As promised:)

Yesterday was the birthday of the wonderful woman I call my mother. I know everyone always says how their mom is the best and I'm not here to disappoint. My mom is truly the most amazing woman that I know. Whenever we ask her what she wants for her birthday, or even Christmas, she says nothing I just want you to be happy. But let's be honest we all like to get something once in awhile.

I made her a book of 100 reasons. Reasons why I love her and why she is great. 100 things sounds like it may take a lot of time to think of. I was happily surprised at how quickly most things came to me. Here are a few of my favorites.

1. She always reminds me that everything happens in life for a reason. This has been a HUGE help in my life.
2. She helps me notice my weaknesses, and then she helps me work to overcome them
3. She doesn't get mad when I butcher vegetables while helping her with dinner
4. She likes pajamas just like I do:)
5. She shares quotes with me like, "Worrying doesn't take the stress out of tomorrow, only the joy out of today."
6. She makes me laugh.
7. She has taught me what true beauty is.
8. She gave me a love for sunflowers and reading
9. I never feel like she's guilt tripping me
10. She is the most loving and caring person that I know. She would do anything for me.

That doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of all the amazing qualities she has, but it's a start. I love my mom, and more so each and every day. She does more for me than anyone else could ever know, including me. I'm thankful that I have her in my life. She really is the best!

Love you mom!

A little thing

A smile costs nothing but creates much!

Keep a smile on your face and let your personality be your autograph.

One smile can make all the difference in the world. Be that difference.

A smile of encouragement at the right moment may act like sunlight on a closed-up flower; it may be the turning point for a struggling life.

Always smile even if its a sad smile because sadder than a sad smile is the sadness of not knowing how to smile.

I challenge you to smile more today and see what it does for your day! I'm willing to bet you'll have a better day and help the people around you have a better day as well. 

An important day calls for some important people!

Well I've made it. 19 and feelin old! I owe a lot to a lot of people. Let me introduce you to some of them.

First and foremost my mom:)

Her birthday is coming up soon, so I'll save all the great stuff about her for then, just know she is amazing and has done more for me than anyone else and I owe who I am to her.

Next, my dad. He would do anything for me. He is always ready with a listening ear and his opinion on a matter.

My step dad has also been a big influence on my life. He has shown me what it means to treat a woman with respect. He also has a listening ear. He's traveled many paths in life and he's always willing to share with you if it will help a situation you are in. 

My Friends have been a support to me through all the thick and thin. 

Meet Carolyn. We have been best friends for about two years now. She knows more about me than almost anybody else. She has seen me cry and cried with me more times than I can count. She makes me laugh to the point where I cry. And on a bad day I can just look at her and she knows immediately what's wrong. I know she would do anything for me in a heartbeat if she could! She is an angel in my life and I love her!

Meet Jesse. Jesse is my missionary. He is also my best friend. This kid has taught me a lot about being positive and about the importance of family. He gets excited easily and he loves to laugh. I miss him like crazy, but I'm so proud of  his decision to serve a mission! He makes me happy:) Even though he's miles away I still feel really close to him and he always knows exactly what to say. He's the sweetest person I've ever met. 

Meet Derek. Derek is a funny kid. When it really comes down to it he will be there for you 100%. I'm glad to know him and have him as my friend. He's one of my best guy friends. 

Nicole brought me a pinata for my birthday! It actually had candy in it. Is she great or what?

Meet Nicole. Me and Nicole went to the same high school but we weren't really friends until college. We live on the same floor now and I see her almost daily! She has become an outlet for me. I vent to her about my frustrations and tell her my happy stories. She has become a dear friend to me in a very short time!

Meet Alyssa. We were friends in high school, but since the beginning of college we've become extremely close. She's my gift from heaven. We are in some pretty similar situations and it's nice to have her to talk to. We have a Friday break session where we talk about life and I look forward to it almost more than anything!

Meet my roommates plus Shaundra and Mallory. These girls are becoming more and more like sisters with each passing day! I would do anything for them. They are teaching me a lot about communicating and being open. We are laughing more often than not, but we also have our serious times. I love you Laurie, Sarah, Stephanie, Rachel, and Carolyn!

This is Shaundra. Previously mentioned above. Shaundra was in my singles ward over the summer. I loved having that opportunity of getting to know her better. She lives on the same floor as me now and I love it! She is another one of those girls who is an outlet for me. She is an essential part to my support system. Love you!

There are so many other people I could mention, but these are the ones who influence me on a daily basis. I'm thankful for the amazing people I have in my life! They make me the person that I am today. Thanks for a wonderful birthday! I will treasure it always:)

Purpose

We all struggle in life. Some of us have extremely trying physical challenges while others have issues with their family or friends. Our burdens are far ranging and can weigh us down to the point where we feel like there is no hope for us.

I've experienced a few things in my life that I would consider as burdens, but through all of them I've found only way to carry on. You have to find a purpose for your life, find something to work towards. It doesn't need to be anything large. For me I have some broad goals I'm constantly working on like marrying in the Temple and graduating from college. But, life can't only be about the long term goals. To find happiness and feel like we have a sense of purpose in this life we need to always be pushing ourselves to find that one little thing that gives us meaning. We can have something in mind for the month, the week, or even something day by day. 

When my parents got divorced the idea of a family was somewhat of a joke. We were going back and forth between houses daily and it was really wearing on me. My purpose during that time of my life became my siblings. Being the oldest I felt I had a responsibility to help them through this trial. It brought me so much closer to them than anything else would have. In some ways I am grateful that I suffered through that because I cherish my siblings now. 

Jayden and Emily

John

Josh

Ashley

My advice is start small. The smaller the better. Then work your way up. Need some ideas? Try to make someones day better after talking to you, finish a reading assignment by a certain time, make yourself a really good dinner, or make yourself your favorite treat, read a talk that you loved from conference, or just try to make somebody laugh.

A word of caution. Don't be too hard on yourself if you don't get done what you want to accomplish. It's good to have goals, but if they are stressing you out or making you feel worse about yourself then you need to re-evaluate and simplify. 

The small and simple things are what bring us the most happiness.

Oh to Oregon we go!

Carolyn, Derek, Josh, Carson, and I set out on a journey this weekend. We drove to Oregon for the Oregon State BYU football game.

Our trip began at about 3:30 Friday afternoon. We loaded our gear and claimed our seats and headed for the great Boise Idaho. We brought enough movies and food for double the amount of our company. We drove from Provo to Rexburg without stopping, but by the time we made it to Rexburg we were ready for some food. We stopped at a Wendy's. Inside there was a lottery machine Josh was quite taken with it. As you can see.

After dinner we proceeded to Derek's aunt and uncle's house. We pulled in a little after 10. Not too shabby of timing if I do say so myself. We were welcomed into a warm house with pumpkin chocolate chip cookies waiting for us. We chatted with his relatives briefly before heading to bed.

The time to wake up came all too soon. 4 a.m. comes mighty quickly when you go to bed after midnight. Nonetheless we quickly got up and got ready, eager to get on the road. As we pulled away we figured we would listen to about 135 songs from Boise to Corvallis and with that thought on our minds our second stretch began.

 

                                                                          We did various things to keep ourselves entertained. I read, Carolyn did homework, Derek drove, Josh and Carson played gamecube, and we watched A More Perfect Union.

 

                                                                                                 





Once we crossed over to the Oregon border the scenery became absolutely breathtaking. We stopped at Multnomah falls.

If you've never been there before you need to add it to your bucket list! It's quite the site to see!

The air is different in Oregon. When people say they need fresh air this is the kind of air I imagine them wishing they could have. It's warm, but it's cool at the same time. It's refreshing. The trees are absolutely stunning.The terrain is gorgeous.

I learned some interesting things about theses friends of mine. Josh doesn't like anyone to touch his pillow. Derek loves bridges. Carson's Donald Duck impression can get a person through any number of hours in a car. Josh and Carson love anchor man. Carolyn makes a good mom. Derek can't throw gum out of a window. Carson loves the weather in the Northwest. I think he'll end up living that direction when he's older.

Needless to say, we were smitten with Oregon from the minute we started driving in it. We stopped for gas a little outside or Portland. And for those of you who have never been to Oregon you may find it curious to know that in Oregon you can't fill up your own gas. Someone does it for you. And man is gas expensive there! But you do what you've gotta do. After our gas stop we didn't have too much longer till we reached Corvallis. It was a thrill to see the stadium. We parked in what we thought was a prime place.

Josh and Carson brought their lunch along.

This is my first away game I've ever gone to, and it was fascinating to me to watch all the different people who were there. The game was a great one to be at!

Close at some points, but still pulling off a win. We had awesome seats thanks to Carson!

 

Across the stadium from us were some people dressed as nuns.

Interesting I know. The boys got really into it at some points.

 



Cute Josh, super cute.

                  As you probably know we won! We were pretty stoked about it.

Once the game was over we picked ourselves to head back for our drive home. Walking back to the car we saw a large number of people who were drunk. One group of guys was purposely swinging a bat at each other trying to hit someone. Another group was razzing a guy in a port a potty. Can I just say I'm glad I don't have friends who drink?

We were stuck waiting in our car for at least an hour before we started moving. Carson insisted that we stop at Burgerville for dinner. So we did. They have some good shakes let me tell ya. Our drive was fairly uneventful until about midnight. We ran into a major rain storm. Six hours later we found ourselves back at Derek's aunt and uncle's house. We had survived the hydroplaning and crazy lightning. We safely arrived home to Orem around 7:00 Sunday night! It was a fun trip, but I don't know that I'd do it again tomorrow if I had the chance.

The Beginning

I have some great friends who have repeatedly told me that I should start blogging. After some major blog stalking I decided that I think this is something I'd really like to do.

Hi my name is Brittany Thompson. I'm the oldest of 6 kids. My parents are divorced. Essential things to know about me-I love Ice Cream and Smarties. I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and it means the world to me. Usually when you first meet me I'm pretty quiet and shy, but once I warm up to someone I'm pretty talkative. I love to listen to people. I like to listen more than I like to talk, so if you ever need a listening ear I'm up for it.

 This fall I started my first semester of college at BYU. So far, I'm loving it. I have awesome roommates! (I'm sure there will be lots to hear about them in the near future). Living on my own is probably one of the greatest decisions of my life up to now. I'm excited to add my thoughts to the blogging world! You'll probably hear more about me than you ever wanted to, but eh that's what blogging is all about right? ;)