So grateful (my list).

So these last fews days have been interesting, and highly stressful. Not only do I go home soon and still don't know where I'm living, but things have gone wrong right and left. We missed our flight from Brisbane to Sydney, and I lost my purse later that day. Ultimately, we reached our destination, in one piece, with all our belongings. And I've realized that no matter what, things will always go wrong. It doesn't matter how much I prepare. It's hard for me to admit that because I'm such a planner. I hate being late, I hate being unprepared.

So instead of complaining more, this post is about what I'm grateful for. I didn't get to celebrate Thanksgiving the way I traditionally do, so consider this my tribute to the food I missed out on.

     I'm grateful for the gospel. "I believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ like I believe in the rising sun: not because I can see it, but because by it I can see everything else." Because of the gospel in my life, I know that even when things don't go according to my plan, they're still going accoding to His plan, and it will all be okay.
     I'm grateful for my family, especially my parents. Yeah, both of them. They've been the most supportive people in the world. They've supported me not only physically and financally, but mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. My family has never failed me, and I hope that in the end, they can say the same about me. They're all such strong, unique, wonderful individuals, and each brings something so necessary to our family. I love them so much.
     I'm grateful for my education. I love to learn. I love school. I love the smell of new textbooks in the morning. I love spending hours in the library, studying things I'm passionate about and learning things that I never knew I never knew. Because of where I live, I've been so blessed to have an education so easily accessible.
     I'm grateful for music. Being on the go for the last 2 months has made me yearn for my old life in this regard. I miss having a piano and my violin at my fingertips. I yearn for yet another music calling in the church. I'd give anything for someone to come and ask me to accompany them. And I miss driving through Logan Canyon with my windows rolled down, blasting Owl City or Mae as loud as my pathetic system would let us. I miss going to Why Sound, or driving to SLC for good shows with good friends. Music is such an integral part of who I am. Music is how I serve. Music is how I share my testimony. Music is how I relax. Music is how I get pumped up. I'm so grateful for the world I've grown up with, so full of beauty and music.
     I'm grateful for the opportunities I've had in my life. I've had opportunities to be involved in school and the community. I've been able to live various places, and meet so many wonderful people. I've been able to do a little bit of traveling, and see some of the world. I'm so blessed.

So now, thanks to Robert's promptings, I present to you my list. I've been very wary to put this online, fearing I've forgotten people. I would strongly recommend tryng this exercise. 100 people sounds like a lot, but I could make a list of 500 people that have influenced my life. This list includes many people from my past, so don't be offended if you are a new friend and didn't make the list. I promise that this is not all inclusive. These are the people that have played a large role in either getting me where I am physically in this life, or giving me wonderful examples for how I want to live my life in the future. These people give me new ways to look at my life and the world around me. These people inspired me to try something new, or be just a little bit better tomorrow. I cheated a little bit and combined married couples. One thing to notice is that I didn't include much extended family. This is because I could fill this whole list with just my family. So my family has done most of the work in forming who I am, but I need to recognize some other people right now. That doesn't mean I appreciate you any less. All my aunt, uncles, and cousins have been such blessings in my life, and I hope they know that. So here it is, my list of 100 people that have been the most influential in my life:

1. Katherine and Richard Weeks
2. Rachel and Robert Shupe
3. Stephen and Chelle Weeks
4. Laura and Wayne Clark
5. Robert Weeks
6. Emily Weeks
7. Bob and Fay Pennock
8. Helen and Clyde Weeks
9. Karen and Chris Cleveland
10. Dave and Gigi Pennock
11. Michael and Laura Pennock
12. Mrs. Patricia Thurber (Grade 3)
13. Mr. Darren Webster (Grade 6)
14. Mrs. Pease (Grade 5)
15. Doc Jensen
16. Mrs. Leah Tarrant
17. Mr. George Curtis
18. Diane Wright
19. Robb Hoch
20. Kevin Tindall
21. Molly Critchfield
22. Chelsea McArthur
23. Maren Reeves
24. Danny Oka
25. Joseph K Sagers
26. Alex Phillips
27. Briahna Mounteer
28. Jordan White
29. Morgan Lail
30. Thaddeus Schulte
31. Malyssa Eardley
32. Michael Fitzgerald
33. Emily Stephens
34. Doug May
35. Dallin Martin
36. Peter Barrett
37. Monica Walker
38. Wendy Vu
39. Bethany Hess
40. Katie Walkingshaw
41. Sherril Fairbourn
42. Cheryl Vaughn
43. Sheila Zolman
44. Lindsey Hayes
45. Katie Howell Ford
46. Bishop Ed Redd
47. Brother Coleman
48. Tania Knight
49. Christopher J. Thatcher
50. James Gardner
51. Levi Gardner
52. Kyle Klein
53. Autumn Jones
54. Wilenys Lastre
55. Marissa Worsham
56. Kortney Schlappi
57. Kailee Jorgensen
58. Alyssa Williams
59. Matthew Prawitt
60. DJ Zolman
61. Todd Neimann
62. Martin (Ma Ping)
63. Ben Brown
64. Hope Coon
65. Stefanie Royall
66. Cassie Banov
67. Aaron Brown
68. Penny and Grant Owen
69. Paul and Deeann Vowels
70. Rhett Keaton
71. Ashley Moutsos
72. Diana Calder
73. Christian Inglis
74. Darren Gardner
75. Kaylee Sandstrom
76. Clark Porter
77. Kelsi Callister
78. Christian Orr
79. Nils Nelson
80. Aubrey Loomis
81. Elizabeth Atkinson
82. Erik Mikkelson
83. Jeremiah Ginn
84. Zack Vandermyde
85. Dan Rogers
86. Richard Orcutt
87. Sam Harkless
88. Eric Davies
89. Aleishia Dudley
90. Krista Brown
91. Mariah Poole
92. Richard Perry
93. Kasey Van Dyke
94. Katie Steed
95. Catherine Meidell
96. Tyler Tolley
97. Chris Bowen
98. Thomas Gappmayer
99. Mandy and Bruce Inglis
100. Jesus Christ

And I leave the same invitation that Robert did. If you want to know why you did or did not make this list, please feel free to email you. If you didn't make it, odds are that you're on my rough draft of about 150 people. There are some people that none of my family or current friends even know, and it may not seem like their impact was worth of the list, but I promise that everyone on this list deserves to be there. I've learned something important from every one of these people, and I thank them for that. I've been so blessed in my life.

-Riss.
marissa.fay.weeks@aggiemail.usu.edu