Goal Number One.

Never talk mean about anyone.

Ever.

Contention comes into our hearts when we do.

I am going to post a new goal everyday on how I can become more like my Savior.

I want to be the best person I can be, and to do that I need to try to emulate my Savior in everything I do.

Which leads not only to my words but my thoughts as well.

The Call

Dear Sister Powell...

I have always known I was going to serve a mission.

I have known it since I was 6.

Which in my opinion is always knowing.

My parents have pretty much imbedded it in my mind.

It was always "serve your mission and then get married after many years." haha

 But I've always known that it isn't expected of me.

That my parents would have been proud of any choice I made.

Yet I knew it was what the Lord wanted for me.

I was held back in kindergarten.

Why am I bringing this up you ask?

Because this is why serving a mission has always been so easy for me.

I have always been older so being 21 and leaving my sophomore year of college would be easy.

SO sophomore year came! 

And I started my papers!

October 17th would be the day I turn them in :)

and then General Conference happened.

And the lives for many young boys and girls changed forever.

The boys age changed to 18.

The girls to 19.

I AM SO EXCITED!

For all my friends who always wanted to serve yet the dumb awkward age of 21 

made it so hard.

I AM SO EXCITED!

For all my EFY kids who get to go so much earlier now!

I AM SO EXCITED!

For the girls who never thought about serving yet now will!

I AM SO EXCITED!

For the work to go so much faster!

I AM SO EXCITED!

For and most importantly the young kids of the church and my future children.

I cant even imagine how great this will be.

This call was made for them I feel like more then it was for us.

I cant wait to tell my children about this one day :) 

I am so glad though that this change didnt happen my senior year of high school!

I would have left and never thought twice about it!

I would have missed out on so many growing opportunities that I very much needed.

 College.

College.

College.

an the hardships that come with it. 

hahaha

AND EFY!

Back to the age change.

 This change made it a little hard for me. hahahaha

So many girls and guys finished their papers in about one week!

And Syds papers were delayed.

(Her pulse was to high)

So I had to wait over a month for my call.

But thats okay (it still stressed me out though. lol) :)

I was able to open it up with Sydney.

My call came on November 14, 2012

I ran home after my first class to get it.

Mack the mail man had already sent Syd a text saying it was there.

 I held it my hands and honestly the long wait was worth it.

I was supposed to wait until 9 at night to open it.

But my mom said she couldn't stay up that latee...

So I opened it early :D

Im glad I did too.

 I loved only having my family there.

I got Syd out of work and we went to Kenzie's to open it.

The moment I opened it.

I knew my Heavenly Father loved me.

I felt such warmth and peace.

My call was made for me.

I know it's where I am supposed to go.

I can not wait to serve my Heavenly Father.

What do I want to do?

Something they forget to tell you as a child is that 

it is SO hard to decide what you want to be in your life.

I guess for some it comes easily.

For me its almost impossible.

Theres one thing I know.

I want to create something beautiful.

I want to be like

Peter Jackson

Dorothea Lange

Kate Winslet

Jk Rowling

I want people to look at what I do

and say

That was beautiful.

I want to bring people to tears.

I want to help people see that art is beautiful.

In every form.

Whether is to be a doctor

to save lives.

To be an artist

to enhance minds.

I want to leave my mark.

20.

Im 20.

And I'm starting to get scared.

This time last year I found out that I was going to BYU.

It seems like yesterday...

Times flies.

SO fast.

I remember Facebook stalking my summer roommates.

And now its winter.

Im seriously going to miss freshman year...

I  love BYU.

Im so glad I stayed in Helaman.

Thanks you know who for convincing me to stay here. haha

Seriously though.

I ended up meeting people I needed to meet.

I love my ward.

BYU was nothing like I expected it to be.

Its better.

I feel the spirit everyday.

I have learned to love the gospel.

I have learned to want to be better.

The Lord has a funny way of making your plans His plans.

I had so many wants coming into BYU.

And none of them have come true.

BUT I never realized how much I would grow and learn.

And I have no idea whats ahead of me.

A mission.

I have so much I need to learn.

This was a weird birthday.

It was the first one away from home.

The first one when I actually felt a difference.

Its weird to say you're 20.

You actually feel grown up.

(even if sometimes I dont act grown up).

You realize that if you really wanted you could get married....

(I dont want that... haha)

You have to start caring about whats ahead.

I love my life.

I seriously do.

Again Im excited for the next stage.

Even if I'm slightly scared.

BUT freshman year isnt over yet :)

I plan to make it awesome.

Love you guys!

To catch you up.

Life has been good :)

A lot of things have come back that I wouldn't say that I wanted to come back too...

But thats how life is.

I have given up Facebook for a time.

I just realized that it is such a pointless thing.

I am good at keeping goals so Im going to keep this one.

I'm not quite sure what I'm doing with my life.

I wish I could just leave on a mission right now.

I'm so jealous and happy for all the young men who are getting there calls.

I need a real motivational kick in the head.

haha, right now I am in photography.

Im really enjoying it.

But I'm not sure if its what I want to major in.

I've been recently thinking of majoring in Psychology and working with girls and boys with eating disorders.

I don't know.

We shall see :)

I'm going to get a job.

I dont know where yet.

Maybe the Creamery on 9th?

I had an EFY interview to be a counselor the other day :)

It was sooo much fun.

I hope I get it.

So this has been my life recently.

Not to interesting.

But my life :)

Haven't blogged in a while.

So... I haven't blogged in some time.

So I thought I'd catch ya'll up.

I've finished my second semester of college!!

It was a good one :]

In someways better then the first, but overall a completely different experience.

I wasn't an emotional wreck this time.

I mean I had some tough times, but college is hard!

Seriously... I didn't do quite as well as I  would have liked but I did wayyy better then I thought I'd do.

I slept a lot more this semester... Summer semester I never slept and when I went home I literally zonked out.

This time I cant sleep at alll.

I wake up at 7 on the dot every morning.

I learned a lot this semester.

I learned a lot about myself and my Savior.

Ive learned to love to read the scriptures.

We never really studied them at home, so when I started my Book of Mormon class I learned more then I ever have in my life.

I loved my dance class.

I hadnt danced since February and I felt it at first.

But I slowly improved.

I also had the best ward.

I loved my summer ward.

But this ward is amazing.

The thing about Helaman is you know all the girls in your relief society.

And you meet a lot more of the guys.

Ive realized I like meeting people.

I love having friends all over.

So next semester thats what Im going to do.

Make friends everywhere.

Preferably guys in heritage... they have kitchens ;)

I think the main thing that has hindered me both summer and fall was the fact that I wanted a best friend. I have awesome friends, dont get me wrong.

I have made some awesome best friends at BYU.

But something I've wanted since middle school is that one best friend that you do everything with.

I know I have one awesome built in best friend.. Sydney.

And she is awesome.

But I've always wanted that friend that I'm not related too.

Do you know what I mean?

I have Whitney and Mary-Catherine.

And they are the best friends that you can ever have.

So dont get me wrong.

I dont know how to explain it because it is hard too.

But I've never really fit in anywhere.

I get a long with everyone mostly.

But I still feel kinda distant from them.

But I should be more thankful.

And stop trying to force that friend.

I did that during the summer.

With a person that I wont name.

But Im going to realize that its okay just to have friends everywhere.

And start being more appreciative of the friends I do have.

I think I'll be a lot happier if I do that.

My sister is home :]

She had to come early from her mission.

She retore her ACL a year ago.

The doctor says its a miracle that she walked so long on it.

But God blessed her to finish the work that she needed to do.

And she did.

I have felt so many blessings from her going on a mission.

It was weird when she was released.

It made me sad...

But I'm glad that she is back :]

And I'm excited to go on my own mission.

I love being home. 

I love being with my family and being in Louisiana.

It feels so good outside :]

I got a new camera! 

A nikon d300.

It is beautiful!

Im excited to start the new semester.

To take the things that I have learned.

And to make it better :]

Heres so pics!

a smack to the head.

Sometimes I find it very hard to be grateful.

And when that happens the Lord likes to smack me on my head.

Wednesday was a very loooonnngg day.

I didn't get into my dorm that I wanted to get into.

Apparently there was a lot of girls that wanted to move out of helaman too.

I have never witnessed anything like this in my life.

I would click on a room and the next minute it would be gone...

I wasnt a happy camper.

I was dead set on moving.

And I thought it would for sure happen.

So as you could see I was feeling pretty unthankful.

I had wanted to move so bad that I even had a hard time feeling thankful for the things I had.

Like my hall way.

And my twin.

However... that soon changed.

With Sydney fainting and being unable to walk.

Too Elise and me carrying her down the hall.

Too two boys giving her a beautiful blessing.

Too the girls being so nice and helpful.

Too the bishops wife who told us to bring her to the emergency room.

Too me scared and crying.

I am happy to say that my only regret about the hospital is that I didnt have my camera....

But the hospital was so much nicer then hospitals in Louisiana.

They got syd right in.

She couldnt really make sense so I told all the information.

And all that wonderful stuff.

I am so thankful for the girls in my hall that were there.

For Elise and Brent who stayed with me.

Friends really do mean a lot.

And that night made me see that I do have friends.

Sometimes I just need a smack in the head to see that.

Sydney ended up only having a urinary tract infection.

Which is apparently really bad for someone her size. lol

But Im glad it wasnt bad :]

Im thankful for that smack in the head.

and I'm happy where Im at.

I mean I could have ended up with some baaddd roommates..

Which would have stunk.

While here I have an awesome ward.

And someone that cleans and cooks.

Even if the food stinks...

:]