My Thanks.

So since Thanksgiving is approaching next week, I guess I'd better start post my "Things I'm Thankful for Blog." I'm going to write these things in no particular order, so don't get offended over anything. :)

First off, I'm thankful for the opportunity that I have to be here at BYU. My Mom was the one who really wanted me to come here and she felt like it was the place for me, but I was trying to settle on BYU-I. No offense to BYU-I, but I don't think I would have liked it. I'm so grateful to my Heavenly Father for helping me get my Mom's and Aunt's words through my thick skull. Yes, I am stubborn. One day I was sitting in seminary and ran across a scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants that just hit me and I was like, Oh man, I have to apply to BYU. Even though the doctrine wasn't given to the brethren in the intended way I took it, something within it pushed me enough to put my $30 towards to application. And now I'm here today, sitting in my room in Provo, Utah. I'm so thankful that I'm here and I know this is where I'm supposed to be.

I'm so thankful for my large extended family. I know I've said this more than once in other blogs but I just can't help saying it. I'm so thankful for them. It's always like seeing your best friends when you have a million cousins to talk to. I have cousins that are older than me by 30 years, I have cousins that are younger than me and some that aren't even born yet. I love it!!
I love hearing stories from my Great Aunts and Uncles and I love hearing about the crazy things my family has done in the past. There is a story that when my grandma was making a cake one time she had a mayonnaise lid close to the batter and somehow it wandered in the cake mix. So when they went to eat the cake, that mayonnaise lid was cooked in it!! It may not be important to you, but it's the funny little stories like that, that make my family all the more special to me.

I'm thankful for my cousin Ginny who counts down the days until I get home for Christmas. I know she would tell me stories about boys that she liked in high school and sometimes I wouldn't give her all my attention, but I love that she can tell me stuff like that. I hope that as we both grow older, she won't ever feel like she can't tell me anything. I'm always here for her as her friend and cousin. She is such a beautiful young woman!!

I'm grateful for my cousin Emily who will text me Hello? Hello? Where are you at?? Until I answer. Even though we live 2 hours away from each other back in Alabama, we don't ever get to see each other that much unless it's at some family gathering. I can't wait for her to come out here to Utah to go to school, it will be so much fun and I'm looking forward to it. I won't forget when we went to Jesse McCartney's little concert at Visionland that one summer. We were freaking out like little girls, but it was so much fun!! I am so thankful for her kindness in her family and to everyone around her, even when she doesn't feel like babysitting. I love you!

My friends at home,
Cecilia- The most random and sweetest girl I know. I threw a pencil at her in high school so she would wake up. I still remember when she moved to Decatur Ward. This girl from Nevada. haha. I really enjoyed getting to know her through high school. We became really good friends and I miss her so much!! She always makes me laugh, even if her comments are off color sometimes. Haha! Don't we all have those times? She has turned into such a fun and loving girl, I know she will have much success in her life.

Jessica T.- (I don't know who all reads the blog so that is why I put a T haha) You know, I don't remember exactly when I met her, but Jessica is one of the girls along with Cecilia that I can relate to the most back at home. We always had so much fun at Stake Dances, even if we were wallflowers we sat there and danced with ourselves :) Those are the times I won't forget.
I'm so thankful for her friendship and hope that we can remain friends for a long time!!
I love Ewe!

I'm thankful for the friends that I have made while out at school.

My friend Izadora who I met while turning in this tool I used to take my bed down at Wyview. We went on the bus together to the other side of Provo and we had no idea where we were, but we figured it out together. She's been a really good friend and I appreciate her thoughtfulness.

My friend Annette. What can I say about Annette? I don't think I have another friend who can make me laugh more. We have so much fun together! I love her random texts about David Archuleta and his newest news. We do laugh more than we breathe when we are together. Whether it's talking about the guys we have made code names for, quoting lines from She's the Man and Elf, or just eating food, I'm so grateful for her kindness and willingness to tolerate my randomness.

My friend and my roommate Steph. We stay up until 1:00 in the morning laying on our beds and talking about nothing. She is such a good friend. Sometimes we hide ourselves in our room just to get away from the world, it is very relaxing. I appreciate her testimony in the Church and the desire she has to serve others.

I know there are plenty more friends I have made while out here at college, and I have plenty more cousins I could write about, but that might take a while.


So here's to the main stuff I am thankful for. ....

I'm thankful for my parents. I am grateful for the values I was taught in the home. I am thankful to my mother who has the gift of music who exposed me to the beauty of wholesome music. I am thankful that she taught me how to read and made sure that I would grow up to be a Daughter of God. I am thankful for her testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through her service and devotion to our Savior, I have seen that she loves him and wants to serve him. He has greatly blessed our lives. Because of her testimony I have grown up with the doctrines of the gospel in my home all the time. I am grateful for my Father. Even though he passed away when I was seven, he taught me so many things in that short amount of time. I don't think any 5 and 6 year olds care about working in the garden. My Dad taught me to appreciate nature. Sometimes I just look at the trees and the flowers and their colors are so brilliant and I think, Thank you so much Dad for showing me to take the time to stop and appreciate these creations. My Dad taught me how to work hard and he always told me I was smart. I will never forget those times when we did stuff together. Whether it was arrowhead hunting, hiking, or fishing, he has left me with so many memories. I am thankful that he did these things without any prior knowledge of what would happen to him in his life. I can not wait to see him again after this life. Then my family will be reunited. I don't think words can express how much I love my parents. I am thankful that they were sealed in the Temple for time and all eternity. Their example has had a lasting effect on me.

Lastly, I am thankful to my Heavenly Father for the marvelous blessings he has given me in my life. Were it not for him, I would not be on this Earth today. He has given me life before I came here. He took the time to get to know me and care for me first. He knows more about me than even I do. Sometimes it's weird to think that someone knows your future and you don't, but I am glad that my Heavenly Father does. I know that when he is in control, he will make sure I'm taken care of and the best things will happen to me.
I am thankful for my Savior Jesus Christ. I am grateful for his humble nature. As the creator of worlds he came down upon this Earth but never once did he boast about what he had done before his mortal life. I am thankful that he loved me enough to die for me. I can not imagine the pain he felt, the sorrow, the depression and anguish that came upon him as suffered in Gethsemane. Here he took upon himself the sins of the world so that we could be saved in the Kingdom of God. I am thankful for the atonement and the ability it gives me to be able to repent and become forgiven of my sins. I am thankful for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, for Joseph Smith as a 14 year old boy that desired enough to know the truth and had the faith sufficient to call down the powers of Heaven. I am thankful for a living Prophet on the Earth today and for the knowledge that he receives. I am glad to be on this Earth today and to be sharing with you the things that are very dear to me. I hope that we will all be a more loving people this Thanksgiving, a little less selfish and a little more selfless.