...Family, Frisbees, Facebook, and Friends

Okay, so I feel like it's been forever since I posted. Probably because it has....but that's besides the point! The point is, a lot has happened since I last posted- good time it's sharing time! =)

So a couple weeks after I was in St. George for MLK weekend, we went back for little Ella's baby blessing. It was nice to have most of our family there Margeaux and Steven we missed you guys and to see some of Brady's family I hadn't seen in a while. It was a nice, quick vacation, but the blessing was worth it. This little baby girl is the most precious thing ever! I got to hold her during sacrament meeting after the blessing, and as I was holding her, I was reminded of something my Book of Mormon teacher said in regards to babies. Throughout the semester, he told us many times that if we have the chance to hold a baby, to do it. And while holding that baby, just look into their face and their eyes, and just see the purity in them.  He said that it is when he holds a baby that he feels the closest to heaven because these little beings are just so perfect, and pure, and the veil is still so thin with them, and you can just see heaven in their eyes. So while I was holding Ella, that thought came to my mind, and then we started singing "I Stand All Amazed" and got to the second verse: "I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine, To rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine. That he should extend his great love unto such as I, Sufficient to own, to redeem, and to justify. Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me, Enough to die for me. Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!" And we sat there singing, I had to stop and just sit there, because I started to cry, because it really hit me as we were singing that verse, and I was looking at this beautiful little baby girl: I truly am amazed at the love Jesus offers me, for the sacrifice He offered for me, that He extends His miraculous love to someone like me, a proud, sinful and rebellious mortal being, as we all are, as we are not perfect. But in that moment, I truly was able to feel the love of my Savior in one of the most amazing ways and with such power that I could not deny that He is the living  Christ, He loves me, personally, He is aware of me, and He is always here to help me. And as I sat there looking at Ella, I began to feel so close to my Savior, almost as if He were there with me. Which I would not be surprised if He was there during that blessing because not only was it a beautiful blessing, but it was done through the power of God and His priesthood, and it was the blessing of one of His sisters that I'm sure He wouldn't want to miss. =)  Anyway, look at how beautiful this little baby is!

So that was a fun weekend. After I got back, I got a package ready to send off to my dear Karch in Brazil.  I'm not gonna lie, it was a pretty sweet package- at least in my opinion. But I guess he will be the ultimate judge of it. haha  These are just a few of the contents:

                       - Old Spice Deodorant (which he asked for)

                       - Jelly Belly's, his favorite candy

                       - Skittles and Lifesaver mints

                       - Socks, toothpaste, and a toothbrush (essentials everyone could always use more of)

                       - pictures and letters

                       - and more!  =)

I love sending packages! And who doesn't love getting them?! They're just so exciting and always bring so much joy to the recipient; at least in my experience. And he still writes me letters, the least I could do is send a package every now and then, right? =)   Sure do miss that boy, but he's been out for almost 5 months now, and that is just super exciting!

So then came the weekend. Friday night was a tri-ward Valentine's Dance in our Stake High Councilman's private airplane hanger! It's pretty freaking sweet in there! So this is Heather and I, all ready to go. =)

Look at us rockin' that plaid! =)

The next day I made a spontaneous decision. Lately, I have been getting so sick of my super-duper long thick hair. And I thought it would be fun to go back to how it was senior year and just grow it out again- so I wanted it to look like this

Still looks cute, right? So, on a Saturday, I decided to just do it. I chopped my hair. And I took this picture in to show the hair dresser, but I feel like she cute it just a liiiitle bit shorter, and it went from this...

to this...

And I have to curl it every day because if I straighten it, I look like I'm 12. I also look exactly like my sister Megan, but I also look like I'm 12, and I don't really want to walk around campus looking so young. haha  I didn't like it at first, but it's been growing on me a little - I guess I just needed to get used to the drastic change.

So then on Tuesday was Valentine's Day. That night I went to a concert with a friend, and when I got back, my roommates were finishing up their "breakfast for dinner" party they had, and on the table were 4 valentine's from our dear friend Catherine. And inside each of these valentine's was a tattoo! So we put them on and took some pictures.

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So, on a completely different note, there's this BYU thing that has just gone viral. You might have heard of it or seen it on the news because it made local Utah news, and the girl it's about had an interview with Fox news. But, in case you don't know what's going on, let me give you the run-down.

This girl posted on facebook her outfit that she wore on Valentine's day, to be cute. Well, for someone, it maybe wasn't as cute as she wanted it to be. During the day while she was studying, a guy approached her and gave her a note. She thought it was cute and thought it would be some sort of love note, being Valentine's day. Nope. This is what is said.

Now, I don't really have anything to say against the girl, but I do want to get my opinion out there about the note. Too many people are criticizing this young man for the note he wrote, saying that he is a jerk or a coward, some have even commented calling him a pervert and sexually needy. And to mock him even more, there was a picture posted on facebook that contained three pictures: the first of the girl saying "what you think you look like", the second with an Amish woman covered all the way to the neck, wrists, and ankles saying "what the world thinks you look like", and the third of what looks like a SI swimsuit picture or something that could be from Victoria's Secret saying "What the self righteous boy at BYU thinks you look like"
I find that simply repulsive. Disgusting. And completely inappropriate. I don't have any comments for the girl and her outfit except that she signed the Honor Code when coming to BYU and to just keep it in mind. I don't know how "off" her outfit was or how it affected this young man, but it obviously did in some way. And I admire him for actually saying something. I have seen so many people on campus this semester who really should evaluate what they're wearing and how it corresponds with the Honor Code they signed and what is generally considered appropriate here on campus. And even if her outfit was just borderline or something, I don't know how it affected him, I don't know his side of the story, but I admire that he did something that I'm sure so many young men are afraid to do. And not only that, but with how he wrote his note, I think he did it in the most respectful way possible. If he had said it to her face, that probably would have been embarrassing for her. And in his note, he did not even directly attack her in any way, and he did not address specifically what affected him; all he asked was that she consider what she is wearing and how she dresses each day.
My roommates and I have had many discussions on this because we are all behind this young man, and find it completely repulsive what other students have said about him, and especially that so many people have been posting such a scandalous and inappropriate picture. Even if you do not agree with what he did, it is NOT okay to post something like that publicly, especially as a BYU student! That does not give the impression that we stand up for what we believe to be right, or that we treasure our bodies as temples and find pride in modesty and being respectful in how we present the bodies our Father has given us. I find it disgusting that people have posted such a vulgar picture - it is a form of pornography, and that is not okay. Who knows how that could affect a young man or a young woman who sees that? Even if you did not agree with what the young man said, that is not okay. All he did was stand up for something he believed to be right, and he did it in the most respectful way to save embarrassment to both him and the girl. 
And something my roommates and I all agree on is that, while we support this young man and find the criticism unnecessary and rude and even inappropriate at times, we like being able to see who is posting these comments because it shows us that those boys who are justifying this young woman, criticizing and mocking this young man who stood up for something, and those who are posting and liking the inappropriate photo on facebook, are the boys for us to stay away from. It shows that these boys justify this young woman, if her outfit truly was inappropriate, and find immodesty okay, even if it's on the border. The boys like that give us the impression that their expectation for modesty and what is appropriate has lowered, that they find it acceptable to not only post, but to look at, or laugh at the inappropriate pictures posted, that they find it acceptable to mock someone who has chosen to stand up for something he believed to be right, and that they seem to take the popular stand against the young man to 'fit in' and to give the impression that they do not choose to not be of the world because it is 'against the norm' or something. Again, I do not know if the young woman's outfit truly was inappropriate, but it made this young man feel uncomfortable. Even if it would not do the same for you, I find it sad and embarrassing to be in a place where I would expect a more respectful response towards this young man and his desire to do what's right- not in a self-righteous way, but in a way just to maybe make her aware - where instead the majority of students seem to be criticizing what we've been taught - to stand up for what we believe to be right.
I do, however, have one comment for the young woman. While the note may not have been something you were expecting, and even if you did not agree with what he said, I do not think the note should have been published for the world to see. I don't care if you disagree with him and talk about it with your roommates or family, but I find it completely unnecessary that it was posted online. To me, that shows that you might have actually felt guilty about what you were wearing and that it actually did have a negative affect on someone, and that you are seeking justification. Whether or not that be true, I do not know. But that is what it shows to me, and it also shows to me that you did not find respect enough to keep it to yourself, rather than making it into something so public and probably embarrassing this young man more than he could have embarrassed you. 

Everyone has their own opinions on what has been going on, but having seen so many people fight against this young man, I wanted to express my opinion and show that I respect this young man for standing up for something he believed to be right, against something that made him uncomfortable, whether or not she truly was immodest.

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Anyways.....  haha back to the exciting stuff.  Thursday night Bridget, Heather, Catherine and I planned a trip to St. George for Saturday. We had originally been invited to join some friend who were going to Moab, but plans fell through because of the cold weather, so we decided to go to St. George instead, since it's always nice there! There ended up being a group of 12, and it was a blast! We drove down Friday night, and got to St. George around 9. There was another car that left about an hour after we did that we were waiting to arrive, so until then, we played frisbee up where the old airport used to be and that was fun...until I got hit in the face by the frisbee. haha  Right in the eye. I've got a bruise, under the surface, from the middle of my nose, all the way up, along my whole eyebrow, and even down a little around the side of my eye. It's pretty gnarly but it's been giving me a headache all day. 

Friday night, the girls crashed at my sisters house thanks again so so much for letting us stay with you guys and the boys found their own accommodations- whether it was sleeping in the apartment of a friend of a friend or in their car. haha  

Saturday was awesome. We all had breakfast together and I got some pictures taken of Megan's yard for my landscape design project for class. Then we all headed out to the boulders to start the day. 

Morning yoga after the run

It was pretty bright outside.

Me and Catherine

Heather, Bryce, Amanda, Catherine

Heather's Jumping Picture

Inside the Crack

Brad, Bryce, Bethany, Tessa, Amanda, Matt

The awesome guy who took our group photo-he took that himself. =)

Amanda, Casey, Catherine, Me, Bridget, Brad, Bryce, Tessa, Anna, Heather, Matt, Bethany

 After we played around on the boulders for a while, we went back to the house, grabbed the rest of our stuff and headed out. We stopped at In-N-Out for lunch since some people didn't pack stuff to make sandwiches or anything. Then we headed out to Zion's National Park!  Our plan was to do Angel's Landing- which we did. It was pretty icy at the chain part for the last half-mile, so about half of us just stopped there, hung out for a while, then went back down. A few went up a ways on the chains but came up, and only Matt went all the way to the top. Even though we all started and ended at random times, we had a blast! It was such a beautiful hike and it was simply fun. I would suggest Zion's for anybody looking for something to do in Southern Utah.

View from the trail

The swithbacks

Bridget and I at the end of the paved section, start of the chains. Looking down from that tree = straight drop to bottom!

Catherine and Heather

We stopped for Mexican food after- Sunday (today) was Amanda's birthday, so they sang for her! =)

And that was our weekend! We drove back Saturday night and got back around 11:30pm and everything went smoothly and was just a blast! 

On the way back, we were trying to create stimulating conversation to keep us alive and awake, which wasn't hard, and so Heather asked the following question:  Who do you admire the most, besides someone in your family? There was one person that just came right to my mind when she asked that question, maybe because I had been texting him during the ride, but still I greatly admire him. I also got to skype with him earlier in the week and we just talked and talked for about two hours straight. haha Who is he?   

This is my dear friend Shaun. =)  We're buddies. He's one of my best friends. We have quite an interesting history haha but we are good good friends. He's in the Army. He's a firefighter. I am amazed at what this kid does and who he is. Not only did he make it through boot camp, but he loves what he does. He's full time Army, but volunteers at a civilian fire department as well, which means that he will go 72 hours straight working between his civilian and military posts sometimes. He's also a student now, taking two 5-hour long classes. Being a firefighter, he's also a paramedic, and he loves helping people. He tells me some of the calls he goes on and the experiences he has, and listening to his stories, you can tell that he really is so passionate about what He does, and he does all he possibly can to help those who need it. I admire and appreciate his choice to serve our country and those around him- it is a great comfort to know that there are people like him serving our nation and people, people who truly love and care for those they serve and who are passionate about what they do. 

Not only that, but he's probably one of the funniest people I know! =) We always have a great time together, can just talk and talk about anything and everything, and can just be our ridiculous silly crazy selves with each other. He's also one of those people who's got every reason to be confident in himself and his abilities, simply because he's one of those people who can do anything he puts his mind to. He also has one of those personalities where he doesn't complain very much. Which is impressive, because if I were in his place I would probably have a LOT to complain about! haha He tells me things and sometimes I start complaining for him, but he's just like "Eh, it happens" or "Comes with the job" or something similar to that. He might not know it, but I greatly admire that he is able to do that-and that he seems to have quite a bit of patience with the things he has to deal with and put up with there. 

Then, he goes and does stuff like this...

 

And says stuff like "Say what you will, I won't back down and I sure won't deny it" That's the Book of Mormon he's reading. Serious? Did you really just get better? =)   He once told me parts of his conversion story, since I was not able to be home during any of it or was able to be a part of it. I simply admire him for where he's come from and where he's going - that itself is amazing.  This young man probably has one of the strongest and most powerful testimonies I have heard in a long while, and I know I'm not the only one who is impressed by his strength in the gospel and in his faith. He does not care what others think about him being Mormon. He strives in faithfulness and takes opportunities to share his beliefs with others. This kid is just amazing. It's as simple as that. I think everybody should want to be his friend, simply because he's one of the best type of friends you could have. It's been awesome to still have him around to talk to so often with all of my other friends gone, with Karch gone in Brazil, and with Natalie in Jerusalem.  But even besides that, I'm just grateful that we've been able to create a friendship like the one we have now - comfortable, genuine, just all around awesome and fun. Please come visit me sometime in lame-old Provo Shaun. =)