great.

well technically its "grate"-ful but really life is GREAT and i am grateful for so many things. here is just a sample of the things I AM GRATEFUL FOR...

1.
2.
3. old friends that come back and share happy experiences!
4. stake conference. families. journaling. waffles.
5.
6. Election Day. God bless America! i am grateful for this beautiful nation and the freedoms i have :)
7. ****** *******. and friends who go along with spontaneous ideas.
8. GIRLS NIGHT! rock climbing and yoga!
9. the Priesthood. and those men in my life who live worthily to have that power and use it when necessary.
10. talents. the fact that we all have certain, specific talents that make us unique. oh. and completely awesome!
11. family. through it all, we are together forever. yay! (happy birthday grandpa!)
12. star trek. who would have guessed that i would EVER say that! haha
13. LEAH TANGEDAL of course! like i literally cannot express how much this girl blesses my life. each and every day. being grateful for leah makes me realize that i am also grateful for hashtags, graceface, snowballs, Smiths, masks, the New Testament, pranks, laughs, crying, languages, learning, competition, etc, etc, etc.
14. modern family date night..
15. the people i know. i have been blessed, and am continually blessed, to interact and come know some really special people. i feel like i remember a lot of people and the experiences we've shared, even if those people are long gone now. but still... "we all enhance each others' lives."
16. sidewalk chalk.
17. my current bishop. and any bishop i have ever had!
18.
19.
20. the sacrifices of friends! thanks ellenstone for turning in my project so i could catch my plane:)
21. being home. i am glad my family lives "close" and i am grateful for the provo airport that flies into DENVER!
22. THANKSGIVING DAY! family traditions. and this amazing holiday that turned my eyes toward Christ and this coming Christmas season.
23. mechanical issues at the airport. although i got home late, i had the opportunity at the airport to observe some really good people. i dont know how i can adequately express how sweet those hours at the airport were, but i boarded the plane for the second time MUCH happier than the first.
24. Flat Stanley. i never had to do Flat Stanley in elementary school or anything, but my seven year old sister is doing it and she thought it would be cool to give him to her "big sister in college!" so i took Flat Stanley around Provo, taking pictures with him at various famous spots. although it was a simple thing for ME to do, i realize how important it is for my sister. building trust is VITAL to all relationships, and it is important to foster that in the young people around us, especially within our families:) i am reminded of the responsibilities i have as the oldest child in my family, and as Abby's oldest sister. i am grateful that i can teach her so hopefully she doesnt make the same mistakes i did. #eternalfamily
25. the women in my life. my grandma and aunt were preparing talks for church while we were at their house saturday night and as they bounced ideas off each other, it was neat to jump into their conversation and share my own experiences. as i pondered this experience later, i realized that i have been blessed to grow up with strong, independent, intelligent women that teach me so much!
26. ward FHE. i didnt realize how much i missed volleyball but tonight i was reminded of something i love a lot and want to get back into!
27.
28. friends, dinner group, modern family. okay...im not necessarily "grateful" for modern family, but i am grateful for the fact that, like dinner group, it brings my friends and i together and we can just laugh!
29. productive mornings. took a midterm, went to the mall, got lunch to go, went to the dentist, ate said lunch, went to classes, etc all before 1 pm! days like that are THE best ever.
30. laughter. i havent laughed this much in so long and it feels GREAT just to laugh so hard that i cry!

general.

This General Conference was magnificent! Having watched all four sessions, I noticed a few topics that were discussed often. I found that the major themes of the overall conference included the family, our covenants, forgiveness, and being an example. For this conference I decided I would write the impressions I felt while listening to the talks. {That is what is so great about General Conference. The speakers prepare talks that apply to ALL types of people...ALL over the world...in MANY different situations and yet their messages can help each one of us specifically. And that is what we need to do when watching/listening to/ reading conference talks--make it specifically for us! So we can become better people.} I found that once one thought came to me, many more came flowing in and I felt the Spirit very strongly. I have seen in my life that when I am in the right place, doing the right thing, the Lord will bless me and thoughts will come to my mind that help me with certain situations. For this conference I had a few specific questions that I wanted to find answers to but i had more concerns that I wanted to ponder and find inspiration about. I felt like this conference was especially powerful as the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke with such conviction and haste that you felt a sense of urgency in the need to repent, or say better prayers, or be better family members. I especially enjoyed the choir from the Missionary Training Center (Saturday Afternoon Session), because I recognized a few of my friends and one of my cousins who participated and it was great to see so many happy missionaries who were radiant and enthused about the gospel. You could see in their eyes that they were very excited to be serving a mission for the Lord. Because they seemed regal and so steadfast, it made me want to go on a mission or at least seriously consider it when I am old enough. When Elder Oaks spoke on Saturday morning, I found it interesting that he spoke of missionary work and temples and how those are unique specifically to the LDS Church. I have gained a greater testimony of missionary work and find the programs to be absolutely fascinating as missionary work takes a great sacrifice for everyone involved. Some of the other thoughts or quotes from General Conference that I especially enjoyed included what President Eyring shared on our foundation of faith. He said something to the effect of, “our foundation of faith comes with our personal integrity.” I also liked how Elder Hales spoke of our “spiritual desires” and how we need to follow those in order to take the sacrament with reverence, be worthy of a temple recommend, strive to gain a testimony of all things, and to be self-reliant. Another one of my favorite talks came from Elder Ballard in the Sunday afternoon session. He spoke on the family and, although nothing too dramatic stood out, I was impressed overall by his talk and I found it to be very profound and insightful, comforting and loving. A few other talks from Sunday afternoon were fantastic also as the speakers spoke eloquently and the topics they discussed were insightful and interesting. I loved hearing from the First Presidency and especially President Monson as he was fervent, reverent, funny, and even quirky. He just always makes me happy, as I think he does for a lot of people, but I felt like I should increase my faith and strengthen my testimony so I can testify like him. General Conference weekend always goes by so quickly and it may be hard to soak everything up right away, but that is why we have these next six months before the next one to learn and continue to get better. I absolutely LOVE General Conference and I sincerely hope that anyone who hasn't seen it or heard it will look it up. I have linked many things to the Church website (lds.org). It brings me hope and happiness and strength and I know that it can do the same for anyone who is willing to be changed. I have a testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His living prophets and apostles on the earth today!

mormon.

this is my mormon.org profile!
take a look here

mother.

my mommy is da best!! and yes i know that sentence sounds like a five year old wrote it but i dont care i still call my parents mommy and daddy :) but anyway.. there are a couple of websites that i check everyday, usually like 7-10 times throughout the day. one of them is my mom's blog. i took up blogging because it seemed easier and because of my mom. she dedicated a whole post to me and i was touched. being here in provo, on my own (but never "alone") is so the coolest thing ever. but its hard sometimes. not only for me but for my family as well. i didnt realize how much of an impact i had on anyone until i left. i called my family yesterday and my little brother got on and just said i miss you so much. wow!! so cute and sweet:) i love em and miss em all and obviously they miss me..which actually feels pretty cool. there is a natural desire inside of each of us to feel "needed" and loved and i guess i just want to express that i feel like we need to be aware of those around us and love them the best way we can!!

so heres a shout out to my mom: loveya!

goals.

I used to be really good at setting goals. but I feel that lately I've been slacking. like I always had a goal to play varsity tennis, be a club leader, graduate high school, get into BYU, do well in school, etc.. and once I did those things I didn't really make new "goals." I just thought that when something came along, I'd choose the better option and it would work out...that I'd get where I "always wanted to go." but now I'm here. I have reached all those goals I set when i was young. now I have to reevaluate and seriously consider where I want to go and what I want to do. as we grow older, our perspective and abilities change so obviously the things we want to accomplish will change, hopefully for the better. along with this change in ability and perspective comes a change in our responsibilities and how we fill our time. it may be hard, as we grow older, to take time to stop and consider our progress, but with the time we have had off as we start a new year, we should "seriously consider" where we want to go. along with setting goals, we need to map or plan out how we will reach those goals. i feel that in order for us to reach our full potential and meet our goals, we need to be active. we cant just hope to loose weight if we sit on the couch and watch the Food Network. i wont be able to do well in my first full semester of college if i dont GO to class and study often. i think my point here is that it's all about priorities and actions. so get out there and LIVE the best twenty twelve there can be!!
{LL: Bon A Petit!}

innocence.

what does that mean? was it a simpler time in the past? was it solely our childhood? was it before we graduated high school or before we got a degree? when do we lose our innocence? does it ever fully leave us, or is it a natural character trait that we all possess?

as I anticipate going home after 6 months of being in Utah…I consider this word.
as I study, pray, and ponder at the temple, I consider this word.
as I stare out the windows at the bustling leaves and majestic mountains, I consider this word.

I think that as we learn and grow throughout our lives we become less innocent.
with all of the nasty in the world, our pure and meek nature is weakened. We believe that as we gain wisdom, knowledge, wealth, or whatever it may be, we need help less and we can rely on ourselves more. I think that’s a problem with our society today. it should be the other way around. We NEED each other. That’s WHY we were put into families, WHY we have professional and little league teams, WHY we have schools and churches. Obviously all of those organizations teach us and help us progress and even enjoy life, but we need connections. Connections with family, friends, teachers and coaches. We especially need a connection to our Heavenly Father and our brother & Savior Jesus Christ. Even with our wealth and knowledge, we are always innocent and inferior to the Lord. We experience success, pain, love, and trials in life so we humble ourselves, turn to Christ and therefore become more innocent and more like Him. We may “know enough” to be able to endure life, but we don’t really know anything in comparison to the great Creator. I have realized that as I have sat staring out the window during work. I feel innocent when considering the vast scope of the world. My friend is in an astronomy class this semester and she FREAKS out when she explains our universe and the galaxies. Its crazy to think how many other galaxies there were, are, and will be in the universe. [?? I don’t even know if those are the correct terms] I feel innocent, also, as consider what I have been blessed with. I LOVE thanksgiving!! Yeeess.. the food it delish and having tons of fam is Fabulous…but I love to take time to recognize the hand of the Lord in my life and show gratitude to Him. I hope that as we begin the end (of the year), we will consider the wisdom and the love of our Savior. I know that when we are obedient, we will be blessed.. thus repeating the “innocence cycle.” I know that going through college will be a challenge but I can do it, with the help of the Lord as I act innocently and confidently.

{LL: Bon A Petit!}

begin.

my name is Rachel. This is my third blog and I am so excited for it! Background: i graduated from high school this past May and didn’t really have my future laid out completely. i knew that i wanted to go to BYU but at first that wasn’t going to happen because i was denied admittance for the fall semester. I went for the summer term to basically figure out what options I even had. So. Worth. It! It was a BLAST! I stayed in Provo during the fall semester though, to work and save money. Most people I met assumed I planned to start school late, but that wasn’t my A Plan. Starting in the winter was like Plan G but all my other options fell through so Plan G it was! I updated my application for BYU and then one day, I got the best email of my life. I was accepted to BYU beginning in the winter semester and I was relieved of a HUGE weight. Phew! I’m not really in college right now, but considering how often I am on campus and at school functions, I think it is appropriate to start this blog a few months before I actually start classes. As for the title of my blog, my grandpa inspired me when he and I ate dinner together one evening. He was giving his philosophy on college. You see, he’s been to college and has put his 8 kids through it, too. I thought his comment was a perfect and simple explanation of my current/ future college experiences.

i hope that what i share will make you smile, ponder, cry, anticipate, cherish, and remember. i hope that this blog will have some impact on you in whatever stage of life you may be experiencing.

{LL: Bon A Petit!}