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With this incredible and amazing school year coming to a close in just a matter of weeks, I can't even begin to explain how much gratitude that I have in my heart for this wonderful life changing experience. It has been such a rewarding and great almost seven years getting to help out in two different classrooms this year and even though it was difficult at first, I have enjoyed being able to serve in anyway that I possibly could.

August 2010

I started my internship over at Westridge Elementary about six years ago and as nervous as I felt inside about this, I really didn't know if someone like me would enjoy getting to help out in a first grade classroom. It was definitely an entire new adventure for me to take on and little did I know what an absolute life changing experience it would turn out to become. 

I almost wanted to not do it at all until shortly after that first year of being a intern, that I'd find myself going back for the next few years. It has been one of the biggest blessings in my life and I honestly wouldn't want to trade this experience for anything else. I may not have peformed various tasks as well as I would have liked to, but I was able to give it my best shot and never give up on myself to pushing through every situation that came in my path. 

April 2017

Almost seven years later did I ever think that my life would be like it is now and I am here to tell you, that this experience of volunteering has made me a better person in this world. I have loved getting to watch the students I've had in the past growing up and moving onto the other grades has truly been such a treat for me to be a part of. I am not sure what else the rest of this school year has in store for me, but I do know that the people I've met at Westridge have truly impacted my life more than I'd ever be able to express into my own words. Thank you all so much for your patience and willingness to give me opportunities to serve in your classrooms and getting better accquainted with you on a personal level.

A Flash Back

One of the many remarkable people that I've been able to meet while volunteering over at Westridge have truly been so amazing and incredible to work with. Awhile back I was given the privilege and opportunity to help volunteer in the library with my absolute favorite librarians ever, Miss Christoffersen. She was such a gem to be able to get to accquainted with and I kept telling her multiple times that I was so impressed with how she was able to keep that library running smoothly. She would genuinely tell me that "Yes, it's a chore." But I knew that she enjoyed getting to help all of the students at Westridge with anything they needed. I liked getting to listen and watch her teach all of the classes that came in through the library during the day. She always prepared so many fun lessons and watching her read books to the students was an absolute delight for me to see.  I remember going in there after having helped out in Mrs. Schwen's first grade classroom and heading over to the library to do whatever I'd need to get taken care of. I also liked being able to have some peace and quiet away from the chaos of my first grade students. I didn't really know how much fun it would be to help out in a library because you'd simply think it would just be really boring. But I tried my hardest to make it such a positive experience for myself and for the librarian who was already putting in so many hours to make that library such a fun place to be. I'll never forget when I was asked to clean down the book shelves as best as I could & believe me, I gave it my all to make sure those book shelves looked very spotless and clean. I remember some of the teachers walking into the library and telling me what a great job I was doing at cleaning the shelves in there and asking me if I could do that in their classrooms. It was definitely something I didn't see coming but I would genuinely let them know that I'd be more than happy to do that if it needed to be done at the time. I enjoyed getting to learn some new skills about how much effort and energy it takes into being a librarian. It was definitely at certain times for me a little more challenging than I thought it would be and yet I gave did my best to do whatever needed to be done. I also really enjoyed getting to do the inventory in the library which basically means that I walked around looking for books that haven't been checked out in the last ten years and needed to be taken off the shelves. Or if there was any particular books that were missing to make sure I matched the barcodes/call numbers with it from this inventory packet that had all of the information on it. If I ever found one of those I would match it up and make sure it was the correct one, and then check it off the list. It was so much fun to check out all of the different sections of the library were located. I was grateful for the opportunity it gave me to try something new and also take a lot of that hard work off the librarians shoulders so they could focus on the many other things they needed to do. Sarah was such a great friend/mentor to me over the years and even allowing me the opportunity to help her out with little things like whether it was being the score-keeper of a game she had put together or whatever it was, I felt very humbled/blessed to do that. I loved it so much and I will truly never forget the patience & kindness that Sarah showed me throughout those years more than anything else. It was really such a blessing to not only make a new friend but to help out in a completely different way. I am  forever grateful for her example and friendship  which is something that I will always hold a special spot in my heart for years to come. 

Sarah,

Words will never be enough for me to describe how much I'll miss you not being here at the school and giving so much countless service to all of the students. I am grateful for your amazing example and friendship in my life more than anything in this world has to offer. I am sad to see you leaving this wonderful school and moving on to other things in life, but I know that anyone who comes into contact with you their lives will be forever changed. Thank you so much for all of the service you've given to Westridge all these years and I know that my life will never be same because of you. I will greatly miss seeing your pretty smiling and cheerful face every time I've run into you at the school once in awhile. Thanks again for being the sweetest and most wonderful person in my life!! I am grateful for the many memories of laughs and fun times the both of us were able to share together. Wishing you all the best in everything you do and hope to see you around later!! #FriendsForever

Final Day Of Institute

As I attended my final day of special needs institute, I couldn't help but reflect a little bit on how much this class has impacted me as an individual. I am so grateful beyond words for the amazing spirit that I was able to feel there every single week and learning from a wonderful teacher whose testimony strengthened me to be more like the Savior. There are no words for me to even describe into words what an extraordinary blessing this class was for me this semester and I can't wait to see what next semester has in store.

My testimony of what Institute has done for me this semester:

"I just wanted to take the opportunity and thank each of you for making this class such a wonderful experience. Getting to be in that class has helped me through so much & I am incredibly grateful for the peace it has brought into my life this past year more than anything. I have truly felt closer to my Father in Heaven more this semester than I ever have at any other time in my life and that to me has been such a wonderful thing. I want to also thank our teacher for being such an absolute gem for her willingness to come out here and teach us lessons with the sweet spirit that she shares with all of us on a regular basis. I am so grateful for her influence in my life more than anything else in the world and being able to feel of her great love for this gospel is truly a comfort to me. All of you are pretty legit and such a great group of people whose testimonies of the Savior, Jesus Christ have lifted me through the thick and thin. This class has been the absolute greatest blessing of my life and I am so blessed to have had the incredible opportunity to be a part of it this semester."

NINJA Volunteer Youth Mentor - Training 2017

In about three weeks from today, I will be heading up to Salt Lake City, Utah for a very important training indicating the details/expectations that I'll need to know before hand in working at our 5th annual NINJA Youth Leadership Conference. I am super thrilled to take on this new role of what is truly expected from me on becoming the best staff that I can be to everyone involved. I am not sure what else to take in from this experience other than just knowing how to handle certain situations as best as I can possible.

What I've learned from participating in this conference is...

Being able to take back the skills and lessons I learned from the conference, back to my independent living center so I can help my friends there to reach their full potential in the things that they do each day.

How I've grown as a leader/self advocate from attending this NINJA Conference:

About a year later after I graduated from this conference, I had the privlege of attending the Quality Of Life Conference with the People First organization up Provo Canyon. One of the main staff who was there with us mentioned to me and a group of people about this Advocates As Leaders - Self Advocacy Speakers Network. It's basically a committee of people like ourselves who get trained in various topics of what individuals such as ourselves believe in, feel, cherish and value. They have a contract through USU (Utah State University) and even though they are not on the actual payroll, I get paid $50 dollars to write and present a topic that we feel is really important for the public to hear, know and understand. I truly feel like even though this organization has nothing in relations to this specific youth leadership conference, I definitely have a feeling that our NINJA Program really in some ways helped to prepare me for it. I am so grateful for the experiences that I hope to have at one point down the road in learning more skills and what is expected of me as a self advocate.

#BestInstituteClassEver

As my final days of attending special needs institute come to an end, I know that my life has been forever changed because of this experience. I cannot even begin to tell you how much this class really strengthened my testimony of what this gospel is all about and the ways it continues to make me strive to be a little better.

I've heard it said
That people come into our lives
For a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led to those, who help us most to grow
If we let them and we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
Because I know who I am today, because I knew you


Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes the sun
Like a stream that meets a blouder 
Halfway through the wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you, 
I have been changed for good.

My special needs institute class was one of the most cherished & memorable highlights for me this year, more than anything else in the world. I am grateful for the spirit that I was able to feel so strongly each and every week that I was there to learn more about my Savior, Jesus Christ. I know this gospel is true without a shadow of a doubt and no matter how challenging each of our lives gets to be sometimes, as we continue to do the basic everyday things to help us be closer to our Father in Heaven- we can get through anything. In these song lyrics here from the hit popular Broadway musical, WICKED both the witches of OZ perform this song together and somehow it gets me every single time. I always end up with tears in my eyes every single time, just simply because I know that there have been so many good examples of people that have changed my life for good. I know whenever we are focused on the Savior and remembering his important role in our lives, we can get through any trial that we may have experienced in the past. I know that my experiences this year in institute have blessed my life more than I could ever say and I'm so grateful for that opportunity to have been a part of it. Thank you all so much for being so awesome and inspiring me to be more like the Savior each day. 

Moving Forward

In my special needs institute class earlier this week, our amazing teacher shared with us a question that has literally been stuck on my mind:


Have you ever had an experience/story where you knew that God was aware of you? 


My Two Experiences:

I have a brief experience while volunteering over at the elementary school and somehow things didn't necessarily turn out as well as I would have expected them to. It was certainly hard not really have known that regardless of the outcome of this situation, I could have easily gone to ask for help or let the first grade teacher know what was going on at the time. I felt like in that moment this feeling of like I had made a mistake and long story short, I went home and walked up into my room, turned on some random song on my ipod & felt this warm fuzzy feeling come over me... like "It's going to be okay. You're gonna get through this and I am fully aware of what is going on right now. Just be strong and keep your head up!!" I immediately felt like everything was going to turn around at some point and that I would be able to look back on this experience as a way of understanding that our Heavenly Father is always there. I am grateful for his direction in my life so much and the ways he continues to strengthen me in my lowest lows and highest highs. 

With all of that being said, I've recently gone through a change where I had to make a decision about not being in a serious relationship with a guy and ever since that last date I went on with them, I just had these feelings of like: "Maybe this isn't the right relationship for you to be in right now and you need to get out of it." I didn't know for sure about whether my thoughts were messing with me or if the spirit was telling me something that I needed to be aware of. I could definitely feel like he was not only prompting me to get out of the situation but that I needed to move forward in my life, because I am honestly not ready for a serious relationship yet. I'm confident that my Heavenly Father will prepare me to find a great young man to get to know better with time/patient in his timing. 

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I'm literally going to miss my special needs institute class more than anything after it concludes in a few weeks from now. I have absolutely loved getting to learn from such an amazing teacher who has such a great love for the gospel and having the spirit with her as she has taught me. I am grateful for the incredible opportunity it has been for me to attend her class every week and feeling the spirit of our Father in Heaven so strongly every single time I walk into that classroom. I always liked having this chance of being at the UVU institute and it was just sightly difficult to ever get much out of the lessons that I would have liked to, just simply because it was such a big class with so many people that needed to do their situations in life they had to make noises in order to focus/listen. I am going to be honest with you right now that in my mind, I wasn't sure if I'd ever be able to get out as much from institute as I would have wanted to have at the time... (but with this new teacher I have truly gotten so much more out of it this year alone than I ever did before.) I'm incredibly grateful for the absolute blessing it has been for me to be a part of this class all year long & getting to learn a lot more about my Savior, Jesus Christ. I know that having made institute a priority in my life has given me so much peace of mind and being able to be an instrument in His hands on a regular basis. I know that my life will truly never be the same again because of this experience and strengthening my testimony of this gospel more often than I'd usually do. With the last few classes left to go until the year is over, I want to take this opportunity and express my gratitude to my classmates/my phenomenal institute teacher:

To my institute classmates:

Thank you so much for making me feel so loved & a part of this amazing class. There is not a doubt in my mind about the gratitude that is in my heart for all of you and the wonderful examples you all continue to be in this world. I am grateful for your strength and the many lessons you have all taught me this year in class. I felt so blessed to have been able to call you some of you my closest friends & I have been truly uplifted by your testimonies of this gospel more than you could ever know. I am so grateful for this amazing class and all of the ways we have been able to feel the love of our Savior. I love you all so much and hope you each have the best summer ever!!! #TillWeMeetAgainNextTime

To our AMAZINGLY legit institute teacher, Sister Crosby:

Thank you so much for being the best and most legit institute teacher ever!! I have loved being in your class this year more than anything in this world & I can't thank you nearly enough for all that you have done for us. I am grateful for your uplifting and inspiring lessons that you spent so much time and dedication into teaching each of us every single week. I liked being able to feel of the love you have for this gospel and especially for the Savior, more than I could ever put into words. I know that my life and everyone else's in our class this year, are truly never going to be the same because of your example to us. Wishing you all the best in your new adventures this summer & truly hope we'll keep in touch for many years/days/months to come!! Thanks a million for everything this year and I will truly never forget all the many things you taught me. 

I know that this gospel is true without a shadow of a doubt and I am so grateful for the happiness it continues to bring into my life everyday. I know that my Savior, Jesus Christ lives and that he will always be there for us no matter what it is we are currently facing and I've truly felt his guidance in my life more often than I ever have before. I am grateful for the opportunity that I had of getting to attend my special needs institute class this year more than anything else in the world and I am really going to miss being there from when it ends till the next semester begins.

Spiritual Thought

In my special needs institute class today, we talked about the true meaning of what the easter season is all about and how we can keep the focus on our Savior, Jesus Christ. I loved feeling of the spirit so strongly and reflecting on just the very important reasons for why we celebrate this holiday. I know it really touched my heart as I was sitting in our institute class and watching a video of the experiences our Savior went through to make this journey on earth possible. I am grateful for that knowledge of knowing that we will all live again and be in the presence of our Father in Heaven. 

If there was one little thing that I've been able to see in my life is that I'm never going to have to face any challenges alone, and I am so blessed for the guidance he continues to give me on a regular basis. It was really hard for me to watch the video we did in class today about the last week of the Savior's life and not being able to even comperhend the agonizing pain he went through for us.

I've always known the Savior's Atonement was something he did for me and for us, but yet I haven't been able to not think of one way he hasn't continued to strengthen my testimony of the gospel. I am grateful for his significant role in my life more than anything else in the world and I know he will be there for me whenever I need him the most.

Spiritual Reminder

"Even in the most difficult and darkest of times, there is light and goodness all around us."

To me, this quote really just needs to remind all of us and myself included, that no matter what situations life throws at us without even realizing it-- there will always be something good to come out of them. It isn't necessarily anything that is going to make ourselves miserable or feel like it's not fair we can't explain to anyone else about how we really need to cope with what is going on. 

I will stand by you

I will help you through

When you've done all you can do

And you can't cope

I will dry your eyes

I will fight your fight

I will hold you tight

And I won't let go...

These lyrics are the chorus of a song that I've listened to in my bedroom multiple times and never paid much attention to them, until just recently that it had me think of this analogy. The words of this chorus remind me that despite anything we ever have to face in life, the Savior will always and forever be there standing by us through our tribulations. He will be there next to you and I with drying away our tears to help us fight our spiritual battles, regardless of how challenging the situation really appears to be. He will hold us close to him as we go throughout our everyday lives to make sure we continue to be on His side of the line and not anyone elses. I truly have felt like the Savior is talking to me personally in these lyrics and as I've blogged about one too many times already that he is never going to leave us in handling things by ourselves. Even if we sometimes think we can handle it by ourselves, it is never the case because he is and always will be there for us to lighten our heavy burdens that we all have. I know he isn't going to let go of us through any period of time in our struggles because he has already paid that unfathomable price to let us never forget that we are not alone. He may not give me the answers I'm desperately wanting right away and yet when I have found myself kneeling down in prayer to him, there is not one single trial that I cannot see the goodness coming from it. Once I got back in attending my special needs institute class this year, I have truly felt more closer to my Savior than ever before and I love the peace he can bring in our lives everyday of the week. In our family room, we have this portrait of the Savior that our amazing YSA ward friends presented us with as a thank you while back and whenever I've looked at it from across the way, I know that he is not out of my sight. It also reminds me that he is constantly wanting us to be more like him and to never forget that because of what he went through for all of us, we can strive to become a little better. 

Like the lyrics in this beautiful song I just shared with you, it's titled: "I Won't Let Go." and to me this is exactly the message I need to be reminded of on a regular basis. It helps me to remember the Savior's hand in my life and in everything that I'm striving to do to be more like him. I have probably glanced if not more than one too many times at that portrait of our Savior and just this week alone, I know that he is watching over me in everything that I do to make myself become more like Him each day. 

I know that without any shadow of a doubt, our Savior, Jesus Christ lives and that he will always be there with us no matter how difficult our challenges are for us. I know he wouldn't give me or anyone else something that he knows we couldn't handle in the things that we face, because he has always been there whether I've recognized it at certain times or not. While I was listening to this song last night in my bedroom, I knew right in that moment in time I was not going to be on my own with this particular situation and remembering who I am in the eyes of my Father in Heaven. I know it wouldn't have made me just start having a different perspective if I were not choosing to share this experience with all of you who are looking through it. 

In sharing these lyrics with you guys today, I am grateful for the knowledge of having a purpose on this earth and the things I need to remember are just only making me a better person. It's not meant to give me more obstacles that are needed to be placed in front of me, but to remind me that my focus should be on the blessings that will come from it to keep us humble. I know for me personally all of the posts that I've shared in the last few days have certainly made me a little more in tune with what I need to remember and to never lose sight of the Savior in my life. 

Free Write

Awhile back, I wrote up a blog post titled Uplifting Experience and it was about when my little best friend was called back to their heavenly home. It was at the time such a difficult trial of faith to have to ever experience and yet I didn't know if I'd have enough love in my heart, for another dog. One of the things I could've easily felt comfortable sharing in my special needs institute class today, was like being able to tell a little story about a scripture that really stood out to us during a tough time. This is the scripture that I was able to luckily find again and share it with all of you:

Matthew 5:4 - "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 

It was probably a little bit more specific than what I just shared with you here, but the meaning of it to me is very plain and simple. I know that I could have not felt the peace in my heart, within those few minutes if I didn't come across that scripture and pondered on it. I knew despite the situation I had been experiencing at the time, I probably would've figured out that it would not last forever & somehow it just reminded me that the Savior will always be there for us. I don't know why I didn't have more of a heart felt story to share today during my institute class, but I think it reminds me to never forget that whenever I'm going through a challenge-I'm not alone in dealing with that. I love being able to have the Savior, Jesus Christ on my side every step of the way and what I have gone through this week hasn't been anything short of easy. I don't know if my Heavenly Father is giving me this very difficult yet hard experience to help me understand something that I didn't know about yet. 

This gospel means so much to me and getting to feel the love my Savior during our institute class on a regular basis. I am grateful for the peace and happiness it brings into my life everyday, whether I'm able to notice it right away or not. I know that my life is blessed with the ways I hope to continue to live as the Savior did in everything I'm ever going to face. 

I would like to share my testimony that this church is true and that no matter how many struggles I'll have to push through on this earth, I can overcome them because of the Savior. I know that this life is not meant to be anything but easy for us and if we ever need to feel peace in our lives, we can turn to the one who has experienced it more than we can imagine. I am grateful for the amazing opportunity that I have of being able to attend my special needs institute class and getting as much out of every single lesson as I possibly can. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Current Events

Advocates As Leaders - Self Advocacy Speakers Network

I'm super thrilled about creating this supported decision making guide and having it be a different alternative from doing guardianship. I know that this guide will in particular have the supports you would need in order to make the decisions for years to come and how to make that happen. I know this guide will come in great use for individuals regardless of their age/circumstances to make their own decisions. With the support of people you know and have expertise in certain work fields, (w/ helping you make these choices that are going to impact your life down the road.) 

April 10th, 2017 - Supported Decision Making (Training)

I am really excited to have this opportunity of meeting with my friends and discussing the importance of what this guide is all about. Even though this is far away from now, I am hoping for a good/helpful discussion from the other people who are going to be there as well and learning as much as I possibly can. More about this later!!

Staff at the 5th annual NINJA Youth Leadership Conference - Logan, Utah

Nothing would make the start of my summer vacation more amazing than getting to staff in a program that means so much to me personally. I am not sure about anything yet until after the upcoming deadline approaches and seeing what happens from this, going forward. This NINJA program was absolutely life changing for me when I attended the conference three years ago, I'll admit right now this opportunity of getting to staff at it would be so awesome!!!!