Random Act Of Kindness

   So yesterday in Relief Society we were talking about kindness and experiences with random acts of kindness that other people have done for us. This got me thinking of times people have done random acts of kindness for me. Like one time Alyssa, Kensey, Kenna, and Shawnee got into my room last year at Snow and "Heart Attacked" my room when they found out my dads cancer was terminal. How that made my day, month, and even year. It didn't take them ages to do it and they had fun doing it and it made my horrible month a better one. They also a couple months later hid easter eggs around my room. How sweet right? I love those girls so much. They decided to do something nice for someone and they had fun with it like hiding eggs in my boots haha. Yeah it made their day but I do not think they will ever know how much that impacted my life.
 

 Haha love them!

   Another experience I had was when my moms boss offered us a small vacation in Salt Lake at the hotel my mom works at. Once he found out about my dad, he wanted to do something nice for my family. And it was amazing. We got to have a great family weekend together in the hotel. It didn't take long or a lot of effort from my moms boss and his act of kindness is something that none of us will forget. And not only was it nice but it helped us create memories that will last a lifetime. Like how my dad said we were on a redneck vacation cause we went to dinner in the restaurant there and everyone was dressed up and we were all in t-shirts and jeans. Yeah definitely weird. Or how we were in Salt Lake when City Creek opened. Those memories are going to help us through this rough time.

 Riley and Daddy. (Daddy's first picture without braces and shows teeth!)

haha we were all wearing black shoes except daddy lol he didnt get the memo.

   There are so many more experiences I could go on and on about with people doing small and simple things for me but that is not why I wanted to post this. So I have been wanting to do some kind of random act of kindness and had no clue what to do or who to do it for. Then last sunday I found who I wanted to do it for and I had a feeling I needed to...I just didn't know what to do. They do not know me and I do not really know them. So ignoring the feeling I went on with my week. Then yesterday I got that feeling again and I was all umm okay I get that I need to do something they do not know me so what should I do. Then I was on Pinterest. Yes that amazing site girls can spend hours on. Well found my idea for what to do for that certain person. Cutest thing! You get herseys hugs and kisses and put the saying, "I thought you could use some hugs and kisses." Loved it! Told my roommates that we should do this because we were just talking about we should do something for this person(s). So today Ash and I went to the store and got the stuff for it since its late we will probably end up leaving it on their door tomorrow...who knows.

I had a little too much fun making the paper :)

  Anyways, I am not posting this to be all "Look what I did" "I am so good" yeah no that is not it. My point in doing this was to show that random acts of kindness and service can be fun and simple. It can makes someones day and also help them through some times. We do not know what they are going through but when we get that feeling to help we shouldn't ignore it because its not going to take much from your life and its going to make a difference in someones else's. Serving others is a fantastic thing. It makes your day so much better and it can be something small like giving someone candy or even just smiling at someone and saying hi. It does not have to be something huge so do not think that you cannot do anything because I promise you, you can do something! I challenge everyone to do some random act of kindness this week! :)

Everything Happens For A Reason

     A lot of things have been happening that make no sense to me or just make me annoyed but one thing that I have come to realize is that everything happens for a reason. President Thomas S. Monson talked about this in the Sunday morning session of this past conference. He mentioned stories of his life that he was at a certain place at a certain time for a certain reason or that a certain thing happened for a certain reason. Now at first he did not understand the reasoning behind why he had to go where he had to go but he went and later learned the reasoning. This talk really hit me and has stuck with me this past month. Its been almost a year since I found out about my dad's cancer. I never blamed anyone or anything for my dad having cancer but I never understood why he had to be the one to get it. This past year has been a trial for me with this because knowing that it might be the last time I get to see him or the last holiday I get to spend with him its hard. Lately, I have felt that its just been one thing after the next. But this talk and some good friends advice is that everything happens for a reason. It truly does. I know that this trial is meant to strengthen my family and me.
     Another thing that got me was when I was in California. I knew I had to be there for the birth of my nephew but I didn't know I needed to be there for another reason. When we were waiting, Jaimie [Amber's mom] sat down next to me and we had a really good talk about my dad and she made me realize something that I never really thought of...His side. I was so stubborn and pissed about things that are going on with him I never stopped to think what he was thinking. Now yes I could ask him but where do you think I get my stubbornness from. He tells me he is fine. Which right now he is but for me I need to know more than fine. Honestly, she told me something that no one has told me face to face straight out and she is probably the only person I wouldn't smack for telling me it. I really needed to hear it and you know what it has helped so much. Now does she know that helped me probably not. Did I know that that would give me comfort or strength? Heck No! But you know what I was in a certain place at a certain time for a certain reason...well reasons.
    Now this week is what I should really talk about. Right now as I type, I was suppose to be in a hotel next to the beach in Southern California for my cousins wedding. But with certain things that come up and obstacles that made it so that really we should not go. Now yes it is sad and bumming that I am missing my cousins wedding but I know that everything happens for a reason. There is a reason that we were not meant to go to California. More in likely we will never know the reason behind why we shouldn't  have gone. But I can already see some of the benefits of staying, saving money, saving vacation days, not missing school, etc. And also we were kind of treating this trip as a must go because we do not know how many trips we get left with my dad but I believe that we will have more time because if that was the case these obstacles wouldn't have been in our way, I would be at the hotel on the beach right now if Heavenly Father knew that my dads time was coming closer than we thought. Heavenly Father works in mysterious ways.
    Sometimes when going through something that just plain out sucks its hard to tell yourself or someone else that everything happens for a reason. There is a reason for this or that but you know what its the truth. We are here on this earth for a reason in it self. Do you honestly think that we would have all these problems or bumps in the road for nothing?! No because of those bumps it takes you to something better and greater. Think about your trials or problems, they have some how made you stronger or something good secretly came out of it. With my trial of my parents having cancer, I have a strong connection to my family that most families do not have. I have a relationship with my brothers that you usually do not get with siblings until your old and married. I have realized that people can be gone or sick with a blink of an eye. I also realized that life is just to short to miss. Now yes I have more trials in my life than my parents having or had cancer and you know what I have learned from those too and they have made me the person I am today. So even though it can be a rough time just remember...Everything Happens For A Reason!

Home Sweet California!

Guess what everyone?! I AM AN AUNT! Yep that is right! My sister just had a sweet little boy named Dillon! So of course I had to get my butt down to California for his birth! I didn't want to go alone so one of my best friends Alyssa went with me on this wonderful trip! Man what a blast it was! We drove to Vegas and flew out of Vegas cause we got great deals on tickets! We walked the strip cause we got to vegas super early. Lets see, some dude wouldn't take no for an answer and I got bit in the head by a polar bear. Haha ohh man what happens in Vegas. Look at this creepy bear!

Then when we got to California, my grandparents took us to my favorite restaurant ...COCO'S! It is like going home and having mom make you a nice home cooked meal. It is the best. Thursday was a crazy lets see everything we can day. We went to the best place on earth...THE BEACH! I love the beach. It is the one place in the world where everything is okay, the ocean is so peaceful and beautiful. You know how everyone has that one place where you can just sit for hours and think...Well the beach is my place which kinda stinks cause its 6 hours away lol. 

Then we decided to go walk around the Newport Beach Temple!! ahh my favorite temple. When the temple was announced, everyone in my stake were ecstatic because that meant there was going to be a closer temple! LA is not totally far in miles but with traffic and everything its can be a long trip. I was in Primary at the time and they handed rocks to each primary child and asked for us to write our name and our favorite scripture or primary song on this rock. In result they put all those rocks under the baptismal font in the Newport Beach temple. How legit. So a part of me is in that temple! That is why I really want to get married in that temple because it is home for me. 

Thursday night we met up with my old friend Jean Luke. I haven't seen him since 3rd grade! Crazy right?! It was so much fun to catch up with him and we had an amazing time just talking and laughing. I can't remember the last time I laughed so much. It was fun and he might come up to Utah during Christmas break with our friend Pavan! Yay! I love re developing friendships!

Friday was the big day! So before it happened Alyssa and I went to lunch and the movies with Jaimie and Amber. It was kinda cool to be a part of her last activity before she became a mom. After hours and hours of waiting, little Dillon Sinclair was born into this world. He was 6 pounds 10 ounces and 19 inches long. Love that little boy so much! He is so tiny and just so chill. I cannot wait to see what he does in this world. 

So really the rest of the weekend was great! Swap meet with Alyssa, holding Dillon more, went to my grandparents ward halloween party, going to my cousin sierra's dedication, holding Dillon more, feeding and burping Dillon, and then headed back to Utah. It was a great weekend and a busy one. Loved every minute of it and it was all worth it to get to hold my nephew the day he was born and the two days after. It was great to be there! 

Thank you Utah for having Fall Break!

Fall break is a fantastic time of year for us college students. Four days off school usually right after midterms. Its seriously heaven! Since I live farther now, I never really go home because of the time of travel, gas prices and have you seen my car? Chevy Trailblazer does not get the best gas mileage at all. Anyways so I got to finally go home! I didn't realize how home sick I really was until it was like two days before I got to go home and I was all ahhhh I can't wait. Funny thing was that I told my family I was coming home Saturday because SUU was playing Weber State and they know how much I love football :). But I decided it was more important to be home with the family! So I drove up Friday with my roomie Ashley. When I got home only Riley was there and I didn't see anyone for hours later. It was a fun little surprise! Then we ended up going to see Taken 2 all together as a family that night! It was so great to be with my family again! I definitely missed them. My weekend was very low key and family based and I loved it. Got to go on a drive with my mom and shop, went on a fun date, carved pumpkins with the fam, got to take my little cousins for the day and play with them, and got to visit old friends at Snow College! What a fantastic weekend! Seriously my favorite part of that weekend was that I got my two little cousins for a whole day! I took them to McDonalds and the park and seriously they keep me so entertained. I love them! This was definitely a great and needed break!! 

 Cayden and Sam had a sleepover in my room :)

 Aren't they the cutest?!

 Okay seriously how cute? Cayden is 5 years old and Sam is 2 years old!

 Sarah and I about to carve our pumpkins!

 Look mommy at the mess we are making!

Cayden wanted to push Sam! What a sweet big brother!