{Crazy Fast}

This week has gone by so crazy fast. But let's be real, life just goes by crazy fast.

We didn't have school on Monday so after xc practice Connor, Justus, Emily, and Daniel came over and we just hung out. Daniel and Connor ended up staying for a long time and just talking. It was really fun to just spend time with my friends and laugh and just be together. I have been thinking and I've always been blessed with amazing friends. It seems like so many wonderful people somehow always end up in my life and always love me and take care of me. I know God is watching out for me and blesses me with different people during different times in my life to help me out and help me be happy. I really am so lucky.

Wednesday was Region for cross country. I had so many emotions going on at the same time- I was so excited to be racing but at the same time I was kind of in shock that I'm a senior and this was my last region race. That's not how it's supposed to be- I'm supposed to be the little freshman with a promising running future ahead! Not finishing my high school career! It's crazy how fast it has gone by. The race itself didn't go exactly as I'd wanted, I didn't feel too great, but we qualified for state and life goes on. If no one ever had bad races we wouldn't know how great the good races really are. I've been thinking a lot about cross country lately and how my goals each year change so dramatically because of the circumstances and the challenges I've faced. Each year has been so different but I wouldn't change anything. I have learned so many lessons about enduring and working hard and having a good attitude and just enjoying every second of the journey. I may not have accomplished all the goals I've set for myself but the lessons I've learned from the time I've spent on the cross country team will last forever. I know that every single race and every workout I completed made me a better and stronger person and despite how different each year was, I loved them all. I love the people I've met that have supported me and encouraged me and cheered me on, no matter what. I have met so many amazing people because of cross country and they have become my closest friends that I turn to for everything. I'm so thankful for cross country and I wouldn't be who I am without it. "We are Lehi, don't you forget it" :) 

Me and Daniel went to Panda Express after the race and I just have been overwhelmed with gratitude for this kid this week. And every week. He has been the greatest friend I could have asked for lately. He always always has my back and makes sure I'm ok and if I'm not he knows exactly how to make me laugh. Sometimes I can't even believe we weren't friends before this year but then I realize that there's a reason for that. Heavenly Father led him to me this year because He knew I'd need Daniel and that Daniel would be exactly who I needed to rely on at this time in my life. He makes me smile and we had a fantastic time eating Americanized Chinese food with the entire Westlake boys cross country team (haha. awkward.) :) 

On Friday we drove up to Vernal to go to my cousin Jaxon's baptism on Saturday. It was a crazy long drive and Vernal is kinda sketch but the baptism was fantastic :) I love baptisms because it reminds me of where I started and how far I've come and how important the covenants I made were on the day of my baptism but how important they are still to this day. I'm proud of Jax and his decision to get baptized and I know I am so very glad I chose to make that decision 9 years ago. It has blessed me every day of my life and will continue to do so forever. Also- look at cutie Gracee. Really, she is so adorable. She hated me the rest of the day but she liked me for a few minutes and I managed to get a picture of it :) 

On Saturday after I got home Lesh and I decided to ask dates to Sadies. Always nice to check that off the list. Lesh thought of a fantastic (and always cheesy) pun for me to use: "Don't snicker, just ask your mummy if you can go to Sadies with me." Fantastic. I asked Daniel and we're such good friends I figured he wouldn't care how stupid of a way I asked him :) So Lesh and I drove to his house and parked in front of his neighbors driveway while we hurried and doorbell ditched the stuff. Obviously, Daniel's neighbor would decide to come home right when we were blocking their driveway! Classic. I was laughing so hard. It was a great time and Lesh asked Kaden and I'd say it was all a success in the end :) 

Speaking of Lesh (I couldn't find any good pictures of us together so I picked this really awkward one) I have to give her a shout out cuz it was her birthday on Thursday! Alesha is probably one of the sweetest, most thoughtful people I've ever met. I really love her and admire her strength and kindness. She's got an amazing testimony and has a way of taking care of every single person she meets. Happy birthday, Lesh, you're amazing. 

It was also cutie Rylie's birthday on Friday. I love this girl. She's so funny and so smart and genuinely kind and caring and she always makes me smile. She's so quirky and silly and just a super amazing sister. I can't believe she's 11. That's old. Happy birthday Rylie Roo.

Today in Young Womens we talked about gratitude and how important it is to be grateful for the things we do have and to not worry as much about the things we don't have. We read the story of Jesus feeding the multitude and how after Christ gave thanks for the bread, the miracle proceeded to happen and he was able to feed thousands of people. The same is true in our life- once we recognize the blessings and give thanks for them, that's when Christ will work miracles in our lives and we'll be able to accomplish the things we need to. I have so many things to be grateful for that I take for granted but I truly am so thankful for my Savior and my Heavenly Father that always always bless me with so much. 

We had a great lesson in Seminary this week. We read 2 Nephi 24 and talked about how Satan tries to make himself look fun and powerful and amazing but when you really see him for who he is you realize he is weak and selfish and unworthy of your time and attention.  "Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms?" (v. 16). When we look at Satan for who he really is we will ask: Did we really listen to him? Did we really think he was powerful? Because in reality he is nothing! The opposite is true for the Savior. Although he may seem plain and ordinary at first the more you get to know him the more amazing and wonderful you realize He is and always has been. I am so thankful for my Savior and that no matter what I feel I know He's felt it before and will help me to make the best decisions to become perfect. He really is the perfect support we could ever ask for. 

A scripture I liked this week also was 2 Nephi 25:28 "The words which I have spoken shall stand as a testimony against you; for they are sufficient to teach any man the right way; for the right way is to believe in Christ and deny him not." It's so simple. Everything we need to know to help us make the right decisions in our lives is in the scriptures. They can provide us with answers to any question we have, no matter what. And how do we know what the right way is? It's so perfectly simple. The right way is to believe in Christ. As long as we believe in Him and strive to be like Him we can never really go wrong. I love the simpleness of the gospel and how through it all I always have the love of God and my Savior, Jesus Christ, to make it through any trial or situation I may be placed in.

I never know how to end these posts so I guess I'll just say that I'm really glad I have this church and I'm really thankful for the experiences I've had this week :) 

Love always, 

Kenzie 

{Fall Break}

I'm out of creative introductions so let's just get into the picture overload that is commencing:

 We went down to Richfield on Thursday to sleep over and visit Grandma and Grandpa. I love my grandparents so much. I've always felt really close especially to my Grandpa C. He always makes me smile and I love his selfless heart and his sense of humor. We played Old Maid even, just like old times, and it made me happy :) We also went to a pumpkin patch (#tradition) and picked out some super cutie pumpkins.

The crazy picture faces run in the family :) 

Jac and I sent this picture to Min on Monday for her birthday. Also me and Gibs and Kaden painted that lovely piece of art during Painting class. I sure do miss Min. She has always been such a good friend to me and I miss her spunky personality and how she was always willing to go on an adventure. It was also my cutie Cam's birthday on Monday and watching her open presents was the cutest thing in the world. I seriously love that girl. This is so cliche but I really can't believe she's nine. Nine is like old. I never want Cam to grow up, I will miss her calling me "Honeymoon" and "sweetie" and her asking me to tell me stories. Happy birthday to the greatest nine year old around :)

I fell asleep and my dad changed my phone screensaver. Classic Dad move.

I stumbled across Ry's conference notes in her room and I was very impressed. Sometimes I think my little sisters are a lot wiser than I am.

Ok HORRIBLE picture but I had to document this night: On Wednesday we played AF in football and we won. That's a huge deal! I couldn't see any of the game considering I was behind like 5 people taller than me but I had a good time talking to everyone and cheering when everyone else cheered :) After the game we (me, Halea, and Jac) went to Harts with Connor, Justus, and his friend Matt. They are so funny- it was so much fun! Connor put so many marshmallows in his hot chocolate. Classic Connor. It was a really fun night. 

Lesh and I wanted to go up the canyon over fall break and what better way to do that than to ask dates? I asked Austin and she asked Ian and we went up the canyon and carved pumpkins. It was freezing and dark and I held the flashlight while Austin carved our pumpkin. It was so hilarious. "Kenzie, you don't get out much." We were all just laughing and it was so great. Austin is such a nice kid and I don't know how we haven't gone on a date until now! After we carved our pumpkins we went and got hot chocolate and ate Alesha's delicious pumpkin chocolate chip cookies (and shared them with random old ladies haha). Then we went to my house and played Ticket to Ride. It was a fantastic date.

 The pumpkins were a lot harder to carve than we imagined :) 

 Ok. They're pro. 

 We're attempting to be pro :) 

 This pretty much explains everything.

In other news, I got TWO LETTERS this week! Not just one, but TWO! And boy, do I love letters. I honestly learn so much from Logan, he is probably the most spiritually in tune person I have ever met and I'm the lucky one that gets to hear all of his amazing insights. I'm really proud of that missionary. 

Today in Young Womens Sister Peery gave the most amazing lesson. Here are some quotes from her: "Charity is taking the chance to reflect the love of Christ on someone else... No matter what you have done, Christ can and will use you to spread His love to others... Every opportunity you have to deal with someone else is a chance to share the Savior's love with them." I loved her lesson on charity. This sounds weird but sometimes I'm overwhelmed because I love so many people so much that I don't quite know what to do and how to help them. But I'm supposed to love others so it's all ok. :) And I really really want others to have the love of Christ in their lives and so I will always strive to reflect that light onto them. We also watched the video "Dayton's Legs" and oh my it made me cry. It is so powerful and made me want to love others just a little better.

I read a talk by President Eyring called "Let Us Raise Our Voice of Warning" and this really stood out to me: "Well, the danger may be hard to see, but it is real, both for them and for us. For instance, at some moment in the world to come, everyone you met in this life will know what you know now. They will know that the only way to live forever in association with our families and in the presence of our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, is to choose to enter into the gate by baptism at the hands of those with authority from God. They will know that the only way families can be together forever is to accept and keep sacred covenants offered in the temples of God on this earth. They will know that you knew. And they will remember whether you offered them what someone had offered you." I loved that so much. Everyone will eventually know the truthfulness of the gospel and if we shared our testimony with them they will run to us and hug us and thank us for never giving up on them, even when they refused our message countless times. On the other hand, if we don't share our testimony they will be disappointed that we didn't share the happiness that we had. Everyone will eventually come to know their Savior and Father and I am so excited for that day. I hope that many people will have reason to give me a hug and won't be disappointed.

I'm thankful for the wonderful people that are in my life. On Friday I went and got frozen yogurt with Chase and we ended up just talking for over two hours. He is so nice and I love hearing his ideas and getting him to open up to me :) He won't admit it but he loves telling me stuff :) I love my coworkers and how they always make me smile and we have so many funny inside jokes. "If we were stranded on an island, who would you eat first?" Uh, no one, Dewey. :) I love Daniel so much and how he always tells me to stay safe and he always always has my back no matter what. He really is such a blessing to me and always lifts me up and makes sure I know that everything will always be ok. He's always willing to listen to me vent about life and he always makes me smile when I'm having a bad day. I'm so so grateful for that kiddo. I love that if something were to ever happen I could always count on Alesha to be there for me to give me a hug and make me laugh. She'd also probably have a scripture to show me that would make everything better. Somehow I always get the most amazing people in the world to take care of me and be my friend. I don't know how I get so lucky to be blessed with so many angels. I love them so so much and I hope to be as much of a strength to them as they are to me. I'm really so lucky. I've been given more than I ever could have imagined.

I've also been reminded that I really have been given the greatest family. So many people don't have the kind of family that I do. I've never ever doubted that my parents love me- some people don't have that knowledge. I love every single moment I get to spend with my sisters and Mason when he lets me :) I'm thankful to be in the family that I am in, I don't know what I'd do without them and their support and love. 

Life is full of tender mercies. Let's have another good week full of them, yes?

Love always,

Kenz 

{Bring on October}

Wow. What a crazy week it has been. I've worked tons, ran tons, done lots of schoolwork, and been spiritually uplifted in so many ways. First week of October, here's what happened:

I got to spend some time with these cuties this week. On Monday Cam went with me to the bank and the grocery store and on Tuesday me and Saders went and bought Ry a birthday present. I love these girls so so much. They make me laugh and I absolutely love when they tell me about their day. It was so cute when Sade was telling me about the animals she saw at the zoo and how she loved seeing the "ringtailed monkey" and Cam helped me put the gas in my car and I just love them so much. I don't know what I'd do without my sweet sisters to make me smile. 

Monday I went to the Mascot Bowl with Chase and it was one of the most fun nights ever. I didn't know him super well before this and he amazed me with his spiritual insights. Goodness, I hadn't had a long spiritual conversation in the longest time and I needed it so much. He was such a blessing to me that night to have someone to talk to about the God and church I love so much. It was so much fun and I learned a lot about myself and about who I want to be and what I want to work on. Chase didn't even realize that he was an answer to my prayers just by asking me on a date to the Mascot Bowl. Also. We got a waffle from Waffle Love. It was amazing. 

 To become a "True Pioneer" you have to kiss the "L" and do a bunch of other random things like be on pride tv and memorize the school song. I kissed the L this week (I know I'm not kissing it in the picture, I was laughing too hard) and also got interviewed to be on Pride TV for math club :) Woohoo. Lehi Pride.

 I had the coolest experience on Friday morning. Sister Elaine Dalton came to our school to do a morningside. She has always been one of my greatest heroes and someone I want to be like right now and when I'm older. I adore her and her beautiful smile that lights up the world. She gave a wonderful talk and I was so lucky to feel the Spirit that was there. I started crying like the first two minutes she was speaking :) "This is your moment. This is your day. There are people that will cheer us on, but there will always be hills. Don't cry. Don't give up. You are never alone, you can do it." I love how much she loves the Lord and how much she loves every single person in the world. She truly sees that the worth of souls is great and she wants everyone to know how great they really are. I am so glad I got to meet her and give her a hug. She means the world to me.

Ummm. Yeah. What happens at xc meets stays at xc meets :) Jackie got a little crazy yesterday at the Park City meet :) It was so freezing up there, holy cow. My legs were numb for the first mile and a half of my race. It was such a fun race though and it went by so fast! I couldn't believe it was already over when I thought I still had like a mile left! I love that course and I loved being there with my team. I raced well, I got a 19:09 which was 20 seconds faster than I got last year. I love improving and I love cross country. 

This weekend was also conference weekend. I didn't get to watch the first session because I was at work selling donuts to tons of people (ahhh! It was so busy at the bakery!) but I've loved the two sessions I have watched so far. I'm always amazed at how different every talk is but how every single talk applies to everyone in a different way. This church has something to offer every single person in the world. My three favorite talks so far have been President Uchtdorf, Elder Holland, and Elder Ballard. Oh, and President Monson. I know they are prophets of God. I loved Elder Ballards talk because I was getting so frustrated because I felt like I was doing everything all the speakers were telling me to do but I wasn't having any successful missionary experiences. Then he said that "It is impossible for us to fail when we are doing our best on the Lord's errand." I needed that so much. It's not that I'm not doing what I should be doing or putting in the effort that I need to. It's that I need to keep putting in that effort and never ever give up on anyone. Elder Holland said "Believe in miracles. They come when every indication seems that all hope is lost. Hope is never lost. Don't assume you can fix everything but fix what you can." As long as we are doing our very best to love those around us and bring them closer to Christ just by living a Christlike life the success will come. It may not be now or even in our lifetime but it will come. "First doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith. If you are tempted to give up, stay yet a little longer." The church is true, I promise you it is. I will always try my best to bring others to the happiness that I have but if they don't agree with me, that's ok. I'm doing my very best to do what the Lord wants me to do and He is proud of me for that. Success will come. I will make a difference. I love this gospel, I love my Savior. I was touched by the Spirit so much when President Monson was speaking. I know He is a prophet of God, I could feel it when he opened his mouth and spoke. I'm thankful to have him leading our church, he leads by example and endures to the end with a smile on his face. I am thankful for general conference, I'm thankful for the truth I have in my life. "The gospel is what will pull us through whatever comes our way. It will lead us to victory." This gospel brings purpose and joy to my life. I love having something to work toward and a reason to become better. I love knowing that if/ when I mess up, my Savior will still love me. If you haven't had a chance to watch conference or if you think it won't apply to you, please just watch it. Anyone can learn something, no matter your personal beliefs. I love love love this church. Let's all keep the faith and stand a little taller so we can reach out to as many people as we possibly can.

Bring on the second week of October. Life is good.

-Kenzie 

{Homecoming Week}

September 23-29 through the lens of my lovely iPhone camera:

 Ruby and Chase. They are so funny. And sarcastic. They always get mad at me because they try to do their homework for A3 when we're in A2 but instead we always just end up talking the whole class period :) One day they had a test and sent me this snapchat blaming me for their poor performance. I found out later that they were lying and totally got like 95% on their test. So sarcastic. They're so much fun and scifi is the funniest class ever. 

 Since when do we have Spirit Bowel games at our school? Oh gosh I'm so immature. 

On Thursday we went to a Math Club competition. Oh the things you do so you can put it on a college application. But really, it ended up being so much fun and somehow Lehi ended up winning. It was seriously hilarious. Despite what some of the kids there may have thought, math is not a sport and your math teacher is not a coach :) But I was laughing so hard at question 26. The fact that they had to specify that the owners were humans makes me worry a little :) Maybe I've been reading too much I, Robot :)

 Don't worry, Ethan took first place out of all of the junior boys. He was a little disappointed he didn't win overall but I'm sure next competition he'll step it up :)

 For homecoming we did our day date on Friday night instead of Saturday morning because some people had to work and it was just easier. We were going to go tandem biking but the place we wanted to rent them from was all out of bikes so we just went hiking instead. It was so much fun though! The hike was beautiful and it was just fun to get to talk to everyone. Afterward we went to Zupas (my favorite place ever, I'll have you know) and the football game! Lehi won 45-13. That's a pretty big deal. It was so much fun.

 The girls in our group: Halea, Jac, me, Kaylie, Abbie, Oakley

 And our handsome dates: Austin, Kaden, Toff, Gibson, Ethan, Jacob

 Abbie is so cute. I was so happy she was in our group. I miss seeing her all the time at soccer and it was so fun to be able to hang out with her again. I love this girl, she makes me smile.

Classic football game pictures. So glad Em and Connor and Justus could join in on the fun! :)

 I was snapchatting Daniel and hahahaha Austin and Abbie looked so funny I couldn't help but screenshot it. Oh my. They look like the most awkward couple ever. Classic.

Another quality snapchat photo. We're the cutest there ever was.

 Jackie and Ethan were so much fun to hang out with. Ethan is hilarious and I loved getting to talk to him. He is so random and always makes everyone laugh. 

 Toff was such a great date! We had so much fun. Last night we started off with taking pictures at a park. I'll post those when I receive them. I really hope they turn out cute! Jackie and Ethan were the funniest to watch getting their pictures taken. Then we went to Austin's house and had homemade cafe rio salads and we all just talked and laughed and had an ugly picture contest. Obviously. Then we went to the dance and it was so much fun! Dances are tricky because sometimes they're super lame but last night was so awesome! We were dancing like crazy and singing and oh my we had so many funny moments. So when we first walked in there was this awkward couple kissing next to one of the space heaters they had out. So we made this joke that whenever we couldn't find someone we'd be like "Maybe we should go check by the space heater!" hahaha! We thought we were funny :) And we went and requested "The Fox" and they played it right after. It's the stupidest, funniest song ever and don't worry, Toff knows every single word. It was a good time. He was such a gentleman the whole night and opened all my doors and got me water at dinner and just was so nice. It was such a great weekend, I'm so glad I got to know Toff better, what a great kid!

This usually happens when my mom tries taking pictures of me :)

Ok so I read so many great talks this week so I 'll just give you the link to all of them so you can go read them. The Atonement Can Secure Your Peace and Happiness by Elder Scott, Our Search For Happiness by President Faust, and Happiness Now and Forever by Elder Scott. Can you find a theme? :) I was trying to find quotes on happiness to maybe be able to help some of the most important people in my life (and myself too) to be able to find joy in the journey, even when life seems to be incredibly hard. I'm finding more and more that I really am happy. I may not be happy all of the time, in fact I'm sad quite often, but overall I am so happy because guess what? I have the gospel of Jesus Christ, I have a Savior that died for me, I have a forever family, and I have a Heavenly Father who blesses me each and every day more than I could ever even deserve. Here are some of my favorite quotes from these talks: 

"Happiness is not given to us in a package that we can just open up and consume. Nobody is ever happy 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Rather than thinking in terms of a day, we perhaps need to snatch happiness in little pieces, learning to recognize the elements of happiness and then treasuring them while they last.

Obviously there is a great difference between feeling happy at a given moment and being happy for a lifetime, between having a good time and leading a good life.

May I suggest a further requisite in the continuing quest to live happily every hour, every day, every month, and every year of our lives. The golden pathway to happiness is the selfless giving of love—the kind of love that has concern and interest and some measure of charity for every living soul. Love is the direct route to the happiness that would enrich and bless our lives and the lives of others." -James E. Faust 

I loved this so much. Snatch happiness in little pieces. There are always always good things in life each and every day. The trick is just finding them and learning to treasure them. 

"We must learn to judge ourselves not by what we are but by what, under the influence of the Lord, we may become. We do not have to measure our potential for success by our known capabilities alone. We can count on the power of God and its expanding influence on our lives. We can know that our ability and strength can be magnified to meet any challenge that confronts us.

Happiness is created. Love is its center. Its principal ingredients are sincere faith, true repentance, full obedience, and selfless service." -Richard G. Scott 

We can become more than we are right now. That is so important. Today I needed to take my own advice about being happy. After church I just got so overwhelmed with life. I was so stressed because I have so much going on with running and school and work that every single moment I'm home I want to spend it with my family. I just feel like I try to hard but I'm never doing enough. I felt like I was failing because there are so many things I'm supposed to be doing like go to the temple and do family history work and visit the sick and make cookies for your neighbors and what not and I just felt like I was failing at doing everything I need to do. But I love that as long as I am striving to do the best I can at everything that I do, God will help me improve. He knows I'm doing my best and I'm trying to be a good example to everyone around me. All I can do is take things one day at a time and realize that it's ok if I don't always get everything done that I think I should have. If I came closer to God and helped others to feel of His love for them then I'm doing alright. 

"True, enduring happiness, with the accompanying strength, courage, and capacity to overcome the greatest difficulties, will come as you center your life in Jesus Christ. 

Sadness, heartache, and disappointment are events in life. It is not intended that they be the substance of life. I do not minimize how hard some of these events can be. When the lesson you are to learn is very important, trials can extend over a long period of time, but they should not be allowed to become the confining focus of everything you do. Your life can and should be wondrously rewarding. It is your understanding and application of the laws of God that will give your life glorious purpose as you ascend and conquer the difficulties of life." -Richard G. Scott

Sadness is only a part of life, not the substance of life. I love that! Life is happy with a little bit of sad mixed in to help us grow and be better. Not the opposite. 

Now one final quote for you this week: 

This goes perfectly with what I was talking about earlier about not doing enough. As long as I'm doing my best, it's ok. Another thing I struggle with is comparing myself with others. I mean let's be honest. I have some pretty amazingly athletic, musically talented, beautiful friends. Sometimes I don't feel like the greatest there is. But I work hard at being what the Lord wants me to be and although sometimes I can't see the reward of my efforts, the blessings always come. It always seems like just when I'm at the point of utter frustration and I just want to freak out because nothing I do ever seems to matter and I never make the difference that I want to make then Heavenly Father shows me that I'm wrong. Just when I can hardly take it anymore someone will tell me "thank you" or "you're amazing" or "you looked beautiful last night." Heavenly Father is real, He knows me. He knows I'm trying. He reminds me that I'm succeeding. I'm so thankful for Him and His eternal, perfect love and support.

And that's another week in the life of Kenzie Draper. Thanks for reading.

Love, Kenz