On another note...


GO USA!! I'm really hoping they win the gold medal today! How awesome would that be if they beat Canada? They've been saying this whole time about how we're just stupid Americans who don't know anything about hockey, and it will be so easy for them to beat us. Let's hope it's not so easy.

My personal favorite: Bobby Ryan

Today was one of those days........where you just don't really want to pay attention. When three hours of church feels kind of like a nuisance. I've been doing really well up here in Flag, and I love my ward, but for some reason I just kind of felt off today. But I had an epiphany or something today...about how wonderful the priesthood is. And how important it is for me to marry in the temple, because I want my children to have the good example of a righteous priesthood holder that I didn't have until just a few years ago. It's been so wonderful to finally see that in my family...a few days before I left for college I got a priesthood blessing from my stepdad. And it was so wonderful. And I want my children to have those all the time, their whole lives, not just finally before college. It was just so cool today to see all these guys, these worthy priesthood holders. It reminded me that there are good guys in the world. And I'll take that reminder anywhere I can get it. 

http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/36618/

I feel so bad for my poor parents and my future husband. I am way too stubborn and independent for my own good. Of course, it snowed in Flagstaff this weekend and my parents drove me up. I was so mad...I probably sounded like a six-year-old. I like to do things myself, and I don't understand why people freak out about things that seem so little. Turns out, the snow in Flagstaff isn't so little. At some points while driving up, we only had a few feet of visibility. The roads were really bad. So, in hindsight, I am so thankful for my parents for taking the whole day to make sure I got back up here safely. I guess that's something I need to work on. But at some point I need to learn how to drive in the snow. Maybe it will come eventually...

On another note, some stupid chick missed out on $10,000 on The Singing Bee because she didn't know the words to Bon Jovi's "It's My Life." Really? REALLY? I could be $10,000 richer right now if I was on that show. So after college I'm thinking about going on that show...

"Love is the healing balm that repairs rifts in personal and family relationships. It is the bond that unites families, communities, and nations. Love is the power that initiates friendship, tolerance, civility, and respect. It is the source that overcomes divisiveness and hate. Love is the fire that warms our lives with unparalleled joy and divine hope. Love should be our walk and our talk." -President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish He didn't trust me so much. ~Mother Teresa

Love is like seaweed. Even if you have pushed it away, you will not prevent it from coming back.

So I think today was the best Valentine's Day I have ever had. I've given up the bitterness. I've realized it's a waste of time. It solves nothing. Sure, it's frustrating to see everyone getting roses, giant teddy bears, and mountains of chocolate from their boyfriend. But I wanted to make it fun this year. So instead I focused on my family and my friends. My new best friend Keara and I made cards for everyone. We spent hours in Michael's looking for supplies...it was so fun. Then after IWA we had fun being all crafty and girly. I made cards for all of my friends and my family, and I bought treats for everyone. Although we often forget, especially as soon as February comes around, I remembered that there are many different kinds of love. And it truly is wonderful. And when you focus on your friends, you totally forget about yourself. Honestly, this week I don't think it crossed my mind once that I don't have a boyfriend. Because I was thinking about everyone else. Thinking about what candy to get for Bonnee since she's allergic to red dye (which, let me tell you, SEVERELY limits one's options when shopping for Valentine's candy), which colors are Emily's favorite so I could decide how to decorate her card, or what chocolate to get for my mommy. It was SO fun! So every Valentine's Day for the rest of my life will be this over-the-top for everyone I know. Because it's more fun that way.

"Love is being stupid together." -Paul Valery

"Love is shown in your deeds, not in your words." -Jerome Cummings 

"You never lose by loving. You always lose by holding back."

"Love is the only sane and satisfactory answer to the problem of human existence." -Eric Fromm

"In the coldest February, as in every other month in every other year, the best thing to hold on to in this world is each other." -Linda Ellerbee

We were given: two hands to hold, two legs to walk, two eyes to see, two ears to listen...but why only one heart? Because the other was given to someone else...for us to find.

"Faith is not contrary to the usual ideas, something that turns out to be right or wrong, like a gambler's bet. It's an act, an intention, a project, something that makes you, in leaping into the future, go so far, far, far ahead that you shoot clean out of time and right into eternity."

Viva Las Vegas!

It's our annual trip to Las Vegas! It's always the weekend of my birthday, and although it frustrates me that I don't get to see my mom much for my birthday, I had tons of fun in Vegas this year.

We got to see "Phantom of the Opera"!!! I have been waiting my whole life to finally see it. It was SO fantastic. 

The day before my birthday, my friends and I went to the Union for a birthday dinner. Here's the birthday cake, with the "candle". I have the best friends ever.

And my darling brother bought me ROSES. He's so wonderful.

I had a fantastic birthday. It went by way too fast, and it kind of freaked me out. I spent the night of my birthday in tears, for some weird reason. I just realized it's never going to be the same. Everything's changing now. And while it's a good thing, it's still kind of sad. I miss the way everything used to be. And I'm excited to be on my own--I have a great future ahead of me and I have my own life, and soon I can have my own family and create traditions with them. But it's a huge adjustment. I just want to have real food for dinner every night, watch Glenn Beck with my grandma every afternoon, cuddle with my dog, and see my mom when she gets home from work.