Moments.

My dear friend Savanna wrote the cutest post the other day about her and her husband's first real kiss.  I loved this post.  Not just because I'm kind of a closet sucker for love stories and mushy things, but because I love how she talked about she remembers the moment that it happened and how she instantly made it a memory that she will remember for the rest of her life.

You know what I'm talking about right?  Those moments, big or small, where you take a deep breath and think "wow, I'm going to want to remember this moment for the rest of my life." And then you close your eyes and you take it all in and you remember exactly where you were, who you were with, and how your life would not have been complete without that moment...even if it's a miserable moment because whatever the case, that moment helps define a little piece of who you are.

I wish that I made my memory work a little harder sometimes because I know I have a lot of these moments but sometimes, if you aren't paying attention, you can miss some of these moments.  So when Savanna blogged about this the other day I couldn't help but want to make sure that I pay extra special attention to little moments that I will want to remember for the rest of my life.  You know, so I can take them in and put them in my "Jenn Memory Bank :)"  Sure, my moments might not be about boyfriends and that kind of love and relationships (yada, yada, yada) because, the truth is.. I've never had a boyfriend.  [not a shocker to anyone who knows me:)]  But that doesn't make my moments any less significant.

As I sit here typing recalling some of these memories, I can think of quite a few.  Here's an exclusive one: I remember standing in the back of the auditorium at the college of Southern Idaho near the end of my Senior year of high school, holding hands with the 9 other people who made it to the final 10 to serve as a State FFA officer for the following year.  It might sound silly to a lot of people but I remember everything about that moment.  I remember the lighting, my palms sweating, how badly I wanted my name to be called, how confident I was, and how disappointed I was when my name wasn't called.  I remember it all. I was devastated...But along with that memory I remember later getting to BYU-Idaho and changing my major, and meeting so many great people and making so many great memories and finally realizing that getting a State office just wasn't in my plan.  I remember walking home from from the Benson building on campus and feeling this calm peaceful feeling.  In that exact moment I realized that I was in the right place, doing what I was supposed to be doing, at the exact time I was supposed to be doing it.  If my name would have been announced that day back then to become a State officer, my life would have been totally different.  I would have been on a different time schedule and probably at a different school.  I'm not saying it wouldn't be a good life, but I just remember gaining a strong testimony that day that Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us.  I've never doubted it for a moment since.

See--it's moments like that.  I honestly could think of a lot more but that was the first big one that comes to mind.  Honestly, I just want to do a lot better at taking notes of these moments.  

I had another special one today.  Mom and Dad came to visit cole and I this weekend for less than 48 hours.  We went to the movies, out to eat, to the mall, watched conference, and really just spent some quality time together.  As I've moved away from home and gotten older, my parents have seriously became my favorite people in the world.  They are hilarious, and they just have so much love for us.  I honestly wish that I lived closer to them and don't worry, mom always comments that she wants us to move back to Idaho.  I keep telling her to find me a job over there and I would move back in a heartbeat...someday I hope!  But as we got up this morning and got them packed up and ready to leave, we knelt for a family prayer like we always do before we head out on any kind of trip.  Mom said the prayer and the spirit was so strong...You guys, my mom is such a great lady.  If I could be half the great person she is someday, then that would be great.  As she got up from saying the prayer, she starting crying (like she always does when we have to say "goodbye").  I grabbed her and gave her a hug and chuckled because that's just how it goes every time.   But this time was a little different.  My dad grabbed us and pulled Cole in and we had the cutest family hug in the middle of my living room...

...You better believe that I closed my eyes and took it all in.  

You guys, I would do anything for my family.  I honestly don't know why I was blessed with such a great one.  Sure, we have our problems and go through struggles like everyone else but no matter how hard life gets, in the end...family just makes life better.

Don't miss out on an opportunity to tell the people you love how much you care for them.  And while you're trying to just "make it" like everyone else, don't forget to take in those moments I'm talking about.  I honestly feel like paying special attention to it makes life mean a little bit more.