Sunday, August 8, 2010

Sacrifice.

Sacrifice is something everyone has, will, or is going through. It could be not moving until your daughter finishes her senior year in high school, a simple hello, or putting off a relationship and remaining friends b/c of your standards. Even sacrificing your time to be with your family, do a good job in your calling, or just going out of your way to make sure someone is okay....all of things not only make an impact on the person(s) you do it for, but it brings blessings to you!!!:) I have sacrificed a lot of my friendships with family and friends to go down to Utah for a summer job even though it was worth it, the journey of getting to where I am now was hard! The blessings I have received from my sacrifice is new friends, better relationships with family, and the love & appreciation everyone now has for me!!! I have never been so happy because going to Utah gave me all the qualities I will need for becoming a mother someday!!:) I'm patient, kind, AND overly loving!! I love everyone, every single one of God's children on earth and I just enjoy spending time with everyone and feeling the love we have for each other:) Sacrifice is hard, but it is something we must do in order to become better! I've missed all of you a lot and can't wait to catch up with you:) Don't ever think that one sacrifice is too much because that one sacrifice could change your life forever!!!:)**

Friday, July 2, 2010

The Trek....

I don't know why, but I have been putting off writing about the Trek that took place at Martin's Cove for a whole entire year. Sooo I want to share my experience with you now.....
The first day we all got are bags and the names of who was in our families. We also received the name of the pioneer we were representing. I represented a little girl named Caroline Mortensen. My family had to be the BEST family!!! My ma and pa were the Herds!!! I love them sooo much! My sisters were Kaisha Packman, Shanna Parker, and Ashley Starley. My brothers were Zack Funk, Preston Terry, Tyson Harty, and Austin Vansicle. They are all amazing people and the bond that we share is one of love, care, and understanding. After we found out who are families were we had an inspirational talk given by Brother Hayes! Then it was time to get on the bus!!! Haha The bus I road on was filled with all these fun people like Brian Crane, Zack Mulberry, Kali Dewsnup, and Heidi Mikota. We had an amazing time just talking, sharing laughs, and exchanging our thoughts of how The Trek would be on our 14 or 17 hour bus ride. I'll have you know, the rest stops were something to look forward to. Hahaha When we got there we had to unload are bucket and sleeping material. Then we got together as families and took pictures. The first day we walked like 5 to 10 miles to get to our first camp. The walking was fun and I loved pushing the handcart even though my brothers preferred to push instead. I would randomly burst out in song and they either would join in or get very annoyed!! Haha I remember always, and I mean always, smiling!! I was blissfully happy and felt...complete! When we got to the first camp we had to set up. That was...difficult. The boys had no problem putting up their tent, but us girls had a much harder time putting up ours. Our ma and pa had to put up a tent as well. We ate dinner and were very excited to be in the same place as the pioneers long ago. That night, as families, we shared who we represented and the story behind them. It was very cool and relaxing. Then we all headed to our tents to sleep, ha!!! Us girls talked all night practically and apparently loud because the boys told us they heard everything we said. It was pretty embarrassing because we talked about them. Aww...fun memories. We got up really, really early and after breakfast we headed out. We walked with ease and were still loving the calming feeling we felt as we pushed our handcart. After awhile it was getting harder and harder soo I would just start singing and trying to make everyone happier. We even got to cross two rivers! It was fun because the second river we all just swam in for awhile dunking people and messing around. I remember it being extremely slipperly. I slipped like a 100 times but someone would always catch me and help me up. We must of walked 14 to 15 miles that day. Then we had to set up camp again! We were much better that time even though we were tired. After dinner we had a dancing lesson/party. All the boys in the stake were taken soo Kaisha and I danced together:) It was a blast!! Then Tyson and my big mouth made a beat. He beat that I wouldn't be able to resist talking after I got in my tent to go to sleep. My big mouth said, "NO!" I won't talk after 10 o'clock. We shook and whoever won got a million dollars. We then had spiritual talks. They went for a long time and I remember I was sitting on Kaisha and I felt like I was swishing her the whole time as I ate my ice cream sandwich. After the talks, I found my friend Whitney Erickson and we talked as we waited to go to the restroom. She had a flashlight and I didn't soo she had to walk me back to my tent. As soon as I got in the tent my sisters kept trying to make me laugh or get me to talk, but I wouldn't. It was hilarious because they would try to guess what I was saying! They must have failed miserably because I remember going to bed tired and exhausted. The next and final day was the day we walked 30 or more miles. When we woke up we discovered the familiar Cosco muffins waiting for us. Us sisters went back to camp to eat. I found Tyson waiting for me with quite a big grin on his face. I being cocky was like, "Pay up." He said, "Nope because you lost." I protested, but as he explained it dawned on me that my big mouth was talking way after ten. I didn't even get into my tent till like 11:30. I lost the beat. He then announced that he had changed the beat to me having to go on a date with him when I turned 16. I said why not and agreed. All my friends were like, "Oh my gosh, your so lucky." I didn't feel lucky, I felt like crap because I lost the beat:'( I got over it quickly though because our family got to lead the way. In other words..we were in front!!!:) Haha A song I remember singing was Teachings of the Trek. It was a great song that made every step easier. We walked around this big mountain that had a trail. As brothers and sisters we held hands and linked each others arms the whole way. It was a great feeling to see the view from the top of the mountain. Once we got down we had lunch. After lunch we started walking again and for some reason the boys would not let us push. They refused to let us help. Later I found out way. We kept walking until we gathered together and tried goulash or whatever it's called and tried to spin buttons on strings. The goulash was made out of flower and water and it was mostly all the pioneers ate. I thought it was bland, but if it was all I had...I'd eat it! Preston and Shanna were pros at the spinning the button on string and I was NOT! Haha I also remember walking through many mud holes that came up to our knees. My ma fell and was covered in mud. Haha I have a pic of that! Well we finally made it to Rocky Ridge and that's when we found out why the men in our families had been pushing the handcarts all day. The leaders annouced that the men were going to war and so us girls were crying as we gave our brothers and pa a hug goodbye. I remember it feeling sooo real.... Then the leaders told all the girls that it was up to us to get our handcarts up Rocky Ridge. We sang As Sisters In Zion, but changed the word work to push. I felt the spirit soo strong as we sang that song. With my sisters at my side still being in the front leading the way started pushing. It was sooo rocky and really hard. We got stuck a few times, but kept pushing. Once we reached the top we saw all the priesthood holders including my brave brothers and strong pa alligned on both sides of us with their hats off watching us push our handcart and not being able to help. That must have been harder then what I had to do. As I kept pushing I felt the spirit witness unto me that this was the true church and that Joseph was a prophet. He lived and he restored the Book of Mormon. Looking into all these men's eyes I just knew, I knew! The feeling of unity of love was soo powerful and it gave me a glimpse of what the Celestial Kingdom will be like! If the Celestial Kingdom can be anything more than that, I want it! I want to be able to feel that way and be equal to every child of God for all eternity. Anyways, we continued to push the rest of the day having laughs and smiles exchanged. I remember we came to a grave and we had and inspirational talk about what these men did and how they died. I also remember Preston not wearing shoes...I couldn't wrap my head around how he was, "Fine.." I felt concern for him just like he had for me and everyone else had for each other. The bus ride home was AMAZING!!! I remember the fun grocery stop, the kill/date/marry game, and the many back scratches. We all had soo much love for each other that it was hard to leave and go back home. It was 4 am when we reached the church. I said my goodbyes and knew that I'd never be the same because I'd be better. The Trek was a life changing experience for me, I'm soo embarrassed that it took me this long to write about it. Not just look at the pictures but actually thinking, pondering , and actually writing! I guarantee that I messed the order of a few of these things, but I wrote most of what I could remember. I know that I was meant to be with the family I was with just like I am meant to be with my real family:) I love you all just be steadfast in your faith and love everyone and you'll be just fine!

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

I'm me right? So why don't people let me be me!!!!!

I hate it when people think they understand or can relate to me when in all reality they don't at all!!! I do have a mind of my own and I'm not afraid to speak up for myself. Ohh and bytheway I am PERFECTLY able to speak for myself!!! So people let's get this straight if I say something, I mean it! I didn't mean the exact opposite so don't just assume I did.... And another thing keep your trap shut unless you have something nice to say!!! I know this is a mom line, but I found out that it really does help! I love you all so just let me be me and accept me the way I am because I'm not gonna change any time soon....

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Hair.

Have any of you ever realized how much of a big deal hair really is? Today their are hundreds and thousands of different ways to do your hair. All people either do their hair for themselves or someone they like. If you do it for yourself this means that you want to stand out and make a certain impression on the people around you. If you do it for someone you like this means that you did your hair a certain way so that they could notice/compliment you. These are both acceptable in a way, but some people go to the extreme to be noticed. I've seen people with mohawks, pink hair, and even dreadlocks. I think people do their hair in one of these ways because they really and truly want to be noticed. My question is why can't everyone just notice everyone so that no one feels the need to do their hair in an outrageous way? I don't know, but if we could their would be a lot less whacked up hair-doos. I for one love to do my hair because it is a way for me to relax and get cuteish at the sametime. I don't go to extremes with my hair though, yea sure...I wish may hair was longer, but hey in a couple of years it will get there! Just don't stress about your hair too much, okay? And for your information I think that the color of your hair was meant to be the color it is and you shouldn't dream or want it some other way because it's already beautiful the way it is!:)

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Things that I just found out....

1. Erica doesn't know how to eat a tortilla.
-Kay so my brother Ryan was making these fabulous tortillas with cinnamon and sugar and they are like the best food on the planet earth. He brought it to me and so I split it so I could eat it easier and then later he asked my friend, Erica if she wanted one and she said "yea" So she gets it, right, and she is eating it like she was born in a cave and so I had to teach her how to eat it properly. It was so funny! Haha
2. Laughing burns calories!
-My friends and I were in health looking at magazines. We found a Hallmark ad that said,"Laughing burns calories. Our cards just got funnier. Eat the bacon." Get it?
3. People crossword puzzles are frustrating.
-My friend, Lauren and I, were in health looking at magazines. We came upon a People magazine and found a crossword puzzle. It was soo complicated!!! Then because of our great minds we thought of the idea to find last week's magazine to find out the answers. We looked through a whole basket full of magazines, just trying to find the magazine of August 21, 2004. We looked and looked, but by the end of the period we didn't find it.:'(
4. A lot of funny things happen in health.
-You already know why....
5. People get new cars all the time without other people even noticing.
-I don't really notice who's car who's unless I really, really want to know what their car looks like. The past forever I've known certain people's cars. Lately I haven't been seeing it and then today I found out that that person got a new car.
6. The backspace on my computer has a mind of it's own.
-I've been having to retype this post like four times now!!!!
7. I absolutely love my blog!!!
-It's how I express myself and the things that happen in my life in a way that I've never been able to do before.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

The wonders of cookies!

I been giving a lot of thought towards cookies today and I realized that they are pretty much awesome! They bring people together and put smiles on all of their faces as they converse in conversation. Cookies are something that everyone can agree on. They could even be like us in a way. We are all different sizes, shapes, and flavors. For instance, I would be a very big, round chocolate crinkle cookie. A guy might be a small, perfect looking peanut butter cookie. Together we would complete each other, the best combination, chocolate and peanut butter!!! :) We all need to decide what kind of cookie we are and then maybe we might be able to find our best combo....

Friday, April 23, 2010

Dedication.

Dedication is something that gets us through each and every day. We need it to boost our attitudes and convince us to do things that we might not always want to do.... I know that without my dedication towards school, my friends, and my family I would not be as productive as usual. Becca said the word productive. NOT ME!!! Yea, so this is me again and I think that dedication is a great characteristic that if we all have it then we can be so much better than we might ever be. Lovee you all!!! :)

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Language.

Language is how we communicate with everyone around us. We use it to shares words of love, excitement, and even hope. Some people take advantage of it and use it to bring others down. They do this by using harsh words that usually end up being swear words. I am one that hardly ever cusses, but today the 'a' word kind of slipped out instead of alec. It was so embarrassing! I felt so bad and right after I said it my friend, Erica, said my face was like totally shocked and taken back. She, of course, thought it was the funniest thing in the world because for some reason when I do happen to cuss it always happens around her. She is my bad luck charm, I guess. At least when I do cuss I feel bad about it, but some people say those kinds of words out of habit. They don't even think it's bad, but every single swear word is. They need to realize this because they are the one's that put the bad words in my mind in the first place. I hope they can because when I do cuss I feel so absolutely horrible about it and promise myself to never ever say that word again. I need your guyszes help to do this. What I want you to do is when someone cusses around you just tell them that you don't appreciate it and wish they would use appropriate language around you. I know that if we all do this someday we might not hear so much swearing. Thank you for wanting to help! :)

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Boys.....

Why can't all boys be ugly? No, I'm being serious. Kay, us girls, know that the only reason we get ourselves cute in the morning is because we are in the hopes that he'll see us or comment on how we look. It's ridiculous how some girls get consumed in looking perfect all the time. I know that like for a special occasion I try to look as perfect as possible, but not every single day. Boys cause so much stress on girls and they don't even know it. When a girl sees the guy she likes her heart starts speeding up, her cheeks become flushed, and she thinks she is in love. I know I love this feeling, but what if the guy doesn't even notice you? It can be really hard on girls if the guy they are "in love with" doesn't like, notice, or care about them. Some boys are really HOTT, but if they are shallow no girl is going to give him the time of day. If he isn't then what else could she think about then him? I know a guy and he is drop dead gorgeous, but at the same time is such a gentleman. He has opened a door for me, offered me his jacket, and just listens to me when I talk to him. I like this guy, but sometimes I drive myself crazy and end up hating him until I see him again. Pathetic, right? But this is exactly my point...girls go to extremes for the boy they like. Sure it can be fun, but why can't we save ourselves the time and the stress? I don't know, but if all boys were ugly then we wouldn't even have the temptation or prompting to like boys in the first place. That's just what I think, tell me what you think.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Change is the only constant....


This is one of the things I've figured out in my life so far. I like change when it's good, but when it's for the bad...who can?? A few days ago I found out that one of my best friends might/is going to MOVE!!!! I can't even think about it without crying.... I'll miss her sooo much! :'( You see Lauren is the pretty to herself kind of girl until it's just you and her in the room and then she transforms into the ball of fun!!! She ceases to amaze me after the last three years of knowing her.... I love her soo much and to think that I won't see her at school, church, and whenever I feel like it, is just plain WRONG!!! Awww!!! Well...that's whats new in the overly dramatic life of Taylor Ruth Altom.