Well, December came and went more quickly than October and November combined. The only part of college that I hate is the feeling that Fall semester takes over and scrunches Christmas into a week. Having a whole month to focus on the birth of the Savior is pretty much the only part of not being in college next year, that I am looking forward to.

In addition to the shortened time, my attitude and my experiences over the last month put me in a position to not be in the Christmas spirit as much as I usually am. Let's just say that December was a rough month for Brittney. Anyway, I was worried that my lack of Christmas loving would make me miss out on all the things I didn't get to do. However that isn't what happened.

Even with my lack of time, and my lack of excitement for Christmas, I made a goal to make this season about the Savior, and not about the traditions, or parties, or activities. I found that since I took more time to ponder the importance behind the Savior, I felt the Christmas spirit much more stronger. Especially the week before Christmas, I made an exceeded effort to feel my Saviors love, and reflect on his magnificent life.

So even though I didn't get around to watching my favorite Christmas shows (The Santa Clause, Home Alone, The Grinch, and the Claymations) I did watch the video of the Nativity, the new movies from the Church. I got to read different accounts of the Savior's birth and his ministry on the earth. I didn't get to make christmas cookies, but I did learn about the first manger and Swaddling clothes. These experiences brought me so much more closer to the Savior, that now looking back, I have no regrets over how my Christmas season went. I enjoyed it, and it let me reflect back on the changes I need to make to bring me closer to my Savior, and my Heavenly Father.

I will share one scripture from my studies that i just loved:

Matthew 1:21 

"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins."

For some reason that scripture really struck me this season. I especially loved the phrase, for he shall save his people. . . HIS people. That brings me an immense of comfort and feeling of love from my Savior, and it helps me remember that he suffered the worst fate imaginable so I wouldn't have to. He sacrificed his life for me so that I could see my dad again, and my Heavenly Father, and the rest of my family. That is literally the greatest gift, I will ever have.

Dear Taylor Swift, 

First, I would like to say thank you. Thank you for the beautiful words you have put into a sometimes ugly world. Thank you for being a wonderful role model for women ages 5 to 97 years. Thank you for putting so much feelings and emotions into your music. Thank you for making fifteen year old Brittney feel like she was worth something. Thank you for making me realize that love is the most important thing in life but sometimes you have to find happiness on your own, that sometimes you have to choose yourself over everybody else. Thank you for helping me define what it means to be fearless, and sad, and happy, and confused. And also making me feel like it was alright to feel all of those things at once. Thank you for showing me how to demand respect without being demanding. But most importantly, thank you for standing up and being you despite the people trying to tear you down. Thank you for teaching me to not just be okay with who I am, but to love who I am. People ask me all the time why I love you so much. I want to say that you helped me love me, and that is something I will always be grateful for. 

Second, please don't ever stop making music. Your music is usually the only thing that can get me through a crappy day. I love it, and I love learning and experiencing with you as you learn and experience. I honestly don't know what I would do if you stopped making music. One, I don't think anyone needs a break from you. Two, if they do than they can go jump in the stinking lake because you are perfect, and although you do love your fans I don't think you realize how much we love you.  Besides, if you disappear where am I gonna get my Swiftsperation for my Halloween costumes. Yes, I have dressed as you for the past five years now, and I have never once regretted it. 

Third, your concert was literally a night I will never forget. I sang my lungs out to every single song and ugly cried pretty much the whole time. Thank you for letting me and my little sister jam out to the greatest person in the whole world. Thank you for saying what you mean. Also, thank you for not singing about sex and drugs, thanks for being a breath of fresh air.  

Lastly, Taylor Swift I will love you until the day I die (and probably longer than that). 

I was endowed on July 28th I went through the Timpanogos Temple and received my endowments.  It was the most amazing thing I have ever done in my entire life. During the process of preparing for the temple and becoming more worthy to make covenants with my Heavenly Father I found myself. My REAL self. I found out who I am. Specifically who I am through God's eyes. Which was only made more true after I went through the temple. I have never been more happy in my life than I have these past three months. I never want to lose the happiness I have gained from going to the temple. 

These past couple of years I have really worked hard to become happy on my own, without needing to depend on others to make me happy. I can honestly say that I am happy for me now, but there is no way I could have done it on my own. I would still be stuck in the rut I was two years ago if it wasn't for my Heavenly Father and my Savior, Jesus Christ. Through the beautiful power of the atonement and the enduring patience of Heavenly Father I have been made clean again. I am whole again. My broken and embittered heart is healed. And none of this could be possible today without my dream team. 

I am so grateful for the never ending love of my Heavenly Father and my Savior. They have loved me on my loneliest, bitterest, angriest, and depressed days. These experiences have rebuilt testimony and have shaped my life into what I deserve and what Heavenly Father wants for me. 

Anyone interested in the 2016 Presidential election was probably watching the two GOP debates last night which aired on FOX News. I could write probably ten novels on all the things that happened last night, but there is one thing that stood out to me. Amid the circus show last night, there was something that I think conservatives aren't paying enough attention to. They're letting it slip by because it's new and shiny. What GOP voters don't realize is that if they continue to let this new toy be the center of attention, we will be in a lot more trouble than we have at any time in the last eight years. And that new shiny toy is,

 Donald Trump

A terrorist by any other name is still a terrorist. 

• Rosa Parks
• Eleanor Roosevelt
• Abigail Adams
• Harriet Tubman 
• Sally Ride
• Jackie O
• Mae Jemison 
• Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG)
• Sandra Day O'Connor 
• Susan B Anthony
• Alice Paul
• Marjorie Pay Hinckley 
• Besty Ross 

Lately, Twitter has been a crazy storm of debate over this Rachel Dolezal business. I don't really have an opinion on that, but I have noticed a serious problem that results because of debates like these.

Early this morning, Matt Lauer and the Today Show crew interviewed Miss. Dolezal about this huge race issue. If you do not know the story I highly recommend watching the interview. Anyway, I have noticed the last couple of days that a lot of my liberal leaning friends on Facebook are quite upset at this and upset that people are claiming this to be a similar issue to Caitlyn Jenner and transgenderism. I have seen posts about trying to choose your race is immoral and can't be done, but you can change your gender.

To be clear, I am not going to give my opinion on either Caitlyn Jenner and her transgenderism or Rachel Dolezal and her trans-racialism. I have my own views on that and I don't feel that anyone would be benefited by rehashing that issue. However, I do have a strong opinion against those that have stood up and defended Caitlyn Jenner while at the same time condemning Rachel Dolezal.

I understand that race and gender are two very different aspects of the human experience, but a huge part of the argument for transgender people and Caitlyn Jenner, was that her soul was born different than her physical body. Whether or not you agree with that, you have to let her and others live their lives the way they want to. I'm confused and a little upset that the same people that encouraged Caitlyn to be her true self are so condemning to Rachel. How do you know if she feels that her soul was born Black instead of White?

Basically what I'm pointing out is the hypocrisy between those who are Caitlyn Jenner Proponents and Rachel Dolezal Opponents. It's clear hypocrisy to me. If you feel that people should be and do wahtever they want, then that has to be true for every type of person. If not, then all arguments are invalid.

SO..... In response to the Matt Lauer/Rachel Dolezal interview I got into the debate on Twitter and posted this:



I knew that I might get some hate from this tweet, but I honestly think that if you think you can be transgender, than why can't you be trans-racial?

The following is a response from a woman to my original tweet.



I wouldn't post anything, if I didn't want honest and clear dialogue between people from all view points. But the first thing @KarimiCan tweeted was hostile. She didn't understand where I was coming from and started calling names. (Hint: you should never start calling names in an argument because your opponent will automatically doubt your intelligence)

I don't ignore the face that many people may have a seriously different opinion on this issue than I do. and I think when people can cordially communicate, there can be understand. This conversation was not one of those debates.


Basically her response, shown above, told me I couldn't have an opinion on the Rachel Dolezal debate because I was white. What part of that is not racist? Honestly, why does she get to say that. She completely invalidated what I had to say about it, and she defended that statement with racism.

FACT: When you invalidate someone or someone's opinion using their race, than you are racist, and you are part of the problem.



I continued to argue with you and cited that she was using reversed racism also known as reversed discrimination to invalidate what I was saying. The same claim she was laying on me for being white. She claimed reverse discrimination was not a real thing. OH DARLING. That's when I got real excited and started typing 45894454 words a minute.

HAHA. Because Reverse Discrimination/Racism IS a thing. A legal thing. A legal thing that acknowledges that white people can also be discriminated against based on the color of their skin.

I now present you with the Supreme Court of the United States Case

 After Affirmative Action had been established by SCOTUS there arose a problem with qualified individuals being chosen for things over equally qualified individuals because of race. Specifically in College Admissions. In California, I think it was a medical school, chose a black student applicant over a white student applicant. These two applicants had identical qualifications, and GPAs. The black student was selected over the white student, and the determining factor was race, something that no one can physically choose. (Just in case you were wondering, that's Racism, or reversed racism) SCOTUS thought so too, and ruled in favor of the white student stating that admissions boards could not select a person on the final factor being race. However, no precedent was set by the court, and so it is always overlooked.

Anyway, this girl had no idea what she was talking about. She was debating blind and ignorant, and nothing and no one is benefited from a debate like that. In her response, she stated that the government is racist and cited slavery, apartheid, Jim Crow Laws, and white preference all perpetrated by the government invalidated Bakke V. California. Which by the way, it DOES NOT. I agree with @KarimiCan. The US government along with many other governments in the world have done and been a party to some very horrible things in history. A lot of those horrible things having to do with race, and racism against minorities, especially black minorities. I am in no way invalidating those situations. But I do argue against the idea that since those happened the government can only be racist, because that simply isn't true. If a black or white student gets chosen over a white or black student (respectively) on the sole basis or race, than that is racist, regardless of what race it is happening to. If you deny the fact that there has been issues of racism against whites, then you yourself are part of the race problem in this country. Ignoring anyone's pain and invalidating their experiences is wrong, and is just as hurtful. DON'T DO IT.

The moment we accept that racism has happened, does happen, and will continue to happen AND that it happens to all races.... then that is the moment our nation will truly start to fix the massive race rift we still have. Racism isn't over, and it will never be over until we stop using race to invalidate others regardless of the color of their skin. Jude people for what they say and how they act and not on what they look like. Seriously so many problems would be solved if our society could do that. Don't ever tell me I can't have an opinion on something because of my skin color.

This blog post is not to argue for or against "transgenderism." I want to argue against one of negative effects that occurs when people like Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner, who have sex changes and claim to be women. I'm of the opinion that people should do whatever they want. Never does my opinion or view have to change because of the actions of another, and the most important goal for me is to just be kind.

However, whether or not you agree with Bruce/Caitlyn's choices, there is an underlying message that is sneakily being spread by way of Bruce/Caitlyn's story. This message is destructive in nature and demeaning in content, and it's biggest proponent is Hollywood and the media. This issue doesn't offend me as someone against transgenderism, but as a woman.

To start this blog post I want to as a simple question.

What Does it Mean to Be A Woman?

PROBLEM: The problem is maybe not with how Caitlyn Jenner is now portraying herself, but maybe it is. There hasn't been a long enough time to see what it means to be a woman to Caitlyn. If it all it means to Caitlyn/Bruce is changing the hair, and makeup, and clothes of a person along with plastic surgery than Bruce/Caitlyn is part of the problem. 

With the time constraints, it's my opinion that the problem is the media and the way they have portrayed Bruce/Caitlyn. All media outlets have summed up what it means to be a woman in one sentence. Being a woman lies with the cosmetic/surface changes and using different pronouns. WHAT? Isn't this what women have been fighting against for how long? If you haven't read the Vanity Fair cover on Bruce/Caitlyn you should. From what I read/saw there wasn't anything about what being a woman really means. Bruce/Caitlyn was asked questions about how his family was taking this change and how his mom was accepting his changes. In the initial interview that showed Bruce as a woman, it was all about his look. Even in the first commercial for Bruce/Caitlyn's docu-series was all about him putting his own make-up and how having it done professionally has made such a difference. Bruce/Caitlyn and proponents of his change have already said many times how much better he is now that he can wear women's clothing, and paint his finger nails, and let down his hair. How belittling and humiliating is that to the women of this world? I felt it. I felt like the world and the media, and Bruce/Caitlyn were accepting and praising the fact that becoming a woman can be as simple as breast implants, and a professional make-over. What a dehumanizing feeling? We shouldn't assign value to someone based on what they wear and look like, but this is exactly what is happening. 

What Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner's coming out cover and the media's portrayal of it is telling the world that it doesn't matter if you have three degrees and successful career breaking glass ceilings. It doesn't matter that you have sacrificed everything to raise your children. It doesn't matter that being a woman is something that has evolved from the women you have leaned on and grown with and from. It doesn't matter that you have spent how many years creating/defining/modifying what it means to be a woman. None of that matters cause a woman can be created on a surgical table in California. That there is nothing inherently special in women, because it can all be recreated. 

NO. I don't accept that. I don't accept that someone can schedule a time and in a matter of hours can become a woman. Women mean more to me than that. I MEAN MORE TO ME THAN THAT. I am not a woman and a feminist because of the make up I put on, or the clothes I wear, or even the physical traits I have. It means more. Being a woman means more than that. Regardless of how you feel about transgenderism, everyone should be weary of anything that would put women in such a limiting and destructive box. The reaction to Bruce/Caitlyn's news and the media's promotion of it should tell you something about the way our society values women. They don't. Gender is an easy changeable thing, and that it means nothing. That is what has been told with this news story, and that is not a world I want to live in.

 It isn't a world I want young girls growing up in and understanding that there is nothing special about them and their gender besides cosmetics. 

I am fighting for women who have spent their entire lives defining what it really means to be a woman. Being a woman does not have anything to do with make-up, breast size, clothing, or shoes. I hope one day our society will realize and accept the real value of women, because how much better will the world be when we value what women are instead of what they look like. 

I have a lot of friends, family, and peers that are struggling with the Ordain Women Movement (OW), and there are some that are very angry about it and there others that are hurt, and others find merit in the movement. I'll be honest, when OW first started gaining traction I was hurt and upset by what the founders and the followers were saying about a church that I am so involved with and that I love so much. I was upset that these women were tearing down men and women that I held in such a loving and respectful position. After a while, I wanted to understand why she felt this way and what OW was about. I was heartbroken for Kate Kelly and our church when she was excommunicated.

Uhh, hello it has been four years since my gang and I bid farewell to the hallowed halls of American Fork High school.


 It is so weird how four years can seem like three seconds. To be completely honest I feel like I'm having a quarter-life crisis three years early. It is seriously so depressing knowing that I'll be turning Twenty-Three before this year ends.  But why? Twenty-three is a grand age. People in their fifties would kill to be this age.

TWENTY-THREE

Everything is constantly changes. Our apartment, the city we live in, the classes we are taking, the jobs we hold, our friends, even our family. It's all changing, and it is a little scary to not having anything permanent. People who say high school is where you are trying to figure out who you are and what you want in life are LYING. The Soul Searching chapters of your life haven't even begun yet. They begin in college, and get ready children, because it can get a little bumpy. The future is right at our feet, and even for those of us that have a plan, it's still scary.
 

Almost two weeks ago my cousin cashed out all of his luck and married the most wonderful, creative, beautiful woman! Seriously though, Justin and Emily are the cutest. Emily has been planning this wedding for quite sometime and my hat is off to her. I was impressed, and impressing me is quite the feat.

Emily's theme was the roaring twenties or commonly referred to as Great Gatsby themed. Now, knowing Emily I knew this was going to be a beautiful wedding, but this was on a completely different level. Emily and Justin were married in the Logan, Utah temple on a peaceful drizzly morning. 

Bride & Groom 

The Venue 

Flowers

Congrats Justin & Emily 

The Summer of 2015

• Voting record- This is very important and can be found on the government website associated with whatever government body you are interested in. (Utahns can find local state legislators voting records at le.utah.gov)
• Personal Website- Google search the name, and the page will show up. 
• Social Media Accounts- Also Google search 
• Past activities- You can follow a candidate by the previous jobs they've held. This can also be completed through a Google search. 

•          Former Governor Lincoln Chafee
•          Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
•          Former US Senator Jim Webb

•          Vice President Joe Biden
•          Former Governor Martin O’Malley
•          U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders
•          U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren

•          Dr. Ben Carson
•          U.S. Senator Ted Cruz
•          Former Governor Jeb Bush
•          Former IRS commissioner Mark Everson
•          U.S. Senator Rand Paul
•          U.S. Senator Marco Rubio

• Former UN ambassador John Bolton
• Governor Chris Christie
• Former Governor Bob Ehrlich
• Businesswoman Carly Fiorina
• Former Governor Jim Gilmore
• U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham
• Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (PLEASE NO)
• Governor Bobby Jindal
• Governor John Kasich
• Congressman Pete King
• Former Governor Sarah Palin (NO NO NO)
• Former Governor George Pataki
• Governor Mike Pence
• Former Governor Rick Perry (PLEASE NO)
• Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum
• Governor Rick Snyder
• Governor Scott Walker