New Updates

It's obvious that I could not help but want to share this photo with all of you!!! Halloween is almost close to being in full swing and can hardly wait for the next time around when I'll have a different picture that I can post on here. We had an incredible time celebrating this day with our friends from other independent living centers across the state and just dancing till our hearts were tired, playing fun games, and just also getting to visit with each other was a treat too. I am most likely not going to dress up for the rest of time, let alone into the next twenty years of my life and honestly--I'd like to see if I do end up not doing this at all anymore down the road. 

Best Friend's Wedding (Ten Days)

I cannot be more excited about my best friend getting married in the next week!!! I am definitely just hoping for a beautiful day filled with happiness and moments that will be cherished forever. There is genuinely not a lot for me to share about this still and can only hope to post up stories after the thrills with anticipation have settled down. I am not necessarily sure what else to expect from this day other than just getting to see my best friend Camille amazingly happy to have the man of her dreams next to her side!!! (Stay tuned for more highlights to come!!)

(End Of Post) 

Untitled Post

 Background Story (October 2016)

My journey with the speakers network began in a time in my life, when I was clearly tired of doing store maintenance for a well known department store and just wanted to do something different with my life. It was absolutely one of the best changes I ever made and will never make plans to look back any time soon. I'm grateful for the remarkable friendships that I have gotten to make with my colleagues on this project and I can only hope to see those continue on into the future.

Self Determination Presentation (Ability First Utah)

At the time, two self advocates with disabilities who were already on the speakers network presented about this subject and little did I know how much it would impact my life. It was such a delight for me, watching them talk in front of a small group of people and not feeling the least bit nervous. I definitely loved being able to ask them questions in regards to what their dress code or attire is that they wear & immediately felt like this was something I really wanted to pursue. 

Quality Of Life Conference (Summer Time)

I attended this event up in the mountains of Provo Canyon and just had an incredible experience getting to learn more about becoming an even better self advocate. I was intrigued with the many lessons and things that I was able to take away from this conference, which if you must know was fun---but definitely not as fun as NINJA!!! While I was there, I met a lady by the name of Amy Notwell and during any random sort of conversations I'd have with other people, she genuinely brought up the subject of this speakers bureau for individuals with disabilities to train self advocates, siblings, and others about the issues that effect the lives of people like myself. The second I received a letter from this person in the mail, I immediately had to think about if it would be something I could commit to sticking with and after a week-- I sent back the information I had filled out.

LONG STORY SHORT----Me and my colleagues are going to be consultants through the state of Utah which if you ask me again, I could not be more than thrilled about. I am grateful about some of the new things that are lined up for us as speakers and can only hope for the best in whatever ends up happening down the road. My self confidence alone has gotten itself boosted so much through this project and just sharing that message of hope with so many people is something I never want to see myself not do. I am grateful for the remarkable moments of laughter and just letting everyone know that people who are just different from the rest of this world is something I want to continue advocating for. 

(End Of Post)

Girls Night

I'm so excited for another chance to spend quality time with my best friends and celebrating three different occasions in one night will be an unforgettable experience!!! I cannot wait to laugh until it hurts, smile till I'm not able to do that anymore, watch a delightful and wholesome movie, not to mention all of the many memories that we will make together. We could seriously not be more than excited about our best friend Camille tying the knot in a few short weeks and just knowing the smiles on our faces will only continue into the days long afterwards. 

Whenever my twin sister and I along with our best friends spend time together, it is never a quiet moment which if you ask me is nothing short of an understatement. We love getting to visit and catch up with each other when the time comes around for us to do that--minus the crazy amount of energy that comes sticks with us all night long. Hahaha... I am not trying to overdo this blog post with too much excitement that I know will come right behind us all when that special day arrives!!! 

I am truly grateful we have each other to hang out with and can look forward to the biggest day of our best friend's life!!! I am certain there will be a lot more than just all of the activities included with this amazing celebration of not only our bestie turning one year older... but supporting her on a day that she'll remember for all eternity. 

I may be a little too excited about these upcoming celebrations more than I'd like to admit :) It is definitely hard to believe that my best friend will be tying in the knot in a few months and knowing her life will be changed forever is surreal more often I keep thinking about it. Please stay tuned for more updates that I'll promise will be shared on here at some point in time, but just continue to remain patient with me :) 

Ninja Trailer

After I was voted in to be the new chair person for my youth leadership committee, I decided that we had to create a movie trailer instead of a poster to get the word out for next year's NINJA Conference to be on the Utah State University campus!!! It had been on my mind for awhile and never felt like it was a decent or good idea to share with my group of friends, but I really wanted to make sure if it was something we all felt like we could agree on-- I didn't want to pass up the opportunity. 

COMING SOON--- June 2022!!! (Still a work in progress if you must know)

This disability leadership conference left an imprint on my heart from the moment I arrived on the college campus of USU almost ten years ago!!! It has been such a delight for me to learn from all of the many other youth delegates and being inspired by their stories that they convey with everyone in our group. I am so grateful for the unforgettable moments and endless amounts of laughs that kept me smiling until my heart was tired from being my favorite people so much. I have such a special place in my heart for this conference and everything that it has done for me to become the kind of leader I want to be down this road. 

My answers to the following questions in regards to this NINJA movie trailer are:

Why do I love the NINJA Conference??

I love this conference because all of the many new friendships I make with the delegates from all over the state of Utah. They are truly like family to me in more ways than one and I am so grateful for their perseverance in letting people know what they can do instead of the other way around. I love them all so much and their determination to keep going forward in life without guile!!! They have motivated me to always look for the potential in myself to do hard things and not care what others think I cannot do in this world to make a difference. #NINJAPrideForever. 

I genuinely love participating in a variety of classes that are held throughout the conference and helping everyone learn different ways to set goals for themselves, learn about ways to improve their social skills among so many other things in between. I also love getting the opportunity of staying on an actual if ya ask me legitimate college campus in the dorms with my friends-- You are genuinely missing out on the greatest things ever in my personal opinion :) 

I also love how inclusive the NINJA Conference is for people with all kinds of disabilities & trying to prove to this world that they are just as much part of society as the rest of them are. I am grateful for a conference like this one that continues to keep me pushing through the hard times and knowing that I'm not alone in the goals I set out for myself. 

Official Chair

Whoa!!! My life has definitely gotten a little more exhilarating now that I have been voted in as the brand newly elected Chair person of their Youth Leadership Committee. It is definitely bittersweet to see my role as the secretary come to an end because it turned into one of my favorite volunteer jobs ever!!! It was such a delight to create the agendas for each meeting and typing the minutes long afterwards (which if you ask me was more than a treat to do every other month.) Thank you so much to everyone who was genuinely patient with me as I continued to learn about my leadership role and have the support behind me every single step of the way. 

As I became elected into this new leadership role, I was certainly a little surprised that they were not more names listed for the next person who would become the new chair. I am grateful for the support & love of my fellow committee members who make me smile or laugh whenever I need it at any given time, especially in the circumstances that we are still in. I definitely have so much left ahead of me to learn and process inside myself about this new role, but it could not have gone any better in the sense of knowing I am not alone or just simply trying to do my best :) 

Other News:

My youth leadership committee has been a part of my life for three years and yet I'd never want to see myself doing anything more than what I can contribute to the group. I may not be perfect or someone-- who knew they could take on something like this, but I am more than grateful to do what I can. Earlier, when my meeting took place it felt strange not taking any notes on paper and not filling out what I had become so used to and now I get to start all over with this new slate. 

#MembersNeeded

This committee is in need of some new youth members with disabilities to join us and help us empower individuals like ourselves to learn as much as we can about becoming good leaders. It has been such an incredible experience for me to continue growing as a leader and making the best of whatever it is that I end up getting faced up against. Getting to this point in my life was nothing short of easy for me & feel grateful to know that through all of the obstacles--- I was able to make it to this next chapter of my life without feeling like I didn't fulfill what I needed to do.