Cloud 9 is not as high as it gets!!:)

I should have been bloggin this sooner...

But on Wednesday i was counting down the minutes until the Harvard acceptance letters were sent out. I was getting very anxious for my brother, Jordan, who applied.

At 5:30pm, the appointed time for dispersement, my heart fluttered. I called my mother frantically at 6pm when i had not receive the anticipated call before then.. She innocently asked if it was already that time and i was appalled that she they had not been counting down the minutes like i was. So, they went and checked his email with the promise that they would call me back as soon as they had.

Well, ---HE WAS ADMITTED!! HARVARD CLASS OF 2013!!-- (but will really be in the Class of 2015 because of his honorable decision to serve a mission for the Lord)

I could not have been happier. His telephone call was one i will never forget.. Although i didnt hear much he said after relaying the news (because i was being quite noisy myself)- The feeling i felt was one of those that doesnt come around very often.. And it is one you cant quite reproduce in words.

He will be out East with me next year!!! Few things beat the euphoria accompanied with how that rolls off of the fingers from my keyboard to the illuminated screen in front of me. I keep pinching myself thinking im living in a dream world.. but i assure you- these bruises tell me this is the real deal!

He was also accepted into Brown University where he has a spot on the track team.. Im pretty sure he has chosen to join the Crimson power:) I couldnt be happier. --Is there an up to go from here? -- i say yes, but only because i believe in a loving Heavenly Father who continues to bless me beyond measure. He will continue to refine me-through both the peaks and the dips-:)

I love you THREE much!

So, it has been a while sine i last posted, but I am super happy to say that i have found my way to home. As i write this soon to be short (sry) entry, i have my mini-me here with me! J~ He would like to say a few words: sup guys!?(girls!) I just won my wrestling tournament yesterday, it was fun. We also we hiking and i hopped down the sand hills. Then we had a party at grannys house. ---

Jaden is a stud huh:) So, the title of this post is actually a quote from my little Lace face, whom i am so happy to finally see and not have to battle a convo with her on the tele. -i really have no idea where all the abbrevs are coming from, but i guess you will have to stick it out with me. aight

So, today was Stake conference and i couldnt have been happier sitting quietly in the company of may family and my community here in Wayne. We were taught about self-reliance and I have a renewed conviction to keep an eternal perspective and work to make myself, my family, my community more self-reliant.

Plans for some of the rest of Spring Break: hmmm... hang on:)... Dinner date with mandy and air, hunting with the bros, running with J, track meet, cabin, party at grannys, late nights with family, possibly a tan... ok, im just filling in the empty space now, but pretty much i plan to relax- although today i kinda slipped and got out some homework.. i know, i will try and stay in line from here on out;)

My brother, Jordan, got his Patriarchal blessing today! When he came home with my parents after he received it, i could tell that it was very special. He is special and i am so blessed to be his sister. My grandma was set apart as the Stake family History leader. She is nervous but i know her very well and can say that if anyone can do it, and do it well, it is my grandmother! She just needs reminding. Heffriend has been chilling with me a lot - he is going on his mission to Tijuana, Mexico in June:) Wow- I am so excited for him, and just hearing him talk about his mission bring so much joy to my heart. He is for sure a light in my life- If i can just add again--> it is so wonderful being back with my family! They really lift my spirits and know how to make me smile

How much do i love my family? three much!

There is power in perspective... as well as silence

Much love,

Marie

Sunday morning- snow is fallin

What do i wake up to this morning but SnOw? go figure eh!? This Boston weather is very mysterious to me. It has been so good to me and then this is what i get? Ok, so i am a little too anxious for Spring to be here. Just going to have to be a little more patient i guess. I will not discount that it is gorgeous out my window, the white snow blankets the ground and the freshness of it all has not allowed the pure flakes to become dirty slush yet. All in all i am happy this Sunday morning:) It is looking to bet yet another busy week- From here on out till Spring Break i have at least one exam every week. Yee Haw! Swimming lessons, volleyball, class, and fun (yes, i did say FUN)... i'd say im set.

It is fast Sunday, and today i have decided to fast for my cousin Braydon, who was hit by a truck last week, and his family. He is doing much better and is on the uphill. Everyone has been dealing with it so well, it is a great testifier to me of the important things in life!! I am also fasting for my family and guidance to me as we battle the adversary everyday. I love Sundays and having the strong renewal of my covenants and conviction to continue to put my trust in Him.

Dont pack so much ..

I like this quote a lot:)

-There are things that we never want to let go of, people we never want to leave behind. But letting go isn't the end of the world, it's the beginning of a new life-

BuT.. how do you let go? how do you know wHeN to let go?

When life gives you lemons..

...You look for oranges... ?? Is that not how it typically is? Once we have something we are often prone to wanting something else as well.

Do the means justify the end or does the end justify the means? Now, i will make this a little more specific, but it is worth thinking about that question in other spheres too. What i want to toss around is everyday contentment and making the most of what life gives us. I dont know who will read this but What are YoUr ideas? Are we content by giving a great effort and seeing what we end up with? Or are we only content when we reach some end regardless of the efforts made, as long as you reach that end, they are justified...? I feel the answer is different for everyone but we sometimes tag our lives as valuable in terms of someone else. Now without just getting myself more confused, i do believe strongly that other people are what make this life worth while for me ...and although that is how i feel, i also know that it first starts with me. My own happiness is dependent on me- no one else. When you burden another human being with the responsibility of your own happiness, you are setting them up for failure and yourself up for disappointment. All this talk reminds me of a wonderful quote (yes, another quote- you should probably get used to it) "The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet."

Ya, i wish that i could hash this out a litle more, but now, as i am limited on time, i can not at this time expound on a my thoughts.

But i do have something just for those of you who are reading this...

Look familiar? Oh, Valentines!!! :) I am off to go out with my Volleyball team . Dinner and a concert! Au revoir

Other side of the road-

Here i am again- Not too long after my first post, i know, i know- I am waiting up for a phone call and got to thinking about my night in review.. As i was writing my last blog i was so sweetly detered by a few of wonderful Dunsterites - aka dunster house residents- (that is for my family who may not be up to speed) and not only got to watch their ractful game of pool but also sit down for a good chunk of time and chat. I dont know if it is just me but i think that it is hard to really get to know people on a personal level here. I have known these boys for the year, some i have known longer, but i felt like even after the short talk we all had together tonight, i feel like i know them so much more. We talked about first impressions and i couldnt pin point what i thought of all of them at first encounter but my views have changed if only a little bit.. My mom used to tell me that if i didnt like someone then i really didnt know them. Now, i still dont know how that applies to my situation tonight but I do feel that I like all of these people more after getting to know them more. -and if they are reading this right now, then touche, becuase i honestly didnt think you would- As a short overview of what i learned tonight about each of them (and remember that i am not the most observant) So, Alex kinda of has a hard shell, nothing gets to him initial feel, but he is extremely sensitive to how people feel around him. Kevin is very practical and straightforward, he also is treats his girlfriend so well. John, now, oh john, he for one has girls lined up for him and behind his joking fashion he does really try to 'respect all women' :) Daniel showed me that he is very quick on his feet and is easygoing, someone people can warm up to very fast. And Joe, he brings it all together, a very observant, tentative wit. Now, what a great combo for a blocking group. All around fun ppl. I could go on and on naming those whom I learn more about and those i would like to get to know better but i will wrap it up. I dont know who will read this but what i hope you take out of it is that it is worth getting to know people, and the differences we have with others can compliment to make a group richer. 

Go experience what is going on on the other side of the road and enjoy the journey!

"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have." --Frederick Keonig

Sweet Beginnings-

So, i have seen a lot of people try this blogging business and i always thought, good for them, but i dont think i would do something like that. Yet, as ironic as it gets, here i am. I was actually driven to starting a blog by a good friend who was my Beehive (if you dont know what that is feel free to ask me) leader when i was in Young Womens, and that was ages ago, although i wish it was not. She asked me to check out her blog and it was filled with such sweet words. Her kids are all grown up and living away but she keeps updated and revives their spirits through blogging. I figured that was something that i wanted. Alright, i wont kid myself, when i saw what it was doing for her family i knew that it was something i Needed.

Everyday is a new beginning and i plan on recording bits and pieces of my adventures here. I experience so many little things everyday that i could not possibly relay to all those i love so here is a perfect place for them to share in the journey with me. That is why i titled my blog Joy in The Journey. Pretty sure anyone who reads this will know that i LOVE quotes so i will start it off predictably to continue a trend i know will inevitably proceed throughout my page:)

The Victor

(C.W. Longenecker)

If you think you are beaten, you are.

If you think you dare not, you dont.

If you like to win but think you cant, it's almost a cinch you wont.

If you think you'll lose, your lost.

For out in the world we find

Success begins with a fellow's will.

It's all in the state of mind.

If you think you are outclassed, you are.

You've got to think high to rise.

You've got to be sure of yourself before you can ever win the prize.

Life's battles don't always go

to the stronger or faster man.

But sooner or later, the man who wins

Is the man who thinks he can