10 months later

Today is June 23rd. Today marks 10 months since I underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor. It is amazing to think it has really been that long. I can remember that day like it happened yesterday. Ten months ago today, my life was changed forever. It began one of the darkest times in my life, and yet the light and healing that would eventually follow was the most beautiful experience. A friend of mine once penned this line: "The darkest moments illuminate our identity." I know without a doubt this is true. I believe it is in our darkest moments we truly find ourselves. There wasn't really ever a time I felt completely lost before all of this happened, but now, I have a tremendously greater understanding for who I am and who I am supposed to become. I also have come to understand in a greater sense the work Heavenly Father has sent me to complete while I am on this earth. Another good friend of mine, for a project in which I had "forgotten" who I was, wrote this about my experience: "If you were to cut all your hair off, you would find a scar where they cut in to your skull to save your life, and where Jesus Christ showed you that you still have a work here to do." How powerful that is, and I know it with all my heart.

I love this song and wanted to share it with you. One stanza stands out to me:

"There is no doubt, that He has made me. He's giving me life with each breath I breathe, and I feel a debt to never forget Him." 

 

I truly feel a debt to NEVER forget Him. Ever. He has never forgotten me--never has, never will, and the least I could do for my Savior is to emulate His life to the best of my ability and remember Him in all that I do. And I feel fortunate in the fact that I have a huge scar on my head that will always be a reminder to me of the miracle of my life and the multitude of the Lord's tender mercies.

 

"For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yeah, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me."
(1 Nephi 21: 15-16)

 

 

On a more light-hearted note, this picture. I laugh every time I see it, and I hope you will too. Take notice of the word on the green in the background.

 

 

You know which word I'm talking about, right? Good. :) This picture serves to be a wonderful reminder that life isn't always going to be easy. Sometimes it's going to be really, really hard, but we need to remember to laugh. Laughing is so vital when going through hard times. Along with laughter, remember that there is a God in heaven who loves you more than you can comprehend and who is always looking out for you.

 

Thanks for reading my blog!

I hope you have the best day ever!! :D

 

All my love, Brianna 

Changed for good

Believe it or not, high school has drawn to a close.  I honestly can't believe it.  This has filled my life the past three years and it's all I've known.  It is truly incredible to think about how my life has changed during this short time.  I have changed tremendously since the first day of school my sophomore year, when I walked through those front doors into uncharted territory. It was scary at first, but I grew more during this time than I ever have before.

Throughout high school, I have met some incredible people. During a time when I didn't think I would have any friends, I found myself surrounded by a group of people whom I truly believe are the best at my high school. I am extremely blessed to have known them and to have been able to learn from and grow with them.

High School wasn't easy--it was far from easy. High School consists of some of the hardest and darkest times of my life.  And yet, at the same time, it is made up of the happiest and most exciting times of my life.

I have laughed, I've cried. I've been hurt, and healed. I've worried about what the next day would bring, not knowing how I was going to make it. At times I had no idea how things would work out, but they ALWAYS did. No matter what.

Even though I have been hurt by people, it has taught me about forgiveness and loving them the way Christ loves them--unconditionally. Through this process, I have come to know more about the enabling power of the Atonement and it's capacity to heal you.

I have watched close friends suffer through, yet endure some extremely hard challenges. Having gone through incredibly hard things myself, I was able to empathize with them. These hard times brought us closer together and made us stronger.

These friends of mine are some of the most incredible people I spent my time with during my journey through high school. They have taught me more than I could ever repay them for.

I've heard it said,
That people come into our lives
For a reason
Bringing something we must learn.
And we are lead to those
Who help us most to grow if we let them.
And we help them in return.
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you.

 It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime.
So, let me say before we part:
So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you.
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart.
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you'll have rewritten mine
By being my friend.

 Who can say if I've been changed for the better.
I do believe I have been changed for the better.

 Because I knew you
I have been changed
For good

This song perfectly explains my thoughts and feelings towards high school in general. I will forever remember and treasure the things I have learned while attending high school. I received countless blessings in so many areas of my life that allowed me to succeed and inspire and be inspired by those around me.

Another quote comes to mind...

Smile. It's that simple. I am sad high school is over and my friends and I are going our separate ways. But at the same time, I will always look back on this time of my life, and smile, because I have been changed for good. :)

Lots of Love, Brianna <3

Friends Forever

The morning of graduation, my friends and I did a friend photo-shoot. It was such a blast and I wanted to post some of those pictures. :D

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for visiting my blog! :D

Have an amazing day!!

Brianna

Class of 2014

High School Graduation. Can I just say, it is the craziest thing to call that a thing of the past. It came and it went just like everything else does in life, but after preparing for it for 13 years, after it's all said and done, it's almost like it never happened.  Here are a few shots of me throughout the day. By myself, and with those in my life who I have learned from, grown with, and been inspired by. 

 

 

 

 

 

The gold cord is because I graduated with
a 3.8 GPA or higher, and the white collar is for
participating in the National Honor Society.

 

 

 

 

I honestly owe everything to this beautiful mother of mine.  She has been there for me from the very beginning and has taught me everything I know. She is truly a rock in my life and I honestly have no idea where I would be without her. She inspires me to be better and to be the very best person I can be. :)

After graduation, I partied with my friends all night long. Literally. I didn't get home until 10 am the next morning. Our party consisted of pizza, s'mores, other delicious junk food, High School Musical 3, games, and breakfast. It was an unforgettable night and we all had a blast!! :D

Thanks for reading!
Brianna

It's just the rainy season

. . . as Hunter Hayes would put it. Ha ha :D So here we are, in June, and it has rained for most of the day. Crazy, right? It has felt like a cool, rainy October day, not a warm summer day in June as expected. I went for a walk in the pouring rain today, and as I held my purple striped umbrella over my head, I was reminded how much I love the rain. It is so refreshing. It is cool and quiet. It is soothing and peaceful. It reminds me of being given a second chance, or a fresh start. Rain washes away the negative so the positive can surface. Rain heals. Dead is brought back to life and given the strength it needs to carry on. Rain is a reminder of the beautiful world we live in. Rain reminds us what is vital for us to survive. Water is absolutely crucial for things on this earth to make it through day to day. Rain reminds us of the Redeemer. He is truly the Living Water and it is only through Him that our spirits can survive. He is vital to every kind of nourishment possible. It is through Him we can live again and be healed. :)



 

 

Being the rainy day that it was, I've had a couple of songs running through my head that I'd like to share with you. They don't necessarily go with what I've been thinking about, but they talk about rain in different ways. Enjoy! :)

 

 

 

Thanks for visiting!

Come back soon! :)

Brianna

The conclusion of Chamber

About 14 months ago, I posted about my excitement towards being a member of the distinguished Chamber Choir at my high school.  As high school has come to an end, unfortunately, so did this choir.  But the music we shared still lives on inside of each and every one of us. I will forever remember this Chamber choir and the incredible experiences we had together. I absolutely loved having the PRIVLEGE of working with every single one of these incredible musicians and our director, Mrs. Warby. As a whole choir, we endured some really difficult things throughout the school year, but yet again, we are stronger and closer because of it. 

 

Each of these incredible individuals are going to do AMAZING things in life and I'm so excited to see where life takes them!! :D

 

I love Chamber!!! :) :) :)

 

Brianna

Senior Pictures

I had the incredible opportunity to have my senior pictures done by the amazing Shelly Hill. Her oldest daughter, Cambri, is one of my best friends and I love their family to pieces. She was SO fun to work with and did an incredible job. She took a lot of time with me, making sure she captured who I was in these pictures. Here are some of my favorites. :)

 

 

 

 

 

Anyone who knows me well knows how much I love quotes.  Shelly took some of the pictures and put some of my favorite quotes on them. I love that she did that! :)