Remember to Remember

Until today, I had never heard of 17 Miracles.
What is that? You might ask.
Well...
It's a movie.
 And it's phenomenal.

And I strongly recommend it.

This trailor does not do it justice; but just know that 

the stories you hear and see will stick with you for a long time. 

Maybe even change the way you think, 

and what you value most.

_____________________________

A few years ago, I had the incredible opportunity to do trek with my ward. I remember spending months preparing for this big trip. We sewed our own dresses, learned old time dances and pioneer games, ate pioneer food, and read stories about individuals who had experienced the journey for themselves. When the big day finally came, I was certain that I was prepared for anything. 

I was wrong. 

I never expected to have such an amazing spiritual experience.

I never expected my testimony and my love the for early saints to grow so much.

Trek was a turning point for me. This is one of the few times that I can pin point as a testimony building experience. I remember sitting around the camp fire on the first night and listening to my Bishop talk. As he bore his testimony, I felt my own testimony expanding inside of me. It was one of those times where you just know that it's right. The spirit was so strong, and I have never forgotten it. This was one of many spiritual experiences I had in those three days.

For a long time after trek, my testimony grew more and more. I always remembered the examples of the pioneers. I continued to read their stories from books like I Walked to Zion, and Fire of the Covenant, and I continued to feel a deep sense of love and appreciation for everything they had done. I was so grateful for my own experiences. They changed the way I thought about life, and what I valued most.

However, like they do for everyone, many of my memories began to fade. I always valued my experiences and the way my testimony had grown. I just forgot to remember them. Every once in a while I would think back to those times and have a few seconds of appreciation as I did before, but as my life moved on, so did my memory. 

That is, until I watched 17 Miracles.

As I watched this movie, all the same deep feelings I felt as a 17 year old girl came rushing back. I was once again filled with love and gratitude. I watched the stories on a screen, but knew that they were more than a movie. I (along with everyone in the theater) couldn't stop the tears as I re-realized that the sacrifices made by these people were real. The loved ones they lost were more than characters-- they were a mother, a sister, a friend, a husband, or a child. The miracles that took place really happened, and the trials that they went through have made my life what it is.

Today I realized that all of that... is too much to forget. 

Remember to be grateful. 

Remember to remember.  

Until next time,

So long

Guilty Pleasure

A little girl told me the other day that when she grows up and gets big and goes to preschool, she can "handle knives." Probably my favorite line of the week.

___________________________

This week has been a good one. A really good one. The greatness of it all, and probably the only thing I will really write about, is the Fourth of July.

My mom was out of town, so I was planning to spend the day with my dad and "take care of him." You cannot imagine the sense of guilt I get when I think about leaving my dad, or anyone for that matter, by themselves on a holiday. My dad kept telling me that he would be fine... he would just go to the rodeo by himself and watch the firework show... by himself. That was supposed to make me feel better. Can you imagine?

After a lot of thinking, anxiety, and sorting out, we decided that the plan would be to go to the parade as a family (Dad, Allison, and I) and then spend the rest of our day with our own activities, or go to the rodeo and watch fireworks if we didn't have plans.

The parade was great. Of course, the guys from Ray's Chevron were the most entertaining... and the most good looking :) I liked standing with Dad and Allison and seeing so many people we knew walk in the parade. There's nothing like a small town Fourth of July.

At the Parade

Later on in the day, I was invited to go four wheeling and horseback riding with Jenna Davis and Melinda. I was excited to go, but almost couldn't bring myself to because I knew I would be haunted all day long with the guilt of leaving my dad behind, all by himself. But I did go, and I really enjoyed it.

We ended up going to the sand dunes... but not the ones that everyone else goes to. We went to some that were about a mile off the main road to the right. I never even knew there were sand dunes out there. But I was glad they did, because despite the usual busyness on the Fourth of July, these ones were completely empty and calm. We had the whole place to ourselves.

After a ride on the four wheelers, Jenna asked me if I wanted to ride the horses. I, of course, said yes, but just to make sure I would have no problems, I asked if her horses were nice. Jenna and her family assured me, "Oh yeah, you shouldn't have any problems. You've ridden before, right?" I nodded yes, but with hesitation. I didn't want them to think that that actually meant I knew anything. I've ridden before-- I still don't really know what I'm doing. They told me to hop on and everything would be fine.

This calmed me down, and I pushed all my little fears to the back of my mind. Why was I so worried anyway? I love riding horses. What could possibly go wrong? It's not like the horse is actually going to run away with me on his back!

After thinking all of this through, I jumped on that horse (Kip) with confidence. After about two whole seconds of comfortably sitting in the saddle, what do ya know?

He takes off.

No, he wasn't running, but yes, he was walking with a purpose. He knew where he wanted to go, and he was not about to listen to some inexperienced stranger sitting on his back. I grabbed the reigns and tried to steer him back to the rest of the horses. But he had other plans. He shook his head in the opposite direction. He headed straight up a pretty steep hill, over sagebrush and lava rock. I kept trying to get him to turn around, and he kept shaking his head. This went on for a few minutes. All the while, I had an audience of about eight people that I didn't really know. Great.

Finally, I took real control and told that Mr. Kip to stop! I said it really forcefully, like someone who has a lot of authority. I said to that horse, "WO!"

And that horse stopped.

He still wouldn't turn around, but at least he stopped. Finally Jenna's dad came and led me back. I was surprised at how calm I stayed. After that, Kip and the other horses that I rode listened to me. No more problems. It was so much fun to ride through the sand. I really loved it!

The only thing that could've made it a little better is if the sand we were walking on belonged to a beach in North Carolina :)

Four wheeling

Jenna, Melinda, and I

I'm really good at going off baby jumps...  

These two on the other hand... Not so graceful.

Don't worry, they didn't flip or anything :)

Horse back riding

Me and Dapper Dan. I loved this horse!

That's me riding the wild one, Kip

The sunset was so pretty!

This was my favorite picture from the night! It was so gorgeous! 

Anyway, all in all, this years Fourth of July was a success. Everything went well, except I didn't spend it with my dad. I went home around ten to spend time with him, and guess what...

He was sleeping.

Guilt, guilt, guilt...

Until next time,

So long

Feathers

I feel kind of funny posting a picture of myself... like I have reverted to jr high or high school-- but I just want to say that I actually got those feathers I mentioned a few posts back. In fact, I got three: a black/green one, a reddish one, and a black and white one.

For those of you who doubted, here they are! :)

They are fun.

Just so You Know

My sister rocks at photography

There's a lot more to see at allisonkayphotography.com

Until next time, 

so long

Proud To Be

Meet my favorite brother-in-law CPT Matthew W. Hargrave

Today I have been thinking a lot about him and his little family.

I will never forget that my freedom comes with a price.

Thank you Matt and all those who so willingly sacrifice their time and lives to protect our country and the freedoms we enjoy. 

Today, and always, I am proud to be an American!

Until next time,

So long

The Good Life

Once again I haven't updated in a few weeks. Part of that reason is because I haven't felt an urge to write about anything, and the other part is that I haven't been taking pictures, which is a major factor in blogging... at least for me.

Lucky for you, I did steal pictures from other blogs (thank you Dad and Allison) so you can see a bit of what I have been up to lately.

The past few weeks have contained three main things: reading, tennis, and children.

Lets start from the beginning.

READING:
About two weeks ago, Becca invited me to go up to her cabin with her, just for the day. She warned me that nothing super exciting would take place while we were there. We were just going to go on a quick four wheel ride and then lounge around, read, and act like we were elderly. I was thrilled to hear this. I know it's strange but Becca and I (I think I can speak for her here) have this strange excitement for our later years. You know, the ones where you retire and buy a farm and live in a cozy house and read all day :) We seriously talk about our old-age years quite often. Probably not normal.

Anyway, a large portion of this day at the cabin was dedicated to reading, something we don't do often. We were serious about it though, so we stopped at the library on our way out of town to pick up some good books. I was a little hesitant to decide on just one book to read-- the last thing I wanted to do was ruin our quiet day at the cabin with a bad book choice. But finally, after a long search and a quick lesson about the Dewey Decimal System, I found a book that I have always been interested in reading. Not Without my Daughter. I opened the book right when we got in the car and read it all the way up to Island Park. Within ten pages, I already knew that I had done a supreme job on my book choice. To say the least, it did not disappoint. In fact, it fulfilled all my dreams concerning the quiet day of reading at the cabin.

Lets just say that I have not been able to put this book down, and I recommend it to anyone who likes these kinds of things.

So relaxed.

My view as I read.

There is just something about these windows...

The view of the lake.

That's not all we did though. Like Becca said, we also went for a ride on the four wheelers. This ride turned out to be a trip to Big Springs, which I was not opposed to at all. The scenery on the way was so pretty, and we even spotted wildlife! That's always fun! I have always loved this place and how pretty and peaceful it is.

Even though I have been to Big Springs a lot in my life time, I have never actually gone into Johnny Sack's Cabin. But this time I did! It was so fun. I love going into old places like that. It reminded me of when I walked through all the old houses in Nauvoo.

By the time we headed back, it had started to drizzle. I didn't mind. Rain makes everything prettier. It was a great little ride, and we made it to the cabin just in time for pizza and some reading. There's nothing like a nice quiet day at the cabin.

Me and Becca enjoying the ride.

Becca getting ready for the ride home.

Johnny Sack's Cabin was so pretty in the rain.

TENNIS:
The following week, I enrolled myself and my dad in a tennis tournament. I played mixed with him, and doubles with Becca. I was a little hesitant to sign up because I knew it would keep me so busy. The tournament would start every day a few hours after I got home from work and would end around ten thirty at night (if you stayed to watch others play, which I did.) That basically meant I would only have 2 hours each day to be at home. I originally said no, but with some pressure and persuasion from my friends I signed up. It turned out to be a lot of fun, and I was glad that I got to do it! It reminded me of my old high school tennis days with all my friends watching each other and hanging out afterwards.

I was surprised to see that me and my dad went so far. To be honest, I thought we would be out pretty fast (sorry, Dad) He hadn't played all year, and I am never much help... but we actually did really well. In the end, we ended up losing to the Duque's, and to my friends Tanner and Annie. It was tons of fun though, and I am glad that I got to play with him.

Becca and I also had lots of fun playing together. We ended up getting second in the tournament. Turns out that doesn't mean much though. We played our final match two days after the tournament was over. We lost and then walked off the courts and carried on. There wasn't even anyone there to report our scores to. Haha... That just goes to show how serious the Whoopie Days Tournament in Rexburg Idaho is :)

Along with the tournament, I have also been doing my USTA league, which is always fun. I love it when I get to be glared at and questioned by older feisty women tennis players :) Seriously, it's fun. And to be fair, they compliment more than they question.

Me and my dad pretending like we beat the Duque's. We fooled everyone!

CHILDREN:
Work is going great. I am so thankful to have a job right now, and even more thankful that I am enjoying it. The kids I work with are so funny and cute. They say lots of funny one liners. The other day a little girl bounced around the room squealing, "I love Jesus! I love Jesus!" over and over again after seeing a picture of him in a locket that I was wearing. This locket brings a lot of excitement and curiosity. After one little boy saw the picture I got the whole run down of the resurrection and what Jesus does from a three year olds perspective (oh Rexburg.) Lots of kids also don't know who Jesus is... so to them he is referred to as my friend "Jesse." The other day I told a little boy not to pick his nose. He quickly responded by saying, "No, it's okay. My mom says I can just flick em."I took a mental note to stay out of his line of fire. The next day, I caught him again and told him again not to do that. He looked at me and said, "No, my mom says I can just wipe em on my pants." Okay... what are parents teaching their kids these days??

The best of all their little sayings is that they call me the "Little Courtney." There are two Courtney's that teach on the preschool side. Without any outside influence, my class decided amongst themselves that I am the little one :) We are both about the same size... so I guess I just got lucky. I don't mind at all. In fact, for that, I will show them my magic finger! (The trick where you slide you index finger off by using your thumb.) They think I am the coolest person ever when I do that.

Despite their compliments, I also have to learn how to handle their brutal honesty. One day as we were eating lunch I overheard my name in a conversation that was going on between three boys. As I listened the only sentence that I heard was this: "Miss Court has a big nose!" What do you say to that? I looked at them and said in a playful voice, "Are you talking about me??" They all looked at me and started giggling as they shook their heads up and down. I put a grape in my mouth and said, "Well yes, it's true... I can't argue with that one." The conversation carried on without a second thought.

It's okay. I'm at peace.

My favorite thing to do with them right now is to take them on a walk around the block. There is a lot of building construction going on, so there are tractors and trucks all along the way and they cannot get enough. I always let them sit on the grass across the street and watch for a few minutes before we head back. They always wave to the tractor drivers, and once he even honked at us after doing some obvious showing off for the group of wide eyed kids across the street. I have a feeling that by the time this summer is over, those tractor drivers will be very used to having an audience.

The biggest and best news of all concerning work is that water days have finally started. This is when we get to play outside in the water all day. All the kids and teachers wear their swimsuits and chase each other with squirt guns and run through the sprinklers and stuff. It's a lot of fun... but for some reason I am the only teacher that they chase with their squirt guns. Probably because I am the only one that will actually chase them down and give them what they deserve! :)  I love the kids I work with. I love my job.

Along with work, I have also been coming home to Evelyn, Jack, and Addy for the past month. It was so fun to have them here for such a long time, and I'm sad that I was so busy and didn't get to see them for as much time as I had wished. To try and make up for it, I took the day off of work on Friday because it was their last day here. Allison and I watched them all day, and we went to the park, had a picnic, played in the water, and watched Tangled. It was a great time with three cute kids! I'll miss them!

Playing in the water and having a picnic

It's so fun to watch these three play together. Evelyn is the cutest older sister.

Jack is such a cute guy.

Here are some other random pictures of what I have been up to lately.  

Celebrating Rachel's Birthday

Skyping Griffin and Ashland is always fun!

Playing with chalk

Until next time,

So long.