http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snAjZ8mfoYw

Thank you, Katelyn Brereton, for showing be this.

Christmas Time!

I just want to mention a couple of my favorite things about Christmas Time.

First of all, the happiness. I love how the Spirit helps to make people so happy! I love seeing people walking around with a smile on their face because they've tried a little harder to keep their thoughts focused on the Savior and on helping others. I wish people would always stay so focused so that happiness could always be so thick in the air.

I love the lights. Christmas lights are so wonderful and beautiful. They help to remind me of the Savior, and that He is a light for us; that looking toward Him will help us to be happy and help us to see through the darkness.

The music. Songs about Jesus Christ that are sounded all across the nation, gladdening hearts everywhere and bringing the spirit into many lives. Music that can soften the heart and turn people to look selflessly outward.

People. People everywhere, with thoughts on their minds of giving instead of getting. People who are focused on others are so beautiful to see, to talk to, to watch, to hear. It is so wonderful to see people with a smile on their lips as they walk with a close friend or family member, eager to see their face when they unveil the wonderful surprise they have for them. People laughing, skipping, running, smiling, singing, holding hands, handing off presents, presenting surprises, surprising each other with acts of kindness. Adventuring. People who get that it doesn't matter where you go, what you do, what you gift, what you get, as long as you are focused on other people and the savior. People who would sing even if the Grinch took all their presents and fancy decorations because they can feel the Savior's love and they have each other.

Laughter. Hearing people laugh, seeing people smile. It just shows that people are happy, and it makes others happy as well! Laughing is literally a way to share your happiness!!

Food. Food is good. And candy. And Chocolate. Oh, and pie; we mustn't forget pie.

The cold. I'm not sure why, but around Christmas Time, I love the fact that it's cold outside! The chill in the air is so refreshing! And it helps people to be grateful for their warm cozy houses and their delicious hot chocolate. It gives one another reason to be close to loved ones. It helps one remember the humble circumstances of Christ's birth.

The stories. Stories are so beautiful. I love to hear touching tales of the lives of people; a time where somebody made another's Christmas though selfless service and charity. I love to hear reminders of the true meaning of Christmas. I love to get to know people better through tales of their lives.

The love. To see a general shift from people being grumpy to people being grateful. For people expressing their love for the Savior, for each other, for Christmas, for friends, for family, for food. I love hearing that people love stuff!!! It's far too easy to dislike something; and around Christmas Time, we realize that liking that very same thing leads to much happiness! It's too easy to say, "This song is dumb. It's cheesy, and it has nothing to do with what Christmas is really about." But it's far for enjoyable to let it make you smile, and to dance about to it, and say it's cute, and then remember what Christmas is about anyway!! Why would you let yourself be unhappy in such a time of love? People love things for a reason, and if you can figure out how to love the things they love, you come to love them more as well. That's what Christmas is about. Learning to love as Jesus loved.

Folks, I love Christmas.

I have a blog?

Happy December everybody!
How in the world has it been a whole month since that crazy Milkshake party? How is the semester over? It's weird, ladies and gentlemen; it's a strange thing.
I'd like to take just a couple weeks to say "thank you."

Thank you to my fantastic roommates, Seth and Jordan. You guys are the greatest ever, and you've been an amazing example to me. You two have helped me to grow in so many ways, and to become such a better person. I really could not have asked for better roommates, because they simply don't exist. Your tolerance of my ridiculousness as well as your kind and giving spirits have been essential to my survival this semester. I am very confident that wherever you go, you will always exceedingly bless the lives of those you come into contact with.

Thank you to one of my best friends in the whole wide world, Kristen Blair. Kristen, thank you for being such a light. You have helped me to see so much; about myself and about others. You have helped me to grow and learn and find the way from places of strugglement to higher ground. You have helped me to smile through sadness and to find joy in the little things of life. You have helped me to have a much greater focus on the gospel in my life and you've helped me to see the music in everything. You are so kind and loving and just all around perfect.

Thank you to Taylor May. What in the world would I do without this wonderful girl in my life? Taylor, it has been so fun to get to know you this semester, and I'm so very glad that I decided to sit by you and Eva in church at the beginning of the semester. You always know just exactly how to make me happy, and I don't know what in the world I'd be eating if you didn't feed me so much good food. I'm pretty sure that over half of my smiles of this semester came from you and your perfect loving kindness. You're going to be the best missionary that Oklahoma has ever seen!
Thank you, of course, to Eva Jane as well. Eva, Thanks for being so much fun. Everything's always a party with you around. Thank you for singing for me and playing your guitar for me and for always being so outgoing and happy. You have fun in India, okay?

Thank you, Dallin, Nathan, and Tyler. You guys are all so good. You've been a great help to me this semester. I've had a grand time eating Milkshakes with you guys, and learning valuable mission lessons from Dallin, and planning hiking with Nathan, and attempting to speak Afrikaans with Tyler. Thanks for just being awesome and for being our friends.

Okay, there's at least ten thousand more people that I need to say thank you to, but I have to go right now. Just know that there are more to come!

I love you all!!!

Trail of the Angels

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=ABOxTtxJxNw&feature=endscreen

Can you feel that?

When I tell you you're perfect.

Everybody’s perfect. That is not to say that they don’t make mistakes, but it is to say that without them, there is no way that the perfect plan of salvation could be complete. It needs everyone, every piece, every bee, every note, every letter of every word, and it has them. That’s what makes it perfect. Sometimes they make mistakes, but what kind of a picture has every line going in the same direction? 

You are perfect, because perfection needs you; imperfection and all. 

Dirait-on

"Abandon entouré d'abandon, tendresse touchant aux tendresses... 
C'est ton intérieur qui sans cesse se caresse, dirait-on; 
se caresse en soi-même, par son propre reflet éclairé. 
Ainsi tu inventes le thème du Narcisse exaucé."

Timpview Choir, you make me cry. 
Music is so beautiful; thank you for sharing of your sweet spirit.
Thank you for giving that to me.

Dirait-on tel amour mon coeur,
Pour la musique est tel amour.
(Yes, I did write that just for you.)

Everything is Beautiful

Everything is beautiful if you care to look. The things that people have done are absolutely amazing, and this world that God has created is far more incredible than most realize. Why be sad when you live in such a fantastic place and time? Smile. Look outside; look how incredible everything is. Get ye into the mountains and look at the amazing autumn colors, and feel the cool breeze making that beautiful rustling sound among the trees. Look at your phone, your camera, your computer; how can they even exist? Do you know how it works? Do you know how complicated it is and how much time and effort has gone into that? Look at the magic around you, the magic that we have been allowed to use and create; fresh water from the sink, preserved food in the middle of summer due to a refrigerator, fruit that grows on trees, vegetables that spring up out of the ground. Look at the people. See them give when they have but little for themselves, see them do silly things just to get others to smile, see them love each other; what greater gift could there be? The love of Christ is most precious and desirable above all other fruit, and it's growing on a tree in front of us. Why be sad? 2 Nephi 9:52: "Let your hearts rejoice." It does not say "make your hearts rejoice" it says "let your hearts rejoice." You know deep down that there is so much happiness, so much goodness, so much joy and perfection around you, and you want to be happy, you're naturally inclined to be happy. Let yourself be happy. Why would you let something get in the way of that?
So much beauty in the gospel, in the world, in others, and in yourself. Let it shine through the clouds. You're all beautiful. I love you.

BYU LSH

Late Summer Honors has just been an absolutely incredible opportunity for me, and I am so very glad that I decided to do it. My class is absolutely wonderful, and I just love having real conversations about books with people who actually know what I'm talking about! Also people that give me good feedback on my writing.

What could be better than random firesides and presentations where the speaker can talk about Hermeneutics of the Bible, and then relate Exegesis and Eisegesis to our own scripture study, and tie in an awesome spiritual message, and the people in attendance don't grow bored or confused of it?!

It's so incredible to open meetings with songs and prayers, and especially be able to mention scriptures at any point in the conversations/lesson.

It is my favorite thing in the world to meet so many amazing people who share my love of learning and love of the gospel. I love being able to instantly connect with these people because they're so much like myself. People that make me smarter and better in only a few minutes of conversation with them.

Thank you, everybody. So very much.


I'd like to specifically mention:

Erin
Emma
Rachel
Eliza
Matt
Mark
Katherine
Alyson
Isaac
Ben
Sean
Vera
Sarah-Elizabeth
Elsa
Lindsey
Emily
Travis
Mary
Marli
Other Emily
Other Rachel
Ariel
Justin
Sarah
Amanda
Victoria
Rebecca
And everybody who played games with me or participated in activities with me or I met in any way.

And of course my friends from Timpview.


I've loved hearing everybody's stories, as they've had some incredible experiences, and I've really loved meeting people from other states and countries.


And anybody, feel free to come visit me any time that you want.

Wyview, Building 26, Apt 352.

All you can do is love them with all your heart, and hope that they love you back.

Sometimes you meet people and fall in love with them, but then they go away. Wizard of Oz at the Scera just ended and, as much as I wanted a break from sticking mic tape on people, I almost feel like weeping because this cast that I have fallen hopelessly in love with has dissipated and many I may literally never see again. Here's a little tribute to some of the people that made it all worth it.

Jessica Sundwall, Mark Gordan, Travis Hancock, Phillip Varney, Shoni Winkel, Lauren Anderson, Emily Hill, Rob Holcombe, Whitney Call, Melisa Daley, Acelynn Fulton, Suzannah Osmond, And most of all, the two little punks who made my life infinitely better every time I saw them, Austen Bigelow and Sarah Osmond.

I'll not be forgettin' you any time soon you lovely, lovely, people. Thank you so much for your perfect kindness and joy.

Music Without Sound

Things like this. Standing on a cute little bridge in the sunlight, blowing dandelion seeds out over the river as you relax and enjoy the pure beauty that surrounds you. This to me is just as much music as music is. 

Other things, like a smile, a laugh, a dragonfly, a drop of sunlight, a bright night sky, a kind word or a butterfly, a Warbler's tune, a duckling's flight, a quail's waddle or flash of light, a scone, strawberries bathed in cream, a tiny flower, a quiet stream, hiking a hill, climbing a tree, all can make a symphony. 

Sometimes I wax poetic. But the point is, anything from a pun to a tadpole can be music if only you care enough to listen for it. It would be tragic to be so focused on other things that you miss the music that surrounds you. 

It's never too late to be the way you wish you would have been.

And don't forget it. You can always become better, and smarter, and it is the mistakes in life that make us stronger, but only if we push through them, fix them, stop making those same mistakes, and move on. Life is like music, really. In just about every way. I'm feeling very metaphorical right now, and I'm convinced that were it not so late I could basically pull up a metaphor for literally anything right now.

The band banquet was wonderful. And all the tech went perfectly, for the first time ever. Mine and Kate's collaborative slideshow actually turned out to be pretty good. So did the book, but only like two people looked at that. Anyway, I feel like I did more for the banquet than I actually did, so I should probably go to bed. Just remember, the people who really did everything are named Maren Christensen. And also like Nick Walton and such. I love my fellow band council members. Best of luck to the new band council! It'll be fantastic, even without DF.

Fiesta on Cinco de Mayo

I just thought it was funny that for state band we played Fiesta, and it's Cinco de Mayo today. What a fun thing.

Anyway, my life just basically ended, but not in a bad way. We just had our very last ever Symphonic Band performance at state band today, and it was a beautiful performance indeed. I really can't say how much I love band, or how much it's changes my life, or how much I love all of the people in band, who have helped me to learn and grow so much that I feel like a completely different person than I was four years ago.

Sigh. And now it's over. But everything I learned will live on inside me forever, there's no way that I'm done improving. More importantly than helping me to get better, band has taught me how to get better, so I can continue doing it my whole life, and then help others to do it as well. One of the major reasons why I love people so much is because of band, and the love that people have shown me there.

Plus we did the name game in 1 minute and 22 seconds, which is the all time record.

My joy is full.

If Ever There Was a Time for Tears

That was very likely the last time that I will ever perform on the Timpview Stage. I'm leaving. Graduating. Hundreds of my brothers and sisters will I never see again. This was so beautiful, too. Everything was so perfect, and so happy, and so sad. I am of course looking forward to meeting new people and everything, and I know that I really will see these people again someday, but it's very emotional for me nonetheless. I just wish I could do something more for each of these people. Something that they will never forget, and will change their beautiful unique lives for the better forever. I wish that I could really show everyone how much I love them, but no matter what I do is not enough.

I can't give them a real gift by just setting up lights for their shows. It's not even enough to pour my soul into the music we play, so that our musical gift is the best it can possibly be. But what can I do? I'm so very small. Just a tiny dot in a world that billions and billions of people have lived and will live on. Most of them I will never be able to see, or help, but I want to! What can I do? I want to know.

Sometimes I think that what I've done is special, or that I do a lot for other people, but I don't. I feel terrible when I look back at how many people I could've helped, but I was too caught up in my tiny little world of my own to notice. I was too selfish, or too "busy" to help one of my eternal siblings in a time of need. And here I am again, being "tired" when there's so much work to be done--that needs to be done and needs me to do it.

My thought train sort of ran away from me there. Basically, I will very much miss the Timpview Band when I have to leave, and all of the people in it. And all of the other people that I've ever met. I even miss the people who I haven't met yet and it's driving me insane! I know that there are so many people out there who I know and love, but I don't know how I'm going to find them!

I'm so very excited to serve a mission. I want to find my brothers and sisters, and make sure that we can get back to the celestial kingdom together. 

One Away and One Back

Dr. Fullmer, the teacher who has taught me more than any other teacher at all of Timpview, will not be teaching at Timpview next year. This makes me sad for many reasons. First off, I feel extremely sad for all of the kids, particularly my younger siblings, who will not be able to have his as a teacher, because I have learned so many important life lessons from him. I really don't know what kind of a person I would be without Dr. Fullmer's influence on my life. He has really helped me to grow up and to become a better person. All of the little speeches that he would always give us about running for the roses, and building up our team, and loving each other will always stick with me. I really don't know anyone who can make people want to do and be better like he can, and I cannot express how grateful to him I am for the opportunity to learn from him, and I will do all that I can to teach those lessons to others.



Kristen Blair, my wonderful friend who as also taught me more than I could ever hope to be able to repay, is returning from Vienna today, and I am very excited to have her back in my life! She has been such a wonderful example to me, and has also helped me to become a much better person than I would otherwise be. We have many adventures awaiting us.



I have learned so very much from many people in my life, and I only wish that I could express how grateful I am, or that I could pay them back in some way. Because of them, because of the wonderfulness of how much I have changed and improved, I will do my very best to pass along the things that I have learned to as many people as will listen, because the things that the people in my life have taught me have been so wonderful that they should impact many many more people than just me. Thank you everyone, for teaching me and helping me grow.