The Chase...

It’s that time when Chelsea and I trespassed on private property or those times when Emma and I would drop what we’re doing, and pretend to be ninja's on the trampoline.  When I hiked my favorite hike, mile upon mile, in the pouring rain. The thrill that I get every time I win a game of Canasta or when I played truth or dare with Allecia, Chelsea and Andrea. It was when mom and I kidnapped Eris on a Sunday afternoon and the time when I jumped into a Floyd Lamb pond with Nate Waggoner. The exhilarating moment when I reached the end of Colob Lake on a paddle board or when I turned the car around, parked at Quinn's house, and jumped straight into his pool. It was the time when Brandon and I ran to the car hand in hand, from the Logan dale fair, with the cold rain dancing on our skin. The experience isn’t the point, but rather the passion. I have a passion of being free, not in a bohemian flower child kind of free, but 'Eryn' free. I feel the most free when its pouring rain and I run. I feel free when I let go of all my stress and play with my little sister for a while, because when I'm around her I feel like I'm 11 again. I feel free when I'm driving and a song I've never heard before wraps it's magical  trance around me, with the windows rolled down, my hair completely undone,  at those teasing moments at the end of the day when the Vegas sun gleams those brilliant pinks, yellows and oranges for a quick minute  before disappearing. Passion. That’s what it’s all about. Moments of pure magic and indefinite energy.

As I read The Chase, these were the memories I thought of. These experiences are the things that stick with me. They remind me of the way I felt when I did them and how they make me smile.  I love when Annie talks about how she kept running and running, even when she felt she was choking for air. This was Annie's adventure, and after all these years she hasn't forgotten the feeling she felt when It was happening.

Theme -"... It was an immense discovery, pounding into my hot head with every sliding, joyous step, that this ordinary adult evidently knew what I thought only children who trained at football knew: That you have to fling yourself at what you're doing, you have to point yourself, forget yourself, aim, dive."

Purpose- "The point was that he had chased us passionately without giving up, and so he caught us." The skinny, red headed business man showed  Annie that he was passionate, even as a grown adult.

Issue- Obviously, part of the issue is that Annie and her friends got themselves into trouble and could have had to suffer harsher consequences. Another issue is that Annie could have given up, and so could the skinny business man. There wouldn't have been any experience from this if that would have been the case. Annie wouldn't have felt the sense of freedom, that seems to still affect her after all these years, had they just given up.

Conclusion- " I would have died happy, for nothing has required so much of me..." 

Annie was satisfied that she tried her hardest along with the furious man. It was a moment when she felt a sense of satisfaction that she can still look back and appreciate even after all these years.

Can You Here Me now?

Every April my favorite day of the year comes around. I love the silliness of that day, the laughter and fun of that day. The county fair held every year in Logan Dale, Nevada.  It's always rainy, windy and completely exhilarating to me. I can't help but feel completely free when having to run through the rain each year, or when the chilly wind is blowing and your completely awake. It's my favorite day because of all the memories. It's the live music, the funnel cakes, laughter, dancing, and memories. It was the year when I fell in love with ferris wheels as the daylight was dripping through scattered clouds Or the year when we danced around the tent to listen to Gloriana, or when I tripped on that a hose spout in front of the cute boy that was asking me to each lunch with him, or last year when I couldn't stop my stomach from feeling the butterflies, my favorite feeling in the world. It's that time we all ran under the rain, chilled to the bone. The year my best friend and her sweetheart fell even more in love, not even knowing they'd be married one day. To me, this is the place where love grows wild. This is the time to be fearlessly goofy. To me, the Logan Dale fair is completely enchanting.

Allecia & Seth 2011

Sherry Turkle  shares her concerns in her article Can You Here Me Now? about our second life. A life where Logan dale county fair memories don't exist. Everyone is wrapped up in their cell phones, laptops, and iPods, that it takes up a lot of our time. "Are we taking the time to take our time on the things that matter?... These days it's easier for people without technical expertise to blend their real and virtual lives." It's become a world of second life. 
A lot of us don't take the time to really talk to someone. God gave us a voice and we should use it to speak to people rather than with our fingers on keyboards and cell phones.
Right before I started writing this post, I was talking on the phone to my friend Brooklyn. I love being able to talk to someone over the phone. Really talk. She's a person that isn't intimidated to call you on the phone and her  conversations are probably going to be the ones I will remember more than when I text.
I believe that it's more intimidating to call someone rather than text them because you can't prepare yourself before answering questions or when talking about what's going on in your life. Phone calls and visits are prone to be more honest in my case.
 I remember a time when my good friend, Chelsea and I, ran through a giant, muddy puddle. We laughed and laughed the whole time! Real laughter. Not "LOL" or "HAHA". It was real laughter, with real voices, and real smiley faces.

It's becoming a habit to just text or email.  After reading Sherry's article, I've been reminded that its more important to make phone calls to family members, to visit a sick relative and a heartbroken friend, rather than shoot a text to see if they're okay. This is something I really want to work on now, because I've been guilty of taking the easy and fast way out. I want to look into someones eyes more often and and say I love you, learn how to wink without a semi-colon, and have the courage to just slow down...

This I Believe...

I picture the suns warmth bathing my face and my toes sinking in the cool mud. I live somewhere warm. It's a beautifully warm place, with dew on fresh leaves, vibrant green grass and pink blossom trees. today is one of those enlivening mornings. It's a Monday morning to be particular, and I sit on my front porch with my sweethearts arms wrapped firmly around me as he kisses my nose and tells me he love me,the way he does before he leaves for work every morning. The sunrise is as if it's Gods very own canvas. His brush is smooth across the sky with radiant yellows and vibrant shades of pink. Those sweet 10 minutes of just my sweet husband and I before the still of the morning breaks, and our days work begins. Those rich mornings where we take a second to breath.

I can't help but smile when I hear my  messy, brown haired, freckle faced, two year old flop her wobbly feet onto the front porch, fresh out of bed. She has a look of bewilderment, as she rubs her green eyes, trying to squint past the pains of the morning light. The two others will be waking up shortly, which means it's  almost time to fill our stomachs with hot, buttered toast and eggs, scrambled because that's the way our picky five year old Lily prefers them. I whip up our traditional waffle batter recipe, and listen to the adventures that my wild eyed seven year old Jack, conveys to me from his dreams that night...

I have precious dreams filled with motherhood, family, love, nature and laughter. I can imagine my mother, old and gray, but still just as beautiful, gardening with me in my front yard, teaching me all she knows. I can see my brothers and sisters married, with a handfuls of kids, meeting up for Sunday dinners. My Dad teases the kids and patiently listens to what each one has to say, before tickling them to the point of uncontrollable laughter. I don't doubt that my mother and father will still be in love. They still dance in the kitchen with the songs Mom loves like, Ain't Love Something, or Blue Moon sung by Rod Stewart. These are a few of my dreams. They're Simple, but significant, and I love them.

Your Governing Values Are The Foundation of Personal Fulfillment

A couple days ago, I walked into the library like normal. Took my normal seat in my normal spot on the first floor. I worked through my assignments like it was just a normal afternoon of school. When it came time for me to read an article called Your Governing Values Are The Foundations of Personal Fulfillment by Hyrum Smith, my eyes were basically touching the screen of the library computer. This wasn't normal. I was intrigued, mesmerized and focused at the same time. I wanted more and more of the stories and analogies that, for some reason, had the power to captivate me. It was as if a gust of this rich and enchanting magic spell  rushed through my heart, gently, but powerfully saying, "Listen carefully Eryn, You need this. This is another clue at finding out who you are and what you want to be. It is important because you are important. Let me teach you, then you may learn, and then you may grow." I heard a woman once call moments like these, tapping moments. It's when something powerful taps your heart, reminding you why you mortally exist. This was a tapping moment for me.

Well first let me tell you what the purpose of this article is, since you're probably wondering. The title basically says it all. Your governing values, things that are most important to you, are the foundations of personal fulfillment. What are your governing values? What would you risk your life for? These aren't questions that you can answer, simply because you think you're supposed to say them. These are things that you ponder about, things that would be devastating to lose or not have. Maybe for some it really is your family, your integrity, your relationship with God, or your desire to be a better mother or father. The range is endless. Some are shallow for people, but most aren't. When you dig deep into your heart and mind it might be like opening the secret back door of a closet to find a snowy, mystical fairytale life that you never knew existed until now. Open the door even if it's tough. The handle may be stuck, or the key to the lock may be lost right now, but there is always another way in. Discover your potential (Theme).

The Issue, according to Hyrum Smith, is trying to find those values. What is it that will ring the imaginary bell inside of your head once discovering something you never knew before.
" When people have those kinds of emotions about identifying what really matters to them, something happens inside. And when they realize how important certain values are to them, suddenly they experience a sense of urgency that wasn't there before."

To conclude, Hyrum constructs a personal constitution. This is just like the Constitution of the United States, except they're your own.

Hyrum Smiths personal constitution:

1. I love God with all my heart, mind and strength
2. I love my neighbor as myself.
3. I obey all the commandments of God.
4. I am humble..
5. I am an outstanding husband and father.
6. I honor the memory of my father and mother.
7. I foster intellectual growth.
8. I am honest in all things.
9. I use excellent speech.
10. I maintain a strong and healthy body.
11. I value my time.
12. I am financially independent..
13. I have a period of solitude daily.
14. I change people’s lives.
15. I listen well.
16. I have order in my life at all times.

Learning to Love Learning...

I Wake up at 7am, walk to the bathroom, flip the light switch, squint my groggy eyes, hop in the shower, and my lovely morning has now begun. I make the egg and ham sandwiches Dad used to make, hoping that they will taste almost as good. This reminds me of home and is a great way to start my morning. I'm now finished getting ready for a new day, and I begin to pull on a coat, gloves and scarf.
Time to get to work...

What I love about BYU Idaho, is that all my teachers apply The Gospel of Jesus Christ into our everyday lessons. The spirit is strong here and I can feel it most as I see the sculptures and paintings when walking to classes, smiles, devotional, singing, class lessons that mainly focus on our goals as Latter Day Saints to become people of Christ. It's simply easy to love learning when your in a place such as this. The only problem is that you can't stay at BYU-I forever...

How do we learn to love learning? To continue to progress even after graduation? And to simply appreciate the knowledge we gain throughout our lives, young and old? Elder Bednar helps us in his "Learning to Love Learning" talk to make these things important to us.

Purpose:
The purpose of Elder Bednars talk, "Learning to Love Learning" is to help us understand, even eternal benefits of learning and educating ourselves throughout life. His talk is to motivate us and help us appreciate the opportunities we have.

Theme
"Learning to love learning is central to the gospel of Jesus Christ, is vital to our ongoing
spiritual and personal development, and is an absolute necessity in the world in which we do now
and will yet live, serve, and work" -Bednar

Issue
I think that the issue is that a lot of people resent learning. We don't like to do the work most of the time, or take the time to do it. I learned a lot from this talk actually. It's powerful, and it opened my mind to understand what my goals should be, especially at this point in my life. Bednar knows how to straighten me up!
-"Because vast amounts of information are so readily available and sophisticated
technologies make possible widespread and even global collaboration, we may be prone to put
our "trust in the arm of flesh" (2 Nephi 4:34; see also 28:31) as we grapple with complex
challenges and problems."

Conclusion
"Learning to love learning equips us for an ever-changing and unpredictable future.
Knowing how to learn prepares us to discern and act upon opportunities that others may not
readily recognize. I am confident we will pass the test of learning what to do when we do not
know what to do or how to proceed. "

What I understood from this talk was that Heavenly Father wants this jouney to be more enjoyable for us. He wants us to be prepared and to help others gain knowledge as well. Knowledge makes you feel like your apart of something great. We  are all apart of something great, but sometimes we forget how great it really is. Learning to love learning will make life beautiful and when we see life as something beautiful and hopeful, we're happier.