Commitment

This past week I have been thinking about what I am committed to. I have a hard time staying committed to things. I think I have a problem staying committed to things because I usually find that they are stupid or flawed. It is the same reason why I have a problem with obeying stupid little rules that don't have a purpose or rules that are just plain stupid. I thought to myself, "Dang Taylor, you're going on a mission. That's a big commitment. You haven't been very good at commitment. Are you REALLY committed?" This really shook me. Am I committed? Do I even commit to things? I had to do a lot of soul searching. I realized that I really am committed to my mission. I always have been. I know the cause I am committed to and the God I am committed to and neither of those are stupid or useless. I had the wonderful opportunity to go talk to Mr. Bryson this week. It seems that every time I go, I am spiritually uplifted and this time did not disappoint. I got through all the pleasantries and told him about my mission. He stopped and asked if I was being serious. He then grabbed my phone and wrote down a name, who I later found was one of his mission companions. He then told me all of these amazing mission experiences. All of them seemed to apply just for me. He said that if I go in with a willing heart and an open mind, I cannot fail. He told me that in doing this I had to keep every mission rule no matter how stupid and useless it is. I was surprised at how ok I felt with the idea of it. I am still amazed with how I feel about it. Its amazing. I also realized that I am committed to the most important things. I am committed to my family and friends and the ones I love. I am committed to my future. I am committed to trying to treat others excellently. I realized that maybe I'm not that bad after all.

Ok enough mission talk. :) I had a choir concert thingy this weekend. It ran from 2-10 on Friday and 9-9 on Saturday. It was loooooong. It was directed by this man named Antwon Armstrong. He is black and from New York. Because of his heritage, we sang this song called the Gospel Mass. It is an African American Gospel Rock song that was made for a commemoration of Black Rights. I dreaded practicing it the 2 months leading up to this. I thought that it musically was boring. But when he got a hold of it, it was awesome. I couldn't really sing much because I was sick but there were a few parts where I couldn't restrain myself it was so fun. I know, I totally sound like a choir nerd but it was cool. I have really disliked choir this year so this was really cool for me to experience. It got me thinking about how much I love making music and how cool it would be to do that for a living. I guess you could call that my big dream. Its unrealistic, but its a cool dream to dream about.

One of my brothers friends got a Go Pro camera and I am really excited to do some things with it. I have always wanted one and this is going to be really cool. Hopefully I can get some good footage while I longboard when it gets warm enough.

I'm ready to be done with school and for warm weather that I can enjoy. I'm dreaming of this white snow to be replaced with green grass and a warm, bright sun. It is a fantastic dream. And it cannot come quick enough.

Norway

I am so incredibly excited :) This has seriously been one of the coolest experiences ever for me. I really know that this call is from God. I know that I am supposed to go to Norway for a reason. I know that Dallin is supposed to go to Norway. I know that he is an amazing person and he will touch the lives of the people he meets. I look up to that guy. I feel privileged to serve with him in Norway. I know that if we are put together, we will go HAM on the people there :)

Mission prep has been one of the greatest things ever for me. I have been attending since I was about 15 and I hated it when I started but I am so glad that my dad made me stick with it. It has done more than help me prepare for my mission but it has also helped me be a better person. Logan Cameron and I are companion and we have the opportunity to teach Jason Jermans family for about 4-5 weeks. Today was our 1st lesson and we almost weren't even able to teach them but as we got back in the car when the didn't answer the door, Logan asked me a few questions and we sat there for a couple minutes and they pulled it right when we were about to leave. I am so grateful for this because the experience we had was amazing. The spirit was so strong. Logan shared the 1st vision with them and I almost lost it. I am so grateful for the spirit and the role it plays in my life. I pray that it will be with me while I preach the gospel to the people of Norway.

I have started to try to learn Norwegian! It is such a cool language! I really hope that I can get it mostly down before I head out on the mish.

I am so happy right now. Life is just treating me great. :)

Here is a pretty neat video :)

  

And some cool pictures :)

Dang

I just submitted my mission papers today. Dang. I'm not a little boy anymore. Its exciting :)

I have been praying really hard lately. One that I will be able to get this big scholarship to Westminster, and two that I would be able to go through the temple before my brother gets married so I could witness it. I was really worried because my Stake President is usually a guy who plays it to the letter of the law. The letter. I went in there today and he told me to go through right when I get my mission call. Dang. That is in about 2-4 weeks.

I know that God really listens to our prays. He really does care about everyone of us individually. I use to pray just to pray. I would go through the basics and then jump into bed without even thinking about it. I have learned that when I really pray as if I am talking to him and he is really listening, things actually come from my prayers. God loves me and he wants to help me out in my day to day life, even if it is small and insignificant, he wants me to be happy. Dang. God is amazing. He is for everyone.

I am so excited to go preach this wonderful gospel to others. God is amazing. Anything is possible with God. Dang. That is the neatest thing there is to know.

Done

I am done. I am done with life. I am done with this thing that is called high school. supposedly I'm gonna look back on this as "the greatest days of my  life" but I think that's kinda B.S. High school is cool and all but I want to be gone. I feel old. Really old. A girl I've kissed just got engaged. Ya. I would love some change in my life. I listened to Fix You by Cold play and it totally explains how I feel. I love it. 

In other news, I will submit my mission papers on tuesday! AHHH! I am so excited! I am a giddy little girl! 

I have no idea what to do with girls so I have given up. Its quiet relieving actually. Its pretty neat it a sucky kinda way. :)

I love Miles Farnsworth. There. Its out there. Judge me. #teamMiles

I am growing my mustache. Its going to be awesome. 

I really miss Tonga and the people who went with me. 

Ya. 

Questions? Comments?

The Good Guys

I've come to realize, while talking to Kyle and thinking about it in my brain, that the good guy never wins. Think about it. Its kinda true. Moral of the story is, be a bad guy. They get goodies, daisies thrown at them, and that neat bad A label. Who wouldn't want that? Darn. I should be a bad guy. Stupid moral code and religion. Well, ill just go back to listening to punk rock from the late 90s into the turn of the century. Its amazing. Go get acquainted with it.

That's all for today, Have a good life.

Ready to Go

This week has been an awesome week. To start off, Ill just say that coming back from St. George and seeing my friends was simply amazing. I love those guys. I dont know what I would do without them. The 2 days I actually went to school were actually enjoyable and fun! Doesnt happen very often. One of the biggest things that happened this week was my visit to Westminster College in Salt Lake. I have really wanted to go here for college. The problem has been money and that they wouldnt defer for my mission. Because of these things, it all kind of seemed like an unrealistic dream. This Friday, it all changed. I met with an admission counselor and she told me that they would defer for my mission. I was literally stunned. It was definitely an answer to prayer. She also told me that I was one of the top candidates for a really awesome scholarship that would pretty much pay for my schooling. It will take a lot of work this month but it would definitely be worth it. I have been pretty stressed about it and this whole meeting changed everything. My dream of going to college there is a very good possibility now.
I have just been thinking about my future lately and how much is going to change. To be honest, I am really excited. Over the past few weeks of school, I have really become sick of it. I am so excited to serve a mission. I know that it is the right thing to do right now. I have been itching to get out ever since the announcement in General Conference. It didnt really change much for me because I turn 19 in July but it really made me want to get out. But I know that it all of this is apart of a grand plan and that there is a reason that I am still here. It will be interesting to see who will choose to stay in my life after the mission and into college. Will I even associate with the people I do now? I know that Adam, Kyle, Dallin, and I will always be brothers but will we be able to see each other that much and even have much of an influence on each other? Either way, I know they will make a difference for good wherever they are at.

Oh and I got tickets to an Opera on Saturday. I should probably find someone to accompany me.

Just be Happy :)

Inspiration

A few days ago I was watching my favorite TV show, How Met Your Mother. The episode was about people you would put in your "pit". This means that if you had a pit in your basement to torture someone, who would you put in that pit? One was a professor who told the main character he would never be an architect and blew him off, others were just people who bugged them. As the story went on, they realized that the hate they had for that particular person was really putting themselves in the pit. Because of these feelings they had for others, they were being tortured and held back from progressing. This really hit me. I'm not even sure why. There were specific relationships in my life that came to my mind that didn't even really relate, but it hit me hard. I realized that I was the person holding me back. I was the problem. How often am I the problem? And more importantly, how do I get out of there? Later on in the episode, they realize that you are the only one who can let yourself out of the pit. It's amazing how simple frivolous things can really have an impact on you. This really made me step back and evaluate my situation. Could I really free myself from some of these things? The answer is yes. How do I know? I let myself out. And you know what? It feels amazing.

Merry Christmas :)