Day 9

List 10 people who have influenced you and describe how.

1. Mom: My mom literally an angel.  She's one of the most compassionate people I know, and I'm always trying to learn from her excellent example.
2. Dad:  My dad is so focused, and smart, and intense, and fun, and awesome.  I wish I could be more dedicated like he is.
3. Chelsey: Chelsey is the only person I know who took an economics major and actually like it.  She has the greatest fashion sense, and she is super creative and crafty.  I hope that one day I can be just as crafty as she is.
4. Heather: I think that Heather has the most dedication out of all us girls.  When she puts her to mind to something, there is nothing that can get in her way.  I would love to be so intense about my goals.
5. Kiera: Kiera does not care what anyone thinks about her--she dances to the beat of her own drum, and that's just how she likes it.  I hope that one day I can be that brave and confident.
6. Aaron and Danny: My brothers-in-law are some of the coolest guy I've ever met.  They teach me kindness, ingenuity, and, most of all, patience.  Plus they each have an awesome sense of humor!
7. My best friends: My best friends are the most awesome girls ever!  I wouldn't have made it through middle school, high school, and freshman year of college without them.  They bring me out of my shell, and I love them for that.
8. The Prophets: The latter-day Prophets are such an important part of my life.  I don't know any of them personally, but every time I hear them speak I can feel their love.  Thomas S. Monson is such a wonderful man, and I know that he is a true Prophet of a true church, and that he really does act as the mouthpiece for the Lord.
9. Ms. Dodd, Ms. Strevens, Mrs. Watts, Ms. Proud, and Professor Tuttle: Each of these teachers made a huge impact on my school years.  Ms. Dodd and Ms. Strevens were the best teachers in my elementary school (Farlington School for Girls A.K.A the greatest school ever).  Ms. Dodd was like my second mom, and Ms. Strevens and I were bosom friends from the very beginning.  Mrs. Watts was my eighth grade English teacher, and she truly let me shine in her class. Ms. Proud was my high school English teacher, and I honestly couldn't have made it through the two years of IB courses without her.  Professor Tuttle was my creative writing teacher (are you seeing a pattern here?) during my Junior year of college, and he was the one teacher who told me that I could actually be an author.  Each of these teachers has a special place in my heart.
10. Great authors that I love:  Jane Austen, L.M. Montgomery, Lemony Snicket, Ernest Hemingway, Robert Jordan, and Brandon Sanderson are all great authors that I love, and I strive to make my writing something like theirs.  I know I probably won't ever be counted as one of the greats, but I like to have lofty goals.

Day 8

What are 5 passions you have?

1. My first-and-foremost, now-and-forever, ultimate passion is reading.  When I get a book, I completely block out the world around me.  I become oblivious to what's going on.  I'm the worst person to do a road trip with because I literally pack a bag of books, and then just read for basically the entire trip.  Ask my family.  They will tell you how bad I am at road trips because of my books.  But books have been such a huge part of my life since I was tiny that really, this is not that surprising.  When we were little, my mom's answer to everything was: "Read a book."  See, watch:

"Mom, I'm bored."

"Read a book."

"What should I do today, Mom?"

"Read a book."

"Mom, Heather's being mean to me!"

"You two, go to opposite sides of the room, and read a book."

"Hey, Mom!  Hey, Mom!  Pay attention to me!  RIGHT NOW!"

"I'm going to go read a book.  You should too."

"Mom, I'm hungry."

"Read a book while I make dinner."

"Mom, I'm not tired."

"Let's read a book together."

Well, you get the idea.  Thanks, Mom, for always making me read a book!

1. This is supposed to be number 2, but Blogger doesn't like it when you do cool things like I just did, A.K.A centering a dialogue so that it makes more sense.  Anyways, my second passion is cooking.  I've mentioned before that I find cooking very therapeutic.  I love being surround by good smells, digging my hands into my creations (don't worry, I always wash before) and mixing everything together, and seeing and tasting the finished product.  Mostly I love making stuff that isn't typical.  I love trying out a new, weird recipe, or trying to put a new spin on an old favorite.  Sometimes my recipes are duds--especially when it comes to cooking with a crockpot; for some reason, I can never make it come out right--but I'm extremely competitive by nature, so when my recipes come out all wrong it just makes me determined to try harder next time.
2. Ok, I'm gonna toot my own horn for a second (it's my blog, I'm allowed): I am super creative.  Seriously, I can think of stories in a heartbeat.  And I do, frequently.  I am not, however, crafty.  Do not get those two things mixed up.  There is a huge difference between being creative and being crafty.  With that being said, I love being creative.  I love making up new stories, and writing poems, and making up songs (that I sing really loudly when I'm all by myself).  My creative writing classes at school have always been my favorite classes, ever.  This summer, I get to take a poetry class, and I cannot tell you how excited I am for it.  Also, I'm poor, so it's awesome when I can use my skills as presents.  Because it's free.  Hopefully, one day, I will be crafty as well as creative, and I'm working on that, but for right now I'm content with being ultra creative and only slightly crafty sometimes.
3. Travel is another huge passion of mine.  Travelling is really important to me, and not just because that's how I grew.  Living overseas for most of my life taught how big and how incredible the world truly is.  Now that I've had a taste of it, it's hard to be satisfied with just staying in my own little bubble for very long. I want to travel as much as possible, and see as much of the world as I can.  Unfortunately, right now there are these two stupid things getting in my way: money and education.  (Just kidding!  Education's not stupid!  Go to school)
4. Now, this last one is going to sound super cheesy, but bear with me.  I am really passionate about animals.  Being around animals is kind of my thing.  I make friends with animals so much faster than I do with people.  And I realize just how sad that is.  But seriously, animals are the best.  They are not judgmental, they are fiercely loyal (except cats; cats just do their own thing), they are playful and fun, and they will love you unconditionally.  I cannot wait until I can get my own pet.  As soon as I get my own place, that dog is mine!  Ok, I'm going to get off my soapbox about how awesome animals are.

Day 7

What is your dream job, and why?

My dream job would be working for the US Embassy in their Consular track (I'm going to describe what the Consular track is in just a minute, but if you want the official version, check this out).  As a "Consular Officer" I would be able to give out visas to cool people who want to hang out in the States for a period of time, make sure no one dies in crazy life-threatening situations (of the natural and/or not natural variety), and help cute young couples fulfill their dreams of having an adorable baby without getting fat (I guess I'll help older couples too).  I think that's pretty awesome.  But seriously, I really think that the things consulars do in the Embassy are really important.  I've always loved helping people, but I don't have the patience to be something like a teacher.  PLUS: I have to travel for my job.  I get to go see an new place every three to four years, if I want to, or I can ask to extend my stay at that particular embassy.  I'm taking the first part of the application test in October (again), so please wish me good luck!

Also, another dream job would be to work as a animal trainer.  Why?  Because animals are awesome.  And I like animals.  And animals love me.  Too bad I would probably make less money as an animal trainer than I make now.

Day 6

What is the hardest thing you have ever experienced?

The hardest thing I have ever experienced was moving to and living in India.  The culture there is a complete 180 from everything that I have been used to, and it was so hard to try and adjust to that.  Also, my mom was not able to move there right away, so it was just my dad and me for two and a half months.  Now, this has happened before--when we moved to England, my mom had to wait for about six months before she could come over because she was trying to oversee the building of our house here in South Jordan, UT.  But I was only 7 at the time, and while I missed my mom, it didn't really have a profound effect on me.  Being without my mom for two and a half months in India was extremely hard.  My dad is the greatest, but he does not know how to handle the emotional side of having a daughter.  Also, I was really lonely for the first year we were in India.  There were a lot of interesting, weird, hard things that happened in India that's really hard to explain in a short amount of time--I could talk to you for hours about what it was like living there.  However, it was also one of the most important experiences of my life.  I needed that move to India.  It taught me who I was as a person; it taught me how to stand up for what is right; it taught me to be independent.  I grew so much during those two and a half years, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally.  Because of India, I now understand why trials are so important.

Day 5

What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?

1. Seeing one of my best friends who I haven't seen since her wedding in December.
2. The family townhouse in Park City. Hawksridge is amazing and I love going up there almost every weekend.
3. Boyfriend brownies.
4. My family. They're the best.
5. My books and my Kindle. I ADORE reading--I literally can't get enough of it--and I love, love, love my kindle because I can have so many books all in the same place. You would not believe how convenient that can be.

Day 4

List 10 things you would tell your 16 year old self, if you could

1. One day, although it may seem impossible right now, you will appreciate and even be grateful for your time in India.  This sounds crazy, I know, but trust me on this.  You wanna hear something even crazier? Some days--although these days will be few and far between--you will actually miss India.
2. Sign up for those salsa classes right now!  And keep going!  You are a great dancer, and you will have some of the best stories because of salsa class.
3. Don't waste your time pining for him; he's not worth it.
4. Whatever you do, DO NOT ENROLL IN IB MATH SL!! Just go straight for IB Math Studies.  You may feel stupid because this feels like the remedial math class for IB students (which means it's normal math for normal high schoolers).  Believe me, doing this will save you a lot of sleepless nights, heartache, and tears.  Remember, you are not stupid.  But let's be real: you are not good at math.
5. Trust your gut.  
6. When you go to Thailand, beg dad to see if he'll pay for the all-day tiger experience.
7. When you get to college, just start on the English major right away.  We all know that's what you're going to end up doing anyway, so there's no point in pretending that you want to start a major like Biology.
8. Don't be afraid to talk about religion--specifically, what you believe in.  I know it's intimidating, especially at that school, but you will help people understand your faith and it will help you grow closer to the Gospel.  I know I probably sound like a seminary video right now, but seriously.  People want to know, and teaching something really does help you understand it better.
9. Driving--real driving, I mean, on roads and stuff--is vastly different than driving around in circles on a cricket field while Surrender controls the shift stick.  But don't wait too long after you get back from India to get your driver's licence.  Don't worry, you won't die in a fiery car crash.  Yet.
10. And for heaven's sake, stop eating so much food! Contrary to all your beliefs, it will not make you feel better, it will not make your problems go away, and you do not need as much as you think you do.

Day 3

Describe your relationship with your parents

First off, let me just say, once again, that my parents are the coolest!  Because of them, I have had the most amazing experiences in my life.  I've been able to travel the world, explore new countries and cultures, and do things most people only dream of doing (like bungee jumping and playing with tigers).  Both of them have taught me so much: my parents taught me to be open-minded, compassionate yet firm, mindful and respectful of others, and always willing to give help when it is needed.  They taught me to love learning, and they taught me the immense joy of reading.  And before I go on, I just wanted to tell them thank you.

My mom is my best friend.  I know I can go to her with anything, whether it be complaints, sorrows, happy tidings, questions, or worries. I was once in a family studies class where the professor talked about a "fused family." A fused family is a family that is really inter-dependent.  They consult each other on everything, and family always come first.  They spend a ton of time together, and it is viewed as a betrayal if a family member pulls away from the family.  I tell you this because my mom and I always half-joke that we are fused.  We call each other every day, and I know that she's ready to talk for as long as I need to.  She makes the best sandwiches and smoothies in the world.  My mom is an angel, and I am always trying to learn from her example.

My dad is my rock.  Well, he's really the rock for the whole family.  I think that without him, the majority of our family would be kind of lost.  He is so level-headed and focused--sometimes it can be a little frustrating because he has a vision, and expects everyone else to have that same vision, whether they like it or not.  But my dad is so adventurous.  I inherited my adrenaline-junkie tendencies from him.  He is the kind of person who will take off at a moment's notice to find the next great adventure--and I love jumping in the front seat and taking off with him.  He may appear rough and tough when you first meet him--and don't get me wrong, he's still tough on you after you get to know him--but he's really just a big soft, cuddly teddy bear.  My favorite memories are those of my dad and me cuddling together in front of the TV, not saying anything, but just hanging out.

I really can't say this enough:  I love my parents, and I don't know what I would do without them in my life.