November 2013/2014

So I need to play catch up. It really has been too long and I should at least get all the major details down in my life to look back on. Luckily, I have a running list of things to write about and hopefully I can get them done over Christmas Break. But for now there will be a little bit of overlap!

This November and last I was able to check another state off my list and extend the farthest place I've ever been east! Camp Kesem has a national summit where we get to meet up with all the other chapters across the nation and attend training meetings and make connections and it is just so so fun.

                                   

Detroit 2013

It really re-energizes me and remind why I do Kesem. Saturday night they have a family of MSU/UM campers and parents come and ask questions and it reminds me that Kesem is helping so much more than my 100 campers at BYU. It is CHANGING lives across the nation and maybe someday across the world.

I'm so incredibly grateful to be a part of this movement. I can only imagine where CK is going to be in the next few years! One of the coolest things at THIS year's summit was the rebranding of Camp Kesem! The national organization will be known as Kesem now and Camp Kesem is a project of that organization.

Camp Kesem National says:

We know that supporting children through and beyond their parent's cancer can include programming beyond our flagship Camp Kesem. In the coming years, we'll be exploring some of those options for growth. So to prepare for that growth, we've created an umbrella organization - which we have proudly named "Kesem." Kesem will serve as the parent organization for all of our programming, including Camp Kesem. (But rest assured, there are no changes being made to our signature Camp Kesem program). We're thrilled with the new logo for Kesem - which is reflective of the colors found in Karl. We hope you see the same meaning we do in the shining light rays bursting "through and beyond" in the new Kesem logo.  

Camp Kesem is a nationwide community, driven by passionate college student leaders, that supports children through and beyond their parent's cancer.

Detroit 2014

My First Summer

So this is the my first summer away from home. It's been a wild ride for sure. Can I just throw it out there that growing up is so bittersweet? It's so nice to have all these experiences, but there's always the complicated 'grown up' stuff. As HPen tells me in every letter, C'est le vie.

Anyway, summer in Provo is so cool! First of all, there's no snow. Also, there's plenty of free stuff to do around town (one week soon we're going to a food truck round up. That's pretty snazzy.) And let me tell you, food is so good and there's still student deals. #savingdollars

Also, I'm not taking classes right now so I work a lot at super awesome job that lets me talk to fantastic people (and not so fantastic ones, too) all day long. Plus I still work for res Life so I get to see all my favorite people everyday! Not taking classes opens up a lot of time and I love finding things to fill it with. Parties, drives, movie nights, and more food. Really just exploring Provo. #lovewhereyoulive (shout out to Elmo)

And now for some pictures. Because that's what this is really all about right?

Just chillin at the UP HOUSE in Herriman, Utah. It's an exact replica! Excuse the ratchet level of this picture. It was after a temple day. 

Excuse the derp face. 

Oquirrh Mountain Temple with my favorites! This was the second temple we went to that day. We hit up the Draper temple too, but we didn't get a picture there. 

Then one day Jason and I went to the zoo. Luckily we're both like 5-year-olds so it was the experience of a lifetime. Also, we pretty sure that they just spray painted the black bears white and called them polar bears. And we can't forget that zebras have five wives?

Okay, we literally looked all over for the sloth (Hoffman) and everyone else found him in like 2 seconds. Jason really wanted to steal him but I wouldn't let him. I'm too pretty to go to jail yet. 

Family picture <3 My long lost Ranga sista friend. 

One of us looking semi-normal.

HOFFMAN. I want him so badly. He's perfect - seriously.

So at the zoo we learned about sloths and their "cuddle puddles". Here is our cuddle pudd (no "le" because Zach wouldn't join us.)

Also, can I just say I'm so glad that Jason and Taylor became best friends on the mish because that means that Taylor and I also became best friends on the mish and now we're the three best friends anyone could have. 

Lei and I went to the temple while Amber studied for finals. We always look so cute so we have to take a picture every time. FYI, the Provo temple is extremely busy Fridays so pick another time to go. Or go to another temple like we do hahah. 

After the temple we got unratchet and hung out with Taylor! He's the greatest.

#swelfie - It's that thing where you go to swig and take a selfie. I missed the cute memo. Thanks y'all. Oh well, still cute though.

Okay I have so much else to write about (another time) still! Like that one time I went to California! Or that time I went to a Bees game! Or that time that I went to Camp Kesem... wait that didn't happen yet.

Moral of the story is that there is so much fun to be had and so much still to be shared.

Take the time to do something adventurous. Live in moment. Just do! And life will be happy I swear.  

Love It Like A Little Kid

For the original article, click here.

I’ve met a couple of young children in the past couple weeks (some family friends, some coming to shows, some just at the grocery store that I follow around for a few isles before their parents give me looks), and after spending enough time around them, and comparing myself to them (which I realize is a weird impulse), I came to a sad realization:

I don’t love anything the way they love everything.

For instance, I watched one of them just go nuts with this balloon. From the minute he found it, he was completely in love with the balloon. Nothing could tear away his attention. Any cares he had prior to the balloon (probably not many, to be fair), were completely washed away. You could have offered him a magical ride on a golden carpet made of french fries, and he probably still would have chosen to stay there and just mess around with this balloon.

Nowadays, even when I find something that makes me feel the way that I think that balloon probably made him feel (Michigan football, steak sandwiches, Fall weather, new Drake songs, etc), I can’t love it like that. I can’t have that same reaction. I’m happy, but not little-kid-with-a-balloon-or-a-puppy-or-the-thought-of-ice-cream-happy. I’m happy, but I’m distracted.

Here’s the difference: kid happiness blinds you to everything else. Modern happiness (for me, at least) just feels like a temporary break from my permanent march toward something else: obligations, sleep, death? Kid love is everything, modern love is just…something.

So, now fully self-aware of that shortcoming, I’ve started trying something. Now, when something that I love happens, I try to fully immerse myself in it. I try not to think about it as temporary: it’s what I’m doing so it’s everything that I am.

And it didn’t really work with the Michigan game on Saturday or the steak sandwich I bought at Subway the other day. It didn’t really work with anything until I tried it on stage the other night. I was performing, a job that I love, and I let myself just do that. I tried not to worry about how much water I was drinking, my posture, my banter, where I was placing the sound when I was singing, how I was holding the microphone, and I just let myself be right exactly where I was.

And, as the kid and his balloon would confirm, it worked! Before I knew it, I wasn’t thinking about any of those things. In fact, I wasn’t thinking about anything. I was just letting myself do nothing but love what I was doing. And all of my worldly concerned and long-term fears were gone.  I never understood that “in that moment, I felt infinite” line from Perks of Being a Wallflower, but I got it then, and I think that the key, at least for me, to getting it, was thinking about that little kid with the balloon.

My conclusion was this: if you let yourself love the things you love SO MUCH that for a temporary period of time forget that it’s a temporary period of time, you’ll love it exactly like you’re supposed to: like a little kid.

-Paradise Fears

They opened for Parachute and were sososo nerd-tastically cute, but I just really loved this post.

Tutti Frutti

This summer and the last I've a job working at Tutti Frutti - the only frozen yogurt shop in my home that is the treehouse. And I will whine about it until the day I stop working there. My hours are awful, there's often a lot of downtime, sometimes people aren't that friendly when they come in, I do more dishes there than I do at home, and I swear I come home covered from head to toe in yogurt. Oh, and don't forget the 824473947 pounds I'll gain by the end of the summer because it is so dang good!

But every once in a while I have some really great moments. There's a lot of people that come in that just crack me up (I mean, this is Lake County). There's also plenty of people that come in regularly, some doing the walk of shame because they might come in just a little bit too often, that I feel I ave a responsibility to make their day just a tad brighter. Plus, they tend to tip more if I'm friendly ;)

There's two little twin boys, probably 3 years old, that come in with their dad and tell me about their hunting and fishing trips and how they love the "salmon eggs" in their yogurts.

There's a little girl who comes in with her mom and is 4 going on 14. "I don't need your help, mom." "Mom, why are you doing it for me?"

There's the lady who came in and complimented me on my red hair and then said how whenever she came in I had a smile on my face and it made her happy

There's the families I knew from before I worked there that make me perk up when they come in.

There's my friends who come in when it's slow just to make me laugh. And take pictures of me. And play with the puzzle books.

There's the SUPER CUTE older couples who you know have been married forever and come in for date night to get frozen yogurt.

There's the people who commend my efforts for higher education and know that it's not easy to fund it on your own.

There's the teenagers on their first date.... and the ones that come in with the munchies.

There's so many reasons to smile

One lady found out I was a BYU student and got excited and asked me all about Utah because she was heading out there soon and wanted to know if she should fly or drive and what she could do and what I loved about Utah (Made me anxious to get back!) She left last week and came in before she did to tell me she decided to drive per my recommendation.

Then, yesterday there was a guy who found out I lived in Utah and asked if I was Mormon. (Pause: there's a lot of Mormon terms coming up.) After a brief introduction I found out he was recently baptized and that he just received the Priesthood and was attending a ward in my stake and he knew a lot of people that I did and we shared our love for the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives.

When I look at it this way, it makes working there not so bad and I actually wonder if my next job will be as enjoyable as this one with the way I get to interact with people so closely.

It also makes me really excited for that time in my life when I finally get to work at Disneyland - it's gonna happen.

Things like these

First of all, click here.

Did you click it? Yes?

If you just watched a crappily recorded video of a few kids dressed in purple doing the Harlem Shake, you just watched something I'm very proud of.
I wasn't a part of it, I didn't witness it, and I wasn't there. But when I saw it I was touched.

Those are kids at my high school - Clear Lake High School.

They're supporting Relay for Life, an event that raises money for cancer research and funding for cancer patients through the American Cancer Society.

And they got involved. Two years in a row, CLHS has been the host of the event. And participation has skyrocketed, funds increase every year, and I am continually amazed.

I'm so grateful to have come from such a wonderful place where people are so giving and teach their children to be giving. They recognize needs in the community and seek to fill them. That's something I have yet to find here at BYU and I feel few people could ever truly understand the impact of that small town.

I'm loving my new life here in Provo, but there isn't a day that goes by where I'm not thankful for my little lakeside town in Northern California that taught me some of the most important values in my life.

CLHS IN THE NEWS

Operation Tango Mike
Photo Credit: Ginny Craven

CLHS Grads Helping at OTM
Photo Credit: Ginny Craven

Credit: CLHS Newsletter

Credit: CLHS Newsletter

Paint the Stands Pink - Breast Cancer Awareness
Credit: CLHS Website

"Just because something doesn’t last forever, doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth your while."

Sometimes, Becca sends me links.
And then I sit and procrastinate.

Sometimes they're just to make me laugh.
Inside jokes and the like.

But sometimes they make me think about life.
The good.
The bad.
The ugly.

But mostly, they make me realize what a lucky girl I am to be living this life - MY LIFE.

Check out this one. 

Gail Halvorsen - The Candy Bomber

Colonel Gail Halvorsen (born October 10, 1920) is a retired career officer and command pilot in the United States Air Force known as the original Candy Bomber or the "Rosinenbomber" in Germany. He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is best known for piloting C-47s and C-54s during the Berlin airlift (also known as "Operation Vittles") during 1948–1949.
Shortly before landing at the Tempelhof airport in the American sector of Berlin, Halvorsen would drop candy attached to parachutes to children below. This action, which was dubbed Operation Little Vittles and sparked similar efforts by other crews, was the source of the popular name for the pilots: the candy bombers. Halvorsen had wanted to help raise the morale of the children during the time of uncertainty and privation.

Halvorsen started by giving a few treats to children watching the planes from outside the Tempelhof base. Wanting to give more, he promised to drop more candy from his plane the next day. Because the planes would arrive nearly every three minutes, the children naturally couldn't distinguish his aircraft from the others. However, Halvorsen promised to wiggle the wings to identify himself, which led to his nickname "Onkel Wackelflügel" ("Uncle Wiggly Wings"). The other American candy bombers became known as the Rosinenbombers (Raisin Bombers). Halvorsen's initiative drew the attention of the operation's commanding officer, Lieutenant General William H. Tunner, who approved of it and ordered it expanded into Operation Little Vittles.

The operation was soon noticed by the press and gained widespread attention. A wave of public support led to donations which enabled Halvorsen and his crew to drop 850 pounds of candy. By the end of the airlift, around 25 plane crews had dropped 23 tons of chocolate, chewing gum, and other candies over various places in Berlin. The Confectioners Association of America donated large amounts to the effort, and American school children cooperated in attaching the candies to parachutes.

I was lucky enough to be able to attend the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert tonight in Salt Lake and be in the presence of this man. It brought tears to my eyes to hear his story told. I now have my own white parachute with a piece of candy that reminds me to be in the service of my fellow human beings each and every day and that by small things, great things come to pass.

If You're Looking For Smiles

Click Here.

Warms my heart.

Ps. Faith in Humanity restored for the time being.

CHECK HER OUT

If you want to know about life, click here.


And then maybe stalk for a while.

Those Nights

Where it's okay to sit around in a circle for hours and make fun of each other for nothing.
That's what keeps college kids sane.

Countdown to Moving

How else do I celebrate than with Brittani day with Brendan? Too bad I'm super indecisive so it kinda failed. lol

So of course we go buy ice cream. Because when you get bored you eat.

Then we drive around. Where? Oh, pick up the little bro, go get school supplies, and then drop him off. And then drive around the lake. Like, literally. We went almost to Blue Lakes and then out to Buckingham (Google Map it, yo.) and every road in Finley.

Pizza Lessons from Captain Mike. Someday he might relive his pizza parlor days.

Shark Week, Little Mermaid, Zombies and Rugrats.

One day I might get bored. But for now I'm soaking it all up.

The True Definition of YOLO

Self-Timer Camera Shots

Last Minute Decision to jump in the pool. In our clothes.

Hoooootttttiiiiiessss

Vegetable Oil - 2007
Baking Powder - 1998!!

Successful Red Velvet Cake...

Which led to Red Velvet Cake War

Yearbooks. The gift that keeps on giving.

Oh hey. Here's your yearbook back.

Ladies and Gentlemen: A typical Wednesday Night.

So What If It's A Week Later

I want to blog about the Giants game.

Baseball is one sport I'll watch and not complain. I actually thoroughly enjoy it. I can't stand watching it with my boys though (Mainly Oren) because they get all analytical about it and I could care less what kind of pitch he threw. And don't even get me started on how cute baseball players are...

It wasn't until a few years ago that I really got into baseball. I guess it was a given. Both my brothers play baseball, my stepdad plays Old Men League softball, and two of my sisters play softball. Everything about it makes me happy. People say it's two slow and nothing happens, and yes I've been to many games that end up having seven innings of unexcitement. But that's part of the beauty of it. Each game is different. The dynamic is always changing. New pitchers, new line-up. Every game starts new. Not to mention the sights and sounds of a ballpark - there's nothing like it!

Junior year, I went to nearly EVERY SINGLE home game for the high school. Every one! I had to watch Ty on the JV team and Oren on the varsity team. It was definitely and interesting season. And the reason for many sleepless nights because I spent homework time at the field. This last year, I went to a few games, but wish I could've gone to more. Unfortunately, my baseball buddy moved and wasn't here this year. So I had to fly solo more than a few times.

Anyways back to the game.

Last Monday, I carpooled to work with my mom thinking I didn't have any plans for the day. I didn't even do my hair. Like no effort whatsoever went in to that ponytail just so I could sleep in longer. On top of that I was in grubby clothes because we were moving everything back into place after painting. I didn't have any plans that evening because it was Becca's birthday and I knew she'd be busy, Brendan was in Alaska, and I'd spent all weekend with the boys.

So needless to say I was rather surprised when Becca called me after my lunch break to ask if I wanted to go the game with her. Was she high? Of course I wanted to go! On the way down, we snacked on the Sour Patch Kids from TimTam and Nick played zombies. I drooled over Lisa's Brazilian Blowout (her hair looked killer). Bec brought me some supes cute clothes to change into (and I got to wear a supes cute hat from Lorna) because I thought for sure I'd be freezing. Oh no. WE WERE IN A SUITE. A freaking suite. At AT&T Park. I was so excited.

Patrick paid for food, that sweetheart (no pun intended). The bathrooms were pristine. They even played jazz music like the CSNBA channel does when the games not on. Buster Posey caught. Bumgarner pitcher. Game went into extra innings. I got a free rally rag. Someone asked me what the Ks on the wall were (shaking my head). And it doesn't even matter that Scutaro blew the game when he struck out in the bottom of the ninth with bases loaded and a tie game. Okay it matters a little. But the best part was making memories with the Lamberts.

And let's just say the ride home was definitely interesting.

And I can't forget Hayden trying to wake Becca and I up in the morning, shoving raisins in our mouths.

Yep, life is good.

There are those moments that I really love living here.

Like those nights where I can stop at the majority of my friend's houses. And we can all get in a car and just go where the wind takes us.

When we joke about going to school and play out scenarios in our minds:
"Oh hey guys. So wanna go meet at the school? Play some capture the flag? Go catch cats behind Taco Bell? Just meet at Safeway. What's open right now? Only Jack-in-the-Box? Let's go. Hey meet at Vista."

And the answer to all of these are something like:
What are you talking about?

Which one?

And my personal favorite...

What kind of childhood did you have??

When we go into Safeway and to buy a bagel and a donut at 10:30 (why not?) and then get asked by the people in front of us if we're 21. And then those people ask the cashier why the store isn't open 24 hours. She says, "Because the only people around here out that late are tweakers, thieves, and drunks." And it took everything in me not to laugh. If only you could see those two... (No judgments though!)

When the boys make me play zombies. I. Am. Horrible.

When we go somewhere and we automatically start looking for people we know. The more the merrier!

When someone comes in to Tutti Frutti and the recognize me from somewhere else. (Today it was the office. Other times it's been the play or cheer or something else from school. People really are always watching.)

When we can go and look at the stars. Every single night. And when the moon is bright enough to reflect on the lake.

I'm a pretty lucky girl when it comes down to it.

Took this on my phone. No editing necessary.  Loooove where I live.

I'm in love

Don't get to excited. I'm in love with my life. It's so incredibly fantastic that I wish I could pause and rewind it sometimes. So in summary, the last couple of days:

• Impromtu sleepover with Becca... Two nights in a row.
• Oh we're bored? Let's bake cake batter cookies.
• Trying on absolutely ridiculous outfits because, why not?
• Late nights with some fantastic people.
• Looking at the stars. I love them.
• Rockin' out to N'Sync in my car. I <3 Boy Bands.
• Night swimming. Glow Sticks Included. Plus lights in the pool and hot tub. Thatswhatsup.
• S'mores. (can you tell we like to eat?)
• Going over to one of those fantastic people's house for dinner and getting my own bowl of pasta because they know that I don't like seafood. Maybe I'm spending too much time over there? Nahh.
• Watching movies. What movies? Tangled, Licensed to Wed, Easy A, and pretty much whatever we feel like, whenever we feel like.
• Killer sunsets. (The only bummer is they were awesome because of a really big fire)

I know there's more. But basically, I love summer. It almost makes me not want to go to school. Almost.

Youth Conference 2012

This weekend was youth conference. And while the pictures on my facebook show some of the wonderful times I had, they don't completely show the wonderful SPIRITUAL times I had. And that is what was important about this weekend.

Because my birthday is in March, this year was my fourth youth conference. That being said, I went in thinking I knew what to expect. A testimony-strengthening event where I meet lots of cool people, dance the nights away, eat some awesome food, and maybe even cry a little (or a lot) at the end.

I did meet lots of cool people, I did dance a lot and ate a lot too. And I cried a little. But I kept looking for that super spiritual event that would help my testimony grow. And for some reason it wasn't happening. I liked all the speakers, don't get me wrong, and I definitely learned a lot. But it just didn't feel like it had before.

It wasn't until testimony meeting that I understood why I needed to be there. Being one of the oldest youth and being apart of the planning brought on a whole different perspective. I saw younger girls I had met at Girls Camp and testify that they know the truthfulness of the Gospel. I saw people I was merely acquainted with go up and search for the right words to say about their love for the Church. And I saw a lot of happy people talking about the happiness they gain from their religion. It was in that moment that I knew - youth conference gave me insight, on a very small scale, why the leaders have done so much for me the last six years. Why they spend sleepless nights at Girls camp, work so hard on youth conference and trek, and spend hours upon hours planning. It was so that someone, just one person, could have a spiritual experience. And I can't take complete or total credit for everything that occurred at youth conference, seeing as I played such a small role. But I can feel that youth conference was a success because someone had a spiritual experience and their testimony grew.

That was part one of my testimony-strengthening event. Haha

It wasn't until AFTER the testimony at the last possible opportunity that I had one of those "Please help me remember the moment forever" Moments.

It's almost a funny story. I was looking around for someone because I promised him a dance. And I step outside for a few seconds thinking he'll be there. Instead, I'm greeted by two of my favorite priesthood holders: Grandpa and Bishop Bunch. Bishop Bunch looks at me and says, "Brittani, there's a girl around the corner who's crying and I think she really needs a lady friend right now."
"Say no more. I'm on it."

When I turn around the corner I see L, crying as she's sitting in the grass. And I go over and tell her honestly that Bishop Bunch told me to come talk to her. She told me she really wanted to be alone and I told her I wasn't leaving. We sat there for a while and I told her I would listen if she wanted to talk about what was bothering her or we could just sit. And she said that she had been praying. I told her that was probably a good choice. Lol. And after she started warming up to me, she told me that she had felt like an outcast in her own group of friends. That they were being mean to others and to her as well. She felt even her sister was being mean. And she wished she could be inside dancing, but someone had called her weird when she was. I tried to explain that being in that type of environment with so many people that for some reason we're trying to impress we often act different that we normally would. And as for the sister thing, it was embedded in their DNA to argue and have tough moments. She laughed at what a dork I am. And then her sister came out and apologized. I told her after her sister left that we could go back in and she could meet my friends. And that's exactly what we did. I didn't see her much the rest of the night. But after the closing prayer she came up to me and asked me for my phone number because she said I really helped her. And she knew that if she ever had a problem again she could talk to me about it. And then I had my spiritual moment. She said that she had been sitting there, praying, and then I walked around the corner and she felt I was the answer to her prayer.

And that was all I needed.

I know that these programs for youth are inspired. And I'm so grateful for the memories and testimonies that I've gained because of them. And I'm grateful everyday that I have a testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel. It brings me such happiness and I can't imagine life without it.