As a five-year-old, nine months after 9/11, my family drove past the remaining wreckage of the horrendous attack in NYC.  Images of the live news footage showing the towers falling still reeled in my tiny memory, and even at that young age I was beginning to understand that perhaps life is more precious than we realize.  People died because others were selfish, but they were not the only ones.  How many innocents died in the Middle East because of these extremists?  How many other dreams have been severed with the beating of their hearts because of selfishness?  I wish we could stop selfishness, stop fighting, but unfortunately the best we can do in this time is to be grateful for our lives, our loved ones, and our freedom.

 Adam, Sophie and Eric's pants were soaked through after multiple runs down the snowy hill.  Yup, we're definitely from the desert.
We spent a lot less time our way south than we did going north.  This meant a lot of time crammed in the car, and I found that I actually like sitting in the back corner seat, where I can cuddle up in a blanket either writing on my computer, drawing, or watching Mean Girls with Olivia on the iPad.
You can't be a true American without having Yellowstone on your bucket list.  I had no idea how incredible the colors of geysers could be!  Years and years of heat melded the minerals into bright oranges and tainted the water with turquoise.  We even saved ourselves front row seats for over an hour so we could watch Old Faithful explode, her steam shooting magnificently into the sky.
The next morning, we were so very grateful to reunite for the first time in years with our Boston friends Sunni and Jason and their family.  Then we headed on out with the plan to make it home by evening.  It had been a wonderful trip, but once we were in the car I was anxious to return to Arizona because I really wanted to surprise Dallin {whom I'd previously told I wouldn't see until after his Lake Powell trip, which I'd thought at the time I told him was overlapping}.  Unfortunately, the car disagreed.  In Beaver, Utah our fuel line shattered and, to make matters worse, the piece is only sold at certain locations AND since it was July 3rd, all the auto shops would be closed till the following Monday {which would in fact cause our trips to overlap}. Although once again thankful that we hadn't been killed by some car mishap, we were still bummed out because now we'd be spending fourth of July in a small town with no possible way to get around.
  It ended up being alright, though.  A mile away was a KOA campsight with a pool and some very kind people.  After three weeks being constantly on the go, we were able to wind down, and I spent hours simply sketching.  For Independence Day, we were startled by the apparent UT tradition which involves cannons shooting off at 6 AM for fifteen minutes straight.  That night, we walked to the Family Dollar for ice cream while singing Bonnie and Clyde songs and watching fireworks in the distance.  God Bless America!

 I apparently seemed to have more difficult time flinging the clay pigeon disk out for someone else to shoot than actually shooting it. I was dying laughing because the disk would fly out of my hands the complete wrong direction and shatter.  And yet only milliseconds after the picture below was shot, that clay pigeon exploded.  After a few hours I'd had such a fun time with such a fun group of people!
It's still Veteran's Day, though, great as it is to have a day off of school.  So I must say thank you from the bottom of my heart to the brave men and women who risk their lives for the freedom of this nation.  And I know that sounds cliche- but it's true.  I wish I could have such an honorable quality.  I have so much respect and gratitude and love for that.

        It's devastating the price of not only being an American, but of being a citizen on this planet earth.  13 years ago last Thursday almost 3000 people died when a group of heartless villains hijacked some planes.  If you go back through my blog the past six years every 9/11, you'll find my memories of that horrific day.

this was ground zero when my family visited 10 years later.  new york was certainly far from healing.

   Human beings-- we are fragile.  Our hearts break and our bones break and it doesn't take much to snuff out our lights. For those who lost loved ones in the Twin Towers or in the planes, that pain will never go away.  And yet every year, as the heartache comes back like a knife for these poor souls, more and more "uninvolved" people turn their backs.   I mean, once my class graduates, all the schoolkids will be too young to remember!
         They say "Never Forget," and yet they forget.
        But regardless of whether or not you are old enough to remember, you have to understand the value of that saying "Never Forget."  It's not about never forgiving {though I am by no means forcing you to} nor about being stuck in the past.  It's about honoring the memory of those who faced tragedy and facing the present with renewed strength, wisdom and compassion.  Today, the news is filled with conflict-- between U.S. & ISIS, Israel & Hamas, Ukraine & Russia, Muslims & Christians in Central Africa, North Korea & it's very own people {and can I perhaps add humans & animals?)! Headlines declare death and destruction and no end of hatred towards the fellow man.  How can humanity possibly have become so cruel, so shortsighted?!    
       I am not going to be some naive hippie shouting "peace" as if that word, if expressed with enough flowers tossed about, could stop the fire.  I know that there are wicked, wicked people out there and too many blind and selfish to possibly rid the earth of these plagues.  But I think the first step in creating a better generation is to teach kids from a young age about the horrors of history, the different cultures/mindsets of different people, the blessings of reaching out and trying to understand and feel love for those even on the other side of the globe.
      God be with those of you suffered on that horrid September morning.  God be with those who still suffer while the heartless strip away their born rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  I wore red, white, and blue on Thursday although not a single teacher brought up 9/11/01 because I will "Never Forget," and maybe, just maybe, that can help me become a better citizen of this little blue planet we ALL call home.       

  After every summer, half the kids in my school would come back sharing stories of this thing called EFY {Especially for Youth}.  I didn't really know what it was.  My parents like our family to bond, and over the summer that can include extensive vacations-- so I really never had the chance to sign up, even though most of my friends go every year.  I'm not complaining, since I wouldn't exchange those family trips for the world, but I figured summer was my last chance to go, so I might as well see what it's all about.

Wow.  Was it amazing or was it amazing?  EFY is a five-day camp for kids who basically want to become better people while hanging out with a bunch of other awesome teens, and for my session I stayed at BYU Provo.  The theme Anxiously Engaged suggests that we do everything with passion, with commitment, with appreciation, so that we can get more out of it and live a fuller life. I definitely learned a few things:

              Lets put it this way.  Can you imagine having the ultimate overlord of the universe notice or care about you?  Doesn't seem possible.  But this grand king of creation is God, and He loves you with a greater capacity than the human mind can even comprehend.  That's because He is your daddy and He made the effort to find the best time & place to put you on this little blue planet so that you could have the potential to do your part & live happily.
  So basically, this is an even stronger reason that we don't need to conform to society.  Yeah, that stuff may seem snazzy, but on your deathbed, whenever that may be, would you rather have that life-flashing moment be filled with trying to fit some ever-changing standard in the movies/magazines or with living to your full potential, no regrets, happy memories?  I'm realizing more and more that there are some things that bring short term pleasures and there are other things that bring life-lasting joy.  I know people who are into the exciting lifestyle shown become especially popular in this modern world, and I'm not condemning them at all!-- however, is the temporary thrill worth it when you might very easily prepone that death by aid AIDS or overdose or lung cancer?  I'd rather play it safe, and though it may not be as "cool," I think in the end I can be much happier with a life focused on family, God, and personal growth.  A quote in my English classroom said something neat for those who may be struggling with which side of the spectrum they want to choose: "I'd rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live as if there's no God and die to find out there is."
  Perhaps that's the reason we turn old and grey and wrinkly in the end: so we don't focus our lives on some outer beauty that with whither away in a few year, but rather learn to magnify the best of our inner souls!

       After being at EFY, I'm even more excited for college.  I'm a natural introvert, but it was good being forced out of my shyness in order to meet new people, be independent, be myself.
  On Friday, we celebrated the 4th of July.  Everyone met up in the field behind the school for a last dance, and then the fireworks exploded and the celebration began!  We could even hear Carrie Underwood singing from the Stadium of Fire, and once more I was grateful for the "land of the free and the home of the brave" that allows me to worship freely and live as I choose to live.