New Testament

For my New Testament class I was given the assignment of reading about Mary the mother of Jesus. I was told to pick characteristics out about Mary and to choose one I wish I possessed and to write about it.Then I'm supposed to blog what I wrote so here are my findings.

Luke 1:28, Luke 1:26-56

-She trusted in the Angel the first time he told her what was going to come to pass.

-She had unseen faith

-She humbly submits to the Lords will

-She is blessed because she believed those things she was told by the Angel Gabriel.

-Mary magnifies the Lord

-Her spirit rejoices in God.

-She respects (fears) God.

                A quality that I wish to possess of Mary’s is to be able to have faith in that which I cannot see. Mary was so willing to believe in the Angel and in what was going to come to pass. I want to be able to study the scriptures and receive answers to prayers and believe that those answers and events in my life will come to pass. I want to be able to put my full trust in Heavenly Father. I think I can accomplish this by studying the scriptures and learning from figures in the scriptures such as Mary. Her story inspires me to have more faith and more fully be willing to submit to Heavenly Father’s will for me.

In all Mary is such an astounding woman. She was favoured of the Lord and she never questioned her purpose. She had faith in that which she could not fully see, and was so humble to quickly understand and believe the words of the Angel Gabriel. She is an example to me faith and humility. 

Life Update #234584950.6

Hello everyone. It is Sunday and Sunday means I have some time! Aw yeahhhh. I love Sundays. I joined my ward Choir and today we practiced this. It's going to be really pretty, and it gives me goosebumps when we sing it.It's about our Savior and the Atonement. If you have questions about what that means visit here.  I made a goal that I would do things that scared me this semester, things that put me out of my comfort zone. And yes that means joining choir....it also means joining a soccer team. I joined with a big group of people from home. The other night we also played against another big group from home. I'm so thankful to have so many people from home around me, it reminds me home still exists and people actually know where I'm from.

So this semester I am in a class called "Early Field Experience" and I go to the schools twice a week and I'll teach and help with whatever the teacher needs. I'm learning SO much. SOOO much! I'm really starting to picture myself as a teacher, and I'm starting to realize what it is I want for my future students! I'm so excited to have my own classroom one day, and the teachers at my University for the most part were those teachers who you always remembered as a kid. They are so passionate about teaching and changing lives it's so contagious! Teaching children gives me an energy you can't get anywhere else. Where else can you go to work and your "co-worker" (read:student) tells you their favorite food is "cheetos and bacon!!!" Come now.

On the other hand their is so much that goes into teaching that you never know about until you are on the other side. I work with children who for the most part live with people other than their parents and where some only come to school so they can eat and be in a safe place for a portion of the day. It really breaks my heart and it's something I'll have to work on not taking home with me one day when I do have my own classroom.

I'm really loving my roommates this semester. Something has changed and I am no longer the baby! I'm the old one now. Weird. Super weird. I'm not sure how to feel about it, but as for now I'm rolling with it. I think the reason why I don't have too much of a problem with it, is because I've been where they are now. I don't want to go back and I'm happy to be progressing along into adulthood and it means I'm that much closer to graduating. Only two semesters more after this. Life is a lot different now than it was before I took a break from school. I was such a terrible student before. Very irresponsible. Now I can tie my own shoelaces and everything. I don't remember anyone telling me that College is hard. Really hard. I feel like every time I talk to my Dad I have an ugly cry breakdown. His advice was "take one day at a time", and I've been doing just that. Sometimes I think my teachers must have forgotten that we're humans and can't stay up 24 hours a day doing homework, projects, lesson plans, etc.

I had to spend four hours in a wheelchair on Tuesday as  part of a simulation for my special education class. It's serves to help me have more empathy for future students who may have special needs. I was getting a long pretty okay, but we had a list of tasks we had to accomplish and one of them was going up and down a hill. I knew this was going to be one of the harder challenges and I came to the conclusion that I was very right when I was trying to wheel myself up a hill. I thought I was going to die to put it nicely. I was getting up but it was a very slow go. A few people walked past me,and didn't say anything but then this boy was walking by and anyone could see I was clearly struggling. He bent down and asked me if he could push me where I needed to go. He was absolutely kind. It was so strange because I recognized him, and came to find out that he was from home and was getting married that weekend and I had met his fiance before and we had a few different connections. It restored my faith in humanity that some people are just good. He didn't have to help me but he he could see my struggle. I committed myself that day to be a little better like the boy who helped me. It also gave me an appreciation for my healthy able legs.

I'm off for now..until another few months...au revoir.

Favorite Occurence

Serendipity: (n.) finding something good without looking for it.

And Then I Went Mad...

So here I am it is 3:47 A.M. and I am currently working on a project for my Children's Literature class. The project started out where I was feeling like this...

Then about 6 hours later I felt a little more like this...

And now I'm feeling like this

I'll probably end up like this...

But then again I could end up like this...

This is more likely though....

But it could possibly end up like this....

*All modeling agencies, please contact my agent to book me for more photo shoots. Please nothing sooner than at least 3 months out, as you can probably assume from the gorgeous photos shown above...I'm pretty booked. 

Settling In

The pictures are for my mother. Sorry they are not better Mumsie. But that is the gist of my apartment. My favorite is my my photo collage on my wall. I get to look at it every night and it makes me really happy, because I get to sleep next to the people I love. I'm taking the advice of my dearest sweetest Jari and treating my new school experience just as that; NEW. I remember back in January I could not wait to get back to school. I had a calendar I'd cross off each week...53 days until I leave! 40 days until I leave!! I was wishing my time away hoping the time to leave would come sooner and sooner. Then something crazy happened, I started loving my time at home. I was so happy and thought "no no no, time needs to slow down, I don't want to leave ever!" I had wasted at least two months thinking how much I wanted to leave home that I gave up on life a little. I didn't care about anything but the fact that I got to leave soon so what I did at home up until that point didn't really matter much. When time came to actually move away I was so sad to leave and even more sad that I had wasted precious time not getting to know those around me sooner, as well as spending time with my family. But in everything there is a lesson to be learned. I am feeling a little bit like I was this past January...I can't wait until I go HOME, but this time I am stopping myself from thinking that way, because the truth of the matter is time passes. It always has and it always will. I'll be home soon enough but for right now I'm at school. I don't want to look back thinking I wish I had spent my time better, and enjoyed my experience for what it was rather than spending 4 months wishing I were home instead of in Idaho. So that is what I'm trying to do, as President Monson calls it "Finding Joy in the Journey." We are going to live each day so might as well try to do it with a good attitude. Some days will be good and some days will be hard, but if we just push forward all will be well. One thing I do know is life is meant to be joyful.

"Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family."

-President Thomas S. Monson

 

We will be helped those days we do struggle, but remember we are not given more than we can handle. The Lord will never forsake us, He will not leave us, and I love that promise!

 

"It isn’t as bad as you sometimes think it is.

It all works out. Don’t worry.

I say that to myself every morning.

It will all work out.

Put your trust in God,

and move forward with faith

and confidence in the future.

The Lord will not forsake us.

He will not forsake us.

If we will put our trust in Him,

if we will pray to Him,

if we will live worthy of His blessings,

He will hear our prayers."

 

-President Gordon B. Hinckley

 

 

Back in Tatortotland

Yeah...I'm back in Idaho. Right now, I'm kind of thinking...HEY WHO'S IDEA WAS THIS!? But then I remember...oh yeah. It was mine...

So I'm trying to forget myself and just try and remember that the first few weeks are ALWAYS the hardest. Once I can get a routine down life will be much happier. My classes are going to be a lot of work, but I think I'm actually going to enjoy them for the most part. Campus is crazy different, but all in good ways. The school seems so huge and fancy now. Yep..fancy.

I really miss California. I love California sooooooooo much!! Why would anyone ever live anywhere else? I had so many amazing friends in California, fortunately I got to bring one with me. I know a lot of people who are actually here from home, and even though I don't really see them it comforts me, and I use them as  tangible objects in my mind that home really still does exist. I'm not stuck here forever, and soon enough I'll love Idaho again. I'm sure of it...sure...of..it...but alas I'm still waiting.

I think since my year break I feel like I don't know that many people anymore, and sometimes my day feels kind of lonely. I just go to class (which is often the best part of my day) and then I roam around alone. But in reality I feel like I do know quite a few people, but it feels a lot different this time around. I'm anxious to see my opinion at the end of the semester.

I miss my family mucho mucho. I can't even call my parents because they are vacationing so I've resorted to bugging my sister and brother. Also a sweet friend called me Monday night and he brightened my whole week. I crave voices from home.

I also wish I were a more decisive person. I don't know if I really even like the major Elementary Education. I can't tell if I"m just afraid of teaching, or if the whole thing is actually just really unappealing to me. But what should I do? I already feel like I've been in school for an eternity. I feel really lost in this aspect of my life. But I have this semester to decide if I want to keep this major or not. I'm in the "I'm never going to graduate" stage right now. It feel like I'm going to be stuck forever. FOREVER I tell you. Okay, I'm done. I have fun adventures from pre-Idaho days that I will blog about soon.

22nd Birthday Par-Tay

I have the MOST amazing friends in the world ever. Really. True. Last Saturday I mysteriously received a little decorated bucket that when you opened the lid a message was attached by individual stars. Each star read Alexie--Happy Birthday--March 3rd--Dress Warm--9pm--Don't be late. Then last night I finally got to find out what this mysterious message all meant! My friend Rachel picked me up and took me to my friend Sierra's house. Their was a huge bonfire...tables filled with tons and tons of every chocolate imaginable...her dads truck filled with blow up mattresses and more blankets than you could imagine. The whole night was based on my favorite things, star gazing, and chocolate! It was so beautiful. Rachel and Sierra put sooooooooooooooooo much work into it. It was so incredible. I have the greatest friends ever. I feel so loved and it gave me the energy I needed to get threw these next couple of weeks. Tomorrow is my real birthday so I'll spend it with family and just enjoy a day of doing whatever. 21 was an incredible year filled with events I learned a lot from. Can't believe it's been a year already. Here's to 22!