A Fishy Surprise

Lyz surprised me with a trip to the aquarium for my birthday yesterday.  It was a lot of fun! We saw lots of fun animals including otters and penguins!!

Ghost Fish!

He looks like a pokemon :]

"Geico: A 15 minute call could save you 15% or more on car insurance."

I named him Leopold.  We're pretty much best buds now.

I'm a pi-ran-ha!
We decided that piranhas are like those awkward kids that sit in class and can't breath through their noses so they sit there with their mouths open the whole time and stare at you with huge freaky eyes.

Leap frog?

Penguins!!!

Canoeing?

Nemo!!!!

That blowfish, blow!!!

Lyz

Me :]

Rachel!!

After the aquarium, we went to Bombay House.  It was DELICIOUS.  Then we ate ice cream cake and watched Mean Girls.

Of Birthdays and Thanksgiving

Day 21: I am thankful for being born and for great friends who are glad I was born and for surprise trips to the aquarium and Bombay House. Pics to follow later ...

Day 22: I am thankful for all that I have and the many blessings which I have received from the Lord.  We received a challenge on Monday night during FHE to list our blessings ... so here goes ...

1. A family that I can talk to whenever I want
2. The opportunity to gain an education in an LDS environment
3. The gospel
4. Roommates who aren't crazies
5. A job where my hard work is appreciated and noticed
6. Being an RA so I don't have to pay over $300 in rent
7. Having two jobs
8. Being able to play piano
9. Great counselors and a wonderful secretary- seriously, they make my job so much easier
10. An awesome bishopric
11. Home teachers and visiting teachers who actually fulfill their calling
12. My many friends from work who make it fun 
13. My friend, Lyz, who drives me all over the place and plans great birthday celebrations.
14. The prophet and the apostles
15. The atonement
16. A mommy who loves me enough to send me an electric blanket
17. An apartment that's standing
18. Sunshine and warm weather
19. The ability to read and write
20. Followers on my blog!! (That's you)
21. Health
22. On-site laundry without quarters
23. Eyes, ears, mouth, and nose that function properly
24. Freedom ...
25. ... and those who fight daily so I can keep it
26. Christmas music
27. Technological innovations that allow me to do the things I like whenever I want
28. Christ and the love he has for me
29. Great coworkers
30. Prayers and the answers I receive to them

And so many more ... but I'm sure you don't want to read the whole list because it's really, really, really, REALLY long.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.  May you eat lots of turkey and not feel like a whale when it's over.

Day 20

Today

I am thankful

for mangoes and rice pudding.

Yum.

Day 19

Today, I am extremely and overwhelmingly thankful for the kind soul who turned my scriptures in to the Lost and Found and the wonderful students who work in the Lost and Found and were able to help me locate my scriptures when I went looking for them.

I have had these scriptures since I was 8 years old.  They have accumulated a lot of handouts, gone to girl's camp and youth conference, been marked with all kinds of fun colors, and were recently lost for two months until today.  I had given up hope of finding them after the Lost and Found center turned me away last time, and since I needed scriptures for class, I went and bought a small quad from the bookstore.  I was overwhelmed with the task of remarking all of my favorite scriptures and hopelessly lost as for how to regain all the quotes and insights that had been glued in.

So glad to see my old friends again :]

Look how fat they are- so much stuff!!!

Whoever found them, I'm glad you did and I'm glad you turned them in.  Best. Day. Ever. :D

A Week of Thanks

Day 13: I am thankful for all the resources that my church spends on the youth and young single adults.

Day 14: I am thankful for my wonderful friend who refuses to let me walk home in the dark :] (Thanks, Lyz!)

Day 15: I am thankful that the semester is (almost) over and I won't have to suffer through Accounting for too much longer.

Day 16: I am thankful for amazing coworkers and awesome supervisors and fantastic employees.

Day 17: I am thankful for my talents and others who are willing to share their talents (like Lloyd K. Newell impressions)

Day 18: I am thankful for Lady Luck and when fortune shines on my family so that they can come see me in Utah after finals and take me home with them for Christmas. :D

And here's a little story to help get your Christmas spirit on:

THE WINDOW

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvemen

t in the military service, where they had been on vacation.

Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the thing he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

"The window over looked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats.
Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance."

As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the pictures quiescence.

One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn't hear the band - he could see it. In his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

Days and weeks passed.

One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. Nurse was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall.

The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.

She said,"Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."

MORAL TEACHING:
There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.

"Today is a gift, that's why it is called, "The Present".

Day 12 and A Sad Note

Today, I am thankful that families can be together forever.  I have lost many members of my family to that awful creature death, and this past weekend I learned of a dear brother in my home ward who had passed on.  We will miss you, Brother Stephens.

Now for the sad note.  THIS makes me sad.  Two words.  1 Timothy 2:1-3

What makes me even more mortified and sad: My state is one them.

A state supposedly filled with Christians and accepting people.  Don't we learn from history, people?  Remember how this went last time?  Allow me to refresh your memory: bloodiest war in American history.  I don't agree with all the political views of President Obama, but I will sure as heck still support my president because he's part of my country, the one that I love.  I will continue to pray for him and hope that he can make the hard decisions and choose the right ones to lead my country,  our country.

8-11

Day 8: I'm thankful for the sisters in my ward and members all over the world who work so hard to fulfill their callings.  Sometimes it's tough and feels like no one appreciates what you do or even notices the sacrifices you're making to help them in one way or another.  So to all you faithful members, especially my gals, thank you.

Day 9: I am thankful for sunshine and warm weather because today it snowed ALL DAY.  If you know me, then you know that my feelings about snow are no big secret.

A few snowy pictures for your viewing pleasure:

(FYI these were all taken on Saturday, so the snow had already melted a little but as you can see, there is still a lot of it)

This was in the walk way at the complex ... The snow was so heavy  that a tree branch fell.

Again, you see the problem here ... 

Outside my apartment

Tree on the way to the Tanner Building

Tree on campus

When I finish school and no longer have to live in Utah, totally moving back down south where it doesn't snow.

Day 10: I'm thankful for friends and hot chocolate.  Rachel and I went to the football game together and we got to sit on the front row!!  It was a good last home game and we will be going to the Poinsettia Bowl next month.

This is what the field looks like from the front row.  In case you were wondering.

Also, we made it on the Jumbo-tron.  Word.

Day 11: I am thankful for naps and modern medicine.  I had a huge headache all day at church today so when I came home after my meetings, I took some ibuprofen and ate some leftover Pho from Thai Mango and took a two hour nap.  It was wondrous.  I also discovered the magic of cinnamon in hot chocolate today ... delicioso.

The Life of Leigha
A few things that have happened since last blog post ... (besides the things I already mentioned)

-Attended the second half of the BYU Women's Basketball game, which totally rocked, with Erika from work.  Our team is super good, and not a lot of people go to the games which is sad.  There were probably about 50 people there total.  More came as the game went on, but it was still sad.  I'm going to try and support our women's team and go to as many of their games as I can this year.
- Went to Divine Comedy with Lyz and watched Brittni perform!!  She did a great job, as did the whole cast!  They performed "Mulauren" which played off of the BYU-Utah rivalry and even had a cameo from one of the past members.
- Tried Pho for the first time at Thai Mango with Lyz.  Jorel would be proud of me :]
- Worked a tailgate on Saturday with hot chocolate and cookies, and watched Remember the Titans.  Such a great movie.  Always worth the time.
- Rode Abby's scooter with her in the freezing cold.  Which made it even more freezing.