"Keep holding on,

'cause you know we'll make it through

we'll make it through

Just stay strong

'cause you know I'm here for you

I'm here for you

There's nothing you can say

Nothing you can do

There's no other way when it comes to the truth

so keep holding on

'cause you know we'll make it through,

make it through"

-Keep Holding On, The Cast of Glee

Have you ever heard of the new TV show in Fox called GLEE? Its like High School Musical on crack...no joke. It can be inappropriate at times, I'm not going to lie, but for the most part its pretty funny. I am rather impressed with the cast though. AMAZING singers, they do a few different songs each episode and on itunes you can actually download them. The show airs on Wednesday nights and they release the songs for each new episode the day before the show airs. So, I was wandering through the itunes store being bored and came accross this weeks songs and listened to the preview for "Keep Holding On" and fell in love with it and downloaded it. I haven't seen the episode yet, but it is so good! I LOVE this song! I needed it today...its a good reminder when I'm struggling which happens on occasion. Maybe I should keep holding on and pray that I might get another golden opportunity to talk to Luke....

I can't believe I just did that...or that I DIDN'T just do that....

So, I pray about EVERYTHING...for real. I've been praying about everything since before my mission, but it definitely became a daily routine on the mission. And why not? Doesn't God know everything? And don't we just need to ask for it? It was Monday night and I knew that I had class on Tuesday and that Luke would be in class and I really want to get to know him better. He just seems like one of those really awesome guys.So, I was praying and asked Heavenly Father to please give me the opportunity to talk to Luke and become better friends with him because I think he seems like a great guy.
   I went about my day as usual, not really thinking about talking to Luke, but I got to school and headed up to the Institute building. I was a few minutes early (which is usual for me) and I walked into the foyer close to my classroom and there he was. Luke, who is not usually that early, was sitting all by himself on one of the couches. FOR REAL. I mean if Heavenly Father had sent a choir of angels and a light from heaven to shine down on him, it couldn't have been more obvious. I saw him sitting there and knew, I KNEW this was a direct answer to my prayer. There was no question in my mind about that,  but then all these doubts started to creep in, and I didn't want to seem to forward, so I did not go sit by him...that's right, I chickened out! I am still kicking myself. WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?!?!?!?! I can't even talk about it anymore, I am so dissapointed in myself...I'm going to go to bed and try to not think about it...

Vampire Diaries revisited

I felt the need to clarify after my last post about the new vampire show, Vampire Diaries. I mention Ian Somerhalder and although I think he's kinda funny on the show, I am not on the Team Damon bandwagon, I am most definitely Team Stefan...and lets be honest, if I had to choose between Jacob, Edward, Damon or Stefan... I would choose Stefan hands down. In the books he got a little annoying, just like Edward. There are 3 things I have been annoyed with in reading the two vampire series that I have. #1: If you're a vampire guy and you're going to date human girls, accept the fact that them being around you is going to cause trouble, and that eventually you're going to have to turn them into vampires, or drink their blood. Its just a fact. #2: Why are these guys so annoying when it comes to their girlfriends? I would go CRAZY if my boyfriend was that possesive of me. Yes, I realize they want to protect their girls, but ease up a little bit. You can't be there all the time, they're going to have to live a little bit even if their world does revolve around you! and finally #3, and one of my brother's backs me up on this point: I realize they are trying to make vampires good guys by having them not kill people to get blood, but it seems to me that for the most part it doesn't matter where the blood comes from, just so long as they drink it...have you ever heard of a blood bank? HELLO, just go steal some blood (. In both series, theft isn't the worst thing any of them do! And you can be sneaky about it. Then no human or animal has to die in the process, so really you're saving and protecting people's lives. But no, they always have to drink animal or peoples blood. I think its dumb. And now I'm done ranting about vampires and why I have issues with vampire books.

MY 100th POST!!!!

I let the music continue to play as I walked into class ignoring all the people as I walk past. I generally turn my music off before I walk into class, but it was a good song, "I can't wait for One Republic's new CD" I think to myself as I listen to the first single I have recently downloaded from itunes.I sit on the right hand side of the class, not my usual side of the room. I remember after a moment that I need to mark the role. I look back and who should be there, but Luke! Yes, I definitely need to go mark the role, like now...and maybe, just maybe I might actually have the courage to say hi to him or something...

Don't you feel just so special that I chose to share this special moment with you? You should! Ha ha ha, but this is actually going to be a quick post because I have to get to bed.
    Um, so school has been entertaining lately. I always sit in the same spot in one of my institute classes, and mix it up in the other one. This week in both classes I have sat by some of the cutest guys I have ever seen...EVER. No joke. AND, you should all be proud of me because I actually TALKED to them! YAY! The first couple of guys I talked to I have started to become friends with and one of them asked if I was going to the dance this friday night....remember my take on dances? If not, lets refresh your memory...ha ha ha...good times. But yeah, so I told him I don't generally go, but I was still thinking about it and then I got 2 wristbands to get in (because there is no way on this green earth that I will set foot into that gym alone) and left class. Then, today I went to my other institute class and sat in a place I hadn't sat in a while and then remembered I needed to go mark the role, so I get up and have to wait for this other guy to mark the role. For the stories sake, lets call him Luke. So, Luke is a pretty shy guy, and my teacher has pointed him out a few times because he works in the temple with my teacher on Friday nights. He is about my height and is super cute and I have talked to him like once before. So, I said hi and we talked for a minute, and then he came and sat down in the row behind me. I definitely need to get to know him better! My teacher keeps offering to set him up with any girl in the class that's interested, but that is just lame and awkward.
    Okay, I promised this would be short, so I'm going to go...

I want to do better

There are a lot of things I can't do very well. I am aware of this (keeping an updated blog is probably one of them.) But I want to do better at these things I am really not doing good at. I know that they are important, so it is my goal to do better starting now.
    I have been thinking a lot about the future lately. Not that I am not loving living in the present, but I am trying to give myself the best possible future I can. I am trying to set things up now for a better future when it comes. I don't want to goof off and waste my time now and then regrett it later. I already have enough regrets, I don't want to add to the pile, I want to make that pile as small as possible!
    About a week and a half ago I went to a writer's conference with one of my many brothers. It was a lot of fun and I actually won something! I never win anything, so it was quite excited, and on top of that it was to get a manuscript edited for free! I was, and still am, quite exstatic about it. It was like a little glimmer of hope in my rather dismal present. I LOVE writing, if you hadn't noticed, and I truly love the stories I tell. Changing Tyde is one of my favorite stories and I feel like those characters are so real to me. I have been scared I would never finish it, let alone get it published. I know how hard it is to get published and I have let that fear consume me. But at the moment I have found hope again! I want the world to know who Jason Tyde is and what makes him such an amazing guy-even if he is fictional. Jason is the type of guy you want to look to because although he has made mistakes, he's trying his best to make up for them. It would be sad to me if no one ever knew who Kyla Sorenson is because she is so strong, and despite what B may say, she is not me...or Bella (she's not as annoying as Bella).  I lack the courage that she does. She is not afraid to speak her mind or stand up for what she truly believes in. I, along with so many others, can learn so much from her.
     It is easy for me to get discouraged and want to give up. I don't like this about myself (hence, something I want to do better at). I struggle a lot of times with feeling overwhelmed and I am so grateful for my amazing family that keeps me going (that would be like 80% of you that read this) and the few friends I have left are a great help too. I know that I can achieve my dreams! I know that I can finish this book!
    I was so grateful for Pres. Uchtdorf's talk yesterday morning in general conference, it was like it was written for me specifically! I love it when we recieve answers to our prayers like that! One thing I have learned this semester in school is that Satan wants so much for us to think poorly of ourselves and to doubt who we are, and who we have always been. We can not forget that we are literal sons and daughters of God, and as such we are entitled to promised blessings. I have felt the love of my Father and my Savior so much recently, I can't express my gratitude. I kinda feel like I am jumping around here, so sorry if it makes absolutely no sense at all. Its just a collection of my random thoughts that I felt I should share with you all!

And I'm back!

Everyone talks about seeing their life flash before their eyes, or seeing a bright light just before they die. Maybe it was the fact that I didn't exactly die, but all I saw was what could have been slip through my fingers as I saw Jake look at me one last time. I didn't hear or feel the impact, I didn't see Jake's side of the car get smashed, all I saw was what I knew my life could have been play out before my eyes and I knew somewhere in the back of my mind that I would never have that life, nothing would ever be the same again. - Kyla in Changing Tyde

It's been a while...sorry about that. I'm sure you're just DYING to know every little detail of my life...ha ha ha! That's almost funny, I know! Um, lets see here, I am back in school and still working 2 jobs. That's lots of fun. This last week has been a little bit rough, but its all good, its over now, HOORAY! I am taking a couple of Institute classes, which have proven quite interesting. I took one of them (The Atonement, Repentance, and Forgiveness) because the teacher is a great teacher that I've had for other classes, and the second I took (New Testament, Acts to Revelations) because I'd never taken it before. I thought the NT class would be the one with more people and really cute guys in it that I would like best, but I was quite wrong.

This semester is proving to be a very interesting one and I am very excited to see what happens. I am taking Spanish, Biology (because oh yeah, I failed it last semester...) and Racquetball, which I am really not very good at yet.

Okay, so I was looking at the new shows coming out this season and saw a bunch that looked lame *cough* Melrose Place *cough* and saw a show called the Vampire Diaries...first thought was "Oh my gosh, how lame...let the stupid vampire trend die already!" but then I was just a little bit curious, so I downloaded the pilot episode for free off itunes, thinking it was definately going to be some lame twilight wanna be show...but I was wrong. I watched it with Fort, who wanted to see it because Ian Somerhalder from Lost was in it, and my brother was down that night too, so he watched it with us. I must preface this story with the fact that this particular brother HATES twilight, and all things associated with it. For whatever reason he did watch it with us and although he wasn't super impressed with it, he said it was an alright show, not something he'd watch. But the fact that he of all people didn't think it was twilight-y made me happy and in my book made it okay to watch :)...he's probably reading this and rolling his eyes, but that's okay, he's still cool. But yeah, I liked the show, its not for everyone, but don't expect it to be all twilight-y. Ian Somerhalder is actually quite entertaining in it...he's the bad vampire, because of course there's a good one and a bad one...
Also, as you can see from the quote at the top of this post, I have been writing again. Well, I never really stopped, but apparently my creative juices flow a little better when I've got school subjects on my mind...who knew? Any way, I am still working on Jason and Kyla's story. I still really like Changing Tyde for the title, but have heard a lot of mixed responses on it, so I don't know for sure if stay or not...

Viva Las Vegas!!!

As many of you know (if not all, because I'm not shy about it) I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE the FRAY...they are totally my favorite band. So, at the begining of the year my best friend and I decided to go see them on tour this summer. At first we were going to go see them in SLC, but then decided to make a road trip out of it and go to Vegas the night before they played here. So, we've had these plans since like my birthday (which was in February) and I have been anxiously awaiting the trip.
So, after working about 45 hours in about 3 days (it really wasn't fun) I was finally off for the weekend!!!

We left on Friday morning and got to Vegas in the mid afternoon. It was so hot there, I thought I was going to die! Good thing I left Cecil at home and we took Fort's car!

The concert was AMAZINGLY AWESOME!!!! We were less than 20 feet from the stage!!! It was so great!! I knew who all three bands were, which was awesome. A group called Meese opened for them, and they are really good...they recently were one of itunes "free downloads of the week" and I absolutely LOVE their new CD...so good...you should check them out! We all were trying to figure out how to zoom in better on our cameras and didn't really get it down until half way through Jack's Mannequin...so all our pictures of Meese are kinda crappy....sorry!!

And then Jack's Mannequin performed and I have been a fan of theirs since they were on OTH a few seasons ago with a song called "The Mixed Tape"...LOVE IT!!! The lead singer of the band, Andrew McMahon, was diagnosed with leukemia a few years ago and the band hasn't toured in about 3 years or so...So this was an amazing show because he's finally healthy enough to go back out and tour! He is CRAZY...in the slide show I have added there is a picture of him standing on the keys of his baby grand piano, he then started stomping on the keys!!! We thought for sure he would break it! He was all over the stage, but it made for a highly entertaining concert!!

And then my favorite part of the night, the FRAY performed!!!! It was awesome!!! I took some awesome pictures, which are all on the slideshow below! They are not only awesome to listen to live, but really down to earth guys that are pretty funny. The lead guitarist, Joe King, was performing the song "Happiness" and was talking before he sang. They performed at the Palms in Vegas which is the Playboy hotel (if you didn't know that...I didn't know that until we got there...but I've also never been to Vegas either...) and he began his story with "I know we're a band and like touring but they gave us each our own suite...is that really necissary?" and then he talked about going into his suite that had like 3 bathrooms and 2 showers, and one of them had 5 shower heads. "Why would you need 5 shower heads?" he asked after that and then said that the suite was probably bigger than his entire house...it was pretty funny. But yeah, the show was awesome. They performed "Heartless", which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was just an awesome show!

The next day, Saturday, we got up and jumped in the pool which was so much fun, except after about 20 minutes we decided that we really should get some sun screen, so we went to Walmart really quick and got some, but my shoulders still got nice and toasty red. They are still burned...I am not a fan! But, they could be SOO much worse...imagine if I hadn't put any on at all! That would have been horrible!
It was awesome because that night I got to go to dinner with a sister from my mission! She's from Vegas so she picked me up and we went to dinner. It was great to catch up and talk about the mission. I actually don't talk to a ton of people from my mission these days. Not that I don't like to, I just am horrible at keeping in touch with people.
After dinner, we went down to the strip...yeah, it was interesting and an adventure for sure...I don't necissarily think I ever need to go back to the strip again. You can't look up, down, or really any direction without seeing some scantily clothed woman or have someone trying to give you a "lovely" card for a prostitute. GROSS. I am not a fan. They call it sin city for a reason, that's for sure. The funny thing is that there was a religous group protesting in front of the Bellagio hotel...you know, like the ones up at General Conference or any large mormon gathering. They were holding signs that said "Trust Jesus" and they were condeming everyone to Hell for being in Vegas. Those people make me laugh, and also think. Everytime I have a run in with them it makes me think about my own religion and were I stand with my Heavenly Father, which generally leads to some good heartfelt prayers. It was interesting.
But yeah, that's pretty much my trip in a nutshell! Sorry it was kinda long!! Hope you enjoyed!!