Happy Birthday Heather

In not too many hours, you'll be turning 28! WOW! Almost 30. Remember how we used to think 30 was sooo old! and you're almost there.

Heather, you are the one person in my life that I could always count on. If I wanted someone to tell me wanted to hear, I'd always call you. lol I'm not sure how I would have made through college without our daily phone calls. Do you remember the first birthday card you and Warren sent me? I thought you had signed his name, but no he just has handwriting that looks like yours.

As we have grown, I've come to see how much I truly loved you. I know that we didn't always get along or even see things the same way...how boring THAT would have been; yet nothing could ever really tear us apart.

As, I sit here and think about you I know that you are in a better place. A place where things of this earthly life can't hurt you anymore. I know that you are watching over me, wishing you could help in some way. I know that there's a reason why you're gone. Maybe there were sick people that needed a chipper, fun-loving nurse to make them smile, as only you could do. I hope they know how lucky they are to have you with them.

I know that as we celebrate your birthday tomorrow you will be with us. And in two weeks you'll be with them when my birthday comes around...since your birthday always came first. lol

I want to tell you my top 10 things/memories about you! =D
10) I love how caring you are. You have this ability to care for people beyond expectations.
9) You taught me so many things....like getting our nails done and going to the tanning bed. :)
8) You were always there for me...every heartbreak, every bad day...all I had to do was call and you were there.
7) Remember Christmas of 2008 when we had our 'family photos' taken haha and later that day Warren took me fishing? I love watching the video and hearing you and Emry.
6) Who else would have taught me, exactly how far apart we are... 4 years, 2 weeks 15 hours and 47 minutes =D If anybody is wondering.
5) You are such a princess! I see crowns or Disney Princesses and I immediately think of you.
4) We Huey girls can switch teams...We started out as Vols game; Became Gator Fans because it annoyed Daddy to no end; You became an Alabama fan when you married Warren; I might have switched back to being a Vols fan. lol
3) Your love for Coke and sometimes Dr. Pepper. Don't worry, I still love both equally. And yes, I can still tell the difference between Cokes from different places =)
2) Bama and Daisy and how you wanted to get another dog so you could call her Ally....Ally-Bama-Daisy
1) I love you being my big sister. I loved knowing that whatever I would go through in life, you'd be by my side. You'd help me make those big decisions and you'd be able to give me advice that only a big sister can give.

I could go on and on, but I'll leave those for another day. I want you to know how much I love and cherish you. I hate that you aren't here, I miss you so much. I keep thinking that one day I'm gonna wake up from this bad dream and you won't be gone. But I know, you're where you need to be and I need to make sure I can be there with you too, one day. Make sure you save me a seat, we have lots of catch up on! I love you!! Please don't ever forget that.

My Life Thus Far

I've been thinking a lot the last couple days about my life and where I'm at right now....

This started last week when I heard about the death of a girl I worked with, Lacey Allen. Lacey was a baby, only 20 years old, but for whatever reason her mission here on earth was complete. 

I don't pretend to know the answers to all the whys in life, but as I sat in her funeral reflecting upon my own life, I began to wonder what would people say at my funeral if I died today. And I realized sadly, that maybe people wouldn't say the things I hoped they would say. I began to see how I hadn't treated people in my life the way that I should have treated them; I wasn't as kind to strangers as I should have been; I hadn't spoken kind words when they needed to be spoken. I hadn't become as Christlike as I want to be.

As these thoughts came to me, I also saw how I could improve my life and become more Christlike. 

There are countless times throughout the day when we are given the opportunity to do something Christlike...but how maybe times do we simply ignore these promptings? I can become more Christlike when I serve those around me. The Savior said, 'When ye have done it unto the least of my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (Matt. 25:40).

Which leads me to what I want people to say at my funeral......

I want people to remember me as being a disciple of Christ. I want people to remember me as being someone that they could always turn to in their time of need and I was there. I want people to remember me as someone who always had a smile on my face, like my friend Leigh. She never seems to have a bad day, and I admire her for that. I want to be remembered as someone who loved the Gospel and who was an example to all those around me. I want people to remember me as having the Light of Christ shining through me. I want people who don't know Christ after meeting me and getting to know me, will want to know Him and who He is; not because of me, but because they were able to feel the love that He has for them, through me. I want to be an instrument in the Lord's hands. I want the Lord to be able to trust me and call me His friend.

I realize that those last few things may not happen in this lifetime, but one day I hope and pray that when I meet my Savior, He will say to be, "thou good and faithful servant, enter into my kingdom"

After reflecting upon the things that I want to change in my own life, I quickly saw the many, MANY tender mercies the Lord has provided me in my life. In the way of friends, family members, things that have happened in my life both good and bad, and many more. But the few I want to talk about are the friends that I have gained...mainly from EFY, but not totally. lol

No one is ever placed into our lives by accident; there are no accidents in life. Every person in my life has been placed in my life for a specific reason; there are still people who I have meet that I do not understand why they were in my life, yet I know there was a reason...maybe they needed something from me or needed to learn patience from me. lol

This I do know, the friends that I have, have been heaven sent. They have strengthen me in ways I cannot describe in words. They have helped me reach heights I did not know I was able to reach. My testimony has grown from their example and their love towards me. I see them and want to become like them; I want to be a better person like they are. I see their kindness, and I strive to be more kind. I see the love that they have, and I strive to love as they do. I will not name names, bc I already have, but one  I will name is my very best friend...my mom. My Momma is the greatest example of love, kindness, service, and many more Christlike attitudes of anyone that I know. I hope and pray that one day if/when I have children, I can be half the mother to my children that my Momma was to me. She is the reason I am the woman I am today. Without her by my side, I would be lost in a dark and lonely world, but I'm not. I always have a friend who will never leave me and never lead me astray. And for that, I am forever grateful for her and all that she is and does for me every single day. =D

EFY

A United Front!

 

Some people wonder why I love EFY so much. 

Some people don't understand why I love EFY so much.

Here's why:

Besides it being the BEST JOB E-V-E-R...=D 

It's a place where people come to strengthen their testimonies.

And who wouldn't want to be involved in that?

Seeing the youth of the Church come together during the middle of the summer

when they could be doing lots of other fun things, shows you

how much EFY means to these kids. Some kids will save up their money 

for a whole year, just to be able to come....and tears are always shed on Saturday 

morning, because nobody wants to leave...it's a safe haven for these kids.

EFY has brought me so much in my life. The best of things have been the friends I

Have gained. Everybody always says that they have the best of friends, but

I truly, and honestly do. My friends from EFY are the people

I look up too. The people I go to even I need encouragement or advice or 

just someone to talk to. These friends are the kind of friends that

no matter what happens in your life or theirs, they will 

always be there...no matter what. 

And it's not that we're all alike....no no no..well me and Ash are 3 =D

No, it's the Gospel of Jesus Christ that is the foundation of our friendship.

When you have a foundation built upon the Gospel of Jesus Christ,

nothing can shake it, nothing. And we have that.

Our friendships were formed simply because we all have a great love

for the Gospel. It defines who we are. Everything we do, comes back to the

Gospel of Jesus Christ and we WANT TO SHARE IT WITH THOSE!

Yes, we get rewarded for our jobs, but seeing how you, YOU, have helped

bring one soul closer to Jesus Christ is the simple best experience anyone could ever have.

We, counselors, don't often get to see this happen often. We're only with our kids for a 

short period of time, but sometimes if we're lucky, we get 

to see this change. 

I am lucky enough to have experienced this.

I received this email from one of my girls this week, 

"hey Rachel! i was just going to let you know that I received my letter today and I appreciate your letter that you wrote us girls! I'm so thankful you made us write our testimonies at EFY, I really enjoyed reading mine. It's amazing how much you learn at EFY in such a little time period! You were an AMAZING counselor and I would have to say the BEST one so far! I really enjoyed being in your group! You really helped bring the spirit into our group meetings (like devotionals with the girls) And i've been slacking some on reading the scriptures (like I read every other night) so I gotta get back on the schedule of reading them everyday so I can learn and grow personally and get to know the savior better like you challenged us..Thanks for being such a great example to our group! Hope you have a great year!" 

Reading this.....made everything worth it, all the tears shed that week, the prayers said...everything.

It comes down to this, I can't imagine a better place to spend my summer than at EFY. 

EFY brings the best and sometimes not best out in people, but

being surrounds by those who love you and understand you is the only

place I'd want to be when something happens...whether good or bad.

Because the people who mean most to me, will be there sitting next to me, sharing

that experience. 

Wanna meet some of these AMAZING people??

This is Miss Ashley Kay, we're 3

This is Nina...she's only our friend 3 wks outta the year

but we still love her. Ohh! And she can talk

to Manatees =D

This is Carrie, she's my crazy friend from

Kentucky who's going on a MISSION!!

Besides in the Pic...this is Kayc! She is the

world's greatest FC you've ever had! And

She can sing like an Angel and

Well you can see she's Beautiful

Kate's on the left =D She loves her some Braves. It's true

Andandand....she's wonderful. The end.

(Us minus Carrie, she was being a good counselor and with her kids)

Separated we aren't much, but together....

Together we can over come anything!

A Berry Berry special Day.....2 days ago =D

She's beautiful!

I know I'm a little late on this, I sorry

Two days ago, on December 31 was one of the most specialest days of the year....Miss Ashley Kay Sant's birthday =D

 Ash is one of those people who comes into your life and you just know you're a better person because of it. She is the most kind hearted person. She loves people for different reasons. She loves me because...well...I'm a 3 year old and together....we're 3. I first met Miss Ashley Kay summer of 2009 at EFY. I didn't have the privilege of being her co-co but I did get to know her! and I loved her!!! Ashley has helped me become a better person and a bigger Braves fan.....

see! We love us some Braves! =D

Ashley has also taught me how to be a better friend. Through her example and love, I've learned what a friend truly is. Someone who will always be there for you and love you...faults and all.

 

 

Look!! We've even cute at the beach! Basically, if you haven't been able to tell, I love this girl! Like alot! She's amazing in ways that words can't describe. And I'm lucky to have her as my friend! I love you Miss Ashley Kay and I'm sorry this is a little late =D  

"You Get That"

Once there were two girls named Bekah and Rachel. Bekah was the aunt and Rachel was just the wonderful friend from Tennessee =D One day, Bekah and Rachel decided to baby-sit the nieces and nephews of Aunt Bekah's in Utah for 2 whole weeks. And that's exactly what they did! It was hard but they loooved it! While they were together, they played house, cooked and cleaned, took the kids to school and activities. But their favorite time of the day was when the two girls would take Marky and Jamey to the store!! They always had lots of fun shopping at the mall or at Wal Mart, since Wal Mart is everybody's favorite place to go. They also LOOVEED going to McDonald's and getting Happy Meals.

It was really hard watching 5 kids for two weeks, but Aunt Bekah and Rachel learned that when you have a great helper (or set in spouse) it's not so bad.=D

If you're wondering where the title "You Get That" comes from....this is where. Marky (who is kinda my favorite but don't tell!) said it to me one day. He had asked me something and I said no. After walking away, I tripped over some toys and the wonderful, too cute Marky said, "You Get that Rachel! You Get that!". Kate, who was a LIFFFEEESAVER! for me and Bekah those two weeks, just happened to be over at the house when Marky told me that. Thus, the saying stuck.

So if something ever happens to somebody because they deserved it, just tell them , "You Get that! You Get That!" in your best 3 year voice of course

My First Blog Post

Basically, I'm starting a blog because some friends of mine have them and it looked like fun.....? That was until I tried to format my blog. Luckily I have amazing friends, Kate, who knows what I'm thinking and was able to help me, create rather, my blog =D


I hope you Enjoy my blog and maybe I'll enjoy it too =D