Five.

30 day challenge, part 5.

5) What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?

1. Long drives. These always make me happy, but especially now, since I won't be able to go for drives much longer.
2. Getting stuff for my mission. I know, I know. Materialistic. But seriously. Nothing has made me happier the last few weeks than finding the perfect shoes for me to wear everyday.
3. Missionary letters. These always make me happy, but even more so now that I'll know more of what my Elder friends are going through in just a couple weeks. Plus, I miss all my boys, so hearing from them is the best.
4. Talking to friends. I love talking. And I love friends. And I've had some of the most deep, meaningful, and spiritual talks with friends over the last few weeks, than I've had my entire life. And I'm loving it.
5. Sitting at home. I'm antisocial. Oh well. Last year I never wanted to go home, but now I go home at least once a week. And I love nothing more than eating leftovers, playing with Chief, and watching movies with my family. Especially when it's Lord of the Rings, and my dad fast forwards through the talking so all we watch is the fighting. My family might be a little cooler than yours.

Four.

Thirty day challenge. It's taken me a lot longer than thirty days. Oops.

4) List 10 things you would tell your 16-year old self if you could.

1. Just because you've known someone for forever, doesn't mean they'll always be there.
2. There's more to a friendship than having fun. And you'll find some of your best friends in college.
3. Study a little harder. You won't regret it. It'll make the transition to college so much easier.
4. You deserve better. It's not you, it's the people around you who aren't measuring up. Remember that.
5. Try more food. You aren't as picky as you once were, and there's a lot of good food you're missing out on. Also, learn to cook. Spaghetti and grilled cheese gets old after a while.
6. Don't quit piano! You'll miss it!
7. Read your scriptures more often. It's a good habit to have.
8. Slow down. Try to keep the van on four wheels when going around turns.
9. Learn to budget. Just because you've got lots of money now, doesn't mean you'll always have lots of money. Sometimes you won't even realize how much you're spending until you're broke.
10. In 4 years life will be completely different than you ever imagined. And you'll love it.

Three.

Hey guys. Remember when I said I was going to do this? Ya, I'm really bad at posting regularly. So sue me. But I figured I'd try and complete this challenge before I left on my mish. Which is in 20 days. Just so you know. Anyway, here's number three.

3) Describe your relationship with your parents.

My parents are the best. Hands down. No contest. They win all the awards. Why? Oh I could go on and on.

My dad is the hardest working man I know. He regularly works 60+ hour weeks. He delivers babies in the middle of the night, and sleeps at the hospital at least once every 6 days to take care of people who need it. He listens to people complain when they don't feel well and he tells them how to get better - even when he knows that sometimes they won't follow it. And he does this all while being caring, sympathetic, and attentive. And that's just his job. He also brings my mom flowers for no reason, watches movies with us on Sunday nights, brings home donuts and fancy kinds of cheese, takes us on horseback rides, plays catch with us, wrestles with my brother, reads us books, teaches us to take care of ourselves, takes us to cool places, takes us camping, fixes our cars, supports us in everything we do, and teaches us that we can do hard things. My dad has taught me the importance of family and to appreciate not only what I have, but where I am as well. He's also taught me how to be strong, independent, honest, loyal, and to always do what is necessary - even when it's hard. Thanks to him I've got a very sarcastic and dry sense of humor, I know how to throw a softball and change my brakes, I love classic rock, I've hiked Mt. Kilimanjaro and the Inca trail, and I can saddle a horse.

Also thanks to my dad, any guy I date has some very, very high standards he's gonna have to meet. Sorry not sorry.

My mom is just as amazing. She takes me shopping, she listens to me vent, she makes me lunch. She makes me clothes when I can't find anything that fits, she fixes my clothes when I don't take good care of them. She cries during commercials, she reads books faster than anyone I know, she makes a mean mac&cheese, and she hates camping, but will go with us anyway. My mom is smart, willing to help anyone at any time, and she keeps me on the straight and narrow. When I lived at home she'd wait up for me to get home at night and she would wake up at 6:30 during the summer and make me a lunch to take to work. She takes me to store after store to find cute missionary clothes because she knows I don't want to look Amish and she always takes me to Zupa's after. She'll make extra of my favorite dinner, just so I can take left overs back to school with me and have a break from my typical spaghetti. She buys my friends and I pizza whenever I have friends over, and will usually make muddy buddies as well. She's my chauffeur, my cheerleader, my therapist, my confidant, my teacher, my guide, my best friend.

I've always had a pretty good relationship with my parents. I've never really had any major arguments, no screaming matches, nothing. I don't think I've ever been grounded, and my curfew is usually pretty reasonable. I think part of that is because I've always had pretty good friends - I never had any real reason or pressure to go against what my parents said. But I think it's also because I always understood the reasoning behind the rules and standards they gave me. I have to say, the older I've gotten the more I've realized how great my parents are. I hear friends talk about how their parents are super strict, how they don't get along at all, how they never listen to what they have to say. My parents listen to me all the time, even when I have no point to my stories that go on and on. My mom doesn't necessarily agree with my style choices - or some of my other choices - but she'll accept it because it's what I want to do. My parents have taught me not to take life too seriously, to laugh about the mistakes I make. They've taught me to give my all, and to never do anything I wouldn't be proud of. They've taught me that I can do anything I put my mind to and that it's totally fine to have some fun along the way.

I could probably keep going, but I'll stop here. This should be enough to prove that my parents really are the best. I have no doubt in my mind - and I've never had a reason to doubt - the love they have for each other, for me, for my siblings, or for the gospel.

Here's to hoping that one day I'll do as good a job as they've done. Because so far, we've all turned out pretty awesome. And some of that has got to be genetic.

Two.

Remember when I said I was going to do this 30 Day Challenge thing? Well I'm not very good at it. As I've only done one of the 30. But I'm working on it, so here's number two.

2) Describe 5 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears.

1. Needles. I hate needles. I can't really explain how this became a fear. I've just always hated them. When I was younger I wanted to be a doctor. And I remember thinking that I could handle anything about the job - blood, guts, vomit, etc. - just not the needles. I HATE needles. Whenever I get a shot I have to hold someone's hand or talk to someone to distract me. My dad's nurses know how much I hate needles, so they use two whenever I need a shot - one to draw the fluid from the bottle, and one to give me a shot. I don't think I will ever donate blood, simply because I hate needles so much.

2. Being alone. This one I have to explain a bit. I don't mean this in a I-always-need-people-around-me-to-be-happy way. I like spending time by myself. I mean this in like not having anyone there for you. Like no family, no friends. Living somewhere where I knew absolutely no one for an extended period of time would terrify me. A few days - maybe even weeks - is exciting. Anything more than that would kill me. I'm a social person. I need at least a couple people who I can talk to every once in a while in order to stay sane.

3. Losing a sense. I mean like losing my sight or hearing or something. I love music, the sound of the wind in aspen trees, and the clicking of sprinkler lines. I love seeing sunsets, the sight of the tops of mountains disappearing into clouds, and sunshine on a lake. I don't know what I would do if I lost the ability to notice things like that.

4. Not knowing who I am. I've always had a very strong sense of self. I know what I want to be in the future. I might not know how I'll get there, or even specifics, but I've always had a general idea. I've always known who I am, for the most part. There would be nothing worse than realizing that I didn't even understand myself anymore.

5. Not making it into the advertising program. This one is a little less serious. I couldn't think of anything else. And this kind of goes along with number 4. I don't know what I'll do if I don't get accepted into BYU's ad program. I love advertising. I know it's what I want to do with my life. But the whole process of applying is kind of freaking me out. I'm stressing over it. And I don't stress. It's kind of a big deal. I'm completely terrified. It'll all work out though.
I hope.

One.

30 day challenge kids. Here's post number one.

1) List 30 random things about yourself.

1. I believe in bare feet.
2. I love shoes. (Are these two oxymorons? Yes. But they're true.)
3. I love sunshine.
4. I have a slight concert addiction.
5. I dip my popcorn in chocolate milk. It's sooo good!
6. I love long drives.
7. Indie, country music, and boy bands are my favorites.
8. I love to read.
9. I survive on cheese, bread, and pasta. No cooking skills + living without mom = limited diet.
10. Football is my favorite sport.
11. I love movies.
12. I like watching TV, but I'm really bad at watching regularly. Thus, it's hard for me to get really into a show where you have to watch every episode to understand whats going on. That's why shows like The Office, Psych, and SNL are my favorites.
13. I love to travel. I want to travel all over the world.
14. I love camping.
15. I love horseback riding.
16. I love change. I fully embrace it. I think everyone needs some drastic changes in their life every few years. It keeps life interesting, keeps us invested in what we have, what we're doing.
17. I like vanilla ice cream and white cake more than chocolate.
18. I don't really like chocolate chip cookies.
19. I will eat almost anything that has pomegranate in it.
20. I love the beach, but I love the mountains as well.
21. I love the smell right after it rains.
22. I love being outside early in the morning.
23. I love star gazing.
24. Dogs are my favorite. Not a fan of cats.
25. I will always be a BYU fan.
26. Lilies are my favorite flower.
27. Someday I'll own a boat, and go boating every day.
28. I've got a thing for guys with dark hair and blue eyes.
29. I don't really have a set style clothes-wise. It changes often.
30. I believe that spending a little bit of time alone in the middle of nowhere is good for the soul, and everyone should do it more often.

30 Things.

In case you haven't noticed, I'm kind of bad at writing regularly. I thought maybe I had finally grown out of my habit where I'd write for a month, then lose the journal, buy a new one, and start all over. Especially since online it's a little harder to lose something. But you know. I think I have like 8 half-full journals. I just don't know what to write about. Thus, when I saw that Shaylee and Julia were doing this 30 day thing, I thought it'd be a good idea.

So here goes. My 30 day blog run. Sorry that I'll kind of be clogging up your blogger news feed. It happens.

1.      List 30 random facts about yourself.

2.      Describe 5 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears.

3.      Describe your relationship with your parents.

4.      List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could.

5.      What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?

6.      What is the hardest thing you have ever experienced?

7.      What is your dream job, and why?

8.      What are 5 passions you have?

9.      List 10 people who have influenced you and describe how.

10.  Describe your most embarrassing moment.

11.  Describe 10 pet peeves you have.

12.  Describe a typical day in your current life.

13.  Describe 5 weaknesses you have.

14.  Describe 5 strengths you have.

15.  Share 10 fond memories from your childhood.

16.  What are your 5 greatest accomplishments?

17.  What is the thing you most wish you were great at?

18.  What has been the most difficult thing you have had to forgive?

19.  If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?

20.  Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.

21.  If you could have one superpower, what would it be and what would you do with it?

22.  Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?

23.  List your top 5 hobbies and why you love them.

24.  Describe your family dynamic of your childhood vs. your family dynamic now.

25.  If you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be and what would you eat?

26.  What popular notion do you think the world has most wrong?

27.  What is your favorite part of your body and why?

28.  What is your love language?

29.  What do you think people misunderstand most about you?

30.  List 10 things you would hope to be remembered for.