A New Page Has Now... BEGUN!

I now have a new school & a new adventure.

Since I graduated this past May from SLCC (which I will always love) I decided to transfer to UVU for my Bachelors Degree. I will be going into Deaf Studies, hopefully certify as a state interpreter and then who knows what from there. Yesterday was my first day and man oh man

the campus is HUMONGOUS!

I think I asked 20 people for directions.

And don't worry, I carried around my map the WHOLE day.

Some highlights are as follows:

*Got a FREE Institute shirt

*Ran into a couple of friends from High School

*Signed up for a few committees at the Institute

*Met new people in my classes

*Caught my bus with no sweat because it came 40 mins LATE.

*Decided that I'm going to pack a pillow so I can sleep on the bus

on my way home.

*My teachers are SO friendly and approachable. That's a relieve.

*I admired the glass elevator in the Business Building. its SAWEET!

SO...

now my blonde story of my first day of school goes like this,

I go to my meteorology class. I'm super excited to learn about the stars and how to find specific stars when I go stargazing. The teacher asks us to get into groups and write down why we want to take this class. The whole time I'm thinking about the stars. stars, stars, stars. I LOVE the stars. Then as she starts asking for answers I notice that everyone is relating it to the weather. THEN...it hits me.

Meteorology isn't about STARS....its about the WEATHER!! duh!

I'm still excited and GUESS WHAT?!

By the end of the semester I'll be able to look at a photo

(similar to the one below)

and tell you what is exactly happening.

That's right, I'm going to become a WEATHER WOMAN!!

This will become my new home.

This is the UVU Institute of Religion.

I'm taking 2 classes here this semester & I love it so far!

The teachers that I have met thus far are SO nice!!

But my goodness its HUGE! To put it into perspective for you,

I'll give you this following stat:

SLCC's institute had roughly 1,800 people last semester

AND...

UVU's institute had about 6,000 people!!

Let's pray I don't get lost too many times.

My Sweet Cousins

I love these girls so much & GUESS WHAT?! They are starting college this week! I'm so excited for both of them & know they will do great!! You know why?! Because they are my cousins! Shyanne (the one of the left) is going to Snow College & Amanda (obviously on the right) is going to BYU.

I thought I'd share some flashback photos of these beautiful girls with you:

I've been talking to both of them about how they feel about college and man I remember being in their shoes just a little bit ago. I remember feeling everything such as:

• All my friends are all moving away.
• I'm the only one living at home.
• I don't want to replace my high school friends.
• I'm scared for the homework load that college will bring.
• I don't know anyone going to my school.
• How do college students even act?!
• What if I get lost on campus?
• My guy friends leaving on missions and they'll be gone for 2 whole years!

And the list could go on & on. BUT now that I've been in college for 3 years I realize that college is FUN!!! Here's my 2 cents for some of my favorite cousins:

• Don't be afraid to meet new people!
• You will always have your high school best friends, don't worry! They will return to visit or you can visit them :)
• Read your textbooks & study to the best of your ability.
• Don't let the homework load get you down. YOU CAN DO IT!
• Don't be afraid of your professors. Deep down they really want you to succeed. So feel free to talk to them.
• Get involved at school. Go to dances, activities, tailgates, etc.
• Be yourself! You don't have to be a serious college student. Its ok to have fun! :)

There you have it. If you need help with ANYTHING, you know my number. I love you girls!

The Joys of Life

Well its been about a week since my last post & I can't fall behind because whelp...fun things occur everyday & you shouldn't miss out! :)

Item number one:

I work for Sandy City Recreation, right? right :) Well yesterday kicked off the first day of the soccer season. I've forgotten how cute the little kids are as they dress up in their uniforms and race after the balls. My favorite league to watch is the Pre-K (pre-school) children because they have no idea what is going on except that they need to kick the ball. Its pretty much jungle ball. I LOVE IT!

Item number two:

This past Thursday was my grandma's b-day. She turned the big 80 and she's a healthy as ever. We all gathered at a park near my Aunt DeAnne's house and had a nice dinner. Its always such a blast when we get together. I've also forgotten how BIG our family has become. There were kids running everyone, teenagers throwing balls and such & then the parents were preparing the food

and chatting as well. We sang "Happy Birthday" to my Grandma & also my Uncle Clair (because they share birthdays) and then my Grandma opened her gifts. She was so sweet and started crying after she saw that we gave her a nice scanner to help her with her genealogy. Bless her heart. She is one amazing grandma. I feel blessed to have such wonderful grandparents both here on this earth and on the other side. I'm so grateful to know that I'll be with my family

forever.

These are older photos & is only a fraction of my family on my mom's side but its better than nothing. :)

The Parable of the Princesses

Have any of you read this book, "The Parable of the Princesses" by Jenny Phillips? I love, LOVE, LOVE this book! Whenever I feel like the cares of the world are too much, I pull this book out and my perspective is put right back into place. Of course I read the scriptures everyday but this book has a different angle of life and its reminded of why I read the scriptures, why I need to stay close to Lord and helps me realize even more so what matters in life.

Its a story about these 3 princesses: Rose, Ebony & Hazel. Jenny actually wrote this book after having an overwhelming feeling that her baby daughter was actually "a royal spirit-- a daughter of a true and powerful king." And that she could see "the incredible purity and divinity" within her daughter. Here is part of the summary that is located on back of the book:

"Jenny Phillips tells of the journey of three princesses-- daughters of a king-- who are charged with a special task by their father. Almost immediately, though, the princesses are faced with temptations and trials, dangers and deceits, challenges that will test their resolve and their commitment. Who will remain faithful and receive her father's approval, "Well done, my good and faithful daughter"?....Young women of all ages will identify with the princesses and rejoice with them as they discover the limitless power of God's grace and love."

I love Jenny's reflection of this book and how it correlates with our lives. She says that each of us are given a choice of what we will do with our lives." And then shares the scripture in 2 Nephi 2:27-28 where it states that we have the choice to choose eternal life or captivity and death.

The 3 princesses are seen so much in this world today. I see them all around me and it astonishes me how easy it is to forget our divinity. How easy it is to just go with what the world is telling us is right instead of turning to the Lord and finding eternal happiness and joy through his gospel. We ARE children of a king and we DO have great potential. And even though life may seem hard and we may want to take the easy road and just follow the world, which ya we may be happy but it will not last for eternity. Therefore we must NOT follow the world.

So how does this book even connect to my life you may ask? Well...I've been praying for answers to certain questions I have and I've been trying my best to stay in tune with the spirit so I can receive those answers. I'm trying to be like a particular princess within this book and turn to my Savior for guidance. Never before have I needed his guidance as much as I do now. Being a young, single, 21 yr old girl is not always easy BUT I know that the Lord would want me to be happy and to live life to the fullest. I know that as I, and you, turn to the Lord for guidance, he will bless our lives with comfort, peace and happiness. And I know that he has GREAT things in store for us if we will just patiently wait. And on that note I have a wonderful poem that my dear friend, Snooze (from Oakcrest) shared on her blog and I absolutely LOVE it! Enjoy :)

WAIT

Author Unknown

Desperately, helplessly, longingly I cried.

Quietly, patiently, lovingly, God replied.

I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate,

And the Master so gently said, "Child, you must wait."

"Wait? You say, 'wait'!" my indignant reply.

"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!

Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?

By faith, I have asked, and am claiming your Word.

My future and all to which I can relate

hangs in the balance and you tell me to WAIT?

I'm needing a 'yes' a go-ahead sign,

or even a 'no' to which I can resign.

And Lord, you promised that if we believe

we need but to ask, and we shall receive.

And Lord, I've been asking, and this is my cry,

I'm weary of asking, I need a reply!"

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate

As my Master replied once again, "You must wait."

So, I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut

And grumbled to God, "So I'm waiting....for what?"

He seemed, then, to kneel, and His eyes wept with mine,

And He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign.

I could shake the heavens, and darken the sun,

I could raise the dead, and cause mountains to run.

All you seek, I could give, and pleased you would be.

You would have what you want- but you wouldn't know Me.

You'd not know the depth of My love for each saint;

You'd not know the power that I give to the faint;

You'd not learn to see through the clouds of despair;

You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there;

You'd not know the joy of resting in Me

When darkness and silence were all you could see.

You'd never experience that fullness of love

As the peace of My Spirit descends like a dove;

You'd know that I give and I save (for a start),

But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

The glow of My comfort late into the night,

The faith that I give when you walk without sight,

The depth that's beyond getting just what you asked

Of an infinite God, who makes what you have LAST.

You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee,

What it means that 'My grace is sufficient for thee.'

Yes, your dreams for your loved one overnight would come true,

But, oh the loss! If I lost what I'm doing in you!

So, be silent, My child, and in time you will see

That the greatest of gifts is to get to know Me.

And though oft' My answers seem terribly late,

My most precious answer of all is still, 'WAIT'."

I know my answers will come.

I just need to patiently wait and know that God is very aware of me.

Bennett Reunion

This past weekend we had a Bennett Family Reunion up by Driggs, Idaho. We stayed near the Tetons. I loved being with everyone because we don't all get together too often because we are all scattered across the country. We span from Utah all the way to Georgia. Above is a picture of all my cousins and then their kids as well. Our family is growing ever so fast and even though our grandparents weren't able to physically attend this reunion, I have no doubt that they were here spiritually.

This is my Dad with my cute cousin, Garrett.

I believe he has a new best friend.

Wesley is such a cute kid.

On one of the days the little kids were given a bottle of

bottles to play with and Wesley kept trying to drink the bubbles.

Bless his heart. If only he knew. One day.

Then on Saturday morning a bunch of us went to hike Table Rock.

Here are some interesting facts about this hike:

The trailhead starts at over 7,000 feet up. After the trail leaves the creek, there are plenty of switchbacks. In less than a mile, you will rise 1,000 feet through switchbacks. The final uphill climb is rather steep. By the time you summit, you have gone 4,000 feet up and covered about six miles of trail. The top is 11,000 feet.

This hike literally almost killed me. The change of elevation really had an effect on me. I had the biggest headache. It was very similar to the nasty migraines I used to always get a few years ago. But I was SO close to finishing so I just kept going. However, I literally had to take 20 steps and then rest to catch my breath because I felt like I was going to pass it. It was rather intense. Luckily I had a great group of people hiking with me so they were very encouraging.

Above is a picture of the "watermelon snow" Its pink snow because of

a certain chemical that is up on the mountain top.

Ok, this patch of rocks was absolutely DEATH!! On the way up it didn't seem too bad

but on the way back it seemed like 5 miles long. However, as I proceeded to cross

this rock patch I couldn't help but wonder what was underneath all of the rocks. Does it go down to the middle of the Earth? Does it just go down to a layer of dirt? I guess I'll never know.

This hike had GORGEOUS flowers. I mean they had Indian Paint Brush, pink flowers, blue flowers, you name it. They were so beautiful. The only down fall of this hike was how many mosquitoes they had. Before we left for the hike I thought, "oh its the day time, I don't need bug spray." WRONG! By the end of this 7 hour hike I had about 14 bites on my face/neck, 8 on my arms & a few on my legs. It is SO crazy! They all itch SO bad but I can't itch them because I don't want them to scar. My mom said that it looks like I have acne which means it looks pretty bad because I never really had acne growing up. I luckily, for your sake & mine, don't have a picture of my lovely face but you can just use your imagination.

This is Abby & Keaton walking back down the switch-back of the trail. This part was an hour down the mountain but guess how many hours they have left?.....like 4 hours. BLISS. The hike was worth it though, even though we were all pretty sore afterwards.

Oh my cute cousin, Jackson, had a brilliant idea to dig a hole to catch squirrels. So this picture is to show how proud he was of his hole &

then Izzy just jumped in the photo to hold the beloved shovel.

Its time for marshmallows! What great family time!

What sweet kids!

And these are just my cousins (minus their spouses & kids). Even though we may not all see each other very often, when we get together it feels like we've never been apart. I'm so grateful to know that I'm going to be with my family for eternity. What a great family!