Two Month Wait

Several months ago, My family was thinking that we would travel down to California to visit my older sister and her husband as well my niece who will be here in less than a couple of weeks. I am definitely not sure what to expect from this new adventure in my life, but getting to hold my niece for the first time ever will be such a surreal experience for me. I am looking forward to what this amazing opportunity has in store for me and getting to take on this auntie role as best to my ability that I can possible, but believe me... It is definitely going to be a complete turn around when I see her for the first time. I am thrilled for my older sister to become a mom to this little girl who is going to be spoiled more than I can even say for myself right now.. but you get the idea here right??? It is certainly going to be very interesting to see me come into this transition with the biggest heart that I know I will have for my niece Skye once she joins our family.

Unfortunately... We are not planning our trip down to California till sometime in early May. I have absolutely no idea what this experience would be like from the moment we get there and hoping for everything that is going to be make this a very special time. I cannot wait to have this bond with my niece that is never gonna be broken and I am ecstatic to watch her grow more than words could ever say. I know that waiting two months before anyone of us gets the opportunity to see her in person, I definitely will agree is going to be worth it and cannot wait for the chance to fall in love w/ this cute little girl. I'm also hoping that my older sister and husband will move back here to Utah... only cause it would be so much fun to have my niece be in the third grade class I volunteer in. I would love it more than anything in this world to help my niece learn & be the person that I hope she will become as I watch her grow up. Who knows what could happen when I get the chance to finally spend more quality time with her?? We will have to wait a couple of years and find out what that would be like down the road into the future!!! 

Valentine's Day Highlights

I absolutely loved getting to celebrate Valentine's Day with my third grade students and feeling of their excitement for what the day is really about. It was really incredible for me to be a small part during this exciting time in their lives and it only lasts for such a short period of time, before it's all over. I enjoyed getting to help out with one of the many activities that were going on for the rest of their school day and being a part of it is something I'll cherish forever. I truly loved getting to play this game called "Headbands" which is basically where the kids had to wear this plastic headband thing with a card on it that says what they are, but all of them asked me various questions that were specifically related back to what was on their card. 


I really enjoyed getting to see them interact with each other which is something I'm almost too busy to watch because I have so much going on, but I will admit that yesterday was nothing short of awesome!!! It was so much fun seeing them pass out valentine's to each other just warmed my heart in such a way, that I don't even have the words in my mind to describe what was that really like. I definitely saw the biggest smiles on their faces and just making each other so happy for me was such a delight to see from a distance. I loved every valentine that I probably didn't necessarily deserve from the people who gave them to me, but it really almost brought me to tears because I would have never expected anything more or less than making the day successful for everyone involved. 

I have absolutely volunteering in my favorite blonde's third grade class more than anything in this world & getting to know them better this year has been nothing short of indescribable. I can't thank them nearly enough times for their patience, kindness, friendship, example and the wonderful person they are in my life. Thank you so much for letting me help out with the activities yesterday & giving me an experience that I know will forever hold a soft spot in my heart. 

Night To Shine

Truly one of the most unforgettable prom night experiences ever and one that I will cherish for the rest of my life!!! I can't even begin to put into words what an extraordinary & yet wonderful event it was to be a part of among 90,000 kings and queens of the prom from all over the United States!! It was truly a dream come true and getting to feel extra special all night long was such a privilege for me as well as everybody else involved. I couldn't even to tell you how much fun and rewarding it was to be simply reassured of God's love for me as well as all of the participants who were there in attendance. I will definitely have more photos to come within the next couple of weeks and cannot wait to share them with all of you!!!

Shout Out to the Tim Tebow Foundation for again putting on this phenomenal event for individuals with special needs and making it a dream come true for everybody who was there!!! I absolutely loved every single minute of this experience probably more than words could describe and I am so grateful to have been a part of it. I am so excited for what next year's event has in store and cannot wait to celebrate with lots of amazing people!!!

I don't even think there are words to describe what an extraordinary privilege it was for me to be a part of this year's Night To Shine!!! I absolutely loved getting the chance to feel the love of my Savior on a night that I knew he was truly seeing me in his eyes like a Queen. I am probably just saying too much in just sharing this with all of you but it was such an unforgettable experience that I know will never quit being talked about for the rest of this year!!!

I have a lot of pictures on my Facebook & Instagram accounts if you want to check them out there for your own entertaining pleasure!! I truly had the most amazing night ever and getting to feel like a queen all night long is a moment that I will cherish forever if not for the remainder of this coming year. I feel so grateful for the many people who spent countless hours pulling off a night to remember for lots of great individuals with special needs. 

Highlights from the event:

- Not having one but TWO limo rides during the event with my best friend & enjoying almost every single moment of it that I could possible, believe it or not!!!

- Getting to dance the night away with so many extraordinary people and smiling through almost every single activity that I was able to be a part of.

- Listening to a special message from Tim Tebow himself and hearing his inspiring words about what the event is truly about. It's not just the night of my life when I get to have fun and dance with so many pple, but getting to know that I am worth it in this world & always will be is such an incredible feeling.

- Being welcomed into the event with legitimate paparazzi of a crowd of people cheering us on, as we went into this dance having nothing but gratitude for their willingness to praise us and make everyone there feel amazingly special in every way.

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I posted this hilarious teacher related saying on my personal Instagram account this past weekend & seriously just thought it was the funniest thing ever!!! Not to say that I don't take what I do as one of the volunteer aides seriously, but I am more than thrilled to give those teachers a laugh once in awhile to brighten their weekdays just a little bit. 

All of the teachers over at the neighborhood elementary school have Parent Teacher Conferences this week and I'm seriously wishing I could take over for them. I may not have any idea about what to do but just getting into the routine of things, but I would make it as convenient for them as possible. I'm grateful to do whatever I could to make their lives a little easier and less stressful with all they have to accomplish in such brief periods of time. It's the least I could do to make their long nights just if not somewhat easier for them to not be as overwhelming as I'm sure they are... but hey I am more than willing to step up whenever it's needed at any given moment :) Hint, Hint!!! 

When I first started back over at the school last year, it certainly took a lot of patience to get used to how the teacher did things and learning a new routine was fairly difficult for me. I didn't want to see myself not enjoying this opportunity to help out somebody new that I had never worked with before, but as the rest of the school year went on-- things got easier. I also got the unforgettable privilege to volunteer in a third grade classroom of a teacher in my Stake whose also become one of my favorite people ever!!! I definitely had to get used to how they did things last year & once I had the hang of things with them, I was able to find myself warming up to them. I loved being able to help out in a third grade classroom for a change and getting to meet someone new was such a delight for me, (it continues to be to this very day if you can believe it!!!) #LikeSeriouslyThough 

This year has been such an unforgettable school year so far and getting the chance to meet so many amazing people. They have impacted my life this year more than they could ever know and I am so thankful for their examples of goodness, kindness and willingness to make a difference in my life is just indescribable. Thank you all so much for your patience, friendship, goodness, and the support you've all given me this year has lifted me up more than you could ever imagine. I am grateful for everything that you have taught me in helping me become the volunteer aide I am today and will continue to be throughout my life. 

Personal Story

(I actually wrote this back in high school when we had the assignment to write up about anything that we wanted to, but it had to be exactly 500,000 words or more if we chose. This experience was one of the hardest things I had ever gone through and could not help but want to share it with you all today.) Please leave comments at the end if you would like to, but don't necessarily feel completely obligated to do so. 

One Of Life's Hard Experiences...

One life hard experience I was faced with actually happened during the end of my junior year at Provo High. It was spring of 2009 and I was just finishing up my year of taking Modern Dance 2. In order to take Modern Dance 3, I would need to audition for Dance 3 and I really didn't know if I would be good enough to be selected..I didn't necessarily want to do it because I was nervous until I spoke with my dance teacher through an email message I sent. I felt really worried and confused inside wondering if I needed or wanted to try out for Dance 3. I could always stay in Dance 2 because I knew I was good enough for Dance 2. I cannot even describe how much emotional agony I had. The fact that I did not know how the audition process worked and what to kind of expect from it in the end just added to my anxiety. By the time I decided to tryout..I was really devastated to have unfortunately already missed the tryouts. I felt agonized because I didn't get the chance. It seriously hit me so hard in the back. I wanted to burst into tears of sadness and run into a small tight place in the dance room and just sit there. I really was ashamed of myself for the way I felt and wanted to talk to someone like my dance teacher in a quiet conversation face to face. I'm not one of those kinds of students who get dramatic about not making it into something so I tried to pretend it was okay. I was surprised at how hurt and isolated I felt for the remainder of the school year. It made me feel even worse to hear my Dance 2 teacher and classmates talking loudly about the auditions and how excited they were. I can't describe the loneliness those conversations with everyone in the classroom made me feel. I stood quietly by the gray painted pole in the dance room and tried hard not to cry. I honestly knew deep down..down inside of me that my Dance 2 teacher cared about what I was going through.



Everytime I heard someone  bring up the subject of Dance 3 auditions and hearing the girls complain about their "sore muscles" and how long auditions went for I would get sad and angry all over again. It honestly took me forever to deal with that experience. I did okay in Dance 2 again the next year but missed my friends that were now in Dance 3. When auditions came around again the next year during my senior year I remembered how painful it was. When I was listening to my teacher and the other girls talk about Dance 3 auditions, I couldn't help but start crying again because I knew I couldn't try out this year because I was a senior. It was towards the end of their conversation when I standing two feet away from my dance teacher that I immediately started bawling my eyes out. I quickly walked up to my dance teacher and gave her the biggest hug I possibly could and I didn't let go until a few minutes later. I continued to walk with my dance teacher in the crowded noisy hallway of Provo High. She really understood and sincerely cared about my feelings. This entire life hard experience taught me to learn how to move on when the going gets extremely tough. Just forgive yourself and let it go completely. I learned a lot about courage and trusting yourself inside and out.

It's been hard to overcome a trial of life but I feel I have been uplifted as well as strengthened by it. Hopefully everything I face can help me to grow as a person as well as a dancer. It's really hard to estimate the important lessons of life and the tremendous comfort it shows in my challenges every single day. No matter how difficult my life gets I can always look back on this experience and feel like I can do hard things.

Free Write

Supported Decision Making Presentation

It was truly one of the most scariest experiences ever and yet such a wonderful opportunity to share a message with over 134 transition teachers about the importance of Supported Decision Making and trying to help them understand what it can do for someone who has a disability. It was such a great privilege to inspire, motivate and educate these school teachers on what they can do to support any person who needs their expertise in certain areas of their lives. It was probably the biggest crowd of people that I had to present anything to before and for me that definitely turned out to be more than just an incredible opportunity... but learning how to help them understand what resources they'll be able to use in getting somebody like myself to be successful in life. I am not sure how in the world somebody like myself would have ever gotten to where they are now, if it were not for the MANY experiences/lessons/skills that I got to learn at those disability leadership conferences I was able to attend. It gave me the extra boost of confidence that I really needed to help somebody like me get further into what is out there in this world & hoping for the best in my future endeavors. 

One Week Away - Night To Shine 2018

I am seriously thrilled to be attending the next Night To Shine Prom event sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation next week from now!!! I am anxiously waiting to see what this year will be like and trying to remember my purpose of why I'm here, as well as remembering how amazingly special I am in this world. I am more than just looking forward to being pampered with everything from the dance event itself and limo rides, dinner, crowning of prom kings and queens, cartoon artists, photo booth and everything else in between. More pictures to come and stories to share in the next couple of weeks!!!! 

Family Together - February 10th, 2018

I am also stoked to again be celebrating my niece Skye who will be joining our family at the end of next month!!! It's seriously been hard for me to process what becoming an auntie will be like, but I can honestly say from what other people have told me... "You're gonna be an amazing aunt, You're going to be the best aunt ever, You are going to be the cutest aunt for that little girl and everything else in between. I am definitely going to learn to love my niece unconditionally & be the amazing role model that I can be for her throughout the years ahead... but at the same time, I want this cute niece of mine to know that I will do whatever it takes to help her succeed in life & be happy in the tense of her many adventures that she will soon experience.