A Once in a Lifetime Love

Meet Greg and Nancy

This is one solid (and classy) couple that I have always looked to as the perfect example of how to treat the one you love.

They still look at each other like this daily. And I'm lucky enough to see it. 

It's cute.

Happy Valentines Day 

Flashback to 6th Grade

(I had to write a story for one of my classes, and I have decided to share it. This memory was pushed to the back of my mind up until last month when it suddenly all came back and has been haunting me ever since. I feel like there's so many things I could've and should've done differently to help "Sam." Believe it or not, it still hurts my insides to think about this story.)

________________________________

     I started playing the cello in 5^th grade. I was lucky enough to start that year in the school’s orchestra, and I quickly made friends within my class. We all had a good time learning together, and we seemed to share interests. As the year progressed, everyone began to develop genuine friendships with each other. Everyone, that is, except Sam.

       Sam was a boy in our class that was known as the “trouble-maker.” He had been given that label on the first day of class, and in spite of his efforts, he couldn’t get rid of it. He wasn't the cleanest boy, and it was obvious that his clothes weren't the newest. He was very active, yet he kept to himself. Because the teacher was always getting after him, I guess some of the students thought that it was okay if they also treated him badly. I honestly tried not to be mean to him, and looking back, I don’t think I was. However, I also can’t say that I remember being particularly nice to him. I don’t remember helping him feel like he was a part of the crowd.

       One day during our second year of orchestra, I got to class, got out my cello and my bow and began to get ready for class to start. Sam was my stand partner, and the day seemed to be going along just fine. The end of my bow was wrapped with a silver wire, and it was starting to unravel. Because student cellos and bows were already lacking in the quality department, I mindlessly grabbed it and started to unwind it even more until a long strand of wire was bouncing off the end of my bow. I then set it on our stand and went on talking to my friends and joining the others in noisy pre-class activities.

       All of a sudden the whole class went silent when we heard our teacher yell, “Who did this?!” I turned to see him holding my bow in his hand, high above his head for everyone to see. Before anyone responded he turned to Sam, who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. “Sam! Did you do this? This is a $1,500 bow, and it’s mine! This is real silver!” he screamed, pointing to the unraveling wire. The class was silent as Sam profusely tried to explain that it wasn’t him, but the teacher would not hear anything he had to say. “I will be setting up an appointment with your mother and you can explain to her what you’ve done!” he shouted.

       Everyone in the class stared at each other with wide eyes. I sat still and silent. I had to say something, didn’t I? …or did I? After all, isn’t Sam used to this kind of treatment? He’s already got the reputation, it’s not like this is going to break him. It’ll just be another thing added to the list. For me though, this would be horrible. I don’t want to embarrass myself and ruin my “perfect” reputation. That’s $1500 dollars, and everyone would know what I had done. Besides, it’s not my fault that his bow was in the student case, how was I supposed to know? I’ll just stay quiet and eventually this will all pass.

       I tried that. It didn’t work for more than two minutes. My face was hot, and my scalp was literally tingling (something I had never experienced before or since. Kind of strange, I know.) I quickly realized that I had to tell my teacher that I was the one who had ruined his bow. I had to be honest because that was the right thing to do. My mind flashed to those little stories in the New Era, and I got a little braver. :)

       I casually told my teacher that I needed to talk to him privately in the other room. As we walked together, I repeatedly told myself to speak confidently. I turned around and looked him in the face and said, “I’m the one who ruined your bow. It was me. It wasn’t Sam.” I’m sure my face was bright red and my eyes were watery. I’m not sure what I was expecting him to do, but I definitely wasn’t expecting him to be so calm and understanding. He simply told me “thank you for being honest,” and then we turned and went back to class. I remember thinking, That's it? That's all? I have never understood why he was so hard on Sam and so easy on me. It didn’t seem fair to me, even then; but I took what I got and stayed quiet about the whole situation.

       I don’t know if the teacher ever apologized to Sam. I hope he did. He didn’t know the facts, yet he blamed and humiliated Sam based on an assumption. I have always been glad that I made the choice to be honest that day. Looking back I can see that Sam did not have the best home life. His mom had died shortly before this situation, and his family struggled financially; on top of all that, he had to go to school everyday where little was expected of him, and he was labeled as the “annoying trouble maker.” He did not deserve that, and even though I quietly stood up for him on that day, I wish I had stood up for him on a daily basis. I wish I had made him feel more welcome and involved.

      The next year, Sam didn’t come to our school anymore. In fact, I don’t know where he went. But I have always wished that I knew so I could see how he is doing. I have a genuine interest in his life, and I think it is mostly because of this experience.

      This may seem like a very juvenile story to some, but it taught me a lot. It taught me that being honest is not always easy. It can be hard and scary, and it definitely requires courage. Above all else, I learned that it never hurts to be nice.    

I Wish I Was a...

I think that every person goes through a period of time in their lives when they wish they were someone, or something else. For some, this "phase" lasts a long time-- maybe even a lifetime. They spend their minutes comparing themselves to others, never satisfied with the talents and blessings they have. For others, this "phase" of comparing and wishing is just that; a period of time when someone feels insecure with themselves. In retrospect, I would say that this time for me was probably during Jr. high.

In the moment, Jr. high was truly great. Some of my favorite memories include 1) the time when I choked on an orange in the cafeteria. I mean I legitimately choked. No air in the airway. I learned on that day that I cannot trust certain friends to perform the Heimlich when under pressure. 2) The time a girl fell down the stairs (more like flew down the stairs) and landed on me with an amazing amount of force. I shook it off. She came to school with a boot and crutches the next day. 3) The time when I "vandalized" school property by carving my initials into my locker which I had a strange attachment to. I was caught red handed by Mr. Holverson. That was a very scary encounter. In the moment, I was loving life. When I break it down into little memories like this, I realize that I had a really good time in Jr. high.

For some reason, I often catch myself telling people that I hated Jr. high. I really didn't... I didn't until I looked back on it with my mature, grown up eyes :) Ignorance is bliss, right? During those two years, I thought I was living the dream. But lets face it. In all reality, people in Jr. high can be really mean, they may or may not have some serious B.O, they almost always have awkward bodies, and as a side effect of all of this, they are insecure about themselves, and wish they were someone, or something else. I think I may have been one of those people. Luckily, I didn't really notice at the time.

Years later, I can say that I have gotten over these (then unknown) insecurities and I am very happy with the person I am. Life is good, and I am more aware of the things that make it good. I have come to recognize and enjoy the talents that I have, and I enjoy developing them. But...

Sometimes, I still wish I had more.

My three biggest "I wish I was" dreams are 1) I wish I was a good singer, 2) I wish I was a good dancer, and 3) I wish I was a gymnast. These three things have always caught my interest, but I never pursued any of them... and I think that two out of the three would be close to impossible for me to pull off anyway.

Tonight me and my cousin, Troy, got a little carried away with some youtube videos. We watched one after another after another, becoming more and more intrigued with each one. As a result of this youtube marathon, I have added many things to my "I wish I was" list that I have never even thought about or considered before. Are you ready? I wish I was a base jumper. I wish I was a snowboarder. I wish I was a skateboarder. I wish I could do tricks with my bike. And most of all, I wish I was brave (I'm getting more and more cautious with age.)

Now, remember-- I have mature, grown up eyes now, so I realize that I really do have a lot of good qualities and talents. But right now, that's not the point.

The point is that these people are crazy and its mind blowing. 

Now, for the amazingly bored people, or those who just want an excuse to procrastinate-- watch a few of these videos and tell me you're not a little bit jealous. Be careful though. You just might end up adding a variety of things to your "I wish I was" list. It's been known to happen.

Until next time,

So long

An Attitude of Gratitude

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just woke up to the sounds of a traditional family Thanksgiving. Sounds of feet scurrying, family talking in the kitchen, cousins playing the piano, the TV blaring... I'm excited to go join the chaos fun. The day is going to be filled with lots of family. We will cook, and talk, and laugh. I'm sure it will be a good time. But before it all starts, I want to make a list of some of my biggest blessings. The two biggest being my family and the gospel.

Family: These are the people I love the most. They are the ones I share the most memories with. The parents: They taught me what real love is. They support me. They respect me. They listen to me. They are the people that taught me everything I need to know... and more :) They are the ones that I can count on no matter what, and I love them for it. The siblings and their spouses: my siblings have been with me from the very beginning. They have seen me at my best, and they have pushed me to my worst. They have watched me go through every stage of life, awkward years and all. Individually, each one of them has played a very important role in my life. Logan danced with me on Christmas morning one year. I think I will probably always remember that. Griffin taught me how to throw a football in our backyard. I owe all my football skills to him. While we were in Nauvoo, Haley led me through poison ivy which led me to get impetigo and caused me to essentially have the worst week of my life :) She is also one of my favorite people to talk to in this world. Allison was my partner in crime on the one and only day I've ever been grounded. We sat in our room together for a long time. I don't remember it being much of a punishment. In recent years, their spouses have added a lot to our family and I am thankful for each of them. Rachel took me to my favorite place to eat for lunch one day. I've always thought that was so nice of her to do. She is one of the most thoughtful people I know. Matt talked to me at the end of a very bad day. I was an absolute emotional wreck, and he just calmly talked to me. He probably wasn't completely aware at the time, but he said all the right things in all the right ways. I still think about that conversation all the time. Last summer when I was in Oklahoma, everyone went out swimming except for me and Ash. We stayed home and she talked to me about life-- school, careers, marriage, and the gospel. I loved hearing her insights and stories. This is also a conversation that I think about often. I also loved snowboarding with her last Christmas :) The rest of them: Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, and cousins. I am a very lucky girl to say that I know and care for each of these people. Each one of them is a part of my life. I love talking to me aunts. My cousins are my best friends, and my grandparents are the best examples I could ever hope for. Bottom line--I have been richly blessed with a good family. I love them more than anything.
  
The gospel: Last night I slept on the futon. It was alright until 2:59 when my eyes popped open and wouldn't close again. I had a kink in my neck and my cat was taking up way more than her fair share of space. Eventually, I gave up on trying to sleep, and my mind began to wander. It drifted from one thing to the next until it stopped at the gospel. How lucky I am to have it in my life! I thought for a long time about everything the gospel has given me. As I laid there I realized how grateful I am for the Plan of Salvation and for the knowledge and peace it brings me. I am so thankful for the Atonement. I realized, in that quiet time of the night that, as weak as my testimony may feel and seem sometimes, the gospel is something that I will never doubt. I will never deny what I know. The gospel is something that is literally a part of me. I am so thankful for the strength and perspective that it brings to my life.

In addition to these two major blessings, I am also thankful for my education. I am thankful for my friends. I am thankful for service, and for seasons. I am thankful for my home. It is a warm, safe place where I can express myself, and the only place where I can burp whenever I want :) I am thankful for little things that get overlooked, like measuring cups. What would we do without them? I am thankful for the scriptures, the temple, and a prophet. I am thankful for cars, computers, and mirrors. I am thankful for holidays. I am thankful for the beauty of nature. I am thankful for modern medicine and medical advances. I am thankful for my good health and the good health of my family members. The list could go on and on. And on and on and on.

So how do I show my gratitude? I feel like it isn't enough just to say, "I'm thankful for (fill in the blank.) A few months ago in my journal I wrote,

"I am among the most privileged in every sense of the word: physically, financially, spiritually, academically. I have been given so much and all I can think is, "Why me?" or "How did I get so lucky?" . . . No matter how hard I think about the "whys," I am left with no answer that satisfies me. The only thing I can think is that I am so blessed and so thankful that I have a desire to serve. A desire to share what I have. A desire to share what I know . . . I know that a wonderful way to show gratitude . . . is to serve those around you-- to freely and generously give."

So, this Thanksgiving I want to do more than make a list. This Thanksgiving I want to show my gratitude through my attitude.

Now go eat!

Laugh a lot and be thankful for today! 

Until next time,
so long  

Nothing Better

Last April, Haley and Bennett stayed at our house for a few weeks. I loved having them here, and I missed them a lot when they left. The thing that I missed the most though, and still miss, is dancing with them.

Every morning, we would turn the music on full blast and dance like only Hazard's can. We came up with some crazy moves, and got some really good exercise :)

Yesterday, Haley posted a video on facebook, and as I watched it, I had little pains for those dancing days.

There is simply nothing better than dancing in the security of your own home with people you love.

Until next time,
So long

The Long Version

I keep telling myself I need to update this thing but I never feel inspired. I'm just kind of floating through life, which is very much driven by the daily routine that comes with being a college student. It's okay though. I think that I never really grew out of that stage where you crave routine. Routine is good, and if routine is good, then I have nothing to complain about.

My last update took place, like a month ago, so I have lots to catch up on. If you wanted to hear the short version of what happened in that time then I would say something like, "I had three really good weeks, and one pretty bad one." But the fact that you are reading this tells me that you want to hear more than that. You want to hear all the details and see pictures and stuff. You want The Long Version. Right? Right.

__________________

Okay. So October 28th was my friend, Rebekah's, birthday. I have not seen her in months and months so I was so excited when Jenna asked me if I wanted to go see her. It was so great to get to go to her house in Idaho Falls and catch up for a few hours. It was a short visit, but it did not disappoint. Any night that involves good friends, mexican food, and awkward waiters is an automatic good time.

 As I'm sure you can tell, she was overjoyed to be the receiver of so much attention. 

One night, I went to Guitars Unplugged to hear my friend Chelsea play the guitar and sing. She sang so well, and played like a champ. Her and her roommates sang "One Voice" by the Wailin' Jennys, which is one of my favorites. 

Sitting next to Sierra was quite the fun experience. She is definitely not shy :)

Last weekend Becca and Johnny came up from Provo. We had limited time together, so we decided to go to the Self Reliance Fair :) We picked up some tips on cookie making, food storage, the dangers of technology, and budgeting. It was fantastic! (I may sound sarcastic, but it really was pretty cool. Becca's dad helped put the whole thing together, and it turned out very nice.)

 This picture of Johnny is the only one I have from the whole weekend. Kind of a disappointment. Sorry Johnny.

This is a genogram I made for my Family Relations class. I was very proud. And this isn't even the finished product. My teacher was even impressed with it! I walked out of the classroom doing fist pumps that day. 

 ___________________

This all took place during the "good weeks." But then things took a turn for the worst. Dramatic, I know, but I don't know how else to explain it. It's not even like anything happened. I just sunk into a slump of laziness for the whole week and didn't do anything. Ever. And that's never good. 

Then, to top it all off, I got in my car saturday night, drove two feet, and realized I was experiencing the familiar feel of a flat tire. I got out to investigate...I definitely had a flat tire. Completely flat. I stayed pretty calm, which is saying something, because remember I was having a bad week already. And that was my third flat tire in a month. Yes, third. Not a big deal. The next morning my parents let me use the van to get to church. I drove up the street in a hurry (because I was late, of course) turned the corner, and once again experienced that familiar feeling of a flat tire. I got out to investigate...I definitely had a flat tire. Completely flat. Off the rim kind of flat. 

Kind of a big deal. Because obviously, I am cursed in the tire department. No joke. 

Luckily for me, things got better the next week. School has been good and I am really liking my classes. For my Social Work class we went to the family crisis center and organized all their supplies for the food bank. It was lots of fun and it felt good to give help where so much of it is needed. 

This weekend I went to dinner with Becca Noack. 

We also went to a dodge ball game and to our relief society activity. Afterwards, we decided to dress up like we used to when we lived together in Tuscany last winter.

Then...

And now...

I don't think things will ever change. Do you feel awkward? I do... 

Yesterday, something tragic happened in my house. Anyone who has ever used our basement bathroom is familiar with this...

My brother, Griffin painted it when he was 13 or something. It's been a wonderful feature in our house for over 12 years now. But it is no longer. 

That's right. We painted. It was very sudden. I had almost no time to prepare myself.

 I'm really going to miss this guy.

The bathroom is going to be a lonely place from now on.

_____________________

Last night I got to go to the Golden Dragon Acrobats From China show on campus. These people are amazing! My heart was racing the whole time because the things they did were so intense. I cannot even imagine having that much strength, focus, and precision.  

 Lookin good, Sierra.

 Colby, Mykel, and I after the show.

Me, Sierra, and Hannah walking home in the freezing cold icy weather. I am really going to miss summer time... 

Life is really good. I am learning a lot about a lot and I feel so blessed. I have so much to be thankful for-- even if I do have a bad week every once in a while :) I seriously don't know why I got so lucky. 

Until next time,

So long

I Love...

Whenever people ask me what my favorite season is, I automatically say summer. But then Autumn comes around, and I routinely change my mind. I love the crispness of the air, the smells, and the pretty colors. Autumn time has a feel all its own, and I love it. 

A while ago, my friend and I went to Mesa Falls to enjoy some of this Autumn weather. We had lots of fun, and the scenery was sooo pretty. Unfortunately, neither one of us had a camera... but we did have a cell phone :)

I Love Autumn. I love Mesa Falls.

It was a good day.

Until next time, 

So long