Pictures

These are just some more pictures of the semester! I have loved every minute of this Fall! (:

The roomies and I! Usual Sunday picture.

Me and Kaitlin at ward prayer.

Roommate Picture

Katie, Kaitlin, Brooke, Erin, Me

What can we say? We love Christmas, and Christmas Sweaters!

Beautiful Rexburg Sunset (:

Me and Miss Kaitlin.

Putting the star on the tree!

We are addicted to nail polish, to say the least. 

It's Only Tuesday

Unfortunately, school is kicking my butt, and if I had any sense at all, I would be doing about a million times better. But, I don't regret how much fun I am having, and how much I truly have loved spending time with all the people I love here in Rexburg. 

This week I has already been one of my favorites, and it's only Tuesday. 

I got an email not only from Sister Taylor, but from Elder Mickey and Elder Campbell as well! I love them both so much, and it was so nice to hear from each of them. They are uplifting friends, and I am obviously so blessed to have them as a part of my life. What amazing examples! 

It makes me even more excited to serve, since I have such amazing and supportive friends who are already doing the work. 

I AM SO BLESSED.

Roomies and some Cocoa Lodge

Oh boy am I blessed. I am so glad that I decided to do another semester up at school before I left. I wouldn't have traded the memories I have made just in this one semester for the WORLD.

For starters, one of my roommates from my first two semesters up here is ENGAGED. I can't even believe it. I am so beyond happy for her, and her fiancé is the sweetest kid in the world. Thank goodness. Otherwise I would totally have to beat him up. I'm tough. 

The best part about it is I get to fly to DC for her wedding!!! How lucky am I? 

Isn't she a beaut? Seriously. I love her to pieces. 

Every Sunday we take roommate pictures, and even though we hate staying in our church clothes for longer than we have to, I am so glad that we do. I have so many now, and it is fun to have them to keep and remember forever. One day when I have kids and they are looking at my pictures they will ask me about how neat my friends were, and I will get to tell them all the wonderful stories in the life of 307. 

Matt was one lucky guy!

We snuck Brooke in one (; Always our roomie at heart!

Happy Halloween from 307!!!

Also, my roommate Erin got her mission call. I am beyond words excited to have someone else in the house that is going on a mission! She is such an amazing example to me, and she will kill it in Cincinnati, Ohio! Woot Woot. (:

Try not to be jealous of all my amazing friends that I have in my life. I love them SO much. I really really do!

Lovelies. 

Kit Kat 

Matt

We ended our week with Kaitlin's performance at Nashville Nights, and a little bit of hot cocoa from the Cocoa Lodge! It was so yummy, and so fun to be there with all of my amazing friends. 

Brookie 

Erin, Brooke, Caitlyn, Kaitlin, Kaylee, Courtnee, Katie, Kat

Crazies

Blessings.

No one really tells you how lonely the waiting period is between getting your call, and actually leaving on your mission. It amazes me how you can be at such a high point, and such a low point at the same time. In saying that, I know that the adversary is working extra hard, and for some reason Satan likes to make me feel like a lot less than I am, especially because I have now become boy repellent. 

It's interesting, because when you have your call and you are preparing to leave, it's as if you are dying. Everyone sort of treats you as though your time here is so short, and that they will never see you again. It makes me laugh, because Kadee used to always say "I don't know why people treat me like I am dying!" I never understood what she meant till now! But one thing I do want to say, is that for anyone who does decide to go, this "limbo" is really hard, but you will make it through. Especially when you rely on the comfort of Heavenly Father, because He totally understands. He really does. 

I may not know it all, but I do know that I'm not dying, and once I do my work for the Lord, I'll be back, and happier than ever. Because I know that by giving myself to the Lord, I am able to gain true and lasting happiness.

I Know Where I'm Going!!!

Waiting is one of the hardest things in the world. We as human beings (at least most of us, I would assume!) have a hard time waiting. Okay, so maybe it's just me. 

I had decided in Florida that I wanted to serve a mission. I had thought about it a lot before, but the timing just wasn't right. Living in Florida and meeting people from all over the world just showed me that it was something I wanted, and had the potential to be really great at. I had the chance to make amazing friends, some members, and some non-members. It gave me the opportunity to teach them about mormons, especially because most of them had either never heard of a mormon, or just heard all untrue things. I was an example, and because of that, they wanted to know more and more everyday. 

I came home from Florida and had my meeting set up to met with the bishop the very next day. At first, I realized that I wouldn't be able to see my best friend, Kadee for more than two years if I decided to go, but she insisted that I serve, so it was decided! After all of my appointments, I was finally ready to wait. Which is all it felt like I did for about two weeks. Wait. Wait. Wait. 

THEN. Finally, on Saturday, September 7, 2013, I was called to serve in the Viña del Mar, Chile mission. I was overwhelmed with joy, knowing that this was the very place that the Lord needed me, and I couldn't even believe it. 

One thing I do know is that the Lord knows each and every one of us, and is more than willing to bless us. He does every single day, even when we don't realize it. I am blessed to be able to serve the people of Chile, and I hope I can bring hope and joy to their lives, just like this gospel does to mine. 

Disneyworld - Day 61

I can't even explain how much time has literally flown by. It is the craziest thing. I feel like just yesterday I was stepping off the plane, and now I am down to six weeks here in the sunshine state. Which I really don't understand why they call it that, because ever since I have moved here, it has rained at least 50% of the time. That isn't even a lie. I love it though. It is the perfect storm.

Work has been amazing. I had the chance to work in another area that is owned by Disney. Working at the ESPN center was amazing. I would tell people I was working there, and they would think it was the coolest thing in the world. At first I didn't want to, because come on, I know nothing about sports, and frankly, I really don't care. But I loved every second of it because of the people I met, and the experiences I had there. 

I have met with the missionaries here a couple of times, and I am so glad that they are called to serve the college program members of the ward. They have been a huge blessing, and have made a huge difference in my life. I am so grateful for those elders. It reminds me every single day of how amazing my best friend is! I love her and miss her so much!

I feel so lucky and blessed to have had this opportunity. It really has been a once in a lifetime chance, and it has changed my life. I wouldn't trade it for the world! Just having the chance to go to magic kingdom and see Wishes the other night helped remind me how lucky I really am!

Disneyworld - Day 36

I can barely even believe how many friends I have made already. I thought it was going to be so much harder than it really has been, and I have been having so much fun. 

A few days ago I went to Paradiso 37 with my friend Kelsey from work. We had so much fun. I loved it there, and we got to people watch while we ate the amazing food! 

I also had the chance to go to Magic Kingdom with Kourtney and Lauren, which I talked about in my last post, but I never posted the pictures! So here they are.

 Repunzel's Tower

 Cinderella

 Aroura

 Rapunzel

The Little Mermaid ride

It has been such an amazing week, and I know that there will be many more to come! I had the chance to talk to Kadee, and I miss her! She is so funny it makes my day. 

I definitely will be posting more about my weeks as more things happen. I love this adventure, and I am so happy I am here!

Disneyworld - Day 29

So many amazing things have happened, I can't even believe it. I really feel like I live a dream sometimes. Which I really kind of do. The thing is, a lot of people give me a really hard time about moving away from home. But honestly, I have grown so much more than I ever would have if I stayed. I love being here in Florida. I really do. I had a hard time at first, but I have met some amazing people, and I love the rain here!

Yesterday I went with Lauren and Kourtney to magic kingdom. There is a girl in our ward who is a princess, and so we went to go see her, and it was so neat that we got to see her in character. We also got to see our friend Morgan while we were getting our Dole whip. Which is so good!!! I could eat it every single day of my life. 

I finally got to email kadee back and forth the past two weeks. It has seriously been a huge blessing, because I can't remember a time when we didn't talk for even a day. So it has been so hard to get used to, but it helps that she is LOVING her mission. I am super happy for her. 

Today I am going to go swimming with Lauren and Kourtney. I am so happy that I met both of them. It is interesting, for those of you who don't know, how I met both of these wonderful girls. I met Lauren and Morgan on a Facebook page a little while back. Morgan had messaged me asking if I needed a roommate, and I was so relieved, because I needed one. She told me it would be me, her, Lauren, and a girl named Tessa. Tessa backed out a few months before because she decided to serve a mission instead, and we were so happy for her!! So Morgan, Lauren and I ended up meeting up at the airport, and flew to Orlando together. I am so glad I got to know them, because we have all been close ever since. I met Kourtney through Lauren and Morgan. I went over to their house one night, and she was there. She happend to go to school in Cedar, which is really close to where I live. She knew some of my really good friends, Emily Clark and Elizabeth Harrison, from high school. What a small world! 

I love my life. I really do. I wouldn't trade my experiences for the world. I love doing new things, even if it is really hard at first. I have met people who have really changed my life, and I am so excited for these next three months!

Disneyworld - Day 14

In order to keep track of the days that I was in Disneyworld, I started to number them. I'll talk about more than just my life here at Disneyworld, but it will help me remember later what days of my blog I was in the happiest place on earth! 

Tomorrow is such a big day because my best friend in the entire world leaves to Philadelphia! I am so excited for her to finally be there. I know that she has been so excited, and I can't wait to hear about all the amazing experiences she will have there. I miss her all the time, but I am so happy that she is happy. 

One thing I have realized when it comes to change is that attitude is everything. Though coming here to work seems like a dream come true, it wasn't for me at first. I am pretty sure I called my mom the night I got here begging her to let me come home. I am so glad that she told me to wait it out a couple more weeks before I made that decision. I realized that my experience here completely depends on my attitude, and what I decide to make out of this experience. I will either love it or hate it, and I know that that depends completely on my attitude. Ever since I realized that, I love it here, and I am so happy I decided to do this.

The coolest part about living here is that there is so much to do and explore. How cool is it that I live at Disneyworld?!?!

On that note, I am off to go try and get pictures with some of the characters!

Disneyworld - Day 11

I know, starting at day 11 might not make any sense at all. But I would be lying if I said I had been on top of blogging, because if I was on top of it, It would start with day 1. So, here we are; Day 11.

Disneyworld has been absolutely amazing. Honestly, Florida in general has been amazing. I love it here, and it is green everywhere! 

Wild turkeys, lizards, worms, snails, and so much rain! Definitely not St. George or Rexburg.

The best part about working here is seeing how happy everyone is. I mean, they are in the happiest place on earth, right? The kids here are so excited. I was working in the area with all of the princess stuff, and one little girl ran up to all the dolls, picked each one up and said "Oh my goodness! Mom!!! Look! It's Ariel! It's Belle! It's Cinderella!" It was so precious to see how happy she was. It makes my job that much more fun. Definitely so rewarding. 

I'm having a really hard time with the fact that I am too big to fit into the princess dresses. I see them everyday at work, and I want to cry. It makes me wish I was a little girl again. 

I LOVE MY JOB. I am so lucky that I had this awesome opportunity! 

It's official!

Tower of Terror at Hollywood Studios.

Work uniform.

Hot air balloon ride at Downtown Disney.

Rainbow after the downpour at Magic Kingdom!

The pool at my apartment building.

Sister Kadee Elise Taylor

How lucky am I to have people in my life that make saying goodbye so hard?

The one thing I realized most in the past week is how crazy the journey of life really is. In saying that, I also want to point out how amazing it is also. 

This week has been one of the hardest in my life. I have said goodbye to a lot of friends of mine, including my best friend of 8 years. Though I have cried way to much, and tried talking her out of going, I could not be more proud of her. She has always been such an inspiration to me. I know that she will change and bless the lives of so many in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The good news is, I know that she will be my best friend forever. I know that everyone says that, but I really know we will be. I am pretty sure we begged Heavenly Father to let us be friends here on earth. I know that I wouldn't have made it as far as I have without her. 

What I am excited for is our letters and emails. I know that they will be so full of the spirit, and it will continuously draw us closer not only to each other, but to our Savior as well.

What a journey life is, and what a blessing. 

I am so blessed and full of thanks to have Kadee in my life. 

College Baby!

A week ago, I left home to go to college. It was probably one of the hardest things I have ever done. But now that I have been here for a while, I love it here. I love being in Rexburg. It's super freezing here compared to St. George, but the spirit here is amazing. I have met so many people and have made so many friendships that I know have made me better and have changed my life. I have 5 other roommates. Kadee, Erin, Lauren, Brooke, and Michele. I love EVERY single one of them. I honestly could not have asked for better roommates. I love being around them and we all get along so well. I love being here, and I am so glad I chose to be here, because I know it is exactly where I am supposed to be. 

My mom and I drove up separate from Penny and Kadee. We stopped in Salt Lake to hang out with Tiffany and her girls. Then the next day we drove the rest of the way to Idaho. When we got here we walked around campus, and moved into my apartment. 

I really loved being able to spend that time with my mom. I love her a lot. I didn't think it would be that hard to say goodbye, but it was. I really love my family, and being away from them has made me miss them. 

But, all in all, I am way happy at where I am at in my life. I have so much that I want to accomplish and do, and I know that the Lord has provided a way for me. I am just taking the steps necessary to get there, and I am more than willing. 

I LOVE COLLEGE!!!

Our desks (: We kinda love Marilyn Monroe.

The front door area. (and our babe magnet)

The front room TV.

My messily organized closet. 

Beds.

Our bedroom door.

Our bathroom. 

Our wonderful jewelry holders. Thanks to Pinterest.

The kitchen.

The dining room area.

The living room (:

California Trip

So, not that my family is crazy or anything, but we really decided to go on this trip they day we left. 

I honestly love my family, and I was so happy I got to go on this little trip with them before I left. We really had an amazing time seeing the people of Venice Beach and playing in the ocean. There were a lot of different people there. I'm happy my parents don't like me to be super sheltered. Because it really humbles me when I see people a  lot worse off than me. 

Anyway. We didn't have a whole lot go on. But I did want to take some time to write on my blog that we took a trip before I left. Mostly just for me. (: But also for anyone who follows my crazy thoughts. 

I'll never forget that a black man walked by me and said "Hey there white chocolate!" 

That was my nickname the WHOLE trip. Haha. I love people. 

Anyway, goodnight my friends. Until I write again!

Answered Prayer

From day one we learn that trials are part of our life here on earth. We will all have situations in life that bring us to the point of giving up and losing faith. I've been there, and honestly, lately it has been a daily struggle. Although trials come both big and small, they can change your life. They can be life consuming, devastating, and heartbreaking. But I know without a doubt in my mind that these struggles and these challenges help us grow. They teach you to trust in the Lord, because He is never going to put you through something in this life that you cannot handle. 

I know that my Heavenly Father is very aware of my trials. He sees me every single day fighting the battles of this life. He knows me better than I know myself. I have tried to make it through some of these things on my own. I would ask myself how would praying really even make a difference? My family is still struggling, money is still an issue, and I haven't felt more alone. I couldn't even fathom how a simple habit of prayer would change any of that. 

One night, everything just wasn't going right. I came home from work, went to my room and knelt by my bed, sobbing. I felt so helpless. I had always known that Heavenly Father was always there. He always wants to talk. We just have to put in the effort, and he'll respond. But as I grew older it just seemed less and less necessary. But on this night, I prayed. I talked to Heavenly Father about everything. Everything I was feeling, what I was going through, the timing of it all. I mostly just talked to Him. More like a conversation. I can't even tell you how much better I felt just after praying. My problems didn't go away. But I felt comfort, and He knew that that is exactly what I needed at that time. 

Days passed. I still woke up to the same struggles, just with a better attitude. Now, I'm not saying it was a perfect attitude, but I knew that I always had Heavenly Father, and He really was there. It helped me get by, with more hope than disappointment. I continued to pray throughout these days. I felt better and I felt strengthened, but I told Heavenly Father that I still felt alone at times. I needed someone I could talk to that could relate and just help me get my mind off of myself and focus on others. 

Which brings me to today. Where my prayer was answered in a way I never would have expected. One of my really good friends, had announced on Facebook a few days before that he was home for a couple months because he has to get ankle surgery. I so badly wanted to see him, but had no way to get ahold of him, considering he never got of Facebook after he posted that. This kid was one of my really good friends, and I was sad that I probably wasn't going to be able to see him before he left. But, I just left it at that. 

Tonight I came home from a really long day at work. Then I went to visit one of my friends in the hospital with Mitchell. The visit went well, but things have just been really off with Mitchell lately. So we got in an argument when I dropped him off, then I came home and sat on my bed just thinking. I got on Facebook just to pass the time. All the sudden I see my missionary friend post something and I couldn't believe it. It was about midnight and he was on Facebook. I hurried and messaged him asking him how he was doing and told him that he should really talk to me because I missed him. He messaged me back and we decided to meet up. 

I have not laughed that much in so long. He is so filled with the spirit, and had so many amazing stories. But at the same time, he was the exact friend I needed for this king of situation. He had gone through exactly what I'm going through right now. He knew how I was feeling, and he made me feel like I wasn't alone.  I knew in that moment that Heavenly Father was very mindful of my situation. He had blessed me with an opportunity to learn and grow from someone who knows me and knows my situation. It wasn't the answer to my prayer that I was expecting; it was SO much better. I am thankful for His mindfulness and for blessing me with this amazing missionary friend in my life. 

I am so blessed to have been raised with the gospel of Jesus Christ. He is mindful of every single one of our needs, and there is not a day that goes by that I don't believe that. Prayer is so important, and if we just ask our Heavenly Father for strength, He can and will help us through the roughest times. In my case, he helped me through someone else. I am forever thankful for the merciful blessings that are presented in my life each day, and I hope I can keep that mindset throughout my life. 

Hard Times

I always joke about how I think Heavenly Father finds my life humorous. I sometimes think to myself that He just needs a reason to laugh, so that's why my life is so crazy. 

I absolutely hate money. It brings out the absolute worst in people, and it really tears families apart. You would think that  a strong family could make it through money issues with a closeness and a bond that is unbreakable. Especially a family who has made it through the worst of things. But life seems to prove other wise lately. I find myself trying to put the pieces back together, but it's not just a one man job. 

I have a lot on my mind lately. I have so many things to think about and to figure out before I leave. Saying I'm stressed is seriously and understatement. I try to work through it and figure it out, but most of the time, I really have no idea where to even begin. 

All I know is that it is never easy to fix a family that is falling apart at the seams. Guys. This is totally one of those things that I thought would never happen to me. I have grown up with the best family in the world. I have an amazing mom and a hard working dad. I have amazing siblings. But lately, everyone just gives up on everything. That has never been my family. We don't give up. We don't let the hard times get in the way of loving each other and growing from it. But this time, everything is different. My parents are fighting, my siblings are fighting, stress is at an all time high for everyone. 

I feel so guilty sometimes. Like it's my fault. I feel selfish that I'm going off to college in two weeks and leaving my family a mess. But how am I supposed to fix it? I really can't. I've tried everything I can think of. I'll clean the house in the middle of the night so no one has to worry about the house being a mess. I'll go visit my mom at work to try and put her in a better mood, but she always comes home disappointed and often times more stressed than ever. 

I seriously sometimes just have days where I come home and cry. I have never felt so helpless. I know this all seems so dramatic, but seriously, it's a rough situation. I've never been through anything like this before. It's a burden that I carry very heavily and I honestly am weak enough to admit that I am not handling it well. 

Maybe it's the Lord's way of helping me grow. I really don't know. But all I know is that through this trial, I have never felt more alone. I wish things were different sometimes. But I just always have to remember that there are blessings in trials. I guess that has to be enough hope just to push through this, even if my family doesn't make it. I have to. 

I Am One Blessed Girl

I cannot even believe how fast the days go by. I swear I blinked, and then all the sudden I have two weeks left here in my comfy small town. 

I've been spending a lot of time, as much as I can anyway, with the people I love the most. It's been really hard to put it in perspective that things change. Who knows, when I get back, things could be so different. People you love change and grow into the person they are going to be for the rest of their lives; so do you. That's just something I have to learn to embrace and be okay with. No matter what, I'll always love the people I leave here, and the memories that surround every inch of this place. 

On a more happy note, not that I'm not happy, just a lot of thoughts, I have been having a lot of fun. I just love the boys that I have grown so close to over the past 3 or 4 years. I got to see them yesterday, and I really can't help but smile. They really all have a huge part of my heart. They are such good guys and I can't wait for us to grow up and to see where they go in life and what their future holds. 

Funny, isn't it? How we love to see how other's futures pan out. Maybe not a lot of people think that way, but I sure do. I love being happy for people. I think it is the neatest thing to see your peers accomplish their dreams. All I know is that I wish everyone the best of luck, and if you have a dream, there is no reason for you to not reach it. 

I had a really long, good talk with Mitchell last night. That's the neat thing about him; I can honestly talk to him about anything and everything. I really feel blessed that he's in my life. He's just one of those people that make you know Heavenly Father is watching out for you and answering your prayers through that person. He's really just been a comfort. Something I haven't really had in a long time. I do have other comforts in my life, especially my best friend. She's my number one always. But seeing as how Mitch is a boy, he just is a different kind of comfort. I mean that in the most respectable way. We look at things differently, but in the same respect, we can totally see each other's views on how life works. It's nice to see things in a different light sometimes, and I'm thankful I can learn from him. He's a good kid. I'm super lucky that he's one of my best friends. I'm just more thankful than I can muster up the words to express, but I know the Lord is answering my prayers and looking out for me, and it very well may be through him.

I was thinking a lot today about my mom. I was a punk in my earlier teenage years and had a hard time with my mom. Now though, we are closer than ever. I can't picture myself packing up and leaving her. I really don't want to. She's one of the main reasons I am where I am today. Her example and influence has had such and impact on my life. I feel like when I leave, I could very well be so lost without her. She has a tough shell, and she doesn't let world catch her in hopelessness or failure. She has always been amazing that way. She's always been strong, and if anything, I hope I take that same strength with me in my life. I really love her. I couldn't imagine life without her here. It's safe to say she is my best friend. Guys, I get her as my mom for life. How lucky am I?

I am one blessed girl. That is something I realize every day. I have a loving caring family that is happy and together. I have the opportunity to go to college, and not just that, I get to go with my best friend in the whole world. I get to be surrounded by people who have the same beliefs as me, and people who want to be successful. I have two jobs, which have really helped me get through this tough economic time. I am blessed to be here. To be healthy. To have people in my life who love me, and want nothing more than for me to life a great life and to be happy. I love who I am. I love that I always have someone watching over me, and that life is eternal. I am so thankful for what I have and for having the drive to write my thoughts and feelings down, no matter what they are. 

I don't have all the answers to life. But I do know that if you live it to the fullest, and your happiness is genuine, and your deeds are sincere, you can't really go wrong.