My Very First Blog

     The beginning of the new year is one of my favorite times of year (although I must say I hate January! It is the worst month of them all) I love being able to sit down and think about the past year, the mistakes I made, the challenges I've gone through, and the accomplishments that have happened. Every New Year I make a list of New Year's Resolutions, and every year I seem to forget about them. Deciding what your new year's resolutions is going to be is quite a simple process. You sit down, ponder for a couple of minutes and decide some goals that you would like to accomplish. It seems pretty simple, but the hard part is sticking with your resolutions and actually accomplishing your goals. Statistics show that 20% of people who make New Year's Resolutions will be back to their old habits within a month. By the time June rolls around more than half of the people who make new year's resolutions will have put them off to the side and given up on them.

     This year I want my New Year's Resolutions to be different. I want to be able to say that I accomplished everything on my list. So I sat and pondered. What exactly did I want to accomplish in the year 2012? I decided I want to grow as a person. This has actually been a goal of mine for a while. I mean everybody wants to grow, everybody wants to become better. When I was deciding on where to go to college it was a very difficult decision. I had to decide if I wanted to continue soccer, or if I wanted to just focus on school. Getting my answer wasn't easy. I spent countless hours on my knees. After a while I started to get annoyed. I know I shouldn't have, the Lord will answer our prayers in his own time, but I was starting to get a little bit irked. So I changed my prayers, I changed what I was asking. I asked Heavenly Father what would help me grow the most as a person, what would benefit my whole self the most, instead of asking what I wanted, what my parents wanted, or what my coaches wanted. I finally got my answer that I would be able to grow the most as a person if I attended Brigham Young University. I have survived my first semester down there and I must say I have grown in ways that I know I couldn't have anywhere else. Although sometimes it was hard, it was the best decision I have made so far in my life. 

     Okay, back to my New Year's Resolutions (sorry for the side note). The four areas I decided would benefit me most in my life were/are: my spirituality, my education, my health, and my relationships. By the end of 2012 I want my testimony in the gospel of Jesus Christ to be firm and not falter. I want to know for a surety that it is true, that the Book of Mormon is true, and that President Monson is a true and living prophet who receive revelations for our day. But most of all I want to have a better relationship with my Savior, Jesus Christ. I want to be able to say that I am knowledgeable. That I did well in school and that although the first semester of college was a repentance semester, I have found my redemption. I want to be able to run half marathon without stopping, be able to cook healthy and delicious meals, and maybe even have a six pack!! I want to be able to have a stronger relationship with the members of my family. I love my parents so much. They support me in everything that I do and I know that they love me. I want to be able to form a closer bond to them and know that they are some of my best friends. I want to be able to call my older brother for advice and not feel weird or awkward. I want him to be one of my closest friends. I want my sister-in-law and I to feel like real sisters. I have never had a sister until Brad married Heidi, and I must say it has made me so, so happy. She is an amazing woman and I am so glad that she is a part of my family. I want my younger brothers to be able to look up to me and want to be like me. They are both so amazing and genuine. They are great examples to me, and I want to be more like them. Lastly, I want to remain positive. Life can throw some crazy things at you and sometimes you may seem a little bit down. One of my favorite quotes that I found on "Pinterest" (I love Pinterest!) is:

     I love this so much! It is so true too. If you are given lemons all you have to do is look for a little sugar and you can make lemonade! There is also another one that I LOVE! It's officially my motto for the year 2012. It is:

     So as I go throughout this year I will work on keeping and completing my New Year's Resolutions. I will remember to stay positive and live life to the fullest! I can't wait to see what this year brings and see how I grow as a person. :)