That Time I Went Home.:) (Day two)

Today has been crazy! I went to Charizma and had my roots touched up. Goodness that makes me sound like a diva! However, my roots were terrible. I knew it was bad when guys started asking me if I colored my hair and the were not looking me in the eye. ;) I spent a lot of time in Charizma.

After my hair was finished I went to the seminary and then home. We had planned to go to Idaho Falls and shop for pants. Emily, Nathan, and I had to wait for Porter to finish a quiz. I was very impatient and said some mean, petty things. I felt dumb and terrible after. Nathan and Emily paid for Porter and I at Chuckarama. It's really weird being home and eating these big meals. I'm not complaining, it's a great weird! We went shopping at the mall and I got new boots, jeans, and a cute jacket. Thank you for the early birthday gift Emily. I promise I will get you a wicked birthday present.

On Sunday I'm singing in church and I had a chance to go and practice the song with some girls. The girls I'm singing with are great friends from high school. It was fun to catch up and sing with them. I'm blessed to be surrounded by fabulous people. Thank you Kiah, Karly, Jessie, Sam, and Kyle for being great people. I also had a chance to see some of my favorite Asians. I love being around little kids and was very glad I went to Mandy's house tonight.

I am very thankful for my family, friends, and music. Idaho isn't as boring as I thought and I'm glad I had a chance to be around great people today!

The Day I Went Home

Yes, I am back in Idaho! I can't believe how fast time goes when I'm here. I left Tuesday morning, I had to skip all of my classes that day. I admit I only went to one day of classes. I don't skip classes but I totally understand why some people do. ;) We found a ride with one of our childhood friends. I charged my iPod and phone and I was psyched to go home. Brett, Porter, and I made great time. A little under four hours for the whole trip. Upon arriving at home I saw my little brother and best friend, Nathan. He's one of the coolest kids I know and I am glad I get to be with him forever. After taking Nathan to work, we went to the school to surprise my mom. This was the first time I have been at the school since graduating and I do not belong there. It felt really weird but I had a chance to see some of my favorite people. I got to see my mom, Sherri, Debi, Vickie, and everyone else in the life skills room. On a sidenote, I miss the kids in the life skills room! They changed my life for the better and I'm so thankful for them. I also got to see the librarian, Mrs. Poulson.

My sister, Emily, had a basketball game that night and I was preparing to go and watch her. One of my favorite families came and visited me. Emily is an awesome athlete. She dominated at her game and made me very proud. She definitely knows the game and it shows! I got to see a lot of my high school friends. It was very fun to see people but I was very excited to go home. The rest of the night I talked to my family and then went to bed.

I am so thankful that I live close enough to come home for Thanksgiving. I complain a lot about being bored at home. However, this is my home. I love walking in and smelling my home. I know without a doubt that my family accepts me and does not want me to change. I am comfortable here and can't wait to spend Thanksgiving here.

You can just call me the Tort Queen. :)

Okay, not a queen but definitely a princess. I am studying to become a Paralegal. I have class every Monday for three hours. My teacher, Sister Frehner, is amazing. She is the Michael Jackson of Paralegals. I'm not even kidding. Sister Frehner is very eccentric and overwhelming. As a student in her class I can always sense her before I even see her. She is a convert to the church and has faced many challenges. She has four kids who are autistic and a daughter who is dying of cancer. She invest so much of her time and energy into the Paralegal Program. Sister Frehner also loves Torts.

This last week I had a huge group presentation on Torts. My group somehow forgot that we had to present and Sister Frehner did not remind us. Yes, I know that's my problem. We had five people assigned to my group and only two of us showed up. Sister Frehner showed mercy on us and let us have twenty minutes to come up with a lesson. Did I mention that the lesson had to be an hour and a half long? We somehow pulled it off and our lesson was amazing. We ended up teaching for two hours. We even had to cut out a fourth of our lesson. Sister Frehner always lets us out late and it use to annoy me. However, after teaching I realize that there is just not enough time. Torts is so interesting and I love what I'm learning!

I have to read this book every week. Our chapter consists of thirty to forty

pages. I have to answer ten questions and take really hard quizzes. Needless to say this book is NOT my favorite!

Lexi and I during our presentation. Yes,we matched without planning it. :) I know that I look terrible and tired but I had to show this picture!

This is what my dinner looked like last week. I had a muffin and pink lemonade. College food is crazy and I can't wait to have some normal food this week!

Crysta Moore.. She's Kind of a Big Deal!

What can I say about Crysta Ariel Moore. She's half Hawaiian, that alone makes her super cool. There is so much to say about this fabulous girl. She's kind, smart, sweet, beautiful, thoughtful, etc. etc. etc. She has perfect school attendance and ALWAYS turns her homework in on time. She has a really cool dog named BJ and Todd. She favors BJ over Todd. She has an adorable nephew and I just want to kiss his adorable cheeks! Have I mentioned she's half Hawaiian. Oh, and she's my roommate. I love having sleepover in her doorway. She listens to me ramble. She still likes me even though I'm sassy and mean. Okay, have I said enough? Do you guys know how cool she is?

This past week I had a chance to go to Baptisms for the Dead in the Salt Lake City Temple with her. We got up at five on a Monday morning to go. Crysta and I love the temple and we were super excited to go in. It was so much fun going with her and it made getting up super early worth it. I also have the chance to go to the temple with Crysta every Wednesday. I can't believe she still comes with me.

She listens to me rant, grumble, and just ramble about everything. Crysta is a great listener.

I have so much in common with Crysta and I'm so thankful that she's my roommate. Crysta is like a sister to me and I hope she is fine with me always being around. Crysta is a great blessing and I'm so thankful for her.

So, Crysta if you ever read this, thank you. Remembe

r that you deserve the best in eternity. You deserve a guy who will take you to the Manti Temple so you can be sealed for time AND eternity. Do not let anyone stand in your way. Don't ever waste time on someone who makes you hurt. Remember that there is a guy out there who is waiting to make you happy. You are a beautiful Daughter of God. You deserve the world and eternity! Love you Crysta. I'm glad you are my sister, best friend, and roommate!

Everything!!

So, I really am bad at blogging. However, I hope that this post will be able to make up for it. The past few weeks I've been asked if I like being at the LDSBC. Of course I love being here! I've already mentioned in an earlier post why I like the school, but why do I like the area. Salt Lake City has grown on me and I am starting to love it here. Most of the pictures in this post are from the first month and a half of this semester. I do not take enough pictures and I do feel terrible about that. Well, I 'm done rambling!

Okay, this has nothing to do with fun activities but it makes me laugh. I was working on an English Project when I noticed this on the wall. (Yes, I was distracted and I wasn't paying attention to my group studying!) I started laughing really loud, like I was hyperventilating. I had my group read it and soon they were laughing. This sign might only be funny because we know some of the students at the LDSBC but this represents some of our school perfectly.

Have I mentioned how much I love being close to the Salt Lake Temple? Well, I love it! My roommate, Crysta, and I have Temple Wednesdays. We have a chance to go walk around the temple and take a break from homework, problems, and just relax. We have not been able to go the past few Wednesdays and it's been terribly sad. For my family, I promise I do not walk around at night alone. Yes, this picture was taken at night but I had multiple people with me and I really was safe. (Photo Credit goes to Crysta!)

This picture was taken after my first week at school. We had just attended the first year of school dance. Which are exactly like stake youth dances. Unlike stake dances, half of the group are dating or engaged. Which means these dances are terribly awkward if you are single. Well, back to the picture. I went with my friend, Brynn, and roommate, Kylee, to Pizza Hut. We ordered a whole pizza, bread sticks, and cinnamon sticks box. We ate it all in like twenty minutes. I have never been so full in my life. Really, I couldn't swallow my last bite of pizza and I barfed. It was a great experience but I won't do that again for a very long time!

Okay, who is that cute girl? That beautiful girl is my sister, Natalie. She is sweet, sassy, and very smart. I had the opportunity to have her come and stay with me for a night. We got to watch movies, sleep in my big bed, go to temple square, go to the roof of the conference center, look at my school, visit Desert Book, and go out to eat. I loved having her here and I want her to come back. I don't know if I told my mom this story but I'm going to share it on the blog. Natalie is super sassy and not very affectionate. Well, I guess she's affectionate in her own way. Natalie had been sassy the whole morning and I couldn't believe some of the things she said! She had some money on her and I took her into Deseret Book. Natalie has a deep love for books and I thought she would want to buy a book for sure. Natalie was pulling out her money and I was so proud of myself because I really know my sister. What she said next melted my heart. She wanted to buy my mom a book really bad. She wanted to make my mommy happy. We looked around but we had no idea what books my mom does not have. So mom, Natalie wanted to get you a book and I stopped her. Natalie loves you a lot and she really wanted to buy you a book. I think she was going to buy you a cook book!

What a heart!! Crysta and I heart attacked our roommate, Katelyn, door. This was the most pathetic heart and the only picture I got of the hearts and door. Katelyn has moved back home and we really miss her!

My Aunt Debbie is an amazing person. She is a blessing in so many people's life. She works at Marriott and does a great job for them. I really do believe if she left the company they would all fall apart. This package came on a Saturday. It had been a really hard week and I was really down. Kylee brought this package up to my room. I saw that it was from my Aunt Debbie and I read her message. This was a huge tender mercy. It was nice to know that my Aunt Debbie was thinking of me. In the package was this bucket full of treats. It had popcorn,cookies, chocolate, and gummies. I love little things like this and I really LOVE my Aunt Debbie! Thank you again Aunt Debbie!

My Uncle J and Aunt Libby came to Utah general conference weekend. I got to spend Saturday night with them. My Aunt Libby and I had a chance to drive to Prove alone. My Aunt Libby is a really neat lady. She is one of the strongest, coolest lady I know. She has great advice and has been through a lot. I really can't put into words how cool she is. I am so thankful that I got to spend so much time alone with her. The Chelson side is really big and it's not very often that you get one on one time. Well, I also got to spend time with Natashya, Andy, Porter, Milt, and Uncle Jay. We went out to this Chinese place. We had to wait for the boys to be done with Priesthood Meeting and we ended up eating about forty fortune cookies. After dinner we went to a Frozen Yogurt place and I loved it. It was delicious and the whole night was amazing. I am very thankful for Aunt Libby and Uncle Jay. I love you guys!

This was the first meal I made with my roommates. W had chicken, rice, mashed potatoes, salad and Tang. I think there was vegetables too! It was a delicious meal and I can't believe how much has changed since then!

This, my friends, is Crysta. We spend all of our time together. She is my roommate, sister, and best friend. I had the chance to go do Baptisms for the Dead at six o'clock in the morning with her. She is hugging a tree on temple Square in this picture. I will write a blog post about her soon.

FOOTBALL GAMES. This was the BYU vs. U of U game. The game did not end well but I loved being with my brothers. We were so close to the field and I loved it. We spent the whole day on campus. We went to the creamery and had some delicious Ice Cream. I've been to a lot of other games too. I wish it was easier to get to Provo because I really do love the atmosphere there.

This was the same weekend Aunt Libby and Uncle Jay came to visit. My Mom, Dad, Brigham, and Nathan came to Utah. My daddy and Nathan were going to visit my Aunt Debbie and they came a day earlier to go to a football game and Brigham's appointment. This was the first time I had seen my family in a month and a half. I was so excited to see them! I had a chance to go to Brigham's appointment, go out to eat, and visit with them I miss them so much and it was great to see them. I felt bad I didn't get to spend more time with my mom and Brigham. It was a great weekend though!!

Some other things I love to do here are going to improv shows, dances, and parties. It's very hard to be bored here and I love it very much. I have a lot to catch up on and I promise there will be post very soon!

I CAN Do Hard Things!!!

Hello Blog! Oh boy, I really am bad at this blogging business. A lot has been happening recently but I won't really go into detail. I remember hearing from different adults that growing up is not easy, but what do they know!? Well, it turns out they know everything. (At least it seems like they do.) A few weeks ago we had a lesson on keeping the honor code. I wasn't really worried about this lesson. I had always been set in my ways and I've never toed the line. I know who I am and what I stand for.

I have faced multiple problems since coming to the LDSBC. None of them have been huge thing or a struggle for me. However, I have one huge problem and I've been putting it off to the side. I didn't think I was doing anything but I was wrong. Someone I deeply care for was putting a few people in my house into an awkward situation. I live in a house full of good girls and I have been blessed to have six wonderful girls living in my house. I thought that I was doing no wrong by not telling anyone what was going on in my house, well until I heard this story. The honor code counselor had us read this story in Foundations of Learning. I have always been a fan of Joseph B. Wirthlin.

Another lesson I learned on the football field was at the bottom of a pile of 10 other players. It was the Rocky Mountain Conference championship game, and the play called for me to run the ball up the middle to score the go-ahead touchdown. I took the handoff and plunged into the line. I knew I was close to the goal line, but I didn’t know how close. Although I was pinned at the bottom of the pile, I reached my fingers forward a couple of inches and I could feel it. The goal line was two inches away.
At that moment I was tempted to push the ball forward. I could have done it. And when the refs finally pulled the players off the pile, I would have been a hero. No one would have ever known.
I had dreamed of this moment from the time I was a boy. And it was right there within my reach. But then I remembered the words of my mother. “Joseph,” she had often said to me, “do what is right, no matter the consequence. Do what is right and things will turn out OK.”
I wanted so desperately to score that touchdown. But more than being a hero in the eyes of my friends, I wanted to be a hero in the eyes of my mother. And so I left the ball where it was—two inches from the goal line.
I didn’t know it at the time, but this was a defining experience. Had I moved the ball, I could have been a champion for a moment, but the reward of temporary glory would have carried with it too steep and too lasting a price. It would have engraved upon my conscience a scar that would have stayed with me the remainder of my life. I knew I must do what is right.

Oh dear, this hit home. I am lucky enough to be born of good parents. I can not remember a time where I was not being taught the gospel and everything else that goes along with it. Just like Joseph Wirthlin's mother I had been taught, do what is right and eveything will be okay. I didn't realize how hard it is to do the right thing until now. It would be so easy for me to just move the ball a few inches, or act like nothing is wrong. I CAN'T DO THAT!! After hearing this talk I realize that I wasn't living the honor code. I knew someone was doing something about the honor code and I wasn't doing a thing about it. I was cheating myself and everyone else who knew about the situation. I wasn't letting myself feel the Gospel fully in my house.

I dreaded coming home and feeling yucky. I would not want anyone to come into my house and I didn't have people come to the house.

So this week I grew up a little. I had to do things that made me uncomfortable, sad, and really hurt. I've always cared about people and when I really care about someone I hold onto that person for dear life. This week I felt like I was betraying someone I deeply care for. I had no idea how I was going to handle this situation. It didn't take very long to realize what I had to do.

When the burden becomes to hard to bear, drop to your knees.

Guess what? That statement is so true. I say my morning and night prayers, but this prayer was different. I was facing a hard trial and I didn't think I could make it through alone. It didn't take me very long to receive an answer and I guess I already knew what the answer was. I am never alone. We are never alone. I have an older brother who suffered for my sins and my dear friend's sin. He has felt everything that I've felt. At first I was really angry with my friend. How could she do something so horrible and be mad at other people for not thinking what she was doing is right. Then I had the thought. How can I be mad at my friend when the Savior loves her as much as she loves me. I have no right to judge her or anyone else.

I am so thankful that my dear friend has a chance to repent. I hope with all my heart that she takes the chance to learn of the Savior's love for her. I know without a doubt that the Savior, our brother, loves her as much as he loves me. I am humbled repeatedly the more and more I've faced this trial. I am amazed at all the Savior and my Heavenly Father have done for us. I can't imagine how hard it was for my Father in Heaven to send his son to atone for us. I am so grateful for the blessing I receive on a daily basis. I have been blessed with a great family, friends, and with trials. I am so grateful for the trust Heavenly Father has in me. I know without a doubt that we are not alone and we will be comforted. I am so thankful for the Gospel. I am so thankful that I am NEVER ALONE!

I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you. (John 14:18)