from loved ones, a meaningful conversation with a friend, seeing someone smile or hearing someone laugh! These things are all to often taken advantage of, yet are some of the simplest things to achieve.

I decided that I need to slow things down and that I need to enjoy the little things now, because who knows down the road they could be the big things. One of my favorite quotes is "Happiness will never come to those who fail to appreciate what they already have." I want to live a happy and meaningful life, so I am determined to make the best of what I have been given, and appreciate EVERYTHING that I have been blessed with. Whether I see the blessing right now or not! Life is just too short to waste anytime being unhappy or or passing up opportunities, because I am too busy or didn't appreciate what I had been given!

So enjoy everything! Big, small, and everything in between! Life is too short, so LIVE, LAUGH, LOVE, and enjoy it all!

Giving this blogging thing a try.

So... I decided that I would give this whole blogging thing a try. I totally don't know what i am doing yet, but I am excited to learn! I am going to just post the goings on of my life on this blog! I love reading peoples blogs, so I hope I enjoy this just as much!

Just a little bit about my life at this moment... I am loving my job at Zions Bank in Syracuse!! I LOVE the girls I work with! I couldn't ask for better co-workers! This job has really been a blessing in my life!! It has helped me to come out of my shell and meet new people! I have really grown a lot just in the six months that I have worked there, and am hoping this learning process continues. I am getting ready to start school in just over a month. I am going to attend Weber State and major in Business Administration with a focus in finance, and hopefully get my Bachelor's of Arts with Spanish as the Foreign Language. I would love to pursue a career with Zion's.

This last week I recieved a new calling. I was called to be the 2nd counselor in the relief society presidency. I am excited for this new calling. I am a bit nervous about it but can't wait to see what is in store!

Other than that life is great!! I love where my life is headed, and can only give credit to my loving Father in heaven who is watching out for me!!