Tribute

SIX YEARS AGO YESTERDAY---Heaven gained one of the best people who ever lived on this earth and I am grateful to have had the privilege to know him. Josh was truly one of those people who despite his many challenges always had a smile on his face and inspired me to see the good in every situation. He was an amazing example of what being a kind person is and how we should treat others around us, whether we know them or not. It has been a long six years without him on this earth to keep a smile on my face and learn alongside the many independent living skills that have motivated me to get to where I am now. He continues to making an impact on my life everyday through his goodness in helping others to be a little better than they were when they walked into a room. His unconditional love for people in the disability community never failed to amaze me in more ways than one & the hopes to do the same for others who I may interact with in this life. He never once complained or made assumptions about the struggles that he faced on a regular basis, but never let it stop him from being as much a part of society like everyone else and I am grateful he was able to change the world through his small actions. 

#BecauseOfHim, I know my friend Josh will be resurrected to his perfect body and make an even bigger impact on everyone who chooses to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know he is not anymore pain and continues to be an inspiration to so many people, which if you ask me is not even close to being much of an understatement. I know with all of my heart that he will live again and continue doing so much good on the other side of the veil, which if you must know is something I am certain he was anxious to get working at once he arrived in heaven. 

Thank you so much, Josh for being a part of my life and making me a better person than I ever could have imagined myself to be. I look forward to being reunited with you on the other side and giving you a really nice big hug!!! :) 

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Milestones

After this year comes to an end, I will have one more year left serving on the UDDC and then I legit plan to get myself back on the speakers network with my friends. I have genuinely loved the opportunities this governor appointed entity has provided me with over the course of time and learning new things with how I can become a better advocate, leader, mentor in the disability community. I am grateful for the memories that I have gotten to make with my colleagues and get out of my comfort zone when it came to things that I was incredibly blessed to participate in. I have definitely learned more about myself while serving on the council than I ever could have imagined, which if you ask me is nothing short of an understatement. I have needed at times some "tough love" from colleagues who just simply want the best for me and facing all of my scary things with a smile. I could keep rambling on about this forever and yet there is so much more to still learn along this journey. 

Six Year Anniversary (Next Thursday)

I have obviously blogged about this one too many times over the years and still cannot imagine how life has gone on without my good friend, Josh cheering me on every step of the way. His unconditional love for people was unparalleled to the light he was in the lives of so many people and continues doing on the other side of the veil. I am grateful that he was able to stay positive and upbeat regardless all of his many challenges that life handed to him, which I will admit he never once complained or asked himself why he was in the situation he was up against. He had the faith to keep his perspective on our Savior, Jesus Christ through it all was second to none and inspired my friends to do the same, even during our hardest times in life. I genuinely miss seeing his bright smiling face on a regular basis and having his energy in a room was always a treat I always looked forward to while attending classes at my independent living center. I am so grateful to know that me and my friends will see him again after this life, which I know will be a very legit happy reunion for all of us. - "Hear Him" - Youth Music 2022

Untitled Post

EARLIER THIS WEEK----I came across an inspiring story on social media about an acquaintance of mine who was feeling a little stuck in life and needed someone to pick them up, so they could get where they needed to be. This story touched my heart so much that over the last couple of days, I have not been able to quit thinking about my own experiences when I needed someone to help me whether I deserved it at that time, but was grateful to know I would not have to go through this alone. 

LONG STORY SHORT---I was participating in a class through my post secondary high school program who at the time would meet out at UVU once a week for an hour. On this particular day, I remember snow was falling down pretty hard outside and within a couple of minutes I realized my bus was not going to be showing up any time soon. I didn't know if I needed to walk home or simply wait till someone I knew saw me asked if I needed a ride. Luckily, one of my good neighbor friends who I was always so friendly to me did not hesitate to offer me a ride up to UVU where they were headed to take a Portuguese class out there so they would not forget the language they learned from their mission. In that very moment, I was grateful to know somebody was looking out for me and wanted to make sure I got where I had to be on time, but if you ask me it was nothing short of a miracle. I may have thought that I didn't need any help getting to my class on time which ended up being canceled after having waited thirty minutes and got myself out to the main bus stop before it arrived. I was certainly not in the kind of situation my acquaintance was in, but I would like to compare these experiences with how our Savior, Jesus Christ will always be there to crawl or save us from being out in a snow storm and get us where we need to be. I know that there will be more than once occasion in my life when I am feeling stuck and need assistance to help me along the covenant path. I am grateful to know it's cool to care about helping others and not being afraid to ask for it if some one wants to help us out--no matter the circumstances we may be in.

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(To Be Continued) 

Shout Out

Happy Birthday, Paisley!!! I may not know you too well, but the example you have set for me over these last few (almost three years now) has been nothing short of a dream come true!!! You have inspired me to see the good in those around me, never worrying about what others think and being authentically myself no matter what circumstances I may at times find myself in. I cannot thank you nearly enough for all of the ways you have impacted my life and given me a thousand reasons to smile, when I didn't know what to expect from any given situation I faced up against. I am grateful for your selflessness in making those around you want to be a little happier than they were when they walk into a room and I know for me that was very surreal in every sense of the word. I have never forgotten the big hug you gave me the second I determinedly walked up to meet you after attending senior night for two of your former teammates. I didn't want to wait another minute to finally meet the amazing young woman that has left such an imprint on the hearts of many people they have interacted with and I truly hope to do the same for you as we get to know each other. I am not sure when the next time we will run into one another is going to happen, but I can promise to have one of my nice big hugs waiting for you while sharing many laughs together!!! 

When I came across your YouTube channel two years ago, I was not quite sure if it would be awkward for a random fan like me to watch your videos and wishing every night on stars for two out of the last 5 years to finally get to share a smile and get a chance to meet the talented young lady behind the lens of their vlogging camera. I was a little hesitant at first with making the decision to subscribe to your channel, but after much consideration I immediately decided that I didn't want to pass up an opportunity to get to know you a little bit better. All of your videos have made me smile, laugh and just overall feel good about who I am and not worry so much about the little things. You are truly an incredible leader who I aspire to be when I grow up more often than I would sincerely like to admit. 

Even though I actually started following you after what I knew was a very heartfelt ending to your collegiate career, but knowing that you had so much ahead in your future made me only want to pray that much harder for your dreams to become a reality. You have inspired me more than once to recognize the potential I have to do anything that I set my mind to. I am grateful you have reminded me to never lose sight of what is most important while chasing my dreams and cannot thank you enough for being that role model I need in my life right now. 

I am incredibly grateful for your positively spunky attitude and looking on the bright side of everything that life has ever handed to you, which is something I can definitely work to get better with as the years go on. Your energetic personality can easily light up any room you walk into and even though we have only met each other once this year, I cannot wait to keep following your journey in a sport that you love so much and want to do the same for others is second to none. Thank you so much for inviting me to be a part of your journey along with all of your many fans that know and admire who you are not only as an athlete but as someone who wants to help others make their dreams of playing basketball something extraordinary!!! 

(End Of Post)

Answered Prayer

Mini Back Story:

AWHILE BACK----My twin sister and I were heading to our institute class which is halfway across on the UVU campus, which if you ask me is a long ways to go but we have mastered it pretty good over the course of eight years. I remember quietly talking with myself about wondering where one of my favorite BYUWBB players would end up down the road & obviously I figured it would be something to do with basketball in someway. I have been diligently praying for this person that they would have more amazing opportunities to inspire others to follow their dreams, no matter what they may be. As you can probably imagine, I have continuously prayed for this incredible athlete to have even more great opportunities to assist others and if they were to ever to continue doing what they are so passionate about I would easily see them coaching basketball at the high school level or if not they would be doing it at a college hopefully in the state of Utah. However, during the past almost three years I have never stopped praying for them and only hope they will have more opportunities to make an impact on the lives of the many athletes they will meet. I was truly more than ecstatic for them when I came across their post on social media, which if you ask me is/was such an answer to prayer in more ways than one!!! 

In making this post brief, I was incredibly excited to have seen that my favorite athlete was officially announced as one of the new assistant coaches for the UVU women's basketball team!!! I immediately did not hesitant to congratulate them on this wonderful job opportunity & let them know they have my support one hundred percent if not more!!! I am not sure if heavenly father knew during that time, this was gonna be in the works or what he was doing to make it happen but I am eternally grateful. 

I genuinely cannot wait to hopefully congratulate this role model of mine when it is the appropriate time of course to let them know just how legitimately excited for them to take on this new journey. I am sure it will have a lot of memorable moments along the way and it is such a blessing in my life knowing even if we don't see each other for a while, I know in my heart they sincerely appreciate all of the love and support they are getting from so many people!!! I am truly stoked for them to be on the other side of a sport they are so passionate about and love so much, which if you ask me is not even close to an understatement. Did I also forget to mention they are the greatest cougar turned wolverine of all time??? I cannot wait to cheer them on from afar and watch their content about how much they are loving their new job so close to home!!! :)

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Tough Choice (Revised Post)

 

This quote right here could not be more applicable than at this time in my life. Lucky coming from the many memories and experiences that I was able to have while educating people in our community about issues that affect the lives of people with disabilities on a regular basis. Saying goodbye for at the time seems like an eternity, will only last for a very short time from something I dearly loved so much is a lot harder to swallow than I would have ever imagined, but with that in mind I am grateful for the peace that has come from my Savior, Jesus Christ throughout this brief period of transition. 

In early June of this year, my colleagues and I had just finished up our two day conference taking place at the Zion's technology center in Midvale. All of us had a wonderful time learning with everyone who was there in attendance about self determination among other topics that were being addressed. One of our main colleagues mentioned how some things were not in sync with everyone and at that point, I did not think too much about it. I knew in my heart that everything would be fine and to just keep myself as optimistic as possible. 

Without going into the details about this, I will just mention that due to some unexpected circumstances that were taking place behind the scenes---there was gonna be some kind of a bombshell dropping on us. I didn't necessarily want to see myself in a position that nobody should ever have to face in their lifetime, but I knew in my heart things were not heading where they needed to be. 

LONG STORY SHORT-----The next day after this news was conveyed to me and others, I got a phone call from one of my colleagues to check in with me on how I was doing. They had indicated to me with clarity about some things and little did I know what was going to come at me, within a few minutes after. I immediately felt this peace come over me knowing I could still be involved with this project on a voluntarily basis until things with our issue get resolved. I can participate in the well loved self advocacy conference representing the governor appointed entity instead of what I would be there for. It was comforting to know I would be able to present online sessions if they needed me, along with the truth of not getting paid was a lot harder pill to swallow than I would have liked. It obviously caught me and my other colleagues off guard with being told until our terms with the governor appointed entity are finished, we are not supposed to be involved with this project. Say What???? I was not expecting news like this at all whatsoever and wanted more than anything to change their minds, but I knew it was not going to happen for me let alone anybody else. I was crushed to hear that no matter what I could do in making this better there was no denying how much I had put into what I loved so much-- only to be told things were going to be temporarily put off until the situation is taken care of. 


(End Of Part One)

Favorite Song

 I made my choice.

You can mark this day. The day I pledge to take his name. I will be strong. I will be brave. Standing for him as I take my place. I felt the spirit burn truth in my heart. It's in my heart. 

And I will stand, I will not fall in a world that's weak I will be strong. I will be true, I will choose his way yeah, I know what's right and I will not change. 

In a world where so many will not, I will. 

I may be one but one becomes two when you stand with me and I stand with you, and as we unite our cause is great we're not just the candle, we are the flame. 

And I will take the light he gives me and I'll hold it up high, I'll hold it up high. And I will stand, I will not fall in a world that's weak I will be strong. I'll be true, I'll chose his way yeah, I know what's right and I will not change. In a world where so many will not, I will. 

I will stand, I will not fall in a world that's weak I will be strong. I'll be true, I will choose his way yeah, I know what's right and I will not change. In a world where so many will not, I will. I will. 

LAST NIGHT---I listened to this song performed by Hilary Weeks and could not help but want to write up about it here on my blog for all of you. I certainly love the message it gives us about standing with our Savior and reminding ourselves to be an example to those around us. I am grateful for the opportunities when I get to stand by him while on keeping on the covenant path. I have definitely gone through experiences with people when I had to stand up for what was right in a moment, when it was almost too easy to speak up and get the situation under control. Without going into more details about this, I love that this song here gives me the hope when I am an example of Jesus Christ---I will be able to overcome anything that life throws in my path. (To Be Continued)

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