It's that time of year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't stop quoting this movie, and I haven't even had time to watch it yet this year! This is by far my most favorite of all Christmas movies!!!!!!!!!!! It's SO hillarious!

The Marriott School.....

What?

Lately, I have been frustrated that to major in therapeutic recreation, I have to be in the business school, and take more business style courses than I feel is necessary. Basically, I've been having a pity party because I hate business courses.

So What?

I spoke to a professor about my frustrations, and he showed a lot of understanding and patience. He listened well, and then gave me some counsel in a gentle and compassionate way. This experience with him was exactly what I needed to humble myself, and bite the bullet with these business courses.

Now What?

I'm taking the majority of the management core next semester. I'm still dreading it, but I feel more motivated to do well. I'm going to do all I can to embrace it and apply as much as I can to my future career as a TR professional. As I've been reminded by many people lately, attitude makes all the difference. I'm looking forward to what next semester will bring!

Responsibility

What?

This week, I have been made aware of the importance of maintaining a level of responsibility in life. I have a friend who is struggling right now. He really wants to get married.............but out of the MANY girls he takes on dates, none of them are interested. My personal opinion is that all of these girls are turned off by the low level of responsibility in his life. My mom has always taught me, "You need to be the kind of person you would want to marry someday." My friend is attracted to wonderful girls who are driven. He, however, is not driven.

He is a BYU student, but does not go to class on a regular basis. He has more potential than many people I know, but he spends his time watching movies, playing video games, and spending money that he does not have. He stays up all night, sleeps all day, and eats Coke and Nutella for dinner.

I love this friend, and I'm grateful to know him, but looking at his life also makes me grateful for where I am in my own life.

So What?

I am so grateful that I have learned to work hard. Because of difficult experiences that the Lord has allowed me to go through, I take responsibility for my life. I have also learned from other people's examples just how crucial it is to be proactive about my own life. This experience with my friend has helped me realize that I am in a really good place in my life! I am accomplishing amazing things, and have great, lasting joy in those accomplishments.

Now What?

The next time my friend comes around feeling discouraged, I am going to have the courage to tell him, in a VERY tactful way, that he needs to be more responsible. I am going to point out his strengths, and build his confidence so that he feels that he has worth. Hopefully he will realize that he is so much better than the way he is currently living.

Remote Group Meeting

We had our remote group meeting this week, using Google Hangouts. It was interesting to see that we could accomplish a lot even though we were not physically meeting together. It was almost more simple than meeting in person, because I had to pay closer attention so that I didn't miss anything that was said, and when we would do screen sharing, everyone was forced to pay attention.

The issues with having a remote meeting were problems with wifi. Two of our group members were having trouble with wifi, and they were in and out of the meeting because of it. One of our group members was not able to reconnect, and had to miss the last few minutes of our meeting. To resolve this issue, we messaged him the ending thoughts and assignments for our next meeting. I enjoyed doing this remote meeting!

I Need My Mommy

What? 

I'm at home, on the farm, in Oregon right now! I love the beautiful wide-open spaces, silence, and clean air. Yesterday, however, I was feeling extremely discouraged abut something, and felt that I needed to write in my journal. I slipped away to my room, hoping no one would notice. A little while later, my mom knocked on my door and came in. She had noticed that something was bothering me, and she proceeded to give me a much needed pep-talk.

That sweet experience with my mom reminded me just how wise my parents really are, and that I will always need their love and guidance.

So What?

I feel extremely blessed to have my parents. I know that so many people are not close to their parents, or may not even know who their parents are. I'm very grateful and humbled that my parents really are always there for me.

Now What?

I'm going to remember to look to my parents when I need support, and welcome their advice when they offer it. I'm going to tell them more often how much I appreciate them. Their examples are going to help me to be a better parent :)

Love More Quickly

What?

For one of my therapeutic recreation classes, I have to design my own project to become a better professional in the TR field. I chose to working on loving more quickly, and without caution. I really love people I am close to, but I don't typically choose to talk to strangers. My goal for this project is to smile at people more, and to engage in genuine conversations with new people. I chose to do this so that it will be natural for me as a rec therapist to welcome people and help them to feel more comfortable. I want friendliness to be automatic for me as I meet new clients and get to know their families.

This week, as I have begun implementing this project into my life, I have been happier! I feel more fulfilled because I care more about other people. I feel less inhibited and more willing to open my heart up to those around me.

So What?

This project is not easy for me, but it's good for me. My self-confidence is growing, and I feel that I am pleasing my Heavenly Father more because He wants us to care about each other.

What?

For my project, I am journaling the experiences I have with people. Talking with and listening more genuinely really is making me a happier person. I love it! I am excited to be improving this aspect of myself.

5-minute Presentations

What?
I gave my 5-minute presentation this week on dressing for success! It was nice to get my presentation done and over with.

So What?
I learned that it is more impressive to wear simple outfits when trying to make a good impression.The way we dress reflects what we expect of ourselves and what we expect form others. I noticed that the way I dress changes my attitude. Also, learned that I am better at giving presentations than I realize, and that moving my feet and shifting my weight is a nervous habit of mine.

Now What?
I'm now going to take more consideration into what I wear instead of just wearing whatever I feel like wearing. I am also going to stress less when I have a presentation coming up, because now I feel more confident!

Forgive Yourself

What?

Lately, the negative voices in my head have been louder than the positive ones. It started with feeling guilt for bigger mistakes, then gradually grew to feeling guilt for small mistakes like staying up too late, or drinking an extra cup of hot chocolate. This morning as I was praying, I felt overwhelming guilt for not doing homework the night before (on a Friday night), and for asking for Heavenly Father's help with some things. I realized that I had nothing to feel guilty about. Friday nights are meant for fun, and Heavenly Father is there to help us! I realized that these guilty feelings were getting out of hand, and that I need to give myself a break.

So What?

I learned that there will always be negative voices in our heads, and they can become stronger and stronger if we let them. Heavenly Father does not want us to feel guilty unless we have something specific we need to repent for. Then the guilt leaves us as we make improvements. The guilt I have been letting get me doesn't go away. Recognizing that can help me identify when my guilt is coming from Heavenly Father or the adversary.

Now What?

This week, when I feel down on myself, I am going to take a moment to pause and ask myself where the guilt is coming from. I am going to allow myself to relax and have fun without feeling bad about it. Heavenly Father wants us to be happy!

Online Interview

This week, one of my class assignments was to practice online interviewing. During the interview, I found it more difficult to listen to my interviewer and understand what he was asking. I thought that was interesting because when we switched, and I interviewed him, I was able to listen more easily. Maybe it was because I was nervous to be interviewed. It showed me that I am better at communicating face to face. I would like to improve my focus on the conversation when I am not physically in the same room as the other person. I also should use more specific examples (PAR stories) when answering questions. It was a good experience :)

Be Nice

What?
This week, I have been very humbled. I recognized some behaviors and attitudes that I really need to improve. There are a couple of guys in my ward who spend A LOT of time at my apartment, and are pretty obnoxious. This week I got impatient with one of them because he knowingly, almost ruined a surprise my roommate's boyfriend put together for her. I yelled at him and he was really hurt. I felt terrible! I have since apologized and he got over it quickly.

So What?
In a very meaningful conversation with my roommate, I learned that the only thing that anyone can control is one's self. I need to learn to communicate more directly and politely, instead of letting my frustration get the better of me.

Now What?
This week, I am going to make a focused effort to be very kind to the guys, but also make sure that I have space away from them.

ANBERLIN

What?

My roommate introduced me to the band ANBERLIN this week!

So What?

I went to their concert, and IT WAS AMAZING!

Now What?

I'm going to listen to ANBERLIN all of the time now! AND I'm going to spend more time going to concerts. I LOVE LIVE MUSIC! My life has always been filled with music; i.e., musical theater, choir, voice lessons). I haven't had as much music in my life the past few years because I transferred schools and changed my major. I'm realizing that I've missed that part of myself. SO here's to listening to, and making music more often :) Cheers

P.S.

We went on a sweet hike today to Lake Blanche, up Big Cottonwood Canyon. Fall is my FAVORITE time of year, and I like my roommate :)

Writing..........it can be fun

What?

For one of my therapeutic recreation classes, we are assigned to write article critiques through out the semester. Yesterday, while writing an article critique, I realized that I was really enjoying it! I was interested in what I was writing and liked sharing my opinions about the article.

So What?

This was exciting for me because writing assignments have always stressed me out! I usually avoid them at all costs. I was using knowledge that I gained 2 years ago in my statistics class. In the past, I thought that class was pointless, but now I'm so grateful to have taken that class!

Now What?

In all of my future writing assignments, I'm going to focus on how I can use the assignments for progression and real-world application. Who'd 'a thunk? Writing can be fun :) I'm growing up!

Parents Really Do Know Best

What?

I had a huge breakdown this week :( I have completely overloaded myself this semester, and my health is suffering from it! On Thursday, I called my dad because I didn't know what else to do. I was embarrassed to cry to him, but he was so understanding! He helped me to stay calm and to think about solutions. SO, I learned that my parents really are a good source to go to when I need help.

So What?

I felt so much better after our conversation, and I have some big decisions to make in order to have more balance in my life right now!

Now What?

I am so grateful for my parents. This week's experiences showed me just how much they still do for me even though I'm out of the house. I am going to express gratitude to my parents more often, and seek their guidance more regularly.

Everything is possible with the Lord's help.

What?

Soooooo this semester is killing me. I literally have something scheduled every hour of every day, and I feel like I am drowning. My health is going down hill because I'm already burnt out. Amazingly enough though, I am doing really well in my classes. During quizzes, I have felt the Spirit enlighten my mind and help me recall information that I have studied. IT'S INCREDIBLE! The Lord is carrying me through each day and helping me to be successful, despite how hopeless I feel. I have been reading the scriptures first thing every morning, no matter how late I am running, and I know that I am being blessed for it. He can help me accomplish ANYTHING.

So What?

Because I am being so blessed, I need to show more gratitude to the Lord. I also need to trust Him, while putting as much of my own effort into my tasks as I can. Jesus Christ wants to be close to us so badly! He wants to help us and see us grow.

Now What?

I am going to start a gratitude journal. At the end of each day, I will write down three miracles that I recognized that day. I used to be very consistent in doing this, and it always brought peace and joy to me. By showing gratitude, our eyes will be opened to see just how involved the Lord is in our lives.

I learned to kayak this week :)

What?
This week I went kayaking on Utah lake on a beautiful evening! Once we got to the middle of the lake, we turned around and looked at the Wasatch front. It was so GORGEOUS!

So What?
This week was incredibly busy! I had a commitment scheduled every hour of every day! I was exhausted, and just about exploded from all of the stress. Kayaking was such a good break. I was able to put everything out of my mind and remember how important it is do have balance in life.

Now What?
I have now added a multi-day kayaking trip to my bucket list! Ideally I will go in November of next year so that my dad can go with me. Going out and trying new things makes everything else in life look brighter to me. I am going to make sure that I have a fun activity to look forward to every week. I am going to allow myself to be completely committed to that activity instead of thinking about all of the school work I have to do. It is necessary for our well-being to have fun and to recreate! I'm so glad that my major is therapeutic recreation :)

Anatomy!

What?

 This was my first week of Anatomy! I was nervous about handling real bones because I usually get sick to my stomach easily. I learned, however, that I am just fine around bones. The cadavers may be a different story but for now I am doing great. I am so excited about Anatomy!

So What?

I now feel like there are more future career avenues open to me because I am more fascinated with the body than I ever knew I would be.

Now What?

I am now going to look into graduate programs that are in the medical field! Therapeutic Recreation can be a great degree to prepare one to go into Occupational Therapy!