Goodbyes Are Always Harder When They Aren't By Choice

I love college, I really do.  It is a wonderful atmosphere and everyone here at BYU is kind and loving.  On that note, I love home more. This weekend we had Monday off because of MLK day so my cousin, her boyfriend and I drove the 12 hour trip to Yakima Washington.  It was amazing. Being home makes me feel so loved and happy.  When I leave, I feel lonely for days after.  It just so happened to be that my best friend/high school boyfriend had his birthday on Friday.  When we got there Friday night, I showed up at his house to suprise him.  Best birthday present ever! Saturday I worked with my family at my dad's glass shop, cutting 1 inch mirrors for an upcoming play.  I know it sounds weird and lame, but I had so much fun just bonding with my siblings.  When Sunday night rolled around, goodbyes were hard.  If I could, I would stay home and give up on school.  I would regret it in the future when I was 30 years old and still living with my parents without an education, but I love it so much.  If you think spending time with your family sucks, and all you want is to get away and hang with friends, get over it.  Friends come and go, but family lasts forever.

Home

I'm back in Yakima!! I love the atmosphere in Provo, Utah but nothing can even compare with being home with your family.  Yesterday I completed the 12 hour drive just in time to eat some quick dinner at Taco Bell (my favorite restaurant in the world) and make it up to my old high school and watch the basketball game.  I got to spend time with my family and chat with some of the girls I used to cheer with! I miss them tons.  On top of all that, I watched the edited "21 Jump Street."  If you're mormon and you've never heard of these edited movies, they are great. It started with a company called clean flix and since they have changed names a few times, but basically, they take any movie that is originally "R" and they make it PG-13 or better.  They remove any sex, language, or nudity so it becomes appropriate and family friendly.  It's so much fun to be able to watch these movies that always looked so great but were a little too inappropriate.  I'm way glad to be home for these next few weeks.  I'm sure I'll miss my Utah friends, but friends are nothing compared to family, especially during the Christmas season.








Missed my siblings, they are so great

My cheer girls.  Miss these days.

 

Flash back to cheer state 2012

 

Meg's Poem

Yesterday in ward prayer, Meg shared this poem she had written with us.  I loved it and wanted to share it with anyone who wanted to read it.  She is an excellent writter. Enjoy!

The Greatest Gift

By Megan Wright

Far from home on Christmas Day

And not because I’ve lost my way

I travel here, on foreign shores

To spread a message door to door

A message of the reason why

God’s Holy Son was sent to die

A child, born in a lowly state

So humble, with such a tragic fate

He’d live a life so good and clean

That no common man could have forseen

That he’d invoke the wrath of kings

All weary of the truth he brings

And yet his death had been fortold

By every prophet, new and old

But men forgot, for when he came

All other babies born were slain

With hopes that he would be included

And his short reign on Earth, concluded

Forgotten, was the joy he brought

Though all their lives they had been taught

Yet he survived, to grow and teach

In temples he began to preach

Rejected again, but some began

To listen and to understand

The truths he spake were soft and clear

They showed that man need not fear

“Come drink,” he said, “And thirst no more.”

And so they did, and their spirits soared

“Come with me, and be fishers of men.”

And so a discipleship began

He walked Judea with Apostles twelve

Missionaries, not unlike myself

He taught them through example sweet

He blessed them, and he washed their feet

And with them he did heal the sick

With Priesthood power, not conjured trick

He caused the lame to walk and blind to see

He called back the dead and fed the hungry

His mission was not to conquer and rule

But to serve his God, to be His tool

To save the children, though not from Rome

But from their inability to return home

To be reunited with their God and King

And this was why he had to bring

His disciples to Gethsemane

He said, “Sit ye here and watch with me.”

But one by one, they fell asleep

And as he knelt, our Christ did weep

“Father, take from me this bitter cup

Or couldst thou somehow interrupt?

If this dark hour could only pass

If my great burden could be less vast

But I’ll always be thy faithful son

So, Abba, let thy will be done.”

And so the Atonement did begin

He felt every pain and every sin

His pores did bleed, from head to toe

Such suffering we might never know

Because he took our place that night

So that our burdens may be light

He saved us from an awful fate

From our inborn, “natural man” traits

He truly was our Savior then

But his suffering had not come to an end

For one of his disciples twelve

Betrayed Christ, for money for himself

The soldiers took our Lord away

And despite how many people prayed

That somehow he would be set free

He was sent to Calvary

He was esteemed as not, like common dross

Whipped, and told to carry his own cross

His physical strength was pushed to the brink

Until upon his knees he sank

The soldiers, angered by the pause

Chose another man to carry his cross

And so they led them to the hill

Where the Redeemer would be killed

Now, because he had bled from every pore

In that Garden, only hours before

He was filled with pain at the lightest touch

He felt every blow so very much

So when they nailed his hands and feet

His suffering was made complete

Yet as he hung above those men

He asked his Father to forgive them

“Forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

He meant both Roman and Hebrew

And after he’d given his utmost

Our God and Savior gave up the ghost

His faithful Apostles, all filled with gloom

Took his body to Joseph’s tomb

They laid him there, in linens white

And there he stayed, for two more nights

But on the morn of the third day

Mary went to where he’d been laid

She saw his body was no longer there

And her heart was filled with such despair

That when he came and asked her why

She had a reason to weep and cry

She did not recognize her Lord

And through her blinding tears implored

Where had he taken her lifeless God?

But then she saw him and she was filled with awe

“Go tell my disciples what thou hast seen,

that they too will know where I have been.”

And though Thomas doubted, they all saw

That Christ had satisfied the law

He had overcome the jaws of death

That we may breathe again after our last breath

And so even now, men laud his name

So grateful that to this Earth he came

And yet, on Christmas, some do forget

Why God’s own son, Mary did beget

Why he was born in Bethlehem

Why wisemen sought to bring gifts to him

And this is why I am abroad

At Christmastime, on foreign sod

To spread a message, the reason why

God’s Holy Son was sent to die

He died for us that we might live

The greatest gift anyone could ever give

Family Time

I love my family.  We are the strangest, randomest group, but we have a lot of fun together.  Looking through our pictures, I'm starting to realize that outsiders probably judge us, but that doesnt matter, because we love each other and that's what matters.  I decided to include some pictues, so you can get an idea of how we have fun. Enjoy!


When we were little, we were cute and very normal.

We stayed normal for quite a while.

 


One Christmas my sister Alyssa and I decided a fun idea would be to put on our swimsuits and boots and scarves and have a photo shoot in the snow.  It was only a few minutes before my whole family had joined in.  We ended up sending out this photo as our family Christmas card in 2011.

In this picture we had just finished playing mud football.  A family in our home ward puts it on every year and we have a blast.  While this picture didn't quite make the christmas card, we still all love it.

 

This picture is the one that actually made the Christmas card.  While we all dressed nice for it, I find it odd that we felt the need to stare of in the distance.  Every two years we take an offical family picture to send out so our friends don't think we are too strange.

Since I've arrived at college, things have continued to go strange without me.  I woke up one Saturday morning with a text from my dad "Hey, check out my new facebook status, it's my most popular one yet."  When I looked at it, I found this picture along with the label "Friday night is ninja night." what can I say, I love my family!

Dec. 3, 2012

Sometimes the smallest things can turn your day from bad to good.  Today was an average day. I went to my classes, slept through my classes, ate some Taco Bell and took a test.  The test is where it started to go downhill.  I had studied for this chem test (though not enough, you can never study enough) and spend a solid 2 hours taking it.  I turned it in with the best of feelings! You know the feeling, when you feel like you got 100 percent and you just can't wait to see your score. For all of you not familiar with BYU testing procedures, everyone takes tests in the same room with a few thousand other people at the same time.  When you finish, you walk down the stairs and see your score projected on a screen.  As I walked down the stairs expecting to see my 100 percent glowing I was slapped in the face instead with a solid 56. 56! That's an F! I was so disappointed. 

I slowly trudged back to my dorm in dispair.  When I got back, I scrolled through my email for a few minutes only to discover I had a package! A package! Best day of my life! I've never gotten a package before.  It completely turned my day around.  It's not even what the package contained, but the idea that someone cared enough to send it.  It makes me so happy. 

On an even happier note, tonight was just a super fun night! I went to FHE and built a but kickin awesome gingerbread house, went shopping with some girls in my hall, and worked out (P90X ab ripper as well as insanity).  I'm just feeling super good!  Night!

December 2, 2012

Today I decided I need to start a blog.  I'm a horrible at keeping a journal, but I thought that by keeping it online, I would be able to update my thoughts much more frequently.  I don't plan on sharing this blog with people I know, but if you come upon it by chance, I guess feel free to read it.

A little about me.  I am 18 years old and grew up in Washington.  I am now at college in Utah trying to have fun living my life yet being obedient and smart at the same time.  I come from a family of 6, the second child of 4.  I love my siblings and parents very much.  I am mormon, I know it, I live it, I love it. 

Sometimes I feel like my life could be made into a movie.  I am a typical girl, which means I'm redicoulously emotional, I have gone through break ups but I can never make them last, and I've had a few of those kisses that you regret immediatly. 

Through high school I was a cheerleader, which I loved.  I started cheering in 10th grade and was one of only 2 sophomores on the team.  I also participated in some school plays, honors society, asb, class office, track, and worked in a small family dental office.  My high school years were a blur of fun memories, too much school, and mistakes i'll never forget.

I'm a student at BYU (if you haven't already figured that out) studying to go into dental hygiene.  The end of next summer I plan on going on an 18 month mission to where ever they send me.  I love my religion and cannot wait to serve the lord.  My life is average, but my life is great.  I have many great friends who love me and a family I could never live without.  That's about all I have time to write today, but I'm going to try to write on here as often as I can!