Hello, everybody! I thought I should probably post something so that you all know that I am alive and kicking.
I am doing simply dandily.
Yesterday I went to my friend Leigh's house for her birthday party and we had a grand old time, watching the Court Jester (which Tianna had never seen before, so we decided to educate her), playing games, and just having a lot of fun.
Afterwards, Dad picked me up and we went for a family picninc in a park, climbing trees and goofing off. Sigh...good times. Then we went to see Toy Story 3. SUCH A GOOD SHOW!! Although it does make me feel a little quizzical that my mother cried during TOY STORY but not during my choir concert. Hmm.....
Anyway, I had a wonderous time and actually, I think that yesterday was the first time I felt like myself since August 25th. Laughing with my friends, playing with my family, and just having a good time really helped me feel better. Anyway, love you all!
HAVE A GOOD DAY!
Love,
Abbey
Friday, October 15, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
ALMOST SCHOOL!
I am kind of officially extremely undeniably excited about school! This year, Paradigm is switching up classes a little bit so they're slightly weird, but I actually don't understand it so I shall not elaborate until I have actually experienced it. But I'm excited anyway. 22 days and counting!
Matt and I went to an AMAZING party on Friday, where we went to our friends' house and had a grand old time. I didn't realize that I missed them so much until I saw them again. I think I may have alarmed them slightly as I pelted towards them and pretty much knocked them over with hugs. So, if any of you are reading this, I apologize. But excessive enthusiasm aside, it was so much fun! We played games, watched dumb lego shorts, talked, and ate food with friends. In other words, all the necessities of life were packed into the brief period between 6 and 11 pm. Sigh...bliss...
However, given my reaction to seeing just a few of my friends, I think that, on the first day of school, I may be downright dangerous. Ah well. They may be injured, but they'll be loved.
I am also exceeeeeedingly pumped about GIRLS CAMP!!! Which shall be from the 9th to the 13th. Muahahahahaha! WE GET TO TAKE MOM WITH US!!!! WAHOOOOOO!!!!!!!
Anyway, I'll quit ranting and let you all get back to your laundry or dishes or children. Farewell for now!
Love,
Abbey
Matt and I went to an AMAZING party on Friday, where we went to our friends' house and had a grand old time. I didn't realize that I missed them so much until I saw them again. I think I may have alarmed them slightly as I pelted towards them and pretty much knocked them over with hugs. So, if any of you are reading this, I apologize. But excessive enthusiasm aside, it was so much fun! We played games, watched dumb lego shorts, talked, and ate food with friends. In other words, all the necessities of life were packed into the brief period between 6 and 11 pm. Sigh...bliss...
However, given my reaction to seeing just a few of my friends, I think that, on the first day of school, I may be downright dangerous. Ah well. They may be injured, but they'll be loved.
I am also exceeeeeedingly pumped about GIRLS CAMP!!! Which shall be from the 9th to the 13th. Muahahahahaha! WE GET TO TAKE MOM WITH US!!!! WAHOOOOOO!!!!!!!
Anyway, I'll quit ranting and let you all get back to your laundry or dishes or children. Farewell for now!
Love,
Abbey
Sunday, June 27, 2010
TREK!
We just got back from our AMAZING pioneer trek. In this post I'm gonna put a bunch of stuff, first of all, here's the talk that I gave today on pioneers. Ahem. Word for word.
Good morning brothers and sisters! I was asked to speak on a talk given by M. Russell Ballard in a 1996 General Conference called “Faith in Every Footstep”. This talk centers on the pioneers that crossed the plains, particularly the 3,000 men, women, and children that crossed bearing handcarts.
At the best of times, this journey was very difficult. The trek across “prairie, desert, mountains, and wilderness” was over 1300 miles. It usually, when the weather was good, took about three months, depending upon the delays and obstacles that were waiting along the way.
Elder M. Russell Ballard taught, “Our pioneer ancestors sacrificed virtually all they had, including their lives in many cases, to follow a prophet of God to this chosen valley…We need the same dedication today in every one of our footsteps as the pioneers had in theirs.”
Before I left on trek, the handcart pioneers were just a story to me. I knew that it was real, but I never really imagined it as actually taking place.
As I was up in Wyoming, hiking through the plains that the pioneers hiked through, the story of the pioneers became more than just a story. It became something real. Something that actually happened. These people became human beings who travelled across America on foot in order to obey the commandments of the Lord. The trials that they faced were very real. Not just obstacles made up by some fairy tale author to make the story more interesting. They were challenged with so much, and yet they remained faithful with every footstep they took.
As part of the pioneer trek, we were privileged to be able to visit Rock Creek Hollow, where thirteen saints of the Willie Handcart Company were buried. Among these were Bodil Mortensen and Neils’ Neilson, two children who were traveling with Jens and Elsie Neilson across the plains. Neils was Jens and Elsie’s six year old boy, and Bodil was a nine year old girl who had been traveling alone. Jens offered to take her to Utah. After they had made it to Rock Creek Hollow, over the treacherous Rocky Ridge, she was sent to gather sagebrush to burn to keep the company warm in the bitter winter air. She was found the next morning, frozen through, bundles of sagebrush in her arms.
Jens and Elsie continued onward without their son and Bodil. At one point, Jens’ feet both froze through and he was unable to take another step. He begged Elsie to go onward. He said, “Leave me in the snow to die, and you go ahead and try to keep up with the company and save your life.” Elsie refused. Like so many of the pioneer women, she had immovable courage that the Lord would help them. She said, “Ride. I can’t leave you, but I can pull the cart.” And so she did. “Such was the faith of many pioneer women”.
No matter how much tragedy faced them, the majority of the pioneers always looked forward with complete courage and faith. Some turned around and went back. Most plowed onward.
I noticed, while on the pioneer trek, that some people regretted that they had gone. I never heard anybody in our ward, but in others some people complained every step of the way. And those who did missed the whole point.
During the women’s pull, the men left the handcarts and went up the hill that we were going to be pulling on. Watching them go, imagining what it must have been like, was very hard. Thinking of all the women who had to carry on by themselves, sometimes caring for children and pulling the sick and the wounded in their handcarts, is very hard to describe. The faith it must have taken to go on is immeasurable. As we were pushing up the hill, our particular handcart, like many of them, had only three women pushing or pulling it. Ma Parker and Amanda Peterson were the only other women in our trek family, so the three of us started out by ourselves, Amanda and I pushing and Ma Parker pulling.
Prior to this, I had been very nervous for the women’s pull and had prayed for strength and help. As we got to the really tough parts, we were sent two angels to help us through the sand and the rocks. Camille Pay came up from her handcart, which had more girls than most, and pulled up front with Ma Parker. As we came to the end, and it was the final stretch, we were all sweating and pushing as hard as we could, and were still moving agonizingly slow, when Sister Marilee Davis came up and helped us with the last part. I had prayed for help. And God sent us angels.
I can only imagine the prayers of those women who walked for weeks, sometimes months on end, pulling a handcart by themselves. And I cannot believe that they were truly alone. I think somebody helped them. Because of their unfailing faith.
M. Russell Ballard teaches, “Truly the Lord encourages us to walk in faith to the edge of the light and beyond—into the unknown. After the trial of our faith, He once again shines the light ahead of us, and our journey of faith in every footstep continues…I utter a prayer to the Lord to help me to be loyal, to be true, to be faithful as they were! We must be sure that the legacy of faith received from them is never lost. Let their heroic lives touch our hearts, and especially the hearts of our youth, so the fire of true testimony and unwavering love for the Lords and His Church will blaze brightly within each one of us as it did in our faithful pioneers. Their accomplishments were possible because they knew, as I know, that our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, restored the gospel of Jesus Christ through the Prophet Joseph Smith and that this Church will continue to roll forth until it fills the whole earth.”
I’m personally so grateful for the pioneers and the examples they are of obedience, courage, and faith that they display. I am so glad that I went on trek and the amazing experiences that I had there. I’d like to thank all those who helped us make it, who gave us encouragement, love, lots of food, and who helped us come home with sunburns upon our noses and smiles upon our hearts.
I bear my testimony that the pioneers had the incredible faith to obey the prophet and the Lord. I know that, because of their exceeding faith in every footstep, they were able to make it to Utah or make it back to God’s arms. And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.
Sorry, that was probably more than anybody wanted, but oh well.
Trek was such an amazing experience. The two most spiritual parts for me personally were the women's pull and the testimony meeting that night.
Since the women's pull is pretty much described above, I'll just go into the testimony meeting.
Almost everybody bore their testimony. They shared their feelings about trek and their love for our ward family, especially the other youth. I was really impressed by the guys' testimonies. I don't get to hear them often, as most of them are too scared to bear them on fast sunday and I don't really hang out with most of them much.
I gotta say, it was awesome to come home and take a shower, but I really am glad that I went. I gained a greater knowledge and empathy for the pioneers and my ancestors and had some really cool experiences.
:)
Good morning brothers and sisters! I was asked to speak on a talk given by M. Russell Ballard in a 1996 General Conference called “Faith in Every Footstep”. This talk centers on the pioneers that crossed the plains, particularly the 3,000 men, women, and children that crossed bearing handcarts.
At the best of times, this journey was very difficult. The trek across “prairie, desert, mountains, and wilderness” was over 1300 miles. It usually, when the weather was good, took about three months, depending upon the delays and obstacles that were waiting along the way.
Elder M. Russell Ballard taught, “Our pioneer ancestors sacrificed virtually all they had, including their lives in many cases, to follow a prophet of God to this chosen valley…We need the same dedication today in every one of our footsteps as the pioneers had in theirs.”
Before I left on trek, the handcart pioneers were just a story to me. I knew that it was real, but I never really imagined it as actually taking place.
As I was up in Wyoming, hiking through the plains that the pioneers hiked through, the story of the pioneers became more than just a story. It became something real. Something that actually happened. These people became human beings who travelled across America on foot in order to obey the commandments of the Lord. The trials that they faced were very real. Not just obstacles made up by some fairy tale author to make the story more interesting. They were challenged with so much, and yet they remained faithful with every footstep they took.
As part of the pioneer trek, we were privileged to be able to visit Rock Creek Hollow, where thirteen saints of the Willie Handcart Company were buried. Among these were Bodil Mortensen and Neils’ Neilson, two children who were traveling with Jens and Elsie Neilson across the plains. Neils was Jens and Elsie’s six year old boy, and Bodil was a nine year old girl who had been traveling alone. Jens offered to take her to Utah. After they had made it to Rock Creek Hollow, over the treacherous Rocky Ridge, she was sent to gather sagebrush to burn to keep the company warm in the bitter winter air. She was found the next morning, frozen through, bundles of sagebrush in her arms.
Jens and Elsie continued onward without their son and Bodil. At one point, Jens’ feet both froze through and he was unable to take another step. He begged Elsie to go onward. He said, “Leave me in the snow to die, and you go ahead and try to keep up with the company and save your life.” Elsie refused. Like so many of the pioneer women, she had immovable courage that the Lord would help them. She said, “Ride. I can’t leave you, but I can pull the cart.” And so she did. “Such was the faith of many pioneer women”.
No matter how much tragedy faced them, the majority of the pioneers always looked forward with complete courage and faith. Some turned around and went back. Most plowed onward.
I noticed, while on the pioneer trek, that some people regretted that they had gone. I never heard anybody in our ward, but in others some people complained every step of the way. And those who did missed the whole point.
During the women’s pull, the men left the handcarts and went up the hill that we were going to be pulling on. Watching them go, imagining what it must have been like, was very hard. Thinking of all the women who had to carry on by themselves, sometimes caring for children and pulling the sick and the wounded in their handcarts, is very hard to describe. The faith it must have taken to go on is immeasurable. As we were pushing up the hill, our particular handcart, like many of them, had only three women pushing or pulling it. Ma Parker and Amanda Peterson were the only other women in our trek family, so the three of us started out by ourselves, Amanda and I pushing and Ma Parker pulling.
Prior to this, I had been very nervous for the women’s pull and had prayed for strength and help. As we got to the really tough parts, we were sent two angels to help us through the sand and the rocks. Camille Pay came up from her handcart, which had more girls than most, and pulled up front with Ma Parker. As we came to the end, and it was the final stretch, we were all sweating and pushing as hard as we could, and were still moving agonizingly slow, when Sister Marilee Davis came up and helped us with the last part. I had prayed for help. And God sent us angels.
I can only imagine the prayers of those women who walked for weeks, sometimes months on end, pulling a handcart by themselves. And I cannot believe that they were truly alone. I think somebody helped them. Because of their unfailing faith.
M. Russell Ballard teaches, “Truly the Lord encourages us to walk in faith to the edge of the light and beyond—into the unknown. After the trial of our faith, He once again shines the light ahead of us, and our journey of faith in every footstep continues…I utter a prayer to the Lord to help me to be loyal, to be true, to be faithful as they were! We must be sure that the legacy of faith received from them is never lost. Let their heroic lives touch our hearts, and especially the hearts of our youth, so the fire of true testimony and unwavering love for the Lords and His Church will blaze brightly within each one of us as it did in our faithful pioneers. Their accomplishments were possible because they knew, as I know, that our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, restored the gospel of Jesus Christ through the Prophet Joseph Smith and that this Church will continue to roll forth until it fills the whole earth.”
I’m personally so grateful for the pioneers and the examples they are of obedience, courage, and faith that they display. I am so glad that I went on trek and the amazing experiences that I had there. I’d like to thank all those who helped us make it, who gave us encouragement, love, lots of food, and who helped us come home with sunburns upon our noses and smiles upon our hearts.
I bear my testimony that the pioneers had the incredible faith to obey the prophet and the Lord. I know that, because of their exceeding faith in every footstep, they were able to make it to Utah or make it back to God’s arms. And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.
Sorry, that was probably more than anybody wanted, but oh well.
Trek was such an amazing experience. The two most spiritual parts for me personally were the women's pull and the testimony meeting that night.
Since the women's pull is pretty much described above, I'll just go into the testimony meeting.
Almost everybody bore their testimony. They shared their feelings about trek and their love for our ward family, especially the other youth. I was really impressed by the guys' testimonies. I don't get to hear them often, as most of them are too scared to bear them on fast sunday and I don't really hang out with most of them much.
I gotta say, it was awesome to come home and take a shower, but I really am glad that I went. I gained a greater knowledge and empathy for the pioneers and my ancestors and had some really cool experiences.
:)
Monday, May 31, 2010
BIRTHDAY HAIRCUT!!!!
HI PEOPLE!!!! You will all find out tonight at the carnival, but I thought I'd post it anyway. I donated my hair to locks of love today!
Before the cuttage:
During the cuttage:
DRUMROLL!!!!!!!!
After the cuttage:
It's really different, I know.
But it's still me.
:) <3
Before the cuttage:
During the cuttage:
DRUMROLL!!!!!!!!
After the cuttage:
It's really different, I know.
But it's still me.
:) <3
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Summer Plans!
I have an assortment of things I am planning on doing over the summer, most of which involve taking over the world.
Here is my list, in order of most important to least important:
1) Write about ten gazillion songs for guitar and about five gazillion songs for piano.
2) Ignore the fact that all of my close friends live in Outer Darkness. (Don't ask)
3) Not die. (If you didn't know, this is referring to Trek)
4) Earn about 400 bucks, with which I will buy the moon.
5) Enjoy being 15, in which you have to watch all the >16 year olds have fun while you sit and twiddle your thumbs.
6) Memorize the book of Alma.
7) Make one new friend. Preferably a leprechaun. No experience required.
8) Organize a band of minions with which to storm the white house.
9) Read the Fablehaven books (yes, I know. It's a shocker.)
10) Give Matthew a successful piggy back ride.
11) Eat dirt.
12) Clean my room.
All of these, I have decided, are perfectly acheivable and will be carried out.
All except the last one.
Here is my list, in order of most important to least important:
1) Write about ten gazillion songs for guitar and about five gazillion songs for piano.
2) Ignore the fact that all of my close friends live in Outer Darkness. (Don't ask)
3) Not die. (If you didn't know, this is referring to Trek)
4) Earn about 400 bucks, with which I will buy the moon.
5) Enjoy being 15, in which you have to watch all the >16 year olds have fun while you sit and twiddle your thumbs.
6) Memorize the book of Alma.
7) Make one new friend. Preferably a leprechaun. No experience required.
8) Organize a band of minions with which to storm the white house.
9) Read the Fablehaven books (yes, I know. It's a shocker.)
10) Give Matthew a successful piggy back ride.
11) Eat dirt.
12) Clean my room.
All of these, I have decided, are perfectly acheivable and will be carried out.
All except the last one.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Conferences and Witnesses
CONFERENCE WEEKEND!!! YAY!!!!
Whoa. There were SOOO many good talks.
But something that kept coming to me over and over was that this is the true meaning of Easter. Not the jelly beans (although those are really yum). Not the coming of spring (may I mention that it is SNOWING outside?!?!?!?). It's that our Savior loves us enough that he would suffer the agony of all souls and all bodies so that we can make it back to our Heavenly Father's arms.
What was really neat was that when President Monson was talking to us, I felt the Spirit so strongly. But at the very end, when he bore his testimony, when he told us that he knows, I was overwhelmed. I knew, as I do right now, that this is true. That this is what my Heavenly Father wants me to be doing, what he wants me to live, what he wants me to become.
Isn't it strange how the simplest things can give us the Spirit the strongest? Those two words, "I know" just totally set me off and changed my day, my week, and quite likely my life. Two words.
I'm so grateful for our Prophet, for our Heavenly Father, and for my Savior.
Whoa. There were SOOO many good talks.
But something that kept coming to me over and over was that this is the true meaning of Easter. Not the jelly beans (although those are really yum). Not the coming of spring (may I mention that it is SNOWING outside?!?!?!?). It's that our Savior loves us enough that he would suffer the agony of all souls and all bodies so that we can make it back to our Heavenly Father's arms.
What was really neat was that when President Monson was talking to us, I felt the Spirit so strongly. But at the very end, when he bore his testimony, when he told us that he knows, I was overwhelmed. I knew, as I do right now, that this is true. That this is what my Heavenly Father wants me to be doing, what he wants me to live, what he wants me to become.
Isn't it strange how the simplest things can give us the Spirit the strongest? Those two words, "I know" just totally set me off and changed my day, my week, and quite likely my life. Two words.
I'm so grateful for our Prophet, for our Heavenly Father, and for my Savior.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Synagogue
In our school, there are leadership classes that every student is required to take: Foundations, Transitions, and Scholar. In Scholar we basically pick what we're going to study and study it. As a class we decide a subject that we want to learn about. We find out the books that would be good to read for that subject, the field trips that might be informative, and look into bringing people in to talk to us about it.
So a different Scholar class is studying world religion right now, so they decided to go on a field trip to a Jewish Synagogue. All the Scholar classes were invited, so last Thursday I went to a synagogue!
It was very interesting. I learned a lot about the Jewish religion that I had never known.
The lady who was giving us the tour (this cute, short, sweet lady probably in her sixties or seventies) showed us the Torah scrolls that they use to read on Saturdays (their Sabbath, rather than Sunday) at their meetings. They are huge, hand copied scrolls that are really very cool. She told us that the scroll was several thousand dollars. What really blew me away, though, is that she opened a cabinet for us to see and they had seven or eight Torahs inside. Since all of them say the same thing and they cost so much money, I asked why they have so many. She said that most of them were given as gifts to the synagogue. Whoa.
It was a really cool experience, and I learned a lot. But what I liked best about it was that it made me sincerely grateful for my church, where everything has a reason.
I say that because at the synagogue, they had a lot of symbols and traditions that she told us about. When we asked why they used these symbols and traditions, what they meant to the Jewish religion, she told us that most of them didn't know. That Judaism has been around for such a long time that they'd forgotten what everything meant. That kind of bothered me a little. Several of the things (decorative crowns on the Torahs, the minorah) I could find meanings for. But the lady who was giving us the tour didn't seem to even be trying to find meanings for them. To me, at least, it seemed like she was just going through the actions.
It just made me grateful that in our church, everything has a meaning. And I know what those meanings are.
Love you all.
Abbey
So a different Scholar class is studying world religion right now, so they decided to go on a field trip to a Jewish Synagogue. All the Scholar classes were invited, so last Thursday I went to a synagogue!
It was very interesting. I learned a lot about the Jewish religion that I had never known.
The lady who was giving us the tour (this cute, short, sweet lady probably in her sixties or seventies) showed us the Torah scrolls that they use to read on Saturdays (their Sabbath, rather than Sunday) at their meetings. They are huge, hand copied scrolls that are really very cool. She told us that the scroll was several thousand dollars. What really blew me away, though, is that she opened a cabinet for us to see and they had seven or eight Torahs inside. Since all of them say the same thing and they cost so much money, I asked why they have so many. She said that most of them were given as gifts to the synagogue. Whoa.
It was a really cool experience, and I learned a lot. But what I liked best about it was that it made me sincerely grateful for my church, where everything has a reason.
I say that because at the synagogue, they had a lot of symbols and traditions that she told us about. When we asked why they used these symbols and traditions, what they meant to the Jewish religion, she told us that most of them didn't know. That Judaism has been around for such a long time that they'd forgotten what everything meant. That kind of bothered me a little. Several of the things (decorative crowns on the Torahs, the minorah) I could find meanings for. But the lady who was giving us the tour didn't seem to even be trying to find meanings for them. To me, at least, it seemed like she was just going through the actions.
It just made me grateful that in our church, everything has a meaning. And I know what those meanings are.
Love you all.
Abbey
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