Sophie

This blog is for my dog-Sophie. Today, Sophie had to make her way up to Heaven. She was starting to struggle in her old age, and we couldn't stand to see her suffer any longer. I would just like to take a few moments to share with all of you the story of Soph.
I remember the day my family brought her home. One hot day in Chandler, AZ, I came home from my 4th grade class to a surprise of black furr being held on a leash by my little brother in our front yard. There she was. Hands down the cutest puppy I have ever seen. I ran up to her in excitement, leaned down to pick her up, and immediately I fell in love. Her little face was hidden under all her furr, so kissing her was quite the task. I couldn't put her down. I was so happy, I cried. We brought the pretty dog into our home and my parents told me what it was like picking her out. She was the runt of the bunch. All the other dogs had power over her. She could barely get her share of food or water around these big pups. My family just knew she was the dog they'd want to love for the rest of their lives. After I learned about her rescue, we started the debate of a name for her. I begged to call her Princess (give me a break...i was in 4th grade.), but no one seemed to like that name. Everyone decided on Sophie. I ran to my room and bawled into my pillow. Sophie? It sounded too much like SOFA for me. My dog was NOT a couch. In the midst of my tears, this little doggy came sneakily into my room and kissed my hand. Right then, my mind was changed. Sophie was the perfect name.
Sophie became my best friend. When I'd come home from school, she would follow me wherever I went. Her favorite was bathtime. "Sophie, I'm going to take a bath. You coming?" Surely, she would trott along behind me and lay on the bathroom floor absorbing the heat while I took my bath and annoyingly sang her songs. At night, Sophie always ended up in the same room as me. Often times, the room I was in belonged to my parents (once again, I was young.....). This dog quickly became more than just a dog--She was my sister. She completed our family.
Sophie put up with me in middle school and during our move back to Las Vegas. She even somehow managed to deal with me during high school when I thought it was a good idea to go running, but I couldn't go alone...so of course, I made her come along. She always stuck by my side. And when I went away to college, Sophie missed me as much as I missed her. My mom told me she kept the spot outside my bedroom door warm at night, just in case I returned. Whenever I had to leave Sophie, I left a little piece of my heart with her to keep safe till I came home. Leaving to go to Disney World for 8 months was hard. When I came home, I was sad to discover my puppy had gone blind and was slowly losing her hearing. But even still, she knew who I was. She pranced around and gave me many many kisses when I walked into the house.
This beautiful dog has loved me, and my family, with all her heart--And we have loved her right back. Sophie watched 14 of my birthdays pass by, comforted me through the many tears I've shed, listened to me talk and sing far too much, ran in the hot heat with me, dealt with increasing the size of our family by 2 (our dogs Rusty and Tyson), helped me open Christmas presents each year, kept watch for monsters in my room at night, made everyone that came in contact with her fall in love, and most importantly, she was always my truest friend.
I love Sophie. Today was a sad day, but I know that Heavenly Father is taking care of her. She's up there eating bananas, running around in a big field of green grass, and quickly stealing the hearts of every angel in Heaven. I'll miss her with every piece of my soul until I see her again.
Sophie, my dear, sweet, beautiful sister, friend, and puppy....I love you.

Here we go again!

Well, here I am. Back in good ol' Cedar City, Utah. I have to say, I really have missed this place. School starts on Monday! I've been waiting for it to start, but it feels weird right now. I'm not sure if I already informed you all of my change of heart.....I was a theater major, but switched last semester to Elementary Education. I would LOVE to become a kindergarten teacher. =] So, I'm excited to get back into that. I am in the process of finding a job. And by "in the process", I mean sitting on my bed thinking of places that would be fun to work in my mind......
I finished unpacking all my stuff last night. A process that took until 2am. YUCK. But at least its over with.
I am going to now attempt to be productive.
I hope you all have MAGICAL days. And if you start school soon.....GOOD LUCK.

I Had The Time Of My Life Fighting Dragons With You

I bought a bracelet a long time ago that says, "Some people come into our lives, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never the same." I found myself thinking yesterday, and today for that matter, about the blessings I have been given. The most important blessings from my Heavenly Father are those footprints on my heart. I have so many wonderful friends that have made an impression on me, and I am forever grateful for these beautiful people. This summer has been a summer of more people walking into my heart and changing me. I came to Florida expecting to work like a slave and make no new friends (because there is just no way anyone could have ever compared to the friends I made the first time I came to Disney World..). Well, I was wrong. The people I met this summer pulled me into their group and made me feel like family right away. Ben, Logan, Kandice, Sheldon, Camee, and Kevin. The 6 of you welcomed me with open arms. I would like to thank each and every one of you.

BEN!

Benjamin Keith! Dear sir, you are quiet the amazing young man. You had me laughing non-stop all summer. I love that you picked on Sheldon with me =] I remember the first time I actually hungout with you and you lifted your shirt and said "Look....I shaved my stomach today." And I said "Why would you do that?" and you simply said "Uh....I dont know. I just did." Haha. I knew you would become one of my very favorite people. Your energy is contagious. You have a way of making everyone and anyone your friend. It's a fantastic quality. You are someone people love to be around. You make every moment an exciting moment. Thank you for being as obsessed with taking pictures as I am for posing in them. =] I loved all our photoshoots! You are talented, funny, caring, and always yourself. I am so glad I met you this summer Ben.

LOGAN!

Logan Smith! Oh my goodness! You are such an incredible person! Your heart is pure and the love you have for people is amazing. You accepted me instantly. Maybe that's just because I am a fellow west-sider.... =]...either way, I was grateful for you. You are genuine. When a friend is in need, you have no problem dropping everything to be at their side. I loved dancing in the rain with you at Sea World on my birthday! Thank you for being there for me, and for all of our friends. You are truly amazing. And I cant WAIT to come see you in Cali!

KANDICE!

Kandice...What are you doin Kandice?! Haha. Oh Kandice. I love you so much! You have the most beautiful spirit. You are always happy! You are always laughing and always smiling. Im so glad I had you to giggle with about everything and anything. You are so sweet and so thoughtful. The best kind of friend! Thank you for singing my song every single day =] Hahah, you are the best!

SHELDON!

Sheldon. SHHHHHHHHeldon. =] You. Oh you. You are in high school. HAHAHAHAHA. Just kidding. Well I mean, you are, but that's not all. Sheldon you are a true friend. Your heart is so big. You have so much love to give, all the time. You're so thoughtful and kind, and you have a way of making anyone feel better. You always know exactly when I need a hug, or exactly what to say to make me smile. Thank you for picking me up from the movies when I felt like going by myself. Thank you for being just as poor as I was all summer, but still finding ways to go get milkshakes at 2am. Thank you for letting me have sleep overs in your big comfy bed. Thank you for understanding the importance of song lyrics and how one song can make you happy and sad all at the same time. Thank you, for never hiding your emotions from me and for letting me be someone you know you can trust and talk to about anything. Sheldon, you are one of my very best friends. You are talented and sweet. I know you and I will be friends forever and even though we are thousands of miles away, I can call you at any time and I know you'll be there. I love you. And I promise, just like you promised me, when they point to the pictures, I'll tell them your name.

CAMEE!

Camee. Camela. C-Felix. Dude. Bro. CAMEE. I freaking love you. So much. You know as well as I know that we met each other for a reason. I needed you in my life. You understood everything I was going through, and you were there every second of this summer to remind me of just who I am and what I want in life. You are such an amazing girl. You are so accepting of people. You open your heart and let people in and you hold onto them. That's a quality a lot of people don't have. Your wit is endearing. There truly is never a dull moment with you. You laughed with me and cried with me and picked me up from the airport at 5am. I'm so blessed to have a friend like you. Heavenly Father definitely had a plan...he wanted us to be friends. I couldn't have gotten through this summer without you. And I am so excited you will be in Utah! 3 hours is nothing. I fully plan on seeing you A LOT. You are beautiful inside and out and you deserve nothing but the best in life. And I can't wait to watch all your dreams come true. I love you =]

KEVIN!

Kevin Scott. The boy with the unfortunate name. ;P I have never met anyone like you. The day I saw you standing there in your parade vendor costume, I had a feeling we would become great friends. Then, you opened your mouth and that adorable Alabama accent poured out and it was pretty much set in stone that I wouldn't be able to survive without you all summer. There is a light about you, everyone can see it. You have a way of enchanting everybody. You are the sweetest and most charming boy I've ever known. The way that you care about your friends is unreal. But what I find most endearing about you is your humbleness. You just don't realize how amazing you are. It's just like that song "There's pretty girls on every corner, they watch him as hes walking home saying does he know? Will you ever know? You're beautiful every little piece love. And don't you know, you're really gonna be someone. Ask anyone." Kevin, I know that you will be blessed in your life because you deserve it. I have never become best friends with someone so fast. Ever. You have made my summer unforgettable. Whistling into our hands, playing the "banjo", knowing every Taylor Swift song ever made and being proud of it, all the right hand and left hand moments that made me laugh till I wanted to cry, screaming songs into our yogurt spoons so loud I thought my lungs would explode, teaching you how to waltz, following each other every single day when we parade vended, COMO?!, making chicken parmesan, getting embarassing sunburns that looked like I still had a swimsuit on even when I didnt and you still had sunglasses on even when you didnt, taking a shower in our swimsuits and you demonstrating your daily routine, sleeping in your bed and grasping mickey for dear life when you decided to elbow me at random moments in the night, how you and I can talk and talk and laugh forever about everything and nothing and not care that hours just pass by, letting me drive your car and you being the only person besides myself to ever drive mine, child peter, being so willing to run through the tunnel with me without asking any questions as to why I felt the need to run, making me play the guitar every chance you possibly could and for being my biggest fan, telling me to dress crappy because you were dressed crappy "I wore a dress, you wore a dark gray t-shirt. You told me I was pretty when I looked like a mess." =], changing the words to our favorite songs so they match our lives better, inventing the most ridiculous and sketchy handshake with me, letting me wax your eyebrows, paying for me to see a movie and then not remembering you ever did, dressing up in kylies clothes, giving yourself a lot of new hairstyles that made me laugh, going to forever 21 with me and deciding to match for evening activities, dancing pretty much anywhere you can, respecting the fact that I dont swear and doing your best to sensor your language, never questioning me when I told you what I believed in, and most importantly for being there for me all summer long. All those things are memories we've made in just 2 and half short months. You have filled up a piece of my heart. I am so grateful to have met you. You really are beautiful in every way possible, and if you ever forget, I promise I'll always be here to remind you. Thank you for making me laugh harder than I have laughed in a long long time. Thank you for making me feel like I am capable of achieving anything I set my mind to. And thank you for taking my hand and making me a part of your world, "Life is amazing with you on the ride". You are my best friend. And if you asked me if I loved you....I wouldnt lie ;]

(< handshake haha)

These 6 people changed my life this summer. They helped me understand the true meaning of friendship. There are new footprints on my heart, and I know I will keep them there forever.

So much to say!

So I clearly have neglected this blog for quite some time now. A lot has gone on since then! I went to Disney World and did an internship for 8 months last May-January, and what do you know I'm back at Disney World again doing the summer alumni program for the summer! Ask me how much I love Disney World........
The answer is TOO MUCH. This place is magical and amazing. Everyday I get to see someone's dream come true. Sometimes it's a little girl in a princess dress telling me about her incredible day at the park, or a couple coming to celebrate their engagement, anniversary, or new marriage. All these people share one thing, it's the glow in their eyes that tells me I have the best job in the world. See, I witness dreams coming true. Families come from all over to world to spend a few days in a place full of magic; And I am blessed to spend my days here.
Other than Disney World, I also changed my major last semester! I am now on my way to becoming a Kindergarten teacher =] I decided that even though I love theater, I want a job where I am doing something to help someone, and who better to help than our future? These little children need good teachers to inspire them to be the best they can be and to show them they can achieve anything they dream of achieving. And that, my friends, is the kind of teacher I hope to be.
Another big thing that has been going on in my life lately is the realization of God's hand in my life. I am noticing that everything really does happen for a reason and that my Heavenly Father knows me personally and therefore directs me in the ways I need to go. Sometimes I stumble and fall and feel like there is no possible way I could ever get back up again, but that's when He comes in and reminds me that I am one of a kind and that if I follow Him I can pick myself up. I lost my Aunt and one of my closest friends in the past couple of years, and I honestly didn't understand why Heavenly Father would want things to be this way. My beautiful cousins Carter and Dylan lost their mother, and I lost my amazing Aunt. How could this be alright? But, like always, I learned that God knows what we can and cannot handle. He does not throw trials our way simply because he can, he does it because he knows we can overcome them and come out stronger. I love Him for this. I am a better person today because of the trials I have faced in the past 2 years. I am changed, but I have grown. I am strong and I am humbled.
I have been doing great! I have experienced magic and happiness, sorrow and tears, and I have learned so much. I promise to get better at this whole blog thing (a statement I KNOW I have used in the past) and even break out some pictures =]