I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go

Sometimes, things don't turn out quite the way you expect. In fact, sometimes they become the exact opposite of what you originally intended.

Every year, there are birds that nest right underneath the shingles of the roof of my house. Mother birds are not very motherly, I've discovered. Every year, we find several dead baby birds on the sidewalk, because their mothers have pushed them out of the nest far too early. Lucky for me, I don't have parents like this. Even when I jumped out of the nest early all by myself, and barely made it back alive, they still welcome me back with open arms until I'm ready to take off again. This time with stronger wings.

Let's recap, shall we? My college-life plan in a series:
Freshman year of high school: Dixie for two years, then BYU.
Sophomore year of high school: Dixie for two years, then BYU.
Junior year of high school: Dixie for two years, then BYU.
Beginning of senior year: Dixie for two years, then BYU.
Two months before graduation: Utah State University. Wait----WHAT?! How did that just happen?!

Freshman year of college: Hey! Logan's pretty nice! This might be cool, maybe I could stay here for four years!

Driving away from Logan at the end of freshman year: Why does it feel like I'm never coming back?

Summer between freshman and sophomore year: Well, Dixie could be okay for a semester! But then I'm going back!

Month before sophomore year: Well... I guess Dixie would be okay for a whole year... Anyway, I could save money for AFRICA!!!

Three weeks into sophomore year: Okay... the Africa group jacked up the prices... Maybe I'm not going to Africa... So, instead....

ECUADOR?!

Stay tuned, ladies and gentlemen. The Lord is teaching me another lesson in flexibility. What does this mean? This means I have no idea where I'll be in eight months, let alone 3 years! But that's okay! I've decided I kind of like it that way. (All right, I don't love it. But I just said I kinda liked it. So I'm not lying.) It definitely makes life more of an adventure, I'll be honest. Isn't adventure what I'm looking for, anyway? 

So... Whether I'm in Africa, Ecuador, or Kentucky this summer, I really will be happy with it. Because at this point? I feel like I'm pretty good at figuring out where I need to be, and where I need not be. (However temporary my confidence in that decision is.)

Author's note: Kentucky is not, nor has it ever been, on my list of possible adventures. If I have jinxed myself to Kentucky-hood with this post you are allowed to laugh at me for the rest of eternity.

Luckily, I have the most supportive parents in the whole world. Seriously. Throughout this whole process they've been there giving me quiet encouragement, drying my tears of frustration, and telling me not to turn my back on things too quickly. When I first decided to go to USU, my parents were not happy. But when they found out how excited I was, they helped me out. And when I started having a hard time? They were there for me then, too. When I, their youngest daughter, told them I wanted to go to Africa for a few months on a humanitarian trip, I could tell that they thought (and desperately hoped!) that I would give up the idea soon enough. When they figured out how much I really wanted to go, they pretended to be excited for me, while still stressing like crazy on the inside. This week, when I cried because I figured out there would be no way for me to raise all the money for the much more costly Africa trip? They told me not to give up. "Don't turn your back on it yet. And keep looking for other things. You'll find something." With parents like mine, I know I'll learn to fly someday. I'm just a slow learner.

Because We're Cool.

Women are awesome. We all know it's true. Mothers, especially, are amazing. My mom is the best of them all, no lies.

My mom is the most amazing person I know. Why? Well... Where do I begin?

• She rides the unicycle.
• She makes really good soup.
• She's the funniest lady I know. Seriously.
• I can talk to her about anything.
• She has the most amazingly strong testimony you'll ever hear.
• She's only 5'3".
• She likes to make cookies whenever it's cold and windy outside.
• She likes to make cookies whenever it's not cold and windy outside.
• She comes down to my room at two in the morning when thunder wakes her up to make sure I'm awake so I can play in the rain for a little while.
• She can skateboard.
• She has the prettiest blue eyes in the world.
• She almost always wears a sweater.
• She gives the best hugs ever.
• She always gets the same flavor of ice cream from Baskin Robbins. Always
• She doesn't make fun of me for being a picky eater.
• She knows how to fix everything.
• She doesn't want me to go away for college.
• She's letting me go away for college, even though she doesn't want me to.
• She loves going on walks. (I think I get this from her. Just maybe.)
• She can text faster than I can, nearly.
• She still goes on road-trips with her friends.
• She teaches math because she loves it, not because she has to.
• She loves math.
• She once read a book called Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea.
• She read it more than once.
• When we listen to Harry Potter CDs on the way to California, she helps me think of more excuses to ride in the car so we can listen.
• She spoils me when I'm sick.
• She trusts me to run errands for her.
• She was too nervous to take me driving for the first time.
• She let one of our best friends take me, instead.
• She loves to laugh.
• She plays the piano for me when I ask her to.
• She's not fragile.
• She's really the only person in the world I feel comfortable crying in front of.
• She is a terrible liar.
• She stinks at Murderer in the Dark. (See above fact)
• Sometimes we go get ice cream and watch movies together. Just for fun.
• She's interested in my life, genuinely.
• Sometimes she zones out pretty bad.
• She sometimes forgets that her sunglasses are on top of her head.
• She has a pair of sunglasses with two different-colored lenses.
• She hates that she has to wear reading glasses now.
  
• She calls them "Old Lady Glasses"
  
• She is the single most loving and sweet person I know. (Nobody's really sure how the kids in my family happened.)
• I am only forcing myself to stop typing this list because it's getting a little bit on the long side. I really could go on forever.

We just had Mothers' Day. The fact that there's a special day for it just proves that we're not as grateful as we should be. Sometimes we just forget. I'm so glad for Mothers' Day. I'm even more glad for my own mother.

This year, I've been thinking about mothers in general. They do so very much. To be a mother, you have to be pretty much an expert in nearly every occupation out there. Mothers are doctors, artists, chefs, taxi drivers, coaches, therapists, comedians, maids, wardens, singers, teachers, and the list goes on and on. And on.

I'm going to be a mom someday. I'm even excited to be a mom someday. (Granted, "someday" is a very, very long time from now.) I am so blessed to be a woman. A true daughter of God. Think about it: Someday, I get to count myself as one of the moms. Last week, I was taught a little bit more about motherhood. The women teaching me told me this: "There is nobody in the world more loved than a mom." Someday I will be loved more than anyone in the world.

Both of my older sisters are now married. Neither have any kids yet. That's all right, though. Trust me, they're the type of women that are worth the wait. The fresh spirits that get my sisters as moms? Wow. They're lucky. Almost as lucky as I am.

Lindsay's kids are going to be absolutely beautiful. They're also going to be crazy smart. And musical. You know, pretty much the kids that everyone loves and hates at the same time because they're so jealous. They're going to be the most awkward dancers in the world. Heck, they'll probably even be tall and skinny. She'll have at least one daughter that's as sassy as she is.

Sara's kids won't be nearly as tall as Lindsay's, but they'll all probably dwarf their mom. They're going to be an interesting mixture of spontaneous and logical. Creative and nerdy. Arts and science. Outgoing and shy. And they'll be absolute cuties, loved everywhere they go.

Both of my sisters will have kids that absolutely adore them. I mean, how could they not? I know I do.

We should be honoring our mothers every day. But not only that, we should be honoring the future mothers, too. A woman should be respected. A woman should be loved. A woman has the chance to one day be a mother, and she should be treated that way. She should be treated in such a way that will make her yearn to be a good mother, to spread her own light. Women were given the responsibility, the privilege, and the complete trust needed to be mothers. Never forget that.

On every side, women are attacked every day. Physically, emotionally, spiritually, verbally, intellectually. In every way possible, Satan is trying to make women weak. Lucky for the world, women are tougher than Satan. We can handle it.