53 things that have made me smile.

1. Buenos Aires
2. Dulce de Leche
3. Drinking Mate with friends

4. Dancing Tango in the streets

4. Going on boat rides in Tigre

5. Sharing zucaritas every morning and night in the kitchen
6. Being able to have Fall in June
7. Wearing Sombreros
8. Riding Subte
9. Posing for pictures
10. Riding a bus for 18 hours to see the most beautiful waterfalls in the world.
11. Dancing all night long.
12. Seeing new animals
13. Standing by one of God’s creations and feeling so humbled.

14. Eating flan
15. Besos
16. Being in the temple with some of my most favorite people.
17. Playing by the Tigre river at night
18. Eating Peruvian food with Sofi and N uni
19. Christians faces
20. Eating sandwiches with Walter
21. Late night talks with Carlos
22.Singing in spanish
23. Doing absolutely nothing with Lore
24. Sleepovers with Rosina
25. 35 hour road trips
26. Hiking in Logan
27. Cotton candy facial hair
28. Pirate Parties
29.Movies with my mom
30. Playing on GINORMOUS blow up slides with my nieces and nephews
31. Taking pictures of temples
32. Eating hamburgers and fries in D.C.
33.Singing at the top of our lungs all the way through Nebraska
34. Getting to meet our Nations Capitol in person
35. Being patriotic
36.Talking in an English accent
37. Hanging out with the Washington Monument
38. Wearing big hats with Anna and Becs
39. Chillin’ with Abe
40.Planning my next vacation
41. Honoring the WWII heroes
42. Sidewalk Chalk with Kaed
43. Hikes with Kaed
44. Bachelorette Parties
45. Getting an amazing view of Salt Lake

46. Taking pictures of one of my bestfriends and her new husband.

47. Knowing that this was the best day of Hayley’s life
48. Watching fields of fireflies

49. Laughing with Jeana.
50. Making shadow puppets on the ceiling
51. Seeing my little brother get married and getting a new sister-in-law all in one day!

Holding Marias hand while she tells me stories
52. Reading scriptures at night with kaed
53. Eating Mexican food, talking, laughing with Lizard

This has been my summer up until now, minus a few major and minor details. Ha. I've had an amazing summer.

It's been one of the hardest summers as well, but I did have a wake up call .... I am very lucky to have amazing family and friends that have pulled me through everything.

Mom- thank you for supporting me and sharing all of my sadness, happiness, stress, laughter...basically everything.

Amber-thanks for understanding, for making me laugh, and for shopping with me at that one mall...haha

Liz-thank you for being a true friend, and giving me the opportunity to serve when I need it the most.

Nieces-for making my life more simple.

Jeana-for being there for me even in one of the hardest times of your entire life. Thank you.

There are so many people who I feel indebted to, and I will never be able to repay. I guess that is how I know that they have truly served me.

I have felt that I have passed through some of my darkest moments recently, and I have wondered why my prayers are not being heard...then I realize that it is through these experiences and these people that my prayers are answered everyday.

It won't be too long until I write again, even if it's something super non-important....I'm going to write more often ;)

I really seriously honestly don't know...

I'm not trying to "pull one over" on anyone here. I have no concrete plans, no jobs lined up, no future schooling already in the making. Nothing, nada, zero, zilch...and guess what. I am perfectly okay with that. I feel liberated. In a really awesome way. I didn't realize how much an education really does present you with endless opportunities. Whether it be formal or informal education. Knowledge is a very powerful and humbling thing to possess. The more you know the more you realize you don't know. At least that is what I am figuring out.

I was stressed before about the timeline I had in my head. To me I was worried that I wasn't sealed yet, and I guess the thing that bothered my most deep down was that I felt that I had found the person I was going to be sealed to. It was all planned out. In a way I guess I felt that it was destiny...in a good way. Things changed drastically or as I like to say dramastically. I laugh at myself now. Looking back I see the course of events that were so painful at the time and the beautiful outcome that they have led me to. A perfect and totally unexpected outcome.

I recieved an email the other day from a very special person that I met while doing my internship as high school counselor. It was a chain email, and usually I don't read these, but I always read everything this person sends me. Towards the end it said, "When God takes something from your grasp, he's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to recieve something better." While I am in the moment I don't always see it like that. Okay I never see it like that. Looking back I always see exactly that.

I took a few days of work recently. I actually only have a few days left there, but there were some things I just couldn't miss out on. One of those things being the wedding of two of my friends.

They are and have been an amazing example to me of what love is and the blessings that are recieved through being obedient through a very important courtship.

I feel so lucky to be surrounded by such impressive examples.
On top of everything the temple was beautiful and I am very grateful that we have these building right at our fingertips.I also spent time with Abi, my sisters, brothers, bestfriends that I haven't seen in way too long, and my nieces. My weekend was chill and awesome.

I started realizing how many things have changed. If my life would have gone exactly as I had planned it I wouldn't have met Abi, Carly, Kylie, Jared, Kris, Liz, Dave, Steve, Levi, Mary, Kendra, Amber, Mike, Justin, Dawn, Jess, Tyler, Doug, Ken, Andrew. These people have changed my life. I wouldn't have done all of the things that molded me into a better person. I am so very grateful that someone knows better what needs to occur and knows how to guide my life, even when some transformations are so painful at first. I would go through it all again if I had to.

I am grateful for prayer and for personal revelation. I am not saying that if things would have worked out how I had planned that I wouldn't be happy. I probably would be. I can be happy anywhere. BUT I know I definitely wouldn't be this happy.