Spring at last!!

Well I am so hoping that the sun stays out this time! I had a hard time adjusting to the whole hardcore-blizzard-in-the-middle-of-April thing! haha The weather is so beautiful right now and I am surrounded by the beauty of Utah! ...the mountains, the trees, the grass, the river behind my apartment! It's gorgeous up here! I am really excited to get home next week though! Well...actually I will be stopping in Las Vegas to visit Angela and all them and to meet the famous "Elder Coffey" that I have heard so much about! : ) I am so glad that all of my sisters are finding guys for me! It makes my job easier! haha thanks Drea and Ang! I have really been missing my family and home lately so it will be nice to take a little break before starting back up for summer semester!

This is me on the day of my FIRST BYU PIANO RECITAL! : ) What an exciting day that was! I was so nervous and I had worked so hard on my pieces! My mom, grandpa, aunt and uncle were driving through so they were all able to be there and Michelle and Joey came as well! It was really nice having all that support! : ) I even met a couple people there that were really nice and it was just fun talking to some new people about piano and what they plan to do with it and stuff. It went really well and I am excited for future recitals!

Last Sunday was Easter of course and I had to teach the lesson in Relief Society! (That is my new calling). The lesson tied in really well with Easter (Section 121 of D&C) so I wanted to do something cute to give everyone and make the lesson unique from the typical reading out of the manual. I made these little baskets with the saying and filled the bottom with candy. I think they turned out really cute and everyone loved them.

("The Easter egg is hallow. Just like they found the tomb. For it is meant to represent that Christ had Risen...For me and For you!")

Something that I learned this year on Easter was how real and specific the Atonement actually is. My eyes were really opened up to that. He really knows what pain I am suffering. Not just the general stuff but he knows what it is like to be alone at night, to fail a test that you studied so hard for, to lose a child that you never were able to meet, to suffer through an addiction, to feel so overwhelmed when you are trying to be "supermom", to lose a friend or loved one, to have cancer drain the life out of you and everyone around you. It is SO real and so amazing and I am so incredibly grateful for the gift Heavenly Father has given to each one of us that we DO NOT HAVE TO SUFFER ALONE. Ever.

That has been such a comfort for me as I have been struggling lately with a bunch of things, but trusting in the Lord and going to the temple has really given me strength to push onward! Life is great! : )