Hello there, my wonderful Beautiful Heights friends!

So you may have been wondering where on earth I've been the past year and a half and why my blog has suddenly gone silent. 

I got the chance to serve a mission! 

It was a life changing experience, and I will be forever grateful for it. While I was on my mission, I started pondering a bit on where I wanted Beautiful Heights to go. 

When I created Beautiful Heights four years ago, I focused on an audience of tall girls. Being a tall woman is sometimes very isolating. Don't get me wrong, I love being tall (well, except when I'm hunting for jeans). But it's very easy to feel like you don't belong in a world of shorter humans. I wanted to make sure that my fellow tall girls knew they weren't alone in the world and that they were beautiful. After a lot of deliberation, I dubbed it Beautiful Heights to remind readers of that very fact.

However, as time has passed, I have found myself writing towards a more general audience. I realized all of us have something that makes us feel alone in the world, whether it's a physical trait, a backstory, or an obstacle.

So, I have decided to re-launch Beautiful Heights as a place where all life's weary travelers can rest. You may be tall. You may be short. You may be facing a chronic illness or the death of a loved one. You may feel alone at school. You may be too tired to carry on. Regardless of the situation you find yourself in, Beautiful Heights is your home. True, each of our journeys are different. But we know that the harder a mountain is to climb, the more glorious the view is at the top. It's those beautiful heights that make it all worthwhile.

To visit the newly relaunched Beautiful Heights, please click here. 

Broken

This is one of my favorite songs about the Savior. If you have a moment today, sit down and listen to it. It's a wonderful reminder of the Savior's love, patience, and mercy. 

Broken—Kenneth Cope

Broken clouds give rain,
Broken soil grows grain,
Broken bread feeds man for one more day.
Broken storms yield light,
Break of day heals night,
Broken pride turns blindness into sight.

Broken souls that need His mending,
Broken hearts for offering,
Could it be that God loves broken things?

Broken chains set free,
Broken swords bring peace,
Broken walls make friends of you and me.
To break the ranks of sin,
To break the news of Him,
To put on Christ till His name feels broken in.

Broken souls that need His mending,
Broken hearts for offering,

I believe that God loves broken things.

And yet our broken faith, our broken promises

Sent love to the cross.

And still, that broken flesh, that broken heart of His

Offers us such grace and mercy,

Covers us with love undeserving.

This broken soul that cries for mending,

This broken heart for offering,

I'm convinced that God loves broken me.

Praise His name, my God loves broken things.

So broken cloud, give rain.
And broken soil, grow grain.
And broken bread, feed man for one more day.

No matter how broken you are, He loves you. He can heal you. Don't ever forget that.

Hope in Him

Sometimes life is made of bookends.

You learn hard lessons and grow more than you thought possible, and then you continue on with the craziness of life and promptly forget it all. But then, in a moment, life throws it all back at you and you are left to wonder how on earth you could have forgotten. Those moments of remembrance and clarity bookend the busyness of life, neatly enveloping the periods of forgetfulness and wandering. 

I have reached another bookend this week.

Two and half years ago, I wrote a letter to myself. I found it again this week. Inside was the following plea:

"Did you realize who was there the entire time? Did you recognize that He was right there, waiting for you, reaching for you? Even when you didn't think He would want you back? But He did. And He does. He loves you and wants you to come home. He is aware of your journey and He knows exactly how much it has hurt. He has given you hope. He has atoned for you. Your debt is paid if only you will return to Him! Talk to Him and ask Him if this is true. I know He'll say yes. He loves you. Remember the peace you have felt when you speak to Him? He will give that to you always when you just turn to Him. It's going to be a long road home--that's how life is. But Christ will be right there with you. He has experienced your life. He understands. He knows. You will not be left alone."

I was sixteen, and I had strayed from my Heavenly Father and Savior and their plan for my life. But in the moment that I wrote this, I had felt something again: hope. 

Over the past two and a half years, I have learned a lot about my Savior and His Atonement. But perhaps the most important thing I have learned is that through the infinitely merciful gift of the Atonement, there is always hope. 

I love the words of Elder Holland, who so perfectly (as always) describes this:

"However late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don’t have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines."

I forgot this so often. Instead, I lost hope as I started listening to Satan's lie that it was not possible for me to change and become whole again--I had done too much wrong and too little right. But this, I assure you, is the greatest lie ever told. No matter what we do or don't do, we can always change. We can always turn back to Him and be healed through His Atonement.

Christ loves me, you, and everyone beyond human comprehension. He loves me enough to suffer unimaginable pain and an excruciating death so that I can have hope. He loves you enough to suffer unimaginable pain and an excruciating death so that you, too, can have hope in a glorious future. The acclaimed Christian author, Max Lucado, wrote:

And because He made that choice, we can repent. We can change. We can heal. We can find peace. And this is where I have found hope.

Never lose hope and faith in the end of your story. You will prevail with the Savior's help. Use His Atonement. Take one step at a time towards your glorious end, and don't beat yourself up over the rest of the ladder you have yet to climb. Just keep trying. He is watching over you. Where you are right now is not the end. It is simply a beginning of a journey, one that He has taken before. Believe in His power to heal you, to change you, to save you.

Because of Him, there is always hope.

A Beautiful Height

Being tall is hard.

Sometimes readers think I've got this height thing under control. I don't. 

There are days that I wish I was shorter. There are days when I go formal dress shopping and the dress shop owner gives me a disdainful look and asks, "You got asked to a dance?" Up until recently I could count on one hand how many times I had been called beautiful. There are days that I really want to wear heels, but I'm too afraid to. Dances are a nightmare. There are days when it takes all my patience to kindly answer the fortieth person to ask for my height. Contrary to popular belief, people do look at your feet--to see if you're wearing heels. If a random guy flirts with me, it's because I'm sitting down and my height is less obvious. There are days when clothes shopping makes me so frustrated that I have to walk away, regardless of the items left on my list. There are fields and activities that tall girls are not welcome in. Crossing my legs under a table or desk? Not possible. There are days when dating is a struggle and cruel names are tossed my way. Trees are too low. Jeans are too short. Drinking fountains are a joke. 

There are days that I just have to hide in my room and cry. Like yesterday.

So, no, I don't have my height thing under control. But you know what? That's okay. I've made progress. 

And of course, there are the days that people tell me that I carry myself like a princess. There are days where sweet old ladies stop me and tell me about the magazine cover they once saw that read "Tall is beautiful." I have amazing friends who know exactly what to say when I need it most. There are the days when people tell me that I should look into modeling. Random guys get excited and want to talk about basketball. Finding people in a crowd is simply easier. There are days that strangers stop me as I walk to class and tell me how much they admire me for being so tall and so comfortable with it.

There are days that I am called beautiful. Like yesterday.  

Additionally, there are the reminders from my Heavenly Father that He loves me. He puts incredible people in my path to remind me that I was designed the way I am for a reason. I may not know that reason for a very long time, but there is a reason. He knows me. He knows my desires, my hopes, my dreams, and my needs. He also knows what he needs me to be. And I know, I promise you, that He knows those exact same things about you. He loves us.

A tall girl is a beautiful girl. Don't ever forget it.

Summer Adventures

Well, I'm moving to BYU next week. Do you know how weird that is? Really weird. I'm super excited, but I'm a little sad too, because it means that summer is over!

 

The past three months have been absolutely fantastic. It's probably been my best summer yet. My friends and I had a lot of new adventures, from running races with Breanna to shopping for college stuff with Brianna to Institute with the Lunch Bunch. We also had to say goodbye to our friends that have chosen to serve LDS missions for the next two years. I'm super proud of them and I wish I could have made it to all of their farewells, but Nauvoo dictated otherwise...

 



Breanna and I after our first 5K of the summer!

 

Farewells with the Lunch Bunch

 

In June, my family headed off to Nauvoo, Illinois. This year we were blessed to participate in both the Nauvoo Pageant and the British Pageant. It was so cool to be able to represent the early members of the LDS church and my ancestors. We all learned so much and felt the Spirit.

 

One of the lessons I learned from Nauvoo was that I need to stop worrying so much. For months, I had stressed over college and dorms and scholarships and registration and other important things to the point that I was no longer excited to go. But in Nauvoo, that changed. During the first week we were there, we learned TWO full-length pageants, learned the music, figured out costumes, and had two dress rehearsals. In the drama world, this is unheard of. The directors should have made us work scenes over and over, stressing over every single little detail, but guess what? They didn't. They gave instruction, told us to do our best, let us run it a few times, assured us it was good, and moved on. I was amazed. Our wonderful directors took what we had to offer and made it work instead of stressing over what we didn't have. This made me realize that I spent WAY too much time stressing over what I thought I wasn't ready for. So now, I'm just doing what I can do, and not worrying about anything else. If it's outside of my control, why stress? Just do the best you can, and let the Lord do the rest. You are enough. 

 

The GORGEOUS Nauvoo Temple. Sorry the picture quality is awful... silly phone cameras...

 

After Nauvoo (or Britvoo, as it's been dubbed this summer), the fun only continued. There were more missionary farewells, another 5k (thanks Breanna, that was fun), more college prep, a craft day with Brianna for our apartment, a family reunion, a camping trip, Girl's Camp (I got to go as a leader this year! I was so happy!), and a bunch of pretty fantastic adventures with Tanner. A word of advice: If you're ever a Girl's Camp leader, never leave your phone where your girls might find it. I had sooo many selfies on my phone when I got home. Chicas, you have no idea how close I was to posting them here. ;)

We got to tour the beautiful, newly remodeled Ogden Temple! It's amazing.

 

Don't you just love our styling life jackets? ;)

 

It really was a great summer. Now my sisters are headed back to school, and get this, Emylee is starting high school. I took her on a tour of my old school a few days ago. It was so surreal. But the good news is that I am officially excited for college again! My friends are going in all different directions, which is a big, hard change, but I'm so grateful that Brianna, Breanna, and Rachel will be at BYU with me. I'm really looking forward to a great Freshman year. Plus, Brianna and I have found and made some great dorm stuff, so our apartment is going to be totally adorable. Who wouldn't be excited? ;)

 

Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful day!

Graduation

Well, summer is almost over, and I have posted nothing. The past three months have been insane, but what's new? ;) I have a lot to write about, but graduation and the end of my senior year deserves its own post. So look out for summer posts in the next couple of days, and enjoy the following on graduation and the end of the school year. :)

The last month of school was an absolute blast. Granted, it was incredibly stressful and I'm pretty sure I almost had the third A- of my high school career (gasp!) but I survived and had the best last month of high school possible--especially after AP tests were over.

We had our final choir concert, which was Disney themed and absolutely fantastic. Chamber sang "Under the Sea," "Trashing the Camp," and "We're All in This Together." It was fabulous. Meanwhile, we were also furiously learning graduation music plus the coolest arrangements of "In Flanders Field" and "America the Beautiful" for a Memorial Day service. Choir really ended with a bang! It was so hard to leave Mrs. Warby and Chamber--we've been through so much together this year, and we've had a ton of fun. I miss them all, and I'm so grateful I had the privilege to work with and learn from this amazing group of people.

There was a school activity every weekend in May, so my friends and I pretty much had a party all month. We had a fabulous Senior Dinner Dance, a fun day at Lagoon, Cavestock, and our all-night graduation party! Unfortunately, we only got a few pictures of these events, and this is the only one I have, so here it is. :)

Graduation, however, was well documented. :) That morning, three of my best friends and I had a photo shoot with the amazing Mandy Douglass, who is one of my favorite people ever! Here are some of my favorites:  

We had fun. :)

And then, we graduated! I got to sit up on the stand with a bunch of my friends and fellow Sterling Scholars and stare out at all the kids I have gone to school with for almost twelve years. It was a little sad to realize that our time together was over, but I'm so excited to see what the wonderful class of 2014 does. It's going to be great!

Funny story, though. I almost messed up my walk to get my diploma. I paused in front of the big AF sign to get a picture just like I was supposed to, but then I almost walked back to my seat. I corrected my path after a second or two, but the superintendent noticed and was laughing really hard by the time I got to him. I got my diploma and shook the principle's hand and then the superintendent's wife's hand. She whispered in my ear "I just love it when women are smart. Keep it up." I was choking. She apparently didn't see my major blond moment just seconds earlier. But my family did, and they have it on film, which I am just so thrilled about. ;)

Speaking of my family, I have to pause and talk about them for a minute. They are amazing. I love them so much, and I am so grateful for everything they have done for me over the past eighteen years. I am so blessed to have two amazing younger sisters and a hilarious younger brother and the most awesome parents ever. And then I have fabulous grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins. Thanks for supporting me, y'all. :)

My favorite Emylee on the face of the planet... ;)

Lenny came and surprised us! We had a Justice reunion! :)

Some of the "Lunch Bunch"... sorry we missed half of you...



Afterwards, we stayed up all night playing Clue, eating junk food, and playing Mario Kart. It was pretty fantastic.

So there you go! The end of high school was a bit sad, but it was a ton of fun. I'm so grateful for the wonderful friends I had during the past three years. They are all heading off on LDS missions and to college, and I am so proud of them. They have been such marvelous examples of strength, faith, and hard work to me, and I know I wouldn't have survived high school without them. These people rock!

Well, thanks for reading this really long post. :) Have a wonderful day!



Tall Thoughts

Hey everyone!
I'm so sorry I've been silent for the past three months. I've been working on important decisions and getting ready to graduate, and unfortunately that meant that I did not get to update Beautiful Heights! But now I'm back, so let's catch up!

THE decision has been made... (drumroll here)... I'm going to BYU! I'm super excited. And guess what? BYU has a tall people club. Guess who is going to join ASAP? :) Other than making that decision, I've been doing homework, going on choir tour, and doing senior-in-high-school stuff.

But enough about that. Let's talk about being tall for a moment, shall we? I haven't done that in a while.

Being tall is tough. Now that I'm about to graduate, when I look back I'm surprised at how much I've grown (pun totally intended) as I've come to terms with--and even to love--my height. It's been a long, hard journey. Some days are much better than others. Other days are really rough (particularly jean shopping days... enough said). But do you know what? I've decided tall girls are some of the best girls out there. We're pretty much the coolest (please notice the "some of" and the "pretty much," my shorter friends. Ha ha). But honestly, there are not many people in the world who have one of their trials and insecurities visible for all to see every single day of their lives, raw and exposed to all who wish to stomp on it. And stomp on it they do. (Whoa! Sounded like Yoda, that did!) But do you know what? It's ok! Granted, sometimes I have to remind myself of this fact after I have yet another "tall" conversation with a dear soul (side note: I think I need to make myself a shirt that says "I'm 6'3'', I play basketball, I don't play volleyball, and yes, I do enjoy my height. Any other questions?), but being tall is wonderful. It teaches us patience, kindness, and a sense of humor, and through my height I've come to know my Savior and myself. I wouldn't have it any other way.

So, there's my tall rant for the day. :) Oh, and on a tangent, remember when I posted that Beautiful Heights had 1,000 views? Well, thanks to you wonderful readers, we are soaring above 2,000 and quickly approaching 3,000 views from all over the world! That is incredible. Thank you so much!

And as usual, thanks for reading, and have a wonderful day! :)

Letting Go

Well, if you have been reading Beautiful Heights for the past year, you probably know that I am OBSESSED with Disney. I love Disney movies, Disney music, Disney toys, Disney clothes, Disney Pinterest pins... you get the idea. :) So obviously my latest obsession is over the movie Frozen. I absolutely love this movie. I may or may not have a count down going until it comes on to DVD (it's a month and four days, just so you know).

Along with all the other Frozen fans, Elsa's song Let it Go has pretty much become my theme song--especially this week. On Tuesday, I had regional interviews for Sterling Scholar. I had been preparing since November for this interview. Needless to say, I was terrified. On the drive there, my mom turned on our Frozen CD and we belted along with Elsa. I went to my interview with a mix of Let it Go and primary songs running through my head, desperately fighting to stop my hands and voice from shaking. Afterwards, I felt like my interview was the best I could do, and all I could do was to wait for Thursday, when I would find out if I made it to State.

I didn't.

I can't even describe how disappointed I am. I have poured four months of my life into this endeavor, just to have it squashed and taken away. But I have to move on from the disappointment, the pain, and the frustration. I have to let it go.

So while I'm learning this life lesson that we all need to know, please enjoy the super talented Alex Boye's rendition of Let it Go, and remember that we all need to let things go in our life--pain, disappointment, anger, grudges, low self-esteem, etc. Good luck, and thanks for reading!

Thoughts

I've been thinking a lot lately about life the past few months. My senior year has been absolutely amazing and I have grown in ways I never thought possible, but that growth has come at a cost. My senior year has been almost completely opposite of what I planned for myself and for my friends. I have watched (and am still watching) my closest friends go through incredibly hard trials, and I am left to wonder "Why us? Why now?"

After thinking about this for several months, I think I've finally come to a conclusion. All the trials my friends and I have gone through--brain tumors, depression, concussions, severe illness, etc.--have made us stronger. We haven't just endured, we've lived. We've taken time to appreciate each other and our families. Our focus on what is really important has returned. And we've learned to never take a day or human being for granted.

There are days, weeks, months, and even years of hardship ahead for everyone here on earth. And even though I sometimes kick and moan and whine about my trials, they are the one teacher that has taught me to live.

So take the time to live--really live--today. Choose friends with positive attitudes and great senses of humor. Be grateful. Spend time with those who matter most before you give attention to those who don't. Cherish the little moments. Laugh. Sing. Dance. Read. Just live.

Why not now? Why not us?

Trust

Hey everyone!

I am so sorry I've been quiet the past two months. My life has been a little crazy lately, but it's good. Life is good! :)

Anyway, I have had a cool experience over the past few weeks. Ever since tenth grade, I have wanted to be my high school's English Sterling Scholar. For those of you who are not familiar with the Sterling Scholar program, I will explain! Each high school in Utah is grouped into a region, and each region has a separate Sterling Scholar "competition". Every high school in the region sends one senior nominee from several different categories to the region level. Each nominee is judged by their portfolio, interview, academics, leadership, etc. It's a lot of work, but the winners get scholarships, so it's worth the time and effort. To become a Sterling Scholar nominee at my school, you have to submit an application, be interviewed, and, in the English department's case, turn in a writing sample.

So, I applied! I was proud of my application and thought I might have a chance, but then I got the date and time for my interview. My parents would be out of town, and I would have no one to practice interview questions with. Then, on top of that, I caught a cold and had a cough. Needless to say, I was terrified.

Fortunately, my grandparents were staying with me and my siblings. They helped me run through a sample interview and gave me plenty of helpful tips. A wonderful neighbor sent me sample questions to answer. And finally, my grandpa gave me a blessing. In that blessing, he promised me that my cough would not be a problem during my interview and that I would have an answer for every question the interviewers asked.

The next morning, I headed off to my interview. I coughed all the way up to the doors of my high school, and then it disappeared. I was able to answer all of the interviewers' questions, and they even seemed to like some of my thoughts! I walked out of that interview knowing I had done my very best.

However, I wouldn't know the results for another two weeks or so. I prayed every night that whoever needed to be the English Sterling Scholar would be chosen and for the strength to be happy for whoever won. After a few days of stress, I decided I would just trust in Heavenly Father and let him figure out what was right. I wish I could say all my nerves went away, but they did decrease!

Finally, the day arrived. The principal called all the applicants down to the front office and gave a speech about how we were all great students and that the choice had been really hard. By this time, I didn't care who won. I just wanted to know and move on! Finally he let us go, and a few minutes later the winners were announced over the intercom. To my surprise, the intercom blasted my name!

While I was really excited, I also felt really bad. I had a few friends who also tried for English Sterling Scholar, and it was hard knowing that they were probably hurt. Luckily my friends are amazing sports, and I know that our Heavenly Father has bigger and better things than Sterling Scholar in store for them. They are too phenomenal to have anything less!

From this experience, I have learned one big lesson. Corrie ten Boom says it much better than I can, so we'll let her!

He knows what is going to happen. So stop worrying and let him guide you, whether you are applying for Sterling Scholar or making a major life decision! (Like which college to go to. Oh joy.)

Have a wonderful week, and thanks for reading!

Finding Triumph

I'll be brutally honest with all of you. The past month and a half have been probably the hardest month and a half of my life. Unfortunately for all of you reading for this, I'm not the pretty, heroic sufferer type, so prepare to read the good, the bad, and the ugly. :)

As I started my senior year, I expected one thing: normality. I thought that it would be much like my other years of schooling, with the exception of applying for college and scholarships. I looked forward to being with my friends again. I expected certain classes to be a challenge, but I felt confident I could keep up and do well. I thought my life would be (somewhat) calm.

How wrong I was.

As I've mentioned in earlier posts, one of my best friends was diagnosed with a brain tumor on the third day of school. While I definitely was not the person who suffered the most through that hard time (she herself gets that award, closely followed by her family), I felt a lot of pain. Even now, realizing how crazily close I came to losing one of my best friends, I feel so lost. I thought I had "gotten over" it and moved on, but apparently, I have not. My school work has suffered. My grades have hit an ultimate low, and my attendance record is far from perfect. I have lost my former desire to excel in classes, to an extent, and it's hard to get up some mornings, knowing I'll have to go to school. The thought of applying for college and scholarships has become overwhelming. I stress out over ridiculously small things. I've had little or no desire to attend church meetings. In short, I've been depressed.

Just when I thought things could not get any worse, I received news of the unexpected death of a friend. This boy, Adam, was a member of my family cast from Nauvoo. He had really made me feel welcome and special during those two weeks. After the pageant, my family got to visit their home and spend a day with them again, which is a memory I cherish. Adam had the best smile and the kindest personality. It really hit me hard to hear about his death. I still can't believe he's gone.

I've entered a sort of dark hole, if you will, that I'm really struggling to get out of. I tried to do it on my own (silly me, I know), and when that didn't work, I got really frustrated. I was just kind of angry in general. I felt abandoned and unloved and lost.  My Mom pulled me aside one night, and let me cry and whine on her shoulder for a good hour or so. She then counseled me to say my prayers more sincerely and to read my scriptures more intently. I did so that night, and ran across this scripture. It reads:

"But, behold, Zion hath said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me--but he will show that he hath not. For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me."

1 Nephi 21:14-16

 

I bawled after reading that. I was not forgotten. I was--am!--loved. I have a Savior who knows exactly what I'm going through, and He will not leave me. I took a lot of comfort and strength from this, and made it through a hard weekend and a few more days. . . and then lost it again. I struggled all through last week, and by the time General Conference rolled around, I was just done. I ached for something to be said during Conference that would help me, but when nothing came (probably because I was too busy wallowing in self pity), I felt alone and abandoned once more.

 

Finally, after going down into my room, I felt like I should pray. I knelt down and poured out complaint after complaint to the Lord, and do you know what? He listened. After I had finished my list of worries and fears and hurts, I felt such a quiet peace and love--something I have not felt in a month and a half. Those doubts, stresses, pains, and fears are still there, but I know that I can make it through. This month and a half of depression is not the end. I have a direction. I have an end goal. And it will be all right. With the Lord's help, I will be able to do anything.

 

My Lord has not forsaken me. And neither has my family or friends.

 

"My [daughter], peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment . . . [and] thou shalt triumph."

Doctrine and Covenants 121:7-8



Girls' Camp 2013

So, I found my Girls' Camp Journal today, and I realized that my final Girls' Camp experience really needed its own post. So here it is!

As I mentioned in Summer Reflections, our theme this year was Brave, which was an acronym for Bold, Righteous, and Valiant Examples. (Get it? Get it?!) :) We had some amazing "solo time packets" this year. A solo time packet is a packet that each girl receives at the beginning of the week with quotes, talks, scriptures, questions, and a whole bunch of good stuff like that. Each day, we get to study one page and write in our journals. I love solo time! Solo time was the time where I had the chance to really think about what I was learning and to figure out how to apply it to my life.

On the first day, during solo time, we were asked to write down the Young Women's theme in our journals. As I wrote those special words, I remembered how much our Heavenly Father really loves us. We are His daughters, born with a divine potential to become just like Him! He wants us to have eternal happiness, and expects us in return to stand for Him and to be brave.

The next couple of days had amazing solo times as well! Here are some of my favorite quotes/thoughts/etc. from that week:

"Your testimony, when constantly nourished, will keep you safe."

-Thomas S. Monson

 

"Your strength will come as you strive daily to increase your testimony of the Savior by praying and reading in the Book of Mormon."

-Young Women General Presidency

 

"Decisions are constantly before us. To make them wisely, courage is needed: the courage to say "no," the courage to say "yes." Decisions do determine destiny."

-Thomas S. Monson

 

"Though the storm clouds may gather, though the rains may pour down upon us, our knowledge of the gospel and our love of our Heavenly Father and of our Savior will comfort and sustain us and bring joy to our hearts as we walk uprightly and keep the commandments. There will be nothing in this world that can defeat us. My beloved brothers and sisters, fear not. Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith."

-Thomas S. Monson

 

 

 

Can you tell I have a slight obsession with quotes? Ha ha. Anyway, during that week, we were privileged to have the amazing Meg Johnson speak to us. Meg was paralyzed from the stomach down in a freak accident, in the middle of her dancing and leg-using career. As she told us her story and shared with us what she has learned, one thing she shared really stuck out to me. She related how after returning home from the hospital in her new wheelchair, she sat staring at herself in the mirror. As she studied her newly crippled body, she began to cry and wish that her accident had never happened. She then heard a voice say:

"Don't covet because I have given you more."

She went on to explain that she really has been given more. Through her experience, she has learned a lot and has been able to touch many peoples' lives. She has been able to feel so much love from Heavenly Father, both for her and for others around her.

 

This really touched me. I feel that I, too, have been given more, although maybe not as dramatically more as Meg has been given. But how many times have I watched a normal height girl walk by, and jealously wondered how easy it must be for her to find jeans, shoes, or a date for that matter? Or how many times have I stood next to my friends and wished that I didn't feel like an awkward monster? How many times have I coveted because I have been given more? Too many times to count, unfortunately.

 

On the flip side, how many times have I really appreciated the fact that I have been given more? I have felt God's love, more often than I can count. I have been complimented hundreds of times on how I carry myself, tall and unashamed. I know that I am a precious daughter of a King. I have promises of eternal happiness and glory. I know that I have a Savior, who suffered personally for my sins and my pains and my sadness. He understands and knows me better than I know myself. I understand my divine nature, and recognize that everyone around me has that same worth. I am stronger than I thought possible. I understand pain more than I thought possible. I understand love more than I thought possible. And my journey has only begun.

 

I am so grateful for my "more." I hope you, too, are grateful for your "more."

 

Thanks for reading, and I hope you come back soon!



True Strength

So, once upon a time, three best friends started their senior year of high school. They survived through the first two days, and even had some classes together! They had a blast in Chamber Choir, and couldn't wait for what the rest of the year would bring.

Then, on the third day of school, one of the friends had an MRI that discovered a tumor in her brain. She was rushed to the hospital and put into the ICU because the doctors were worried she would have a seizure that could potentially kill her. She was scheduled for an emergency brain surgery the following morning, which also happened to be her 17th birthday.

Meanwhile, another one of the friends got home from school. She turned on her phone to find a text message from her best friend's mother, telling her about the tumor and asking her to let everyone know. An hour and a half later, this friend had to go to work after telling everyone what was going on, leaving a whirlwind of questions behind her.

That night, the two best friends couldn't stand to leave their other best friend alone in the hospital. They, along with four other close friends, drove in near complete silence for a half hour. Since their friend was in the ICU, they were not allowed to see her, but their cards and well wishes were delivered to her room by a kind nurse. The friends then returned home.

During the next twenty-four hours, countless prayers were said. Friends fasted. Phones were out between every class period, the owners desperately checking for updates on their friend. The surgery got postponed. Then she went in. Then she was done, and the tumor was out.

But she still wasn't back home. And her two best friends still hadn't seen her. And her two best friends desperately missed her. More prayers were said. She couldn't eat. Even more were said. And then, she was able to come home. Only four days had passed since her brain surgery. Her best friends went to her house at 7 that morning to tape posters and notes to her garage to welcome her home. And later that day, the three were finally reunited. One had lost some hair and a tumor, the other two had lost sleep and failed quizzes worrying about her. She was tired, but she was talking. And even though her two best friends still worried about her, they knew she was going to be all right.

Two days later, her miraculous recovery had only continued. Her two best friends marveled as she walked, talked, and acted just like her old self. The three stayed up late on a school night catching up and modeling wigs. They laughed. They smiled. They even cried a little bit. Everything felt almost normal again. Prayers of gratitude were said that night. All three knew there was still long road to reach complete recovery, but hope and peace were found.

I know that prayer and fasting works. Our Heavenly Father is watching over us, listening, and He will bless us. I owe the life of one of my best friends to Him. He loves us, and will not desert us. He will carry me and my friends, especially my friend who has suffered the most,  through this trial. We are his daughters and sons with infinite worth. Miracles happen, and will continue to happen for all of us and for my dear friend. God is the true and only source of strength, peace, and hope.

I love you all.

Summer Reflections

So, summer happened. And guess who never posted on her blog? Jessica. So guess what she gets to do now? Sum up three amazing months in one post!!! Ha ha. Summer brought a lot of working, fun, and partying. My job finally took off, and I had some pretty crazy--but fun--shifts! :) So, on June 10th, I headed off to my last year of Girls Camp. :'( It was a really amazing experience, and I loved being around all the sweet and amazing girls that live in my neighborhood! I spent a lot of time with another "sixth year", and by the time Thursday night rolled around, we were a mess. We cried so much that night... I'm pretty sure we lost the younger girls' respect. And that's assuming we even had it in the first place... ha ha. :) But the thing that I learned the most is that our Heavenly Father is in charge. He has a plan for each of us, and even if it's hard, we are going to be all the better for it! Our theme for the week was "Brave", and each day we had a quote that went along with the theme. My two favorite quotes were:

"Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."
          -Christopher Robin

"Fear not. Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith."
          -Thomas S. Monson

These quotes just made me so happy! First of all, you can NEVER go wrong with a Disney reference. Never. Secondly, they are so right! We are so much more than we think we are. In fact, we have infinite worth, and a God in heaven who will help us become braver, stronger, and smarter. :) And as we trust in Him, we will be able to see His plan and realize that our future is glorious! Our now may be hard--we all have trials--but our future is bright as long as we have faith in God's Plan of Happiness.

Then, in the middle of July, my parents took my family on a "mystery" vacation! They kept the secret of where we were going for over two months--isn't that impressive? When we got the airport, they finally broke the news. We then got on the airplanes and headed towards Pittsburg, Pennsylvania! We spent a day and half there at the zoo and aquarium. Then we drove to New York, and saw Niagara Falls! It was AMAZING. And.... I saw Canada! And I waved at some Canadians! :) Ha ha. Then we went to Palmyra, New York. While there, we visited the Sacred Grove, the Smith Farm, the Hill Cumorah, the John Johnston home, and a few other sites. We also saw the Hill Cumorah Pageant, which was pretty cool. (Nauvoo is still better. Just saying. :D) Then we drove out to Kirtland, Ohio. Kirtland was amazing. I actually felt the Spirit stronger in Kirtland than in Palmyra, as did the rest of my family. It felt like a little Nauvoo! :) It was so cool to see where my ancestors and the early leaders of the church lived, worked, studied, and worshipped. We were so blessed to have the chance to be there!

Hanging out at Niagara Falls!

The E.B. Grandin Print Shop

My sisters!

My family at the Smith Farm.



The School of the Prophets, located in the Newel K. Whitney Store.

The Kirtland Temple... kudos to my sister Emylee for the cool photography!

 

 

And that's about all I did this summer! :) I had a wonderful time, and I learned a lot. Here goes my Senior year! :) Thanks for reading, and come back soon!

Suprises

So, I got on to blog today, and guess what? As of two days ago, Beautiful Heights has 1007 page views! Yay! I just wanted to tell y'all the good news and to say thank you for reading Beautiful Heights! I have lots of ideas to expand this blog and to make it bigger and better, and I'm excited to keep on blogging. Please continue to refer your "tall girl" friends here so Beautiful Height's message can reach more of our beautiful friends. Let's keep Beautiful Heights growing! The other good news is..... I got a new mattress! My feet don't hang off it, so I shouldn't have my "dead feet" problem. :) I'll let you know how it works out!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll come back soon!

Happy Summer and a Smile :)

School is out! And with that, Jessica is officially a SENIOR. That's kind of scary. :) My summer bucket list will follow shortly.... but first, a laugh brought to us by some tall girl who really gets it! :) These made me chuckle, so enjoy!!!

 

(But they're SPARKLY flats.... have you checked out my favorite shoes?) 

 

....because you'll have a bruise the size of a dinner plate on your knee if you even try....



 

 

I'm so glad other people have that problem. Sometimes I wake up with "dead" feet because of it... walking is always interesting for the rest of the day after that.... :D

 

 

And finally, my personal favorite.....

 



 

 

Well, I actually do play basketball. But still. :D

 

 

I hope y'all enjoyed these too. I giggled at some of these--they are so true! If you are not a "tall girl" and don't understand, feel grateful. For the rest of us, well, enough said, right? Ha ha.

 

Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you back soon! :) 

Catching Up

In case you were wondering, I haven't died.

Although if you thought that, you had a lot of justification. I haven't blogged in a long time. Life has been a little busy for this high schooler, and between choir tour, AP tests, and big projects, my time has been stretched pretty thin! So, here comes a quick catch up on Jessica's life. :)

On April 17, some of my very best friends and I headed out on choir tour to Washington D.C. My Mom got to come along with us as a chaperone, and we pretty much had a party the entire time. We had some pretty amazing experiences, including a VIP tour of the capital building, singing in the Hart Senator Office Building, visiting Arlington, walking around the D.C. Temple, and just having fun with our friends! My friends Brianna and Breanna were on the same bus as I was, and we had the most epic bus driver--er, professional motor coach operator--ever. Basically, he was so awesome that I had to name my souvenir stuffed panda after him. (Dave the Panda is pretty adorable by the way :D) At our choir festival, my choir took first in gold, which was pretty amazing!!! We had a wonderful time, and we've been having "choir tour withdrawals" ever since coming home.

 

Some of my favorite places and people in the world!

 

  

The Washington D.C. Temple was absolutely stunning.  

 

 Just hanging out in D.C. with some great friends... :)

 

 

 

It POURED on us in Arlington. Do you like our new hairdos? ;)



 

Sigh. Finding these pictures made me miss D.C. even more! Anyway, I had a lot of catch up work to do after tour, so I didn't get to blog about it until now! My birthday passed, and I had a ton of fun thanks to my incredible family and friends. Then it was suddenly time for AP tests. I took the AP Calculus AB test and AP English Literature and Composition test...and now I have to wait until July to get my scores back. It was kind of anticlimactic, to be honest. :) Well, that's what I've been doing the past month! Hopefully I can get back to blogging somewhat regularly from now on.

 

Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll come back soon! 

Seventeen Years and Counting...

Wow. Recently I turned seventeen--an age I thought I would never reach when I was six. Seventeen was so "old" back then!  I remember looking at all the high school kids in my neighborhood and thinking that they were so mature and grown up and ready to take on the world. Now I've reached this age, I'm suddenly realizing that I'm not as "mature" as I thought I would be! I still love my old stuffed animals, half of my favorite movies are Disney cartoons, my attention span is about as big as a five-year-old's, and my favorite snacks are flavor blasted goldfish crackers. And do you know what? I like it that way. So, during the next 360(ish) days I have left of legally being a child, I'm going to do a ton of childish things. I'm going to play Barbies with my younger sisters (if they'll join me... :D), teach my brother to use the slip-n-slide, visit and buy something at the Disney store, hold a final tea party with all my dolls and stuffed animals and maybe a few friends, color outside of the lines, get sunburnt because I played in the backyard for too long, play dress up with my childhood friends, and maybe even get a little bit muddy after a rainstorm. I'm going to remember how to not be afraid for tomorrow. I'm going to forgive easily. I'm going to smile and laugh every chance I get. And most of all, I'm going to dream. I think too often we forget our loftiest goals, the dreams of our childhood. I'm going to remember those dreams, and who knows? Maybe I'll figure out what I want to study in college, or be able to decide if I'm moving out or not. But until then, I'm not going to stress about it. Answers will come. While I wait, I'm going to enjoy every single precious day I have. After all, you're only a child once. :)

Spring Break

I love vacations. I love them a lot. For a few days, I get to completely forget about homework, hang with my friends and family, and just have a fabulous time! :D For the past few days, my family and I have been in Bryce Canyon--a beautiful National Park in Utah. We hiked some pretty amazing hikes and saw some pretty amazing sights--other than that, I really don't know how to describe it! So, to make up for my inablitity to use words, please enjoy the following pictures!

 

Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll come back soon! :)

An Interesting Day & the YW Broadcast

     Yesterday was kind of a rough day. I was feeling kind of sick and grumpy, and then I made the mistake of going shopping. My sister Emylee and I spent several hours searching for an Easter dress for me, and my dear Mother spent several hours trying to fix the only thing we could find into something I liked. Meanwhile, I had a sick/grumpy/frustrated mental breakdown.... it was great. (Please note the sarcasm :D) I wasn't very kind to myself, and it was kind of a miserable day! Anyway, it was suddenly time to go watch the General Young Women Broadcast! In my grumpy state, I did not want to go. But somewhere in the back of my head, I heard "Jessica, Satan obviously doesn't want you to go tonight--which means you REALLY should go!!!!" So, I miserably headed upstairs and drove myself, Emylee, and my Mom to the Stake Center.

     Let's just say, everything that I needed to hear that day was said. The text of the talks have not been released online yet, but there's one quote I memorized right after President Uchtdorf said it. (Just in case you're wondering, yes, he is my favorite apostle. :D) He simply said:

"Stand tall. You're a child of God."

 

     I know he probably wasn't thinking of a 6' 3" girl when he said that, but I was! :D I am so grateful that on a day I was really struggling, Heavenly Father would inspire one His servants to give that specific message with that specific wording. It reminded me of my divine nature-- I am a daughter of God! I am not a mistake. God designed me to be tall, and so I need to stand tall!

 

     That meeting completely turned my day around. My poor family was probably confused by my dramatic mood shift, but oh well. :D It turned out to be a good day!

 

     Thanks for reading, have a wonderful spring break, and I hope you'll come back soon!