When The Rain Falls (Part Two)

THREE YEARS AGO----I accidentally made one of the biggest mistakes that anybody in this society could ever learn from and knowing the permanent consequences left me feeling extra cautious whenever it comes to being around people within the disability community. I literally remember waking up shaken in the middle of the night and recognizing for the first time with my nervous system quietly reacting to a pyschological trigger with feeling out of breath among other symptoms. I knew in my heart that the Lord was going to help me see his hand in all of this uncertainty at the time and wanted more than anything to learn how my life was going to be years after. 

I never meant to hurt the individual who now more than ever knows I made a fool of myself and wanted to immediately see this be erased. As I continued to process for months on what needed to be done, I did feel completely at peace after having kneeled down on my knees while pleading to my Heavenly Father to help me learn from this mistake and give me the comfort I really needed at the time. I knew my mistake would only continue to stick with me as I slowly moved forward with the reality of this experience. I genuinely did not mean to put the individual through all of this on purpose but yet it was something I knew the Lord was going to lovingly remind me about on a consistent basis and coming to terms with the loss of what I'll admit was not a socially appropriate relationship. I cried one too many times over this because the pain of what happened between me and the individual who was only doing their best in a very difficult leadership role I was extremely nervous about them going into. 

LONG STORY SHORT----I started listening to the lyrics of what this song means to me on a personal level and have realized that I am only human. I even apologized for not having turned out to be what I perceived to be as the perfect colleague in their eyes and I was unable to do that for them. I felt almost vulnerable with wanting to see their face on a computer screen or let alone in person for a treacherous period of time and yet I knew it was the harsh reality I needed to live with. I obviously have no clearer idea about when they will ever regain my trust not only as a governor appointed entity council member and knowing I am forever left with the emotional scar of my inexcusable actions. Did any of this have to do with the fact that I have a genetic learning disorder... I am one hundred percent certain that it did and no matter how many short comings I have in life, I know the lessons behind this taught me what it means to be a professional at all times. I will admit it has been an emotional rollercoaster for me to keep my mouth shut and not want to share anything with them trying my hardest to not feel imtimdated by their way of maturity when it comes to processing your emotions. 

It was literally one of the hardest times in my life and sometimes wish if I did not have FXS that I could have this erased completely. However, I know it will never be something I can undo or disappear with a magic wand if I even had access to something like that. I have contemplated many times about how I am going to be extra careful in making sure I never put someone else I really like into something such as this unfortunate situation. I am grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ for lovingly reminding me that he would never abandon one of his children in a trial of their faith and the moment I handed this to him----there was a sudden peace in my heart that everything would be okay. I knew it was going to take a lot of time on my end with getting to a point where I was able to see the light at the end of the tunnel while recongizing that tears are the same when we are trying to grow something good--there is a difference between the teardrops and the rain. Think about the teardrops along with rain being vital to washing away pain and fostering good character that all of us want to pursue in this mortal life. I am just someone who despite their visible struggles with a genetic learning disorder know from time to time it will hit me that I am not necessarily like everybody else. I obviously may not make legitimate eye contact with people or capable of carrying on with any kind of conversation or let alone feeling a little out of place when it comes to things that life hands over to me. 

(End Of Post)

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More Stories

It's hard to believe that after these next five months get here... my reign of service volunteering on UDDC will come to an end. I have really enjoyed getting to learn new things about the disability community and making sure the voices of individuals like myself are being heard. I am grateful for the many lessons that this experience has provided me with and realizing I never had to be perfect in any way to make a decent impression or get anything extra. All I needed to be was my true self in every council meeting that I make an effort to participate in every three months and provide my input when it was deemed to be appropriate for things we had to discuss. 

LONG STORY SHORT-----This experience volunteering on UDDC has truly changed my life for the better and I am grateful to have volunteered time with such terrific people in our state. They taught me lessons about how to go out of my comfort zone and grab onto new opportunities when they come up because you never know when it could happen. I may not have done advocacy work for many years---- but realizing that I was able to make a difference in the lives of people I care so much about. I am truly excited to see what the future holds for me once my council term ends and getting back into things that will benefit the disability community. 

Other Stories:

TONIGHT---My niece performed in her first dance recital and could not have been more proud of her to get up onto the stage with the prettiest smile ever. I had not been to a recital in some time and brought so many memories back from when my older sister participated in things like this. I really wished that I had the opportunity to do more dancing like she did-- but I am grateful to have gotten the opportunity to see her do what she loved so much. It was truly an amazing experience and afterwards I randomly happened to run into a very sweet friend of mine who was at the concert watching their friend perform out in the lobby area. I didn't waste any time to politely shout their name and walk over to give them one of my gentle big hugs not to mention asking them how they were doing. I had really missed them since the BYUWBB teams season came to a close early last month and was probably more excited to see her smiling face than anything in this world!!

I really wished we had more time to visit with each other and hopefully can do that in the distant future if we get an opportunity to do so. I am truly grateful for her sweet spirit and the way she continues to bring positivity into this world everywhere she goes out in the community. I love her so much and the amazing example she is in my life at this time of when I am preparing to see what happens down the road within these few past months. I am truly blessed to have such an incredible young woman who almost just makes me want to be a better person in this world everyday and continue to become more like the Savior in ways that I never knew about until meeting her for the first time. 

Summer Institute

LONG STORY SHORT----I have attended my adaptive needs institute class for eight plus years and have truly loved getting to know who my Savior, Jesus Christ is. I love him so much and the peace he continues to bring into my life on a daily basis is something that I am eternally grateful for everyday. I know with all of my heart that because of him---We can live with our families forever and everything that we have ever experienced in this earthly life will be made right. 

I have an opportunity to participate in my adaptive needs institute class throughout the months of June and July, which is something I think would make my summer extra fun. I still need to figure out the details of how this is going to work out in my schedule and have a chance to learn more in depth about messages--- from our living prophets. I have had a lot of blessings in my life from attending institute and feeling the spirit of our Heavenly Father on a daily basis with individuals who have such a deep love for our Savior more than you could ever possibly know. 

I am truly blessed to have learned so much from the class members who would come and participate along with us on a weekly basis. I have enjoyed getting to make new friendships with the other class members & knowing that they not only come to class to have fun--- but wanting to learn more about how we can draw closer to Christ. My testimony has been strengthened in ways through every lesson that my teacher had all prepared for us to listen to and take away something that we know is going to the biggest difference in my life. I have such a deep love for this restored gospel and knowing we can make it through anything that is thrown at us which if you ask me is not even close to being an understatement. I know with all of my heart that no matter the circumstances I ever find myself up against or not expecting to go through---the Savior will guide me every step of the way as I continue to be a better disciple of him. I obviously will continue to have ups and downs in life that will put my faith to the test and others that I know are going to leave me thinking deeply about what I need to work on. 

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News Flash

 HIVE - Leadership Conference 2026 (Next Month)

I am really excited to spend quality time with my friends and learn as much as I can possible in regards to leadership within the disability community. I definitely hope we can work out the details soon and have a plan in mind with how we want to get ourselves there, which if you ask me right now is a whole different story. I cannot wait to grow more as a leader within a community of people who I genuinely care about so much and want to see be successful in whatever life hands them. It will be held at the same building that I remember being at two years ago and having the best time ever making new friends along with helping in various capacities in making sure things ran smoothly during breakout sessions---- conference goers participated in. 

BYU Ballroom Dance Company - Rhythm 

I have attended this concert every single year since I was really young and cannot wait to see it again this coming weekend. I truly have a deep love for ballroom dance and since a family member of mine was able to specialize in the sport for many years--- there is not a chance I would want to see anything else. I am so grateful for the excitement and energy that comes from watching the dancers perform their best along with just simply putting a smile on your face!!! I am excited to see what new dance numbers are going to be in the show this year and watch everything the performers have worked tirelessly on for weeks if not months on to showcase their talents. 

I Believe - Music Video 

This beautiful song was released a couple of weeks ago and it has definitely become an anthem of mine for the last little bit. I am truly blessed to have a true friend and hero on my side everyday to help me in times of hardship along with keeping the faith to be more like him. I am grateful for the comfort he has brought into my life when I have needed it most and guiding me along on the covenant path. I feel very lucky to have a testimony of this restored gospel and knowing that everything in life happens to us for some kind of specific purpose. I love my Savior, Jesus Christ so much more than anything in what has been a spiritual journey of drawing closer to him each day and knowing that he will take care of whatever comes along my path. I know that he lives and look forward to seeing him again on the other side!!! 

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Best Wishes

 

I really would love to attend the first round of this basketball tournament that our BYUWBB team will be a part of later this week. I know it is not necessarily the tournament we needed going into this month, but there is no question that the lord's hand was part of this in some way and knowing we can play as good as any other collegiate teams out there is truly remarkable. I am confident that our players will give it every thing they can on the Marriott Center court and make it an experience that BYU fans remember for years down the road. I am not particularly certain if we will ever get a chance to make it to one of these at some point and yet it would be amazing to witness this in person. I have complete and utter faith that everything will work out like it is supposed to which if you ask me is more true than it is not---but you get the idea of things here??? 

I am truly blessed to have followed this team's journey from the beginning of our conference play to this point in time and knowing we have so much ahead for us. I have loved getting to watch our players give every single game one hundred precent of what they are capable of doing and recognizing that there is so much good to come from this experience. We are going to make a good impression as we look forward in the post season that is literally around the corner and seeing what things our team needs to work on for the next year is going to be incredible. 

I had it all mapped out in front of me

Knew just where I wanted to go

But life decided to change my plans

And I found a mountain in the middle of my road

I knew there was no way to move it, so I search for a way around

Broken-hearted, I started climbing 

And at the top I found

Every fear, every doubt, all the pain I went through

Was the price that I paid to see this view

And now that I'm here, I would never trade

The grace that I feel and the faith that I find

Through the bittersweet tears and the sleepless nights

I used to pray He'd take it all away

But intstead it became

A beautiful heartbreak

I never dreamed my heart would make it

And I thought about turning around

But heaven has shown me miracles

I never would have seen from the ground

Now I take the rain with the sunshine

Cause' there's one thing that I know

He picks up the pieces

Along each broken road

Every fear, every doubt, all the pain I went through

Was the price that I paid to see this view

And now that I'm here, I would never trade

The grace that I feel and the faith that I find

Through the bittersweet tears and the sleepless nights

I used to pray He'd take it all away

But instead it became

A beautiful heartbreak

I would never trade

The grace that I feel and the faith that I find

Through the bittersweet tears and the sleepless nights

I used to pray He'd take it all away

But instead it became

A beautiful heartbreak

This beautiful song is truly one of the many things that came to mind when thinking about what plans our BYUWBB team had right in front of them. I obviously didn't know where they were going to be at heading into their post season and realizing that maybe this experience for them was needed to happen for a specific reason. I know the Lord's hand was definitely in this process and knowing it what was this team needed going forward into what I know is a very bright future for all of them. I am truly grateful to be one of their many fans who love watching them play a sport they love and are very passionate about in more ways than one!!! I may not know next to nothing in regards to basketball whatsoever or let alone how to be coordinated in sports like this one, but I am confident our team will give it everything they can into their game later this week. I am fairly confident the Lord will direct and guide our coaches who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make everything happen is going to be evident in almost every way possible. 

"Trials either break you or build you. You may not choose your trials, but you always choose your response." 

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BYUWBB Game (Senior Day)

It was truly a night to remember and loved every single minute of watching our players leave everything they had on the court to make their game a success. I especially loved when the nights turned off at the very beginning of the game starting and seeing the greatest of all time show off his dance moves!! I was really excited to watch our team compete against their opponent who beat them by a long way when we played at their place and luckily this time was a little different. I was definitely holding my breath prior to each one of our three pointers going into the basket and seeing our team getting excited at any moment we could turn the game around. We definitely had moments when the score was either down by a few points or all tied up which if you ask me was at times stressful, but definitely fueled our team to only want to do better any chance we had. 

Once the halftime break came around--- We were able to watch the cheerleaders and stunt team perform their national championship routine that was truly an epic moment to see. I really loved where our seats were at too in the sense we could see the team a lot better and see the action taking place on the court--- which if you ask me was a sight to behold. We enjoyed munching on buttered salted popcorn, nachos w/ cheese and of course a diet coke that needed to come along with those snacks too!!! I cannot wait to see our team compete against Houston this week in their first round of the Big twelve tournament and in the hopes of being able to go further into it as much as we possibly can. I know it will be tough to get us all the way to the end---but it would sure be a lot of fun to bring some new hardware back to show off inside the display case. 

After the halftime break ended, I was more than ready to cheer on our team as we went on a very high score run that helped us in more ways than one!!! Despite feeling under the weather, I didn't want to not keep my spirits up and watch our team continue to make this a senior night that nobody would ever soon forget. We loved watching our players dominate on the floor and make beautiful passes that I think only helped us play better throughout the second half. I also really loved seeing a good friend of mine who is one of the managers for the women's team cheer them on from the sidelines with a smile on their face and making it an experience that I will cherish forever. BYU dominated the rest of the game and it was such an amazing feat to watch our team continue to play well on senior day for three amazing team mates who have dedicated so much of their time, energy, passion, hard work into a sport they all loved playing. 

Overall, it was truly one of the most unforgettable days ever and loved getting to celebrate a third win for our BYUWBB team!!! I am excited to watch them continue playing in the NCAA tournament that every collegiate athlete dreams of being a part of and I really hope that our team has the opportunity to do so in a couple of weeks. I know it will be super hard to win as you compete against really good and talented teams who want nothing more than to be successful until this month comes to a close. I am so happy for everyone involved and getting to see what could happen down the road after this week ends- what our chances will be getting into the craziness of March Madness, which if you ask me is perfectly understandable for why this month is what it is!!! #ICYMI. 

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NYE Plans

LAST MONTH-----I was anxiously waiting for the adult session of our stake conference to begin and just mentioned to my mom that I wanted tickets to a BYU women's basketball game. It was so much fun to see them compete three times last year and obviously didn't want to miss another chance to watch them play a sport they are so passionate about. If you have known me my entire life, I am very much a true BYU sports fan all the way and always love getting an opportunity to cheer them on whenever I watch them on TV or just even LIVE in person. 

LONG STORY SHORT----I was surprised with tickets to a BYU women's basketball game that will be held on New Year's Eve and obviously I ended up squealing inside my head with excitement. I am very estatic to cheer on our team who will be playing against a really good opponent and keeping my fingers crossed that we can pull it off in the end. 

I am especially looking forward to another reunion with my good friend Kylie Webster who I have greatly missed seeing for the last little while. I cannot wait to see her smiling face and maybe we can do our best with getting a selfie together I can share on social media with her permission. I definitely want us to bond a little bit more with each other and have some good laughs together which is always a must for me when running into someone I know. 

I am not positively certain that I will have an opportunity to run into Paisley Harding who is one of the new assistant coaches for the team and maybe if we are lucky enough to see one another, the both of us can have a selfie together. I am definitely not sure what will the night has in store for me and I know it would make me smile extra BIG just getting to be in her presence again. I also want to let her know that her example of being a leader has meant everything to me and will do everything I can in aspiring to one day walk in her footsteps. I am grateful for the confidence boost that she gives me when I need it at any given moment and letting me know that no matter the circumstances life throws at you, you can make it through with faith in your heart to not ever give up on chasing your dreams until you get them. I am probably going to be the most excited person in the room and dancing in my seat the entire time but if you know me well enough than it will not be much of a surprise whatsoever!!! #ICYMI

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One More Year

It's hard for me to believe that after this year comes to an end, I will be on my final term volunteering on what has been one of my favorite experiences on the best governor appointed entities ever. I have learned and grown so much as someone who wants nothing more than to feel accepted into society as well as leaving an imprint on the hearts of people they associate with. I may not have done nearly as much as most people and yet I have been provided with opportunities that I didn't ever think someone like me deserved--which if you must know was an absolute blessing in more ways than one!!! 

I remember the first time ever listening in on a UDDC quarterly meeting and not having any idea about what I had signed up for. Let me give you a little bit of background on this and hopefully make a little bit more sense about where is this leading up to:

SIX YEARS AGO:

After participating in one of the best disability leadership conferences ever, I had this thought come to my mind that I would one day be involved with the DD council. I obviously didn't know at the time it would end up becoming a reality and continuing to spread my message of hope about the disability community that I love so much. 

My final term continues into the new year and can hardly believe it will be concluded before my eyes... I am definitely grateful for the memories, experiences, adventures that being on this council has provided me with. I may not have said too much in regards to a lot of disability related issues, but I know that my life has never been the same. 

I have made new friendships with so many incredible self advocates, colleagues and others who are striving each day to make our disability community more inclusive than it could ever be. I am truly humbled to know there is one last BIG BANG that I can leave before hitting the trail of whatever is coming up next for me!!! 

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Birthday Plans

My twin sister and I along with our friends from Ability First will be going swimming at the Provo Rec Center for a couple of hours. We are excited to swim and spend quality time with everyone is going to be an amazing experience that I know we will cherish forever!!! As far as being a peer mentor for this, I know there will be a lot of laughs, smiles, and opportunities to put my leadership skills to good use. I am excited to get back in the pool again and maybe if we get luck enough we can go on some of the slides if people who would feel comfortable with that want to. Who knows??? I am almost positively certain we will plan on bringing frozen treats for everybody to have prior to being at the pool for part of the day and hopefully everybody will like them as much as we do. It has definitely been a great time for me to get to know our participants better and learn so much from them about living life to the fullest. #LeadershipSkills #PeerMentor.

LONG AFTER THAT---We are going to come back home and get cleaned up for the rest of our amazing day of swimming at the Provo Rec Center. We will be heading out to dinner with our friends prior to the play we will be attending at the SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre to see the inspiring musical, ANNIE!! It's definitely going to be a late night for all of us and yet I know we will have a lot of laughs, memories and happiness to share with each other!!! I cannot wait to sing along with the songs that are in this musical and obviously being inspired with how a young girl handles living in a time of the great depression--which if you ask me I am certain was nothing short of easy. I am grateful for the hope she had to push through the challenges she was up against and able to see the light at the end of the tunnel---but you get the idea here??

I am not particularly certain this will ever happen on my birthday or that anything will come of it---but I would love to get a pair of tickets to attend at least one or two of the BYU women's basketball games this season!!! I absolutely loved getting to be in the seats a couple of inches from the court and watching our lady cougars compete to the best of their abilities. It would be so much fun to get another epic selfie with the greatest of all time mascot and of course he would make the experience one that I would cherish forever!!! I am hopeful there will be one day when I can get my first and only selfie with Paisley and her husband Connor after one of the BYUWBB games--- which if you must know would only make this year one that I would keep close to my heart for many years to come. I don't know if it will ever make it into the pictures on my phone, but I will say that it would be a core memory that would last forever. #FingersCrossed #Randomness #LetsGoLadyCougars #iBleedBlue. 

Sports Nation

LAST THURSDAY----I came across an Instagram post from the BYUWBB team and noticed that one of their all time leaders had gotten hired on as one of their newest assistant coaches!! I was incredibly stoked for them to have an unforgettable opportunity to work alongside collegiate players that are dedicated and passionate about the game of basketball. I am not particularly sure if we are going to have an opportunity to get tickets to the home games this season and have a chance to cheer on the lady cougars--just a couple of inches above the court. I would obviously love to once again see this former all time leader, player and role model in action as they have the experience to coach the team where their collegiate basketball career started!!! 

LONG STORY SHORT----I have been a diligent follower of this individual for about three years now and if you must know it has blessed my life in more ways than I can admit. I am grateful for the examples that people are continuously in the lives of so many around them and only wish I could be like them everyday of my life. I know my life is not even close to being perfect in anyway and sometimes I will come up very short in things that happen to me, but I know through my Savior, Jesus Christ everything will make sense if you know what I am saying??

EARLIER TODAY----I noticed they had an interview on BYU Sports Nation which is a BYU program that me and my family will watch sometimes or will have recorded if a good episode came on. I certainly at times do not ever think about watching this unless I come across it on social media, but that is not any thing I follow very closely or as often as I would like.



BACK TO THIS INTERVIEW---I was impressed with the professionalism, maturity, positive energy and the eloquence that Paisley had with every unique question she was asked throughout the episode. I definitely loved how she took a little bit of time to just remember her memorable moments with being a collegiate player and now getting back onto the other side of things. 

I am grateful for the influence and positive example she has continued to be in my life throughout these past three years. I know we have only met each other twice in person and didn't necessarily speak up as much as I should have in the moment but I am excited for the both of us to get to know each other as the months pass on!!! I am not particularly sure when it will happen again and hopefully when it does I will have nothing but say genuinely kind things to them. #IYKYK. 

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Disneyland & California Adventure Highlights

Spending one entire day in the happiest place on earth was nothing short of incredible and at times not quite what I had imagined---but you get the idea here?? I enjoyed getting to see the characters that we genuinely love so much and interacting with them for short periods of time, was truly amazing in every sense of the word. Obviously, the entire park was jam packed with a lot of people who amazed me with how many various styles and colors of "Minnie Mouse" ears that I saw them wearing--which if you ask me would have bugged me the second I would have had them on my head. #ItsTheTruth.

Some of my favorite rides included:

- Space Mountain

- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

- Jungle Cruise

- Indiana Jones

- Buzz Lighter Astro Blasters

- Snow White's Enchanted Wish

- Incredi-Coaster

- Toy Story Midway Mania

- Ariel's Undersea Adventure

- Cars Land Ride

- Pirates of The Caribbean 

Too many of these to choose from and yet I am grateful to have had the time away without any kind of commitments back home to worry about. I really liked getting to unwind from the craziness in life and embrace the magic that both theme parks had to offer, which if you ask me is not even close to being an understatement. I also really enjoyed both of the parades we had the opportunity to watch and of course, dance along with the performers that were dancing in the streets!!! I will admit that overall this trip was one for the books and hopefully we can make it there again some time in the distant future, but just so ya know only time will tell. #ICYMI. 

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One Week Away

It's seriously hard to believe that one week from today I will be heading on an airplane to another state for a short time to see my mom do choreography for a somewhat new show in Nauvoo. I am definitely not the least bit sure what else this experience is going to have in store for me and can only hope that the best will happen once things kick themselves into gear. I am not particularly certain this blog of mine will have any updates on it while I am away and if I do write up anything---it is most definitely not gonna be too much if you know what I mean?? #ICYMI.

I am really bummed to leave all the commitments we have going on here at home that have occupied so much of our time to only climb on an airplane and not be available to finish things out. I am grateful for the opportunities that we have ahead of us to learn and grow into who our Heavenly Father wants us to become on his covenant path. #IYKYK.

Other Stories: (New Updates)

LONG STORY SHORT---- I am definitely looking forward to spending two days in the happiest place on earth with my older sister, husband along with their cute kiddos!!! It is certainly going to be an amazingly good time to go on the rides and hopefully run into some of the beloved Disney characters around the park which if you ask me is going to be a dream come true!! I cannot believe we will be there in a month so we can just simply not have anything to worry about other than having an unforgettable time with each other.. which I hope is going to be the case!!! #FingersCrossed.

Final SNAP Activity (Till May 29th)

I am obviously bummed out with not being able to attend anymore SNAP activities until later next month and of course I hope they don't have too much fun while we are away. I am hopeful things tomorrow night with the show and tell activity goes over smoothly---which is only something that over time will be one of things I look back on with a smile!!! It will be really hard not getting to be there for a short period of time while we are out of state but I know we are going to make the best of this situation---until we come back to continue having fun with our friends. #StayTunedForMore. 

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Conference Weekend Recap (Mini Edition)

I certainly loved every single minute of attending the Saturday evening session of general conference with my friends and making memories that we will remember forever!!! I am grateful for the spirit that I felt in that session amongst over twenty one thousand people who were in attendance in the conference center. It was definitely something I felt so incredibly excited about and could not wait to spend an hour and a half with feeling the spirit in a way that I have needed for awhile. 

I was incredibly surprised to know that our seats were amazingly close on the bottom plaza section and not even knowing that we would have a good view of the choir amongst so many other things. It was so amazing to feel the entire conference center go from noisy to complete silence as members of the first presidency walked in to get to their seats on the stand. 

The entire session was very uplifting and inspirational which if you ask me is not even close to being an understatement. I loved being able to listen to the inspired words that our church leaders had to share with us and reminding everybody of what this Easter season has to be focused on. I know there was not a single moment when I didn't want to pinch myself and think it was all dream that I had long awaited for so many years!!! 

Early June (Disneyland Trip)

I am definitely looking forward to an incredibly fun and unforgettable time in the happiest place on earth in a month with my older sister's family!!! I really hope that we all have an amazingly good time together and can enjoy the Disney magic that the place has to offer. I am excited to once again see the magic of all things Disney through the eyes of my niece, nephew, niece and littlest nephew that joined our family back in early February of this year!!! I cannot wait to hopefully get pictures with the characters and make some memories that I will cherish forever if not more years down the road!! 

33rd Birthday Celebration (Unofficial News)

I have been really hesitant about writing this on here and because I am positively certain nothing in what I write right now will make any sense whatsoever. I would really love to get a new journal to contemplate & write my thoughts down to look at for years to come, along with a squish-mallow that is super cute!!!! I absolutely love looking at them in the stores and wishing I could have one for myself to snuggle up with at night as I lie down into bed. #ToBeContinued #MoreToCome #IYKYK #Amazing

Weekend Plans

LAST WEEK-----I was invited to unexpectedly participate and join my friend's institute class that takes place at a local high school seminary building. I quickly got myself together as much as I possibly could and next thing I knew they were already in front of my house after just taking in the mail. I immediately climbed into their car and we headed on our way to their institute class, which if you ask me is such an amazing experience for those involved--but you get the picture here right?? 

LONG STORY SHORT----During our class time they had asked me if I would be interested with going to a Utah Jazz basketball game and of course at first, I ended up declining the offer because of a commitment that my parents have this weekend & didn't feel comfortable leaving my siblings home alone for what was a very long period of time. I have not heard anything back about this ever happening and it looks like I am going to spend my weekend at home instead (which is totally fine with me due to the fact, I am not certain how we would be able to purchase tickets to begin with.) I was obviously looking forward to this once in a lifetime experience again, but I am grateful to spend a relaxing weekend at home with my sister and Rudy who is the friendliest dog on the block!!! 

Other Stories: (Best Friend's Birthday Party)

I am so excited about this upcoming party to celebrate my best friend turning another year older and quite frankly to admit that I am stoked for it would be an understatement. I cannot wait to have a delicious meal at golden corral, attend my first ever in person BYU men's volleyball game, along with cake and presents at my best friend's home!!! I know it will be so much fun spending quality time together with our friends and making memories that we will cherish forever...but if you ask me, you have to see it to believe it if you all know what I mean?? 

(More To Come)

Repetitive Stuff

This month has certainly gone too fast and cannot believe another month is almost here in less than two days!!! I would like to share with you some of the highlights that this month has provided me with and I seriously hope to make a good impression as you read through these. (#Like4Reals)

UVU Institute Class (Adaptive Needs)

It's been such a delight getting back into a routine with things and having a chance to feel the spirit every week in class has blessed my life so much. I am grateful for the inspiring lessons that our teacher prepares for us and giving everyone an opportunity to share comments, while pondering on ways we can be closer with our Savior, Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for his guidance, direction, comfort, hope, strength, peace of mind, and the confidence he gives me every day to trust him with everything that has taken place in my life up to this point. I know he is always going to be there to provide a way for me to return back to his presence and giving me the courage to keep going after my dreams, no matter what they may be or look like. 

Best Friend's Birthday Party (Mini Version)

It was so much fun getting together with our friends and have quality time for a couple of hours together, which if you ask me was nothing short of an understatement. We enjoyed having delicious pizza, soda & watching our best friend Danielle open her presents, along with having ice cream cake for dessert. I also liked getting to play one round of croquet which if you must know none of us are professionals at (but we all had so much fun getting to hang out together and laughing through it all.) We even got to play a single game of bowling for a little bit and that was so much fun to see the lanes glow in the dark--as well as just getting one strike that left me with a smile on my face!!

Other Highlights:

BYU Gymnastics Meet

BYU Basketball Games

SNAP Activities (IYKYK)

As you can probably tell from all of this, this month has provided me with opportunities that was excited for and others that I know are going to help me grow into the person I need to become. I have a lot more still to learn along the way and look forward to what the lord has in store for me, next on my earthly journey. I am planning to return back on a project that meant the world to me for a long time and get back into advocating for my friends within the disability community, here in the state of Utah which if you ask me is something I have greatly missed so much. (More about this later)

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