An Attitude of Gratitude

During the summer, my mother always comes up with some kind of challenge for us to stay on task and be busy. In the past, she's had some more successful and other epicly epic failures. One summer, we had a "challenge of the week" and each week we had to do something to earn a sticker. The person with the most stickers at the end of the week got a prize. She decided that for one week we would see who could read the most of their scriptures. Due to the ridiculously competitive nature of my family, we were staying up until three in the morning and were NOT happy campers in the mornings. Even though that one didn't work out so well, other challenges were true in their purpose to help us uphold our standards and have unity in our home. 

This summer, we are going to try and read the entire Book of Mormon before Labor Day. I already consider this a great blessing and tender mercy of the Lord because of the many scriptures I have found already that have been beneficial to me. For instance, I was reading in 1 Nephi about when his brothers tie him up with cords. In modern words, Nephi's family was disfunctional. So anyway, the Lord teaches Laman and Lemuel a lesson by causing the seas to rage and the skies to be stormy. After a while, his brothers release him. Instead of being angry and lashing out, Nephi thanks the Lord for releasing him, instead on dwelling on the fact that his brothers tied him up. In his words it says:

 "Nevertheless, I did look unto my God, and I did praise him all the day long; and I did not murmur against the Lord for mine afflictions."

We should all aspire to be like Nephi. How many of us really do that when the going gets tough? When we are under so much duress we don't have time to eat, much less pray for all the wonderful blessings we have. Nephi prayed "all the day long", thanking his God. If he can take the whole day, can't we take a couple minutes at least? 

I made a list of all the things I am grateful for. Here goes:

-supportive family

-money to be able to travel

-an education

-healthy body

-talents

-good role models around me

-lots of siblings

-a great support system

-leadership abilities

-dancing

-music

-holy ghost

-Jesus Christ

-Heavenly Father

-a wonderful new ward

-happy and excited YW leaders

-opportunities to learn and grow

-the gospel

-the atonement

-an eternal family

So what are you waiting for? That took me what, 2 minutes, once you start everthing just comes. Everything we have comes from Christ, so really the list is infinite. That was the smallest possible sample of all we have. 

Thanks for listening! Stay tuned for next time!

~~Abby

Happily Ever After

I've always been a huge fan of fairy tales. Why? I've wondered that too. I realized that it's because I love me a happy ending. 

I love all the princesses and princes, all the romantic love stories, and the beautiful damsels in distress. I love to watch all my favorite Disney princesses again and again........and again! 

My favorite Disney princesses all have something in common: they all have a handsome prince to come to their rescue! Aladin, Prince Charming, Prince Naveen,  and Flynn Rider are all brave, dashing heroes off to save their fair maiden. 

Cinderella is beautiful, kind, and hardworking. She wants to go that ball, and if there's a will, there's a way. And find a way she does. She has a fairy-godmother who comes and dresses her up in royal finery and whisks her away. I love her for her persistence, and her burning desire to go seek out her Prince Charming, and not just wait for him to come to her. 

Rapunzel is spunky and spirited. She won't wait for her destiny; she finds it. She goes with Flynn Rider (they just can't get my nose right!), and handsome young bandit to see the floating lanterns. She wants to see the lanterns, so she risks it all to fulfill a dream. I love her because she teaches that dreams really do come true if YOU make it happen. And she has pretty hair. 

I don't really like Bell, but I don't see why. I think it's because the ottoman that's actually a dog is kind of creepy. But anyway---it has a good message: family comes first. And sometimes you even get a get a hot guy out of the deal. 

Prince Naveen. I love him so much. And I start with him instead of the princess in this story because he changes so much, and she is pretty much an amazing person throughout the whole slimey ("It is not slime! It is MUCUS!") ordeal. Prince Naveen starts out arrogant and fun-loving. He spent all of his money and is broke. After they are both turned to frogs, Tiana learns to have fun, and Naveen learns to be responsible. They get married and---wait for it----live happily ever after:) I love Tiana for showing us that we don't all have to be princesses, we just have to work hard and never let our dreams die.

I think I love how predictable some of these shows are. I love knowing that no matter how tough the going gets, there will always, always be a happy ending.

It's the same in life. We will all have our own fairy-tale ending. Everything will turn out okay. We just have to trust in God to take care of us and understand that "Not my will, but thine be done."  

So just wait for it. Come on girls-- I know some of you THINK you'll never get married, but you will. ALL of us will get our own..................

HAPPILY EVER AFTER!:) 

                                                                                            love, abby

Headstrong

You may be wondering, "why headstrong? Why did she choose that as the name of her blog?" I thought I would explain my meaning to you.

First of all, headstrong officially means "stubborn". But to me, I think of headstrong more in terms of standing up for what you believe in. In always being yourself, and being a nonconformist.

Being true to yourself and your standards is a value sometimes lost in our day. Sometimes we do what we think will make us more acceptable to society, or what will increase our social standing. What really matters though, is staying firm in our own beliefs. Don't let anyone sway you or tell you what is popular or right. You know what is right.

I think headstrong signifies the innate strength you have to blow the world away. To show everyone what one individual can do. That you, one tiny person in a huge world can take them all on, and show them who's boss. You have the ability and the talent to make the world a better place. To implement your own ideas to help benefit everyone else.

So be strong, and be yourself. In fact, be headstrong.

An Introduction to Me, Myself, and My Little Brother

I just realized that none of you know me whatsoever. So here we go:

-I'm a type-A overachiever, and I can't stand lazy people

-I have 5 brothers so you better watch out, because I know how to defend myself!

-I love to read and write

-Someday I'm going to be a princess

-I'm probably the most competitive person you'll ever meet

-I love to run

-I love random jokes:

Me: Ask me if I'm a tree.

You: Are you a tree?

Me: Pshaw! No!

Another classic:

Me: What do a truck and a duck have in common?

You: They both end in 'uck'?

Me: They both have wheels!, well, except for the duck.

You (staring at me like I'm mentally messed-up): huh?.........

Me: Sigh. What an undeveloped sense of humor you have.

-I like pink

-I love the movie Inception and Princess and the Frog

-My little brother wants me to go play with him, so I have to go. Stay tuned for next time. Sorry, my little brother wants to be recognized-QUINN wants me to go play with him. And he says his smolder can crush your jugular rotor cuff. So yea. Stay tuned for next time. Once again. And I promise I'm not this crazy all the time. Really.

"Not for fame or fortune, but for the sake of my soul."

I love to write. I always have, I always will. I sit down and write an essay because it makes me fell better. I write poetry to express myself in ways you can't with verbal words. A very, very smart girls once said,"I write, not for fame or fortune, but for the sake of my soul." I couldn't agree more.

Most of the essays I write are really a metaphor for my life at that particular moment. My thoughts, my feelings, my beliefs, are intertwined in everything I write. Sometimes, when I can't make sense of a problem in real life, this code of myself can sharpen up my reality and show me the solution I missed before.

I don't usually share my stores because, like I said, they are really my journals in code. I have begun to share more of my work because who knows! Someone could be in the same boat as me and need a clue to how to fix their situation.

I also read. A lot. I am really busy, so lately I haven't really had time to read too much out of school, but I always notice its absence when I don't read for a while. I'll read anything; I think I like fantasy and futuristic genres (especially with romance!), but really, hand me any book and I'll read it. I think reading is what made me start writing. I love to relate to books and see myself as one of the characters, put myself in their situation and see how I react. A brave pirate, a damsel in distress, a princess (my personal favorite!), or a thief. It helps me see to see other people differently, because you never know what situation they are in. Who knows! Maybe they have some internal crisis that no one knows about.

So I challenge you reader. Go write a story. Go write a sentence. Go change the world with the words you write.