Tick Tock Goes The Clock

Countdowns have always been my favorite thing since I was little. Paper chains, cottonballs on Santa's beard, or chocolate calanders. You name it I had it. But now my countdown app kinda freaks me out.

25 days until Prom. My last school dance where I can wear a pretty dress and feel like a princess for a night. (If I even get asked)

44 days until my bishop opens up my mission papers for me to start working on. Like that is so unbelievably crazy.

100 days until I graduate from the best high school on the planet. I love high school and it scares me to not have that in my life anymore. Next year isn't set in stone on where I'll be and that is scary.

104 days until I leave for Mexico with some of my best friends. Huge s/o to HP for planning it. I am so excited you don't even understand!

110 days until I hit submit on my papers and wait anxiously by the mail box every day until it comes.

140 days until my best friend leaves for Barcelona Spain to serve the lord for two years. I am so proud of him and he makes me want to be a better person. I have a huge bottle of many emotions when I think about him leaving, but I know it's what he needs to do and I know he'll go for it with all his heart.

222 days until my 19th birthday/date of availability for my mission. I am beyond excited and cannot wait to share the gospel that has brought so much joy into my life with the world. It makes me so very happy, and I want others to know and understand it as well. We all have a heavenly father who loves us and I just want everyone to know that.

I'm so excited and so nervous for life to get moving. It gets real really fast and I just want to enjoy every second of it.

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around every once in a while, you could miss it." -Ferris Bueller

Love,
Lizzy

Final #bandtour

This being my last #bandtour, I figured I would share a few thoughts as I ride back home on our lovely bus.

First, Hayden, Sarah and I won 3,232 tickets at Fiesta Fun Center. We're the cool kids. We got two unicorns, two fuzzy dice, one football, and one giant husky that we gave to a little boy who was wide eyed at our tickets.

Second,  I love being a musician. I cannot tell you how wonderful it is being able to tell someone your story and emotions through music. It blows my mind how a song can change someone's life. Sure every chord and note aren't perfectly in tune, but the emotion is real. This year we played probably my favorite piece that I have ever played. O Magnum Mysterium. This song is beautiful. If you haven't heard it, look it up. (Even though it doesn't compare to live) The song is written about the Birth of the savior Jesus Christ. "Oh Great Mystery" I have connected to spirit so much while playing it, even though my story for playing it wasn't connected to the gospel. The ending chords when I can just close my eyes and listen and picture the nativity brings tears to my eyes almost every time. I'm so grateful to be able to play music and be given the opportunity to play in one of these best programs in the state.

Third, I love my friends. This trip has been a roller coaster of emotions. But I'm so grateful for my best friend Sarah for always being there for me. (Lol bc she's sleeping on my lap rn) I'm so grateful she is in my life and I wouldn't be the same without her. On the trip, Sarah and I had some girls cry to us about feelings of inadequacy and just feeling the weight of the stress us teenagers are so used to. I just wanted to wrap them up in a hug and never let go. Everyone in my band is so amazing. I'm glad I could spend my senior year playing music with such talented musicians.

Fourth, Hiking is really really cool. In Hawaii, we hiked Dimond Head with a loaf of bread and it has become a wonderful tradition for us. Please enjoy some white girl photos of out adventures in Snow Canyons Park.

 

Owling. It's a thing.

 

Basically me the entire day bc I suck at climbing. Actually I was trying to do a hand stand so...

 

Sarah is flying to save the world.

All in all, Band Tours have treated me well and I am so so sad that this is the last one I will go on with the Westlake Band. Thanks for treating me like family and for all the Soda Shots in hotel rooms. Love you all Band Family!

 

"Music fills the void when we are so happy or so sad that we don't know what to do with ourselves. It heals us." -Dr.Fullmer, Director of Band at UVU

<3//Lizzy

Seek To Be Happy

Something interesting that one of my friends shared with me the other day was this thought:
  We are Latter-day Saints! We are in the plan of happiness right now. We should be constantly seeking to make each and everyday great days filled with joy and happiness. Everyday should be a great day.
   Honestly, this had never occurred to me before, but it makes complete sense. It says in 2 Nephi 2:25 that men are here to have joy. If we aren't doing the things that bring joy into our lives, we should change that! Find the things that make you happy and do more of it. Find the things that make you unhappy and do less of it. Something that makes me happy is playing my music. I love being able to connect with people on a level that I wouldn't be able to with words, because let's face it, I am terrible with words!
  I understand that there are things in our lives that we can't change. As much as we wish and try to change them, we can't. Something we have to learn is how to live with the facts that we can't change. This is something that is really hard for me. I hate not being able to have control over my life. It's frustrating and I am not a fan of it. I can say that I have shed too many tears over things I can't change. But we grow and hopefully, eventually can learn to live with it.
  I'm so grateful for my crazy stressful life. I know that even when it's hard, Heavenly Father is always there for me and that makes all the difference. Stay strong and remember who you are and what you stand for. If you forget, call me;)

Lizzy Davis