BIG project!

So, the wedding plans are underway! And pretty much finished to be completely honest! I don't know what all the stress is about planning a wedding... maybe I just got lucky, but it hasn't been that bad for me at all. The hardest parts have been 1) Getting the guest list/invitation list put together, and 2) Finding someone to make a cake. I don't know why, but people seem to think that it is OK to charge a person (a young, poor, college student to be exact) $515 dollars for a cake!!! It's ridiculous. Other than those two things, it's been fairly simple to plan. I'm super excited!

After Brandon and I got engaged we went and talked to my biological father so that Brandon could ask him if he could marry me. He asked my mom before he proposed. My dad was really supportive and happy for us, which made me so happy. He talked to Brandon for a while, then talked to me. After we were done talking we went and sat outside all together. Dad told us that he had something he'd like to "propose" to us. He told us that he still owned the little cabin that I used to live in with him on the weekends when I was little. He said that he used to rent it out to a friend, but he kind of trashed the place, so Dad kicked him out. Dad told us that we could live in the cabin if we took care of it. He'd pay all the expenses for major repairs that needed to be made, and we'd just have to do the labor. He wouldn't charge us rent, we only h

ad to pay the bills. Obviously, we were both stoked about this. The next day we went down and looked at the house and we both felt so good about it and wanted to live there. We prayed about it for a week and we feel it is the right thing for us to do!!! So there it is! Brandon and I have our first house! We're so excited. We've started cleaning it up and it has turned out to be a pretty big project. But that's ok. It's totally worth it.

On August 4th, the day before Brandon's birthday, we had planned to go down to the house and clean. I went down early and cleaned most of the kitchen (and let me tell you, that was a HUGE project!!!!) and set some stuff up for his birthday. Jace and Tanya have an old table that is super cute, but they don't want it and don't use it, so they gave it to us! Jace brought the table down, I had made a cake, wrapped some presents, bought a bottle of Martinelli's sparking cider, balloons, and dishes, and Tanya sent down a picture for us! The first picture in our house! I picked up Brandon from the Layton train station and we went and got burgers at the burger stop by our house. We took them home, and I asked him to open the door because I had "hurt my thumb" (which I really had, but it worked perfectly). He opened the door and stepped in. He was so surprised by the birthday display! The look on his face was so priceless. I love him so much.

We enjoyed our burgers in our new house; our first meal there EVER! Then he opened h

is gifts and we sang happy birthday and ate cake. After, we took the balloons outside and made wishes on them. He's the best man I know. He is so thoughtful, and his first wish proved that. He wished that he would "be the husband his wife deserves." Oh I love that man. After the balloons we popped open our bottle of Martinelli's and made a toast! A toast to our engagement, our house, our love, and our future. It was perfect.

I love Brandon Garside! And I don't care who knows it! 108 Days till we get married!!!!!

A Change In Direction

So, as of Friday, July 23rd, 2010.... I am officially engaged to the love of my life! That is right,

Brandon Garside and Lindsea Billings are getting married!! I am so beyond excited (which is definitely a good thing, cause if I wasn't excited I think there would be definite cause for worry) and could not be happier to spend the rest of my life with Brandon.

Because of this knew development I have decided to kind of change the direction of this blog. I will more than likely still put random stuff up here and there, but the main subject of this blog is now going to be the development of mine and Brandon's life together. I'm pretty stoked about this change and I hope that I will remember to stick with it!

First up, I should probably write about the proposal, which was PERFECT if you must know. The week of the 23rd we were in Nauvoo with Brandon's mother, sisters, and Jace and

Tanya, visiting their grandparents (Grandpa and Grandma Packer, who are the nicest people ever) who are serving a mission there. It was the most amazing trip that I have ever been on. My testimony grew so much and I loved being able to spend every second with my sweetheart. Anyway, back to the story. Thursday night we had gone to see the Nauvoo Pageant, which was amazing, and at the end of the pageant they light up the temple and it is gorgeous! So Friday night Brandon and I decided to go on a walk to have some time for just us. We walked down to the temple and watched it light up, then we went down into a little circle where they have statues of Joseph and Hyrum Smith going to Carthage. We sat down by the statues and I said that we should take our kids to Nauvoo someday (we had been talking about marriage for a while so it wasn't weird) and he said "Well we have to get married first." That hit me as strange because he has never said anything like that before. He kissed me and told me he loved me and then before I knew it he was pulling something out of his pocket and getting on one knee. My heart stopped and I couldn't breathe. He then opened a little box that held the most beautiful ring I have ever seen and asked me to marry him. I of course said yes, through tears and a huge smile. We kissed and laughed and cried together. It was amazing. PERFECT in every way. I have often thought about it over the past week. It gives me butterflies still!

There are other things that have been developing over the past week as well. Wedding planning and preparations are well underway (more on that later) as well as securing a place to live. Things are going well, and we are so happy. I love Brandon more than anything or anyone in the entire world. And the best part is, I know that he feels the same way about me! We know that marriage is no cake walk, but we know that there is no one else that we want to go throughout all the thicks and thins of life with.

I LOVE YOU BRANDON GARSIDE!

I'm in love, I'm in love! And I don't care who knows it!

Considerably Short of Perfection

Obviously, no one is perfect. I don't expect myself to be perfect for I know that is an unrealistic expectation. However, I do expect myself to continually strive to be the absolute best person I can possibly be. I have always tried to be aware of the things that may be perceived as imperfections to myself or others and work to fix them as best as I can. I have recently been lovingly made aware of some imperfections that I seem to have overlooked. I apologize to those who have possibly been hurt by my oblivious actions. I am working to fix them... I promise. Also, if there is something that you feel is a fault of mine that has been hurting you or others, PLEASE make it known to me. I want to fix it. I will not be upset at you for telling me your concerns, on the contrary I will be grateful to you for being honest with me. No one likes to be told they are doing something wrong, but I will do my best to accept your concern and/or advise for what it is, help from a friend. Thank you for being patient with me.

Complete

Racing.

Zero to one hundred.

Low to high in a matter of seconds.

So beautifully overwhelming.

Feelings bursting from my heart

raging intensely on all ends of the spectrum.

Vast differences that I never knew were possible.

I have grown,

and love that the growing has not ceased.

I am becoming myself.

Knowing everything has a purpose

and I am part of a plan

gives me immeasurable comfort.

Every ache in my heart

has made the swelling happiness more prevalent.

The sweetness of my happiness

overpowers the bitterness of my sorrow.

One complimenting the other.

Without the wounds that cause scars,

the healing would not be as welcome.

Appreciation for the joys in my life

would not be as great.

There are times I hurt,

yet I am happy.

The circle of emotions is eternal.

One emotion influencing the other.

But I love it all.

I am grateful for the pain.

Without it

life would not be complete;

My happiness would not be complete.

But it is.

The Love's Of My Life (50 of them!)

1. The Church
2. My family
3. My friends
4. Dancing
5. Singing
6. Acting
7. Playing the piano
8. Drawing
9. Smooth black pens
10. Crafts
11. Building things
12. Driving
13. Ice cream
14. Chocolate
15. Peanut butter
16. Reading
17. My Bands (Coldyplay, Death Cab for Cutie, Paramore, Weezer, and Relient K)
18. Running
19. Baseball
20. Shooting
21. Photography
22. The Office
23. Pixar (or Dreamworks or anything animated like that) Moives
24. My laptop
25. Music
26. My Ipod
27. Bread
28. Sushi
29. Comic book Superheros
30. Painting
31. Technical theater
32. Sweats
33. Converse
34. Laughing
35. My cell phone
36. Fruit
37. Seattle
38. Rainy weather
39. Sunshine
40. Huge, comfy blankets
41. Cuddling
42. Kissing
43. Holding hands
44. Hiking
45. Sleeping
46. Answered prayers
47. Quotes
48. My dogs, and Kaya and Oakley
49. Stars
50. M.B.G.

Missing

I miss you. I miss your laugh. I miss laughing with you. I miss growling at each other. I miss being silly together. I miss cuddling with you. I miss holding your hands. I miss your smell. I miss the color of your eyes. I miss the scratch of your 5:00 shadow on my chin. I miss your arms around my waist. I miss our tickle fights. I miss quoting Disney movies with you. I miss falling asleep on the couch with you. I miss watching movies with you. I miss driving with you. I miss walking on campus with you. I miss sitting with you in the institute. I miss the warmth of you next to me. I miss randomly matching you. I miss having lunch with you. I miss playing with the dogs with you. I miss talking to you. I miss doing homework with you. I miss Lloyd. I miss watching you fall asleep when we watch movies. I miss your sleep talking. I miss taking pictures with you. I miss your silly faces. I miss your mission stories. I miss you kissing my cheek and forhead. I miss going to visit your mom in her office with you. I miss us teasing each other. I miss peanut butter and agave sandwiches made by you. I miss playing air guitar to our favorite songs. I miss singing guitar solos at the top of our lungs. I miss you asking me to stay a little longer. I miss playing card games with you. I miss our inside jokes. I miss spending time together for no reason. I miss going on doubles with you and your mission friends, or Jace and Tanya. I miss just sitting with you and not doing anything. I miss watching you do math. I miss chilling in your kitchen with you and your family. I miss the sound of your alarm on your phone telling me it's time to go home. I miss going to your soccer games with you. I miss your smile. I miss the wrinkles around your eyes and mouth when you smile. I miss the softness of your cheeks. I miss playing with your hair. I miss your pointed ears. I miss hearing you call me sweetheart and baby. I miss calling you baby. I miss hearing you speak Spanish. I miss telling you to kiss me in Spanish. I miss you trying to teach me Spanish. I miss meeting up with you in the Browning Center even if it's only to see each other for 2 minutes. I miss giving you rides to school. I miss your Benji voice. And I miss so much more. I miss so much...

"When the truth is

That I miss you.

Yeah, the truth is

That I miss you so."

- Coldplay

Old....?

The other day, my youngest sister Chloe (7) was watching one of the classic Disney movies. One of the previews before the movie said, "Coming to you Spring of 1998!" I was in my bathroom brushing my hair and heard Chloe say, "1998?! That was forever ago!" I laughed at this. After I told Chloe that I had was 8 years old in 1998 she looked at me and said, "Wow Linds, you're old!" Another thing that she said that really cracked me up was when she was looking at the dates on Caitlin's phone and she said, "Your phone goes back to the 19's?!" This was weird for me to hear cause, obviously, I was born in the "19's". But to Chloe, who was born in 2001, 1990 seems like forever ago. All she has ever known is the 2000's.

Obviously I am not old. I am 19 and still have much life to live, but what Chloe said really got me thinking about some things.

1. Time really does fly. When you're in the middle of it or you're waiting for something to happen it seems like a minute lasts forever, but when you think back on your life, look how quickly the time seems to have passed. It doesn't pass any faster than anyone else's time here; an hour is still an hour. But when you look in the mirror do you really expect to see the person you see? Or do you expect a little 7 year old to smile back at you? I sometimes catch myself thinking, "That's not me," when I look in the mirror. It just goes to show that you have to make every minute count, because once it's gone it's gone, and the minutes pass quickly.
2. It is amazing the growth that technology has seen in just my short lifetime. I was watching Parent Trap (the new version with Lindsay Lohan) with a friend tonight and one of the girls at the camp says, "Oh no! I have like no service up here!" and she's holding this brick of a cell phone. It's so crazy to me how much I have seen in my lifetime, from the growth of computers, cell phones, and ipods, to the changes of style that seem to be reverting back to what my mom wore in high school. This age in which we live is truly fascinating. We have so many opportunities before us and so many things to help us and so much technology at our disposal. We would be foolish not to be grateful and use all of the resources available to us.
3. There are so many things from my childhood that seem to be nonexistent now. For example, Looney Tunes. I'm sure that there are still showings of the classic Looney Tunes cartoons on Boomerang and stuff, but I remember when waking up to watch Saturday morning cartoons was watching Buggs Bunny and Daffy Duck. I'm pretty sure that Chloe doesn't even know who any of the Looney Tunes characters are. Another thing is VHS. It is still pretty prevalent in many homes, but lots of little kids only know DVDs. Yet another thing is playing outside... This is really sad for me. A few months ago I was driving and I saw a billboard saying, "Get out and play and hour a day!" How sad is that? They have to tell kids to go outside and play. When I was little, that's all we did was play outside. There are so many things that have changed from when I was a child. I hope that I can show Chloe those things, or teach my future children about them, so that they are not forgotten or lost.

Mind Over Matter

I want a baby fridge for my room. Not because I want to hoard my food from the rest of the family (OK, well maybe I do want to do that a little) but also because I want to be able to more easily control my eating options. I feel that if I limit myself to eating only the food in my little fridge or in my personal self on the pantry or something like that, and all of those food choices are healthy, that I will eat better. Obviously, I could just have a little more self control and eat better, but I know me... and I know that I'll do that for a few days, and then I will eat whatever I want after just because I'm tempted by it sitting there in front of me in the fridge. Dumb, I know. I really want to get to the point where I crave healthy foods instead of brownies and chocolate chip cookies. I want to be able to truly have control over what my body wants and what I put into it.

I also want to be more active. My ADD brain can't make myself do the same work out every day, or even go to the same gym every day. I get so sick of it. So, I have devised a plan. I have made a list of things that I like to do (and a few empty spaces to add things if I find more) that require physical exertion and will get me going. My goal is to do AT LEAST one of those a day. I have made a chart, and I am going to be keeping track. Hopefully I will be able to do more than one of them a day, and up my over all activity level. Honestly, I don't believe that you have to kick your own butt at the gym every single day to be fit. I know that hardcore working out is good for you sometimes, and that you need it; I plan on still keeping it a part of my life, but I'm not going to bore myself with the every day monotony of it.

It it worth it to me to be healthy and fit. I don't feel the need to be accepted by other people and have other people think that I'm skinny, or whatever. However, I do want to be able to look in the mirror and feel good about what I see looking back at me. I don't feel horrible about how I look now, in fact, I'm pretty OK with it, but it can be better, and I know it can be better. Why settle if I know that I can be better than what I am? I want to be the best me I can be; spiritually, mentally, and physically.

I can control my body. Mind over matter.

GOALS:

1. To drop 10 lbs. by April 1st, 2010.

2. To eat no more than 1800 calories a day.

3. To fill my life with healthier food choices and more activity, ultimately training myself to lead a healthier lifestyle.

4. To get my 6 pack back.

5. To over all tone up, and increase my strength level.

Beautiful Day!

Yesterday was a slightly difficult day for me, it being the day before Valentine's Day and all, but it was still a good day. I am so grateful for fantastic friends, awesome sisters, and a loving mother who help me get through the rough days. One of my best friends, Quacee, and I went to go see a movie called Valentine's Day together because neither of us had Valentines. I'm very OK with him being my pretend Valentine. If I can't have a real one, I wouldn't have anyone else be my fake one! The movie was really cute. It gave me hope for my future Valentine's Days. After the movie Quacee and I chatted, then I drove home. It's always nice to talk to Quacee, especially cause he and I have very similar views on many things. When I got home, my sister Caitlin and I decided that we were going to watch a movie together. My mom brought both of us down a heart shaped box of really delicious chocolates, and Caitlin and I spent the next half hour trying out different flavors. After we both felt sufficiently fat, we popped in a Beatles movie that we have and had a great time. I love the people in my life so much. I don't know what I would do without them.

Another thing that has made this Valentine's Day a little easier for me is the fact that I have THE CUTEST little brother in the world. He is seriously my little buddy and I would do absolutely anything for him. He and I have a connection that I can't explain, and even though we rarely see each other, he still considers me his favorite, which makes me so happy. He is 7 and his name is Lee. In his class at school, they made Valentines for their parents. Lee made his for me. So, for the first time in 19 years, I have a Valentine. Sort of.

This morning, I woke up feeling better than I had expected to. I had no trouble getting out of bed (or couch, since that's where Caitlin and I slept) and got ready quickly. Church was great. We had an awesome lesson on Jesus Christ in Relief Society, another fantastic lesson on what it means to be an Adult and ways that we can truly become self reliant and stuff like that in Young Single Adults, and had many great talks about Love in sacrament meeting. It was really great. I especially enjoyed the lesson in YSA and the talk about being a mother in sacrament meeting.

This little girl named Rian, who is so freaking adorable, came over and sat with me for the last 15 minutes of church. She is 3 and probably the cutest little girl I have ever seen. I pretty much adore her. It made my day to have her sit with me!

On the way home from church I listened to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir CD that I borrowed from Max. Nearer My God To Thee was playing, which happens to be one of my favorite hymns, and it was warm enough that I could roll the windows down (though, I still kept the heat on a little). The breeze was blowing the sweet air into my car, and as I drove, listening to the hymn, I was able to truly appreciate the beauty of the Earth. I am so grateful for it and for the beauty of the place in which I live.

Most of all I am grateful for My Heavenly Father, and Savior. They have helped me through so much. I know that they want what is best for me and that if I follow the will of the Lord that I will be truly happy and have the needful things of life. I am trying my best to do the will of the Lord and be patient in receiving the answers to my prayers. I know that my prayers will be answered, but on the Lord's time, not my own.

One thing that I am still trying to apply in my life is this: "Counting time is not so important as making time count." Also: "The future lies before me; it can be wonderful if I make it so."

Bucket List

1. Marry the man I love in the Temple of the Lord and have a family.
2. 
   Serve a mission- single or with my husband. Either way, or both.
3. 
   Write a song worth listening to.
4. 
   Paint something worthy of being hung in a museum.
5. 
   Travel outside of the U.S. Preferably not Canada.
   
6. Learn to cook really well.
   
7. Own a '65 Mustang.
   
8. Own a big dog.
   
9. Live in Seattle. Even if only for a short time.
10. 
    Go bungee jumping or skydiving, or both!
11. 
    Do baptisms for the dead/sealings in every temple in Utah.
12. 
    Take my chances on Broadway.
13. 
    Read the Old and New Testaments, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price.
    
    
    
    
    

Nobody said it was easy, but no one ever said it would be so hard...

Do I miss you?

Count the stars,

then multiply by ten.

Of course I do,

more now than then.

I could paint a rainbow,

shine the sky,

and set the stars in space

faster than explained how much

I miss your face.

Watch the moon

and someday soon

you will start to smile

when I say, "I'll see you in a while."

But till then I'll miss you.

Dry my tears,

and hide my fears away,

until that happy day at

the rainbow's end;

that's where I would go,

my friend,

I do miss you so.

Over the past couple days, I have struggled to understand some parts of life. One thing that I have come to gain a stronger certainty of, however, is the fact that the Lord will ALWAYS do what is best for me. I know that if I am doing everything that I am supposed to that I will be happy. The Lord wants me to be happy, and He wants to bless me. I just have to listen, obey, and be worthy of the blessings. Also, I must be patient. The answers to my prayers do not always come when I expect them to come, but they always come. Always.

There have been many things running through my head as of late, some of which are as follows:

• "Nobody said it would be easy, they only said it would be worth it."
• "I value my relationship with Keni so much because we worked so hard to get it."
• "Patience it a virtue."
• "Everything will work out the way it is supposed to."
• "If I continue to do what is right, I WILL be happy."

There is beauty all around!

These are my Facebook statuses from the last three days. They make me super happy, so I thought I'd share!

January 22, 2010

I love the following: dancing, feeling sore after dancing, Taco Bell, cell phones, computers, long drives with Caitlin, old pictures, things of my Dad's, awesome music, singing, the scriptures, awesome people who I can always talk to, my Mom, my bed, my new backpack, making good choices, school, old friends, new friends, and my life.

January 23, 2010

Things that make me happy: a good night's sleep, ugly glasses from Savers, Converse, Brandon Garside, good auditions, seeing friends both old and new, Mexican food, Caitlin Danielle Thompson, fuzzy slippers, singing, driving, bargain shopping, kissing, cuddling, reading scriptures, praying, pictures, and super hero coloring books.

January 24, 2010

Simple Joys of Life: orange juice, the smell of fresh laundry, a clean room, afternoon naps, good night kisses, cozy blankets, sweatshirts, good books, memories, new recipes, the feeling of accomplishment, holding hands, smooth writing pens, laughing, back rubs, warm water, happy babies, chapstick, and Jello.

Just Dance!

Dance has always been a HUGE part of my life. Growing up, my Dad owned a dance studio called Thompson Lane Entertainment, at which I danced for years. I started when I was three, and danced non-stop until my Dad died five years ago (age 14). The Christmas Concert after his death (December 2004) was the last time that I really danced. Since that time I have danced in theater productions but that's pretty much it.

I have wanted to get back into dancing for a long time, but many things have been making it difficult for me to do so. The first and foremost reason for it being difficult to get back into dancing is because I am loyal to my studio and don't want to take anywhere else. This creates a problem because my studio is in Salt Lake City, which makes it super expensive and time consuming to drive down. Also, my mom is slightly over protective and up until about a year ago freaked out and gave me a lot of crap every time I wanted to drive anywhere more than ten miles from home.

The second reason is I am a pretty busy person and it is hard for me to find time to drive down to Salt Lake regularly to take classes. I have wanted to, but something has always come up and made it too difficult to do, or I have had rehearsal or something for a show.

The third reason, and the most embarrassing reason, is because I couldn't swallow my pride. Back when I was dancing a lot, I was pretty good. I wasn't the best, by any means, but I was definitely good. Since I have not danced for five years, however, I know that I am not anywhere near where I was then. I also haven't been learning or anything so all of the people I used to dance with have progressed far beyond the point at which I now am. I didn't want to go down to the studio and embarrass myself, and admit that I can't dance anymore. But, honestly, I couldn't care less about that anymore. It has been so stupid of me to even think that because my friends and teachers that are at my studio know that I haven't danced in five years, they know what I have been through, and they are not going to judge me. They won't laugh. They're just going to be happy that I am back, and help me get to the level I want to be.

So after all this time, I have returned to dancing. I have taken three dance classes this week, and I'm going down again a few more times this week to get a couple more in. Luckily, I've realized that I am not as horrible as I thought that I was. I've still kind of got the ability to move, which makes me so happy. I am hoping that I will be able to continue going down, even if I can't attend all of the classes, or even one class, regularly. I just hope I'll be able to go down now and then.

The feeling of dancing is something that I have missed. It is something that I have never been able to feel anywhere else. I love it so much. It was such a great feeling to get back in to something I have loved and something that has been such a huge part of my life for so long. I know this sounds cheesy, but I know that my Dad is glad too. I know that he is happy that I am doing what I love again (not that I don't love the other things I've been doing, because I definitely do) and that the thing I am doing is dance, which he taught me to do.

I LOVE YOU DAD! Thank you for putting this love of dance in my heart and soul. I miss you!

My Butt

MY BUTT IS BIG

and round like the letter C.

And ten thousand lunges

have made it rounder,

but not smaller,

and that's just fine.

It's a space heater

for my side of the bed.

It's my ambassador

to those who walk behind me.

It's a border collie

that herds skinny women

away from the best deals

at clothing sales.

My butt is big

and that's just fine

and those who might scorn it

ARE INVITED TO KISS IT.

Good Bye 2009, Hello 2010!

First off I'd like to say, Thank you 2009, it's been great! Thanks for the memories and all of the lessons learned, but I'm ready to start anew and make this year an even better one!

2009 was, seriously, an awesome year. There definitely were some hard times, and some tears shed, but even those things helped me learn so much about the world, my life, and myself.

( <-- Last picture of 2009!)

Throughout this year I feel that I have been able to see who my true friends are, who I can really count on, and I have learned to better trust in my Lord. I feel that my relationship with him has become so much stronger, and I am beginning to truly know my Savior.

I'm unsure how anything could possibly top 2009, it was such an awesome year! But, quoting from one of my all time favorite movies (Benjamin Button) "You never know what's coming for ya." How true that is. I hope that I can be open the the experiences that this year will hold for me. I hope that I can learn from them and continue to grow. I hope that I can keep sight of what is truly most important.

My new year's resolutions are many. There are so many things that I want to work on and do this year, but I have narrowed them down to 8 main things I'd like to focus on. The first 4 are the most important to me.

(First picture of 2010! -->)

1. Be more patient. It's as simple as that. One thing that I have learned about myself is that I like to know what's coming next for me in my life. I like to have things planned out. I love spontaneity when it comes to doing things with my friends or family, or things like that, but when it comes to my future and the things that are important to me I like to know what is going on. At this point in my life, there's really not a whole lot of planning one can do. I know that I am going to continue to go to college and church, but really, that's all that I know for sure. I am looking for a job, but I don't know if I'm going to get hired, especially for the one I really want. I want to get married, but I don't know when that will happen, or who it will be to. I want to serve a mission, but I don't know if serving a mission is the best road for me at 21 or if I should wait and serve one with my husband. There are so many things that I want, but I don't know when they are going to happen. I definitely think that patience is the key. I just have to learn to live my life the best way that I know how and love what I am doing right then and there. Life will happen when it happens. I just have to be ready.

2. Read my scriptures and say my morning and evening prayers every single day. I am not too horrible at this already, but there is definitely room for improvement. I know that I definitely feel better about my day and feel closer to the Lord when I do these things. I feel that I can better resist Satan and his influences, and that is important.

3. Remember what is important when it comes to Brandon. I love my boyfriend. Very much. He makes me so happy and I completely love being with him. Sometimes, however, we have a tendency to forget about what's really important. It's never been a huge problem, but we don't like it being a little problem either. He means more to me than that, and I really want to focus on making sure I treat him the way he deserves to be treated.

4. Find and show love for my step siblings. This is going to be rather difficult for me, but I have felt that it is something that I need to do for a while now. My step siblings purposely try to make things hard for my family. They are slightly selfish and very rude. I have let myself think that I hate them for quite sometime now, but I don't want to hate them. I really want to try to find love for them and treat them the way a member of my family should be treated, wether or not they choose to love me back. If kindness is going to start somewhere, let it start with me.

5. Do baptisms for the dead at least 6 times this year.

6. Manage eating and exercise habits better. Goal weight- 130-135 lbs

7. More focus on and at school. Don't settle for "C's get degrees".

8. Truly magnify my callings in the church.