make someone's day.

I hate February more than any other month. reasons being:

1. we live in The Arctic  Provo, Utah.
2. it's still snowing. like could it please just stop after January. I'm sick of all this.
3. it's in the middle of Term 3, which has always been my worst term. this one being especially horrible because I got all my nice electives last semester. now all my classes are either extremely boring, pointless, or extremely challenging. 
4. I swear some idiot teacher decided to make February "give all your students extra homework that is impossible and make them start crying" month.
5. my least favorite holiday, Valentine's Day. the last 2 ones, when I was in Junior High, pretty much sucked. but in high school, it's different. so many "couples" everywhere. I have never seen so many students kissing in my life. and I never noticed that at my school until February. and no I don't have a boyfriend so quit asking.

it seems that every February, it's these same 5 things that bug me the most. some more than others. it really depends on the year, or how old I am. this year, 3 and 4 have been the worst. I know, I'm a freshman. please do not say "oh, it's nothing" or "just wait until next year" or "quit being a baby." 

you were all freshmen at one time or another. so shut up.

number 5 actually wasn't too bad. I stopped liking the person I'd liked forever a few weeks prior to the 14th, so I wasn't involved in tons of drama. I just like to flirt with everyone and be really good friends with them. even though I prefer some to others. it was actually a good day. the cheerleaders sold carnations and you could choose the color, write a message, leaving your name is not required, they don't even see it, and they delivered them in class. 

i got these 2 wonderful flowers, and neither person left a name. gosh, I hate mysteries! but then again I'm too scared to leave mine, too. yellow means friendship and purple means crush. anyways, on my purple one, I got a cute little poem that went like this: 

"Roses are red, violets are blue, you dress really cute, and I think you coooo."

 on my yellow one, it said, "Miriam! Never lose that smile! It brightens others' days!" 

so both of these were so sweet. I like being coooo. and the yellow one made me so happy. I've gotten a few compliments on my smile before, and some people have said that they love how I'm always happy. Interesting because I don't think of myself as one of those girls who is happy all the time. but I try. 

I did get a flower for one of my really good friends and yes I did leave my name because it wasn't supposed to be a big deal. his reaction was priceless. he told me that I was really sweet, and that I made his day.

I made someone's day. big accomplishment there.

so because I'm not the most pleasant person to be around in February (or anytime, just ask my parents), I have decided to smile more because some mystery guy (that might not be a mystery because I have a pretty good idea of who it is) said my smile brightens others days. I will try to be a more positive, upbeat person and not complain as much. and when someone says "you made my day!" it really does make my day. and I guess it makes me a happier person. so, I invite all of you non-existent blog readers (who even reads this anymore?) to just go and make someone's day. try to make it a daily goal. it doesn't have to be huge: small compliments, saying hi, or even just a simple smile can go a long way. and though it may seem like it isn't a big deal, it really does mean something to people, even if they don't express it. and the best thing is that it will make you a happier person. I've learned this in the past week, since I've made it a personal goal. 

so just go ahead.

make someone's day.

on a somewhat related note, this made my day. my friends Brooke and Madi spent all afternoon watching this video over and over again, and we watched other videos from this YouTube channel as well.

Parker Allred

last Friday in seminary, my teacher announced that Parker Allred, a sophmore football player, just got life-flighted to Primary Children's the night before. It started out with the flu, turned into pneumonia, and got worse really quickly. He told us to remember him in our prayers, and then we moved on with the lesson. but for the whole day, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I knew who he was, have heard lots of good things about him, knew what he looked like, and that he was my best friend's cousin. But I didn't really know him. yet I felt like praying for him was the most important thing in the world. as the day went on, I got several texts reminding me to pray, and I found the link to a blog his sister was keeping for him, http://sweetblueeyedboy.blogspot.com/ So as I read about Parker, I would like to say that I had the faith that he would be okay, he would improve and get better and come back to Timpview. but all I felt was confusion and worry. From what I read, some people were hopeful, but in reality, his chance of making it through the night was small. He needed a miracle. I prayed lots, but I didn't feel any better about it.

The next day, Saturday, I woke up and checked my Instagram. the first picture was of Parker, saying some beautiful message and ending it with R.I.P. I felt a bit guilty crying over someone I barely knew, but that didn't stop the tears from coming. Parker was gone. I couldn't process the whole thing. but after seeing one of my friend's facebook posts, saying "Guys, Parker made it. He made it back to Heavenly Father", I finally felt a little better. How lucky we are to know that we can be together after we die. it isn't the end. Because our Savior died for us, we can all be together up in Heaven. He gave us the greatest gift possible, to be able to return to Him and Heavenly Father. I guess that it was just Parker's time to go back home, and that his time on Earth was well spent. It is at God's will, not ours. If a miracle was necessary, it would've happened. but Parker is now in a better place, and it feels so good to know that it's the right place for him. Everything happens for a reason.

"Today's trials are tomorrow's testimonies."
-Thomas S. Monson

On Monday, I had no idea what school would be like. It broke my heart to see students crying. But it made me feel so happy to walk into a school full of students in their Sunday best, signs everywhere, and blue ribbons honoring Parker. His football gear is in a display case in the commons where everyone can see it. everytime I walk past our memorial to him, it reminds me to work hard, like Parker did. To smile, like Parker did. to be kind, like Parker was. I feel at peace, knowing that Parker will always be in our hearts forever, and that we will be able to see him again.

This is Parker's KSL news article. Please watch the video, and try not to cry!