A Great Gift

My friend Shania Young came over to my house one day and she saw my old bear like this one, that broke and then later, that Christmas she gave me a new one. It made me feel so better and I am so glad that she did that and it means a lot to me.

Really Sad News- A Sad Day

Our beloved friend, even Shania Young moved to Monroe over the Christmas break. In case any of you are wondering, Monroe is about 20 minutes past Richfield which is about 2 hours past Salt Lake.
She will be missed and we will always remember her and what she did for us. She gave us a life when we had none, and she gave us happiness and joy. She brought joy to our souls like no else ever had in a friendship, she was there for us when we needed her. She was always prepared to make us smile and with the wise wisdom of a wonderful mind. She was the thrill of those hard days when we were down.
You rarely ever saw her not smiling. She always rubbed off on us and we always had a better day when she was around. She was the one to reach down and help us up when we fell down, she was the one to stand next to us in hard trials, she was the one that taught us how to get back up when in hard times.
Whenever we were on our knees, crying or stressing, she would be the one to come kneel next to us and comfort us before helping us back up. If we were being picked on, she would be the one to stand up and face the enemy to have them stop. If we were hurt, she would be the first one to the hospital with cheer and a get well card.
No one could ever replace a friend like that. Especially to me. Shania came to me in the third grade and we had been friends ever since. I have never regretted meeting Shania and I will never forget her. You can be just like Shania in the helping up ways and being there and all, but no one could ever replace her. She was more then just a friend, she was like a sister to all of us.
Even though she is gone, we will still keep her close and always remember her, her laugh, her smile, her very personality and the sense of wanting to be around her always radiating off of her will always remain in our hearts.

Shania Young was like the older sister I never had. She was like the friend I never had and in some ways, she was like the teacher I never had.
She was always the one I turned to when I had a problem. Of course my parents were most often the first choice but if I for some reason didn't feel comfortable with talking to my parents I always went to her next.
Never did I go to any other friend before I went to Shania. She always had the correct words to make you feel better. I hope I can be like her to other people, to have such a great effect on people is what I want to do for others like she did to me. I want people to look up to me the way I looked up to her and still look up to her. I want to make people smile the way she made me smile all the time.
I want to be able to have a friend like Shania again and I'm sure I will, but again, no one I repeat NO ONE could ever replace her.

Shania Young is one of the funniest people I know. She always did something random or funny that it was hard to be sad or mad around her. It was almost impossible to even think about something sad when you were around her. She was always the one to make us feel lots better. She was the brave one, the noble, the gallant one. She was the the one to truly match the words of Be Strong and of Good Courage. It seemed she was never afraid to do what she wanted or what was right.
She was one of the greatest examples in my life. She is my master, my teacher, my sister, my friend and almost quite literally, part of my life. When she left, I believe that a part of me went with her no matter how small a part of me will always be with her as a part of her will always be with me.

The other person in this picture is Hailee, I think that Hailee was the next closest friend I've had. She is still here to help me with this trouble and hard time of Shania's move. Hailee, Shania and I did almost everything together. We were the one's to get together the most often. No matter where we were or what is was we were doing, we always included one another and we never misjudged one another and most importantly, we always had fun.
We had our own political opinions and we found a way to work things out without any fights or arguments and we were able to control our feelings better around Shania. I can't speak for Hailee, but I can for myself. She made such a great impact on my life that it is hard to accept that she really is gone.
I fear for the day when it will hit the rest of the way that she is gone and that nothing will ever be the same again. No more seeing her at school or in town. None of that.
Though those memories will always be with us, it will help us when we are in the dark alone, they will guide us through the maze of confusion to the light of day. Her very spirit is like the lamp of truth that guides us through those mazes and roads full of different turns that could each lead to disaster. She leads us to the right road and past troublesome times.



So here is good bye to our friend, our sister, even the remarkable, Shania Young.

Really Sad News,

Okay funny story, I received the green one from the Advanced Band Christmas Party! It was cool, the blue one is from my brother Salem. I will tell you the story when I talk about the dog and stuff but yeah.

Okay, so we did a white- elephant gift exchange, and well, it was kind of like musical chairs, whoever wanted a certain gift the most, that gift was taken out and then we would start, when the music stopped if you didn't have a gift you chose one and left. Well, I figured that I wouldn't get to the eleventh one left but I did but let me tell you what really happened. Okay, so the last four people I believe was Madison, Gideon, Seth and I and as we were passing, the music stopped, Gideon and Madison all had one and Seth and I partially had the last one, of course we begin fighting over it and yeah you all should know me, I can be aggressive so when Seth finally gave up, we moved to the final three, Madison, Gideon and I... Similar to the last time with Seth, the music stopped and Madison had a present while Gideon and I partially had the last one. Of course, we both fight over it, and I will admit, I probably should have given it to him but Seth had almost won and I had gotten this far so I was going to finish it so I wasn't going to give up. Anyways, when Gideon gave up, Madison and I began to pass it back and forth. Similar to the times with Gideon and Seth, I was about to give it to Madison when the music stopped so I pulled the present back! I had won! I received the cow bank and the green frisby (I don't think I spelled it right) and the big dog!!! It was awesomely awesome! I didn't see what Seth got yet Gideon got a sausage and Madison got toilet paper and a Hershey's bar!! Sweet!! Sorry you four!

"A friend by the name of Amee Essex gave me this! Cool its okay a stuffed bunny always wanted one!!! Thanks Amee
These are my pajamas, if you can't tell there are black with blue, white and purple poka-dots all over them!! Cool I like them, they're warm. Thanks mom and dad!!!
My great grandma Idom gave me the flip-flops and candy moose!!! It was good and I haven't worn the flip flops yet cause it is so cold but yeah I like them! Thanks Great Grandma Idom!!! They call you Great Grandma for a reason!!
I got my most favorite candy ever!!! A Hershey's cookies and cream bar!!! I loooovvveee those things!!! Thanks to Nick Ward, in my ward my Sunday School teacher, and my parents and of course Sami Merrel!!!
My cousin Rachel gave me this hat! It is awesome thanks Rachel I like it lots!!! Love ya!

More Christmas!!!

A friend by the name of Katelin Stewart gave me these beautiful gifts, I believe their is a stuffed elephant there and a box of candy and a green slinky there! Yay! Thanks Katelin.
A friend by the name of China Limon gave me these wonderful presents! I believe their are two things of nail-polish there, lipstick and a candy cane there. Yay! Thanks China!
I was a Lunch aide this semester and all of the lunch people put together a gift for all of the aides. It is so cool and amazing thank you lunch cookers! There are wafers, M&M's, five dollars, a card, Santa claus Peez, Chapstick, perfume and I believe that is it! Thank you!
A friend by the name of Tiffany Zuffelt gave me these amazing things. I believe there is a santa note book, there should be candy there, a santa chocolate thing and a candy cane full of M&M's!!! Thanks Tiffany!
My dad gave me some earphones!!! Thanks dad! They work good and wonderfully... I have been listening to my MP3 player!!! Thank you father!

New Updates

My Grandma Goodrich gave me a book for Christmas, she knows me well, I love books and I very rarely read a book and not like it if you know what I mean. Well, I have read The Stone Traveler and it is really good I love it so much. It has taught me a lot and I highly recommend for anyone who loves books with fantasy and some LDS religion in it. It is favorable and memorable with some parts that are touching. It is a really good book. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for the book I love it.
I as well received a guitar. Even though I don't know a lot about the guitar I was really excited to be able to have one of my very own now. My Grandpa Goodrich came over after a while and we were able to get it tuned and I was able to learn and remember three notes. A, C, and E. Combined together they sound really cool and you can make up your own lyrics and still have it sound really good. I love it thank you Grandpa and Grandma Goodrich. I am especially excited to have three instruments that I play now, music makes me really happy especially when I can play something that everyone else thinks is touching and good. I love being able to make other people happy and have joy. It warms me to the soul to have good music touch the ears of those who are deaf and to see the passion of it to those who are blind and to be able to feel the music inside of you as well as themselves. It is a talent I hope to never lose.
As most of you should know, I write books, well my dad was so sweet as to order me a brief case to keep my book in. I was so excited to start yet I had left my book at my aunt Mindy's house! Oh well, I will get it back. I feel all professional with it and it makes me feel like my parents really do care. Most of the time when I tell people about my book I get the feeling that they really don't care at all and that what I am saying is just falling on deaf ears. Its good to know that someone is interested in my writing. Which reminds me, its kind of off subject but the talent show is coming up and I had an idea to walk out on the stage and just say,"My talent is annoying you people." Yeah it'd be great so I will do what I do best which is to annoy all of you. haha but I won't tell you even a part of my book because its classified! That and I probably would confuse you because I wouldn't start from the beginning so yeah. I can't wait to start with my new brief case and my book.
I was pleasantly surprised to not get a butt-load of clothes this year. Last year most of my presents were clothes, not that that was a bad thing, its just that I got millions of them and it almost seemed quite literally. This year I got what your looking at, one shirt and two pairs of levis that are long enough. (I'm not sure if I spelled that right but at the moment I don't really care.)
I don't really know why, but this year blue and black jackets have begun to appeal to me more then they used too. I remember telling everyone I wanted one. I received two both from my parents, so yeah. They are awesome and warm!