The Blessing of the Blackberry Bush - Ensign Feb 2009

 

Behind the times

Sorry, I am behind in my postings. Here's a compilation of the latest and greatest in my life. The big news of November was Breeanne and Ben's wedding. It was such an incedible day! It's so great to see them so happy together and I'm so lucky to be able to spend so much time with them since they live just down the street from me! Breeanne makes the tastiest dinners! Thanks guys!
We must not forget, winter formal, or as Sara would say ,"Best night of your life". Wow, what a fun night. We started off the night at Asian Star which was absolutely delicious! The best part of the night was when Becky and I decided it might be fun to try one of those red hot peppers they put in the food. Let me tell you... they are like FIRE!!! I don't think either of us had any idea how bad it would be. I can literally say my mouth felt like it was on fire for the rest of the night. Tears were streaming down both our faces because of how hot it was, and we vowed never to do that again! We'll just say we lost our appetites that night. We didn't get a picture of it, but man, it was a sight to behold!!!

Winter Formal

December 2008

Breeanne and Ben's wedding

PERU!!

It is official!! I am going to Peru this summer for a humanitarian service. I've known for a few months now and can hardly wait. I'm nervous and excited at the same time. I think it will be an incredible experience... and what better time in my life than now to do it?! I've wanted to do something like this my whole life and can't believe the day is nearly here. I am going with an organization called YouthLINC. This year we will be building a library, teaching medical lessons, dental care, teaching school, and many other projects. I have heard so many great things about the people in Peru and can't wait to finally meet them and spend time serving them!!
 
 
 

Making brownies

Me and Kenzie had a bit of a chocolate craving the other day and decided to make brownies. I don't think I've ever had so much fun making brownies! She definitely couldn't wait until I had poured them into the pan to begin licking the bowl. I'd look over and see her fingers in the mix. There were definitely Liz and Kenzie germs in that batch! What a blast!
 
 
Have you ever seen a cuter girl in your life?!

The life of a college student

 
A couple weeks ago, I went to bed at some wee hour in the morning, woke up just a few hours later, went to school all day long, and at about 3:00 PM discovered that my shoes weren't matching. I can officially say that this is a first in my life. Can anyone agree with me on how crazy it gets with Christmas and finals... I officially have the proof of the "busy"ness of my life! I wouldn't have it any other way, but maybe I ought to slow it down just a bit... Just enough to put on matching shoes at least. Hope this brought a smile to your face!! Have a great day and slow things down just a bit so you don't end up writing a blog about how you too mismatched your shoes for an entire day!

Thankful

This being the month of Thanksgiving, I want to share a couple things I am truly thankful for:
1. My eyesight- As I sat waiting for the trax one day there was this beautiful girl playing the most beautiful music on her flute. I then noticed that she was blind. We talked for a minute and I got thinking about what a blessing it is to have eye sight. I take it for granted way too much. I immediately got really sad thinking about what it would be like without eyesight. The hardest thing for me to imagine is not being able to see my beautiful little children one day. Having our eyes is such an amazing blessing; a true gift from God.
2. My health- I had a pretty big health scare this month. I started to get really sick and didn't know what was wrong. Thanks to many doctor visits and several different medicines, I am back to full health now. Our bodies are amazing. Only after when I found out that the sickness I had was potentially life-threatening and has actually ended a friend up in the hospital, did I realize what a blessing I received. I am so grateful the doctors were able to fix the problem before it may have put me in the hospital. Our bodies are so precious. Life is so precious. We must take care of it.

Honor the Priesthood and Use it Well

 

When I receive the conference edition of the Ensign, I turn directly to the Priesthood session talks. I'm not sure why other than that it is the only thing I am not able to hear during conference and I guess it intrigues me, even though I know it is directed toward the men. However, I was particularly impressed by Elder Richard G. Scott's talk, "Honor the Priesthood and Use it Well." I would encourage you all to read it as I share a few thoughts with you. He begins by talking about the sacred nature of the Priesthood. He states, "How blessed we are to be among the very few men on earth trusted to act in the name of the Savior to bless others through the righteous use of His priesthood." What a supreme blessing and priviledge for men as well as women who are recipients of the blessings of the priesthood. He then discusses the command for an equal partnership in marriage and treating women with respect. I truly feel like a princess when the apostles speak out on respecting women because I often see relationships where there is unrighteous dominion over the other. I love this quote, "As a husband, when you sense that your wife needs lifting, hold her in your arms and tell her how much you love her." I'm not sure who reads this, but I ask, husbands, friends, or boyfriends, do you show your love for the women in your life through your actions, words, and deeds? Wives, friends, or girlfriends, do you do the same? I feel blessed and honored to one day have the opportunity to marry a priesthood leader who will love me forever and preside over our family in righteousness and eternal love. I ask myself now, am I being the kind of woman that will get me there? Whether you are already married or not, I beg you to ask yourself the same question... Am I living the way the Lord needs me to live in order to use and/or receive the sacred blessings of His holy priesthood? Elder Scott boldly declares, "God will hold us (men) accountable for how we treat His precious daughters." I thank all of you men out there who do exercise your priesthood worthily and treat girls and others with the utmost respect. Your service and love will always be appreciated.

Go Utes!

Pangea re-united with our Utah football/"I am Legend" party at Becky's house. It was the party of the year! We enjoyed the Utah football game against New Mexico (I think), then popped in "I am Legend", and after it all, the girls were serenaded by none other than our own piano man. Pretty awesome night if you ask me. It was quite the busy place as you can see from the pictures. What a fun night to spend with so many great friends!!

Halloween

I gave in to the peer pressure and did something I never thought I'd do... I became... A CHEERLEADER! A real, authentic, Brighton High School cheerleader. I decided to play the part the whole night and had a blast. Then I realized how much the costume affected me when I left my keys in Maria's car and had to have someone drive me clear out to her house to get them and back to my car again. Can you say ditz? The sad thing is, even without the costume, I am one. I did get in touch with my true self though when we dressed up as punks/skaters for a pre-halloween party. I go from skater to cheerleader in just a few short days... can you say identity crisis?! Either way, Halloween is the greatest!! Girls, we must begin formulating a plan for next year!

 
 
 
 

Don't play with your food!

I have noticed something recently: a strangely large number of photos of me are pictures of me eating... and not gracefully either. Is it because I am always eating? OR maybe I'm self conscious about my mouth so I try to hide it? Ha. OR I am just being a goof?? Yes, definitely... Liz the goof. (And possibly I'm always eating too) I'm sure they are not the most attractive pictures, but apparently I just love to shove something in my mouth the second someone tells me to "say chese!" Maybe they should tell me to "eat cheese!" HAHA. Anyway, I couldn't keep my new findings to myself, so sit back and enjoy the wonders of Liz and what she eats... while she gets a life. Ha.

New Beginnings

 

I did one of the hardest things yesterday... said goodbye to my little primary kids. I was tough and didn't cry (until after), but when they all attacked me with the biggest hug I've ever received, I didn't want to let them go. What a tremendous blessing these kids have been to me over the past few years. They may not know it, but they have brought more joy and laughter to my life than I could ever express. Every week, being in their presence gave me new hope, especially during some very hard times I experienced this summer. There have been a lot of endings in my life lately. Goodbyes to people I wasn't quite ready to say goodbye to yet and endings to what seemed to be an otherwise perfect situation. Yet, with endings come new beginnings. New opportunities, new hope, and new friendships. I will be honest and tell you that I am absolutely scared to death for the new beginnings. But I also know that if we can move forward in the time of most fear, we WILL succeed. It is during those times that we will grow exponentially. I truly believe that the way we act during the hard times and how we handle our trials shape us into the person we become. We cannot sit and cry and do nothing during the hard times and expect to get anywhere. I'm sure we all have done enough of that. We must find the joy that comes with experiencing a major disappointment in our lives. Can we have joy DURING that time? YES!! So although things seem to be falling apart, don't give up. Trust that the Lord has a unique and incredible plan for your life. I love this quote... "When you come to the edge of all the light you know, and are about to step off into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing one of two things will happen: there will be something solid to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly." - Barbara Winter

I left my heart in San Francisco

I can officially say I left my heart in San Francisco. This trip has been in planning for quite some time and I can't believe it has already come and gone. It was so much fun and quite an adventure. Us 5 girls can now say we have experienced all the ins and outs of San Francisco first hand. We weren't prepared for some of the interesting things that happened along our journey... but I think we'd all agree we have officially grown up because of this trip. We survived the streets of San Francisco and enjoyed every minute of it! We spent way too much time laughing and playing, and absolutely no time sleeping. I know I am slower than the other girls who already have their blogs updated... but to share the excitement of our trip, we have compiled a list of unforgetable quotes that bring tears to our eyes as we have laughed over and over about our journeys. For the full explanation, you may have to consult one of us, but for now, sit back, relax and enjoy sharing part of our journey with us.

Unforgetable quotes:

1. "Get Out" - Liz
2. "Pangea!!!" - All
3. "I have an irridescent wedgie." - Sara
4. "I just love them dots and that dress" - Mr. Fleet to Sara
5. "You mean ya'll don't have s--" - Mr. Fleet
6. "Ya know ya want to" - Mr. Fleet
7. "Ya'll don't look like mormons to me!" - Mr. Fleet
8. "Ya'll don't need numbers, ya'll need addresses!" - Mr. Fleet (by far our most popular guy)
9. "What do ya do? What do ya do?" - Becky/Liz
10. "We made a real connection" - All
11. "Oh S---" - The man trying to break in
12. "There's always Leann's" - Jen
13. "Even trax goes through the dirtiest parts of town" - Liz
14. "Liz, don't say that!" - Jen
15. "I ain't loadin' " - Shaniqua
16. "Get out! Get out now!" - Shaniqua
17. "You IS lookin' good though!" - 14 yr old street boy
18. "Ya'll have to pay for that excitement!" - Bush man
19. "Handcuffs aren't heavy, I've been to jail twice. - It's my ex" - Chris the jumping dude
20. "I can't wait to blog about this!" - All
21. "Time to venom-ize!" - Jen
22. "I felt my body being transformed" - Liz
23. "What is is with flying and peeing? I think it's the change in pressure" - Jen
24. "Let's make like a baby... and head out" - Sara
25. "It's spelled Darell, but it's pronounced Da-rell" - Darell
26. "Hggg Sssss" - Devil kid on Serendipity

Oh, it was an adenture of a lifetime!!!

 

I love you girls!!

Barn Dance

We recently had our barn dance for Alpha. Thanks to Sara's Grandmother... we were able to snatch some authentic square dancing outfits. I'm pretty sure everyone else was jealous of our amazing dresses! Ha. The best part was twirling in those things! It was such a fun night! A special thanks to our dates who put up with crazy girls in crazy dresses.

Girlfriends

Kenzie is my little ray of sunshine. Every day with her is a new day of hope and an exciting new adventure. She loves to dance and we often find ourselves blasting music and dancing until we can barely move. It's funny that most of my very best friends are under the age of 8 and I couldn't ask for better best friends! Kenzie could just talk to me for hours about anything on her mind. I must share one cute example with you... Just the other day, Kenzie and I were coloring and she asked, "Liz are you married?" I said, "No." She replied, "I'm going to marry a prince when I'm older." When I asked her why she said, "Because girls are princesses and they marry princes." To all of you who say there is no such thing, I want you to come and talk to miss Kenzie. At such a young age, she understands in her own way that we are daughters of God and deserve to be treated like the princesses we are. I truly believe that one day my prince will come and we will live happily ever after...

My new blog

I have done it! I have officially joined the world of blogging. The real intention of creating this blog was to hopefully improve my computer skills... I somewhat feel as though I was not made for this era of technology, because even though I am one of the young ones that supposedly knows all about computers and ipods, I really don't know a thing!! But I have already learned some fun things since creating this blog. Be patient with me as I get it put together. I think having a blog will not only be good for my computer skills, but will also be a blessing as I share thoughts and memories of life with all of you. And so it begins....