Time for an Adventure

It is adventure time! And no I'm not talking about the television cartoon.  Tomorrow, I begin my trek across the United Kingdom!  I leave from the Salt Lake City airport tomorrow at eleven and arrive in Scotland at 2 o'clock the next day.  I still seems unreal to me.  A few months ago, I would have never dreamed that I would be doing anything like this.  I am leaving the United States to go on a hike across another country, leaving behind my computer, my wardrobe, my family to focus on my writing, getting to know the people in my group and embracing a new culture.  I have never been so ecstatic! However, I already miss Utah!  When I first started college, I didn't expect to like Utah.  Compared to Washington, I saw it as dry and hot and brown.  However, Utah actually has seasons.  Unbelievable right?  The mountains are magnificent and the colors are beautiful in the fall.  The winter is bitterly cold but it looks like a winter wonderland.  In the spring, the temperature is perfect and the sky gets really blue.  I have never lived in Utah in the summer but I'm sure it is great.  This school year has been amazing.  When my freshman year ended, I thought I would never have a school year as good as that one.  I met great people, I had a great ward, great roommates and made so many memories.  However, this year has been just as, possibly more, wonderful.  The people I met were the best!  Everyone was so kind, funny and had wonderful personalities.  Anyway, there is a purpose to this tangent.  It seems to me that it doesn't always matter where you go but who you are with and what you learn.  Though I am about to leave to United Kingdom, I will miss the people back home, especially my family.  Still, I am so excited to embark on this grand journey across the English countryside for the next two months (and then to Paris for three days)!  I won't have a computer so I don't know the next time I will have internet so this might be the last blog post until I get home.  I can't wait to tell of my tales when I return. Au revoir! 

A Reason to Smile

When life becomes stressful and circumstances aren't turning out the way you hoped, it can sometimes be difficult to find a silver lining.  If we are unable to find a positive detail within a matter of moments, we tend to give up and the negativity finds it easy to cloud our minds.  In these times, I encourage everyone to find a reason to smile because I promise you can always find one.  President Gordon B. Hinckley once said "In my ninety-plus years, I have learned a secret. I have learned that when good men and good women face challenges with optimism, things will always work out! Truly, things always work out! Despite how difficult circumstances may look at the moment, those who have faith and move forward with a happy spirit will find that things always work out.” We live in a world of comparisons.  We constantly compare our lives and ourselves to those around us.  I believe that is the quickest way to poison self-esteem and belief in self-worth.  When you are having a hard day, count your blessings before you mourn what you don't have.  You might find that you will forget your hardships amongst your blessing counting.  One of the best ways to rid yourself of negativity is to give someone else a reason to smile.  More often than naught, the people you come in contact with are facing their own hardships and need a little pick-me-up.  Today, when I was walking to class, two girls stopped me on campus.  They asked if they could ask me a few questions for one of their classes.  After their interview, one of the girls said "You are such a wonderful person and I am so glad we got to meet you."  To be honest, I was caught off guard at first.  I was amazed at how sincere she sounded. With all the stress of finals and everything else that life brings, I was so grateful to this random girl for giving me a reason to smile.  If you serve those around you, you will find true happiness in your life.  Keep your head up and find a reason to smile :) Here is a super cute video of a person who shares his smile with everyone.  I could learn some lessons from him!
It is a little long but worth it!