Summer

School's been out for two days for me now. I may have skipped yesterday for the sake of sleeping in and reading (both very good reasons). It still doesn't feel like summer, and I suspect it won't feel like summer for me until I go shopping for school supplies for my junior year in the fall.

My summer started out pretty fabulously, I must say. I woke up yesterday morning to the sound of rain hitting my window. I read for a few minutes before getting out of bed, continued through my day in a quiet, calm, leisurely pace. I took my book and went on a walk in the park until I finished it (about two hours later). I was able to go to Carly's birthday party later that night, which was pretty dang fun despite my malfunctioning lungs and complete terror when faced with people.

Today I was able to go out to In-N-Out with Maria.

It was fun and relaxing, and I got minimal lipstick on my straw. :)

So far, summer's gotten off to a great start!

With love,

     Aubrey Lou

Hey You.

Yes, you.

I want you to stop wishing that you were someone else, or that people liked you as much as they like someone else.

I want you to know that someone loves you.

They love you for every little quirk you have.

They love you for your personality, your smiles, even the laugh you hate so much.

Stop beating yourself up for little things that happen.

Everyone makes mistakes!

Heavenly Father created you, and you were born with the potential to be perfect.

No matter what, He will always love you.

Even when you mess up, even when you make those huge mistakes, He will ALWAYS love you.

I want you to remember that someone will always love you.

If you think no one does, know that I love you.

You're a wonderful person, okay?

Don't forget that.

The Last Week

The last week of school is soon approaching and I am quite terrified. Somehow, the concept of getting older and advancing in life completely slips my mind until the eve of the end of another school year... such as this one.

The last choir concert was last night. I heard it was amazing. I wish with all my heart and soul that I could have sang in that concert--all those songs were my favorites and I so desperately wanted to be there--but of course I had to fall ill. I sat out in the hall for half an hour (despite my command from Mr. Keyes to return home immediately), and I listened to the A Capella choir sing a selection from the Lion King. I admit, though shamefully, that I had to hold back tears. I had been looking forward to performing in that concert for months. But life happens. At least next year, I'll appreciate performing in the last concert more. :)

Finals start tomorrow, as well. *sigh* Wish me luck.

With love,

     Aubrey Lou

Hailey

This is Hailey, my mango. (I don't know if you remember that inside joke, Hailey, but it was hilarious.) Hailey is this gorgeous red-haired girl who I spent most of my Saturday evening with. She's INCREDIBLE. Her laugh is amazing, and it's so contagious (even the strange one she did... I have no idea what that sounds like, but I loved it). She's one of the few people who I can be myself around and not worry about what they'll think.

Thanks for being such a great friend, Hailey Merritt.

Love always,

     Aubrey Lou, your mango

LDS Face to Face

This evening, I had the privilege to tune in to the LDS Face to Face with Elder and Sister Bednar at my stake center. It was definitely worth going to. I learned so many things that I didn't know I needed to learn (which happens more often than not when I attend these things). I took a lot of notes, and I would like to share a few on a couple choice topics.

When asked about how they met and fell in love, Sister Bednar responded with something I found very profound and very insightful. She said that falling in love isn't what we normally think--in face, it's not falling at all. She said you have to find someone who you can create love with--the person who you know you can be happy with. Love isn't something you fall into, it's something you work for and create.

They talked a lot about self esteem, and I think that's one of the biggest unsolved problems in our society. A lot of people have a very poor image of themselves, and to be honest, I am not exempt from that. I was very impressed with how they responded to the questions about self image. You can't be too hard on yourself, and you have to understand that you're a child of God. Think about the things you're good at and how they are not just your talents--they're gifts from God. Sister Bednar said her mother used to say "beauty is as beauty does", which I interpreted to mean that to be beautiful, you have to act in such a way that makes your soul beautiful. Keep the light of the Gospel in your soul and remember your divine nature. As they so wonderfully said, smiling makes anyone beautiful. Know that you're wonderful, but you can still grow. 

While I was listening to this, I had a few thoughts. Our spirits are potential perfection in an imperfect body. Don't pay attention so much to the imperfect temporary dwelling, pay attention to the shiny pearl in the dull oyster.

If you happened to miss the Face to Face, you can watch it here:

https://www.lds.org/youth/activities/spiritual-strength/scriptures-and-prophets/face-to-face-with-elder-and-sister-bednar?cid=HP_TU_5-12-2015_dPTH_fEVT_xLIDyL1-C_&lang=eng

I really encourage all of you to watch it--it really is amazing.

Love always,

     Aubrey Lou

The Book of Mormon

I believe most everyone can relate to that feeling of finishing a book, or a series, and suddenly realizing there's no more. I think most of us have sat in shock, terror seeping into our hearts that that's all there is to it--no more about the characters, no more about the plot. That's it. It's over, and no matter how many times you read it, you'll always have the exact painfully small amount of information.

Well I know one book that won't do that to you, and that's the Book of Mormon. I try to make an effort to read it every day, and each time I read, I find something new that I hadn't caught before. I find new scriptures that apply to the situation I'm in, and it helps clear my mind so I can focus on the problem at hand.

To wrap this up, I'd like to share my favorite scripture with you all. It's Moroni 8:3, "I am mindful of you always in my prayers, continually praying unto God the Father in the name of his Holy Child, Jesus, that he, through his infinite goodness and grace, will keep you through the endurance of faith on his name to the end." This scripture always makes me feel loved, and I enjoy sending it to my friends when they need a little extra help.

With love,

     Aubrey Lou