Back In Texas

So this past week I had the opportunity to visit Arlington, Texas for the first time since I moved about six years ago. I can't believe the only time we had to go was in the middle of July, so people thought we were crazy, but it was still worth it. My brothers left about a week ago with our aunt and uncle while they were in Utah, so my dad and I drove down to meet up with them.

It was a very long 24 hour drive to and from, but on the way there my dad and I stopped at the four corners area.

I decided to do hop in the bandwagon and do one of those plank pics :)

                                         
After the long drive, we finally arrived. I was able to stay with my younger cousins and finally saw Josh and Brandon for the first time in a couple of weeks so it was good to see all of them. Here is a schedule of what the short trip was like:
Tues: I did some swimming and shopping with the girls and my aunt.
Wed: My dad took us to Six Flags. We got there before noon, and it was one of the hottest days. We felt disgusting as we were out in about 105 degree heat all day, but they have some of the craziest and best rides like...

This rocket ride that swings back and forth, but that's not all...

This rocket swings you all the way around and holds you in the air and repeats itself a few times. I refused to go on it because I did not want to be sick for the rest of the day, but Josh and my dad were in this very picture.

But I discovered that one of my all time favorite rides is the (New) Texas Giant. Supposedly they opened it up just this last April so I am very glad we had the chance to go on it. It used to be a large, rickety wooden roller coaster, but they renovated it to create a smoother track as you speed down a drop at 79 degrees and a 90 degree turn too. They have tunnels you go through as well where lights flash past you, kind of like at Space Mountain at Disneyland, but at night during the 90 degree turn fire flashes around you. Usually roller coasters have a lap bar in front of you or a harness to pull over you, but this one only had a saddle-type thing in between your legs to secure you in your seat. This meant that when you go down the drops, you start flying up in your seat. It sounds dangerous but really was a very fun experience!

Josh and my dad's hair was sticking up pretty well afterwards. You can't really see it in this picture, but you can see the drop in the backgound

            

This is the 90 degree turn :)







Another ride that I really enjoyed was this bobsled ride. There was no track and you speed through the slide, sometimes feeling as if the ride is going to fall off. But when the ride ended the car in front of us had a metal part come off during the ride, so we had to wait while they put it back on haha

There was one called the flashback where you feel as if you are part of a slingshot. First you are slowly pulled backwards as you are facing forwards, and then you are launched forward as you do several loops, then you are put in reverse as you are facing pulled forward, but do the loops backwards. It was a crazy ride! But I did feel a little sick after.

Now I usually do ok on roller coasters, but I can't handle too many one after another, especially with loops and corkscrews. So since I felt queasy after the flashback, I had a feeling I could not handle the Batman ride. But of course I decided to go on it anyway because it looked wild and my brothers and dad went on it. But I did get so queasy after the batman ride that I was done for the rest of the day.

So that was a summary of Six Flags.

The next couple of days we spent a little more time around Arlington, checking out where we were raised. We went to our homes we lived in, our elementary schools, parks we went to, and more.

back at good ol' Dunn Elem (the finest school in the metraplex)

 We then eventually saw a few friends from our old ward, the Fullers and McPhees. Maddy M and I had a little too much fun for our own good with fake moustaches we bought out of the vending machine at Cicis Pizza. Mine was being annoying and kept falling off while trying to get a picture, and we were having a giggle fit. But there was a guy growing a moustache giving us a weird look at it was pretty funny :)

That night was also a very very exciting event I had waited for many years to come. I went with my cousins to see Harry Potter 7. At this theater they showed parts 1 and 2 back to back on a screen that reached from the ceiling to the floor. We enjoyed Jamba Juice and Pizza while waiting in line to get our seats. But once we walked in the theater room we discovered almost every seat was taken, so it sucked because we had to all split up for better seats. I was sitting next to a few girls about middle school/high school age who didn't seem to care about Harry Potter so I was annoyed, and therefore I was laughed at during the movie when I cried. So then I really missed seeing the movie at Jordan Commons because I thought this place would be similar and filled with Harry Poter activities, food, etc and but unfortunately there wasn't too much. But there was Kearns' High School's own Quidditch team all dressed up!!! Can you believe it?? Isn't that the most legit thing ever?! A high school quidditch team!

 But other than that if anyone reading this has seen the movie, they may agree that it was an incredible movie. It may sound weird saying this about a Harry Potter film, but the one word that came to mind to describe it: beautiful. The actors did such a fantastic, beautiful job and it was beautifully done!

I left my costume in Utah because I thought it would be too hot in Texas and it would be too much to pack. I did regret leaving it, but I did make this shirt to make up for it :)

with Bellatrix

haha that costume was kind of creepy but so clever!

and the Patil Twins

An extra from the movie (and he is Draco's stunt double) also came to talk to us about the movie before it started.

The next day we saw our hometown some more. First I saw my CF doctor. She was very suprised to see me healthy and as well as can be and I was very glad to see her!

And you know you had the coolest pre-school teacher when you are excited to see her at age 18 haha. She still teaches at her cute yellow school and we stopped by as she told us hilarious stories of events in her life. And incredibly enough she still remembered all of us!

The yellow school we went to

Later that night we spent more time with our aunt, uncle, and cousins as we had some serious giggle fests as we jumped on the trampoline, played games, and enjoyed Bluebell Ice Cream. I miss them already and it was an awesome trip!

Wow!

That's all I can say now, wow. I can't believe how crazy of a day today started out as. Well, it actually started out last night in a way. I know that there are no such things as coincidences!

 So last night when I was doing my treatment, I wasn't going to take Hypertonic Saline because I was tired of doing it, but a small voice came into my head, Are you sure? And I thought my cold went away for the most part, but realized I had a lot of gunk in my lungs once I took my medication.

Yes there's that lovely piece of info...but I will come back to its importance. This morning something incredible happened. I checked my email a couple of days ago and received an email from BYU relating to scholarships. I figured I would check the message later on the BYU site like it told me to. I decided to check it this morning, thinking it was notifying students of a new scholarship to apply for, which would be weird because scholarship deadlines were a while ago. As I read the message, I found out I received another scholarship for each semester this year. I almost passed out on the spot because I never even applied for one at the Y because they are hardly ever given out. I counted up the amount from this scholarship, the one from the BEF for CF, and a pelgrant, and almost all of my expenses are paid for this upcoming year. WHAT A MIRACLE!!!!

But besides getting a scholarship, I was supposed to get my wisdom teeth out, and I am terrified of surgeries. I was happy with the news of the scholarship, but still as nervous as can be while driving to get my teeth out. My mom looked down to look at directions, and right as I started saying "Mom, it's a green light", we heard a car screeching and my mom and I lurched forward in our seats. We stopped the car and someone had run into us. They exchanged information, I called the people at the oral surgeon's office to tell them we would be late, and luckily we were not hurt and only the license plates were dented in.

We eventually made it to the oral surgeon's office about half an hour late. I couldn't believe I had just been in my first car wreck, and I was feeling stressed about getting my teeth out. We filled out the paperwork, and I mentioned how I had been having gunk in my lungs (I thought it was all gone until last night when I was doing my treatment.) I was eventually called into the procedure room, with the uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach. After the surgeon looked over the paper work, he asked about the problem with my lungs. I explained how they had not been at their best, and he said immediately it was not the right time to do the procedure. I realized then the dangers that could have happened, not with my teeth, but with my overall health. We all decided I would need my teeth taken out with even more care at a hospital.

After then the horrible feeling went away, and my mom and I headed back to our house. My young cousins from Texas had come over, so we all spent some time together. I started to put all the pieces together, realizing everything happens for a reason. If I had not randomly had a lot of gunk in my lungs last night, I wouldn't have put it on the paper work, and who knows? According to the surgeon my life could have been on the line during the procedure. My mom and I got in a car wreck, and we were thinking something could have been preventing us from going to the clinic. And on top of that, we weren't hurt and nobody had to pay a ticket. In addition, I miraculously received a financial miracle this morning for school next year. I know there are no such things as coincidences. When we do our part, our Father in Heaven watches out for us, protects us, and blesses us when we need his help.

Kia Kaha

Today I just got back from my ward's youth conference. I will say that I adore my wardies. The leaders were incredible for all their hard work to organize it all, and all of the youth are awesome and were so much fun being around.

It started it on Wednesday, where we all met up at the church. We had another ward, but from the west side of Salt Lake come over. They all came from different situations and lifestyles than what we have been privileged to be raised with, (some had moved from places such as Sudan just a few years ago) so it was neat getting to know them and befriending them. A few were shy at first, but they eventually felt accepted and had a good time. They were all talented, whether it was at soccer at basketball or being able to make up a rap off the top of their heads. Most of the guys and girls had a great sense of humor so I enjoyed getting to know them.

We all then headed to Park City, where we rode the slide and two zip lines going down the mountain, one at which I felt as if I was flying down the steep slope. One of the girls from the other ward was with me on the zip line, and she was thrilled because a camera crew was in front of us in line filming for Park City tv, so lucky for us we were quickly on TV before before we were launched off. It was great! I believe the youth that we met must have gone through some difficult times in their lives, and they enjoyed themselves and I am glad they could have that experience.

Later that day we headed to the cabin we were staying at. We relaxed for a few hours, where we enjoyed a devotional about missionary work as we had a mini MTC clinic. We later ate from the endless cookie table and painted toy cars to be sent to Africa for kids to play with. I cannot believe how much junk food we ate that day! I felt disgusting by the end of the day, but it was just grand at the same time.

After heading home that night to register for my classes at BYU at midnight, I headed back to the cabin the next morning with a few other girls. We arrived just in time for another devotional, where we learned more about our youth conference theme on being forever strong. We learned more about the scripture Alma 26: 11-12, which are now two of my favorite verses. I do not aboast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God.
12Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things. I know that these two verses testify how nothing would be possible without our Lord and Savior; that through the atonement true repentence and forgiveness is available so we can return to him. We are nothing without him because of his miraculous miracle he gave to the world, and he is our anchor during the high tides in our lives and all we need to do sometimes is ask for strength and he will be there.
We also learned about the next biggest step in our lives, which before I thought was college, missions, and marriage, but thanks to our bishop's message we learned that it is to prepare to enter the temple. We must do all that we can as youth to enter into the house of the Lord, to recieve ordinances and make and keep sacred covenents.
After the devotional, we had played more games outside and bummed around even more. A few of us girls took the time to learn the haka to do with the guys later that night to suprise them, but let's be truthful we made ourselves look dumb because nobody could pull it off like they could. After a sweet testimony meeting with everyone inside the cabin once it started to rain, a few of us girls crammed all the bunk beds in one of the girls rooms together, and fit about 10 girls on one bunk and talked for hours. We joked around, with some guys being dumb while they were knocking on our window at 1:30 am. We put a note against the window saying "Go away! We have a leader in our room!" They ran away back to their room and about peed their pants, but they didn't know our leader was Madison who was technically a leader but only a year older than us :)
The next morning we just packed up our bags and cleaned up, headed to our leader's home, and had a BBQ and swim party. It was an incredible Youth Conference and I will not forget the great lessons and fun times we had :)

about to go down the zip line!

                                                                    

a balancing act



the haka

siiiiick



The desert is fun

So I have a high and low, and I will get my low out of the way. Once upon a time, about a week ago to be exact, a weird cold decided it wanted to attach to me and it won't go away. I've heard of other people having it too and it is spreading around, where it starts with a sore throat and goes into a head cold type thing. It has been getting better, but I swear there is a dinosaur in my lungs that loves to roar. Having a cold with cf can be very difficult because the most of the symptoms leave, but it takes a lot of effort to get the gunk out of my lungs, and I have been excessively been taking in Hypertonic Saline with extra, longer treatments, and I am hoping no new lung infections decide to grow.

So that is the downside and I am very sorry for that piece of info, and I know I will be better, but for all you CFers out there just be careful not to get sick at this time, especially in Salt Lake because of the absurd weather. And if you do get sick just keep up with meds and treatments and know the cold will go away even if it feels like it never will.


 The good news is I just got back from Moab for the first time on Saturday ( I have been feeling a little better, just been doing harsher treatments) and let me tell you it is one very cool place :) Alicia wasn't able to come so it was just Josh, Brandon, my dad, and I with our step mom and four step sisters. I know Moab is in the middle of nowhere and it's all desert, but the red dirt rocks and mountains are incredible and they were very fun to climb around on. The weather was beautiful as well. We only stayed for two days, but we went on a few neat hikes and went rafting down the Green River. Josh and I discovered a few narrow crevices inside boulders and decided Moab is one of nature's playgrounds.

Balanced rock

I was barely able to fit inside :)

At the Sand Dune Arches

landscape arch

We were able to get up close to a deer

There are no pictures from the rafting trip because I didn't want to get the camera wet, but it was a nice short trip :)

Graduation

I can't believe how fast everything has been flying by. This was my last week of high school, and I was anxious for it to end and thank goodness it just did on Tuesday! That's right I officially graduated from high school :) But since my family got rid of our internet (yes we finally got it back today) I will step back a few days to catch up on events.

First of all last Tuesday we had our final choir concert, where we watched all the choirs sing, and then our large choir sang a few songs, at first they were gospel songs, and then transitioned into songs such as "For Good" from Wicked and other goodbye songs. There wasn't a dry eye on stage while we were singing.

Thursday/Friday: A few of us from student gov decided to relive a tradition that is done around the beginning of the year, and the next morning our sem council met to do baptisms at the temple. It was very special, and I really don't know how I pulled an all nighter and went to school the next day. And on Friday night we had a final party for all the choirs.


Saturday:
Was our Sr Dinner Dance. We had it at Noah's Reception hall, which was beautiful and fun to have at. We quickly set up all the decorations, and it ended up looking good!

All the seniors filed in, and I was able to take pictures with friends and we ate a delicious dinner. We then cleared out the tables and chairs, the lights went out, and we partied like it was 1999.

It was an unforgettable night and we danced hard. We all then watched a slide show of pictures from over the year.

Sun: I graduated from Seminary at our stake center. It was short and sweet and there were some good talks and an inspiring good musical number was given.

And Tuesday was the big day. We all met up at the E center to finally graduate!! There were some good speeches, but it was a long time of sitting doing nothing. But after all the speeches, our adviser told us to stand up and walk on stage. For some dumb reason I thought I would be following someone else to the center of the stage, but instead we started at the side of the stage, so my name was the first to be called out. It took me by surprise, and that's when it kicked in "Holy cow we really are graduating and this is it!"

 

After graduation my family went to eat at the Olive Garden and then later on I headed to the all-night party at a local Rec Center. There was so much free food and I was able to rock climb for the first time in years, play games, and hang out with friends for one of the last times. I crashed when I got home at 4:15 but was able to sleep in.

And so now it's weird to think it's over, but I am very glad. High school has had both horrible and wonderful experiences, but it dragged on after a while. I will miss many dear friends and I won't forget the many lessons I have learned, but I will say I am ready to be a BYU cougar next year!