best time of the year

Best thing about the Christmas holiday....no school, and getting to go home and do fun fun things with the family and spend those special times with all the ones you hold dear.

Here are some of us enjoying family night around the christmas tree...

We traveled down to vegas for T and Rhen's bowl game...while there we took some time to check out the christmas decorations at the Bellagio hotel. Here is a pic with my siblings, Dallin and Ange.

And here is one with some of the fam at the bowl game. Man ill miss seeing those bros play and that fun family time while on the mission...
But all in all it has been a wonderful holiday break, and I'm ready to live up the rest of it. haha

ps.....I LOVE MY FAMILY!!!

times have changed

So last night, I finished up my last college final of (now listen to this kids....)...2 years!!!! I'll go on my mission and then I won't be taking another final till december of 2011. So weird, so weird. I went on campus this morning to sell back my last book, and I almost cried at the thought that this may be the last time I step foot on byu campus for a long, long time. haha. JK, I didn't cry, but it was totally weird to think about. It's great though, new ventures await me in the furture.

Come next winter, I could be enjoyin some weather like this....


and what if I got a coat like this.....haha

yep...that's right kids

Well, yesterday I went home and opened up my mission call! And it is now done and official. I will be serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the.......

RUSSIA MOSCOW WEST MISSION!!!!!
I will of course be speaking Russian (wow! ha), and I report to the Provo MTC on February 10, 2010. (so crazy soon!)

Despite a little nervousness here and there about the whole thing, ha, I am extremely excited!! I love this gospel and I am so excited to share the happiness that I have through the gospel with the people in Russia.

what really matters

"This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now....Brothers and sisters, my sincere prayer is that we may adapt to the changes in our lives, that we may realize what is most important, that we may express our gratitude always and thus find joy in the journey."

-Thomas S. Monson

from 8 to 80

So you know when you are writing in your journal and you have a little extra time to thumb back to entries long past, and delve into an old you from years ago?? Well, just recently I did this, and the particular entry I liked wasn't necessarily years ago, but just a few months. It was back at the beginning of fall, right before the new semester was just about to begin. I had written about how crazy fast the summer had flown by, and about how weird it was to think that the fall semester was already upon us.

It kinda made me laugh, looking upon that, knowing that now that semester that I had long been looking forward to, slash dreading is basically over. Man! Time flies so crazy fast! And the more years that seem to pass me by, the faster they seem to fly. It's kinda fascinating actually. This past semester has flown, and a new year and new semester soon approaches. It still completely fathoms me how fast the chapters of our lives open and close. I'm actual quite nervous that time moves so fast that in the next 10 years I will basically be 80....or else that may be what it would seem like, haha.

So my goal and challenge to myself....make each day and each moment count because before you know it, those days and opportunities may be gone....Spend more time strengthening those relationships that can last you a lifetime and into the eternities.