Gratitude #26

I am grateful for pretty things.
Let's face it, my apartment is dull, so when anything pretty gets hung up it's all any of us can look at.

Here are my latest endeavors:

This so doesn't look as good with the flash, but it's blurry without it.

This is what I did while everyone else was at church on Sunday. 

I was feeling way too sick to be around people.

I strung some lights at the upper part of the window and then tied an ornament to the end of a string and strung some glitter covered styrofoam balls that I found at Sierra's on it.

After that I hung them from the window bar thing :)

I made this wreath over break. 

I used some foam pipe covering to make the circle and duct taped the ends together

After that I hot glued ornaments to it. It's not perfect and I honestly think I could use some more small ornaments to fill in gaps, but it looks pretty good from a distance ;)

Also, I love this area I live in.

When my team went to DC my sophomore year we all missed the mountains and cheered when we flew over them on our way home. 

There is certainly no greater beauty than God's creations, am I right?

Gratitude #25

You know those days when your pink eye comes back (boo) and then you go to Student Health and they give you eye drops that make everything better?

I'm grateful for that!

This is the chemical structure of my eye drops :)

I find this super interesting.

....Yeah, go ahead and say it. I'm a nerd.

Yay eye drops!

Gratitude #24

You know those days when you know the worst part of the flu is over because your appetite comes back in FULL FORCE?

Or those days when your pink eye decides to clear up so you can wear your contact lenses again?

How about those days when you quite possibly didn't get all the way through Othello (like not even close) and then your English class is cancelled?

Yeah, I'm grateful for those days :)

I just hope my English teacher didn't cancel class because she came down with like...tuberculosis or something like that.

Gratitude #23

Yeesh, I've got some serious catching up to do!

I am so grateful for the time I get to spend with my family.

It's crazy, I had never even met little Hyrum, but I had all this love for him saved up inside. When I finally got to hold him for the first time it all bubbled over and I was so happy this special little red-head was going to be in my family for eternity.

I just can't get enough of this little guy!

Or this one...

Or little Grey...

And then there's sweet little Phoebe...

And Gwen!

*Yikes, what was I talking about again? Oh yeah...*

It was especially nice that Logan and Rachelle and the little girls were there to help us decorate for Christmas this year (sorry, didn't have my camera with me). Most of our ornaments ended up at the bottom of the tree, but I was just happy that I didn't have to do it all myself.
*I spend way too much time trying to make the placement of the ornaments random, which, if you took McMurray's stats class, you know is impossible...it makes for a very tiring activity*

I also love just playing games with them :)
I even beat Logan a few times at Blokus until he figured out a good strategy which totally trumped mine.
*sigh* Such is life.

Gratitude #22

I am grateful for the teachers I had in high school.

I went back to the high school today and sat in on my little sister's seminary and calculus classes (yeah...nerds do that).
It made me realize how much I really miss my old teachers.

Brother Hegemann is super awesome! We had a great discussion about judgment and then finished the hour with a discussion on gratitude.
I sure love talking about gratitude :)
We truly are blessed to be living here aren't we?

Mr. McMurray was my favorite teacher in high school.
He has a really great method of teaching and I seriously miss his classes.
I took two math classes my senior year so I wouldn't miss anything haha
I sat in his class for twenty full minutes right in front of his face before he even realized I was there...
After he was done lecturing we sat around and talked about all the good times we had in his class.

There really is no better math teacher than McMurray and no better seminary teacher than Bro. H.

Gratitude #21

I am grateful for dreams, both conscious and... unconscious.

I was raised in a family who strongly believed in reaching for your dreams, and I'm grateful for it because it has made me a hard worker.
I believe that if you don't dream, your life is practically not worth living.
If you don't have something to reach for, you will never grow.

I am also grateful for the dreams you dream when you're asleep...I don't know why. Maybe because they're entertaining.
I dunno what I ate last night, but I had a seriously weird dream.
I was sitting in a high school type class and Michael Jordan walked into the room, but instead of freaking out because I just saw Michael Jordan, I ran around the room trying to elude him.
Apparently Michael Jordan had a bad gall bladder. He knew this because he was having referred pain in his right shoulder (oh the fun things you incorporate into dreams when you've been studying for A&P).
I was the only person in the entire world who was a compatible donor for him, so he was after me.
He and his minions almost caught me...but I was victorious!

My friends and I then devised a master plan just in case he tried to get me again.
The next day he showed up again and I shouted out UTES UTES UTES (which is weird because I couldn't care less about college sports). My friend held up a credit card swiper thing and I swiped a student ID card, which opened a door on the opposite side of the room.
I dove into a getaway car again and my driver drove us away.
Michael Jordan was also in a car, hot on our tails.
Unfortunately for him, he got in a turn lane and we lost him for good.
Me and my gall bladder were safe and sound.

Yeah...don't ask me where that came from.

Gratitude #20

I am grateful (one day I will stop trying to spell that greatful...oh bother) for poetry.

I have always been absolutely fascinated by poetry and have always had an urge deep inside me to write my thoughts...but I don't have a fabulous gift for it.

Every now and then I will get lucky and get my thoughts just right, but it doesn't come without some help.
My little sister and I have been emailing back and forth some poems we are working on and in this way we give each other comments and suggestions.
Thank goodness for email....Maci and I are both very strong willed and we think we're right the first time, every time, so it can be difficult for either of us to give the other constructive criticism right to their face. Email is the perfect media to have some distance between us when we tear each other apart haha

I think one reason I love poetry so much is because it's a very musical form of writing.
In honor of this Thanksgiving season, here is one of my favorites:

When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed
When you are discouraged thinking all is lost
Count your many blessings, name them one by one
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done


Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly
And you will be singing as the day goes by


When you look at others with their lands and gold
Think that Christ has promised you his wealth untold
Count your many blessings, money cannot buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high


So amid the conflict whether great or small
Do not be discouraged God is over all
Count your many blessings, angels will attend
Help and comfort give you to your journey's end