As much as I don't love math, I kind of like numbers. So, you get another year-in-review post... this time with some numbers that sum up some parts of my past year, in some way or another. (Whew! Lots of sums/somes in that sentence. Sorry about that.) Get excited.
Traveling:
Miles traveled: 22200+
States lived in: 2
States lived in/been in: 12
Countries visited: 4 (5 including US)
Plane trips: 7
Amusement parks visited: 6
School and Work:
Degrees earned: 1
Licensing tests taken (and passed): 2
EFY sessions worked: 6
Jobs held: 4
Jobs applied for when looking for my full-time job: 30+
Interviews attended when looking for my full-time job: 9
Personal:
Dates went on: 12
Boys I went on dates with this year who are now engaged: 3
Books read: 79
Wards member of: 2
Roommates had: 4
Roommates had including EFY weeks: 18
Plays/musicals/operas attended: 8
Cars test driven: 10
Missionaries written: 20+
Spiritual:
Temples/temple grounds visited: 12
Temple open houses attended: 3
Ensigns read: 12
101 List:
101 list goals completed: 28
101 list goals in progress: 9
Novels written: 1 (definitely had to highlight that out of all the goals I did, because that was awesome)
Lives touched: ?
But these numbers definitely don't paint the full picture that was my life in 2012. 2012 was full of surprises and ups and downs and lots of things happened that I never really would have expected. I never would have guessed that I'd ever live in Idaho, but here I am. Never thought I'd be working for the company I do, but (once again), here I am. I've really had to adjust my life plans in several different ways. I had to grow in ways I never thought I would and that (in some cases), I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about it all. But I have grown and learned a lot. And going over some of these numbers (as well as my previous post, with my Facebook statuses), helps me to remember some of the awesome things I did this year, as some of the harder things I went through. I'm really interested to see what 2013 brings.
Showing posts with label EFY. Show all posts
Showing posts with label EFY. Show all posts
Monday, December 31, 2012
My Year in Facebook Statuses- 2012 Edition
(Obligatory end-of-the-year post.)
I saved all my Facebook statuses in a Word Document for the last year, and it was definitely fun for me to review it and remember some of the things that happened this year. Hope you enjoy it, as well.
January
•2011 was a great year overall, but I feel like 2012 is going to be my best year yet. It won't be without its challenges, for sure, but it'll be a fantastic year nonetheless. Bring. It. On.
•My body is rebelling against getting back into work and school mode.
•15 letters later... I'm finally caught up on writing missionaries! Whew!
•Just got a letter from my 12-year-old self. To whatever teacher made me do that and then kept it for 10 years before mailing it... thank you. That was one of the most hilarious things I've read in a while.
•Sometimes being a therapist is really hard.
•Won the Sunday challenge.
February
•Going to bed just after 10pm. What is WRONG with me? (Oh yeah... I'm exhausted...)
•To all those who have been asking me what I'm doing after graduation, I finally have an answer... I'm going to be an EFY counselor! (Just don't ask what I'm doing after July 21. I still have no idea.)
•Heart-shaped pizzas are cool and all... But it's kind of depressing when you have to cut them up to eat them.
•Just got surprised by one of my best friends, who I haven't seen for almost three years. Definitely made me smile. So fun!
•In honor of Fat Tuesday and giving up desserts for Lent, I am currently eating the world's second greatest gift. And then I'll finish it off with a Krispy Kreme. :-)
•The first EFY counselor training was awesome. I'm getting more and more excited for this summer!
•In case anybody was wondering, roller derbies are AWESOME!
•Just ordered my cap, gown, hood, and announcements. Maybe I will make it to graduation, after all!
•I'm allowed to get excited over my half birthday, since I only get it once every four years. (Happy half birthday to me!)
March
•Sometimes 10:30pm IHOP runs turn into suddenly getting home at 1am and realizing you're not tired anymore. Work tomorrow (today?) is going to be interesting...
•Least favorite Sunday of the year. I hate getting even less sleep than normal.
•How the heck have none of my friends said, "Beware the ides of March" yet today? C'mon people!
•Note to self: Always have good friends around who are good with cars.
•Smoothies and scrabble for a lunch party at work today. (I love my internship.) :-)
•Seeing some of my friends posting about registering for fall classes is weirding me out a little since this is the first time in years I'm not registering for classes. (And I'm not ever registering for classes again...)
April
•Rappelling for class is so much better than having a lecture.
•Passed the ASWB Clinical Exam! (I feel such a huge sense of relief right now.) So when I graduate in two weeks, I not only get my MSW degree, I walk across the stage as a CSW. Bam! :-)
•I'm learning so much about cars by having mine break down. At least I have friends that can educate me and then fix it.
•"The pain of loneliness, disappointment, despair, and heartache is actually carving reservoirs into your soul that will later be filled with joy."
•Just finished my last final ever and I graduate with my MSW next week. (I don't think either fact has truly hit me yet.)
•Just finished my last day at LDS Family Services. I'm going to miss working there so much!
•Dating/marriage advice from Uncle Scott: "Parts for a Corolla are easy to find... parts for a Ferrari are harder." Gotta love family get-togethers (and being graduated)!
•Aaaaaand.... cruise is booked. The Caribbean better be ready for the party Julie and I are going to bring in a month!
•Kansas City BBQ was delicious! And made even better by being with friends. Also, my grades for the last semester are in. I won't quite be graduating with the GPA I want, but I'll still be getting my MSW. I'll take it. A good night thus far, I'd say.
•Back safely in Provo after almost missing my connection and experiencing the most turbulence I've ever had in my life. My time in Kansas was way too short. But... Now I just must let the summer fun continue!
•I feel so smart watching the teen version of Jeopardy. I actually know the answers!
May
•Donated blood for the first time ever today... And I survived. Definitely got rather lightheaded and nauseous, though. Had to have a compress on my head, a fan turned on me, cold water to sip on, and a barf bag nearby just in case. Oops. Oh well.
•Got to play around on a harp today! It was so fun. :-)
•Just saw a bunch of EFY kids getting snow cones during their free time. I'm so excited to be a counselor in a few weeks! Now if only I could just learn the orientation dance. It's way more complicated than I'd like...
June
•Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Grand Cayman, and Orlando were all awesome, but I'm so excited to finally be home and in my own bed! (Though I won't be able to enjoy my own bed for long... EFY starts in just a few days!)
•Happy anniversary to my wonderful and amazing parents. I can only hope one day to have as strong and loving marriage as you two do.
•I love it when Thursday nights at EFY completely make up for all the craziness that happens during the rest of the week. And while I am excited to catch up on some sleep next week during my week off, I'm going to miss this so much.
July
•Convertibles make me so happy. :-)
•Watching fireworks from a rooftop? Yes, please!
•I'm going to miss being an EFY counselor so much. I just want to do this forever. Forget this whole getting a "real job" thing. Haha. ...But seriously.
•While I miss Team Tall Tees, I'm so excited to be with the Midwest team in Kirtland this week! It's going to be fantastic. Sad it's already my last week of EFY, though. Where has the summer gone?
•A ton of girl counselors I'm working with this week have served missions, have their mission calls, or are putting in their papers. I've also interacted with several sister missionaries at church sites we've visited this week and during our EFY service project. During this time, I've realized how much I love hearing their stories of how they decided to serve missions. So to my sister RM friends, or to my girl friends who are preparing to serve or have their calls... What's your story? I'd love to hear it! (Feel free to message it to me if it's too personal to share in a comment.)
•After two awesome days at Cedar Point, Epic Road Trip: Ohio Edition continues... as we head to Nauvoo. :-)
•Home, home, home, home, home! I have to leave in less than 43 hours again, but it's so nice to be back for this brief amount of time. (I'm especially looking forward to sleeping in my own bed for two whole nights!) :-)
August
•I can't believe EFY is over. Those six weeks were some of the craziest, hardest, most emotional, and yet most fulfilling and fun weeks of my life. Thanks to everybody who made it such a great experience!
•Note to self: a dream about forgetting about a test is just as scary when you're out of school as it was when you were in school.
•Truths affirmed this evening: 1. I am a klutz. 2. Tubing is awesome. 3. I bruise way too easily.
•Advantage of my family moving to Orange County? Being able to play at Disneyland for a day when visiting them. — at Downtown Disney.
•"The Lord is intent on your personal growth and development. That progress is accelerated when you willingly allow Him to lead you through every growth experience you encounter, whether initially it be to your individual liking or not. When you trust in the Lord, when you are willing to let your heart and your mind be centered in His will, when you ask to be led by the Spirit to do His will, you are assured of the greatest happiness along the way and the most fulfilling attainment from this mortal experience. If you question everything you are asked to do, or dig in your heels at every unpleasant challenge, you make it harder for the Lord to bless you.” —Elder Richard G. Scott ("Finding Joy in Life")
•First time since fall 1994 that school has started and I'm not there. Weird. So I instead went to the gym for the first time in three months and somehow survived the hour-long Zumba class (but man, I'm out of shape). Next up on the agenda? Cleaning. Then going out to lunch with a friend. And job searching. And TV watching. And reading. Oh, the life of an unemployed graduate.
September
•Definitely got burned at the game today. Oops. Oh well. It was worth it. :-)
•Well... That was an incredibly hard game to watch. But I'm still proud of my Cougars. Now let's come back stronger next week.
•Regional Conference was wonderful and just what I needed. I'm so grateful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!
•Looks like I'll be up in Boise for an interview next week. For those familiar with the area, any suggestions of things to see/do while up there? Keep in mind that I'll also be evaluating Boise as a place to live, so any suggestions/comments geared towards that would also be appreciated.
October
•Anybody have an extra ticket to the BYU game this weekend? My dad's coming into town and it'd be a lot of fun to have him join me!
•After lots of crying, prayer, getting the worst night's sleep since recovering from my jaw surgery over 4 years ago, and more crying and prayer... I made a major life-changing decision. I have accepted a job position Boise and Nampa (Idaho). My head is still reeling from all of this. I'm really going to miss Provo and the people in it. It's been home for over 5 years... The longest I've lived anywhere in my life. But as I move forward with this decision, I'm feeling better and better about it and I'm excited to start this next chapter of my life.
•Funny quote from yesterday: "Colette, President Eyring moved to Idaho when he didn't really want to." Thanks, Dad. I hope Idaho is as good for me as it was for him. I still have my freak-out moments about moving, but suddenly being inundated with e-mails from my new co-workers welcoming me to the team does help calm me down.
•Ok, guys. This move to Boise is really happening. Anybody in the Provo/Orem area willing to donate some boxes to the cause?
•It's my last night in Provo and my roommate is throwing me a little going-away party. It's hard for me to keep track of who's in the area and who isn't, so I can't really send out individual invites. But if you can see this, it means you're invited! Come, come, come, come, come!
•Sorry for the first snow of the year, guys. Provo is just wishing me goodbye and is in mourning.
November
•My Idaho driver's license came in the mail today. Weird. I also got a new phone number with an Idaho area code. Double weird. I guess I really am an Idaho resident now. Anyways... Let me know if you want the number!
•Cereal. The dinner of champions.
•Got my first big-girl paycheck today! Definitely exciting. Now let's not just think about how I'm now paying more in taxes than what my gross pay was in some past jobs...
•A bit of a rough weekend in some ways, but also full of many tender mercies... including being able to go to two different sessions of the rededication of the Boise temple today. I am so blessed to live so incredibly close to a House of the Lord and am so grateful that the temple is now once again dedicated so that I can go and receive the blessings waiting for me there.
•Crazy, crazy, crazy day at work. My job definitely keeps me on my toes. But I'm loving it overall, anyways. Plus, I got my business cards today! I feel so professional.
•"I have learned that the bitter, almost unbearable pain can become sweet as you turn to your Father in Heaven and plead for His comfort that comes through His plan; His Son, Jesus Christ; and His Comforter, who is the Holy Ghost... I testify that because of Him, even our Savior, Jesus Christ, those feelings of sorrow, loneliness, and despair will one day be swallowed up in a fulness of joy. I testify that we can depend on Him and when He said: “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you..."... I testify that, as stated in Preach My Gospel, “as we rely on the Atonement of Jesus Christ, He can help us endure our trials, sicknesses, and pain. We can be filled with joy, peace, and consolation. All that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.”" --Elder Shayne M. Bowen, “Because I Live, Ye Shall Live Also”
•After 3 months, 7 visits to the DMV and countless phone calls, my car is FINALLY fully registered! Can I please cry tears of happiness now?
•Just won NaNoWriMo! Bam. It ended up being pretty fun, though my plot and characters weren't the best or most original. (But that's beside the point.) I forgot how therapeutic writing for fun can be for me. Let's hope I can keep some of this creativity up, and not just have it reappear every November. :-)
December
•Finally got up the courage to try to donate blood again and was rejected. I have to wait until the beginning of June (a year after my cruise) to donate. Let's hope I can convince myself to try again. But traveling is awesome, even when it may put you at risk for malaria.
•Just bought a space heater for my room. Best investment I've made in quite some time.
•I feel so accomplished. Passed the ASWB Masters Exam that I had to take because I moved to Idaho and finished all my Christmas shopping. And it's only 11:30! Next on the list: going to the dollar theater and Olive Garden. And just having a great day. :-)
•"Our Heavenly Father is aware of our needs and will help us as we call upon Him for assistance. I believe that no concern of ours is too small or insignificant. The Lord is in the details of our lives." -President Thomas S. Monson
•I wasn't going to make it home for dinner before FHE, so I asked my roommate to bring me an apple, so that I wouldn't starve. She decided that I also needed some protein, so she brought me some muddy buddies, too. This roommate situation is working out quite well. :-)
•I made it all last winter without falling on ice, but totally biffed it this morning (in a skirt, no less), after the first real snowfall. I think that sums up 2012 quite nicely... lots of surprises! It'll definitely be interesting to see what 2013 brings.
I saved all my Facebook statuses in a Word Document for the last year, and it was definitely fun for me to review it and remember some of the things that happened this year. Hope you enjoy it, as well.
January
•2011 was a great year overall, but I feel like 2012 is going to be my best year yet. It won't be without its challenges, for sure, but it'll be a fantastic year nonetheless. Bring. It. On.
•My body is rebelling against getting back into work and school mode.
•15 letters later... I'm finally caught up on writing missionaries! Whew!
•Just got a letter from my 12-year-old self. To whatever teacher made me do that and then kept it for 10 years before mailing it... thank you. That was one of the most hilarious things I've read in a while.
•Sometimes being a therapist is really hard.
•Won the Sunday challenge.
February
•Going to bed just after 10pm. What is WRONG with me? (Oh yeah... I'm exhausted...)
•To all those who have been asking me what I'm doing after graduation, I finally have an answer... I'm going to be an EFY counselor! (Just don't ask what I'm doing after July 21. I still have no idea.)
•Heart-shaped pizzas are cool and all... But it's kind of depressing when you have to cut them up to eat them.
•Just got surprised by one of my best friends, who I haven't seen for almost three years. Definitely made me smile. So fun!
•In honor of Fat Tuesday and giving up desserts for Lent, I am currently eating the world's second greatest gift. And then I'll finish it off with a Krispy Kreme. :-)
•The first EFY counselor training was awesome. I'm getting more and more excited for this summer!
•In case anybody was wondering, roller derbies are AWESOME!
•Just ordered my cap, gown, hood, and announcements. Maybe I will make it to graduation, after all!
•I'm allowed to get excited over my half birthday, since I only get it once every four years. (Happy half birthday to me!)
March
•Sometimes 10:30pm IHOP runs turn into suddenly getting home at 1am and realizing you're not tired anymore. Work tomorrow (today?) is going to be interesting...
•Least favorite Sunday of the year. I hate getting even less sleep than normal.
•How the heck have none of my friends said, "Beware the ides of March" yet today? C'mon people!
•Note to self: Always have good friends around who are good with cars.
•Smoothies and scrabble for a lunch party at work today. (I love my internship.) :-)
•Seeing some of my friends posting about registering for fall classes is weirding me out a little since this is the first time in years I'm not registering for classes. (And I'm not ever registering for classes again...)
April
•Rappelling for class is so much better than having a lecture.
•Passed the ASWB Clinical Exam! (I feel such a huge sense of relief right now.) So when I graduate in two weeks, I not only get my MSW degree, I walk across the stage as a CSW. Bam! :-)
•I'm learning so much about cars by having mine break down. At least I have friends that can educate me and then fix it.
•"The pain of loneliness, disappointment, despair, and heartache is actually carving reservoirs into your soul that will later be filled with joy."
•Just finished my last final ever and I graduate with my MSW next week. (I don't think either fact has truly hit me yet.)
•Just finished my last day at LDS Family Services. I'm going to miss working there so much!
•Dating/marriage advice from Uncle Scott: "Parts for a Corolla are easy to find... parts for a Ferrari are harder." Gotta love family get-togethers (and being graduated)!
•Aaaaaand.... cruise is booked. The Caribbean better be ready for the party Julie and I are going to bring in a month!
•Kansas City BBQ was delicious! And made even better by being with friends. Also, my grades for the last semester are in. I won't quite be graduating with the GPA I want, but I'll still be getting my MSW. I'll take it. A good night thus far, I'd say.
•Back safely in Provo after almost missing my connection and experiencing the most turbulence I've ever had in my life. My time in Kansas was way too short. But... Now I just must let the summer fun continue!
•I feel so smart watching the teen version of Jeopardy. I actually know the answers!
May
•Donated blood for the first time ever today... And I survived. Definitely got rather lightheaded and nauseous, though. Had to have a compress on my head, a fan turned on me, cold water to sip on, and a barf bag nearby just in case. Oops. Oh well.
•Got to play around on a harp today! It was so fun. :-)
•Just saw a bunch of EFY kids getting snow cones during their free time. I'm so excited to be a counselor in a few weeks! Now if only I could just learn the orientation dance. It's way more complicated than I'd like...
June
•Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Grand Cayman, and Orlando were all awesome, but I'm so excited to finally be home and in my own bed! (Though I won't be able to enjoy my own bed for long... EFY starts in just a few days!)
•Happy anniversary to my wonderful and amazing parents. I can only hope one day to have as strong and loving marriage as you two do.
•I love it when Thursday nights at EFY completely make up for all the craziness that happens during the rest of the week. And while I am excited to catch up on some sleep next week during my week off, I'm going to miss this so much.
July
•Convertibles make me so happy. :-)
•Watching fireworks from a rooftop? Yes, please!
•I'm going to miss being an EFY counselor so much. I just want to do this forever. Forget this whole getting a "real job" thing. Haha. ...But seriously.
•While I miss Team Tall Tees, I'm so excited to be with the Midwest team in Kirtland this week! It's going to be fantastic. Sad it's already my last week of EFY, though. Where has the summer gone?
•A ton of girl counselors I'm working with this week have served missions, have their mission calls, or are putting in their papers. I've also interacted with several sister missionaries at church sites we've visited this week and during our EFY service project. During this time, I've realized how much I love hearing their stories of how they decided to serve missions. So to my sister RM friends, or to my girl friends who are preparing to serve or have their calls... What's your story? I'd love to hear it! (Feel free to message it to me if it's too personal to share in a comment.)
•After two awesome days at Cedar Point, Epic Road Trip: Ohio Edition continues... as we head to Nauvoo. :-)
•Home, home, home, home, home! I have to leave in less than 43 hours again, but it's so nice to be back for this brief amount of time. (I'm especially looking forward to sleeping in my own bed for two whole nights!) :-)
August
•I can't believe EFY is over. Those six weeks were some of the craziest, hardest, most emotional, and yet most fulfilling and fun weeks of my life. Thanks to everybody who made it such a great experience!
•Note to self: a dream about forgetting about a test is just as scary when you're out of school as it was when you were in school.
•Truths affirmed this evening: 1. I am a klutz. 2. Tubing is awesome. 3. I bruise way too easily.
•Advantage of my family moving to Orange County? Being able to play at Disneyland for a day when visiting them. — at Downtown Disney.
•"The Lord is intent on your personal growth and development. That progress is accelerated when you willingly allow Him to lead you through every growth experience you encounter, whether initially it be to your individual liking or not. When you trust in the Lord, when you are willing to let your heart and your mind be centered in His will, when you ask to be led by the Spirit to do His will, you are assured of the greatest happiness along the way and the most fulfilling attainment from this mortal experience. If you question everything you are asked to do, or dig in your heels at every unpleasant challenge, you make it harder for the Lord to bless you.” —Elder Richard G. Scott ("Finding Joy in Life")
•First time since fall 1994 that school has started and I'm not there. Weird. So I instead went to the gym for the first time in three months and somehow survived the hour-long Zumba class (but man, I'm out of shape). Next up on the agenda? Cleaning. Then going out to lunch with a friend. And job searching. And TV watching. And reading. Oh, the life of an unemployed graduate.
September
•Definitely got burned at the game today. Oops. Oh well. It was worth it. :-)
•Well... That was an incredibly hard game to watch. But I'm still proud of my Cougars. Now let's come back stronger next week.
•Regional Conference was wonderful and just what I needed. I'm so grateful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!
•Looks like I'll be up in Boise for an interview next week. For those familiar with the area, any suggestions of things to see/do while up there? Keep in mind that I'll also be evaluating Boise as a place to live, so any suggestions/comments geared towards that would also be appreciated.
October
•Anybody have an extra ticket to the BYU game this weekend? My dad's coming into town and it'd be a lot of fun to have him join me!
•After lots of crying, prayer, getting the worst night's sleep since recovering from my jaw surgery over 4 years ago, and more crying and prayer... I made a major life-changing decision. I have accepted a job position Boise and Nampa (Idaho). My head is still reeling from all of this. I'm really going to miss Provo and the people in it. It's been home for over 5 years... The longest I've lived anywhere in my life. But as I move forward with this decision, I'm feeling better and better about it and I'm excited to start this next chapter of my life.
•Funny quote from yesterday: "Colette, President Eyring moved to Idaho when he didn't really want to." Thanks, Dad. I hope Idaho is as good for me as it was for him. I still have my freak-out moments about moving, but suddenly being inundated with e-mails from my new co-workers welcoming me to the team does help calm me down.
•Ok, guys. This move to Boise is really happening. Anybody in the Provo/Orem area willing to donate some boxes to the cause?
•It's my last night in Provo and my roommate is throwing me a little going-away party. It's hard for me to keep track of who's in the area and who isn't, so I can't really send out individual invites. But if you can see this, it means you're invited! Come, come, come, come, come!
•Sorry for the first snow of the year, guys. Provo is just wishing me goodbye and is in mourning.
November
•My Idaho driver's license came in the mail today. Weird. I also got a new phone number with an Idaho area code. Double weird. I guess I really am an Idaho resident now. Anyways... Let me know if you want the number!
•Cereal. The dinner of champions.
•Got my first big-girl paycheck today! Definitely exciting. Now let's not just think about how I'm now paying more in taxes than what my gross pay was in some past jobs...
•A bit of a rough weekend in some ways, but also full of many tender mercies... including being able to go to two different sessions of the rededication of the Boise temple today. I am so blessed to live so incredibly close to a House of the Lord and am so grateful that the temple is now once again dedicated so that I can go and receive the blessings waiting for me there.
•Crazy, crazy, crazy day at work. My job definitely keeps me on my toes. But I'm loving it overall, anyways. Plus, I got my business cards today! I feel so professional.
•"I have learned that the bitter, almost unbearable pain can become sweet as you turn to your Father in Heaven and plead for His comfort that comes through His plan; His Son, Jesus Christ; and His Comforter, who is the Holy Ghost... I testify that because of Him, even our Savior, Jesus Christ, those feelings of sorrow, loneliness, and despair will one day be swallowed up in a fulness of joy. I testify that we can depend on Him and when He said: “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you..."... I testify that, as stated in Preach My Gospel, “as we rely on the Atonement of Jesus Christ, He can help us endure our trials, sicknesses, and pain. We can be filled with joy, peace, and consolation. All that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.”" --Elder Shayne M. Bowen, “Because I Live, Ye Shall Live Also”
•After 3 months, 7 visits to the DMV and countless phone calls, my car is FINALLY fully registered! Can I please cry tears of happiness now?
•Just won NaNoWriMo! Bam. It ended up being pretty fun, though my plot and characters weren't the best or most original. (But that's beside the point.) I forgot how therapeutic writing for fun can be for me. Let's hope I can keep some of this creativity up, and not just have it reappear every November. :-)
December
•Finally got up the courage to try to donate blood again and was rejected. I have to wait until the beginning of June (a year after my cruise) to donate. Let's hope I can convince myself to try again. But traveling is awesome, even when it may put you at risk for malaria.
•Just bought a space heater for my room. Best investment I've made in quite some time.
•I feel so accomplished. Passed the ASWB Masters Exam that I had to take because I moved to Idaho and finished all my Christmas shopping. And it's only 11:30! Next on the list: going to the dollar theater and Olive Garden. And just having a great day. :-)
•"Our Heavenly Father is aware of our needs and will help us as we call upon Him for assistance. I believe that no concern of ours is too small or insignificant. The Lord is in the details of our lives." -President Thomas S. Monson
•I wasn't going to make it home for dinner before FHE, so I asked my roommate to bring me an apple, so that I wouldn't starve. She decided that I also needed some protein, so she brought me some muddy buddies, too. This roommate situation is working out quite well. :-)
•I made it all last winter without falling on ice, but totally biffed it this morning (in a skirt, no less), after the first real snowfall. I think that sums up 2012 quite nicely... lots of surprises! It'll definitely be interesting to see what 2013 brings.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Taking EFY Home
I was going to write a long list of "You Know You're an EFY Counselor When..." but that's been done before and I don't think I have anything to add. (There are some seriously funny ones.) So I decided to do a slightly more serious blog about what I learned.
Every Friday, we emphasized "taking it home" to the youth. We talk about how awesome EFY was, but how EFY is a waste if we don't apply what we learn once we go home. And in order to do that, we must first recognize what we learned. So in order to not be a hypocrite, I wanted to recognize a few of my takeaways. A couple of my main ones are not being as afraid to open my mouth (or use my fingers) to share the gospel. That's one reason I'm trying to share more gospel-related things in my blog. You never know who may be coming across this and hopefully they can glimpse my testimony. I also definitely came away with a much stronger testimony of Christ and the Atonement (this is definitely due in part to The Living Christ activity we did each week, as well as some amazing classes and personal spiritual experiences). I know there's still so much more I could learn about these things, and I know my testimony still needs to grow more. But it definitely grew a lot. And I am currently working on reading Jesus the Christ in order to help continue to grow that testimony.
But my last week of EFY, Celeste (my wonderful BC) talked about recognizing what we learned from EFY that will help us be better wives and mothers in the future. There are a lot of parallels from being an EFY counselor to being a wife and mother and just to life in general. I know I still have a ton to learn. And honestly, being a wife and mother still scares me sometimes. But I feel a bit more at peace about it after EFY. If I can survive some of that craziness, maybe (just maybe) I can be a good wife and mother in the future. And I know I have a great future ahead of me. So without any further ado, here's my list of "What I Learned About Being a Better Wife and Mother at EFY"
You must rely on the Lord
The Lord better knows and understands your kids than you do. He knows how to help them. He can give you strength. He'll prompt you. He won't let your kids get past His love.
You can't be afraid to ask for help
You can't help these kids alone. Prayer helps since Heavenly Father truly is there. But there are also other people around who are so willing to help. But you may need to get out of your comfort zone and ask for help (which is hard for me to do sometimes).
Satan works hard against you when you're doing the Lord's work
Satan manifests himself in different ways, especially when he knows that you're working hard against him. And you are definitely working against him when you are trying to help people come closer to Christ (whether you're helping your kids come unto Christ or you're just bringing yourself closer). One way that Satan really works against me is through feelings of discouragement or feeling like I'm not good enough or doing enough. If Satan can plant those feelings in me and get me to stop what I'm supposed to be doing, then he's won. I have to exert all my power against him and bring souls to Christ, despite difficulties.
People have their agency
It's so hard. You do all you can to bring these kids closer to Christ and to change their lives for the better and sometimes they choose to go a different way. But agency is part of God's plan. You can't force the Spirit upon others or force them to choose right. They must make the choice themselves. And it's so wonderful when you see them make the correct choices on their own.
Listen to and take time for others
Listening shows people that you care about them. It strengthens relationships. It means so much to show you are truly there. That it isn't just a job. And it's not a chore. The most important thing besides your testimony and dedication to the gospel is just to show how much you love and care for them.
Forget yourself in the work
With all that's going on in my life, it's so easy to focus on myself and my worries and concerns. But as I served those kids, I was happier and my problems didn't seem as big. It can be hard to get out of myself, but it's so amazing when I can.
The Lord makes up the difference
I know I'm not the best leader or teacher. I don't have tons of scriptures memorized and I don't understand all church doctrine. But it doesn't matter. As I did the best I could, the Lord filled in the blanks of what I couldn't do. But He only fills in the rest after I've done all I can. And the Lord blesses you and others for your efforts, even when you don't feel like you've done enough of you don't feel completely "into it."
Discipline
Disciplining is super hard for me. But it is definitely important to enforce the rules so that the kids can stay safe and on the right path. And discipline is a lot more effective when you already have a relationship with them (see note about listening and taking time for others).
Thursday night (and other) payoffs
EFY is probably the hardest thing I've ever done. I never understood that before when people who had been counselors said that. How could EFY be hard? It'd be the most fun thing ever. But after my first day... I got it. It's so hard. You pour your heart and soul into this and sometimes it seems like you didn't make a difference. But then Thursday night rolls around and you realize that maybe you did make a difference in some small way and it's such an amazing and humbling experience. I know that I'll crave and treasure those same moments as a mom. I have to work through those hard times to get the reward, but those payoffs will come if I do my part and then look for the payoff. One hard thing for me was when the payoff I was expecting wasn't there. There were sometimes other small moments throughout the week that give you that payoff, which was a blessing. But other times I truly felt like I didn't make a difference. So I had to remember that my God is a fourth-watch God. And sometimes that payoff is a long time coming. Some payoffs I never saw personally each week. But I know they were there... even if some kids don't manifest the changes and payoffs in their lives until years later. They were there. One of the session directors noted that we touched thousands of lives this summer, between the kids themselves, their families, their communities, their future missions and families... It was definitely humbling to think about. I have to hold on to that promise, because I didn't always see the payoff Thursday night. (Though it was generally there.)
You must be on higher ground to help others
So many of the kids needed help and there was no way I could help them if I wasn't prepared and farther along than they were. I had to have a knowledge of gospel principles. I had to have a strong testimony. I had to have my own "spiritual bucket" full before I could give anything to others. And because I was prepared, I was able to help these kids. And that was amazing.
You never know what the Lord has in store...but His plan is best
I think it's so easy to go through life with a plan. But in my case, the Lord always seems to have a different (but better) plan. One of my aunts told me that she knows she's doing what the Lord wants when she's doing something that she never planned on doing by herself. That definitely happened at EFY. I wanted to be at BYU for EFY, but I am so glad He placed me at the other campuses He did. I maybe wanted to have certain co-counselors or certain kids or certain roommates. But in every case, I was exactly where I needed to be.
Importance of keeping a schedule
At EFY, there is a very specific schedule. You always know where you're supposed to be, when you're supposed to be there, and what you're supposed to be doing. That is a stark contrast to how my life normally is (as evidence in the last week since EFY). But I came to the realization of how much more productive I am when I do have a schedule, or at least a general idea of what should happen each day. Obviously, as a mother (and just with life in general), things won't always go according to plan. But it's so important to have a plan to begin with, and then you can modify from there.
Follow the promptings of the Spirit
There were so many times that I felt the need to ask a certain question or tell or certain story at EFY and I had no idea why. But as I followed those promptings, it ended up helping these kids so much and in ways I never would have anticipated. It was amazing to hear kids tell me that something I was prompted to say really helped them.
Oh man. Going through this list just makes me miss EFY even more. And I know there are plenty of other parallels I could draw, but this list is getting long and I know I need to post it (if I keep working on it, posting may never happen). I know that even with these lessons, I still won't be completely prepared to be a wife and mother. But I know how patient my EFY kids were with me as I learned and grew. I'll just have to hope and pray that my future husband and family are as understanding. I'm grateful for all that I learned and all that I will continue to learn.
I'm truly taking EFY home... and I'll "Never Be the Same." :-)
Every Friday, we emphasized "taking it home" to the youth. We talk about how awesome EFY was, but how EFY is a waste if we don't apply what we learn once we go home. And in order to do that, we must first recognize what we learned. So in order to not be a hypocrite, I wanted to recognize a few of my takeaways. A couple of my main ones are not being as afraid to open my mouth (or use my fingers) to share the gospel. That's one reason I'm trying to share more gospel-related things in my blog. You never know who may be coming across this and hopefully they can glimpse my testimony. I also definitely came away with a much stronger testimony of Christ and the Atonement (this is definitely due in part to The Living Christ activity we did each week, as well as some amazing classes and personal spiritual experiences). I know there's still so much more I could learn about these things, and I know my testimony still needs to grow more. But it definitely grew a lot. And I am currently working on reading Jesus the Christ in order to help continue to grow that testimony.
But my last week of EFY, Celeste (my wonderful BC) talked about recognizing what we learned from EFY that will help us be better wives and mothers in the future. There are a lot of parallels from being an EFY counselor to being a wife and mother and just to life in general. I know I still have a ton to learn. And honestly, being a wife and mother still scares me sometimes. But I feel a bit more at peace about it after EFY. If I can survive some of that craziness, maybe (just maybe) I can be a good wife and mother in the future. And I know I have a great future ahead of me. So without any further ado, here's my list of "What I Learned About Being a Better Wife and Mother at EFY"
You must rely on the Lord
The Lord better knows and understands your kids than you do. He knows how to help them. He can give you strength. He'll prompt you. He won't let your kids get past His love.
You can't be afraid to ask for help
You can't help these kids alone. Prayer helps since Heavenly Father truly is there. But there are also other people around who are so willing to help. But you may need to get out of your comfort zone and ask for help (which is hard for me to do sometimes).
Satan works hard against you when you're doing the Lord's work
Satan manifests himself in different ways, especially when he knows that you're working hard against him. And you are definitely working against him when you are trying to help people come closer to Christ (whether you're helping your kids come unto Christ or you're just bringing yourself closer). One way that Satan really works against me is through feelings of discouragement or feeling like I'm not good enough or doing enough. If Satan can plant those feelings in me and get me to stop what I'm supposed to be doing, then he's won. I have to exert all my power against him and bring souls to Christ, despite difficulties.
People have their agency
It's so hard. You do all you can to bring these kids closer to Christ and to change their lives for the better and sometimes they choose to go a different way. But agency is part of God's plan. You can't force the Spirit upon others or force them to choose right. They must make the choice themselves. And it's so wonderful when you see them make the correct choices on their own.
Listen to and take time for others
Listening shows people that you care about them. It strengthens relationships. It means so much to show you are truly there. That it isn't just a job. And it's not a chore. The most important thing besides your testimony and dedication to the gospel is just to show how much you love and care for them.
Forget yourself in the work
With all that's going on in my life, it's so easy to focus on myself and my worries and concerns. But as I served those kids, I was happier and my problems didn't seem as big. It can be hard to get out of myself, but it's so amazing when I can.
The Lord makes up the difference
I know I'm not the best leader or teacher. I don't have tons of scriptures memorized and I don't understand all church doctrine. But it doesn't matter. As I did the best I could, the Lord filled in the blanks of what I couldn't do. But He only fills in the rest after I've done all I can. And the Lord blesses you and others for your efforts, even when you don't feel like you've done enough of you don't feel completely "into it."
Discipline
Disciplining is super hard for me. But it is definitely important to enforce the rules so that the kids can stay safe and on the right path. And discipline is a lot more effective when you already have a relationship with them (see note about listening and taking time for others).
Thursday night (and other) payoffs
EFY is probably the hardest thing I've ever done. I never understood that before when people who had been counselors said that. How could EFY be hard? It'd be the most fun thing ever. But after my first day... I got it. It's so hard. You pour your heart and soul into this and sometimes it seems like you didn't make a difference. But then Thursday night rolls around and you realize that maybe you did make a difference in some small way and it's such an amazing and humbling experience. I know that I'll crave and treasure those same moments as a mom. I have to work through those hard times to get the reward, but those payoffs will come if I do my part and then look for the payoff. One hard thing for me was when the payoff I was expecting wasn't there. There were sometimes other small moments throughout the week that give you that payoff, which was a blessing. But other times I truly felt like I didn't make a difference. So I had to remember that my God is a fourth-watch God. And sometimes that payoff is a long time coming. Some payoffs I never saw personally each week. But I know they were there... even if some kids don't manifest the changes and payoffs in their lives until years later. They were there. One of the session directors noted that we touched thousands of lives this summer, between the kids themselves, their families, their communities, their future missions and families... It was definitely humbling to think about. I have to hold on to that promise, because I didn't always see the payoff Thursday night. (Though it was generally there.)
You must be on higher ground to help others
So many of the kids needed help and there was no way I could help them if I wasn't prepared and farther along than they were. I had to have a knowledge of gospel principles. I had to have a strong testimony. I had to have my own "spiritual bucket" full before I could give anything to others. And because I was prepared, I was able to help these kids. And that was amazing.
You never know what the Lord has in store...but His plan is best
I think it's so easy to go through life with a plan. But in my case, the Lord always seems to have a different (but better) plan. One of my aunts told me that she knows she's doing what the Lord wants when she's doing something that she never planned on doing by herself. That definitely happened at EFY. I wanted to be at BYU for EFY, but I am so glad He placed me at the other campuses He did. I maybe wanted to have certain co-counselors or certain kids or certain roommates. But in every case, I was exactly where I needed to be.
Importance of keeping a schedule
At EFY, there is a very specific schedule. You always know where you're supposed to be, when you're supposed to be there, and what you're supposed to be doing. That is a stark contrast to how my life normally is (as evidence in the last week since EFY). But I came to the realization of how much more productive I am when I do have a schedule, or at least a general idea of what should happen each day. Obviously, as a mother (and just with life in general), things won't always go according to plan. But it's so important to have a plan to begin with, and then you can modify from there.
Follow the promptings of the Spirit
There were so many times that I felt the need to ask a certain question or tell or certain story at EFY and I had no idea why. But as I followed those promptings, it ended up helping these kids so much and in ways I never would have anticipated. It was amazing to hear kids tell me that something I was prompted to say really helped them.
Oh man. Going through this list just makes me miss EFY even more. And I know there are plenty of other parallels I could draw, but this list is getting long and I know I need to post it (if I keep working on it, posting may never happen). I know that even with these lessons, I still won't be completely prepared to be a wife and mother. But I know how patient my EFY kids were with me as I learned and grew. I'll just have to hope and pray that my future husband and family are as understanding. I'm grateful for all that I learned and all that I will continue to learn.
I'm truly taking EFY home... and I'll "Never Be the Same." :-)
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
EFY- Cedar City 2
I wasn’t supposed to be in Cedar City last week.
When I was hired to be a counselor for the summer, I was given (and accepted) five contracts. You’ve already heard about those weeks. But as I was working EFY and realized how much I loved it, I knew I wanted to work as many weeks as possible. I realized I was available to work the week of July 30, and that the team I worked with for the majority of the summer was working in Cedar City that week. I really wanted to work with them. That want became even greater when I realized that my sister was going to a participant that week at that session. It would be so fun to see her around. So I started telling all the BCs, coordinators, and the administrator that was I available to work Cedar 2. But it didn’t look likely, since they actually had more counselors than they needed. I had the opportunity to take other sessions that needed counselors that week, but I still held on to the hope that Cedar would become available, so I didn’t volunteer. I figured that if I didn’t get it, I still was able to have five amazing weeks as a counselor. A sixth would just be a cherry on top.
Then, while I was in Kirtland, I got an e-mail saying that I had an available contract for EFY. I checked the link and found out that it was for Cedar City 2. I was super excited and accepted it, telling all my girls how excited I was to work another week, especially the session my sister would be attending. I wasn’t quite sure how it happened, but I was grateful. (I found out later that some spots opened up and as the administrator was talking to the team about who they could offer it to, lots of people said my name. So she offered it to me and I accepted it.)
So all that back story explains why I wasn’t supposed to be in Cedar City. But I was so excited for another week and so ready to go. However, as the week wore on, I truly started believing that I really wasn't supposed to be in Cedar City. That I should have just stayed home and ended my EFY counseling career in Kirtland. I felt that I wasn’t making a difference. That I wasn’t clicking with my girls. That some other counselor should have been offered and taken the contract because she would’ve been able to help these girls (and boys). That I shouldn’t have fought so hard for that week, by constantly reminding people that I wanted that week.
Needless it say, with those feelings going on… It was SUCH a hard week.
But the week wasn't all bad. I had 16-18 year-olds again and they were fun. Of course, just like every week, there were some problems here and there, but nothing terribly major. Most of the hard stuff going on was my personal stuff and feelings with me, not issues with the group. My co-counselors were great and our name was Everlasting Glory (taken from Revelations 14:6-7)
(Pictures!)
And there were lots of fun, funny, and spiritual things that happened. Plus, there were so many tender mercies that happened that I am SO grateful for because they showed me that the Lord truly is aware of me and looking out for me. Just a few of those tender mercies... a couple of my girls coming and dancing with me in the lobby when I was on dance duty during the second half of the Friday night dance and feeling super down (though I don't think they realized that). And the session directors (the Dixons) coming up with one word to describe each counselor and my word being "depth." Until that word was said after my name, I didn't realize how much I've been working towards exemplifying that word this summer. I really have been trying to deepen my testimony, as well as deepen my relationships with Christ and those around me this summer, and it was so amazing to have somebody recognize that. And then just to have some participants and other counselors say or do certain things that helped me to realize that maybe I did help to make a difference.
So... maybe... just maybe... I was supposed to be in Cedar City. And I am so grateful for that.
But I miss EFY already. Those six weeks were some of the craziest, hardest, and most emotional weeks of my life. However, somehow, they were also among the most fun, fulfilling, and growth-promoting, weeks of my life. Funny how that works. And just like I'd tell my kids each week, I don't want it to stop here. EFY shouldn't just be a fun memory or a neat week (or weeks, in my case). It should be a springboard to the rest of your life. I rose a little higher because of EFY and I want to continue that growth and not sink back down to where I was (not that I was in a bad place before... I'm just in a better place now). It won't be easy, but I know I can do it. And I WILL do it.
When I was hired to be a counselor for the summer, I was given (and accepted) five contracts. You’ve already heard about those weeks. But as I was working EFY and realized how much I loved it, I knew I wanted to work as many weeks as possible. I realized I was available to work the week of July 30, and that the team I worked with for the majority of the summer was working in Cedar City that week. I really wanted to work with them. That want became even greater when I realized that my sister was going to a participant that week at that session. It would be so fun to see her around. So I started telling all the BCs, coordinators, and the administrator that was I available to work Cedar 2. But it didn’t look likely, since they actually had more counselors than they needed. I had the opportunity to take other sessions that needed counselors that week, but I still held on to the hope that Cedar would become available, so I didn’t volunteer. I figured that if I didn’t get it, I still was able to have five amazing weeks as a counselor. A sixth would just be a cherry on top.
Then, while I was in Kirtland, I got an e-mail saying that I had an available contract for EFY. I checked the link and found out that it was for Cedar City 2. I was super excited and accepted it, telling all my girls how excited I was to work another week, especially the session my sister would be attending. I wasn’t quite sure how it happened, but I was grateful. (I found out later that some spots opened up and as the administrator was talking to the team about who they could offer it to, lots of people said my name. So she offered it to me and I accepted it.)
So all that back story explains why I wasn’t supposed to be in Cedar City. But I was so excited for another week and so ready to go. However, as the week wore on, I truly started believing that I really wasn't supposed to be in Cedar City. That I should have just stayed home and ended my EFY counseling career in Kirtland. I felt that I wasn’t making a difference. That I wasn’t clicking with my girls. That some other counselor should have been offered and taken the contract because she would’ve been able to help these girls (and boys). That I shouldn’t have fought so hard for that week, by constantly reminding people that I wanted that week.
Needless it say, with those feelings going on… It was SUCH a hard week.
But the week wasn't all bad. I had 16-18 year-olds again and they were fun. Of course, just like every week, there were some problems here and there, but nothing terribly major. Most of the hard stuff going on was my personal stuff and feelings with me, not issues with the group. My co-counselors were great and our name was Everlasting Glory (taken from Revelations 14:6-7)
And there were lots of fun, funny, and spiritual things that happened. Plus, there were so many tender mercies that happened that I am SO grateful for because they showed me that the Lord truly is aware of me and looking out for me. Just a few of those tender mercies... a couple of my girls coming and dancing with me in the lobby when I was on dance duty during the second half of the Friday night dance and feeling super down (though I don't think they realized that). And the session directors (the Dixons) coming up with one word to describe each counselor and my word being "depth." Until that word was said after my name, I didn't realize how much I've been working towards exemplifying that word this summer. I really have been trying to deepen my testimony, as well as deepen my relationships with Christ and those around me this summer, and it was so amazing to have somebody recognize that. And then just to have some participants and other counselors say or do certain things that helped me to realize that maybe I did help to make a difference.
So... maybe... just maybe... I was supposed to be in Cedar City. And I am so grateful for that.
But I miss EFY already. Those six weeks were some of the craziest, hardest, and most emotional weeks of my life. However, somehow, they were also among the most fun, fulfilling, and growth-promoting, weeks of my life. Funny how that works. And just like I'd tell my kids each week, I don't want it to stop here. EFY shouldn't just be a fun memory or a neat week (or weeks, in my case). It should be a springboard to the rest of your life. I rose a little higher because of EFY and I want to continue that growth and not sink back down to where I was (not that I was in a bad place before... I'm just in a better place now). It won't be easy, but I know I can do it. And I WILL do it.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
EFY- Kirtland
What an incredible week of EFY. Really, it was just what I needed.
I'll admit it. I was kind of nervous going in to the week. I had grown so used to the team I had worked with for my other four weeks and was a little scared to lose them. I knew that the Midwest team had all been working together and with all the traveling they do from place to place, I figured they'd be pretty close. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to make friends and I only knew one of the other counselors. But there was no reason for me to be worried. I arrived to Kirtland late, because we had to wait extra long for the shuttle, and so I arrived about 15 minutes into the fireside and just slipped in. I waved to my friend, but sat quietly by myself. But after the fireside, when they announced BC groups, my BC (Codi) immediately gave me a huge hug, and Ellie (one of the coordinators) couldn't stop waving at me. I immediately felt so welcome and so at home, even though I was the only counselor who had never worked with them before.
Another good sign of the week, was once I met my co (Ben), we were almost instantly on the same page and unified. He's such a solid guy. Though I also feel bad that I wasn't able to spend as much time with him during the week as I wanted, since we were on the kind of crazy special edition schedule and I was on musical program during free time.
Anyways, I had the 16-18 year olds this week and I adored them. We were On the Right Hand (from Acts 7:55-56). We had 10 girls and 12 boys (super bizarre to have more guys than girls, but it was fun for me to be escorted sometimes and get to know some of the guys better that way).
We were able to tour some historical sites in Kirtland and the surrounding areas on Tuesday and Wednesday and it was amazing. Our session directors (the Woodwards) also were so informative about all the historically significant things that happened in Kirtland. I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that I didn't realize how much happened there until this week. I had heard most of the stories, but didn't put two and two together that they happened there. But Kirtland was the church headquarters for the longest of anywhere besides Salt Lake City, so a lot happened there. I got to be in the room where D&C 76 was seen in vision by Joseph (and then I was able to studying that section on the lawn of the farm where it was revealed). To look at the exact place where Christ revealed himself in the temple to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, and where Moses, Elias, and Elijah came to restore keys (and read D&C 110 on the temple grounds). To stand on the step of the John Johnson farm that Joseph Smith both preached from and was dragged from before he was tarred and feathered. To sit near the site where the first high priests of the dispensation were ordained. It was all so incredible and I feel so blessed to have been able to do it. Granted, it was bit crazy... I was doing a million and a half headcounts to constantly make sure I didn't lose any kids, and the schedule was a bit nuts (including getting less sleep on the touring days). But the busing and touring also provided some extra bonding time as a group. And nothing pulls people together more than spiritual experiences and discussions (one reason why EFY is so awesome). :-)
Company picture in front of the Newel K. Whitney store.
I also had the great opportunity to help with musical program this week. It was definitely a little crazy because we only had four practices instead of the normal six (we lost two lunch practices since we were touring), but it definitely brought the Spirit and helped to set the tone for me to receive some personal revelation that night. And the counselors I got to work with for that were wonderful.
Late night chats with some other counselors were also great... though the lack of sleep due to them wasn't. Oops. I know I still need to figure lots of stuff out with my life and I feel like this week gave me more questions instead of answers. But I am so happy I had the opportunity to be in Kirtland with a great team. And I'm also so grateful that I just got hired on for one more week of EFY, this time in Cedar City. It's going to be awesome.
I'll admit it. I was kind of nervous going in to the week. I had grown so used to the team I had worked with for my other four weeks and was a little scared to lose them. I knew that the Midwest team had all been working together and with all the traveling they do from place to place, I figured they'd be pretty close. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to make friends and I only knew one of the other counselors. But there was no reason for me to be worried. I arrived to Kirtland late, because we had to wait extra long for the shuttle, and so I arrived about 15 minutes into the fireside and just slipped in. I waved to my friend, but sat quietly by myself. But after the fireside, when they announced BC groups, my BC (Codi) immediately gave me a huge hug, and Ellie (one of the coordinators) couldn't stop waving at me. I immediately felt so welcome and so at home, even though I was the only counselor who had never worked with them before.
Another good sign of the week, was once I met my co (Ben), we were almost instantly on the same page and unified. He's such a solid guy. Though I also feel bad that I wasn't able to spend as much time with him during the week as I wanted, since we were on the kind of crazy special edition schedule and I was on musical program during free time.
Anyways, I had the 16-18 year olds this week and I adored them. We were On the Right Hand (from Acts 7:55-56). We had 10 girls and 12 boys (super bizarre to have more guys than girls, but it was fun for me to be escorted sometimes and get to know some of the guys better that way).
We were able to tour some historical sites in Kirtland and the surrounding areas on Tuesday and Wednesday and it was amazing. Our session directors (the Woodwards) also were so informative about all the historically significant things that happened in Kirtland. I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that I didn't realize how much happened there until this week. I had heard most of the stories, but didn't put two and two together that they happened there. But Kirtland was the church headquarters for the longest of anywhere besides Salt Lake City, so a lot happened there. I got to be in the room where D&C 76 was seen in vision by Joseph (and then I was able to studying that section on the lawn of the farm where it was revealed). To look at the exact place where Christ revealed himself in the temple to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, and where Moses, Elias, and Elijah came to restore keys (and read D&C 110 on the temple grounds). To stand on the step of the John Johnson farm that Joseph Smith both preached from and was dragged from before he was tarred and feathered. To sit near the site where the first high priests of the dispensation were ordained. It was all so incredible and I feel so blessed to have been able to do it. Granted, it was bit crazy... I was doing a million and a half headcounts to constantly make sure I didn't lose any kids, and the schedule was a bit nuts (including getting less sleep on the touring days). But the busing and touring also provided some extra bonding time as a group. And nothing pulls people together more than spiritual experiences and discussions (one reason why EFY is so awesome). :-)
I also had the great opportunity to help with musical program this week. It was definitely a little crazy because we only had four practices instead of the normal six (we lost two lunch practices since we were touring), but it definitely brought the Spirit and helped to set the tone for me to receive some personal revelation that night. And the counselors I got to work with for that were wonderful.
Late night chats with some other counselors were also great... though the lack of sleep due to them wasn't. Oops. I know I still need to figure lots of stuff out with my life and I feel like this week gave me more questions instead of answers. But I am so happy I had the opportunity to be in Kirtland with a great team. And I'm also so grateful that I just got hired on for one more week of EFY, this time in Cedar City. It's going to be awesome.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
EFY- Salt Lake City 3
This week of EFY was really interesting for me. I was SO excited to go back to EFY all week during my week off. I was even thinking to myself a lot, "If I were at EFY, I'd be doing *this* right now." But then Saturday night hit and I suddenly didn't want to go back. I'm not entirely sure why. I was kind of stressed because I had been trying to look for a real job for after EFY, but I couldn't find anything. I was worried about having a hard week and the necessary energy to be a counselor. I was overwhelmed and just not sure if I could do another week. It was also hard because it started to become a bit monotonous. During EFY training, someone mentioned how important it is to give each week your all because even though you may work multiple weeks in a summer, it's the only shot these kids have. I just thought, "Duh. Why wouldn't I give each week my all?" I was so excited to be an EFY counselor and didn't understand how it could be difficult when you have personal stuff going on and when you're exhausted and spent in every way possible. I was just kind of burned out. It was compounded by the fact that not only was it my fourth week, but it was my third week with the exact same campus, exact same schedule, exact same dorm building, and exact same food. It really became a bit monotonous. And all of these things going on added up to me not really wanting to be there, even once I got up to Salt Lake and was at the fireside. It was interesting that at the fireside for counselors, our session director (Brother Bacon) talked about desires. And a lot of the counselors talked about desiring to help their kids in various ways. I felt pretty inadequate when I realized that my desire was just to have the desire to be at EFY so that I could be a good possible.
Luckily, that desire did come (though it didn't starting coming until Monday evening and didn't really come until Tuesday) and I ended up having a great week. I was with the 14-15 year olds again. This week, I had 12 girls in my group, and there were 34 kids overall in our company. Our company was Glory of the Sun (from 1 Corinthians 15:40-42). Things weren't perfect with our company, but my girls were sweethearts. That was such a blessing, considering how much I was struggling at the beginning of the week. I felt bad that I wasn't able to spend as much time with them as I wanted, since I was on lunch and free time duty a lot, but they were pretty understanding.
I learned a lot personally this week. It was definitely hard in a lot of ways with the different personal things me and my co's were going through, as well as dealing with some difficult things within the company, but it was so good. And there was such a good payoff. As hard as it is, I wish I could be an EFY counselor forever.
The co's... Ryan, Kylie, and me.
Glory of the Sun!
But as for now, I need to finish packing and get to bed. I leave in less than 8 hours to head out to Kirtland for my last week of EFY. I'm sad EFY is almost over for me, but I am so excited to go to Kirtland. It should be a blast!
Luckily, that desire did come (though it didn't starting coming until Monday evening and didn't really come until Tuesday) and I ended up having a great week. I was with the 14-15 year olds again. This week, I had 12 girls in my group, and there were 34 kids overall in our company. Our company was Glory of the Sun (from 1 Corinthians 15:40-42). Things weren't perfect with our company, but my girls were sweethearts. That was such a blessing, considering how much I was struggling at the beginning of the week. I felt bad that I wasn't able to spend as much time with them as I wanted, since I was on lunch and free time duty a lot, but they were pretty understanding.
I learned a lot personally this week. It was definitely hard in a lot of ways with the different personal things me and my co's were going through, as well as dealing with some difficult things within the company, but it was so good. And there was such a good payoff. As hard as it is, I wish I could be an EFY counselor forever.
But as for now, I need to finish packing and get to bed. I leave in less than 8 hours to head out to Kirtland for my last week of EFY. I'm sad EFY is almost over for me, but I am so excited to go to Kirtland. It should be a blast!
Saturday, June 30, 2012
The Pearl Necklace
I wanted to share some of the spiritual insight that I gained at EFY that I mentioned in my last post. I won't get into too much detail, since it is pretty personal. But I hope that maybe this can also touch someone else the way it touched me.
As I've done every week thus far, I went into the week with questions that I wanted answered and I have definitely been getting some answers. It's been great. But this week, Brother Chidester (our session director) challenged the counselors in our fireside Sunday night to write down our questions. So I did. In generic terms, the questions were about what to do with my life, with dating, and with certain relationships. I gained insight and revelation throughout the week about them. But Thursday night is when it really hit me and I felt like the heavens opened for me in regards to a few of my questions.
Thursday is the extra spiritual day at EFY. We're all in our church clothes and have young men and young women activities. This year, we get to go over The Living Christ in our counselor groups, as well as having a separate YM/YW morningside devotionals by the session directors. There's lunch and then a variety show, but the evening is when it gets really spiritual. There is a wonderful musical program and then a session director fireside and then company testimony meetings. I loved hearing Brother Chidester throughout the week, but as he spoke at that fireside, he changed slightly and his message seemed to be much more powerful and more much forceful. And what he said hit me really hard. He talked the story about the woman in Mark 5 being healed of the issue of blood. He talked about how Christ is the only one who can heal us, and we all need to be healed. As he said that, I realized how much pain I'm still carrying in regards to certain issues and I how need to accept that Christ can and will heal me if I let Him. I was definitely touched by that, but he then shared a story that I'd like to share, as it also touched me deeply. I had heard the story before, but I think I was more open to it as I was searching for some answers.
(Ok. I tried writing it in my own words, but it wasn't super powerful. I copied and pasted it from here. I don't know how powerful it is even with this, but I know it's better than me trying to tell it. Hope that's ok. I know it may be a bit cheesy to some, but I hope you can get something out of it if you read it in the right spirit.)
The cheerful girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them: a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box.
"Oh please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please!"
Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face.
"A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma."
As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked Mrs. McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten cents.
On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace.
Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere--Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.
Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night when he finished the story, he asked Jenny, "Do you love me?"
"Oh yes, Daddy. You know that I love you."
"Then give me your pearls."
"Oh, Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess--the white horse from my collection. The one with the pink tail. Remember, Daddy? The one you gave me. She's my favorite."
"That's okay, Honey. Daddy loves you. Good night." And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.
About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's daddy asked again, "Do you love me?"
"Daddy, you know I love you."
"Then give me your pearls."
"Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my babydoll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is so beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper."
"That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you." And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.
A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian-style. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek.
"What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?"
Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said, "Here, Daddy. It's for you."
With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's kind daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime-store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny.
As Brother Chidester spoke, I knew exactly what my dime-store necklaces were. As recorded in my journal from that night, a couple of my necklaces are fear of what it will take and fear that my pain can't be healed. Another necklace is made up of my personal plans and what I think should be happening in my life. But these things are SO hard for me to give up. I like my plan. I still want to do my plan. And the fear is also hard to give up. I feel in control with it (which sounds contradictory, but humans don't always make sense). And I'm afraid there will be even more fear if I give up my necklaces. But why wouldn't I give up those plans and stop worrying, if I know that there are genuine pearls still waiting?
What was interesting, as I woke up on Friday, I had ANOTHER insight to a dime-store necklace in my life. And I think that was the hardest one to accept. I don't really have to change anything to give it up. It's just acceptance. However, acceptance can be incredibly hard. But I know that if I can give up this necklace, then great things are in store. But as I hold on to the cheap necklace, I can't accept the great things that are coming. It's hard.
I'm sorry this is vague in regards to what my personal take-away was. But it is kind of personal and I am still trying to figure out where to go from here. But I encourage you to think about your own dime-store necklaces. What's holding you back?
As I've done every week thus far, I went into the week with questions that I wanted answered and I have definitely been getting some answers. It's been great. But this week, Brother Chidester (our session director) challenged the counselors in our fireside Sunday night to write down our questions. So I did. In generic terms, the questions were about what to do with my life, with dating, and with certain relationships. I gained insight and revelation throughout the week about them. But Thursday night is when it really hit me and I felt like the heavens opened for me in regards to a few of my questions.
Thursday is the extra spiritual day at EFY. We're all in our church clothes and have young men and young women activities. This year, we get to go over The Living Christ in our counselor groups, as well as having a separate YM/YW morningside devotionals by the session directors. There's lunch and then a variety show, but the evening is when it gets really spiritual. There is a wonderful musical program and then a session director fireside and then company testimony meetings. I loved hearing Brother Chidester throughout the week, but as he spoke at that fireside, he changed slightly and his message seemed to be much more powerful and more much forceful. And what he said hit me really hard. He talked the story about the woman in Mark 5 being healed of the issue of blood. He talked about how Christ is the only one who can heal us, and we all need to be healed. As he said that, I realized how much pain I'm still carrying in regards to certain issues and I how need to accept that Christ can and will heal me if I let Him. I was definitely touched by that, but he then shared a story that I'd like to share, as it also touched me deeply. I had heard the story before, but I think I was more open to it as I was searching for some answers.
(Ok. I tried writing it in my own words, but it wasn't super powerful. I copied and pasted it from here. I don't know how powerful it is even with this, but I know it's better than me trying to tell it. Hope that's ok. I know it may be a bit cheesy to some, but I hope you can get something out of it if you read it in the right spirit.)
The cheerful girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them: a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box.
"Oh please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please!"
Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face.
"A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma."
As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked Mrs. McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten cents.
On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace.
Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere--Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.
Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night when he finished the story, he asked Jenny, "Do you love me?"
"Oh yes, Daddy. You know that I love you."
"Then give me your pearls."
"Oh, Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess--the white horse from my collection. The one with the pink tail. Remember, Daddy? The one you gave me. She's my favorite."
"That's okay, Honey. Daddy loves you. Good night." And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.
About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's daddy asked again, "Do you love me?"
"Daddy, you know I love you."
"Then give me your pearls."
"Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my babydoll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is so beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper."
"That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you." And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.
A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian-style. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek.
"What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?"
Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said, "Here, Daddy. It's for you."
With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's kind daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime-store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny.
As Brother Chidester spoke, I knew exactly what my dime-store necklaces were. As recorded in my journal from that night, a couple of my necklaces are fear of what it will take and fear that my pain can't be healed. Another necklace is made up of my personal plans and what I think should be happening in my life. But these things are SO hard for me to give up. I like my plan. I still want to do my plan. And the fear is also hard to give up. I feel in control with it (which sounds contradictory, but humans don't always make sense). And I'm afraid there will be even more fear if I give up my necklaces. But why wouldn't I give up those plans and stop worrying, if I know that there are genuine pearls still waiting?
What was interesting, as I woke up on Friday, I had ANOTHER insight to a dime-store necklace in my life. And I think that was the hardest one to accept. I don't really have to change anything to give it up. It's just acceptance. However, acceptance can be incredibly hard. But I know that if I can give up this necklace, then great things are in store. But as I hold on to the cheap necklace, I can't accept the great things that are coming. It's hard.
I'm sorry this is vague in regards to what my personal take-away was. But it is kind of personal and I am still trying to figure out where to go from here. But I encourage you to think about your own dime-store necklaces. What's holding you back?
EFY- Salt Lake City 2
Another week of EFY down. This summer is seriously flying by with all these weeks of EFY! And right now, I basically just don't want EFY to end. Because then I'm going to have to grow up and figure out what I'm really doing with my life. Can't I just be an EFY counselor forever? :P
I was in Salt Lake again this week, but this time I was with the 14-15 year-olds. I had a blast. And I was in a much better mood this week, so I felt like I was a much more effective counselor. I also had a GREAT Thursday night "payoff", which was made even better after having a bit of a rough Thursday afternoon. The payoff? Every single one of our kids bore their testimony during testimony meeting. I wasn't expecting that at all, but it was a really neat thing. The Spirit was so strong and I knew that I had helped to make at least a small difference in their lives.
This week was especially nice because our company was just made up of two counselor groups- my 10 girls, and then my co-counselor David's 10 guys. Having an exact amount of guys and girls was so awesome, in my opinion. And David was an absolute rock star, especially since I was on musical program duty this week, which meant I was helping with that during lunch and free time. So David had to make sure both his guys and my girls were good during those times without me and herd them around by himself. I felt like David and I were really united. We also just had a blast... especially when we showed our participants pick-up lines and moves during games night. They then started spreading rumors that I was in love with David, but that he was in love with another counselor. This provided many opportunities for outrageous flirting in front of our kids to see their reactions. Hilarious. Also hilarious... me not being able to dance much at all, but whenever I did something at the dance, I would see at least 2-3 kids start doing what I'm doing. Love it.
Me and David
Our company at games night. (The kids decided our company name to be "One and Only", based on James 17:3.)
This week also provided a lot of personal insight and revelation for me. But that'll have to be another post.
After the session, a few of us counselors went to City Creek, which was cool, since I'd never been there before. (Sorry... no pictures to prove it.) But we were all pretty exhausted, so we didn't stay too long. I'll have to go back another time when I have more energy.
I'm definitely going to miss being at EFY next week. It's definitely become a part of me, even after just three weeks. I love those kids and the counselors that I work with. But it'll be good to catch up on some much-needed sleep and hang out with friends that I haven't really been able to hang out with. Life is good.
I was in Salt Lake again this week, but this time I was with the 14-15 year-olds. I had a blast. And I was in a much better mood this week, so I felt like I was a much more effective counselor. I also had a GREAT Thursday night "payoff", which was made even better after having a bit of a rough Thursday afternoon. The payoff? Every single one of our kids bore their testimony during testimony meeting. I wasn't expecting that at all, but it was a really neat thing. The Spirit was so strong and I knew that I had helped to make at least a small difference in their lives.
This week was especially nice because our company was just made up of two counselor groups- my 10 girls, and then my co-counselor David's 10 guys. Having an exact amount of guys and girls was so awesome, in my opinion. And David was an absolute rock star, especially since I was on musical program duty this week, which meant I was helping with that during lunch and free time. So David had to make sure both his guys and my girls were good during those times without me and herd them around by himself. I felt like David and I were really united. We also just had a blast... especially when we showed our participants pick-up lines and moves during games night. They then started spreading rumors that I was in love with David, but that he was in love with another counselor. This provided many opportunities for outrageous flirting in front of our kids to see their reactions. Hilarious. Also hilarious... me not being able to dance much at all, but whenever I did something at the dance, I would see at least 2-3 kids start doing what I'm doing. Love it.
This week also provided a lot of personal insight and revelation for me. But that'll have to be another post.
After the session, a few of us counselors went to City Creek, which was cool, since I'd never been there before. (Sorry... no pictures to prove it.) But we were all pretty exhausted, so we didn't stay too long. I'll have to go back another time when I have more energy.
I'm definitely going to miss being at EFY next week. It's definitely become a part of me, even after just three weeks. I love those kids and the counselors that I work with. But it'll be good to catch up on some much-needed sleep and hang out with friends that I haven't really been able to hang out with. Life is good.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
EFY- Salt Lake City 1
Contrary to popular belief, being an EFY counselor is not all sunshine and roses. And this week was especially hard.
This week, I was at the University of Utah. (I felt slightly like a traitor with the U lanyard I had, but the EFY lanyard wasn't sturdy at all.) But that wasn't the hard part.
What did make it hard? There's no need to go into a ton of details, but I'll give the basics.
First off, I was having some personal stuff going on that wasn't very fun to deal with. So I didn't really deal with it (not super effective, either).
Secondly, I just wasn't feeling like a good counselor. I felt that way the week before on Monday, but then I got in the groove of things and felt like a decent counselor by Wednesday. This week, I felt okay on Monday, but I was feeling awful by Wednesday.
And finally, everything was compounded by the fact that I was tired from EFY the week before. I wasn't able to get the Saturday nap like I had planned, so I didn't start off super rested. And in case you didn't know, when I'm tired, I'm overly emotional. That's fun.
The whole week, I was so desperately hoping for the Thursday night payoff. At EFY, Thursday is the more "spiritual day" and Thursday night is testimony meeting. As a counselor, it's so nice to partake of the Spirit there and realize that maybe you did help to make a difference in the lives of your kids in helping them become at least a little bit closer to Christ. But Thursday was by far the hardest day for me (in fact, I had two mini-breakdowns on Thursday, one of which my BC got to witness). I truly felt like I had failed as a counselor and hadn't made an ounce of difference in anybody's life, except maybe my own.
But I really don't want this to be a downer post. I liked my counselor group and our company (Nothing Wavering, from James 1:5-6). It was fun being with the "older kids" (16-18 year olds). And I think overall, they had a good time. I definitely learned a lot from this week that I really hope I can continue to apply to my life. I know that at least I am closer to Christ and my own testimony has grown. I know that I learned some things that will help me in the future as I continue to work with youth and hopefully later on as a mother. And I think instead of the Thursday night payoff, I had the Friday night payoff. On Friday, I finally had a confirmation that I truly had done what I could and that it was now up to the kids themselves. That's one of the hardest things to realize, both at EFY and with my therapy clients. People have their agency and they are ultimately responsible for their choices.
Company picture during games night.
Co-counselors... me, Ashley, and Richard.
And now, I need to finish up my Sunday School lesson and then get to bed. (I'm still tired after my five-hour nap today.) And I need to be rested for my next week of EFY!
This week, I was at the University of Utah. (I felt slightly like a traitor with the U lanyard I had, but the EFY lanyard wasn't sturdy at all.) But that wasn't the hard part.
What did make it hard? There's no need to go into a ton of details, but I'll give the basics.
First off, I was having some personal stuff going on that wasn't very fun to deal with. So I didn't really deal with it (not super effective, either).
Secondly, I just wasn't feeling like a good counselor. I felt that way the week before on Monday, but then I got in the groove of things and felt like a decent counselor by Wednesday. This week, I felt okay on Monday, but I was feeling awful by Wednesday.
And finally, everything was compounded by the fact that I was tired from EFY the week before. I wasn't able to get the Saturday nap like I had planned, so I didn't start off super rested. And in case you didn't know, when I'm tired, I'm overly emotional. That's fun.
The whole week, I was so desperately hoping for the Thursday night payoff. At EFY, Thursday is the more "spiritual day" and Thursday night is testimony meeting. As a counselor, it's so nice to partake of the Spirit there and realize that maybe you did help to make a difference in the lives of your kids in helping them become at least a little bit closer to Christ. But Thursday was by far the hardest day for me (in fact, I had two mini-breakdowns on Thursday, one of which my BC got to witness). I truly felt like I had failed as a counselor and hadn't made an ounce of difference in anybody's life, except maybe my own.
But I really don't want this to be a downer post. I liked my counselor group and our company (Nothing Wavering, from James 1:5-6). It was fun being with the "older kids" (16-18 year olds). And I think overall, they had a good time. I definitely learned a lot from this week that I really hope I can continue to apply to my life. I know that at least I am closer to Christ and my own testimony has grown. I know that I learned some things that will help me in the future as I continue to work with youth and hopefully later on as a mother. And I think instead of the Thursday night payoff, I had the Friday night payoff. On Friday, I finally had a confirmation that I truly had done what I could and that it was now up to the kids themselves. That's one of the hardest things to realize, both at EFY and with my therapy clients. People have their agency and they are ultimately responsible for their choices.
Company picture during games night.
Co-counselors... me, Ashley, and Richard.
And now, I need to finish up my Sunday School lesson and then get to bed. (I'm still tired after my five-hour nap today.) And I need to be rested for my next week of EFY!
Saturday, June 16, 2012
EFY- St. George
I got back today from my first week of being an EFY counselor. We were at Dixie State in St. George. It was quite a nice campus, minus the ridiculous heat (which isn't super fun to wear polos and pants in... and it definitely isn't fun when the AC in your apartment breaks and it's 89 degrees and won't cool down). And the food was actually surprisingly good (though the long lines weren't fun).
The session was a little bizarre, because it was a combined stay-at-home and overnight session. I heard it was combined, but I assumed that meant that some counselors and kids would be stay-at-home, and others (like myself) would be overnight and we would just combine for some activities. However, it ended up being that all counselors were overnight and everyone had some stay-at-home and some overnight kids in their groups. I had 7 overnighters and 5 stay-at-homes in my counselor group. Because of this combo session, the schedule was a bit weird and cut things a bit short. It was sad some of the time, but I definitely appreciated the extra hour of sleep a night (since the day started at 7:30am for counselors, instead of the normal 6:30am).
My co-counselors (Ry and Tiffany) were absolutely fantastic and were amazing mentors to have my first week. I'll definitely be a better counselor because of them.
I also adored the coordinator and BC team, which is great because I'm going to continue to be working with them in Salt Lake. (No picture, but I'm sure I'll get one another week.)
My company for the week consisted of 39 amazing 14- and 15-year-olds. They were an absolute blast and I learned a ton from them. They decided to name themselves "You Choose" (using Matthew 6:24).
I miss them already.
I never understood people who said it was hard to be an EFY counselor. Remembering how fun I had the 4 years I went as a participant, I couldn't comprehend how it could possibly be hard. But I get it now. The week definitely had its ups and downs for me as I tried to figure out how to be the best counselor I could. And to be honest, I do feel like Satan was trying really hard to get to me, so I wouldn't be as effective in helping these youth. But I was able to get through the "downs" and enjoy some incredible "ups." The laughs shared over crazy dance moves, Tiffany's "dolphin laugh", our company winning the water competition and being able to dump water on the health counselors, the most variety I've ever seen at a variety show, the sweet spirit during testimony meeting, the bonding that occurred during games and pizza night, playing cards during free time, hanging out with the counselors before all the kids came, being able to consistently bear my testimony as I taught these amazing youth, and receiving lots of my own personal revelation as I was able to quietly ponder.
There's so much more I could write about the week, but I think I'll have to end it there. I'm really tired. And kind of worried for next week. (If I'm this tired now... how am I going to do with even less sleep next week?) But I know it'll be great. I'm so excited to meet a new group of kids and learn and grow from them, and hopefully I can help them some, as well.
The session was a little bizarre, because it was a combined stay-at-home and overnight session. I heard it was combined, but I assumed that meant that some counselors and kids would be stay-at-home, and others (like myself) would be overnight and we would just combine for some activities. However, it ended up being that all counselors were overnight and everyone had some stay-at-home and some overnight kids in their groups. I had 7 overnighters and 5 stay-at-homes in my counselor group. Because of this combo session, the schedule was a bit weird and cut things a bit short. It was sad some of the time, but I definitely appreciated the extra hour of sleep a night (since the day started at 7:30am for counselors, instead of the normal 6:30am).
My co-counselors (Ry and Tiffany) were absolutely fantastic and were amazing mentors to have my first week. I'll definitely be a better counselor because of them.
I also adored the coordinator and BC team, which is great because I'm going to continue to be working with them in Salt Lake. (No picture, but I'm sure I'll get one another week.)
My company for the week consisted of 39 amazing 14- and 15-year-olds. They were an absolute blast and I learned a ton from them. They decided to name themselves "You Choose" (using Matthew 6:24).
I miss them already.
I never understood people who said it was hard to be an EFY counselor. Remembering how fun I had the 4 years I went as a participant, I couldn't comprehend how it could possibly be hard. But I get it now. The week definitely had its ups and downs for me as I tried to figure out how to be the best counselor I could. And to be honest, I do feel like Satan was trying really hard to get to me, so I wouldn't be as effective in helping these youth. But I was able to get through the "downs" and enjoy some incredible "ups." The laughs shared over crazy dance moves, Tiffany's "dolphin laugh", our company winning the water competition and being able to dump water on the health counselors, the most variety I've ever seen at a variety show, the sweet spirit during testimony meeting, the bonding that occurred during games and pizza night, playing cards during free time, hanging out with the counselors before all the kids came, being able to consistently bear my testimony as I taught these amazing youth, and receiving lots of my own personal revelation as I was able to quietly ponder.
There's so much more I could write about the week, but I think I'll have to end it there. I'm really tired. And kind of worried for next week. (If I'm this tired now... how am I going to do with even less sleep next week?) But I know it'll be great. I'm so excited to meet a new group of kids and learn and grow from them, and hopefully I can help them some, as well.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Make a different meal every day for dinner for a week
One of my goals for my 101 list was to "Make a different meal every day for dinner for a week."
For those who don't know, I'm not much of a cook. I love food, but I tend to not have the time (or make the time) to make anything. I tend to make a big meal one night, eat it for a week, and then repeat the process with another recipe. Or I do really simple (and not super nutritious) stuff like cereal or sandwiches. So this was a challenge for me. But I figured I may as well do it while I still have time. Because once I get a job, it would be a lot more challenging.
What I made:
May 7—Slow Cooker Salsa Rice Bake (I substituted hamburger for Italian sausage)
May 8—Creamy Ranch Chicken
May 9—Creamy Black Bean Salsa Chicken
May 10—Slow Cooker BBQ Ranch Chicken
May 11—Oven baked chicken (family recipe- coat chicken in mixture of crushed Corn Flakes and seasonings and then bake it)
May 12—Pasta with Alfredo Sauce and Italian sausage
May 13—Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas (I did make this one in the oven-- 25 minutes at 350)
So... yeah. I did it. I did use my crockpot for a lot of it, but I see no shame in that. And I was able to freeze some of the leftovers so that I can pull them out on my weekends between EFY and still have something to eat. Because I know I'll have no energy to shop or cook.
For those who don't know, I'm not much of a cook. I love food, but I tend to not have the time (or make the time) to make anything. I tend to make a big meal one night, eat it for a week, and then repeat the process with another recipe. Or I do really simple (and not super nutritious) stuff like cereal or sandwiches. So this was a challenge for me. But I figured I may as well do it while I still have time. Because once I get a job, it would be a lot more challenging.
What I made:
May 7—Slow Cooker Salsa Rice Bake (I substituted hamburger for Italian sausage)
May 8—Creamy Ranch Chicken
May 9—Creamy Black Bean Salsa Chicken
May 10—Slow Cooker BBQ Ranch Chicken
May 11—Oven baked chicken (family recipe- coat chicken in mixture of crushed Corn Flakes and seasonings and then bake it)
May 12—Pasta with Alfredo Sauce and Italian sausage
May 13—Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas (I did make this one in the oven-- 25 minutes at 350)
So... yeah. I did it. I did use my crockpot for a lot of it, but I see no shame in that. And I was able to freeze some of the leftovers so that I can pull them out on my weekends between EFY and still have something to eat. Because I know I'll have no energy to shop or cook.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Tender Mercies
I had a really rough few days earlier this week. Nothing was really wrong, but I kind of felt like everything was falling apart. I was completely overwhelmed with work and school and it was the first time that I ever doubted my ability to complete the MSW program. I doubted my ability to ever really help anybody in my chosen field and felt like a terrible therapist. I didn't think I could ever pass my licensing exam, so the last couple years of my life would be a waste. I felt like I had no down time, to the point that I wasn't even really making food for myself or getting good sleep. And though I was getting 6-7 hours of sleep a night, I was always utterly exhausted. I was incredibly frustrated with boys and my lack of ability to get a date (or even have certain guys talk to me) and my catastrophic thinking quickly led me to the "fact" that I'll never get married. I started doubting a lot of things and I felt alone and helpless. It was not a fun place to be in.
But I am so grateful for the Lord's tender mercies that got me through those few days. For friends who offered hugs and listening ears and who didn't judge me when I was in tears. Who were comfortable just sitting with me in silence or who tried to make me smile by cracking a joke (sometimes at their own expense). For friends who want to fix things, and feel awful if they can't, but who do the small things they can do to help (and those things help more than they'll ever understand). For wonderful guy friends that are worthy priesthood holders and who can give blessings at the exact moment I need one, even if they aren't wearing a typical white shirt and tie. For roommates who make me food because I barely have time to eat (let alone actually make something) and who don't snap at me, even when I'm being a brat and probably deserve a talking-to.
And I'm grateful for the Lord's timing. I struggle with that sometimes. I'm a planner and like knowing where I'll be and what I'll be doing. Not knowing where I'm going to be after graduation has kind of thrown me for a loop. Some people have told me that I'm so lucky that I'm not tied down after graduation, because that means I can go anywhere or do anything. And I guess they're right. But it kind of terrifies me, because that means that I DO have so many options. What if I pick the wrong one? What if I can't figure out where I'm supposed to be? I feel like I'm walking in this dark tunnel with just a little light, praying to have more light, so I'll know where to go. And this week, I was able to get a bit more light in that tunnel and now can see at least a few more steps ahead. I still don't really know what I'll be when I grow up, but I do know what I'm doing this summer (just don't ask me what I'm doing after July 21 because then I'll be back to trying to figure out my life). I was accepted to be an EFY counselor this summer. I haven't officially accepted the contracts yet (because I had a couple of questions with the hiring office that I need clarified first), but I'm planning to accept all of them- 1 in St. George, 3 in Salt Lake, and 1 Kirtland. I've always wanted to be an EFY counselor, and I still am having a hard time believing that I will be. Part of me is a bit sad that I won't be around and hanging out with my roommates all summer. But I am so excited to be able to be a counselor. And I feel calm. I know I'm doing the right thing in moving forward with this. If there is even one person that I am able to help draw closer to the Lord, it will have been worth it (even if that one person is me... though I really am hoping to help my groups). And I know that the Lord will continue to direct me in my life. He's led me to the MSW program, to this ward with these roommates, to my internships, and now to be an EFY counselor. Because of all these experiences, I know that He will lead me to the correct job after that. That is such a big comfort to me and I am so grateful for it.
Things still aren't perfect. My problems and feelings from this week didn't magically go away. But I am so grateful for the tender mercies I have been experiencing and that I know I will continue to experience. I am so blessed.
But I am so grateful for the Lord's tender mercies that got me through those few days. For friends who offered hugs and listening ears and who didn't judge me when I was in tears. Who were comfortable just sitting with me in silence or who tried to make me smile by cracking a joke (sometimes at their own expense). For friends who want to fix things, and feel awful if they can't, but who do the small things they can do to help (and those things help more than they'll ever understand). For wonderful guy friends that are worthy priesthood holders and who can give blessings at the exact moment I need one, even if they aren't wearing a typical white shirt and tie. For roommates who make me food because I barely have time to eat (let alone actually make something) and who don't snap at me, even when I'm being a brat and probably deserve a talking-to.
And I'm grateful for the Lord's timing. I struggle with that sometimes. I'm a planner and like knowing where I'll be and what I'll be doing. Not knowing where I'm going to be after graduation has kind of thrown me for a loop. Some people have told me that I'm so lucky that I'm not tied down after graduation, because that means I can go anywhere or do anything. And I guess they're right. But it kind of terrifies me, because that means that I DO have so many options. What if I pick the wrong one? What if I can't figure out where I'm supposed to be? I feel like I'm walking in this dark tunnel with just a little light, praying to have more light, so I'll know where to go. And this week, I was able to get a bit more light in that tunnel and now can see at least a few more steps ahead. I still don't really know what I'll be when I grow up, but I do know what I'm doing this summer (just don't ask me what I'm doing after July 21 because then I'll be back to trying to figure out my life). I was accepted to be an EFY counselor this summer. I haven't officially accepted the contracts yet (because I had a couple of questions with the hiring office that I need clarified first), but I'm planning to accept all of them- 1 in St. George, 3 in Salt Lake, and 1 Kirtland. I've always wanted to be an EFY counselor, and I still am having a hard time believing that I will be. Part of me is a bit sad that I won't be around and hanging out with my roommates all summer. But I am so excited to be able to be a counselor. And I feel calm. I know I'm doing the right thing in moving forward with this. If there is even one person that I am able to help draw closer to the Lord, it will have been worth it (even if that one person is me... though I really am hoping to help my groups). And I know that the Lord will continue to direct me in my life. He's led me to the MSW program, to this ward with these roommates, to my internships, and now to be an EFY counselor. Because of all these experiences, I know that He will lead me to the correct job after that. That is such a big comfort to me and I am so grateful for it.
Things still aren't perfect. My problems and feelings from this week didn't magically go away. But I am so grateful for the tender mercies I have been experiencing and that I know I will continue to experience. I am so blessed.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
EFY Interview
I went to my EFY counselor interview today. Being an EFY counselor is something I've always wanted to do since I went to EFY myself as a participant. I could imagine no greater job than having fun with youth as you help them to become closer to Christ. I still feel that way. I really want to be an EFY counselor. I even put it on my 101 list. And this really is the only summer that it could happen, because after this summer, I'll hopefully have a real job. And I (unfortunately) can't just take off from a real job for weeks at a time during the summer so I can be an EFY counselor.
The interview was great. For those who don't know, they do a group interview for EFY counselors. And though group interviews can be kind of awful, there is so much support and love between everyone (I mean, considering the position, it kind of makes sense), that it doesn't really matter. I was in a room with 11 other people and two interviewers. To begin, the interviewers had us write down a random fact about out ourselves and then collected them and we guessed who each belonged to. Then they asked us questions about things like why we wanted to be a counselor and we would just answer if we felt like it. We then did some fun games and afterwards talked about how the games could be related to the gospel and life. Good practice, because so much of the teaching at EFY can be informal. We then got together into triads and were given a scripture that we had to discuss and find a company name from. After, we discussed what that process is like for participants. They then answered the few questions we had about the hiring process and things. I really came away edified and uplifted.
I really don't know if I'll get the position. Honestly, it's kind of doubtful that I will. There are a limited number of counselor spots and SO many people apply. It's especially hard for girls to become counselors. And even though I feel like I'd be a great fit to be an EFY counselor, I don't really feel like I stood out a ton in the interview. Plus, I haven't served a mission (and it seemed like a majority of the girls in my group had).
However, as much as I desire to be an EFY counselor (and though I realize it's unlikely that I'll actually become one), I'm feeling quite peaceful about it. I know things will work out the way they're supposed to, even if I don't see why at the time. Looking back, it's been a really good thing I haven't been an EFY counselor past summers. The summer after my freshman year, I wasn't old enough to be a counselor (I didn't turn 19 until the end of the summer, and you had to be 19 by June 1). But that summer, I was able to go home and work and have my jaw surgery. The next summer, they increased the age requirement to 20, and once again, I couldn't be a counselor. I was SO upset at first. But because I wasn't a counselor that summer, I was able to go to school and do an internship, which allowed me to graduate college in three years and have enough experience to jump right into the MSW program. The next summer, I was finally able to apply... and I wasn't accepted. I was upset. Especially since my roommate that summer worked in the EFY office and so I knew that they were scrambling to find counselors. I was available, but they had rejected me for some reason or another so they wouldn't consider me. Honestly, I'm still not sure why I wasn't a counselor that summer. It would've been perfect, in my opinion. I had very flexible jobs that I easily could've taken time off from and I wasn't in any classes since I had just graduated. But for some reason, it wasn't meant to be that summer. Maybe I helped someone I don't know about. Or maybe there were experiences that impacted me in some way that I needed that now I don't even realize happened. And then, last summer, I was at my internship at the state hospital. I learned and grew so much from that experience. And though I was sad that I wasn't an EFY counselor (and I even tried to see if they'd let me do one session once I realized I could end my internship early), I knew that the state hospital was where I needed to be.
So... I'm not sure what's going to happen this summer. But I have faith in the Lord that He will lead me to where I need to be... Whether that is at EFY, in Provo hanging out with my roommates, traveling, or maybe moving somewhere across the country and starting a real job. I just pray that I will trust in whatever direction and revelation I receive and that I can then move forward, confident with where I am and where I need to be.
The interview was great. For those who don't know, they do a group interview for EFY counselors. And though group interviews can be kind of awful, there is so much support and love between everyone (I mean, considering the position, it kind of makes sense), that it doesn't really matter. I was in a room with 11 other people and two interviewers. To begin, the interviewers had us write down a random fact about out ourselves and then collected them and we guessed who each belonged to. Then they asked us questions about things like why we wanted to be a counselor and we would just answer if we felt like it. We then did some fun games and afterwards talked about how the games could be related to the gospel and life. Good practice, because so much of the teaching at EFY can be informal. We then got together into triads and were given a scripture that we had to discuss and find a company name from. After, we discussed what that process is like for participants. They then answered the few questions we had about the hiring process and things. I really came away edified and uplifted.
I really don't know if I'll get the position. Honestly, it's kind of doubtful that I will. There are a limited number of counselor spots and SO many people apply. It's especially hard for girls to become counselors. And even though I feel like I'd be a great fit to be an EFY counselor, I don't really feel like I stood out a ton in the interview. Plus, I haven't served a mission (and it seemed like a majority of the girls in my group had).
However, as much as I desire to be an EFY counselor (and though I realize it's unlikely that I'll actually become one), I'm feeling quite peaceful about it. I know things will work out the way they're supposed to, even if I don't see why at the time. Looking back, it's been a really good thing I haven't been an EFY counselor past summers. The summer after my freshman year, I wasn't old enough to be a counselor (I didn't turn 19 until the end of the summer, and you had to be 19 by June 1). But that summer, I was able to go home and work and have my jaw surgery. The next summer, they increased the age requirement to 20, and once again, I couldn't be a counselor. I was SO upset at first. But because I wasn't a counselor that summer, I was able to go to school and do an internship, which allowed me to graduate college in three years and have enough experience to jump right into the MSW program. The next summer, I was finally able to apply... and I wasn't accepted. I was upset. Especially since my roommate that summer worked in the EFY office and so I knew that they were scrambling to find counselors. I was available, but they had rejected me for some reason or another so they wouldn't consider me. Honestly, I'm still not sure why I wasn't a counselor that summer. It would've been perfect, in my opinion. I had very flexible jobs that I easily could've taken time off from and I wasn't in any classes since I had just graduated. But for some reason, it wasn't meant to be that summer. Maybe I helped someone I don't know about. Or maybe there were experiences that impacted me in some way that I needed that now I don't even realize happened. And then, last summer, I was at my internship at the state hospital. I learned and grew so much from that experience. And though I was sad that I wasn't an EFY counselor (and I even tried to see if they'd let me do one session once I realized I could end my internship early), I knew that the state hospital was where I needed to be.
So... I'm not sure what's going to happen this summer. But I have faith in the Lord that He will lead me to where I need to be... Whether that is at EFY, in Provo hanging out with my roommates, traveling, or maybe moving somewhere across the country and starting a real job. I just pray that I will trust in whatever direction and revelation I receive and that I can then move forward, confident with where I am and where I need to be.
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