Rise and Shout the COUGARS are Out!

I didn't grow up a BYU fan, and I certainly don't spend much time keeping up on sports statistics (it's all I can do to know which sport is which), but I bleed BYU blue.

Today was the opening game of the football season, and I was lucky enough to get tickets. It's been a long time since I've been to a football game in that stadium, and it felt good to be back. There is something about the sound of the fight song echoing off the walls of the stadium, the sight of the team running onto the field with pride, and the smell of concession stand pizza and hot dogs (even if they are overpriced). I don't go for the football; I go for the camraderie, for the sunshine, and for the chance to be a part of a unified mass cheering a group of athletes on toward success. It's not about the sport for me.

I'll be honest, for years I never understood the allure of sports, especially one as violent as football. But, as I have come to appreciate BYU's program, I have realized that it's REALLY about much more than football. Sure, the game is entertaining, but there is a greater purpose. It's about the chance to be a part of a group working toward a common goal, learning leadership skills, developing talents, building friendships, sacrificing for the greater good, decision-making, determination, perseverance, and becoming the best person you can be.

So, I am a reformed sports fan. You will probably never hear me quoting any player's stats or a debating a school's strengths and weaknesses in their offensive line, but I can truly say now that I enjoy sports. Well, at least I enjoy BYU sports. And that's the only one that matters anyway, right?
(By the way, in case you didn't know, BYU beat Northern Iowa University 41 to 17. Go Cougs!)

Murphy's Law

So, you know that old saying that anything that can go wrong will? Well, that was definitely true of my trip to Lake Powell. Between losing half the group for 8 hours somewhere in a 200 mile long lake, attempting to drive back to the boat on Sea Doos during a storm, running out of gas on the lake, two car accidents (with one totalled car), one water-logged cell phone, an alarming carbon monoxide detector incident, and various other crazy occurrences, the fates seemed determined to complicate our lives.

The amazing thing, though, is how so many little miracles occurred so that everyone managed to get home safe and sound. Plus, now I have a ton of great memories of adventures I never would have dreamed.

Between potential disasters, my week was filled with...
Model poses at the world's largest natural arch...

Dance parties in a cave...

Boat driving lessons...

Imitations of figureheads of old sailing ships...

Water skiing shows...

Watermelon basketball...

And so much more...

I'm in love with Lake Powell!

I'm Back!

Well, I'm back from all of my many adventures--two weeks of EFY and a week at Lake Powell. I'll do a post on Lake Powell soon, but this one is simply a quick tag from my sister's blog.

Here's how it works...come play!

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you have of me.

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you leave a memory about me, I’ll assume you’re playing the game and I’ll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don’t want to play on your blog, or if you don’t have a blog, I’ll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Bon Voyage!

Well friends, I'll be a taking a brief hiatus from blogging as I'll be spending 24-7 during the next few weeks working with teenage girls in the Especially For Youth program at BYU. Wish me luck! I have wanted to get involved in this spiritual camp for years, and I finally start tomorrow! I'm a little nervous, just because it's something new, but I am excited to get to work with teenagers in a way that is so different from my relationship with them at school.

To top it all off, I LOVE the theme for this year, which is "Steady and Sure." It comes from Mosiah 5:15--

"Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of him who created all things in heaven and in earth, who is God above all. Amen."

There is so much to talk about in relation to that single verse: so many analogies to be drawn, so many scriptures to cross-reference, so many quotes from general authorities to examine. I have learned so much as I have prepared lessons over the last month. The scriptures truly are limitless and do open up new worlds of understanding when we delve into them. I'm sure in the next few weeks I'll learn even more than I ever thought possible about this topic, but for now I'll end this entry with a thought I've had in regards to the theme--

Jesus Christ is the rock of my salvation. Because of him, I can become exalted and receive blessings unimaginable to my mortal mind. When I rely on him, I am strong enough to weather any storm. I cannot succeed in this life on my own, but I can excel when I couple myself with Him. It has been said that humility is not a sign of weakness, rather it is evidence that we know where our true strength lies (True to the Faith). I know that God knows me individually and that he will never abandon me. He will hold me up when I have no more energy within me, and He will help me soar higher once my strength has been renewed. Of that I am sure. I will look to Him and live, sure and steadfast in His love.

Our Right and Our Duty

I know this is a little belated, but HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

With the anniversary of the the birth of this country, I have reflected a bit on the wonderful gift and responsibility it is to live in The United States of America. Amid all the festivities of playing with friends in Park City, my friends and I took a moment to read an excerpt from the document that started it all-- The Declaration of Independence. A phrase in that document impressed me that I had not paid much attention to before. Here's something to get you thinking. See if you notice what I did:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security." - The Declaration of Independence

I had never noticed previous to this year the comment that "mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed." So true, isn't it? We get so comfortable with what we're used to that we don't stand up for something that needs to be changed. It's like a little kid that refuses to let the splinter be pulled out of his hand because he is afraid of the pain it might cause, ignoring the relief that will come after and the increased pain that will come if the splinter is ignored.

It reminds me of another famous quote that says, "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." I don't think that this only applies to politics. In this world of changing ideals and moral standards, it is so important to take a look at our own beliefs and decide what we are willing to fight for. Without that commitment to uphold truth, our world is in a lot of trouble. May we each live in a way that throws off the evils of the world and actively supports things which will promote truth, for that is our right and our duty.

That is my soapbox for today :)

Running Away...Part Two--Hawaii

Me running away in my favorite way--reading a book

I am back from Hawaii and I have to say, my soul is mourning the loss of the ocean and tropical sunshine. I never understood the color aquamarine until I realized that water really IS that blue in Hawaii. I also never knew that you could do a handstand on a surfboard ("you" as in the amazing surfers we watched, not "you" as in me). Needless to say, there was a lot I didn't know until I learned to appreciate it in Hawaii.

It was great to run away for a couple of weeks again. Even better this time, I was with ALL of my family. You know you really love your family if you can get 15 people together, spend two weeks together, and NOT want to leave. If anything, this trip reminded me how much I really do love being around my family, and makes me want to have many more reunion vacations.

I'll spare you all the details of the trip (since most of you that read this were there!), but I'll share some pictures. I don't have very many because my family is full of really good photographers who took countless pictures...but I'm not one of them. Consequently, I have to wait until they send me the rest. I'll try to post more then. I will simply leave you with 5 words that brought much joy to my life during the last two weeks:

Manapua

Snorkeling

Hammocks

Shaved Ice (pretend like that's one word)

Plumeria

View from the house we stayed in on Sunset Beach, the best beach in the world!

Cliffs near Hanauma Bay

Ian's hippo mouth--a pretty close impersonation if you ask me

Flower in the botanical gardens of Waimea Valley

Sometimes Running Away is a Good Thing

Now, I realize that running away from your problems doesn't actually solve anything, but I submit that sometimes it can be a good thing to run away temporarily to rest up in preparation for dealing with problems, stress, and just life in general. A couple of weeks ago, I got just such an opportunity to run away to Island Park, Idaho with some great friends. It was exactly what I needed at the time. I believe it was truly providential that I was invited to go away for the weekend. It was such a blessing during a very frustrating week. 

Highlights of the weekend included the following:

Puppet shows with the taxidermy animals at the visitor's center.

Singing "Home on the Range" with arms around complete strangers at the Playmill theater prior to Oklahoma.

Hymn charades--and trying to guess hymns you've never heard of before.

Broadway sing-along for an hour on Sunday around the table.

Pillow fights with the boys at 1 o'clock in the morning (Sorry to Rachel's parents who were inevitably kept awake by our shenanigans).

Huddling in the corner because we thought the boys were going to attack us at 1:30 in the morning.

Realizing that the boys were not attacking, but they were presenting us with awards for the pillow fight at 1:32 in the morning.

Laughing about the whole immature, but oh-so-fun, situation until 2:00 in the morning.

So, long live vacations, silliness, good friends, and blessings of good memories.