Life's Like an Hour Glass Glued to the Table

You know what's daunting? Time. Time is daunting. As far as I know it's the only thing we can't get back, besides someone's mortal life. I don't know where it disappears to, and that scares me. It goes too fast, and there never seems to be enough of it. The hours seem to go by slowly, but the days and weeks speed by. Thus making the time I have for my life go far too fast. Time is a mystery to me. But, despite all of this I know that someday I can get all the time I could possibly need or want. That's how much my Heavenly Father loves me.
I think it's interesting that in good vs. evil the bad guy never wants to die. They want more time. More time to live life, but they waste it trying to do the impossible. Take Voldemort for example. He goes about destructing himself and everyone around trying to find a way to become immortal. In doing so, he even loses his own body. But does he become immortal? No. Ok, so maybe that's a lame example, but here's what I'm getting at. I'm one of only 13+ million people that has hope for unlimited time and immortality. wow. I am so blessed to have the knowledge that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has given me. So, here's my plan. With the time I have been given on this earth, which I don't really know how long, I will live life to the fullest. Learn all that I can. Try not to be stupid. Love as much as I can. Have a good family, and raise them in the gospel. and teach what the gospel means to me by being a good example to all those around me. I love quotes and this just came to my mind. "Live so that those who know you, but do not know him, will want to know him, because they know you." So, after this random post, which I'm not really sure made sense I'll finish with this quote. "Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. It comes to us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." -John Wayne

My new goal for the school year is to use my time wisely, I'm going to have to if I'm going to make it to all the tomorrows.

Life is a Highway

As I come back to the new school year I have thought back a lot on the past year I have experienced. I am grateful to be able to attend school, and learn new things in the classroom, but I am especially grateful for the life lessons I have learned. It seems crazy to me how much I have learned about myself in this past year. I am excited to see the changes I will make for myself in the coming year, and my life.
Something my mom always says is "Life's rough, and then you die." It's kind of morbid, but the majoriy of life is going to be, not easy. I love President Hinckley so much, and here's what he has to say about life being hard. "Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around and shouting that he has been robbed. The fact of the matter is that most putts don't drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to be just people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is like an old time rail journey...delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspered only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride."
I love how this quote puts life into perspective. This summer I had virtually no fun, but I did learn a lot (A LOT) about hard work, because it's what I did all summer. Then two days later I get myself into another 18 credit semester. I hope to bring what I learned about hard work from the summer into my schooling. For the most part none of this is fun, but it has to be done. I know I will later thank the Lord for everything I have because I have not had an easy life.
I realize that I have already been showered with an incredible amount of blessings. Before this summer I never really got along with my family. I was lucky enough to have this change this summer. When I wasn't working I wanted to be at home hanging out with my siblings (most of the time). This is a video of my brother Nathan and my sister Jenny. This was a highlight of my summer, just because we were actually having fun and getting along.

I know the Lord has blessed me, and will continue to bless me if I try my hardest. I am thankful for the ride, because my life is a highway. :)

I'm confessing my love...

...to Cedar City!

Today I am more happy than I have been all summer. I came back to Cedar City! Just for a quick day trip to turn in scholarship stuff, but I feel like I am home. I drove down by myself late last night, and I couldn't stop smiling. I was singing and loud as I could a lot of the way down. It was about time I was smiling and laughing to myself. I am sitting in the library at SUU right now thinking about all the good (and bad) times I had this last year. I love it all. I learned so much my first year out in the "real world." I can't wait to come back.

Being home for the summer has been interesting. Whether I liked or disliked my family before I moved, I'm stuck with them now. Once you move away and then come back you realize no one else really cares anymore. You have virtually no friends, because they have their separate lives now too. All I've wanted to do all summer is come back to Cedar City. I'm here, and I'm happy.

This summer has been pretty mediocre when it comes to exciting things happening. All I do is work. I'm not complaining since a lot of people can't find one job, and I have like 5. It's good to be saving some money for school. I'm working part time for a lady in my ward, so every morning from 8 until whenever I have to go to my next job I work for her. Then I work for a place called Home Helpers, where I go to peoples homes and help them there or take them grocery shopping, or to doctor's appointments. I work at an assisted living center in Mapleton. I drive for Snelson's Photo Lab 3 times a week, and I have a violin and viola student. My favorite job of all is as a CNA at Spanish Fork Nursing and Rehab. I love the little residents there. They are so fun and cute, even though it's really really hard work. So you're probably wondering how I do all of that. I'm not quite sure myself, but it happens. I don't get much sleep, especially since a lot of my hours are on the weekend. I've worked several 36 hour days with not sleep and just work.

This post is probably really boring, as is my life. Oh well. I did go on one really fun trip to Jackson Hole. I'll post about that eventually.

(I Love Calvin and Hobbes)

Oh What Do You Do in the Summertime?

I went boating for the first time this summer on Memorial Day!!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!!!!!!!!!!!! I go with my "summer family" (I call them this because they're the ones that I go camping, hiking, backpacking, boating, etc etc with) My summer family consists of Ari, Joyce, Kevin, Anthony, Tig, Woolsey, Megs, and whoever else is at their houes at the moment. I love them. Anyway, I forgot was it was like to be out behind the wake getting sprayed and trying to get up on the knee board, skiis, or wakeboard! I love it! I also forgot how easily you get tired and sore, especially if it's you're first time out for the summer. We just went knee boarding (I'm going to do a freaking 360 this summer if it's the last thing it do) and tubing! Tubing is so fun because you do it in choppy water. Oh my gosh I love it. We got thrashed on the tubes. One of the time I crashed my whole body skipped across the water at least 3 times before I started sinking. I was bouncing on my butt for 2 of the 3 skips and then my head hit for the 3 one, and then I sunk. haha so awesome. Ari and Anthony had a pretty awesome tube war. We had 2 tubes out at once and you fight until you can get someone off their tube. Ari had Anthony off, at least we thought she did until he came out of the water like the lockness monster holding onto the tube with one hand. I seriously don't know how he did it, but it rocked. (oh yeah, Ari and Anthony are boyfriend/girlfriend. not that that has anything to do with the story). I will probably eventually get skin cancer from the sun, but right now it's worth it. I LOVE BOATING and I LOVE summer!
These are some pictures from last summer at Bear Lake. The water is beautiful. That was a really fun trip too.
Holly, Me, Ari (I think)

Anisa, Ari, Me, Holly, and Holly's sister

too many people to name, but all are awesome. :)

What do you do in the summertime?

Fuddettes

I have to tell this story because it is so funny. Maybe it's one of those things where you have to be there, but I'm going to tell it anyway. So last night I went on a double blind date. My friend Jenny set me up with her brother Tom. Jenny's date is from Bountiful so we were going to meet him in Sandy for dinner and such. Tom and Jenny picked me up at 6 and we didn't have to be to Sandy until 7:30. Jenny was riding in the back seat and said hey Tom we should get a flat tire and then we'll be on time. Luckily we didn't get a flat tire. We made it to Sandy 45 minutes early. That gave us time to sit in the car, and talk and sing loudly to some jammin' tunes from the pod.
Jenny's date Bryce finally showed up (he got off work late or something) and we went into Fuddruckers for dinner. (ok, who names a resturant that?) None of us had eaten there before, and it was good. As we were leaving Jenny comes out from the bathroom laughing because on the door it said "Fuddettes." A little ridiculous once again, but very funny. After dinner we had about an hour until our dollar movie, because we decided not to go classic skating. I thought, I know where a really cool waterfall is, (thanks to Stef:)) and you can see all of Salt Lake Valley from there. We went on a little adventure to the waterfall before our movie. We saw a really stupid movie, stupid enough that it was actually really funny. (I suggest you only watch this movie if you're really bored.) After our movie it was only 11, so we decided we would find a Wal-Mart, because apparently there's nothing better to do in Salt Lake after 11. We drove on state st from 9500 S all the way to 3800 and there wasn't a Wal-Mart! It was an outrage. We finally found one on 900E and 5300S (If you're ever in Salt Lake and need a Wal-Mart now you know.) We left Wal-Mart at 12:30 and decided it was time to head home. We dropped Jenny's date off and headed back to Springville. We were almost to University Pky exit when we heard this awful noise. It sounded like a helicopter that was right over us! I looked in the sky and couldn't see anything. Tom was like it's a flat tire. Jenny and I together were like no way! And then we couldn't stop laughing! Jenny had cursed us! It was 1:30 in the morning on the freeway and we had a flat! It was probably the funniest thing that's happened to any of us in a while. This nice guy pulled over and made sure we were putting the spare on right, and then we got off the Orem exit and drove slowly the rest of the way home. It was so funny. We'd be driving in silence and all of a sudden on of us would bust up laughing. Jenny text me this morning and said, "Kjersti. I woke up laughing." I'm still literally laughing out loud about it.
I'm sorry I just wasted 5 minutes of your life by telling you all these stupid and pointless details, to get to an even more pointless story that's probably not even funny to you. (if you even made it this far in the story). But, I'm bored and had nothing else better to do than waste 20 minutes typing this out. Well, have a fabulous Sabbath everyone. I have to work a 15 hour shift. blah.

4 Wheeling at 3 Peaks

I think I had too much fun in one weekend. I finished my stay in Cedar with a day of four wheeling. It worked out perfectly to have 5 people and 3 quads because we all just took turns and doubled up and stuff. From left to right Billy, Bri, Me, Ashton
Billy, Stef, Me, Ashton
The girls...I don't know how Billy put up with us for 2 days straight, photographer and all.
Billy has a really sweet racing 4 wheeler.

Slow down Bri!

Nice air Billy and Ashton! (dang who took that sweet picture?;))

Way to take the jump Billy and Stef! If you couldn't hear the video I was screaming party like a rock star. :) I flew every time we jumped that.

Go Billy and Bri! (oh what a nice alliteration)

Bri and Stef

Stef is pointing to her leg because earlier she had caught it in the wheel. She probably could have died. Speaking of dying, I almost killed Bri, because I was driving and she was behind me on the biggest of the 3 four wheelers and I was still getting used to how it turned, and I sort of ran into a tree and scraped our arms...sorry Bri, I hope the scrapes are gone. :) It was almost funny after.

Me and Ashton

This is my favorite picture because it shows how freaking dusty it was. There was dirt everywhere! In our ears, out teeth, up our noses...oh yeah.

Angel's Landing-I Found My Wings

The Monday after finals ended some friends and I headed down to Zion's National Park to hike Angel's Landing. Only two people in the group had done the hike before. I was super excited, but wasn't ready for how steep it was. My friends that went from left to right are Billy, Briana, me, Stefanie, and Jacqlyn. Look how beautiful the background is!
The first part was paved, but it was steeeeeep! My calves and shins were burning like fire. I could only imagine what it was going to do to our knees on the way down.
We found a holey rock mountain.

Me, Stef, Bri, Jac, and Billy
A much needed water break....
God loves us, look how beautiful.

This park of the hike was hard. It's called Walter's Wiggles and it's just really sharp turn backs so you don't have to go straight up, yeah, I'm not in shape, then again round is a shape. ;)

The last part of the hike was up a rocky mountain with cliffs on both sides, hence the chain.

Look at the itty bitty road....

We made it! 5,785 ft up in the air! It doesn't look that high, oh but it is.

Oh yeah, we're smart. I know let's race on top of the cliff!

What? I didn't see a sign that said don't feed the animals! (They sure did like our cheesey crackers though)

Our furry friends inspired Stef...

I think we all had a little too much energy on the way down.

That one hurt....

After we got back to the bottom we decided to play in the Virgin River. Turns out the water was freeeeeeezing, and we could only keep our feet in for like 3 seconds at a time, but it was pretty.

Oh Billy! You didn't.

On the shuttle ride down there was a family sitting in front of me and Stef and the mom was speaking French to her little boy. He was so cute and he even let me hold him. He wanted a drink, and every time the bus would move the water would slosh and go up his nose. It was funny, and a little sad. Stef said his mom looked like Celine Dion...we tried to get a picture without her noticing. haha I think it's safe to say that we all had a great time that day despite the major sunburns we all got. I was perfectly red, and still a week later I have a huge sock line that's white against red. I love it. :) I love summer because of all the great hiking that needs to be done!