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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New Update

July 14th, 2024 - Sunday Night

LONG STORY SHORT----After we had finished up with our birthday dinner, my older sister along with her family had brought over what my twin sister and I thought was a present. Little did we know about the picture at the bottom that was going to be an unexpected surprise for everyone!!! I cannot wait to become an auntie for the last time in early February of next year and look forward to seeing my niece, nephew and their little sister give unconditional love to a new sibling. 

July 17th, 2024 - Birthday Party with friends :) 

As I think about this and how much fun we had, it would be a complete understatement. We first decided to go bowling up at BYU for awhile and then went into bowl prior to the FSY kids making their debut in the bowling alley that night. My older sister and her three kiddos joined us for a game, which if you ask me made the evening a little more fun in my book. It was so much fun seeing them bowl their balls down their lane and watch them either get a strike or whatever it is you get when you bowl these days. I was not at the least bit surprised that our best friend's husband ended up winning his game, because he does go bowling on a regular basis. Shortly after that, all of us walked outside in the summer heat  a block away down to the old BYU creamery on ninth to enjoy a scrumptious cheeseburger meal that came with a scoop of ice cream!!! Little did we know it will end up being rebuilt back in the location of where the current one is in keeping up with the demand of so many ice cream lovers like me!!! 

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Solo Presentation

Granite School District - Fall Institute 2024 

I have never presented at this event before and look forward to meeting with the individuals who dedicate so much of their time, energy and hearts into teaching students in the disability community. I will be doing a mini presentation about celebrating self and continue spreading hope about how important it is to respect those with disabilities in our society. Lucky for me, I have a couple of weeks to practice through all of my materials and get prepared for an experience that I hope to look back on with a smile!!! I genuinely hope everything goes over well for me and there are no technical difficulties like what happened at the provider conference I was involved with last month. It is definitely going to be a treat for me to do this on my own without any extra assistance from my colleagues, which I am certain will be slightly nerve-wracking but I am up for it. #MySoCalledLife.

Random Story (SNAP June 13th)

One of our newest youth leaders for SNAP whose name I will not mention here, brought their yearbook to with them and I could not help but ask if I could sign it. I obviously went for it and wrote a very genuinely kind message to them, which I know is not going anywhere but you get the idea?? I also ended up giving this person a sweet little shout out on my IG stories and pretty certain they didn't see it---but I will for sure inform them about it tomorrow if we see each other!!! I had never signed a yearbook from the school on the other side of the tracks before, but I didn't want to pass up the chance to let my new acquaintance know that I am there to support them in anyway I can. I am grateful to always bring a smile to their face as we get to know each other when they come to SNAP on Thursday nights---which sometimes is a hit or miss for them and hopefully that can get fixed soon!!! Did I forget to mention I finally got to see my legit all time former division one basketball athlete's picture with the lady T-Bird Basketball team inside and just immediately squealed with excitement??? #LikeNoKidding #BestNightEver #LikeEver. 

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Disability Pride Project 2024 

After having participated in this two years ago, I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to do this again and luckily I was able to come up with a legitimate answer to the questions I had been asked. It certainly took lots of time for me to think about what to share with people and have a slightly better response than what I had given years prior. I may not know what disability pride means to me on a personal level, but I do know it is so crucial to let the community understand what this is about and that our disabilities do not define any of us, let alone tear us down into what society perceives us to be. This will be posted in a few days and cannot wait for everyone to read my answer as well as other participants who had an interest in being a part of this. 

Presentation Opportunity (To Be Determined)

One of my colleagues reached out to me earlier today and asked if I would be interested in giving a solo presentation about celebrating self determination at Taylorsville High School. I haven't made a decision about this yet and can only hope it all works out for the best. I have not done a solo presentation before, but I am definitely willing to do what I can in making this one a success--(minus the fact I will not have any colleagues with me is going to be a little nerve-wracking but I can put my best self out there.) I am hopeful this can be an experience that will not only happen more in the distant future, but allow myself with being able to grow into the self advocate I want to be. 

32nd Birthday (Just For Fun) 

I legitimately wish I was turning twenty three all over again & not the other way around-- which if you ask me is nothing short of an understatement. I am seriously hoping to have an unforgettable day with lots of smiles and excitement in the air!!! With all of that being said, I am excited to be reaching a new age in life and beginning more adventures that lie in my future. It is definitely going to be in hopes of being a day that I can look back on with a smile on my face and celebrating with those I love!! We will be getting together with friends two days later (due to one of them being out of town starting tomorrow into part of next week.) I cannot wait to share memories with everyone and laugh until our hearts get so tired that we have to quiet ourselves down!!! #LikeNoKidding. 

Summer Break

YESTERDAY----My twin sister and I along with our many friends who attend classes at our IL center took a field trip to Antelope Island State Park. I had never been there in my life and looked forward to hopefully seeing some animals which were only a couple of horses, lots of bison buffalo that were just roaming around in the fields nearby. We had an opportunity to visit a small village from the olden days and look inside of the historic sites, which were not too many but it was nice to see how they did things back then. We also got a chance to look at some of the farming equipment that gets used to keep a farm running smoothly, which was fairly interesting if you ask me!!

AFTERWARDS---We headed out of the park to have lunch some place and look out over the beautiful scenery. It was lovely to spend a little time outdoors and enjoy what the state of Utah has to offer, which believe me is nothing short of an understatement. I was able to get a couple of pictures taken as we drove around to see everything and did I forget to mention we saw bison crossing the road?? :) 

THS Marching Band (SNAP)

This was literally one of the best activities ever and I know it will be an experience that is going to be cherished forever!!! I genuinely loved spending quality time with my friends and laughing until our hearts were tired which is nothing short of an understatement. One of my best friends videoed themselves as they walked around the parade route and could not stop being silly the entire time, which was not a surprise if you know Camille well enough to know how much energy she loves sharing with everyone!!! I seriously wished those band members could attend our SNAP activities every week and make it extra special for all of us if you know what I mean??? :) 

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