Well, today was the first day of Fall Break. YAY! After taking a Warm Vanilla Sugar scented bubble bath, Mom, Brielle and I went up to Build-a-Bear. Brielle and I got matching bears named Brooke and Snow Bear. Hers is Snow Bear. XD They're SO cute! Then we went to Costco, then home to drop the stuff off. Then we went up to a little party store up in Lehi. They had so many cute things! Mom bought me and Brielle candy sticks. Then we went up to Trafalga, and rode the go-carts, and Brielle rode a pony. We wanted to do bumper cars, but everyone came off wet, so we decided to skip it. After Trafalga we went to Grandmas. She's catsitting Dexter and he's a hyper little kitty! Can we say SPAZMOID! He's cute anyway! XD Then we came home and found Trevor watching the Mentalist on the couch downstairs. Now we're packing up for tomorrow, and we're (hopefully) going to eat dinner soon. Stay tuned for updates on Fall Break! XD
This is what Brooke looks like. Outfit and everything! (minus the boots) Brielle's is exactly the same, but with a different outfit. XD
I hope you're fine up there in heaven! We're all going to really miss you, you know that, right? I can't believe that yesterday in science we were having so much fun together, and today you're gone! We're all wearing pink tomorrow to remember you, and our choir concert is dedicated to you. I''m so glad I got to know you, and have fun with you. We're going to miss your great personality down here on Earth, but hopefully you'll be just as happy up in heaven. Loves from, Marissa and everyone else who misses you♥
Maddie is a girl I know from school. This morning she got hit by a car, and she died this afternoon at Primary Children's Hospital up in Salt Lake. Please everyone pray for the Meacum family!
Basically, she's awesome. She's my role model (see this post). She's also much better at updating her blog then me! We had a sleepover on Friday, and then went to the State Fair on Saturday. So much fun! I love doing things with her, I love just having her around. I really miss having her at home. I just want to let her know, I love her, and she's the best big sister ever!!
P.S. I love this song of hers that she posted on her blog! Mad piano skills....
I don't know what it is, but the past few days I've been feeling...lonely. I mean, there are people around me, all day, everyday, but it's an emotional loneliness. I don't know why it's happening know, or why it's even happening! I want that perfect friend. The friend who's shoulder you can cry on without feeling embarrassed. The one who you know will keep your secrets safe, and will always be there for you. D= Sadly, I don't even know if those kind of friends exist in my world. I miss Jessica and Rebecca. They were awesome friends! They don't even write me anymore though... I miss Kristen too. I mean, it's not like we ever did much together, but it's just weird having her gone. And I don't want Trevor to move out either. The other night he hoped up on my bed and we chatted a bit. It was very nice. I don't know who I'm gonna go talk to when both Kristen and Trevor are moved out. They used to talk to each other, but the only sibling I really have to talk to now is Brielle. Trevor assured me that I can call him anytime! XD I guess I'll just keep praying, and waiting, and hoping this bout of loneliness will pass. Soon.
I got this from the May 2007 New Era. I thought it was really good.
The Worth of Weeds Sometimes to really see yourself, you have to see others more clearly.
The fresh mountain air cooled my lungs as a laced up my boots. Next to me, my horse whinnied impatiently.
"I know, girl. I'm coming," I said soothingly, as I stroked her reddish-brown mane.
I finished fastening the saddle, mounted, and was off.
As I rode up the mountain, I thought of all the troubles that were weighing on my mind. I was a junior in high school--worried about friends, sports, final exams, and where to apply for college. Hundreds of thoughts swirled around in my brain. There were simply too many problems; I would never be able to solve them all. That's really why I had come to the mountains. I needed to escape for a while.
After a time, I arrived at my favorite spot--a small out-of-the-way clearing that overlooks a mountain valley. I stopped my horse and said a small prayer in my heart.
"Heavenly Father," I prayed, "I am so tired and so overwhelmed. Please give me some comfort. I just need a little peace."
The answer came almost immediately. "Look up."
As I raised my eyes, I was met with a scene of such astonishing beauty that I could scarcely breathe. All of my problems seemed to melt away as I soaked up the view. The farms in the valley were laid out like squares in a patchwork quilt, and on that day in May many of the fields had come to life in brilliant shades of green. What struck me most, however, was not the green. Throughout the fields of green were generous smatterings of the most vibrant yellow I had ever seen. The effect was mesmerizing, and it sparked my curiosity because I knew there weren't any local crops of that color.
I rode faster on the way down, eager to get to the valley floor and discover the source of that captivating yellow. When I reached the fields, I was astonished to find that the beauty of that
that had so enchanted me didn't come from anything exotic. The fields were filled with simple, unassuming dandelions. I picked one small dandelion and brought it close to my nose. It was amazing to me how much difference perspective had made. From high above, I was quite taken in by the beauty of something that most people on the valley floor would call a weed. I would never have recognized its worth if I had not been prompted to look up and find the beauty in it.
I realized that I sometimes treat people the way most people treat the dandelion I held in my hand. I decide that they aren't really worth my notice, without pausing to get to know them better or to think of how greatly the Lord values them. God knew that the dandelion was beautiful in its simplicity, even when most people couldn't see it.
It occurred to me that I was much like the dandelion. Small, imperfect--but important and cherished in the eyes of my Heavenly Father. Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (1926-2004) once said that, "sometimes with smudges on our cheeks, dirt on our hands, and shoe untied, stammeringly but smilingly we present God with a dandelion--as if it were and orchid or a rose! If for now the dandelion is the best we have to offer, He receives it, knowing what we may later place on the altar" (That Ye May Believe [1992] , 100)
Since that day I have never looked down at those little yellow flowers, I don't see something to be stomped on, plucked up, or sneered at. I see effortless charm and loveliness. I will be forever grateful for the lesson I learned on that day--never judge someone of something until you have tried to see them from the Lord's point of view, because the Lord, from His perspective high above mine, has a far better view and can much more easily judge the worth of flowers and souls.
~Riley M. Lorimer
I loved this, and just thought I'd share!
P.S. I'm having a bit of formatting trouble, so ignore lack of paragraphs please! xD
