Life is good.

Some things I'm excited about lately.....
- LIFE! :)
- Conference was great! I'm so grateful for living prophets.
- Easter! I'm so grateful for my Savior and His life and love!
- finals--almost here and gone (last class and presentation done today)

- answers to prayers (I feel very guided, directed, helped beyond capacity lately)

- SUMMER PLANS:
* Leave for Ghana on April 28th (and come back May 15th)!! :)
* Hike the Grand Canyon with family the week of May 18th
* Move to Washington DC to start my summer internship at GAO (Government Accountability Office) on Tuesday May 26th! :) I will be working with the Change Management Team in their Finance and Travel Department helping to train employees on the new travel system they are implementing.
* Read LOTS!....apparently among other things (1984, The Bottom Billion, Three Cups of Tea, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose) I have to read all the Harry Potter books! :)
* see all the sites in DC and surrounding areas
* make new friends

* catch up with old friends! :)

* enjoy family! :)

* NO HOMEWORK! :)

Happy SPRING! :)

I'm excited for the warm weather and symbol of new life and new starts! :) Here are some kind of random things I've been thinking about, and working on lately.....new thoughts, new starts, etc...

- Arthur Brook's BYU forum (2/24) on how giving makes us happy! :)

- BYU's business ethics conference (2/26)

- watching my niece with her new baby brother--THEY ARE PRECIOUS!!

- reading Jeffrey Sachs' "End of Poverty"

- hearing William Easterly's counter-lecture on world poverty (3/5)

- reading about the life of the early Saints in Africa

- reading "Bonds that Make us Free"....be open and LOVE others!

- trying to figure out the Lord's will for my life :)

- attending the BYU Hunger Banquet--eating beans with the majority (3/6)

- running the Rex Lee Run 10K (3/14)

- attending the Draper Temple Open House and Dedication (3/21)

- standing up for what's right and sharing what I believe and stand for!

Life is great! I'm looking forward to General Conference, the end of the semester (1/2 of graduate school), a tax refund, a trip to Africa (now that the shots are done the rest will be fun!), and an exciting summer internship (hopefully that decision will be made soon)!

Happy February! :)

I've always really loved February! It's my favorite month...so happy, lovely, fun! :) It's going to be GREAT! :) To celebrate I thought I'd record my goals for 2009:
1. Grow nearer to God:A. Have meaningful prayers night and morning strengthened by:a. Having a prayer in my heart all day (see Alma 34:27)
b. Recognizing the Lord's hand in my life daily

c. Finding time to ponder daily and following promptings of the Holy Ghost

d. Writing in my journal at least once a week

e. Taking advantage of the atonement each day...change and grow!
B. Have meaningful scripture study daily:
a. Finish the New Testament in April
b. Finish a study of the Bible Dictionary by the end of the year
c. Finish the Book of Mormon by the end of the year
d. Read the conference Ensign when it comes out each conference
e. Attend institute and find times to discuss gospel principles with others
C. Serve others by:a. Forgetting myself and thinking of others first
b. Finding someone to help everyday!
c. Trying to see everyone as Heavenly Father does....LOVE everyone!
d. Assuming everyone is doing the best that they can.
e. Always being kind and positive!
f. Attending the temple at least once a week
g. Magnifying my calling
h. Loving my family...showing them and telling them often! :)
i. Participating in some type of service project once a week

D. Stand up for what's right by:a. Sharing my testimony daily!
b. Being an example of the believers in my thoughts and actions
c. Opening my mouth when I feel I need to (even if I don't know what I'll say)
2. Grow socially:A. Worry more about relationships and people than projects, and things!
B. Do something really fun every week!
C. Choose to be HAPPY each day! (Come what may and love it!)

D. Meet one new person everyday

E. Open up to others...be honest, be real, have confidence in who I am!

F. Live in the present!
G. Meet a WONDERFUL boy!!!! :) ...and live happily ever after. :)
3. Grow physically:A. Exercise at least 4 or 5 times a week
B. Complete some kind of athletic event by the end of the year (half-marathon?)
C. Do some type of adventure at least once a month (e.g. snowshoe for 7 straight hours, Grand Canyon, etc.)

D. Try to be in bed my midnight each night :)

E. Learn to cook something new once a month
4. Grow mentally/academically/professionally:A. Read 2 fun books a month...check Goodreads for updates

B. Find and complete a great internship
C. Work hard and do well in my classes

D. Learn to communicate more effectively

E. Learn to be a better leader and team member

F. Create a personal budget to live by
G. Don't get stressed! :) (Keep a good balance and perspective on life.)
H. Travel somewhere new this year (i.e. Ghana)

Holiday Highlights

So, it's back to school and the regular routine tomorrow, but it sure has been nice to have a break. Here are some of my favorite holiday highlights:
- working at the Food Bank with the family
- day-after-Christmas football game in the snow
- Christmas day puzzle!
- watching movies: KiteRunner, Elf, Hotel Rwanda, Eagle Eye, Little Women, The Bucket List (I even stayed awake for most of them) :)
- JUST BEING ALL TOGETHER WITH FAMILY!!!
- being with extended family--nativity, making fleece blankets, dinners, soup night
- shoveling the driveway
- working out with the family at the gym
- going to the temple
- time to read! :)
- playing with Kayla
- doing and cheering for those doing Wii Fit
- karaoke and care bear cinammon sticks
- crashing a New Year's Eve dance in American Fork to bring in the new year
- no homework!!
- snow shoeing
- no alarm clock
- staying up late and sleeping in! :)

I'm going to Ghana...

...at the end of April for two weeks with an MPA study abroad group. I will take a class next semester about international development management. The second half of the semester we will focus on a few specific projects we will be implementing in Ghana. We will work with Empowered Playgrounds (http://www.empowerplaygrounds.org/main/) and do a couple of projects for the Church in Ghana. It should be an amazing experience! :)

Joy to Everyone!

I am so grateful for this time of year...to focus on the gift of Jesus Christ in my life. I am so grateful for His love and our Heavenly Father's love in sending Him. I love this song and the images it portrays that help me remember we are all brothers and sisters and children of God. He loves us all so much. We can all go forward following his example and sharing His love. :) Merry Christmas! JOY to everyone!

Loto Taha

It has been a great semester! I just turned in my last project today and I'm officially finished with the first semester of the MPA program. I have loved it so far....in large part because of the wonderful people--especially my team: Loto Taha (one heart, one mind)! :) I have learned so much from and with each of them....for sure the best team in the MPA program this year! :) Get to know our team a little bit better here: http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/JKZvyC12ZQMFl9o6jxci

Gratitude

So, as the end of the semester is starting to come into sight I am getting a little bit stressed about all the projects, and assignments I need to finish in the next few weeks. I decided that a good way to relieve stress and remember what's important (and to get in the spirit of the season) is to think of something I'm grateful for each day. This will be a continuing list for the month of November. I'm grateful for....

Nov. 1: an extra hour

Nov. 2: fasting, prayer, testimony

Nov. 3: opportunity to be learning at BYU

Nov. 4: freedom, the right to vote!

Nov. 5: helpful and encouraging roommates

Nov. 6: chocolate fudge brownies

Nov. 7: being done with my public briefing presentation

Nov. 8: chance to serve at the Food Bank

Nov. 9: my family, especially my niece! :)

Nov. 10: my great MPA team, Loto Taha

Nov. 11: naps

Nov. 12: chances to grow and figure out ultimate goals/motivations

Nov. 13: EXERCISE! :)

Nov. 14: no school, and finally time to catch up. :)

Nov. 15: taking a break, having fun, and laughing!

Nov. 16: personal revelation and learning how to receive it

Nov. 17: scriptures teaching just what I need to learn, time to play with Kayla

Nov. 18: institute

Nov. 19: a beautiful day, a chance to learn more about government first-hand

Nov. 20: MY WONDERFUL DAD!!!! :)

Nov. 21: a 10-day holiday!

Nov. 22: knowledge of the Savior, His life and mission, and restoration of His gospel

Nov. 23: missionary work, music

Nov. 24: helpful friends and committee members, mashed potatoes, apple pie

Nov. 25: taking a break from school, relaxing

Nov. 26: being with family!

Nov. 27: health, family and friends to enjoy Thanksgiving with

Nov. 28: leftovers

Nov. 29: MY AMAZING MOM!!!! :)

Nov. 30: Sundays!, the temple, my brothers :)

District of Columbia

It was an amazing trip to Washington D.C.!


We had the chance to visit about 15 Federal agencies and non-profits to look for jobs and internships: FEMA, Partnership for Public Service, USAID, GAO, State Department, Family Research Council, Ethics Resource Center, CBO, Nancy Pelosi's office, Department of Interior, United Way, Koch Foundation, and the Heritage Foundation. I learned so much and got a better idea about what types of jobs and internships are out there.

I also learned more about Washington and got a feel for the city. I really liked it a lot and would LOVE to live and work there this summer, so I need to get busy on my internship applications. :) I think that the most valuable thing I learned though was about myself. Being in such a historic and important place surrounded by so many people working hard on public issues made me realize I really need to figure out what my passion and mission in life is and then go for it! It's important to have confidence and stand up for what's right. Kind of like Esther, I feel like I need to find out where I belong, what has led me to the place I am in my life, and to take advantage of the opportunities to stand up and do right! I also thought a lot about balance in life and how it's important to push ourselves to be excellent and do all we can, but not to forget what is most important (which Elder Uchtdorf talks about in October's hometeaching message--Christlike attributes). There is power in example and I was grateful for the amazing examples of the people I went with that encouraged me to better.

We got to see some very cool places. We got a special private tour of the Capitol Building, toured the diplomatic hosting rooms at the State Department (which includes Thomas Jefferson's desk), drove by most of the monuments, walked by the White House, and I got to go to the Washington DC Temple which was a highlight!

I'm going to Washington D.C.!

I just found out I was chosen to be in a group of 12 students that will travel to Washington D.C. at the end of October to represent the Romney Institute at an alumni dinner and meet with about 30 possible employers. We are going to help build relationships for BYU and hopefully find great contacts that will lead to internships for the summer! I'm really excited! I would love to work in Washington D.C. next summer!

United Way Day of Caring

So, I know I'm in the right place! :) Thursday morning our classes were cancelled so we could all go help with the United Way Day of Caring in Utah County. It was a great experience! My group (about 20 MPA students) and then about 20 others from the community went to a Head Start in Provo to paint, weed, prune, clean buses and windows, and prepare library books. That's my kind of learning!

Back to School

I've been wondering what to do with my time since the Olympics have been over.....so after a four year break from full-time school, I'm back! :) It's going to be an adjustment next Tuesday, but I'm really excited to be back at BYU! :) (To celebrate I climbed to the top of Timp with my dad and brothers on Wednesday.)

I just finished my two days of orientation for the MPA program at the Romney Institute of Public Management. I can tell that this is going to be REALLY great! There are about 60 new students in the program this year and 10 professors. We were all together to get to know each other and start working together. Each of them seem like amazing people who have such a desire to go serve and stand up and make a difference in the world. I'm really excited for this new adventure. I know I have a lot to learn and hope to take advantage of all the new opportunities so that I can then go and make the world a better place (even if that means swinging out of trees, like I did this morning, and trusting in and relying on teammates that I just met yesterday). :) I've already learned something about the importance of communication, leadership, encouragement, being unique (as in BYU as a school being a light to the world in a humble way), being "one", trusting and relying on a team, etc.....and lots more to come..... :) I'm grateful for the chance to be back at school!

No more nylons! :)

Today was my last day of work at the Church Office Building. I worked in the Church Travel Office for the past 3 years and 8 months. It has been a wonderful job! I had so many amazing experiences and learned a lot! I will miss helping missionaries get to and from their missions all over the world (even when they're calling stranded due to flight cancellations at Christmas time), working with consulates (and seeing miracles happen as visas come through) and with so many great people. I even enjoyed learning and helping with accounting this last year. It has been a fun adventure, but I'm very excited I don't have to wear nylons everyday anymore!!! :)

Here's a picture of my current work group on the top of Sunset Peak. This activity came about as a stress-reliever/team-building activity in the midst of a HUGE system change over we've been working on for the past few months. One purpose of the activity was to show our trainer from Miami the beautiful mountains of Utah. He is not a member of the Church, but a very religious man. For all of the hassle and heartache of this new system....it may have been worth the switch just to have this trainer have the opportunity to learn first hand so closely about the Church for so long. It's neat to see the Lord's hand in His work! :)

Ra, Ra, Ra-Ra-Ra!

So, I have never been or ever wanted to be a cheerleader, but I've found myself being somewhat of a cheerleader this year. It's actually kind of fun to have someone or something to be excited about supporting or cheering for. :)

It has made me more aware of things going on and others to cheer for along the way, too! :)

I LOVE the Olympics!

Every two years I LOVE watching the world come together in the parade of nations at the Olympic Games. It seems to symbolize the hope of the world for peace and harmony in the midst of political turmoil and uncertainty. I felt that hope and harmony again tonight as I watched everyone march in behind the country flags.

It was neat to see China tell the story of their vast history (through drums, painting, dancing, fireworks, and LOTS of people) and see its' progress as a nation and the hope of continued progress. It was sweet to see the small 9-year-old Chinese boy who walked in with Yao Ming who carried the Chinese flag. The boy survived the earthquake in Sichuan Province in May and risked his life to help save two of his classmates. I'm inspired by this young boy who took his assignment of "hall monitor" seriously and was ready to help and make a difference.

I'm also inspired by the athletes who have a passion for something and work hard to reach their dreams, sometimes in countries with few opportunities.

So, go for your dreams and world peace! :)