"Trashbagging" Old Main

This is my first ever video blog... Had so much fun playing around! I just love spur of the moment random dangerous things!

I am Never Alone, It's been a Year

Yesterday it was less then a year.  Tomorrow it will be more than a year.

But today it has been ONE year.

Every time I have looked at the time today all I can do is remember exactly where I was this day last year.  I have relived every moment of 11/18/2011 in my mind today.  

I realize some of you who may be reading this might not know the significance of this date in my life. A year ago today my best friend, my comforter, my protector, my daddy passed away. 

Words cannot describe the despair I have felt, the moments of weakness I have suffered, the nights I have cried myself to sleep.  Through it all the one thing that has kept me going is the knowledge that my family is forever.  That my daddy is here with me still my best friend, still my comforter, still my protector, still my daddy.  

Despite this knowledge this year has been a tough one.  I think about all the moments in my life that I wish my daddy could be there for; my wedding, when I have kids, graduate from college, get my first house... Then I think of how many things have happened in my life in just the last year that I wish he could have been there for; moving to college, turning 18, speaking at high school graduation... Then when I am thinking about speaking at graduation I think of how I did that for him.  How he told me one of his biggest dreams was to see one of his kids speak at graduation.  Which leads me to think about all the amazing blessings that have come from this trial.  I have learned so much about myself.  I have developed an unshakable testimony of eternal families, the power of the priesthood and faith.  I have learned how to relate to people who have gone through this like I have.  I have discovered what I want to be when I grow up.  

To this day, when I spend nights at home I still think my dad just hasn't come home from work yet.  That he will pull up in the driveway.   Sometimes all I want is my daddy to hold me in his arms and hug me.  Honestly, words cant and never will describe how I feel about the loss of my dad-and there's only one person who will understand.  

My dad sent me this song in an e-mail once, I now find it one of the most comforting things he left for me.  

I miss my dad more than words can describe.  But I really do know that I am Never Alone, he is always nearby.

#electiondayisover

My feelings on the outcome of today's Presidential Election are the same as released by the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

We congratulate President Obama on winning a second term as President of the United States.

After a long campaign, this is now a time for Americans to come together. It is a long tradition among Latter-day Saints to pray for our national leaders in our personal prayers and in our congregations. We invite Americans everywhere, whatever their political persuasion, to pray for the President, for his administration and the new Congress as they lead us through difficult and turbulent times. May our national leaders reflect the best in wisdom and judgment as they fulfill the great trust afforded to them by the American people.

We also commend Governor Romney for engaging at the highest level of our democratic process which, by its nature, demands so much of those who offer themselves for public service. We wish him and his family every success in their future endeavors.

via: mormonnewsroom.org

God Bless America

Count your Blessings

November is a great month to be thankful for all you have in your life.  On thing I am grateful for is the fact that I have always had a roof over my head, unfortunately  some people don't have that luxury.   I am currently serving as the Fundraising Chair for Utah Sate University's campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity.  Currently we are in a big push of fundraising money to go on a build to help people who might need a little help getting a roof over their heads. Tomorrow November 6th we are having a donation night at Logan's Texas Roadhouse.  If you print off the flyer and give it to your waiter/waitress 10% of your bill will go directly to Habitat for Humanity on campus.  I would be really grateful if you would all attend if you can.

Frau Miskin would be proud!

Well work.  The word its self intones so many things.  Today I had an interesting day at work.  First off I answered lots of weird calls, and called some weird people too.  One call that I sent out came back as the number to the "Mental Health Hotline" which then gave me options to further my treatment.  It is also surprising to me more and more the strange things people name their children.  Its like, do you want your child to be beat up for the rest of their life? But honestly.. The kicker of today was I took a German call.  The boy who sits next to me has gotten lots of Spanish calls which is great since he speaks Spanish   During training I mentioned passingly that I spoke some German, my trainer responded that I would probably never use it. Well today I did.  This kind old man answered my call with Guttentag and then asked Sprechen Sie Deutsche? To which I happily responded ya. I then commenced, with my little remaining German knowledge, to convince him to pay off the entirety of his loan! You should have seen the look on my co-workers faces! Mouths dropped, and people stared.  And then when they found out I made the collection? Shock was the expression on everyone's faces! Haha made my day! The man was really so nice to me... even though it took me about 4 tries to say anything.

Well that's work for ya!

Gutten nacht!

Tomorrow, Everything Changes.

Tomorrow.
I start my new job.
I am so excited and so blessed to have this opportunity.
It is hard to find a job in Logan.
This is my first FULL TIME job.
I am nervous.
I am super excited.
Its going to be a long day.

18 credits
and a full time job
plus 2 council positions in the service center
Am I crazy?

So I met this boy....

The week before I started my Freshman year of college up here at USU I went to Aggie Blue Leadership Training.  There I met this great boy named Christian Hobbs. We shortly became good friends.  We went to the USU vs UNLV football game and sat together.  Christian had told me he was from Preston Idaho so I asked him if he ever went to Franklin Idaho.  He seemed surprised and told me he was from Franklin (which is a small town of 643 people). I told him I had been to a family reunion there once because my family was the family that originally settled Franklin. He seemed even more shocked and exclaimed that his family had founded Franklin as well.  After a few calls at the beginning of the next week with my lovely grandmother I discovered that Samuel Rose Parkinson is my great some-what-odd grandfather who was asked by Brigham Young to settle Franklin.  I sent a text to Christian asking if the name Parkinson rang a bell. He called me and asked me if I was joking, when I replied no he told me he was a Parkinson too!
Crazy right?
So as far as we can tell Samuel Rose is about where the families split.
So about 5 generations back
with 3 name changes
and an adoption thrown in there
we are related.

Its a small small world (:

yup, this pretty much defines our relationship