17. HE is the Gift

It's finally the Christmas season! Christmastime is my favorite time of the year. Not because of Santa or presents, but because of the good feeling that is associated with the entire month! People seem happier and kinder as the holiday approaches.

I just watched the new Christmas video on lds.org that is titled He is the Gift. I suggest everyone take just 3 minutes to watch it; it has an amazing and powerful message. The video starts out and shows all the rush, stress, and hype over the holiday season. It shows people standing in line, spending money, and focusing on the materialistic aspect of Christmas. The mood of the video quickly shifts as it shows the simple words, "the first gift". It says how the first gift was not wrapped, tied with a bow, bought online or in a store. It lists many other adjectives to describe what this "first gift" is. As the video goes on, it becomes clear that the gift that is being referred to is the Savior. I thought this was a very moving and important reminder about Christmas, and what we have already been given. God gave us His son. He sent His son to die for us. To atone for us. To teach us. To live among us. To be our example and show us the way. To feel what we felt. To endure what we endure. To show us love. To bring hope to all. To be our light when we are encircled in darkness. To give us second, third, fourth, and fifth chances. To be the Savior of the world.

As we approach the holiday season, we need to remember what the true gift is: it is our Savior. Our focus needs to be on Christ and the indescribable gift that was given to us by Him and our Father. I challenge myself as well as all who read this to not get swept away in the material things of Christmas, but to adjust our focus to what is truly important this season. I know that as we keep the Savior the center of Christmas, we will have the best holiday imaginable.

16. Come Unto Christ

Near the end of my Junior year in high school, I got a call from a member of my Stake Presidency to come meet with them. I did not have the slightest idea of what they wanted to talk to me about. To my surprise they called me to serve as a member of Seminary Council at my high school. Two members per stake are chosen to serve, and I was ecstatic. I got set apart as the first councilor in the Seminary Council presidency, and it changed my entire Senior year. I felt quite overwhelmed and very incompetent, but I went forward in my calling with faith. As a Council we spent the summer getting ready for the new school year. We spent hours every week meeting and planning. We also had a lot of time for fun! As first councilor, I was in charge of all publicity for the Seminary. I had my own committee to work with and although it got stressful at times, it was a great experience. 

The theme for the youth of the year 2014 is Come Unto Christ, which comes from the scripture Moroni 10:32 from the Book of Mormon. We met as a council over Christmas break and hung up the theme in big letters high on the wall, so it could easily be seen by all who walked in to the Seminary building. We loved the new theme, and tried to incorporate it as much as we could. I remember I felt so strongly that this was the theme we needed, and it was what we needed to focus on as a Seminary, and even for myself personally. I started to think about the image I was giving off and the choices I was making. Was I being a proper example? The Seminary teachers told us many times that we need to be aware that people were watching us and we needed to be active and involved in Seminary, as well as be examples back at the school. I wasn't necessarily doing anything bad, but I knew that there were things I could give up so that I would personally be able to come unto Christ and in doing so, hopefully bring others to Christ as well. As I worked on this, I  noticed a major change in my happiness and behavior. I never have felt to close to the Savior and God than when I used the Atonement and worked on progressing. 

I share this because Seminary Council, and Seminary in general changed my life. It helped me gain a testimony and allowed me to make the adjustments that I needed. Because of this, I feel so blessed to be able to continue in taking religious classes here at BYU. I know that when we follow the teachings of the prophets and guidance of the scriptures we will be blessed immensely. When we fulfill our callings and do our best to come unto Christ, we will be strengthened and find true happiness. 

15. Thankful

Thanksgiving has to be my favorite day of the year. Besides the great food, I get to see all of my
extended family on both sides! We spend lunchtime at my mother's parents, and dinnertime at my father's parents. To me, there is no greater feeling than coming together as a family. Thanksgiving is such a wonderful holiday to reflect and ponder all the things we have been blessed with. This past year has easily been filled with the most changes and adjustments that I have ever dealt with. I have faced many challenges, but many good times as well. I thought I would like to reflect on all the things I have gained an appreciation for, or a deeper appreciation for, over this past year.

I am thankful for loving and supporting parents.
I am thankful for being admitted into BYU.
I am thankful for missionaries.
I am thankful for friends filled with patience.
I am thankful for the Atonement and my Savior.
I am thankful for siblings I can laugh with.
I am thankful for singing and music.
I am thankful for my job.
I am thankful for the safety of my home.
I am thankful for prayer.
I am thankful for fresh starts.
I am thankful for change and trials.
I am thankful for my health and body.
I am thankful  for laughter.
I am thankful for freedom and protection.
I am thankful for my two best friends who are serving the Lord.
I am thankful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
I am thankful for prophets and church leaders.
I am thankful for the ability to further my education.
I am thankful for temples.
I am thankful for the gospel.

I am thankful for my knowledge that families are forever.

14. Planning for the Future Ahead

When you are in college, you are asked the question "What are you studying?" more times than once. I have asked it myself, and I notice that many freshmen aren't sure what they would like to do quite yet. I have been lucky--I have known for years that psychology is the road I want to take. It probably sounds super cliche when I say I want to help people, but it is the truth.

Back in my freshman year of High School, I went through many trials and challenges. I remember asking myself why I went through so many hard times. I was struggling to see how they were going to help me, or how I changed from the experiences. As time went on, I witnessed many of my close friends going through almost exactly the same things I had. They quickly turned to me for advice and support. In those moments I gained not only an idea of what I wanted to do, but I also gained a realization of the purpose of trials. Lending support and feeling like I had made a difference in someone's life was an amazing feeling.

 I got into high school and took a psychology class, and I was hooked. I took AP Psychology my senior year, and put most of my efforts towards succeeding in that class. After much studying, I was able to score high enough on the AP test that I got credit that went towards my planned psychology major here at BYU. I was so excited and ready to jump right in! Intro to the Psych Major is a required course for all psych majors, and it started out really well. But as the class went on, I began to feel discouraged when I thought about how competitive everything seemed, and all the schooling I would need to go through after graduation. I started to question if this path really was for me; I wasn't sure I could handle it. I talked with  my mom about everything I had been feeling, and she advised me to pray and fast about it. After many days, I felt reassured that I should stay in the program. I had initially planned on going into clinical psychology, but I felt impressed that I should shift my attention to something more along the lines of social psychology. Planning for that transition has felt completely right, and I am still planning on pursuing a career in that field.

Something that has recently caught my attention is working in a center for girls and women who have eating disorders. I have seen too many girls and friends go through feelings of insecurity and turn to an eating disorder. I think it would be so rewarding to help women become both mentally and physically healthy, and help them gain a positive self image. I also think this career choice would be a better lifestyle for me as I start my own family. This career wouldn't require as much schooling or time, so I would be able to still have a strong focus on my own family.

Although my plans may change, I feel I am off to a good start!

13. Raise Your Voice

I have done choir for a total of six years. It wasn't something I always loved or thought I would be putting that much time into. In Jr. High, I kept doing it because all my friends were. High School I continued choir into my Sophomore year to fulfill my art credits. I was surprised to find that I started to love it! My choir teacher impacted me greatly, and I decided to try out for the A Capella Choir for my junior year. I was so happy when I made it! We got to go on choir tour to New York City where we were even privileged to sing in Carnegie Hall. Although my choir teacher was retiring, I decided that I would continue to do choir for my senior year. We were getting a new teacher who was fresh out of BYU. He had been our student teacher for my junior year, so we had an idea of who he was.

The time for auditions came, and I was super sick! I could hardly sing. Right before I went in for my audition, my friend asked me if I was only trying out for A Capella, or if I was trying out for Chamber Choir as well. Chamber Choir is the top choir at Mountain View, and I thought there was no way I would make it. At the last second, I thought I might as well try out and see what happened. I went into the audition and did my best, although I felt I probably did not make it since I had been so sick. I wasn't worried about making the big choir, but I had no expectations to make Chamber. A few days later on the morning of prom, two girls came into my room at 5:00am. They woke me up singing, and congratulated me on making Chamber 2014! I couldn't believe it!! The girls blindfolded me as we kidnapped another girl, and we went to a big breakfast with the new
Chamber choir. I remember looking around the room and I had no idea who half of the people were.

A few days later, I became even more surprised. In order to join Choir Council or be involved in a presidency, you must apply for a position. I had some senior girls come up to me and ask if I was applying for anything. I told them no, but I watched as a girl wrote my name on a paper, wrote down my phone number, and circle the position Chamber Choir President. I just laughed it off, since she had left the rest of the application blank, I figured she was just being funny. That night I received a call from the current Chamber President, and she said they were so relieved to see I had applied and asked if I would take over the role for the coming year. I quickly accepted, but in my head I had no idea what just happened. I worked hard with Mr. Taylor over the summer to get everything ready since it was his first year too, so we learned together! Being president was hard work; I was in the classroom almost every day. I decided on a theme for our choir: Raise Your Voice. I chose it because personally I did not have the confidence in my voice, so I wanted everyone to focus on "raising" their voice with singing as well as raising their voice to becoming a better person and standing up for what is right in all we did.

I had no idea being president would be so much work, but it ending up being the greatest blessing of my senior year. I learned so many valuable things, and although I struggled with many feelings of inferiority, I came to love everyone so much and I feel I got the most out of the experience that I could have. There aren't words to describe my love of music, and especially my love of Chamber Choir. Walking off that stage the last time brought tears to many of us; it was almost unbearable for me to think that it was suddenly over. I had put hundreds of hours and all my energy into this position, and I could not be more grateful for the opportunity I had. When I think back to senior year, what I will always remember most will be the friends and memories I made from Chamber Choir, and I hope to always remember to "raise my voice."

12. What I Wish I Would Have Known

As my first semester at BYU is wrapping up, there are a lot of things I wish I would have done better. Starting college as a freshman can be intimidating and nerve wracking. I came up with many things which I wish I had known before starting my college experience!

1. DON'T procrastinate.
There were many times throughout the semester when I would be given an assignment or paper that would be due a month or more after the assignment was introduced. I often thought, "I have so much time! I won't worry about that for a few weeks." Boy, was I wrong! I learned that you do a much higher quality of work when you spend little increments of time over the span of a few weeks, rather than just rushing to finish it in one to two days. You may think you have a lot of time, but time during school goes so fast and next thing you know your deadlines are right around the corner! I learned this the hard way as I had seven papers due before Thanksgiving Break.

2. Study hard, and play hard!
I remember days in the semester where I would sit and study for hours, but it somehow never felt productive! I felt I was hardly making a dent in my school work. After a few weeks of this, I realized I needed to make time for friends and fun too! When I would stop and take a break from school and being stressed, I felt rejuvenated and refocused. Among all the stresses of school, taking time for yourself and doing what you like to do can help you better cope with all you have to do.

3. Make lists and stay organized.
Making lists has been a habit of mine since Jr. High. Before school started this fall, I bought a planner and it is obvious to me that it has helped me tremendously. Writing things out ensures you don't forget things and helps you plan and stay organized with schoolwork and deadlines.

4. And finally: prioritize!
Prioritizing was a big factor in how successful I feel I was during my first semester. Early on, I found myself singularly focusing on schoolwork. My social life and family life was suffering, and I wasn't as happy as I normally am. I decided it was time for a change, and to prioritize! Through this first semester, I found it important to sort out my priorities. I needed to better fulfill my church callings, continue doing the simple things such as reading my scriptures and praying, and spend time serving. Although I initially felt like I didn't have time for these things, I found that if I did them anyway, and put them as a priority on my list, everything else fell into place and things worked out for my benefit.

Learning some of these strategies in college has been a major blessing to me. Although some are easier than others, it is important to learn and develop strong study habits early on. I hope these ideas will be as beneficial for you as they were for me!

10. Two Years is a Long Time for Me

"Young girl just 18 years old, wasn't quite ready to see her best friend go for 730 days. She tried to hold back but the tears gave way. Saying, "Two years is a long time for me, to be here, without you it's hard to believe. But I know it's the right thing, and i'll miss you dearly." "

These are the words to a song by Carli Barlow titled Two Years. This song was very influential as my best friend and I prepared to say good-bye for the long, yet wonderful two years.

Cade and I became friends at the end of our Freshman year, and we immediately clicked. In high school, we quickly became best friends who did everything together. The early spring of our Senior year quickly came, and along with it came his mission call. I was so excited for him to go out and serve. He has been my rock, and has helped me more than any person ever has. He is my greatest example. The night he opened his call, all of our friends were crowded in the room. When he read the two words "Elder Jolley" I became overwhelmed. I was so excited that my best friend was going to be a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We were all so excited for his call: Rapid City, South Dakota. I knew it was perfect for him, and it was truly inspired.

The weeks quickly passed, and next thing I knew we were graduating. Suddenly July 9th seemed so much closer. He was visibly so excited to serve, and we talked about it often. As the time drew near, it became more real, and even became difficult to think about the future. We had both been accepted to BYU, but I wanted to start school alongside my best friend. It became incredibly hard to see him get ready to go, but I tried to remain optimistic and supportive because I knew this is where he was needed.

The day to say goodbye came all too fast. Our group of friends all sat talking, until the time was close for him to get set apart as a missionary. I was the first to get up to go; I didn't want to cry or distract from the moment. We had a long tearful goodbye, and I left with so many mixed emotions. Although I was happy for him, my heart was heavy, I had no idea what I was going to do without him.

It is now November 19th, and Elder Jolley has been out for almost 5 months. He is serving the people in Sundance, Wyoming. I have never seen him happier! Even though there are days and moments were I miss him so much, hearing about his success and how much he loves it there makes it all worth it. We both know that is where he is needed, and even though we are far apart I believe our friendship and relationship has strengthened immensely. The Lord has still  taken care of me, and provided me with other amazing and supportive friends who have helped make the adjustment much easier.

The song Two Years was something that Cade and I both loved to turn to. The last lyrics of the song are from the missionary's perspective:
"Two years is a time for me, to give back, for I owe, each breath that I breathe. It's just a small thing, when you look at eternity."

9. My BYU Experience as a Freshman

Before I started school at BYU, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. I just figured school would keep me busy, I would survive through my classes, and see the classic BYU-Mormon romances develop. I expected lots of lectures and was preparing myself for some uninteresting classes. I was surprised to discover I have loved all of my professors! Coming from high school where many of the teachers are less than excited to be there, I loved coming to a place where I could feel the passion and love of teaching from all my professors. This has made school so enjoyable. I have loved to expand my knowledge and see school from an entirely different viewpoint. Not only am I learning about educational subjects, my professors have taught me many valuable concepts of life as well. Even though it has just been my first semester, I feel that I have learned so much and feel extremely blessed to be here!

 My plan for the rest of the semester is to basically keep up with my school work, and to get ahead with studying for finals. I knew coming to college would make me busy, but on top of working I didn't know I would be this busy! I have about seven papers due before Thanksgiving break, and I've noticed that it is beneficial to get ahead of work, rather than just stay caught up. That is something I want to improve on for the rest of this semester, as well as the many to come!

8. Sammy's is fun, Sammy's is gr8.

We were give the assignment to write a food critique on some

restaurant food. First off, who doesn't love food? Naturally we were all so excited to get a fun writing assignment! But I wasn't too thrilled at the start to spend a Friday night doing an assignment. In class we listed some of our favorite eating places on the board, and then split into groups.

My group decided to go to Sammy's in Provo which is known for their delicious pie shakes, fries, and burgers. I had been there on a date once before but hadn't tried anything but a shake, so I thought it would be interesting to compare my date experience to going with a group of girls.

So on Friday night, 6 girls headed off to Sammy's! Even though we only knew each other from the classroom setting, it was just like a big girls night out! We had so much fun talking and getting to know each other better. There were so many laughs, and it was so fun getting to know those girls better! It was nice to just step back from the thoughts of school and upcoming tests to just enjoy some food and have a good conversation. Even though going to Sammy's was an assignment, it reminded me the importance of just stepping back, taking a break, and having a good time. School is important, but so are the fun times! This turned out to be a super fun (and delicious) assignment and the company made it all the better!