January..

Okay so besides my ode to Bum I decided to really write and update you all on what's been going on this last month. I can't believe how fast January has gone by. I'm in a new apartment living with one of my best friends Michelle and we are having a blast. January has been an interesting month full of ups and downs. School is busy, but going by fast. I'm trying out for the soccer team here at BYUH and I've been practicing with the team so that has been really fun! It's lots of hard work, but of course it's worth it. Well to start off I had the opportunity to talk to Rachel a few weeks ago on the phone. It was great to hear from her! We thought she might have to come home from her mission since she's been having some problems with her joints, but as it turns out she can stay out there. The doctors have determined that she has Lupas, an autoimmune disease that affects your joints, but she has a positive attitude and isn't letting that keep her from doing the Lord's work. I'm immensely proud of her and was so excited to talk to her. I found out I am going to Africa this coming May again and I plan on staying to live there until August. I can't wait to go back to my second home. Africa means so much to me and I can't believe I have the chance to actually live there. My best friend Kelly is going with me and I am so excited to share this life changing experience with her. I just found out the people out there need dustless chalk so I'm starting a collection of dustless chalk. If any of you want to donate some you'll be directly benefiting the African children at our school, St. Catherines. Please let me know! Out here in Hawaii I've had some chances to go on some neat adventures including a hike called Stairway to Heaven. It's beautiful hike with literal stairs going straight up the mountain. It was really tough, but so worth it. We got to the top just before sunrise and the sight was breathtaking. Only god could create something as beautiful as that. It's rainy season here in Hawaii so you all know what that means. MUD! Yep I get to play all the mud football I want out here and I love it! I've been getting the chance to play in the mud a lot and of course that always makes any week a good one. This month I have been finding out some bad news about some really close friends. I just found out my dear friend has breast cancer. My thoughts and prayers are with her through this difficult time. I've been talking to another friend about her choice to leave the church. As hard as it is to stand by and watch her do it, I understand. Life changes quickly and you just have to embrace it as it goes by. Well those are the updates thus far. It's hard to believe so much has happened in only a month and yet it's gone by so quickly.

Ode To Bum!

I'm posting this blog to write an ode to my dear friend Bum. Bum the cat was such a good little cat. He passed on a few months ago, but it feels as if it's been ages! He was 22 years old and every time I see a different cat they just don't compare to sweet little Bum! Goodbye sweet Bum! We will always remember you! He's in a better place now..

Some things I'm grateful for..

-I’m grateful for friends in my life to remind me of who I really am and who I want to be. I am blessed with some of the greatest friends and examples in my life. I know that the friends I have in my life are not by chance. They were all put here to help me and for me to help them. We all learn from each other and love one another.

-I am grateful for the love that surrounds me in my life. The love of family and friends that surpasses anything I could ever have hoped for. I am grateful for the power of that love to overcome any trial or tragedy. The love shown to me uplifts and strengthens me. I would be nothing without that love. Love is the universal element in this world. We all have the capacity to love and to be loved. How blessed we all are to have such a merciful God to provide us with this love and to be our example of perfect love.

-I am grateful for the things that enrich my life like music, art, and culture. Music is the heart’s way of expressing itself. There is no other way to describe it. Music uplifts and inspires me in ways that nothing else can. Often times I find myself wanting to jump up and shout because of the way music makes my heart soar. Often times, moments of deepest thought and meditation come when music is there to set my soul and mind free. It releases me from the filth and grim of the world and sets me higher, in a place where I am free. Art has the same power to release the inner soul’s thoughts. I am so grateful to be able to draw and paint so that I may better express the things inside of me in such a therapeutic way. Art can tell so many different stories to so many different people. It can be exactly what you want it to be at any time

Sisters Forever

I was just looking through some of the old videos Rachel and I made and I couldn't help but post at least one. We were so crazy. I think we had a little too much fun..