This is the World

     There is a quote that I love, it says, "Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid" - Frederick Buechner
      At no time is this more true. In the wake of this monstrous act, the nation as a whole is trying to put the pieces of our lives back together. I cannot even imagine what those closest to this tragedy are feeling and my heart is rent in two for them. My prayers and thoughts are still with them and I pray that God will be with them in this awful time. This is the world. Terrible, horrifying things happen everyday, and it is tragedies like this that cause us to lose hope. What many of us forget is that there is still beauty in the world, it is so hard to see after a maniac takes the lives of our most innocent, but my friends it is there.
     We shouldn't be afraid to go to school, or to send our children to school. I read something on Facebook the other day that touched me to my very core. The father of one of the victims of the 1999 Columbine massacre was asked to address a subcommittee of Congress following this horrifying event. What he said was neither what they expected him to say nor was it received well. I just want to share with you a portion of what this man said.

     "Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind, and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and wreak havoc...What has happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the doors to hatred and violence...No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre. The real villain lies within our hearts"

     We have taken God out of our classrooms and we still wonder why horrific things happen. Morgan Freeman made the point that we, in an unintentional way, glorify these madmen by plastering their faces all over our news broadcasts and papers. They have become household names when we all but ignore the identities of their victims. We have sensationalized violence and murder and gore. Freeman says that these sickos who otherwise would have offed themselves in their basements see our news and begin to dream of ways to top them and to be remembered as the biggest monster the world has ever seen. 

     There is a darkness that has descended upon our nation, and it is hard to see the light, to see the beauty to see the happiness when a psycho decides to take the lives of children, and not to trivialize this but there is a quote from One Tree Hill that states this idea beautifully. In a voice over the character Lucas Scott says, "Does this darkness have a name? This cruelty, this hatred. How did it find us, did it steal into our lives or did we seek it out and embrace it? What happened to us that we now send our children into the world like we send young men to war, hoping for their safe return but knowing that some will be lost along the way. When did we lose our way? Consumed by the shadows swallowed whole by the darkness. Does this darkness have a name?"

     It's hard to see the light through the darkness but it is there. This is one of the most wonderful times of the year. Peace on Earth, Good Will toward men after all. 

In case I don't say it enough:

I love you all, and thanks for bearing with me through out my random musings on this blog.

Much love.

-L

Take a Deep Breath...It Gets Better

      I love the U. It's no secret, everyone who knows me even remotely knows that about me. It is truly the GREATEST school in Utah. That being said however, I do not love finals week at my beloved school. It sucks a big hairy hobo toe. But I am free at last! FREE AT LAST. Pretty sure this week felt like the week from hell and I just wanted it to be all over with, so naturally it felt like it was going slower than molasses, but like everything else in this world, it too came to an end, and I couldn't be more grateful.

     Honestly I am just so excited to get into my new major. I truly feel like I finally figured out what I want to do with my life and I don't want to waste another second (or any more money) to get started! For those of you blogstalkers out there that don't know I changed my major from the social and behavioral sciences over to communications. While I still have the strong desire to help people I feel that I would excel in the communications. What I really want to do with this degree is specialize in athletic PR and go on to work for a collegiate program or in the NFL (with my Baltimore Ravens perhaps? Hey a girl can dream can't she?). I don't think that I have ever been more excited for a semester to start than I am for this coming semester. I mean I need this break....more than anything else my brain needs to recharge itself; but I can't wait to get into these classes this Spring. I finally feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be and that is the best feeling anyone can ever have. It took me a little bit, but this is it, this is what I want to do when I grow up.

     And since it has been a minute since I have last blogged I wish that I could say that my life has had many crazy and wild adventures...but unfortunately it really hasn't. Being a student is sometimes the dullest thing a person can do. All we do, after all, is go to class, do our homework and study our lives away....fascinating right? Yeah not really. But such is life. My second favorite collegiate sport started back up though! Basketball season is back! And even better those runnin Utes are already having a better season than they have had in a long while. I'm excited for the direction that this team is taking, they really do look like an entirely different team from what they were last year and that is awesome. They are no where near what they used to be, but in them I'm seeing the potential for them to build back up. Overall they're a promising young team and I wish them all the best in their coming season. GO UTES!

     I apologize for the randomness of this post, I didn't really have a direction that I wanted to take when I sat down to write it, I had just realized that I hadn't blogged in awhile and I didn't want you all to think that I had died or something. In other news: CHRISTMAS IS IN 12 DAYS! Time to break out the Christmas movies and the fudge and the carols! I love this time of year, I love the smells, the food and even the terribly cheesy movies on Lifetime and Hallmark because they all make up Christmas when everyone is a little nicer to their fellow man and people are just happier. Peace on earth, good will to men after all.

     And to close out this rather random post (I'm gonna blame it on finals...my brain is fried a little bit) I want to share a quote that I found that describes me and my life to a perfect T. A quote that I think every 20 year old needs to read

"Your 20's are your 'selfish' years. It's a decade to immerse yourself in every single thing possible. Be selfish with your time, and all aspects of you. Tinker with sh*t, travel, explore, love a lot, love a little, and never touch the ground."

-Kyoko Excamilla

This quote really hit home for me. It's OK to be selfish right now, it's OK to not share yourself with anyone else, it's OK to look out for number 1 before anyone else. After all your 20's are when you are discovering who you really are. It's a quote that has really slapped my life back into perspective, and I'm really glad that I found it.

Lots of love!

-L

     

An Unkindness of Ravens

Did you know that a flock of ravens is actually called an unkindess of ravens? Kind of like a flock of crows is called a murder of crows....

Yeah me either....thank you One Tree Hill for that little tid bit of random trivia.

I really should be sleeping...or trying to sleep...or at least doing something a lot more productive than sitting here doing nothing...but it is me after all and this is what I do...I blog when I'm avoiding things...such as sleep in this case.

Anywhoosers...being the raging Ravens fan that I am, I actually thought that that was really cool.

An Unkindness of Ravens.

It just sounds B.A.

I love my Ravens...a lot. People who don't even know me all that well know that about me.

I couldn't even tell you why I love them so much.

I just do.

They're my team. They've always been my team. And they always will be my team.

Simple as that.

They've never been a team that has fancy wins. They just aren't. They sneak in and they battle in the trenches for each and every W.

Which I respect them for.

And I'm a big fan of the black and purple team colors ;) if I were to be totally and completely honest with you.

This Sunday is one of the best games in all of football season...well at least for me.

IT'S RAVENS - STEELERS WEEK Y'ALL!

As a Raven...I hate the Steelers...I hate everything about them. So last season's sweep of them was one of the greatest things ever.

I'm so looking forward to this game, it is always a great game to watch and I can't wait to see how each team performs against each other.

It is one of the most passionate rivalries in the NFL.

And I can't wait to support my favorite boys in purple as they defeat Pitt!!

GO RAVENS!

And to end this rather random and semi-short post I will leave you with one of my most favorite One Tree Hill quotes:

"Some people believe that ravens guide travelers to their destinations. Others believe that the sight of a solitary raven is considered good luck, but a group of ravens predicts trouble ahead. And a raven right before battle promises victory."

Have a fantastic rest of your week my friends

GO RAVENS!

Much love,

-L

PS and since it is my Utes last home game this season I must say GO UTES!!

Who am I sir? A UTAH MAN AM I. Utah man sir, will be 'til I die!

Well...woman...haha but you get my point with this blog title

The past couple of weeks have brought some major changes, both in my own personal experience and in the nation as a whole.

And while a lot of these changes are scary and some aren't that bad...they all have one thing in common:

They have made me extremely grateful to be who I am and grateful to be where I am.

Three years ago I made the best decision I could have ever made.

I chose the University of Utah. 

I chose to become a Ute.

And to be honest I had no idea that I would love it as much as I have.

I will be real with you all here...I was raised a BYU cougar....I know I know...but everyone has skeletons in their closet haha ;) But I found the light and boy am I glad that I did!!

So choosing the U was a little bit of surprise for my very much Cougar blue family.

But my daddy graduated as a Ute so it's not like it was totally out of nowhere.

It was a difficult decision for me to choose the U. 

I was lucky enough to get into every school that I applied to, so I had some major decisions to make when the acceptance letters came in.

Choosing the U would, after all, mean that I wouldn't be moving out of my house as quickly as I would have had to had I chosen to go to any of those other schools. Choosing the U meant that I would be going to a state school, which pretentious high school senior me wasn't all that inclined to do.

But like any big decision I took it to the Lord, and after a LOT of praying no other school but the University of Utah felt right to me.

I was surprised as anyone when I expressed my decision. I applied to the U on a whim (not to be confused with a safety net school...I wasn't even sure I would get into any schools and being the daddy's girl that I am I wanted to apply to his alma mater because my getting in would make him really proud) so my choosing it over all the other schools was not an outcome I was expecting.

But that was the answer that I received and it was the best possible answer I could have ever gotten, and I feel so blessed to have been able to heed that answer.

I LOVE my school. I love being a Ute.

If I could go back to senior year of high school I would still make the same decision.

I have a hard time understanding why people would want to go to any other school, because the University of Utah has been such a major source of happiness in the past three years for me.

I'm basically obsessed with everything Utah and I truly believe that we are the best school in Utah bar none.

I mean to each their own I guess...but Utah Utes will always be dominant ;)

I am a proud Ute and I am grateful to be able to say that I will always be a proud Ute...even if my graduation date has been pushed a little further back than I would have liked.

I love my school, I love my boys in red and I love my new major!

Good luck to those boys in red as they take on Washington in their second to last away game of the season.

Kill those Huskies!

"So fill your lungs and sing it out and shout it to the sky,

I'll fight for dear old Crimson for a UTAH. MAN. AM I!!

GO UTES!"

Much love,

-L

Wabbit Season! Duck Season! Wabbit Season! Duck Season...Fire!

This is what election season always ALWAYS makes me think of.

Nobody really knows what direction is up, which candidate they truly want to put their support behind and someone always ends up with their beak shot off (metaphorically speaking of course haha)

It never ceases to amaze me how hurtful people can be to one another over politics.

I'm no saint myself...I have been caught up in a spirited political debate once or twice where I have resorted to cheap shots that I wasn't proud of. 

Really though...people get so worked up over who is right and who is wrong that they stop listening to each other and just fight for the sake of fighting...and truly that makes me a little ill.

I was raised to respect the office of the president, no matter who the man or the woman (hopefully that'll happen in this nation soon) is. Because they are, after all, our Commander in Chief, head honcho, the big cheese...and any other cliched euphemisms for leader you can think of.

The president is the leader of this nation that we all love...doesn't that demand our respect?

Even if we don't absolutely love the person holding the office, shouldn't we at least give them our respect for even wanting the job?

Have you ever thought about the job of being the president of the United States of America? I mean sure, we are the greatest nation on earth but that doesn't mean we don't have our fair share of problems.

Personally I think being president would suck...you get blamed for everything that goes wrong even when there's no legal way for it to be your fault, and when things go right credit is never fully attributed to you.

Truly the job of being president is not one on my list of things I want to be when I grow up.

I will always support the office of the president. 

I'll be honest here, I was really hoping that Obama would not be re-elected but the chips have fallen and I will suck it up and support my president.

(Although the t-shirts that say "Hey don't blame me, I voted for Romney" might need to appear in my closet)

This is a choice nation my friends, don't ever forget that. The Lord has blessed this nation in crazy ways since the Revolutionary War and He won't abandon us now. 

It's a little silly to attribute the results of this election to a sign of the apocalypse...and yet I have seen people do that very thing. 

Truly would He allow an outcome that isn't in His plan for this nation?

I don't think so.

To be born in this nation and to be able to have the right to vote for our leaders is an amazing thing; and I for one feel extremely grateful to have been able to exercise my right as an American citizen, sure the results weren't what I was hoping for but that's ok. 

The thing I'm most concerned about is how I see people around me treating each other based on political affiliation...just because someone doesn't believe as you do or supports a different party than you does not automatically qualify them as stupid or evil...truly we all need to watch what we say and give respect. After all you get same amount of respect that you give.

I just want to end this little bit of a political rant with this statement:

 United we stand, divided we fall.

Cliche I know...but just think about it...

Much love,

-L

P.S. now that the election is over you all can turn your votes to what really matters...

THE PRO-BOWL!

Go Ravens ;)

I'm Only Getting Started, I Won't BLACKOUT!

Alright...so I know that it is Halloween...but I am a little slow on the blog updating and I really wanted to post about my absolute favorite game of the entire football season...college level at least...because let's face it...absolutely nothing can beat a Baltimore Ravens/Pittsburgh Steelers showdown haha.

The Blackout game is my absolute favorite game of the entire season bar none! 

This year we played Cal, and we walked all over them. It was the greatest thing ever.

I don't know if I could adequately put into words how much I love the blackout game...and I'm not even sure I fully understand why I love it so much myself, I just look forward to it ever year, it's the NCAA football version of Christmas for me I guess haha.

I just think seeing the whole stadium in black instead of red is a really impressive sight. 

And the boys always look really, really good in their black uniforms...but that is besides the point.

This game was an incredible one to be at, our boys in red (well black for this game haha) looked very good.

As much as I love close, nail-biters; I really love a blow out too. It is always sooo much fun when your team just blows their opponent out of the water.

This isn't to say that Cal didn't put up a fight, because they did, they gave us a very fun game.

Our boys just wanted it so much more, they needed this win more than anything else.

It was so fun to watch them win, there are few things in this world that convey greater joy than a football player pulling off a big win with his team. You couldn't help but smile when they all came over to sing "Utah Man" to the MUSS.

Not only did our team as a whole perform well but individual players had a fantastic game as well.

Our cute freshman quarterback totally leveled a Cal Golden Bear.

Blechen was making the plays that we all know and love him for, it's so nice to have him back in the safety position; it was definitely a rough time without him.

Of course there's Star...he's just such a B.A. haha end of story.

And to top it all off our kick returner Reggie Dunn quickly became the hero of the MUSS when he returned 100 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter AND in the fourth...a feat, which by the way, has never before been accomplished in the NCAA (way to go Reggie!).

You know you must be pretty B.A. when the MUSS will chant your name every time you take the field!

I love the Blackout game and I really can't wait for next years haha (yes I am already counting down....no judgment)

And of course it wouldn't be a post about football on my blog without a bunch of pictures you only half care about looking at haha.

Sooo proud of them! 49-27!! What a win!

We love the Blackout game!!

Reggie Freaking Dunn!!! Century Man indeed!!

Cute Utes in the MUSS

Traditional game pic

#normal

Sometimes our MUSS neighbors are gross....

We are pretty much a big deal

Best friends since freshman year of high school! Absolutely love this girl!

I loooooove when they wear black! <3

And I have to leave you with this amazing clip! Like seriously since when is a quarterback this B.A.?!?!?!

I'm definitely a Wilson fan after watching this! Total BEAST!

Much love

And GO UTES

-L

The Unkind Kindness of Football

"There are moments in our lives when we find ourselves at a crossroads. Afraid, confused, without a road map. The choices we make in those moments can define the rest of our days. Of course, when faced with the unknown, most of us prefer to turn around and go back. But once in awhile, people push on to something better. Something found just beyond the pain of going it alone. Something beyond the quiet persistence of a dream. Because it is only when you're tested that you truly discover who you can be. The person you want to be does exist somewhere on the other side of hard work and faith and belief and beyond heartache and fear of what lies ahead."

This season has been a rough one for my favorite boys in red.
The past few games have been rocky to say the least and I have had a hard time watching them struggle.
I will admit to sitting there a few time and wondering over and over again "Why do these boys play this sport? It seems totally and utterly unforgiving"
And then I realized that football is basically the greatest sport there is.
I already know that basketball fans and baseball fans and even the occasional hockey fan will strongly disagree with me. But I am just telling the truth.
Football is the greatest sport. End of discussion.
It creates some of the strongest bonds I have ever seen.
Every football team is a brotherhood, those guys would die for each other if it came to that, and say what you will about that...any bond of that magnitude is an impressive thing.
The football bond is one that is hard to break, and truly, I would never ask someone to break it.
The beauty of humanity often times comes from our social bonds and from seeing other people's social bonds in action.

Every football player I have ever met are some of the biggest dreamers out there. Those guys have dreams so big that they would scare most other people, and I love them for it.
Not only are they big dreamers, but they inspire kids to dream, and I think that that is one of the greatest accomplishments a human being can achieve in this lifetime.
To be able to inspire a child...well, that's beauty in and of itself.

They deal with their losses with grace and dignity, because their big picture dream buoys them up. Something beyond the persistence of their dream keeps them driving forward. And I don't know about you but I find that pretty inspiring.
I think the way that these boys have handled these losses is amazing. If it were me, and I will be completely honest here, I would be totally and utterly demoralized. But these guys...they have a fire in their bellies. It's truly impressive to me, they have the fire to win, they have the fire to show the world who they are and what they are capable of.
They seem to have taken these losses and used them to fire their determination, proving that it is not until you are tested do you truly discover the person that you are.

I can honestly say that I am proud of this team and what they have accomplished on and off the field. So to any critic of them I say this: You go through the heartbreak that they have gone through week after week. You see all your hard work for months and even years come up a few inches short of getting your end goal. You have critics hounding after you day and night. And then tell me that the way these guys have handled themselves is wrong, that they haven't been working hard enough, that they aren't what they need to be.

I'm not making excuses for them...I'm not a football coach, I don't totally understand all the intricacies of a team, but what I do know is what I've seen with my own eyes. These players are human; meaning they have hopes, and passions and dreams that scare them. But unlike most other university students they are doing this under the public eye, under public scrutiny.

There's still a lot football to play this season and I'm excited to see what this particular Utah team has in store.
The Black Out game is this coming Saturday and I cannot wait!
It is the best game of the entire season, in my opinion. It is always cool to see the whole stadium decked out in black instead of our usual red.
I can't wait!

GO UTES!!

Much love.
-L

Just a few musings on a Sunday Night

You know that feeling you get on Sunday where you just had the whole day to yourself, and it's been great, and then you remember that you have to go to school the next day, and it just ruins the rest of the night? 

Well maybe I don't have school on Mondays....But I do have work...and that can also ruin the Sunday feeling.

I gotta say this Sunday has been a good one for me, one of the best that I can remember in a long time actually.

I went to a friend's ward today to support her because not only was she singing in her Sacrament meeting she was also teaching her Relief Society lesson so the least I could do was go and support her in that.

Not gonna lie, it's been a minute since I have attended all three hours of any church meeting, usually I am able to make it to Sacrament but then something usually calls me away, so I kind of forgot what a commitment it can be to sit through all of church like we are supposed to haha.

I'm glad that I stayed though, for some reason one particular speaker in that Sacrament meeting has been sticking in my head since I got home.

He was asked to speak on his impressions from the General Priesthood meeting of General Conference that happened just last weekend and he chose D. Todd Christopherson's talk. While his talk was really well done and delivered well, that's not the part that is sticking out so much to me. What I'm talking about was near the end of his talk he did something while unconventional it was extremely powerful to me.

His talk was focused on how men should stand up and work harder than they have been in the past couple of years.

He then asked all the Priesthood holders in the room to stand up.

It was an impressive sight to see all the men in the room standing.

He then said something to the effect of now look at those sitting around you, those are the people that need you. They need you to be worthy priesthood holders. They need you to be worthy men. They need you to stand up.

The spirit in that room was so powerful and I honestly got chills.

It was one of the most powerful meetings that I have had the pleasure of attending.

His words are sticking in my mind of our need for worthy priesthood holders.

And I feel so blessed to live in a time where there are so many.

The sight of all those men standing up in that meeting was a powerful one; one that will stick with me for a long time. It's an amazing time that we are living in where we have worthy priesthood holders literally surrounding us. It was definitely a powerful image.

All in all I guess what I'm saying is that I'm really glad I went to that ward today.

It's funny how the Lord is so mindful of our needs, isn't it?

Embrace the Fear

Life is a scary thing.

Really though, think about it....life and what we consider reality is kind of a really terrifying thing.

And I didn't really realize it until I was tossed out of the doors of high school into college.

And while I haven't had too much of a dose of reality I have felt some of its residual effects and you know what? I've come to the conclusion that I don't really like it.

This whole adult thing? Yeah, not all it's cracked up to be. 

I wouldn't want to stay a little kid forever though...trust me I would rather be an adult than a child.

But if I could take the best of both worlds and mash them together that would be ideal.

What I have come to realize, the hard way unfortunately, is that there is no way to avoid or hide from reality. It will always find you. And the fear of reality and life and the "real world"? Yeah that'll always be there too. 

I found the best way to deal with it is to just embrace the fear.

Really, it's that simple.

Embrace the fear and take the plunge and you know what's even greater? Somehow everything works itself out.

If we could just learn to just let go of the control a little bit and be brave enough to embrace our fears instead of running away from them I believe that life would run more smoothly.

Now this is easier said than done.

What they neglect to tell us in grade school and high school is that growing up is scary.

It just is.

Becoming an adult is not easy thing and I kind of understand Peter Pan's desire to remain a child forever...kind of...

It's a necessary thing, however, and while it is terrifying, it is also wonderful.

There are awesome things that adults can do that kids can't.

So really we need to embrace the fear and take the plunge.

I had a very wise little eight year old girl tell me that all my problems could be fixed if I would just:

"Breathe and be brave"

Sometimes it just takes a child to tell an adult {yes I just called myself an adult...scary right?} to just get over their fears and go for it. 

Oh the irony.

But she was right.

We just need to breathe and be brave and show the world who we are. Proudly. Unapologetically. 

I know now that I will never apologize for who I am.

I am who I am and I am never going to change for anyone. You can take me or leave me as I am, because I like who I am and I don't have to like you if you don't like that.

I'm gonna end this post with a snippet from one of my favorite songs, "Carry On" by Fun.

"If you're lost and alone or you're sinking like a stone;

Carry on.

May your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground;

Carry on."

Much love,

-L

No Other Gang of College Men Dare Meet Us in the MUSS!

What a great day to be a UTE!

The Holy War belongs to the Utes for four glorious years.

The other night was literally one of the best football games I have ever been to.

Never before have I heard Rice-Eccles that loud before, and it was truly an impressive thing to be a part of.
It's been said before but I'm going to say it again, the MUSS is a fantastic student section!
I like to think that we make a difference for our home team.
I have never heard us get that loud (when the Y had the ball) or that quiet (when we had the ball). It was so much fun.
The Holy War is such an emotional game that the win is always a little sweeter for the team as well as the fans.
I'm angry at the Ute fans that rushed the field early, because well they kind of almost lost the entire thing for us which would have been beyond embarrassing, but it's not that I don't understand it. I just think that maybe some of those kids should brush up on their knowledge of football and understand that we need to wait for the FINAL whistle that signifies the end of the game...duh.
That all being said I do need to give a nod to BYU. They played a heck of a game and fought until the very end, I have nothing but respect for the way they played and I want to thank them for providing a great game for us. In the end though the better team won.
I do find it kind of hilariously ironic that the game ended at 11:59 pm though...take from that what you will haha.
I can't wait for the next home game!! It's against USC so we will need as many MUSS members and Ute fans to show up as we can get. They're definitely a tough team and it will be an interesting game for us to say the least.
However, next up on our schedule is at ASU and I'm excited to get all snoodled up on my couch and watch my boys in red play the game that I love. Good luck Utes!
And as always here are a couple of pictures from the Holy War

Reasons I love the MUSS #2,005: This kid

 Not only did we have Jesus we had Moses...We are really cool kids.

 One of my most favorites! We look really good if I do say so myself.

A little Grub love in the MUSS

We were not impressed with the officials in this game. The game was basically brought to you by the color yellow....it's ok..we still won...three times.

Right after the game, so excited that we won!!

Proud of those boys in red!!!

Much love my friends and GO UTES!!!!
-L

My true and first love is finally back!

All is right with my world.

Football is back in full swing and I honestly could not be happier.

There is just something special about the atmosphere in a football stadium that you can't feel anywhere else.

It is so worth losing my voice and screaming my throat raw.

And it wasn't a bad first game either.

I mean I guess 41-0 is a fantastic score. Haha who am I kidding?? No need to be coy about that one.

Everyone loves it when their team creates a shut out.

To be honest I was a little worried for this season for the Utes because we had so many seniors graduate last year. However that worry was in vain because those boys in red looked FANTASTIC last night.

Our defense especially showed up to prove that all the pre-season hype about them was well deserved.

I am so excited for the rest of the season, to watch this particular team mature together and to watch them shut down team after team after team.

I haven't been to a football game where I had screamed so loud and gotten so excited about in awhile. It may be because it was the first game of the season and it may be because I missed football terribly, but I think it's because those Utes did SO well.

The beginning of the game was a little rocky but that was to be expected. The important part was that we came out on top and managed to keep our opponents from scoring even a field goal. And that always feels good.

Best part of college football is by far the student sections, and being a member of the MUSS is one of the best decisions I have ever made.

I absolutely love it and I look forward to being able to go to the games as a part of it. And while we aren't one of the biggest student sections in the nation we are one of the best for the noise we make and the way we cheer our boys on to victory.

And as always with football season I'm gonna share some of my favorite pictures that I took from last night with you.

MUSS cuties. Love them!

The boys of Utah football, gotta love 'em

Fantastic win last night

41-0 baby!!!

Truly, there is nothing in my world that is better than football underneath the stadium lights.

Why is the MUSS one of the best in the nation? Because we epic traditions like the 3rd down jump. 

And one more of us cute kids in the MUSS.

Can't wait for the next game!!

Love always and GO UTES!!!

-L

When Life Sucks....

Sometimes life sucks.

It's inevitable.

It happens.

Which is why Hollywood created great scenes that are insanely funny.

Just to brighten your day a little bit.

So I'm gonna share some of them.

They make me really happy at least.

From one of my most favorite movies ever (500) Days of Summer...who doesn't love a random dance number in the middle of a movie???

From Horrible Bosses....I frickin' love this movie and I laugh every single time!!!

"Rainman was a reh-tard"
Favorite move. Ever.

Friggin love this movie....however it has some language that some might find offensive....makes me laugh so hard I cry though....so I'm sharing it.


So yeah life sucks but these bring a smile to my face and make my day so much better.

Much love,
L

Welcome Back....Again

School.

Again.

Hating life.

Just kidding.

But really, I'm excited to be back in school and classes,

really I am.

At least that's what I keep telling myself.

School isn't really all that bad, I just need to get my butt back in gear and get used to working hard again. Which is always a little bit of a rough time after the summer break.

I really do love school, I love the feeling of fall which wouldn't be the same without the back to school feeling. I am super ready for crunching leaves, a crisp in the air, Halloween, boots, scarves, hoodies and of course football. And none of those would feel natural to me without seeing all the students on campus scurrying to classes.

Honestly I really do love the U. Coming here was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my whole life. I love the atmosphere, I love the buildings, and I especially love the football team and the MUSS of course. I told my mom recently that I want to be an orientation leader next year and she gave me a weird look and asked me why and really the only reason that I have is because I want to make incoming freshman as excited about this school as I am.

It's silly I know but it's the truth.

I recently changed my major from psychology to sociology, so figuring out the difference between these two sister studies will be fun. And shifting the focus I'm used to of focusing on the individual to the society will be necessary too.

Wish me luck?

But with the new fall semester comes some of my most favorite things:

-Play "Spot the Freshman"! Which is laughably easy, because they usually have campus maps glued to their hands and they all have a wide eyed look of confusion and sometimes fear. Bless their hearts.

-Stake out a comfy chair in the Marriott and take a quick nap between classes. Seriously though, best chairs ever for nap time. Just be sure you wake up on time for class

-Sit by a new person each class and make a new friend. Best thing about a university is the diversity of the student body. Love it.

-Buy new pens and notebooks and other school supplies. Really, it'll make you more excited for your classes because you get to use new things.

-(Not a favorite thing but needs to be said) PUT ALL YOUR TEST DATES DOWN IN A PLANNER. Trust me. It's bitten me in the butt before.

Good luck my friends in this new fall semester.

GO UTES!

Love always,

L

Breathe...... Just Breathe

Yeah....I'm panicking.

School starts in a couple of weeks.

Not only am I not ready, I don't know if my financial aid (scholarships and what not) have come through yet.

I swear I go through this panic every year.

And every year it works out ok in the end.

But there's always that obnoxious voice in the back of my head that won't shut up with the "what if's"

What if this year is different?

What if they don't come through in time for tuition to be paid?

What if for whatever reason I won't be able to go to school this semester?

AAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHH

Seriously I just want to be able to relax!

Because really I don't want to start buying my text books until I know for sure that my finances are all as they should be.

Because it would suck to shell out that much money on books for classes that I won't be able to attend....it would suck a big hairy hobo toe....

Even worse for me though?

If I'm not actively enrolled in school I can't be in the MUSS.

Yes that is what is stressing me out the most at this point.

I've waited all year for football to start and it would just be cruel if I wouldn't be able to attend the games as a part of the greatest student section in NCAA football (in my humble opinion at least)

I just can't seem to keep the grip of panic away from me for very long.

Breathe.....just breathe.....

Right?

Fingers crossed....

Right?

I Mean It.....I SWEAR!

It's only fair to warn anyone that is going to read this that this is going to be a little bit of an angry rant.

So just so you know if you keep reading you will just be reading my angry words against the world a little bit.

Just a fair warning.

Anyway I think that everyone should realize that I don't let people in very easily.

So if I let you into my life you must be pretty DAMN special to me!

If I tell you that you're my friend, that actually means something to me.

And if I tell you that I love you? That's not a throw away phrase to me.

To me the words I love you have a lot of weight and I don't say them a lot, nor do I say them to too many people.

So guess what, if I include you in my circle of close friends or if I have told you that I love you in any way then I MEAN IT! 

If I say that to you know that I love you in the best way and most honest way that I know how.

It's a lot for me.

And you know what if the people that I do include in my closest friends don't understand that, then that breaks my heart.

It's the best way that I know how, and if that isn't enough for you then maybe we should break our ties now and save a lot of heartbreak later.

Unfortunately I've had that happen to me. The only good that came from it was that I learned I could survive something like that.

I learned not to hold on to something that just isn't working anymore.

I learned that people change.

I figured out that holding on to something that just doesn't exist anymore was stupid, and exhausting and draining

The person that I was so desperately clinging to just didn't exist anymore and I had to let them go

 and that was a hard lesson for me to learn.

But you know what? I learned it and I'm stronger for it.

I learned that things we like and dislike change and we can wish that they wouldn't all day and all night but that doesn't mean that it will and in the end that mindset isn't productive.

So I walked away.

And while some people might see that as a weakness on my part,

I believe that sometimes walking away isn't a sign of weakness.

Sometimes walking away isn't to make others see our worth because we believe that maybe just maybe the old adage "absence makes the heart grow fonder"

Sometimes we walk away because we finally realize our own worth.

And if I were to be honest, and I mean deeply and truly honest, I'm a better person for that experience

It hurt more than I could ever imagine and I wouldn't wish that kind of pain onto my worst enemy

But I needed that to happen, it helped me to grow up a little bit and in the end it was worth it.

I'm gonna leave you with one of my most favorite sayings ever 

{my friends tell me it's only my favorite because I have a thing for nautical themed things lately...but it still has a good message}

"A smooth sea never made for skillful sailor"

Much love

-L

Inspire a generation

Much like the rest of the world, my attention is focused on London.

I love the Olympics.

Like REALLY love the Olympics.

I might even love the Olympics more than I love football...

You can pick your jaws up off the floor now, it's ok for me to say that because they only happen every four years {well technically every two years if we are gonna include both winter and summer here}

Everything about them is just so inspiring!

Well almost everything...it's never fun to watch anyone lose, especially at the Olympics.

But you all know what I mean.

The Olympics make it possible to forget about little stressors in your life as your rooting for the USA to kick international butt.

At least that's how I feel about it.

The Olympics have the unique ability to draw everyone in a nation to the same cause and desire:

To cheer the US onto gold in every event that we have athletes entered in.

While that is all well and good, it honestly isn't my most favorite part of it.

I love that it has the possibility to inspire people of all ages.

I truly believe that there is nothing more inspiring than the Olympics which is why I try to spend as much time as I can watching as many events as I can, even the weird ones like white water canoeing and rowing....

seriously tho...those two sports only become popular every four years thanks to the Olympics.

The purpose of this post {other than to bore you all with telling you about my love of the Olympics that just about everyone else in the world shares} is to share something I thought was really cool.

As I was sitting like a useless waste of space watching whatever Olympics were on I found myself watching Men's Basketball, and while normally I dislike basketball, it's the Olympics so I thought "meh why not just have it on?"

I looked up at a point where one of the Nigerian players (poor guys....we destroyed them) was shooting a foul shot and the camera angle was one from the back-board so we as a viewing audience saw the rim of the hoop.

On the inside of the hoop were the words "Inspire a Generation"

Now I don't know if that is an Olympic thing or if it is a slogan for the company that made the hoop, either way I thought it was cool and definitely appropriate.

Because in the end....isn't that what the Olympics do?

Inspire a generation?

Much love
-L

Prayers for Colorado

My heart breaks for all those affected by this tragedy and my thoughts and prayers are with friends, families and those affected by this senseless act of violence.

Violence such as this should not exist in the world and those people, nor any people deserved it.

What prompted me into writing this post (three posts in three days is kind of a shocking thing from me, usually I'm not this good about blogging) was thinking about the shooter.

Now before I continue on this train of thought I want the blog-a-sphere to understand that:

I DO NOT IN ANY WAY CONDONE WHAT THIS MAN DID.

I BELIEVE THAT HE DESERVES EVERYTHING THAT IS COMING TO HIM AND MORE.

THERE IS NO PARDONING HIS ACTIONS.

Now that I have that out there, thinking about this tragedy made me think of what could cause a human being to get to the point where they want to walk into a crowded movie theater and start taking innocent lives? And if there is any way to change it?

There is absolutely no excuse for taking another human life and he not only took one but many and then, what I find positively sickening, walked calmly out of the theater as if he didn't just commit such a heinous crime.

It really made me consider what in his life pushed him to do this, and maybe more information will come to light as more time goes by, but for now what I've heard from various news reports is inconclusive at best (just what they have been telling the public, this really is all just me musing I don't know too many details about this at all) so of course it is going to cause people like me (those of us absolutely fascinated with human behavior) to speculate. And of course tragedies like this will bring up the "what if's" 

I advise you that if you don't want to read my ramblings about human behaviors and the what if's that go along with it then you should probably stop reading this post right now.

I just can't help but think what if there was a way to prevent this before it got out of control?

What if it just one person in his life could have made the difference for him?

What if there were stricter gun laws, would this still happen?

What if there really isn't an answer or a cause to why he committed such a sickening and unforgivable act and we should just resign ourselves to the idea that there are evil people in the world that do evil things?

Really what I think that I want to get across with this post, at least this is what tragedies such as this make me think, is we don't know what someone else is going through or what is going on in their head.

What can it hurt to be kind to everyone?

I'm not saying that what this bastard (pardon my French, but if anyone deserves such a title, he does) needed was a hug, I'm not that naive, no what I mean is if more people are kinder to one another then maybe just maybe senseless acts of violence will diminish.

I don't know, it all sounds a little foolish, but what do we know until we try?

I urge anyone that is nice enough to be reading this post to be kinder to our fellow human beings.

Life sucks bad enough so why not be nicer to people around us?

I know this all sounds a little preachy/like a primary lesson and I'm not the poster child for being nice to everybody I encounter, but this tragedy makes me want to try harder.

I wish I could remember where I heard, "Sometimes just a smile can save a life" but I feel that it is one of the truest statements I've ever heard.

Again my thoughts and prayers go out to those affected by this disgusting act.

And I pray that humanity can learn something from this instead of just writing it off and forgetting about it.

Much love, and praying for Colorado.

-L

You and Me Going Fishin in the Dark...

Ok....not really.

But this is yet another post about the Cowboy Grub

and that song is just one of those songs that makes me think Cowboy Grub

Lately I have had a lot of tables at my work ask me how long I have been with the Grub and they are always surprised when I mention that it has been four years. And come to think of it, it really has been a long time. I mean I started there when I was 16 years old.

Four years really is a long time to stick to one job, especially in the food service world.

But to be honest if I could go back and do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing.

I have loved my time at the Cowboy Grub, it's been an adventure to say the least and because of it I have met some of the most amazing people, both coworkers and people that I have served.

I've learned a lot too from the people that I have encountered there.

There have been specifics and generals, and I thought that I would share some of my musings here.

I really have been thinking about this for awhile haha, it's funny what one comment from a few tables can do to you.

I've thought about what specific coworkers have taught me and what just serving people has taught me, and I'm proud to say that I have worked at the Grub for four years....I kind of think that that is an accomplishment of sorts.

I've mentioned how wonderful my fellow servers are before (like Dani and Rachel and Morgan and Molly etc etc etc) but I've only ever gone into the specifics of what I have LEARNED from them maybe once if even at all. And I feel like I should shine a light on that aspect of my life.

From my fellow servers I have learned:

• It is never that big of a deal. Just take a couple of deep breaths and go back out.
• Someone will always be willing to help you out, even if they need "a couple seconds"
• There will always be a sympathetic ear when you need to whine, moan and complain about particularly difficult situations
• There will also always be that person who will look you in the eye and say "Suck it up"
• Multitasking? It's a skill that is learned, not a God given talent
• Just breathe, everything will work out for the best (even if the best is your awful table finally leaving)
• True friendship means not whining about making 8 house salads for someone else
• A smile and a laugh go a long way with some people
• Pie can make even the most angry people happy at least for a couple of seconds
• And to round this list off: Don't mess with people's trays...if it's out it's probably out for a reason so ask before you put it away.

From my tables I have learned:

• Time is valuable
• Apparently water isn't a drink (everyone who works at the Grub will understand why that's funny)
• Only attractive people get hired at the Grub (I literally had a table tell me that a few months back, I cried I was laughing so hard)
• It amazes people how well servers can carry trays without always dropping the items
• It is always ok to say that your wife is the prettiest girl in the room
• Be nice to your server...only good can come from it

Like I said, if I could go back and do it all over again I really wouldn't change a thing.

The Grub has been a good place for me and continues to be a good place.

Much love!
-L

May Angels Lead You In

I don't know where this post is going to take me...but if you are willing to bare with me I feel like this needs to be written.

The Lord has a funny way of taking care of us. Really though, if you think about it, and I mean really think about it, sometimes His care comes in odd ways to say the least.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

I've been blessed lately to be able to recognize some of these ways that He has taken care of me.

Lately I've found myself making some changes in my life that in truth have scared the crap out of me but strangely I have been calm as I have thought them through.

I credit this partly to my incredible friends. They are there for me. No strings attached. They will drop whatever they are doing and come to my rescue if the situation presents itself. My friends are entirely supportive of my decisions and they are part of the reason why these changes aren't as frightening to me.

In a couple of posts ago I mentioned that my mother and my grandmother like to say that some people are prayed into our lives. Well I truly believe that those people that I am closest with have definitely been prayed into mine. I don't know where I would be or even who I would be without their influence in my life. They keep me sane and make me want to be a better person. I have been taken care of in that aspect by the Lord. I believe that He shepherded these people into my life because He knew that there would come a time in my life where I would need them, and right now I need them. I so appreciate the friends that let me lean upon them, that in a way become a crutch for me. Now I'm not saying that I have become entirely dependent upon them, what I mean is that it is nice to know that I have their shoulders to lean on if I need to. And a couple of times in the recent past I have needed to lean on them, lean on their testimonies, lean on their belief that everything will be ok. And for that I am more grateful to them than I will ever have the ability to let them know.

I know that what I have coming up in my life won't be easy, it's supposed to be hard after all...if life was easy it wouldn't be hard after all haha, but I feel safer knowing that I have a close knit group of friends that have my back in any situation.

I know that the Lord has been there for me through my friends. They are truly angels in my life. But I know that I wouldn't be where I am today if I hadn't let go and let God. 

Sometimes it's scary to relinquish the control in your life but more often than not it is necessary. It is necessary to let the Lord take control every once in awhile. And truly it is so freeing to "cast all your cares upon the Lord" to trust that He has got this and will always be there arms outstretched no matter how many times you feel you have messed up. 

In all my years of Sunday school I have never truly understood the scripture that mentions the Lord's yoke being easy and His burden being light until I went to college. I have found that true happiness and comfort come when I cast my cares upon the Lord and allow for Him to take the control. And I am so grateful for that. I am so blessed to be a member of the church and to be able to have this wonderful, beautiful, forgiving gospel in my life.

Much love,
-L

"62 Years and She's Still the Prettiest Girl"

     There are some days where my faith in the human race are seriously diminished. Everyone has had those days. But then there are days like today where my whole outlook on the human population is seriously brightened. I had probably one of the best days at work that I've had in a very long time. Although it didn't start out that way.
     The one problem with working a restaurant that specializes in delicious comfort food is that when it comes to the summer time and it gets hot not too many people want to go out and eat a heavy meal. We still have our regulars that eat there come hell or high water but it is hard to deny that the numbers of tables that come in seriously diminishes in the hotter months. As a result it gets to be really slow for us servers, the downtime between our tables extends because we just don't have as many tables as we do in the colder months. Which, let's be real here, can be a major struggle. In short it gets boring. So it wasn't such a stretch for me to assume that the rest of my shift would be slow and I would get a lot of the little odds and ends finished up in the back that usually go overlooked when there are a lot of customers to serve. And for the most part I was right, it wasn't until the end of my shift that things got interesting.
     At around 3:30 (my shift was over around 4:00), this older couple came in and I greeted them like any other table and as I was leaving to go and grab their drinks the man grabbed my arm and let me know that they were celebrating their wedding anniversary. He then asked me to guess which anniversary it was. Now I have learned to avoid answering questions like that, because it really can lead to disaster, so I just smiled and waited for them to tell me. In my head I had guess 50 maybe 55 years at the most. I was completely shocked when he told me that they were celebrating their 62nd wedding anniversary today.
      I can't even imagine that. 62 years married to the same person? That is truly incredible. And even better? He grabbed my elbow a little later, after I had dropped off their meal and said to me, "Now isn't my bride beautiful? It's been 62 years and she still takes my breath away every time she smiles." I honestly thought that I was going to melt. That was probably the sweetest thing that I have ever heard, and I can only hope that someone will say that about me one day. I can only hope that somewhere there is someone who will want to put up with me for 62+ years haha.
     If that was the only awesome thing that happened I would write this off as a fantastic day, but there was one more incident at work today that made it even better. Another one of my tables overheard that it was the older couple's 62nd anniversary and they pulled me aside and asked if they could pay for them. It's been awhile since I've had encounters in my life that are inspiring like that. I love that there are still people in the world that are just as inspired as I am by a couple celebrating 62 years of marriage. I love that there are people who are generous enough to be willing to pay for the meal of complete strangers. It's days like today that remind me why I am still working at the grub. Like I said, one of the greatest days ever!

Much love,

-L