Never take life for granted.

Never take life for granted, something I have heard repeatedly throughout my life. But it never really sunk in and hit me deep down like it did this last week. I learned that it shouldn't take moments of despair and impact to make us realize how blessed we are. I have also realized the true importance of making sure you tell your loved ones you love them every single day. The Lord blesses each of us every single day, but it is up to us to appreciate these blessings and not take them for granted. The experiences that we go through make us better and stronger individuals, especially if we can learn and continue to become better people because of them. I am so grateful for all the Lord has seen fit to bless me with in my life. I have always known I was grateful for these things, but this last week I was reminded that I may have been taking them for granted. I know a few posts ago I posted about a lot of these things, but these are a few of the many things the Lord has blessed me with, that I want to be sure to never take for granted.

[My family]

I honestly can say I have the best family any girl could ask for. We are not perfect, probably the farthest thing from that but we stick together no matter what. My parents are rockstars, they set an example of how to we should live and love. My siblings are the cream of the crop and I love them each so much, including my new sister Lindsey.

[My grandparents]

They are some of the sweetest people you will ever meet. My grandpa has always been an extraordinary example of hard work. That man will die with a shovel in his hands. My grandma, seems to always have the right words to say. As I have gotten older I have become closer with them and I am so thankful for the relationship I have with them.

[My friends]

These are just some of the few people that keep me grounded. Help me when I feel like the world is caving in and are there to laugh with me until I can't feel my stomach. I could call anyone of my friends at anytime of the day and they would be there to help me.

[My Savior. The Gospel]

I would be nothing without a loving Savior that is patient with my as I make mistakes over and over. I am so thankful for the Atonement, it really is a chance to become one with the Savior. I have felt its power in my life. The knowledge the gospel gives brings so much hope to my life. I am constantly reminded by people surrounding me, how grateful I am to know that God lives and He loves me unconditionally, and that I can be with my family forever.

Now that I have spilled my heart out for the night, I will stop writing and get back to studying for finals. But I just needed to take a moment to publicly be thankful for the moments, people and knowledge that I so often taken for granted.

Till after finals, adios blog!

Slightly freaking out.

   I don't even know where to begin. My best friend comes home in 20 days! 20 DAYS! I am trying really hard to not think or worry about it because I need to focus and finish out the semester but I cannot help but feel every emotion physically possible... I feel excited, I feel scared, I feel inadequate, I feel so blessed, I feel anticipation, I feel surprise, I feel hope, I feel impatience. I never thought this would be possible but it is, you can feel all of these feelings all at the same time.

    I feel so fortunate to have been a part of Ty's mission journey no matter what happens with him and I. Call me selfish, but I have benefited just as much as Ty if not more in different ways. I have grown closer to my Savior then I ever thought I could, I learned what really matters in life, what I want and need in life, and most importantly I learned to appreciate not only the gospel, but appreciate the opportunity of knowing someone who was willing to sacrifice two years to go share it with others.

  I know my Heavenly Father lives, He loves us each individually and unconditionally. He knows us better than we know ourselves. I know that when we can put our trust in Him, that He can and will direct our lives in the way we need to go. I am SO blessed. The Lord is fully aware of me, Heather. He has been there every step of this journey and I know He will continue to be with me.

Attitude of Gratitude

  November has always been one of my favorite months out of the year my whole life. Yes of course it is partially because my birthday, but mostly because it gives me an opportunity or reminder rather, of what it is I am grateful for. I am always quietly reminded of how ungrateful I am when I really stop to think of all that I take for granted day by day. I would like to take an opportunity to express my gratitude for some of the many things the Lord has blessed me with.

[One]
First and foremost, my family. I never fully appreciated my family and each person in it individually until I moved away to college. Being 300 miles away has definitely made me realize how truly blessed I am.
  My Dad and Mom are my best friends. There is not a day that goes by that I don't talk to at least one of them. They are the so patient with me as I make stupid mistakes and they have always been there to pick me up and bring me back down to Earth when I need it most.
  My brother Rob and sister in law Lindsey. I don't know what I'd do without these two in my life.. I would have a pretty boring and serious life. These two bring so much life and entertainment to our family. They also have been there for me when I have needed them.
  My sister Cassidy. Can I just say I feel so bad for people that don't have sisters! I can't even begin to imagine my life without my sister. My sister is the best, we laugh, we cry, we get in trouble, but hey that is what sisters are for.
  My baby brother Tim. I love this little man so much. Growing up Tim and I always had some sort of connection that brought us together and now that we are older, I can easily say he is one of my very best friends. He is the most thoughtful and caring little brother and always finds a way to let me know he is there for me and will protect me even when he is younger.
  My dog. Okay I know I am pathetic I know. But fact is I don't care. I LOVE my dog Harvey. He makes me so happy. He knows me so well and knows just how to comfort me when I need it. Even when he has accidents in the house he is still the best dog I could ever ask for.
  And last but not least my extended family on both sides. I am grateful for the love and support I feel from them. The fact that we can hardly ever see each other, get together and its like no time has passed at all.

[Two]
The gospel. I know you always hear people say in testimony meeting... "I don't know where I would be without the gospel in my life"... but it is SO true. I am so thankful for my Savior Jesus Christ, that He loved me a enough to die for ME. That He knows me better than I know myself and He has carried me at times when I felt like I could not go on any further. I am also thankful for a living prophet who leads and guides our church. How amazing it is that he can say exactly what we all need to hear just when we need to hear it. I am thankful for the plan of salvation, that I can be with my family FOREVER! What an amazing reassurance to know that no matter what tragedies may occur if we live righteously, we can be with our families, and spouses forever. I am thankful to be sealed for time and all eternity to my family and I look forward to the day when I can be sealed to the man I love forever.

[Three]
My friends. The Lord has truly blessed me with some of the very best friends you could ever have. I know that anyone of them would be there for me at any point and time no matter the time of day or night. They have been there for me through the good and the bad. I laugh harder then I ever think is humanly possible when I am with them. I know I would not be half the person I am today if it weren't for their love, support and friendship.

[Four]
My job. I am so blessed to have the best jobs. Working at the Lion House has been the best job. I have been there since I graduated, I have met some of the best people and got some great ideas for almost every kind of event including my future wedding whenever that may be in my life... On the other hand I have been so blessed to work with some of the cutest elderly people at each of my CNA jobs. I love serving them and working with them. Some of the best experiences and best advice have been with and from these cute old men and women.

The list could go on and on. I feel so blessed all around, the Lord has seriously spoiled me and continues to do so each and every single day. I am so grateful for November and the chance it gives me to live in thanksgiving. My goal is to live in an attitude of gratitude all year round not just in November.

Life what a wild ride

Man! Does time fly. The last time I blogged I said I was going to try my best to keep up on the blog.. Well turns out I have failed in that category! Life has just been so crazy busy. Let me catch you up in the life of Heather Nicole, actually let me catch you up on the last 4 months of my life!

Item of business Number One: I moved back down to St G into a little town home with completely new roommates. It has definitely been a complete different experience than you get living in student housing.

Item of business Number Two: I got a new job, still working with the old folk but not at a skilled nursing center anymore... THANK GOODNESS! This new job has been a much needed break from working in a hard core, hard work, hard hours nursing home.

Item of business Number Three: I am taking a FULL load of classes that have definitely been keeping me occupied. I am taking Pathophysiology, Physiology, English, Statistics, Organic Chem Lecture and Organic Chem Lab. Thankfully the semester is almost over, then I can have a few weeks of a break only to start up again...

Item of business Number Four: In high school I only took a few SLCC classes because I didn't care to be serious about school. So needless to say I was nowhere near getting an associates when I graduated. But I am happy to say that after spring semester I will not only have all of my pre nursing classes done, but I will also be done with my associates. Phew what a relief!

Item of business Number Five: Ty will be home in 5 weeks! 5 WEEKS!!! I cannot even believe it. I am SO excited. It has been such a roller coaster of emotions, but it is has definitely been worth it. It is crazy to me that I will have that handsome guy in my arms in only a few short weeks!

Item of business Number Six: I will be legal in 4 days! Even though when you get older birthdays aren't that fun anymore, I am glad I had the chance to come up and spend it with my family. It just so happens that my cousin comes home from his mission that day also, pretty sweet thing to happen on my birthday!

Well that seems to sum up my life as of late. Just staying plenty busy between work, school and counting down the days until my cute boy comes home!!

Isn't he so handsome??

lets play a game of catch up... ready GO!

  HOLY MOLY! I have been a terrible blogger..... I cannot believe the last time I blogged was 4 months ago. Sheesh that's embarrassing! But I promise that I will do better for the next little while. With school starting up again and exciting events to come, I will have lots to blog about I am sure of it. Well here it goes I will attempt to catch you up on my life up until this moment in time.

[one]
In my last post I was talking about how I hadn't decided what I was going to do for school come fall semester. Well, now I know. I am going back to down to the Geezy, to attend good ol' Dixie for another semester. This time however things will be a little different. I am moving into a house with two other girls. Before I lived in some off campus student housing apartments. But this year I wanted to try the more "Home-Like" feel. I haven't met or got to know my new roommates yet but I am sure they are going to be great!

{two}
Since moving back to my parents house for the Summer I have started my Celiac diet, which means no more regular breads, rolls, cakes, cookies, brownies, pizza, pasta, cereals, tortillas.....the list goes on and and on.  BOOOO.  It is not the most enjoyable thing but hey what can you do.


[three]
My older brother got married! wahoo! They got married on May 10th in the Oquirrh Mountain temple. The weather was pretty much perfect for a wedding day besides the wind that picked up while we were trying to take pictures, but the wind is pretty much always blowing out there so that was to be expected. After the sealing we had a luncheon and I had to run home to get some of the desserts we forgot. I hadn't been in the car longer than two minutes and I got pulled over!! I was so LIVID! Lucky for me the officer gave me a break and let me off with a warning even though I was going 9 over in a neighborhood and didn't have my license. Needless to say even with the hiccup of being pulled over the day was great!


{four}
We finally went on our cruise!!! It was just the greatest, another successful family vacation with the Coopers. We first flew to Orlando and spent two days before getting on the ship. Then we boarded the  ship, the Carnival Ecstasy. (I guess you could say we were on Ecstasy ALL WEEK LONG) Our first stop was in Nassau Bahamas. It was so incredibly hot and so incredibly muggy. But we still had a blast. All 14 of us piled in this tiny van and got a ride from one of the islanders over to the beach where we spent the remainder of our afternoon.
  The second stop was in Freeport, another Hot and humid place. Again we all piled into a tiny van and rode out to the bay where we would be leaving to go snorkeling. We rode out on a glass bottom boat and snorkeled with all the fish and stingrays it was great!
  Our last stop was in Key West, this was probably one of my favorite parts of the whole trip. We walked around all the shops on the bay while we waited for our turn to go out on the boat and to go parasailing. It was a little overcast when we first got on the boat, but by the time we got out in the open and all harnessed up, it was sunny and clear. When we were up in the sky we could see for miles and miles. The Ocean was a beautiful crystal clear blue and we could see the patches of coral, and beautiful beaches off in the distance.
After we got off the ship at the end of the week, the party wasn't over! We had rented a house in Orlando. We dropped off our luggage and off to Universal we went! We spent two and a half days exploring the parks and riding our favorite rides over and over. (P.S) I have a new found obsession with Harry Potter!

[five]
I sent one of my best friends out on her mission to Tacoma, Washington and got another one of my best friends back from her mission to Spokane, Washington. Although it was really hard to say goodbye to Felicia I know without a doubt she is where she is supposed to be. She is a phenomenal person and I feel so blessed to know her and have her in my life. And as for Cam?  let me tell you, I missed this girl like crazy! It was so good to catch up with her and spend time with her, hearing about her mission. Ever since she came home we probably spend 5 of the 7 days of the week together. She is amazing. I learn so much from her and her example. I am so blessed to have such a great friends in my life.

{six}
With school coming just right around the corner, I have a made a list of goals that I want to accomplish this semester. I am very excited and motivated. Ready to see these goals get accomplished! I can't reveal them all just yet but I promise you will see some of them happen!!

[seven]
Elder Allen comes home in 5 months... Elder Allen comes home in 5 MONTHS!!!Honestly, I cannot believe how the time has flown. I also cannot believe that he will be back in such a short amount of time. It does feel like FOREVER since I have seen him, but the time has seriously flown. I never thought the day would come that I would be on the countdown  instead of counting up the days. He is doing so great, blessing SO many peoples lives and LOVING every minute he is out there. It makes this journey so much easier to know and see how much he is blessing the lives of the people down in Mexico. I know that he will continue to be an amazing missionary especially these last few months as he gives it his all before he comes home.


ahhh Phewww! Did you make it?? I am sorry this was such a long post! I will try my hardest to never go through such a long blogging drought ever again. Anyways thats all for now, but keep watching, waiting and reading. (if you so choose) because I am sure these next few months have some exciting things to offer.

Life as of Late

Sheesh I have not been very good at this blogging thing lately But it just seems like life lately has been going at about 100 mph. Things have been so crazy I feel like I might miss something if I blink. So here is a little update with what has been going on in my life for the last month.

  Cassidy had Drill Nationals in Anaheim. It was so fun to go watch my sister. She is definitely one of the best dancers on the team (and no I am not bias!) They performed 6 dances total. Prop, Military, Dance, Character, Pom and Hip Hop, and boy did they perform! They absolutely KILLED Military, and the best part of the whole thing was that they beat Cottonwood and Hillcrest. M-Town represent!!

While we were in Cali we went to Six Flags, the beach and of course the Happiest Place on Earth. It was just a quick trip and we definitely missed having Rob and Lindsey with us but it was a fun trip none the less.

Waiting in line for Tower of Terror

Awesome World of Color water show!!

My cute parents

I joined the iPhone family!! I had shattered the screen on my Droid awhile back and had to wait for my upgrade to come so in the mean time I had a Blackberry. Finally when my upgrade date came I was so excited to go visit the Verizon store and come home with my own iPhone 4S.

While home for Spring break I got tested for Celiac disease. Which for those of you that don't know what that is, it is when you are allergic to wheat. Not only are you allergic but it can give you many terrible symptoms that hurt your body in the long run, causing long term results such as depression, osteoporosis, stomach cancer, the list goes on and on...No it is not just a fad diet it is unfortunately it is something people have to live with. Well after getting my blood work done the Dr's office told me to wait a few days and I would hear back on my results. A few days passed and the Dr called my parents and let them know that I was in fact a Celiac. Not the best news I have heard lately but at least I have my Dad, Brother, Sister and Grandma to keep me company. So long anything delicious such as cakes, cookies, breads, Kit Kats, etc etc...

As the end of Spring semester draws closer and closer the decision of what to do for fall semester gets pressed on my mind. To stay at Dixie? or to Move home? I don't know what the answer is, but I know eventually I better figure it out. Until then I am just enjoying my last few weeks down here in St Geezy and man I do love the George!

Well there you have it, life is happening fast so sit down and buckle up because it is a bumpy ride. I am looking forward to the next few months and what they may bring. Until then there is your update of Life as of Late.

Plain and Simple.

   Lately I have been thinking A LOT about a certain boy. You may know him, he lives in Mexico currently. He is incredibly handsome, has an amazing testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and is so selfless. I am sure you have guessed that I am talking about Tyler James, and you guessed right. He is just so great, I thank the Lord everyday for putting him into my life. Ty never ceases to amaze me, it has been 14 months since I have seen this boy but my love for him only grows deeper and deeper the longer we are apart.

  Having Ty gone has definitely been a difficult trial. But I have learned so much and become a stronger person because of it. I have learned what and who matter most in life. I have learned how to more fully appreciate the blessings that I have been given. It hasn't been an easy journey but I know that it will be worth it. I may not know a lot of things but I do know this, Plain and Simple I love Tyler James Allen.

Too Stoked!

So... just going to throw this out there that in 15 days I will be sitting in Energy Solutions Arena, experiencing this live, with my two best friends. I could not be more excited!!

Too Stoked!!!

Love me some Lady Antebellum, Darius Rucker and Thompson Square!

Leap of Faith

  So much has happened in my life this last year. I have grown closer to those that matter most in my life. I have learned about myself and most importantly what I want and where I am going in life. In the last year I have learned to rely more closely on my Savior, more than ever before. I had always heard the little saying that says God won't give you anything you can't handle,  I didn't used to believe that. At some points in my life I felt like the Lord trusted me too much. But now I can tell you the Lord really does know us better than we know ourselves. We can handle everything he gives us.

  My perspective on life has definitely changed for the better in last year, and even in the last few months.

At times in our lives we may not understand why we are going through the things we are, we may not see the light at the end of the tunnel, but luckily the Savior does. There has been many times in the last year that I wondered why I was going through the things I was. I wondered if I could really handle everything before me. But I am here to tell you I have made it! I may be crazy to say this but here I go... I am grateful for the trials that I have faced thus far in my life. I would not be the person I am today with out them. 

  I have grown so much in the last year. I am changing into the woman that the Lord wants me to be, not just the woman I want to be. I have become closer to my Savior than I have ever been in my life, and I would not have it any other way. I rely on the Savior for everything in my life and I know that my life has changed for the better. I know that when we take leaps of faith, the Lord blesses us. If we can just show even a portion a faith the Lord will bless us tremendously. 

  Just within the past few months I have taken my own Leap of Faith, and I have already seen my faith increase more as the Lord strengthens me because of my willingness to take that leap. I know that my Savior lives, He knows me better than I know myself. He knows my wants, desires as well as my needs. I know that through making Leaps of Faith we can be strengthened. I am so grateful that I have made a Leap of Faith, I know my life, perspective and testimony will be forever changed.


On another note..... I am getting a sister in law!!

Her name is Lindsey and I simply adore her, and apparently my brother does too...

The big day is May 11, 2012!!