Hey Everyone!

My name is Kristi Gardner.
I am 18 years old, from Southington Connecticut, but I am a student at Brigham Young University - Idaho.

I thought I would start my blog off by telling you all a little about myself and what my feelings about family are.

Where to begin. Hmmmmm..... Ok, so I was born in Ogden, Utah to Adele and Stefan Gardner. We are an LDS family, meaning that we are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. My mum is from Manchester, England and so, when my dad went on his mission there, my parents first met. They lived in Ogden for five years before they had me and moved to Manchester where my mother's family still lived. It was in this city that I spent 12 years of my life. England is a beautiful place just teeming with history, a characteristic that I love. In 2007 we made the move to Connecticut as my parents sorely missed the states and felt that it would be better for me to go through school there than in England. I love America so very much and feel forever blessed to have the privalege of living in this wonderful country. I cannot count the incredible experiences and opportunities I have had here.

A little bit of trivia about me:
I'm not at all athletic
I love school and BYU-I
I am crazy about movies and music of all kinds
I like to draw and make artsy things
I love fantasy novels
I skipped a grade when I moved to America
I lost my British accent :( but still think in one :)
I love animals including snakes!
Terrified of bugs!

Family, in our religion is incredibly important and is one of the key principles that we are taught as we grow up and through adulthood. This theme was also a continuing lesson in my home. My parents have never stopped teaching me about family for a moment. Everything they did with me was an example of just how important family is. We are a close-knit family that loves spending time together and laughing together.
Neither of my parents had the most amazing of experiences as far as family was concerned when they were growing up. They love their families and are appreciative, but have always felt that there were things that they wanted to do differently. I know that my parents do their very best to show that they love me and provide me with everything they had always hoped they could give and I love them very much. They are my best friends as well as wise parents.
To me, families are eternal. A popular children's hymn in our Church is entitled, "Families Can Be Together Forever," is a beautiful reminder of that. Families are sacred and the nurturing of that family is so incredibly important. I believe that the families that we grow up in is a key facet to how we in turn will build our own. It is important to always display love and togetherness in the home along with peace and good examples. Not only does the family that we create teach our children important parenting tactics and marital skills, but also many important values that we can carry with us through life.

As I write this blog, I will be sharing with you all my thoughts and feelings and family and family relations as they pertain to personal experience and also the discoveries I make in a class on family relations that I am taking this semester. I hope that this will be a learning experience for us all.