rOcK oN

Smile!

2011-10-04T20:23:00.000-07:00

last week I was so fortunate to be able to hear a few great keynote speakers at the "Just For Her" Women's Fair at the Dee Event Center. one of those speakers was Meg Johnson.

Meg was 22 years old when she went to St. George with her boyfriend one weekend. as she was out exploring the beautiful red rock of Southern Utah, she was hopping from boulder to boulder, not realizing that the red in the rock can play tricks on the eyes. she jumped onto what she thought was another boulder, but in reality was a 35-foot drop. Meg became a c7 quadriplegic, meaning she is paralyzed from the chest down. she can move her arms, but does not have regular use of her hands.

she elaborated a little about her experience in the hospital when she was unable to breathe on her own, and had what felt like a garden hose down her throat. she told us that when you feel as though you have nothing else to be thankful for, be thankful that you can breathe on your own. talk about a sobering thought.

when Meg woke up in the hospital one morning, she thought to herself, "I love that ceiling!" she continued to look around the room, naming different objects in the room that she loved.

Meg has re-learned so many things, like doing her hair and makeup and driving. she also types 60 wpm! what an inspiration!

and she loves to smile! even at random people. guys have chased her down in the car to ask her out after she sent her infectious smile their way--even with her husband in the car! those were funny stories!

but my favorite story shared by Meg at this conference was one of a study performed at Berkeley on clinically depressed patients. these patients were expected to be in a room filled with mirrors and to grin from ear to ear for 20 minutes every day. after 2 weeks, not a single patient was still depressed.

imagine the power of a smile :D

My Happy List

2010-10-08T16:50:00.000-07:00

as a follower of Liv's blog, I decided to take her challenge and write out my happy list.

it is an interesting subject, as I have contemplated it lately. some of the things that make me happy include:

spending time with my family

church

my awesome Institute class

living the Gospel

rock climbing

the mountains/outdoors

working out

associating with good people

what is really interesting to me is the following:

I used to be somewhat crazy into rock climbing. I would go whenever I had the time/friend to go with. this is what constituted a lot of my happiness. now...even still...I see nothing wrong with this. however, after having broken my leg recently, I have noticed the little things that make me happy...like having the ability to walk :) I'm even starting to run again! I was just given the ok from the doc to climb as soon as I feel like I can. now THAT is a motivator.

anyway, my point is that its so easy to skip over the little things. I, for one, want to recognize and appreciate the little things more.

Reality Check

2010-08-05T12:11:00.000-07:00

do you ever have those times in your life when everything seems surreal? as though your life were one long weekend? about the last 2 years have been one long weekend for me. as one who believes in rec therapy, I play all that I can. I love the mountains. I learned first-hand, though, how unforgiving the mountains can be.

on the last day of June in the year 2010, I was experiencing some rec therapy in the mountains with a friend. I took a fall, and I broke my leg.

after my friend carried me out of the canyon on his back, we almost hit a deer on the way to the after-hours clinic.

after being sent from the clinic to the emergency room, I waited in the hospital for 3 days to find that there was too much swelling to perform the regular surgery for my ankle. so they did a preliminary surgery to hold it in place while I waited a week for the swelling to go down.

after my second (and hopefully final) surgery, I have some pretty wicked awesome scars, and my leg is finally on the mend. I am currently not able to drive (it was my right ankle), and several vacations this summer have been put on hold, canceled, and/or otherwise frustrated.

I have learned a lot over the past month, though. I have learned empathy in a way I never could have otherwise. it is interesting to be learning about inclusion and ADA regulations in school, while requiring those services myself.

it is interesting to see which friends I can call on, and which friends shy away when I need help.

just going into a store, or going out for ice cream, or just going anywhere in public...customer service skills really shine (or not)...and its easy to see from my perspective. it is obvious when other people have been through the experience of having a broken leg, or some disabling feature. empathy plays a big role in life.

I have had the pleasure of living with my parents again while I am still not able to walk using both legs. I never thought I'd be back at home, but it has been so fun!! seriously. my parents are incredible. I am so glad that I live so close to home, and that they can and are so willing to help me out when I need it.

City of Rocks

2010-06-13T12:31:00.000-07:00

I recently was able to go with some friends for a climbing trip to the City of Rocks, or as I call it, Climber's Paradise :) here are some of my favorite pics from the trip:

The Beauty of Being a PRT Major

2010-06-02T21:23:00.000-07:00

for my Foundations of PRT class, the class was divided into groups of 4. we were assigned--as groups--to have a "recreational experience" together. my group decided to go climbing. yes, I absolutely love my major :)

"The Gospel Is The Easiest Way To Live"

2010-04-28T19:35:00.000-07:00

this is so true. and it really is that simple.

again, one of the many factors that play into me absolutely loving where I live at this point in my life...two Sundays ago I was sitting, waiting for Sacrament Meeting to start. I looked up at where the speakers were sitting and thought, "that looks like John Bytheway." so I looked at the program and sure enough, John Bytheway was the High Councilor speaking in my ward that day.

John Bytheway has played a big role in my life through his many talks published on CD and DVD. it was interesting to think that if I were speaking that day (as they did have a young lady from the ward speak), I probably would have referenced one or more quotes by John Bytheway, which would have been so funny to me because he was sitting right there!!

he started speaking that day by saying, "The Gospel is the easiest way to live." and I would reiterate...it is so true.

Sometimes Its Good To Gain 2 Pounds

2010-04-02T10:41:00.000-07:00

I have been so blessed to have a schedule that will allow me to go to the gym Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings...and I don't mean at 5:00 in the morning. having this great schedule has helped motivate me to get to the gym. weight lifting has been a much enjoyed hobby of mine for quite some time now. after joining Gold's Gym about 6 months ago, I was given a free consultaion with a personal trainer. I did not sign up for continued personal training, but Jaron did teach me a thing or two about how to eat/work out, and it has worked well for me :)

with my most recent training schedule, I have been able to go consistently. at first I gained 4 pounds, and was so perplexed!! how did I GAIN weight by working out? well, muscle weighs more than fat, right? because I was doing weight lifting, it made sense.

now I specifically remember two weeks in a row I was unable to go to the gym consistently because of school work that I needed to get done. I didn't feel horrible or beat myself up about not making it to the gym, but I thought it humorous that each of those weeks I would get on the scale and find that I had lost another pound...by missing a workout!!

either way, I love working out :)

From a Male's Perspective

2010-03-30T11:40:00.000-07:00

this last Sunday I was on Spring Break and visiting my sister's ward in Las Vegas. the Sunday School teacher admitted something that he said he was ashamed of...the night before...he had watched New Moon with his girlfriend. now I personally have only seen it once so far, but would gladly see it again. he said it was a waste of 2 hours, but it had one good point in it. he went on to tell about a part when Bella asked one of the vampires (I'm guessing Edward--but I don't remember) if it was hard to not drink anyone's blood when he first became a vampire. he said that no, it wasn't, because he knew from the beginning who he wanted to be, and he stuck with it.

if you really know who you are, or who you want to be, are you going to get there by living your current lifestyle?

Live Your Passion

2010-02-25T21:41:00.000-08:00

tonight I had the opportunity in my marketing class to hear from Michael Kane, the general manager of Zion Ponderosa Ranch & Resort. he is an amazing speaker...I had heard him before and was even more excited for marketing tonight than I was for snowboarding earlier today!

Michael told the story of a time when he was standing in line at a grocery store in Salt Lake, and just happened to be in line behind a lady who was wearing a t-shirt from his river rafting company in (at the time) Jackson Hole, WY. he didn't say anything, not wanting to draw attention to himself, but the lady turned around and happened to recognize him as part of that company. as she was talking to him, she started to tell him "thank you" for the great experience his company accommodated for her trip with her mother. of course he liked to hear good feedback, but she didn't stop with "thank you." she proceeded to explain that shortly after that vacation with her mother, her mother passed away suddenly. and now every time she thinks of her mother, she thinks of the wonderful rafting trip they went on and the great time they had.

when someone in the class asked Michael what interested him in starting a rafting company, he basically said that it was his passion...he remembered one night in particular he couldn't fall asleep because he was too excited to get up in the morning and get to work! he loved working with people and sharing his passion with others.

my point? live your passion. set high goals for customer service no matter what field you are in...or even in your interactions with other people. each of us has the incredible potential to influence someone else. make it for good.

Amen To That

2010-02-22T13:11:00.000-08:00

the Sunday School teacher in my class yesterday read something from Elder M. Russel Ballard that hit me hard, and I think everyone should hear this:

“In the Church, we often state the couplet, ‘Be in the world but not of the world.’ As we observe television shows that make profanity, violence, and infidelity commonplace and even glamorous, we often wish we could lock out the world in some way and isolate our families from it all. …

“Perhaps we should state the couplet previously mentioned as two separate admonitions. First, ‘Be in the world.’ Be involved; be informed. Try to be understanding and tolerant and to appreciate diversity. Make meaningful contributions to society through service and involvement. Second, ‘Be not of the world.’ Do not follow wrong paths or bend to accommodate or accept what is not right. …

“Members of the Church need to influence more than we are influenced. We should work to stem the tide of sin and evil instead of passively being swept along by it. We each need to help solve the problem rather than avoid or ignore it” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1989, 100–101; or Ensign, May 1989, 80).

"Hi, its nice to meet you. So, what do you do?"

2010-02-10T23:51:00.000-08:00

"what do you do?" is my least favorite question to be asked at any time. as if you are defined by what you do. sure, when you first meet someone you want to show interest and learn about them. it is a common courtesy. but to start by answering such a question that will define who you are in that person's eyes from that time forth....Really?? who even wants to go there??

my favorite response to this question ("Whatever I want") is also a quote from my sister :) sure, it may sound like a cop out, but it takes people by surprise when you don't respond with "I'm a student" or "I work" or "I work and go to school." why don't we start with "how has your week been?" or "so, how is your life so far?" ok, maybe that's a little too encompassing. but still, you get my point.

I ♥ Salt Lake

2010-02-01T13:18:00.000-08:00

besides being in an awesome house with great roommates, I'm in an incredible ward and absolutely love going to school at the U. the community on campus is so diverse, which I probably wouldn't have appreciated without the diversity class I am currently taking.

the first day I walked on campus I saw 2 or 3 people carrying cameras, and wondered if that was typical for the U campus, since I had not seen that as typical before at any university. after about a month of school, I have seen several things that made me wish I had had a camera out and ready. one time I saw a guy riding a unicycle in full crash protection with a motorcycle helment, elbow/knee pads and everything. another time I saw somebody riding a tall bike almost like the one my dad made. today I saw a deer disappear into the trees on campus...right off 500 S! THAT was just cool to see.

Early to rise, early to bed, makes a man healthy, but socially dead

2010-01-18T22:17:00.000-08:00

ok so I don't usually go to bed early, but I like the saying. it is one of my goals to get to bed earlier...still working on that one. BUT, what I really want to talk about is the fact that I may have just committed social suicide. how, you may ask? I deactivated my Facebook account.

for the past year and a half I have not been in school. for the last 9 months or so I have been moving/traveling to different places...long enough to meet people, but not long enough to have actual friendships. I have relied on Facebook for updates, event invitations, etc.

I am not completely against Facebook...it serves purposes of networking and swapping photos, both of which I enjoy. but I have also seen it as a cop out (like guys asking girls to be their Facebook friend instead of asking for her number...lame!) people don't know how to communicate anymore.

say, for example a time when a group was getting together to play Ultimate Frisbee and only 2 or 3 people showed up, including the person who organized the event. said person who planned event was perplexed as to why nobody had showed, since he/she had invited something like 50 people...using Facebook. ummm....Facebook isn't real. get real. call people. invite them face-to-face, or even via text message!

it reminds me of an IT Crowd episode where Moss starts a fire in the office with his sautering iron, and can't remember the number to the emergency services...so he sends an e-mail for help. probably not the most effective form of communication for that scenario.

am I limiting myself by eliminating Facebook from my life? maybe...but now I am more motivated to actually go out and meet people, talk to them, and develop communication skills! Having one true real friend is better than having three hundred some-odd virtual friends.

Its not every Sunday that the Prophet speaks in your ward's Sacrament meeting

2010-01-10T12:21:00.000-08:00

so when I first moved to Salt Lake at the end of August I got online to check the time for a ward within the boundaries of my house. 11:00 was the supposed starting time. my roommate and I showed up and, at the end of the meeting found out that church was over for the day...the block had started at 9:00. no worries...I had wanted to check out a ward by the University and, after attending one Sunday there, became a member of the student ward. at the time I was a big fan of the late 1:00 block :) after long consideration and supposing this first ward I had visited was moving to the 1:00 schedule for the new year, I decided to switch wards to go with my roommates. I got online this time and the ward was listed to start at 9am. for some reason I wanted to go in the morning, not wanting to sleep in, and went to find a ward at 9:00. I am so glad I went.

I enjoyed the friendliness of the "regular" single adult ward as opposed to the larger student ward. the first person I met was a member of the bishopric, whom I sat by in Relief Society. I mentioned to him that I had come to the ward about a month ago in anticipation of joining. it was on a Sunday like today where all three wards that meet in the same building meet at the same time, and a month ago somebody told me I chose the wrong Sunday to come for the first time (jokingly, of course). the bishopric member told me I was in for a treat today. it was true. its not everyday you get to hear a Prophet of the Lord speak to you--not just on TV--but in person.

it was amazing. words seem insufficient for describing what I felt.