hey desi marie: milestones;

Hello there:)

My weekend...I can't even begin to tell you how busy, busy it was. I think i'll just get to the point and tell you everything that happened:)

Friday❤

Well, what a hard day. I mean, school was probably the slowest day I have ever been through. Every minute seemed like it lasted 10 minutes long! Thank goodness my teachers played movies in a lot of their classes.

During lunch I got my prom dress fitted and such (my best friends mom is finishing alterations). Oh, I also got my nails done for prom! SOOO fun! I love getting my nails done:) but I definitely should not make that a habit, just a treat out every now and then. But i'm gonna be honest...i'm a girl, I love being pampered, I love the attention, I love getting massages, and I love my nails looking oh-so-pretty:)

So later that day as I arrived home, my dad talked with me about my baptism...

Not the greatest conversation, all I did was bare my testimony to him because he said he would like to hear it, and then he told me that he wasn't going to go to my baptism...

After that talk, I decided to relieve my mom at work because she had been working all day and I needed to get out of the house, so I took her shift that ended at 10pm and I was able to calm down a little, but I really just watched Vampire Diaries the whole time..haha. Which, by the way, is REALLY scary at night when i'm the only one working because I have the closing shift, and a creepy guy walks in and sits on the couch. I really couldn't wait to get out of there. But I did, and before I knew it, I was gathering my belongings for the next day:)

I prepared everything I had to bring for the baptism first, and then I had to get my things together for prom because I was going to get ready at Bens house for that:)

And then I read scriptures and came across an amazing one. Ben told me that night to read D&C 121 because that's what he was reading so I decided that would be my scripture study for the night, and I came across some verses that I just needed to hear:

7 My son, peace be unto thy soul; thing adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;

8 And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all they foes.

9 Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands.

That one scripture was an answer and reassurance from my Heavenly Father that all will be well, my adversity will only last for a moment, and then He will help me when He is ready to. And I have had my friends by me this entire journey, that I know it would have been 100x harder without their support.

So with that scripture in mind, I fell asleep.

Saturday♥

Ben woke up at 5:30am, got ready for my baptism, and picked me up from my house at 7am.

Keep in mind he does have a half hour drive, but he knew wanted to pick me up and take me to my baptism, how grateful am I for that perfect boy of mine?

As I was getting ready this morning, I was shaking. I put on my favorite Sunday dress, pulled my hair back into a braid, grabbed my scriptures, and made my way up the stairs. My appetite was not at all craving anything. So I grabbed a granola bar for later and knocked on my parents door letting them know I was about to leave. No answer...

Knocked again, no answer.

I let them know I was leaving and decided to leave them a note because once again..no answer.

As I stepped into Bens car, he beamed at me and gave me a hug, then he noted my shaky voice and asked how I was feeling. I started to tear up a little and I simply told him "they're not coming"

He gave me another hug for a long while and then we started down to my stake center. It was a long drive, but having him their beside me was comforting because I knew someone had my back right then and there at a vulnerable moment.

When we got to the stake center my bishop was waiting right there at the front door. Seeing him was great, the previous night he had visited me at work just to make sure I was okay:)

He escorted me to the missionaries who got me a white jumpsuit and showed me to where I would have to change. I changed into the suit and all of a sudden, it all became so real to me. I was no longer in shock, I was hit hard by reality. I was getting baptized within the next hour, and right when I was about to cry, my best friend Sara walked in! She had been with me through this entire journey, been to every discussion with me and would be speaking at my baptism on the Holy Ghost:) But right when she saw me she started crying, it was so good to have her there with me. But then the missionaries said it was time and so she hugged me tight and kept her arms around me as we walked to the chapel and down the aisle. I sat in the front beside the missionaries and Sara made her way up to the front, where she was joined by my other best friend Corrie, shortly after. Both of their talks were emotional, full of so much strength in their own testimonies and with so much personal insight from our own personal journey together. I started getting emotional, and then the bishop said it was time to make our way to the room where I would be getting baptized.

I walked into the room and saw my mom and sister sitting front row.

I burst into tears and went up to them and gave them a hug, I knew it was hard for my mom to be there, and she still came. The Lord had softened her heart and she found the strength to be there. Shortly after, I was in the water and my track coach (my coach for years now) was lowering me back into the water.

First of all, he literally dunked me back and kept me under for a good 6 seconds. He later told me that some of my hair (despite my braid) had started to float up and for some reason my elbow was surfacing, so he had to dunk me down harder and longer. My friends said it looked like he was drowning me....haha

I wish someone would have recorded it;) haha

But right when I came back up, I just started to cry, not hard, but tears came out and I felt so good about everything. All my trials up to this point were all suddenly worth it, in that instant, my testimony had been strengthened. I was then taken back to the room where I would change and not even 10 seconds after I had been in there Corrie and Sara came in. I was still in my dripping jumpsuit, but they hugged be nonetheless and we all cried. I had made it:)

Well, then I changed and we all walked out together to the chapel arm in arm. My two best friends by my side. And then I bore my testimony to the 100+ people that were there. I was so grateful for that moment.

Then Ben came up and said the closing prayer with so much sincerity and emotion, a lot of people came up to me after and said that Ben's closing prayer was so cute;) haha

But I have never hugged so many people in my life! I received a few gifts, and took a few pictures. And then me and a few of my closest friends went to my coaches house where we had a small breakfast.

It had been an eventful day, and I was so happy. So, so happy. And i'm sure that happiness may be an insignificant word in this kind of situation, but I can't find words to even describe how I feel, it was all so incredible, so perfect, that no other word comes to mind except, happy. I am happy:)

more pictures at then end:)

Saturday (afternoon and night)♥

PROM!!!

After the get together at my coaches house I went over to Corrie's house and then Ben picked me up.

For our day date for prom we went to the space center in Pleasant Grove! Its soooo sick! Everyone gets a job, and then you are put on a space ship (yes, a space ship) and you do you duty to help complete your mission. We had to collect crystals from a planet, but going to that planet made other life forms in space angry, so they attacked our ship and put a bomb on it. It was SO fun trying to just do all our jobs and defeat the aliens! Such a crazy fun date, and not to mention the group we all had, our prom group was unreal!

After the day date we were dropped off at Ben's house and we took a little nap and watched some Vampire Diaries and then we got ready together:)

Well he was upstairs getting ready and I was downstairs:) But I helped him pick out a tie, and he complimented me as I got ready, such a sweet boy:)

Then we were ready to go!:) We took pictures at this place by Riverwoods:) I'll post them!

But then we ate at the Harvest at Thanksgiving Point:) SO good! Ben and I got massive stomach aches though, we both ordered the same thing, so it just was not good to our stomachs...

So we had stomach aches like the first little bit of the dance but it went away:)

But the dance was AMAZING. Holy cow, that was probably thee greatest dance I have ever been to. No joke, we went insane for hours! And then there was fireworks:) and I had the best date who is so fun to dance with by the way:) slow dance or fast, I couldn't stop smiling. He really is the greatest:)

After the dance we went back to Ben's house and cleaned up a little, showered (don't worry I went first he went second) and then we made our way to his friend Avery's house! Everyone just went outside and we just cuddled up on the tramp until like 2am:)

Driving home was...scary.

Ben swerved a little here and there and could barely stay awake. Eventually we got to my house after like a half hour and we sat in the car and he literally fell asleep right then and there haha. After a while, he walked me to my door and we had the usual doorstep scene except for he was half asleep;) haha

So I knew he was going to stay and sleep a little in the car. And by a little I thought he meant like an hour or less! Nope. He texts me at 6am and says he's just barely leaving.

Okay.

1. If I knew he was going to stay longer I would have let him come in and sleep on the couch!

Goodness that boy.

Also more pictures at the end:)

Sunday♥

Waking up for church sucked.

Prom hangovers are real everyone, so real.

But today was a testimony meeting so it was nice to hear everyone's testimony and I decided to bare my own. Also, I was confirmed today, so that was awesome:) the rest of church went by really fast, and I met all kinds of new people today! Also, I got a calling to be a primary teacher!!:) how cool?? And I get a temple recommend next week!:) It's all so overwhelming, so I decided to just let everything settle in this next week and then I'd talk to my bishop about it all again next week. For now, I just want to take it all in. Right now it's pretty scary and I get nervous about everything that is going to happen, but I can't let that scared feeling overrule all that I feel.

I spent the day with my family and made dinner with my momma! My dad hasn't spoken to me in two days...I know this is still very hard for him. It's hard for my mom as well...she's just trying to put on a strong face but I know it's hard for them both.

After dinner I headed out to Ben's for an hour and a half and just relaxed with him:) It was nice to just cuddle up after a long weekend with this perfect boy. Leaving is hard, because I don't know when I'll see him again. So that's really hard, hopefully I am able to see him again soon.

I miss him already...

And now it's Saturday and guess what...

I do not feel too hot this morning. I think my lack of sleep this weekend finally caught up to me and I am just drained, my throat kills, and i'm definitely congested. I am so frustrated. I have region for track and field this week and I am feeling awful! I hateeee this.

But anyways,

that was my weekend:) jam packed right? But the best weekend i've ever had:)

I'm so thankful for it all, so blessed, so grateful:)

Remember that life is what you make of it:) If you want to be happy, be.

These missionaries provided the greatest guidance. I learned so much from them that I could have never learned on my own, I am so grateful for them:) Elder Reicart and Elder Kim.