Giving Thanks

In honor of the holiday coming up, I wanted to write a post about a few of the many things I am grateful for.

This past month or so, I've been keeping a gratitude journal and it's getting pretty full. It's a good feeling to reflect on how blessed you are and all the things we have to be thankful for.
Here are a few of my wonderful blessings:

1. My Heavenly Father and the testimony I have of him. I'm so thankful for the power or prayer and the knowledge that I have of my Father in Heaven. I feel his love and blessings everyday and I'm so thankful for that.

2. My Family. I have a different relationship with each person in my family and I'm so thankful for each one. I'm really close to all of them and I love their individual personalities. We have so much fun together and we're a really close family. They're amazing people and I'm so thankful that God chose to put us together. 

3. My boyfriend. He's a good man and a really hard worker. I'm thankful for a boyfriend who is also my best friend. We have so much fun together and we're always joking around with each other. He makes me laugh, laughs at my weirdness, puts up with me on my bad days and treats me so well.

 

4. My friends. I have the best and funniest friends in the world. I'm so thankful that they're as weird as I am and that we have so much fun together. We're always there for each other and I'm so lucky to have them.

5. My country. It's an incredible blessing to live in this free, beautiful country. I'm thankful for the people who fight/fought for it and freedom. I'm also thankful for the state where I live in this country. It's so beautiful!

These are just a few of my favorite blessings. I'm so thankful for what I've been given and I couldn't ask for a better life!

Getting Personal

I have been really wanting to share an awesome experience I had, but it comes with a personal back-story so I haven't yet. If you don't want to read something sappy, I suggest you stop now. haha!

Ever since I was a little kid I've struggled with really bad anxiety... like really bad (I like to think I hide it well) haha. I have times where it's more under control and times where I feel like I can't even handle it. Ever since my dear friend Cody passed away, my anxiety really showed itself. It's been a really hard year, since he passed and many other things that have really pushed me to learn how to handle it. I would also like to say right here, that my family is full of the most incredible people who are so patient and helpful with me. And that priesthood blessings are truly one of the greatest gifts we have been given.

So, now for the experience: a couple of Sundays ago, I was at a friend's mission farewell. The speaker before her gave a talk on how to prepare for conference. And to be completely honest, at first, I wasn't paying a ton of attention to the talk. Then she said that we should write down questions that we want answered by the speakers. And I was thinking, "I want to know how to better deal with my anxiety, or how to have peace from it." And I decided to write that down as my question. I honestly was thinking that I would have to dig through the talks to search for an answer to that question, because that topic isn't usually one that's just laid out in front of you... OH BOY, was I wrong!


Elder Jeffrey R. Holland spoke during the Saturday afternoon session, and honestly it felt like he was speaking to me (I've heard people say that so many times but this was the first time I actually felt it) and it was amazing! That was such a huge testimony builder for me.

This talk honestly greatly proved to me that God is very aware of every single one of us. It's so true that no matter the circumstances or problems, no matter how simple or severe, God cares and he wants us to be happy. I am so thankful for General Conference and for these amazing men and women who share such inspirational messages with us.

Even if you aren't LDS, I STRONGLY recommend you watch this:

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/watch/2013/10?lang=eng&vid=2722351290001&cid=10

You can watch other talks from this conference and past conferences, as well on: www.lds.org.

23!

WOW! I can't believe that I'm 23..

Birthdays were all fun and games for me until my 20th; that's when I started to think, 'Oh crap, I'm old.' And now all birthdays are the 'Oh crap, I'm old' kind! Even though it's just a day difference, I hate having to say that I'm 23 instead of.. 19. 19 is a good age. haha.

This was a great birthday though because I have THE MOST amazing family and friends ever. I seriously love every single one of them.

Here are a few pictures from my day. I don't have pictures of all the awesome people involved, but I'm just as thankful to them!
 

 

Zuchinni Bread

The other night I made zuchinni bread using a recipe I found on Pinterest and it was so good! In the process of making it, I came up with some alterations to the recipe that I am definitely going to try next time, and I'm really excited about that. 

Here are some pictures of the process:

In the process of being mixed together. Looks delicious, not..

I added chocolate chips to half of the batter.

The final product.

 Here is the recipe:

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 1/4 cups white sugar
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups grated zuchinni
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (or in my case, chocolate chips) - optional

 Directions:

1. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
4. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

 And enjoy it, because this is seriously delicious!

Vacation Time

Last weekend was SO much fun! We went on vacation to my grandparent's house in Oregon, and our whole family (aunts, uncles, cousins) was there. 

We were busy doing fun things basically the whole time and I loved it. It was really fun catching up with cousins that we haven't seen for a long time and now that a lot of us are older, it's a lot more fun. 

My grandparents live in a small town where basically everything is in walking distance. So we walked over to visit my Great-Grandma who lives in the same town, we walked to Baskin Robbins to get ice cream, and basically just went on walks for fun. 

We had a pool party and a BBQ, we had a big family party - complete with dancing and homemade tamales (yum!), we walked to the fairgrounds and watched the big fireworks and watched some idiots start a big fire while lighting their own fireworks there, we went to the Boise temple while my aunt & uncle were sealed together. It was so much fun. I love these people!

Here is a random collection of pictures from the weekend:

Dad & Sisters at the Fairgrounds.

My favorite baby, Brandon. He is so cute!

Half the family at the Fairgrounds.

The other half.

The fire the idiots (mentioned above) started.

FIREWORKS!

The "ball of fire" they do every year and the firework show.

Me and 3 of my beautiful cousins.

The Brothers

My brothers are honestly the two funniest people on this earth. I'm not just saying that because they're my brothers. It's impossible to be around even one of them without laughing, but when they're together it is like watching a really funny movie. 

I'm so, so thankful for my brothers for that and for so many other reasons. They are both such kind, caring people.
They set such a good example for me and my sisters. They both chose, on their own, to serve LDS missions. Of course they knew my parents want them to serve missions, but they were never pressured into it at all but they still decided that is what they want to do. I'm so thankful for that example and I'm so proud of them!

Look how cute.. haha.

Jeremy served his mission in Riverside,California:

Matt just got his call to San Antonio, Texas:

I'm so proud of these guys. They're so awesome, and I couldn't have asked for better brothers & best friends.

Humbled.

My posts have all been emotional lately, I know. I'll write something normal soon- I promise. But this weekend was far too humbling and incredible for me not to write about. 

On Friday night, there was a viewing for Cody. All week I had been planning on going because I couldn't make it to the airport when his body was flown in, which made me really sad. I went out to my car on Friday to go the viewing and I had a flat tire. I was so frustrated because I was already in a hurry to get there, and it was so important to me to go. One of my neighbors came outside and put my spare tire on my car, it was so nice! I was so relieved. Then I called Big O Tires and they said they were closing in just a minute. I asked if they knew if any other places were open, and they said that most places close at the same time. Then he said that he could wait and fix it for me when I get there. So I took my car and the employees stayed like 20 minutes late to fix it for me! I was so happy about their kindness! I went to the viewing, it was at his family's house. It was so cool to see the memorial his Dad set up for him outside their home!

They also had all of his awards that he's earned in the army set up at their home. He is such an honorable man. The other thing I was so happy to see was that there were guards standing next to his casket at all times! That shows so much respect to Cody, and that's exactly what he deserves. I'm glad our army shows so much respect to our fallen soldiers. 

There were flags leading all the way from the freeway exit to the Towse's house in honor of Cody. There were signs on businesses that said things about Cody and him being a hero, and there were flags lowered the entire way. It's all just so awesome to me! 

Saturday was the funeral. That was a rough day, but I was lucky to have one of my brothers and one of my good friends (who was also good friends with Cody) with me. 

Holly & I look more alike than Matt & I do.. haha

It was a sad day (obviously) but also one of the most amazing and spiritual experiences I've had. There were so many people there to show support to Cody's family and show respect for Cody. It was seriously amazing listening to them talk about him and how thankful they are for his service. I can't remember exactly who said this, but one of the speakers said, "There's nothing more patriotic than a casket with an American flag draped over it." How true that is!

It was such a humbling experience hearing about what these men and women (in the army) will do to protect each other. These people out there fighting for their country and their fellow soldiers are so brave, I can't even imagine being so strong. Hearing letters written to Cody from his fellow soldiers and about experiences they had together were so genuine and full of love. A man came and spoke at the funeral, who was the uncle of a soldier who lost both of his legs and part of one of his hands in the same explosion that took Cody's life. It was said that this soldier was trying to help his fallen brothers when this happened. How brave and how amazing. And to think, over here we complain about being "tired" or having a cold. Ha! Our soldiers are special people that were definitely sent down here for a purpose. 

Cody's sweet mother got up and bore her testimony. I can't imagine the pain she must be going through, yet her testimony is still so beautiful and so strong. It was such a testimony builder to me to see the mother of a fallen soldier get up and speak about about her love for the Lord. She is a strong woman.

Cody's funeral was being broadcast for the other soldiers (and whoever else wanted) to hear. There was a time when one of his uncles got up to speak about the LDS church's beliefs, since not everyone listening knew what all of the things being said meant. He mentioned why we say that we will see Cody again. And I realized that not everyone knows they will see their family & friends again after something tragic happens. That breaks my heart completely. I am so thankful that we are blessed to know that we WILL see them again and that they are on the other side rooting for us and excited for our reunion. We are so blessed.

Seeing all of the fire trucks, motorcycles, and Ambulance following the car taking Cody's body to the cemetery was one of the coolest things I've seen. It's so good to know that he's being shown the respect he deserves.

Cody was an amazing person. He was so hilarious and sarcastic and he cared so much about people. It's no surprise that he left this earth in the most honorable and respectable way possible, trying to save another person. The memories of our friendship will serve as a constant reminder to me to try to be more like him, and show love and genuine kindness to all people. 

I love you, my friend! I am forever grateful to you for your service to our country and for our special friendship. The example you set for me and love you showed to me will forever be in my heart and mind.