COLORADO

Wow! So I absolutely love Colorado and all the fun things I have been able to do out here. This past month has been absolutely great and I have met lots of awesome new people. My roommate is awesome and I am enjoying getting to know her. She is currently trying to sell the house we are living in so that we can move into a two bedroom apartment that will be cheaper. We have lots of fun laughing at random crap, making eachother laugh, playing games and eating good food. Tonight I am making spaghetti!! Lets hope I can live up to the masterpieces her and her brother have made in the past few weeks! Her brother has made chicken cordon bleu, pork chops, and buffalo chicken salad. She has made just as many amazing dishes that I can't even begin to think of the name for. I have my own room and bathroom so that has been really nice. I am so blessed to be here and to have the opportunities I have had.

The monday after I got here we went to a Rockies game with her friends who had extra tickets. We even sat in the club seating!! It was a good time for sure.

Vickie and I at the Rockies game! Rockies 4, SF Giants 0

It has been great to see my extended family so much! I was able to go watch my cousin Shannon play in a softball tournament in Aurora. My cousin Rori goes to CSU Fort Collins and she came down to watch her sister play as well. Considering I don't always get to see them all that often, this was a real treat :)

Me, Shannon, Ben, Aunt Caroline, and Rori

One of the things that I was most excited about was to go hiking once I got out here, and as you can see that is exactly what I've done! A couple of weeks ago I went to Green Mountain which is just west of Denver and hiked with my friend Stephanie. Then just yesterday I went to hike Devils Peak with people from my ward. It was SOOOOO breathtaking, I can't even describe the beauty I witnessed. Hopefully the pictures will provide some insight!

Over those mountains is Utah! Hello friends!

Stephanie and I on our hike!

At the top of Devils Peak

It is amazing to me how beautiful this country is! What a blessing it is to be able to walk outside and see the nature that God created for us. I was so happy while hiking and loved every minute of it!

** VEGAS **

LAS VEGAS!!!

Vegas was SOOOO amazing!!! LOVED IT!! As you can see we went shopping on the strip with H & M as our destination. Becca, Brooke, Megan, Joey and I had so much fun trying on random things and helping eachother find cute outfits. We met up with everyone at The Cheesecake Factory in Ceasars Palace that night and then we all went to the Belagio Fountains. They were gorgeous! Then Jake and I went on a date to finish off the night :) That was definitely the highlight! We both LOVE Vegas so it was perfect. We went to the Harley Davidson cafe and drank all the water we could considering Vegas is 90 degrees still at 11 at night. Then we went back through the Paris Hotel where we found this amazing night club/lounge where these two piano players were playing amazing music. We were drawn in by a song we both knew and ended up staying for about an hour and a half. With his love of music and my obsession with piano music we both were having a blast. It was simply amazing :)

EFY 2008

Especially For Youth 2008

Santa Barbara Session 3

Vegas Session 2

Vegas Session 1

Me and my girls (and boy) before the dance that night :) They were super excited!

So I went to Vegas for two weeks to be a counselor for EFY (Especially for Youth). It was sooooo much fun and I absolutely enjoyed every minute of it! I was there for the last week in July and the first week of of August. Initially I started in Santa Barbara and did a week there before we came to Vegas. Last summer I did 3 sessions in Santa Barbara and I knew that it was something I absolutely had to do again. The experiences I had last summer were life changing, and this summer was no different. Everytime I do EFY I learn new things and it helps me refocus my life and my goals. I love that I get to be surrounded by the spirit 24 / 7 while teaching these youth about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I love seeing the changes these kids make throughout the week, and how they come to know their Savior on a more personal basis. It is a program that I feel is completely inspired by our Heavenly Father and I was blessed to be an instrument in His hands once again.

* tHoUgHtS *

I should be in bed, but I'm wide awake
the thoughts continue to stream through
my mind with all the worries that I make,
dating, mission, masters; just to name a few.

options are blessings,
where we go, what we do, we choose,
prayers are my first instinct,
I know with them I can't loose.

happieness is our creation,
it is the feeling of accomplishment,
it is the service we use to alleviate eachothers burdens,
it is the LOVE received and sent.

if we place it in God's hands,
our lives will make a difference,
in faith, my plan and His plan will coincide,
He is my guide, my light, my strength,
through Him my worries are minute in length,
with Him my life makes COMPLETE sense.

-Traci Leigh

BLESSED :)

Me and my family, minus my sister and her family.



Me and my brother, Darren :) I'm so glad he could make it!



Me and one of my friends from my major :) we were
soooo ready to graduate!!

Graduation has now come and gone :( It was a blast and I would love to go back to that day, but I have other things in store for me and I just need to continue pushing forward. Now that I'm home for the summer it has been pretty difficult to adjust and to understand where I need to focus my efforts next. I haven't been able to get a full time job because I can't commit to the whole summer due to my prior commitment to being an EFY Counselor for 3 weeks. I've been working for my uncle part time, but that will end soon and I will be picking up jobs here and there until July 12th when I go to Santa Barbara and Vegas for EFY. I have had a lot of down time which has allowed me time to think about a lot of things and to evaluate where I am at in my life; physically, spiritually, emotionally, socially etc... There are many things I've learned about myself, and I know I have many things to work on. Each day is a work in progress and I am trying to better myself each day.

Spiritually, I know that I have a foundation in the gospel and that no one's opinion of my beliefs can change that. I know that without my knowledge and testimony of God's church and His love for me, I would be lost. I know that the Bible and the Book of Mormon work hand in hand and provide strength for me in my life when I feel lost. Fasting and prayer are essential in helping me understand what path is best for me, and is God's way of allowing us to communicate with Him. It is my desire to always cultivate my relationship with my Heavenly Father because it is ultimately my strength and shield against the world we live in today. I love Him and am ever so greatful for his selfless sacrifice for me. I am blessed to know Him through prayer and my own personal revelation.

Prayer has been able to provide guidance and reassurance in my life, especially this last semester and in the lst couple of weeks. If not for my knowledge and faith in the power of prayer I would be confused, and lost in this huge world we live in today. I know my Heavenly Father loves me and cares about me individually. My happieness stems from my foundation in His gospel and through my knowledge of the fact that there is never a day in my life that I walk alone.

Since being home I have had the opportunity to attend many weddings, meet many new people, and continue to hold dear the friendships I have been so blessed to have. I have been able to spend precious time with my family who I love very much and who I look up to on a daily basis. Also, I have found much joy in simply talking and getting to know different people. Listening to others tell their story is facinating to me, and there is much to be learned from others if we just open our ears. To make a difference in this world it takes opening your mind and your heart to understand and to give of yourself.

side note- i love Airports simply for the opportunity I have to people watch and to talk with others as well. wierd? maybe, but no one is normal. :)

my thoughts have been flowing all night, and I wish I could continue, but i need sleep :)

Daily Thoughts :)

The pictures below are obviously of Ireland, and i just posted them because I really hope to travel there someday! It is one of my dreams/lifetime goals to be able to go there :) This probably won't happen soon, but I am determined to make it happen in the future!

Anyways, here are some thoughts from Tuesdays devotional here at BYU...it got me thinking about a lot of things, so I just decided to type them up...

*Everyone has their own book of life, and we need not compare ourselves to others.

*Matthew 25: 15- "And unto one he ^agave five ^btalents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey."

*Matthew 25:23-"His lord said unto him, Well done, good and ^afaithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord."

*As long as we do the best we can with whatever we are given in this life, our talents and such, then it only matters what our effort is, and not just our achievement.

*Good references:
-D& C 130
-3Nephi 14:7-8
-D&C 121: 7-8

*It is neat to think that we are each individually made with specific talents and capabilities that make us special. Also, we were given these talents to help serve others and to help spread His gospel throughout the world. We are on this earth to learn and to prepare ourselves to return to our Heavenly Father someday. The effort that we exhibit in our daily lives is more important than what we achieve in the end. Our effort proves of our dedication and perseverance, and it adds to the person we are striving to become, as well as our character. God has a plan for us and it will take our desire to know Him and His gospel to completely understand why we are here and where we are going.

*Besides these thoughts above, I've been thinking a lot about what I would love to do sometime after I graduate:

* go to Ireland someday!!
* learn how to play the piano
* coach competitive soccer teams
* eventually open my own Recreational Therapy Facility for those that are physically disabled
travel to all the 50 states

*I am still looking to get my Masters in Public Health here at BYU. In the Fall I will be taking the GRE and then I will apply next Winter. It feels like the best thing for me and I pray that I get accepted! We shall see :)

*Life is going great and I am extremely excited for the summer time! It will be great to be home with family and friends, and the warmth of the sun, and the beach :)

IRELAND!!!

**LiFe**

Our lives aren't ours to plan out. The Lord is the one making the plans and we simply choose to follow them, or take another path. Lately I've learned the importance of turning my desires into the Lords desires. I have desired to finish college, do my internship and then possibly a mission. I've wanted a boyfriend throughout all of my college experiences, but those that I date never seem to stick. With all of these things in mind, and considering some of the trials I've been through, I know that what I want isn't always going to coincide with what the Lord would have me do, even if they are righteous desires. Timing is never an issue in the Lords mind, instead He focuses on the events and things that will mold us into better sons and daughters of God. I have learned to take every day as it comes and to not plan to far into the future.

This past weekend I really developed a testimony of fasting and prayer, and I know these principles of the gospel are essential to our happiness here on earth. With fasting and prayer I have been able to be more in tune with what the Lord desires for me and the path he would have me take. How great full I am for the scriptures and inspired prophets who are helping guide us back to our Heavenly Father.

I still need to make my resume for applying to internships, and that is definitely a slow process. School is going good and I have some tests coming up pretty soon in Humanities and in my 473 Issues in Therapeutic Recreation class. I have really been enjoying the social life this semester and I've met a lot of really great people. I did date this guy for about 3 weeks and that sadly ended on Sunday. Oh well, what can u do? On Friday I get to babysit for Mark and Karen, so I'm really excited about that! Their kids are adorable! Anyways, many pictures are to come! That is, once I get my computer back! It's been at the doctors for two months now :(

A Fabulous Weekend! :-)

This past weekend was a great one! It was Martin Luther King Jr. day and therefore we had a 3 day weekend :)

*Friday* Carli and I went to P.F. Changs to spend the money we got when the mysterious caterpillar showed up in our lettuce wraps on my birthday. It was fun, but we quickly realized that it was date night for every one in Provo, meaning we felt quite out of place! ha ha...What's new though, Carli and I go everywhere together! However, we have decided that it's our turn to finally get lucky in the dating world! All of our friends are either dating someone, engaged, etc. By all means we are excited for them, but like I said, it's our turn now!! Other than this is our goal this semester, that's all I have to say about that :) We ended up going to an Institute dance that night which was way fun! I loved it! Marc Harrison from EFY was there, and we partied it up like we did in Santa Barbara! It was a good night, and we ended it with watching Step Up at Carli's house afterwards.
*Saturday* I slept in until about 11, and then went to the mall with LaRee. We spent an absurred amount of time in Forever 21 because it is such a fun store! And we love it! I didn't end up dropping any money in there, but no worries I found the sale at Bath and Body Works and made out with some great smelling things, and great deals! I then headed to Sports Authority to get some new shin guards for all the soccer games I will have this semester with playing on the intramural team, and on the indoor league in Lindon. I also bought a ball because my other one I left at home :( I then went and tried on the dress I will be wearing in Sandra's wedding on the 3rd of May. It was super cute, and I fit in to a size 10!! yay! ha ha...I then had to get back to Provo because I had an intramural game in which ended in a tie unfortunately. Carli and I went to dinner later that night with our old friend Devin who went and got married on us this past October. It was good to see him and catch up with him. Around 11 that night we went to Carli's friends house for a bonfire/backyard party, which basically was spent indoors because it's freakin' cold here in Utah! We had a great time meeting new people, and playing card games all night long.
*Sunday* Went to church, and then went to visit Mark and Karen Skaggs, and their adorable children!! They have two now, Amanda Leigh Skaggs and Joseph Skaggs (don't know the middle name). It was really good to catch up with them since it has been about a year since I had seen them! I then went over to hang out with some new friends I had made Saturday night and we watched the Packers and the Giants game. I have to say it was sad to see the Chargers lose earlier on in the day...We then made waffles and played apples to apples all night! And p.s., i kinda like this kid that i was hanging out with that night, and it's going pretty well, so we'll see :)
*Monday* Carli and I went to go see The Bucket List and it was simply amazing! Go see it if you haven't already! We both cried like babies and it was awesome :) Then we went back to her place and ordered a pizza, ate Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream, and watched One Tree Hill for about 3 hours. It was a true day off from everything! I loved it! Then that night I went to go tubing with the guy I mentioned above, so that was TONS of fun! I couldn't stay on my feet to save my life, therefore I was quite a show, let me tell you!

It was a fabulous weekend, and I'm ready for the next one to begin!

Utah is really cold this time of year, and I'm really beginning to miss my home sweet home, California :( Only 3 more months and I'm home free!!! Well, only for the summer that is... I'm planning on taking an internship in either of the following 4 places: Palo Alto, CA, San Diego, CA, Denver, CO, or Boston, MA. The facilities in Palo Alto and Boston are Children's Hospitals, and the one in San Diego is Sharp Medical Center where they deal with individuals with various types of physical disabilities. Craig's Hospital in Denver has been around for a while and they deal with those with Spinal Cord Injuries, and Traumatic Brain Injuries. This hospital is very well known, and would probably be the best internship to take if offered. I am beginning to create my resume and discuss these possibilities with my adviser, and then I will start applying towards the end of this semester.
As I am finishing up my college career, I am taking the following classes: 472 Program Dynamics in Therapeutic Recreation, 473 Issues in Administrative Therapeutic Recreation, 486 Legal Aspects, Intro to Ceramics, and Humanities 202. Three of my classes are my last upper division classes, and the last two are just the last of the General Ed. requirements. It's been a great semester so far, and I'm hoping it will stay that way! We are only on our 2nd week of this semester, but I can't help but think about graduation every day :)
The social life is always fun seeing as there are always fun things to do around here. Some of the favorites are sledding, dollar movies, dessert parties, bowling, game nights, intramural soccer (that's my favorite), going out to dinner, shopping, going to Salt Lake & Park City, dating (a rarity in the life of Traci), and just hanging out at each others apartments... I usually hang out with either carli, tiffany, or my roommates. As much fun as it has been being up here, I am ready and excited to move on to the next phase of my life; wherever that may lead me. After the internship I am considering serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It is something I feel I should do if the time is right and if I feel prepared. I think it would be an amazing experience, and one I know I would grow tremendously from. If I could help this world become a little bit better by introducing the gospel and God into their lives, then why not go for it? We'll see where I'm at come December of this year :)