Over the summer I had the opportunity to visit Yellowstone National Park with some coworkers. As we were driving along, Heidi, our unofficial tour-guide, mentioned the great forest-fire of ’88, and from there began to talk about the health of the trees today. One thing she said really struck me. In essence:
“The trees now are too close together. Because of this they are able to protect each other from the wind, but that in turn keeps them from becoming strong, and then it’s easy for them to be destroyed by little things such as beetles. When they’re farther apart, they’re less protected from the wind, and so become stronger.”
At least that’s how my brain, always searching for symbolism, remembers what she said. But it made me think: sometimes, when life gets hard, it might seem like we’re on our own. Like there’s no one there who can help us. And while we can always turn to God, I believe that he will only help us as much as we absolutely need. Life is supposed to be difficult; to be so hard we’re not sure how we can make it through. But those are the times when we grow the most; when we’ve been pushed so hard the only way to make it through is to be stronger than we thought we were – and so we become stronger than we used to be.

I remember my first month of college. My first month of living on my own. No parents and only one person that was not a new acquaintance. As much as I loved it, it was so difficult. It was stressful. Really, really stressful. But it taught me to be independent. I learned to be responsible, to be self-disciplined, to get along with roommates. It increased my confidence exponentionally. There was never a time, throughout that whole month – or since then, for that matter – when I was not happy with my decision to move out on my own.

Life is hard. But it’s the hard times that enable us to learn and grow like we were sent here to do. And as we learn to deal with these hard times, our confidence and happiness grow. It is the hard times that make life worth it.

Dead End?

This past weekend I had the opportunity to hike Buckskin Gulch with some amazing friends. While hiking through one of the world's longest slot canyons, we came upon a spot where, looking ahead, it seemed there was a dead end. Our limited vision showed no signs of the canyon continuing. However, we had faith and continued walking towards the supposed "dead end". As we did so, we found the canyon curving sharply to the right. It indeed continued, opening more beautiful canyon to our eyes. This happened a few more times during our adventure and I couldn't help but think of the scripture 1 Corinthians 10:13, that the Lord would "make a way to escape". I thought about how sometimes you feel like you're doing all you can to move forward in life, but the future doesn't look the way you think it should look. You wonder what you're supposed to do, why the Lord's put a "dead end" in the way. If you stop moving forward, trusting in the Lord, you'll never see the escape, or the way that the canyon curves to allow you to progress in the journey. During Relief Society on Sunday we were talking about Paul's conversion. As we read Acts 9:6, I noticed how the Lord only told Paul to go to the city, He didn't tell him the whole plan. So it is with us. The Lord gives us line upon line, one step at a time. Once we get there, He can tell us more. I think if we were to hear the whole plan it might be a little overwhelming.

I came across this commercial a day or so ago that demonstrates our need to move forward. Trapped on an Escalator - YouTube. When we find that things aren't going the way we think they should, maybe we should re-evaluate what we can do. Sometimes the Lord expects us to find our own solutions because we have the ability to make the difference. The Lord can work miracles in our lives, but sometimes we're waiting so much on those BIG miracles that we miss seeing the small miracles- the power that He's already given us and our ability to make our circumstances better. So keep moving forward!

The Value of Adventure

Presentations – BYU–Idaho

We're Not That Different in the End

A lot has changed in my life over the last couple of weeks. I up and moved to Page, Arizona where I will be teaching 2nd grade in a school with 60% Navajo students. I haven't really had experience with Navajos, but I love learning about different cultures and am excited about the new adventure. Today I was talking to a friend who told me of a trip he took with a service group to a Navajo reservation. He related how there were gang-type groups of Native Americans who would graffiti the walls and how the government had paid money for all of the walls to be repainted every year. That several years previous, the government had given them the materials necessary to build fences and none of the places had fences. How they wouldn't get up and work to fix anything. Instead they sat around complaining about what they didn't have while the volunteers worked hard to get them what they felt they needed. Now I'm not saying Navajos are lazy and ungrateful, I haven't met any yet that are and I know that there are all types in all cultures. But, I began to think about what he told me, I realized that we are not immune from that type of behavior. The Lord gives us everything we need to create a successful and joyful life yet, there are times when we sit there and complain about what we don't have and how we deserve more. We're the ones sitting, watching and expecting the Lord to do all the work while we reap the benefits. Everything we have comes from the Lord and we don't always choose to focus on what we have or the fact the Lord has helped us obtain it. Instead we're wondering why certain things have or haven't happened in our lives. I told this friend that some of the Navajo here don't even have running water and he responded, "I don't feel sorry for them, they can get it if they want to." It made me wonder if I'm missing out on any blessings that are available to me because of my stubbornness. The Lord has promised us a lot more than running water if we but come unto Him, are we doing our small part to obtain it? If I by chance, happen to meet a Navajo who is like me friend described, I'll be able to relate. Because in the end, we're not all that different.

Holes

Here's a writing piece I wrote my freshman year of college.
I remember it as a perfectly warm day in May. I felt some nervousness as I situated myself in the kayak and looked down the river. This would be my first river run in a kayak. Good thing my experienced dad would be beside me the whole time. He scanned the river, "See that hole straight across from you? That's a nasty hole, I don't think you're ready for it, but the best path for these rapids is on the other side of that hole. So what I want you to do," he continued, "Is to ferry on up the river and get tot he other side of the hole. Just don't hit that hole." He warned me.
I nodded and looked at the rapids I would have to face. Excitement and nervousness filled my body. I slid myself down from the bank, into the river and began paddling hard. All too soon, however, I noticed the rapids quickly approaching and realized that I wouldn't make it far enough across the river. I was headed right for the hole! I turned by boat forward so I could at least meet my challenge face on. As I saw my opposition, a sheer look of terror spread across my face, "could I make it through this?" I wondered. The waves came crashing around me, and I felt the exhilaration of kayaking a river. After the rapids, I looked back through what I had gone through, "I went over that" I thought, amazed. "If I did that, maybe I can conquer this river!" My dad caught up with me, I was still breathing hard, trying to calm myself down after all the excitement. I turned to him with a big smile, "That was fun!" I exclaimed. I've learned that the river of life is much the same way; it's not always smooth going, but the rough spots make it interesting, You may be frightened at the sight of a big challenge, but after it's all over, you look back and realize how good that experience was for you. These holes in life are where you gain courage and grow the most.

Finding our own path

"No one knows I'm out here" I thought. "No one will know to come searching for me. It could be days before anyone wanders out this way." I was alone and lost in the unfamiliar wilderness. Earlier that morning I had prayed that I would learn from my solitary road trip. As soon as those words came out, I realized that it was a mistake to ask for that, so I quickly added "but keep me safe." But it was too late, the words had already been spoken and I felt that there would be some kind of predicament ahead. So there I was, in Arches National Park. It had been a wonderful drive with beautiful scenery. I chose to hike Devil's Garden Primitive Loop because it was a longer hike which meant less tourists, more solitude. Plus, longer hikes usually have the best scenery. This was definitely the case with Devil's Garden. I felt like a giddy school girl, skipping down the trail and every time I turned a corner I would clap my hands in joy to see as I witnessed a new landscape as amazing as the last. I was in my element hiking through the sand and climbing over the sandstone rocks. Half way through the hike I came to Double O' Arch where I saw a sign with arrows indicating the direction to the main trail. It seemed to be directing hikers through the Double O Arch to the other side. After taking a short side trail to see the Dark Angel, I headed back and through Double O Arch. I'm still not exactly sure where I went wrong because I was following a beaten path which led me to a canyon where I had to down climb. At one point in the down climb, it was necessary to straddle a branch and climb down. This seemed a little odd for me. I'm not unfamiliar with this type of canyoneering, but it seemed out of place for this hike. As I figured out a way to get down, the thought crossed my mind "What if I need to come back up, will I be able to do it?" But I had followed a trail here so this had to be the right way. I continued down and out of the canyon and followed the tracks for aways, but then I noticed the tracks growing sparser and sparser until the only tracks I could see seemed to be rabbit tracks. Out in the wilderness, I generally have some sense of direction and know which way to go, so I had hiked in the direction where I felt the hike would lead me. This led me to some ledges which gave me a better view of the area. I searched for any signs of trails or the parking lot or any kind of marker that I could make my way towards and although I could see aways out, I found no help in the landscape. I tried to suck the last of my water out of my camelback and felt the dryness in my throat. The thunder in the distance only added to the drama. Part of me was sure that if I kept going in the direction I was headed, I would find a trail, but there was another feeling telling me maybe I needed to go back to the log and climb back up, retrace my steps and find my way. Going back didn't sound very adventurous and would take time, I was aways from the canyon, but I knew I was lost so I said a quick prayer asking Heavenly Father which way I should go and felt that I should go back. So I swallowed some pride and headed back. Along the way I noticed a crudely constructed cairn (a pile of rocks that marks the way for hikers). "Perfect!" I thought feeling relieved, "I don't have to go all the way back up to the log, I must have gotten off track somewhere around here." I hiked to the cairn, found the footprints going past it and followed them for a little ways in a slightly different direction. I figured this was the main path, that I really didn't need to go back all the way to the branch in the canyon, but I had found the trail I needed. It wasn't too long, however, before these tracks began to thin out and I was again without a trail. I retraced my steps, made it back to a previous trail and tried again. This happened a few times with no luck and I remember praying for a miracle. I knew I couldn't do this on my own. I wanted to hear voices or see something that would direct me in the right way, because my attempts weren't working. It started to sprinkle and this made me a little nervous. I knew there was more slick rock to climb over and wet slick rock is even more slippery and harder to climb. I also had no idea what time it was, I hadn't even thought to bring a flashlight. What if I was still out here when it was dark? I finally decided those who had come down the canyon and made all of the tracks I had been following must have been out exploring on their own. I wasn't going to find the main trail out here and I had already wasted a lot of time being lost. I needed to get back to the sign by the Double O'Arch and make sure that it really told me to go through the arch. This meant I would have to find the canyon that I came down. I looked over in the direction of the canyon and saw a handful of possible canyons . I didn't know if I would be able to find the one I had come down. I again said a silent prayer. It took me looking up a few canyons before I recognized some familiar rocks that I had used to climb down. I climbed back up them and was able to make it back up the log with more ease than it had taken to get down. At the top of the canyon I followed the trail back, but it led me to a cliff with no way to get down. How had I made it to the canyon in the first place? I looked around for sign of the arch, but didn't see anything familiar, so I headed back on the trail looking for more trails to lead me in the right direction, but instead found another canyon which I started to go down, but soon was able to see a straight drop off. No way to get down that canyon either. A little frustrated, I headed back up to the trail. I was again stuck. I must have been very much in my own thoughts on the way here because nothing looked familiar. Then I noticed a small side trail leading up the side of a rock. It looked like a less used path, but I was desperate for anything. I took the path and climbed up the side of the rock which luckily had some good cracks where I could place my feet. Climbing up I thought, "I sure hope I don't have to climb back down this because I don't think I can." But I was already half way up and I didn't have any better ideas. At the top of the rock I searched for the arch, but still couldn't see it. As I was scanning the area, however, I noticed another cairn. I had already been deceived by a cairn on this hike, but this one looked more legit. Not just any hiker would have built this one. I looked for a way to get down to it and had to climb around on the top of the ridge for a little to find a safe way down. Once I arrived on the other side, I hiked to the cairn and noticed another cairn up ahead. I continued to follow cairn after cairn. I was fairly sure that this was the path. But it wasn't until I heard other hikers and saw another sign that my relief was complete. After all that wandering I had made it! And a wise Heavenly Father had answered my prayers of helping me learn something and keeping me safe. As I was wandering about being lost, I realized that there's a path for each of us in this life, a mission for all of us. Sometimes with so many decisions to make it's hard to know which one is right. I thought I was following good trails so many times when I was lost, but they never led me to where I needed to be. Had I just sat down and waited for a miracle, for someone to save me, I would have never found my way out. I had to be proactive...and persistent. This is the way that God leads us, as we go forth, trying to make the best decisions, He guides us. I could tell when I was lost again because there was no trail. The Lord has a way of letting us know when there's a better option and then we reevaluate, just like the many times I reevaluated my route and often we have to go back and remember what's most important in life, what our goals are. As we're journeying through we have to be searching for signs that we're on the right track. After a lot of searching I was finally able to find a cairn, a legit cairn. When we are on the right track, there's a peaceful feeling that accompanies it, that lets us know we're doing what the Lord wants us to be doing. There is a difference, however between the cairns on the trail and the one that other travelers had set up. We may feel happy or that we're having a good time, but that's not quite the joy that accompanies one who has found their path in life. You can imagine the joy I felt as I stepped off the trail into the parking lot. I took a big drink of water from the fountain and filled my camelback. It was so refreshing! I imagine that's how we'll feel when we return after successfully completing our sojourn on this earth.

Anchored

I was with a group of friends kayaking upstream through the Black Canyon, only a short ways from being able to see Hoover Dam from the river. We had spent half of the previous day and the first part of this particular day paddling hard upstream, figuring out that the closer you are to the side of the river, the more progress you could make. We had to fight to move forward and if you were further from the edge you might be paddling as hard and furious and you could, but not moving up the canyon at all. And you can image what would have happened had we stopped paddling all together. There are some things in life that we should stick close and when we do we progress more rapidly; but that's an analogy for another time...

There were a few spots along the side of the river to explore, alcoves where the you could see the water shine a beautiful shade of aqua. There was also a canyon or two where we could climb up to find natural hot springs. The water had formed a sort of a bay to the side of the river where one of these canyons started so it was a perfect spot to park our kayaks. We moved our boats out of the water and headed off to enjoy the hot springs and eat lunch. While we were gone, water was let out of the dam. We returned to find the water level had risen considerably and our kayaks gone. The only boats that remained were those from other groups that had been tied up. I should have known better! I've always been told to tie up boats in case the water rises, but we weren't going to be gone for very long and we figured it was too much hassle to find a way to tie them.

We live in a world that is ever changing in values and beliefs. Society would have you believe that you need to flow with it. Do that and you'll be up a creek without a boat. Stuck. We need to be anchored to something immovable, something that will stand strong no matter what happens around it. Ether 12:4 and Helaman 5:12 teach us what this anchor should be. Faith and hope in Jesus Christ, in the atonement.

You may want to hear the end of the story. We weren't stranded on the river. The Lord was watching out for us. When the water started to rise and the boats started to float away, a couple happened to be close by and were without even knowing whose boats were unanchored, brought them to higher ground. But I learned my lesson. Even if I don't think I'll be gone long, tie the boats up!

Fearful

"I am not going down by myself". I sternly told my brother. We had borrowed our mother's inflatable kayak which we had used for some fun river adventures while we were living in Jackson for the summer. We had run Lower Canyon a couple of times when the water level was high and the waves in California Curler were big enough to knock me back, but Daniel had always been the guide. I trusted his judgement on the river. But today he wanted to try kayaking which would mean I would be in my mom's duckie by myself, I would be the one guiding it. I had told him there was no way I would do it. Thoughts of the waves at Big Kahuna and Lunch Counter scared me. I didn't trust myself to maneuver safely over those rapids. Somehow my brother made me think that maybe he wouldn't kayak, that we would be in the duckie together, so I went along with him. But as we approached the Boys Camp, where his kayak was stored, I began to get really nervous. My brother, seemingly uninterested in my anxiety told me, "find someone here to go with you." As awkward as it was to ask guys who were more acquaintances than friends to go with me, I decided it was worth it. I wasn't skilled enough to guide myself down that river! I had no luck. Everyone already had plans. We left for the put-in, my brother with his kayak, and me empty-handed. My brother and I had a system going to get things ready for the river. I would pump up the duckie while he drove his truck to the take-out and hitched a ride back. While he was gone, some of his river guiding friends from the ward showed up with their kayaks. "Oh great!" I thought sarcastically. I had always thought these guys were the coolest and I really wanted to impress them since they were more my brother's friends than mine. "This is going to be embarrassing, now they'll really know how unskilled and unadventurous I am." I waited anxiously for my brother, hoping he would return quickly so we could start before this group. However, my brother was grateful to have more of his friends there, turns out he was a little nervous to be in his kayak and having more experts around meant more people to rescue him if the need arose. So all of us headed out together. What I had dreaded had come to be, I was on the duckie by myself. My thoughts were still on the bigger rapids that wouldn't come until almost the end. In a way it was a blessing to have a bigger group who knew the river. They were able to indicate where the dangerous spots were, but my thoughts were so focused on Big Kahuna and Lunch Counter and being in the duckie by myself that I wasn't really enjoying myself. I didn't take many risks, stayed to the side of rapids if I thought they looked too big. Rapids that I would have been fine with had my brother been in the boat with me. The closer I got to the dreaded rapids, the more nervous I got, and the less fun I was having. I was able to skirt the side of Big Kahuna and miss most of it, but I knew there would be no missing Lunch Counter, which was soon approaching; that rapid took up the whole river. I couldn't take it anymore, I couldn't do it, I had made my decision and right before the rapid, I brought my boat to the side and got out on dry land. I watched everyone else go by, relieved that I was out of the river. I then had to get to work, rolling the duckie up while I tried to clean off the dirt, haul it up the hill to the parking lot. As I did so I began thinking, "maybe I could have done it" My brother's truck drove into the lot and I got in with him and one of the boys who had done the trip with us. I was embarrassed because I had wimped out, but tried to make friendly conversation. After dropping the guy off, I called my dad, hoping for some reassurance, someone to tell me that it was good for me to drop out if I felt like it was too dangerous. Instead I got the response, "you could have done it." I'm sure it was well-intentioned, but it made me feel worse. Why had I been so scared?

Fear is a funny thing. There are times when it is good to have a sense of fear. It keeps people from getting too close to the edge of a cliff. But how many times do we worry too much about our fears, that we aren't able to enjoy the here and now? That kind of fear makes life unenjoyable. Sometimes we are capable of overcoming whatever it was that we feared so much, but because we focused so much on our fears and doubts, that we end up bailing or not trying our hardest.

The way kids see things

One reason I love working with kids is their comments that make me laugh. Often this is due to their misinterpretation of things. I'll admit I did the same kind of thing when I was young. I knew a little about colleges, that my mom went to BYU which she sometimes called "the Y" and my dad went to the U. I remember wondering if I knew anyone that went to "the B". The other day I heard a student say, "I used to live in Utah, now I live in Utah's Best Mix". A boy last year told me "I'm a carnivore because I eat meat and I'm a vegetarian because I eat vegetables." Sometimes kids look at the facts and draw the wrong conclusions. For example, I overheard an older elementary student say, "All of the girls in my class that have a boyfriend have brown hair. You know so and so? She is really pretty and has blonde hair and USED to have a boyfriend, but not anymore, it's just the brown haired girls. My mom dyed her hair brown and that's when she met my dad. See?" Now that one I do wish were a little more true :)

I wonder if that's the way Heavenly Father thinks about our reasoning. Compared to Him we've still got a lot of understanding to obtain, so I'm sure our views are a little skewed and he probably gets to laugh at our misconstrued ideas.

Gratitude

I am blessed with an amazing family heritage. My relatives and ancestors possess certain qualities that I admire and hope someday to obtain. The Joneses, for example, are characterized by their easy-going nature, their optimism and their ability to find joy in whatever circumstance life brings.

Last summer, on my Shoshone Lake adventure, I was able to observe my uncle exemplify these attributes as I spent time with him and my aunt. After canoeing over Lewis Lake, then through the channel that connected it with Shoshone Lake, we made it to our first campsite, complete with a small beach, a solar powered toilet and a private meadow in the backyard. We set up camp and had just gotten our stoves out to start cooking dinner when we began to feel water coming from above. I remember huddling close to my stove, trying to block the wind and rain. It was my first time cooking on a backpacking stove and it wasn't working so well. It wasn't an easy task to get our stoves working and our food cooked in the rain, but somehow we managed. When the rain finally did stop, my uncle, instead of focusing on how difficult the rain had made things, commented on how nice the rain felt, on how beautiful it made everything look. The next day, we did our best to dry our gear off, load it on the canoes and head off to our second campsite, located across the lake. At this new site, we hiked a small hill to set up camp, from which we could walk a short distance to the edge of a cliff to have an amazing view of the lake. I could tell my uncle really enjoyed this new spot. He commented, something to the effect of how lucky we were. That our first campsite was beautiful, and that although this new campsite was different, it was also a wonderful spot. That night there wasn't any rain and my uncle told us how grateful he was for the sun. "Funny," I thought, "just yesterday you told us how much you love the rain. Now you're grateful for the sun." Everything we encountered in our journey, he seemed to sincerely enjoy. I image that whatever the weather or circumstance, he would have found plenty of reasons to love it.

So how do we do it? How do we find joy in everything we encounter in life? In my institute class we were talking about how Satan got Eve to partake of the fruit. Eve was surrounded by good fruits that she could eat and there was only one that she was told not to eat. That's what Satan got her to focus on and that's when she fell. That's the way we fall as well; when we focus on what we can't have, don't have, or whatever we perceive to be going wrong in our lives. President Monson said, "A grateful heart, then, comes through expressing gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His blessings and to those around us for all that they bring into our lives. This requires conscious effort—at least until we have truly learned and cultivated an attitude of gratitude." So it takes a conscious effort to make any circumstance a good circumstance.

This last weekend I went on another family adventure where I noticed something potential hurdles in our lives. My dad, brother, aunt and uncle rode in kayaks while my mom and I paddled an inflatable kayak down Muddy Creek, a creek that runs through a canyon in the San Rafeal Swell area. The water level was about a foot lower than what we would have deemed perfect, which meant there were lots of rocks to avoid along the way. No one in the group escaped without hitting and getting stuck on rocks, but the duckie was a little harder to maneuver and with our lack of skill, my mom and I became rock magnets and for our boat seemed to find more than its fair share of rocks. Somewhere in the stretch of our run, I learned the best way to approach the river. First, keep a sharp eye out for signs of rocks. Many times they are hidden just under the water, but if you watch the water, you will see curlers on the ends of the waves, letting you know where the rocks are. Once you spot the rocks, you do your best to maneuver around them. Sometimes there's too many in the way, your reaction time wasn't quick enough or a number of other reasons and you end up hitting them anyways. If this happens, when you see that there is no way to avoid hitting the rocks, learn towards them, not away. If you lean away from the rock, you're more likely to fall out of the boat, so leaning towards it is the best bet to keeping you safe. In life we do our best to avoid sticky or tough situations. We have to fight for what we want to happen, but there will be times when no matter what we do, we find ourselves headed straight towards an obstacle. When we know we can't avoid it, it's time to lean towards it, embrace it, make it a sweetness in our lives. We do this by focus on the good it brings or can bring into our lives and then it becomes a blessing. In this life we are confronted with many obstacles that have the potential to either strengthen us or make us miserable. The difference is our attitude, how we approach the situation. Do we, like my uncle, look for the good in everything that we encounter; thus making life sweet. Or do we tend to focus on what we lack. Although it's not always easy, it takes practice and conscious effort, the choice is ultimately ours.

Conqueror

It was late July and my summer adventure would soon be coming to an end. I had been living, working and exploring the great outdoors in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Having a whole free day to myself I decided that there was a hike that needed to be conquered. I had attempted this canyon three years previously when some friends took me there. I remember thinking how steep and hard core that climb was. I took several breaks to rest and gather strength. I remember running out of water and wondering if I could make it much further without any (luckily a friend had some to spare me).

With memories of my last endeavor running through my mind, I headed up the mountain. The scenery was beautiful and wildlife was abundant. Before I knew it, I was on the switchbacks and I began to climb. Not so bad, I thought and I continued upward. As I arrived at Surprise Lake, my destination, I questioned Am I already here?" I remembered it being so much harder last time. This time I think I stopped only one time the whole way up for about five seconds to get a swig of water. I enjoyed the scenery, of the lake, hiked up to the next lake and then back down. At the bottom, I looked at my clock and was amazed, it was only mid-afternoon, I still had half a day to explore! Last time I had hiked this canyon it had been a whole day event and that's what I had expected this trip would be! I was amazed at how much more active I had become. How had it happened?

I think sometimes we don't realize how strong we've become or how much we've progressed. I had spent the summer hiking or biking almost daily because Jackson had so much beauty to be enjoyed. My daily activities, little by little, made me that much more in shape. I was lucky that day to be able to compare my old hiking self to the hiker I had become.

With some aspects of life it's hard to look back and see how much we've grown because certain types of progress are hard to measure. How do I know if I'm becoming more charitable, patient, courageous, or outgoing? It happens just like a good hike- one step at a time; just like I became more fit one hike or bike ride at a time. People in my high school, and even into college, knew me as a shy, quiet person. Sometimes I still have those shy tendencies where I don't really feel like going out of my way to talk to others, or I'm scared to talk to someone I don't know very well. But every time I do, I'm taking another step up my mountain; making one of my weaknesses a strength. In my experience, a good trail is one that will lead you to an amazing view that makes the whole trip worth while. When you can look down and see how far you've come you feel a great sense of accomplishment. It also gives you a better view and understanding of the layout of the land. However, the trail to the top will lead you to places, covered with trees or behind the mountain where you can't see how far you've come or how much progress you've made. But you don't give up, you keep climbing, you trust that the end will be worth it. That's life, we press on and trust that we really are becoming better. It may not be till after this life that we discover how truly worth it our journey is.

Laugh it up!

I have a problem laughing at the wrong time. I don't mean to, in fact sometimes I don't realize I've laughed until someone points it out. A few months ago I was sitting in a truck at a gas station waiting for some friends when I overheard a couple nearby arguing. I didn't know the whole situation, but the whole disagreement seemed pretty trivial, so for some odd reason, I laughed. The girl looked over and for a second, I froze. I hadn't realized the truck window was down and the laugh was accidental! I was scared that she might come over and yell at me. Luckily, she didn't. She actually gave out a small laugh. Phew! I was saved, my problem with my involuntary laugh hadn't killed me...yet. There have been a few occasions where my roommate has come out of her room with a fun outfit or new article of clothing that she's purchased and asks what we think. I love my roommate's style, it's outgoing and full of colors. But before I voice my opinion my roommate comments about how I laughed at her. Had I laughed? I guess I had, but if I did it was out of pure happiness because her outfit is so fun. Wrong time to laugh. I promise her I'm not laughing AT her outfit, but it sure sounded like it. So if I laugh at you, don't take offense, it probably doesn't mean anything. Like my dad always told me, "I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you except you're not laughing"

I wish I had the words to describe the beauty of the scenery that surrounded me as I looked over the lake. The sunset was full of brilliant colors and there was a calm feeling that filled the air. It had been one of those trips that I'd always wanted to do, canoe camping at Shoshone Lake. Getting the permit for this trip was easier than expected but finding people willing and able to come with was near impossible. Why doesn't everyone get summers off like I do? Luckily, I have a retired aunt and uncle who are still in good enough shape for all types of adventures. I learned a lot about life from the stories and experiences they told, but it was here, as I sat on a ledge, looking out on God's creations, that I discovered for myself, a great lesson about life. The hills surrounding the lake were filled with pine trees and yet I noticed that they weren't in perfect lines. In fact, there were small sections where the trees had burned down years ago and trees here and there that had just gotten old and had fallen down. Then I noticed the hill to the side of me that showed signs of a small rock slide down to the lake. Nature does have a sense of order to it, but it's also got flowers scattered her and there, trees and rocks dispersed throughout in no particular order. It's the randomness makes it unique and breathtaking. Isn't that just like our lives? Things don't always go according to what we plan, yet most things tend to work out in the end and even produce better results than what we could have imagined. Nature is the perfect example of this. When destruction happens, instead of fighting against it, nature just lets it happen, realizing that there is some bigger plan involved than just the here and now. Realizing that a tree that falls down will provide needed minerals to the soil. Realizing that some of the biggest destruction creates the canyons that millions come to admire. What some might call "destruction" actually added to the beauty. Now when I don't understand why certain things are happening, or aren't happening in my life, I just remember to "let things be". Trust in God and He will make my life beautiful. That's what I did when I received what I thought to be the most intimidating calling of Sunday School teacher- sure I teach elementary school, but those kids will believe anything you tell them, being a Sunday School teacher means that I have to get up in front of my peers (I leave the role of center of attention to my roommates) and know enough about the Old Testament to keep a lesson going. That's what I did when things at work didn't turn out the way I thought they should. Just keep going- you'll find a reason for everything eventually.