long time no write

...you'd think that since I love to write i'd be on here alot more. Well sadly that is not the case. I love writing by hand, not so much on computer, but i guess as a teenager i'd better get up with the technology.
Well my mom, my sister and I cleaned out craft room yesterday and now, its not so hard to make cards. its quite fun. I also, had the grand privledge to clean my pigs pen of a room, adn now i can write stories and mini-autobiographies of my life. Its quite nice to have a clean area, but i have no idea how long that will last.
Christmas has come and gone, accompined by newyears and i get to go back to school on monday. Yahooie... not. I really like sleeping in till ten in the morning and not haveing to wake up at 6 a.m to make it to early morning seminary at 7:30 a.m. I am not saying that i don't enjoy seminary, i do and early morning is way different than taking it 3rd period or somthing, because people who are there in the morning WANT to be there- the spirit is really strong. its really amazing what the gospel has to offer in your life.
Back to christmas.. Santa brought us a Wii (thanks mom and dad) and Santa's helper (aka: Grandma Jones) brought us a parakeet. As the week progressed- I really never got to play on the Wii thanks to my little brother and sister who hog the whole "video games heaven" to them selfs and we ended up with 2 more parakeets. The funny part about it is that my mom is not as animal person. She's never held a kitten or puppy in her life, she's terrified of animals. When she was a teenager my grandma told her that she's marry a boy who loves animals and she will have tons. As you can imagine she simply rolled her eye at that- just as us girl teen's do best. Now, look at her.. she's in the center of almost a zoo. We don't live on a farm (we use to though) but my brother has 4 lizards, we have 3 birds, my dad has around 2 fish, and we have a dog. Behind the 2 extra parakeets - its really an interesting yet simple tale. My little sister, Holly, has a friend that loves animals and she has a bigger zoo stationed at her house than at ours, but her animals are free to run wild except for the ones that need to be in cages, so her cats attacked her 2 parakeets so she donated her birds to us and she gave us her huge cage to keep them in. Now the once shy blue bird, joins in a cute, but utterly annoying, melody with a bright green and purple parakeet.

My thoughts

As I look forward to my trip to Martin Cove in a few weeks, I decieded to actually research what happened there. I looked up things with dry eyes and finished with tissues covered with mascara and eyeliner. Really. I can't even imagine going through that. None of the people that were involved in that spiritual and historic event, wanted to to turn around as so many of us would in our day of age. No, they pressed forward and wanted to get to Zion that they had heard so much about. And when the rescue parties came to help them get to the valley, i can only imagine the graditude they felt. I think of Lehi and his exodus from Jeruselam and think of the similarities. They didn't have blistering cold snows and storms to hold them back, they had the oldest brothers complaining and talking hard about others in there party. There rescue was getting the Lihona and keeping it pointing the way to go by being rightoues. Then I though what is our exodus today. We are not packing up and leaving for what we believe in and becuase of the wicked people we live by. No. Our exodus is simlpy not participating in evil things of the world. As many prophets have echoed "being in the world but not of it." That is our exodus. What is pulling us back is the temptations that surround us. We have been told that everything invented was for bring to pass the church and gods rightoues purposes. How satan has twisted the gifts of music, internet, press, radio, and televison. If you think about it, when each invention was first used, there was no pornagraphy or bad language on any of them. Music was simply used to spread the spirit. Interenet was used to get information about important subject and events fast and to communicate with one another faster than by post mail. The press was used to publish the Bible and Book of Mormen. Radio and Telivison was to get news and general confrence out to the world. Now that these inventions have been used for a long time they have become corupted by satans power and just look at the people who use it in that way. There minds are corrupt and there actions are so too. They become lazy and become as satan would want us. they give up things up for pleasure right now. Our rescueres is what our fathers and what the other people of the pervious exoduses have left for us. Scriptures and testimonies to testify that we can get over our trials becuase they got through theres. Its also our loving Heavenly Father who will not and does not want to leave us alone, but just like the pioneers had to let the rescue team help them and just as Lehi and his family had to do what is right in order for the liahona to work, we have to ask. As did they of old. I love my church and i love my father in heaven!

About me!

I love writing in journals and the first thing i do when i start a new one is i introduce myself. So, I decieded i am going to do that here. My name is Stephanie Palmer. I will be a Junior in High School this coming August. At high school i am involved in a lot of things. This year i am currently doing Cross- Country, Track, Chior, Orchestra, and I was voted onto the student counsel as a Senator. I will hopefully do the fall musical, which this year is Bye Bye Birdie, but that falls at the same time as cross- country so, well see how it all ends up. I love to scrapbook and make cards, thats something i do that helps me relax. I work at the Dollar Tree, here in Rexburg, and its an okay job. Better than my last one at Watts. oh how i hated that place.
Um.. I am mormon and have to say i love everything aobut it. i feel so good when i attended the meeting and when i read the scriptures. Its just a huge part of who i am. My family has been a member of this church ever since the beginning. Newell Knight is one of my ancestors, you know the one in the Doctrine and Covenants, and thats where it started. My dads side baptized my mom's side into the church and they came over to utah and well things fell into place and here i am. So its a big part of me. My 2 favorite people in the scriptures are Nephi and Ester. Nephi is where i am reading in the Book of Mormon right now (going on to my 3rd time of finishing that book) and through deep pondering and searching and praying, I have come to really love nad respect that ancient prophet. He's just an amazing man, who is not afraid to stand up for his beliefs as he has to do many times to his older brothers. Theres is just something that is eluminates from his writings about Nephi. If you really read, study, ponder and pray about his writings you can find so much he has to teach you other than the simple obideance lesson that everyone knows. I found tons more in his books. Like the importance of family history, some journal writing tips and how great an example a younger person can be. Esters important to me because I can look up to her. Even though she is dead, her integrity brings her to life. Shes not afraid to stand up for her people! I love the scriptures! Its impossible to think of life with out them.
well that it for now. Tah-Tah!

Stephanie Ann