inspired

ok, so after reading jessica's incredible and thought-provoking blog about thanksgiving, i have decided its time for a serious post about what i am thankful for, although it may be devoid of pictures :(

my family, my parents who love me no matter what and teach me everything there is to no. who show me how to have a successful marraige and never stopped loving each other or us kids even for a split second. who are patient and kind and loving and lead by example and do their best to teach us what we need to know to be successful in this life and the next.

trey, who is the most amazing person i have ever met and deserves all the credit in the world (although my parents get some too). everyday he gives me a glimpse of how to be like christ was.

for the triplets, the miracle babies, who remind me constantly that God has a hand in our lives, and who help me to be patient and loving

for my dog Koa who shows me what it means to be a true and faithful friend

for my Grammy, who has spent alot of time with me over the years, especially when my mom was in the hospital. so much time, so wrote a book about it. and gave it to me. so i can read it. and i do. who has taught me to be kind to everyone, and who is always happy and cheerful

for my Grandpa Barber, who is the perfect example of what a man should be. he loves his wife and kids, he is honest, he is the hardest worker i know, he is humble, and he is a spiritual giant.

for my grandmother sexton, who loves me as much as possible, and would do almost anything for me, and gives my family and i an opportunity to try to be missionaries and help her.

for my grandpa sexton who has taught me how to deal with people, and taken care of trey and i many times (along with grandmother) who (along with grandmother) used to take us out to eat every friday so our parents could have date night. who, along with grandmother, gives a home to the puppy i call my own.

for julie and allen, who have always been willing to have me with them, and treated me as their own at many times. who have been examples to me in how to treat your spouse and children, and how to have a good time. who have given me the opportuntiy to be the best of friends with their children.

for carter and jared, who may be younger than me age wise, but are 15 in maturity. who love a good time and have taught me to relax and have fun. who have taught me how to love your siblings unconditionally. who show me how to forgive and forget, and can always make me smile. who may be all big and tough, but will still give me a hug every time i see them.

for claire, who is my little princess. whenever i see her, i am reminded of how we are asked to be as little children are. how we should love everyone perfectly, forgive and forget, and honor our parents. she is an example to me.

for Lori and Scott, who also show me how to be a good parent and spouse. who somehow manage to balance all that is going on in their lives and still have time for family. who show me that you need to prioritize in life and devote more time to those things that are important.

for emma and ben, who are some of the sweetest kids i know. who are always up for a hug or cuddling up on the couch. who are some of the best kids around.

for josh and lydia, who are cute beyond measure, and never fail to cheer me up on a bad day.

for afton who teaches me about perserverance. even if she doesnt like me now.... she will someday :)

for my uncle cameron, who always gets back up when hes down. who never quits and always puts his kids first

for nathaniel and olivia, who have been through some hard things but are happy nonetheless. who always give their all to anything they do.

for joel and jenica and silas and koen and hale and jonah, who are an example of faithfulness to me, even from utah. who have the cutest kids in the world and allowed me to stay with them for a while in utah. who threatened to take down Becker when he sent me down a black diamond alone on my first ski trip :)

for brad, susan, andrew and sam, who i had a ton of fun staying with. who gave me the opportunity of a lifetime by letting me take a few classes at BYU, where i dream of going to college. who have the nicest baby, Sam, who likes me!!!! who have a sweet little boy named andrew who taught me lessons on love and kindness in the few short days i was with him. who all have an unforgetable energy and zeal.

for troy and dan, who have never failed to give an incredibly memorable gift whether it be a birthday or christmas, showing their generosity and love for their family. who may not live close by, but never fail to impress when here, and share my passion for soccer!

for all of my many good friends who i have met through church, school, and sports. who have never failed to be able to cheer me up. who have taught me how to solve problems and how to be a good friend. who have taught me to be humble and see my own faults first.

for all the blessings God has given me, family and friends, faith, talents, and a good financial situation.

for the talents God has given me to develop. for my love of music, whether playing, singing, or writing. for my athletic gifts, and the people i have met as a result of them. for my determination which will help me get wherever i want to go in life.

for my faith in His church, for my knowledge that i will see Him again soon. for my knowledge that families are forever, the greatest gift i could ever ask for. for the opportunity i have to share it with others everyday. for the challenge of sharing it with my grandparents.

for my very favorite song in the whole world, A Child's Prayer. for the many others i love, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, Gaurd Him Joseph, Mary Did You Know, Breath of Heaven, i Know That My Redeemer Lives, I am a Child of God, I am His Daughter, Lord i Would Follow Thee, What Child is This, Colorblind, 100 years, Friends and Family by Trik Turner, and many more.

for the Book of Mormon, which i try to have guide everything i do. which is my example in life, and that i can turn to it in times of need and find help and comfort. for prayer, and the many times mine have been anwsered.

for churches, and the support within. for the great friends, leaders, and examples found inside. for the love felt for everyone there, no matter what.

for my health, and the health of those around me. for the incredible story of the triplets.

for having my Dad as my seminary teacher. where i go every morning at 640, much to the awe of many peers. one of the biggest blessings in my life. the opportunity to put on the armor of God every morning before school. for learning lessons about life and scripture from one of the people closest to me.

for the time God has given me on this earth, and the people he has put here with me. for the family he gave me, and the opportunities as well as challenges and hardships, which always seem to turn out for the better.

for Hoops for Hope, which has taught me so much about what it means to love, and what it means to be happy. for the incredible experiance it always proves to be. for the sweet children who get to have the time of their lives and teach the rest of us so much.

for all the blessings i have that i dont have time to list, but am thankful for with all my heart.

and most importantly, for my Savior, who died on the cross for me. who went through so much so that i could be forgiven of my sins and return to live with him and our Father. who loves me unconditionally and will be my advocate in heaven. who was the perfect example on earth, and who is my big brother

lax

so i was asked to play on the first ever FHS girls lacrosse team this coming spring that a few of my friends are starting since im a fairly athletic person. in order to prepare to play i figured i had to learn the rules of the game, so today for 5 hours i went to a free lax clinic put on by some great coaches and college players for a bunch of girls of all skill levels, most of them were on the team coached by the head honcho at the clinic.

it was tons of fun and i am really looking forward to playing in the spring with farragut, but i found out i will most likely be playing "fall ball" as well with the knox county team, one of the few competitive teams in the area. after the clinic the coach asked if i would like to join the team which practices a few times a week and travels a few weekends for tournaments. i believe i will be accepting his offer, but i wont be able to practice with them on wednesdays because of church. and i was invited to go to a tournament in 2 weeks but i cant, il b in NYC! although i am planning on going to  1 or more in november if i can get a ride since my parents obviously cant bring me. also, i am going to have 2 pay for my own girls lax stick, if any1 would happen to have a high quality stick they could sell me cheap...... give me a call!!!

Hoops for Hope

Officially the best thing ever. this year i was in charge of the silent auction among other things. The silent auction raised 900$ and consessions and the raffle and tshirts raised another 1100$. sucess!!!! plus, i got to talk to lots of important people, and Cathy, the Director of Basketball Operations for the Lady Vols remembered my name from our last meeting! i am getting to be fairly comfortable around the LV, i hope that eventually i can consider them my friends, they are very easy to get to know

got back from camp, it was a lot of fun..... but i wouldnt be in a hurry to get back!

we slept on a clasroom floor, and ate cafeteria food. our main staple was chips and fruit and cereal, with no milk. they ran out after one day. but it  was good and we went undefeated! that means no Tango Bravo!!!!

so guess what?

as of today i realized that i am going to shelbyville on sunday for a team basketball camp. before i go on let me explain, there will be one game that night when we get there (its 5 hours away) but i had dad call and talk to my coach, who already knew from last year i was mormon. so he agreed that i would not play, and just hang out? watch from bench, or if i felt more comfortable come up the next day. that wont happen, dad isnt gonna drive 10 hours for no reason!!! anyway, we are leaving around 11, so ill go to sacrament meeting with the pellissippi ward. where were staying, who im rooming with, wat i should pack, how many games i will play, ect. still remains a mystery to all of us! i will get back on wednesday.

i am so happy my coach was so understanding about the whole sunday thing, there are only 6 JV players right now and i play about 30 minutes a game (we all do) so missing it is not a small thing, we will face teams of 15 with only 5 ourselves. "quality over quantity!" weve only heard that one a hundred times this last week haha

i got my personal progress award today!!!! after 3years of hard work i did it!!!!

so guess what? today i started our JV game and i played over a quarter in the Varsity game. but... that was only because our point gaurd hurt her ankle, and we werre winning by a good bit, theres another sophmore and junior and a senior still ahead of me on the totem pole of gaurds. but, it was FUN!!!!