Big Bro and Big Sis

Sibling rivalry... it's just a natural state of being that occurs when you're only 19 months apart. It's not that you don't like each other, it's just that you're a little too close for comfort, you know? You spend your early years fighting, but then this miraculous thing happens and all of the sudden the fighting stops and you're the best of friends. You wonder why the heck it took so long, why you were always competing with one another, and why the heck your sister and new brother are trying to leave you! (okay, tangent for another time, haha). Why couldn't you just be proud and love each other? Well, this week I was definitely proud of my big sis, and my big brother for that matter. I'm always proud of them, what's not to be proud of? They are the next generation of geniuses afterall. So graduation came and went, and here's what's going down: Carolyn graduated in Dietics and is headed off to a medical internship this fall, which should be pretty interesting, while Daniel graduated in Physics and Computer Science, and will be researching at the University of Michigan, working towards his PhD (told you they were smart). Wish them luck!

(and of course, I'm cut off here....)

You HAVE to see this--My New Idol

This is AMAZING! You seriously HAVE to watch this!!! I would post the actual video, but it's copywritten, so click on the link and SERIOUSLY, WATCH IT!!!!!!!!! I have NEVER seen Simon's jaw drop like this before--he was absolutely STARSTRUCK--it's soooooo inspiring!

SUSAN BOYLE
Britain's Got Talent

Also, check out this quick interview with one of the judges, Amanda Holden:

Yeah, and this is only the first episode of the show! Still MORE to come!

Little Purple Pansies

Little purple pansies touched with yellow gold,
Growing in the corner of my garden old;
We are very tiny but we try, try, try
Just one spot to gladden, you and I.

I love little purple pansies; they are so adorable, with their little funny faces always looking up at you. I have always loved them, ever since I was a little girl and my Grandpa Karl would sing that song to me. Whenever I see them, I think of him, of the beautiful flowers, and of Spring, and well, everything about them just makes me happy! So, in the spirit of Easter and the BEAUtiful! sunshine that we are having today (yay!), I decided to make a cake, and today's cake would be covered with little spots of sunshine--just something more to gladden you and I, well, at least I anyway. ;)


(The pansies really are purple, the flash from the camera makes them look blue.)

Easter: The Atonement of Jesus Christ

A friend of mine made this video that illustrates the Easter story very well (Thanks to Mike Batie):


Amid the candy and colored eggs and cute little bunny rabbits, let's try to remember why it is that we have Easter--and try to keep thinking it all throughout the year. I know that personally I find myself getting caught up in the business of life, and often forget the real reason we are here. Remember WHY it is that we can be happy--only Christ and His atonement could allow us to experience true happiness, to live now and to live again with Him.

"At this Easter season of hope and renewal we testify of the glorious reality of the atonement and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The empty tomb brought comforting assurance and provided the answer to the question of Job, “If a man die, shall he live again?” (Job 14:14).

Because of the Savior’s resurrection we will overcome death and become the beneficiaries of His mercy and grace. In a world of trouble and uncertainty, His peace fills our hearts and eases our minds. Jesus is in very deed “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

We give our sure witness that Jesus is the Christ. Though He was crucified, He rose triumphant from the tomb to our everlasting blessing and benefit. To each member of the human family He stands as our Advocate, our Savior, and our Friend." --First Presidency Easter Message

We have life because of Him. We have happiness because of Him. We have hope because of Him.

Doctrine and Covenants 6:36-37 "Look unto me in every though; doubt not, fear not. Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments, and ye shall inherit the kingdom of heaven. Amen."

My new do?

So, I had the bottom half of my head shaved, and some of my more tactful friends sent these to me as a few suggestions for my new do:

I think I will definitely keep the top half of my hair, and I am a big fan of color, so maybe I'll go with this last one. Maybe a few of these color extensions:

Who knows, it could be fun. :)

The Bride of Frankenstein

Today marks the final day of monsterhood--my staples came out! This morning Sister Dr. Kendall stopped by and pulled out the 17 little staples that kept my neck together this week.

It's been 9 days since the surgery, and I'm still alive (amazingly). Yesterday was probably my hardest day yet, but on the opposite end of the spectrum, today (so far anyway) has been my best day yet. Cheesy, but I guess the night truly is darkest before the dawn.

Oh So Loved

You know how girls like flowers? Well I LOVE flowers. You know how you always secretly wish that someone will bring you flowers for your performance, or birthday, or at the hospital? Well, I secretly wish this every day. I secretly wish that flowers will pop up every time I enter a door. My weakness when I grocery shop is not the chocolate goodies in the checkout line, but the beautiful flower arrangements near the produce. So, imagine my excitement when I woke up from surgery to find a bouquet of the most beautiful, cheerful sunflowers waiting for me!

It truly made my day. Seriously, that was all I needed. And yet, it didn't stop there: roses, lilies, daisies, cookies, cards, Jamba Juice, visitors, calls, you name it. I hardly had time to rest in those days at the hospital and a few after.


This is going to sound silly, but I never realized that I was oh so loved. Really. The last few weeks everyone has done so much for me, it's ridiculous. I can't explain why, they just do. I'm not complaining, oh no, I'm beyond grateful. It's a great feeling. So thank you, THANK YOU! for everything you all have done, whether it was a gift, a kind word or even just a kind thought sent my way, it's worth more to me than you will ever know.

Creativity

Creativity is something that has been a part of me from day one. I LOVE to be creative, I just love creating things. Heck, I even got an awesome scholarship for being creative (and if you don't know what that is, click here, but shame on you). I've struggled trying to figure out what I am supposed to do with my life, but when it all comes down to it, there are two requirements: I want it to allow creativity, and I want to help people. Is that really so much to ask? Sometimes I wonder if that is too lofty of a goal, but today I think not. Thanks to LDS GEMS, NIE NIE, and YOUTUBE, I found this little beauty:





To be able to create now and for eternity? Like, think about it, this is our purpose and destiny? How cool is that?! I guess I never thought of it that way. These silly little hobbies of mine, well, turns out they aren't so silly after all. Who knew. In the words of Henry David Thoreau, "The world is but a canvas to the imagination." With all this in mind, I suppose my goal is that we all expand ourselves just a little more. I've noticed that over the past little while I have trapped myself in a box, and my creativity is poorly suffering. I wanted the "fun college life" and somewhere along the way lost myself, lost something that made me really me. I tried so hard to be the best, to be like my role models, but I forgot to try to be like me. Funny how that works. Now I am sick and back to the very basics of life--JUST ME, plain and simple. It's quite an eye-opening experience. My point is, just let go, be yourself, and let your creativity run wild; who knows where you'll end up, and that's what makes life so exciting! Just do your own thing, and love it. That's the real secret to life.