Expressions of Incredulty.

Here's a story.

A couple weeks ago I was sitting in my Government class when a friend came up and started looking at what food I had in my lunch. Mom of course filled it to the point where I couldn't hold it from the top without either ripping it or squishing my one of my two sandwiches.

I sat there listening to her comments about how much food I have and how I have so much food. "Ya, my mom packs my lunches, she thinks I'm too skinny." I try to explain to her so she can have another thought go through her head besides how much I eat.

That's when she let's out her expression of incredulty. "Jesus!" She says in a surprised voice.

I hadn't really understood what she said and because of the surprise in her voice I thought she had found something new. So of course my mind found a word that matched the syllables and fit the situation. I didn't really like what I thought she said so I quickly pulled the bag from her and started rifling through my lunch looking for the awful item.

In a shocked and questioning tone I repeated what she said. "Cheeze-its?"

That awkward moment when now is not the time to repeat the swear to the angry girl from Provo looking for Cheeze-its in her lunch. "No, um. I said..." She tried to explain. After a second she gave up and went back to her seat just as I realized I had misheard her.

"Oh." I thought to myself. "Well that was awkward. I can't wait to tell mom."

Sunday Thoughts

For me Sundays are full of spiritual and inspirational thoughts, quotes and knowlege.  I usually forget them as soon as I come home but I have two that I feel like sharing.  First, a quote and my thoughts on it from last week then I will share the talk I gave today in church. 

"We should not have higher standards for others than we do for ourselves. Too often we may let the mistakes or failures of others, especially leaders or Church members, influence how we feel about ourselves or our testimonies. Other people's difficulties are not an excuse for our own deficiencies." 

There is a lot more to this quote than just what I'm sharing but the part where it says we should not let others influence how we feel about ourselves or our testimonies is what stood out to me.  Too many times we are in that awful moment when you look up and everyone is staring at you, laughing at you, judging you.  They think they are right and you are wrong.  Many times when this happens it was you who was doing right and they who were confused.

You are not always wrong, they don't always know better than you.  These people can be your leaders, they can be your friends and they can be your fellow church members but they are not perfect.  Do not let them bring you away from what you know is right. 

I'm not saying you are always right and they are always wrong. If you don't know what to do, pray, then you can trust them until you recieve instructions otherwise. Just don't let them shake you down from what you know. 

Today I gave a talk on Adversity.  I don't know if it's any good but I wanted to share it with you. 

            What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

            I’m Tori Frandsen and I’ve been asked to give a talk on adversity.

            True to the faith says, “As part of Heavenly Father’s plan of redemption, you experience adversity during mortality. Trials, disappointments, sadness, sickness, and heartache are a difficult part of life, but they can lead to spiritual growth, refinement, and progress as you turn to the Lord.”

            Pain, or adversity, makes life interesting. At least that’s the way I like to think of it. I don’t want a life of frolicking through flowered fields without a care in the world.  I dream of adventure, whether I see it for what it is or not.

            I’m not sure, but I think it was John Bytheway who said, “Studies show that teenager’s favorite day of the week is Friday because tomorrow is Saturday.” People like the idea of being able to do whatever they want but when the day actually comes, Friday was better. He goes on to say how this life is Friday and we just have to do our best until tomorrow, because that’s Saturday.

            My Friday school schedule can reflects our Friday in life. We all have things we don’t want to do, mine is school, they just keep coming and it usually seems hard until you actually do it.

            First period I have English, that class is fun, my teacher has us doing lots of activities so it’s not boring, there is a fellow member in that class who goes by the name of Caitlin, I cling to her and follow her around like a lost puppy. Sometimes there’s someone we can rely on to help us through our times of feeling lost and alone. In Psalms 27 we’re encouraged to wait on the lord and be of good courage.

            Second period I have government.  This class is one of the worst because I can’t blend in there.  In Utah this is a class for juniors, here it’s for sophomores and I don’t know if they do this out here but my previous high-school classes encouraged to have a continuous discussion, we don’t raise our hands, because of this habit I tend to cut off people who are patiently waiting their turn.  As members of the church we sometimes do things differently, the prophet always says, “We’re a peculiar people.”

            Third is my free period, I sit with some friends and laugh at how I never finish my homework and therefore am franticly reading textbooks.  In life there are hard times and easy times, it is best to prepare while you can.

            Fourth is math, this is one of my favorite classes.  The teacher is good and I always sit in the back eating pop tarts.  Occasionally we’re blessed with the wonderful moments where we understand the concepts and have a little treat.

            Fifth is physics, the idea of it is interesting and the class has potential, but the teachers voice puts me to sleep. Sometimes in life we have to try harder to learn the things we want to. When Joseph smith was looking for the true church the answers weren’t right in front of him, he had to really search.

            Sixth I have AP us history, in this class we ‘circle it up,’ move our desks in a circle, and discuss our notes and learn.  I’m always excited for this class but have been called to the office for paperwork a lot lately. In life this happens a lot, we have something we want and like to do but something more important gets in the way.

            Seventh, the bane of my existence, Spanish. I can’t understand the teacher or read the board.  For those fifty minutes I just pretend I know what’s going on and watch the clock. I plan on dropping this class and learning to speak it with my family in Utah.  Similarly the gospel doesn’t do any good pretending to learn about it in a classroom, we must apply it in real life every day.

            Life is full of trials and successes, good times and bad times.  It’s best to keep the lord close to you through it all. In Mosiah 24 it says, “Ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.”

Becoming a squirrel.

Charles Munce had it right, adventure is out there.  I have found an adventure that I am most certainly going to do someday.  I will become a flying squirrel. Of course the only problem is that this is impossible.  So I will do the next best thing.  I will get in one of the specially made suits that give you the ability to be like a flying squirrel and glide to the ground.


I was in my Socratic seminar class when i learned of this lovely creation.  Mr. Dowdle told us about it and showed us a video of it.  You get in a suit that makes you all webbed and jump off a cliff to glide right next to the rocks at 100 miles an hour.  You can be like a foot away from the ground and not touch it because you just have that much control.  Then when you start getting close to the ground you pull your parachute and land gently from the best experience of your life.

It is now on my bucket list.  I will jump off a cliff in a flying squirrel suit shouting "ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE!!"

Why

I called this blog A bucket full of sand for what I think is a hilarious reason.  But you don't get it because it's an inside joke.  So I have decided to enlighten you and tell you this joke.  It goes like this.  Dania used to take me to early morning seminary and the first thing she would do, even before she started driving was turn on the radio.  There was a time where every morning they would play the song "Two Pina Coladas."  But this short time of listening to the pina colada song on the way to seminary did not last long enough for me to learn the words.  So instead of singing:
"So bring me two pina coladas
One for each hand
Let's set sail with Captin Morgan
And never leave dry land"
           I would sing:
"Two pina coladas
One for each hand
We'll set sail for California
In a bucket full of Sand!"
And I would sing this over and over again and I would just start laughing hysterically at my own joke. So that's what I titled my blog. It will forever make me laugh.