7 days

This time next week I will be here

With these people:

Eating this: (not found in Idaho)

Taking care of my poor dad. 

Making these:

Playing with my brothers

Soaking up the sun

Relaxing

Reading books

Spending time with mom

Needless to say, I am excited.

~Linz

Try it!

Mary relayed this saying to me, that she got from her teacher.  

I love it. 

How can today get any better than this?

If you go throughout your day and ask yourself this question repeatedly

Wait and see the blessings that the Lord sends your way.  

We tried it today, its quite amazing. 

Try it. 

Let me know what happens :)

~Linz

Oops

Do you ever have those moments where you can't believe how dumb you were?

Yeah, Prime example tonight.  

Mary and I keep shaking our heads in disgust at ourselves. Haha. 

Life is interesting to say the least.  

But, you can't let dumb mistakes take over. 

You just shake your head, learn from it, and move on.

~Linz

Road trip + festival of colors

So, one time we decided to take a road trip and go to Festival of colors.

Friday, we woke up early had breakfast burritos and drove the three hours to logan listening to Disney and Taylor Swift.
We ate pizza and then took naps.  Glorious. 

Sat outside and skyped ryan. 

Walked to the mall and bought matching skirts.  CUTE. 

Went to Golden Corral. So good. Stuffed. 

Chocolate fondue, Goodness. 

Cotton candy which made us turn into little kids.
Went to Walmart and got white shirts for the next day.  
We just relaxed the rest of the night.

Saturday we woke up way too early.  We made a giant sandwich for later.  

Stopped at Mc Donalds for a delicious breakfast.  

A cardio inducing 2 hours to Spanish Fork. :/ intense. 

There was so many people, we decided to pay the $5 and park close in a farmer's field. 

We missed the first throwing by 5 minutes, we saw the after effects-brown cloud of chalk.  

I'm not sure what my expectations were, but I didn't think I would get color on my shirt until the throwing.  

Boy, was I wrong.  There were people standing right by the gates, that would throw chalk on you, because you were too clean.  Haha. thanks. 

I am so glad I put my camera in ziploc bag, nothing is safe. 

We saw the cutest old grandma, I definitely want to be like her, when I'm that age. 

The chalk had quite a weird feeling, it also had a very unique smell. 

We bought our chalk after already being covered.  

We made some goals to get guys numbers and to sit on their shoulders.  

The music was pretty energizing, crowd surfing, chanting (which we refused to do).
The atmosphere was really positive.  

 We met some guys and I fulfilled a goal. 

We were trying to get to the front and some random guys said:

"We can you get up to the front faster. "

He was so nice and let me sit on his shoulders, that was a great view. 

We waited for the countdown, which took forever. 

That was exhilarating, blinding, breathe-taking (literally).   

We left shortly after the throwing, we were not colorful anymore, just a yucky brown. 

I was wanting to stay longer to see some people, but we left around 2. 

On the walk back, Mary slapped some booties with chalk. 

The best was the one with the girlfriend. hahaha

Our hands were pretty stained. 

Saw these on Facebook, courtesy to them.  

The chalk made our noses and throats really dry.  

We got cleaned up, we wanted the chalk to dye our hair.

We were so exhausted. 

We got Chick-fil-A. (Sadie & Mary had never been there)

Went home and Sadie said we should wear our new skirts. 

We got to the theater, there was a huge line. Insane. 

We had to sit in the front section. 

I missed half the movie, because of too much awesomeness. 

The trash can and floor were lucky recipients of dinner. :)

 We came home and went to bed. 

The next morning (Sunday) we woke up early and all of us had upset stomachs.
We wanted to get back and go to church, since it's our last sunday.
 and We missed our boys! (yes, that means you andrew, ryan, derek, and joshua!)
We drove home and saw Mary's house.
Another great weekend.
I am so thankful to have Mary & Sadie as friends. 
We want to do it again next year. 
so worth it!

~Linz

Opposition

It is quite interesting how life works.  The closer, I try to come unto Christ, to be like Christ, the harder Satan works to try and bring me down. 

What is life...without trials, without hardships, without lessons to learn, without difficulties?

It would be awesome, but I think it would get a little boring.  

The same old days going by, no progression made. 
We are here to learn. 

 "But if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind, if ye do this, he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage. " -Mosiah 7:33

I love when verses are just there and it's exactly what you need to read. 

"What you see and experience now is not what forever will be. You will not feel loneliness, sorrow, pain, or discouragement forever. We have the faithful promise of God that He will neither forget nor forsake those who incline their hearts to Him. Have hope and faith in that promise. Learn to love your Heavenly Father and become His disciple in word and in deed." 

- President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

I am so thankful for righteous priesthood holders. They are a great blessing to have in my life.  I don't know what I would do with out them.  Men stay worthy. We need you!

It's interesting how things play out, truth will always prevail.  That has been a recurring theme lately.  Have integrity, and always be honest.
Everything will turn out right.
Have a great day. 

~Linz

 

Stereotypes

I think stereotypes are really funny, especially of my own state.
When asked what people think of California, this is what they reply with:

• blonde hair
• tan bodies
• surfers
• Most often they would include the word stupid with surfer.  (interesting).

Here at college conversations typically go like this:
Hi my name is__________.
Where you from?
Me: California
Oh. Thats cool. You go to the beach a lot? Do you know how to surf?
Me: Um no.
(I have been to the beach, I love it. I have never attempted to surf.)

Teacher: Oh yeah these Cali kids can't drive in the snow.
"Oh, you're from Cali? How are you handling the weather?"

My favorite (which happened on saturday):
Oh where are you from?
California.
Oh that is soo cool.  You look like a Cali girl. Your pretty blonde hair and sunglasses.
Me: Thanks? (I was a bit flattered, but I hate being tied to the California stereotype).

I live in the mountains.
It snows quite a bit.   
I have driven in snow.
The mall, stake center, temple, Chipotle, In N Out, Target, Walmart, any major entertainment is an hour drive away.
I live four hours from a beach. 

This is it...pretty small.

I live in a small community.
Its a slow-pace kinda life.
Everyone knows everyone.
I feel like I lived a different way of life, then most kids from California.  
I deal with scorpions in my house.  Rattlesnakes in my yard.
Bears, bobcats, wild turkeys.
Coyotes keep me up with their obnoxious howling at all hours of the night.
We cut our own wood to stay warm. 
In many areas, there is no cell service. 
I wouldn't ever change where I grew up. I loved it. 

There are many different stereotypes out there, and that's why you shouldn't judge people by them. 

They aren't always true. 

~Linz

Weekend adventures

This weekend has been one of the best weekends.  

The sun came out, and it was warm.  (like 50 degrees warm).

 Watched Footloose with Ryan and Derek.  (Great movie). 

We went to our FHE sister (Heidi's) basketball game.  

Let me tell you.  Ryan and Derek may just be the greatest cheerleaders EVER. 

Such team sprit.  

When you are with them, you cant help but laugh. 

Applebees after with Ryan, Josh, Mary, & Sadie.  

(Thank you dad!).

Then off to Sadie's for a sleep over. Woke up early. Her siblings are so cute.  

Breakfast: muffins, bacon & eggs, hash browns. delicious.  Thank you Sadie's Family. 

Derek's rugby game.
 So warm, all our left sides are sun burned.
It was pretty fun to watch rugby in action.

Arctic circle.  Loud music. Windows down. Singing. 

Surprising Andrew with hamburgers at work.

More sun & Hw.   

Cookies from our home teacher.
Decorated the mirror with positive messages. 

 

THEN: We went to the Mad Flow Hip Hop Show. Andrew & Derek were performing.  WOW!  They did not disappoint.  We were all so proud.  Here is a trailer I made for them.  

You can watch the performance here:

Show

I couldn't have asked for a better weekend.  Sunshine and great friends makes everything great. :)

~linz

Thought of the day:

 It's weird having 20 different life options that all effect your life.  

Do I graduate in December or April?

Study abroad?

Internship now or later?

etc. 

The end. 

It will all work out. 

Have a good day. :)

~linz

Remembering others

In relief society, we had a great lesson.  It got me thinking; how often are we wrapped up in our own lives that we forget about those around us?

Do we take the time to ask others how they are? or get to know them?

I love this quote:

Everyone is going through something difficult, it's not just me or you.
What are we doing to help ease the burdens of others?

A simple question asked, might make all the difference:
What can I do to help?
 

"WHAT IF we could all wear a sign that said what WE REALLY MEANT? What if we could go straight past the small talk……..or the masks…….and we could actually go straight to the heart of the matter…….what if our friends and family wore signs like this?
…we would treat each other differently.
I think we should just try to imagine it………that when a friend is quiet…or not showing up to stuff she usually shows up to….or acting a little “off”….or a family member is wearing pajamas to the grocery store for weeks on end……or not answering the phone…..or the lawn is not mowed…..
IT IS A SIGN. It is not a sign that can be read in words and letters, but it is a sign that someone needs to be treated gently…that they need help….most of all, that they need love, understanding…and that they DEFINITELY DO NOT need to be judged. "
 -Excerpt from relief society lesson. Source: Article
The story is really good.  I encourage you to read it. 

Everyone has feelings, we are human.  Treat people with respect, it's quite simple. 

~Linz

An insight

I was talking with my mom about going through hardships and difficult experiences.  

Sometimes maybe going through the hardships isn't just for our own growth.  

Maybe it might be for someone else that may come into our life down the road. 

Maybe it's to develop compassion and understanding for others. 

"God allows us to learn by experience to instruct others."

Just a thought. 

~Linz