Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

And only 3 days late :)

New Years was a ton of fun. My friends and I were all scrabbling trying to come up with plans of something to do. Our region has a big New Years dance, but we're all getting a little old for that now. Kind of awkward dancing with 14 year olds when you're about ready to graduate ;)

So my friends and I just decided to get together and go out to dinner then show up for the last hour of the dance for fireworks and balloon drop.

The night turned out way better than anticipated :)

Dinner was way fun and the dance wasn't so lame after all!

I'm so bummed I didn't get ANY pictures.

Well, except for this photo strip with my friend ,Justin.
 

 

The photo booth was the hit of the night :)

All of my friends took lots of pictures

(How in heck did I not get a strip!?!)

Oh well :) Anyways fun night. Here's a quote from Jake.

Jake: "Do you guys want to go get ice cream?"

Me: "Sure, I don't care. I just don't know where is going to be open on New Years 12:30 in the morning."

Jake: "Oh yea.. Rats.. Hey do you guys want to go to Smiths and just grab a tub of ice cream?"

Me: I don't care! Sure, whatever you want to do sounds good to me!"

Jake: "No lets not do that.. I don't want to go in.."

Me: "Well I bet McDonalds is open"

Jake: "I don't want McDonald's ice cream I want like real real ice cream."

Me: "Do you really want ice cream?"

Jake: " YES!!!!  IT SOUNDS SO GOOD RIGHT NOW."

Me: "Okay then lets get ice cream!!"

Jake: "Nevermind. I don't know what I want. I'm sleepy and I just want to go to bed."

 

 

This probably doesn't do it justice haha! Jake is the most laid back and chill person on the face of the planet. You could dye all of his clothes orange and he would say, "Oh shoot everything is orange. Bummer." and still wear it all. (Okay that was a weird example, but you get it)

I don't know, Jake just makes me laugh :)

 

I'm really glad that it turned out being a fun night because all I have been doing my entire winter break is sewing and cleaning. I needed a fun day :)

 

LETS TALK GOALS

Yada yada I know y'all could careless what my New Years Goals are, but this is mostly for me :)

If I tell you guys about them I am more likely to uphold them.

-Be more patient

-Maintain a clean room

-Continue reading scriptures/praying/journaling every night

-Pray on knees

-Never drop below 3.0 GPA

-Get YW Medallion

-Run 2x week minimum no exception

 

 

I think that's it :)

All my love, Lauren.

 

Extreme Makeover Blog Edition

Boy.. I really didn't realize how ugly my blog was until I started venturing out more to check out others. I realized it was time for an upgrade. I'm still working on it, but I hope y'all can check it out and enjoy some of the new features!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Along the right side I added some picture of the most important things/ people in my life.

The LDS temple, nature, my best friend McKenzie who has influenced me so much.

The one, the only, Joseph. If you read this blog much you know how important he is.

Shoes, and my family. That is a lovely picture of my sister Lindsey and I on our last family vacation to Hawaii!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over here under my labels I have made it so you guys can check out some of my favorite blogs!

There are many that I read but these are my usuals. And they are fantastic.

Go check them out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OVER HERE NOW!

Under my blog archive I have added some contacts!

They are links to my Pinterest, Instagram and a Q&A section.

So now you can follow me and become nice and familiar with my life and the things that occupy me.

Please check these out, I want to follow back and get to know my readers! :)

 

 

 

 

And that's about it! I'm working on it, so I hope my page isn't too much of a construction zone!

Thanks for bearing with me. :)

 

 

 

 

All my love, Lauren.

When Exhastion Takes Over

I have been up every night the past two week until at least 12.

AT LEAST. Up journaling, reading scriptures, projects, homework. It's unbelievable really. Lack of sleep is starting to take over, but thank goodness only 2 more real days of school right? All my projects are in and I'm feeling good for the most part. I'm just ready for summer to start. to get a full night of sleep.

 

So mostly I'm just trying to play catch up and let y'all know what I have been up to. Thank goodness my blog isn't a child or a pet because it would probably be dead by now. I apologize again.

So where were we..?

 

 

Elder David Scherf is now an official missionary. Woah, felt like yesterday we were walking around neighborhoods passing out flyers and taking polls for the presidential campaign but I guess it was really 7 months ago. It's depressing how time flys. I feel like I never got enough time with him. All those times he invited me over to watch movies or go out to eat I'm regretting a little too much that I turned down. I miss him, I will miss his stories and I will miss his advice, but he's only 7-8 business days away! Czech/Slovakia is very lucky. Well currently the MTC is very lucky but you get the point. He's a great guy and will serve an uber wonderful and faithful mission. I'm excited to see all he will accomplish.

 

 

 

I'm trying this dating thing out. It's hard. I don't think I will ever get a hang of it. Being so natural and comfortable with one person is easy, then you try to mix it up and date around more and then all the sudden I'm a beginner again. This sucks, but I guess I have got to live what I am always preaching.

 

So recently I have realized I only have like 3 good friends. Many friends but only 3 friends. You know the solid stick with ya ones? I think I value the concept quality over quantity so there is that. It's not a good or bad thing, just an odd realization.

 

 

SO I AM TOTALLY TICKED AT MYSELF. I never wrote about this super awesome race I ran in a couple weeks ago?! Grr... Really? Where have I been? Because this was monumental to me. I was invited to go to another stake's track meet. There was a 5k and some sprints/relays. The 5k was amazing, I ran it with this adorable 11 year old. I can't explain the bonding we had but we were besties by the end of this race. I loved her, she's what kept me going. Then I ran in the sprints! I subbed for the Young Women position for a ward in the stake and it was intense. First a Relief Society woman would run, then pass it to a Primary child, who passed it to the Young Woman me, who then passed it to an Elder who took it home. I was ready. Only I would take this silly little track meet and race so seriously, but I was there. Standing at my starting line. I watched us take an early lead once the Primary kid got ahead of the crowd and passed it to the Young Man who was flying. He got closer and closer to me, it seemed like he was flying he was running so fast then next thing you know I picked up his momentum and was running right along side of him. I finished my 100 before passing it to the Elder and there were no Young Women running beside me. That was a great feeling. I love going fast. We won too! And I got this cute little trophy, I adore it. I set it up in my room. I know it's cheesey but hey, it finally feels good to be good at something.

 

And that's about it! I went to Hawaii and cracked my head open, but that's no big deal. If you really want to know just leave me a comment and I will create a post with all the juicy details, but I doubt there is anyone that interested.

 

All my love, Lauren.



Tender Mercies

Here I am. Brought once again to my laptop at ridiculous hours in the night.

Seminary in the morning, I have been up since four am and working all day, but hey I can't control the random urges of inspiration and when I receive them. All I know is that when I witness such a miracle as I did today, it needs to be documented. And quick, so I don't forget a single precious detail. I hope I can remember it all.

 

 

Babysitting is an... adventure sigh. Most of the time it means dirty diapers, crying, make shift meals and bed time stories, but every once and a while something amazing happens. Like tonight, I babysat for a women in my ward at church with a touching story. Recently divorced she is working more then ever and readjusting to single parent life. She is amazing. My sister took on the job of babysitting her 3 kids while she took a 3 day trip to a neighboring state to take care of some business. My sister who is juggling a few jobs called on me to watch her kids today so she could work and this job was not like the rest.

 

We played, made dinner, attempted the dishes and snuggled on the couch to watch Bubble Guppies.

Her kids were so loving and affectionate towards me. They latched onto arms, legs, my torso, always gave me kisses and hugs. I ate it up of course. Who would deny 3 of the cutest most lovable kids on Earth? When it started to get later I brought 2 of the 3 kids upstairs for a bath because one of them was at sports practice. These kids were unbelievable- in the good way. They humor me. Seriously they are hilarious. I fixed their bath tub with bubbles and turned on the jets and we had a hay day. They bathed for a good 45 minutes and just had a blast! I threw them in the shower to rinse off then wrapped them like a burrito in their towels and carried them like babies to their bed. I dressed them and read them a story in the usual night time ritual before bed and when I was finished the older girl asked me if I could lay in their Mom's bed with them until they fell asleep.

 

She and her younger brother asked me to tickle their backs until they fell asleep. It was precious. It was so odd in that moment too. Wasn't I just 4 laying in my bed and getting my back rubbed by my Mom? It hit me that in a minimum of 2 years I could have my own family. Super weird. Honestly it's in the back of your mind "Oh one day" and " I can't wait to make my Pinterest house!" but when it hits you like that I promise the experience is unreal. It was an unreal experience to have these two little and perfect kids snuggled up to me. I felt so incredibly blessed to have angels in my presence. The little girl told me stories about her school and friends and her Mom, that she missed her and wanted so badly for her to be home. She told me how much she hated her Mom's job and that it took her Mom away from her so much. And it broke my heart to hear this all coming from a six year old. What was I worrying about as a six year old? Certainly not the things she was, and my heart aches.

 

I realized why these kids were so sweet and perfect and it was because of who the little people they are becoming. I honestly held in my tears and just held them closer because I was so lucky to be given this moment with them.

 

I went down stairs and waited for the little boy to return home so I could bathe him and put him to bed. I took him upstairs and washed him then took him into his room so I could have a moment just to spend with him talking about his sports and his day and how he was feeling. I realized how important it was to give each of the children their own moment where they could be the only thing that mattered. And that mattered to him. I tickled his back for a few minutes before bringing him to his Mom's bed where the other kids slept. He asked me to lay down with them so I stayed and let all the peace and sweet countenance of their spirits overcome me again.

 

I haven't had a quite moment of peace and reflection for a while and that is just what I needed.

Little children asleep have never looked so beautiful. It was a sight to see, I wish I could print out this mental photograph and keep it forever. It was so sweet and innocent the experience is almost indescribable. My heart softened and I understood the love their Mother must feel every night tucking them in. I got a glimpse of the love every Mother feels for her child and I'm sure the feeling I had doesn't even compare. I understood how hard it must be for their Mom to be away from her kids so she can provide for them. My heart break a little more. And I have so much more respect for any single parent out there, and families as a whole.

 

I can definitely wait until I have my own kids, but I can't wait for the day I finally do. I will be so lucky.

 

 

All my love, Lauren.

Back To December

I'm trying to think of what I want to say and how to say it. I know what I want to say but it could all come out 100 different ways and its so stressful trying to figure out how to put it all together, but I promised I would share monumental parts of my story (life) if I thought it could in some way help others. The good, the bad, the ugly, all of it. So here goes nothing.

 

My friend Joseph, the one I mentioned in my blog post Head First, Fearless got his mission call. In order to understand what this means to me I will have to give you all a little background information. I will start with how we met.

 

December 23, 2011 I was invited to my church with the other youth to play a game called fugitive, everyone dresses in black and it basically a giant game of cops and robbers. I don't usually go to these activities they invited me to because I was really active in the church and I didn't feel like I fit in or knew anybody, but my events for the night ended on a sudden cancelation of plans and I didn't want to spend the night just sitting around so I decided to go. I got dropped off at the church and it was freezing cold so I looked around and hopped into a random car I saw on e of the girls in my ward sitting in. We were talking for a minute before I asked who's car it was. She pointed out a guy who I later came to know as Joseph. I thought he was extremely cute standing in front of the car laughing within a group of guys. It felt like a movie moment, time standing still, me looking all starry eyed as I can imagine. I really wanted to know him. I imagine him laughing right now when I make him read this later. So the game started and I didn't see this Joseph until that round had finished and we all ended up in the neighborhood park. This is when we came up to me and introduced himself. I hopped in the shot gun of his car and we became fast friends. From that moment a year and a half ago to now he has become one of my best friends today. Over the time span of one and a half year I have become active in the church again and I give so much credit of that to him. He has always been such an example to me and motivation to be better. He's constantly teaching me lessons about life, family, the church. He is constantly teaching me about service and missionary work and how to love and the best part is that he teaches all by example. He shows me how to be better.

Here's the background story I was nervous about sharing. A week before I met Joseph I had a long prayer with my Father in Heaven, and my first one in a long time. I wanted to come back to the church so badly, I wanted to change so much and feel accepted again. I wanted to repent and rediscover the truth I knew existed but I needed help. I knew I couldn't do it on my own because I had been trying for several months and changing had been so ineffective so I prayed for someone to come into my life and help me and show me the way. That person was Joseph, and I knew it the second I saw him that God had sent into my life the closest I have ever come to an angel. In that first moment that I saw him the moment is the same every time I see him. It's confirmed every time we are together that he was brought into my life to help guide me back to the iron rod. After we became friends everything became so easy. I began to journal every single night, then it was easy to add in prayer every night, and that eventually led me to studying the BOM and Scriptures every night which has become the foundation of my testimony. I know now with a certainty and fiery burning in my soul that this church is true. I know that Joseph Smith was the Prophet that restored the Gospel on the earth, that He truly saw The Son and The Father in the Sacred Grove. I know that Christ is my Savior and my King and he suffered for all my sins, and everyone's making the Atonement real. I know the God is the Father and He loves me and is aware of me. I know that Thomas S. Monson is the true and living Prophet today and I know for a fact that if I am righteous, obedient, and faithful I can return to live in Heaven with my Savior again.

I am so blessed that Joseph came into my life when he did, and I am so thankful for my Heavenly Father sending him. The work and service he did for me will affect so many. I am so grateful.

 

Joseph leaving on his mission is such a huge deal for me because it scares me. I'm scared that I wont be able to stand with such strength when he's gone, and even though my testimony is strong and I know that what I know is true I wont have his constant reminder beside me.

 

All these thoughts came into my mind yesterday when he finally opened his call. I had anticipated it for a couple of weeks, but when the moment came to really find out where he was going and when, I kind of lost it. All my fears came alive. Would I see him after his mission or would we lose contact? Will I be able to stay strong? What am I going to do when he's gone and no longer just a call or text message away? He hugged me and I cried. Maybe if I held on extra tight I could freeze time again and get my thoughts straight and pull myself together. I had to put on a smile the rest of the right because I was helping my Mom out with an activity that was going on at out house but the second everyone left I was upstairs sitting on the floor of my shower sobbing trying to figure it all out. I couldn't figure it out myself so I knelt down in the shower and prayed. I let the water run over my back for a good 10 minutes while I poured out my soul and when I was finally finished I stood up, wiped my tears and let the over whelming peace flood over me. While I have found myself this past year and a half leaning on Joseph when grounds were shaky I realized it is not time to lean on Christ. Joseph would leave and go serve his mission and I will be absolutely fine. 

 

I instantly had a greater understanding that he would be a part of such a bigger piece of work then staying behind and making sure I was on track. He will be spending the next 2 years of his life being The Lord's hands and The Lord's mouthpiece. He would be leaving his family for 2 years, so other families could be together for eternity, and I cant think of anything more important then that. So for the past day I have been nothing but joyful. I know that sometime in the next 2 years I will have rough days and wish that he could come over and talk me through it, I know that I will miss him, and I know that I will cry, but I also know that I can call on my Savior in Heaven who will gladly take my pain away.

 

 

 

 

This is Joseph. And this is the moment I found out he was going to be serving in the Denver, Colorado mission. Have I ever mentioned that this guy gives the best hugs in the history of the world? I wish I could buy them at the store and bottle them up, then give myself one on a bad day cause these things are killer. Will knock a frown right off your face every single time. And I am SO proud of him. I have never met a person in my life so eager to serve! I'm not exaggerating when I say he will make the best missionary in the whole world. I'm hoping this all makes him very embarrassed :) And I am so ready for him to start this new chapter in his life. Gosh it will be a great one.

 

All my love, Lauren.

 

Finally

          For the past 3 years I've wanted a blog. Trust me I've tried to make them, customize them, write them, and I just never got a hang of it. (I'm cursed with technological retardation), but something lit a fire under my butt a couple days ago and so I have spent the past approximate 72 hours configuring this blog and just figuring it out. Hence the blog title "Finally...."

         I'm really excited to get this blog started. Basically it's just going to be my thoughts, rants, pictures, aka my online journal. I want to be able to document the things I'm going through because lately my life has been one crazy whirlwind. It feels good to know that I will have it all typed up and organized to be found in one central place.

        I hope that with this blog people can relate to the things I'm going through. I hope people can laugh at my mistakes, learn better for themselves, or maybe pick up a few tips :-) So here we go. Head first, fearless.

All my love, Lauren.