New years resolution

Well, the last post says it all. Growing up has been an amazing experience- but I feel like I've only just begun. This last semester was crazy busy and my brain has been expanded. Its interesting looking back. But this next semester is going to push me in ways I did not think possible, I'm moving out.

I know, crazy right?

So as a new years resolution, I'm resolving to blog more often. Mainly to share my experiences to my family and friends at home. I'm really nervous, but hey- I was nervous for college and I had a great first semester. So this shouldn't be too bad yet.

So you're probably wondering 'when? where? do you have a job? how long are you staying?' I'll be moving on the 6th to Cedar City, where I've been going to college, at good ol' George Wythe University. I'll be job searching the first week I'm there, and I've got a couple of things in mind. I've been making list after list, but I don't think I'll actually be prepared until after the first week. And finally, I'll be staying until summer. And by then I'll be going on my first cruise to Hawaii! Very excited about that.

One of my favorite shots :)

So before I move out, I had my 'belated senior pictures' taken by my amazing friend Bonnie! She is a phenomenal photographer (try saying that ten times fast... okay, it wasn't that hard.) and the best part was that I got to take pictures doing some ballet. It was amazing! I love her and I'm really gonna miss all my friends while I'm in cedar, but I don't live too far away so it will be really easy for me to come and visit often. 

Well, that was not my only new years resolution- My next resolution is to pull off a Fouette en Pointe. So to do that I've gotta keep dancing, and I'm determined to do so! :) Wish me luck!

Growing up...

A lot has happened this summer, and to make a long story short. I've been growing up!

In the beginning... (of my summer 2011)

I went to Youth for Freedom and participated in the Andau Character Prize Competition. It was such a life-changing experience and I wouldn't have traded anything in the world for it. I had a great time with my friends, and shared some amazing experiences with my family.
I had about a week's break, then...
GIRLS CAMP!!!
Unfortunately it was my last year as a young woman... which was a little depressing but it made the experience all the better! I did a lot of planning as I was a Youth Camp Leader, and I had a lot of fun taking charge of some of the activities.
After about a month, I went four-wheeling with my family. This year was a little more stressful than years past. For me at least. For the first time in my life I rolled a four-wheeler. It was very scary and I am so glad that I am alive and unscathed. To give you an idea of the seriousness of the situation, the four-wheeler that I was riding was the biggest four-wheeler that was at our camp. One of the biggest models that the maker of that brand provides. Pretty big and scary. This was the 3rd rolling that had occurred out of 4 rollings that took place on the camping trip. When I got back from riding that day, I wrote a speech that I gave on...
The fourth of July! That was a fun experience and it was the best speech I have ever given. I am so glad I had that experience. Not to mention my friend did a fantastic job as well, when he gave two impromptu speeches that were absolutely amazing. :)
After that fun experience, I stayed up in salt lake for another two and a half weeks for...
The BYU Ballet Summer Intensive!!
That was SO much fun! I had the best room-mate anyone could ever ask for, an amazing councilor, (I stayed on campus the whole time) and I met a girl who does TJED like I do! Funny thing was, I found this out after the camp and never talked to her in person about it. I danced 9 hours every day except for on the weekends, and even then we didn't really get a 'break'. We also went to Sundance where we hiked for about three hours through waterfalls, snow, mud, rocks, and right next to some pretty scary cliffs that could be compared to the dangers of Angels Landing in Zion. We also went to music and the spoken word in temple square, and attended a college ward that evening. Then it was back to dancing! I improved so much and I absolutely enjoyed that and feel confident enough to be in a company or take classes at college now!
So after about a weeks break from Ballet camp, I received a call that I had been offered a partial scholarship to George Wythe University! I have been registered and am attending full-time on campus this fall! I am so excited and it feels very interesting to know that this September I will be turning 18 and attending college. Bittersweet...
So to settle any questions on if I am going to be staying in Cedar, not yet. If the opportunity presents itself, I will look into staying up there and coming home on the weekends. Because I am not quite "graduated" yet, (or 18) I still have responsibilities within my calling as Young Womens class president. I also would like to participate in my Ballet Studio's Halloween show, so I will not be staying in Cedar permanently yet.

And on the last few days, I rest. My summer has been so full, but has been so worth it and so amazing. I am so glad I was able to meet such wonderful and amazing people who have really changed my life and filled it with amazing experiences such as these. Its amazing to me how much time flies. My advice to those who have yet to experience this change: Enjoy your youth and fill it with as much good fun as you can. Its goes by so fast. Absorb every happy moment with joy. It will all be worth while. Push through the hard times and learn from them. And when you look back, don't look back with regret.

More happiness.... :)

http://market.android.com/details?id=com.catchnotes.ijournal

So I found this amazing app, which is very similar to the Happiness Baseline. Those of you who are having a hard time taking the challenge and who have an android phone, ipod touch, ipad, iphone etc. Look up this app in you app market. Its free, and you can do the baseline straight from your phone! Its not as powerful as physically writing these things down, but it is the same concept. If you need help getting started, here's the place to do so. :) Do the challenge! Its SO worth it!
Look up in your app store IJournal, its orange and has a smile on it. :) you'll have to download catchnotes as well. They're both free! :D

The Happiness Baseline Challenge

About two months ago, I met with a wonderful friend and mentor who asked me to do this one simple challenge that has completely changed me in ways that are indescribable.

I took the challenge a year ago, but didn't make it very far. But I never understood the impact it would have on me until I actually completed it.

The challenge she issued me was called the Happiness Baseline. The title is self-explanatory, it is the habit in which my happiness depends on.

This challenge consists of six of things I needed to do each day. And I had no idea how happy and uplifted it would make me feel.

First, Gratitudes. Each day right after I said my prayers, I wrote in my gratitude journal five things I was grateful for that I currently had, each beginning with "I am grateful" or "I am thankful". It wasn't a list, it was an affirmation. I was writing on paper that yes, I was grateful to my Heavenly Father that I had these things at this moment.
The next part of my gratitudes, was to write five more things that I would be grateful to have. It has the same concept of the former, but looking to the future. I was writing on paper that when these things happened, or came to me, that I would be grateful to my Heavenly Father for them, in fact, I was already grateful to Him for them.
To make things clear, the second half was not an unrealistic wish list, it was reasonable and had meaning and personal value. You write it the same way as the former. Not as a list, but as an affirmation or a personal covenant with the Lord.

Second, Journal writing. After I wrote in my gratitude journal, I wrote in my personal journal. When I wrote in my journal, I wrote about the positive and exciting things in my life, even if it was small. I never whined in my journal during this challenge, or wrote about my stress or nervousness. I wrote about the things that made me happy, the moments in which I was uplifted, and the times when I was about to burst with excitement. For this challenge, even if my day seemed to go horribly wrong, I could find at least one thing that I could write about that was positive. The first time it was hard, but after getting in the habit of doing that, I got to the point where I needed to go and write in it when it seemed like everything was going wrong. It made me feel so much better, and it really uplifted my spirits.

Third, Meditation. This part usually happened for me after I was done writing in my journals. I would quiet myself, and become completely present. That meant that I needed to focus on what I was doing at the present moment, not what I needed to do or accomplish later on, and not remembering what I did last week. This is where I would listen for promptings. (Sometimes I would get out a notebook and write down what came to mind.) I would focus for as long as I could, and stay in the moment as long as I possibly could, then I would set off to accomplish the things I needed to that day.

Fourth, Simplify. This happened at many different times for me throughout the day. When you simplify, you set aside one thing and completely focus your whole attention on that one thing. No multitasking here! My simplifying time would usually be at the piano, at ballet, when I wrote, when I read, and when I studied. It really got me out of the habit of doing several things at one time. And it really changed the way I focused in ballet especially. Now, when I walk into the studio, I focus completely on what I need to focus on when I'm dancing, and I leave all the cares of the world behind. This got me into trouble a few times though, because I would automatically forget to talk to my ballet teachers about certain things like payment and questions outside of ballet because I have gotten into the habit of leaving those things behind and focusing on being present. But overall, its really affected my performance within ballet and has really increased how much I get out of it each time I go.
Simplifying doesn't have to be big, it can even be focusing completely on driving, listening to a song, on cooking dinner, or on playing with a little child. Just as long as you give your full attention to something, even if its small, you can simplify.

Fifth, Exercise. This was really important for me, and I didn't realize how much exercising I did each day. It really kept me going. Even if it was playing the piano, or walking up the street, or doing some jumping jacks, it helped me keep my mind going. Exercise kept me uplifted, and became a totally different experience because of the purpose. I was doing it so that I was happy. Not because it was required of me, not because I had to meet a deadline. I was doing it for my joy.

Sixth, Strengths. This was vital and such an amazing experience. I picked one thing each day to focus on that I was good at. I didn't do it in a boastful and arrogant way, I did it to improve myself and that talent that I had. During that time, I didn't criticize myself, I didn't put myself down, I completely focused on what I was good at for that time and I made it fun. It really helped me stay away from unnecessary focus on self-criticism and negative thoughts about myself. It was a huge shield that kept those weights off of my shoulders and allowed me to accomplish my goals and commitments for the day. It helped me write better, it helped me dance, it helped me get out of my comfort zone, and it helped me help others.

As I was writing about the each one, I decided that I cannot afford to stop doing these things. Its absolutely amazing how much I have grown just by doing this, and how much my happiness has grown. There are days where I feel like I am in love, or just bursting with joy because of how much this has affected me.

I challenge the readers to do the Happiness Baseline for a whole month consistently. It will change your life, it will make you happier, and it will change your perspective on things. Its absolutely amazing and I am so happy and grateful that I was able to have this experience. It has really made me feel happier and has helped me heal. I am so thankful for my wonderful friend and mentor who challenged me to do it. It was inspired and has literally changed my life for the better. :) Go out and do it! You will not regret it I promise you!

Yearning for the Living God

This paper I just recently wrote for a personal mentor, I've been reading Yearning for the Living God by F. Enzio Busche, and this was my follow up paper for reading it. I love that book and recommend it to everyone! :) Its amazing. The beginning quote was from the book, and is one of my favorite quotes. 

“This world we live in is not the real thing. The actual world—which is closer to us than we sometimes realize—is full of truth and capable of bringing us to a higher level than we can understand. Indeed, it is more beautiful and majestic than a human can imagine. My spiritual insight has let me see that we as human beings live far below our potential from day to day. One day we will be confronted with our true potential; and we will see what we have missed because we have not embraced the ultimate help offered to us from our Creator. Life is not worth living if we walk around in it without really knowing that every choice we make defines our lives in the eternities.”

 

As part of our earthly portion of our lives, we face trials. We all at some point in this life experience pain and suffering, and eventually come to a breaking point. This point defines who we are, and the character we have. This is part of the earthly experience, and completely unavoidable. The amount of pain varies by circumstance, experience, maturity, and character.

            In some circumstances, trials seem unbearable. Sometimes it feels like punishment rather than a blessing. And many go as far as to ask why God has allowed the suffering or even further, why God has punished them.

            What these sufferers don’t see is their true potential. It is part of our Heavenly Fathers plan that the veil clouds our memory of who we were in the pre-earth life, and part of who we were was the knowledge we had of who we could become—Our true potential. The only way we can see our true potential in this life is looking at this earthly life with an eternal perspective, like Enzio Busche did here. The potential was visible because he was looking at life with his spiritual understanding and eternal perspective.

            What exactly is an eternal perspective? How does it ease our burdens? 

            Having an eternal perspective really clarifies and sharpens our lives. It defines what we do and the reasons behind our actions. Without it, we are wandering aimlessly throughout our lives and become lost.

            An eternal perspective is like a pair of glasses. When we choose to put them on, we can see clearer in all directions. Details are vivid, distances are greater, and everything we see is viewed with charity, the pure love of Christ. Enzio Busche describes what an eternal perspective looks like:

            “The long hours and weeks in the hospital were, at first, unbelievably tedious, and the physical and emotional pain alone seemed to be unbearable. But as time went by, I learned to turn my thoughts away from myself. One day, as I was looking at my bed, I saw more than the white linen bedspread in front of me. I saw the individual thread, and I saw the field where it originated. I saw the sun, the rain, the wind it was exposed to. I saw the soil from which it took its nurture. I saw the people that came for the harvest. I felt their sweat and diligence. I felt their goodness. I felt their love. I saw that if every act of labor were done with love and care, this world would heal. There would be light, even divine light, in the heart and soul of every man and woman enabling us to grab one another’s hand and dance like innocent children, filled with the exuberance of never-ending joy.”

            This eternal perspective gives to us a higher perspective on life. We see the simple things and they become so detailed that they become eternally great in our eyes. We can see so far as to see the end of our trials and see how small they are compared to the glorious scheme of things. The simple things matter more, and the things that used to matter most lose their luster. An eternal perspective is merely this: to look at everything with our spiritual eyes, even through the very eyes of our Father in Heaven.

            Viewing our lives in this way extends our understanding in all directions. When we choose to view everything in an eternal perspective, like Enzio Busche said, we “…see what we have missed because we have not embraced the ultimate help offered to us from our Creator.”

            We see that the Savior offers us the atonement, and if we embrace His help, we surrender our load to Him, what used to be the burden of sin becomes something much lighter, the burden of responsibility. The load is no longer verging on the brink of destruction, but gives us strength as we learn to carry what is ours to carry, and to give what is ours to give to the Savior. We learn through the relief and soreness that we can only carry so much, and later learn that we don’t have to carry all that we had previously done. And when we take on that light load of responsibility, we can carry it farther than we ever could imagine.

            Once we learn to view our lives through an eternal perspective, we learn what Joseph Smith learned in the depths of Liberty Jail:

 

“And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.” (D&C 122:7) 

 

“My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;

And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.” (D&C 121:7-8)

 

            During this earthly portion of our lives, we must view the trials we face and the afflictions we endure with an eternal perspective if we are to triumph and learn from them. It will bring us greater happiness and we will see our true potential through the spiritual eyes of our Father in Heaven. And we will live life, and know that “every choice we make defines our lives in the eternities.”

Letter to the Commonwealth

I wrote a letter a while back to the Washington County Commonwealth about a meeting I attended, and I thought I would post this because I got a lot of good feedback. So here it is. :)

Parents, Students, and Members of the Washington County Commonwealth Board,

 

I witnessed some of the proceedings of the board this last week and a presentation given by some of the student body that really caught my attention and it really made me rethink the character of the student body as a whole and what the goal of this commonwealth is. I would like to make the readers aware that I have different views concerning the matter.

 

Some of the student body feel that the recent changes made by the board concerning certain policies were unjust, and presented the board with some requests. Towards the end of the meeting, the purpose of the presentation was lost and serious issues arose that could be considered to most, very dangerous.

 

Recently, in my personal studies, I have learned a very important principle that cannot be lightly overlooked. This pertains to some frequently asked questions by teenagers across the world:

 

            “If I simply can’t do that, how come you can?”

 

            “If you can’t trust me, how can I trust you?”

 

            “If I’m not old enough, how come you are entitled?”

 

What is really going on in the mind of the teenager asking anything to the effect of the above is this:

           

            “It is unfair and unjust that because of my age I cannot hold the same power and authority an adult can. I desire that power and that authority even if I am just a child. Its my right.”

 

This common thought stems from core phase, the very first phase in which a person is educated. It is a very serious principle that if not taught and understood, can completely alter and change a person for his or her lifetime.

 

This principle is called the principle of authority. Authority comes directly from God, who is the primary source of authority. God directly designates authority over certain things to man, called a stewardship. Parents have the direct stewardship to raise a child under the authority of God until that child becomes independent enough to learn this principle and go off on their own. Even then, some children never learn this and become dangerous to their fellow men. Because a child is under the stewardship of their parents who have authority over them, children must learn to obey and submit to the will of their parents. Parents also have the stewardship to seek out mentors to educate their children out of the child’s best interest, and by choosing a mentor with the guidance of the Father, that mentor holds that stewardship to educate that child as well. Therefore, children must learn to submit to that mentor to really take in what the mentor has to offer.

 

Submission is key, and there is a time and place for it. By teaching a child to submit to their parents and mentors, when the child is an adult and cannot constantly rely on the parents as a crutch, that child must learn through their parents, to submit to his/her Heavenly Father when he/she needs help later on. It is only by submission under righteous principles to the child’s earthly parents that he/she can learn this principle and apply it to adulthood by submitting to the Father.

 

Submission must be done in the right way in order for that submission to become righteous submission. Only through the Spirit is this made known unto man. There are times when evil tyrants influence our lives greatly. And only through the manifestation of the Spirit will we learn to discern the times for each. This discernment is key to submission, so that you personally know whether or not you should or shouldn’t submit to someone.

 

The Commonwealth is comprised of parents who are seeking an education for their children. The children then must submit to the wills of their parents and their mentors because that parent and mentor have the stewardship delegated to them under the authority of God, and equal responsibility to seek out the best interest of the child, even if the child does not see the big picture in where their best interest lies. The Board members have this authority to teach their children righteous and correct principles, even if the children disagree.

 

In 2^nd Samuel Chapter 6:1-7 it reads:

“Again, David gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.

 

 And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the Lord of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims.

 

 And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart.

 

 And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab which was at Gibeah, accompanying the ark of God: and Ahio went before the ark.

 

 And David and all the house of Israel played before the Lord on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals.

 

 And when they came to Nachon’s threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it.

 

 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.”

 

In seminary, we read this and at first I thought, “How unfair! How unjust!” But it was not until a seminary teacher had explained it to me until I realized how serious this situation was.

 

The Ark of the Covenant was a precious artifact to the Israelites, and was pretty much a mobile temple altar in which the prophet –which was at the time David- communicated with God. It was so sacred that God commanded that nobody were to touch it unless commanded to do so by Him. It was strictly observed. The Israelites carried it using poles that could be inserted through the bottom on the ends of the ark, so that when they carried it, that they did not come in direct contact with the ark. The situation here, is that two of the sons of Abinidab were instructed to move the ark from one place to another, which was a huge honor. So, to help transport the ark, Ahio and Uzzah placed the ark upon a cart driven by oxen. The oxen shook the cart, and Uzzah placed his hand upon the ark for the purpose of steadying it. God did not make any exception for Uzzah and smote him because he had disobeyed the commandment to not touch the ark.

 

My seminary teacher likened this story unto questioning the authority of God, which could cause us spiritual death. Whenever we question the authority of our Heavenly Father by not submitting to His will for us, we are touching the Ark of the Covenant by questioning His authority. So by not learning to submit to our parents and our mentors under righteous principles, we are questioning the authority of God and touching the Ark of the Covenant.

 

When I witnessed the presentation, it really made me think about whether or not the student body of our commonwealth school is learning about the principle of submission, and why its so important. The student body needs to focus on this, and that this is the root of the small issues springing up everywhere, including the ones discussed in the presentation given by some of the student body this last week. I think that if a majority of the students learn the principle of submission, then a lot of key issues that need to be dealt with will right themselves. I do not think lightening up on the policies or bylaws of our commonwealth is going to solve the problem, or bring about a statesmen like atmosphere. I think that strict observance of the policies and bylaws must be enforced in a way so that the students know what is expected of them, and that if they want the education that their parents have helped govern out of the students best interest, that the student body must submit to the will of the parents in the knowledge that by submitting to their parents that they are directly submitting to the Father.

 

It is only by strict obedience and submission to the will of the Father that constitutes the blessings and privileges we receive. I believe that the board and the student council should embody this principle, which means that the board is constantly aware of their stewardship over the students, by seeking their best interest through the guidance of our Father, and that the student council is consistently aware that they must submit to the will of the Father, even if it is delivered to them by the board. I don’t believe the student body completely embodies or understands this principle, and that until they do, the parents and mentors must strictly observe the policies and bylaws that are made by the prayerful guidance of our Heavenly Father even if the student body at the present time disagrees with the said policies and bylaws. 

My suggestion to both the student body and the board of our commonwealth school is this: when seeking out a candidate for the student council, search for a true statesman who will embody the principle of submission and become an exemplar to the student body of how a statesman should be. This candidate, in order to represent my views, must stick to righteous principles and be aware of the authority they have and what the purpose of the student council is. I hope you will see the principles behind this and seek out candidates that stay strong in the principles that the Commonwealth school should embody.

 

 

Sincerely,

Brittani Mott

A student and student mentor in the W.C.C.

I'm going there someday...

The temple is such a wonderful place, it makes me feel at home and uplifted. Its where I want to be all the time, so I'm trying to create that kind of atmosphere in my room.
Finally, after six months, we got around to painting my room. The colors are amazing, and I am looking forward to completely decluttering it and starting anew. Its amazing how different it feels already!
Its also been a pretty awesome bonding experience with my brother, who has done a whole lot of work and has helped me accomplish so much. Brayden has been so positive about getting it done and helping me. I didn't think he wanted to do it at first, but as soon as we decided to paint, he jumped up at the chance and really got into it. Thanks Brayden! :)
I've been really focused on my mission and the temple latetly, and my young womens leaders have especially been in tune to that. They've taken full advantage and have focused the laurel class activities around the temple. The latest activity was creating a temple time capsule. In it we chose our wedding colors, dress, numbered and named future kids, listed qualities that we wanted in our future husbands and the ones we wanted to develop in ourselves, and to top it all off, they placed a few articles and a letter from our bishop to open and read. The time capsule is to be opened the day of my engagement, which will be super fun! I'm really excited and I'm looking forward to the day I can open it. :) I love the temple, and I can't wait for the day when I can become sealed for time and all eternity to an amazing companion.

Ramblings

So lately, because of being involved with a the cedar city junior ballet company's a midsummer nights dream, I've been wanting to create my own ballet.
When I think of the implications, its pretty insane. I would need to compose several peices for it, (or find a composer who I can pay for that has my vision), then coreograph all the numbers to the said pieces, come up with a story to adapt or create one myself, then find a company willing to put it on. I would also have to be careful and make sure its purely original, otherwise I would have copyright issues, and then do almost all of the production work. I think it would be fun and it would make me feel accomplished. :) haha I might just start from the beginning and start composing a song to start out with, and see how it goes from there. The big guys had to start from somewhere right? :)

The wave is coming

Lately with the riots, one question and probability has been plaguing my mind.
If the wave of revolution were to hit America, what would be my part in it?

Would I be ready?
Will I take a stand?

With all of the countries rioting and creating anarchy through their protests, I cannot help but wonder what they will do next. I also wonder if they were asking for the right thing.
It made me sad that in Egypt, the government was just handed over to the military. Why?
Do the Egyptians really know what they are seeking?
Will America be at the ready when we are asked what we really want?
The military, from what I understand, is almost exactly what the Egyptians possessed before they overthrew their previous government. In the military, you are supposed to obey those who are above you, who hold the higher command. Who holds the power in the military? A General of course. Who then holds power in the government? The General. A reinstated dictatorship. This is why they overthrew the government in the first place, to get rid of a dictator. It completely defeated the purpose in which they began to protest.

Why has this happened? What is missing?
With all that emotion stirred up in the protests, every single one of those people -including some of the tea partiers here in the U.S.- are living in the now. They are so passionate about everything that is happening right now, that they emotionally have no room to think about the future, the consequences of their actions, and what they really needed to accomplish their desires. They had a desire, but they didn't know what they needed to achieve it. They wanted freedom, they needed the principles that the founding fathers discovered from endless study, they needed the wisdom from education that they had received.

So when the time comes around for the wave, we must be prepared. We must learn now what we want, what freedom really is, and what comes next. We must become balanced in focusing on the now while thinking about the future. The passionate emotions that come from protesting must be channeled in a such a way that it effects change, and promotes principle.
Let the wave come, and let us be prepared.

Horse Dreams

I am really, (and I mean REALLY) excited about getting a job. I have been offered one, and will be officially working on my birthday! ( yay! :D )

I am very excited about the benefits of having a constant-flowing income, so I can buy my own things. (I'm kinda sick and tired of waiting for my parents pay-day.) On my list of things that I am going to be saving for is a horse. I tried doing this once, but now I know what went wrong. I needed my own income to pay for it, and a place ready for it. I didn't have any of those, so obviously I wasn't ready.

Now, I'm working on getting ready. So that when the time comes, I will be prepared.

My preparation includes:

Building a fence

Buying supplies

Getting income

Getting income is almost ready to be checked off, and I'm preparing to build a fence. I know where, I've got some of the supplies, but not all of them. This week I am going to try to build the fence, and see if I can get it done.

I will post more later. Wish me luck!

Youth for America

This week I just got back from my favorite camp of the summer, YFA!

YFA is a camp to help youth discover their missions or purposes in life and to teach us more about the world around us and how important it is to preserve our freedoms that we currently posses. I would recommend going, its a life-changing experience. 

The original theme for camp was Principles of Good Government. We read these books beforehand The Hiding Place By Corrie Ten Boom,  The Giver by Lois Lowry, Alas Babylon by Pat Frank, and a couple documents, For Whom The Bell Tolls by John Donne, and The Allegory of the Cave by Socrates. 

Throughout camp we had guest speakers, book discussions, simulations, and fun activities. We were divided into groups at the beginning with some amazing counselors. Each of the counselors chose somebody that inspired them and made up a nickname out of the name of their hero. My counselor chose Abigail Adams, and her nickname was Abby. I loved my counselor and girls that were in my group. They were so much fun!

We had Jim Rhodes come and do an awesome simulation called Lifeboat. It was an amazing experience. I was completely fine until I got up to take my turn, then I was a nervous wreck. I did have a great time though, and I will never forget that experience. 

I loved YFA and recommend that if you do have the money to go, that you should go. Its awesome!

Girls Camp :D

Ahh... I'm home again!

I had so much fun at Girls camp, even though we didn't camp. If I could call it something else I would, but right now nothing comes to mind...

Thursday at 6:30 in the morning I left for the Okurr Mountain Temple! On the way we watched the little mermaid and aladdin! I love those movies. The most intense scenes are always short... as always.

The Okurr Mountain Temple was beautiful. My Favorite rooms were the sealing rooms and the Celestial room. The chandeliers were gorgeous, and the biggest ones were in the main room where you walk in, and the Celestial room. Very very beautiful.

So our tour was shorter than expected, (but hey! At least it wasn't the opposite.) and it started to rain. When we were in the courtesy tent (which was very awesome. it wasn't like a tent at all!), I had to go to the bathroom. Leave it to me to pick the worst time to have to go! It was Literally pouring buckets of rain! And the rain was not helping my situation at all. So, My friend who had already gone was soaked from the trip to and from the bathrooms. And I didn't know where they were. So, we ran out getting all wet and soaked from the rain. (There were little shade thingys but they didn't really help at all.) So I went to the bathroom, and ran back to the courtesy tent. I was all wet and getting rashes on my knees. Thankfully the courtesy tent had little heaters to sit by. My friend and I sat down and dryed off. We had two hours before our next appointment, so we had plenty of time to dry off.

So after the rain let up, we got to the cars and headed to the Draper Temple to do Baptisms for the dead! It was lots of fun, and I am grateful that I was able to perfom them. I was also glad to fix my hair afterwards. It was all poofy and frizzy.

Then, we went to eat dinner at the Myan! That was lots of fun. The Divers were awesome except for the fact that they were wearing loincloths.... After the shows they came out and talked to us (gibberish? or was it Myan?)

After that we my young womens leader mary spoke to us along with our bishop. He is awesome! I had a great time and loved their talks.

Sorry this is so late. :P I havent posted anything in a long time. Right after this I'll post something more recent. I'm thinking about starting a different blog about the current stuff going, cool books I've read, etc., etc.. 

Incubation: week 1

Before I start blogging about eggs, I have an announcement to make! Yesterday I found out that I won a scholarship from the Southern Utah Performing Arts Festival! I am so excited! I don't know how much, or what I'm going to do with it, but I am really excited! I went to play a piano peice at the festival, and I thought it was just to do it. Well, when I got there, they told us that they were giving out scholarships. I played nicely, and they loved it! I was graded Superior! Yay!

So, today my mom found three possible fertile eggs. I am going to blog their progress, and who knows? we might have a new addition to the chicken coop!
The camera isnt working in the dark, but we can see some movement, we can't quite tell, so it will be another couple of weeks before we can really tell what is going on in those little egg shells. As the saying goes, Dont count your chickens before they hatch. Last time we did this, we had nine possible fertile eggs, and only three of them survived. Hopefully this time they all survive!
Cya next week! :D

A midsummer night's dream...

Well, Commanwealth has been going really good! I have a paper and book to finish, and Book of Mormon reading to catch up on, and reading two new books!
This last week we read The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clayson. I tottaly reccomend that book to those who want to learn how to save money, it has some really good principles in it, and it is told in story form. I really loved it! One of my favorites so far.
I am really excited for this next semester of Shakespeare! We are going to perform a Midsummer night's dream, and I have been asked to be the assistant director! I am really looking forward to auditions, and to talking with the director about my ideas. Maybe later on I could direct my own play, who knows? This will help me to improve my acting skills, and by walking in the director's shoes once in a while, I will have a better perspective, and see things from other points of view.
For the play, our class has decided that we will place the time period in the Jane Austen era. I am really excited, because I had performed earlier in Pride and Predjudice, I will be familiar with the customs and manner of that time period. I can't wait to start!
I'll post updates about the play, (when I have free time of course) and will post lots more later!

When Pigs fly...

Wow, Its SNOWING again in southern utah! This is totally abnormal (hence the title). There are a few pictures I took of the snow. Its a great oppurtunity to let my inner photographer come out! I love taking pictures of the snow. Its so pretty! The only down side to it is that its freezing! I thought the reason we live down here is so that we dont have to shovel snow! It was snowing so bad that the roads were to icy to go to St George! And in St George there was no snow, it was cloudy, but no snow. How wierd is that?!

So this last weekend, I had the chance to baby-sit a pig! (hence part of the title) She was so much fun! Her name is Hazel. Hazel smelled like maple syrup, was potty trained, and slept on my lap for most of the time. She made the cutest noises and I wanted to keep her! She was so cute. A picture of her is below.
I'll post more later.

Crazy weather and Chicken pox

Today I have the chicken pox. Thats right, chicken pox. Its not too bad, I only have three, (maybe four) spots. I feel bad about not going to the fest and the white elephant party at the Bowlers. Dang it! I wish they would go away though, I might be stuck at home this whole christmas break. sigh...
We also have been having really awesome crazy weather! Its been snowing for three strait days! I am so excited! I'm dreaming of a white Christmas!
I'll post more later.

Nutcracker mishap

Its been a while since I've written, wow!

This Sunday, -as some of you already know- I sprained my right ankle. I was SO sad because this last Monday and Tuesday I had my Nutcracker Recital. Since Sunday I have been on crutches, -against my will- and have been trying to heal it. So for the recital, I was going to wear my Pointe Shoes, but there was no way I was going to be able to get up of pointe with a sprained ankle. I didn't want to break anything.

The Nutcracker went well, despite my injury. I danced in three numbers, The Chinese Dance, The Spanish Dance, and The Snowflake Dance. Luckily the first two were short, but I learned Chinese at the last minute, and was blessed to borrow a CD with the music from a friend. I felt pretty good about my performance, and the classes were few and small, so our recital lasted for about an hour. -which is pretty good considering the last few recitals with way too many little girls and dances.- The only thing that went wrong was in the Spanish dance, we had prop fans that we used throughout the dance, and in the middle, I dropped mine. I managed to pick it up and stay "snooty" as Ms Taz calls it. Other than that everything went smooth.

So, I cant wait for our pyramid hike tomorrow! I am still going even though my ankle is still sore. I will be okay, its not as bad as you may think, its a very small sprain. There is no bruising and the swellings almost gone. :) Can't wait to see everyone at the award ceremony, and I am planning on coming to the dance on Saturday!

Care and Share

This Friday the commanwealth went to Dixie Care and Share to donate food and help sort cans. It was a lot of fun and it went really fast because of how big our group was. We asked if we could do another box, but they didn't have enough food to sort. So those of you who can, please donate to the care and share. They go through a lot of food, especially during this time of year when it gets really cold. Plus the economy situation is hard for them as well, they are gaining more families that come to stay and/or get food.

After we went to sort cans, we went to Karlee's house to watch Kung fu Panda. It was great! I love that movie. I also found out what kind of an animal Shifu is, He is a Red Panda. I thought it was funny that they chose that animal to be Shifu, because Shifu at first is very critical of Po. Yet, Red Panda's and Giant Panda's are related.

Last night, I went to Tori's Church to watch The Pirates who don't do anything. It was an awesome veggie tale movie, and it had a great message at the end. I was kinda sad, Bob was only in one part at the end. I think he needs to be included more often, I hardly see him in other veggie tale movies. I love seeing him in the series, he is so awesome! They had a raffle at the end of the movie, and my mom got a box with the pirates on it. Ha ha!

I better go, I'll be going to a board meeting later for the community theatre. I might post more about that later.

Last night update

The last night went great! I am very sad though, Jen is going to move up north next week, and Colter may be too bust to do any more plays with the theatre :( I am glad that the perfromances are over, because I get weekends back, and that I can start memorizing the setpeice for shakespeare. I have made some new friends, and have been re-aquainted with some I have known in the past. Thanks to everyone who came! The theatre may be able to prosper with what we earned through the dinner, concessions, and donations. I will miss all of the cast members dearly, and I hope to see most of them at auditions for the next play!

Pride and Prejudice

Okay, for the past couple of days we have been performing pride and prejudice! It has been so much fun, and this will be our very last night. It is a bitter-sweet night, and I'll give you a recap on the last performance tomorrow.
The first night was awesome! Everyone did a fantastic job and put on a great show, we have gained many compliments from our audience, and they were completely absorbed in the show. It was an awesome first night!
The second night was crazy. Jen (Elizabeth), and Abby (Lydia) had the flu that night. All was well, and they are now fully recovered. Jen did an awesome job, but everyones energy was really low because we were so worried about her. Jen had to exit early for one of her scenes, but it was really good timing. We continued, and had a great night. We had just enough energy to give a great show.
The third night was my first time performing Lydia, I was a little nervous, but I had fun. I could not stay focused on being nervous because I was feeding off of everyones energy, and that made it so that I could not break character. I had a great time, and I can't wait until tonight to perform for the last time.
I'll post more tomorrow, and if any of you are interested, please come and see the play! Its at the "Old White Church" starting at seven. The play is free, and its first come first serve. Come early if you want good seats! I would suggest coming at 6 or 6 30.