Here for You

I hate having to watch people suffer. I hate it when you can see that someone is hurting inside, but there is nothing you can do to take the pain away. I wish there was a magical spell or drug or something that just made everything okay. Sometimes I wish I had the ability to do more than just offer a hug, a consoling word, and a shoulder to cry on. But I hope that by offering even these small, insignificant things, that maybe someday I will be able to bless someone else's life through it. I hope that I can help someone remain hopeful and optimistic. I hope that my friends know that I will always be here for them. I wish I could make other people's pain and heartache go away, but I know that I can't. So I hope that by simply being their friend, they will have even just a moment of relief to take a deep breath and realize that someday soon, everything is going to be all right.

"Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for
the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall
come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation."
-D&C 58:3

Just Nod and Smile and He'll Think You're Listening

I had a really hard time focusing in Stake Leadership Training tonight. Want to know why? When you close your eyes, my stake president sounds just like Sean Connery.



And when you open them, he kind of looks like him too. Sorry for sniggering, President Low.

Blogs of Note

Need another blog to blogstalk? Check out two of my favorites:

www.cakewrecks.blogspot.com
Cake Wrecks: When Professional Cakes Go Horribly, Hilariously Wrong

Her description: "A Cake Wreck is any cake that is unintentionally sad, silly, creepy, inappropriate - you name it. A Wreck is not necessarily a poorly-made cake; it's simply one I find funny, for any of a number of reasons. Anyone who has ever smeared frosting on a baked good has made a Wreck at one time or another, so I'm not here to vilify decorators: Cake Wrecks is just about finding the funny in unexpected, sugar-filled places."

This blog contains daily photos of cake wreckage from bakeries all over the country. Every Sunday she posts "Sunday Sweets" which are the exact opposite of cake wrecks. These weekly posts spotlight beautiful, creative, and extremely impressive cake designs. Check it out! Who doesn't love cake??


Next up: www.myregisblog.com (Yes, that does say regis.)
My Religious Blog: The Substandard Works of a Utah Mormon

If you enjoy puns and laughing about the funny things Utah Mormons do, then you'll love this blog. Example: "If you have always wanted programming that would seamlessly combine the faith and sacrifice of the early saints as they crossed the plains with the fast paced action of martial arts and Western justice, then you’re gonna love the new TV show I am developing for KBYU called Pioneer Children Sang As They Walker Texas Ranger."
He doesn't post very often, but the blog is worth reading through if you need a good laugh.

Enjoy!

Tipping the Scale

I was just given proof that good will always outweigh the bad.
Thank you, attractive bookstore boy, for asking me for my number. Now let's just hope you're not a creeper in disguise.

When it Rains, it Pours

I think I need a bigger umbrella.

I've learned something this week. Well, I guess I've always known it, but I've definitely been re-learning it. There are times when nothing seems to go right. You might have a professor that scares the pants off of you, or get piled on with mountains of homework and not be able to seem to find any time to even get started. Your job might end sooner than you were anticipating and leave you, once again, with no income. There may be a sweet and slightly nerdy boy at work that takes you out on one date, wants to hold your hand, and then texts you all the time and wants to spend every day with you. Water might get spilled on your computer and ruin the keyboard, or your bank might go under leaving you temporarily without access to your money. Or, if you're really lucky, you could end up like me and have all of the above happen in one weekend.

But if you are lucky like me, then you know that Heavenly Father doesn't just leave us sitting in the gutter with no rain boots. He surrounds us with people who love us and are always willing to help. He gives us friends that are smart and can help us understand the foreign language of politics. He blesses us with a neighbor and a friend who knows everything there is to know about computers and is more than willing to try to fix yours for nothing more than a good hug. He gives us wonderful moms to call eight times in one day to help you figure things out, and who would give you the world if she could, simply because you are her daughter. He gives us a great group of friends who stick by your side while the awkward boy from work is around, and accept you even though you are probably the world's worst bowler. He blesses us with an amazing boss who, even though she barely knows you, offers to give you a cash loan while you are trying to get your bank accounts sorted out. And He blesses us with a roommate and a best friend who does your dishes while you're gone, just because she knows you're having a bad day. He blesses us with all of these people so that when it feels like you're drowning in everything that's going wrong, they'll be there to pull you back into the boat and dry you off again.

Sometimes you laugh,

Sometimes you cry.

Sometimes you sing

And sometimes you sigh.

But never give up.

You're never alone.

Never stop believing--

You're never far from home.

Christ is always watching,

He always understands.

He's always there to listen,

Always stretching forth His hand.

The Dementors are Breeding

FACT: It is impossible to find places you've never been before in the nasty Logan fog that sets in at night.

Quotes of the Day

R: "Really? Brooklin and I have ballroom on Tuesdays and Thursdays."

B: "No we don't! We have ballroom on Tuesdays and Thursdays!!"

R: ... [insert raising of the eyebrows here]

---

"If clashing was in, that would totally be cool."

---

"It felt so great having a whole room just for being naked!"

Revelation

I finally figured it out.

Today, the lovely city of Logan, UT won the prize for the worst air in the whole United States. YUM. Makes me want to walk outside and just take a nice, big breath. I think the air quality is the reason why I break out so bad everytime I come back to school after a break.

Yep. Mystery solved. And now you know that I have acne.

Go team.

Holiday Wrap-Up

'Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la...

This holiday season was wonderful. Let's recap:

*Note: My camera broke, so pictures are a little limited. Trust me, I'm much more disappointed than you are.

Christmas break started off with a princess tea party and a private premier viewing of Disney's The Princess and the Frog with the girls. It was so fun to see dozens of little girls dressed as princesses running around as they met Princess Tiana, had a magical tea party, and saw a movie they had all been waiting for in a theater reserved just for them.

I came home from school to discover that my bedroom had been turned into Santa's workshop/storage room. One night I was getting ready for bed while my mom was wrapping presents in my room. She made me keep my eyes closed so I wouldn't know what everyone was getting.

Mom had surgery on both of her wrists the Monday before Christmas, meaning she couldn't use her hands very much for a couple of weeks. My dad was great at stepping in as Mommy, but I got plenty of babysitting time of my own. I actually enjoyed it though. I liked being able to take care of my mom a little bit for a change because she is always taking care of me. We also got lots of talking time and movie watching time together which is always wonderful.

You can't have Christmas without the annual family Christmas parties. The 23rd was, as always, spent with the Croxfords. Bryce and Mary hosted this year at their church building. There were so many babies! The party was crazy, out of control, full of delicious food (including my aunt Surang's famous wontons! Mmmm boy!), and perfect. I love my crazy family. Christmas Eve involved a trip to my Grandma Pearce's house where we had dinner with the whole family. More great food followed by a short "talent show" in the basement. Grandma gave us all gift cards for movie tickets.

My family did the impossible last year and killed our artificial Christmas tree. This meant we had a small tree in the living room, but no Santa tree in the basement. This problem was solved with the purchase of a live tree on Christmas Eve which we decorated by putting hooks in candy and hanging it on the tree. It was the first time we've ever had a live tree in my life. It smelled soooo good! We made gingerbread cookies, opened our new pajamas, and took the traditional pictures by the tree. Graci and Makenna were so hyper and wound up! It was way fun to see them so excited and into all of the magic of Christmas. Well, fun until I was given the impossible task of getting them to sleep, and then keeping them that way. Hilary and Brian spent the night so everyone was there when we woke up in the morning.

Christmas morning was full of the usual excitement. Makenna was terrified by the fact that Santa had been in our house, (My parents took her to meet Santa earlier in the month. Apparently it wasn't a very good experience.) but as soon as she saw the presents she was thrilled. This was the first time in several years that I haven't known every single present that everyone was getting, including myself. In fact, I was COMPLETELY surprised. Santa brought me a new keyboard, complete with customized headphones so I can play at school! Woot woot! I also got a nice new down coat to keep me warm in Logan.
Over the break I actually completed one thing off of my to-do list, which was to learn how to crochet hats. I've been wanting to make some for a long time now because it's so much cheaper than buying them. So far I have made four hats, flowers, and a scarf, with more to come.

New Year's Eve was spent at home with my family. I watched High School Musical 3 with my mom and my little sisters, went to bed early, and listened to the neighbors light fireworks at midnight while lying in bed.

So basically, my break was spent doing lots of sleeping, playing with the girls, crocheting, driving back and forth to relatives' houses, reading, enjoying not having anything to do with school, reunions with old friends, and a whole lot of chillaxin. It wasn't very eventful, but you know what? I loved every minute of it.

Quotes heard around the house (that would probably ONLY be heard at my house):

"Um... there's a pickle on the back porch."

"Woops! I just sat on Cinderella."

"Sounds like someone's got the headless duck."

And... Graci's new favorite word: Knucklehead.

Welp. There you go. Hope your break was as wonderful as mine!