This is my shout out to Hailee Jane Henson, one of the best people in this whole world. Today is the day she was born, and I literally thank Heavenly Father for this day every day. Because Hailee is a light in my world. Someone who cares and is always ready to listen and help. Someone who truly exemplifies the Savior. She’s funny and sweet but real and caring, modest and humble and most of all, a choice daughter of God. So I am thankful today that 19 years ago, she came into this world while I waved goodbye to her from heaven. I don’t think I was sad though, I knew I was going to be with her on earth soon and that she would help me live my life and be the person I was meant to be. Love you Hai.

College is interesting. AMAZINGLY FUN, but interesting. Yesterday I walked around campus to find all of my classes (I decided I don’t need to hit the gym to work out…walking to all my classes with my 50 LB backpack is work out enough.) Then Bandy and I went to the grocery store and I taught him how to eat healthy (haha) and then went to a party for the last night of socializing before classes. It was super fun! Heidi and I watched the dating game (basically the Bachelor and Bachelorette in 10 minutes with people you have never seen before) and danced in the rain and met fun new people. It was nice. Then today Heidi and I sang in Sacrament Meeting for the first Sunday in our new ward. Intimidating much? We sang an arrangement of I Stand All Amazed. And…..it went well 🙂 And now we’re bonding as roommates and having boys over for dinner and being adult or something….it’s weird.

But I think it’s like when you are singing in church. You practice  and stress and practice and sing the one part you can’t get right all during the first talk and then…you get up and you do it. Right now in college we’re at the practicing practicing practicing and stressing point…pretty soon we’ll just get up there and sing.

Ok so I haven’t posted in an obscenely long time, because an obscenely long list of things are going on and I really don’t have time to do everything AND tell the world about it. Well I guess it’s not the world, just the few people who read this blog. But anywho. So I moved to college (pictures on FB will be appearing soonish) And so far it’s been EFY on steroids, but in a good way. If that makes sense. I moved in and was STRESSING because everything was out and not where it should be and such, but now everything is good except the kitchen, which is a disaster area. We’ve spent all our time thus far hearing about how BYU is the best school, how it’s rankings are the top in the nation, laughing at funny skits and walking around on campus for way too long. The pep rally last night was awesome! We got to meet some of the freshman athletes, who told us we were going to beat the Utes because we have more swag, and some not freshman athletes (Brandon Davies anyone?) and then there were fireworks and free stuff! So far college has been overwhelming and GO GO GO all the time, but super fun. Randy has been over helping me and being with me a ton which is great. I haven’t gotten to see him as much as I’d like but that will change once classes start and things mellow out. I’m making friends and so is he, and so far everything is looking awesome.

Warning. This blog post is going to be sappy and cheesy and if you’re going to throw up or later tell me about how this post made you throw up, maybe you should just skip it 🙂

Anywho now that that is out of the way…

Monday is one year since I realized I had a crush on Randy Low. Actually that’s a lie. I knew I had a crush on him several times throughout high school, but Randy was too cool for girls 😉 It’s been one year since I realized he maybe kinda sorta liked me back. And we True Darted. Which is honestly a ridiculous activity but for me it held wonderful results. I can’t say enough things about this past year. Randy and I have had ups and downs, lefts and rights and forwards and backwards moments. But we got through them. Because we’re best friends.

Lots of people say things about how we’re young and things are going to change, and they’re right. Right now neither of us pretend like we know how this story ends. But for this second, this moment right now, he’s my very best friend. And yes he’s going on a mission. SOON. But that doesn’t mean I can’t be his best friend. That I can’t adore him. I want to do nothing but support him on his mission, and as the song goes…’So now whatever way our stories end, I know you have rewritten mine by being my friend.” So maybe we’ll live happily ever after. Maybe not. Either way things are going to end up how they’re supposed to, and I will not look back and regret one second or one thing that happened between Randy and I.

I hope whatever happens, we both look back and say (quoting the Notebook)…”We really loved each other, didn’t we?”

Because we do.

So here’s to one year of intense friendship as I like to call it 🙂

Yesterday my sisters, mom and I went to Lagoon! Keep in mind, I haven’t been to Lagoon since I went with Tyler for Frightmares a year ago. So it’s been a while. We went on lots of crazy rides and walked around having fun. And then Liv and I decided we wanted to go on the Sky Coaster, (the big ride where you go sixty feet up in the air and free fall for literally fifty feet before you start swinging over Lagoon.) I have been on this ride before, but I closed my eyes for all the way up and most of the swinging. Because it is HIGH UP.

This time I was with my sister, going up. My eyes were shut tight. And then my sister said “Maddy LOOK!!! It is so cool!!!” So I opened my eyes.

Sprawled out before me was lots of trees and people and water fountains and so many cool things. And then we dropped and it all got closer before we started swinging and seeing lots of different things. And I realized something. Some people will help you open your eyes to everything wonderful around you, and others will be ok with you keeping them closed. I’m figuring out who will help me open my eyes, and I am so grateful for those people.

So, open your eyes.

You’ll be surprised by what you see 🙂

I’ve been sitting here trying to think of what to say for quite a while now. There are ten million words running through my head of things I want to say, could say, shouldn’t say, or plain ol’ just don’t wanna say. This summer has been really weird. Incredibly fun, but weird. Weird in that I’m not doing the things I thought I would be doing, but the things I’ve been doing instead are super fun. Which is good. Haha I think this post was doomed not to make sense since it’s conception. Poor little hopeless post.

There’s probably nothing really good to say because of the fact that I literally do nothing. I go to work…..I hang out with Randy for short amounts of time…..I ride on Jackson’s bike for literally five minutes…..I go to a party or a gathering probably once a week that is entirely uneventful…..I watch a lot of Olympics…..I clean my room and ready for college stuff (which I DO NOT WANT TO TALK ABOUT)….and then I sleep. And repeat the cycle. It’s really fun, honest. But still nothing very intriguing to post on this blog happens too often.

I’m thinking though. And when something blog-worthy happens…you’ll be the first to know, little blog 🙂

Lately lots of spiritual things have been going on. Which is awesome. Every time I get to hear those cute Primary kids sing I just melt inside, I’m on track to finish the Book of Mormon before I go off to school (which I am NOT thinking about,) I’ve been reading my patriarchal blessing a lot and trying to figure out how it applies to my life and such, and then randomly someone will message me saying they had a prompting to tell me they love me and a million other things that were literally an answer to prayer.

So to go along with the whole spirtual prompting theme of this post, I’m going to follow a prompting of my own. I think this is more for me than anything else, so you really don’t need to keep reading.

I just know that the church is true. Without a doubt. It is the best part of my life and the only thing in my life that is perfect. I mess up and I am so glad to know that I can fix things because of my Savior. I’ve had to fix lots of things and I’m sure I will for the rest of my life, but nothing that I’ve done can’t be undone. And that’s a miracle in and of itself. Things have been changing a lot this summer, and I am slowly figuring out why. And now I’m sure that there is a plan and my job is to trust and do what I’m supposed to do, and trust some more.

Sorry to get all churchy up in here. But seeing as this blog is basically my journal, I think the two readers will forgive me 🙂 Anyway…

On a side note I have a small story to share that tickled my heart.

One time I was at Cherry Hill (shocker) and these kids came and bought passes. The one kid looked about 15/16 and the others looked about 12, which was odd. So they bought passes and then I was running around doing all this crazy stuff, when I hear this kid shout “Hey!” I looked over and saw his…bright plaid swimsuit and mullet and then his face which was giving me the cool “hey” face that guys think is cute. Then he flexed his muscle like a moron and said “Like that?” I almost peed my pants laughing as I smiled awkwardly and walked away, just before splitting my gut with laughter. Needless to say….my job is ok I guess 🙂

So on Monday I worked and then went and rodeo-ed (???) it up with my family and little Bandy. Then on Tuesday I worked (and Bandy came for the last two hours) and then watched movies with my family. Wednesday I went shopping with Bandy, then went to work, then had chips and salsa with Haley Young (who I ADORE) and said Bandy.

Sensing a pattern? So am I.

So here’s my thank you to the boy who literally makes my heart stop. I don’t deserve him for one tiny second but I’m so glad he sticks around to tell me to breathe or calm down, to be sympathetic when it’s 12:00 and people are STILL GOLFING, to come shopping with me for anything and everything and make it fun, to bring me treats just because he can, to make CD’s of songs that I always listen to in his car because I don’t have them, to get excited over anything I’m excited about, to hold me when I’m crying, to make polyga-date jokes with me and be a good sport, the list goes on and on. I have a lot of great friends who I am so grateful for, but with Randy it’s a little different. And not just because we kiss. Because I am absolutely crazy about him and I think the feeling is mutual. He forgives me more than he should and puts up with me getting mad at him for absolutely no reason. Anyway the long story short is, no matter how things end up between Randy and I, I am so glad I have him for a best friend. He’s been here for me through thick and thin and I figured it was about time I gave him a little shout out.

Today I want to give a shout out to two of my best friends who have had either a birthday recently (as in June 29) or TODAY (as in July 17.) So. Here it goes!

Happy birthday Em! Emi is such a sweet girl and I am so glad I got to be friends with her in junior high a bit and in high school a lot. She loves having fun and she’s always herself no matter what. She doesn’t like to show emotion but she always does little things to let others know she cares about them. She listens to problems and tries her best to help. Emi is a wonderful person and she’s going to kill it at college, and I’m going to miss her. A lot. Love you dear. Happy 18th!

Happy birthday Ash!! Ash and I have had our ups and downs and because we’re so similar, we fight a lot. But I love this girl to death. Ash does her own thing and often does things because people think she can’t. So she proves them wrong. She loves having fun but knows exactly when to be serious. She is so caring to her friends and always tries to patch things up in a fight. Ash is amazing and I know she’ll be married within a matter of weeks of being at college 😉 But really, any guy would be lucky to have her. Love you girl 🙂

So those are my shout outs.

On a seperate note.

I hate it when people think they know my business. You don’t. Back off. Stop spreading rumors that you don’t know the whole story behind and stop trying to get my boyfriend because you think he’s a poor little victim. This isn’t directed at any reader of this blog…but still. It needed to be vented out 🙂

So things have been insane lately! I haven’t even had time to post much, which is a shocker. I could spend this whole post blabbing on about doing this and that and the other, but I don’t think I will. There’s so much I could say and so much I should say, but then again so much I won’t. I’m not making any sense…..basically the moral of the story is that life happens. Life is all about learning to take the good with the bad, to figure out why things are happening the way they are and to learn from them. It’s all about finding the people who will be by your side through everything, even the stupid drama fights nobody likes. It’s about knowing why you’re here and knowing that there is a plan and a purpose. It’s knowing that somebody else knows exactly how horrible it feels. And that because you are lucky enough to know that, you have to tell others that don’t know. It’s knowing you aren’t handed things you can’t overcome and that you can do anything. It’s knowing you stand tallest when you’re on your knees and that there is a lesson in every lecture. Life is about knowing that ice cream always makes you feel better and there’s nothing like a good old fashioned chick flick. It’s knowing long drives in the summer are a gift and rolling up the window isn’t an option. It’s knowing you better kiss while you can and sometimes your ink will run out of pen just when you need it most. This is a lot of rambling…but there’s a lot of jumbled thoughts in my head tonight. Basically what I’m trying to say is that it all got put into perspective today, while I was playing for those darling primary kids. They sang this.

It shouldn’t be hard to sit very still, and think about Jesus his cross on the hill, and all that he suffered and did for me, it shouldn’t be hard to sit quietly, it shouldn’t be hard even though I am small, to think about Jesus, not hard at all.

Basically this song is about being reverent. But I also saw it as this slap in the face that the worldly drama stuff I’m so consumed with doesn’t matter. At all. So this week I am going to try and spend more time thinking about Christ. It shouldn’t be hard. Not hard at all.