Here a dream, there a dream...

Hi, my name is Lara Mackenzie Nelson.  I am a redhead, I love to cook and eat, I dance, I clean when I'm upset, I laugh when nobody else does, I am a kook, and I blog at 1 in the morning.  *sheesh*


Do you know what I want to do?  I want to be a florist, but even more than that I want to be a baker.  Since I was eleven I've wanted to own a bakery.  I have no idea what I'd name it, but it'll happen.  I've even thought of combining the two.  I bet ya didn't know that about me, did ya?  I didn't think so.  


I talk about my dreams, I pray about my dreams, and sometimes I really believe in my dreams.  To some it probably seems like I just dream and don't live in the present (which I do), but really, if I don't have dreams and don't have hope, then my dreams will never come true.  I really think Jeffrey R. Holland said it best:  "God is eagerly waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams…But He can't if you don't pray, and He can't if you don't dream. In short, He can't if you don't believe."   It's true!  I recognize that my life is in His hands completely, but that doesn't mean I'm going to wait around for whatever it is He wants for me.  I need to go and do things, I need to make mistakes, and I need to grow.  I'm pretty darn certain that Heavenly Father wants me to do that, too.  Wouldn't you agree?  I hope so.  


Here's a little list of thing I'd like to be able to do:

• I want to knit and crochet.  My Oma Frieda knit hundreds of sweaters in her time, and my Oma knits everything from gorgeous sweaters to baby hats, and my Mom just knit a huge afgan.  They all can crochet, too.  Do you know how priceless that is?  Love comes straight through their fingers into what they  make, and believe me, you  can  tell.

• I want to learn how to cook, - and I mean COOK!  My Oma said she couldn't cook very well when she first got married, but now that woman is the best cook I know.  If Oma and Opa want us over for dinner, then, by golly, we come!  Her house smells of spices and sweets.  My Mom can work miracles in the kitchen, too.  It must be a German thing.  Luckily my Mom has taught me a few things, but I didn't soak up nearly enough.  Actually, I just watched Julie and Julie (one of my Mom's favorite movies) and I am dying to cook something delicious.  (That chocolate cake, or that boeuf bourguignon!)

• I'd really love to teach.  I guess that's pretty broad, but I'll tell you what I mean.  As a sister, I feel like I've done some teaching in my lifetime, and I absolutely adore kids, especially those related to me.  So, sometime in my future (I hope), I want to teach my kids.  I'm not exactly sure what that means at this point though.  Homeschooling like I did?  Who knows, and I'll likely cross that bridge when it comes to it.  So the big thing that I want to do is teach youth how to dance.  It probably won't happen for quite a few years yet, but after my dancing years through high school, I want so badly to be able to teach and make a difference.    I cannot even begin to describe how wonderful all of my coaches at home are.  They likely have no idea (or maybe a little) of how much of a difference they have made in my life.  I was drowning, and somehow I was sucked up into this world of dance where I learned and grew into who I am now (more growth is coming, I hope).  It was more than just dance, is what I am saying.  It was love, and morals, and kindness, and discipline, and structure, and everything else wonderful.  We were a family of dancers.  And that, - that is what I want to be able to help create for other youth someday.  Teaching children last year, though challenging and stressful, made me even more sure of that dream.  

Well, that's all I'll spill for the moment.  It's time for me to go dream up something wonderful.  Goodnight!