I LOVE ND!

 

Before we begin, let me explain the picture-my dad's name is not Napolean Dynomite...it's Neuman Duncan! But yes, he's cool enough to have shirts made of him :) Now on to the point...IT'S MY DAD'S BIRTHDAY TODAY!!!


At a ripe old age of 8, I started my blooming career in the field of...lawn mowing. Duncan Lawn Care is what we called ourselves...unique I know. Blame it on my brother, he thought of it! This weekly family outing every Saturday taught me A LOT about work. I don't know
how my dad got away with having us to child manual labor...but he did
and I'm now grateful for it. Just being able to see
over the lawn mowers handle bars, mini Sister Duncan first started out on my own
lawn so people didn't yell at me when I hit a sprinkler head, or
edged the grass to short. Eventually, it was a full day of work
 waking up early and finishing just before dinner.

People would always tell me how hard of a worker my dad was but being
surrounded by it all growing up, I was a little numb to it. It was
just normal to me.Now looking back after ALL my years of expertise, I
can see what they mean!

 Since my dad wasn't shy about embarrassing his little girl bragging to
coaches, church friends, co workers, ect about me, I'm going to get
back at you now and brag to the blog world about some of the few
things I love about you!

-I happened to get parents who's genes are BOTH very stubborn and like
to do things on their own...so when it comes to him teaching me
sports, I will easily admit he taught me everything...but it also came
with a price tag for him! He's a champ!

 -He taught me how to be "coachable" as he would say. But basically how
to respect people in general and to help me understand that I'm not
always the right one.

 -He always provided for his children's needs but didn't "spoil" us. This
one is controversial with he rest of my siblings...As I was the only
one who got a cell phone in high school. But I was a junior so I waited long enough! Plus it took me a whole summer of just shooting free throws to earn it :) Anyways, that doesn't matter-thanks for the phone dad!

-He worked hard so he could support me in what I wanted to do and helped me reach my goals whether it be school, sports, a mission, music, or just life in general!

-This one is actually one of my favorites. A lot of things you can buy with money, but he showed his love to me by spending time with me. He was there with me. Whether it be teaching me how to pull weeds, how to drive to the hoop strong, or by watching every single BYU football and basketball with me. He attended almost every single sporting and music activity I had. Think about that. Hundreds, maybe thousands of games throughout my life. Even in college! He drove to Kansas to watch me sit on the bench...that's dedication right there! :)

I could go on and on but the main point is, I LOVE MY DAD. I love what he taught me. I love the way he treats me. I love that he truly wants the best for me. I didn't always love the advice he gave me...but now I do! Whether you have father here on earth, a fatherly influence, a father in heaven like we all do, or all three, Please go have a conversation with them and ask for their advice. I'm sure my dad would have loved me coming to him more often to have talks with him. Same with our Father in Heaven, he is more than willing to help us out. He wants to! He is just waiting for us to come ask.

I'm grateful that my dad takes his calling as a dad seriously but also makes life fun. I'm grateful that I have him as a worthy priesthood holder in our home. How blessed are we that the authority Christ had and gave to his apostles to perform ordnances such as baptism, is here on the earth today?! And that my dad holds that same authority! And I'm so grateful for his willingness to always be ready to use that authority and serve others. Love you dad, and thank you again for everything! Have a spectacular birthday-I won't tell anyone how young you are!

 

Ballin' Birthday

Clever title of the post huh?! If you know me, you know how much I enjoy birthdays. I just simply
can't get enough of them. So what better way to celebrate my best
friends birthday today than with a blog post. HAPPY BIRTHDAY KOB! Kobe and
I have only known each other for about 1 1/2 years...before that we
both hated each other playing basketball in high school ;) (you think I'm kidding...) So today I
wanted to share with you one of the many things I have learned from her.

I can still remember hearing her say to me on almost a daily occasion,
"Court, there's more to life than basketball you know?". Whether it be
after a frustrating practice, thinking it was the end of the world when we lost, missing a cultch shot,
or the very last game I would ever play with a snow college jersey on...I
could always count on her to lighten the situation.

Now my response was usually something like, "kob, I KNOWWWW" with an
annoyed tone. But she had a point. Is basketball going to be here for
me when no one else is? No. Am I going to go pro and make
basketball my career? Of course not. So why make such a big deal about
something that is only going to be here for you temporally?

 You can look at a lot of things in life this same way. Whether it be
sports, technology, work, ect. The question I like to ask myself is
this: IS WHAT I AM DOING GOING TO BRING ME TEMPORARY HAPPINESS, OR
LASTING JOY? Now, the difference between temporary happiness and lasting joy. Yes a lot
of things give us happiness in life...I will forever love basketball. What I'm NOT saying is that basketball is a sin! I truly believe that some things that bring temporary happiness are good for us such as sports. But sometimes these things that are temporary seem like they are what life
is all about. I know that there is so much more to life than just
those things that bring satisfaction in the moment.

Doing what's right may not always seem fun in the moment, but you will
receive the most joy in the long term for putting God first and
obeying his commandments. As we learn from King Benjamin in the Book of Mormon, those who will keep the commandments of God will receive both temporal and spiritual happiness. (Mosiah 2:41) Happiness is a personal choice. WE CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY! Whether we realize it or not. True happiness is here for all, it up to us to have the correct attitude. Ever meet that one person who seems like everything in their life is going the wrong way, but yet they are still happy about their trials? BE THAT PERSON! I'm grateful for the agency I have to choose how I think, act, and become.

Thank you kob for helping teach me this
important concept to life. Have a crazy fun bday cause you never know when you're next 20th birthday will be :)

If you want to read more into happiness, read this talk! https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2005/10/true-happiness-a-conscious-decision?lang=eng&query=joy+verses+happiness But if you are lazy and want a summary in 4 words, I have your back! Ready?
Happiness comes to those who:

BELIEVE, 

Desire

 

 

Decide

Choose

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meet my Mom

The other day we were over at a members house for dinner. They have a
10 year old child and as we went through dinner I noticed how well
behaved this child was. He opened the door for us, said please and
thank you every time he asked for something, and even offered to set
the table! I know...what kind of a kid does that right?! I asked the
parents how they raised their child to be like that and the moms
response wasn't really what I was expecting but makes total sense.
What she said was "I treat him how I want him to treat me. And I give him a hug each morning he wakes up and throughout the day." What great
advice!

Since we go into a lot of different houses as a mission, I am lucky
enough to see how different parenting takes place and take bits a
pieces out of each home hat I want to implement in my own home. The #1
thing I have noticed is that most if not all the time, the child will
treat the mom how they see their dad treat the mom. Which makes me
realize how grateful I am for my dad as well. But he has to wait for
his own post next month :) Anyways, back to the point...

I don't think I realized growing up how blessed I was with the mom I
have. That is one of the biggest reasons I know there actually is a
God who loves us and watches out for us. Because he places us in the
families we are meant to be in...and he definitely nailed mine :)

 

 As some of you may know, Mother's Day is quite the holiday as a
missionary. It is one of two times a years I will get to skype home
and talk to my family! Yeah crazy rule huh? The purpose is just so we
are focused on what we are here to do...help others gain a
relationship with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. It makes since
now that I'm in the shoes of a missionary because it would be a
distraction from the work I only have 18 months to do.

I got to skype home last Christmas to talk to them as well, and to be
honest, I was a little nervous! All these emotions were running
through my head.
                                      - I'm suppose to be a perfect missionary!
                         - What if they think I haven't grown spiritually?
                         - What the heck do I even say...it's only 45 minutes!
                         - Am I already an "awkward" missionary?
                         - And my biggest fear- Am I going to cry???

Trust me...I could keep going! But as I continued to think about it
and I do now, it's JUST my family! They love me and I love them so
just act myself! Simple as that.

The relationship I hold with my mom is very important to me. And I
think we have had that bond because of the way she treated me while
raising me...I can act myself around her. I feel comfortable. Her
voice echos in my head as I remember the thousands of times she
ingrained the words "WORK BEFORE PLAY" in my head. And just as many
eye rolls came as I would jump on in before she could even finish.
"ORK BEFORE PLAY...yes mom...I KNOW!" BUT, now I am so grateful that I
was raised by someone who knows the importance of motherhood and takes
the role of it seriously, but is still someone who knows how to have
fun.

So I decided to write a short thankful list to my mom as I hope all of
you will do as well. Trust me...it'll be he best thing you give to her
this Mother's Day!

I'm grateful for:
-Her hugs (trust me, I miss those a lot right now!)
-Her homemade Red velvet cake frosting
-Her sitting with me to force me to practice the piano everyday
-The late night Dairy Queen runs for mister missy floats
-The one and only game she gets competitive at...POUNCE!
-Her back rubs to keep me awake in church!
-Her being there every day I got home from school or practice.
And lastly, -All the countless hours she puts into making sure I am
the "spoiled" youngest child I am suppose to live up to :)

 

 Love you mom and I can't wait to talk to you in TWO days :)

 

Sister Duncan

 

Check out how motherhood is the highest calling a woman can have here!