Let's get real... LIFE IS HARD! There are so many decisions that you have to make. You worry if it will make you happy, if it will make someone disappointed, if you will lose your way, or just straight up if it is the right choice. That's the thing about life. Everybody is just trying to live theirs while keeping everyone around them and everyone they care about happy.
Let's get this straight, you can't go around trying to please everyone, you have to do what is best for you and the situation that you are in. The people who truly care about you won't be upset with you for doing what is best for yourself. They will understand.
There are times where you have to make a tough call, and hope that the people around you will understand, or maybe even realize and be thankful for the decision that you made later on.
I have had a couple of conversations with some friends who are such amazing examples to me. I go to them for advice and they are more than willing to open up and talk to me about tough decisions that they have had to make.
I have a friend who, recently, has become one of my very very best friends. She is one of the greatest examples to me. We have conversations that we don't really feel comfortable talking with anyone else about (except our parents), and they have so greatly helped me. She has talked to me about many things and decisions that she has recently made and her strength and drive amazes me. She is extremely dedicated and knows what she wants.
The advice that I have received recently from some of her personal life experiences has made me realize that she truly knows if she does what is best for her, she is able to do so because she realizes that that is what is best for her and her situation. She is able to realize that sometimes you have to put your decisions and situations before what others think because in the end, your life and the way you run your life and the decisions you make have nothing to do with most of the people's lives who have an opinion about yours.
Her strength has helped me to make some tough decisions, but I am so so thankful for that. I know that the right choice was made, and in due time, I will be able to appreciate it. I am so so thankful for her and her being able to show me and push me to be able to listen and follow what I feel is right in my heart and hear what I need to hear. 
Being able to realize what you need to do is a big step, but being able to actually follow through with what you think you need to do is an even bigger step.When you make a (good) decision and follow through with it, it is will make your life better.
Not only do decisions make life hard, but so does finding people who will support and understand you. It is important to find your people, and surround yourself with them. You need to surround yourself with the people who will support you and be there for you and not tear you down because you make a decision that wasn't their opinion or what they wanted you to do. Life is hard. Why make it any harder by surrounding yourself around those who are negative and unsupported?
Just think about your life, and realize that you are here to make yourself happy and feel at peace, not anyone else.
It is so important to look at your life, look at your accomplishments, look at the people you love, and realize that you have done so many amazing things! The truth is, every single one of us have done such amazing things in our lives, it just take the right pair of glasses to see that in ourselves and recognize it. Be proud of yourself, and let those around you be proud of you too!

(This is not my photo, it was on http://www.lovethispic.com/uploaded_images/297381-You-re-So-Hard-On-Yourself...take-A-Moment...sit-Back....jpg)

Love,

MaShayla :)

Missionary Work and Ministering

Missionary work is something that I am extremely passionate about. I have recently been struggling a little bit. I haven't been feeling as spiritual as I usually do, and I think it is because I am focusing, not necessarily on the wrong things, but on things that are less important than the amazing gospel of Jesus Christ. As I have been going through nursing school I have putting a lot of time towards that, and any extra time I have I try to spend with my friends. I wish that I could say it is justified, but in all reality, it's not. I should be spending a bit less time with friends and more time doing gospel centered things. I should be looking for more opportunities to minister and have missionary experiences.
Now, as I sit and think of ways to improve this, I can think of doing more scripture study and conference talk studying and things like that, praying for who needs to hear those things I am learning about so that I can share it with them. I can strengthen my testimony by helping others gain theirs.
Missionary work is so important and it is truly an amazing thing. If we can help others find their way to God, we can surely, only continue strengthen our own knowledge of God, Jesus Christ, and this gospel. Missionary experiences are so amazing and they require us to act upon promptings, be close to the spirit, and not be afraid of what others will think of us when we act upon these promptings.
All last year I thought about serving a mission. I prayed and prayed and kept getting the answer "not yet". I know now that that was due to me getting into the nursing program and Heavenly Father has plans for me with that. I recently have been finding myself wishing I would have gone on a mission, but the time was not right. I know that as I follow the Lord's promptings I will be blessed and I know that I am "serving a mission" right where I am.
You see, the thing is, we do not need to be called on a mission to be serving a mission. The more I have thought about this, the more I believe it is true. I have felt promptings and I have acted upon some. I have noticed that I as I do act upon them, not only does it help affect those that I try to help, but it also affects me. As I share my testimony, walk in faith, and try to keep the commandments, it strengthens my testimony and I can help lead by example, that is, only when I am doing what is right and what the Lord would want me to do.
Missionary work is about so much more than sharing the gospel with those around us. It is about serving those around us. Ministering. Loving. Being an example. Praying. Having faith. Listening. As well as sharing. Missionary work is about showing people that there is more to lives than themselves, and teaching yourself that others matter just as much, if not more than yourself. Missionary work is about charity and learning to see everyone through Heavenly Father's eyes. As we strive to serve and teach others we can strengthen and encourage ourselves. We have to learn to love Heavenly Father's children if we want to be able to make a difference in their lives.
I want to share my testimony that missionary work and ministering are truly some of, if not the most important things that we can do for others around us. We can share things on social media, be examples, answer questions, share our testimonies, and lead by example, and we may never know who it will help. Maybe someone just needs some encouragement that day, and that one little thing you share or say can greatly affect their day. Reacting to promptings is a huge part of ministering and missionary work. When we react to these promptings, it shows that we truly want to help encourage the growth of the Lord's gospel. I know that as we put forth our best efforts to help and minister and teach others, we too will be blessed with guidance in our own lives, and we will strengthen our own testimonies. I say these things, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

 Love, MaShayla :)

Choices and Joy

Recently, someone extremely close to me and I have had a lot of conversations on joy and happiness. I have sat and pondered these conversations that we have had. I have come to the conclusion that you can find happiness, eternally or temporally, but you can only find true joy, eternally. Joy can only be found when we truly excel happiness, and I believe that all of the happiness that is excelled is either eternal now, or has the potential to become eternal. The first example that I think of to give when I think of the word joy, is a family. The family bring happiness, but I believe that it exceeds happiness and gives us joy because we have the ability to be with our families forever. It all simply revolves around a choice. The choice to be sealed forever, eternally.
Choice are a big part of this life. Agency is the reason we are here on this earth in the first place. As I reflect on my choices in life, I am pretty proud of most of them. No matter what I have been able to learn something from all of them.
Choices are so important in this life. No matter what decisions we make, there will always be consequences. We will always have a reciprocation to our choices, whether it be good or bad. As we choose the things in life that make us happy we can be led to joy, but if we choose things that temporarily make us happy, they may not bring us true joy, and we may have made a decision that was for the there and then rather than for eternity. People make mistakes. It's human nature. We re NOT perfect. The important thing is that we learn from what has happened and don't let history repeat itself. As we learn from anything that has happened to us in the past as a result of our choices, we can use them to turn ourselves to eternal joy.
Sheri Dew said "there is one thing the power of God and the power of Satan have in common. Neither can influence us unless we allow them to". This quote really hit me when I first read it. It is a choice to listen to Satan, just as it is a choice to listen to our Heavenly Father. It is up to us to live the life we want. It is up to us to find our joy and grab hold of it and just never let go. We CANNOT afford to let others influence our agency if it will cause us to stray away from the destination of true joy that we are trying arrive to. I once saw a quote that said something like "we cannot make decisions without thinking about the affect it could have on future generations", which is something I completely agree with. If you have a way that you want your life to pan out, and you have a way that you want things to go in your life, you can't sacrifice one single choice for anybody who does not have your best interest in their mind.
You will have friends who know what you want and know what you desire and they won't invite you to certain things or tell you certain things because they know what you want in the long run. You will also have "friends" who will invite you to things and tell you things in situations that you don't want to be in and they know that, but they do it anyway because they have their best interest in mind. These "friends" do not have an eternal perspective in life and they want to live by the temporal things that this world has to offer. They have chosen to make a choice in the direction of Satan. But you don't have to. If you have, you an repent. You can fix it. The important thing is that you analyze everything you do, and ponder if it will better your life. Ask yourself, Will this choice make my life better?
We always listen to Troy Dunn on family car rides. He has one talk entitle "Life is a Football Game". In this talk he says something that has always stuck with me. He said something to the effect of "when you go to make a decision, think of your future kids watching on the big screen (he states earlier in the talk that we once were all in heaven in the 'locker room' waiting to get into the 'big game'. Watching our parents from up above, just as our kids are watching us) are they going to be saying 'Hey! Look! That's my mom/dad!!" or are they going to be sitting there ashamed saying "What are you doing?! You're running to the wrong end-zone"!
The point is, make decisions now, so that you can get to where you want to be later in life. I am not saying it is easy, but I am saying that it will be worth it. If we can power through our temptations, and get to where our Heavenly Father wants us to be (even including repentance. Repentance is such an AMAZING gift that the Savior gave us, knowing we were going to have to use it every single day of our lives) we will be so much further in life. We will be able to find TRUE "joy in the journey".
President Hinckley once said "The course of our lives is not determined by great, awesome decisions. Our direction is set by the little day-to-day choices which chart on the track on which we run". It is the little choices in day to day life that allow us to be able to feel true joy in our lives.
The atonement and the gospel is such a wonderful thing. We can come to find true joy as we make choices that bring us closer to our Heavenly Father. Everybody makes mistakes, but everybody has the opportunity to repent. Everyone has the ability to "try a little harder to do a little better". We have to trust ourselves. We have to allow ourselves to meet our full potential in order to find the true joy that Heavenly Father has in store for us. We have to trust our instincts and be able to decide to do what is best for us and our future. We have to do what will eternally make us happy rather than temporally because even if something makes you temporally happy, that happiness ends, where eternal joy, is for eternity.
I am not saying that there aren't going to be trying times, or times where you feel sadness or depression, and I am not saying that that is a choice. I am simply saying that  life can be made more full of joy if we are on the path of righteousness.
As this person that is extremely close to me and I have discussed joy, we have come to realize that joy is all our Heavenly Father wants for us. He wants us to live with him again and be joyous, and honestly, who doesn't want that for themselves?

Love,

MaShayla

Trust in our Heavenly Father

Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us. It is so uniquely and individually ours that there is no way that it could be the plan for somebody else. While knowing this, it is sometimes hard to let or understand why certain things happen. Elder Richard G. Scott counseled in his talk "Trust in the Lord" that "to exercise faith is to trust that the Lord knows what He is doing with you and that He can accomplish it for your eternal good even though you cannot understand how He can possibly do it. We are like infants in our understanding of eternal matters and their impact on us here in mortality. Yet at times we act as if we knew it all." Heavenly Father knows what he is doing, we just have to trust him and be patient while trying to understand what is going on. We cannot be stubborn and believe that we know what is best, above the Lord.
As we go through certain events in life we pray for things to work out one way, then they end up working out the way you didn't want them to and you may get frustrated, you may not understand why they are working out the way you didn't want them to... YET.  Although we don't understand why right away, the Lord will make all things known to us in due time. Elder Robert D. Hales stated "we may not know when or how the Lord's answers will be given, but in his time, and in his way, I testify, his answers will come". The truth to this quote just gives me the chills. This goes back to the thought of Heavenly Father knowing what he is doing. We may not know why it is taking so long or why we don't get the answer we want, but if we can be patient and trust in him, we will be able to see why and how these trials are/will be helping us.
While thinking of these things I read Elder Scott's talk. In this talk he says many amazing things that can help us understand. One awesome thing he says is "just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more (see Prov. 3:11–12)". Realizing this can be a game changer in how you trust in the Lord. When you are going through that trial and you don't get an answer right away, or it is not the answer you want, just know and understand that the Lord believes you are strong enough to handle it and it will only help you grow and strengthen your testimony, IF YOU LET IT. 
I want to ponder this thought for a second. If you let it. Heavenly Father can do all sorts of amazing things and allow us to go through all sorts of nasty trials. This is all for growth, but you will only grow if you allow yourself to have patience and "endure to the end" of the trial. You must hold fast and strong to your testimony to enable yourself to understand that there is a reason this certain thing is taking place in you life. Elder Scott enlightens us when he says, "when you face adversity, you can be led to ask many questions. Some serve a useful purpose; others do not. To ask, Why does this have to happen to me? Why do I have to suffer this, now? What have I done to cause this? will lead you into blind alleys. It really does no good to ask questions that reflect opposition to the will of God. Rather ask, What am I to do? What am I to learn from this experience? What am I to change? Whom am I to help? How can I remember my many blessings in times of trial? Willing sacrifice of deeply held personal desires in favor of the will of God is very hard to do". You see, the choice is up to us. We can let the trail strengthen or destroy us.There really is no in between. Although, with that being said, it does not mean that you can't struggle in the face of your trials.
A way to learn to trust and have faith in the lord is told in Elder Scott's talk. He explains that if we close our deepest and most sincere prayed with these three words, it will allow us to more easily accept our personal decisions as we go through these trials. These three words are "Thy will be done". If we can learn to accept the Lord's will, we can truly find peace as we go through our trials.

He has a profound paragraph to which reads "don’t let the workings of adversity totally absorb your life. Try to understand what you can. Act where you are able; then let the matter rest with the Lord for a period while you give to others in worthy ways before you take on appropriate concern again". This paragraph hit home with me. It all goes back to having trust in our Heavenly Father and having the faith and knowledge that he knows what he is doing. 

There is another important aspect of trusting the Lord throughout our trials and that is knowing that sometimes we can't get through them alone. This is where even more faith is required of us. Gordon B. Hinckley said "never assume you can make it alone. You need the help of the Lord".  This statement is a testament to me that no matter how strong I think I am and no matter how stubborn I am, thinking I can handle everything by myself, I will always need the Lord's help and if I would just turn to him I would be able to get through my trials easier with a bit less stress. 

I am forever grateful for the trials of life and the trials of faith that keep me on my toes and keep me trying to guess what comes next. I am so thankful for this gospel and all that it has done for me. I would be forever lost without it. I am thankful for the opportunity to grow in patience as I learn to wait for the Lord to answer my prayers and then learn how to hold fast to my faith when I don't get the 'right' (to me) answer. I am thankful for that the Lord trusts me enough to be a part of this gospel and share it with those around me. 

Love, 

MaShayla

Happiness is good, but so is Grief

I have wanted to write about this for some time now, but I could never find the best way to put it into words. I don't like, well at least I'm not good at, talking about my feelings, but I think I need to put this into words and let people know that it is ok to grieve something that has happened, even if it happened a long time ago.This event only took place 11 years ago, but it still hurts and has left a mended wound in my heart. It may be mended, but it will never be fully healed.
I don't remember much about that day, but I do remember this. It was April 6, 2007 and we were all so excited! We were going to find out the gender of the baby my mom was pregnant with. All of us were there at the appointment. The dr came in, started the ultra sound, and suddenly told my parents to have us kids leave. Some nurses came and got us and took us to color. A few minutes later I went back to check on my parents and see what they were doing. When I opened the door a rush of terror entered my soul. The view I saw was not the one I expected. My dad had my mom wrapped up in his arms. She was bawling and crying. Even though I was only 8 when this happened, I knew what their grief-stricken faces meant. The instant I realized what had happened I left the room in a dead sprint, tears rolling out of my eyes and beginning to feel the sobs. I reached the Nurse's station where I was coloring and sat down, unable to catch my breath. The nurses came over offering water and comfort, but the image of my dad holding my mom, forever etched into my memory, wouldn't leave me be.
When we got to the car and my dad said he had to tell us something I already knew what he was going to say. Mom had had a miscarriage and the baby was not going to be living with us anymore. At the drop of these words I began crying again because my worst fear had been confirmed. I was so excited for another sibling, and now I wouldn't get that chance (or so I thought. Kam was born the next June). Mom went in for the DnC on April 9, and that's why we celebrate your birthday today.
I have struggled with this story for 11years. I have dealt with grief and pain and anger and sadness from this one event, for 11 years, and guess what? That's ok. It is ok to allow yourself to grieve. You don't have to be the macho one and not let anybody see you hurting. Maybe that's why I have struggled with the loss of Lily so much. It has been more recent too, and maybe that's because I didn't let anyone in when it happened. I put on a brave face and dealt with it on my own terms because I didn't want to be a bother to anybody else with my pain and hurt, when my parents were already hurting so bad. Let me tell you something. If you go somewhere looking for help and comfort after dealing with devastating loss, hurt pain, or any sort of negative emotion, nobody, NOBODY is going to turn you away and say they can't help you. At least not anybody that truly cares about you.
Everybody grieves in their own way, and that's ok. But if you need someone, reach out for them because that's ok too. Grieving is an important part in the healing process and if you don't allow yourself to properly grieve, it is just going to suddenly hit you one day out of nowhere and it's going to hurt like crazy. Happiness is good, but so is grief.
So, for Lily. Happy birthday sis! I sure do miss you. Isn't it crazy that we can miss someone we never met? I know we have never met in this life, but I want you to know that I feel like I KNOW you! I feel like you are here with me in spirit, and I know you are. As hard as it is with you not being here to talk about my first kiss, prom, crushes and all of the other things girls get excited for about in their lives, I know that you are in a better place, away from this nasty world, and that you are still here, and you're still just as excited about these things with me as you would've been if you were physically here. You listen to me and my drama, and even though I know you can't directly respond, I know you are listening and getting in on all of it. I just want you to know that I love you and I can't wait for the day that I get to hold you in my arms and catch up with you. I can't wait for the day that I get to hug you and know what it feels like to be in your presence. I know that you are having so much fun, but I do want you to know that we all miss you.
I am so thankful for the knowledge of eternal families that I have. I know that I will be able to see you again and be with you one day, and I just simply can not wait for that day. I am so thankful that I have had the gospel in hard times like this because it has given me so much comfort to know that you are not alone over there, and that I will be able to see you again. I love you Lil! <3 I am so comforted to know that you are in his arms and that he is watching and caring for you.

Until we meet again,

Love, 

MaShayla

Love for the Gospel

I'm not sure why, but I have had the impression the write this post and share it, so I am. Recently, I have had a lot of thoughts fluttering through my mind about being a member of the church, and more specifically being a missionary. I have come to the conclusion, through prayer, that I am not supposed to go on a mission, at least at this point in time. As I have thought about this I have gotten the impression that I am on a mission. I can share the gospel with those I care about. Just because I don't get a direct mission call to find out where I am going, doesn't mean I can't be a missionary. I have realized that there are missionary opportunities everywhere we look. Bearing your testimony can have such an impact on those around it.
First off, I just want to talk about how being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has affected my life. I honestly don't know who I would be without the gospel. I might have no motivation to do anything, I might just simply give up when things get hard. Everything I am, everything I want to be, and everything I want, was brought around by the church (at least, I am doing my best to live as the Savior did, although, I know I have A LOT of work to do).
The gospel has given me so much comfort in times of trial and hardships. When my Uncle Don passed away, it ended up not being as hard as I thought it would be because I know I will see him again, that he isn't in pain anymore, and that he is still with me. At times I will talk to him and I feel as if he is sitting right next to me, listening. Our savior and our Heavenly Father do the same thing. As we go through times of trial, all we have to do is speak to them and they will be there for us. Our savior knows what we are going through. He went through and dealt with all of the pain and suffering that we feel. David A. Bednar said "You and I in a moment of weakness may cry out, 'No one understands. No one knows.' No human being, perhaps, knows. But the Son of God perfectly knows and understands, for He felt and bore our burdens before we ever did."
This quote touches my heart. No matter what you are going through, or how alone you may feel, pray to your Heavenly Father, and his son, Jesus Christ. Know that they are with you and that our brother, Jesus, understands what we are going through. They will use the Holy Ghost and they themselves, will comfort you. Life is tough, but with the knowledge that our Savior went through everything we have gone through and will go through, can comfort us to know that we are not alone, and that he care.
I am so thankful for the atonement. Without it we would not be able to be forgiven of our sins and make it back to the Celestial kingdom. We would, in fact feel alone and hurt. I am so thankful for the gospel, and for the role the family plays in this gospel. Family is so important to me and without this gospel, and the knowledge that we have the potential to be together forever, I would probably distance myself from them because I would know it would hurt less when I lost them, not knowing that I could see them again. In 2 Nephi 18:15-26 it states "(15) And many among them shall stumble and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken. (16) Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples." I really like these verses because it is saying that when times get hard, we need to depend on our testimony, and stay true to what we know. Grasping to our testimony will help us so much. I am so blessed to know what I know and to be able to share my testimony.
I know that Heavenly Father, and his son, truly care about us. I know that when we go through trials, they are there to help us, and the Holy Ghost will be there to guide us through life's rough times or decisions. I know that Joseph Smith was, and still is, a true prophet of God, and that he translated the Book Of  Mormon. I know that the Book of Mormon and the Bible (King James version) are true words of God, and that in times of need, we can lean on them to help comfort and guide us. I know that Heavenly Father knows and loves each of us individually. He cares about us and wants us to return to him. I know that we have a true and living prophet on the earth today. I know that President Russell M. Nelson was called of God, and that there is a reason that he was put as our prophet at this point in time. I know that if we live worthily we can be with our family forever. I know the importance of the temple and a temple marriage, and am so excited for when it is my turn to go through the temple and receive my endowments, and one day be married for time and all eternity. I know that the temple is a little bit of  Heaven on earth. I know that we can receive personal revelation and that Heavenly Father talks to us through the Holy Ghost. I am so blessed to be in this gospel and know what I know. I say these things, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Love, 

MaShayla

2017 in Review

2017 was a year to say the least. It was a year of heartbreak, of growing up, of changes, and of self-dependency. I learned so many things, made so many new friends, and lost a very important person in my life. It was a hard, yet very rewarding year. January was just a normal month. It was great. Basketball was awesome and I thought some other things were awesome as well. February was good, until I got a headache/ migraine that lasted for a month. I finally got over that and ended up throwing up the first night at state basketball in March. State basketball didn't go as the team had planned, but we played and had fun, and that was the main goal. A few weeks (and lost pounds) later mom made me go to the doctor and after a couple of tests it was determined I needed to have my gallbladder removed. I got it removed halfway through track season, which meant I could no longer participate in track my senior year. Although I wasn't a fan of the events I was in, I was sad I was done. I normally pole vaulted, but due to an injury to my right shoulder my sophomore year, an orthopedic surgeon told me I couldn't pole vault my senior year. I was sad, but I knew I could move on. During the time of everything with my gallbladder I was in a relationship. It was around the middle of April at this time. I decided it was time to try to take charge of my migraines, and I went and got my daith (the little piece in your ear with a good pressure point) pierced. So far, it has improved my migraines, though they aren't completely gone I am so thankful for the relief I have received from it. I also had to get a shoulder MRI in April (with contrast dye) to ensure that I did not have a tear. After gallbladder surgery everything was going well. I was stressed about the end of the school year and deciding which college to go to. At the beginning of May I finally decided to go to a junior college: Western Wyoming Community College. The day before graduation my relationship ended. The day of graduation I went out with a group of my closest friends and we just drove around (this is probably my favorite story of the year). I was driving one of my friend's Expeditions. Long story short, I got pulled over and I didn't have my license. "It's in my car!!" was what I cried out when the cop asked me for my license. Haha ah, good times. Anyway, after that the whole group came back to my house, we ate lunch, and had some fun before the ceremony.  I got to sit by one of my best friends during the ceremony, that was awesome! That night we had our senior party and one of my friends won a giant love-sac (which he gave to me), and we all won some extra gift cards. I started my first official job at the valley grocery store. I was thankful for the opportunity to work and earn money for school. I got to make some good friends while I was there and that was awesome. I just worked all summer, made some memories with friends before they all left for either their missions or school and just made the most of the time I permanently had left in the valley. In August, I moved to Rock Springs for school. I roomed my first semester with two of my best friends of a girl from a different city who quickly became a very close friend. We met other people and quickly became friends with them, one of them being a girl from the same town as my roommate. The three of us became very close and had many late nights. We were the workout buddies and that was fun. We all survived our first semester of college and had fun while we did it. September we had our annual reunion. It was a blast. Also, one of my friends came home from his mission and it was good to see him. Later in September I found out that one of the people I am closest to (Uncle Don) was in the hospital. He was released and said to be released on hospice, but he just kept trucking along. In November I went to the state championship football game, where the valley team won. Finally December hit and we took finals and got to come home for a one and a half month break. The last week of school, even though there was finals, was probably one of the best weeks there. December 15, my Uncle Don passed away. It was hard, but I haven't struggled with it as much as I thought I was going to because I know he isn't hurting any more and I know I will see him again. It may be a while, but I know he will be waiting for me and he is looking out for Lily and Uncle Bradley. I had one minor health bump in December, but it was just some temporary pain due to some cysts. We got to video call my cousin Kolbe (one of my best friends, he was with us the day I got pulled over haha!). He is on a mission in New Mexico right now. His dog passed away the day before, so that was tough because nobody told him until the day after Christmas. Uncle Don's funeral service took place two days after Christmas. It was sad and hard, but I am so happy I got to see some family.

All in all 2017 taught me a lot of things. It was hard, but definitely not as hard as it could have been. I am thankful for the lessons I was taught during this past year, and for everything that I experienced. I grew and am slowly becoming the person I want to be. I am very excited to see what the New Year brings in, and hoping to remember the lessons I learned from 2017. Mainly, learn to depend on yourself because some days, that's all you have. As I was looking on twitter this morning, I saw Al Fox Caraway tweet "Love What Comes". I am going to use this motto because no matter what comes, good or bad, it is an experience and we learn from it, so I am going to love last year, and this next year. I will be a better person after this year, and that is the most exciting part of every New Year. People change and grow and usually it is because they learn what they want or need in their lives, and from their experiences. I am going to "love what comes", are you?

Love,

 MaShayla :)

In Loving Memory of Donald J. Carpenter

Love you forever and always!