If birds can fly, why can't I?

August 11, 2011

\more coming very soon :-) 

People I Love

Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE this family?

I still remember the first time I babysat for Jeff and Shauna. I was thirteen years old, and Aly and Jake were just tiny little toddlers. Over time I became their right hand babysitter--I loved every minute of it (even nights when Amy would cry, nonstop, until her parents returned. Can I just say I'm pretty immune to the sound of babies screaming...). Eight years later I still get the chance to visit the Arnetts every time I'm in town. I love to hear what's going on in their lives. It's hard to believe that little Aly and Jake and Amy and Logan and baby Mac are really growing up. Just think, someday they might get to look after my little ones (who knows when that will be...). 

I've said it before and I'll say it again: people enter our lives for a reason. They leave lasting impressions that help us become a better version of ourself. I'm eternally grateful for my very good friends. 

Happy Holidays. 

10 Freshman, 1 Co-counselor, 2.5 Days= Life-changing Experience

Inspiration comes in all shapes, sizes, and faces (literally...)

When I started my FOL experience as a counselor, I thought I would be the one to help and enlighten these in-coming freshman. I completely underestimated the fact that these 10 incredible people would actually inspire me...

...to be a better student, friend, church member, and person.

Throughout our two and a half days together, we (Co-counselor + me + new freshman friends) talked a lot about the upcoming year. We answered a lot of questions, told a lot of funny stories (my first kiss for example. If you haven't heard it, just ask one my new friends. They'd be more than happy to share), and shared a lot of insights about what it means to be leader and how we -- as BYU students today -- can lead now. 

In truth, being a good counselor was much harder than I predicted. I struggled to keep my heart and mind open, even though I desired more than anything to be the best mentor I could be to all of my new friends.  Little did I know that my new friends would be just the spark of hope I needed to pull myself out of my negativity and bring out the very best version of me.

My experience as an FOL counselor has taught me several insights.

1, all people are incredible and everyone has a story to tell. ERGO: seek to understand before being understood.

2, we are never alone; therefore, if I do my very best to prepare and perform, then God will make up for my idiosyncrasies.

3, a good leader is someone who inspires others to be Christlike. And, a good leader is someone who helps others see their full potential and helps them strive to become that person.

4,  other people have talents and strengths, too. And these talents are usually different from yours. So embrace others' uniqueness and see it as a building block, not a threat.

5, Eighteen year olds are incredible! They have so much hope for the future. So many insights. So much zest for life. Oh...how they make me smile. LISTEN to them. They have a lot to say, and you'd be surprised at how much they really do understand. I don't think they even realize how strong they actually are.

6, fear is totally the opposite of faith. Challenge your fears, always. And remember, you don't have to fight your daily battles alone.

7, True happiness comes when you follow your heart. When you are doing the right things, you will know what your heart truly desires. And when we really listen, and act on our righteous desires, then true happiness illuminates our soul.

I believe more than ever that God has a distinct plan for each of us. And in order to fulfill that plan, he blessed all his children with personality, spiritual gifts, talents, and unique character building experiences. All of which come together to form one incredible person who has the potential to be a great leader (remember, we defined a leader as someone who inspires others to come unto Christ).

I'm grateful for my new friends. I can't wait to see them succeed, and they surely will. Thank you, team Lightning, for your openness, your kindness, your enthusiasm, your awesome dance moves, your ambition, your beautiful dreams, your laughter, your personalities, your desire for unity, your humor, your teamwork, and your example of good leadership.

_______________________

FOL was the exact experience I needed to finish preparing (emotionally) for Fall semester. I actually had to laugh at myself because for the past few weeks, I was completely vulnerable and scared out of my mind whenever I thought about the "BIG" move (BIG move=two blocks south). To me it feels like a big deal because I'm changing wards, sleeping in a new house, and starting my last semester at BYU. But let us consider a freshman's circumstance: moving across the country to start college for the first time in a completely new environment with 6,000 other 18 year olds who don't know what they're doing. I suddenly feel like my transition isn't much of a change at all. I'm grateful for the opportunity I had to shift my perspective and realize that fears really do cloud our paradigm.

On the last day of FOL, we did an exercise that challenged our fears -- to the MAX.

I believe I have done just that. 

SO...Fall semester (plus the plethora of learning experiences you entail...) HERE I COME! 

Sometimes a girl gets to be ridiculously emotional....

For those of you who have been around me the past two weeks, you could probably agree with me when I say  I've been a bit of an emotional CRAZY lady. Heaven bless my hometeachers. Those wonderful, awesome, amazing gentlemen witnessed the peak of my breakdown, and still stuck around to offer support.

I'm experiencing, what feels like to me, a sorta [big-deal] transition. What is it, you ask? Well, to most it's not life altering, but to me it feels poignant.

I'm moving out of my humble abode {AVE232} a week from Thursday. 

I know people move out of their apartments all the time. It's a fact of college life. Actually, it's an expected part of college life. 

But it's been 730 days since I fist stepped into AVE232 and called it home. And I've never  lived anywhere else in all my years in Provo (all my years=2). This whole transition has re-surfaced a lot of insecurities I haven't felt in a while, hence all the emotional outbreaks.

It's hard for me to feel excited about leaving because so much (to say the least) has happened in that apartment and in my ward. Lately, my mind has been flooded with memory after memory of times when I felt my life changing because of the influence of another person. This is the place where I learned how to serve, how to be myself, how to live and have fun. I can't even count the number of vital life lessons I've been taught in the past two years.

I'm diligently seeking for the strength and faith I need to feel excited about the inevitable change ahead. It's not easy though. Part of me doesn't want to let go of what I have now, doesn't want to believe that life always gets better as we grow, doesn't want to accept change as a natural process. For the past two weeks I have felt so strongly that life can't possibly improve from it's current state.

But I know that isn't true. Change is a good. Especially the change I'm about to experience. I'll be in a new home with new roommate dynamics and a new ward. I'll be starting Fall semester and trying to quickly adjust to my demanding schedule. I won't see a lot of familiar faces for the first few weeks, and I won't feel like I know what I'm doing. But imagine how many opportunities lie ahead. I need to look forward to potential friendships and service opportunities because they're going to be amazing! I now have the chance to prove just how much I've grown in the past two years. For this gift, I am grateful.

I believe God loves us too much to only give us one chance at true happiness.Yes, without a doubt, the past two years have been the best of my life. But I've learned that life just continues to get better. After all, the best is yet to be. (Robert Browning).  

Thank you, AVE232 and BYU121, for the many semesters of friendship, growth, and experience. The relationships formed therein were real and life changing. I am grateful for the time spent in productive development. But I must now leave and explore new opportunities. I will never forget the memories that shaped my life, for surely they are potent and irreplaceable.

Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made:
Our times are in his hand
Who saith, “A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!
-Robert Browning