Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Well folks, I've done it!

I've made it a whole month of listing the things that I am thankful for.

Here I thought I would run out of things to put on here, but I am finding that I have so much more that I would like to talk about.

I have a lot more than these 30 simple blessings, so I'm thinking that I'll probably continue this 'attitude of gratitude' thing as things come to me.

So, here it is. The final post for my

November 2011 gratitude journal.

November 30, 2011

I am so, so thankful for the life that I have! 

[beware, this is going to  be a lot of summarizing of the last 29 days, but I'm writing what I feel]

First off, I am grateful that I have a loving, merciful Heavenly Father who  knows me by name, who knows what I need most to become the best person that I can be. I am grateful that He was  willing to send his Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to atone for  my sins so that I could have the opportunity to  return to live with Him again. This is something that I could never repay, although  I will certainly try

every day of my life.

I am grateful for all of the incredible people who support me in all that I do. I truly owe ya'll so so so much. I wouldn't be where I am without you and your examples.

Thank you especially to my second mommy Linda, [its her birthday today] for teaching me what it means to be a real, classy lady and showing me that I really can achieve the things that I strive for, even if it means having to make some difficult decisions along the way. Thank you for being my counselor, my mom, my Young Women's leader, but most of all, thank you for being my friend.

Thank you to Tauni Shae, I know I've said before that you are my best friend, and that I owe you. But really, you have taught me so many things that it's difficult for me to put into words how grateful that I am to

have you as my best friend.

and finally, Thank you to my family. I love you so much, and I know that at some points I have been a pain in the butt, I have been more than difficult, I have been obnoxious, I have been a spoiled brat, but I can't even describe how much I appreciate all that you sacrifice so that I can be happy. The things that you

have done haven't gone unnoticed, sometimes I just have a hard time saying what I feel in my heart.

I am so thankful that I have so many great opportunities to do whatever it is that I want to do. I love that I live in a place that I can have a hundred different hobbies that I can spread across the year, keeping things fresh.

I am blessed to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I really do know that I am

part of a 'great work and a wonder' on the earth today. I know that I am able to pray to and receive answers from God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ at any time. I am so thankful for that constant line of communication.

Ahh! I have so many things to say, but this post is getting a little on the lengthy side, so I'll leave you all with the video that is the title of this post, Come Thou Fount as sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Git 'Er Done

Day 29

Productive Mode. 

I'm glad that my 'must get things done' mode has kicked in 

[and perfect timing too, with finals coming in 2 weeks]

It's only Tuesday, and I've already got  my homework done, I've got a bit of reading left to do, but that will

go quickly. All my big projects are done already.

GO ME!

Let's hope that this continues for until the end of the semester, because we all know that the closer it gets to the end, the less I'm going to pay attention.

cross your fingers for me, folks!

You Are The Music In Me

Okay, excuse the High School Musical reference in the title, but it just fits well today.

november 28

I. Love. Music.

Do you ever find a song that you listen to

over and over

until you get sick of it?

I have a lot of these songs. sooo since this post is fairly self-explanatory, I'll just shoot ya'll some youtube links to the songs I love.

Jon McLaughlin: Beautiful Disaster

Miranda Lambert: Over You

Sara Evans: A Little Bit Stronger

Complimentary

DAY 27

Thank you to those people who aren't afraid to give a compliment.

Since it is officially the  holiday season, I think that we should put forth an effort to compliment each other even more.

Today, I had a good friend say to me,

"believe it when you hear someone that can see says that you are pretty"

this seriously made my day a thousand times better than it was already going.

Don't be afraid to tell someone that you like what they're wearing, or that they have a nice singing voice, or whatever even if you don't know them.

Let's make that our goal for this week, shall we?

Give at least one compliment a day. That's not too hard to do, is it?

I promise, it will make that person feel like a

million bucks.

and who knows, you might start a chain reaction, or save a life, or start a new relationship.

"do or do not. there is no try"

-Yoda

Techno Age

dAy 26

I am thankful for technology

I know, this is so cliche, but I really am.

I am so glad that I can talk to anyone from anywhere on my cell phone.

I am grateful that I can take my tunes wherever I go without having to pack a million CDs around with me.

thank you Steve Jobs for inventing the life-changing iPod.

I am thankful that I have a laptop [two in two years, but who's counting? thanks gramma]

that I can take with me to school and elsewhere to do my homework.

I am so glad that someone invented the internet. There are so many things that I access online that I otherwise would not be able to get my hands on.

Sure, life gets complicated and noisy with all these distractions, but I am so so grateful that I have them.

Painting

Can I just say, I am an awesome friend. seriously. I've spent the last two days (okay, not on Thanksgiving,

but the day before that and today) painting Tauni's house. THAT is how much I love her, that I would

help her paint. again. and I hate painting.

Day 26

I'm suuuuper grateful that we are almost done painting Taun's house.

yes, I did just put that as my gratitude notch for the day.

We've gotten the living room (with some beastly 100 year old trimming)

done.

The kitchen will be done tomorrow.

HALLELUJAH

Probably the three upsides to this is that:

1) payback is a beast, she better be ready.

2) the house is gonna be stinkin' cute

and

3) rockin' out to Christmas music all day

oh, and the fact that I get to spend all day with my bestie :)

LOVE YOU SHAE!

Fam[ily]

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 24, 2011

I'm so grateful for my family.

I am grateful to those of my ancestors who were brave enough to cross the ocean to make a better life for

their family in America.

I am grateful to the wonderful ancestors who were so willing  to become the first  in the family to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It is because of them that I have the great opportunity to be a member of the Church today.

I am thankful that my family makes up some of my best friends. I am so blessed to live within a close distance to my family. I can see them anytime that I want.

I am so grateful for all that my family has done for me. I owe so much to them.

I LOVE YOU GUYS!

Words of Wisdom

day 23

I am grateful for people who are good with words.

I am so glad that some people are

able to put into words what they are thinking

Some of these quotes have become the

anthem of my life.

I am so glad that

there are other people

out there who think 

a lot like I do,

but they actually have a 

way of saying it

in an awesome way.

 I just love Audrey :)

And I second the

above quote.

I have experienced a lot of things in my life that, I think, give me enough prestige to be able to say that these quotes are absolutely, 100% true.

Life is going to get rough. Things aren't going to go the way that we want [or expect] them to. But that's just the thing, it's those little unexpected changes that end up being the most

incredible blessings.

Problem Set

Remember how I said that I love school? well, I still do, but I have this one class,

PHYSICS,

that is going to kill me by the time the semester ends.

For this Physics class, [it's an upper division class] we have to do problem sets aka: ridiculous homework

with ridiculous math and ridiculous outcomes.

DAY 22

I'm grateful that I am kinda smart.

For these problem sets, there is a lot of complicated crap for me to remember, most of it being math, and I suck at math, so I make my pops help me. BUUUT tonight, my pops was dead asleep on the couch.

So, I was left alone to do this stupid homework set. It only took me an hour, but

I GOT IT.

That's right folks, I finished it

all. by. myself.

If I wasn't as smart as I think I am, then I probably wouldn't have gotten this done for another three hours, I'd be hitting the 'submit' button at exactly 11:59 when it is due.

I'm glad that I am somewhat able to comprehend what is expected of me, and that I can remember what my professors say.

[see me in three weeks when it is finals week, I will probably be saying

"I can't think anymore. I can't remember anymore. I don't want to do anything regarding school, or using my brain" and then a week later, I'll be saying,

"I'M GOING INSANE

BECAUSE I AM BORED!"

Closet Raider

day 21

I'm grateful that I wear the same size of shoes and clothes as my best friend.

For McKenna's wedding I was having a mini freak out because I don't really own a lot of 'dressy' clothes.

[I'm a tee shirt and jeans kind of girl]

I shot Taun a text and said, "seester. I'm raiding your closet"

and you know what she said? she said, "go for it!"

I could have kissed her. I ran into her house and went for the closet.

I tried on probably four different things, then decided on what I was going to wear, and ran out the door

to the temple for pictures.

I'm glad Shae loves me [and trusts me] enough to let me steal her clothes.

Legacy

DAY 20

I'm thankful for the legacy that has been left for me to follow by my family.

Great Grandma Kaye:

I learned so many things from Gramma. I learned that family always comes first. I learned that the comfort of others should be placed above the comfort of yourself. I learned that patience is a virtue. and sometimes it is

overrated [I'll fill you in on that later on, it's a funny story].

Grandma and Grandpa Tarbet:

These have taught me that hard work and determination [and sometimes sheer spite] will get you far in life.

Although you may not be recognized for your efforts, it is all worth it because, chances are, you learned something about yourself in the process.

I also learned my love of animals from my Grandpa Jim, he owns the farm, so he is my boss, but he also shows a genuine care for the animals that we tend to. It's because of him that I wanted to be a vet

for the majority of my childhood.

Grandma Pickett:

What can I say, Gramma is my best friend. I can talk to her about anything, no matter how embarrassed or frustrated I am, she can always make me feel better. She has taught me how to laugh at myself. It's something that I have applied so many times that I know now, it isn't silly.

She has taught me that it is okay to drop everything to help someone. it is okay to give your whole, best self to someone, and to apply everything that you learn to life, because at some point, it will help you.

Grandpa Pickett:

I learned in the latest days of Grandpa's life that family truly is everything. It took me 18 years and a very rough couple of weeks to learn that. [in yet another post I will tell you why it took me so long to realize this]

I learned that giving 100% of yourself, no matter how sick or in pain you are, will make or break a relationship. I learned how important it is to marry your best friend.

I learned that having a fancy house, or a perfect family isn't important. what is truly most important is that you have a relationship with your family, and that you tell them that you love them every single day because things can change more quickly than anyone will ever anticipate.

I am so thankful for these people, and the things that they have taught me. Without these lessons, I wouldn't be the person that I am today. and I am looking forward to the future lessons that I learn through these legacies that are given me.

Wedding Bells {An Example}

November Nineteenth

I'm grateful for great examples.

Today was the big day. Well, big day number two [of three for this year] it was one of my best friend's  weddings.

Who would have guessed fifteen years ago when I met this super weird yet hilarious girl that we would still be friends on her wedding day. Or that she would choose me to be part of her bridal party.

I am so so proud of McKenna. [and of Tanner, but ya know he's not really important for the time being] She is everything that I could ask for in a friend. She is beautiful on the inside as well as the outside.

Kenna is really one of the few people when I was a kid that I could talk to about the Church. We would have these long conversations about things that most kids wouldn't even think of talking to their friends about.

Kenna Lynn helped me to realize what I really wanted, and that I deserve to have an eternal family and be sealed forever to my husband [wherever he may be]

I am so glad that I have friends who share my standards and that aren't afraid to talk with me about things related to church just because my family aren't active members.

It truly is because of these people that I am so happy with my status in life, and that I have such a strong testimony of Jesus Christ and of the Restored Gospel on the Earth today. I don't know [nor do I want to think about] where I would be without them.

texting machine

sometimes I'm a wussy and I'm not very quick with my comebacks

[although most of the time I'm pretty stinkin' awesome]

 Excuse the french in that, but it's how I feel when I text certain people.

I have also had this happen to me:

Why is this a problem? because I use sarcasm

frequently.

as in all.the.time.

seriously though,

Day 18

I am grateful for phones with texting. 

and for unlimited texting plans.

I'm pretty sure that I would have no social life  sad but true.

Then there are those awkward moments

like this:

sometimes I am accident prone and I do this.

basically on a weekly basis.

Now you all know how much of a ditz I am, but you can't tell me that you have never been in a

related situation as the above pictures.

...and it all started with the Big Bang

for some reason the last couple of days I have had the  feeling that I am about to have a panic attack.

I used to have this all the time when I was little, but not anytime recently...

until now.

I think that I need help. anyway, I have a new 'coping method' per say.

day seventeen

I am grateful for great American comedy.

This is my new way of dealing with this awkward feeling that I am about to have a freak out.

 Okay, the Big Bang Theory is just plain hilarious. I can't even begin to describe how hard I laugh

every single time

I watch an episode of this.

Ah, Sandlot. My favorite movie ever. okay, one of several. Seriously though, this is what my team is like

all. the. time.

REBA!

okay, first off I think that she is beautiful, and extremely talented. But this TV show is

hilarious.

I'm glad that my family aren't the only ones that are a little [a lot] messed up.

For some reason for me,

laughter truly is the best medicine.

I Am Woman

Day 16

I'm glad that I live in America where women are respected and are given the opportunity to voice their opinions when/wherever they want without fear of oppression.

In my Modern Germany class  we had to read an excerpt of a book, A Woman in Berlin.

I knew what it was about  before I read it, I didn't really get anything from it...

until today.

In class we were discussing what we read. I knew that there were some pretty explicit details about the many times that this woman was raped.

Yet I detached myself. I thought 'this would never happen to me' then a girl, Tess, spoke up.

She talked about how

horrific

it is to be in a situation where you have to choose the lesser of two evils:

to be raped, or to be killed.

All of a sudden, I just couldn't hold it in anymore. My eyelids wouldn't blink fast enough to keep the tears back.

I just couldn't help but think

'what would I do if I were placed in this situation?'

another girl, Courtney [most of the class is girls] said that she would rather commit suicide than to be repeatedly raped and abused by someone she barely knew.

'would I be able to handle that? would I take the suicide route? would I attempt to run away just

     to be brought back again and be beaten ruthlessly?'

These are some things I have been thinking quite heavily on for the last few hours.

I keep coming back to the thought that

I am so glad to live in America.

I am so glad that I can go out at any time and not feel threatened. I love that I can drive down the street

without having to lock my car doors. I love that it's not a big deal if I forget to lock up my house.

we look out for each other here

and it's something that I

NEVER

want to take for granted again.

Escuela

day 15

I love school. a lot.

Tonight at midnight I will 

be staring at my computer screen, 

waiting until exactly 12:00 AM

so that I can register for

my classes for next semester.

I am so glad that I  have wifi and fast  fingers so that I can  sit in my jammies, in my bed, sign up for classes, then crash for the next six hours until my alarm goes off.

The only downside to this staying up late business, is that I have an exam tomorrow in one of my classes.

But really, I love school. I used to hate it when I was younger.

I would have serious

panic attacks

and couldn't stop crying. Thankfully I grew out of that [even though it took until 6th grade].

I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to live less than twenty minutes away from a university. I am so thankful that this said university has low tuition prices [compared to the rest of the nation, but I still complain about it] and I am so thankful that I have professors and advisors that truly want us to succeed in life.

This is the kind of difference that I want to make when I become a teacher: be caring, compassionate, a friend, yet still someone who can teach a life lesson.

I. Am. Talented.

DaY 14

I'm so glad that I am blessed with so many talents.

The other day I was watching

I love this show. And I love the music in it.

I decided today that I was going to learn the closing track of the movie:

Someday by John Legend

So yesterday I downloaded the sheet music for the piano, and today when I got home, I sat down to play it.

It's still a little rough, but I am so so thankful that I am able to sit down and  play anytime I want.

I'm thankful that I can read music. I'm thankful that I have a piano that has been in my family for a hundred years [and then some].

I realize that I am so blessed. I have musical talent, something that many people desire, many people seek,

and many people work at for years, and for me, it's something that comes

naturally.

NAAAP TIME

day 13

thirteen is my favorite number! good day.

I am thankful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

I went to my friend's homecoming talk since she just got home from her LDS mission in Romania.

She reminded me how incredible the Gospel is. And how fortunate I am to be a part of a religion that is so focused on families and a love of Jesus Christ.

I am also thankful for nap time.

After I got home, I took a nap. it was b-e-a-utiful.

Now let's hope that I can sleep tonight.

Excellent day of church, A glorious hour long nap, it doesn't get much better than this.

Indoor Plumbing, 11:11 {and an apology}

Hey everyone, sorry I missed yesterday. I really did mean to write something, but I was busy.

like, way busy.

I had school, then a skype date for two hours with Lou, then a legit date

   with a really awesome guy that I really like :) [slight tangent, but I told my sister Kat

    about our date and she just text me back and said "aww you're twitterpated!] that's an accurate way of describing it.

ANYWAY,

so I didn't get home until late.

That's the reason I was slacking.

SO today, I'm doing two posts in one:

Day 11

I'm grateful that wishes come true.

Seeing as yesterday was 11/11/11 it was a super wish day. and at 11:11 AM I was laying in my best friend's bed with her (in a non lesbian way) and I made a wish.

And then, later that night, it came true. That's right, kids. It was just like Cinderella.

okay, not really, but you get my drift.

Speaking of Cinderella,

day 12

I love that I live in a time with indoor plumbing.

Last night, we watched Ever after.

http://impawards.com/1998/posters/ever_after.jpg

And it's been raining lately, probably going to snow by the end of the day. So I realized how glad I am that I don't have to go outside  when I have to pee in the middle of the night [or any time for that matter].

Seriously though, I couldn't have lived back in the day. I like things the way they are. right now. today.

Auction

DaY 10

I'm super glad my bestest friend likes to go to the auction with me every Thursday. And that the auction has ridiculously good food.

Every time we go, we eat a steak and swiss sandwich. it's like eating a slice of heaven.

So. Good.

And there were like seven horses that went through the auction today.

Good thing I'm dead broke, because I probably would have ended up buying one of them.

If you ever need to find me on Thursdays, check the auction yard.

I'll be there

with my sammich of goodness.

Skype Date

day 9

I am forever indebted to whomever invented Skype.

seriously.

I love skype.

I have skype dates.

I'm going to have a skype date on friday with the childhood bestie Lindsey:

We're tight.

Since she is going to school at BYU and is currently car-less

Skype is pretty much our only option to see each other's faces.

Anyway, I love Lou, I love Skype.

I love that I get to talk to her  in T-minus 48 hours.

You can bet your bottom dollar that we're going to laugh. a lot. and probably be talking for

at least

an hour. probably closer to two hours.

So, THANK YOU inventor of Skype.

you're a genius.

It's My Body, Baby

Day 8

I'm beyond grateful that I have an able body:

I'm able to run, walk, lift, work out.

I made a new commitment recently.

I promised myself that I was going to get in shape.

because sometimes I feel like doing this:

I don't know what compelled me to start running, but one day, 

I just did it.

A lot of the time that I am out running, I feel like this:

Regardless of how dopey I look, I am thankful that I have the will power and the ability to go out and run

anytime I want. remember my bucket list item:

run a half marathon

and I'm not going to let myself give up on that just because my head says "you can't" when my body says

"you can. and you will." 

I've learned that

it's all about which voice you listen to.

When Class Gets Cancelled

Did you guys just read the title of this post? This is ridiculous amounts of true:

Day 7

I love when class gets cancelled.

Ya'll remember a couple days ago when I said that I loved school?

Well, I still do, but today my first class got cancelled.

My teacher is apparently at a conference in DC.

I'm not about to argue.

Hallelujah.

It was fuh-reezing this morning.

An extra hour of my bed? don't mind if I do.

And the fact that I had some idiot call me last night.

I have no clue who this is, but they called me last night at 8 PM

then again at 2 AM then again at 5:30AM

WHAT THE CRAP.

I need my beauty sleep. and my friends will all agree that I'm  a lot more pleasant when I've

had a good night's sleep.

I also love the fact that tomorrow I don't have class until 1:30. talk about doing a celebration dance!

P.S.

I feel pretty good today, I thought I would look like a dope after yesterday, but turns out I'm good!

I just have to sit down really slow because my butt is extremely sore.

note to self:

Don't wear pants with studs on the pockets when you go riding.

Sugar Baby

Today I went riding after church.

First time in years.

almost ten years to be exact.

and it. was. awesome.

DAY 6

I'm grateful for my horse.

This little girl right here ^^^^

Makes my day  10,982,398,561,987,234  times better.

Yes that is the real number.

[okay not really, but you get my point,

      she makes me really really happy]

I remember when she was born. It was during the summer. I got a call from my Grandpa and he said

"come meet your new friend"

I was ridiculous amounts of excited. We became the best of friends almost instantly.

Gramps decided on the name 'Sugar' because he thought it would be interesting  to see if she would eat a mint. From then on she was hooked.

If you go visit her without some form of candy, she gets ticked and tries to eat your shoes.

There was a while there that I hated her.

Okay, I didn't really hate her,

I just hated the farm.

Hated getting dirty, hated the smell.

How I hated this, I'll never know:

[and no, none of these pictures were photoshopped in any way, shape, or form]

So Gramps made the executive decision to loan her to someone who would  put her to good use.

She was trained as a team roping horse.

[Unfortunately, I can't rope.]

Then she was gone. for almost five years. Then one day I was with Tauni, on our way to get rodeo tickets,

drove past my grandparent's house and BAM! there's my baby chillin' in the pasture.

I cried because I was so happy.

I'm also grateful for my friends who are willing to go riding with me at the 

drop of a hat.

[a cowboy hat to be precise] 

heh pun intended

Overall, it was a solid day.

Awesome day at church, awesome day of riding, awesome dinner (thanks parents!).

Now I just have to cross my fingers that I can walk in the morning.

Right now I'm a little saddle sore -as in I can't feel my butt. or legs.

I'll let ya'll know tomorrow if I made it up the hill to class.

OH!

I'm ALSO grateful for daylight savings time.

that's self explanatory.

college student = never turning down an  opportunity to get more sleep.

My Snuggie

It snowed last night.

Welcome to Utah. 

SO

Day 5

I'm grateful for my snuggie. and my heater. and fuzzy socks.

and sweats.

bahah I just found this on YouTube.

Thank you Ellen.

Sometimes she gets things spot on.

I really do like winter,

I just don't like being cold.

Unless I'm snowboarding or snowmobiling, or night sledding, or maybe doing some other epic thing.

BUT I like warmth more.

My Stupid Friends

okay okay kids.

don't take the title the wrong way.

my friends aren't actually stupid.

we just do a lot of stupid things.

day 4

I'm grateful for my crazy, stupid, hilarious, beautiful, friends.

This team.

We were. Epic?

[Epic doesn't even begin to describe us]

WE WERE AWESOME.

and best friends.

We did so much together:

dance parties on cars

streaking

sleepovers

rockband

quoting every line of Sandlot

having the best JV record of all Sky View Softball history.

it doesn't get any better.

K-Hell and Sara Marie.

I'm not going to lie.

we are hilarious when we get together.

Kylee and I actually planned my wedding to our friend's brother.

ha welcome to the thoughts of a high school freshman and senior.

Tauni Shae.

My best friend.

My seester.

Let's just say when she got married and moved to Hawaii it was like my arm got chopped off.

I just love her. We've had so many hot tub nights, and skinny dipping nights, and playing cops and robbers in Staples, and cooking sponge bob mac and cheese

[that's the best kind, we swear]

and yet we can just sit together,

not saying a word,

and walk away feeling like we just had

the best conversation of our lives.

 My fellow 2010 seniors.

This picture is from when we went to state for softball.

that was an insane ride.

We stuck through sucky coaches, sucky situations, sucky games, and didn't kill each other,

even when we were armed with bats.

 Hillary and Ashley

heh we had an absolute BLAST in Hobby Lobby trying to find Hawaiian flowers.

Nothing but laughing the whole time.

These girls.

The second best year of my softball career.

We went to state,  got to the quarter finals, way farther than we were ever  expected to go.

Without all these crazy people

[cue the cliche]

I don't know where I would be.

probably be a hobo, living off of drug money or something.

hah just kidding.

I'm not a druggie. never will be.

Seriously though,

I love these guys. SO. MUCH.