OKAY! So, here it goes... :]
Quick Facts: I love all food. I like to sleep. A lot. I love sports, especially basketball & football. My favorite professional teams are: The Redskins, The Jazz, and The Phillies. I would much rather watch college sports than professional sports. I go to Nevada; GO PACK! ♥ I love yoga. I am 20 years old. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. My testimony is my most precious possession. I believe in love. I dream big & work hard. I believe that a smile is the most beautiful thing you can wear. I love to laugh. I love taking pictures. I am a daughter, a sister, and a friend. I find joy in simple things. I am not hard to please. I believe that we are all here to help each other, and that is what I strive to do everyday.
From this first entry I would just like you to get the most basic idea of who I am from my own perspective. From here on out I will simply let you decide for yourself from the experiences that I share with you.
First thing you should know: my life is a fairy-tale. Now some of you may be thinking, "that is a pretty bold statement," but it is true! :] My parents met by the chanciest of chances and have been married for almost 25 years. My mother is from Colombia, South America, and my dad--well, he is from Idaho. Both of their paths to each other were a series of very specific circumstances. If a number of different choices in either of their lives would have been made, they never would have met each other. It really is a miracle that they did. There are now five kids in my family; Megan (21), Me (20), Nychea (16), Samuel (11), and Odessa (8). We all have been blessed by my parents choices and their love. They are both so amazing and strong. They are my best friends and my heroes.
I was born in Provo, Utah, but I grew up in Montpelier, Idaho. I l o v e d living there and was absolutely devastated when I found out we were moving when I was in the fifth grade. I was even more horrified when I found out that we were moving to literally the middle of NOWHERE. I was 11 when we moved to a ranch about 20 miles outside of Lund, Nevada. Moving into a town of about 400 people was not easy, especially when most everyone who lived there had lived there for their entire lives. As I struggled to make friends in a class of about 15 people, I found myself feeling like my life was no longer the fairy-tale that I had once believed. I started doubting myself, doubting my worth, doubting, doubting, doubting...
As I grew up and my family continued to live in Lund, I continued to struggle. The place itself grew on me. I found myself liking the opportunities that I had living in such a small place. With the amazing unwavering support of my parents, I was able to participate in whatever I wanted; every sport that was offered, student council, 4-H, FFA, school plays, etc. I fell in love with the wide open spaces, the fresh air, the absolutely amazing stars, the smell of the desert rain, the ranch, the beautiful mountains, and a lot of the people. However, I longed for my childhood home. I missed my old friends, I missed my old neighborhood, my old school, my old house, my old ranch, Bear Lake, and the 4th of July in Paris.
High school had it's ups and downs and I was a very sad girl when my sister graduated in 2007 (my sophomore year) and moved away. I pulled through and graduated in 2009, finally! With some great memories, a 4.0, a little experience, and a lot of courage I moved away from home. I moved to Ogden, Utah to finally be reunited with my sister! A very important person then entered my life; Madison Maxfield was my sisters roommate at BYU-Idaho the previous year and they had since moved to Ogden and lived together. I knew Madison via Megan for the two years before I lived with them through various visits and get-togethers, but I was excited to be on my own and living with them both.
That summer was a blast, and it ended with Megan and I both moving to Reno, NV to go to school. We both had scholarships there and I was so excited to move yet again to a new place, especially with my sister! My first year of college was crazy to say the very least. Everything was different, including me. I had fun, and I did well in school, but I was not myself. Looking back I see that somewhere along the way, I lost my belief that my life is indeed a fairy-tale. I lost the faith that I had in myself. I lost my faith period.
As I tried my second year of college to make myself happy, I found myself in one-sided friendships, in heart-breaking relationships, and in compromising situations. I was searching in all the wrong places for a happiness that was only fleeting because it was not based on anything of worth. I did meet some amazing friends, and I made a lot of great memories, but when I was alone and forced to ponder my life and where it was going I realized that I wasn't at peace with my decisions. There is a difference between being happy, and being at peace. All of these realizations have lead me to now....
And now....
I am happier and more sure of myself than I have been in the last 4-5 years. This lasting happiness and assurance has come from the best decision that I ever made. It was a decision to truly look inside of myself and ask myself what I wanted out of this life; to truly be honest with myself and ask myself where the choices that I was making in my life were leading me.
Growing up my parents raised me in the Church, they made sure that I knew the teachings, and they gave me great examples to follow. As I got older I thought that the rules were restricting, that the guidelines given to me to follow were preventing me from being happy, and that it was all just really pointless. So I did whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I never thought about the consequences, only about right now, and I thought I was happy.
I think that my true conversion story to the Gospel of Jesus Christ deserves it's own entry, so I will leave this one with one final thought: I know that everything happens for a reason. My next entry will illustrate this.
I have never attempted blogging before, so feel fortunate that you get to experience my first ever attempt. Lucky you. ;]
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| A Younger Me :] |
From this first entry I would just like you to get the most basic idea of who I am from my own perspective. From here on out I will simply let you decide for yourself from the experiences that I share with you.
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| My Parents (Darin & Lelsy) - Thanksgiving '10 |
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| Odessa & Samuel |
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| Me on my horse JoJo Starflash & Nychea - Summer '10 (home from school for a visit) |
As I grew up and my family continued to live in Lund, I continued to struggle. The place itself grew on me. I found myself liking the opportunities that I had living in such a small place. With the amazing unwavering support of my parents, I was able to participate in whatever I wanted; every sport that was offered, student council, 4-H, FFA, school plays, etc. I fell in love with the wide open spaces, the fresh air, the absolutely amazing stars, the smell of the desert rain, the ranch, the beautiful mountains, and a lot of the people. However, I longed for my childhood home. I missed my old friends, I missed my old neighborhood, my old school, my old house, my old ranch, Bear Lake, and the 4th of July in Paris.
Over the years I adjusted, and I overcame the move. My older sister Megan and I became closer than we ever would have if we had not been in a place where we had to be each other's best friends, and I grew stronger than I thought was possible. The biggest trial in my life at the time ended up being one of the best things that ever happened to me, and through the struggle I had in Lund, I have learned to embrace my trials a little more gracefully (I still struggle with this, let's not be fooled).
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| Megan & Madison |
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| Megan & I at a Nevada football game in the Fall of '09 |
That summer was a blast, and it ended with Megan and I both moving to Reno, NV to go to school. We both had scholarships there and I was so excited to move yet again to a new place, especially with my sister! My first year of college was crazy to say the very least. Everything was different, including me. I had fun, and I did well in school, but I was not myself. Looking back I see that somewhere along the way, I lost my belief that my life is indeed a fairy-tale. I lost the faith that I had in myself. I lost my faith period.
As I tried my second year of college to make myself happy, I found myself in one-sided friendships, in heart-breaking relationships, and in compromising situations. I was searching in all the wrong places for a happiness that was only fleeting because it was not based on anything of worth. I did meet some amazing friends, and I made a lot of great memories, but when I was alone and forced to ponder my life and where it was going I realized that I wasn't at peace with my decisions. There is a difference between being happy, and being at peace. All of these realizations have lead me to now....
And now....
I am happier and more sure of myself than I have been in the last 4-5 years. This lasting happiness and assurance has come from the best decision that I ever made. It was a decision to truly look inside of myself and ask myself what I wanted out of this life; to truly be honest with myself and ask myself where the choices that I was making in my life were leading me.
Growing up my parents raised me in the Church, they made sure that I knew the teachings, and they gave me great examples to follow. As I got older I thought that the rules were restricting, that the guidelines given to me to follow were preventing me from being happy, and that it was all just really pointless. So I did whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I never thought about the consequences, only about right now, and I thought I was happy.
I think that my true conversion story to the Gospel of Jesus Christ deserves it's own entry, so I will leave this one with one final thought: I know that everything happens for a reason. My next entry will illustrate this.
