Finals!

3 finals down and only 3 more to go!  So far all have gone very well and grades have been quite pleasing :) But my next three are probably the hardest, so there will be lots of studying in the next 2 days!  Writing this post is my break from studying AP World History; I'm trying to cram the highlights of like 6,000 years of history into my already overloaded brain.  Anyway, it's Honors Algebra II that I'm the most unexcited/worried/unprepared for, but it's not till Thursday, which is an eternity away...

No Break, No Snow, Yes Tanner!

The majority of the students at Zionsville High School are pretty distraught about the fact that our Christmas Break starts 3 days before Christmas...we have school through the 22nd.  In the words of my friend: "When am I supposed to get ready for Christmas?  When am I supposed to get my presents bought and ready?? Christmas Eve, that's when!"  I'll admit, it can't quite feel like the holiday season till I'm done taking final exams, so I'll savor the little bit I have.  It also cannot feel like Christmastime at all until we have snow...which we usually do by this time of year :(  So a week until Christmas, and it doesn't feel especially like this special time of year.  But they say Christmas happens in your heart, so I'm working on it.
Latest excitement in our house: Tanner came in last night!  We had to hold Grant back in the airport so he didn't go past the "Do Not Enter" sign to meet him.  It was so sweet to see the excitement we all had to have Tanner home; he has certainly been missed!  (Neil and Grant think that just because I don't express it the same way as they do that I didn't miss him.)  So we were all up till one in the morning eating and laughing hysterically.
6 days and 6 finals to make it through till my favorite day of the year!
Olivia

"O my son, do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way; for so was it with our fathers; for so was it prepared for them, that if they would look they might live; even so it is with us. The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever."
Alma 37:46

"The measure of intellegence is the ability to change."
Albert Einstein

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

To me, Christmas means picking out a real tree at the Christmas tree farm and bringing it home to smell for a month.  It means that one blanket we have with the snowmen and the candy canes, the cute wooden Santa that sits on the piano, the Christmas dishes, and the wooden nativity where Christ fits perfectly in the manger.  It means reading the familiar story whose words have more meaning with each passing year.  It means carols- sung at church, in the living room, or on the neighbors' doorstep.  It means lights on houses and the magical way the tree looks lit up at night when the house is dark and still.  It means the indescribable joy of a 2 hour delay, or better yet- a snow day.  It means Ella Fitzgerald's Christmas album and the only time of the year I listen to the radio.  It means the physical anxiety lying in bed on Christmas Eve.  It means that feeling in the air when it seems the world is a little brighter and the human race a little happier.  It means being with friends, but more than anything, with my family, together.  To me, Christmas is love. 

Success!

Today I had a huge paper due for English.  As I was finishing up last night, I realized how little I had left till the night before and just how well I had done at pacing myself on this big project!  And it really didn't cause me much stress at all.  I had plenty of friends who saved the entire thing until the night before and plenty of people said it was hard and horrible, but I was grateful for the amount of ease I had in doing it.  I was so proud of myself that I paced myself and got it done with quality.  It really gave me a little boost and some confidence that I can manage my time well and be successful with other things, too :)

Happy (Late) Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is a good holiday :)  I enjoyed it this year with cousins, grandparents, etc and LOTS of warm yummy food, including:
2 turkeys (one smoked, one not)
Cranberry Sauce
Ham
Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Oyster Stuffing (my Dad's creation...)
Sweet Potato Casserole (to die for!!)
Green Bean Casserole
Jello Marshmallow Stuff
Orange Rolls
Pumpkin Pie
Berry Pie
Pecan Pie

Needless to say, I had a food baby afterward.  But I would venture to say that the 10ish orange rolls I ate were totally worth it :)  I hope you all had a chance to reflect on the many things we each have to be grateful for; we are so fortunate to have so much comfort and so much love in our lives. 
"Gratitude is a mark of a noble soul and a refined character." -Joseph B. Wirthlin
Keep Smiling! Olivia

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

Albert Einstein 

Classic

Dad: "I know, let's have a contest to see who can punch the softest."  A moment later I look into the kitchen to see Grant motionless on the floor and Neil standing close by laughing and saying "I lose!!" 

On the Sabbath

Just a word about faith and works.  One big difference between the LDS (Mormon) church and others is the emphasis we put not only on faith alone but also on works.  Some other Christian churches say that if you accept Christ, that is enough to be saved.  We believe that is not quite so.  As James says, "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone."  He goes on to explain that the devil believes in God, too, but that's not enough to save him.  (James 2:17-19)  Paul also says, "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid" (Romans 3:31).  So just because we have faith doesn't mean we are exempt from doing correct works.  And it doesn't mean that we don't have to repent of wrongdoings.  No unclean thing can dwell in heaven with God, so we must repent of all our sins and be pure.  Baptism is an example of an action that is essential to salvation.  In John, Christ says, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."  (John 3:5)  We will all be judged according to our works and our hearts.
Olivia :)

"Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous."
Albert Einstein

Last One Eating

I have this wonderful gift I've been given of being an incredibly slow eater.  Thanks Dad, that one came from you.  People mock him all the time about how slow he eats and I foresee that in my future.  Once we were eating out and my whole family had left the restaurant...there was literally nobody in there...and there I sat with my plate in front of me.  Just tonight everyone was gone from the table and I was still there, all alone, slowly chewing.  It's not like it's that surprising though; I'm slow at almost everything :)

A Word About Halloween

I am slow/seldom to pick favorites/absolutes of anything, but I can tell you for 100% certain that Halloween is my least favorite holiday.  I know that it's some people's favorite and some people get all festive about it...but even when I was little I never loved Halloween.  It's just not fun to me; I never liked dressing up because I never felt creative enough and I'm not one for scary things at all.  My dad loves to watch scary movies and take walks through the woods at night...I suppose everyone gets their thrill differently; I prefer roller coasters and eating spicy food.  Anyway, Halloween also has no purpose behind it.  You can argue that it does because at one point it did, but we put no purpose into it.  I did not appreciate that the guy who sits behind me in band class dressed up like a horrifying joker/skeleton thing today either.  If it's a holiday that doesn't get us out of school, what's the point?  But hey, I guess if it gets me no German homework, I can't complain too much :)  So for those who like Halloween, Happy Halloween!  For those who are like me, only 2 months till Christmas!!!
Olivia

"There are only two ways to live your life.  One is as though nothing is a miracle.  The other is as though everything is..."
Albert Einstein

Silly Facebook Posts

I'm convinced these will only be amusing for the teenagers out there, seeing as these are universal teenage thoughts/attitudes :)

Okay I'm going to bed at 10...10:30...11...11:30...12....12:30........
Awkwardly trying to run with a backpack
I am not getting out of this bed, it's warm and it loves me
Dear Skittles, how can you taste the rainbow if there isn't a blue one??
"Quiet there's a tornado drill!!" Why, is the tornado going to hear us?
Good grades, enough sleep, a social life...pick two
Yes I dip my french fries in my frosty and no it's not gross
Wearing a hoodie when you feel crummy
Dear Teacher, I talk to everyone. Moving my seat won't help
Police call it reckless driving. We call it skills
"Good morning" texts from the person you were texting the night before
Good friends don't let you do stupid things...alone
Can you shut my door please? sure! *leaves door cracked*
Saving a file as dhjdhwekj because I don't want to type a proper name
Dear Pringles, I cannot fit my hand inside your tube of deliciousness
I put my iPod on shuffle then skip every song
I am willing to risk getting salmonella to eat raw cookie dough
that split second of fear when you lean back in your chair too far
I have dropped my phone on my face while lying down texting
"Mom ,we don't have any food!" Yes we do!" "Not any good food!!!"
Anyone noticed that "studying" is like "student" and "dying" put together?
When I'm sad I like to cut myself...a piece of chocolate cake

I'm Here!

Wow life's been a whirlwind.  Lately it's been more down than up, but if you're in the same boat as I am there is some comfort to be found. "...for if they never should have bitter they could not know the sweet..." (D&C 29:39).  High school can be a really really hard place to be sometimes and I commend all of those who keep their standards up and surround themselves with good people.  Don't get me wrong, life has its good parts too :)
There is incredible power in keeping the eternal perspective.
Olivia

Gotta Love Laffy Taffy

Why was the little boy wrapped in gift wrap??  His mom wanted him to live in the present

What is the definition of a farmer?  Someone who is out standing in his field

What are the strongest days of the week? Saturday and Sunday...the rest are all weekdays

When does it rain money?  When there's a change in the weather 

Marching Band!

We had our very first marching band competition tonight and I'll admit I didn't think we'd do very well...but we got first place!!  We also won awards for best music, best general effect, best pit crew, and best color guard.  We were all a little high on life after that :)  Our show this year is called "Oasis" and is Arabian themed and it's awesome.  It has so much potential, unlike our show last year, and I LOVE the music especially.  It's hard work though...at the end of the day it's a lot of time spent and a lot of sore biceps.  But days like today make us think that it's worth it :) 

"Sometimes you put up walls not to keep people out, but to see who cares enough to break them down."

Our Day at Ole Miss (Saturday)

What an awesome day!  We got to Old Miss like 3 hours early and traffic was already backed up onto the freeway.  After finding a parking spot with only minor difficulty, we started to walk around and let me tell ya- these people take their tailgating seriously!  They set up tons of tents and barbeque and drink and tailgate all day.  Anyway, the game was of course the best part.  It. Was. Awesome.  Ole Miss was ahead 13-0 in the 4th quarter and we came back, scored 2 touchdowns and won!!!  I actually understand for the first time how people can be so emotionally involved in football.  And it was super exciting because the night before I got the autograph of the guy that pretty much won the game.  And my Dad let me paint his face half blue and half white, which was pretty great.  So we walked out of there feeling pretty good about ourselves.  And as incredibly devoted as the Ole Miss fans are and as much as I know they wanted to win, they were sosososo nice to us, complimenting us on the game and telling us that it was good to have us in their town.  Good ole southern hospitality, I guess :)

Musical, Yard Sales, Football

Well, I made it in the musical! Yay! After some auditions and call backs that were not in my comfort zone, I did what I wanted to do.  The musical is White Christmas, and I'm a background singer/dancer something...I'm not totally sure.  My title is a regency room patron and a train passenger.  Gotta start somewhere!
This morning we left for Mississippi for the BYU-Ole Miss game (in case you are wondering at all, we are BYU fans, NOT Ole Miss fans).  We stopped in the middle of red-neck Alabama to ask someone where we could get gas (we really couldn't find a gas station anywhere...good thing Mom wasn't there to freak out that the gas light had been on for miles) and of course they were having a yard sale! Jeans for $1...dress for $1...bag/purse for $1...I have a new-found love of yard sales.  Sadly we passed 2 others today but Dad didn't stop. 
Tomorrow is big football day, and really all I have to say is that we have got to win!  I am going to try hard to understand a football game well for the first time ever :) Let's go Cougars!! 
Olivia

Update!

Wow it's been a while!  Life's been pretty busy, with it's usual ups and downs.  Monday I auditioned for our school musical, something I've never done before but was determined to try!  It took an incredible amount of courage on my part, and I was grateful for Heavenly Father's help in many ways.  Then today I found out I got a call back.  Sounds awesome, right??  Not exactly...I was rather terrified at first.  But I'm really starting to feel better and maybe even a tad excited.  I mean if I got called back it must mean I did something right! :) Other than that is the usual: marching band (we have pretty much our best show ever!), friends, homework, mood swings.  Yesterday I made brownies with cookie dough on top....let's just say they were wonderful.  I'll give you the link if you want it.  Only one more school day before I get to go to the BYU-Ole Miss game down in Mississippi! Woo par-tay!!
Olivia

Quote

"The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved than it will be."
Marcel Pagnol

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