Grateful Sunday: Education

(The lighting of the "Y" on the mountain at BYU)

School has always been just a thing that I do because "I have to". The summer has always came and went and then school began. I always woke up that morning of the first day of school, got dressed, and grabbed my new backpack full of new school supplies and headed to school. Sometimes I was excited, sometimes I felt quite the opposite. My entire life has run on this schedule, but not until recently have I come to appreciate it. I am grateful for education and the many people who spend their lives teaching and serving students. I am grateful for my family and the importance they give to educating myself. I am grateful for the support they offer in helping me through these times in my life. Aren't we so lucky to have the opportunity to learn so many different things? Aren't we lucky to have the opportunity to mold ourselves into the people we want to become?
As stressful and exhausting as school can be, I can't help but be grateful that I have this time in my life to learn, grow, and achieve. Education shouldn't be taken for granted. So many people live their lives without even the opportunity, and so many others have the opportunity but don't take it. Tomorrow is being built today by the capable hands of our generation. Without education, tomorrow would be nothing.

I know that I haven't done a Grateful Sunday post in a while... I've been a little preoccupied with everything in my life, but I have so much to be grateful for.

Carli

I am grateful for cooler weather.

(Photo c/o of Instagram: First "sweater day" of the season. Follow me @carlifries84)

Im from South Texas where the days are sweltering and the nights are... well... sweltering too. As much as I love those long summer days, I can't deny my excitement for the autumn season! The past couple of days have felt so nice. Its almost time for light sweater wearing days! I have a box full of sweaters that I am dying to wear. If only cooler weather wasn't followed by freezing weather so that I wouldn't be so sad that the winter is almost here. I suppose I'll just have to soak as much of this in as I can.

Carli

P.S. This was meant to be posted yesterday... but my internet sucks a lot, and it wouldn't do it until today. :(

Grateful Sunday: Temples

Yesterday I had the opportunity to go to the Brigham City temple open house. If you not familiar with any of that sentence; well your in luck, because I am going to tell you. As I have said several times before, I am LDS (Mormon). We believe that Temples are the house of the Lord, and dedicated to Him. They are the closest place to heaven while here on earth. We perform sacred ordinances inside temples for ourselves and those who have passed on. Members of the church are required to have a temple recommend that proves they are worthy to enter the the house of the Lord. In the temple, worthy church members can serve those who are dead by performing proxy baptisms, sealings, and other ordinances. We believe that families can be together forever. Heaven wouldn't be heaven without those we love. Marriages in the temple are not until death do them part, but for eternity. Sealings are to bind family members together forever. 

After a temple has been built, the church opens the temple doors to anyone who would like to see what is inside before it is dedicated and closed off to the public. This is great opportunity for non-church members, and church members, to see all the different parts of the temple and where these sacred ordinances are performed. 

Yesterday was my first temple open house experience. It was the first time that I was able to go into many parts of the temple that I have only heard about. While the outside of the temple is amazing, the inside is perfect. I cannot even begin to describe the feelings I had. There are so many small details that have so much meaning, and the craftsmanship is superb. I often got lost in the architecture and art work. Even the carpet had details that lifted your soul. The chandeliers were probably my favorite. They had this unmistakeable divine quality that brought tears to my eyes. I remember gasping when I laid eyes upon the chandelier in the Celestial room. I can't even begin to illustrate how perfect it was or how I felt. All I kept thinking is that if heaven is even half as glorious as it was inside the walls of the temple, I want to be there. I am so grateful for temples.

I hope that if you live close to an LDS temple you will visit. Even a walk around the temple grounds is uplifting. If your fortunate enough to live close to a temple open house I urge you to go no matter what you believe. I can guarantee that it will be a positive experience. If you have any questions about temples please feel free to email me! I would love to answer your questions to the best of my ability. 

Carli

Grateful to be together again.

As amazing as the summer was, I really missed all of my besties. Ashley (left) was back home in Canada, Courtney (right) stayed in Salt Lake, and I of course was in Texas. We were separated by a very large expanse of land. It is way nice to be back together again.
Yesterday morning I went to the Salt Lake farmers market with Courtney. When I decided to move to Texas for the summer I was really sad that I would be missing the farmers market. I am so glad I was able to go at least once. I even got some homemade rose perfume! It has always been my dream to smell like roses, but I could never find the perfect scent. The best part is that the seller only had a tester of rose perfume, so she sold me that one for half the price!

After the farmers market we met up with Ashley, Ben (Courtney's husband), Tabby (my new roommate), Phillip, and Robert (the brothers that drove to Utah with me). We had a picnic at Liberty park in Salt Lake. It has to be one of the most beautiful parks I have ever seen. The place was busy with parties, music, carnivals, games, sports, dogs, canoes, and food. It was the perfect day. After eating some good food we did a little ice blocking. If your not familiar with ice blocking: You sit on a large block of ice and slide down a steep hill. Its the perfect sport for a hot summer day. Observe: 

As much as I miss Texas, I know that I am where I need to be. I am grateful for the friends that make Utah my temporary home and their love and support. My friends are definitely the best thing about Utah.

Carli

Today I am grateful for the earth.

Yesterday a couple friends and I made some last minute plans to go to the beach. Beaching in the late afternoon is best for many reasons. It's not too hot, then sand is not scorching, the sun isn't blaring down on you, the lighting is amazing, and your beach experience ends up being amazing and not miserable. Basically the sun is your worst enemy. Yesterday the beach was perfect, hence the crowds that polluted the prime beach locations. We drove down the beach for quite awhile and even passed a couple of nudes fishing. Our beach is not a nude beach and it was far from empty. I wonder if they can be arrested for public indecency... Anyways, after we found a clear stretch of beach I took some photos and made a sand castle. I didn't plan on swimming but my friends coaxed me into the water. I am so glad I did. Here's one thing you should know about Texas beaches. The water is mostly really cloudy green water that is often seaweed ridden, but not last night. The water was the clearest I have ever seen. The blue water reflected purples, pinks, and oranges from the sunset. As I stood out in the ocean jumping with the waves I couldn't help but exclaim "This is so beautiful." I wished that I had my camera and could have captured that moment, but I couldn't risk water damage. Just look at the picture above and imagine the water all around you except a million times more colorful. Normally when I swim at the beach, I just stand around in the waves and worry about shark attacks, but yesterday I let me worries fade and played in the water like I did as a child. I flipped over waves, splashed around, and body surfed. It was the most fun i've had at the beach in a really long time.

Since then I have been thinking a lot about this earth that we live on and how beautiful it is. It's those little moments like that that remind me how fortunate I am to live in a place full of life, color, and beauty. There is so much in this world to see and experience. All we have to do is open our eyes and notice.

Carli

Today I am grateful for simplicity.

The past several years of my life have been anything but simple. There have been so many times that stressed has literally made me sick. As fun as the college life can be, it can also be the hardest. It's a time when I am learning how to cope with the struggles that arise during adulthood. I know that it is only going to get harder, but at times I feel like nothing could get worse. I am grateful for these experiences that I have had because I feel stronger. Each that trial I have overcome now feels like a distant memory that reminds me of where I have come from and where I am going. As excited as I am about the future, I can't not be grateful for these times when my life has been simpler. I am grateful for this simple summer. I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to relax. Don't get me wrong, I am not sitting around all day doing nothing. I am working hard to save, build important relationships, strengthen my faith, and take little steps towards my goals. It has been a wonderful calm before the storm of next semester. Who knows when my next "Simple Summer" will be, or if I even have another, so I am trying to take advantage of this one. Simplicity is key.

Carli

Today I am grateful for the little things.

One of my new years resolutions was to be better at recognizing the blessings in my life. It is so easy to recognize the bigger blessings, but I have noticed that I have often forgotten the little ones. I relate this to the little jar on my shelf that I put my tip money in. I have been putting a little bit of change to a couple dollars into that jar each day since the beginning of the summer. It has been so exciting to watch this little jar be filled to the brim. It has gotten to the point where I need to find a bigger jar. At then end of the summer when I empty out that jar and count up all the money, I will know that it came from my hard work. Essentially what I am trying to get at, is that every penny counts. Every blessing counts. The little things count.

A few of the little things that I have recognized:
-> communication
-> music
-> laughter
-> safety
-> smiles
-> books
-> Christian Bale
-> kittens at play
-> hobbies
-> talents
-> my body
-> Revlon lip butter
-> tv show quotes
-> inside jokes
-> blogging
-> knick knacks
-> cake
-> air
-> time
-> health
-> friendship
-> happiness in simplicity

When I have those days where nothing seems to go right, remembering the little things helps me to realize that, as bad as it may seem, I still have a lot to be thankful for.

Carli

Today I am grateful for this group of people.

Over the weekend we had a bonfire which I will talk about in a later post. All of these people (plus some who were absent) are pretty much the best. I am so glad that I came home for the summer and got to know these people. One of my goals this summer was to make long lasting friendships and I think that I have accomplished that.  I am really sad to leave them in a month. Thanks to good ole social networking, Skype, and cellular usage It won't seem like I am too far away.

Carli

Today I am grateful to be home.

I had a wonderful weekend up in Austin spending time with family. My little cousin Emily is a bundle of energy who kept me on my toes all weekend! The time was overall relaxing. It was a nice step away from work, blogging, the internet world, and everything else. I even started reading again! I spent a lot of time in the pool, dodging nerf gun bullets, and watching my brother and cousin play video games. I even took a trip to IKEA. That place never get's old. I often wonder if I could live there without being caught. I wish I could have stayed in Austin longer. After that four hour drive back home, I am glad to be able to sleep in my own bed and see my dad (he didn't go).

Home sweet home.
Carli

Today I am Grateful for Family.

Living so far away from home has helped me to appreciate my family better. I don't know what I would do without them. Friday night we had a family night and went out to dinner and then to see the movie Brave. I didn't realize how much I had missed those little family outings while I was away.

Carli

Today I am grateful for... my bed.

The fact is... that after a four hour car ride to my aunts house, a lot of swimming with a little bundle of energy (my cousin), some vintage shopping, 100 degree Texas heat, more swimming, IKEA, tex-mex, and another four hour car ride home... all that my tired brain can think of to be grateful for is my comfy bed.

So... I think i'll get off of here and go sleep in it.

Carli

Today I am grateful for my dad.

This post is a combination of so many things... My usual Grateful Sunday post, a Flashback post, and a fathers day post all in one! Aren't you so lucky...

I am completely sure that I have the best dad in the whole wide world. He has been such a huge role model and support in my life. I love him so much! I am not afraid to admit that I am such a daddy's girl. I love doing just about everything he does, and I love spending time with him. He has always believed in my dreams and has supported me through every crazy thing I have decided to do.

Lately, I have been searching through old family photographs and found a lot of my daddy that I love. Here are a few of my favorites.

Dad as a kid. He was so cute. I think that we still have that horn. We use as a Christmas decoration. Every year I get it out, go into the back yard, and play it. It sounds like a dying moose and I am pretty sure my neighbors hate me, but it's too fun. It's funny to see a picture of my dad doing the same thing. 

I love hearing old stories about my when my dad was growing up. Some of my favorites are about his band the "Electric Grandmothers". He is the drummer in the cool hat. I have decided that if I ever do start a band I am taking that name, it's classic.

My dad grew up in a little country town called Taft, Texas, where he was one of the few kids who listened to rock and roll. He wore Beatle boots, had Beatle hair, and was bullied by the redneck football players. He said that all of the bullies would corner him and tell him to cut his hair or they would cut it for him. Scary right?! The night this picture was taken my dad and his bandmates had to lock their lead singer in a car so that he wouldn't get beat up by the football team or something. My dad wasn't just hated for being different. His band had some fans too! One time, after they played this concert at the beach these girls came up to the band and said "You guys sounded just like the Beatles!!!". My dad still gushes about that. You can only imagine how one might feel if their music was compared to the Beatles. 

Later, he went off to college to study Photography. Look how handsome he was. 

One morning in Taft my dad's friend knocked on his window and told him to come outside because there was a balloon flying over town.  They followed it and met the pilot after the balloon landed. Thats when he fell in love with hot air ballooning. This is a photo of him at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta that we as a family have been going to since way before I was born. This is why 90% of my childhood photos are of me wearing a ballon fiesta shirt. I think thats all us kids owned at the time. I love hot air ballooning with my dad. He gets so excited to spend a little time flying. I can't think of anything more exhilaratingly peaceful than hot air ballooning.

I have shared this photo before, and I can't help sharing it again. I love jamming with my dad.

This fathers day I am especially grateful for my dad and his love and support. I am happy to be celebrating him today! The family pitched in to get him a nice new record player! Which like a dad he was mad that we bought him something. He is the type of dad that does not want presents for his birthday and Christmas. I have been begging him for his record collection for years but he always said "no" because he still wants to listen to them for a while. But he didn't have a record player!!! So I thought, why not let him enjoy them for a few more years before he finally caves in and lets me have them! He has been sitting there listening to his old records with a big grin on his face. Thats when I know that I got him something good.

Thanks dad for being the best there is. I love you a lot.

Carli

Today I am grateful for music.

Music is a such a huge part of my life. I grew up listening to my dad tap his feet on the bedroom floor as he played his old guitar, harmonica, and sang everyday.  I was always included in these "jam sessions" as a kid. Later I picked up the guitar and started playing. Although I am not very good, playing my guitar and singing is something that I love. It has also turned into something I do with some of the greatest friends I have. Actually, this past Friday night I went to a bonfire and brought along my guitar. It was so awesome to see how truly talented everyone there is. Music brings people together. We sang songs together around the fire. It was perfect. It's not only playing music that I love, but it's listening to it too. Music warms my soul and helps me to feel. There is a certain kind of power that music has over the spoken word. I feel truly blessed to have the ability to hear, make, and feel music. I think that Record Tuesdays are my favorite post of the week.

This picture is pretty old. Back when I still had braces and long hair. I just realized that this is the only picture I have of me actually playing the guitar. I need to get on that. I really have been wanting to share that part of my life more.

Carli

Today I am grateful for friendship.

Today was a wonderful day. I got to see a really great friend of mine who I haven't seen in almost a year (wow) and am about to Skype with another great friend of mine that I haven't seen in that same amount of time. 

I also feel really blessed to be where I am right now and to have amazing people around me everyday. I had been hoping that this summer I would grow, learn, and develop lasting friendships. Until now I had no idea that was even happening. I had lived for so long without greatness of forming new relationships that I felt like I was just pushing through the motions and not getting anything out of it. I have a feeling that this summer is going to prepare me for a long life of new friends, adventures, and happiness.

Carli

Today I am grateful for... Sunshine

Sunshine!

I have noticed that I go through out my days and complain about all the little things that go wrong without being grateful for all the little things that go right. Every night I go to bed thinking about how much I hope tomorrow is better but am not thankful for anything of the good in my day. Focusing on the bad has made me depressed. I made a pact with myself that I would be optimistic and look at each day and remember the good and the bad (because learning from mistakes is needed). So each Sunday I want to list at least one thing that i am grateful for! Feel free to join me!

Even though it's incredibly hot (and only going to get hotter) I am loving the sunshine. Nothing gives me life like a little bit of sun on my skin. My favorite time of day is in the evening when the sun is no longer right over head. It's the magic hour. You get just enough sun to feel alive and it's not too hot. Actually. It's about that time right now. I think I am going to go outside and enjoy it. Maybe even ride my bike! What are you grateful for?

Carli