Bear Lake!

For Cambry, Sabrina, and I, family vacation was long-awaited and joyfully received! The three of us had a fantastic time, along with my family, which was so gracious as to put up with us! The week was filled with fun times at the lake, hanging out at the cabin, hiking and biking, and plenty of you-just-HAD-to-be-there moments. From screaming about the moth infestation to laughing hysterically for no reason at all, a trip to Bear Lake was just what I needed!

Here are some highlights from the week:

Just arrived at the cabin!

Hot tubbing!!

Playing games at the cabin.

I have gorgeous best friends. Cambry looks like a beach model! :D

And here's Sabrina! Looking amazing, as always. :D

We're professionals.

"The King's Castle"

"Repunzel's Castle"

The "Evil" Castle

She's a superhero!

Just chillin' at the beach. :) Eating cookies.

Sabrina and Cambry out boating!

We rented a surrey!! :D fun fun fun

...and stopped for pictures!

Three besties

BFFs!! :D

On the count of three, turn around!!! (tNote the increasing levels of inappropriate "flaunt your butt"ness....  ;P)

The kids, just after biking

We visited Minnetonka Cave (as you can see) and it was WAY cool!

Just before the entrance

Our family

We're sorta crazy :)

And that's all! :)

"Can I Try Typing A Word?"

djfla;lsajf kfkljfijlkd ierolsdkfj ulskdvnjksdfhowerjvfnswjkeflewrsjkwheroifjsrkfjslrjfiof,hertowieoirhfselrtjkuihegruh34uitrhierjierhtuierhgfoiwerhtuiewroiqu4tgieyoirwueityuerityuirtyewuirtywieru3o4tuwi34yoi34ru234oiruoirui32o4rui34uoto5tuo25uti3hfqljerfui23uro

- Brayden

Hahahaha :D
In other news, I'm off to Bear Lake! Pictures might be coming eventually. If not, then more of my ranting! Hang loose!

I Love My Sister :)

So there's this boy band called One Direction.

Maybe you've heard of them?

Supposedly they're these five hot guys from Britain (and Ireland! Don't you think I forgot!), and they sing a few good songs like What Makes You Beautiful and One Thing and I Should've Kissed You. They're all the craze these days, at least in the world of my little sister and all her friends and probably every other person she's ever met in her entire life.

They do things like sit at home on Friday night and watch One Direction's live tour DVD instead of going to Oremfest. And buy red skinny jeans, blue striped shirts and suspenders to wear at the 1D concert in July 2013 (!). Their typical afternoons are spent watching all the One Direction podcasts, updating their collective 1D facebook fan pages, and writing 17-page (and growing) fan fiction. 

Yes, you could say they're in love. 

And though it strikes me as silly, and sometimes it drives me crazy... I can't be too cynical. Because in church last Sunday, my sister gave me this:

I just had to smile. :)

I Hope You See That, Too

Everyone always tells me not to care about what anyone else thinks. "The most important person to impress is yourself."   'Integrity is being the same person in your house as you are on the street.'

But I have a problem with all of these arguments, because the way I see it, you can't just live your life with your hands in the air, going, "I am ME and if you've got a problem with that, I don't CARE!" You can't justify yourself like that. Yes, it's good to love who you are. Yes, it's good to have self-esteem that won't break under the weight of words. But throwing all your cares out the window, accepting yourself by rejecting everyone else... it's not healthy. It's not right. While we should reject the WORLD, we should never reject the spirit.

That said, I'll admit right now that I care about what other people think of me. I care a lot. But the people whose opinions matter most to me are only those people I look up to. My parents, my family, my close friends, my leaders and teachers. I would never judge myself by anyone's standards but theirs, and most importantly, the Lord's.

 So I try to meet their expectations. I try to live up to the person I want to be, someone:

happy,

funny,

smart,
beautiful,

talented,

virtuous,

and kind.

I worry sometimes that I fall short. 

Like when I make a big deal about some little thing, and I'm not so happy. 

Or when I try to act funny and I end up being stupid at least half the time. 

To be smart is a relative term, and I'll admit that once in a while, I'm on the flip side of the card. 

It seems like I'm on the flip side of a lot of different cards a lot of the time.

But I'm trying, and when I fall, I pick myself back up. I brush off the dirt, tie my shoes, and move forward. Though someone's expectations will always be in the back of my mind, I can believe that I am happy, funny, smart, beautiful, talented, virtuous, and kind. And to you, whose opinion matters so much to me, I hope you see that, too.

Because I really do care about what you think of me.

The Game of LIFE (on Life Points)

My brother Brayden got the game "LIFE Twists and Turns" for Christmas. It's a version of life with an electronic device that keeps track of your salary, cars, houses, kids, wife, etc. You move through a board divided in four sections: Learn It! Earn It! Love It! and Live It! The object of the game is to WIN IT, obviously (Cambry quote! haha love ya :D). The unique thing about the game is that it all comes down to Life Points.

In the game, you earn life points by making bucketloads of money, reaching major milestones (college degree, marriage, travel, etc.) and also by experiences on LIFE cards. Experiences coincide with which section of the board you are in, and can give or take money or life points. Things like "Adopt a Koala Bear" and "You finally master patting your head while rubbing your tummy" can give you life points. But then there are things like, "Get stung by a jellyfish while swimming in the East Australian Current" and "Fall off the t-bar while skiing and roll all the way down the mountain" subtract your life points.

The theme here is obviously, "Positive life events give you life points. Negative ones subtract." But I got to thinking, in real life, why would a negative event detract from the value of the life you've lived? Why would not getting one job you applied for make your life a failure? How does passing out in biology class during a dissection make your life less worthwhile? It doesn't make sense in my mind! I think those things should add life points, not subtract them, because aren't they giving you a story to tell? Aren't they adding to your personal stream of life bloopers you're going to get to watch in heaven? Aren't all experiences teaching you and helping you grow, adding to the value of your life?

Sometimes we think the same the way the game does. When something negative happens, we automatically think that our lives lose meaning. So to an A student, failing a test is like the end of the world. Losing a friend makes you a horrible person. Crashing your car grinds your confidence to dust. But why let these things break you? Why not make everything that happens in your life a positive experience instead of a negative one?

So a family member dies, your computer crashes, you don't get a scholarship, your break your arm--any number of negative things can happen to a person in his or her lifetime. But I believe that every and any experience can be a positive thing in the long run. Even for the very worst of sinners--except perhaps ones who've committed the one absolutely unpardonable sin--any experience can be for the better. The trick is to let those experiences add to your knowledge and experience, to let them give you life points instead of subtract.

In Doctrine and Covenants 18:10 it reads, "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God." It doesn't say, "Remember when your life stinks, so do you." It doesn't say, "Remember that the better person you are, the more God loves you." God loves everyone, and every soul is worth so much more than any life experience can attest to.

So I'd encourage all of you--especially on holidays like Christmas and the upcoming New Year's--to take a look at your life. At all the crazy, wild and fun things you've done. All the everyday experiences you have. All the people you know, the goals you've accomplished. Take a look at those things that have been hard for you, things you wish you hadn't done. Think about how everything will be "for your profit and learning," and then reexamine the value of the life you've lived. Don't compare with anyone else, just appreciate what you've done throughout your life. I promise you won't be disappointed with what you find. :)

And there you have my thoughts for the day! :) Merry Christmas everyone! Have a wonderful HOLYday. ;D

A Little Thought

Holidays are special days. :) Even when you take the word apart: holi-days. Holy days. The words, the day, are special.

I felt all day almost like it was a Sunday. Not because it was the sabbath but because the day was set apart. It had that "feel." You know what I'm talking about. It feels good, it feels sacred or holy.

I felt that today as I celebrated Thanksgiving.

What a wonderful day! A special one--one to enjoy with family and to be grateful for everything you have and that you will be given in your life. It's sad to me that sometimes the media, and maybe even our appetites, try to distort the meaning of Thanksgiving. It's not about the food. It's not about the money, or the day off work. It's not about preparations for door-busting stores on Black Friday. No, Thanksgiving is about family. It's about love. It's about joy and gratitude and remembering all the blessings you have in your life.

I love Thanksgiving--today was a good one. :)

Holiday. Holy day.

Love.

:)

Chapter Four

Life at Home

Sometimes I’d like to think it’s the picture frame that holds us all together. That, and also our names. As a family we are close, and yet so distinct. We don’t look alike, think alike, or do the same things. Our character traces to common roots, but our personalities mask any similarities we may have. The seven of us—perhaps seven colors of a rainbow—combine to form something beautiful: family.

Of the kids, there are five. I am the oldest, and fulfill all big-sisterly roles within the family. Next is Brianna, my thirteen-year-old sister who is four years younger but four inches taller than me. We look absolutely nothing alike, although that’s what amazes me about my family; even though we’re different on the outside, people can sense that we’re family. Brianna and I have never been taken for anything other than sisters, just as my brothers Bradley, Brayden, and Brevin belong to us as well.

Anyway, Brianna is the beauty queen of the family and loves anything she can see or feel or taste or hear or smell. She is crafty and especially loves nails, makeup, and hair. Bradley, my twelve-year-old brother who was just ordained a deacon is the sports fanatic of the family. He loves football, baseball, soccer, basketball, and watches ESPN constantly. It’s fun to watch him, because he'll get five inches from the T.V. and jump around intensely whenever something good is happening. Brayden, who is eight, is a social butterfly. He’s playing with friends sixteen hours a day and sleeping the other eight. He is a natural athlete but also the most sensitive of all of us. I recall countless times where Brayden has approached me and given me a great big hug, saying, “Ditty, I love you. You’re the best sister in the whole wide world!” Brevin is the youngest, six years old, and the make-believer and free spirit of the family. He doesn’t conform to anyone’s rules, eats and sleeps whenever he feels like, and is wrapped up in fantasy much like I was as a child.

As you’d expect, life at home with five kids is nothing short of a blast. It can be crazy, but crazy is comfortable. I’m usually wandering, or playing the piano, while my sister has all her giggly friends over to eat our pasta and do their nails. Then there are the boys, who constantly wrestle around the house and invite their 50 friends over to join in making forts, having “wars,” running around, and being generally obnoxious. Add in the habitual family pet Tarzan and a loving set of parents and you’ve got yourself a typical day at the Theurer home.

My family enjoys being together, and we do many things that bring love and unity to our home. Sunday Dinner is probably my favorite tradition. We eat the same dinner every Sunday, and it’s everyone’s favorite: mashed potatoes and gravy with roast beef, vegetables, and rolls. We always eat together, and though we do so most nights, there is something special about Sunday Dinner that I love. As a family we also take time for Family Home Evening every Monday night. Once in a while we will go do something fun, like bowling or a picnic in the park, but I think just being together for a few moments every week can make a big difference.

As far as Holiday traditions go, we take ours seriously. Within the first week of December we like to decorate the Christmas tree, and as we get closer to the holiday we like to see the Spanish Fork Lights and go sledding. Christmas Eve we usually visit our extended family and open gifts from Grandma and Grandpa. We also have a tradition called the “Christmas box,” where we fill a box with food and treats and leave it on the doorstep of a family having a hard time. After delivering the box, we reenact the nativity scene and open our Christmas ornaments and pajamas. The holiday is practically a ritual; after getting ready for bed the kids all stand in line at the door of the present room and take presents up to the Christmas tree. Then, on Christmas Morning we have æbleskivers for breakfast and open our gifts. It is a fun time for our family and likely our favorite holiday.

Easter and the Fourth of July have fun traditions, too. Whenever Easter rolls around, we search for our Easter baskets and later throw an Easter egg hunt with the Hallows side of the family. We also dye eggs and occasionally make cupcakes. For the Fourth of July we always have fireworks in front of our house and spend all day with our Theurer grandparents. Though it’s not a holiday, by far the favorite week of summer is when our cousins Brandon and Nicole come down for our Theurer Family Reunion. The reunion typically occurs around the fourth or the twenty-fourth of July, and we play all day, party all night and try to have a good time. Thanksgiving is another fun holiday for my siblings and I; we eat the big dinner with our extended family and switch off Hallows and Theurer every year. Birthdays, of course, cannot be forgotten. My mom decorates the kitchen in streamers and balloons, plants the most recent school picture of the family member on the table, and arranges the presents. It’s a party for the whole family when one of us has a day where we celebrate them, and with our variety of siblings, there’s a lot to celebrate.

All these traditions, the descriptions of my siblings, of the things we do together as a family, they all spell one word: love. It is the word that could stand on its own to describe my family’s inner workings. And love… well, love is an interesting phrase. In a sense it means that as a family we enjoy being together. It also means peace, and safety. It means that no matter what you do, there will always be a brother or parent or sister standing right beside you. Love means family. And we as a family, all seven of us, strive for love and unity in our home. Life at the Theurer house can be chaotic. It can be fun or crazy or peaceful or dramatic. It can be traditional or spontaneous. But it is always loving. Of all the things I love about my family, I love the love that exists between us. Mike and Jann, Brittney, Brianna, Bradley, Brayden, and Brevin: this is my family. All that is left to say, then, is that I couldn’t have asked for a better family in the world.

:)

Monday Night Adventures

Family Night, Monday. GREAT NIGHT! :) I love my family.

We went to the Cascade Park and had a little picnic, then afterwards we played baseball in the park. I know it's amazing, but for once, I actually BROUGHT my camera with me. And then (*gasp*) I USED it!!! Here are some of the pictures from the evening:

Brad in mid-swing.

Brianna's up to bat and looking lovely. ;)

My Dad~showing off his pitching skill.

We weren't there for very long when the sprinkers in the soccer field next to us started to go off, and my little brothers started to go for it.

Here are the boys--wet and apparently very happy about it. :)

...Well, kind of. I'm guessing that's a scream of joy.

I thought this one was cool--Brayden's in midair.

I love this face. :P

Sprinker limbo.

My mom, sister, and I just sat around and watched most of the time.

Brianna and my mom, guarding the pile.

Me

My little sister is GORGEOUS!! :)

Also, I just had to post this one. It's not family night unless somebody cries. :)

So there you have it! Our Monday Night adventures. :)
Fun stuff. ;)

Chapter Two

Of Six People and a Legacy

My last name carries a legacy, just as my first defines me. “Theurer” represents something great, a family with lives full of value, hard work, dedication, and miracles: a legacy. One that was set before I was born, before my parents met and fell in love, even before they were born. Legacy means eternity, but I take it to mean me, my parents, and my parents’ parents. These special people in my life paved the way for my family’s legacy, and my life, through their choices.

Brent and Cheri Theurer are two amazing people that I love. My grandma, Cheri, has a sweet, sweet spirit. She is all sugar and smiles, and her bright, happy attitude is contagious. She genuinely loves people, too, in a way that she desires to serve them selflessly. She spends so much time caring for us, her family, and also others in the ward and in the world. I love her dearly, and I love the way she loves the Lord. Both she and my grandpa, Brent, have strong testimonies that they are never afraid to share and that have strengthened my own through my life. Grandpa Theurer, with his deep voice, echoes with authority and intelligence. He is a war veteran from the Korean War, and also a gardener, a professor, and a teacher. Early in his life he decided to place great value on his education, and he went on to earn his PhD in agricultural science. He has a quiet, sincere smile, and shines with light and truth. I love him and my Grandma Theurer dearly, and since they’ve lived close a lot of my life, I’ve had extra chances to get to know them and find and follow their examples.

Like my Theurer grandparents, Bryce and Marilyn Hallows, my mother’s parents, are some of the greatest heroes in my life. My Grandpa Hallows is a great man and a wonderful grandfather. He is also a farmer, a schoolteacher, a missionary, and a war veteran. He served almost two years in the marines and fought in the battle of Okinawa during World War II. Until recently, war was not a topic he liked to discuss, but as he grew older and came to terms with the memory and trauma surrounding the war, he learned to move on and appreciate the good that has come from it. He speaks openly about it now, and I am thankful for his courage and his choice to serve his God and country. My grandma, Marilyn Hallows, is a beautiful example of the type of grace and beauty I need to develop. She has a deep appreciation for the fine things in life such as poetry and music, a great voice and wonderful piano fingers. I admire her for her testimony, which she demonstrated every week as she walked to church despite her grandmother’s sneers and protests out the window. She is an elect lady in my eyes, and in the eyes of all those who have a chance to get to know her.

My grandpa and grandma Hallows met after he returned from the war and she turned sixteen. They dated for a while, and when my grandpa left for his mission she promised him that she would write and wait for him. I’ve always found their proposal story worth smiling at: my grandma, two years later when my grandpa returned, received a letter while attending BYU. “I’m home and ready to be married, so if you want to marry me you’d better come home soon.” You can guess what happened next, for they were married soon after and raised eight children in the gospel.

My mother, Jann, is the sixth child of Bryce and Marilyn Hallows. She, too, is an elect lady, and I love her more than words can tell. She was born in Bountiful, Utah, where she lived until she left for college. My mother is amazingly talented in music, writing, homemaking, and understanding people and the spirit. She is absolutely beautiful inside and out. I am honored to be her daughter, and I am grateful to have such a wonderful example to follow in my life. She and my dad were meant for each other; my father, Mike, is one of the most loving people I’ve ever known. He just has this way of loving people like the Savior does. He knows how to touch hearts, and I always know that he cares. I am grateful for my father’s strong, powerful testimony of the gospel; he is a great teacher and example to me and my siblings. Not only a spiritual giant, my dad was a star on the football and baseball teams all through high school and is very athletic overall. He is the second child and oldest son of Brent and Cheri Theurer.

My parents first met at Brigham Young University, in a student ward. To my mom, my dad was a family home evening “brother,” and at one of the ward activities, he tried to protect her from being thrown into a pool. Despite his attempts, they both were tossed in the water, but the beginning of something special started to show. As they got to know each other better, they started liking each other and eventually began to date. My mom likes to say they fell in love with each others’ testimonies, which is a beautiful way of wording it. They dated for seven months before getting engaged, and when they called her parents to tell them the news, good ol’ grandpa Hallows responded, “It’s about time!” They were married August 5, 1988 in the Salt Lake Temple, and so far have enjoyed twenty-three years of marriage.

My parents, combined with their parents, form the life, story, and legacy of my heritage. These six people are all amazing and wonderful and I love them very much. I especially admire them for their lives and choices they’ve made, for their strong testimonies and the joy they bring to my life and the lives of others. Even before I was born I already had a family and a legacy to look forward to, great examples of light and dignity I can model my life after, and a name to live up to. I plan to live up to this legacy, and so become the seventh person in my personal family legacy.

Family

Day 15: A photo of you and your family

I would post my Chapter 3 Project Me as well, except that my P.M. essays are terrible. Here are my thoughts on the subject.

1. Brianna is four years younger than me, and four inches taller. We look absolutely nothing alike, although that’s what amazes me about my family; even though we’re different on the outside, people can sense that we’re family. We’ve never been taken for anything other than sisters.

2. There’s me, the eldest of five children and somewhat of a “mother duck” to my younger siblings.

3. I recall countless times where Brayden has approached me and given me a great big hug, saying, “Ditty, I love you. You’re the best sister in the whole wide world!”

4. Brayden is my most sensitive sibling, and probably the most sensitive child in the world. He has big, beautiful brown eyes that melt your heart, and dark, olive skin with dark, coarse hair. He has a heart bigger than you’d think. He genuinely cares for other people, and all he wants to do is be around others. I don’t think he’s ever been alone for more than five minutes his whole life. He spends twelve hours a day playing with friends, and the rest of the time at home he’s asking me constantly, “Brittney, will you play a game with me?”

5. Brevin is a sweet spirit. He’s the youngest, and maybe it’s too soon to tell but I think his personality is a lot like mine. He doesn’t conform to anyone’s rules, even those unwritten by normal childhood behavior. He sleeps whenever he feels like. He eats whenever he wants to (usually never). And he is well-behaved only if it suits him. One thing I’m starting to notice is that he’s like me, in that he is a dreamer. I find him talking to his imaginary friends while he plays outside alone. I find him pacing, dancing to his own rhythm. He goes through stages of hobbies, as I do. Despite not sharing a single genome, he has inherited that unique part of my personality.

6. We’ve gone through six or seven kittens, although one member is permanent: Tarzan, the family cat. We didn’t mean to keep him, he was actually a present for my Grandpa Hallows for fathers day some eight years back. After my grandpa utterly refused to take him, we were stuck.

7. One of the shared characteristics between us is that we’re seasonally obsessive, meaning each individual tends to be really into a few things at a time, then moves on. For me, I trade hobbies. For a couple weeks it will be reading—I’ll go through several novels, or maybe a series in a short period of time, and then the next week I’ll have moved on to something different, like piano improv or something.

8. Bradley is the sports fanatic of the family. He learned to do math from watching ESPN tally the scores. When he watches sports, he'll get five inches from the T.V. and jump around in excitement. Brad is also the spiritual child. He learned to read from reading the book of mormon, he takes his church responsibilities seriously. He hasn't yet turned twelve, but he is already completing his Aaronic Priesthood duties. I look up to my little bro.

I love my family. When I finish the real project, I'll post it all, promise. Then you can read my potentially-deep-and-philosophical-thoughts on family. For now, enjoy the picture and the scrambled thoughts. :)