Story time.

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Florence, my new longboard (named after Florence and the Machine), is a beautiful, blue pintail. We've already had some interesting adventures together, the craziest so far happened Friday night (it's not really that crazy though). Some friends and I had decided to just ride around the church parking lot for a bit. Only three of us actually own longboards, so we all kind of alternated between riding them and just talking with each other. When it was my turn to ride mine I was just riding along, minding my own business, when I guess I hit this huge crack or bump or something and Florence went flying in one direction sending me flying in the opposite direction. Don't ask me how this happened, but somehow I landed directly on my left hip haha. I heard Daniel shout my name and everyone came running over and I was just thinking, "well this is embarrassing, but it hurts so I think I'll just chill here a little longer..." so that's exactly what I did.

 I assured everyone I was just fine and they sat down with me talking and making me laugh. They are awesome. :) I started feeling better so I stood up. I was like "there! See? I'm perfectly fine." to which Cody replied "Well, it's great you can stand up, but walk over to me." I tried to, but my hip and leg felt like they were on fire every time I took a step. So I sort of crumpled back to the ground. I think my body was trying to process the fact I couldn't walk at all, so I felt like passing out. I wasn't entirely sure what to do, so we just kept on talking right in the middle of the church parking lot. Then I saw that Camille's light was on which meant she was home from work and I thought maybe Braden was still there (he took her home) so Daniel offered to help me get back home to see. Well, we made it maybe ten feet before he asked if he could just carry me because I was moving very slowly and was in a lot of pain. So, we made it inside the house and then I told everyone I was fine and I'd have Camille help me get upstairs and that I was sure I'd feel better in the morning.

After everyone left, my mom came down and asked me how I was and sat down to chat with me a bit. She noticed I was acting kind of strange so I finally admitted to her that I had fallen off my longboard and injured myself... I really didn't want to tell her since when I bought the longboard, I assured her I would be really cautious and that I wouldn't get hurt. She tried to help me stand up and walk and when she saw that I really couldn't walk she, like any good mother, worried and decided to take me to the ER. There, they lectured me about helmets and knee pads, took me to a room full of fancy cameras and huge machines, x-rayed my leg and hip and discovered that I have something called Post Traumatic Tenosynovitis.

This is a term that sounds way worse than it is. I still don't entirely understand what it is, but something about the tendons and joint being inflamed and really sore. It's interesting because I can move my leg around just fine while sitting, laying, or standing still but the second I giggle, cough, or walk it hurts like crazy! So now I am on crutches and I have been since Saturday. I'm thinking I may be able to walk without them tomorrow because today my leg feels so much better than it did Saturday and Sunday. I still am not entirely comfortable putting a ton of weight on it, but it's definitely not as sore as it was. In fact, I think my arms are more sore from using my crutches all over the place yesterday.

But yeah.
First longboarding accident.
First trip to the ER.
First pair crutches.

Yessss.

I belong with you and you belong with me. :)

Superhero Crush.

The other day, my older sister told me that if she could date any superhero she would date Batman. This got me thinking about who I would date. I really like Ironman because he's ridiculously smart, he is witty, and sarcastic, but I decided I wouldn't want to date him because he's too arrogant and that really is a quality I find considerably unattractive. Captain America sure is pretty, but I don't think he's my type, nor am I his. Same with Thor. I haven't seen X-Men (I know, crazy, right?) so that narrows it down a bit. I went to see The Amazing Spider-Man the other day and I realized that Peter Parker is almost exactly the kind of boy I would want to date. I know, I know, he's not as ripped as Thor or inhumanly attractive like Captain America. He's not as witty and sarcastic as Ironman. He just isn't Batman. But I think out of those heroes, if I were to meet them all in real life, Peter Parker is the one I'd fall head over heels for and here's why (this is solely based on The Amazing Spider-Man with Andrew Garfield, I haven't read the comics and I don't really remember the other movies):
He is cute in a nerdy/skater sort of way.
He is a skater, and for no apparent reason I find that to be an incredibly attractive quality.
He's been through an insane amount of pain and loss but still turned out a hero.
He is really smart. He loves science and it comes naturally to him (he came up with that one equation). He's not arrogant about his intelligence though.
He's kind of awkward and shy but I find that adorable.
He seems really intellectual and deep. Like someone you could have amazing discussions with.
He seems pretty down to earth and real. He's got a lot of problems but he figures out how to deal with them and he grows a lot just within that particular movie.
Despite not being Thor, he is incredibly strong.
I like his clothing style. (Not the spider suit, but all the other times).
I like his crazy hair.
 So there you go.

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Also because of that movie (even though it's Coldplay...):

And nothing to do with Spiderman:

Pinterest love: men's style.

I'm not going to lie, I love when men know how to dress well. So sometimes I like to pin men's fashion... yup.

I like these shoes:

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And this sweater (I love the color):

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And I think these outfits are classy:

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Matt Bomer aka Neal Caffrey is just a classy dresser with his suits and fedoras:

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I like this shirt:

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And Joseph Gordon-Levitt is my favorite:

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And you know this is your biggest mistake.

What I've learned this summer:

Trust that if you're doing the right things, everything will work out.

Be careful who you choose to spend your time with.

Don't wait for people to come to you.

Sometimes you have to walk away and just let go, even though it hurts, because if you don't, you might miss out on something better.

 It's a shame you don't know what you're running from.

Where do I go from here?

For as long as I can remember I haven't really worried about my future much. I've always figured things would work out as long as I was doing what I was supposed to. In some ways I think that's a good way to be--less stress, more just enjoying life. On the other hand, when I'm not worried about my future, I don't think about it as much... causing me to procrastinate and making decisions really hard to stick with. Which I'm just a pro at anyway. (So that's probably why I am almost a senior in college and I'm still having doubts about which major to choose). Well, anyway, so for about 20 years I didn't stress out about my future very much. But for the past two weeks I've thought about almost nothing else.

All I've been able to think about are all these questions: "Oh my goodness I have to decide my major... what if I hate English Teaching? What if I regret later that I didn't try something else? What if I was really meant to be something else like a musician/music teacher, psychologist, elementary school teacher? Should I go on a mission? But then I'll be almost 23 when I get back... and am I far enough along in school for that anyway? But it would be so cool! But so scary. Should I do a study abroad? And if so, how am I going to earn that much money? And when would be a good time to go? And where? But would I regret not going? Am I going to be where I want to be in two years? Will I ever graduate college? Am I wasting my time in life in general? What should I be putting my effort and time and focus into? What do I even want to be when I grow up? Am I becoming the kind of person I want to be? Who are the people I should be associating with right now (because that's going to influence what kind of person I am)?"

And yeah... there's more but I'm pretty sure you get the idea. I guess I've just been worried about how much what I choose to do right now is going to influence how happy I am with life in 5-10 years. I have no idea why this suddenly hit me and started worrying me so much. Well, this was starting to really get me down. I talked to one friend about it and he said that whenever he starts feeling like that, he just tries to remember that if he's doing what he's supposed to, things will eventually work out. I guess I really do know that, but it's hard to stop worrying sometimes when you feel a little like you're not in control of your life the way you should be. I thought about what he'd said for a bit and tried to convince myself that that's true and I should just relax. It worked sometimes, but other things happened this week that were just out of my control and I got frustrated.

So one night, Cody was taking me home and he noticed I wasn't doing so great. So, he took me to his house, sat me down, gave me a Tiki Punch (which is delicious by the way), and let me just spill out everything about that particular situation that was frustrating me. I didn't tell him about everything else on my mind... just that tiny part that was stressing me. Cody is getting ready to go on his mission (yay!), so he's very spiritual and he reminded me that I just need to pray about it and to work it out that way. Very good advice. So I went home and I did pray, just for help in knowing what to do. Well, then Cody texted me and told me to look up Alma 38:5 which says: "I would that ye should remember, that as much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day."And let me tell you, that was exactly what I needed to read. That little verse just made me feel so much better. Then I realized, although I do need to worry about these things and I need to work through them rather than avoiding them, I'm going about it the wrong way. I need to trust in the Lord, that as long as I am doing the right things and seeking guidance through scriptures, prayers, parents, friends, and church leaders, I will be perfectly fine and I will make the right decisions. Maybe things won't work out exactly how I want them to, but they'll work out. Even if it takes awhile, if I'm living the gospel it will help me feel peace rather than all of this confusion. So that's what I'm going to work on.

 “It isn't as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out. Don't worry. I say that to myself every morning. It all works out in the end. Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us. He will not forsake us. If we will put our trust in Him, if we will pray to Him, if we will live worthy of His blessings, He will hear our prayers.”
-Gordon B. Hinckley

the fourth.

I absolutely love the fourth of July. It just might be my favorite holiday besides Christmas. I love that it's not too stressful (at least in my family) and we kind of just do whatever sounds fun that day. We usually eat delicious food and then there are fireworks everywhere which I love! I also like the twenty-fourth because in Utah that's pretty much the fourth all over again.
But yeah, so this fourth of July I got up really early--or at least really early for me on a holiday--and went with some friends to hike the Grotto Trail in Payson canyon. It was beautiful--Payson canyon is so green. The hike is pretty short, in fact the drive there took longer, but at the end there's a little waterfall. We just played around and took a few pictures (Daniel let me take a few with his really nice camera) and then drove a little further up the canyon just to see what's up there. It really is gorgeous. So here are some pictures from the hike (photo credit goes to Daniel and Lilly):

 Carlos

 Cody

 The waterfall.

 Daniel

 Daniel's hipster shoes.

 Some of us.

After that, my family and I went to see Moonrise Kingdom. That was pretty strange... funny but strange haha.
Later, Cody came over and he, Camille, and I watched The Fellowship of the Ring (we're starting to prepare for the Hobbit!) but Julie came down and told us we had to come see the fireworks. So we joined her and our families out on the porch. The fireworks were pretty great! I love aerials, they just make me happy.
So that was pretty much my fourth of July. And now I'm excited for the twenty-fourth!

ancient history. been there, done that.

I thought my heart had learned its lesson,
It feels so good when you start out.
My head is screaming get a grip, girl,
Unless you're dying to cry your heart out.

This song has been stuck in my head for like two weeks.

Mawwiage.

Remember when I used to blog about adventures I had with Stephanie all of the time? She has been my friend longer than anyone else non-related to me. We met about eight years ago when her mom needed a babysitter for Stephanie's younger brothers. Camille and I always liked to go together, so we started babysitting for them and became fast friends with Stephanie. We three worked hard to take care of her brothers and keep the house clean and it was difficult to achieve both at the same time. I remember one time after we'd sent her brothers to bed, we looked at the family room floor and just felt this wave of despair come over all three of us. It was covered in popcorn. I don't even know how they managed to eat any of it because it looked like it all had somehow gathered to the floor... every square foot of the carpet. We picked up the big pieces, but there were still tiny bits of popcorn everywhere. Stephanie realized the vacuum was locked up and we didn't have the key. So.... our only option was to use brooms, and let me tell you--brooms are not meant for sweeping carpeted surfaces. So, we probably spent a good hour just sweeping all of that up. The floor looked amazing after that. It was an experience we laughed about years and years later. You probably just kind of had to be there to understand... but yeah it was intense.

Stephanie's family moved to Provo and they didn't need us to babysit anymore. I kind of thought we'd never see her again. Maybe a year later, Camille and I were enjoying a pancake breakfast social at our new school (Walden) and guess who else was there for the first time? Yup, Stephanie was there! Since we already knew each other, the three of us stuck together. Throughout our years at Walden we stayed close friends and helped each other through so much. We developed a really good friendship.
My last year at Walden, Stephanie moved back to Spanish Fork, and I think that is when we became best best friends. We hung out every day that summer and just enjoyed life. We took tons of pictures, enjoyed nature, and sometimes at night we'd lay on the warm pavement in the church parking lot behind my house and look at all the stars. Then we'd philosophize and talk about our dreams. I've never really had a friend I could share that much of my thoughts with. It was awesome.

I went to college, she got a boyfriend, and we haven't been as close since. But, we have stayed good friends and I am so glad. Few people have changed my life so much and I hope we'll be friends forever. :)
Two Saturdays ago, Stephanie married Sam. Camille and I were bridesmaids, there was delicious food, the decorations were pretty, and it's crazy because this girl I grew up with is now married to the love of her life! I know our friendship is different than it used to be, and it kind of has to be. I think your significant other should be your very best friend. I'm really glad she's happy. The thing about the wedding I remember the best was just when they were standing across from each other, getting married, and Camille and I were standing behind Stephanie. I couldn't see Stephanie's face, but I could see Sam's really well and he just looked so happy. He kept his gaze intent on Stephanie the whole ceremony and just by the way he looked at her I knew he really really cares about her. He looked so sure that he was making the right choice. I just can't wait until that happens to me haha. I'm excited for them and their future adventures together. I'm so glad they're in love and I'm really glad I'm such good friends with both of them because I love them dearly.
Now that's enough cheesiness so I'm gonna go but here are some pictures from the wedding. I do not own any of them except the one of just Camille and I, the rest are Sam and Stephanie's. :)

The end.

Summer Sensation

So the Friday and Saturday after my birthday I attended my ward's Summer Sensation. It's basically an activity where we go to the Bishop's house for two days--he has a really really nice house. It was so good. We had an opening devotional sort of thing from our stake president then we ate tons of spaghetti and just socialized. They have a ton of swings and swinging is one of my favorite things to do so I was on the swing a lot while everyone else played tennis or basketball... I'm not really a sporty girl.
Later Friday night we had a small and random dance Julie and Camille kind of started I think. It was pretty fun.
Saturday we did a service project--cleaning the gutters on main street. Then we came back to the Bishop's and had a talent show which was pretty awesome particularly because of Dane's talent which you just had to be there for... sorry.
I was glad we had quite a bit of unstructured time because I got know people a lot better. I had some really good talks with friends who I wasn't that close with before but now I feel like I have a few friends in the ward who I am getting to be pretty close with. The people in this ward are amazing! The people I've gotten to know really well are just so admirable because even though they've made mistakes they really are trying their hardest to be the best they can be. I really want to be like that and I realize the more I hang out with them the more often I am my best self. Everyone in this ward is so accepting and loving towards everyone else even though we're all really really different. It's awesome.
Here are some other photos (all photos were taken by Brother Boogert):

I just love these people :)

The end. :)