Dear Seminary Teachers

Today's post is mostly directed towards seminary teachers & seminary students - here's a few of my thoughts that I've had as I've gone back to seminary these last 2 weeks! (It's my 2nd year)

I honestly kind of struggle in seminary. I couldn't really tell you exactly why - I love the gospel! I love learning more and more about the teachings of the prophets, especially in such a different way with a whole variety of people. This year is especially great because it's my first year at the high school, so I'm combined with sophomores, juniors & seniors. It's really a great and powerful way to learn. I live in Utah so seminary is one of my classes during school, which is perfect. It's a break from the chaos and all of the 'fun' stuff, and I definitely need it!

And yet... I'm that kid who sits on the opposite side of the room from the teacher's desk. I generally use my phone for my scriptures, and I find myself wandering - a lot! When someone texts you or you get a notification from Instagram, it's so hard to not switch right over to that. And as much as I don't want to admit it, a lot of times I don't think twice about scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed instead of listening to class.

I also play piano & accompany my ward on the organ in sacrament meeting, so I definitely know how to play hymns. Anyone who's been in a seminary class knows one of the first things seminary teachers ask you is whether or not you are willing to play hymns on the piano. I'll be the first to admit that I'm kind of a punk about this! If you ask me personally and call me out on it, I'll tell you I play piano and I'll play in seminary... but there's a good chance I'm not going to volunteer that information! It's so terrible, honestly I feel a little like I'm just over here confessing my sins, haha! But let's keep going because there is a point to me saying this.

So, I'm a stinker in seminary. I don't really like raising my hand or sharing opinions, I'm not a fan of playing piano in there, and I really like Instagram. I'm your stereotypical difficult teenager.

But WHY? Why is my attitude towards seminary not so great? I wish I could blame it on my teacher, but unfortunately, he's one of the coolest teachers I've had in general and his lessons are always great - so there's no blame to be had there! I can't throw it at the kids in my class either, because I managed to end up with a couple of my friends and everyone else in my class is so sweet. So I guess I'm striking out on blaming other people here (shocker!).

It really comes down to me and my attitude. For some bizarre reason I'm cranky about seminary and I honestly can't pinpoint an exact reason. But the minute I walk in that classroom, I shut off. Maybe Satan knows that seminary's a really great thing and he's doing his best to stop me from that - I really don't know! Either way, I fall into it way too easily. But I get to choose whether I do or not.

Last week, my seminary teacher gave a lesson that was so spot on with something I was struggling with, that I couldn't help but put down my phone and my bad attitude and listen. It was such a good lesson, and it almost felt like it was pointed directly towards me. So, I decided that I really needed to get over myself and put a little more effort into seminary. The next day, I gave my phone to my friend who was sitting in front of me, and I brought my actual set of scriptures. AND I raised my hand and volunteered to play piano. I got so much more out of the class and I felt so much happier. I still had my moments, but it was a much better experience when I put the same effort into it that my teacher did.

So, here's what I'd want to say to seminary teachers - keep going. Those obnoxious teenagers who are sitting in the back of your classroom, playing on their phones, are listening - at least somewhat. And one day you might just have a message for them that they really, really need to hear. Chances are they don't actually hate you, or what you're saying - they just have their own challenges and struggles, and sometimes actively listening is just a little too hard. Trust me, I've basically been that person, and my seminary teacher has already made a difference for me.

And here's a word of advice to seminary students - please put your phones away. If you need them for your scriptures, don't get off of the gospel library app. But if there's any chance of you bringing actual, physical scriptures, do it - it will make so much of a difference! Do what you need to do to get off your phone and get into class. And be HAPPY about it! Attitude is everything, and seminary really is something to be positive about! I PROMISE.

Here's to another week!
-Savannah

CHOOSING CHRIST

Today I started HIGH SCHOOL!

It was crazy. I'm sure it'll be good but you guys - it's SO. MUCH. None of my classes were bad & I knew at least one person in every single one, which I seriously appreciated. Most of my teachers are a little on the weird side which is honestly awesome. Mostly it's just how big the school is! I feel so lost all of the time, although I will say I wasn't tardy once. I couldn't find anyone I knew & I took AP Psychology which I think will be great but I'm still a little terrified to be honest. I seriously got a syllabus today because I am in a COLLEGE CLASS. When did that happen?

THANKFULLY I have seminary 6th hour. I don't know my teacher or class yet because today they just had us all in one big group (they're teaching 4 classes during 6th hour - welcome to Utah). I'm really excited for it though. And I'm really, really grateful that I have it 6th hour! It gives me something to look forward to.

Our seminary theme this year is Joshua 24:15 - "Choose you this day whom ye will serve; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

They asked us why we choose Christ. Individually, every day, why do we choose to serve & follow Christ? I didn't raise my hand and answer, but I figured if I blogged about it I would feel a little less guilty(; But seriously, it made me think. Why do I choose Christ?

It's not because my parents force me to, although I would be lying if I said my family wasn't an influence - just not in that way. I choose Christ because I know that choosing Christ is choosing happiness. I don't know about you, but I like having joy in my life! I choose Christ because I want to be with my family forever. I choose Him because He chose to atone for my sins & die on the cross - for me. 

I guess when it comes down to it, I choose to serve & honor Christ because I know the gospel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true. It is the true church restored to the earth, and it is completely centered around Christ. I choose to follow Him because I choose truth and light.  I want eternal happiness & hope & joy & forgiveness!

I couldn't think of a better path to follow than the one that was left for us by the Savior.

-Savannah

(P.S. WISH ME LUCK THE REST OF THIS WEEK)

Learned More Than Lost

"I have learned a lot more than I have lost." -Rachel Stratton

^^I don't know if you guys have heard of Rachel, but if you haven't - read her blog HERE. She was 20 years old & passed away last Sunday after fighting with brain cancer for 3 years. I didn't hear of her story until the day she passed, which is impressive considering her family lives only a little ways from mine. This week I've been reading through her blog. I'm only a year into it but I am so impressed with her spirit. I never had the opportunity to meet her, but through her writing you can feel her courage & strength & faith in and love for Christ. I have never been so impressed with someone.

It's made me think a lot about some of the things I've gone through. I won't pretend they're anywhere near fighting brain cancer - because they're not. And I'm not saying 'poor me' because of them. So many people have it so much worse than I ever have, but it doesn't change the fact that we're all struggling. We're all being tested in our own ways, & none of them are easy.

A year and a half ago, I had my gallbladder removed 3 days after my 14th birthday. I dropped out of 8th grade & had to homeschool for the rest of the year. Without going into a crazy number of medical details, basically I've struggled - badly - with my health since I was 11. I actually had my gallbladder & appendix removed in the same surgery just to make sure I wouldn't have anything else to come in for! For so many different reasons, I've had a ridiculous # of tests done - like a colonoscopy in 7th grade, HIDA scan in 8th, ultrasounds, x-rays, an insane # of blood tests - you name it! I also found out last December that I have a degenerative neurological muscular disorder called Charcot Marie-Tooth (try saying that 10 time fast!). My dad & my grandpa both have it, along with a couple of my aunts & uncles, & it's hereditary - so we always kind of figured I had it. But I had an intense spike in leg pain last year, so I started going to doctor's for it. The first one wasn't a "kid" specialist, he was just a general leg/feet doctor. Basically he told me that within a few years, I wouldn't be able to walk. I needed surgery to lengthen my calf & would eventually need to lengthen my Achilles, which is an even riskier procedure. I had the potential of my arch collapsing, hammer toes, curled fingers - you name it. He told me I had the joints of a 70 year old & it would only get worse, and that no matter what we did, the end result would be a wheelchair. 

Needless to say, I was pretty devestated after that first appointment. We were going to set me up for surgery but decided not to because I had just made the school play. We ended up meeting with a specialist at primary children's, and his answer was completely different - don't have surgery yet. Wait & see. He said my legs are messed up but they're nowhere near as bad as we thought. He recommended physical therapy & if all else fails, surgery. Mostly because you don't want to have scar tissue in your legs ever - especially when you're younger!

And so the first couple of months of 2015 (a.k.a. this year) were way hard. I was struggling with pain a good amount of the time, and my stomach health was still not 100%. I also wasn't eating gluten (oh, the stories. I was more of a mess than I thought) which was SO hard. I started therapy, but I also had 2 hour play practices after school everyday. I'd go to school for 7 hours, play practice for 2, & therapy for another 2 or 3 hours. I'd come home and fall asleep as soon as I sat down, so I'd end up doing homework in the middle of the night or during school. Me and my counselor became good friends, haha! I was a counselor aide first tri, so I called people to the counseling office & helped them file and sort different things. She helped me switch out of PE 2nd tri when I was struggling with my legs. I talked to her a couple of times about switching to half days of school. I was the kid who got pulled out of class by their counselor just so they could check up on how I was doing! At the end of the year, I received my grades in the mail. Somehow I managed to keep a 4.0 all year, even with an insane amount of absences & not being able to focus on what I was doing while I was there. The only way that happened was through a lot of prayer and a lot of faith that God would help me through it. On my own, I couldn't have kept up my grades. With God, I did. My counselor wrote on my grades how proud she was that I got my 4.0, which is something I still carry in the back of my mind. I didn't get a 4.0 because I'm the most brilliant student out there, I got it because I worked hard & God helped me out - a lot.

Even today, almost a year after the CMT stuff started, I take pain cream with me everytime I travel. I can't run a mile without having the craziest leg spasms and pain for days after. My calves are ridiculously buff (and guys, I am nowhere near a 'buff' person), & I have a pair of giant leg braces that I'm supposed to wear everyday, but I don't because they're annoying. Maybe it will come to a point where I have to, but being the stubborn & probably irresponsible teenager I am, I'll avoid it as long as I can. I can't do the hikes at girls camp & I have to take all the physical education classes online. I'm not in physical therapy right now, but I'm careful.

(Hello giant leg brace & high quality pic)

In case you made it through that ridiculous amount of medical information that I said I wouldn't put in there but clearly did anyways (sometimes it's a little unavoidable), here's my point - I've learned more than I've lost. It really hit me when I read that on Rachel's blog.

My family has struggled - my health has struggled - my friendships have struggled - & my faith has struggled. I've lost plenty. I've lost friends, family members, time & experiences I could've had. At times I've lost hope, faith, and even purpose. There have been points where I haven't been able to live a normal life, and even now it's a little bit different. I've even literally had blood and organs taken from me.

BUT, more than any of that, I've learned so much. I've learned that if you trust in God & lean on Him in every circumstance, He will provide & carry you through. I've learned that struggles are nothing to be ashamed of - I'm still learning that one! I didn't tell anyone when I was going through therapy or surgery, and the majority of people still don't know exactly what went down. I've always hated talking about any of it. Finally, I got over that - in a theater class with a group of kids that were all a year younger than me. I went up there & rambled for a solid 10 minutes about it (yes I was actually supposed to do that, don't worry, I'm not that weird) & it helped me realize that maybe I'm not my challenges - but at the same time, I am. Who I am today has been defined by my trials and struggles, and I'm honestly so proud to say that. There have been moments in the past couple of years where I couldn't see the point, and while I still don't understand it all, I know that through my trials God has made me so much better - so much stronger, and kinder, and more understanding. I'm less afraid and a little more hopeful. And I owe it to my trials and to God.

So, if you're struggling, here's my advice - have faith. Stay hopeful. Pray, all the time, and don't forget about your scriptures. Sometimes it may not seem like it, but God is good. And there will always be a reason for everything, even if you can't see it. Remember you are loved & remember there is always, always hope. And I know that if you trust in God, you will be able to come out of anything.

Because haven't we all truly learned more than we have lost?

-Savannah

Why Should I Care?

"Why should I care?" It's something we've all thought about one thing or another - I  personally think it several times a day at school! And while maybe that's an understandable thought when you're learning about random equations you will honestly never use in your life, I really hope that's not your attitude about personal progress!! And if it is, I'm here to change it.

So why should you care? Not to be a broken record, but essentially all of the reasons I talked about in my PP month intro post!

Rather than go through all of the MANY reasons you should love personal progress, I just wanted to post and share my testimony of this incredible program with you - because it is truly wonderful!!

Personal progress has changed SO much of my view on the future, the gospel, and the people around me. For me personally, I did most of my personal progress during one of the hardest times in my life. I was struggling with health, happiness, & motivation. Rather than turn away from the gospel, I chose to put everything into it. It gave me the motivation to keep going. I credit a lot of where I am today to personal progress and this wonderfully true gospel! Maybe it won't impact you the way it did me (I hope not in the exact same way, at least - health challenges are the worst!!) but I know it will help you get through so much. It will make you a better person and help you everyday. I don't doubt it because I've seen it in action!!
So just give it a shot. Try it! It definitely won't hurt and I promise it will help!!
-Savannah

Be a Duck

                  //Via cutaia.net

Okay, not literally - although ducks are pretty dang adorable, but I'm not really sure that's possible. This is something my mom has told me since I was in preschool - "Be a duck!"

Ducks have waterproof feathers. Water basically rolls right off their back! And so, in this way we should be like them - not with water, but with the hard things that come our way. Especially as we are all heading back to school where we're too often faced with hard people & opposition. Some people are going to be just flat out unkind, no matter who you are or what you do. Classes might be hard, your group of friends might change - let it go!! Let it roll right off your back and not be a worry. Don't be easily offended. Remember you are a child of God and what anyone else has to say is honestly not even relevant. Trust in God & let it gooooooo!

Do your best, but accept anything & everything that comes your way. Your 4.0 slipped to a 3.97? It's okay!! (I promise) Someone made a snippy comment in the hall? Don't even worry about it. Be a duck this year & everything will work out just fine ♡

-Savannah

A B O U T M E

Well hey there everyone!! Today's post is a little less serious... I was looking through my blog & I realized that I never actually introduced myself! I introduced my blog name & the reason behind it (read that HERE) but I never actually told you about myself. For all we know, I could be a creepy old man hiding behind the screen. Thank goodness I'm NOT, haha! So I figured it was about time I tell you a little bit about myself!

I'm Savannah, a.k.a Savvy/Vans/Nana + a thousand more depending on who you ask! I'm 15 years old (16 on Feb. 10th, yesss!!) and I live in a small town in northern Utah.

I have 4 brothers - 2 older & 2 younger. Basically I'll give you a little bit about each member of my family!
Dad - My dad is the bishop of our ward - he's also a serious travel pro because he travels for work at least 2 weeks out of every month. He's constantly busy, selfless, and the hardest worker I know. He's also a serious football fan & the best padre around!
Mom - FULL TIME SCHOOL. PART TIME WORK. FULL TIME EXTRAORDINARY MOM. ( I felt that deserved all caps because she's legit a superhero) My best friend & the most hilarious & headstrong person you'll ever meet - besides me, of course (;
Spencer's 20 & he's attending U of U. When I think of Spencer I think of MUSIC - he & Brooks started a band together in high school that won a Battle of the Bands & played at a bunch of cool places in Ogden & SLC. He's also very into politics. He's an inactive member of the church - he left the church pretty much during/after high school. But if there's one thing I've learned, it's that you never stop praying & trusting in God. He has a plan for each and every one of us!
Brooks is 18 & graduated from high school this year. He's hopefully a soon to be missionary - we're hoping to receive his call this Friday or next Friday! He's the sweetest kid & without a doubt the peacemaker in our home. Brooks is also insanely musically talented & when he finishes his mission he'll be going to USU to become a music therapist!
Lucas is 13 & in 8th grade. He's a CRAZY kid & rebellious as much as he can be, but he's got a good heart and I've learned more from him than anyone else. He loves sports, especially football and soccer. And joggers - the kid loves his joggers!
Eli is 9 & in 4th grade. Funniest kid you will ever meet. Seriously intelligent & obsessed with Harry Potter & animals. He's so kind hearted and just a little bit awkward (;

And of course our family wouldn't be complete without our 3 cats (we did NOT intend to have that many!!), Crookshanks, Legolas & Katniss, & our dog, Toby. They're all named after books/movies - Crookshanks is Hermione's cat in Harry Potter, Legolas from Lord of the Rings, and Katniss from The Hunger Games. Toby isn't technically from a movie, but if you ask me it's short for Tobias from Divergent (;

On my side of things, I love theater & music & piano & performing! All good things. I've been in 2 plays - The King & I and Bye Bye Birdie - and I'm currently in Footloose. I love it! I've also worked at a snowcone stand all summer, which is great because I get free snowcones but it's not so great because I get paid close to nothing! But I'm 15 with a job so I shouldn't complain(;

I'm also slightly movie & Netflix obsessed. If I had to choose my favorites the list would include lots of musicals - like Les Mis & Hairspray, Marvel movies (Captain America is #1), Tim Burton movies & a whole ton of random ones like Jurassic World, Penelope & Cokeville Miracle. Honestly I love them all! As for TV shows I can't choose there either! My tops would definitely have to include Gilmore Girls, Glee & anything on HGTV. I'm just a big fan of it all! 

I love music from pretty much all categories, except for most rap & country (sorry, but what can I say?). I also love random things like fall, Tillamook ice cream, Dr. Pepper & writing. Basically just the good things! (;

Hope you enjoyed getting to know me a little bit better because I enjoyed writing it! (;

Until next time...

-Savannah

Family Reunion 2015

Me & my cousins 

(I'm in the middle!)

Family History

***This is a talk I was asked to give at a stake YW's activity about family history. I debated writing a whole separate post - & I'm sure I will eventually - but this talk tells you about my struggle with family history! I want to make it clear to anyone who is struggling that it's not just them, & it will ALWAYS be worth it!!***

Today I’ve been asked to speak on family history and different challenges I’ve had with it, and how I’ve been able to overcome those. So on my family history line, if you go straight back, it comes to a dead end on every line eventually. When I first started looking for names, I thought that the only thing I could do was find the names that weren’t there. For me, that didn’t work out so well. I couldn’t find any records or leads, and it was just really frustrating. I knew it was important to do family history, but I decided it was too hard and I gave up on it. Then, a couple of months later, we had a fireside on how you can find work in your cousin’s lines. It seemed easy enough so I decided to try the different approach. In an hour or so I found five names through my dad’s cousins. Unfortunately, after I found those names, I couldn’t find any more, even after working on it for another hour. Being the impatient person I am, I gave up again and decided that family history wasn’t for me. I was fine with that until my ward gave us a family history challenge in August. Each of the young men and young women in my ward were asked to find 5 names for baptisms and index 1,000 names. If we reached our goal, we would go to the Salt Lake temple to do all of the baptisms. They gave us three months and a lot of encouragement. We had several mutual activities on it, and they even called two youth family history consultants. 

Slowly I realized that this was my opportunity to really start doing family history. I knew that something about what I was doing to find names wasn’t working. I decided that I would pray before I started doing any family history, and I wouldn’t listen to music while I was doing it. They both seemed like simple things, but for me, they made all the difference. When I was really focused on what I was doing, it was a lot easier to keep a good perspective on it. I also realized how important it is to make sure the spirit is present when you’re doing the work, because sometimes it’s hard to know if what you’re doing is right. The first time I prayed before working on it, I was able to find 20 names in an hour. I haven’t been so lucky after that first time, but after working on it for several hours every week, I’ve found 94 names, 50 of which I’ll be taking to the Salt Lake temple with my ward on Saturday. (Remind me to blog about this - it was the neatest thing!!) For me, the names never just appeared in my line. Family history isn’t simple. We have amazing technology that makes it easier, but it doesn’t always immediately give you what you’re looking for. But I know that if you put the time and effort into finding names, you’ll be able to find them. Don’t give up like I did so many times. Trust in the Spirit and you’ll be able to do the work that the prophet and his apostles have called us to do. It really is important and it’ll bless you and bring you so much peace. 

I know that doing family history really has made a difference in my life, and I know it can make a difference for anyone who is willing to even try. And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

-Savannah