- buy dry ice, spray paint, nitrous oxide, and liquid white out!
- serve on jury! living the dream!
- sign my own permission slips and check myself out of school!
- forget school, i can check myelf out of the country! without parental consent! paris, guatemala, belarus... here i come!!
- sue people/be sued by people!
- get my own costco membership!
- buy stuff off commercials! must be 18 or older to call? no problem!
- adopt a child! why not?
- drive at all hours of the night! adults don't have curfew!
- skydive or bungee jump!
- become and undercover cop.
- or a flight attendant.
- or an ice cream truck driver!
- vote! and pay taxes! how patriotic is that!?
- enter all sorts of contests and sweepstakes!
- go to adult jail!
- rent a port-a-poty!
- and last, but certainly not least... buy a monkey! (with proper licensing, apparently?)
i celebrated my birthday like any champion would. went to church, ate lots of cake and other super healthy foods, took a nap, and (of course) released 99 red balloons into the sky. it was quite brilliant.
my incredible friends came to school the next day dressed in all blue uniforms, just because i think it's the funniest thing ever. i know the most amazing people
it was a very windy day, 99 helium filled balloons are a lot more powerful than they look.
so yes. turning 18 is very exciting. but it is also a very humbling thing for me. it marks a huge step in my story line, and reminds me of the importance of learning, growing, and become more mature in my understanding of this life.
as a reckless teenager growing up in the gospel, i've been blessed to receive several firm reprimands from my loving Father in Heaven. i have consequently learned many life lessons, that i would like to share with you. so here are a few of the most important lessons i have learned over the last 18 years (:
accept the present for the gift it is by not stressing about the future. it will come, or it will not. all you can be sure of is the now. set goals, but don't be so consumed with where you wish you were that you forget to make the steps it will take to get there. allow God to revise your plans along the way. He knows what's right for you better than you can ever know for yourself.
don't stress when your best isn't good enough, it usually works that way. that's why we allow the Lord to fill in the gaps. He is pro at making up the difference [D&C 123:17]
family is so important. God, family, friends. never let weeks and months pass without letting the people you care for know what they mean to you. speak with them. time is like a mirage. one second it may be there, and then it's gone the next. assume nothing.
write things down. epiphanies, important lessons, random thoughts. write them down. why not? pens and paper remember things much better than your mind alone.
let yourself feel this life. too many people spend all their time thinking and analyzing every little detail. so appreciate things with your senses. at the same time, don't get so caught up in your emotions that you lose track of your reason. balance is key.
rejoice in the success of your peers. just because God is smiling on others does not mean he is frowning on you.
stop looking for people to point fingers at and accept responsibility for the things you have done wrong. when you stop looking for anyone to blame, you open your heart up to so many lessons you never knew you needed to learn.
do not judge others. there are plenty of faults to fix first in yourself. never assume that you can doctor the rest of the world. that is not your responsibility.
worry less about how the world sees you, and care more about what God sees in you. the world looks at your image, the Lord looks at your beauty.
i'm so excited to go wherever this life takes me
carpe the heck out of the diem!!
^_^
I just love this post. Makes me happy. And i'm in it, so that makes it even better. ;) The balloons are so cool! What a fun idea. Ha. rent a port-a-potty. please. ;)
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