BYU English

Every day I wake up and go through a crazy routine.  Life doesn't ever seem to slow down and although I feel I am mostly productive sometimes, I want a break.  How do I find it? Breaks and down time come in many different forms for different people.  For me down time involves wasteful hours on my phone but it doesn't make me happy and this life is about finding happiness.  Being outdoors makes me happy but with a baby it's hard to make it out sometimes.  I worry about it being too cold and him getting sick.  The inconvenience discourages me and the then tiredness creeps into my veins.  The couch somehow falls beneath me and the relaxing moments are spent there. In order to really fill my days with experiences that are uplifting and useful it takes a lot of effort.  It takes work.  When we work we can look at our efforts and pat ourselves on the back.  In order to find the time to live life to it's fullest we have to put in the w...

Marriage seems to lose it's meaning as the years go by to the general public.  Marriage has increasingly become 'old fashioned' to this new world that changes over time.  If one does not believe in God what is the purpose of marriage anyways?  It has become the belief that all marriage is good for is a piece of paper.  Both my immediate and extended family are riddled with this perception of marriage.  But it rings true if I did not believe in God.  If I was not a religious person and did not believe in a set of commandments from God then I would find no reason to be married.  It would only serve the purpose to show as a legal declaration on paper for me. When others find it hard to believe in marriage, we do not press marriage on them.  Instead we press the truth that we have a God and that He love us.  Because He loves us He has not sent us down here without any direction on what we should do or how we should act.  He has give u...

Moving from Hawaii to Utah when I was seven was a culture shock.  Dealing with non-mormons on a daily basis as a missionary was culture shock plus so much more.  Living outside of Mormon communities was something not familiar to me.  Although as missionaries we were still encased in our own little bubbles, we still had plenty of exposure to outside forces.  It was so hard to talk to people, my first area was in San Francisco and I didn't know people would be so closed off.  People would rush by avoiding eye contact, they didn't want to be sold our product.  As I pondered why these experiences were so hard I found that it was because I was not trying to understand the world that they lived in and did not see things through their eyes. In order to be the most effective people we must have a diverse set of experiences in our lives.  If we have the opportunity to learn of other cultures and ways of life then we should be open to seeing life through ...

There is great anxiety that can come with an unexpected pregnancy.  Worries may flood the minds of expecting parents with questions based on financial, mental and physical capabilities that are required to have and care for an infant.  As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints we know that a child and starting a family is our purpose and one of the greatest blessings this life has to offer. Recently my coworker shared a story with me that her period had not arrived on time and when she shared this with her husband he became angry and annoyed.  "You can't be pregnant" was his reply, "you better not be pregnant" he continued.  Although she understood that it was not something they were planning on, she would not be mad or scared if she were to be pregnant.  When it was confirmed she was not pregnant she reminded her husband of these blessings and that although his reaction was understood, it was not an appropriate response. This story ...

My husband and I have interesting family situations.  We both have parents who are mostly dependent on their children.  On my side, I am the child who has the firmest foundation under my feet at the moment.  My husband has several siblings who are capable of providing a home for his mom but somehow we have wound up with the blessing of two moms in our home. Many newlyweds would find this their worst nightmare but we find it our greatest blessing.  We have a baby boy who is now six months old, we both work almost full time and both go to school.  It has been such a blessing to be able to not have to find babysitters for our son and to be able to leave him with trusted family members whenever we need to.  Although my goal is to eventually stay home full time, I am grateful for our moms who are here for us while we transition to that period in our lives. We are born into different family situations that ultimately will bring us blessings as long as we d...

My work as a proctor parent has given me experience to parent teenagers before I ever had the experience of parenting my own baby.  Working with 18 to 21 year olds in my home has helped me to see the damaging effects that are warned about in The Family: A Proclamation to the World.   "we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets." This warning seemed extreme to me and I didn't fully understand until I was really able to see the effects of children from broken homes both within my own family and in the kids that I work with.  My own family has been riddle with substance abuse and poor choices, behaviors which I believe directly correlate with family circumstances.  Shockingly similar were the behaviors of kids in proctor care who I work with.  Some were failed adoptions, others mental issues, abuse, addiction and other various problems.  The...