Since Sunday was National Siblings day, I'm going to write about my two awesome brothers! I love them both very much and am grateful for all they do for me. I'd like to share some fun memories I have with or of my brothers.
I remember one time in elementary school I was sitting with my friends at lunch and we were talking about our siblings. And she said "I wish that we could trade brothers". And I looked over at my brother who was sitting at another table and immediately thought, "I wouldn't trade them for anything."
I've always been very grateful that my brothers are so caring and supportive of me. They come to the games I'm cheering at, and they even cheer for me! They realize that sometimes I need more help with things than another person might. And they are willing, most of the time to let me hang out with them and their friends and do the things they are.
Over the past year I've started to really enjoy car rides as a time to get to know and spend time with them. Since all of us have very busy schedules, sometimes we don't have a lot of time to spend with each other, so I love times like these.
I'm very grateful for my brothers and the great support and friends they are to me. I have often thought about what it would be like to be an only child, and I think it would be kind of boring. When I was younger it was kind of hard for me to believe that your siblings could be some of your closest friends. But now that I'm older and I have the need for those good friends, my brothers are some of my best friends. I will be forever grateful for my brothers.
I remember one time in elementary school I was sitting with my friends at lunch and we were talking about our siblings. And she said "I wish that we could trade brothers". And I looked over at my brother who was sitting at another table and immediately thought, "I wouldn't trade them for anything."
I've always been very grateful that my brothers are so caring and supportive of me. They come to the games I'm cheering at, and they even cheer for me! They realize that sometimes I need more help with things than another person might. And they are willing, most of the time to let me hang out with them and their friends and do the things they are.
Over the past year I've started to really enjoy car rides as a time to get to know and spend time with them. Since all of us have very busy schedules, sometimes we don't have a lot of time to spend with each other, so I love times like these.
I'm very grateful for my brothers and the great support and friends they are to me. I have often thought about what it would be like to be an only child, and I think it would be kind of boring. When I was younger it was kind of hard for me to believe that your siblings could be some of your closest friends. But now that I'm older and I have the need for those good friends, my brothers are some of my best friends. I will be forever grateful for my brothers.
Always have hope,
Colby
I've grown to love this Easter season more the past couple of years as I have gotten older and realized the true meaning of this holiday. I think when we're kids we focus on the fun stuff about the holidays; the presents at Christmas, the Easter egg hunts, the fireworks at the Fourth of July, etc. But I think as we get older, we start to focus on the importance of the holiday.
On Saturday morning we made Resurrection Rolls. Afterwards my mom asked us to think about a personal reason that we are grateful for Easter and the Resurrection.
I've been thinking about this for the past couple of days. Of course I thought of the generic reasons that everyone thinks of. But I think the main reason I'm grateful for Easter, the Resurrection, and the Atonement.
The lessons we had were great and taught me a lot more about the Atonement and all the the things it is there to help me and comfort me. I gained a different perspective on the Resurrection and how we will "be surprised how well we know our Savior when we see Him."
I'm grateful for this Easter holiday and everything I was able to learn and reflect on. It made me more grateful for my Savior and everything He has done and continues to do for me. This will definitely be an Easter to remember.
Please watch the Easter video on lds.org!!
Always have hope,
On Saturday morning we made Resurrection Rolls. Afterwards my mom asked us to think about a personal reason that we are grateful for Easter and the Resurrection.
I've been thinking about this for the past couple of days. Of course I thought of the generic reasons that everyone thinks of. But I think the main reason I'm grateful for Easter, the Resurrection, and the Atonement.
The lessons we had were great and taught me a lot more about the Atonement and all the the things it is there to help me and comfort me. I gained a different perspective on the Resurrection and how we will "be surprised how well we know our Savior when we see Him."
I'm grateful for this Easter holiday and everything I was able to learn and reflect on. It made me more grateful for my Savior and everything He has done and continues to do for me. This will definitely be an Easter to remember.
Please watch the Easter video on lds.org!!
Always have hope,
Colby
This weekend was filled with fun Christmas parties and other family activities. On Thursday we had the Now I Can Christmas party. The ward party was on Friday, along with a fun basketball game.
The Now I Can party is one of my favorites every year. It is so fun to see the joy on the kids' faces as they play the games and receive gifts. This year my friend and I got to help with the karaoke station. Some of those kids can get very into those songs! It was a very good evening of service and made the party more enjoyable. Plus, there was good food!
On Friday, we had our ward Christmas party. We did it a little bit different this year than in years past. There was activities for the kids starting at 5, so they could sit still later. And then the dinner started at 6. I got to lead the opening hymn, Joy to the World. The Primary kids sang a very upbeat version of Jingle Bells. Since my dad is the new Bishop, he read a story to the ward about Santa Claus. Later, members of the ward went caroling and brought meals to those who couldn't attend.
Right after the ward party, my friend and I went to the Provo High basketball game. When we got there it was 0-0. But we started scoring and the lead would change every few minutes. In the middle of the 4th quarter, we were up by 11, but then we started losing it. With .6 seconds left, they made a 3, sending it into overtime. Those 4 minutes were some of the longest of my life. It went back and forth with both teams on the free throw line constantly. But we ended up winning by 5. It was super intense.
I'm grateful for this time of year and the many activities we can enjoy, Christmas related or not. This is one of my favorite times of the year and I'm looking forward to the rest of the month.
Christmas Advent GIF day 7
Luke 1: 41-42 - "When Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb."
Colby
Sorry I haven't written at all this week, I've been really busy and haven't had much time. I will try to do better in the coming weeks!
I was watching a Hallmark movie the other day that talked about Halloween and the fun holiday that it can be. To me Halloween has always been a pointless holiday. I just think it costs a lot of money and time. My parents often get stressed when it's Halloween because my brother's are worried about their costumes. But this movie kind of changed my perspective on this holiday.
In the movie it talked about how Halloween is kind of the start of all of the holidays. You start to get decorations out and spend time with family. I think this is a great way to think of Halloween, instead of the scary holiday that everyone likes to think of it as.
Funny Halloween story:) When I was little and living in Oregon, we were at my grandparents' house. Some kids came to the door and one of them was dressed in a really scary mask that scared me like crazy! So I usually don't like going to the door just in case one of them is creepy!
Have a Happy Halloween!
Always have hope,
I was watching a Hallmark movie the other day that talked about Halloween and the fun holiday that it can be. To me Halloween has always been a pointless holiday. I just think it costs a lot of money and time. My parents often get stressed when it's Halloween because my brother's are worried about their costumes. But this movie kind of changed my perspective on this holiday.
In the movie it talked about how Halloween is kind of the start of all of the holidays. You start to get decorations out and spend time with family. I think this is a great way to think of Halloween, instead of the scary holiday that everyone likes to think of it as.
Funny Halloween story:) When I was little and living in Oregon, we were at my grandparents' house. Some kids came to the door and one of them was dressed in a really scary mask that scared me like crazy! So I usually don't like going to the door just in case one of them is creepy!
Have a Happy Halloween!
Always have hope,
Colby
My mom told me that Wednesday was World CP (Cerebral Palsy) Day. I didn't know it was that popular to have them make a world holiday for it!
I'd like to take a minute to write about having cerebral palsy and the challenges and ways of having this disability.
To be honest with you, I've never really felt bad or at a disadvantage throughout most of my life. (Although cheer has kind of put a toll on me!) But I have learned that I can't change the way I am and I just have to do my best.
I'll never forget in 5th grade when I asked three friends at different times how they felt having a friend with a disability. And the all responded the same way! They said that they don't really notice and they just look at me as a normal girl.
And I think my confidence has grown over the years as I can see that I just need to do the things that I can and just accept that there will always be things that I won't be able to do as well, and that's okay!
I know it will get better over time and I will be able to discover more about myself and my strengths and how I can find ways to do what I want to. Being on cheer has been a real confidence builder for me to prove to myself I can do whatever I put my mind to.
I'm grateful for my disability and everything I've been able to learn about myself and others. I've learned how to be more compassionate and acceptance towards others, because of what people I've done to me! I'm grateful I'm able to have this trial in my life!
Always have hope,
Always have hope,
Colby
Last night JV had the opportunity to cheer with Varsity at Provo High's Homecoming game. I was really excited because I look up to Varsity a lot for many reasons and I was excited to get to cheer with them!
We played Judge Memorial, the same team JV beat yesterday. The JV game was really close because they caught up at the end! But at this game it was 34-0 at halftime, and the crowd started chanting "We want Timpview"!
At halftime we performed the routine we've been working on for two and a half months! It is a pretty tricky routine and has a lot of hard parts that we had to work at. My coach had been really nervous about it because a lot of the time things wouldn't hit or we would do something wrong.
I was really nervous when we went out there because we were performing this in front of the whole school! Everything went perfect! It all hit and my coaches were smiling like crazy! When we were done my friend started crying and I was wondering if she had gotten hurt, but she was just so happy that we had done it so good!
At the end of the third quarter we did a Christmas tree stunt that we formed on Thursday! I was really excited/nervous because I got to be one of the flyers! We figured it out so that I could get up there in time and handle my poms. But it was really fun to be up there at least once!
It was a really great experience to cheer at the game on Friday! I leaned a lot about how I can cheer better and have a good time! I hope I can do it again. Have a great Labor Day!
Always have hope,
Colby
I'd like to take a minute and talk about how much this country means to me, with this Fourth of July holiday, even though it's kind of late!!
I think sometimes we don't adequately express everything that America is to us. But if we really think about it, this country is everything to us. We wouldn't have this lifestyle and be the people we are without the things we've experienced here.
I never had realized how much I love this country until the past couple of years. As I've heard and learned about the things that are going on and how hard our soldiers work and fight for us.
Something that has helped me with that is actually related to Girls Camp. Every day we have a flag ceremony where we put the flag up and we have patriotic thoughts from different girls in the stake. And on the last night when we retire the flag, we have a few men from the stake that are scouts, that help us retire it. They always share something about how much the flag means to them and what it represents for our country.
I've always learned to love and appreciate the flag and what it means for our country. We learned what each of the colors in the flag mean, and it really brought back the meaning of the flag for me. Now every time that I see the fogs flying I think of how much I love America.
I've also gained a greater appreciation and trust in the soldiers who fight for our country. I'm learning to understand the great sacrifices that they makes and how hard they work to fight for our country. We wouldn't be able to have the freedoms and things that we have in this country without them.
I'm honestly so grateful for this country and all that it means for me. I have sometimes taken for granted the freedoms that we have and the things that we are able to do, but lately I've realized how blessed we are in all that we have. I love America!!
Just a fun fact. Today is National Rock Road Day! So you should all go and get Rocky Road ice cream and other treats to celebrate!!
I've been thinking for the past couple of months about the purpose of doing good things in life and making the most of it. I feel that this quote from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf describes perfectly what I've been thinking about.
I think that often we get so caught up in the things we have to do and accomplish in life that we forget to enjoy the fun of it along the way. It's good to remember that we came here for a purpose, but it's also important to remember that we need to enjoy ourselves and be happy while we are here on earth.
Like the quote says, we can sometimes become focused on the "finish line" that we forget to have fun along the way. There is so much that we can do in life in order to bring happiness to ourselves and others that can help us enjoy the journey.
One way the helps me to enjoy the journey is to give service to others. When I do something for someone else it makes me happier because I know that I have made them happier. We can do service in many simple ways from smiling at a stranger to helping a neighbor with yard work. I also like this quote "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."
I hope that we can all find ways to enjoy the journey. There are so many great things in this life that we can all enjoy. And we can help those around us to enjoy life too by sharing the things we love and being kind.
What are some ways you enjoy the journey?
Always have hope,
I've been thinking for the past couple of months about the purpose of doing good things in life and making the most of it. I feel that this quote from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf describes perfectly what I've been thinking about.
I think that often we get so caught up in the things we have to do and accomplish in life that we forget to enjoy the fun of it along the way. It's good to remember that we came here for a purpose, but it's also important to remember that we need to enjoy ourselves and be happy while we are here on earth.
Like the quote says, we can sometimes become focused on the "finish line" that we forget to have fun along the way. There is so much that we can do in life in order to bring happiness to ourselves and others that can help us enjoy the journey.
One way the helps me to enjoy the journey is to give service to others. When I do something for someone else it makes me happier because I know that I have made them happier. We can do service in many simple ways from smiling at a stranger to helping a neighbor with yard work. I also like this quote "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."
I hope that we can all find ways to enjoy the journey. There are so many great things in this life that we can all enjoy. And we can help those around us to enjoy life too by sharing the things we love and being kind.
What are some ways you enjoy the journey?
Always have hope,
Colby
This weekend was a very important weekend for me and my family. I always look forward to this weekend because I get to spend time with my family and listen to important messages. It was General Conference! And a bonus is that it was also Easter!
For those of you who don't know what General Conference is, it is a time when members of the LDS church get together to hear messages from our prophets and apostles. It takes place over Saturday and Sunday, when there are four sessions. There are also Priesthood and General Women's at other times around General Conference.
To start off our General Conference and Easter weekend, we went to my grandma's house for breakfast and an egg hunt. It was really fun to spend some time with my family to begin the Easter holiday.
Then we came home to watch the first session of General Conference. I was really glad to be able to hear these inspiring messages. We spent the rest of the day as a family along with a trip to the BYU Store and visits from some friends!
Then on Sunday we started with our Sunday tradition of making orange rolls for breakfast. Then we watched the final sessions of General Conference. It was a pretty exciting day, one of the awesome things that was announced at Conference was the building of 3 new LDS temples beginning this year.
I really enjoyed watching General Conference this weekend and spending time with my family as we celebrate Easter and the resurrection of Jesus. I'm grateful to have the gospel in my life and for all of the things that He has done for me in my life. I'm grateful that I have His Atonement in my life and the ways it is able to help me. I know that because He lives I can be forgiven of my sins and be with my family forever. I'm grateful for this Easter season.
Always have hope,
For those of you who don't know what General Conference is, it is a time when members of the LDS church get together to hear messages from our prophets and apostles. It takes place over Saturday and Sunday, when there are four sessions. There are also Priesthood and General Women's at other times around General Conference.
To start off our General Conference and Easter weekend, we went to my grandma's house for breakfast and an egg hunt. It was really fun to spend some time with my family to begin the Easter holiday.
Then we came home to watch the first session of General Conference. I was really glad to be able to hear these inspiring messages. We spent the rest of the day as a family along with a trip to the BYU Store and visits from some friends!
Then on Sunday we started with our Sunday tradition of making orange rolls for breakfast. Then we watched the final sessions of General Conference. It was a pretty exciting day, one of the awesome things that was announced at Conference was the building of 3 new LDS temples beginning this year.
I really enjoyed watching General Conference this weekend and spending time with my family as we celebrate Easter and the resurrection of Jesus. I'm grateful to have the gospel in my life and for all of the things that He has done for me in my life. I'm grateful that I have His Atonement in my life and the ways it is able to help me. I know that because He lives I can be forgiven of my sins and be with my family forever. I'm grateful for this Easter season.
Always have hope,
Colby
Since tomorrow is Valentine's Day, I wanted to do a post about love and kindness. Valentine's Day is a time when we get some extra practice with showing love and being kind. When everybody is in the mood, we tend to get in it too!
I think it is very important to be kind and show love because it makes other people feel good. If you are shown kindness, then you are more likely to show kindness to others. In my health class we talked about compassion and it was a very similar thing. If you are shown compassion, then you will pass it on to others.
Another reason it is good to be kind to others is it makes you feel better. For me, if I know that I've made someone else happy, then it makes me happy! And it doesn't take much to make someone's day better. A smile or wave in the hallway, a nice text or phone call. Anything that shows someone else that you care.
I'm excited for Valentine's Day tomorrow and the chance we get to show a little extra kindness and love to others. As you are going through your day, try and make a special effort to notice the people who seem lonely or sad and show them that you care. Hopefully this will help you recognize more what it feels like to be kind and to receive kindness. Happy Valentine's Day!
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How do you show kindness?
Always have hope,
I think it is very important to be kind and show love because it makes other people feel good. If you are shown kindness, then you are more likely to show kindness to others. In my health class we talked about compassion and it was a very similar thing. If you are shown compassion, then you will pass it on to others.
Another reason it is good to be kind to others is it makes you feel better. For me, if I know that I've made someone else happy, then it makes me happy! And it doesn't take much to make someone's day better. A smile or wave in the hallway, a nice text or phone call. Anything that shows someone else that you care.
I'm excited for Valentine's Day tomorrow and the chance we get to show a little extra kindness and love to others. As you are going through your day, try and make a special effort to notice the people who seem lonely or sad and show them that you care. Hopefully this will help you recognize more what it feels like to be kind and to receive kindness. Happy Valentine's Day!
How do you show kindness?
Always have hope,
Colby
On Friday I went up to Temple Square in Salt Lake City to see the lights. I always love this time of year because of all the lights on the houses, but Temple Square goes all out! They decorate everything in lights to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
I love walking around Temple Square with my family and seeing the lights and listening to Christmas music. It really keeps you in the spirit of Christmas. They have so many great museums, restaurants, and activities there for families that are super fun at Christmas time. It is a very entertaining family experience because they are so many exciting things to do in Salt Lake.
Along with visiting Temple Square, my family also went to Clark Planetarium, Grand America and The Discovery Museum. I had never been to the Clark Planetarium before. We watched a couple of movies in the Imax and Hansen Dome theaters, which was a really unique experience. The Dome theater is a giant dome screen and in the Imax theater 3D movies are shown. So you can experience movies in different ways. The Discovery Museum was really interesting. They have a bunch of activities for children and families. The activities are mostly for younger children, but it is still really fun.
For dinner we went to the Lion House. I haven't been there for quite a few years so I was excited to go back. The line was very long and by the time we got to the front, they were out of all of the dishes we were planning to get! I felt bad for the people in line behind us. I loved eating a yummy dinner and talking with my family. But they did have the rolls and honey butter which are the best!
On Saturday morning we went to the Grand America Hotel to look at the windows. When you go inside the hotel, you can see the Christmas displays in the windows. They are all so amazingly detailed and you can tell that a lot of time was spent on them.
I had a lot of fun in Salt Lake City with my family, even though it was really cold and we had far distances to walk. I enjoyed seeing all the lights at Temple Square and spending time with my family while doing some of the other activities in Salt Lake. A great thing about the holidays is being able to spend time with your family. I hope you get a chance to visit these fun places if you ever visit Salt Lake. If you want to do some of these fun things you can get the Salt Lake Connect pass here.
Always have hope,
I love walking around Temple Square with my family and seeing the lights and listening to Christmas music. It really keeps you in the spirit of Christmas. They have so many great museums, restaurants, and activities there for families that are super fun at Christmas time. It is a very entertaining family experience because they are so many exciting things to do in Salt Lake.
Along with visiting Temple Square, my family also went to Clark Planetarium, Grand America and The Discovery Museum. I had never been to the Clark Planetarium before. We watched a couple of movies in the Imax and Hansen Dome theaters, which was a really unique experience. The Dome theater is a giant dome screen and in the Imax theater 3D movies are shown. So you can experience movies in different ways. The Discovery Museum was really interesting. They have a bunch of activities for children and families. The activities are mostly for younger children, but it is still really fun.
For dinner we went to the Lion House. I haven't been there for quite a few years so I was excited to go back. The line was very long and by the time we got to the front, they were out of all of the dishes we were planning to get! I felt bad for the people in line behind us. I loved eating a yummy dinner and talking with my family. But they did have the rolls and honey butter which are the best!
On Saturday morning we went to the Grand America Hotel to look at the windows. When you go inside the hotel, you can see the Christmas displays in the windows. They are all so amazingly detailed and you can tell that a lot of time was spent on them.
I had a lot of fun in Salt Lake City with my family, even though it was really cold and we had far distances to walk. I enjoyed seeing all the lights at Temple Square and spending time with my family while doing some of the other activities in Salt Lake. A great thing about the holidays is being able to spend time with your family. I hope you get a chance to visit these fun places if you ever visit Salt Lake. If you want to do some of these fun things you can get the Salt Lake Connect pass here.
Always have hope,
Colby
