2012 Year in Review

Well I guess since it is the last day of the New Year that I would tell you how my year went and some of the things that I remember from it. I don't remember a lot but I will use some pictures to help me out.

The first thing that I remember in 2012 occurred at BYU-Idaho. I decided to become a head coach for a futsal team in a league that the school offered. It was the first year that the school had done futsal and so I was really stoked about it. I ran tryouts and I selected my team in drafts. I was excited for my team but I still needed an assistant coach. I was able to pick up Luke ( who I met in craziness the semester before trying to find a tema to play for in intramurals). The team that I selected was not seen as one of the better teams in the league. Alomst every other coach that was in the league told me that I was going to lose every game. The season started off rough with us losing the first 2 games. After those 2 games we went on a winning streak where we did not lose a single game. We ended the regualr season as the 2nd seed and with a first round bye. In our semifinal game we played the Vikings that had beat us earlier in the regular season 12-4. Well this time it was a lot different. We ended the first half tied 0-0 (which is rare for a futsal game). The second half we got a goal early from Erik and then our great Mexican Alfredo blasted a second from half court. We held onto the lead until a penalty was called and the Vikings scored. That was the final goal and we came out withe the win 2-1. Looking at the finals we were set to play the Thunder (who upset the 1st seed in the semifinals 4-2). The finals were set for the following week and to stay the least we were not the favorite in the eyes of everyone else. I had coaches coming up and telling me that they were hoping for my team to lose. I also had a good friend that received and gave a lot of fun smack talk to. The game was actually pretty packed with fans. It was great to see wo many people there. As part of the finals I decided to make warm-up shirts for the team with some great nicknames (Some included "Grandpa", "Nutmeg", "Close but no Cigar", "Thing 1", "Thing 2"). The first half of the game we came out like fire and played really well. We went into the half with a 5-1 lead. During halftime we had a chat and talked about the second half. Everyone on the team had a good feeling and we just knew deep down that we had the game won. The second half became a little tighter and the Thunder got a streak of goals but in the end we left with the Championship winning 7-5. After the game we all talked and my friend told me that "You have strengthened your only weakness that I can find on you and now you are unstoppable". It was a great compliment and I sometimes feel that that is not always true. Here is a picture of one of the saves in the championship game.  

It was a great season and I was honored to coach such a great team. We did not have the best team but the teamwork and the work effort proved to be the catalyst to the season. I would not pick any other team to play with.                                                                                                                                            

The second thing that I remember about this year was the first time that I shot a real gun. My roommates were great gun enthusiasts so one Saturday we decided to go out as a FHE group and shoot pigeons. I had a great time and I had more fun throwing the pigeons. I became the official pigeon thrower once I was done shooting. I did not have great accuracy but I guess it comes with experience.

The third thing that I remember was my graduation from BYU-Idaho. I was at the school for a little over 2 years and I received a bachelor of science in Math Education. It was a great 2 years and I remember all of the fun that I had. I had a great set of classmates that left us with many memories of working late nights trying to finish our proofs in geometry or trying to understand those crazy differential equations. I also remember all of the fun I had meeting new people and playing soccer. I actually met 2 of my cousins while attending that I never met while growing up (I have to apologize to my one cousin for breaking her table). I still had to do my student teaching in the fall but on December 14, 2012 I official became a graduate. Now it is on to the adult life like my mom loves to say. 

The last thing and probably the most memorable was the wedding of my twin brother. I know that I talked a lot about it in one of my previous posts but I just wanted to mention it again. It was great to see and I wish them a lot of happiness over the years.

Finally, I want to just mention some things that I have thought about as I review what I went through this year. The biggest thing that I think about is the pain and stress that I have experienced this year. I have not had the greatest luck with finding a girl that wants to be with me and that wants to get to know me. I have found a lot of friends but nothing more than that. It really got me stressed and left in a lot of pain, but as I mentioned in my other posts, I have found relief in knowing that I can still be happy without that in my life. I look to take that into 2013 and just be the person that I know I am, and not wait for something to happen that seems to begin but eventually for one reason or the other falls apart. My life is only happy if I choose to make it happy. I don't need the disappointment of people breaking my heart. 2013 is a year that I will start to devlop a teaching career and start trying to make a difference in the lives of the students I teach. I LOVE every minute of it and i will not stop teaching until it is no longer enjoyable to me. To all my family (extended and immediate), and friends I want to say HAPPY NEW YEAR and I hope that it is as enjoyable as it can be. I look forward to it!

   



Christmas Break

So i have officially made it to the end of my college career. (so far) I am waiting to get my transcript in the mail and then it is off to gett my substitute certification. I am working on getting my teacher certification in Arizona and so I have to get my substitue first to start working at first. I had my observation the other week and right after the observation, I was offered a long term sub position at Mesa High School. The vice principal said that I would be teaching 3 classes of Algebra 1 and then what they call AIMS prep (required state test). I am excited but I am still waiting on word from them for more detail. If I start teaching in January, I will be really excited and I am really looking forward to it.

In the meantime I am spending time with my family in Colorado. I wanted to spend some time with them before I head back because I was not sure that I was going to get a job and so I didn't want to be stranded in Arizona without a job and money. It has been a week and I ahve am loving every minute of it.

I arrived on the 15th late night when Uncle Steve had already gone to bed. So in that case I had to borrow a pillow from my Grandmother and a blanket from the vast array of blankets that we have around the house. It was a long day and I crashed pretty early. The following day my brother Shane arrived. It was great to see him. On Tuesday my Aunt Jenny and her daughter Sarah arrived and from then on it turned into a trio of math people talking everything they can and want to about math. We had conversations involving homework, multiple choice tests, teaching polynomials, and so much more. It was AWESOME to say the least. Alyssa also arrived as well. The reason that a lot of the family was there was for my great grandmother who had passed away on the 9th of December. We had the funeral on wednesday and it was a good ceremony. I still remember a lot about her and I will miss her. It was great that I was able to grow up and get to know her as much as I did.

After the funeral, the other members of the family were stuck from the snowstorm on the previous day so they were unable to leave till Friday. With that being said it did not stop us from having some fun. We ended up going to the Denver Nature and Science Museum. It was great looking at all the exhibits and having the opportunity to push my grandmother around in her wheelchair. She made sure to tell me exactly when to move on and where to go.

Spending the week with family and getting to know some of the cousins that I have never really gotten the opportunity to talk to was definitely a highlight. Sure enough I was able to receive some interestinfg advice on girls from Alyssa. She made sure to tell me exactly what I needed to do and exactly how I made a mistake. I learned a lot and maybe this advice will benefit me. We had a lot of time to just sit and talk and enjoy each others company. It felt awesome and I laughed quite a bit.

Overall, I am beginning to really see that tru happiness cannot come unless I have a good relationship with my family. I have not been this happy in awhile and it is because I am able to enjoy life and to spend those precious moments with those that are closest to me. This week we celebrate Christmas and we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a time we not only remember that great birth but also the opportunity that we now have to be with a family that loves and cares for each one of us and to someday find that special someone that will create a new family and bring others into our family. I cannot emphasize that enough.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! 

College/Career Transition

So the time has come finally where I can see the end of my college career. I have one week of student teaching left. On Friday I will be officially done and have a bachelor degree in Math Education. As I look back on the semester that I have had and the experiences that I have had it has been great to see it all. I started as a nervous student teacher that was still trying to learn if he could handle himself in the classroom and take control of 30 students at once. I still remember that first day that I was given to teach by myself. I was TERRIFIED. As I continued to get a lot more opportunities I began to see a lot of growth. That nervous feeling began to go away and I felt more confident. It was never a lack of confidence in knowing the material but in knowing whether the students were able to get the material through my teaching. I was talking with my mentor teacher on Friday and it was really cool to hear her talk about how far she had seen me come. She has even seen tremendous growth in the last few weeks with my teaching.

This week I am still a little bit nervous but that is because I have an observation on Wednesday where the vice principal of Mesa High School is going to come and observe. He is doing this to see if I would be fit to teach at Mesa. I received word of this last week and the process has been trying to get my teacher certification but they mentioned that if it was impossible to get it before the start of second semester that I would get my substitute certification and I would become a long term sub while I finished all the requirements for a full time teacher certification. I have been preparing all weekend and I think that he will like it. I plan on reviewing with the general 7th grade class adding and subtracting fractions with fractions bars. Also we are going to review order of operations through the warm-up. We are doing a lot of review seeing as they have their CRT's the week after.

With all of this going on there have been some interesting things going on in my life outside of school. I don't like talking much about it but to say the least I am amid confusion and trying to figure it all out. Sometimes life can be going great in one area but be in dire turmoil in another. I just wish for that day when that will be solved. I know it will happen but sometimes the patience runs thin and I get ansy. With that though life continues and will never stop.

Im excited to go home to Colorado as well for Christmas. It has been hard to not be able to spend Thanksgiving will family for the last 4 or 5 years but spending Christmas with them is just as good if not better. After the new year if I do recieve the job I will be taking a trip with my Dad back down to Mesa. I am looking forward to that time to talk to him and to spend that time with him. I always cherish our talks even though we may only talk sports the whole time. I sometimes wish that I had more time to talk to my Mom and just tell her about my life and what is going on. I love them both and especially my Grandma who says that she wishes I was there to clean up her mess after cooking sometimes. :)

Finally I want to thank some of my true friends that I have had over the years that have kept me going and have really stood by me in the rough and good times. I don't think I would ahve done it without them.  Above is the picture of 2 of them. Sarah Shock and Emma Zachreson. I want to thank you all for everything you have done for me and our continuing friendship. I miss you guys a lot and I hope that someday our path will cross again. Also I cannot forget Paige Laney, Carly Firth, and Heidi Stott. We made our math classes a blast and I hope I was neer too dull for you or crazy! I will cherish all of those memories.

Twin Brother's Wedding

So it has been a few days but I wanted to make an update on my life with a great weekend that I spent in Atlanta Georgia seeing my twin brother getting married to his true love. I know it is a little later than I wanted but I felt that the best time would be when I did not have school and had a good break to really write.

So the trip started on Thursday when I flew into Nashville to stay with my sister. It was a very long plane ride. I ended up having to go to Minnesota and then Nashville. Once I got there it was immediately to bed because I was exhausted. The next day I went with my sister to her Kindergarten class that she teaches. It was a very different experience than I was used to. I really enjoyed the kids and I really enjoyed the experience that I had. It is interesting to see a different level of learning and how kids grasp on to different things at that age. The best part of the day was when one of her students immediately asked me if I was going on their morning walk with them. It was sweet to see that kids at that age are so open to meeting new people and letting them join their group and activities. I wish I was able to spend more time with them.

That afternoon I drove down with my sister to Atlanta to meet Eric's fiancé (Before they were married). My parents and grandmother were already there since they flew in to Atlanta the previous day. At the get together I was able to meet Leah family and to really spend time with them. The family was very nice and they were very talented at singing. I immediately felt really great and glad that her family was going to become a part of mine. Later that night Shane and Brendon arrived. We ended up staying at the hotel that night and the next day was the wedding.

The sealing was at 11 and Eric and Leah had to be there at 10 but Leah ended up getting lost and I heard that when she called Eric to tell her she was lost Eric was still very calm and under control. It was something that I was not familiar with. It was a change that I was great to see. Leah finally arrived and while they were getting ready those that were able to go into the temple waited in the waiting room until they were ready for us. Once they called us into the room to watch the sealing I was really happy for the both of them. As I sat there looking at them I just knew that they were both happy and going to be a part of something that would last for eternity. I will admit that I did cry during the ceremony. I felt so much joy for them and just to witness something so great was something that I was glad to see. I know that they tell you that some twins fight and do not get along at all. This was Eric and I most of our lives but after seeing him get married I had a feeling that I was going to miss him and that a little bit of our relationship will be changed. I have a deep feeling of love for him.

After the sealing we had a ton of pictures that needed to be taken. As we were taking pictures I spent some time catching up with a childhood friend that I had held a grudge on for the longest time. As all the groomsmen were together I immediately felt the grudge being let go and seeing that there was no reason for it. They joked with me and teased me but I knew this time it was just for fun and that I had no need to get angry at that. I just needed to have fun with it and tease back. It was the first time that I felt at ease. The pictures continued back at the house in the backyard before the reception.

The reception was very beautiful and I really enjoyed it. The food was not the typical food that you have at a wedding but I knew immediately that it showed the personality of Eric. I was glad that they did that and were not afraid of being unique. The night went fast and there was eating, dancing, and talking that it seemed like time stood still for a little bit and nothing in life mattered except seeing two people celebrate their beginning of a marriage with family and friends. Once Eric and Leah left we spent the rest of the night with the rest of the family. When took a trip back to Nashville where I got on a plane back to Mesa.

With that all said (I know that it is long) but I just want to end on a few things that I realized this past weekend:

 

·         The first thing that I realized is that when you find your true love it will come naturally. There will be no need to work at trying to fall in love. You just will. (Thanks Mom).  

 

·         The second thing is that grudge is something that we cannot hold onto and we have no need to even try to keep it if we do. It just leads to disappointment in what could have happened had you not held that grudge in the first place.

 

·         Third, having experienced a full weekend where Eric and I did not have a single fight shows that we are growing closer. I enjoy being able to know that I can spend time with him and not fight with him. It makes life so much happier and less stressful.

 

·         Fourth, my life is something that will eventually plan out for itself and the only thing that I can do is prepare myself for what I need to do to be stable and let the Lord do everything else.

 

·         Lastly, I do not need to be the center of everything to be happy. I am okay with just being I the background and doing what I want. There is nothing wrong with that.

 

It has taken me 27 years and a wedding to learn that but I am glad that I did and I am glad to introduce Leah as a sister in law and more specifically somewhat of a twin sister in law. That’s the update for now and I hope to include more as my student teaching comes closer to ending and I make the next step in my life. (Post-College Life)!

True Happiness

Recently I have been thinking a lot about life and happiness. I have been through a lot of things lately that have brought disappointment and discouragement. I have been feeling that there is something missing in my life. This week as I was off from teaching for fall break (which is something entirely new to me) and I began thinking about the things that truly made me happy and who I am today.

One thing that made me happy is doing math. I know it is nerdy to think that way but for me it is great to be able to take a problem and find a new way to look at it and to discover new ideas. It has always been something that eases my mind and creates happiness in my life.

Soccer is another. When I talk to most people about playing soccer they tell me that I am crazy and that I am fearless. It amazes me that I can be seen like that since I feel that I have so many fears in my life. I guess I am just more confident when I step into the box and play. Recently I told someone that if I was able to could a house in the 18yard box of a soccer field I would do just that. All that stress leaves my body and I am so relaxed. I love being there and I hope that happiness never leaves.

Another thing that brings me joy is to be with true friends. I don't mean friends that come and go and are only there at certain times. I am talking about friends that will be there for you till the bitter end. This is a picture of one of those true friends. Even though we don't talk every day and we don't live close I still consider him a great friend and someone that I will always trust with my life.

Finally but not last is my family. I can never say enough about my family. There will always be the true reason I am the person I am today. I know that I am away from all of them and I do not have the greatest relationship with them all with no fighting and no disagreements but that is what makes being a part of a family that great. I know that this is not all of the family but it is just one memory that I will always hold dear to my heart.

When life gets you down and you feel that you cannot go anywhere else it is important to look at the things that make you happy. Not the fake in the moment happiness but true happiness that makes you smile without trying and makes you want to get up every day and experience. At this moment I am trying to put that to work. I am remembering those things that bring happiness to me and my life.

Moving down here to Mesa to teach and possibly staying here is something that I have mixed feelings about. I have struggled to find people that see me as I am and not want me to be different. I know that I have made a decision to just plan my life around the things that I need and to make sure that I am able to live my life on my own. I have been planning things on "what ifs" and "maybes". That is not working. So from this point on I will be doing what I need to do for myself. With that in mind I have accepted the fact that marriage may not be something that I will experience. It is something that I have come to accept and it will not let me get depressed. It is what it is. I can still be happy and live a great life. There is no shame in that. I am glad that I have parents who do not pressure me into that stage of life. They let me live the life that I want and give me advice that I am glad to get but in the end they leave the big decisions to me. I will always remember that and love them for it.

In the end life is something that is meant to be cherished and not thrown away for "what ifs" and maybes". I hope that we can all learn something from that and find our true happiness like I have been trying to do and getting closer to achieve.

 

Student Teaching/Life

So I have officially slacked when it comes to writing about what has been happening in my life. Since the last post when I graduated from college it has been a real roller coaster with what has happened and everything. Since that point I have moved down to Mesa Arizona where I have begun my student teaching. When I first arrived down here in Mesa I was really excited to start. It was hard to sit around and not doing anything for the first week or so. Once school started things took off and the teaching was awesome. I have begun to really love it and I have begun to realize that I have had the desire to teach all of my life and right now I am so close to having that dream job that everyone talks about having.

I have been involved with teaching for almost two months now and I am at the point where I am teaching about every day and I will soon be teaching a full chapter for two of the periods (hours) of the day. I have some great activities and some great plans to teach them. The unit will be on applying percent and there will be a lot of real life examples that I can put in it. This past Friday was the last day of the quarter so we will have the week off all next week. I was able to do a fun activity to really help the students see how math is connected and how we can look at the things we teach them in so many different ways. It has been eye opening to really see those kids that care and that are really grasping the things that we have taught them. I know that I am in the right profession and that I am doing everything that I want to do in life. The bus ride to the school is always fun too. I have made some acquaintances as well. We talk about things on the ride to class and I am known on the bus as "Mr. Lowe" because I have to wear a name tag and they have never learned my first name.

Life outside of teaching has been really exciting as well. I have been able to find a total of 4 leagues to play in. 2 of them are co-ed, and the other 2 are men's. On Wednesday I played for 3 different teams so I can play from about 2 to 4 games on the same night. It is great because it is short sided 6v6. We have some solid teams and we will see how we do in the playoffs. This last Wednesday I was actually able to score a goal by throwing it into the other goal from the box. It was pretty cool to see and the other teams waiting to play thought it was pretty cool too. What made it sweeter is that the team we played was undefeated until we played them. On the other nights that I do not play soccer, I am playing in stake softball. It is fun and I get a good workout but I wish I was a little bit better so that I could help the team out more. It reminds me of the year I played little league except I actually swing the bat this time. (And not at the other team).

A lot has been happening with my life but I am glad to be where I am right now and I miss my family so much. I want to see them and spend some time with them. I never realized how being alone can be so hard at times. I hope that I can continue to keep this blog going and that I am abe to write more about my life since I know that I have missed a lot of things that have happened in my life that I want to tell others.

Graduation!

So I have not written anything in this blog for quite awhile. I have been really busy from all the work this semester in school and other things. I have some time so I wanted to give a short update to what is happening right now.

I am less than two weeks away from graduation and I am loving every minute that goes by because it is one step closer to being done. It is a great feeling but at the same time it just means that I have a new experience that comes. The next experience for me is to go down to Mesa Arizona to do my student teaching. I am so ready for it and I am going to enjoy every minute of it.

On another note I would like to just give some advice that I have recently been able to learn over the last month. That advice is to just live life to the fullest the soonest you can. Do not wait for something good to happen. You need to make it happen yourself. Recently I have had to deal with some things that have not gone my way at all. I have felt frustration toward these people and their actions. With that being said I learned that I need to just forget the past and live life with what I have now. I know that I have a loving family that will always love me no matter what. They are the best and I love them so much. I have some great friends who are able to see me for who I am and not take advantage of me.

So please take the time to really look at your life and make sure that you are doing everything that you can to live life to the fullest. It will be worth it in the end as you look back on those wonderful memories that you will create because of it.   

Happiness

So as in my last post I told you that I would tell you about this person I met. Well since I have time and I have never left to do I have decided that I tell you a little about this girl. First off her name is Talia. We met through a mutual friend and from that point on we have been hanging out and going on a lot of dates. She has really helped me to find true happiness and to be myself. When I am around her I do not have any worries at all. I can just have fun and I enjoy talking to her. When started dating a couple of weeks later and we are still dating at this moment. We are both happy and even though she is back home in Virginia right now we are really getting to know each other. It has been hard recently since we cannot see each other every day and won't be for awhile. If you want a picture of her just look at my blog and that is her and I after our one night of a whipped cream fight. I will see her at the end of the semester but that will hopefully come by fast. I am truly happy at this moment of my life!!

Mother's Day

There have been some crazy things that have happened in the last couple of weeks. I have met someone that I enjoy being around. I will someday talk about that someone but I instead want to focus on a very special day.

Today is Mother's Day. I have always been grateful for this day to tell my Mom how much I love her and what she means to me. This year I am extremely grateful for everything she has done. Life is something that we all struggle with at times and we feel that we will never survive it. My mom just seems to overcome those struggles so well. I always see her smiling and making others around her smile as well. I am grateful for the talks that we have had (even though they are few and far between) that have helped me make the tough choices in my life. I am grateful for the things that she has taught me when I was young and even now. I have grown up into a person that I hope she is proud of. So I want my mom to know that I love her and that I will always love you. You are the greatest Mom in the world.

Math, Soccer, and more Math

So it has been a little bit of time since I last wrote and talked about what has happened in my life. If you want it plain and simple it has been BUSY BUSY BUSY!!!!!!!!! It has been amazing how I survive some days and still be living. I never realize that the last semester would turn out to be this busy. We had tryouts for our league soccer season and I am happy for that. I am excited to coach again and see what I can do with the team that I have. We are called the Hurricanes and we have the great color of orange. Work has been just as busy as it always is whether I am in the math lab, tutoring, or just helping friends in general. My social life is somehow hanging on, but only slightly. I leave the house to start the day about 9 am and don't make it home to relax until about 8 or 9 sometimes. (But its the beginning of homework so I really don't relax) Other than that it is just hitting the grind and getting things done that I need to. It will all be worth it in 11 weeks. The countdown has started and I deserve it. That's what has been going on and I hope to update a little more often to include a little bit more details.

Weekends

We have come to the weekend before I return to BYU-Idaho. It is great to know that I have had a break to rest but also to know that I will be going back and starting my last semester. This morning I went to breakfast with my parents and grandma. It was a good morning and I enjoyed it. The rest of the weekend is going to be calm but I like to compare it to the eye of a storm. In a few days chaos will pursue and I will be running around like my head is cut off. I hope that I can adjust to it fast and get into my normal routine.

When it comes to finishing school, I have one motto. This motto has carried me on through to the end and it will carry me to July 20th!!!!!!!!

"The impossible is what no one can do until somebody does"

Nature's Beauty

Vacations are something that I really look forward to every now and then. Today I went to the Denver Museum and I was able to spend some time with my cousins Merrilyn, Brandon and Jeff. It was a great adventure that helped me to get out of the house and to really forget about school and everything. Tomorrow will be another adventure to the Deer Creek Canyon. I will make sure to bring my camera and take some pictures. Nature is a place that I enjoy thoroughly and helps me to really see the world in a different perspective. I have always gone to the things that I see in the world that was created by God to help me know that I am not alone.

I was also able to go to dinner with my parents, Grandma Kathy, Steve, and Alyssa. It was a great night and it reminded me of the happiness that I have in my family. Alyssa and I actually talked for the first time for quite awhile before dinner. I love getting the time to finally get to know my family and to spend time with them. This move to Colorado has been really good and has brought me closer to family that I feel I would not have had the opportunity to fulfill had we not moved to Colorado. Yet another blessing from the Lord.

Easter/Spring Break

Today we celebrate the wonderful day that Christ was resurrected from the dead. It is a time for celebration but at the same time it is a weekend of sadness. Yesterday the soccer program in BYU-Idaho lost a good friend in Rachel Kekauoha. She was a wonderful soccer player adn she will be missed. RIP Rachel.

I am here in Colorado for the week break and I am loving it. I can't get enough of home and being around family. I have gotten a well needed break and look forward to the rest and relaxation that I will be getting the next few days. It will be a week without much to do but I will be okay with it.

So long till ny next post

Finals, Spring Semester, and a few extras

Monday starts the last week of the semester that includes finals. I'm really anxious to finish the week and go home to Colorado for a break. The last little bit of the semester has been really stressful. It is amazing how your life can change so many times so fast and the only thing that seems to stick around for extended period of time is stress.

After that well needed break I will be starting my last semester in college before I get my degree. I will still have to finish my student teaching but I will be able to walk after the Spring Semester. It has been a great journey and I am excited to start that even though it will be busy with 19 credits, coaching soccer, playing intramural soccer, ultimate frisbee, and possibly basketball (depending on if I can find a team for that). Also I will still be working in the Math Lab as a tutor, grader, and all that comes with that job. To say the least it will be a semester that will be full of something to do every day.

Besides that it will be interesting to see what life will be like for student teaching. I found out that I will be going down to Mesa, Arizona to teach. It will be another state to scratch off my bucket list to visit. The next place of adventure that I will be doing.

That's all that I have been thinking about lately but one last bit of advice that I heard of today. It came from Elder Eyring. He quotes a remark from a speaker at his mothers funeral. He states that "Many of you may be thinking that she had gone through all of that suffering because of a past transgression, but I can tell you that it is not. She went through that trial to become polished." So when you look at the trials you have please remember that it may not always be because you have been transgressing. Sometimes you need to be polished before we return to God.

New Beginnings

Until now I have used this blog to post some information about the church. I know have decided to begin writing about my life and what I experience in my days finishing college. The words "New Beginnings" is something that I have always used to describe the times when I start over and try to begin a new road in my life. There are many roads that we travel that we go forward, backward, left, and right. These roads lead to paths that are sometimes rough and sometimes smooth. Either way that we go, we hope to be at our best at the end of those paths.

I am 2 weeks away from the end of a semester at BYU-Idaho. I will be starting my last semester in April and I will then be done with classes for a length of time. Student teaching is that next path and I am looking forward to finding out where I will be doing it. I hope to continue telling about my journeys and those experiences that I have down these roads.