Happy Day.

I know I owe this blog a big update with all of the updates on my life and the great photos I have. But right now I am just happy. And thankful. I am not sure what I did to be so blessed. I feel so supported by the people around me and so loved. I am part of something bigger than myself and I am so thankful for the chance I have to serve daily. It's crazy how the Lords plan for our lives can be so different than our own. But his is so right. Trust in the Lord people. It will change your whole outlook on life. Happiness is possible in this messed up crazy world. I promise.

Hi, I'm Breanna the RA.

So as of Friday I am moved into my new apartment in Wasatch Hall where I will be the RA for the next school year! Yay!

Training started Saturday with a retreat up to Bear Lake. It was so much fun. I had a great time getting to know the other staff and some of the staff who isn’t in our area. We had some great lectures and activities that have really gotten me excited about this next year.

The pressure is still on though. What if I can’t meet the needs of all 77 of my residents? What if they think I’m a joke? All of those self doubt questions have passed through my mind this past weekend. It’s a lot of pressure to know you are in charge of that many people and meeting their needs in so many areas. But I think that’s how it is in life. We always have those doubts and fears that we just need to face and get over, end of story.

But don’t get me wrong, I am super excited and I have a lot of faith in myself! I know this is where the Lord wants me to be. It just worked out perfectly that I got this job and that I ended up in this area of housing. I know my residents are going to be great and that we will have so much fun! I have great things planned and I know I will have great support from the other staff in my area. I am thankful for the challenging opportunity to do this!

On the down side, I can’t move into my room until Monday night because the summer RA is still living in it… So I have all of my stuff piled in boxes in another room. My OCD is killing me people. I can’t wait until I can put everything away and organize it!

Go Aggies!

I Am Behind...

On my missionary letters. BUT I am catchin’ up tonight. No stress.

One of my friends, Elder Covey, told me to look up his companion on YouTube. Pretty much I want to meet him and be his friend. Please enjoy as I have.

P.S. I'm not a creep or anything.

You know, July 24th....

It’s days like today that I feel humbled and I feel like my life is put a bit more into perspective. I got to hear a lot of pioneer stories today, some I had never heard. I had amazing ancestors who gave so much for me to be where I am today.

Sometimes I feel like my trials are the hardest thing in the world. I feel discouraged and upset because they aren’t “fair”.

 What a juvenile thing to be thinking. I could have never been a pioneer. I would like to think that I would have the faith to do it. But man, I really am not sure on that one. They went through SO much. Things I couldn’t even start to wrap my head around. My trials seem so meaningless compared to the things they suffered. I guess we just live in a different time and temptations and trials are so different.

It’s crazy how much the early members of the church gave for us, their posterity. What a great example they are. I am thankful we have a day to remember them and to relive their memory and the great things they did for us.

I don’t want this post to sound like a testimony. Ha, if it does I am sorry. I am just thankful for my ancestors and all of the people who gave so much for me to have the knowledge and freedom I have today. It’s such a cool thing to think about. I hope I can make them proud.

Fine, I'll blog again.

Lecy, I am pretty much doing this for you becuase I am almost sure you are the only one who reads my blog. If anyone else is reading it, thank you and I'm sorry I have been missing in action.

I think once finals were over I didn't want anything to do with a computer or my laptop. SO  the blog went to pot. But I promise I will try to do better. :)

Well how about I catch you up in pictures? Okay.

My room in San Juan 202 went from this:

 To this:                                  

I went to the grand canyon!

 I have had lots of friends get married.

 I turned 19!

 Went to the manti.

 Got the best summer job EVER! Where I get to work with my great cousins and other wonderful kids! (how cute is she? I really wanted a pair of those glasses. She got the last ones.)

 I have had a lot of Macey's ice cream with friends.

 Best of all.... I got the calling as an assistant camp director in my ward! So I got to go to Girls Camp with my sisters!

 We saw cow-bears!

 And pretty much by the end we looked like this... But it was so totally worth it.

....Except tomorrow I have to give a big girl talk and repot on it. Wish me luck?

My summer has been differnt than I expected it to be. It's hard with friends gone on missions and everyone else pretty much moved on. I am at a weird stage in life. It freaks me out. Oh well though!

In about two weeks I move back up to Logan to start training for my job as an RA. I am pretty freaked out about it. But, at the same time I am so excited. I know this year has great things in store for me.

The end.

Because you made it to the end of my post I have a reward for you. Enjoy this video.

Gotta Love a Sunday.

This whole weekend was amazing.

Today was especially great.

After being home all weekend I drove myself back up here to Logan so I could make it to the last meeting with my sweet singles ward. Let me just tell you, it was one of the most incredible three hours I have had in a long time. My ward is always pretty good; I always seem to get something out of each meeting. But today my testimony was strengthened and my heart is so full of gratitude.

In my ward we have Relief Society, then Sunday School, and last of all Sacrament Meeting.

 For the first meeting we were combined with the guys and our Bishop gave the lesson. He talked about prayer and how we need to pray morning, afternoon, evening, and night. He also talked about what those prayers should include and what we should be thinking about while we give those prayers. He related those prayers to our life in college. How we start out in the morning or beginning of the year sharing our plans with the lord and setting goals. In the afternoon or later in the year we should ask for help and support and readjust our plan based on the circumstances. In the evening or further in the year we should continue to ask for support and be aware of the support and help that has already been given to us. At night or end of the year we have our “final” and we should report back to the Lord what we have learned, the things we are thankful for, and how we have lived that day/ year. It’s important to look back and see what we have done right and what we need to improve on. Later on in his lesson he opened it up to all of us to come up and share what we have learned this year and what being at college has taught us about the gospel and ourselves. Of course there was a thousand people who went up (only in a singles ward, right?) so I didn’t get a chance to get up and share. But, I have been thinking about how much I have learned and changed over the course of the past 9 months. Here is just a few of the things that have come to mind when thinking about this question:

-I know that the Lord has a plan for all of us. I fight him a lot on what I’m supposed to do and I don’t always listen the first time. But, I know his plan is better than mine.

-The Lord will make his plan come to pass even if I have no idea how it’ll work. I guess what I’m trying to say is trusting in the Lord is key.

-I don't need to always have a plan for every step of my life as long as I am listening to the spirit.

-I can do hard and scary things like move 100 miles away from home.  

-The Gospel is a way of life. It’s not just a Sunday thing. I have seen lots of people lose their footing in college. It’s not easy to hold your ground and stand up for your values. You have to always be on guard and decided before hand what you stand for.

-Scripture study is a matter of life or death. It's pretty much the best things ever.

-I am discovering just how truly blessed I am. I still take a lot for granted and I am not anywhere near perfect. But, I have never felt more thankful to the Lord in my life. I have been so deeply blessed.

-(I know a lot of these sound the same. I have to share them though.) The Lord loves me and everyone around me. In those moments of disappointment and frustration he is there and always will be.

-The Atonement covers more than just sin. It covers all form of emotion that we will experience in life. If we take advantage of the priceless gift just waiting for us, we will save ourselves a lot of pain.

-The Lord puts the people in our lives that we really need at the time we need them.

-I can be a big girls and make big girl choices.

-When it’s too hard to stand I better get my knees or I may be in trouble. Prayer has been such a great blessing to me. I am not sure what I would do without it.

-I love my family so much. I have been so blessed to be related to such strong people. I have missed them all so much!

-I am honestly a tool in the Lords hands. He can use us to bless the lives of others in so many ways. We just have to listen to the Spirit.

-I know I said this before, but I am so blessed. I am so thankful for all of the experience I have had this year and all of the tender mercies the Lord has shown me.

Okay, I know you are sick me of spilling my guts out. But, I really am so thankful tonight. I can’t believe how fast this year has gone. I have had so much fun and met so many amazing people. Sometimes I’m amazed at how talented and strong people are up here. It’s almost intimidating to be around them.  But, I have been accepted and loved by so many and I am going to miss them all.

I Hope They Call Me On A Mission...

Today was one of those Sundays that are just perfect.

The weather was to die for, everyone seemed to be in a good mood, and church was beyond great.

In sacrament meeting a lot of the people who are in my ward who have their mission calls or have their papers in got up and shared their testimonies. I am pretty sure the world is in good hands. After those boys and a few sisters shared experiences and testimonies purely from inspiration I was blown away. The spirit was so strong in that meeting. It was such a cool thing to be a part of.

Don’t take this the wrong way, but I think it’s a miracle that 19 year old boys can go out and do so much good in the world. I look up to those young men. The sisters who serve too are an inspiration. I am so proud of the people I have been blessed to call my friends who are out in the field or are headed out there soon. I look up to each one of them.

Missionary work is a powerful thing. I guess today I was reminded that there is a lot of good in the world and we are spreading it one person at a time.

On a side note, good luck to my friend Josh who is leaving Wednesday. The people of Mississippi don’t know what’s about to hit them. You will be a wonderful missionary.

Lets all remember to keep those sweet missionaries and the people seeking their message  in our prayers.

day eight. finals.

Day 08- Short term goals for this month and why

I have one and only goal for this month.

Pass all of my classes and stay alive until the end of finals week.

Wish me luck. I need all the help and support I can get.

On the seventh day... a little council flashback.

Day 07- A picture of someone/something that has had the biggest impact on you.

Okay, I’m still a freshmen in college (only two weeks left!!) so I think I’m still allowed to look back to high school. And if I had to pick something that has left the biggest impact on It would have been my decision to run for student council. I know it’s nerdy and a lot of people don’t understand it. Honestly though, because I was able to serve for those two years as a class officer I gained some friends and had experiences  that have changed the course of my life.

I couldn’t write all of the stories down or name all of the people and explain why they were so powerful in changing my life because it would take days. But, I can tell you that I learned what true friendship is from those people and I learned the power of service and the impact it makes on the live of the person giving it. 

To this day most of the people I served with on council are the true friends I go to when things get hard. It’s been fun to watch each other grow up and see where people are now. Most of the boys are on missions, a few of the girls have found themselves husbands, but most of us are fighting though college and just figuring out life.

Here are a few of the highlights:

spirit bowl sophomore year

 Everyone my sophomore year

Freedom week sophomore year (we were so proud of the stupid ugly hall)

Barth's Poster.

My Junior Class Girls

(Yes, I know I look stupid in this picture.) Freedom week Junior Year

 This was when I ran for VP, I didn't make it but my elections team was worth it. Best week of my high school career for sure.

Senior freedom week with my sophomore council boys.

All of us grown up sophomore class officers. These guys were the best people I could have asked for as a support system. We have stayed friends long after our year of eating each others faces off. I'm not sure there will ever be a better group of sophomore class officers at Timpanogos.



Because of my years in student council and the people I have met I have been inspired to be a better person. Thank you to all of you who were a part of that.

six

Day 06- Your  hero and why

Hero is a strong word and honestly I can think of several people who I consider my hero. I have been blessed with many examples in my life. I have amazing people I get to call friends and family and I am so thankful for that!

If I had to pick just one though, it would be my Grandma. My Grandma is my best friend. She has been there for me through everything I’ve ever been though. She is the smartest lady in the universe and she loves me more than anyone in the world does. Honestly, she is the person who checks up on me the most at college (even more than both my parents combined.) She is also the one person I make sure I see when I come home.

My Grandma has had her fair share of struggles in life. She was a single mother who worked hard all of her life to provide for her kids and offer them everything she could. She is always doing something to help others and always knows just how to fix any problem.

I am so blessed to be her (favorite) granddaughter! I honestly don’t know where I would be in life without her. She is the reason I am who I am and doing what I am doing.

Day Five

Day 05- A picture of somewhere you’ve been.

Okay, so this isn’t the best picture of me. I get that. But it’s the best one I could find! This was taken last spring break in Mexico when I went on a cruise with my family for my senior trip! I have been so lucky to have been blessed with some really amazing vacations. My family discovered cruising and that’s pretty much the easiest way to take a vacation and make sure everyone is happy. I have seen some of the most amazing sights while getting to visit several ports in the Caribbean and parts of Mexico! Pictures never do it justice. I have visited Mayan Temples in the jungle, gone wave running on the beach, taken a cave tubing excursion, seen thousands of flamingos, crashed an ATV in the jungle, the list goes on and on. Those trips I’ve been blessed to go on hold some of my favorite memories. It blows my mind the kind of beauty the world has to offer.

F-O-U-R

Day 04- A habit that you wish you didn’t have

This is a hard one for me. I have lots of habits I really need to break. No one is perfect though, I just have to keep that in mind.

If I had to pick one right now that is really hurting me it would be staying up late. I honestly am sick of waking up and not wanting to get out of bed because I am so dead tired. Is anyone with me? Maybe one day I’ll get the motivation to work on it.

Until then, enjoy this video. She is so dang funny. It’s worth looking up her other stuff on YouTube.

Day Three

Day 3- A picture of you and your family

Aren’t we just darling? I love my siblings so much. I’m not sure I could put into words how much I love each of them. I am the oldest of us five. We have been though everything together. The up’s and the down’s. I am so thankful I was blessed to be the big sister of the family. I may not always be the best sister in the world or even deserve the love of these four people. But, I sure am thankful for it.

Kline is the second oldest. He has a heart bigger than anyone I have ever known. He is really accepting of other people and doesn’t let things get to him like I do. He is the strong one in the family, the one who holds us all together. I love Kline so much. Him and I have grown really close in the past few years and I am so thankful for that. He is my rock and I know I can call him when I’m having a bad day. That kid is going to do great things for people in his life.

Jennifer is the next oldest. She is livin’ the life of a 9^th grader right now. She reminds me so much of myself, so creative and passionate. Jenn is so much fun to be with, we have so much fun together. When I’m having a bad day all I need to do is find her and all my problems go away. I love that girl more then she could ever know.

Justin is one of the twins. They are the youngest in the family. Justin is one of a kind. He is so hopeful and loving. He always tries to do the right thing. This kid is the luckiest kid I know. He has won countless prizes from Radio Disney including an iPad, X-box, movies, t-shirts, and so much more. Justin is going to help many people in his life. He is dedicated and when he sets his mind to something he gets it done no questions asked. I love him so much. I couldn’t imagine my life without him.

Julia is the other twin. She is the sweet one in our family. I wish some day to be half as strong as she is. She feels things so deep and is so concerned about everyone around her. She is always going out of her way to help other people and do kind things. A few months ago when I was unpacking after coming back to Logan from a weekend stay at home, I found $10 and a note from her telling me to go get a good lunch with the money. What kind of person does that? An amazing one, that’s for sure. Julia is going to save the world single handedly. Just watch.

Pretty much my siblings are better than your siblings. I love all of them so much. I miss living with them. It’s so hard to be away from them and not be able to be there for them and support them like I would like to. But, I hope they know that I still love them so much!

Day Two

Day 02- The meaning behind your Blog name

I was inspired by this talk.

Would you rather read it? click here

Pretty much the idea behind the name of this blog came because I felt like my attitude of gratitude needs some help. Obviously I will never be the most grateful person in the world. But it doesn’t hurt to try, right? Okay, that was a joke. But I am trying to work on it and see the good in my life. I think it’s important to be thankful for the good things I have and thankful for the bad things I don’t have. I am truly blessed daily and when I open my eyes and see it, I am so inspired. Miracles happen daily. Most of the time we don’t see it because we are so focused on our lives and the things of the world. If you are reading this I challenge you to take a day and make yourself be fully aware of everything you have to be thankful for. At the end of that day write it all down. You might find a few miracles on your list.

Day One

Day one:

A recent picture of you and 15 random facts about yourself

1. I don’t know the Utah State fight song yet. But, most people here don’t know it. So I’m not alone. I just clap along with the other billions of people that are always attending the games.
2. I check the mail every day hoping for a letter. I get some kind of high off of getting as letter in the mail. So if you want to make me happy send me a letter!
3. I am a huge fan of monkey bars.
4. Sometimes I decide that going to class is not worth it. So I don’t go.
5. In high school I thought that the world would end if I didn’t do everything I set my mind to. Turns out, high school was SO over rated.
6. Today I got a check in the mail for $5,476 from the university. I’m pretty sure it’s a mistake. I will take care of that tomorrow.
7. My shoulders are always so tight. I always beg everyone to rub them out. But, no one makes to big of a dent because they are so tight and full of knots. I guess I just carry my stress in my shoulders. Weird, I know.
8. I am still not a true Aggie. One day I will be.
9. I have a lot of OCD moments. Lots.
10. I am in love with reading my scriptures. I haven’t missed a day since the first year of senior year. They are the best way to fix a bad day.
11. I have never read the harry potter books. Yes, I’m a freak. Thank you.
12. Right now my toe nails are pink. They need a little help though.
13. I really hate ice. Ice skating, ice in my drinks, ice on the side walks, and any thing that has to do with ice. Ew.
14. I was a huge fan of the 88 cent sales that happened every Tuesday at Honks in Logan. Then Honks closed. Now I only have my memories to hold on to.
15. My roommate Melissa and I have a “Wall of Hot Men” in our room. It’s pretty much the greatest thing ever.

Yes, I did win 25 cents in the lottery!

shake it up a bit.

Okay, due to the request from friends for me to get blogging again I decided to follow in the footsteps of my dear friend Lecy and do a blogging 30 day challenge. Maybe that will help get me in the habit of blogging! I’m not saying I will do it every day. But, I will try to get on here more and keep you all updated and do this this every once and a while.

Here is the challenge:

Day 01- A recent picture of you and 15 random facts about yourself
Day 02- The meaning behind your Blog name
Day 03- A picture of you and your family
Day 04- A habit that you wish you didn’t have
Day 05- A picture of somewhere you’ve been to
Day 06- Your  hero and why
Day 07- A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you
Day 08- Short term goals for this month and why
Day 09- Something you’re proud of in the past few days
Day 10- Songs you have great memories connected with
Day 11- Best week you have experience in your life
Day 12- Your most peaceful moment and why
Day 13- A letter to someone who has hurt you recently
Day 14- A picture of you and your family from when you were little
Day 15- Put your iPod on shuffle: First 10 songs that play
Day 16- Worst fear and why
Day 17- Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
Day 18- Plans/dreams/goals you have
Day 19- Nicknames you have; why do you have them
Day 20- Describe how you see your future family
Day 21- A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 22- What makes you different from everyone else
Day 23- Something you crave
Day 24- A letter to your future spouse
Day 25- What I would find in your bag
Day 26- What you wish you could change about this world
Day 27- Why are you doing this 30 day challenge
Day 28- A picture of you last year and now, how have you changed since then?
Day 29- In this past month, what have you learned
Day 30- Your favorite song.

We will see how this goes…..

Change for a dollar

Why is it so hard at times to be the change you wish to see in the world? Why is it so scary to serve others and put yourself in a spot to help someone else?

Double One.

I'm a couple days late, I know. But, I have been so busy with friends and family that I haven't really been on my computer much. Therefore, the blog was neglected big time. My bad.

This break has been much needed. It is going to be so hard to go back to Logan on Saturday... Being away from home really reminded me of how much I love the people who I have been blessed to call family and friends. I have been able to get together with friends from the past and a lot of  extended family over the past few weeks. I honestly can say that I know some of the strongest, happiest, most amazing people out there! The Lord knew what he was doing when he put them in my life, thank goodness for that!

Well, since everyone else posted about how great 2011 was I figured I didn't want to miss out on that! So here are the top 5 events of 2011 that rocked my world and really highlight my year:

1.) Moved from Lindon to Lehi and really had my eyes open to the value of family and how strong a family really can be.


2.) Watched my Mom have her life changed by getting married to her soul mate. (Blended families are always hard, I think it's something you don't understand until you go though it. But, all in all I am so happy for my mom. She deserves to be happy even if things aren't always the Brady Bunch in our home.)


3.)GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL!! (I never thought that day would come, I didn't feel ready when it did! Sometimes it still feels like a dream. Crazy stuff right there.)


4.) Packed up my car and moved away to college 2 hours away from home. (How I had the guts to do this, I may never know. I never thought I would leave home for college. I was always planning on staying close to home. But, Utah State is where I'm supposed to be! I still am not sure why, I guess the answer will come with time!)


5.) Made it through my first super scary semester of college with a 3.95 GPA! (I am proud, I had to brag for a second! It really wasn't that hard, just a very new experience that scared the crap out of me!)

I feel like I have done a lot of growing up this year. However, I have never felt more unsure about life or what I want out of it then I do right now as a Freshmen. As I talk to people though, they all say the same thing. I guess that's just how life works at my age! I just have to figure it out one day at a time and pray lots and lots.

I can say that I loved 2011. All of the good and the bad. It brought amazing people into my life and I was blessed by learning lots of life lessons, both good and bad.

 I am excited for 2012. It's full of unexpected adventures and new things! I honestly don't know how it'll turn out! I am hoping for more postives then negatives though! I guess the rest of the world is too...

I am thankful for the things 2011 brought me. Here's to 2012!