Catch Up

WARNING: LONG POST AHEAD

 

I have been putting this off for too long. I am SO behind! So, we'll play a little catch up so I don't have to worry about it anymore.

 

B E A R  L A K E

 

A couple weekends ago, my siblings and I were able to spend the weekend with our beautiful mom in Bear Lake! It was so much fun, and quite the adventure! The weather was looking a little iffy when we first got there, so we spent the first afternoon and evening hangin out in our itty bitty cabin playing all sorts of games and chowin down on treats. Can't get much better than that right? We even got our party pooper brother to play some games with us!

 

 

The next day, we went to the lake! It was a little too chilly to get in the water, so we just played on the beach, but it was still so much fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We watched the sun set on the lake, played more games, and then headed home the next morning. It was such a great little trip, and so fun to spend time with our momma!

 

I N D E P E N D E N C E   D A Y 

 

I LOVE THE 4TH. I can't even express in words how much I love the 4th! And this years was probably one of the funnest I've had in such a long time! Which says a lot.(side note, why the heck is funnest not a word?) 

 

We spent it with my dad and had a blast. We woke up bright and early for the parade in our little town, then headed over to the next place for a second parade. Both my brothers were in them for the high school student government! We then spent the day hopping from celebration to celebration, sweating our brains out. Seriously, SO. HOT.

 

 

 

 

After all the celebrating in the parks, we headed over to my grandparents magical house and had boat races in the creek!

Mine lost every time. No big deal.

 

 

We went back home for a while, swam in our little kiddy pool (you're never too old for those) and then headed to the fireworks!

 

 

 

I wish I could explain just how great the 4th was, but there is just no possible way!

 

C A M P I N

 

After the 4th we went campin in the little campsite my grandparents have on their property behind their house! We had such a great time full of lots and lots of laughs.

^^ that little smirk on my brother's face is because he put sugar on two pancakes and salt on the other, and my dad had NO idea... yet... ;)

 

 

 

YYAAHHTTZZEEEE!!!!

 

 

 

P I O N E E R   D A Y   B E G I N N I N G   C E L E B R A T I O N S

 

I started the weekend off with these three little hooligans for a few days!

 

 

Yes, that's chicken noodle soup for breakfast.

 

 

Then last night, my sister and I headed up to WSU to hear the fireside that President Dieter F. Uchtdorf was speaking at and finished the night off with the firework celebration after!

 

 

 

President Uchtdorf's message was so touching. He spoke of the pioneer's and their trials and strength. One of my favorite things he said was that the best way to honor our pioneer heritage is to have compassion, to work, and to be optimistic. They were there for each other every step of the way with love and concern for one another. They woke up every morning with a clear and defined purpose to serve God, for each days progress mattered, and when they had every reason to shout that all was not well, the sang that all was well. They knew God had a plan for them, and despite all the tribulation, they still came.

 

I'm so grateful for the pioneers and for the spirit they brought to this beautiful state!

 
M I S S I O N   U P D A T E

I met with my stake president yesterday... now all that's left is waiting for my call to arrive in the mail! AHH!!! :)
 

Phew! I think I'm finally done catching up.. for now! ;) Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!

A Unique Phenomenon

"I promise that if you will listen, you will feel the Spirit well up within you. The Lord will tell you what He wants you to do with your life. In conferences we can receive the word of the Lord meant just for us." -Elder Robert D. Hales

The joy and excitement I have in my heart for Conference weekend is unreal. I have counted down the days, browsed through past conference talks, and have looked forward to this for SO long.

How grateful I am to have the opportunity to listen to the Prophet. To learn, to reevaluate, and to grow.

The motivation that comes through the spirit is irreplaceable and undeniable. I love the way my testimony is strengthened, and my love for the Savior is deepened. It never ceases to amaze me how there is truly something for everyone. No matter what your situation, feelings, or trials you are going through, there is guidance specifically for YOU. 

I hope you take the time to really listen to conference, and to share your thoughts with others.

Share your testimony, and listen to the testimonies of others.

The gospel is truly incredible.

Follow along with #LDSconf! 

(Ashley Parker Photography)

The church is true, and the book is blue!

L a t e l y

Is this not the most perfect bunch of grapes you've ever seen?

Not to mention they are DELICIOUS.

 All this basketball is making me impatient for March Madness.

And girl scout cookies.

Because they are one in the same.

Another birthday celebration, another cake.

Yes, I've had cake for breakfast, lunch, and a midnight snack

for over a week.

 I thought I lost this little gem the other day.

I about freaked.

But I found it ;)

I've also had a big kid capri sun everyday this week.

Thanks dad for buying a butt load!

And finally,
the daily horoscope app freaks me out.

Happy Monday!

August

August Hopes

// Bliss

// Simplicity 

// Adventure

// Treasure

// Inspiration

// Love

// Excitement

>>Now, I have all these things already, but August is such an inspiring month.<<

We are left drifting in between incandescent rays of summer and outstretched thoughts of burnt orange and crisp red. You stick your hand out the car window and turn to see golden corn stocks stretched tall.. Those summer nights begin to have a whisper of fall, and you spend every waking minute soaking up the moments of an explainable bliss. Summer is quickly approaching to an end, but  the enchantment of a golden autumn is beginning to send anticipation through your veins. Although the leaves stay the same, and the air is full of warmth, the hope of Fall is unbelievably beautiful. 

This life is a delightful journey.

With Love,
Alexa

In the Midst

Sometimes it's in the midst of the dull, rolling thunder and waves of wind crashing against the water stained windows that you find your mind wandering into the blissful places of the unknown. Sometimes it's in the rush of traffic jams and passing road signs. Signs that direct us to the places we need to be, and people we need to be with. People of different religion, culture, opinion, traditions, stories. Stories that make them who they are. Whether that make them someone we know or someone of a complete stranger. A stranger who can impact our life with simplicity or a stranger who simply passes by never to be seen by our eyes again. Our eyes that have witnessed thousands of people, seen every moment of our life, experienced every joy and sorrow, captured the the scenes we now call memories. Memories that walk side by side with emotion. Emotions that make us wonder about the future and the possibilities along the way. Possibilities that are endless and unseen, full of wonder and imagination. Imagination that brings us back to the state of a child with the heart of bravery and courage and an excitement to go out and live. Live to become someone of importance and significance. With significant purpose to go out and succeed and not worry about what the world throws toward the final goal we have. To know there's a beautiful reward waiting for our efforts, to have that motivation. It's a beautiful thought to know we are capable of something magnificent. Magnificent like the universe that surrounds us. The millions of stars that let us look into the past, the oceanic blue waves that let us look to the future for as far as we can see. And then we stop. Slow down our world for the few seconds it takes to remember what it is we're here for, and no matter where we may be, we will always see how beautiful the present is.

 Sometimes it's in the midst of the dull, rolling thunder and waves of wind crashing against the water stained windows that you can clearly see how blessed you really are.

Oh, what a life we live. 

Lessons Learned {Part 2}

Lesson #2- Love. Love yourself, love your life, love others, do things you love, surround yourself with people and things you love, go places you love, find new things to love, and when you do this, you'll always be happy, even in the hardest of times. 

I've always disliked winter. I don't ski or snowboard, I occasionally sled, but that's about the extent of my winter sporting skills. Needless to say I have been thrilled to see the beautiful sunshine out. The first day the temperature rose, my sister and I went for a walk that ended up lasting a few hours. It felt so good to be out! We went on one everyday that there was nice weather until it dropped again. I then made it a goal to soak up that sunshine every time it came out, and I've happily succeeded. It has gotten me out and being active and I think I've found one missing puzzle piece!

As the days have continued getting warmer, I have found myself doing much more outside than any of the past years. In high school I would come home, chill, then spend time doing homework. This led to the majority of outside time on the weekends. Now that I'm home most of the day, I can go outside whenever I want and stay out there as long as I want, and that makes
me happy.

I've found a hobby in writing my LDS missionary friends (which has now added up to more than ten...) and I love that. It's such an uplifting thing to hear from people who do nothing but devote every second of everyday to serving the Lord. It always makes me want to do better, which gets me making new goals for the week. This has been a good thing for me. It's especially great hearing from two of my best friends who are serving in Croatia and Portugal. Those letters give me my boost for the week and make my heart so happy. Getting the mail has become one of the most exciting things ever. Who knew a mailbox could be so fun?

I've began taking more pictures again. I've always been fascinated with photography and the way you can capture time. With the weather being nice, and even when it's a little gloomy out, I've been out taking pictures of the beautiful world. It's amazing what you can find when you actually open your eyes and look!

"There is no tomorrow to remember if we don't do something today." - President Thomas S. Monson

The end of Sophomore year and my entire Junior year of high school I had been taken under into a dark time of my life. I've always been a happy person, but that just wasn't the case anymore. Then from some help from a dear LDS Seminary teacher, and a lot of personal changes, I decided to make my outlook on life a little different. It didn't matter what others thought about me, or where I fit in compared to the others. All that mattered was my happiness, and my progression towards the ultimate goal.

I love myself and who I've become, and I strive to be better everyday. I know who I am, and I'm proud of that. At one point in a Seminary lesson, my teacher told the class to do the things you love that bring you true happiness. I've found those again this week. Or maybe just re-recognized them. 

Last night, I spontaneously went out and played some tennis with a good friend of mine that I ran into after eight months, and we went on a 6 1/2 mile walk. Sore legs, plans for the upcoming week, and a few heart to heart talks later I realized that I am extremely blessed to be surrounded by people I love that will do the things I love with me. People who continually build me up, support me, and help me stay positive. People who remind me of who I am and who I want to be. Life can get hard, throw you curve balls, and direct you onto unknown paths, but without fail, if you surround yourself with love in all forms, you can always be happy. And I can honestly say, without the slightest bit of hesitation, I am so happy.

"Cultivate an attitude of happiness. Cultivate a spirit of optimism. Walk with faith, rejoicing in the beauties of nature, in the goodness of those you love, in the testimony which you carry in your heart concerning things divine." - President Gordon B. Hinckley

Lessons Learned {Part 1}

I have learned a few valuable lessons this past week. Three to be exact, but I am going to share them over three separate posts so they aren't as lengthy.  If I have some details that seem irrelevant to the "lesson", they will come into play in a following "lesson". Bare with me. So this is part one of a three part post. 

Lesson #1- Slow down. We rush by life too fast, and wish our days away. Slow down and take time to appreciate what surrounds you. The world is a beautiful place. Take time to appreciate the blessings you have and to enjoy the minutes usually take for granted.

(I will warn you, my stories are a bit long, so prepare yourself.)

After the fall semester ended I got really sick. I've been dealing with mysterious health issues for several years now, but my frustration came back towards the end of the semester. This led to the fun doctor visits, tests, and draining my body of more blood than I felt necessary, leaving me feeling hopeless and uncomfortable, I came to the decision to take the spring semester off to get back on my feet, which the doctor agreed would be best for me to do.

This decision definitely has had it's pros and cons. For one, I do not like being behind in the norm. I'm the type of person who just wants to get school finished and out of the way, so taking the semester off sort of cramped my style in a sense. I also have gotten into the groove of not going to school, so now I don't ever want to go to back. That's bad. I'll go, don't worry. But that dreaded feeling of school has crept into my head and it's awful. Not to mention I've second guessed what I want to go into. Now, I know what you're thinking. I'm a freshman in college. That's normal to change, and I'll probably change multiple times, but IT STRESSES ME OUT. What the heck am I supposed to do with my life? It also has turned me into a somewhat lazy person. This is also very bad. I've never been lazy. I'm an on-the-go, busy, scheduled person... or I once was. 

I work at a little clothing boutique which I love. Seriously. It's the greatest job in the whole world, and I have yet to complain about it once the whole five months I've been there. The ladies I work for are the best ever, and this job has been such a blessing. It kind of fell into my hands and I will forever be grateful that it did. If I could work there the rest of my life I totally would. Maybe. ;) So other than working, I don't do a whole lot. I don't feel well a lot of the time, and sometimes it's a lot worse than others, but I don't ever lead onto how I feel. But, I usually rest lots and relax, thus turning me into a lazy person. I feel like I don't do anything with my life, and that's maybe because I don't. 

The boutique doesn't open until noon everyday, so I've had the wonderful/terrible privilege of sleeping in. A few mornings ago was the first time in months I had to wake up early, and stay awake. (Naps have become a welcomed friend with my immune system.) I had a doctors appointment that I had to be to at 7:50 am, and then a few errands to run after that.

As I headed out that way, I realized that it felt so good to be awake and going and to breathe morning air. I had definitely missed it! I gladly left my appointment, grateful for modern medicine, and decided to stop by Great Harvest and get something to eat. This was the best decision I made all day. Not only did I get a delicious, fresh cinnamon roll right out of the oven, but the employees were extremely attractive all-male workers. Well done Great Harvest. You know how to run a business. I set aside the fact that I had rolled out of bed and looked a little scary, and I quite enjoyed my little visit to the bakery.

When I left I had to run an errand for my mom, and got stuck behind a train. I had my windows down, my music up, and a warm cinnamon roll on my lap. I was in no hurry, but I was probably twenty cars back from the train. I began to notice impatient cars leaving the line to change routes to get to where they needed to be. It made me realize that we spend too much time worrying about time! People are always in a hurry, always watching the clock, and always missing what's around them. I sat in my car enjoying life for a good twenty minutes as the rest of the world spun on without me. How good it felt to breathe and not worry about anything for those few minutes, and how good it felt to not care what others thought so I could enjoy my morning! I noticed how blue the sky was, flower buds starting to pop out of the ground, how warm the air was getting, I watched birds create fascinating patterns in the sky, and it made me sad knowing that so many others were missing out on such a beautiful day.

So take a minute to slow down and enjoy the blessings that surround you. We take life for granted way too much and spend too much time worrying about the future. Take a minute to breathe.

"Do we listen to beautiful music waiting for the final note to fade before we allow ourselves to truly enjoy it? No. We listen and connect to the variations of melody, rhythm, and harmony throughout the composition... We shouldn't wait to be happy until we reach some future point, only to discover that happiness was already available—all the time! Life is not meant to be appreciated only in retrospect." -President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

"Of Regrets and Resolutions" LDS General Conference October 2012

Oh Brother

I live an extremely entertaining life. You know the phrase "there's never a dull moment", I put that into full circle. I always have unusual things happen to me, and my friends and family find it quite funny. Me on the other hand, not so much. Not until after anyways, and when I say unusual, I mean if you can think of the most bizarre, realistic situation, I've most likely experienced it or come close to experiencing it. I'm okay with it though. It's my life, and like I said, it's an entertaining one. :)

With this being said, one thing you should know about me is I love to dance. Not the choreographed type of dance, but the spur of the moment, go with the beat type of dance. Am I a good dancer? Absolutely not. Do I care? Not at all. I love it! I rarely walk around without a hop in my step and a beat in my head. My family will be the first to tell you that I will do the same dance move over and over until I discover one that catches my attention once again. 

I also love to eat. Especially chocolate things. Chocolate cake, chocolate milk, chocolate frosting, chocolate candy, chocolate cookies, you name it, and it easily takes first rank on my food list. Have you ever eaten a Little Debbie Swiss Roll? They're good, not super great, but good, and we had some! I like to eat my food, not have it thrown on the ground. Welcome to the life of Alexa (shown in two minutes). 

Like I said, my life is entertaining. I have a talented bunch of siblings. One is extremely talented musically, one is very athletic, and one is an amazing artist. Not only that, but all three of them are hilarious. Somehow I missed out on that trait... anyways, today Caden was in the high school talent show. He had written a song a few months ago and decided to audition! He did so good, and I love when he plays and sings for us! 

Over the past week I had the opportunity to go to both the Ellie Goulding and Ed Sheeran concerts! Ellie, she's outstanding. Absolutely incredible. If you ever have the opportunity to go, I definitely recommend it! She's one talented woman. Ed, was also really good! I didn't like the setting of his concert, and I think that if it had been somewhere different, I would have enjoyed myself more, but all in all, he is also extremely talented and a great one to see! 

As you can see, I've had quite a great week, and it's still going. I spent the day with my dad, cutting hair, and watching basketball. Ending it with another game tomorrow night! Life is good my friends, life is good.