Let's Be Awesome

I know, I know, you're all probably about to pass out...2 blogs in 2 days for Livi!  It's summer.  That's my only excuse.  Anyways, I've really been filled with ideas, but I just haven't written them down.  So now I'm going to write down what has been on my mind a lot this summer: Second chances.  

It's not very often you get second chances, but I've been given a HUGE second chance this summer, a second chance at LIFE!  I fell asleep at the wheel and totaled my dad's car the day I got home from college, April 25th.  So, I've now had over 3 extra months to live!  What a blessed person I am!  I've thought a lot about how blessed I am to still be alive--let alone able to walk and talk and enjoy life, especially the first few weeks after the wreck.  Then last week coming home from my roommate's mission farewell I passed by a fresh car accident.  People were there on the scene, but no ambulances or cops yet.  I saw a person out laying on the ground with people around him trying to help.  I burst into tears!  How easily could that have been me just a few short months ago?!  I walked out of mine!  I began to think again of how I was doing at my "second chance."  

Here's a little picture of the car.  People have been asking to see, and I figure I need at least one picture in this post because there haven't been any in a while, and I'm probably boring you all to death!  Miracles happen people!

Anyways, as I was saying... A million failures came to mind.  I thought of how lately I've been being a crappy aunt.  It seems like every time the kids come over I have to work.  They want me to play with them, and I'm always "too tired."  Lame.  I know.  Then, I thought about being a crappy daughter!  My dad asked me to help index the other night and I immediately replied, " I can't I have to read for my class and continued to sit in the chair reading while my parents indexed.  Once again, wow!  Then, every time I see Tess it seems like the first thing I ask her is, "Did you shut off Jackie and Stan's waters?!"  I mean seriously, I'm sure it'd be nice if I at least said hello once in a while or asked her how her life was?!  

I then remembered a blog post I read back during the school year--Thank you Heavenly Father for intervening while I was wallowing in self-pity!  It was called "Drops of Awesome."  I'm sure some of you have read it, and it is SO good!  So, I decided I was going to find drops of awesome in my life, and this week I have been doing just that!  There's no better time to start changing than now!  So, this week, some of my "drops of awesome" include: 

Going to my family reunion for the WHOLE time!  

Being brave and belting the song Sisters with Tessa at the talent show.     

Jumping on the tramp with the sprinkler with Taffy's kids.

Sleeping on the tramp with them, and some other cool aunt stuff.

Listening to Tessa talk to me about her knee.

Finally worked out with my mom again.

Was on time for church so my Dad was happy :)

Thanking Tessa for all of the work she does on the yards we take care of.  

People, I know you all do all sorts of awesome things everyday!  Remember the good things you do, and you'll find that the mistakes you make won't bring you down as much and they'll happen less frequently.  So, let's all be awesome :)

Tetherball

Today Tess and I took Taffy and Tony's kids to the elementary school park.  They got new equipment (which is obviously WAY lamer than when we were in school!).  We were talking about this as we were walking down the sidewalk and when we got to the end, lo and behold there was a tetherball standard! Redemption for replacing our equipment!  We were pumped!  So, we set poor little Brady down in the grass (don't worry, he didn't cry!) and started to play.  Once upon a time we had a tetherball standard in our yard, and we both remember being pretty professional at it, so naturally we thought we were going to be awesome.  Boy were we wrong! I threw it over to start us out and, because I'm so great at tetherball :), Tess missed it.  So it was coming back at me and I got ready to hit it back to her, and I totally missed!  It came back around again, untouched, and once again, I missed.  By now, we were laughing our heads off!  Still, we thought we would get better, that our professional skills would return.  Needless to say, we went through 3 games of laughing our heads of at our lack of coordination. About halfway through game 2 I said to Tess, "I feel like mom playing basketball!"  So, while this post would be SO much better if there was a video of us playing, just remember watching my mom playing basketball...but worse!  Who knew being bad at something could be so funny?!  

Life

I was walking to move water at a lawn I take care of, and I looked up at the sunset.  It was perfect.  I love summer, I love sunsets, I love perfect days.  There's so much to be grateful for.  Today I have been reminded how precious life is.  Don't wait to be happy.  Treasure every moment.  Strengthen your relationships with people.  Live your life to the fullest.  Appreciate the little things, cause we only get one chance here. 

--Advice from a 20 year old...take it for what it's worth.