This Holiday We Call Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. Aside from family, great food, and pumpkin pie (it's so good it deserves its own category), I love the spirit that comes with Thanksgiving. It seems like everyone is just....happier. For no specific reason, necessarily. And it seems most of the American population falls into this rut of holiday cheer from the third Thursday in November until the first day of January and then everyone suddenly comes down with the Winter Blues. I fall into this same trap, don't get me wrong, I just find it really interesting. Why can't we be grateful for what we have all the time? Funny how spoiled us Americans are...I found myself complaining the other day that my iPhone froze so I couldn't check my email for like two minutes. How pathetic that we consider situations like this a "problem," right? I've really been trying to be more grateful for the blessings I have (obviously, because it's after that third Thursday in November...haha) and I have realized more and more that we really do have so much to be thankful for. Especially here in Happy Valley, Utah. How often do we find ourselves complaining that we have to make our beds, clean our rooms, or do our laundry? And for each time we complain about doing these things, how many people are wishing they had a bed to make, a room to clean, and clothes to wear? It's humbling. 

We watched this video in one of my religion classes and it was so powerful. Watch it--I dare you. ;)

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/mormon-helping-hands-hurricane-sandy-video

My favorite part is when one victim is talking about all the devastation that has come from Hurricane Sandy because she said something that has stuck with me. In the midst of all this destruction--the victims being interviewed had pretty much lost everything--she said "we are luckier than a lot of people are." Wow. If someone who has just lost all worldly possessions can say they are lucky, how lucky (or blessed, rather) should we feel? There is a song by Josh Groban that I loooove. It's called Thankful. One of my favorite lines in the song says, "It's up to us to be the change. And even though we all can still do more, there's so much to be thankful for." 

Happy Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and Valentine's Day! (It will probably take me that long before I have time to get another post up...)

The Skinny Minnie

I was watching the Today show the other day when they showed a clip about Barneys New York and the new Electric Holiday Campaign. Barneys is giving classic Disney characters (Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck, Goofy, etc.) a makeover--their displays feature these characters dressed in high-fashion apparel and have made each of them stick-thin. These characters look more like sickly models than signature faces of the happiest place on earth. Here's a clip of the story: 

I do not agree with this at all. I think it is putting the wrong image into the heads of children, giving them the idea that they are not "fashionable" if they are not stick-thin like these characters. It also sends the message that they weren't good enough at the size they were before--so, in order to display them in New York City, they have to change how they look. What kind of messages is this sending children? And, on top of that, how many children actually believe the messages that are conveyed to them? I'd say it's probably quite a few, considering all the emphasis on media and technology that we have these days. Through replacing average-sized characters with extremely skinny ones, young girls (especially) become vulnerable to feeling like they aren't good enough if they don't look like these models, no matter how harmless Barneys meant for them to be. Anyway, I just found this really interesting so I hope you do too! Enjoy!

21.

Well, today I turned 21. Weird. But this year has been good to me. Life has been good to me in general. I've learned a lot in my 21 years of life (I know, I'm super experienced........). I have learned a few important lessons, though. So, in celebration of my 21st birthday, here are 21 things I have come to learn, or appreciate, in my wisdom-filled life so far ;).

1. Friends come and go, but family will be with you forever!
2. Do your best and be satisfied. Your best is all you have to offer-if you've given that, there's nothing to regret or feel bad about.
3. Attitude is everything. Think happy, be happy!
4. Always, always, always trust in Heavenly Father and his timing. He knows what's best for us and his will is going to be done no matter how much we try to control our own lives. Trusting in Him will bring us more peace than we can find any other way.
5. Exercise. Aside from keeping you healthy it's an instant happiness boost.
6. Make new friends and meet new people.
7. Service cures bad hair days, ugly outfit days, and days where everything seems to be going wrong. As soon as you think outside yourself and serve others, your problems seem trivial and you may even feel stupid for having your own little pity party.
8. When you are scared to do something, do it.
9. Mom is always right. I don't care what anyone else says...she's always right. And it's kind of freaky. ;)
10. Integrity is more important than fear or a bad grade.
11. There is no such thing as a "coincidence." Everything happens for a reason.
12. Know when to have fun and when to be serious.
13. Everybody loves to talk about themselves, so make people happy and ask about their lives. No one likes a self-centered chatter box :) (and I mean that in the nicest way possible).
14. Appearances only matter to an extent-a very small extent.
15. Happiness comes from living the way we know we are supposed to live.
16. When your room is clean it is much easier to get things done...whether they be in your room or not. Something about a dirty room irking the back of my mind prevents me from doing anything productive.
17. Music is medicine.
18. Everyone deserves respect-we are all children of God.
19. The Gospel doesn't always make sense, but it is ALWAYS true. It always has been and it always will be.
20. There is something good that comes from being busy. I don't quite know what it is, but being busy makes me happy and I feel accomplished.
21. Life can be hard, but if it weren't, it would never be good.

Here's to another year!

Happy Birthday Hannah!

The day has come. Hannah turned SIXTEEN today. So crazy. I love Hannah. We have so much fun together...I forget she is only 15 (well...16 now I guess haha) sometimes because we get along so great. She is such a sweet girl--and she has like 1 million friends to show it! Not to mention her adorable style--she borrows my clothes all the time. HAHA just kidding. She has such cute clothes that sometimes I actually copy her outfits or even buy the same shirts...whoops! We always have great times...like, for example, one time we got in trouble by the Costco manager because we snuck in without a card and went around to get all the samples (what else is Costco good for, right?). The workers apparently saw us sneak in and started getting on their radios, giving descriptions of what we look like and they all started searching for us until they finally tracked us down. It was great. And awkward. But mostly great. We can spend hours on end going shopping together, talking about Fashion Week, bike-riding, talking about good music, eating, driving, scooter-ing, and planning our half marathon goals (that WILL happen. Snow Canyon 2012 baby.). Oh, and we even got to spend a week at EFY together (I was a counselor, she was a participant...obviously)!! It was the best. What can we conclude from this? Doing things with Hannah is great. Hannah is just great. Yep.

I love you, Hannah! Thanks for being so smart, talented, beautiful, kind, and amazing! Happy sweet sixteen! Don't date too many boys! ;)

Rise and Shout!

Well, summer is over and school is back in session. Summer always goes by too fast...but winter seems to drag on forever...funny. Fall semester is actually my favorite, though. I love football season (I've never been a huge football fan in and of itself, but going to the games is just all around great for so many reasons). The first game of the season was last night. It was so great--we destroyed Washington State 30-6 and I had such a great time with friends and those free pom-poms they set on all the seats. Those things are obnoxiously great. I also love walking on campus during fall semester. Even if it is 99 degrees at least it's not bitter cold, and campus is just so pretty. I am starting my major classes this semester and I LOVE them so far (let's see if I still say that at the end of the semester...). Public Relations is so interesting to me. And I'm minoring in music, which I also love. So, it's going to be good when (or IF...) graduation ever comes and I can actually do things with these classes...you know, like in real life. Yeah. Here's to a great semester! 

P.S. I'm sure you've all seen this. But it's hilarious. So, if you need a good laugh, just watch it again. Totally worth it. Enjoy!

Elder Hampton is on his way!

Today we dropped Jake off at the MTC. It was definitely a bitter-sweet day. We have been so close...it's going to be hard not having him around for two years. But he is going to be the BEST missionary--I'm so excited for him. Read the blog we are doing for him for all the details of today, pictures and all. :) 

elderhampton.blogspot.com

Happy Wednesday (which I will now and forever think of as missionary-drop-off day.)!!

the farewell.

Yesterday was Jake's farewell and, let me tell you, it was so good. He is such a good speaker and a very talented writer so the two put together equals an amazing farewell talk. It's such a weird feeling to be at this point in our lives where Jake is leaving on his mission. Like in two days. Crazy. For the past 19 years it has seemed so far away...but now it's here. I thought by then I'd feel all old or something but, no, I still feel like a baby and he does not seem old enough for a mission. Where does time go?! When I was little I imagined myself fully married and with like three kids by the time Jake was leaving hahaha. But, clearly, that would be freaky if that were the current situation. I could not be happier for him--he is going to be AMAZING! He has such a strong testimony and is such a wonderful kid. The Costa Ricans are so lucky to have him for two years and I know they are going to adore him. I am going to miss him tons and tons while he is gone, but I wouldn't have it any other way. He has been such an example to me growing up. Being the oldest I always felt like I should be the good example, but he has ended up being the good example to me and to everyone he comes in contact with. He is going to be the best missionary--Costa Rica will not know what hit them! ;) How did I get so lucky to have such a wonderful brother? Who knows...but I would not trade him for the world.

P.S. we are going to keep a blog for Jake where we'll post letters, pictures, etc. Be sure to follow it! elderhampton.blogspot.com

Isn't he a stud?!

Display table at the farewell

The Hampton extended family

Official Mission Pic! (How missionary-ish. I love it.)

I LOVE YOU, JAKE! HAPPY MISSION!