Week 2 of SEPARATION- My first Day of School

Sooooo...

I started school yesterday.. At the University of Utah. that school is abnormally LARGE and I don't see how on earth they find it appropriate to continuously build MORE to it. I decided to wear sweat pants and jogging shoes and a cute top because I figured I'd be walking a few miles that day from class to class. I had no sleep the night before school- as always. I kept waking up in the middle of the night thinking I was running late. Finally I wake up, get ready and go to school. I left 40 minutes earlier than I was supposed to, thinking that I could use that time to find my classroom but instead, I was using that time to FIND MY SCHOOL!! Its still SUPER hard getting around Utah so I rely on my only valid source of reliable information- My GPS. Unfortunately my GPS decided to take some kind of early vacation without prior notice so I'm circling throughout town looking for any sign of the U. I got sooooo frustrated trying to find the Institute parking lot and on top of that, my GPS froze and I ended up going the wrong direction in a one-way street.

Finally I managed to find school campus, and I just parked at the first open space I could find. A nearby Professor pointed me out to the building I was supposed to have class at. Luckily I made it to class EXACTLY on time, and my Professor even brought donuts for the entire class!!

Right now I'm taking a General Psychology class, Professional Writing, Health Psychology and Family Studies at the University of Utah.

After my first 3 classes, I decided to go buy my books. They were around $600 for all of them (YUCK) and I carried the heavy load across campus by myself to where I THOUGHT I was parked. I looked around- no sign of my car.

I walked to the next nearby parking lot, which was HUGE also, and looked around. Still no sign of my car.

For a school that has 54,000 students, you'd think they'd give their parking lots NAMES of something, or at Least have the decency to line up all their parking lots. Instead, I was walking AROUND THE ENTIRE CAMPUS looking for a little white Dodge Neon with a Hollywood bumper sticker. How I longed for relief of my super heavy load at that time.. But there was no help. Every time I asked someone, they'd tell me they couldn't help and they didn't know where I parked either. This was sooooooo frustrating for me, and after TWO HOURS of looking around the school and sitting down to pout Twice, I FINALLY found it. I completely missed the beginning of the first day of one of my classes, and I was so sweaty and sore that I just threw my books in the trunk and went home. (of course, my GPS was still on vacation so I got lost on my way home and ended up stopping all lanes of traffic in an intersection when I tried making a 4 point U-turn on a yellow light and got one of my tires stuck in a ditch..

Yes, that was my adventure of the day.. It was Horrible.

But wait- it gets better-

My Wonderful new boyfriend (GUESS WHAT?? I HAVE A BOYFRIEND NOW!!!) Randy took me out that night on a date and made up for my terrible day. It turned out he had a bad day also, and it was nice for both of us to take a break from all responsibility and just enjoy ourselves. We went to Sundance Ski Resort and rode the ski-lifts up the mountain to watch the stars and full moon. It was scary to be up so high, yet peaceful and serene. I really enjoyed myself and I'm sure he did too. A little bit about Randy- he's 23, he works with his father in a pipe company and he's an AMAZING photographer. You can find his works at http://www.randymajor.me/home.html He has an amazing personality and he's super fun to be around. He's a gentleman and I feel safe around him. I'm grateful to have met him and I'm glad that I can have him as a close friend also to talk to anytime. In a sense he fills the gap of having no twin here with me. I'll keep everyone posted on my adventures again this week!!

WEEK 1 OF "FREEDOM"

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHH!!!!! GET ME OUTTA HERE!!!!! I can't take this!! Its soooooooo FRUSTRATING trying to get used to the streets out here!! They all have numbers and letters, like, going South on 400 East?! Who does that?? Its impossible!! Ughh and not to mention how frustrating it is trying to get classes in order, find a way to get to school, find a job and get mentally prepared for a whole new year! Ughhh when does it end?

Ahh, the Honeymoon stage, as we see it.. Sighhhhhh here's how it all started..

Last Friday night I threw the most AMAZING going away party ever. It was kinda weird.. me, throwing MY OWN going away party.. but it was HUUGE!! I got over 100 friends there, and they all had a blast, and in the end, me and a few people jumped in the pool with all our clothes on. That was Amazing!! and as everyone was gathered around the table singing "Happy Going Away To You," I stared deep into the lit candles on the cake I had before me and thought, ya know, I'm happy here. I have TONS of friends, a great job, a place to stay, money in my bank, parents who care about me-- all is well. I didn't need to make a wish as I blew out the candles. It was simply everything I've ever wanted at that very moment.

AT THE SAME TIME, part of me wanted to explore.. I wanted to see what it was like living outside of my comfort zone. I wanted to claim my own life and learn what its like actually being on my own. Its always been easy to make friends because I have a twin and I wanted to see what it was like for *individuals* to make their way through life, and the opportunity came. Its only a year that I'll be out here- so why not come? So after a LONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG drive all the way to Salt Lake City, Utah with my parents leading the way in their car, I came here. Salt Lake City. As some people put it, the Mormon capital of the world?? I highly doubt that though.. California has more LDS people than Utah. They're just spread out more.

Whelp, I'm all moved in and unpacked and everything. My room was SOOOO plain when I first came, but I added a few "Corri touches" to it and it's a little more bearable.. ;) I'm all set with school supplies and clothes for about a month or until it starts getting cold. I have 5 friends so far- all of which are my SUPER NICE roommates- Messah, Lilly, Isabel, Jenna and Sarah, who doesn't live here but comes over a lot. I'm glad to be able to hang out with them a lot and have fun. Soooooooo happy to not be a loner.. well, compared to how many friends I had before, I'm kind of a loner now.. But that'll change hopefully when I go to my new ward for the first time on Sunday.. I've met my home teachers and they're SUPER cool and super cute so I can't wait to see what the ward is like!! I'll let everyone know how that goes =) Take care everyone and BE HAPPY!!!

I JUST GOT ADOPTED!!!!!!!!

GREETINGS, FOLLOWERS!!

So, just in case you didn't get the news, KARRI AND I WERE RECENTLY ADOPTED into the Best Family in the Entire World!!!!! =D Our new names are Corri & Karri Pierce Lauritzen. It's gonna be a pain trying to change all our legal documents including license, banking, school information, etc. Ughhhhhhhhhhhhh... but on the good note though, we finally have and belong to a Family.

A little bit about the Lauritzens:

Verne and Donna Lauritzen live in Riverside, CA. They are a wonderful couple who celebrate life with their 9 other children, 7 boys and 2 girls. They have around 17-19 grandkids, all of which LOVELOVELOVE me and Karri. Verne works in Riverside county as a chief of staff for a guy names Jeff Stone.. I think he's a VIP cuz his name is Jeff Stone.. (Kinda sounds like the name of a wrestler though.. Haa) Donna is a home maker, and she's a pro at what she does. I call them Mom and Dad. They were always so nice to us.. They actually knew Karri and I when we were babies, and when we lived in a foster home near them, they took us to Seminary with their kids. Our foster parent at the time REALLY hated Mormons so she would be very harsh and would not support anything we wanted to participate in, such as Church on Sundays, Girl's camp and social activities. One day as the Lauritzens were bringing us home from Church, they asked us if we wanted to come stay with them, and even if we wanted to be adopted. We were like, "What? You- take US in? Really? Someone who wants US?? You want US to be a part of YOUR family??" We didn't feel worthy because they were such a happy wonderful shining example of a family that we admired and we felt so insignificant and unspecial to be part of what seemed like a "Perfect family." Feeling that it could be right and that only God Himself could arrange such a miraculous union, we said YES and never looked back. After a year and a half of staying with the Lauritzens, we realized how Amazing they were to us and that this family could be Eternal so we got adopted to them and we will be sealed soon and yes, we DID live Happily Ever After. But that's not the end of our story.

What I like about Dad:

*He's a great Father. The best Father-figure I've EVER seen. He supports me in all the good things I do, and always gives fatherly advice whenever I need it. He is very supportive of my dreams and he came to all my school plays, my high school graduation, and fashion show. He's the best Dad I've ever had (and trust me, I've had MANY FATHERS).

*Dad has a very strong Faith and Testimony. He lives what he believes and acts upon Inspiration. He's a former Bishop and he is well respected in Church as well as at work. I look up to him and am grateful that he loves Mom and supports her and their family of 13 now.

*He is HILARIOUS!!!! He is quick with jokes, always has funny comebacks and I love to see him whenever he's frustrated about something. He does this little grunt that anyone around who hears can't help but to laugh at. He's good at making friends with ANYONE.

What I like about Mom:

*Her Christ-like examples in EVERYTHING she does. Mom is patient, kind, caring, diligent, gentle, humble, and the list goes on and on and on..

*Her love. One thing that REALLY fascinates me about Donna that other foster parents just did not do was love me. I know she loves me. Other foster parents denied my membership in their family. They did not take me to their family activities and did not allow any bonding with them at all. Whenever I was sick or in pain or suffering, they stayed as far away from me as they can- as if I was some kind of monster, some contagious germ that they wanted nothing to do with. I was just a kid!! They never gave parental advice or expressed appreciation to me at all. Only standards, rules, expectations and consequences if I did not agree. Donna was COMPLETELY OPPOSITE. She cared for and about me. She is the most SELFLESS person I've ever met. She took good care of me and always made sure I was happy.

*Her patience. Mom's had so many experiences in her life that, if I were her, I would have exploded. She's patient with children, she's patient with friends and associates. She's diligent in her callings and she's a wonderful Relief Society President and Visiting-teacher. I wish I could be like her in so many ways.

*Her Faith. If it was not for Mom, I don't know where I would be Spiritually. Mom always enforced daily Family Scripture Study, being on time for Church, regular Temple attendance and FHE. She made sure that we were taken care of Spiritually and physically.

I TRULY BELIEVE that the world is a better place because Verne and Donna fell in love one day and got married. So much good has came of that, so many good people, so many good things have happened and it only gets BETTER!!!

I love my new family!!!!!!!

SCOOOORRRRRRRRE!!!!

First off, I owe a GINORMOUS **THANK YOU** to my roommates Amber and Liz. I almost died TWICE and both times, they saved me!! OMG so I was skipping along Merrily throughout my room after a long progressive day, looking forward to showering and pondering what Sweet dreams of hot guys and ice cream I'd have that night when all of a sudden, a MONSTER jumped out and revealed itself to me!! Little did I realize about 5 seconds beforehand that this could be MY LAST DAY. (Dun dun DUNNNNN!!!!!) But the brave Lizette stepped out of her zone and BRUTALLY MASSACRED THE BEAST!!! It thought it could escape- it thought it could run away using all the strength it possessed in its 8 legs, but the little freaky demonic pestilence was wrong. Loyal Liz outsmarted the creature on my behalf and I praised her as she defeated it. THE NEXT DAY, today, I was on my way into the kitchen for a midnight snack, when all of a sudden, the BEAST was BACK!!! It thought it was slick- the traitor thought it could come back to life and disguise itself on the wall like a camouflage coat in the forest but it was No Match against the the Amazing Almighty Amber!!! After a gruesome battle and the sacrifice of one of her dearly beloved flip flops, revenge was sweeter than my jelly toast. I am now content as we have won the battle and defeated our ultimate enemy.. and I hereby proclaim, as I smear the legs of one creature and the guts of the other onto a banner and raise it high above my bedroom door and I pronounce: "SPIDERS, YE BE WARNED."

..Whelp, other than that, I've had a FABULOUS week so far!! I've been on the lookout for a place to stay in Utah, and I finally found one today! I'll be housing in a big 2-story house with 5 girls (I get my own room) who I hear are WONDERFUL!! LOL we seem to even have friends in common even though we have never met each other yet. I like how this world seems to get smaller and smaller the more people you know.. Haa..

So this week I'm going to focus more on better budgeting. I always think- being a college student, where do you draw the line between successful or failing? Should I have a certain amount of money saved up or should I be in debt? Luckily I have absolutely NO DEBT WHATSOEVER so far.. and I'm doing well. It's not easy to save- its easy to spend, I think. Its SO easy once you're on your own and you got a little savings and you think you OWN THE WORLD... and the next thing you know, you can't decide between NEEDS and WANTS and you end up dipping into your savings account more and more and more until you notice it disintegrates and then you realize that you were just OWNED!!! ..Maybe that's just me.. Well, I would never get THAT bad at it.. LOL I have learned a few GREAT things at YMO (If you don't know what YMO is, read my earlier blogs) about budgeting and money management and I plan on using them. It is easy to believe that everyone out there is out to get me sometimes.. That all people want is money. Ugh it gets pretty intense- anything you want or need or even the Thought of having something *costs*. Kinda like car and health insurance. I've had my own car and health insurance since I first started driving, and have been paying hundreds and thousands of dollars just to have the "Title." Just to say "Hey! I'm covered." But I have never really used them for anything. I'm super healthy and I may be a crazy driver, but I'm SAFE. I've never gotten into any accidents that were purposely my fault. *knock on wood* Well I guess I'll be glad if an indecent does happen in the future that's uncalled for- I'll be glad to have "just the Title" of insurance so that I'm covered.

I think that's enough blabbing for one night.. Keep following me! You know why you should? Cuz I'm Simon and Simon Says "FOLLOW ME!!!" Take care y'all!

Weeks 3-4 have gone by so fast...

...but have been been Enchanting, Enticing and Entertaining to me. Last week I woke up with the worse care of the flu I've ever experienced in my entire life and I thought I was gonna die. ***I SAW the Light*** It was beckoning for me to come unto it- it was Soooooooo bright!! ..lingering over my very head like a ghost when I noticed that it was just my cellular device, which had EVIDENTLY crept under my face as I slept and left a huge imprint on my cheek. Who knows who I was talking to last before I fell asleep.. LOL hopefully I was only talking, and not breathing heavily over someone's voicemail recording..

So this last weekend I wanted to do something FUN all by myself, without having to wait up on anyone or to take anyone with me. Thursday night was YSA Temple night, of course, and I had a blast as I always do. On Friday I drove to the hidden city of Yorba Linda which I did not know existed until I drove there that night.. There was a dance there at a community center and I had a blast, but what was MORE FUN was after the dance, I took a few friends to the park behind the building and we played on the playground. ITS ALWAYS FUN TO GROW "DOWN" EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE AND RELIVE YOUR CHILDHOOD ADVENTURES... I ran down the hill, through the obstacle course and playground, then got on the swings. We closed our eyes and jumped off the swings and LANDED ON THE MOON!! The moon was an amazing place- there are playgrounds on the moon- tunnels and caves that lead to extraterrestrial civilizations.. One can only see them if he or she closes one eye, spins around in a circle then whistles 3 times. We glimmered and shimmered and got drenched by some sprinklers that sprayed billions of tiny stars out onto us that as we ran through them.. we also had to avoid getting captured by astronauts and funny looking dogs that wore eyeglasses and fake moustaches as they walked their barking pet human aliens. Everything looked so real- as if we were in a parallel identical planet that deemed Mother Earth as its role model..

I ended up getting home at 4:19am that next morning. Time flies when you're having fun!

On Saturday (after having 4 hours of sleep the night before) I had to wake up extra early to help clean my Church building as I had volunteered.. I then went to a pool party at a friend's house and was SOOOO WORN OUT afterwards that I crashed as soon as I got home! An hour later I woke up and got ready for a date with a guy named Rudd. Yes, me.. date. I do that kinda stuff. Rudd is doing some kind of project where he asks out 16 girls on dates and gets to know them, interviews them, and then writes something special about each one on his blog. So I'll proceed to do the same thing for him (because he'll probably read this). Rudd is a great guy- very friendly, humorous, and very much a gentlemen. He wears his Testimony as I like to say- you can see it in his eyes that he has great faith and is very knowledgeable and passionate about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He works in the Temple and also works at a party rental store (If anyone needs party supplies or floats) *Ladies, he's single* ;) I met Rudd at a dance I believe, in a competition. I guess I was having too much fun to really notice him but I won the competition hands down *not to brag or anything, ahemm* and I remember going to the back and trying to teach him how to "jerk." Thats all I remember.. I should have been more considerate then, knowing that he'd ask me out later. I know so many people that sometimes it gets hard to depict those I do know verses those I do know and I just am nice and welcoming to EVERYONE as if they're my Best Friend. =) Anyways the date was a lot of fun. We went to Wendy's and got frosties and then to the Observatory to look at stars and telescopes. I don't think I was fully myself that night- I usually am a HUUUUGE talker, goofball, super hyper, crazy and simply loud person, but that night, I just wasn't that way. I was almost content. I was worn out from a busy day, but as I talked to this guy I realized something fascinating that I'd never seen before. We had so much in common! This was not one of those "You like anchovies on your ice cream? SO DO I!!!!" moments.. It was more like, things he said were Exact things and deep thoughts that had crossed my mind at times and it really amazed me. It was a little creepy, but more-so cool. I don't think I wouldda realized that if I were to keep blabbing away about myself and my life's experiences.. It was so nice being able to learn so much about another individual and in a sense, it taught me how to be a better listener and to have "serious time" every once in a while.

I somehow picture trillions of spirit children in Heaven, all sitting together in the pre-existence, listening closely as Heavenly Father is teaching us all what Earth-life would be like. I imagine I'm sitting next to Rudd, with Karri on the other side. Heavenly Father then hands all of His children presents. We open ours up, which are huge boxes, and inside of these, there are blessings- including gifts, talents, perspectives, opinions, traits and characteristics that we will bring down with us to Earth when we go. Mine and Karri's blessings are IDENTICAL. Somehow, as we are rejoicing because of our gifts, Karri and Rudd accidentally bump into each other and some of their gifts, talents and perspectives fall to the floor. As they scramble to pick things up and claim their individual blessings, a few may have gotten mixed up. Just sayin...

OK ya this does sound kinda weird, but I promise it'll make sense. If not, then it may be used for pure entertainment only and reader, I'm sorry to have wasted your precious "facebooking" time. Well, here's an example. Ever since I was 17, I've ALWAYS said to myself that my dream job would be to work in the Temple someday, All the time. I think that would be TOTALLY AMAZING. I don't hear too many others talk about having similar dreams.. Lol but last night as we walked around the observatory, Rudd randomly blurted out that "his dream job would be to work in the Temple all the time." I tried so hard not to yell out "No way!! Me too!!" because it would obviously look like I'm retarded in one way or another.. So I thought nothing of it until later when we somehow got in a conversation about babies and children. As he was talking, I started thinking of how precious babies are to me. They must come directly from Heaven! I thought about how I've always admired their innocence and how I felt that a baby can sense spirituality in a person, and how I'd love to one day ask them what heaven was like because I'm sure they remember it but just cannot express it. Ya know, I kinda think that that's why babies cry when they're born- because they're separated from God and Heaven as a spirit. Think about it- they're also drawn to light.. They are calm whenever they sense spirituality in soft music, etc. Its totally believable!! I'm convinced that they know much more of Heaven than we "adults" do. Where I was going with this, was the fact that my date completely said everything I was thinking at that point.. Coincidentally.. Word for word. We also have VERY similar dreams and aspirations in life- both want to be TV show hosts for a talk show and both thought highly of child psychology and communication.

I don't know if I'll ever see the guy again- maybe at a dance or randomly before I leave for Utah, but I learned a lot from our conversations. I think that we're more of friends than we realize now and I'm sure we'll cross paths again in life.. I'm grateful to have taken the time to make a new friend. He also told me what he admired about his parents most- about how loving, service-oriented and charitable his mother was, and about how wonderful and responsible his father was, and how they work together to support the needs of their children. I love asking friends what they think of their parents- I listen for the qualities that they admire most about their parents and all of them have to do with being selfless and living the Gospel. I want to be just like that when I grow up.. (I always say that.. it's not literal of course)

I want to be the friend I've always wanted.. the mother I've always wanted.. The girl who people look to for advice and for a good influence. I feel that the world is in desperate need of considerate and selfless people, and I want to be a living example of the change I want to see in the world. Ya know?

Thank you for reading my blog and hearing of the wonderful adventures of my weekend!! Stay tuned for the next Amazing blog! Whelp, I gotta go floss my bird's teeth.. Hahaha peace out!

Weeks 1-2 of EMANCIPATION

Hey! Guess what? I'm alive!!! =D

Sorryyyyyyyyyyyyy I know its been FOREVER since I last wrote a blog.. Hopefully I haven't lost any followers and blogging isn't totally outdated since the last time I went on.. I've been super busy with finishing up school and Summer work, but life can't be better! So here's the Latest Greatest news of whats going on in my Wonderful Young Life!!

1) I graduated YMO- Yes, it is hard to believe. I'm grateful for YMO and all of its guidance in my life. Everything I learned there was necessary and useful to me in all aspects of life. There were SO MANY times that I complained about their service and their constant nagging and urging me to save save Saaaaave money, do things in advance so I can enjoy free time, work ALL THE TIME, budget, save more, and do better in school. I will admit as an alumni, it was not easy to get though this!! But I did. There were so many times that I said to myself that I can just take my savings and take off- hit the road and live wherever I wanted and not have to deal with Them anymore. Wow what little did I know a few months ago!! ..I'm glad that I was able to remain patient with my mentors, case manager, therapist and youth advocates, even unto graduating the program. The director, Thomas Lee, took me and my mentors and a few other YMO youth to a nice high end restaurant to celebrate my graduation . It was nice to see everyone there collectively happy for me (Yes. That moment it was all about ME and I loved it! Karri hasn't graduated yet, so they did not recognize her efforts, even though she came along) and the many compliments they gave me-- I wouldn't have stop them if my life depended on it. I'm glad to have a good head on my shoulders and I'm glad that I am able to make healthy life decisions- its very rewarding and its nice to have so many people that are happy for me. Especially since I'm an adult now and there's no one to hand me a cookie and tell me "good job" anymore- all I can do is be good and make good choices and hope for verbal recognition at times. Even if I did not get that, its always nice to know that there are MANY people out there who love me and want the best for me, regardless if they tell me or not.

2) I passed all my classes with Exceptionally good grades- that was NOT easy. This entire last year it was a struggle to stay awake in such boring classes- I took Communication Theory, Public Administration and American Childhood (which was interesting actually.) I had no clue whatsoever if I was going to survive that last quarter- it was challenging and my classmates were not making it any better by getting upset whenever I asked too many questions in class. School seems to keep getting harder and harder as I progress, and the only thing that was keeping me motivated for the last few years were mentors online who sent me weekly emails to remind me to be my Best and do my Best. This was Tina Raheem and Mary Imler of the Orphan Foundation of America. They are my guardian angels, I know it. With their motivation and inspiration, I managed to pull off a B, an A- and another A-. Whoop whoop!!

3) I SEPARATED from my twin- No its not the type of separation that makes people think of an argument that instigated it. I needed this- I am 21 years old and in Desperate need of learning how to be an individual!! Its not easy now, but it was a little harder when we first split up. I figured it was a good idea to move to a nearby (but separate) location before pursuing the BIG move to Utah, as I have planned. I have about a month left before that happens, of which I will be blogging every step of the way!

At first, the whole "move" thing was awful. I have new roommates and I automatically Expected them to share, be as organized as I am, to like the same things as me and to just click with me, since it was so easy to do with my Twin. Whole 'nother story there, haha. I have learned to be compatible with them for the most part, but at times it is still difficult because I forget that they do not know me that well. I am a neat person as far as housing goes and there are times when I get anxiety because my Twin's not there and it puts me into mega OCD modes and I start cleaning and detailing every aspect of the house. I like to make my weaknesses work to my advantage, and this is clearly one great example of this. I do need to work on my interpersonal and intrapersonal skills more and realize that people cannot read my mind. Luckily I do have many opportunities to bond with my new roommates, and its easy because they're such nice girls. I feel that its healthy and necessary to stay sane in life that an individual has some sort of personal bond or close relationship with SOMEONE. My twin is still in the picture- we hang out all the time, but a lot of times whenever we're not together, I often have to step back and realize that I have wonderful friends among me who are caring and who would love to talk and be a Sister influence anytime. It was so easy to always be with my twin, to a point where there was no challenge at all. Its great- we were so close that I did not even have to speak at times and she would already know what I was thinking about. We never fought and it was so easy to always be happy because she, as a companion was always in the same mood as I was. I've learned to toss my angry or upset emotion out the door since I've been so blessed in life. Growing up as a twin, we were unstoppable, and I understand that even though we are separated for a short period, we will always be the best of friends and our bond can never break. I still need to learn to be more considerate of others and not fall into the habit of thinking that life will never be as good as it was with my twin. It may not actually, but along the way there are many valuable lessons in life that I must learn while I am "emancipated."

Although these are only 3 major changes in my life, there are and will be many more, so keep in tune and I will be writing more often! Remember kids, NEVER let anything allow you to be unhappy!! I once heard that ONE MINUTE of being upset, angry, mad or disappointed is 60 WHOLE SECONDS of lost happy time. =D Take care folks, and my next blog will be up soon!!

Twincerely, Corri

www.karriandcorri.webs.com

BELONGING...

So I had quite an interesting experience the other day... which I would like to talk about today...but First:


OH MY GOSH THE STRANGEST THING JUST HAPPENED TODAY!!!!! So I was on my way home from school today, after completing my hardest final yet in College, having only 3 hours of sleep the night before and being SUPER tired and hungry... I was half asleep, half devouring an ice cream sandwich I got from a gasoline station when I came across a stop sign. I was so busy eating and not paying enough attention that I did the popular "California Stop." I looked both ways, and noticing a cop car AS I PROCEEDED THROUGH THE INTERSECTION and hoping that he didn't notice, I realized that I was tough outta luck. He pulled me over faster than a one-legged man could river dance!! ..........So ya, long story shorrrrrrt, with luck on my side, I TOTALLY GOT OUT OF IT!! =) Which was completely attributed to a Higher Source than myself. I was super shaky because this was my 2nd time getting pulled over for something in 2 weeks and I literally have NO IDEA why he ended up dismissing my $450 ticket and just giving me a warning, but it happened. I know that from now on, I'm gonna be drivin' like an old lady after being shown that kinda mercy!! But that's not the strangest thing that happened- the strange thing was that my Twin sister sends me a message not even an hour later, saying that AN HOUR AGO, SHE GOT PULLED OVER TOO!!!!! HAAA!!! BOTH of us got pulled over by cops, I was heading HOME, she was headed TO SCHOOL; BOTH got warnings only and the cops ended up being nice!! Isn't that strange?? =D =D Call it strange, call it miraculous, call it cheesy.. I'll leave that up to you.


BUT ANYWAAAAYYYYYS, like I was saying beforrrrrrrre (before I was so RUDELY INTERRUPTED by uh, myself...), here's what I meant to say earlier. I was on campus signing an agreement form for a National Student Exchange Program that I have just been accepted into, and the waiver I had to sign had a question that truly stood out to me and I could not forget it. "In case of emergencies, who is responsible for you?" Now I don't want to make this sound like an old-fashioned scene where the hot guy comes in a the last minute or the long lost parents of an orphan comes in at the end of a long desperate search to find a place in life, but this was reality for me. Who IS responsible for me? I don't have parents to claim that they own me... I can't say my last foster parents because they'll be living 2 states away and it would be too inconvenient to have them take responsibility if something were to happen to me.... Or the Governator, or the Riverside County Judge who once held all of my education and living rights in the palm of her hands... Hmmm, it was a tough question. I want to mention a word, or phrase, or even a sentence that means a lot to me: BELONGING.

What exactly does the term BELONGING mean to me? To tell you the truth, I have no idea yet. Growing up in foster care after so many homes and families denied me of even the slightest fraction of a percentage of a sense of belonging to them, it was hard to feel wanted. It was hard to feel accepted or understood, and even acknowledged at many times. Lucky for me, I aged out of foster care and have successfully emancipated. The hard part is this- when I go to Utah on this new "exploration" of life, I need to develop a whole new network of friends, neighbors and associates so that I do not feel like a loner out there. I get nervous whenever I think of what my Twin will do out here while I'm gone. I've told her for MONTHS to sign up for this program so we could both get in together!! But she did not listen, and it was too late- now I'm going to be separated from her and will be on my own for AN ENTIRE year. =O

Sure I'm an adult. Sure I'm independent, and smart, and humorous; and fully capable of living anywhere in the U.S. I want, and doing well there; and sure I'm preparing now for my FANTASTIC future, but I don't know too many other identical twins who grew up and did EVERYTHING together- walked, talked, ate, learned, BREATHED together, and are just randomly going to separate. I would like to talk to other twins some day and see if it was hard for them. We did everything together!! Modeling, acting, she took my classes that were too hard in school, I took hers; we tricked people and did many shows together, had many friends together, etc. How will our friends react to just ONE OF US there? Would "we" lose our cool? (hopefully not, please!! That would be almost pathetic)This is going to be very hard for the both of us, and I imagine that there will be many times in the near future that I will feel that no one's as good as "MY TWIN" and that I don't belong out there, and I'm sure Karri will feel the same way when I'm gone.

I know it will be hard, but that's why we're starting now- by changing our looks and getting a feel of what its like to be "different people," we will start to act a little different, and hopefully be able to be a little more independent of each other in small ways in preparation for THE BIG MOVE. It's already hard now- I go to school on my own, I have a different hair color, we both work different jobs, she does modeling and I do acting and stand0up comedy... I'm already noticing a slight difference in how others treat us. When we're together we get more attention. We're TheTwinz. =) =) But on our own, we're just "one of the twinz." =( The purpose of me writing this entire blog is to publicly express to the world how DIFFERENT we are and can be, yet I always end up reflecting on the Amazing things we have in life just because of who WE are. =/ It's hard...

Whelp, My departure date is set for July 5th. Wish us both luck!! I'll continue to keep everyone posted on this Amazing journey of mine! Until then, =) ITS BEDTIME FOR ME!!

YAY! 5 FOLLOWERS NOW!! =D FRIENDS...

So I just found out that more people are hearing about my blog and enjoying it- and Sooooooo I will make a pledge to write more!! I'm grateful that my words are intriguing! Woo hoo! Pretty soon I'll have THOUSANDS of followers! Just gotta get my name out there, ya know. I'm not a boring person.. I'm actually quite humorous, super random and extremely outgoing!!

So last Friday after a dance that I went to, my friends and I all decided to caravan to the nearest In n Out because we were super hungry after alla that dancing! I was overwhelmed by the abnormally long line inside of In n Out so I devised a simple yet BRILLIANT plan! My plan was to go through the drive through and get my food way faster than anyone else, and just as my friends were making their orders or waiting for their food, I'd stroll in like a VIP with my food prepared and blow it in all their faces!! Yeahhhhhh that was the perfect idea!!

...Too bad it was only an idea and not reality though.. Once I got into the drive thru, I realized that there were 4 cars in front of me, 3 cars behind me, and after waiting for almost 20 minutes WITHOUT MOVING, I realized that "I ain't goin' nowhere." That was the most HORRIBLE, GRUESOME, AGONIZINGLY PAINFUL WAIT I'VE EVER BEEN IN LINE FOR!!! The line wasn't moving AT ALL!! So me, being myself AND being super hungry now, I got a little impatient. I parked my car, of course, for safety purposes, and opened my door. I turned my radio on all the way up and blasted techno music and got out of my car and started dancing around my car. I was jumping around, standing in the doorway of my car bouncing and making the car move, and running around my car in circles. IT WAS FUN!! EVERYONE'S GOT TO TRY IT AT LEAST ONCE IN THEIR LIVES!! No, I was not drunk, or high, or crazy..

Welllll, the people in the truck in front of me thought there WAS something wrong with me. They didn't see a hungry young adult- they must've saw something else, because they threw an empty beer can at me!! It was the worse thing ever!! I explained to them that I was straight and that I was just an outgoing and hungry person and that all I had were Jellybeans . I was very surprised after seeing that, so I got back in my car. I guess they understood after that, because they turned their music on high also and drove away as the drive-thru line FINALLY moved up.

I learned a valuable lesson that night as I walked into In n Out as my friends were finishing up their food and getting ready to leave- How grateful I am that I do not drink, or smoke, or do drugs!! I am grateful that I have the sense and the decency to recognize things that are bad for me and my health and that don't bring any type of happiness whatsoever!! I AM REALLY GRATEFUL FOR ALL OF MY FRIENDS who don't do those things either. I can be around good influences all the time and I can have MORE FUN knowing that they will not tempt me to ever break the law or get into any type of trouble. And they love me and they are all AMAZING!!! That's all for now. Keep following me! I have MANY more good stories to share!! =D Tchau!

My "So-Called EASY" Life

Oh mannn life is great! I am blessed and very grateful to see another Beautiful day pass away, having achieved many of my daily goals!! So I got to thinking about an incident that happened the other day.. I was in the middle of telling a few friends of mine how much I liked my car and the fact that I have a tutor for college and I am enjoying living on my own when one cut me off and just stared at me, wide-eyed, saying, "You're soooo lucky!!" Another followed, by saying "Yeah, everyone loves you! If I lived your life, I would be so much more happy!" Honestly, I was humbled yet shocked at these remarks. Not that I am an ungrateful person in any way, but there is a LOTTTTT more to my life than just having a cute car and a personal tutor!! I grew up in foster care!!! There was a life of hardships, struggles, doubtful feelings, and loneliness that I had to go through; but all of these experiences brought me exactly where I am right now in life- So here I would like to take a little time to explain where I come from and how exactly I got here.


Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy back when, back when there was no such thing as "laptops" or "cellphones" or even "Cd's" , there was an itty bitty teeny tiny baby girl named Corri . You see, Corri was born with a mohawk, meaning she came out READY TO LIVE LIFE TO THE EXTREME!!! Oh wait- that's not the story I was looking to share ...Let me start over.


So I was born in the late 80's to a uhhh, _________ Mother and a Father . =) I grew up primarily in Riverside, California, in the United States of America. I cannot count on one hand how many siblings I had growing up, because they would come and go and come back and go back and just keep coming until my Mom would yell outside that dinner was ready and our game of Freeze-Tag would end. =)


Skipping a few years ahead, I was in my early teenage years when I entered the foster siblings, due to being mistreated by my own parents in many ways . My Twin sister and I were the only ones who got to stay together, while the rest of us got separated into different foster homes in different cities in California. This was extremely hard for me, and it still is to this day, trying to keep in contact with all of 9 of them now and maintaining regular visits with them in their various homes.


Foster care was not easy at all. I used to complain when I lived with my own parents that I felt neglected, never could do anything I wanted, was being held under harsh conditions of child labor and adolescent slavery, felt like an adopted child, etc. Since I emancipated and have moved 29 times in my life and gone through 17 schools since kindergarten, I must say that I had MANY crazy parents! Some were nice, others were strict. Some let us play outside, others did not. Some would not let us "foster kids" even sit on their living room furniture because we were "just foster kids" and MANY, if not ALL but 1 foster home, treated their own kids like angels and me like dirt. Literally and in all seriousness, it was not fun.


Skipping Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyy ahead, EMANCIPATION. In foster care all around the world, here's the one rule that still keeps foster teens cringing as they think of their near futures. THE DAY YOU TURN 18 YEARS OLD, YOU HAVE 3 DAYS TO MOVE OUT. Isn't that sad and SCARY and harsh at the same time?? According to MANY statistics, even kids WITH parents are not considered fully independent until age 26!! So we gotta put on the grown-up mask and the big red high-heels at a really early age and head out into the world. Luckily for me, I used my resources.

HERE'S WHAT SEPARATES THE SUCCESSFUL FOSTER YOUTH FROM THE UNSUCCESSFUL FOSTER YOUTH- RESOURCES.

BASICALLY, all I needed was a computer. THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO CARE ABOUT FOSTER YOUTH AND WANT TO HELP. THEY ARE WAITING FOR YOUTH TO JUST REACH OUT- AND THEY'LL DO ALL THEY CAN TO HELP. Some of these Angels are among my favorite organizations:

-Orphan foundation of America
-Friends of Foster Children
-Hillsides Home for Abused Children YMO chapter>

There are MANY more, but these are the 3 most influential Organizations that have the MOST POSITIVE IMPACT IN MY LIFE. I am and will forever be grateful for these 3 programs!!!! They are the reason I am here today, and the reason that I am ALIVE. They probably will never understand to what extent my gratitude reaches- because of them, I have hope in a brighter future- not only for myself, but for my siblings, my future children, and all of the foster youth that I plan on advocating for in the near future. I really aspire to be just like Hillsides, UFC and OFA, in helping little ones with big dreams create a better world!!

Hillsides has helped me by providing me with a place to stay. I lived on campus of Cal State San Bernardino for one year- and it was great- but soooooooo expensive!! When one emancipates, there's no point in trying to smuggle for almost $2,000 a month just for a tiny 2 bedroom apartment that was about 1,800 square feet in diameter. Wasn't worth it. At YMO, we're given an apartment that we DO pay monthly rent on that helps us out by starting off at a low rate, then increasing rent every 3 months. This teaches us to keep up with their demands and to work more efficiently to be able to pay for it and our other expenses. YMO gives us personal mentors and case managers who teach and assist us in time management, money management, planning for the future, life skills, etc. etc. ETC!!! They have classes and activities that we can go to that help develop out social skills and independent living skills also. THEY'RE AMAZING!!!!

The Orphan Foundation of America has helped by making it possible that I can utilize personal mentors online whenever I have questions about school, vocational training, career paths, etc. They also help me to receive funding for school. I think its amazing that they are one of those organizations who ACTUALLY DO CARE- they are not just hidden people being a wall who throw checks over the wall and tell us to go to college- no, Tina Raheem and Mary Imler are two of the most Amazing women I've [n]ever met!! They inspire me each week with encouraging emails, boost my confidence when I'm struggling in school, fill me in on opportunities that are specifically for former foster youth, and even offer suggestions on how I can improve my study habits, time management, ease stress when finals come along, etc. THEY'RE SPECTACULAR!!!!

United Friends of Foster Children works with hillsides and they have helped me by showing me that they care about me and my necessities of daily living. When school started this fall I was super overwhelmed wit a busy workload, trying to figure out how I can slip a little sliver of classes into my already overloaded schedule...and I came home and there was a CARE PACKAGE on my bed one afternoon with school supplies!! On Christmas morning, after being stranded in Fontana on Christmas Eve, while my old car broke down, not having anyone to come and help, I finally got home really late on Christmas night and waiting for me in my living room was a HUUUUGE Christmas present with all kinds of goodies in it! When I first moved into YMO and having an apartment so empty I could sing in a quartet with my own echoes, all I wanted was a microwave- I didn't mind having a used one, or even getting one from a second-hand store, or even for a Christmas present- heck, I didn't mind a 3 month wait.. but one day the YMO director knocked on my door and gave me a BRAND NEW microwave, vacuum cleaner, household cleaning supplies, complete new furnishings and even gift cards for the nearest grocery store!! If that wasn't enough, they leave random care packages for each holiday in my apartment all the time! I really have no idea who these people are, or what motivates them, but I AM SOOOO GRATEFUL for them and I send them back thank you letters each time.

Because of these 3 organizations, I am pivoting my life and recycling the old me. I am so amazed that these people care about me enough to watch out for me and support and mentor me that I want be just like them when I grow up!! I am super excited for my near future and even if no one reads this blog, I just wanted to express my deep and sincere gratitude for these "Parental Figures" in my life. I would absolutely be honored to be the person they all envisioned their scholars would one day be like after receiving such support from them. And I will be. =)



Here are some of mine and my Twin sister's most recent successes since we emancipated- ENJOY!! MORE COMING SOON! :) :)

-Twinsworld.com- we were featured as "Happy Twins":

-Jetsetting Magazine told our success story to the world a few months back:

-Riverside County Connection-"Turning Point for Foster Children article"- We are considered all of Riverside County's Successfully Emancipated Foster Youth

-Karri Pierce on Helium.com- profile and poetry

-Corri Pierce on Helium.com- profile and poetry

WOOOO HOOOO!!!!! COLLEGE ROCKS!!!!

IN ALL HONESTY, I MUST SAY THAT I REALLY DON'T LIKE COLLEGE. Honesty, I warned. Don't let that stop you from reading this though- Because by the time you get through the end of this blog, you will have a complete and dynamic understanding of why I LOVE BEING A COLLEGE STUDENT. Haha The whole "College life" is a little different for me, being that I'm considered a "little goody-two-shoes." Not that I care what people think of me, but here's MY definition of college- PURE EVIL BLOWING IN THE WIND!!!!! Not really. Its hard to really come up with a definition for something that I've always wanted yet always regretted, due to the simple thought of possibly failing.


WHERE I WAS-
So here I am, sitting in a Library, doing homework for 3 advanced college courses- Latin American Literature, Public Relations and a Sociology class about race and racism. I HATE LIBRARIES. Here's why this is significant- As a foster youth, foster parents LOVED the Library! It was a free babysitter! Whenever they wished to go someplace special, like Universal Studios with their OWN family and kids, they would drop me off at a Library all day. After school, I would be dropped off at the library in the middle of nowhere, and my foster parents would leave me there until it closed, then come and pick me up. Surprisingly, I did not learn a thing while I was there, except to hate libraries.

I was some scrawny little 14 year old with no parents and no life and no promise of a bright future and I hated reading because my birth-father always thought we were being lazy whenever we sat down and read a book. He always thought we should be cleaning instead- or watching the younger kids, or cooking or working for the neighbors...Anything BUT reading. Therefore I hated it. I hated the smell of dust that so unworthily shoved itself into my nostrils. I hated the fact that NO ONE talked. It got annoying to see people whispering or sometimes mumbling to themselves as they searched each aisle for their book of choice. I hated the fact that there was no food in the library, and no eating was allowed if I did have any food. There were no nearby stores- this library was located in the liddle of a field, so I had no escape. The library had computers that we had to pay to use, and I thought it wasn't worth a dime, because half of the social media websites that we use today were blocked off today, and their Internet was super slow. I hated the librarian who had no sense of fashion or the outside world whatsoever- she was always telling me to be quiet, and to stop running, and to put the books back in their exact spot after reading them. I never read any of the books there unless they dealt with fashion, magic tricks, origami or How to Draw books. I thought there was no point of having libraries except to sort out the weird people from the cool people in life, and to use all the chess-playing, Pokemon card-collecting, book-reading glasses-wearing nerds in school. BOY WAS I SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WRONG!!!!


MY JOURNEY-
Later on in life, as I attempted to avoid books and studying and lean more on social media, new electronic gadgets and the Internet for EVERYTHING, I somehow developed an interest in family history. I wanted to know about my ancestors and which side of the family I was most like. Being half black, half white and the tie-breaker of my entire family, I find it a bit humorous to say that half of my ancestors were slaves, the other half were slave owners. I wanted to find out if any of them were associated and to also find old journals of their life stories to see what they had to go through, and how they could POSSIBLY live without all the technology we have now! So I set out on a journey to find these answers, and a lot of them were in a Library.

I still avoided libraries after that, until one day after I graduated High School and became A COLLEGE STUDENT That was where my whole life changed. I had a preconceived notion that college was nothing but brainwash, but surprisingly, its much more than that!! College has taught me how to learn. That's something that I could not teach myself at all, regardless of how many hours I spent in a library or even on a computer! I always had the goal to do my homework once I got online- or once I got to the library, or once I got home from school or even on my break at work- but I always found EVERYTHING ELSE more interesting than my poor little wreathing pile of homework, confined within the depths of a backpack that was usually never opened; usually hidden under my bed or in my closet or sometimes left on the school bus- I simply just didn't care.

WHERE I AM NOW AND WHAT I'VE LEARNED-
As I finished my first and second year of college, things changed. I realized that no one cared who you were in High School. In college, everyone is there to learn and gain a greater understanding of life and how they could expand their horizons and what-not . No one cared that I was a model, or an actress, or even a former foster youth. I could not procrastinate or slack anymore. Cheating was not even in the picture, because College Professors were so serious about the consequences of cheating that it would result in instant removal from a class and the campus- and I did not want that. (Imagine the horror of having to explain to people that the reason you're not a college student is because you were caught cheating!! I couldn't do it.) If I procrastinated a school subject or assignment, it wasn't like High School, where I could fail and just take it over- it was a waste of time and money. I was paying to be there, paying for the lectures and all my BOOKS and paying my way into the future, and it all depended on my own discipline and priorities. No one was there to tell me when to study, or when my assignments are due and when I should be in class- there wasn't even a BELL to exclaim CLASS IS OVER! MOVE ON, EVERYONE!! The students just walk out when the clock reaches a certain time. I admit it, some classes I look back on and think they're absolutely useless, but I've never felt more of an urge to be a better person and to learn and to grow than I have found within the borders of a college campus.

I have a tutor now who helps me with my classes- the hard work, and what I really appreciate and respect is the fact that he believes in me. He's SUPER-strict, I must say, and he doesn't take NO or I DIDN'T HAVE TIME or LATER for an answer. He's super serious but works hard to ensure that I teach myself how to understand things and how to use the resources that i have now if I don't understand something. Ever since I've had him as a tutor, EVERY test I've taken , I have passed with an A. My classes are getting easier because I go to them more prepared. My grades are getting better, and this semester, I plan on getting straight As. I was not looking to be a GREAT student, just a good one. I will never fail another class- its something I said to myself (sadly, only a year ago). I hated the fact that I had to take a course over if I did not pass it, and it will take me a little longer to graduate because I goofed off during my first 2 years of college because I had no plan. But now I have a plan. I have learned to learn. I am working now on correcting my life so I don't end up like one of those "kids with no life and no promise of a bright future." I am currently a Senior at California State University of San Bernardino, working on getting a BA in Communications and a Minor in Child Psychology. I may go on to get a Master's degree in Child Psychology, because I really LOVVVVVE children and working with them and I am very understanding of them and how they thing because not long ago, I was there. I wish everyone who reads this to be inspired and to wish me luck as I pursue the career of my dreams, and until then, I cannot write more- my tutor's gonna be here in an hour. I can't talk to loud- I'm in a Library, doing homework. So I'll end at this- after all, I'VE GOT SOME MORE STUDYING TO DO!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! My Plan:

Ohhhhhh mannnnn life is GREAT!!! So I just started College last week and am SUPER positive about this year! Ever since I moved into YMO their tutors have been super helpful and my GPA has been sky-rocketing! Woo hoo!!! This New Year will be a lot different for me- as I have plans to be more independent. Let's talk about the type of Independence I mean:

Independence for me is creating your own success story. Your OWN. I don't wanna be one of those boring people who just live by the rules in order to get what they want outta life. I want to get what I want, do it MY way, and CREATE the rules! Afterall, this is my blog, my story, and especially my life. I want to make a huge difference in the world. Many people have considered it, many people have thought about it, some have tried it but only few have been successful at that. They have given up their dreams, sad to say, because they lost confidence in themselves or have been told by too many people to reconsider or try something else. I am not like that. I WILL be a highly influential person, like I try to be now. I earned my popularity by walking into an organization full of people I did not know and I started introducing myself to everyone and before I knew it, Everyone knew me. I like that. It's like, wherever I go now, I will never have a hard time making friends or networking. I love people. :) BUT there's a secret that is involved in my Emancipation, which I will speak of later.

One of the major changes to my life that will be happening soon is my EMANCIPATION. I'm not talking about emancipating from parental units, because I've lived away from them since I was 11 and I've lived on my own as an adult for 4 years now. I mean Emancipation from my identical twin sister. It's AMAZING being a twin. Super fun, super tricky sometimes, it has its own ups and downs. I always enjoyed dressing like her, doing acting and modeling with her and being one of "The Twinz." Its so much fun spending time with my twin- she's literally my best friend. I imagine we had a strong bond even before this life and it will continue even after this life. But I often forget that I am an individual and have been given different talents and capabilities than her. I must put those to good use and not bury them.

Soooooooooooooooo this Fall, I am going to University of Utah to study Human Psychology and Communications. I will be there for 1 year, apart from my twin. I am challenging myself to take on new skills and to learn how to be a real Independent person. I don't know too many other twins and what they have to go through, but I imagine its really hard for them to separate. I get worried about my twin all the time whenever she's gone for too long or doesn't call me, etc. She gets worried about me also, because we haven't learned how to be separated for long periods of time yet. I need to learn how to be an individual and to do things on my own, and for myself. If it was meant that we should always be considered a "unit" then we would have been conjoined twins.

I feel that this may open up many new doors for the both of us. Karri is going into modeling. I am going into acting, namely for broadcasting. This may work to our benefit. Maybe in the future we can help each other out or switch roles, etc.

Here's the Secret- Since many people do not read my Blogg, it is fair that those who DO will get to know my ultimate Secret as I move. When I go to Utah, and live a whole new life, in a whole new place, with new people and unfamiliar surroundings, I am NOT going to tell anyone there that I have a twin. Nope! Not at all. I will develop interpersonal relationships with people and I will network and make many new friends WITHOUT having to re-introduce myself. I will tell people very little about where I come from, what I do, or my past. I will be very selective about what I tell others, just so I can come back to California and say "I did it. I became an individual and I will have no problem being one again" in the event that one of us gets married, moves away, we separate again, etc. This will be hard I imagine, and I know that there will be many days and times that I struggle to share how I feel with others, but it will be a learning experience and I know that I will feel more comfortable being around people on my own. WISH ME LUCCCKKKK!!!!

WHAT DO YOU THINK??
If there are any other twins out there who had to make a major life change to get used to being separated from their twin, I want to know how they did it and what were some of the struggles and successes they had. =D

blOggety blOgg... fRienDs

Today was wonderfullllllllll! I had a great Sabbath day and now am trying to get over this awesome sense of hyperactivity that I have after eating 2 rather large slices of cake. LOL it was sooooooooooo good! Yellow cake with chocolate frosting on it. I decided that today I would call a couple of old friends who I haven't talked to in a while and I noticed tha I really had been missing from their lives and I seem to have forgotten all my old friends! I love all of my friends and have so many that it is hard to keep track of all of them. I sometimes forget and end up hanging around the same people often and it ends up being a clique. I don't do cliques though. I really need to check myself every once in a while and make sure I'm not becoming prideful. I started off hanging out with amazing people, then I moved, but that should not stop me from keeping in contact with them. Every person in my life has influenced me to be a better person, even if I didn't get along with them.

Sometimes there's someone who I won't talk to because I think we won't get along or that they don't like me or that they're snobbish or stuck up- when I realize that they may be thinking the same thing about me!! I end up talking to them and creating an everlasting friendship that lasts for a long time. I love making friends! Its always wierd when I first become someone's friend and don't know what to say or how to start a conversation but it usually ends up going well. So remember kids, MAKE FRIENDS!!!! They are eternal. In some cases, they may be all you have. Remember old friends, AND always make new friends. I've never been a loner since. =P

Life is great!

10 Things I am Grateful For....

I think it's time I wrote anotha BLOG!!! Just in case someone decides to follow me! Wow it's a kind of a big deal for me... The pressure's already kickin' in... MUST WRITE SOMETHING POSITIVE YET FUNNY AND READABLE!!! Ok...Here I go....


THANKSGIVING.

I like giving, I am thankful for what I have. One thing about me is that I don't talk a lot about everything I have and am grateful for too much... When you're stressed all you think about is what you don't have. It makes one completely overlook all of their blessings! I AM SOOOOOO BLESSED and I MUST tell the whole wide world what I am grateful for!!!

1) My Family- I don't live WITH my family- as a matter of fact, I haven't lived with them for about 10 years now! I was one of those kids who suffered from a parental divorce and had to grow up in numerous foster homes, separated from all but one out of 9 siblings. It was sooooooooooo hard, but I survived it. I made it out alive and I have a few scars but I'm okay. =) I don't get to talk to most of my family members and I don't get to see many of them at all now because of their geographical locations and our crazy hectic schedules, but I LOVE ALL OF THEM SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH and I always think about them and I always pray for them and I'm trying my best to be a good example for all of them.

2) My friends- Every person I know is my friend. Every friend is a BEST friend to me. I like to get to know each person on a one-on-one basis. I never hang out with just one crowd or clique, and I always make sure that no one stands alone. I like to find someone who's standing on their own, introduce myself to them and ten introduce the to other people. This may sound silly and simple, but people have formed lifelong relationships and friendships simply by my selflessness. I'm NEVER too good to hang out with the uncool person; I'm never too cool to hang out with just popular people. I am a fabulous matchmaker and have put together some amazingly cute couples, and many have gotten married from it! Selflessness means everything to me, no matter how uncool it seems. =) I love my friends. I may not always get what I give, but my life's motive has always been to "be the friend you've always wanted" and "be the change you want to see in the world." Who knows? I may have caused others to do the same thing... I may not have. As long as I'm doing my part and being kind and friendly and welcoming to all, I know I'm doing the right thing.

3) My Job- It's amazing. I am a receptionist at a Chiropractor's office. Brother Mortensen from my Church, formally known as Dr. Mortensen, is an amazing leader to me. He's an amazing boss and his wife is the sweetest lady ever!!!! I love them so much and I admire them and I really am grateful for them in my life. I love all my patients, and I know almost all of them by name. They are all so nice to me and I'm able to associate with all of them on personal levels. I'm grateful that my good works and accomplishments do not go unnoticed at work, and I like being able to ask the doctor for health advice, Church advice, career advice, advice about boys, etc. It's great.

4) My car- I'm grateful to have it. It's nice and cute and has leopard-spotted interior. =) Any girl's dream car. This was made for me.

5) My pink cell phone- self explanatory. I'm a girl and I like pink and I like to talk and text. Is that fair enough? =)

6) My Scriptures- My treasure chest that I can take with me wherever I go... I can open them up and read my destiny and find even hidden treasures in them!! They are my road map, my tour guide for life, my comfort when I'm sad, my joy when I'm happy. They protect me from sin and temptation and they bring me closer to God. They will lead me Home someday if I follow it's advice.

7) My God- I love my Heavenly Father SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much!!! He has placed so many anchors in my life to stop me from going the wrong way... He has blessed me with literally all that I need to survive. There's literally NO WAY POSSIBLE that I could have gone through SO MUCH hardships and trials in life from a child to an adult without Heavenly Help. My Father loves me and I am proud to say that I a His daughter. I look forward to going Home someday to the family that I've tried so hard to search for in real life and never feeling like an orphan again. I know that good things await me after this life, so for now I'm taking advantage of life and having a blast celebrating all the Blessings I have and sharing as much as I can with others. I know that my Father in Heaven is the creator of the Universe, and he has made worlds without number, gazillions of people, yet he knows me by name, cares about me, is aware of me, and knows what is best for me. He loves me and wants me to be happy- and He provides me with all I need AND MORE. =D!!!!

8) The Gospel- It's true. That's all I can say. I promise. This Gospel has brought me more happiness than any other church I've ever been to. The world may hate Mormons, may think our doctrine is incorrect, may do all they can to rage against us, but we all know it's true. We've all developed Testimonies about it and we have all received answers to our prayers when we inquired to know of its truthfulness. It just is. Miracles ARE REAL. God is real. This Gospel is true.

9) My college- I absolutely hate school- I confess. I don't like the whole "getting up early" thing...I'm a huge procrastinator and I'm really bad at making deadlines. But I love the fact that my school is paid for and the fact that I get to discipline myself t learn and to think more critically and to expand my knowledge and grow in wisdom. It's a major blessing for me and I love it.

10) My trials- This may be kind of weird, but I a grateful for every trial I've ever been through. I am still alive today, which means I did something right. I survived them. I got through them. I am living proof that it IS possible to overcome trials in life. I want the world to know that no matter how much pain you feel, no matter how stressed you are or how hard life seems, it's just a small moment compared to our long lives. In a moment it is all gone and you're standing there, a new person, ready to take on something much larger. Overcoming trials are hard in the process, but once it's done, the reward is great. Even if there's not an outcome, YOU are the benefit. Someone else may be blessed by your efforts. It's just, amazing how we can, in all reality, accomplish ANYTHING we want. Believe in yourself and Believe in God. That's my advice to everyone. These things make us who we are today, and whether we want to be happy and live with a positive attitude towards life or an old grump, it's all up to us.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!!!!!!!! =D