all you need is love

lately I have been really thankful for many people in my life. i am surrounded by the most amazing people. and i just wanted to write a post about some of the people i love and could not live without. it might be a long post but i am doing this for me anyway...so i dont care. :) haha
my father.

he really is my hero. i look up to him in so many ways. i'm a lot a like my dad, and i'm really glad about that. we like a lot of the same things...sports (especially baseball), rollercoasters, same taste in movies and books. we also shares some of the same weird quarks :) i always know that when i am with him that i am going to be having fun. he loves life and makes the best out of it. he is always trying to do the right thing. he is always serving others, and putting others first. my dad is also the hardest worker i know. he can be a big goof, but i love that about him. he knows when it is time to be responsible and when it is time for fun.

my mom.
if anyone knows me they know that my mom is my best friend. i really treasure the relationship i have with my mother. my mom, like my dad, loves to have fun. one thing i learned from both my parents is to enjoy life. my mom always goes the extra my mile. whatever she has to do she does it 100%. she is always serving others and putting others first. i don't know how she does it but she is kind to everyone, and is always doing things. my mom is a great example for me in so many ways. she shows how to act to be a good mother, a good wife, a good friend.

emily.

three years younger than me and could quite possibly be my exact opposite at times, but still the best. she is a very talented girl in so many extraordinary ways. i wish i could be as musically talented as she is. and i am so thankful for her gifts and that she uses them. she brings beautifully music into our home. emily can also be one of the funnest people to be around. though i used to tease her about being scared of everything...she pretty much tries anything once. i dont know what it is but sometimes when we are together we just laugh and keep laughing. some of my most precious memories are times when i'm not even sure what started the laughing but we just laugh and laugh. she is always an amazing listener and you can really tell that she cares for others.
lydia.

the cutest nine year old ever. its hard being a way from her because she is growing up so fast. in my head she is still the little girl from when i left for college, but she is growing up every day. i don't know if i have ever met anyone as funny as lyd. she was cracking everyone up from the time she was real little. my parents say she is a lot like me, but one thing i know is different, is that she is a lot more creative than i am. she is always coming up with little inventions and ways to make money. her smile can light up a room, and just makes you want to smile also.

courtney.

my bestest friend. i made it through high school because of her. :) and she still is to this day my best friend. rarely do i go a day without talking to her. it may be because we are both really weird but we understand each other. and at times i feel like no one else understands me. there is no one else in the world (besides michelle) that would do the fun, crazy things we do. we are always having fun. she is herself always, and doesn't care what others think. she'll wear a cloak and draw a scar on her forehead or walk around with cups on her hands just because it is fun and she wants to. she is also one of the smartest people i know. she is always encouraging me and inspiring me. courtney is dependable and very responsible, and is a good example for me in those ways.
michelle.

my other bestest friend :) i don't know anyone who is as carefree as michelle is. she lives in the moment and makes the best of it. she is also probably the most confident person i know, in a good way. she is never afraid to be herself and knows who she is. there is never a dull moment with us. we are always off on some crazy adventure or telling ridiculous stories. michelle is a very good listener and always has the best advice. and she just tells you how it is. i love that about her.

vanessa.

coming to college my freshman year i was blessed with wonderful roommates. and one of them is still my roommate to this day and also one of the best friends i could ever ask for. vanessa will drop anything to listen to me when i'm having a bad day or even a not bad day. she is one of the most caring people i know. its kinda funny because in lots of ways we are different but we also have many similarities. i think thats why we get a long so well- we have the perfect balance of differences and similarities. we pretty much come as a package sometimes and we even buy matching clothes :) vanessa is always doing things for others and doesn't expect anything in return. we always have so much fun together and when i am being out of control she is right there with me. ha
char.

char is the adventure girl. whenever i want an adventure i know who to call. we always have so much fun too. mostly because char makes everything fun. being around her always makes me in a good mood...probably because she starts laughing at something and then i can't help but laugh. haha. we've been friends for over a year now and i already have so many amazing memories with her.

jake.

he is the best uncle-friend ever. :) he seriously is amazing. jake is someone that i really look up to. he is always there when i need him and will do anything for me. also, he is pretty the much the best listener and always is giving me advice. every time i am with jake it is a good time. he is the funnest person ever basically. and we always take the best pictures together....as you can clearly see. another thing i love about jake is that he always goes a long with what i do. like he gets excited when i give him colored pictures and other cool things. and he takes me to do fun things like go pet reptiles and such. haha

wes.

we have known each other for a little over a year now. but it feels like so much longer because of how close we are. he is one of my closest friends. he likes watching disney movies with me. which of course i love! he is always there for me. i can call him up and he will listen and give great advice. we pretty much have fun doing whatever. he is always so happy and positive, and he helps me to be more that way.

these are a few people that i love and love me. and i am so thankful for them and all that they do for me. and i know that there are many others that love and care about me. i'm so thankful for everyone in my life. basically i'm loving my life and the people in it. :)

missing...

a friend asked me what i missed about missouri the other day. when i didn't respond right away he said "is it the people?" that got me thinking... (my initial response was some not all ha)

things i miss about missouri:
family
two bestest friends ever
the rain
small town feel
the dog...weird i know
mom's cookin'
cheddars

i guess it mostly is the people and the things i do with the people i love. but i think i also associate missouri with being care-free. i dont stress about things like i do here in utah when i'm home. i spend time with my family and close friends and know that they are going to love me no matter how crazy i am. :) i'm totally, absolutely 100% myself at home.

don't get me wrong...i love being here at school. sometimes i just feel like i need a break.

things i love about utah:
BYU
mountains
few close friends
fun adventures

i'm going home for thanksgiving and Christmas, and then i think i will be all good :) i just feel like i need to be around the ones that i know love me and get away from the stresses of school for a little while. but soon enough. and i know i'm loved here in provo by a few too, they will help me get by.

General Conference

I got to go to general conference for the first time this past weekend. It was an amazing experience. I went with some of my bestest friends so that was exciting. We left Provo at 6:30am. Holy cow...and I am not a morning person. But believe me it was well worth it. Picture to the left is waiting in line, as you can see it is still dark outside. It rained all day too. Which turned out to be alright. I really enjoy the rain. We got into the first session. And we got amazing seats. The guy took us in and he just kept going down. It was very surprising and exciting. Everyone kept telling me that we were lucky and that usually doesn't happen. We sat pretty much front and center. I think it was like row 25 or something. They announced the temple in Kansas City, which I found to be very exciting.

In between sessions we ate at a taco stand on the sidewalk. The tacos turned out to be very delicious. And it was a fun little experience. We had a nice little system to get the toppings on the tacos. We stood under a canopy and at them in the rain. It turned out to be really fun.

We watched the afternoon session in the Joseph Smith Building. It wasn't very crowded and was a nice place to watch it. Before we left we took some pictures around temple square. We didn't take a lot because of the rain but we still got cute ones.

Okay I got a little picture happy...but a picture is worth a thousand words, right! :) I really enjoyed the whole conference weekend. My two favorite talks were Elder Wirthlin's and President Monson's during the sunday morning session. I liked what Elder Wirthlin said his mom would always tell him "come what may and love it". That is something that I am really going to try hard to remember in my life. I need to have a more positive attitude about everything. :)

Welcome to Me!

A blog?
I can't believe I have a blog... But I think it's going to turn out to be fun. ha and I'm writing this for myself which is even cooler. :) This is probably going to be the coolest blog on the face of the planet: full of exciting adventures, beautiful pictures, and many thoughtful posts.