Here It Comes!!!

I know I said I was going to be better at this blogging thing... but not much has happened since the last time I wrote a post. I will just update you on somethings.

I am still for sure going to Germany. It is a done deal. My dad bought my plane ticket and I am set to go travel wise. I still need to physically and mentally prepare myself. I have a lot of things that I want to get before I go. I am in the process of getting a Kindle because I don't want to take a lot of books/movies with me and I think that will be a great solution to less luggage. It is hard for me because I have a harder time with buying things that cost more than a lot of little things. Haha. I am also going to be getting some clothes. I am looking at getting sweaters and pants, snow stuff, etc. (If anyone wants to help me out in these areas, money or buying things for me, I won't object... ;))

Mentally I think I am ready, as of now. When it gets closer I don't think I will be as ready. Goodbyes are hard for me and I know that saying goodbye to my family is going to be the hardest thing I have ever done. When I went to school, I was close enough to be able to come home and visit at least once a month. When I go to Germany that will not be able to happen. I thought I was going to be able to see my family in July when we celebrate my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary, but we can't afford to get me to Alaska, so that won't be happening. I already know that I will be homesick but it will be easier than college was. I will have a family that I will be living with, I will be able to learn new things, I will be able to go travel and I will not be stressed with having to turn things in and take tests and deadlines like I was at college.

I was at recess today and one of the little first graders came up to me and asked me when I was leaving. I thought about it for a second and realized that I only have 3 more weeks left at the elementary school and 6 weeks from today I will be on a plane headed to Germany. It is crazy how fast it is coming. I feel like I have so much to do before it gets here but I really don't. I just have to pack my bags and leave. But that is easier said than done.

I know that this is supposed to happen. I still have no idea why, but I know that for whatever reason Heavenly Father wants me in Germany this upcoming year with the Vuksanovic's is going to be amazing and a great learning/growing experience for me. And don't get me wrong, I am SO excited! I can't wait for it to finally begin. I can't wait to actually be in Germany instead of just talking about being in Germany! :) It will most likely be hard at times to keep my head held high but I know the Lord will be with me, so I will be able to do it.

Thanks for reading! My exciting adventure begins in 42 DAYS!!!

-Kasey :)

It's ALL In God's Plan

Hey everyone!

I am trying to be really good at blogging now that I have exciting things to talk about. I thought I should just update you all on what has happened since I decided to go to Germany. I told the family that I was going to be with yes and they told me that they were deciding between another girl and me. I was kind of upset because they had made it sound like I would be their nanny if I told them yes, and I had. So I was kind of expecting just a huge exciting response from them telling me some details and what not of what to expect but I opened up my email the next day to a really depressing email from them. They told me that they had decided to go with the other girl because she spoke some German and she had been to Germany before. They told me that they knew that I was an amazing person and they were certain I would find someone else really quickly. 

Well I was frustrated to say the least. I was upset that they hadn't been forward with me from the beginning telling me that they were looking at other girls as well. I had never done anything like this before so I didn't know what to expect. So I began my search once again. I started looking through the many profiles and messaging those whom I thought would be a good match for me. There were a couple that emailed me back saying they were interested in me as well but they were all either in Utah, Washington, Texas or Missouri. Now, I don't have anything against any of those states, I just really wanted to leave and go somewhere I really wanted to go. And because I had already made up my mind and talked myself into going to Germany, I really wanted to go to Germany. But I couldn't find anyone who wanted me that was from Germany. So I started looking into the other ones. And then one day, (this was on Saturday, the 12th) I had a thought to narrow my search to Germany. I was just looking internationally and so I narrowed it down. I started going through the pages and messaging some families I thought would be a good match for me. I got to the seventh page and I decided I was done looking. I didn't want to do it anymore. I figured that I had messaged a lot of families and some of them had to be interested in me. So I went to bed. 

The next morning, (Sunday) I was checking my email right before I went to church and I had a lot of families that had messaged me back telling me that I wasn't the one for them. I was getting kind of discouraged but then I found one that had told me they were really interested in me. So I went onto the site I was working through and I looked over this family's profile again. I knew immediately that something was going to happen with them. I felt really good when I was looking at their profile and they just looked like so fun, and the cutest things. 

I went to church and all during it, I could not stop thinking about this family. They kept popping back into my mind and I couldn't get them out. When I got home from church, I got on the site and I messaged them back. I told them that I was really interested and I would love to get to know them more. Surprisingly, (because of the time difference I thought they were in bed) they messaged me right back. They told me that they wanted me to tell them more about me, my family and if I was serious about going to Germany. So I answered all their questions. I was very forward with them and I told them everything I thought they would need to know. 

The next day I got on again and they told me they would like to Skype with me the next day (Tuesday). So I went through out my day and I once again could not stop thinking about them. Every time I had a time I wasn't really busy I would just think about them and I would smile. I thought about skyping with them and unlike the first family, I was not nervous at all. I felt that it would be like skyping with my friends. 

As soon as I got home from work the next day, I got onto my computer and they had already tried skyping me a couple times. I hurried and skyped them so they wouldn't think I forgot. It rang once and the mom was there! I talked with here for about 20 minutes and she was the sweetest thing. She ran through what I would be doing if I came and things I could do. Then the dad came over and we all talked. He is the funniest person I have ever talked to. He had me laughing so much. I felt so comfortable with them and I was just so happy and smiling when I was talking to them. It just felt so right. The dad was so funny. He told me that he wanted to talk to my dad to basically see what the rules for me were. Dating, partying, stuff like that. Then he told me that he was going to protect me and not let me go anywhere dangerous. He said that he wouldn't let me go to Spain or Italy because those boys are "no no", but German boys were good. It was so funny. 

Before we ended skyping, the dad told me that they were giving me until Thursday (today) to let them know if I wanted to come or not. They are very big on knowing the parents and having the parents opinions/support so I had to make sure my parents were good with it too. Then they told me that they wanted me to know that they were interviewing other girls as well but I was at the very top of the list and they were hoping I would say yes. That made me feel so great because I knew that they wanted me and that they thought it was right. Another big part was that they wanted to know my parents and they wanted to know what my parents thought. The other family didn't really care if they knew my parents or not. 

So this morning, I told them yes and I have no doubt in my mind that this is what I am supposed to be doing. I am so excited and I know that the Lord wants me there. I know it and the family knows it as well. They told me today that they felt so sure that He knows it is for the best. They are not LDS which is okay with me, but I have a feeling that if they don't join the church in this life, they will in the next. 

I am so excited for the adventure that is ahead of me. I know that I am supposed to be in Germany next year, I don't know why I am supposed to be there, but I know that I am. I want to thank all of you for your support of this. It is really nice knowing that I have people supporting me and being so kind to me. Thank you for helping me keep my head held high. You all mean the world to me and I love you all so much! 

Thanks for reading!

-Kasey =)

"I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go"

Well hey everyone! I feel like I haven't written a blog post in FOREVER and for all of you that follow me, I apologize. Life has been crazy lately! Literally crazy. I got home from school at the beginning of May and a week later I was working at Cafe Zupas. It was fun at first but then I didn't like it very much and I quit in August to start working at Orchard Elementary a couple of weeks later! I LOVE it!!! SO MUCH! There is nothing more that I love doing than being with kids. It is one of the greatest joys in my life.

I am working there as an aid. I work mainly in the fifth grade and it is so fun. I love how fast the kids and I have bonded and gotten to know each other. They make me so happy and I feel so loved everyday when I go to work. I am also one of the kindergarten specialties teachers. There is the art teacher and then I do everything else with them. I am over P.E., computers, and music. It is SO fun! I love it. I only get to teach them on Mondays but that hour I have with them is one of the greatest hours of my life. They are so funny and I just love how innocent and cute they are. The questions that they ask, and the things that they do are hilarious. I love it when I think that the activity I have planned for that day isn't going to be very fun, and it ends up being one of the greatest activities ever. Watching their little faces light up when we get to have fun together is seriously so great. Today for example was our first music lesson. We went into the music room and played, "Guess That Tune" for a little while and then we started working on our song for our mini concert. Watching them play with the instruments, (more like smack them together,) was probably the most entertaining thing of my week. It was so funny. I love them!

Some of you have asked me if I am going to school right now and I am not. My financial aid ended up not going through this semester so I am not able to attend school. But it is okay. I am able to be home and work for a few hours a day. And since my mom is working full time this year, I am able to help out at home more which is a great experience for me. I was angry at first when my financial aid did not go through. I really wanted to go to school to finish up my general eds but I wasn't able to. I didn't know what I was going to do this semester as everyone I knew had work and school and I was just working. But it ended up being a good thing... I was talking to one of my friends about getting another job and she brought up the fact that I could get another job and be a part time nanny. Before she got married she had signed up for a website and was contacted by a family in Utah to be a nanny and she had so much fun with it. So I started thinking about that. I thought that if I could get an afternoon nanny or babysitting job to help earn a little more money it would be great, and I would have more things to keep me busy. So I went and signed up for this site. And the next thing I knew I had some families interested in me. But none of them were in Utah. Oh no, they were all out of the US. I had some from Turkey, Germany and London. I immediately turned most of them down because I wasn't looking for something away from home. I loved working at the elementary school and I didn't want to leave it. 

But for some reason one of the families in Germany kept coming back to my mind and I couldn't forget about it. So I messaged them back and I started talking to the mom. We got to know one another a little better and I was starting to feel really good about them. I started praying almost immediately after I messaged them back asking what I was supposed to be doing. I asked if I was supposed to go to Germany and be their nanny. I had no idea what was going to happen. Over the next three weeks I kept everything between the Lord and I, except for telling a couple of close people. I prayed like crazy wanting, needing to know if the Lord wanted me to go. I wanted to go. It seemed like the perfect thing. It was in Germany, I would live with this cute family, I would travel with them, I would be able to learn German and many other things that I would be able to do. But I didn't know if I was supposed to go or not. 

And then the General Relief Society broadcast happened. I had been praying and thinking about this for the past three and a half weeks and I still didn't feel like I had an answer. But when we sang, "I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go", I knew right then that I was going to Germany. I didn't get a "yes" or "no" answer from Heavenly Father. I got a, "it is your choice and I support you either way" answer. I wasn't, I am not going to pass this up. It would be crazy to pass this up and with how good I feel about it, I can't turn it down now. 

I AM GOING TO GERMANY. This is crazy and a completely different change in my life but it is happening and I couldn't feel better about it. I am so excited and I can't believe this is happening. I never, NEVER saw myself on this path. This just proves that Heavenly Father has a plan and we have NO idea what it is. And it can definitely take us off guard. 

The family I am going to be living with, my "adopted family", is not LDS and I know that I am going to have a chance to have a missionary experience. Which is crazy right there because I have felt that I don't need to go on a mission right now. Well, I think I know why now. I am going to Germany, knowing very little about it, knowing that I am terrified, knowing I will be so far away from my family, knowing I will be on my own, knowing I know that this gospel is true, knowing that Heavenly Father knows what is in store for me in Germany, knowing that I am leaving everything I know and love behind, and knowing that I couldn't be more excited to go be a nanny and to go learn a new culture. My life has taken a turn that I never, ever expected would happen and I know that Heavenly Father is behind it and I am so excited!!! 

He is there, waiting for you to ask for help, waiting for you to be ready for Him to help you. I know that without a doubt in my mind. I would not be going to Germany if I did not know that He is going to be there very step of the way for me. Thanks for reading and I promise that there are going to be many more updates as I go through this journey! I am going to keep my head held high even though this is a whole new experience for me!

I love you all!!!

-Kasey :)

"It may not be on the mountain's height, 
Or over the stormy sea;
It may not be at the battle's front, 
My Lord will have need of me;
But if by a still, small voice He calls, 
I'll answer, dear Lord, with my hand in Thine,
I'll go where You want me to go.

I'll go where You want me to go, dear Lord, 
O'er mountain, or plain, or sea;
I'll say what You want me to say, dear Lord, 
I'll be what You want me to be.

Perhaps today there are loving words
Which Jesus would have me speak;
There may be now in the paths of sin,
Some wand'rer whom I should seek;
O Savior, if Thou wilt be my guide, 
Though dark and rugged the way,
My voice shall echo Thy message sweet, 
I'll say what You want me to say.

I'll go where You want me to go, dear Lord, 
O'er mountain, or plain, or sea;
I'll say what You want me to say, dear Lord,
I'll be what You want me to be.

There's surely somewhere a lowly place, 
In earth's harvest fields so white,
Where I may labor through life's short day,
For Jesus the Crucified;
So trusting my all to Thy tender care,
And knowing Thou lovest me,
I'll do Thy will with a heart sincere,
I'll be what You want me to be.

I'll go where You want me to go, dear Lord,
O'er mountain, or land, or sea;
I'll say what You want me to say, dear Lord, 
I'll be what You want me to be."

Hymn 270

I LOVE LIFE!

Well I have been home now for two weeks. I would say that things are going pretty great. I had a job interview for three days after I got home and that went well because I got the job! I have been working at Zupa's since Thursday and I love it. It is a lot of fun. It is hard and fast paced but I know that it is only hard now because I am just barely learning everything. Once I get everything down I am sure that it will be easy. Still fast paced but easy. I like my co-workers. They are a lot of fun. It is actually really funny because my first day I won the "fast and friendly" award. That means that you work fast but yet you still talk to the customers and are friendly. I won it. And then the next day I won it again! So I must be doing good because I won it two days in a row. :)

I have also received a calling in my church! I was so excited. I still think it is really funny because I have only been home for two weeks and I already have a calling but I love it. I was called as a primary teacher. I teach the five and six year old class. I have three crazy boys and I love them all. One of them is one of the boys I nannied last summer so that is a lot of fun. I was able to teach yesterday and I loved every second of it. It is so fun being back in primary. I love love love it! :)

I have so far loved being home. It is nice to be working a lot so that I am busy and not just sitting at home. I also really love my work schedule because I am on the AM shift so I get home at the latest around 4 which is great because I still have time to babysit and hang out with my friends and family when I get home. I love it. :)

It has been crazy getting into everything since I have been home. I feel like I just charged right into everything because I got the job the week after I got home so I haven't really been doing anything other than working and preparing for lessons. But it is a good thing.

I have yet to get my schedule ready for school. I finally got everything figured out and they finally accepted me so that is good. I just need to sign up for classes. Oh and one of my professors from my last school didn't enter any of my grades so I got an "F" in that class. But I am trying to get a hold of the school so I can get that figured out because I should have an "A" which is really frustrating me. But I will get that figured out.

Well that is basically all that is going on in my life right now. I am loving it. I love being able to work and still babysit because I just love babysitting. It is seriously so fun. I think it is funny when people ask me why I babysit so much. I just love it. I am so excited to be a primary teacher! It will help me prepare for when I am an elementary teacher which, I cannot wait for. It is still pretty far out there but I can't wait for it.

I love life. I have many trials that I have to deal with, as does everyone. But I am remembering to keep my Head Held High and you need to do the same!!! :)

Love you all! Thanks for reading. :)

-Kasey :)

Harder Than I Thought it Would Be

Well here I am packing up all my stuff and figuring out what time I am getting picked up to go home tomorrow. I cannot believe this is actually happening. I am done with my first year of college. It was full of stress, tears, homesickness, AMAZING roommates (especially mine), phone calls home, skyping with friends, letters, homework, failed classes, hard tests, endless worries, babysitting, sickness, elementary kids, making friends, movies, I could go on and on and on but I think you get it. College was definitely not what I thought it was going to be. It wasn't partying, going on dates every weekend or even fun at times. It has been one of the hardest things of my life so far. I have had to experience being away from home for the first time in my life which was HARD. I had to deal with roommate drama. I was able to experience living on my own, which may I say was not bad. I was blessed with an incredible roommate who I will definitely never forget for the rest of my life. I have a feeling we are going to be friends for the rest of our lives.

As I ALWAYS write about, I was blessed with the amazing opportunity to be an aid at the elementary school down my street. It not only reinforced the fact that I want to be a teacher but it gave me a great chance to have more experience in the classroom working with students. I loved every minute of it. It was really hard having to say goodbye to those sweet kids. They had a hard time with me leaving which I look at as a good thing because I made a difference in their lives, which makes me feel amazingly awesome! I love those kids. :)

I have had so many experiences this year. Though most of them were hard, I know they happened for a reason and if I could do it again I wouldn't change anything. I was able to live on my own. To be able to do things for myself- cook my own meals, do my laundry, wash my dishes all of that great stuff, was a wonderful opportunity for me. I learned so much while I have been here that is going to bless me in my future life. I was able to learn who my real friends are. I thought that I had great friends but since I was the only one in my group of friends to actually move out and live on my own I was able to see how blind I really was. Some of the people I thought were my best friends I can now see how fake they really were. To those friends who stood by my side through everything this year and who were still there when I came home I love you dearly. I hope you know how much you mean to me and how I am so grateful  we are friends. You mean the world to me. :)

I was able to realize how much I truly LOVE my family. Do not get me wrong, I knew that I loved them very much but being away from them has helped me realize just how much I love them. I was so blessed to be born into my family. I am so excited to be able to spend eternity with them. To always have them with me is more than I could ever ask for. :)

I have been able to grow stronger in the gospel as well. Before I came to school I wasn't sure for myself that it was true. I was pretty positive it was but I was definitely going off of my parents and leaders testimonies. I still don't have a sure testimony in the gospel but I believe it is true. I know that if I keep doing what I am doing and that I keep asking Heavenly Father, I will have a sure assurance that it is true. Till that moment I will say that I believe it is true. I can't wait for the moment when I can say that I KNOW it is true. :)

This year I have had the most wonderful experiences with my roommate. I don't have any sisters of my own and growing up with five brothers I have never really been able to get along with girls that well. I have always had troubles with them. Ever since I was in elementary school. I really only have a couple of girlfriends that I would consider my great friends. I was kind of worried about coming to college because I knew I was going to have six roommates and I didn't know how well that was going to work with me. The first week of college was a little awkward as we were all trying to get to know one another. My roommate, MJ, I was a little afraid of when I first moved in. She was older than me and my landlord told me that she had her own room during the summer and was hoping that she was going to keep it that way. So when I moved in I thought she hated me because I was ruining her space. But I was wrong. We warmed up to each other. It took awhile but we did. And now I don't want to leave her. We have done many things together this year and I seriously can't imagine not having her there everyday. It is going to be so much harder than I thought it would be saying goodbye. She is like the sister I never had and Heavenly Father knew EXACTLY what He was doing when He put us together as roommates. I thank Him everyday for her. MJ, I love you! :)

I am not going to be coming back to the college I am at. I will be transferring to a school closer to home. I wasn't too sure about it at first but I know it is supposed to happen because I already have a job interview set up. Heavenly Father obviously wants me there. I just hope I can handle living with my family again... they are a little crazy. ;)

I can't believe that my first year of college is over. It is going to be weird living at home and adjusting to that again. Just for the summer though, I am sure I will be moving out this fall. But until then I get my crazy family back!

I guess I should go finish packing up. I still can't believe this is happening. Tomorrow is going to be a hard day for me. Good thing that MJ and I are going to keep in touch. And I can't wait for our roommate reunions! :)

Remember to keep your Head Held High, I am trying and will always do my best. :)

-Kasey :)

Live in the Present, Not in the Past

Hey everyone! Well I told you all that I would keep you updated with my life so here I am updating you!

SO.... I think that I am just going to stick with my original plan and wait until I am 21 to decide if I am going on a mission. I am going to transfer to UVU and start on working on my major! I feel pretty great with this decision for right now in my life. If I have not found the man that I am supposed to marry by the time I turn 21 (or have any prospective guys in the area) then I will pray and once again try to decide if I am supposed to go on a mission.

Which means that I will be staying and start working on my dream of being a teacher! I feel at peace with this decision. I am still going to be meeting with my bishop but I have a feeling he is going to tell me the same thing that I am thinking. :)

Now onto a different subject... I got an AMAZING email from my dad today. He said that they got a voice mail at home for me about a job and that I need to call them back. So I called this number (I have been applying for jobs near my home for the past month hoping I could get a job set up for when I get home and I didn't know which job it was for.) Anyway, I called this number, it ended up being Cafe Zupas (LOVE it!) and asked for Dan (I am assuming the manager who called me) and they gave me his cell phone number. So I called that number and the next thing I knew he was telling me that they are really interested in me and if I give a great interview the job is mine. I have a job interview set up for 2 DAYS after I get home from school! I am so excited! And t I LOVE Zupas which makes it even better. I absolutely did NOT want to work in a fast food place and Zupas isn't. I want to work with children, at a clothes store or a nice restaurant and so Zupas is perfect. I am just super excited!

I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for me. Even though I have NO idea what it is or where I am going to end up, I know whatever it is that it will be best for me and I will trust Him wholeheartedly. I am so excited for what is in store for me and I will put my faith in Him.

I love Him and I can't wait for my chance to meet Him again. I know that He wants me to live with Him again and I want it so much. I can't wait to finally get my chance to go through the temple and to live my life righteously so I can meet Him again. I love the gospel so much and I am so happy that I was born into. It is amazing to know that I have a Father in Heaven who loves me and is looking out for me. I couldn't have asked for a better truth. It makes me so sad when people don't know about the gospel and don't want it in their lives. I hurt for them. I hope they will someday accept it.

Well.... thanks for reading again! I hope you are all doing fabulous! Remember to SMILE and keep your Head Held High!!!

-Kasey :)

Long Long Long Over Due

So I know how I said on Facebook that I was going to post over two weeks ago but I ended up having a busy couple of weeks and they were for sure crazy!

That night I said that I would write I ended up getting grease ALL over my FAVORITE outfit and it was really depressing and upsetting so I wasn't in the mood to write. But good news! I got most of it out and you can't really tell which is good because like I said it is my favorite outfit. :) So that is what happened a couple of weeks ago and then I got busy studying for exams and getting back into school work after spring break and everything and I now just have a few minutes to write before I need to start studying again. College is CrAzY!!! I didn't think it would be this difficult but don't let it fool ya! It is definitely a killer. 

Alright so this is my life right now.... I have college which is rough as you all know. I am in the process of getting everything ready to transfer to a different college which will be closer to home. But I am still in the process of deciding if I want to go on a mission or not. I cannot even begin to tell you how HARD it is to decide if you are going to keep going to school or if you are going to go on a mission. I always knew that if I turned 21 before I got married than I would definitely be going on a mission but now that President Monson has changed the age limit for missionaries I have been SO confused with everything that is happening. I feel so happy when I think about going on a mission and yet I feel so happy when I think about teaching. And so at this moment I can't decide what one I am supposed to do. I have been praying to Heavenly Father like crazy and He isn't giving me an answer yet. I don't think that He is going to give me a straight answer so I think that I just have to decide what I want to do and go with it. But yet it is SO hard to decide what I want to do. It is literally the hardest decision of my life right now deciding if I want to serve a mission or if I want to stay and finish up school. 

The hardest part about deciding is that if I decide to go on a mission I may miss an opportunity here at home that I needed or if I decide to stay and go to school I may miss an opportunity out on the mission that I needed. I am going to be meeting with my bishop over the next couple of weeks to try to sort everything out. Hopefully he will have some insight that I could desperately use right now in my life. 

Onto another subject... General Conference today was AMAZING! I felt the spirit stronger than I have in awhile and it was the BEST feeling. After the second session ended today I decided to read my patriarchal blessing and I pretty much just bawled the whole time. I haven't really known if I have had my OWN testimony or if I have just been relying on others testimonies. I have been praying for awhile to come to know for myself that the gospel is true and that He really is there and that He is looking out for me. As I was reading my blessing an OVERWHELMING feeling of love and comfort came all over my body. I was almost tingling with warmth. It was amazing. Then I started crying and then I just couldn't wipe the smile off my face. I KNOW without a doubt in my mind and heart that this gospel is true. It is supposed to be on this earth right now and it makes me so sad when I see people not living the gospel. I LOVE hearing converts stories and how they came to know that the gospel is true. We are all converts and I think I had my convert experience this afternoon. I know without a doubt that Heavenly Father is there and that He loves ME! He wants the best for me in my life and He wants me to be so happy. He has a plan for me and even though I have NO idea what He has in store for me I just want to do what is right so that I can receive all the blessings He has promised me. I know He listens to everyone of my prayers and that He genuinely cares about me and my life. I love thinking that even though He knows EVERYTHING that is going to happen to me in my life and all the choices I am going to make and what I am going to do before I even do it He still wants me to tell Him all about it. He loves hearing our voices speak to Him and tell Him all about our day and our life. He loves to hear our frustrations and our accomplishments. He truly wants us to be happy and when we find something that makes us happy He wants to hear all about it! So TELL HIM!!!

My favorite scripture is 2 Nephi 9:39. I LOVE the end of the scripture where it says, "Spiritually-Minded Is Life Eternal." If you look at the first letter of each of those words it spells SMILE. He wants us to be happy! I cannot even begin to explain how happy He wants us to be. He has given us so many things so that we can be happy and that we can live this life joyfully! There is really NO reason for us to be sad. 

One of the biggest things that I have learned while being away from my family here at college is that only I can determine how my day is going to go. I am the only one who gets to choose my mood. So many things happen during a day that can get you frustrated, angry, sad or even happy, but only YOU can determine how you will make the situation. Only YOU can tell yourself that you will be happy. Tell yourself EVERYDAY that you are going to be happy and that it will be a good day. I know this may sound cheesy but when I get ready every morning I like to look at myself in the mirror directly in my eyes and tell myself that I am beautiful. You have NO idea how awesome you feel when you compliment yourself every day. It is one of the greatest feelings ever! I started doing that when I lost my best friend in 8th grade. Yes it may sound silly or you may even feel silly at first but it really helps you get through a lot. 

I am so sorry that this post is so long over due and that it is so long but I just had to write it out and tell the world how I am feeling! I just want you all to be happy! Love life and SMILE! He loves you, you know that you are a Child of God and you know that you have your own personal navigator helping you along in life. Make sure that you are paying attention so that you can know where He wants you to be! 

I love you all even if I don't even know you! Thank you for being who you are and thanks for reading this really long post! SMILE and be happy in life! Life is meant to be enjoyed so remember to keep you Head Held High! 

-Kasey :)

Love Each Moment You Live!

Wow! Sorry I haven't posted in awhile! I have been super busy with studying for finals and whatnot. It has been CrAzY!!!

Well just a quick update on my life... I am still in the process of deciding on if I want to go on a mission or if I just want to finish school. I haven't heard anything from the "Guy Upstairs" so I am thinking that I may just end up deciding what I want to do and if I choose the wrong one, well He has his ways of letting you know that isn't in His plan. So we will see what happens with that. I will keep you updated though. =)

For those of you who are friends with me on Facebook, you may have already seen this cute little thing I posted today but I want to share it on here as well. I volunteer at an elementary school close to where I live and this morning I went over like I always do. I got signed in and went to my classroom where I help this cute little 5th grade class. I know that you aren't supposed to have "favorites" when you are teacher but you always will have those kids who you like helping the most. Anyway one of the girls that I help EVERY day, who is definitely one of the kids I love helping the most, ran up to me as soon as I walked in the classroom and just burst into tears! I had no idea what was happening. She then gave me a huge hug and said, "I was having a really bad morning and seeing you just made my day so much better." I almost started crying then because this super sweet girl had made my day! I was hit right then with the confirming feeling that I want to do nothing else in this life but be a teacher and a mom someday. I want to have the affect that I apparently have on this little girl to a bunch of students and my own kids. I want them to be relieved when I walk in the room, I want them to be able to tell me anything and I want them to trust that I will be there for them. This little girl has NO idea what those words meant to me this morning. I just CANNOT WAIT TO BE A TEACHER!!!!! I am so excited. Every time I start thinking of my future classroom I get all excited and I just want to start teaching that moment. I know I still have a long ways to go to finally get to my classroom, but it will be worth it and I am going to enjoy every minute of it. I will love each moment I am living. =)

Okay so that is just an update on my life right now. Nothing has really changed. Oh the Facebook post that I posted awhile ago about making big decisions and that I would write about it in my next blog? Well that is about this: it really isn't a decision that is going to effect my life dramatically, I am just super excited about it. I am  tired of not having my own car. I mean, walking is great yeah but when I have to walk 7 blocks (huge blocks) to get to the nearest grocery store and then carry all my groceries home? It is not my most favorite thing ever. SO I have decided that I am going to save my money up for a CAR!!! Yay! I am super excited! For the past two weeks I have been looking at used cars and seeing how much I would roughly have to save for just the car, then I have been looking into car insurance and how much that is. I realize that it will take awhile to buy a car but I am just so excited! I have a really bad problem with spending my money, whether on clothes or on groceries that I don't necessarily need. So it is super nice to have an incentive to save my money for! I know that it will for sure be a yellow car. I won't have anything else. Haha. It has to be yellow. =) I don't know why, it just does. I have tons of pictures saved on my computer of yellow cars that I could possibly buy. I know that it won't be for a long while before I can actually buy one but I am going to look! And looking gets me even more excited to buy one, so I want to save even more money. So it is a good thing that I am looking. But that is my big decision that I made the other day. Probably not what you were expecting but oh well. =)

So that's my life right now! It is pretty exciting. I hope that I will be able to make some big decisions soon enough and I am sure that I will be posting all about my journey. Thanks for reading about my life. Sorry it isn't super big or anything right now. =P

Remember to keep your head held high through all of your challenges and that you remember that you always have a friend who is ALWAYS going to be there for you no matter what. Just make sure you keep Him close to you. =)

-Kasey =)

And Then Today Happened....

HELLO!!! You all remember that one time when President Monson announced that the age for missionaries had changed and now girls can go on missions at the age of 19? Yeah, well I thought at that time that maybe going on a mission was something that I needed to do. Well I prayed about it and I thought I got my answer which what I thought at the time was I should keep going to school and get it out of the way so that I can be a teacher. So that is what I started planning on. I had next year all figured out with where I was going to school, what kind of classes I was going to take, I have a nanny job all lined up everything was going perfectly.

Over the past couple of weeks every time that someone starts talking about their mission or I started even thinking about missions I just felt all funny inside. I can't even begin to explain how I was feeling. It was a warm and sort of excited feeling which was weird. And as I thought about why I could be feeling that way I realized that I only felt that way when I heard or thought about mission experiences. I LOVE hearing mission experiences. I think that they are just so fun to listen to. And when I hear people talking about their missions I have never before felt like I have lately. So obviously this is a big deal.

As I began to think more about it, the thought of me going on a mission just kept returning to my mind. And then today happened. We had an invitational Sunday today in my singles ward. It was so amazing. The speakers basically just briefly went over some of the main points of the church and why we believe in such amazing things. There were a LOT of people that came that I had never seen in our meetings before. It was so fun to be able to just have a whole Sunday dedicated to the basic truths of the gospel and to just refresh my mind as to what I believe in. During the whole meeting I just kept thinking of how fun it would be to serve a mission and to be able to teach my wonderful brothers and sisters wherever I would be called to serve. I just haven't been able to get that thought out of my mind all day. I don't know if it was just all the excitement of all the new faces that were at church or if it really was the Spirit telling me that I need to get on it and start on my mission papers. BUT as of right now I can say that I am officially thinking about serving a mission again and I am going to go have a nice chat with my bishop and see if he can help me at all... which I am sure he can.

I love this gospel! I know it is true and I hope you all know that. There is no doubt in my mind that I was put here on this earth at this time. Even though I still have NO reason as to why He sent me here now I know that He has a plan for me. And what I think is right at one point in my life maybe completely different than what He has planned for me. I don't know if I will be serving a mission yet but I have a feeling that it could definitely happen. I would love all of you who are reading this to pray for me to have faith and courage to do what the Lord needs me to do. I need all the help I can in deciding what could possibly be the biggest decision of my life... well at least for right now.

I love all of you and I am so grateful that you are in my life! I don't know who is reading this but whoever you are, wherever you are, thank you for your impact in my life. I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for each and everyone of us and He sent YOU to me for a reason. We may not know what that reason was but I know that He does.

I am just so happy right now and I just can't keep this smile off my face! Whatever He has planned for me, I am going to find out and I am going to live my life the way He wants me to. I am keeping my Head Held High and I hope you are doing the same!!! Thanks so much again for reading and for being an impact in my life!

-Kasey :)

Loving Life!!!

I am just loving life! This semester is just going so much better than last semester. I have a better classes and I am understanding them a lot more. And I don't have as many credits as I did last semester which is really nice. I am staying busy with my classes, going to the gym and my volunteer job at the elementary school! 

That's right! I got a volunteer job. I am helping out with the 5th grade. I go every Tuesday and Thursday. On Tuesdays I help the class with reading and on Thursdays I help them with math. It is so much fun being able to be with the kids for a couple hours a day! I love it so much!!!

I am so excited to be a teacher! I can't wait to be done with school so I can teach! It is going to be the best thing ever. 

I love life so much and I am so glad that I have a personal assistant in my life who knows exactly what is going to happen everyday. I love my Heavenly Father so much and I am so glad to be a part of this gospel. I am so glad that my parents raised me well and that they raised me in the gospel. I really don't know where I would be without it in my life. 

Thank Him everyday and keep your head always held high!!! 

-Kasey :)

He Has a Plan!

Just a little post to let  you know how life is! College life is pretty great as of right now. My classes are pretty good. They are a little hard but that is okay. What is life without trials right? I know that my Father in Heaven is there for me and He has a wonderful plan for me. I don't know what it is but I know that I trust Him and I can't wait to find out what His plan is. :)

Even though life isn't exactly what you plan on or how you want it to be, He is there. He is looking out for you. He is waiting for us to return to Him and to live our lives to the fullest. He loves us and He can't wait for us to return to Him. Make Him proud and do your best to love Him with all your heart.

Live life the way He planned it for you. Listen to the spirit and remember to keep your head held high!!! :)

-Kasey :)

Here I Go Again!!!

Well most of you know that I am a college student. It is pretty exciting. This semester is going to be my second and last semester here at SUU. I am pretty excited about that one. I have made a big decision and decided that I am going to transfer to UVU. Mostly so I can be closer to home and it will be easier for me to be closer to home financially and mentally. I am glad that I came here to SUU for a year. It was a super amazing experience and I have to admit that I have grown up a lot since I came here. Not living at home depending on my parents for everything was difficult but so good for me. I feel more prepared for life now. And if I hadn't come to SUU I wouldn't have met my amazing roommates and been able to have the bonds I have made with them. I don't have any sisters so it was a completely different experience living with only girls for the past 4 months but I have enjoyed it.

Last semester was really tough for me. I had a hard time with being away from my family (mostly my mom), worrying about being able to survive, doing everything for myself and having to go to school. It was a hard transfer for me. I didn't do well academically and that was hard for me because I have always done well in school. Not doing well the first semester of my college education started a fire in me. I know that I have to do well from here on out so that I can get the teaching job that I want. I have a new desire for school. I mean, I hate any classes doing with the sciences. I LOATHE them. I don't understand them and I can't wrap my mind around the things that the teachers want me to BUT I went to my geology class yesterday and as my professor was going over what we are going to be doing this semester I just got really excited for that class. It is going to be SO interesting. Earthquakes, Volcanoes and other Natural Disasters is the name of my class. I am so excited.

This semester I have set some goals for myself so that I can do well academically. I am very excited for school this semester for some weird reason. I am SO excited to get done with school and to finally be a teacher. Over the break I had the chance to go help out my third grade teacher and it was the best thing. It was so much fun to be in the class with the kids and to know that within the next few years I am going to have my own classroom. Because my third grade teacher got married last year, she is leaving and won't be a teacher anymore. She made the decision to give me most of her third grade teaching stuff. I was so excited. I am now the proud owner of a third grade capable library. I have a growing amount of third grade stuff and it will continue to grow. I am SO excited. I am happy. I can't wait to teach the third graders of the future and I can't wait for this semester to be over. But I am going to live now in the moment and be happy now. Life is to be enjoyed, not endured and I plan on enjoying it. I will keep my Head Held High through this semester and do the best that I can!!!

-Kasey :)