Oh for the love of old things...

It's Monday... Oh such a fabulous Monday. Not really, but that means I'm 11 days from heading home again! Yay for Presidents' weekend. Also, I'm really excited because....

WE GOT A PICKUP TRUCK!!!

Well technically my parents got a pickup truck. But we deprived Thurston children in Provo have a Buick that is very unreliable (Poor ol' Beula...) and we needed something that can get us from Provo to Sugar City. 

And so we got a pickup truck. 

It's red. It's little. It's old. And it's stick shift. TOTES my type of car. I'm already thinking up names for him.So far I've got Benji, Calvin, Franklin, Wlibur, Gilbert, Humphrey, Percy, Louie, Walter... as you can tell I like the old fashion names. Cuz, well, he's pretty old.

Now some people may ask, why the love for old cars? I think that answer lies with my previous car. No, not our big have-a-whole-couch-to-yourself buick, 

Our (ahem, I call him mine... I loved him most) little Geo Prisim.

I got this image off of google, so ours was actually gray. But that little guy has a real story. And SO much personality. His name is Geoffrey.

Now Geoffrey is like 20 years old... And he is still going strong. Well somewhat. He shakes a little when you get above 50. Understatement. He shakes A LOT when you get above 50. He's also a manual transmission. Some of my best car memories with him are stalling in the middle of an intersection with a cement truck right behind us... Good times. Also, I think it's safe to say that he might need some plastic surgery. And some skin grafts. Oh and maybe a new eye or two. The guy has broken handles, broken cruise control, no muffler, a slipping belt, sagging ceiling, shattered overhead light, a dent and chipped paint where we hit a Saint Bernard on the Highway (long story...), missing carpet, windows that don't roll up straight, stained seats, broken air conditioning, chipping dashboard,  and missing arm rests. But the engine never stopped running. Pretty much, this car was bomb. Only worth like 50 bucks, but totally bomb. 

What happened to squealing, muffler-missing, vibrating Geoffrey? We sold him to a family that needed a car after a wreck. So he's in a good place with people who need him. I miss him terribly, and he--and all old cars--will always have a place in my heart. 

But apparently he's enjoying himself because the last I saw him was a picture of him being used as an obstacle to jump over. With skis. Definitely living life on the edge. Like usual.

So here's to another vehicle and some more adventures!

Dreams

You know how from age ten you have your life totally planned out and everything is supposed to go according to that plan? Well folks, it doesn't. Ever since I was twelve, I dreamed of coming to BYU, playing on the BYU women's soccer team, dating some athlete, and getting married. I also dreamed that I would be this average height girl that had pretty long blond hair that all the guys would love. Welp, I think reality is just a little different than what I dreamt of as a kid. Right now, I'm 5' 1", I have weird curly/wavy/straight thin brown hair, and I can definitely attest that I'm not that popular among the guys. I haven't been on a date for six months. I have acne. I've never been kissed. Actually, I've never even held a guy's hand. The guy I do like isn't really interested. And I'm transferring to BYU-Idaho in the fall. There is no way I would have pictured my life as it is right now, even a year ago. But you know what? It's perfect. I wouldn't have it any other way. Well, there are things that I don't like and I wish I could change, but these trials and difficulties that I have today are going to make me so much better in the future. I know it. And I choose to look on the bright side. I'm 5' 1"? Well, that gives me a unique perspective. I have really awkward hair? Hey, at least I've got some. I've never kissed a guy? Well it's going to make it so worth it when it does happen. And I'm going to BYU-Idaho? The Lord must have something in store for me there. And even though I am giving up so much down here, I just gotta have faith.

But this in no means translates into me giving up my dreams. Because I have lived many of my dreams, and I wouldn't give those up for anything. I went to state with my soccer team junior year. I was captain senior of my team. I was MVP. I got to play with a wonderful group of friends.

 I made the Advanced Jazz Band. I learned how to play the alto saxophone.

I took AP English and Calculus. I passed both tests. I graduated as Salutatorian in my class. I got accepted with a scholarship to BYU.

I gained friends for life.

And most importantly, I gained a testimony of the gospel. That, most of all, is what I cherish most.

Dreams are important in life. Even the far-fetched crazy ones that we envision as a kid. And even if the way we plan out our life may not be how it turns out, we can always revise, rewrite, and reevaluate our dreams. If dreams didn't ever come true then there wouldn't be happy endings. If there doesn't seem to be a happily-ever-after in sight, there will be one--if we keep reaching and hoping and praying and doing. And after all, we'll come to understand hindsight is sometimes the best perspective on life because it's then we realize that those unexpected and different paths of life were in our dreams after all...

Books

I really love to read. Sometimes it's bad, because it distracts me from homework and school stuff, but I still enjoy it nonetheless! I love all sorts of books: dystopian, mystery, adventure, romance (not too mushy though), and comedies. I love me a good witty book. So,  I thought I would share some of my favorite books with all ya'll.

Ok, these are some of my all time favortites. The author is Lisa T. Bergren, and she does a wonderful job. She is very clean, and that's what I love best about these. She can incorporate a love story and an adventure without having to be yucky. I hate reading books where it has that one part that just ruins it for you, and you never pick it up again. Nope, not these. It's about two sisters who travel back to medieval Italy. Totally worth your time.

Also another of Lisa T. Bergren's is the Grand Tour Series. The first one is the only one published (second one comes out in March. AHHH!) and it is just fantabulous. This one is about a girl named Cora who is trying to find who she is, and the way she's going about that is taking the Grand Tour in Europe. She comes up on some unexpected adventures, all which keep you hooked into the story the whole time. It takes place in the 1920s (I think) and I highly recommend.





Alrighty, these next ones I have been reading since like tenth grade and there was no way I could just drop them. It's probably because I have always wanted to go to a school for genius spy girls. Yeah pretty intense.


Ally Carter is just hilarious. She so is. And she's totally relatable. Very clean and funny and full of adventure. There's only one more book left to complete the story, and although I will be sophomore in college, I'm totally looking forward to it.

And then there's the second series that Ally Carter is writing called Heist Society. This one is about teenage thieves who are stealing art work back for those who rightfully own them. Even more intense. There are two books so far:

They are about a girl named Kat who is pretty good at stealing stuff. She really wanted to get away from the family business, but got sucked back. And let me say, Ally Carter does pretty good with her male characters. You will love Hale ;) The next book comes out on Tuesday!! I am so excited.







Next one: one of my all time favorites. If you like Pride and Prejudice, then you will LLLOOOOVE Edenbrooke.

I never really saw myself liking this kind of genre, but this book has definitely changed my mind. Pretty much it's about a girl who inherits a large sum of money from her aunt and no one knows. At least she thinks no one knows. Really, I couldn't give a summary of this book without giving something away, and I definitely couldn't give it justice. Just read it. Just do it.









I really couldn't take the time to show every book I've read and loved. Here I'll just type a list:
Old Maid of Honor by Heather Horrocks
The Reluctant Bachelorette by Rachael Anderson
Divinely Designed by Rachel Anderson
The Princess of the Midnight Ball (and all other books she writes) by Jessica Day George
Percy Jackson and the Heroes series by Rick Riordan
Legend by Marie Lu

And really the list goes on. But let me just mention one more book. The best of all I've read and the one I've learned the most from. Read it, and I promise, it won't disappoint :)











Have a wonderful weekend!!! :)