♛ 17 BEFORE 18 ♛

A few months ago i stumbled on a sweet little blog-- 'Harley and Jane'. While skimming through it I found and idea that I absolutely love, every year Jane makes a list of things that she wants to do before her next birthday. The cutest part of this is that she does one goal for every year that she has been around, then adds another goal the next year.

So, for the past few months I have been thinking about what goals I should do. Now I am officially one year older, and here is my list:

17 BEFORE 18 

1. Completely fill 3 journals
2. Finish my story
3. Write 100 letters
4. Give away 100 things
5. Complement someone every day
6. Get my drivers license
7. Read the Book of Mormon all the way through again
8. Write every day
9. Do a photoshoot
10. Read 50 books
11. Make each of my sisters feel special and important
12. Dress in only dresses/skirts for one month
13. Pray only prayers of gratitude for one week
14. Finish my personal progress
15. Always keep my room clean
16. Sew a skirt
17. Become a fashion blogger

Red White and Blue... and A Little Sailor Too!

Happy belated birthday America!! 

Awkwardly trying to look pretty while the sun is shining in my face and it is so hot that i feel like i am melting...

Dress- Hand me down from Aunt 'Gingy' Jacket- Thrifted Pearl Bracelet- Claires Earings- Vintage Shoes- Payless Shoe Source 

U.S.A!! 

Awkward bangs...

Aww! Grandma and Grandpa's Horses!!

All American!! Shirt & Earings- Old Lady's yard sale Boots-Thrifted Skirt- T.J. Maxx Sunglasses-Pointdexters Bracelet-hand me down from Mom Necklace-Debs 

Oh and here is a thank you for my beautiful little sister and photographer. Thanks Tali!!

Oh yes, and the other day while trying to come up with devotionals for girls camp i found this... Aren't these stories just amazing!!?

Coco ♛

Coco. Perhaps the most beautiful sound ever comes from that simple word. To me it brings up so many emotions because it means so much to me. Every time I hear it it makes me thing of my  dear Grandma Coco, my great-grandmother.Cora Cook Jones. 

Coco is my example in everything that I do in my life. I cherish that I am able to share the name of such a beautiful, virtuous woman. 

Coco inspires me in all that I do, and my deepest wish is to be more like her. I feel so honored, and so responsible to share Coco's name, and continue her legacy of love and everlasting beauty. Coco was the most Christ like person that I know, and her charity to everyone is such an example to me. I want to be like Coco.  

At times I miss Coco so much, but other times I know that she is thinking of me and I can feel that. At times I feel as if she is beside me because of the amount of her love that I feel.

Proverbs 31:10- Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.  

When Baby Birdy was born I felt such love from heaven. Heavenly Father sent down this little baby girl and we felt his love by just looking at her. Now Birdy is getting older and is beginning to say words. Her first word was Cora. Not Mommy or Daddy, but the name of her big sister, Cora. Mom was rather upset about this at first, but soon she accepted it because I told her why it was Cora that was her first word.

I told Mom how much I had been missing Coco, and had been struggling to live up to her legacy when Baby Girl had first said Cora. That word, through the most innocent and precious daughter of God, straight from Heaven, touched me deeply. 

Heavenly Father knew that I needed love and encouragement and that is why. Brigitta was with Coco in heaven. Of course her first word would be Cora!

I feel such a deep and special connection with my great grandmother, and I am so glad that my Baby sister is going to be able to share that too. Brigitta Ruby is her name and she was also named to honor Coco. 

Coco was called Ruby by Great Grandpa.   

I love Coco so much, and I long with all of my heart to continue her legacy. 

To Write...

I want to write. More than wanting to, I need to. Something inside of me has the desperate need to tell a story, something that is in my mind longing to be released I have to do it! 

If anyone knows me at all they know that I am constantly journaling. I constantly record my thoughts, feelings, fears, and dreams. My journal is a part of me that is essential to who I am and how I feel. If I am ever upset or excited my journal is the first one to know about it. 

But because writing in my journal comes so naturally to me, and it is simply my story and my thoughts, it doesn't fill that urge in me to write. 

I haven't been writing lately, and I miss it!!I miss the feel of paper that has been written on and the ink stains on my hands. I miss my characters. I miss my notebooks that are falling apart. I miss the perfectly misspelled words, and the rush of having to fill the page before my thoughts slip away. I miss living in another time and land. 

Writing is something that has been pushed onto the bottom of my to do list for too long, and i miss it sooo much!! I must start to write again, and i will!!  

I know that writing is something that Heavenly Father wants me to do! It is part of my divine nature to have a love of writing, and i intend to use it!! I need to use my talents so I don't lose them! What's the point of having a talent if you don't use it to help and better others, or make others happy?!

 And all this for the benefit of the church of the living God, that every man may ^aimprove upon his ^btalent, that every man may ^cgain other ^dtalents, yea, even an hundred fold, to be cast into the Lord’s ^estorehouse, to become the common ^fproperty of the whole church— D&C 82:18