February 25, 2013

"Hopefullyone day I will figure out how time works out here in the mission field. Everyday goes by so fast and it is hard to remember individual days, it all kind ofjust blends together. Wedo service for people, we do a lot of chopping wood because everyone lives in whatwe would call cabins and use wood to heat their homes.  Me and Elder Proctor always joke around thatwe are serving in a third world town ha-ha. It is sad, but true. Thispast week we went tracting in an apartment complex and we got into one personshouse and had the Restoration lesson with her and her husband.   It went really well. The spirit was superstrong and everyone in the room could feel it. They had us schedule anappointment to come back. When we came back the second time after the lesson weasked for referrals and they gave us a couple that were in the apartmentcomplex as well. We went and knocked their doors and they let us right in andthe lessons went well there also. So, because of tracting one house we now areteaching 13 people in the same apartment complex. We hope to be able to getthem on date for baptism this week if all goes according to plan. We alwaysjoke that we are going to translate that apartment complex because we teach alesson to one family or couple and then they refer us to their friends nextdoor and it just cascades down from that. We set some high goals this week and are going to work really hard to reachthem.  Next week Elder Proctor and I haveit planned that we are going to double the standard that is set for our mission.If we accomplish it we would be the first companionship in the mission to dothat.  That would be cool because itwould be in my first transfer of my mission which is unheard of.  We honestly think we have the ability to it sothat’s our goal. We just got a text message from our zone leadersthat said because of the creation of the new 58 missions everything ischanging. We just got this like 10 seconds ago.   That could mean that I get switched eitherout of Clifton Forge and into West Virginia or I get switched to a completelydifferent mission: the Virginia Chesapeake Mission which was just formed. Thatwould be really cool because Virginia Beach is in that which is really prettyand I would be able to stay in Clifton Forge.  I am not really sure what is going on. Hopefully,by next week I will know for sure. Crazy how much is going on it freaks me outa little... pray for me and pray for President Pitt!!"

State Basketball.

PLAY-IN GAME.
    SALT LAKE CITY — The Snow Canyon girls basketball team took its first step toward defending its 3A championship from a year ago.The Warriors defeated host Judge Memorial, 61-57, in the opening round of the 2013 3A state tournament Saturday evening.
“That’s as intense as they get,” Snow Canyon coach Wade Jensen said after the foul-filled game. “That’s two good teams going to battle until the very end.”
Ultimately, it wasn’t until the final seconds that the Warriors secured the win.
With the score tied 55-55 and just 2:40 remaining, Snow Canyon took the lead behind two free throws by Grace Walton. On the ensuing possession, however, Walton dove after a loose ball, banged her forehead on the court, and left the game with a bloody cut. She was restricted from returning due to a suspected concussion.
The next 45 seconds involved a succession of Snow Canyon errors, including turnovers and fouls, giving the Bulldogs plenty of opportunities to potentially take control.
However, while Judge guard Emily Smith hit two foul shots with 1:09 remaining to re-tie the game at 57-57, Snow Canyon's Ashlee Nyborg and Amy Harris put the game out of reach with two freebies apiece in the final seconds.
“We had about three or four girls that went down with injuries or cuts or other things,” Jensen said. “We had a lot of girls step up that made plays for us.”.
Senior Megan Leavitt was a difference-maker for the Warriors. The 6-foot-1 forward scored just six points in the entire first half before catching fire for 12 points in the third. She finished the game with a game-high 21 points and 17 rebounds.
“We thought we had an advantage in the post, and that’s what our game plan coming in was,” Jensen said, adding that the Bulldogs could not stay with Leavitt down low. “She played well. She played great for us.”
Harris, meanwhile, finished with 13 points and Nyborg added 10. Walton scored all nine of her points for Snow Canyon in the second half before leaving the game due to the injury.
The Bulldogs were led by Smith’s 20 points, while Kailie Quinn contributed 17 points.
“I thought our girls stepped up and played D, and we made some plays down the stretch that we needed to make,” Jensen said. “We have a lot of these girls that went through it last year for us. We’re thrilled with their performance and they played hard.”
The Warriors advance to the second round of the tournament, which will be played at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Dee Events Center.

QUARTER-FINAL GAME.
      OGDEN — Snow Canyon’s girls basketball team needed a pick-me-up.Although the Warriors did lead Delta by one at the half of Thursday’s 3A quarterfinal, they had trounced the Rabbits by 21 back in the preseason and were expected to roll again in the playoffs.
A little motivational speech at halftime put the Warriors back on track.
“We talked about just wanting it and heart, doing it for the love of the game and each other,” said Snow Canyon center Megan Leavitt.Snow Canyon did just that in the second half at the Dee Events Center, and quickly put an end to any upset chatter. The defending state champion Warriors held Delta to 24 percent shooting in the second half and built a 20-point lead at one point on their way to a routine 53-36 victory.Amy Harris and Ashlee Nyborg scored 12 each for Snow Canyon, with Leavitt chipping in with seven points and 10 rebounds.Snow Canyon advances to Friday’s 3A semifinals against rival Desert Hills at 2:30 p.m.“We know each other really well. We have quite a history,” said Snow Canyon coach Wade Jensen.The two 3A finalists last year split their regular-season meetings this season, with Snow Canyon winning 53-46 on Jan. 8 and Desert Hills returning the favor emphatically with a 54-33 win on Jan. 31.Early on Thursday, it looked like sluggish Snow Canyon might play its way into the consolation bracket, as the Warriors only led 22-21 at the half. Jensen attributed a lot of the struggles to rebounding.“We focus a lot on rebounds, and I thought they out rebounded us there. And when we give up two or three shots, we struggled,” said Jensen.
Even though Snow Canyon still had a 22-18 edge in rebounding in the first half, Jensen still wasn’t happy and his players made a much more concerted effort to keep the Rabbits off the boards in the second half.

SEMI-FINAL GAME.
       OGDEN — Unfinished business.Those words are written on plastic bracelets being worn by the Desert Hills High School girls basketball players and coaches this season, reminding them that in last year's state tournament, they came up one win short of taking home the coveted championship.

Well, the Thunder will get a chance to finish their business and earn some redemption today. They punched their ticket to a second straight state title game with a sweet revenge victory over Snow Canyon — the same team that knocked off Desert Hills for the 3A girls championship a year ago — in their state semifinal match up at the Dee Events Center.Friday's 40-30 win sends Region 9 champion Desert Hills (22-2) into today's tourney title game against league rival Dixie (17-7), which earned its berth in the finals with a gritty 33-31 win over Cedar in Friday's other semifinal showdown."That's kind of been our motto this season — unfinished business," said bright-eyed Desert Hills junior guard Blair Bliss, who scored a game-high 20 points and also grabbed five rebounds. "It's a good reminder about last year, and we don't want it to happen again.
"Getting back there has been our goal. Last year it was good for us to get that experience, but this year we're experienced so I think it should do better this year. I think we know what to expect now. We're still going to be a little nervous. I mean, we can't overlook Dixie; they're a great team and we know that, even though we've beaten them twice this year (by scores of 40-30 and 42-40). They still could surprise us so we've still got to go out and play our game."That's what we play basketball for is for these state games," she said. "That's why we go to practice every day and work so hard is for this (championship) game."Haley Bodnar, the Thunder's 6-foot-3 junior center and season-long leading scorer, managed just four points in Friday's game against Snow Canyon, but she swatted away nine enemy shots, pulled down eight rebounds and swiped two steals on the defensive end of the floor. Whitni Atkin added seven points and Emily Seifert chipped in with seven boards and a couple of steals for Desert Hills."All season long, she's made it possible for us to pressure a little bit more on the perimeter and take some chances," Desert Hills coach Chris Allred said of Bodnar's towering presence, "because if they get past our guards, they have to run into her. So she alters a lot of shots and blocks a lot of shots, and a lot of times that leads to us getting some transition baskets."
The Thunder's defense was definitely the difference-maker in this game. Snow Canyon shot just 18 percent (9 of 50) from the field, and the Warriors' star guard Amy Harris — who had 20 points in last year's championship-game victory — managed 10 points this time, but struggled through a rough 2-of-23 shooting day from the field. Harris also had six rebounds."We're the No. 1 scoring defense in the state," Allred said, "so we do take a lot of pride and we work really hard on our defense. And for two years now, the girls have bought into being a defensive team. It's not real glamorous, but they take great pride in playing good defense and keeping teams from scoring and making it tough for 'em.
"That second half, more than anything, we were just focusing on not allowing them to get any easy looks and easy baskets. I got a little bit concerned down the stretch there when they started attacking the basket and we put 'em on the free-throw line a few times. But I felt like as long as we could keep that eight- to nine-point lead, then even if we were trading baskets I felt pretty good about it.
"But they made it difficult for us to execute some of our sets; they pushed us off the block a little bit; they double-teamed Haley. So we were having kind of a rough go and down the stretch it was a little chaotic. But we hung on and found a way to win," he said. Grace Walton and Madie Gubler added seven points apiece for Snow Canyon (17-7), the third-place team from Region 9. It will face region rival Cedar in today's third-place game at 1:15 p.m.Desert Hills led just 5-3 after the first quarter, but Bliss fueled a 7-0 second-quarter spurt that helped the Thunder open up a 17-9 halftime lead. Desert Hills extended its lead to 26-14 at the third stop, and despite missing eight fourth-quarter free throws, the Thunder never led by less than seven the rest of the way."See these gray hairs? I didn't have half these before today," Allred said of his team's shaky 10-of-18 foul shooting in the final period. "We're a pretty good free-throw shooting team when we have to make them. I knew that if they had to keep fouling us that we'd make some shots."It's good to get back to the championship game again; we just don't want to finish second back-to-back. We're hoping. We're hoping ..."Hoping that their unfinished business gets done the right way — with a glorious state title victory — this time.

Even though this season didn't end or turn out the way I hoped or was planning on I still am so proud of my team mates. I loved every second spent with them. Whether it was battling on the court, laughing off the court, or the dance parties we had in the locker room before games. I have learned so many life lesson throughout my years with Coach Jensen. He is an amazing man, and by far my favorite Coach. I will never forget him. Also Coach Kelsch, Coach Matua, Coach Baggaley, and Coach Rerrick have been great examples to me as well. These girls will always be my team mates, and my best friends. Also my family has always been there supporting me. Through the ups and downs. I am so grateful for them and also for my grandparents who have been with me every step of the way.














   

February 18, 2013

President Pitt and his Wife.

"The WVCM (West Virginia Charleston Mission) is 3 things.
        1). A baptizing mission. President Pitt said "if we follow the rules and work hard, we will baptize."
        2). We are a "Preach My Gospel" mission because Preach My Gospel was written by the Apostles which makes it scripture because it is inspired by God.
        3). We are a weight crazy workout mission. Every apartment has tons of protein powder and weights and all the Elders are crazy into working out and getting big. It fits me perfectly. I have already learned more since I have been out here than my whole 18 years of life. Before every meeting we start it off by reciting the mission theme and D&C 4. I was the one in charge of D&C 4, so I now have that memorized. Missionary work is very hard work with not very much success. It is easy to get down on yourself but then I just remember how blessed I am in my life and how much I want to share that blessing with others. Another thing that is kind of sketchy about this area is that people like to mess with dark spirits and voodoo. That stuff is very real and can be very dangerous. At first it scared the crap out of me and I was scared to go outside when it’s dark. But now I know that I have the Priesthood and I have the power to protect me and others if needed. Life in Clifton Forge is a really layed back, small town. Everyone know everyone and seems to be related. Lately I have a lot of cool experienced with the priesthood. I have come to know that the priesthood is real and is really is the power of god and I have the opportunity to have that and have it as a protection."

Elder Proctor and Elder Hurt

The Crawford's Home.

"This pretty much sums op my new life" 

February 11, 2013 (first Letter from WV)

February 11, 2013

"I am now serving with Elder Proctor from Sandy Utah. He Went to Utah State as well. I think he is about 20 years old and I am the first person he has trained. He has so much knowledge I love learning as much as i can from him. Elder Proctor and I are serving in the Clifton Forge, Virginia area. The Town is small, and the Southern accent here is very strong. My first Sunday was really good, it was my first time in a branch in my life so i did not really know what to expect. On Sunday Elder Proctor confirmed the Holy Ghost to a sister. I got to be apart of the circle. The spirit was so strong during that and i know how important the Holy Ghost is for each of us in our lives. We currently have four people on date for baptisms in the next month and a half. I have been tracting and I love it."

GNO

This weekend was beyond perfect! I absolutely love spending time with Dillon's family! Especially his little sisters Aspen and Daisy! They are so cute and so happy all the time! Plus, their smiles melt my heart every time! (Just like Dill's does) after the basketball game I was lucky enough to take Aspen, Sidney (Aspens friend), Daisy, and her friend Kaitlin out for ice cream. I have grown so close with them and I wouldn't have it any other way! After we ate ice cream we went back to my house and played "SNORTA" and "Quelf" it was so much fun!! I love those girls with all my heart!

My Sweet Valentine.

Holy cow. That's all I can say right now. Holy cow. I can not believe that it has already been one month since I've seen my best friend. Time has literally flown by, I have been so busy with basketball every night and my Saturdays consist of basketball, basketball, and MORE basketball. Bear, Emile, Josh, and Aspen all have games..sometimes two.. and going to both the girls and boys College games! (I'm not complaining...Ball really is Life) and I try to squeeze going to the temple in to do baptisms every week! The trick is to stay busy, and don't dwell on the negatives. This month is February and I promised to send him a package a month including our countdown tie. Because this is the month of LOVE--A.K.A. Valentines Day. I decided to center his package around love and have everything pink/red! It turned out so cute! I wanted to incorporate the Valentines theme along with some scriptures because of coarse, he is MY missionary! Everything I included in the package was labeled with a scripture that hints to what is wrapped up. Some things I included are:

Kool-Aide packets-Exodus 15:25

Conversation Hearts-  
   Be Mine: John 3:16 
   All Mine: John 10:27-30 
   True Love: Luke 10:27 
   I'm Sure: John 14: 1-3
   Sweet Talk: Psamls 119:103 
   Be Good: John 14:15
   Fax Me: Jeremiah 33:3 

Pop Rocks- Helaman 5:12
Tie: Proverbs 3:3
Gum: Leviticus 11:26
Chap stick: 2 Nephi 16:5

Even though Dill is 2,140 Mikes away in Clifton Forge Virginia, he still managed to make me feel very special this Valentines Day! It caught me way by surprise! I wasn't expecting a thing! Right after I left my house from lunch, I received a picture of flowers from my mom with my name on them. I replied "who are these from" (Like I said before, I wasn't expecting a single thing) she said back "Who do you think?" I responded "Dillon?" And she replied with a frank "Duh." I also received two letters, and in one of them he asked "Meg, will you pretty please be my Valentine" It made my whole day and It has most definitely been the very best Valentines! When I got home the flowers were placed on the table next to two letters! My day was instantly made!! He is loving Clifton Forge and his trainer! He says "I have gotten a lot closer to Christ in the past month." Dillon also sent me music to "Come Thou Fount of Ever Blessing" and wants me to learn to play it on the piano. He, as well as everyone else who knows me, know very well that I do not have a musical bone in my body. This must be some kind of joke. Plus he is already using Y'all..I think West Virginia is swallowing him right up.

That night since my Valentine was obviously not a available to take me out, I went on a double date with my "other valentines" (Autumn, Hannah, and Janessa) We went and got sushi at Saukra along with the rest of the world. It was the best. Only one more to go. Oh, I do love my sweet Valentine.

He is seriously the sweetest! <3

Lasts.

Seniors?! na. this can not be real. This week has been bitter sweet. Mostly bitter though with a little bit of sweet. This Thursday was our last region home game. Thursday was our last time to wear dresses to school as a team. Last time to sleep in the team room. Last time to come together on the court. I never actually thought this day would ever come. I am not ready for high school basketball to be over. I love my team and my coaches. I wouldn't be who I am today without them and their great examples. This week we played Dixie on Tuesday and beat them in overtime. I was on the bench the whole game in foul trouble. I swear the refs have something against me!! Thursday I got to witness my best friend Autumn Shipp fulfill her dream--Earlier this season (the third day of practice) she tore her ACL, MCL, and Meniscus. It was devastating to our whole team on so many levels. She was a 3 year starter and played a HUGE roll in winning our state championship game last year against Desert Hills. We had played together since the beginning, and not having her out on the court with me was unimaginable. I was terrified, there was no way I could go on and play with out her. She ended up being the BEST assistant coach though, and on Thursday (Senior Night) she was able to start! Before the game the coaches came to the conclusion that they would allow her to shoot the first shot uncontested. (no one informed me what was going to happen if she missed) Unfortunately, she missed and being the best friend I am, I grabbed her rebound and put it back up... not knowing she was supposed to shoot until she made it. Thankfully I missed my wide open layup and she came and grabbed the rebound from me and made a  basket! I was so embarrassed. But that is what best friends are for right?! We ended up blowing Hurricane out of the water (56-14 in the first half) With a minute left in the game Hurricane's coach walked up to Wade and told him that Autumn could go back in and they wouldn't guard her. Us 5 girls (Me, Autumn, Maddi, Grace, and Amy) all went in for the last time together. We had been playing together since as long as I can remember, and I am so thankful for the opportunity we got to step onto that court together for the last time.

Last Time Sleeping in the Team Room.

Last Time Dressing up for School.

My Grandpa is my Number One Fan.                                                                         Me and Emilie

Grace and I.                                      Autty and I.                                  Me and Amy.

The Team.

Friday was the last region home game for our boys as well. They played Desert Hills and lost. It was a way good game though. They played their hearts out. I am so proud of them. Because it would be our last game cheering on our boys at home, the student section went HAM to say the least. In graphics..a couple of my buddies and I made over 300 shirts for our parents and student section that said "6th man" when the lights went out, everyone took off their jackets covering their 6th man shirts and the gym was a complete white out. It gave me chills it was so cool. I have never cheered so hard or yelled so loud before. I wouldn't have wanted to end my senior year of basketball any other way.

Warrior Nation.

I Have the Best Friends a Girl Could Ask For.

Taylor, Katelyn, Meghan, Mitzi, Kim, Kenzie, Callie, Macey, Kenzee, Autumn, Megan

West Virginia Bound.

This morning Dillon left to West Virginia!! Finally!! I am probably more excited than he is to have him out there. He is already such a great missionary, I can just tell. This morning Dillon was able to call his family from the air port, then he called me after. But it was way too early, I wish I could remember what he talked about. Our conversation was short, but it was so good to hear his voice! I missed it like crazy, more than I thought. He flies from Salt Lake, to Chicago, and then to West Virginia. He seemed so excited and so happy!

Surprise E-Mails & Surprise Visits to the Principles Office.

So today I was sitting in fourth period, and my phone buzzed and informed me I relieved an e-mail. I usually just ignore them, cause most of the time they are just junk. But today, for some reason I decided to check it..and IT WAS FROM DILL, just dropping in..saying hi and sending some pictures of him and his companion Elder Skelton. I was so lucky to have Aut sitting next to me to celebrate with me! Before we even knew it though our celebration was over and Mrs. Paterson had confiscated my phone. And within minutes me and Autumn found our selves headed down to the principles office. Yes, we legitimately got sent to the principles office. And the Principle is Mr.Hurt. DILLONS DAD!! I had never been so embarrassed!! I was dying. She sent Aut with me, because she was got a drink out of the wrong drinking fountain, and I was there because I had my phone out. NO, this is not a joke. But nothing could get in the way of my excitement!! Getting letters and pictures is so great! I get more and more excited each time. These are some pictures he included in his e-mail.

Weekend Retreat.

This weekend my team and I decided it would  be a good idea to get out of the real world and spend some time together before state. Which is creeping up so fast! Lauren Smith was nice enough to allow us to go up to Pine Valley to spend the night at her cabin. 12 girls. No adults. and not to mention it is us, our basketball team--oh dear. It turned out to be SO much fun. Exactly what we needed. We played games, made music videos, sang songs while Madie Gubler played her guitar (yes, we are a basketball team, but we sounded like an acapella group). We stayed up all night laughing and bonding. The thing with my team is every girl is so different, but yet we all get along so good. It is sad that my high school basketball career is coming to an end. I love basketball, but the thing that makes it so special it the girls. They are all amazing examples to me. I love my team.

The MTC.

Today I got THE BEST e-mail from Dill's mom Shellie! Totally made my weak for sure!! Dill has been doing so good in the MTC. He absolutely loves it!! Loves the constant spirit there, loves his companion and his roommates... EVERYTHING!! Unfortunately this week he got stuck with the flu but with a lot of peppermint oil I believe he is filling much better! Him and his companions made a band, and call themselves the "City of Enoch" he makes me so happy!! In his e-mail home he told his mom, "There is a reason I didn’t talk about them (the sister missionaries) the first time. There are 8 elders and 8 sisters in our district. And that is way too many sisters. I am constantly being tested with my patience because for some reason they think they know everything and apparently they know all the rules. It is really hard sometimes but I just try to be nice and friendly to them when inside I am wanting to say something that I know will make them mad. I think they will be good assets to the mission field as long as they stay away from the Elders because I don’t think we could handle them for two years!!!!" He also shared another way cool experience he had "I just want to share one experience with you guys that me and Elder Skelton (who I like a lot) had this week. We do this thing called TRC and its when volunteers from the Provo area come in and get taught lessons. Sometimes they are members, less active, or even investigators and we get the chance to teach them a lesson. Now of course if they are members they act like they aren’t so we never really know who we are teaching. But we taught this girl and she said all her roommates were members and going on missions and she wanted to find out about what our religion was about. She thought it must be really important if her roommates were giving up everything to go and teach it. Her story sounded really good and real and the spirit was so strong throughout the whole thing. I can’t help but think that she really was an investigator. We went over the Book of Mormon with her, Prayer, and the first lesson... we only had an hour to teach so it was a little brief but she said she understood it. And as we closed we asked her to ask Heavenly Father if what we were telling her was true. And after she got done praying we told her if she would wait 10 seconds and to pay attention to the way she was feeling. This was a real gutsy move on our part but the spirit was there and we knew she would feel it. While she gave the closing prayer my comp and I just prayed and prayed that she would feel something. After she said amen and the 10 seconds were up we asked her how she felt and she said that she had the idea that she needed to go to church with her roommates and learn more. It was just so cool to hear here say that and such a neat experience that builds my testimony of what we are doing. Our Father in Heaven is going to help us. With the Spirit everyone can know of the truths of the gospel, they just have to put forth the effort and ask sincerely. The Spirit is such a great tool to use and as long as I have obedience and do what I need to do to keep it with me then I know I will always have that as I teach." He is doing SO great and I am so proud of my cute little missionary!

Dillon, with his roommates Elder Skelton, Elder Cox, and Elder Prince. (All going to West Virginia)

Elder Hurt, Elder Lloyd, and Elder Stewart (High School Friends)

Elder Hurt and Elder Bozarth (Elders Quorum buddies)

Sister Awercamp and Elder Hurt (High School Friends)

Elder Hurt and Elder Stewart

Elder Hurt and Elder Derrick. They have grown up and  been friends since they were little.

Elder Hurt with his companion Elder Skelton.