coming from a thankful soul

Thanksgiving is past, I know.
But I can have thankful Thursday, or thankful-through-the-month-of-December if I so please.

So today I am thankful for home.
I'm grateful for the potential I feel in me to be something great when I'm there.
I'm grateful for the people there who believe in me.
I'm grateful for the skies and mountains and clouds and sunsets.
I'm grateful for the comfortable silence,
the kind where the love is still tangible and doubts do not exist.
The holding of hands two two little ones, or a grandpa.
I'm grateful that, though I go away, people here stay the same.
I'm grateful for the pace of life...
the kind that when the dinosaur computer is so slow at the appliance store you chat with the lady at the desk. You joke about the fact that people not from here don't always understand- the stores are closed on Sundays, the people call each other by name, there's a man on a horse that sometimes hangs out in town. The lady at the bank went to high school with your dad and you went to school with her son. You get one-on-one attention where ever you go, because mostly, you're one of the only customers.
This place where life is a little slower.
And you know the boy who made your steamer at the coffee shop.
And you play with all the babies.
You pick up your sister from a party and immediately receive a baby in your arms
and hugs all around. Two-armed, real, bear hugs.
You can be yourself and not worry about if you're too fat or how your hair looks or what you wear.
People there know me for who I am, and who I've become over the last 21 years.
They know me back to front. I've proved myself through my life, not my first impression.

When I went to school, I made friends just fine.
But when I had hard days I didn't want people to see my faults.
I didn't want to try so hard to explain the way I was feeling and the reasons I hurt,
with the chance they still wouldn't understand.

So today I'm grateful for family. and home. and people who understand.





Love Always,
and very very blessed,

Taylor Ann

conversations with mama

me

The thing is, I would be fine with or without him

mama

you feel that way about every boy, honey

but someday, you will like someone more than that.

more than "take it or leave it".

you might get your heart broken the first time it happens,

but it will happen

I saw this video today
real, true love.

Someday.

Love Always,

TaylorAnn

haaaaappy birfday cinderelly!

First things first: Happy Birthday to my fabulous mother. 

 I feel like I rave about her on here all the time. 

Want proof?

Look here.

Or here.

Or here.

Or here.

...you get the general idea. 

I kind of think she's great.

So, I spent her birthday having as much fun as is possible the week before finals. 

[how could I pass up an opportunity to help her celebrate from afar?]

I did things like lay out and relive the good old days.

[aka work the pigtails]

And lay under a tree.

While studying floral design.

And aced my test (just for you, mom!)

I have something to post for her later, 

but you are all just going to have to wait.

It's a work in progress.

marriage, running, life.

Last night I went to institute
(for those of you not familiar...it's like a religion class that doesn't count for credit)
and it was so, so good. We talked about relationships, which happen to be a popular subject around these parts, but it wasn't overwhelming. It was refreshing, really. A while back I was asked to share my thoughts on the subject of marriage. Here. With all of you. I never did for some reason or another, I guess sometimes life gets in the way. But it's about time I at least tried. I won't claim to be an expert, oh no...that would be leading you astray in a big way. But I'm allowed to have thoughts, aren't I?
I sure hope so.

Then I ran. Does it ever happen to you where the plan was to be home at 8, exercise until 9, and be done with your paper at 12 and it turns into not getting home until 10, exercising until 11:30, not-being-able-to-write-your-paper-and-wanting-to-write-this-blog-post-instead, and finishing at who-knows-when?
Well that's what happened to me.
But anyways, I ran. It just felt so good outside. And I was connecting it all in my head. I think it is at least semi-acceptable to think of analogies on a consistent basis, yeah? So back to running.... I ran to the temple, which happens to be all uphill. So as I ran on this seemingly endless incline, I thought of something that was said tonight.
"I've learned one thing. Things done the easy way make life hard, and things done the hard way make life easy"
That may sound weird, and my quoting may be a little off, but it made perfect sense to me. And in relationships, I think that it's totally applicable. Putting off talking about potentially uncomfortable subjects, not waiting to do things the right way, those are the easy ways. In the end though they end up being harder. Saying things that need to be said, sticking to your guns, standing up for what is right even when it's hard, waiting for the better things, those things are hard. But just because they're hard doesn't mean you stop "running". It doesn't mean you quit. You put it in low gear and keep pushing through.

Tonight we had the greatest discussion on perspective. To be unhappy with someone or life in general can be so easy to do if we focus on the moment. Or the day. Or even the month. Step back. Look at things from another view. Preferably a view from a higher standpoint. You know, it's no surprise that that ships have a crow's nest, or that lighthouses are set above the crashing waves. A different perspective, particularly one from above, can make a world of difference.

I don't know a lot about this stuff but I know a few things for sure.

Things I know:
My husband will be absolutely wonderful.
It won't always be easy.
My problems don't all of a sudden go away when I get married (shocking, right?)
I will get married in the temple.
In relationships, you get out what you put in.
I will marry my best friend (dear family, don't read into that....because I know you already did). 

My favorite marriage analogy:
Let us compare two people to two colors of paint on an easel. When you get married, you can't just stay the same way you are. If you did, your life would go on just as it was.... but that's not why we get married now, is it? But we also don't change into a different person, right? (I mean that's why they always tell you not to go into relationships expecting to change people-you're still you) But now that you are married, let's say you are yellow and he is blue, you need to become one. Just as we can become "new creatures" through Christ, so with marriage we also become something new. We become green. So you both are still there, yes, you have to have blue and yellow to make green, but you've become something different than either of you could individually.

So this is just another rambling... from me to you :)

Why friendship?

"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival."      -C.S. Lewis

This week I went to visit my dad's old mission companion.

I'd heard stories about him all growing up, and he teaches at my school....

so I thought to myself, I really should put forth the effort to meet him.

and I was so glad I did! We talked about our families and school a little.

Really nothing important, but as I left he very kindly said, 

"If there's anything I can ever do for you....let me know"

"I don't have much pull, but if you ever need anything, I'll do what I can"

It is such a reassuring feeling to know that there's someone on campus (aside from your peers), 

that you know is on your side and willing to help you.

Two things I learned from this experience:

1. The Importance of forming new friendships and relationships.

2. The importance, especially in college, of forming relationships with the adults who surround you. They love students, or they wouldn't be here! And we, as students, need adults in our lives. Who in college doesn't still feel like a small child most of the time? And we need the stability and wisdom of our teachers, administrators...what ever the case may be.

So I guess that's my question to ponder today, why are we here, surrounded by others, if not to build relationships with those around us? To build communities, not just residences?

What do you have to lose by making a new friend?

Go for it. Do it. It may not be easy, 

but it really is simple.