starting santa's spirit.

i decided to take the first weekend to just into the holiday spirit. 

i was able to perform in my christmas performance at the last minute. 

while it seemed like a burden because i have so much to do..

it actually turned out to be quite fun..to be with all my old dance friends and get into the christmas mood.

isn't that how it always goes? 

we went to macaroni grill..an old tradition

they gave me a new ornament and a pack of hot cocoa! 

when i came home my family was listening to christmas music setting up christmas! 

how perfect!

 

i'm COMPLETELY ready for christmas!  

the most wonderful time of the year!

CHRISTMAS TIME!

christmas is about helping others, spending time with your loved ones, making memories, doing service, forgiving, giving, sharing, laughing, remembering why we are here, reaching out and loving.

loving anyone, everyone, the things your blessed with, loving to give. 

this christmas season i am going to do something each day to get me into the christmas spirit. it will be anything from saying hi to someone i don't usually, to going to see the temple square lights, to sledding. 

i want this christmas season to be memorable. i want to help others & make memories. 

i want to fully commit to the christmas spirit. 

xoxo

round 2 thank U

.MOM.

where would i be without my mom?

she is the most wonderful person in the world. 

if you don't know her.. get to know her. 

she will do anything for anyone. 

she loves life.

she constantly teaches me to: clean up as i go, give everyone the benefit of the doubt, always help anyone who needs it, follow my dreams, learn, never stop learning, read, love to read, speak your mind, stand up for yourself, care about others, learn about others, stay healthy, say i love you as much as possible to the ones you love, don't be worried about everything looking perfect.... have worn out couches and rugs, go on hikes, appreciate what you have, give what you can, push yourself, never give up, and so so so much more.

my mom always is doing stuff for other people. 

i am so grateful for everything she has taught me whether it's through words or example.

i love you mom. 

nan. 

i couldn't say enough good things about this lady. 

my grandma.

she is really my aunt but raised my dad after his mom passed away.

she is amazing.

she is always cooking or sewing or tending or doing something for someone. 

i look up to her so much. 

she is never bothered or worried about little things but yet focuses and is so grateful for the simple joys of life.

i love this women so so much and i am forever indebted to her for everything she has done for my family. 

<3 

laughter..

laughter is honestly my favorite thing in this world.

i laugh at everything, anything.

laughter lets you forget, for just one second, all the worries in life. 

"So many tangles in life are ultimately hopeless that we have no appropriate sword other than laughter."

  ~Gordon W. Allport

laughter can cure.

sometimes it's hard to laugh

but when you do.. it changes everything.

i try to never go a day without laughing..or even an hour.

life is a gift. enjoy it. laugh at it. don't take it too seriously. have fun. 

laugh through life. 

xoxo

my family.. i could go on forever.

but i won't.

i'll just say that i am thankful for each one of these people because they have made me who i am today. 

each of them have changed my life.

each have taught me.

each have influenced me.

all in different ways.. they have made me who i am.

i love you guys forever & ever.

xoxo

music.

whether i'm having the best day or the worst..music seems to be a part of it.

i LOVE music!

music has helped me through so much.

i am so thankful for music!!

my angel.

i am lucky and forever thankful to have the best angel i could ask for.

sophie rose. 

i'm so lucky to have her with me wherever i go. 

 i miss her laugh and her crazy personality and our amazing philosophical chats and everything about her.

but i'm reminded each and every day that she's here. she listens when i leave her voicemails she sits by me at the cemetery or in my car or room as i cry to her. she helps me when i'm in need and she makes me laugh when it seems i can't.

and that's all i can ask for. 

why am i lucky enough to have the best angel watching over me? 

i'm not sure but i'll always be thankful for everything she does for me. 

photographs. 

the greatest invention. 

pictures are able to captivate all moments. 

whether it's a monumental event: graduation, senior prom, your favorite concert, vacation.. or just a normal day, hanging out with your friends.

whatever it is.. pictures capture the moment.

pictures help remind of specific events and times in life. 

when i look through my pictures i'm immediately taken back to the moment the picture was captured. 

when something is removed from your life all you have are memories and pictures.

when you go to college, grow up, lose a loved one, leave a team, go to a concert, see a new country... 

whatever it is pictures remind you.. good or bad. 

pictures tell a life story.

we are here to write a story, to make memories

- and pictures are here to capture it. 

 xoxo

mybigbro

nathaniel james morgan 

my big bro..

the smartest, nicest, most loyal, honest, interesting, good looking kid i know. 

you will never find someone that knows half of the interesting facts he does.

nate! i'm so proud of all you've done.  you've been through a lot this year and i'm so proud of you for standing up for yourself.  you are such a good example to me and i know that you will go so so so far in life if you want to. 

you have so much potential and you have so much going for you. 

any girl would be lucky to have you! 

have the most wonderful year. 

you deserve it.

hope you have the best birthday love you nate!!! 

listen to this.. stay beautiful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eorwh5MMIao

NOVEMBER CHALLENGE

this time last year one of my teachers challenged me to write down 

one hundred 

things i was thankful for.

honestly... EVERYONE needs to do this. 

this made me realize how much i'm blessed with. 

sometimes i get thinking that i don't have what other have or i need more of this & that.

but after this i saw i have everything i need and much more. 

be grateful.

right now.. get a pen & paper and write!! 

xoxo 

thx

i will never ever be able to thank her enough.

thank you to my best friend sophie rose barton

she is the most loyal, understanding, trustworthy, funny, amazing, talented, driven, loving, loveable, cuddly, genuine, happy, beautiful..inside and out, hard-working, inspiring, thoughtful, peaceful, hilarious, fun, and best friend i could ever ask for. 

while here on earth she taught me more than anyone. 

now that she is watching over me i have learned more than i thought was possible. 

i cannot wait until i see her again.

i know that we will cry and laugh and hug forever just as we always do. 

soph.. i miss and love you more everyday. please know that i am forever thankful for you. 

i'm thankful for time to think

to find a quiet spot and just think. 

think about anything. 

think about....

-the future.

-what i'm here to accomplish. 

-what kind of person i want to be.

-the things i'm thankful for

-memories

-people

-love

-nothing

-things that inspire me

-what i have to get done before the days over

-who i can help

-how i can become better in the smallest way possible

-anything!!

friendship. 

not any friendship.

but one that taught me something. 

taught me more than how to laugh and love. but how to mature. how to understand others. how to try to mend a friendship. showed me that things don't always work out as i hoped they would. taught me that although i probably never admit i am... yes sometimes i'm wrong. taught me to be nice no matter what others think of me.  that nothing should break a friendship up, but sometimes it does.  showed me things about myself.. things that i will work on to make me a better person.  things that no one but her would tell me. that's a real friend.  whit i'm so thankful for our friendship. and although it's nothing like it used to be.. i'm glad i've had it the last 7 years. you've taught me so much and i hope you know 

i love you no matter what. 

NEW FRIENDSHIP

gaining new friendship is so exciting.

i love learning things from each of the people i meet. 

i love these two girls for teaching me how to become a 

GOOD PERSON. 

that following every single rule isn't what matters. 

friendship matter, loyalty matters, school matters, learning matters, becoming judgement free matters, being open to change matters, being true to yourself matters, being interested in others matters, always having your friends back matters, doing little things for your friends like writing a note can make a huge difference, being inclusive to everyone matters, not letting age or interests change anything in a friendship, trusting others matters, spending time with your friends matters, memories matter,  living in the moment matters, and so so so so many other things.

i'm so thankful that i have these two girls in my life. they have become such good friends to me and stood behind me when they'd only known me for a few months. 

love you kvw and mvs 

thanks for everything.

you truly have taught me soo much in the last 3 months. 

xoxo 

chi-omega

"To live constantly above snobbery of word or deed; to place scholarship before social obligations and character before appereances; to be, in the best sense, democratic rather than 'exclusive', and lovable rather than 'popular'; to work earnestly, to speak kindly, to act sincerely, to choose thoughtfully that course which occasion and conscience demand; to be womanly always; to be discouraged never; in a word, to be loyal under any and all circumstances to my Fraternity and her highest teachings and to have her welfare ever at heart that she may be a symphony of high purpose and helpfulness in which there is no discordant note."

Ethel Switzer Howard. Xi.

1909

karson phippen

the reason i'm grateful for him recently is pretty selfish. but i'll share anyways.

along with being the best kid in the entire world...

=being nice to everyone. making a longboard in honor of soph, being amazingly smart, hilarious, gonna be the best husband, good looking, such a strong kid, and sooo thoughtful and everything else..

this kid never ever fails to make my day every time i talk to him. 

i never leave a conversation without him telling me something to lift my self-esteem.

here's something he told me.. shows what an amazing kid HE is. 

 "know that you literally are the best person, you are always happy and smiling and your overwhelming personality is something this world needs more of, you are soo beautiful and have the most geourgoues eyes and pretty smile, that sums up what a joy you have been in my life you truely are a light to everyone ..G2G continue to shine on always lyci"

karson that is why i love you. i hope you know how much you mean to me and i seriously don't know what i would do without you. xo

i took this picture while camping at lake mary a few summers ago. 

sunrises & sunsets

they are one of the many things that remind me to be happy and thankful each day of my life.

it's a gift each day reminding me that i have been giving this amazing place to live. be happy.

there's not much more to it than that. 

take a second.. look around.. the world is BEAUTIFUL! be grateful. be happy. love life. 

find the things that make you happy and focus on that. 

every night and every morning on my way to school i take a second (no matter how much of a hurry i am in) to look at the sky.  the colors, the stars, the moon, the sun, the clouds, the air.  the things that surround us in this amazing world. 

the bartons. 

not only are they like a second family.

tessa like a sister

luke and cole like my little brothers i chase around

anne-marie like my stylish mother 

and kent and chas the most amazing family members to look up to

but they are an inspiration. 

they are so strong. 

they love each other even with one lost. 

they carry on remembering

they won't let anyone forget. 

how amazing?

they have taught me so much. 

they love more than most. 

they laugh more than most. 

they are the most talented people in the world. 

every single one of them has not one amazing talent but hundreds! 

they have helped me so much the past year and a half... i could never repay them for even half of what they have done . 

sophie loves each one of you so so much. 

she would tell me all the time about each one of you and how important you were. 

tessa-her best friend. she looked up to you so much.

chas-her role model

cole-her entertainment. she loves you so much.

luke-she couldn't wait until you were a little older and you could be best friends.

kent- she always tried to follow you tender hearted peace maker personality. 

anne-marie-the best mom she could have asked for. always kept her pushing for her dreams. 

xoxoxo

lil puds.

oh my lily wachtor. so much to say. 

i love this girl more than anything

.

she can make anyone smile, she is friends with anyone and everyone, she is smart and beautiful, she is loyal, she has the best laugh of anyone i know, she knows who she is and what she stands for, she is amazing at talking to parents, she cares about everyone and is the greatest person i know. 

my best friend since 7th grade. 

we have been through so much together.

we laugh more than anyone probably. 

she has read me books, tickled my back, helped me down stairs when i couldn't walk, surprised me with cupcakes on my birthday, talked to me until all hours of the night, come to my house at 3 am just because i needed to talk to someone, had more sleepovers than anyone, traveled everywhere with me, come to family reunions since day one, taken over a million pictures with me, laughed everyday with me, talked for hours on the phone, written me countless notes, and talked to me about EVERYTHING. 

nothing will ever separate us. we're two hours away and still talk everyday. i love you so so much lilyanna. best friends forever. i am so thankful for everything you have taught me. you are such a light in my life and i can't thank you enough for being my best friend since the day we met. 

journaling.. 

one of my favorite activities. 

i write all my thoughts, my daily life, my favorite quotes, my crushes, about my friends, my life... really anything that needs to be said is written in my journal. 

i love reading back on old journals.

each night i write in my journal something i'm thankful for that day. 

it reminds me.. no matter how awful my day was.. there is something i'm thankful for. 

thank you thank you thank you very much

well it's that time of year. 

THANKSGIVING.

reverse that.

GIVING THANKS.

this is a time to give thanks. give thanks for all you have. all you've learned. all you've gained. all you've lived through. all you've survived that you thought you never would. all you've taught others. all you have to be proud of. all the moments you wish you could take back but in turn made you stronger. all the people in the world that love you.  all the people you love. all the people you've met for a short time but changed your outlook on life. all the things you've been a part of, good or bad, that make you who you are.  thankful for yourself.  thankful for the examples in your life. all the people who keep you going when you don't think you can. all the memories that make you laugh. and everything else that you are just thankful for. 

these next few posts are just a few things that i am so passionately thankful for. hope you can all take this month to reflect on what you are thankful for. 

eleven eleven eleven

11/11/11 

only happens once every hundred years

i'm lucky enough to have lived though 1/1/1 2/2/2 3/3/3 4/4/4 5/5/5 6/6/6 7/7/7 8/8/8 9/9/9 10/10/10

at 11:11 am on 11/11/11 while i would have rather been skydiving or changing the world..

i was at school..

luckily my teachers stopped class 

..we stood in complete silence and made a wish.

the power in the room was unbelievable. 

everyone in the room for one moment had a wish. 

a dream.

a love for someone.

for something.

a hope for a brighter anything.

a vision of greatness.

a cry for prosperity. 

we were all one. wishing the best for ourselves and others. 

luckily i had two shots to make a perfect wish. 

i didn't want be greedy and wish for more.

i wished to: 

be a light

to radiate joy

i wished for happiness.

not the kind of happiness that comes from money, lust, carefree fun, or gossiping.

but true happiness

the kind that come from true love, selfless service, learning and believing

my ultimate wish..

to live a good life & fight a good fight.

and all that entails. 

fearless

"These days, I've been trying to classify my thoughts into two categories: "Things I can change," and "Things I can't." It seems to help me sort through what to really stress about"

-taylor swift

very very valuable advice. 

i think so many times we stress sooo much about the things that we have no control over. 

sometime we just have to realize there's a problem out of our reach and figure out a way to work through it.  

if it's a problem we can change well.. change it!