Good things to come

Thoughts

Do you ever wish you could change one little moment of the past? One thing you did or said or didn’t do or didn’t say that changed the entire course of life as you currently know it? In the moment, you didn’t realize what you were doing, but now that you look back on it, you can see everything clearly and you regret it so much. You realize that the small things in life really do matter, and that they can really change the larger things in life later on.

I guess I’m going through these feelings right now. I had multiple insights today on life and friendship and miracles and the love of Heavenly Father. I am truly blessed, but sometimes I forget how blessed I really am. I take things for granted a lot. I assume things a lot. I make up stories in my head of how things are or should be or were…and, usually, they’re not true at all. I guess you can say I’m human, but I have a hard time considering this a good enough excuse. Sure, we’re all human and we all make mistakes, but part of life is learning from mistakes and being better. So I ask myself, am I becoming a better person?

I’ve learned a lot of life’s lessons this past year. I hope I’m actually applying them to my life, but I sometimes wonder. I never realized how important forgiveness is until I had to ask for it multiple times, and live it myself. The power of Atonement and the reality of the Savior’s love for me have never been as real as they have this past year. I learned what it means to be a true friend (although I don't always put it into practice like I should). I learned what it means to fully trust in the Lord and put His will first, although I’m far from perfect at doing this. I learned about faith, hope, charity, that prayer is sometimes the only way to survive heartache and sorrow, and that Heavenly Father often answers those prayers through others.

I can’t change the past, although sometimes I wish I could. All I can do is start living now the way I want to live so that when today becomes the past, I don’t regret it. I can be better now and keep trying to be better. I can forgive, and ask for forgiveness one more time. I can forget myself and start thinking more of others. I’ll remember that even during the cloudiest of days, the sun is still out, and when I fall, at least I’m falling forward. And I won’t take the people who mean the most to me for granted, because without them, I wouldn’t be who I am today.

This afternoon, someone asked me what little miracle happened for me today. Well, there are more miracles than I can record, but I want him and others to know that I do see them, even when they’re hard to find: walking a mile with my mom this morning, a neighbor who let me know about a job, a true friend’s love and concern, a warm shower, shrimp in my salad for lunch, sunshine in Oregon, two little girls who I only see twice a week, but who help put life into perspective, starting a new book…

Life is good, even when it doesn’t feel good.

Happiness is a choice.

And I choose happiness.

Ink, a Birthday, and Ireland

As my title ambiguously refers to, I finished reading 3 good books this past week that I had to share with everyone. I guess a positive thing about camping is it allows for lots of reading time! And that's pretty much what I did for 7 days: Read, read, read!

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

After months and months of wanting to read this book, I finally got it from the library and finished it. I love the story line, but, unfortunately, I did go against the rules and saw the movie before reading the book. This made reading it a little less exciting because I always knew what was going to happen, but it didn't make me admire Cornelia Funke's writing any less. She is a very talented writer, and from another writer's stand-point, I kept finding myself in awe at her metaphors and creative details. And I loved that the book was basically about people who love books! Before every chapter, Funke used a quote from another book to help describe the emotions of the chapter. And the main characters, Mo and Meggie, are HUGE book-lovers, so there are constant references to classic novels and such. Plot in a nutshell: When Mo reads out loud, characters from the story come to life, causing adventure, heartache, and a plot full of twists. Read it!

The Birthday Ball by Lois Lowry

I've always been a huge Lois Lowry fan, but this book is probably my absolute favorite! It doesn't have profound insights or mind-blowing thoughts on society like some of her other books; in fact, it's really just the opposite. It's a hilarious, satirical/parody on the fairytale princess stories, and is about how Princess Patricia Priscilla got bored one day and decided to sneak off to a peasant school before her 15th birthday celebration at the end of the week. I'm honestly going to buy it the next time I'm in Barnes & Noble. It's a quick read, and I was laughing the entire time. Five stars for sure! =)

Hush: An Irish Princess' Tale by Donna Jo Napoli

This book was a lot more serious than both of the other two books but, once again, I couldn't put it down. It was way different than I had imagined it, and I was a little disappointed by the ending, but it was extremely well-written. In fact, I was amazed by the amount of research and detail that Donna Jo Napoli probably had to put into it to make it historically accurate. I don't think it was based on a true story, but it was definitely historical fiction because the things that happened to the main character, Mel, definitely happened in 900 AD. A basic plot line would be this: Mel, a fifteen-year-old Irish princess is captured and sold into slavery. The story follows her from the slave ships to actually being sold to a rich man from Iceland. Unfortunately, there were a few scenes in the novel that I had to skim over because they were more graphic than they needed to be, but I enjoyed the rest of the book. The horrors of slavery and the story itself leave you thinking about the book for days afterward.

Welcome Home, Elder Morgan!

My little brother came home from his mission yesterday! I can hardly believe two years have past, and then, at the same time, it feels like forever since he left. But it has been fun seeing him again! For those who don't know, he served for two years in the Las Vegas, Nevada Spanish speaking mission for my church.

Surprisingly, I think he's already adjusted to being home! Within minutes after we left the airport, he was cracking jokes and acting like his old self. I don't think I've ever seen a missionary adjust so easily before, but he's the same-old Trevor I've always known, that's for sure. Teasing included.

We could spot him in the distance before he reached the exit because he was so tall! He grew on his mission, that's for sure.

Hugs all around! We had a large group to greet him, as well as hand-made posters and balloons. Hopefully we didn't embarrass him too much... =)

Mom was probably the most excited to see him, but I guess I can't blame her. It would be hard not seeing your son for two years! She was pretty proud of him, along with the rest of us.

The family, including Aunt Margaret and Grandma (and missing a few, of course)

Cruise to the Bahamas! Part 2: Islands of Paradise

As promised, here is my second (and final) post about the cruise. It's hard to believe we've been back for 2 weeks now...honestly, the cruise sometimes feels more like an amazing dream than reality. Now I get to wake up every day to the cold and rain, and long days of looking for jobs (which I haven't had any success yet, just so you know).

But on a happier note, the cruise WAS real and I actually got to enjoy the gorgeous beaches and hot sun! The Bahamas, especially, were stunning and even better than the tropical island calendar you often see hanging up on office walls. The water was warm, the sand was soft and white, and the ocean was a color of blue that you can't find anywhere else. Paradise.

On the 2nd full day of our cruise, we made our first stop: The Grand Turk! This was a beautiful little island in the Caribbean, and the farthest south we traveled. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't as wonderful as we had hoped...

Yes, our cruise ship with a lovely shade of gray sky.

But the gray sky didn't stop us from hitting the beaches. We got out our snorkeling gear and snorkeled in the ocean for about an hour. It was still hot and humid outside.

Palm trees and lounge chairs. What else do you need?

Well, I guess a little sun would've helped. Instead, we got the one thing we were trying to escape from: rain. LOTS of rain.

Of course, the rain didn't stop me from enjoying the island. After returning to the ship, I changed into some dry clothes, ate lunch, and then ventured back out into the rain with my mom. This time I brought my umbrella. A true Northwesterner, right?

Oh, and I love this picture that Kimberly took--it looks like a ghost ship.

We had much better luck on the 3rd day when we made our first stop in the Bahamas: Half Moon Cay! This is a small island owned by Carnival. Population: 13.

Me and Kimberly taking the ferry to shore.

Dad and Grandma enjoying the ride.

I love the way our cruise ship looked against the blue water!

Did I mention the water was blue?!?!?

Random picture of the life jackets and snorkeling gear...

Cannon?!?

We made it to shore!

The beach was amazing! Despite the 3,000 people, there was plenty of sand and ocean for everyone.

And plenty of lounge chairs! The beach was covered with them!

It felt like one giant swimming pool.

I can't believe I was there!

Amazing water...

Time to snorkel!

Rinsing out my goggles...

Putting on the flippers...

Smiling for the camera...

Ta-da! Snorkeling!

My mom took this photo. Doesn't it look like an ad for Carnival cruise lines with the cruise ship in the background?

Horses on the beach!

Beach babes

Whoever originally came up with this idea was a genius...

Map of the island. Along with the beautiful beach, we were also served lunch on the island. In fact, the staff from the cruise cooked us an amazing BBQ right on the beach!

Me in my new hat. My face got REALLY sunburned and hurt a lot in the sun, so I bought a hat to keep it shaded. I felt extremely exotic.

This was a really neat fountain lined with shells.

To get back on the ship, we had to wait in a huge line in the sun. It was miserable.

I couldn't resist taking a picture of this sign in memory of my British Isles trip almost a year ago. This one's for you, Laura! =)

I honestly loved this beach and could've stayed here forever.

Our final island stop was Nassau, Bahamas. This was one huge city!

Off the ship

Palm trees!

There were a ton of shops and merchants here. I definitely felt like I was in a foreign country, constantly being asked by the natives if I wanted to buy something they were selling. From jewelry to shells to hats, you could find just about anything there.

Hooray for the Bahamas! Yes, Dad and I even had a taste of real ice cream =)

A Starbucks on every corner...and apparently on every island as well.

And the people of the Bahamas sure love their Burger King.

While we were in Nassau, we took a snorkeling and bottomless boat excursion!

My favorite part was the net we sat on as the boat moved across the ocean.

Dad and I enjoying the net, the sun, and the amazing view!

The family!

The picturesque island

After we traveled by boat for a few miles, we stopped by a small reef and snorkeled! There were a lot of us, but plenty of ocean to explore. And I saw some amazing tropical fish! Snorkeling is definitely one of my new favorite hobbies.

Where's Allison?

Taking off the snorkeling gear...after awhile the flippers really begin to hurt your feet! (By the way, the ocean was blue, not green.)

Smile for the camera! My eyes really stung from all the salt.

Dad snorkeled like a pro.

Hi, Dad!

After snorkeling, our excursion guides took us to a private island, where we swam and enjoyed the time away from huge crowds.

Dad, me, and Kimberly enjoying the clear, blue water.

I could've stayed in here forever!

The boat driver decided to feed the fish so we could have a closer look...

Atlantis resort: the biggest resort in the Bahamas--and also the most expensive!

They even have a huge water park! I would've loved to spend the day there, but for over $100 per person to get into park, we decided against it. Maybe next time?

Me enjoying our ride back to the main island.

I could've slept on that net--it was so comfortable! And the ocean spray felt so good!

Sisters!

After changing on the cruise ship, we went back onto the island to explore the city a little more, including the shops. Here's Hard Rock Cafe.

Here's a better shot of Nassau from the cruise ship. It was such a fun, tropical city! I can't imagine living somewhere like this. I had a great time exploring the Bahamas.

Back on the mainland, we stayed in Florida for a few extra days after the cruise. We even reached the southernmost point of the USA: Key West, FL!

The family

A neat painting on the sidewalk in Key West.

We stayed in a Marriott Hotel in Ft. Lauderdale for 2 days. It was probably the most relaxing part of the entire trip! I loved lounging on this chair and reading my book.

The pool at the Marriott! It was on the 4th floor and simply wonderful.

Even in the shade, it was hot and humid!

Me and my burnt, dry face. It was pretty painful for a few days, but after covering it with lotion 7-8 times a day, it healed fast.

The Florida beach!

More palm trees

I thought this was a neat looking building. The palm trees really add to the orange paint.

I'd trade fir trees for palm trees any day...well, at least for a few weeks out of the year =)

It was an amazing vacation and a great way to celebrate 5 years of hard work. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for taking me! It was definitely an experience I'll never forget!