hope ya know...

i can't help but love this beautiful message from Elder Quentin L. Cook. it is definitely a hard time right now, but Elder Cook's message is comforting and encouraging.

I...

...hope you're asleep by now
...think of you A LOT. strike that. i think a lot of YOU. never mind. both.
...am trying to keep myself distracted.
...want you to know that you make my heart soar.
...can't even begin to figure out what i thought about before you.
...sometimes wonder how much you think about me.
...am filled with gratitude to the Lord for bringing you into my life, regardless of what is to come.
...had an amazing time with you just eating pizza and watching the stars appear.
...feel like a beautiful, amazing, smart woman when i am with you.
...appreciate your willingness to meet my family. they are such a big part of my life, and i am so excited to share them with you.
...have noticed how much your words are worth. way more per capita than mine.
...learn more every day how this relationship functions--the ebb and flow of two lives that came together to make a glorious river.
...am a silly girl. i hope that you don't mind. =)
...have a head full of songs that you remind me of.
...care about you.
...don't ever want you to think otherwise, okay?

in case you are thinking,

"what on earth did that mean?"
it meant that

i appreciate you
and the way you treat me

so, thank you.

thank you

for your vote of confidence. not only does it mean a lot to me, but you're starting to as well.

what makes your heart happy?

• spring-time

{spring honeysuckle in Grandpa Sadler's backyard}

• movies that make me cry
• spending the entire day fishing

{Bonny Lake, our favorite fishing spot}

• my sister, Jackie

{Jackie and I at her baptism, June 29, 2007}

• my family

{my family + cam at my 21st birthday}

• the gospel of Jesus Christ

{the temple: the house of the Lord, Jesus Christ}

and a whole slew of other things.
what about you?

soon to begin: summer of freedom: perhaps the last ever

last summer, i made a list of things i wanted to do, and i actually did some of them! so, maybe i'll do the same for this summer and see what happens.

• read the entire Chronicles of Narnia
• date. one person, many people, i don't care, but a lot--i'm leaving provo, for crying out loud! i'm going to miss all these amazing men!
• kiss a boy, either through my window or in the laundry room.
• road trip to the midwest to look at apartments, visit profs, etc.
• visit Carrie and other so. cal. folks
• out-fish a boy
• test drive cars
• read. a lot
• go to the pool. a lot
• get tan
• hike
• spend as much time as possible outside--hiking, playing in the river, swimming, fishing, etc.
• spend time getting to know people.

Hopefully I can do a lot of these things, seeing as my summer starts now and ends in FIVE months...longest summer ever!

oak or bamboo?

"When the snow falls on the oak, the branch breaks, but when the snow falls on the bamboo, it is resilient, shaking off the snow and still standing tall."


My papa often uses this analogy when we are stubborn or inflexible, and it comes to my mind often when I think of how fast life changes.

It's true, I have decided to go to Ohio State in the fall. It is also true that, although I would like to get a PhD. and become a professor, my ultimate desire is to follow the path that my Heavenly Father has laid out for me. I know that this path is the one that will bring me the most peace and happiness.

So, if it happens that I am led by God to do something besides going to OSU, you'd better believe I'm going to do it, even though it may not make sense at the time. God is all-knowing, which means he knows my heart, my mind, and what is best for me.


I think that this is what my papa means by being "bamboo"; being willing to let Christ lead your life, whether it be in big decisions (OSU, or whatever else happens, for example) or small decisions (being angry because someone in your family ate your leftovers). This means not being stubborn like an oak tree, because either way, the snow will fall, but only with the grace of Christ will you be able to stand.