be generous.

happy pi(e) day everyone. i was grateful for the excuse to do some baking today. pies are one of my favorite items to bake now and i can't get enough of them. today smash and i made two banana cream pies. we both had things going on tonight and unfortunately we had to leave the house while our pie filling was cooling. our parents are wonderful however, and they finished assembling the pies for us. my favorite part about baking is sharing what i've baked with others. i wish i could have sent a little pie to everyone. maybe next year. 

only thing missing was the filling...oops.

i wanted to add on to this post a few things that i meant to blog about last weekend but didn't make the time for it. three wonderful women in my life celebrated birthdays last weekend. my amazing, talented and kind mother valerie b whitaker, my caring, sweet, spunky sister melanie johnson, and my wonderful, strong, sincere sister (in-law) anna whitaker. anna and melanie share a birthday and my mom's is a few days before theirs. i was so grateful for the chance we had to celebrate their births and to take a moment to realize how blessed i am to have them in my life. each one has made a huge impact on my life and they are all such great examples. i honestly come from the best family and count my blessings every day for the chance to be a part of it. these three women are some of the most generous people i know. my mom does everything. she helps everyone and never stops worrying about others before herself. anna is constantly doing specific things for everyone around her. we were talking this christmas about me registering for byu and how i didn't know what professors to get and she took time to send me a link to a website via facebook where students have rated their professors. i can think of a dozen other experiences just like this. she's amazing. mel has such a big heart. she too is always thinking of others and what she can do for them. she has lived away from provo for quite a few years now but she called me on our sisters birthday and asked me to put a few things together as a present from her and the rest of us. and she sent me a halloween package while i was in china. she has sent birthday cards to our mom and dad and they have arrived perfectly on time. she didn't come out for christmas because she felt she needed to help out a friend in new york. she always has others on her mind. i'm so grateful for these three and their amazing examples that i can look up to and learn from. i love you three so much! hope you had a fantastic birthday.

be spontaneous.

"live nutty. just occasionally. just once in a while. and see what happens. it brightens up the day." -leo buscaglia


this is my first semester at byu and i've liked it so far. i haven't liked my test scores as much as i could but thats life. i often find myself saying, oh i'll do better on the next test. sometimes that can be true. most of the time it's not...this time it's definitely not. the reason i will not be doing better on my next test is the fact that i will be missing it entirely. i decided to be spontaneous and have planned to miss school for a whole week to go on a cruise with a few of my besties. i know, i know. this is my first semester at byu and i should be more responsible, take school more seriously and definitely not take a week off...right? i thought all of these things but i also thought that i only have three classes this semester so if i were to ever give myself a spring break it should be this year. i noticed that i had one test scheduled the week of the cruise. it happened to be an american heritage test. in the syllabus it said to call the ahtg office before the last day of the test. i was calling three weeks in advanced so i felt really responsible and good about the situation. the lady that i needed to talk to wasn't there so they got my name and number and said she'd call me back. she didn't call. the cruise went up in price so i had to book it before it became more expensive. sunday night i was on the phone for about thirty minutes booking this cruise. but it was worth it, and in the end it was booked and everything was great. the next morning i called the ahtg office again because the lady still hadn't called me back. in short the lady was a brat and told me that the only reason someone could make up the test was if they were in the hospital the day the test was offered. there was nothing about that in the syllabus. i had already booked the cruise. you bet i'm going to argue and talk to my ta and see what i can do. i hardly think that will work though. i get that it's such a huge class so no exceptions can be made, but they should be 100% more clear about the circumstances for which the test can be made up. i was under the impression i would be able to take the test early. otherwise i wouldn't have booked the cruise...


i'm pretty sure i'll still pass the class and that's all i care about. so here's to being spontaneous. so what if i miss a test? so what if i skip out on a week of classes? i'll live nutty, just this once, and we'll see what happens. i have a feeling that my day will be brighter and that this cruise with some of my best friends will be the source of my brighter day. 

thirteen days...

be.

"life is here and it is now...either we meet it, we live it or we miss it. all life resides in the narrow margin and the broad expanse of the moment. it is in the doing, the dreaming, the feeling and the caring. it is always present in a glorious attempt, a lofty dream, a brilliant insight, an irreplaceable experience, a calming breath, an unbelievable feeling and in irrepressible passion. an unlived life is littered with 'could haves,' 'should haves' and 'if onlys.' each moment greets us full of possibility and leaves us hoping we are better for having met. while it is true that we only have right now, there will never be a time when it's not now. grandma moses said it best, 'life is what we make it, always has been and always will be.'" 

-kobi yamada

for christmas this year one of my very best friends emmy jenson gave me a book titled be. (she knows me so well.) in it are about 40 be ______ statements. be happy. be daring. be humble etc and quotes to go along with each statement. i have decided to title my posts after these statements. i love the book and it simply reminds me to just be. be anything i can and want to be. so now begins my be posts. enjoy.