Sigh No More

I have an obsession with Mumford and Sons. No need to worry though, it's a healthy obsession. I have to give credit to my dear friend Matt Maddix for introducing them to me. Lately I've been hearing their songs in places I never would have guessed. I watched Brave last night with my family and I was so suprised when the closing song for the credits came on and it was their song, Not With Haste. My family gave me some weird looks when I suddenly looked up from having my nose buried in my phone and yelled, "Mumford!" I also learned where some of the lyrics for their song Sigh No More came from. We had to watch a Shakespeare movie for my English class. Confession. I really don't like Shakespeare. Probably because I can't understand half of it. We have to watch the movie Much Ado About Nothing. So as I was sitting in the basement with a group of people I usually don't spend my Friday's with, I got a pleasant suprise. One of the characters starts to say, "Serve God, love me..." and I totally finished the line for him. Quite a few heads turned toward me and I said, "It's Mumford! Mumford quotes Shakespeare!"

My best friend Kelsie has this thing for quotes. She is constantly sending them to me and I love it. Because of her, my new favorite page on Pinterest is the quote page. I saw one yesterday that said, "Don't give second chances. People don't change." Well that's about the biggest lie I have ever heard. People are changing constantly. I would say daily. I'm also a firm believer in giving second changes. Not just second chances, but many more. I sometimes feel like my life happens in second chances. Let me explain this. I've danced my whole life. Literally my whole life. My aunt owns a dance studio, so from the second I could walk I was standing at the ballet barre doing plies. When I tore my ACL in September they told me it would be at least 6 months before I was dancing again. It's those moments when something you love is taken away from you when you realize how much they actually mean. I know my dedication and the work I put in to dance will be so much more because now I know what it's like to live without it. Same thing tends to happen with people in my life. This is how people changing and giving second chances work together. Sometimes you give people a second chance because they have changed. Sometimes it's the other way around and people give you a second chance.  Sometimes as much as you would like it to be, these "second chances" don't mean going right back to where things were. But they do mean improvement, and that will have to do.

“It’s not the long walk home that will change this heart,
But the welcome I receive at the restart”  
-Mumford and Sons 

Christmas Miracle

I guess it's time I start a blog. Due to my constant reading of all my friend's blogs, I thought...what the heck. I might as well. It's not like me to do something just because it is popular. But lately I've become the average 17 year old. For instance, I was completely against twitter. Like completely. Then a few weeks ago I was waisting time on my computer like I always do, and I sort of made my way to twitter. Next thing I knew I had an account and posted my first tweet. Same thing with snap chat. I thought I was so unique because I wasn't caught up in all the jumble of the online world. But hey, I'm a teenager. I guess I just hate feeling left out.

Today was the first Christmas without Spencer being home. You should have seen my family when he called. The Vernon's are known for being quite emotional. Well as soon as Elder Vernon said hello, my mother was bawling. Then he started crying, and I started crying, and even Emma. My dad is sitting there laughing at us. We get it from my mom. It's been six months since he left for Poland. I've gone six months without seeing my best friend. I would be lying if I didn't say that it sucks. But I'm so glad he is out sharing the gospel. There is nothing more I love than the truth of the gospel and the comfort it gives.

Tonight my family watched a sappy Mormon movie. My dad is always buying them, so I thought it would be just one more to add to the collection. As sappy as this movie was, the meaning behind the whole thing really hit me. The movie revolves around the life of a teenage girl who is struggling with friends, family, and school. Part way through the movie my sister Emma said, "Hey Heather, this movie is just like your life. Dad, did you give this movie to her on purpose?" I'm kind of the joke of the family when it comes to school. My brother is pretty much brilliant, so when I do average in school, it comes as a shock to my parents. Suprise! Maybe I'm your average child. But back to the movie. It was all about only finding happiness through making others happy. Life's not about you. It's about the service and love you show other people. One line from the movie was: We are angels stuck in the bones of humans. It also talked about doing one thing a day that proves you are here for a reason. Who knew a movie made in Salt Lake City by a small mormon company could have such an impact on me? I guess you could call it a Christmas miracle.