Mom

Happy Mother's Day to a great mom.  

Always there for me and encouraging me. 

Loves me no matter what. 

Always packs for me. 

Got me through my hardest semester. ever. 

I'm glad to call her my best friend. 

I love you mom. 

Love,
Lindsey

Parents

 

Meet the parents. 

Can I just say I am so blessed. 

My parents do everything to help me to be happy. 

They take us on vacations to experience new things.  

They provide for us and are very generous. 

They love me.  Infinite love. 

They make me laugh. 

They encourage me. 

It's funny how growing up changes things. 

Parents aren't so annoying anymore. They become more of a friend. 

I love my parents. 

They have taught me and made me who I am today. 

For that I am grateful. 

~Linz

Missing

Currently (lets be honest, this whole semester so far) I miss the friends I made last semester. 

Sometimes I wish I could go back in the past. 

But I only want the positives not the negatives.

 I always make friends towards the end. The end of EFY, the end of semesters. 

Then the time runs out.  

The new semester won't ever be the same as the last one. 

People move. School changes. People change. 

But I do miss those special friends. 

Goal

I Finally accomplished a goal of mine.  

It was hard work and took a lot of time. 

But...I did it!

Not a single B!

 Healthcare Finance was the hardest to grasp

Accomplishing goals is extremely satisfying. 

And sometimes, good things (blessings) do come out of hard times. 

 

~Linz

Application

Sometimes Mondays just aren't always the best. 

I have class til 630. 

Today I had an assignment due at 4. It was a challenge. 

No sunshine and a long walk home in the rain and wind. 

On the long walk back to campus, wanting to turn around and just stay inside.

A thought popped in my head. 

Remember this?

I asked myself, How can today get any better than this?

I got to class and Brother Tolman brought us candy. 

A small gesture, but it made my day better. 

I love Reese's, it's basically the only candy I will eat.

At our FHE social we had pizza. 

How can today get any better than this?

~Linz

Addiction

Moriah got me hooked on this:

Dang it. Sometimes, school gets in the way.  

Oh well. 

Fact about me:

I love medical shows. 

I remember watching Rescue 911 & Trauma: Life in the E.R. with my dad

ever since...I can remember. 

Hence....Healthcare Administration 

because I realized as I got older, 

I couldn't handle seeing blood as well as I could in the past.

~Linz

Bucket list

For class, I had to create a list of 50 things we want to do before we die. 

wall
I believe what is important is not what is on your list, but that you have something that you want to achieve.
Life is not something to waste or just go through the motions. 
It's precious and short.

Here it is: (ps this was harder than I thought, but I'm glad I did it)

1.     Make a million dollars

2.     Get my CCW permit

3.     Go to Paris & England

4.     Spend an amount of time on a private island

5.     Skydive

6.     Donate money to a cause/foundation

7.     Go to New York-see statue of Liberty

8.     Go to Lava Hot Springs

9.     Kayak the Snake River

10. Go to lava hot springs

11. Go to Big Jud’s

12. Pay for a college student’s groceries

13. Have a six pack (abs)

14. Drive a convertible around the ocean with the music blaring

15. Scuba dive off Australia's Great Barrier Reef

16. Go up in a hot-air balloon.

17. Drive a really nice car

18. Live in a foreign country for at least 3 months

19. Get married in the temple

20. Tour Europe

21. Visit Australia

22. Swim with dolphins

23. Cruise to the Bahamas

24. Shake hands with the prophet or apostles

25. Make my business bigger

26. Have a photo shoot

27. Take my parents to a really nice restaurant and pay the bill

28. Crowd surf

29. Get a photograph published

30. Attend a southern Baptist church one Sunday

31. Learn how to dance ballroom

32. Volunteer in a different country (teach English, medical, etc)

33. Go on a trip on a motorcycle

34. Learn to play the guitar

35. Dye a strand of hair a bright color

36. Become CPR certified

37. Graduate from college with a bachelor’s degree

38.  Be on a beach and watch the sunset and sunrise

39. See the northern lights and take pictures

40. Get out of my comfort zone and be more forward

41.  Ride in fighter jet…blue angels?

42. Drive a race car or be a passenger

43. Go on a zip line

44. Perform a piece on the piano in front an audience…again

45. Understand the why to a few things

46. Help a stranger having a bad day

47. Visit every temple built

48. Change someone’s life for the better.

49. Prank: Fill an entire car with packing peanuts

50. Try Acupuncture

51. Learn (and master) to drive stick shift

 
What's on your list?

~Linz

home-spring break

Disclaimer: This post maybe boring to some, but it's more for me.  The end.

Home was exactly what the doctor ordered.
Highlights from the week, there is a lot, be warned it's loooong.
Got my chipotle fix.

I came home and was greeted with this:

So cute.

Dalin made me homemade buttermilk waffles the first night. 

Easter Party with lots of delicious food.

1 &2. So much delicious food. 3. Danny 4. In N out(first one in 4 months) 5. Dalin and I filling easter eggs in the car

Danny in picture 3, so cute, he saw me and ran to me. Made me so happy. 
In-N-out. check. 

Chandler drove me around, using his newly acquired stick shift abilities.
Great weather=Laying in the sun...lots of laying in the sun.

1. A funny picture from Easter, Dad & I had a laugh about it. 2. Best sweet potato casserole. ever.  3. Shooting guns after Easter dinner.

Monday-We kept up our F.H.E. tradition and went to the Forks for burgers.

Tuesday- I made some money. Took my assistant out for ice cream.
Took my parents to BWWS, their first time.
Then we went to yogurtland.

Hmm, I guess we eat ice cream all day.

Wednesday: Boo, rain all day :(

 Skyped Cory his last day living in Hawaii, on the beach. Technology is a-mazing!
Chandler passed his driving test! So now he has his license...yikes. 
I made calzones (a family fav) and lemonade w/ raspberry frosting cupcakes

Thursday:

More rain. dang. Said bye to grandma for four months. 

Went bowling, I beat my family. 

Dads a boss and bowled left-handed due to shoulder surgery on the right.

Went to the lake for another burger. 

Saw some old friends from high school :)

Friday/Saturday

Made pulled pork sandwiches and cookie cups for the family. 

Woke up early and made cinnamon roll pancakes.  Went to fresno with my dad, brother and his friends. Dad and I went to lunch to TGIF and talked about my future.  Did errands. Picked up brother 4 hour later and had my last In N out burger for the next 4 months.  

The sky was so pretty on the drive down. 

The sunset was gorgeous, I love sunsets. 

We had delicious fish tacos for dinner.  Yes my family loves to eat.

Sunday

Said bye to everyone at church.  Had steak dinner, delicious.  Cleaned the truck for chandler's bday.  Packed and spent time with my family. 

Break was much needed.  It's always nice to be home for a awhile.  

I loved spending time with my family. 

~Linz

Fhe hermanos

This semester we had some of the greatest brothers for FHE.
It was a great semester with them.
This post is dedicated to the guys of Campus View # 7

Ps. This post is pretty long, because the guys are just that great.
 They do things like:

• the Blazin Challenge

• Steal Couches (and "drop" them off the 3rd story floor)
• Take said couch and "hide" it in their apartment
• Go to the library, so you aren't lonely doing homework
• Bring canned fruit to the library
• Play Rugby
• Perform at Hip-hop competitions

• Go to Arctic Circle with us
• Help you move...twice
• Do numerous eating challenges, even if it means eating foods they hate

 

• Eat your food...more than once :)
• Watch general conference with us and eat more food
• Walk us home after the library

• Take our trash out...all the time
• Care about me, and my roommates
• Be our friends
• Sit in the sun with us
• They Skype us when they leave town 

• Take us to BWWS
• Watch movies with us
• They are the best cheerleaders to have at your game. 

• Kiss you on Valentine's day...a lot
• Make us laugh, when we really needed it or just whenever
• Throw spears
• Come running when they see the purple laser 
• Follow the rules 
• Have heart to hearts with you
• Look out for you
• They hack your facebook

• Honor their priesthood and take it seriously
• Making truffles, perfect truffles
• Share sparkling cider with you and the Fhe sisters 
  
• Letting us stalk them in the library
• They turned not so good days into great days

Anyways, long story short. They are some of the greatest guys around.  I am thankful to have been in the same F.H.E. group this past semester.

~Linz

Time

Time is a funny thing. 

It goes by slow at times,

but when you look back, it has flown by. 

Today I realized I am senior in college. 

What?!

I looked at my student report. 

There it was: Senior

Impossible. I just started college like...

So many life lessons learned

Knowledge accumulating

Friendships made and some broken

It has been a journey. 

Some days great, others a challenge. 

But one thing I have learned. 

You cant get time back. 

So don't waste it. 

~Linz

Purple Laser

This may be one of my favorite events of the semester with these guys.  

We obtained lasers from the lovely Duwayne. 

A purple one and a red one.

We originally got them to mess with the guys. 

Then we developed a system.  

Red=come over and hang out. Purple= food, come eat!

Well, I think they got tired of the red. 

One night Valen bought pizza and got the 12 inch cinna stix. 

We were already so full. Why not try the purple lasers. 

I opened the door shined the light into their apartment for 1.5 seconds max. 

I didn't think they had seen it.  

I opened the door saying, "That would be funny if Derek was at the door."

Not even 30 seconds had passed.

Derek was at the door! I shrieked. 

Then we hear yelling and Josh and Ryan run in. 

No shoes, none of them took the time. 

1 min later, this was the result.

#2 We made lots of spaghetti. You know how it is, end of semester. 

Should we invite the guys?

Ok. I shined the purple laser, it was daylight. 

I didn't think they saw it. 

I sent a facebook message to ryan. 

Purple laser. 

1 second, 5 seconds. 

We hear yelling, they are running down the stairs, across the parking lot to our apt.

No shoes.
Derek: "I woke up dreaming I saw the purple laser.  But I couldn't... because I was in my room"
Who knew 2 words could get such a reaction. 

Those boys are great.

 

 ~Linz

Conference Weekend

Another great weekend.  Last one of winter semester.
I made german pancakes for breakfast (first time)
Conference was great.
Quotes will be in another post.  

1. German Pancakes 2. Fan club 3. Look at that sky 4. BabyJoe 5. Derek taking down a beast.

We went to Derek's rugby game. Very windy.
 More conference.
We had a picnic and ate our pulled pork sandwiches.

Seriously, best ever. so delicious. so simple.
We ate snicker salad.
We put tinsel in our hair.
I dyed a strand of hair purple with kool-aid. epic fail. 
Sunday
We got up and the girls made crepes.
Mmm. good.
Watched conference. 

Crepes, cinnamon rolls, layered bean dip, salad, fruit salad, veggie tray, monkey bread, pizza rolls.

Kevin brought over cinnamon rolls.
Basically we just ate all day. 

1. Mary giving carlos a massage 2. Valen making Josh a crepe 3. Andrew falling asleep 4. Hmmm ryan? 5. Ryan sitting on Andrew.

 The guys were thoroughly impressed with us. As they should be.
We know how to party. 

Such a great day....weekend

~Linz

General Conference Quotes

Here are my favorite quotes from Conference.  

It was really awesome to watch and be amongst friends. 

• "The truth of God will go forth boldly."-President Monson

• Favorite quote- "Don't delay, it's getting late."~Elder Holland

• "Do my actions place me in the Lord's territory or the enemies?"-Elder Soares

• "The savior banished anything in his life that took away his focus from his mission."-Elder Soares
•  "A perfect body is not required to achieve celestial glory."-Russell M. Nelson

• "Just jump in when someone needs help.  Don't ask them, just do it."-Ronald A. Rasband

•  "No career can bring you as much fulfillment as rearing a family."-M. Russell Ballard

• "Angels are on the earth."- Neil L. Andersen

• "Heavenly Father is mindful of the challenges we face.  Call upon him in prayer."-President Monson

 

~Linz

Friendships

Our Bishop shared this one sunday, I loved the message:

It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime
So let me say before we part
So much of me
Is made from what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend...

A lot has changed this past semester.
It was a difficult semester, but looking back, I am glad things turned out the way they did.
Heavenly Father wanted me to grow.
I needed to become more reliant on him and read the scriptures more.
As Valerie said, "Sometimes a person needs to experience their own Gethsemane, in order to truly understand and appreciate the suffering the Lord Jesus Christ experienced through The Atonement." 
I feel more closer to Christ.  
I had to get out of comfort zone and meet new people and make new friendships. 

I am so grateful for the friendships made this semester. 

Their righteous example.

Their kindess and sweet personalities.
The fun spontaneous adventures we went on.
Lots of memories have been made this semester.

I am so thankful for the people that made this semester great.

~Linz

Tuesday

Today was amazing. 

Intro to Finance Final. Completed

I met with Tolman, I am getting A's in all his classes. 

I thought I was getting a C in Healthcare Finance and Insurance. 

Nope!

Mary and I made spaghetti and garlic bread. 

Boys came over and ate with us. 

Its amazing what the purple laser can do. haha

We sat in the sun for three hours with our Fhe sisters and brothers. 

The weather was divine. 

Insurance final. DONE. 

1 more Final to go. 

  We went to BWWs. 

Interesting to say the least. 

Someone was having their 21st birthday there. 

Food was great as always. 

But I think we are all soooo tired. 

Overall a great day.  

~Linz

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