Just Look How Far You've Come.

Last night we had the opportunity to listen to a fantastic talk given by Sister Adair for our Relief Society birthday celebration. I was touched and will try to summarize what she said, although I probably will not do it justice. She began her talk by relating an experience that took place as she hiked Mount Ararat, one of the highest mountain peaks in Turkey.

Due to the ice-covered peaks, we were using ice axes to slowly make our way up the mountainside. About 45 minutes from the summit, the ice ax of the climber just ahead of me came loose from his pack and struck me in the forehead. As the guide calmly cleaned and bandaged my "flesh" wound, I told him I didn't think I could go any further. I was physically tired and the weight of my injury seemed to much for me to bear. Our guide looked me straight in the eye and said "But just look how far you've come." In my mind, I re-traveled along the path that had brought me to the point I was at now; from Utah to Istanbul, into Turkey to a remote village at the base of Mount Ararat, and then 4 days of strenuous climbing to reach just below the summit. Mustering the remaining strength and will I had left, I finished the climb, and it was worth every setback I had encountered.

Sister Adair then applied this experience to our own lives. We are all struggling up our own snow-capped mountains, trying to reach the summit. Because we live in a fallen world, we are guaranteed to encounter hardship, setbacks, and our own "flesh" wounds along our journey. But as we allow it to work in our lives, the power of the Atonement can heal any pain, loneliness, or sorrow we may ever experience and help us continue on when we feel we must give up.

So the next time you feel like life has dropped an ice ax on your forehead, remember to look how far you've come and then to face forward and continue in faith toward the summit.

Daffodils and Daisies.

Last week was one of those ridiculously busy weeks that has you running from dawn until dusk just to get everything done. On Saturday afternoon, I had finished my final test and was walking down the Testing Center stairs towards the tv screen that tells you your test score. At the base of the stairs there is a windowsill where people leave notes for friends, and I am definitely among the number that always takes a quick glance as they pass to see if they are lucky enough to have a note waiting for them. As I glanced over, I noticed a Gerber daisy sitting on the windowsill and I immediately thought of some cute boy leaving a flower for his girlfriend/wife. But when I got closer, "Turk" was written on the note and I realized that my sweet sister had left me a flower. I was grinning from ear to ear the entire way down south hill and when I opened our front door there was a vase of daffodils sitting on the table with tickets to Tangled and a note to "Princess Katherine" which said...

These daffodils are yellow,
I wish they were from some fellow,
Single, handsome, dark and tall

Riding a noble white steed,
His hair ruffled by the breeze,
Someone to catch you when you fall.

But since they are not,
And I can't conjure one up,
We'll settle for the next best thing.

Let's go watch Flynn Rider!
He's a lover, not a fighter,
And maybe tonight in our dreams,

We'll have hair that is long
And a man to sing us a song.
But for now it's just you and me.

Dreaming of our prince,
And a magical kiss,
While enjoying being single and free!

Love,
Princess Becca

In Becca's words, this poem was a culmination of 18 years of creativity built up. I think that poetry writing is just one of her many talents that is just waiting to blossom. She is so amazing and kind and I feel so blessed to be her sister.

Summer Bucket List.

At the beginning of each year, my family would compile a "memory list" of all the fun things that we wanted to do as a family that year. The list was then posted on the side of the fridge where we could keep track of all the family memories we were making. With this tradition in mind and to help ensure that our summer was not totally wasted with sleeping in and studying for tests, Melinda, Ashlee and I made a Summer Bucket List.

Disclaimer: The following list is a work in progress and may be added to at any time if an adventure arises.

• Hike Mount Timpanogos
• Float the Provo River
• Make a fort in our living room and sleep in it
• Hike Y Mountain
• Go to Heber and get a shake from Granny's
• Scone party
• Triple Tandem Bike date down the Provo River Trail
• Manti Pageant
• CD 15 Photo Shoot
• Hike Mount Nebo
• King Cone Competition
• Pedicures
• Homemade Pizza
• Weekly Temple Trips
• Lay in the middle of University Avenue (our plan is at 3:00 am when everyone else is sleeping)
• Friendship Bracelets
• Shooting
• Provo Farmers Market
  

Some of the completed adventures include...

Organizing a ward trip down to Manti to see the Cottam family star in the Manti Pageant.

A CD 15 Photo Shoot with Melinda's frame. . . her newest addition to her wedding decor.

With three foot-tall ice cream cones from Maceys and a time limit of 60 minutes to finish, we set out on our greatest adventure yet. . . the first annual KING KONG competition! Ashlee and Melinda both thought that I would be no competition, but with the chocolate ice cream slowing them down and the help of my hollow leg, I managed to finish just minutes before Ashlee, with Melinda coming in shortly after. Needless to say, a killer stomachache followed our short-lived victory and we spent the remainder of the day either moaning on the couch or trying to walk off the stomachache and 6,000+ calories we had just consumed.

Run Daniel, Run.

On Friday afternoon Daniel called me to tell me about his cross country meet that was being held about a mile from my apartment...and began in 20 minutes. So I raced back from campus, jumped in my car, picked up Becca, and raced to the meet. It was so much fun to see my favorite brother (who is 15 years old) racing around Kawanis park. Becca and I were definitely his biggest fans.

Sprinting to the finish line. Daniel continues to amaze me with how great he is doing at Wasatch and for trying out for the cross country team...something I would never do. Keep up the great work. I love you!

Harvy.

Meet Harvy. Ashlee is taking anatomy this semester and he has become one of her best study-buddies for helping her get an A+ on her tests. To thank him for all the study help, Ashlee gave him a tootsie pop and brought him home to meet all of her amazing roommates.

Ashlee thinks that Harvy is her man...

...but what she doesn't know is that Melinda got her first kiss from him.

OUCH! Harvy that really hurt... (said with a British accent)

Sadly the most social thing we did all week was hang out with Harvy for a couple hours before Ashlee had to return him to the anatomy lab so that the next anatomy student could get help from him to ace their test.

Happy Birthday: Casa Dea #15 style.

After two weeks of getting settled into our new apartment in Casa Dea (#15!), learning the best way to cook and grocery shop, and trying to manage the constant flow of homework and studying for tests, our apartment decided to celebrate our birthdays, all which fall within four months of each other. Melinda, Charlie, and Ashlee made good use of our 8 phonebooks by making paper chains and pomander balls from the yellow pages. I was subconsciously cheering them on while sleeping on our super-comfortable couch under the Happy Birthday sign.

Ashlee and Melinda also made a DELICIOUS funfetti double-layered cake, complete with sprinkle frosting and a candle for each of us to blow out. There so many sweets already hiding in our cupboards and then we make more that I wouldn't be suprised if we gain the "Sophmore- sixty" by the end of the year. Oh the price you pay for roommates who are marvelous cooks. :)

Thanks to all who sent birthday wishes. One more year until I am no longer a teenager but the big 2-0! Crazy...time goes way to fast.

Temple Trip.

With two temple dedications within the past few months, Salt Lake is the luckiest county in the country (confusing I know!) . I was dying to go to the open house for the Oquirrh Mountain temple but summer term at BYU was consuming every spare minute of my time. Finally my grandma and I siezed the opportunity to go on one of the last days of the open house...talk about procrasination. It was so beautiful and I don't think that I could pick a favorite part, although the Celestial room and Bridal Dressing room were absolutely gorgeous. Someday... but definetly not in the near future.

Grandma Laurel, Nolan Pope, and me standing in front of the new Oquirrh Mountain Temple.