Thanksgiving

Well, in honor of Thanksgiving tomorrow, I thought I'd mention the two things I'm most grateful for!

#1. The Gospel, and a loving Heavenly Father and Savior. Nothing in this world brings me peace and comfort like the Gospel of Jesus Christ does. I'm so grateful for the plan of salvation- especially for the fact that I know I can see my family members and friends again one day!

#2. My family. I know, that's what everyone was expecting me to say, but it's true. I may be biased, but I am blessed with the BEST family anyone could ever ask for.


My parents are truly the most amazing and incredible people I know. They are my example of what a marriage should be. They are still so in love after 30 something years. They fit together so perfectly. Growing up, I can honestly say I never saw them fight- which I feel is such a blessing. They always support each other in anything and they always support us. Whenever we had any sort of performance or game or anything, my parents were always there cheering us on. They do so much to help me and I love them more than words can express.

My dad is the most dedicated, hard-working man I have ever met. He would do anything to help my mom or any of his children and grandchildren. I'm continually amazed as I watch him serve selflessly in his church calling which takes basically any free time he has. I love my dad so much and consider myself the luckiest girl in the world to be his daughter. My dad is also one of the wisest people I know. I know if I ever have any sort of a question, whether it be school or work or church of relationships or anything, my dad will know the answer. I'm grateful for that!

My mom.. Gosh where do I start with this woman? She is without a doubt my best friend. We talk everyday and she is the best listener. My mom is the most service-oriented person I know. Everything she does is to help someone else. There have been so many times I have silently observed my mom doing little things for people she barely knows. She is also the best mom anyone could have. She was always waiting with a snack when we got home from school. She raised four daughters which technically should send her straight to heaven. I can't count how many times I came home crying because of something stupid, but my mom always listened patiently and did anything she could to help me. I love her so much!


The Rosen Family. Karissa is my oldest sister. She married Matt and they have 3 children, Emily, Ashley, and Zach. Karissa was always the one who took the time to teach me little important things growing up. She's always the one I call when I can't get ahold of my mom because she's so smart and usually knows the answer to things. She's also a great mom. They live in Arizona and I miss them like crazy. Her husband Matt is my fellow Yankee and any other sport fan. He also likes to tease me, as do all my brothers in law. Emily was the first grandchild. It's safe to say I'll always have a special bond with that girl. And Ashley and Zach are both adorable and it breaks my heart I don't get to see them more.


The Seamons family. Andrea is the second oldest. She married Craig and instantly got 3 step-daughters- Kimalie, Haylie, and Catelynn. You would never know those girls were blended into our family. They fit right in like they've been with us forever. Andrea and Craig are without a doubt the strongest people I know. They lost a daughter within the first year of their marriage and to this day the amount of faith and courage they had amazes me. They've had to deal with a lot of other trials in the few years they've been married, but they both consistently pull through. I'm so glad they live so close so I can see them so often! They now have two additional children, Austin and Quinlee, who are the closest thing to perfect children you can get.

My Sweet Angel Niece Addison

The Tripp family. Melanie is the third and closest to my age. She married Adam. She's the only one that I really remember growing up "with". Growing up, I was always her shadow and I don't know how or why she put up with me being the obnoxious little sister. I always loved telling people I was Mel's little sister. People are always drawn to her outgoing personality and sense of humor. Mel and I have gotten a lot closer the past few years and I feel like I can talk to her about anything. She is an incredible mom and wife to Adam. Adam is one of the funniest people I know. He doesn't mean to be, but he always is making me laugh. He is also one of the hardest workers I know. He does a lot to support his family. They have one little girl Zurie- who is the spunkiest little girl. She's gonna be a heartbreaker too- I can already tell.

Well, there ya have. My two most prized possessions! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

October/November

Well, the last month has been fun. Hard to believe it's almost Christmas and I'm halfway done with my sophomore year.. But I'm still loving school and everything that comes with it..

For general conference, my dad rented one of the Chalets at Brighton. My WHOLE family was able to come. Everyone. Including spouses and kids. That hadn't happened for over a year so it was great to have everyone together.



One of the homecoming activities this year was a paint dance. Literally, you went, you danced, and people chucked paint on you. It was seriously so fun. Paint in your eyes isn't so fun, and showering and getting all the paint out of your hair isn't so fun, but it was totally worth it.


Let me just say I LOVE fall. There's so many fun things to do and see. I love that there's so many fun things to do in the weeks before Halloween.

This was at the pumpkin walk in Logan. People create movie scenes using pumpkins. It was so fun. Pretty cold though!


We all carved pumpkins one night. It was a blast.

My Friend Eric thought it'd be funny to stuff all the guts back in Kelli's pumpkin when she went to bed.

Ok, so one night I was really bored. Like really, really bored. So I got this stupid/brilliant idea to doorbell ditch our downstairs neighbors. But I didn't want them to hear me running up the stairs. So I realized if we taped our broom and mop together we could reach their doorbell without going downstairs. Well, Kasey and Kelsey thought I was crazy until they joined in the fun. Then we had the idea to make a garbage bag ghost who we named Ghosty and we swung him in front of the door when we'd ring the doorbell. It sounds so ridiculous now but we've done it 2 or 3 nights now and it never gets old. :)

I decided that I didn't really want to dress up for Halloween this year. Call me crazy, but I just don't love Halloween. So I decided to volunteer at the Howl with my friends Molly and Arielle. We had to do a lot of publicity before the event (hence the blue hazmat suits). I'm so glad I volunteered though because I met so many awesome people and had so much fun!




There was a CES fireside in Provo on November 6th. Elder Ballard was the speaker and did an awesome job. We had the opportunity to be part of the 1100 person choir that rode buses down to Provo from Logan to sing. 21 buses and 1100 Aggies in Provo. It was great.

Zurie turned 1 this past month. Seriously, she is such a doll. It makes me sad that I don't get to see her very often, but I love that girl so much. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Z!!!

Probably the most exciting thing of the past month is Andrea had her baby. I'm an aunt again! The count's up to 10 now. And they're all adorable. Let me introduce Quinlee Seamons. Born November 8, 2001 and weighed 7 pounds 2 ounces. She is BEAUTIFUL and such a good baby. I'm so glad that I live so close and can see her often!

Who am I???

I've had a week of realization. Realization that the little stupid things I tend to worry about every day DON'T really matter. Realization that those stupid grudges I'm STILL holding from high school are so ridiculous that I'm completely embarrassed. Realization that I can be friends with anyone if I get over the stupid judgments that constantly hold me back. And a renewed realization that I am not perfect and can always do better. And finally a realization that when I start to care more about the people around me instead of myself, it in return will lift me up as well. And to think it was a hymn in Sacrament that sparked all of this.

"Savior, may I learn to love thee,
Walk the path that thou hast shown,
Pause to help and lift another,
Finding strength beyond my own.
Savior, may I learn to love thee
Lord, I would follow thee.

Who am I to judge another When I walk imperfectly?
In the quiet heart is hidden
Sorrow that the eye can’t see.
Who am I to judge another?

I would be my brother’s keeper;
I would learn the healer’s art.
To the wounded and the weary
I would show a gentle heart.
I would be my brother’s keeper

Savior, may I love my brother As I know thou lovest me,
Find in thee my strength, my beacon,
For thy servant I would be.
Savior, may I love my brother

Lord- I would follow thee"

So imagine, I'm sitting there in Sacrament meeting and this hits me like a ton of bricks. And of course, I immediately feel guilty. Because day after day I make stupid, frivolous judgments of people because of what they wear or how they do their hair or who they hang out with it. And when it all boils down to it who am i to judge another??? And the answer hit me like another ton of bricks. (let me tell you now- 2 tons of bricks is a pretty heavy load!!) How can I judge someone when I have absolutely no idea what they are going through? How can I judge them when I myself have so many flaws and imperfections? Now, realistically, I can't say I will never judge anyone again. I know it'll happen. But I AM going to try. Because we're all doing the best we can with what we have.. And there's always more to a person than meets the eye. So for anyone who might actually read this, please take the challenge with me... This week- talk to someone you normally wouldn't. Take a moment to learn something about someone that you didn't know before. You'll feel better. I promise you.