Mormon Messages

One of my biggest fears is to have to experience this or something similar. Ever since I've gotten my license, and have seen more and more situations, I have adapted to driving defensively in order to keep a little bit of order in everyone's lives. It's been a long process. I keep thinking something is coming soon, and I can't push it out of my mind, just in case. Just the other day, someone pulled out onto the highway and didn't see me and pulled right into my lane. If I hadn't seen them and braked, we would've collided. A little old lady and I came to an intersection at the same time. I got there first and had the right of way to turn left, but she quickly sped up after pulling a mild "California Stop". If I had gone, I would've been T-boned. There are so many other examples of this. It scares me to see someone else I love make poor choices and put themselves in danger unknowingly, or even be helpless and without control within situations like these. I do worry about it. I do think about "what if".

Then I think about Him. I think about how Jesus Christ had lived and died so we could live. LIVE. We can experience the wind through our hair and the sand between our toes. We can experience fear and inspiration and anger and make mistakes in the progress. We can experience trials and sorrows and confusion. We can experience joy and love and eternal happiness. Without Him, we wouldn't be able to LIVE.

With this knowledge I do not abuse events and experiences. But rather, I will get ready for whatever the Lord sees fit for me to learn, experience, and grow from. I will be safe, and I will LIVE. I want to be like Chris and be that vessel. I want to know Jesus Christ as best as I can here. Because I know He'll get me through anything.

Nursing the Blueberry

I drive one of these... only not as shiny.

Ever since I got my permit, I've been driving the family's Subaru Forester. I took my driver's test in it, I drove it to high school every day, I took it on road trips, and even when I took a different car out to school my sophomore year, I would still come home and drive this Subaru for the whole trip. And now, my beloved little Blueberry will come back out to school with me this fall.

However, it sure has been an adventure. After returning home from school back in April, I have been driving the Blueberry to save on gas. It gets around great; we took it to the coast a few times and I've gone all around the area. It's always been a reliable car and has never had any engine trouble. However, either Heavenly Father is testing me or getting me ready for the coming school year with this car. These are the things we have had to do in order to get ready for the long trips ahead:

Brand new tires on all 4 wheels

Replace the right leg of the car

Re-align the wheels and steering wheel

Change the oil (and will have to do again before Idaho)

Fix the pulsating brakes

On top of those, these are the things we still need to do:

Replace the entire front windshield

Fix the front and rear window sprayers

Clean out the car (vacuum, power wash mats, clean windows, etc)

Clean the outside of the car (I put it off until I leave because we live on a gravel road)

And of course, continuously fill up the fuel tank

All of this just to make it a safe little car once again. I won't go into all the scrapes and bruises it has on it's paint job and the dents in the hood. I can survive with those.

Sigh... good thing I love you, little car. I hope you handle the Rexburg winter well.

A free escape

There is almost nothing better than driving my Subaru down a clear road surrounded by a variety of scenery on a hot summer day. Windows rolled down, left arm resting on the car door soaking up rays and the other hand on top of the steering wheel, controlling where my next steps will be taken. There's not a cloud in the sky and I look out and see for miles. Sunglasses on, hair tied up in a loose, messy pony tail, flip flops over the pedals and chapstick freshly applied. A mixed CD plays from the stereo bringing back grand memories from past summers and creating new ones right then and there. Wind blowing through those loose curls and the hum of the engine tells me I'm home.

There is nothing better.