To honor my own testimony

After some unfortunate late night web browsing last week, I started formulating a text message in my mind for a friend. It went a little like this, "I've read too many 'I'm no longer a Mormon' blog posts so send me your favorite uplifting Mormon bloggers!" But I quickly caught myself and reminded myself of a goal I've tried to meet ever since my screen time obsession began (as soon as I got my iPhone, ahem): less consumption, more production! In that moment, what I really needed was to remember my own testimony, not to read someone else's. Thought this would be a good time as any to record my testimony...

I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ brings hope and light into the world. I know that He teaches truth. I know that abiding by His commandments helps me come to know Christ better and better. I know that only through Him can I return to live in His presence. My one true desire is to be with Him and my family forever, after we all leave this life. I know there is so much more than this life. I know that our time on earth is just a blink in eternity.

I know the full Gospel of Jesus Christ was lost after the death and resurrection of Christ. But I also know that it was restored through the power of God working in Joseph Smith. I know that His power, the priesthood, was returned to earth at this time. I am so grateful for that knowledge! I am so grateful we have His power and love at our fingertips.

I know that God is aware of and loves freely and fiercely each of us! I know that the distance from us to God is only the distance between our knees and the floor. I know that His truth and love is found in the scriptures and the words of our latter-day prophets.

Each sentence above starts with "I know" because that is simply the truth. I do not think or believe these things. I know them because I have tested them out for myself. Because I have asked my Heavenly Father and received an answer. My testimony is always molding, changing, renewing. At times I have a question that I do not understand or know the answer to. I take it to God and at times if I do not receive an answer, I wait and believe still in the knowledge that I already have, and always, in the fact that He loves me fiercely and deeply.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9

Image via The Good Vibe.

Finding my village

Some very important parts of my village! 

Since having children, and maybe even before, I have ached for the village. The one I never had. But since realizing what exactly it was that I was aching for, I have tried to find it around me. (And group texts with my sisters across the country sure helps too! ;)

I see a glimpse of my village when I help a friend buckle her kids in their seats.
I see a glimpse of my village when I say yes when a friend asks if I need help.

I see it when a friend gently corrects my child.
I see it when a friend comfortably nurses in my home.

My sis Mandi and I nursing with our cousin/friend Megan at church :)

I feel it when friends stay long in our home.
I feel it when friends welcome my children into their home.

We have finally been in a place long enough that I feel like I have a village of friends that I know and trust. Making friends is not easy for me but I am learning to take courage and reach out! And I so appreciate the women who have reached out to me! We are all better mothers and friends when we do!

Do you have a village? What makes you feel at home with people?

Gratitude

The last two years I have done a weekly post of things I am grateful for during November. That did not happen this year. I blame it on the toddler. So despite that and my lack of daily FB posts of gratitude, I am a grateful person.

I'm thankful for the perfect two little hands and two little feet we saw on the ultrasound last week. So comforting to know he is growing healthily and well.

I'm thankful for the little toddler lips that kiss me on the lips for longer periods of time everyday. He cracks up afterward each time, like he knows this is getting awkward. Love him.

I'm thankful for the strong hands that work for us everyday. So, so grateful I can stay at home to goof off, I mean be with Bridger ;)

I'm thankful for this weird old house. It's ugly but works for us. I think of Feist's song Mushaboom a lot. It's following our life creepily well. I blogged about it a couple years ago. We were dreaming about babies and living in a second-floor apartment back then. Now we are making a home from a rented house and dreaming about owning acres on a little dirt road. Let's hope it keeps following our lives!

I'm grateful for the word of God. Since I got my iPhone, I've been reading my scriptures using the Gospel Library app. But I've gone back to the real deal the last few weeks and I love it. I love seeing all the highlighting and notes I've taken since I was 8. There is just something special about turning a page and touching each word.

I'm grateful for breakfast. The last few months I've been making real breakfasts more and more often. I don't know why I was so lazy before. Cereal and milk for me. Dry cereal and a banana for Bridger. I'm a stay at home mom for goodness sake! I have the time to make breakfast. It started with these blueberry biscuits. I'm sad berries aren't in season anymore. Now it's often grits and eggs. Homemade biscuits and jam. (I hyperventilated when my mom's peach jam ran out this week!) Pancakes or waffles. Or even sausage or bacon with eggs and grits or biscuits. Makes me think of my dad. He always made breakfast for us everyday before school/seminary. Too many times I slept in and didn't show him any appreciation. But Dad, I noticed and I am carrying on the tradition!

***

A meltdown

Yesterday was probably my worst as a mommy.

The A/C was out.
And thus everything that went wrong was multiplied by 5 or 10.
Bridger was hot and craaaaanky.
Throwing his body all over and screaming cranky.
Screaming when I walked out of sight.
Throwing his favorite foods across the room.

I was sitting at the computer trying to find a slow cooker recipe for dinner.
Because I was for sure not going to use the stove or oven.
We had none of the ingredients.
Bridger is screaming his head off.
I am literally and figuratively melting down.

I threw Bridger into his car seat (and buckled him in) and found myself on the road up the canyon.
I needed solitude. Tall trees. Towering mountains.


And the icy air conditioning that my little Ford reliably gives.

I wound through a little side canyon.
Dreamed of a little homestead tucked against the mountains.
Breathed in and out.
Made eye contact with a deer.
Smelled the clean air.
Listened to my favorite music. Something I haven't done in ages.
Bridger slept peacefully in the back.


With my head clear, I made my way out of the canyon.


Only to be pulled over and given a ticket for speeding.
Now we're back to square one.
All the peace I had just earned was cancelled out with that little piece of carbon paper.

Lessons learned: don't go for a drive when you're upset. Just go to the mall. Or the pool.

In good news, the air conditioning was fixed this morning!!
And the only explanation I have for Bridger being crazy yesterday is, teething? 

Twenty-three

A few weeks ago I turned 23. The day before that, I heard Taylor Swift's song 22. And I laughed because that is not at all how 22 was for me. This is just my opinion, but maybe that song should be called "16". But I suppose there are far more single and wild 22 year-olds than there are married and tame, such as myself.

This tree in our yard bloomed just for me on my birthday :)

Anyway, here is a jumble of thoughts about how I feel about where I am in life and things I have learned.

I love that I have come to appreciate the outdoors so much. I find so much joy when I am in the mountains, among the tall trees.

I have come to appreciate simple clothing style. Some of this has come from breastfeeding and being a mom. But putting on jeans, a zip-up base layer and moccasins is just the best. And it just makes the occasional excuse to dress up all pretty even more fun.

I love being a mom. Bridger is a true source of joy. I'm not perfect at parenting but I put my heart and soul into it.

Getting married to Nate is bottom-line the best decision I have ever made. I am expanded and strengthened because of him. Pulling in close to him every night to talk about our little family, our dreams and ideas is my favorite.

Less is more. Having fewer possessions has been so freeing for me. I try to only bring things into my own that are meaningful, useful or beautiful.

Bring a raincoat. Being prepared with the right equipment in every situation makes it all run smoother.

Thinking back to when I planned to travel the world and be a business woman and not get married until I was at least 25...sometimes I have a little wanderlust and wish I could just skip over to Switzerland for a week. But the thing is, the things that bring me joy, bring me more joy when I share them with my family.  I'm glad I married young. Becoming the woman I want to be has been facilitated by my sweet husband. He constantly encourages me to experience more and learn new things.

I am so happy with the life I have. I am truly blessed. Here's to an awesome year! Bring it on 23!

Slowing down

The last couple of days we have been in the process of moving. This has left me without a computer or reading material for much of the time. When I am not unpacking, I am tending to Bridger. Much of our time is quiet, especially while we nurse. Usually I fill up this time with blogs or Pinterest and most often with a book. But the past few days, I have simply sat and admired my sweet baby. I've also had lots of time for thinking. Thinking about blog post ideas. Thinking about my to-do list. Thinking about craft ideas. Thinking about a scripture I've read recently.

So much of my time is spent consuming media and books. I am grateful I had this time recently to think. And to simply be.

Fall challenges: Getting reacquainted with Billy Collins

Do you read A Cup of Jo? She is one of my favorite bloggers. I especially like her Motherhood Mondays series. She recently started a Fall Challenges series. Each week, she challenges herself and her readers to some small change or improvement in their life before the next week. The first was going without TV for a week. I liked it, but let's face it, I'm far too into Lost and now Downtown Abbey to have the self-control for such a challenge. The next I really liked, memorize a poem. I decided to memorize a lullaby because lyrics are just poems set to music, right? You'll Be In My Heart from the Tarzan soundtrack is one I have always liked and wanted to sing to Bridger.

I read all the poems she had linked and I instantly realized how much I missed poetry. I read a little of Wordsworth in college, but years ago an old flame of mine introduced me to Billy Collins. I'll always be grateful to him for that! So I was really happy when Joanna linked to two of his poems. (This one I like, it's kind of sad and funny.)

I used to write a little poetry. Mostly when I was all dramatic and heartbroken in high school. I'm not a poet by any means, they were just thoughts on paper really. I thought I couldn't write anything unless I was sad but in the kitchen last night, some thoughts came to me and I wrote it down. It's hard for me to share because it's not very good but I think it describes my experiences with motherhood so well:

The oven is now warm
The squash still unchopped
But his hands are together, scheming
His legs pumping an invisible bicycle
Eyes and lips flirt into a toothless grin
So I kneel down and kiss chubby cheeks
Forgetting the duty of dinner
But not the joy of mothering

It is too true what they say, each day he grows and it all flies by until you are sitting at a computer weeping about a perfectly healthy son. Being a mother is the hardest but most rewarding thing I ever done. I often feel guilty for not "contributing" more but I wouldn't, couldn't trade these precious hours with him for anything else.

P.S. Joanna's next challenge is eating something completely new! I am going to try banana squash! Wish me luck! I'll report back next week!

P.S.S. These photos have nothing to do with poetry or motherhood, but yay! my hair is long enough for braids again!

life lately

Our life lately has consisted of a good amount of waiting.

Waiting for baby of course.
Waiting to hear back from jobs.
Waiting for answered prayers about where it is we need to move our family.
Just waiting.

I'm not very good at waiting.

I want the baby now.
I want Nate to hear back from employers today.
And I want to know now where it is we should go.

And yet I know deep down that this time in our lives will quickly pass. The baby will come within 3 weeks. The Lord is looking out for us. Nate will get a job. And soon the answer of where to go will be so obvious, perhaps we will wonder why we even asked in the first place.

So we will wait. Patiently.
And try to remember that we are becoming better sailors because of all this.

Source: thedailyeverythings.blogspot.com via Lacey on Pinterest

Life lately

Source: p.twimg.com via Lacey on Pinterest

Life lately...

...finding out I probably have 2 cavities (the first in my life!) But no thanks, I think I'll get a second opinion before I pay for your new boat Mr. Dentist.

...realizing I am going to be one of the women who wear tennis shoes all the time during pregnancy (and beyond!) because my feet just hurt constantly!

...also realizing that I maybe should have majored in elementary special education. I have subbed for a few elementary special education classes recently and have really enjoyed them! I wonder why I never thought of this before.

...graduation in two days! I can't believe it!

...having my husband back since he is done with calculus has been so nice!

...searching for a cheap apartment for the summer! Going to look at one on Wednesday!

...getting a new windshield to replace our cracked one for free thanks to insurance! Woo!

...re-reading this for the fifteenth time. Never gets old.

...just finished this one, maybe I'll do a review on it this week.

xo
lacey.

We bought a sewing machine

So when our tax returns came in, Nate and I got real excited because we could finally buy a sewing machine! And since Nate would be using it as well, we researched together and decided a Bernina would be the best choice. (And Nate wouldn't even consider anything else). His whole family uses them and they have lasted decades. Literally. So we went to the little Bernina shop on Center Street in Provo (where Nate's mom, all his aunts and his granma purchased theirs) and found a used one at a good price. We learned all about it, tried it out and bought it on the spot. If you know Nate, you know this is a very strange series of events. Usually it goes like this: try it out 3-4 times, think about it for a few weeks, try it out a couple more times, think some more and then maybe complete the purchase. If I'm lucky. 

Anyway, this is turning into a long story. Basically we bought a sewing machine and we were really excited. 

As predicted, Nate has used it more than me so far. 

I went to the free sewing classes that came with the purchase of the machine. I took in a couple pairs of jeans to make 'em skinnies. And that's about it. 

Nate even started a baby blanket. How sweet. 

Why didn't I experiment more with this perfectly perfect sewing machine?

Honestly, sewing just intimidates me. Oh I've made the skirts, aprons and PJ bottoms that are basically a requirement to complete Young Womens. But each time I did those things, I had my mom or a team of YW leaders around who could take over and fix my mistakes. (Although, I am pretty proud of the blanket I made a couple summers ago with Kenzey. I can sew in a straight line at least). 

So this new, expensive machine seemed extra scary to me. 

Until now that is!

Because I made something!

On my own.

With the help of this tutorial.

And it fits.

Confidence BOOST. 

Just don't leave a comment on how easy a project it looks like. 

Because it is. But the point is, I faced this little fear and came out conquerer! 

Next up: maybe the little family blanket I've been talking about for ages? And than maybe pillow covers, with piping?! The sky is the limit! :)

Still awake

Why am I still awake and looking at strollers? It's midnight. I can't tell you the last time I was up past 11 for no good reason. But here I am, in my pajamas, researching strollers yet again. Why is it that I am so worried about finding the right one? Is our baby really going to spend a great deal of time in a stroller? Why am I not researching baby monitors or child birth for crying out loud? Instead of learning more about the nightmare miracle of child birth, I am researching strollers of all things. I can't explain it. Crazed nesting phase maybe? But in case you are wondering (or extremely bored), here is what I have learned so far tonight:

I really, really like the Stokke Xplory. But it doesn't have a car seat adapter. And I would love to have our baby higher and looking at faces instead of knees. Found a good used one for an amazing price nearby.

Quinny Buzz is my other favorite. It does have a car seat adapter. And it's just gorgeous. I deny it to Nate, but I really just want a pretty stroller.

Valco Tri Mode is starting to look like a nice option, but I can't find many reviews on it except for this video by BabyGizmo. (That lady has a crazy Minnesota accent!) Seems really versatile which I like. They claim it's 4 strollers in one.

If my dreams really came true, we would be getting a Bugaboo. In my opinion, they're seriously just the best all around. Found a good used one near PCB. Maybe I'll get mom to pick it up for us...maybe.

Or maybe I'll just keep looking and never find one and we'll just carry our baby around in this.

Disney Princesses: Good or Evil?

Source: freedisneyclipartsite.com via Monica on Pinterest

Warning: Long and opinionated post!

Recently in my Socialization Across Childhood class, we had a big discussion on Disney Princesses. Our reading for that day was a great chapter from the book, "Cinderella Ate My Daughter" by Peggy Orenstein. For full disclosure, she is a raging feminist, so I did not agree with her for the most part. She basically is saying that Disney is creating a culture of materialism and extravagant dependance on our male counterparts. See what I mean by feminist? My first reaction was defense, because I grew up with Disney Princesses more than any other type of media. But, I read the chapter and tried to appreciate/understand her point of view.

I understand and agree that this is part of a grand marketing scheme on Disney's part. And for good reason, they pull in $4 BILLION a year with this stuff. But more than that, she is trying to paint Disney Princesses as this terrible thing that is corrupting our daughters into thinking they have to depend on a man and that being admired is THE characteristic to have.

The Stories.
But do they really do that? Well let's think about the stories. President Uchtdorf's talk "Your Happily Ever After" is a great resource for this conversation. He points out that they all have one thing "in common: they must overcome adversity." By watching Cinderella endure her wicked stepmother and evil stepsisters, perhaps you learned that humility, hard work and kindness will lead you to your happily ever after. Perhaps you learned from Beauty and the Beast that sacrifice, patience, and smarts will lead you to that golden sunset.

Source: grincha.deviantart.com via Andy on Pinterest

To be fair, not all Disney princesses are super-duper awesome. What did Snow White do? Sing? I guess she was nice to the dwarves. But that doesn't make her a great role model. And how about Aurora from The Sleeping Beauty? She was a good singer too. (And one of my favorites). But again, she didn't do much else. And to play a little on Orenstein's side, both of them had to be saved by their prince. Ariel could also fall into this category, but at least she saved the prince first! (But then there's the whole going to an evil witch and changing into another species thing, but we won't go into that). And have you noticed that none of the princesses look at each other in the logos? And that none of them have any close friends other than animals and tea cups? Orenstein argues that this teaches girls that having girlfriends is a negative thing.


Personal application.
How has Disney influenced me? Well first off, it gave me unrealistic expectations about hair. ;) More recently, I've had to deal with the idea that "happily ever after" is just getting married. What about the rest of life?

Source: calisays.tumblr.com via Amanda on Pinterest

I have a wonderful marriage and I am an (overly) positive person, so living my "happily ever after" everyday has not been that difficult. But there are days that just do not belong in my happily ever after. But overall, I've had a good head on my shoulders that realizes these are just movies. Just good entertainment that allows us to escape reality and live under the sea, in a faraway kingdom, long long ago in a magical castle. And the story-lines are resolved at the end of each movie. Good overcomes evil. Tiana gets her restaurant career and her man.

Main Ideas.
Wow, I  was really starting to sound like Orenstein for a little bit up there. I wish I could back up some of this with research, but none has been done on the affect Disney princesses on behavior. My professor is starting some next semester, which is super exciting! Too bad I will be graduated. :(

Back to our discussion: we came to the conclusion that the best thing to do as parents and caregivers is to talk about the movies as we watch them with our children. And this takes real effort. Often we pop in a movie so we can get some housework done or just to calm them down. But taking the time to really talk to our kids about what is going on in any movie or media that they see is super important.

Image credit

So, if you read that whole thing, I commend you! What do you think about all this? Did Disney mess you up? Did it teach you about living a good life? Who is your favorite? (Mine is Belle!)

And so it begins

Walked out of class at 1:30 today and bam! The mountains are covered in snow. I ran home to grab my camera and take a photo, but the clouds and snow had already reached the valley. (I shot this an hour later during work, after the clouds moved on).

I'm a little ambivalent about the snow.  Granted this is sissy-snow that doesn't stick and melts on your coat. But snow nonetheless. It means more clothes to wear, less sunshine, and cold, wet feet.

But it can also mean Thanksgiving and Christmas. (And my family coming to visit!) The first snow also hints of snowmen and sledding. It leaves you with a taste of  hot chocolate and warm cuddles in the morning.

So this winter I am giving in. I am giving in to the blankets of snow that make this barren valley beautiful. But this year, I'm coming in prepared. I buying real warm socks, long-johns and not sacrificing warmth for style. We'll see how it goes. I'm a known winter-hater/fighter. So I'll keep you posted. As for now, I'm gonna get my sweaters out of storage!

P.S. Can you spot the Y on the mountain? It's camouflaged with the snow! Hint: Find the top of the power pole and then look slightly left. 

Slowing Down

Source: peasinourpod.com via Rachael on Pinterest

I love this quote! Have a lovely Sunday!

Full article.

And a fun video.

Early Morning Hike

Nate and I took off early Saturday morning for a hike in Alpine to Horsetail Falls. We've been there before with another couple when Nate inadvertently got us lost and may have ended the possibility of Bryce's chances with his date.This time, we tried not to get lost!

Like usual, on this hike, it was an inner battle. I love being in nature and the reward of sitting on top of a mountain. But I'm always in terrible shape. I moan, complain and a hike without a mini-breakdown on my part is highly unusual. This hike was not any different. The worst of it today involved me saying, "well thanks for looking out for me as I climb up this steep rocky face!" Nate answered me with a look of confusion since it wasn't really that steep or rocky. See what I mean by breakdowns?

Luckily this hike is really rewarding and worth all the mumbling on my part. It has tremendous views at the top and lots of shade on the way up. At one point, you have a great view of the falls. The river is running so fast now! Last fall it was tame! This time I saw first hand what a "raging" river is like. We hiked right down to the bank at one point. The water had to be about 45 degrees. You don't want to get sucked into that. Don't worry, we were careful.

Turns out this is a really popular hike, on our way down we met at least 5-6 separate groups. We went early enough (8ish) to stay out of most the heat which also ended up keeping us a little ahead of the crowds which was nice.

All in all, we both really enjoyed this hike. There is just something natural and wonderful about being in nature. Walden was right.

The falls

Mini-succulents!

Thanks for the hiking shoes mom! They worked great!

This isn't an amazing photo, but it kind of shows how fast the river was moving.

Uh-mazing

Best day ever!

Silver Islet

(Click on the images to enlarge)

Nate and I took off yesterday to Silver Islet on the Sleeping Giant, a peninsula in Lake Superior. We kayaked close to the shore and saw some of the most beautiful landscapes I've ever seen!

Nate had the best time explaining all the geology of the area. Isn't this sea-arch awesome?! It was a tight squeeze, but I paddled through it. There was an artist painting the arch and the surrounding scenery on a cliff nearby.

Nate also taught me how to skip rocks. Apparently, I never really learned how to throw at all! So he taught me how to do that too ;)

This is the first time I've paddled this much and I now know why Nate is so in love with it. You really do feel one with the water. Honestly, I just felt so cool! Paddling is almost effortless. It was such a wonderful experience. I can't wait to go more and more! I'm glad we will have a kayak in Utah for us again!

P.S. Old Dutch has bacon flavored chips. I'm in heaven.

On my birthday

This is why I will not be laying out anymore. Here's to 79 more years of life and love!

On "finding yourself"

This week, I watched "Eat Pray Love". I found it to be interesting and entertaining. Julia Roberts is one of my favorites, she's just phenomenal. And the supporting cast was excellent as well. (Ketut, the Indonesian medicine man, had me laughing out loud). I've put off seeing it because I knew the basic story and wasn't really interested: bored rich woman leaves her husband to "find herself". But at a weak moment when Nate was out of town, Netflix suggested it to me. It was on Instantplay, (basically free)!

So I watched it. Despite myself, I found the story compelling and I didn't turn it off. But as the movie continued, I found myself feeling sorry for her. Didn't she know that happiness is not found by looking inward? Didn't she know that happiness is found in our relationships? You can love yourself and other simultaneously. You can "find yourself" when you are married or in a relationship. Like she learned almost too late, "losing balance for love is part of living a balanced life."

But maybe I'm being hypocritical. I left Nate a day after he proposed for two months last summer. For what? To serve? Or for one last bit of freedom and adventure? The fact is that I missed him and cut my two month internship down to one month. I did not want any more adventures without him. He was (and is) my life.

I've learned more about myself since being engaged and married to Nate than I have at any other time of my life. I've learned that I have a lot of flaws. I'm terrible at washing dishes, I steal the covers and forget to re-fill the ice trays. But because of our marriage , I have discovered my redeeming qualities as well. He has encouraged me to follow my dreams and do the things I love. Because of him, I have found an increased satisfaction in doing the things I love. Because he loves me, I have found more reasons to love myself.

But marriage is not about learning to love yourself. It's about trusting another person with your whole self. It's about making someone else the focus of your life and time. I think that is what may have been missing from the movie.

I hope I haven't offended anyone, that was not my intention. It's just that I have found a tremendous blessing in marriage and wish more people could feel the same.

Saving Money

Thought I would pass along a few tricks to save money.
I found a few of these on The Nest.

1. Do you have Netflix? If your answer is yes, why are you paying for cable or satellite TV? You can stream tons of shows and movies onto your laptop and to your game console for $10 a month.

2. Don't call 411 on your cell. Calling 411 can cost your $1.99 for each call. Text Google your question instead (it's free).

3. Unplug electronics when you aren't using them to cut down your electricity bill. (Cell phone chargers, toasters etc)

4. We keep our heat around 70 degrees in the winter and that keeps our bill pretty low.

5. Make a grocery list before you go to the store or else you risk buying everything in sight!

6. Take your lunch to work/school. Stop buying vending snacks! (This is mainly for me!)

7. Don't throw away coupons! I love the Michaels coupons...40% on one item each week.

8. Buy in bulk. We ♥ Costco.

9. My friend Sam taught me this one: don't go grocery shopping hungry.

10. Feel like buying new clothes? Try re-mixing before you shop and you might find out you don't need as much as you thought. ( The old saying, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without" is always a good philosophy to live by when trying to save money).

Did I miss any? What would you add?

P.S. Can you tell I'm on a list-kick lately?

Rules for My Daughters: Part 2

My lovely and inspiring sisters :)

This post is a continuation of a post I did in December. I have again made a list (while procrastinating homework) that I hope my future daughters will consider. It's interesting to re-read what I have put in these lists and see if I am following my own rules.

1. Be thoughtful when giving gifts. Hand-made is almost always better than something else more expensive.
2. Get to know your aunts. They are actually a bit smarter than your mother ;)
3. When a guy takes you to a nice restaurant, be kind and do not order the most expensive item on the menu.
4. Give a toast.
5. If it’s a friend’s party, stay to help and clean up.
6. Bring tissues. And mints.
7. Drink lots of water.
8. Listen to your Grandfather’s stories. He’s pretty smart too.
9. Listen to your dad and wear warm socks.
10. Use a planner.
11. Don’t give into the idea that your life ends when you get married. Your life starts when you get married (at least the best part of your life does)!
12. Follow a reasonable budget.
13. Don’t be afraid of the thrift stores!
14. Take time to be quiet and just listen.
15. Buy local.
16. Ignore music and especially men that refer to women as “shawty.”
17. Don’t knock it til you try it....this does not apply to alcohol and narcotics.
18. When in doubt, wear a slip.
19. Wear a belt.
20. Cherish the time you have with your siblings growing up, one day you may live far away from them.

Did I miss anything? What would you add?