College Graduate!!! My College Journey

So, I decided it was about time to update my blog. Here is an account of my journey through school after high school.

After high school I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I felt like everyone else had direction and I was just lost in the abyss of life. You know when you get to the end of something and people ask whats next and where you visualize yourself in the next five years. I never have known how to answer that question. The next part of my life was not something that I had mapped out or that I could have mapped out, but it was a journey that took me to some surprising, but amazing places. One of my favorite movies, Dan In Real Life, taught me something that I think is key to life. You have to plan to be surprised and, boy, has life brought me surprises. 

In the fall of 2004 I started attending the LDS Business college. It was a very small school with enrollment around 1,500, located right in the middle of Salt Lake City. I loved living in the city and going to a small school. Plus I was rooming with my best friend, Heather. During my second semester I got a job working at the church office building cleaning the kitchen and working at banquets on the side (which was my favorite part because I met so many amazing people while I was there).  I had the opportunity of working at many banquets were General Authorities (Leaders of the LDS church) attended.  One of the biggest things I learned while working at the Church Office Building is that they are real people and they really live what they preach and believe.

(Taken a few years after I left the BC)

My time at the LDS Business College ended after my third semester. After getting sick I decided to take some time off of school. This was not what I wanted to do, but what I needed at that point to time.

I spent the next year after the LDSBC at home. I started out with a part time job taking care of Addison. Addison was 4 months old when I first met her. She was born with a brain defect and had no use of her arms. The doctors told her parents that it was likely that she would be a vegetable for the rest of her life. What started out as a part time job turned into a full time job. I started doing therapy with Addison at home and taking her to different appointments. It was such a joy working with her and I saw so many miracles. I can still remember the day I saw Addison lift her hand above her to play with a toy. Now Addison is active child that is capable of doing much more than they ever thought possible. I learned a powerful lesson during this time in my life. Miracles do happen and we can overcome so much more than what we think.

(Addison in her Halloween costume)

Taking a year off was the best thing I could have done, but I soon felt like it was time to move on in my life. While I was visiting my sister and her family in South Carolina I was standing on the back porch of their house and thinking about life when I got the overwhelming feeling that I needed to go to BYU Idaho. May I add that this was probably the last place I wanted to go to school. I had visited Rexburg right after high school graduation and had told myself that I would never go to school there. I have discovered that you should never say never because you usually eat your words, or at least I do. So, I applied, got accepted for Winter 2007, and headed off to Rexburg.

Rexburg was incredibly cold and snowy. Being from Boise I am used to the snow melting off which is not what happens in Rexburg. I decided that I wanted to go into Child Development. I loved my time working with Addison and wanted to work with children. I can't say that Rexburg was the happiest place for me, but I did learned a lot about life. The first part of my journey there was hard and lonely, but I soon was introduced to three amazing girls through my sister; Whitney, Hannah, and Chelsea. We had some great times and quickly became fast friends and even roomed together my last semester. I am not sure I would have survived Rexburg without them. I met some great people, but wasn't content with life and felt like something was missing. My last semester was probably my hardest there. To put it bluntly it was the darkest time in my life up to that point and I was not happy.

(Me, Whitney, Hannah, and Chelsea) 

I decided I needed a change so, I decided to apply to other schools and transfer. While applying to other schools I applied to BYU Hawaii for their visiting student program. I to this day don't know why I applied and can honestly say I had no intentions of actually going. With in 48 hours I found out that I was accepted to BYU Hawaii, it was at that point that I actually thought about it. BYU Hawaii was never on my list of places to go. After a lot of thinking I decided to go to Hawaii for a term. I felt like I just needed a change of pace for a while, but I had no intentions of staying.

In April 2008 I got on a plane and flew across the ocean to the start of a journey that would change me more than anything else has to this point in my life. Moving to Hawaii didn't take away all my problems. In fact the first part of the term was hard. Sure it was great being in Hawaii, but it wasn't until the later part of the term that I really started to love it there. I met some amazing people and soon grew to love the culture there. The term came to an end and I got back on a plane and flew home. It took a lot for me to get on that plane. As I flew across the pacific ocean I knew that I had to go back. I knew that my time at BYU Hawaii was not over and that the Lord needed me there.

I applied to BYU Hawaii again and was accepted to go back for Fall Semester. The next almost four years of my life where some of the hardest and greatest. I switched majors halfway through from Special Education to TESOL Education (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and then my second to last semester I decided not to become a certified teacher and to get a certificate in Intercultural Peace Building. It was the best decision that I think I made about my education even though it may not seem logical.  I owe a lot of who I am today to the Peace Building program and the amazing people that I was able to interact with. When I had gotten my certificate I was blessed with peace and the knowledge that, that was one of the reasons and the things I needed to do while at BYUH. 

I have always loved the beach and spent lots of time there. In fact almost every Saturday as long as it wasn't raining you could find me playing in the water, sand, and sun. I worked hard at school and became very involved. Prior to this time you would find me hiding in the back of class and to shy to get involved in anything. In Hawaii I found myself and soon became active in Student Leadership. I started by volunteering at different events on campus. I was asked by a friend who was in the Student Leadership Presidency to be her Executive Director. I was involved in almost everything that happened on campus during that time and I loved it. I found I had such a passion for being involved and I soon gained more confidence. 

I soon found myself in the Presidency as the Executive Vice President with Nick Narayan as the President and Chase Carlston as the other Executive Vice President. It was a tough year with a lot of growth but I had great experiences working with our BYUHSA team. During that year I was involved with many things on Campus. I helped with activities and worked with the Administration. I also was privileged to speak at devotional. It was an amazing experience although completely outside of my comfort zone.

(Chase, Nick, and me)

Tough Times Don't Last, Tough People Do!
(Link to the Devotional)

(Marcus, Jimmy, Irene, Destinee, and me)

I could not begin to tell you what BYU Hawaii means to me. I wish I had to words and the abilities to share, but I am at a loss. In the Book of Mormon there is an account of people that come to know their Savior at a place called the waters of Mormon.

Mosiah 18:30

30 And now it came to pass that all this was done in Mormon, yea, by the waters of Mormon, in the forest that was near the waters of Mormon; yea, the place of Mormon, the waters of Mormon, the forest of Mormon, how beautiful are they to the eyes of them who there came to the knowledge of their Redeemer; yea, and how blessed are they, for they shall sing to his praise forever. 

This is how I feel about BYU Hawaii. I met some of the most amazing people and some of my closest friends there. I became something more than what I was. I came to know my Savior and my Heavenly Father. I would not be the same person I am today if it wasn't for this journey and all of the people that I met along the way. How grateful I am that things don't go as we plan and the knowledge that Heavenly Father has a better plan for us than we could ever dream up for ourselves. 

Penny Whistles and Peace

For the last week I have been attending a training from Liz Shropshire to learn how to play and teach the Penny Whistle. It was amazing. She has a foundation called the Shropshire Music Foundation. She goes to countries in conflict and teaches the children music to bring peace in their lives. It was an amazing training and I was able to talk to her. She is doing such good in the world. I hope that I can take what she has taught me and make a difference in others lives. The Penny Whistle has already brought peace into my life. :)

Conference and Yummy Food

Since I am in Hawaii, General Conference is at 6am and 8am. During the break we made pancakes with fruit and eggs baked in ham with cheese on top. It was YUMMY!

For the General Relief Society Meeting we made Snickers popcorn. We had so much we gave a lot of it away, but that made it even better.

I love General Conference. I feel so focused afterwards and spiritually uplifted. I am grateful that I get to here from apostles and the prophet of the Lord every 6 months. They truly are the mouth pieces of the Lord. When it is all over is feels like Christmas is over. Although we have these words to study until next time.

Aloha Oe, Forrest Towle

I think I believed with my heart that my grandparents would be around forever, even though in my head I knew that one day he would leave this world. I just didn't realize the day would actually come so soon. The world lost an amazing gentleman, as my Mom would say. After 89 years of a wonderful life Grandpa has left us. 

My grandpa has been such a big part of my life. I learned so much from my Grandpa. He was a man of few words, but he showed his love to his family more than any person I know. He taught me to love the ocean. I feel like I am a professional beachcomber because I was taught by a master. I can remember numerous beach walks with my grandpa hunting for agates and seashells. To this day I can't walk the beach without looking for the hidden treasures that are found there.

While growing up, my grandparents took me on some amazing trips. One of my favorite memories was when we went to Hawaii and I watched as my grandparents danced. One thing I always noticed about my grandpa is how much he loved my grandma and the rest of his family. 

My Grandpa was a wood carver and loved making things. I remember when I was eight getting a wooden cradle to put my dolls in. Later on he hand crafted me a cage for my pet rat, Templeton. He also made miniature dishware that he won a ribbon for in the Western Idaho Fair.  This last Christmas he gave me a wooden pen and pencil that he had made, something that I will always treasure. 

There are so many things that I will miss. My Grandpa's homemade chili, homemade rolls, hamburgers on the patio, watching him squirt the squirrels with a water gun to keep them from the grapes, and so much more. I will miss the adventures and just being with him.

Christmas won’t be the same without him. Not only will I miss his amazing Christmas cookies and candy, I will also miss spending Christmas day with him. I can’t remember a Christmas at home without him. I am so thankful for the knowledge that families are forever and that I will see him again. Eternity without him is something I cannot comprehend. Now it is time for me to share his legacy with my nieces and nephews and someday hopefully with my own children. My Grandpa may have left this world, but some how I feel he is with us still. He will be missed by many. Until then Grandpa, Aloha Oe. Until we meet again. 

Yummy Food

Recently my friends Megan, Irene, and I have been trying out some new recipes and making yummy desserts. I thought I would share the yummy ones.

 This our classic movie snack. Air popped popcorn and M&Ms. So yummy. I don't know if I can ever go back to microwave popcorn.

Strawberries filled with cheese cake filling, dipped in chocolate, and then dipped in graham cracker. So yummy and really easy to do. Plus strawberries are fruit so maybe it isn't so bad for you. :)

Brownies made with hot fudge, cookies and cream icecream and oreos. It tastes the best warm with ice cream on the side.

Let's just face it M&Ms make anything taste better. We just sprinkled M&Ms in brownie batter and then baked it. So good!

Swinging on a Star

Live Big Band music, dancing, chocolate fountain, and great friends. At the end of First Term our ball was a 40's theme. It was a lot of fun. I was with great friends and I even learned how some different dances. I sometimes think I was born in the wrong era. 40's music is my favorite to dance too. Maybe it is the fact that you can actually dance to it. It was a fun filled evening.

Valley of the Temples

 This term has been crazy and I decided to take a break from studying Arbinger and doing my Intercultural Communications class. Actually on the 30 minute ride to the Valley of the Temples I practiced giving the Arbinger Seminar to Catherine and Marc. I have been in Hawaii for over three years and I have never been to Valley of the Temples. It was great to have a break from my room and to see something that I haven't seen before. It was such a beautiful sight. It was built over a 100 years ago without the use of nails. They also had this bell that you could ring. It was great!

They had all of these signs posted everywhere warning about peacocks and to be careful not to let you children get too close. I think as a child I would be traumatized for life if I got attacked by a peacock.

We were allowed to go into the temple to spend some time. You could really feel the peace and quiet. It was nice.

What a great day! It was fun spending time with Marc and Catherine and getting to see such a beautiful place.

Lighthouses and friends

My friends Irene, Megan, Ambree, and I decided to go on a hike to a light house out on the South side of the Island. It was a great hike and it was so good to be away from the distractions of life. I enjoyed my talks with my friends. After the hike we went to Kailua to the beach. It was a great day! We got so much sun. :)

After the beach we took a trip to Walmart and Sam's Club. On the way home we found some people selling Krispy Kreme's on the side of the road so we bought a box. Did you know that 12 donuts split between 4 people equal 3 donuts each? I am pretty sure that we ate all of them in about 5 minutes. I am not sure that was the greatest idea, but man did it taste good.

Family, Pedicures, Angry Birds, and Harry Potter

I took a vacation to visit my family in Idaho. It's sad that to go on vacation I go to Idaho and everyone else goes to Hawaii. I started out my time in Idaho by going to our annual Weaver reunion. It was nice to see family I haven't seen in a while and it was great to roast some marshmallows. I have missed camping. I was able to spend lot of time with my family. My niece Kaitlyn is adorable.

My sister came into town for a few days. It was great to be surrounded by all my family. I can't remember the last time I got to hang out with just the girls without any little ones with us. It was great to be together. Thanks to my brother in-law we all went and got pedicures. I don't think I have had such girly toe nails in my entire life, but it was fun.

My brother got us hooked to the game Angry Birds. When ever I am around he either has my itouch or phone playing. He has us playing on our own time too. While shopping I ran across these shirts and we couldn't pass them up.

To finish off my trip we had a picnic in the park. I remember when I was little my brothers would always play Mario Brothers on the old school Nintendo. They would let me play once in a while. This should explain the shirt that my brother, Ben, and I are wearing.

After the park I went to get in line to see Harry Potter with my mom and sister in-law Deanna. My dad came and joined us later. I am an avid fan of Harry Potter. If you ask the people close to me what makes my happy they would probably say Harry Potter, Christmas, Superman, and Family History. I can't tell you how many times I have read the books. I feel like I grew up with the books. I can still remember picking up the first Harry Potter book when I was in sixth grade. It is sad to have the movies come to an end but I am grateful to have been able to go to the last midnight showing. The audience we were with was great. They were having fun and made the atmosphere that much better. They were even acting out parts of the book as they were dressed up as the various characters. And to top things off we got a great rendition of Harry Potter Puppet Pals.

ARFIS?!

I finally know what I suffer from. I emailed my uncle a question that I had about some ancestors that I was trying to find. Included in his return email was a warning about a disease called ARFIS. After reading the definition I have concluded that I suffer from this very disease. I am not sure if it makes me a nerd, weird, or what. The disease is called ARFIS and this is the definition.

ARFIS (är΄ fis), n.

Ancestral Research Focus Impairment Syndrome.

1.     Pathol. an acute, commonly epidemic disease, occurring in several forms, caused by numerous discovered genealogical links and characterized by frequently jumping from branch to branch while researching a family tree.

2.     Alt. Pathol. also known to cause afflicted individuals to lose track of the passage of time due to intense concentration on the investigation of heredity history.

3.     Usage:

§  ARFIS prevented me from identifying all the siblings.

§  I’m sorry dinner’s late, my ARFIS was acting up.

§  I’m so tired today.  I was up late with ARFIS.

§  What fire?

[2010-11]

It gave me a good laugh. I laugh not because of how ridiculous this sounds, but because of how true this fits my life at the moment. I am just glad to know I am not the only one to suffer from this. :)