VEGAS BABY!

Alright!
So Amanda, Shelby and I had this wild idea that we should go to Vegas for a day. The reason for this is because I had heard that they have a store down there that sells amazing suits for a really cheap price. This was just a thought we had that came up about a month ago. Christmas break rolled around and the though came back into our heads. We decided to get together and actually make things happen! We asked all the parents what they thought and with a little hesitation, they let us! This pretty much all happened the day before we wanted to leave. I woke up tuesday morning at 3 and arrived at Amanda's house at 4. As we got all packed up we went to Shelby's house and waited for her to come out. She is known to be a deep sleeper and slept through her alarms. Amanda and I didnt know what to do so we waited for about 10 mins and then left. As we were driving we felt really bad but there was nothing else we could of done. We started to drive through Orem, Utah and suddenly got a call from Shelby. We decided to pull over in a Target parking lot and waited for her to come meet us there. Within the next 20 mins we all met up and were back on the road again!

Immediately, Shelby and Amanda went right to sleep. It was just the Tunes and I driving with each other for 5 and a half hours! It was a pretty long trip but when the last hour rolled around everyone was wide away and going nuts! We wanted to get out of that car so bad. WE FINALLY GOT THERE! Our first stop was Las Vegas Outlet Mall. When we got there we ran to Paolo Giardini to get me some suits. Everything worked out perfectly and we were able to get out of there within 45 mins. We shopped around there for about an hour. Then TO THE STRIP! This was the best/worst part of the trip. The strip was so much fun! We were able to go to the M&M Factory, Coca-Cola Store, all the hotels, and see some crazy looking people.

We were all dead tired and I especially wasnt feeling to great just because the drive wore me out. We were making the best of it though. While walking the strip we took some funny pictures, walked in weird ways through casinos, and made jokes about all the weird looking people we saw. Even though we were having the time of our lives, we were also experiencing some negative actions. The way Las Vegas works is pretty ridiculous and low. With all the people on the corner handing out hooker cards to the billboards the line the street making people into objects, makes Vegas not the best place to be.
Now it was time to go home. We left around 6 and had heard that it had been snowing in Utah all day long so we were kind of worried about that. Amanda and I agreed that I would drive through all the canyons and she would drive the 2nd half. When my turn was over and it was her turn to drive, we were starting to hit the icy conditions. We said a prayer as we were driving through and I believe this helped us out a lot. Amanda was able to drive on the roads without a problem. She was afraid to pass the big trucks at first but after the first few she passed them with ease.

This was one of the best trips of my life and I will remember it for the rest of my life. We had so much fun dancing to LOUD techno music in my car, walking the strip and shopping of course. I was able to get my suits and then it hit me. I am going to be using those for my mission! I cant wait.
When is road trip number TWO!?!?!

Holidays

Holidays are meant to bring out the joy in people and bring families together. It is a time to reflect on what happened through the year and if you made it a great one. It is a time to be loving and a time to help others out. With having this mindset it is hard to see what holidays do to certain people. It hurts me to see individuals fight over presents in the store because they think their kids are more grateful for the gift, to see the road rage on the freeways, and to see the selfish side of people come about.

With ending this wonderful year that I have been able to experience, I am looking back on what I have done. I graduated from high school! That was one of the most memorable moments of my life. I graduated from Juan Diego with a 3.5 gpa. When freshmen year started I wouldnt i dreamed to do that well. I'm thankful for the hard work that i put in school. I made the best memories with friends and teachers.

I met such an amazing person. She was able to keep me on track and get me involved in something higher than myself. With this happening it made me realize how happy I was becoming. It wasnt a happiness that lasted a couple of days. It was a feeling that I still posses today. With meeting her, I was then introduced to her family and her church family. They give me so much support with everything I do. I have never met such nice and loving people. They barely even knew me, yet they were willing to do what ever it takes to keep me determined and on the right path. I love them so much.

I made awesome memories with friends and people I hold close to me. I was able to go on a cruise with all my school buddies. That was honestly thee best vacation I have ever been on. We were able to spend a little over a week with each other in the Western Caribbean. I was also able to go to concerts that include The Fray and Jon Schmidt and probably more I just cant think of them. I got fired from Ikea and within 13 hours I was able to get a job at a place I absolutely love!!!

I started COLLEGE!!!! I was soooo scared to start college because I was doing it alone. It was something so different and so big to me. The first month was very difficult because I didnt know anyone. I kept pushing forward and was able to meet a couple of cool kids and found out that it wasnt as scary as I though it was.

I feel like I could of done so much more like help people out and go do charitable things. I did not get involved with anything like that. I did do certain little things here and there. As I look back on this last year, Im going to try and find the things that I lack and make them my strengths this next year. It's sad to see this year just pass by and leave but it makes me happy to think about all the new things that are waiting for me this next year. One Im soooooooo excited for!!!! BRING IT ON!!!

The Next 6 Months

If I have everything go the way i want to i will be able to leave for my mission around the Middle of June. I have tons of different feelings toward it. Almost all of them are great feelings but not all. The other feelings i have towards it is that im going to have to risk losing a lot of things. Such as relationships i have with people. This is one of the big things im going to have to deal with but im also going to have such a hard time with it. My dad is a stickler with my decision that ive made with the whole mission/religion. It hard for me to go on and know that i have his support through words but not his support through thought. When missionaries come to the door he shuts the door in their face and tells them they he isnt interested. I told him that if i have his support then why does he pretend to give me his support. He is pretty much shutting the door in my face and telling me that he isnt interested because i will one day here pretty soon be wearing a nice suit and will have a name tag saying Elder Morley.
It's hard to have this happen but i know that by having my make these decisions it will show him how serious i am with this and how happy i am and maybe he have a change of heart.
Everything that im involved in now is being effected with my decision for my mission. From school to friendships to relationships. It is so hard for me but i know that the end result is going to be great and that if i keep strong certain things will be blessed.

In Time of Thanks

I was able to go to my grandma's house for thanksgiving this year and i must say that it was a different experience then all the other years. It is a tradition that we go to my grandma's house for the holidays. It is so much fun because all the relatives get together and we play cards, watch family videos and tell stories. This year i was dissappointed a little bit because things were a lot different. Most of the family came but not all, the people that did come could only stay for a little bit, and all we did was eat dinner. We didnt do our traditional cards or watch movies. It was different but i was still grateful for the people that did make it. It amazing to see all my little cousins growing up so fast! I remember when i was able to hold them in my arms when they were first born. Now I'm giving them piggy back rides and playing hide and seek. Getting ready for my mission is hard because I really have to make every moment count and try to make the best memories behind each day. I wont be able to spend another thanksgiving with everyone for another 2 years or splurge on another black friday for a little while.

Im so thankful for the friends i have right now. Amanda, Shelby, Dallas, Justin, Kyle, Chris, Mike, just to name a few. I recently just made these friends through church and school. They set me on the right path and keep me on that path if im starting to slide off a little. Amanda has been a one of a kind girl. Im so thankful for her, and how she set me on that path i am now and the decisions im making because of her. THANK YOU!

My faith is something that im thankful for to. I know it doesnt come to you just like that. You have to build it and keep it going. But im thankful for how strong it is right now in my life and they great things that have come from it.

Family

No no no these are not my kids. I wish! they are the cutest little guys in the world!
Family should be everyone's top priority. They are always there for you and love you more then anyone ever could. They give you the best advice and know you the best. There are different types of families out there that people are apart of. There is your immediate family and then people also like to call people that they are close to family. Such as church organizations, neighbors or sports teams. If you are able to build a strong enough relationship with someone in order for you to feel comfortable enough to call them family, i know that you will be able to benefit from them in many ways and be able to live with them by your side for a very very very long time.

My family is the greatest family in the world! Everyone can and should say this about their own family. We have our imperfections just like everyone else and we try our best to learn from them and have those imperfections make our family stronger.

Henny Kenny (Dad)

This man has taught me so many things, most of them cant be taught in a classroom. From all the things there is to know about Jeeps and cars, to girls and friends, and life. I find myself having a lot of deep conversations with him about whatever comes about. We have many clashes with certain things but that doesnt come in between the love i have for him. He can get on my nerves sometimes but i just get him right back so i think we can call it even:) I look forward for him to take my kids on long fun SAFE jeep rides and spoiling them rotten with candy that he has found from my moms secret stash. (she thinks we dont know where it is SHHHH)

Ma'

Where to start... She is what keeps me going through the hard times when i dont see a reason to go on anymore. When i see no point of getting out of bed, when i dont want to go to school, when im down and out because of some type of depression, she is right there talking me through the situation telling me how she loves me so much and that i will be able to get through it. I have a relationship with her that is so close its like we read each others minds hahah. If im having a bad day, she knows about it before i even walk in the door. Of course ill deny it and say im having a great dandy day but that NEVER convinces her. I feel comfortable talking to her about anything life brings to me. She has made me a strong person and has made me the Sid i am today. I have done things behind her back but she always forgives me and doesnt love me any less.

Lil' Sis

Alex is such a wonderful woman. I say woman because she is almost as tall as me now and i remember her being a little tyke that i could push around and stack my Hot Wheels around her crib. Now she has grown up and can defend herself a little better haha. We get in our tussles all the time and i do wish that her and i were a little closer because you just never know when you wont be able to. She teaches me so many different values that i live my life on presently. She doesnt think that i love her and sometimes my actions do say that but i dont know what i would do without her being my wonderful little sister. I cant wait until i can go play some back yard football or go have a guys night with her husband. Better not be anytime soon missy!

Stink Mut (Lexi)

Some people go through their pets like its nothing and they arent effected by them at all. With me it's a totally different case. Lexi, my little doggy, is such a wonderful little pet:) I have had her since she was 3 months old and now she is around 12. I always get her age mixed up. She always listens when there isnt anyone to talk to. Weird huh?? its not like she has anything better to do hahah but she knows when im feeling down. She is really old and its going to be hard for me to see her pass on. Another dog wont be able to fill her place.

Destiny

"Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it is your destiny."

Every single one of us has a path that is already set for us. We can chose to follow this path and life will be very enjoyable, fun and some what easy. If we chose to go down another path we are going to work 2, 3, 4 times as hard in order to obtain happiness. You may feel the happiness and excitement for a couple days or during the weekends but it is not true happiness. You find that feeling by living your life to the fullest and avoiding those bad habits.

Watch your thoughts; they become words

If you start to think about how fun your day is going to be and how your going to make the best of it, it will tend to rub off on another person because you will be talking to them in a positive manner giving them healthy attention. If you wake up and think to yourself that there is no point to the day your about to live, your going to take out that anger on the individuals around you. This will make their day harder to enjoy.

Watch your words; they become actions

Actions do speak louder then words in most cases. Not all but most. When words and actions are tied together it can lead to a very strong emotion that can flow either way. If you have nice things to say to other people it can turn another persons day around. I know from my own personal experience that a simple loving action, such as a hug or even a simple recognition that i was there, made my day that much better and in certain times i needed something like that. If you have negative words to say, those words can lead into a major offense such as cussing at someone or doing some type of gesture.

Watch your actions; they become habits

If we live everyday with love towards one another, our loving actions towards one another can become habits that will just happen without any effort put into it. You wont even have to think about doing something nice for another individual because it will become a habit. You would have a reputation behind you that most people would love to have. You will be known as a person to always go to in time of despair or when that person just needs a good friend to talk to.

Watch your habits; they become character

This kind of goes with the one above. If you keep being a great friend and just be honest to everyone you come in touch with, people will have tons and tons of respect for you. Word will get around, and people will come to you that you dont even know having nothing but good to say about you just from word of mouth that other people have said about you. I know lots and lots of people that are lucky enough to have this happen to them. For example my boss, Brad, is such a loving, honest, caring, awesome guy. I could go on and on. He runs his own business and doesnt advertise for it. All of his customers are referrals from past customers he has helped. Everyone that comes in has nothing bad to say about him and new people come in all the time saying, "so and so told me your an awesome honest guy so thats why we picked you over a competitor."

Watch your character; it is your destiny

As you see, all of this leads to the person you chose to be and grow up as. It all starts out with a simple thought that pops into our head. It can be as simple as a thought that happens every once in awhile or be as serious as a thought that happens every single day of your life. Make your thought healthy ones because you can benefit from them in so many positive ways and find out what true happiness has to bring you. Sometimes we work really hard with all of these steps and somewhere along the line, we fall and mess up. At this point we have realized what we have done and as hard as it may seem, we start over again with our thought. I try to live by this quote because it is so strong yet so simple. I think people these days tend to read over a lot of important things and dont take the time to find the true meaning in certain things.

!Miss Amanda!

I could write pages and pages about this wonderful woman. She has been thee biggest blessing in my life. I can honestly say i would be a totally different person if i would have not met her. I "officially" met her in the very beginning of April. She knows what i mean by officially, very funny story behind it:) Anyways, i have been dating her for quit awhile now and have loved every single second of it. She makes me such a stronger person in so many ways. Even when im not with her i tend to base lots of important decisions as if she were there with me, right by my side. I met her at the perfect time in my life. I had the decision to go down one path and with meeting her i chose to follow a more spiritual path. I'm so grateful for this decision i have made because i am such a stronger person because of it and i thank her so much for that. She has taught me to be strong and to not judge people. She is key at this and gives everyone a chance even if they come off as being someone different. At first i didnt even care what someone had to say if i had never met them before. Now im more outgoing and like to meet new people and be myself in front of total strangers. I used to be a super shy person, and with her help that negative characteristic is slowly fading away. Hanging out with her is WOW i cant explain it in words! I love every second of it and jump on ever opportunity i can to hang out with her. She will agree with me:) From our hikes, concerts, movies, dances, and more to come. We are super crazy weird around each other and i never get embarrassed around her because we just make a joke around it and im comfortable doing anything in front of her. We have so much in common and can relate with one another with almost anything. Only really knowing her for 7 months does not justify anything because it feels like ive known her for all of my life. I know i can always depend on her for either that phone call or hug in the hard times when i need it most. I love everything i have with her right now and whatever happens will happen. I love her so much.

Time is too short.

So many things have inspired me to write about how time influences my life and what I do to make the best of it. I think about this almost everyday and think about what I can do to live each day to the fullest and not get so caught up in the worldly things society and the media forces us to live by.

Right now I am preparing myself to leave for a mission. I want to try and leave sometime during the month of June. I would like to call myself a recent covert to the Mormon religion because I was away from it for so long. I started going every Sunday starting last May and have loved it ever since. It really blows my mind that it has already been 6 months since I started going to church on a regular basis and now I'm already preparing myself to get ready for a mission. I absolutely cannot wait to leave and help people out that need me. Time is flying by and I really only have 6 1/2 months left before I leave. I try everyday to make the best of those days. I do this by not letting those downers get to me because it's really not worth it at all. I'm trying to spend as much time with my friends as possible. I have a neighbor name Dylan and he is 12 yrs old and I love that kid to death. I told him that I was going to be leaving on a mission and started to get all sad and said, "SID that's way too long for you to be gone! Who is going to come to my football games and take me to Harmons now?" It made me realize how hard this is going to be for me and what I'm going to have to risk losing when I leave. I know that the Lord will provide and he will take care of me and the things that I love the most will still be here for me when I come back.

Friends have played a big role in Time. I hung out with these group of kids all through my high school life and some even all the way back through elementary. I love these kids to death but in a matter of one short summer every single one of them went into a party stage and it hurt me so bad to see them go down this path. I chose to not hang out with them as much and it has been one of the hardest things I've had to deal with because I love them so much. I pray for them almost everyday and hope they are safe with whatever they do. On the other hand, while going to school at UVU, I have found a couple of guys that I talk to. They are awesome people that I try to follow close behind. In a matter of only knowing them for a couple of months, I feel like I have a relationship that has been building for years.

I recently read an amazing speech given by Thomas S. Monson called, "Finding Joy In the Journey." I advise everyone to read this because it changed my outlook on life and the simplicity of every single day. If you don't have time to read it, the main thing that I got out of it was to not be discouraged on what happened yesterday and do not worry about what could happen tomorrow, live your life today moment by moment and make the best of it. What ever life has to throw at you, whether it be good or bad, take it in, think about it and learn from it. If you have bad ties with someone, go and talk to them and make your relationship with them stronger. Don't take for granted that you will be able to do it on another day because freak accidents can happen and you won't ever to be able to see them again until you see them in heaven. It's not worth it to hate or dislike somebody because it takes so much to not like them. It takes half as much effort to have a good relationship with someone.

Hope you all enjoyed this. English class is over and IM OUT!!!!

Fall down 7 Times, Stand up 8

This has been a saying I have lived with for as long as i can remember. It was my senior quote in Senior yearbook and I have tried to live it to the best of my abilities.

I saw this quote in a commercial for some NBA ad a long time ago and back then it did not really mean anything to me. Years after I saw it, it came back up again but in one of my religion classes during high school. Right there it hit me hard. If you really think about this saying it has such a deep meaning with only a couple of words jumping out at you.

What this saying means to me is that when your down and feel like you can't go on anymore, stand up twice as strong by learning from either the mistakes you've made or just a down experience. Make the best of everyday you live. Don't fret on things from the past, learn from those experiences and make yourself stronger from them.

If you're living your life down and out your going to miss out on a lot that this world has to offer for you. Don't get caught up in your emotions. Live your life for yourself but don't ignore advice another person has to offer you.

Fall down 7 times, stand up 8.