Soda Springs Graduation 2011

On June 3rd I made the trip to Soda to see some of my best friends graduate from high school.

These are the gifts I made for Carley and Brianne.

As I've said before, I am not a poet, but I gave it a shot. 

I printed off the pictures and framed them.

If you want to see them full sized, just click on them :)

My dearest friend Carley and I after the ceremony.

I can't believe that it's already been a year since I was in her place!

She's going to be studying cosmetology in Utah.

Mr. Boulder and Miss Emeria had a little reunion!

Nathan is going to Carroll College to become an Orthopedic Surgeon :)

Bradyn  Bradyn Bradyn...he is going to USU to study aviation.

She got her diploma!

NOT!

I think just about every graduate has a picture like this.

(They have to turn in their gowns to the office before they get their diploma)

Brianne!

I love this girl so freaking much!

She's not sure what she wants to major in,

but she is minoring in Photography at BYU-I

Congratulations graduates of 2011!

For a look into my life during the last week, click here.

A legacy

I got a message on Facebook from my friend Allison saying that she and the rest of the stake heard a story about me at seminary graduation last night.
I found this a little odd because I haven't lived in Moscow for almost four years.

She later informed me that Brother Banks was speaking about how sometimes God makes divine signatures on certain times in our lives.

He shared the story about how I met Brianne Kline, the girl who changed my life.
If you don't know there's a watered down version here. It's down toward the bottom. Reason number 8.

I honestly didn't think that this story would make such a big impact on anyone's life but my own.

Brother Banks got up and told everyone that he had asked my permission to share this story 

(It was YEARS ago! It may have actually been right after I bore my testimony about it at Youth Conference)

I don't think he would have taken no for an answer anyway.

He also told them that he had been waiting three years to share this story.

Why he waited that long, I don't know. 

He must have felt impressed that someone needed to hear my story at that time and not before.

It's crazy for me to think about:

Did I really make a difference? 

In my hour of despair, did I maybe change someone's life?

And without the knowledge of it?

All I can say is I don't know, but I hope whoever needed to hear it that night did.
I hope my legacy will live on in the hearts of those who heard it.
And I hope you all know what a big impact this has made on my life.

Blessing number 21

Memories ♥

Whenever my siblings are in town

we sometimes sit around for hours

talking about the memories we have

about growing up.

I'm grateful for all of these memories.

Good and bad

and for the lessons they've taught me.

This is Brianne and I at Bear Lake last summer.

This was the only time I've ever been to Bear Lake

and it was so much fun!

We flipped a canoe over and tried to stand on top

and rode the waves on inner tubes.

This is a picture from the Suns/Jazz game I went to with Bradyn.

This is the first and only professional basketball game I've been to

and even though the Suns lost, I think it's one of the best games I've ever seen.

This is a group picture from my junior prom day date.

We went to Logan and picked out ugly outfits for

our dates from DI. 

Then we wore those outfits

and went ice blocking down Old Main.

We scared sunbathers and started a stampede

and basically had the time of our lives.

I miss these guys!

So...

Let me explain this picture.

This is a poster at Marsh Valley High School

and every year during Nerd Bowl

someone on the team takes a picture of it.

Our team got a kick our of making fun of

this poster every year.

I miss Nerd Bowl!

This was my 18th birthday party!

I was planning my own party, but my friends

surprised me with one a few days before my birthday!

Carley told me that she and MaRhea wanted to

play games at MaRhea's house at 7

so I headed over without doing 

my hair or my makeup or getting dressed for the day.

(It was a lazy day)

I was sure surprised when I walked in to see

all my friends.

They're the best.

This is also from Nerd Bowl.

Shelby drew Superman symbols 

on all of our hands and we 

called ourselves Super Soda all day.

Then we lost...oh well.

Maci and I the day we were driving to Idaho Falls

all by ourselves.

We alternated the colors of our shirts and 

hair bows.

We got comments on it all day

and gave each other high fives 

whenever someone noticed!

Orange and purple! Represent!

We came home once to find a mountain

of snow in front of our garage.

Maci and I set out to clear it...

then we got bored.

So Maci would scoop snow into my shovel

then I would throw it over my shoulder.

One year at Girl's Camp we were Ireland,

so Carley and I wore Ireland boxers

all around camp all day!

So much fun!

And just like everyone else, I have my blonde moments too.

I don't remember how this happened....

All I know is one second the can of soda was next to the sink

and the next it was falling down the garbage disposal.

It was too far down to get our fingers around

so we just kinda left it there until dad 

came home and used the kitchen tongs to get it out....

we definitely should have thought of that.

I have tons more memories I could share,

but that would take YEARS!

I love my friends and my family and all of the 

memories we've made together.

Here's to many more!

8 reasons I love my life

Reason number one: I have awesome roommates. I was worried

at first about who I would be rooming with, but they have both

turned out to be totally awesome. I knew I would be rooming

with Mystie, it was the others I was worried about. As it turns out

I only have one other and we all get along great! :)

This is Mystie putting the finishing touches on our Sunday dinner. 

It was a last minute thing. Sky high nachos :)

Reason number two: I have awesome neighbors.

Here's the story. We went to our neighbors apartment to

plan some ideas for FHE (He and Mystie are FHE parents). 

We got done with our planning. We were really bored.

Mystie saw a pile of Nerf guns. Ideas began formulating.

We had an awesome Nerf gun war. 

We had to go home to finish some homework, which was a bummer :(

When I was sitting in front of my Biology homework

I got a text from Jeff that said, "I have an idea. Hmmmm."

I got up and locked our apartment door :)

A couple seconds later he rang the doorbell. 

Then he rang it again. 

Then he started knocking.

Kenna (my other roommate) grabbed her marshmallow gun and loaded up.

Mystie grabbed a pot and filled it with water.

I grabbed Kenna's rubber band gun, but I was too late.

Kenna had already opened the door and Mystie had already

doused Jeff with water. He responded by attacking us with a pillow.

When he went back to his apartment Mystie got

a stack of post it notes and wrote, 

"You better watch your back" on all of them.

She and I went over to their apartment and taped them all over the door.

The next day when I came back from Bio lab I saw

one of the post it notes taped on our door. 

We went over and wrote TWICE on the ones still on their door.

...then Jeff opened the door and unloaded a Nerf gun on us.

Reason number Three: Once a cardinal always a cardinal.

I went back to Soda for the homecoming game.

Long story short, we lost. Bad.

But that was okay. It didn't change anything about my feelings

for Soda Springs, Idaho.

It was there that I found my testimony.

It was there where I became who I am today.

It was there where I learned what true friendship was.

Where I came to truly appreciate life and all its joys and blessings.

That's why I had a hard time understanding why my senior class

couldn't wait to get out. I LOVE going back.

Reason number Four: I have totally amazing friends.

This is my best friend, Carley after she was presented as Homecoming Royalty.

(All the female candidates are presented at the football game. Queen is announced the next night at the dance.)

We've been through a lot together, and I love her for

staying by my side through the worst of it.

Doesn't she look beautiful?

Reason Number Five: I love my family more than anything.

Every time I come home Maci asks to sleep in my bed.

I truly love her with every fiber of my being

(even if it does take her an HOUR AND A HALF to get

ready for a freaking FOOTBALL GAME)

We have lots of fights and arguments, but we've been

best friends since we were itty bitty. I still remember

going out into the hills in Salmon and just walking around.

Or looking for "Fool's Crystals"

Or riding our bikes in circles for HOURS because we were too afraid

to ride them down the hill. 

Maci, even though you do take entirely too long to put

on your mascara, you mean the world to me.

Reason number Six: I love my puppies.

Sigh is far from being a puppy. I can't believe we've had him for

seven years! Or maybe it's eight...

I call him my pooch, even though he's a family dog.

I never get enough of the way they run up to me

and look at me with those big brown eyes and wag

their entire butt trying to wag their tails. 

And I can NEVER say no to their puppy dog eyes.

These little guys are the BEST!!

Reason Number Seven: I live in an amazing country.

Sure, we have our problems, but I can't think of anywhere

else in the world where I would rather live.

September 11.

Wow, it was nine years ago today.

I remember getting on the bus as a fourth grader. 

I sat in my assigned seat, second one back on the left if you were facing the driver.

The substitute bus driver kept calling things out like,

"An airplane just flew into the World Trade Center!"

and

"There's been another attack! Another plane has flown into the World Trade Center!"

I had no clue what was going on.

I didn't understand it.

I wouldn't even BEGIN to understand it for another couple years.

I look back and I am so grateful that the people of this

country came together nine years ago.

People gave their lives doing what they do.

I will forever be grateful for them.

Reason Number Eight: The Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I wrote this Psalm in seminary last year.

Brother Hegemann glued a copy of it in his hymn book.

It goes to the tune of A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief.

There have been times when I have strayed

And slow to listen, I've disobeyed.

But I have seen blessings great and small

That show thy mercies conquer all.

I love Thee Lord, I'll give Thee praise

I'll worship Thee in all my days

So then when I see Thee again 

I'll know Thy name I did defend

I have seen FAR too many things in this life

that have been another witness of what I know to be true.

If I ever start to have doubts, all I have to do is think of

Youth Conference 2007. The week where God answered my prayers

in a BIG way. Brianne Kline, you don't know how much you

saved my testimony. And all you did was show up to Youth Conference.

I don't know how many of you know the story...so I'll tell it again. 

Sorry, this post is getting really long.

I had known for awhile that we were moving to Soda Springs.

I was happy, but I was SO scared to have to start again

and make new friends. 

I remember the night I hit rock bottom and fell to my knees

crying and asked God to help me. To help me make friends easily.

It was the first prayer I had said in months. Maybe even a year.

When I showed up to Youth Conference I was put in a family

group with a lot of strangers. On our way to the campsite I

started talking to a girl with gorgeous blond hair.

I asked her where she was from and I finally

got her to say the name of the town (she was convinced I had never heard of it).

Soda Springs, Idaho.

She was a violinist.

She was every bit as shy as I was.

She was God's answer to my prayer.

Yes, these are the reasons I love my life. :)