The last days in the Berg and Beyond

Last days in the Berg...And Beyond

 My Wardies Are lovely.  I miss them already!

 On the last Monday, I was in charge of a Ward Closing Social... A Hawaiian Luau.  It was a lot of work but besides some minor glitches it turned out really well!  

 pizza, park, playing, and fun stuff like that.

 R e x b u r g  S u n s e t s

 hanging with friends in the crossroads.. "This is our last..." was said a lot.

 Hiked 5 or 6 miles of Sand Dunes on Friday night..Took about 3 hours.  So fun but soooo tiring.

 Saturday Morning was my BDay so Amy took me out to doughnuts for Breakfast...she's the best. Don't mind the morning faces.

 ...And the best brother in the world sent me cupcakes and cake pops!  It made for a good birthday!  I then took my last final,

 Said last goodbyes to friends,and drove home!

 The next day I got to eat and hang out with the best cousins in the world.  Love em.

 And then went to Amy's to celebrate her bday!

 I love my best friends a lot!

Coming soon:  Looking forward to a family trip that's very special to me.

TRUTHS

I've been thinking about this a lot lately: the concept of truth.  There are certain things that you and I just KNOW--no matter who you are.  It is such a gift, I think, that we as humans have so much ability to differentiate, to discern, and analyze.  And foresee outcomes.  
I love truths that come from words, So today I will share with you some of my favorite nuggets of knowledge.


"People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway. If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway." 

  
   ...I'm not really sure how I stumbled across this, but it just reminds me, no matter what, being kind to people is the most important thing.  Make others feel loved, not matter how you feel.  This comes to mind as I head out on a mission--the betterment of myself will develop while I serve, but that should be second priority to loving and focusing on the people I'm around.


"The happiest people I know are not those who find their golden ticket; they are those who, while in pursuit of worthy goals, discover and treasure the beauty and sweetness of the everyday moments."  -Dieter F. Uchtdorf
   
   A thought that goes along with this: It is not that which we do once with all our hearts and every single ounce of strength successfully, but that which we do every day--day in and day out, the small tasks.  Whether we want to or not we must do those simple, small, monotonous tasks every day.

"Actually, time itself is neutral; it can be used either destructively or constructively. More and more I feel that the people of ill will have used time much more effectively than have the people of good will. 

.... There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love."

-Martin Luther King Jr, Letter From Birmingham Jail

 
 For my English class, the week of the Fourth of July, our assigned reading was Letter from Birmingham Jail.  This struck me when I read it on so many different levels. I now look up to Martin Luther King Jr so much more after reading that--he was an effective, respectable leader.  I am so grateful for freedom for all in our country.
  
  Anyways, those are some words that ring true in my body and mind.  There are so many more, but in conclusion I would like to say:
  
In the midst of confusion, hold fast to truth.

Two weeks til the END!

Well, here we are, July 7th, with only a fortnight until this semester is over.
done.
gone.
Kind of bittersweet.  I am so glad that I can have all of the studying and other hard things done. 
But I have met sooo many a w e s o m e people and it's like I am not sure if we'll meet again.  I'll miss my ward friends a whole stinkin' lot.  And other friends from random different classes.  

 Someone's a little excited for their mission...Above with Acceptance letter and below with Tennessee license plate :)

I CAN'T wait to get out there in the mission field and share the message of the gospel with people!!  Every day it gets more exciting.  It's hard work to prepare while in college, but it's worth it!  AAHH people of Tennessee here I come!  And Mexico City MTC here I come as well!

  So from what I've heard this will be some parts of my life while living in the Appalachians:

University of Tennessee. Go Smokeys! (weird mascot)

BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAINS....Or in Utah terms, Hills, but that's ok.  I love those Appalachians already!

 Life in Redneck towns...it is fun.  They get creative!

 Hello Chattanooga!!

YES Bluegrass Music All Day E'er Day!!  When we were visiting Asheville a couple months ago, a random band of four very attractive young men started bustin' out in song.  It was called "That little girl of mine in Tennessee" !!  It was like they were singing it for MOI! I'd upload the video but it appears to be having problems..

Hello Chattanooga again!

Winters in Tennessee...I think this picture's deceiving.   I've heard they're actually brutally cold because the humidity freezes the air you breathe.  Haha so that will be fun!

Parable of the Pearl Earrings

Sometimes letting go is not easy.
Even if it's simply pearl earrings. 
Ok so a little background:  It all started with my two best friend's love for pearl earrings.  J & A both LOVE the simple elegance of the pearl earring.
They converted me.  To pearl earring-dom.

Ya so anyway.  I loveee them.  But somehow, if you're not as organized as some other people, pearl earrings are NOT the easiest thing to keep a track of.  

But you buy them anyway.  Cause they're simple, cute, and classy.  White pearls are sooo awesome!  

I obvi love them.  So these are probably my 3rd set in a year, but all that aside, I have to tell you what happened....to ONE of them.  I wore them when I went BRIDGE JUMPING last week.  C'mon Maddy, THINK. 

 Ha but it was even more discouraging because only ONE fell off. So I have one white pearl right? "Oh well" I say to myself.  "I'll just switch to my brown pearls for a while."

You see, my brown pearls are my GOOD friends.  These are the earrings I can turn to whenever I need a backup.  We've seen each other at our best and worst times. LOVE the brown pearls.

  

The brown pearls were the earrings I never ever lost.  

But today the inevitable happened.  As I was changing into a choir costume, the left earring popped out, I reached, fumbling for it in mid-air, it fell into the sink of the Snow building, right down the drain.  RIGHT DOWN IT.

Dear pearl earrings:  It is sad to see you go.  And I still have one brown and one white, but alas, neither set is complete.

I wonder if there is an earring heaven?  Especially if these special friends are in the depths of Monkey Rock or the bowels of the ancient Snow plumbing.  

#familiesareforever

Life is Skittles, Life's Root Beer

Well.  Spring is here.  And Spring Semester is an absolute party!

Symphony Orchestra Concert

Lots of rainy days up here. 

Went on a hike on Memorial day and got Blister's BBQ afterwards!

BFF Temp Trips on Windy Days 

Playing in a folk concert last night...one of my favorite experiences of the semester!  Had so much fun and met so many great friends!

 And...never forget this!  I'm going on a mission!!

First Semester Adventure: SHEEP FALLS

Ame dog on the first day of classes, basking in the sun.

 Up here in Rexburg, we play outside a lot. It's just what we do to have a good time.  So, yesterday we drove up to Sheep Falls, past Ashton.  First thing we knew, our car's stuck.  It took a good two or three hours to get help and get it unstuck.  

 but we had fun waiting...

 Then, some people had to go home cause they had other obligations. (Separated the wheat from the tares), And some of us went on!  It was a simple but beautiful hike.  Like really gorg!  And worth it. 

 The adventurous girls --  Andrea, Me, Jenna

 Two of the kids we went with- Lee and Parker demanded they find a place to take a swim.  I thought I'd just stay back with the other peops, but they demanded I come along and take pics of them. The water was freezing and was seriously straight down sheer cliffs.  But they climbed down the insanely slippery cliffs, and did it!

 So us three hiked an extra 3 miles (and almost risked our lives)

 beautiful walk back.