Catch Up!!

Sorry it has been so long since I've updated... Summer got crazy. I know you all know how that goes. So here is my attempt to update on things since the last post. Sorry for the picture overload.


In August, we went out to the river and stayed at the Avi hotel for a few days. It was such a fun, relaxing, and hot week. We got a new raft to take since our old one popped and the new one is so much fun. It has spots for 4 people - 3 of them are like bucket seats and the one on the back is just a place for someone to kneel on the back and hold on to the handles. It's hard to stay on back there since there is no seat, and we lost a kid more than once. It was so fun tho.


One time we figured out how to make it stand vertical, and that became our new favorite thing. My dad would drive the boat into the wind, slam on the gas for a few seconds, and then just let go and it would make the wind push the raft totally vertical. It was an accident at first, but then it just became one more thing we could do. The video is of Brandon and Joey. Megan and I did it too but we didn't video tape it. The video is a little bumpy - riding in our boat is not a smooth trip. So sorry about the lack of focus.

Laying out on the raft by the beach


2 weeks ago we all drove up to help me move into my new apartment. I still can't believe the summer is over and I am in my 2nd week of school! Where did the time go?! I am living in Belmont this year, which was actually the last place I wanted to live. For those of you who know anything about the kind of people who live here, you know why. Not everyone is like that, but pretty much. But so far I like it. My ward is fun, although much older. The bishopric is awesome and tries to make everything so fun. My roommates are way fun and we have gotten along really well. And the apartment I live in is super nice. I actually have the master bedroom, so I have a huge room and my own bathroom. I feel pretty spoiled and definitely blessed.


My bathroom


View #1 of my bedroom

View #2 of my bedroom


View #3 of my bedroom


Family room


The kitchen



So just like in every other place, living in Provo has its ups and downs. But one of the ups that I absolutely love is the opportunity to hear General Authorities so often. Last Sunday was our Regional Conference. 135 stakes were invited, and within those boundaries, there were 400,000 members. Obviously not everyone could fit into the Marriott Center on campus, so it was broadcast to a lot of people, but we were fortunate enough to go to the Marriott Center and be there for the conference. It really is such an amazing thing to be sitting there and realize that an apostle is standing there, in the same room as you, speaking to you. There were a few other speakers, Elder Jensen and President Monson's daughter, but the last 2 were really the ones that impacted me.

First we got to hear from Boyd K. Packer. I love hearing him talk. He has such a fun sense of humor and had us laughing quite frequently throughout his talk. He talked to us about a lot of things - I didn't feel like his talk had a specific point - but he did mention a few times that Satan only has power over us if we let him. And he also talked about faith a few times. It was a good message that kept us entertained and was also obviously very uplifting and insightful.


President Dieter F. Uchtdorf was the last speaker of the conference. He was amazing to listen to. The first thing he did was get up and bear his testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel and gave his witness that President Monson is truly the prophet of the church. It was so powerful. He have us 2 questions to ask ourselves: 1) What am i doing personally to increase my testimony of Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father? and 2) What am I doing personally to strengthen then institution of marriage and family? Another thing he talked about a lot is being converted and how conversion is a lifelong process. He gave us 3 things that we should do to help in the conversion process: 1) Have a current temple recommend, 2) Study the word of God daily, and 3) Speak with Heavenly Father daily. It was a great talk and really got me thinking about a lot of things, and gave me a new resolve to be a better person.


As if it weren't enough for us to hear from President Packer and President Uchtdorf, we were also blessed to hear from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland that evening at a CES Fireside, which we also had the chance to go to. It was also in the Marriott Center, and while there weren't as many people there, it was still packed. Elder Holland is probably one of my favorite General Authorities. His talk was amazing. I don't know how he did it, but he had my attention every second of the talk. His whole focus was on Joseph Smith and his time in Liberty Jail and drew a few parallels with those experiences and our own experiences in our own "Liberty Jails". Here are some of the Lessons from Liberty: 1) Everyone will be called upon to face trying times, 2) Just because difficult things happen does not mean we are unrighteous, 3) In the midst of difficulties, the powers of heaven can only help us if used in righteousness. He said some things that hit me and really affected me. I think my favorite thing that he said came at the very end of his talk. He said: "Bad days come to an end, faith always triumphs, and heavenly promises are kept." The whole day was a testimony builder to me and I am so grateful for the opportunities I have to be here and to listen to these wonderful men of God.



As for school, I am going to the BYU Salt Lake Center right now until I have enough credits to transfer to BYU to do their Nutrition program. I have class on Monday and Wednesday. Mondays I have Book of Mormon with John Bytheway (how cool is that?!?), and Nutrition, and on Wednesdays I have Microbiology and Chemistry. I also have an independent study psychology course. So school keeps me pretty busy, but I am loving it. As awful as the drive is, I love the Salt Lake campus and the classes are great. The teacher seem to know what they are talking about and the classes are small. I think there are only 9 people in my microbiology class. So it is a good opportunity to learn and ask questions. Much better than a class with 200 kids.

All in all, life is good! I love my apartment, my ward, my school, and just being here. I will try to be better about blogging now that I am back in a routine. Sorry for the overload. If you made it to the bottom of this, you are awesome!!