Independent Woman

Stubborn Flat Tire

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CONQUERED!

Well its official. I think I finally paid my final dues and have officially become an independent woman. Tonight I CHANGED my first tire, and I have to say, it was NOT as easy as it should have been.

I started the process by calling the man who saves the day always... my Dad. Giving him my sob story I ask him what I should do about my flat. He tells me just get out your owners manual and change it yourself... then take it in to get patched tomorrow... you're a big girl..."You can do this." he says. When I get off the phone with my Dad I feel like I can handle it. I mean people change their own tires all the time... its easy right? So tonight I get home from school, throw on my basketball shorts and a t-shirt and head outside to get dirty.

The first part of the experience goes great. I get the owners manual out, pull out all the tools, the spare, and start with step 1...

1. Loosen the wheel lugs-CHECK
2. Place the jack under the metal frame of your car and raise it so the tire is off the ground-CHECK
3. Remove the wheel lugs-CHECK
4. Remove the tire-.... UHHHHH, it won't come off!

I stand there for about 20 minutes determined to do this on my own... I pull... I wiggle... I kick... I even hit.... NOTHING. The stupid thing is STUCK.

Along come 2 guys from my ward so I ask for some assistance... after about 20 minutes and a failed attempt by them I'm left standing alone to try it again on my own. About to give up after about 10 more minutes of kicking and pulling 3 more people come along... they attempt to help me for about 10 minutes... nothing. Finally, as I am about to give up Kenny and my friend Keyon call me and say you gotta sit your butt on the ground and kick... kick it as hard as you can...

I put the phone on speaker, sit it down next to me, sit my butt on the ground, grab hold of the pole in the ground next to me and start kicking with all the strength I have. I probably looked like a 3 year old throwing a temper tantrum... after about 5 kicks I'm past frustrated and just straight ticked.... I give it three HARD kicks(Kenny and Keyon were laughing in the background because they could hear me exerting all my strength into the kicks)... then............... POP... the whole tire loosens and I easily remove it and replace it with the spare.......

I have to admit, after this experience I felt like a pretty kick butt chick. Moral of the story... don't mess with me... especially if you're a stubborn tire.

Midterms are the last thing on my mind...

So I totally should be studying for a midterm that I'm taking tomorrow, BUT i decided that I'm going to take the slacker route and write my first blog post. I've got so many things running though my mind that are not involved with school so why not get them out...

I'm kind of excited to start this blog. To be honest I'm not really planning on having many people read it which is how I'd like to keep it I'm thinking that this will be a great motivation for me to keep track of my life and keep myself on the right track. I've got some big goals that I'm starting this year and this might be a great place for me to report...

As a lot of you know last year was one of my hardest yet best years of life. I went though a lot of hard times, but also had SO many good. At the beginning of the year I had no idea how my life was going to pick up and feel normal again... it didn't take long for things to work themselves out though. I seriously was so blessed to live with my sister and the family in Sandy for a few months trying to pick up my feet again... they were such an amazing support to me and there is no way I would have gotten through the first few months without them. I feel so blessed for the chance I had to get even closer with them and live under the same roof as my sister. It was the first time in our lives that we lived together since there is an 18 year gap between us. I've always admired my sister so much and living with her and developing that sister relationship was the biggest blessing of my life. She is such an amazing, strong, independent woman. She's the greatest example of what it means to be a good mom, friend, and just person in general. She is always serving others before herself and shows so much love and patience for everyone in her life. I love my big sister and am so glad to call her one of my best friends! I probably had some of the most fun moments of my year in that home...


Tell me how you couldn't love this family... seriously, such a fun time... I miss living with them so much...

SO...I got an email the other day with one of the greatest quotes that sums up what my trials have taught me this year...

Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are. - Arthur Golden

When we see ourselves as we really are we are humbled. I truly believe Heavenly Father gives us our trials for that very reason. To help us to recognize the things that he sees in us that can be used for so much good. He does it to teach us our strengths and see how strong we are, especially when we rely on him. He teaches us to rely on Him in all we do. I KNOW Heavenly Father was standing beside me every second this year... sometimes I know he was carrying me. I remember one day driving home from work in Draper and feeling so much loneliness and pain in my heart. Literally my chest hurt and I just felt like I couldn't take anymore. I remember crying so hard and I just started to talk out loud... to pray out loud. I told Him that I couldn't do this anymore... that I couldn't feel the pain that I had anymore... if this is what I was going to feel like to just take me off this earth...... I had reached my breaking point... literally in that moment I felt an overwhelming rush of peace. It was as if he was in the car with me wrapping his arms around me. I knew that I was going to be okay... the pain would eventually go away... He wasn't going to let me feel the loneliness anymore. From that day forward things got so much easier to bear...of course, I had my days. But things started working out for the better. I think that day he knew that I had done my part and really done all I could.He was going to take my hand and help me get back to me again... Life truly has just moved forward in a way better then I could have ever imagined... I'm seeing such a huge difference in my happiness. I had lost myself trying to constantly please someone else. I thought that by changing who I was because someone else wasn't happy with the real me was what would make my life easier, but I discovered that you can't change who you are for anyone. You have to be true to you and never let someone else change you or make you feel that you're not good enough... if they can't see you for the person you are truly... deep down... they're not worth it. A person that truly loves you, sees you for all that you are... the good and the bad and encourages you to be that person always.

I have watched as some of my best friends and family members have gone through there own personal battles and one thing that has stood out to me is all of them... through their own time... have come out stronger and better people. They have learned to love themselves for who they are. I know this may sound strange, but I feel like trials are in some ways a blessing in our lives if we approach them in the right way... if we turn to our Heavenly Father and really just fall into his hands let him take over, they make us better people.

Anyways... this is probably the longest post ever... I swear the rest won't be this long, but I've had so much on my mind lately and I just needed to get it all out... until next time!

The First Post

Alrighty, so its time... I've been telling Court that I would start this blog for a good 6 months at least and I'm finally giving in. Since I don't keep a journal, I figure this is the next best thing. Feel free to follow me on the adventure I call life... :)