Some things I realized and or remembered this weekend...

For starters, I wrote this beautiful long entry I was extremely proud of, but then some of the new virus protection stuff I have on my computer led to it not getting posted. So now I'm kind of grumpy and you will get a summarized not as amazing entry. Don't blame me, blame the computer.

On to my realizations.

1. I love kids. I'm crazy about them. Sure I realize that they have moments where they are loud, obnoxious, annoying, rude, and so many other things. But that's really a result of the world we live in. Look at the younger children. They have this purity and innocence about them. You can't help but love them. Today at church I got to spend like ten minutes pulling faces at the little boy of the family sitting in front of us. It is so easy to make them smile! I love being home for church every once in a while because seeing the kids reminds me of where we come from, and where we can go. I can't wait to have children of my own, so that they can teach me that everyday. And that I can return the favor as they get older and help them make it back to the Father.

2. There are a lot people who have influenced my life and I am grateful for them. I saw my first grade teacher today(she goes to church in the same building as me). I always make sure to say hi and give her a hug when I see her. I love that she remembers me and always takes time to ask about my life. Her love when I was a student helped me to love school, which has directed my life a lot up to this point.
I also spent some time yesterday with some old friends. We don't get together a lot anymore, but when we do nothing has changed. They still know me, and love me for who I am. And I do the same for them. Their friendships and love have supported me through all of my hard times till now, and I wouldn't be who I am today without them.
Also today, I talked to my old YW president. I spent at least half of my years in YW under her direction and teaching, and she played a big part in who I am now. She taught us all that love is verb, and it requires action, not just words. She showed that to us as she loved each of us. She saw who I had the potential to become and she always believed in me. She taught me to have faith in my own dreams, and to strive to reach that potential. Today I realised that she still loves me, and as always is trying to help me strive to be everything I can be. I'm so grateful for all that she taught me.

3. I have been so blessed with my family. The other day my mom took me to the doctor(for my nasty cold, which is thankfully getting better). The nurse there was surprised to hear me refer to her as mom. She said we acted and spoke to each other more like we were friends. The truth is my mom IS my best friend. I probably spent more weekends with her in high school then I did with most of my friends, and I love that fact. I can talk to her about anything, and she is always there for me. I also spent a lot of time with my dad growing up, and although I'm a mamma's girl, I'm grateful that I am close to him too. Today we spent some time together while my mom was with my grandma. I love knowing that I can talk to him about life, and he can help me make decisions. And he always lets me know when he is proud of me. I love that my sister lives in Provo. I really want to spend more time with Sarah and Matt this summer, and I can't want to have a sweet little niece who is going to have the best mother ever. I love my brother. He and I are closer now than we have been for years. We talk about life with each other, and we've learned to accept our differences. I love going out to lunch or dinner with him and joking about how we both suck at the whole dating scene thing. I'm grateful that we're friends again, like we were back when he taught me to love matchbox cars.

4. I am happy. I am really truly happy. More so than I can ever recall being before. I know that I am doing what I'm supposed to right now, and I'm where I need to be. I love BYU, I love my ward, I love the friends I've made there. I have plans for my future and I'm excited for them. Life isn't perfect right now, but that doesn't mean I can't make the most of it. I have the gospel. I have people that love me. I have the world at my fingertips, and sure the world has been in better shape, but its still pretty amazing.

5. It is summer. And I want this summer to be different than any summer before. I want to enjoy the laziness less, and the adventures more. I want to read some classics. I want to laugh everyday. I want to make someone smile everyday. I want to try new things, to do something out of the ordinary. I want to discover who I am, and who I want to be. I want to immerse myself in the gospel and become more familiar with the scriptures. I want to improve the talents I known I have and discover new ones. I want to take some road trips. I want to spend more time in nature. I just want to do more with my life this summer. It is a goal of mine, and I will try to keep you updated on it.

Anyway, thanks for reading my shortened but still quite long blog entry. It may not be very organized, and I can't quite express all of my thoughts perfectly, but I wrote what came to me. The end.