technically, im done

I CANNOT BELIEVE TODAY HAPPENED!!!!!

WHERE DID THE TIME GO?!????

HOW DID I GET THROUGH THE YEAR???

Other questions include: What did I achieve? Who did I influence? Did I inspire anyone to be better? Did I completely waste my time and the Rupp family's money?

I remember being at last year's at Pass the Torch ceremony like it was two weeks ago and now some flaming stick tells me that I'm done. How did this happen so quickly?

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to pass the responsibilities on to someone new it's just that after next Wednesday I will not be part of BYUSA for two years. TWO YEARS. How can I function without a coordinator and BYUSA retreats? Who will I chat with when I'm stressed if Doug or Phil aren't around? Who will make me feel good about myself when I can't walk past Devin or Chris' office? Who will sing with me if I can't be around Sterling? What will I do on Tuesdays at 11 when I usually walk with Sarah to Devotional? Who will chat with me about boys and music when Kate isn't around? What about Tuesday Presidency meetings? What about retreats? What about my EDs? What about watching their PDs grow and learn how to be leaders?? What am I going to do without my life?

The plan is to work for my dad all summer and leave for my mission in the fall when I turn 21 in September. Honestly though, while it sounds good to have someone else call the shots, I want to be here! I want to meet new people everyday. I want to love people and serve them. I want to leave notes for my friends in the office. I want to have surprise visits from my friends, roommates and FOL kids. I wont get to do any of that when I go home.

I'm excited to be with my family I just don't know what to expect, plan for, prepare for. A few weeks I couldn't wait to be done and now I don't want it to ever end. I never thought I'd be in a position like this and now here I am, passing my life on to new people and praying that they will take care of it, respect it, love it, cherish it, protect it. I know they will, I just wish that I could experience their journey. My only hope is that they write me letters and send me pictures! Don't forget me, OK?

VP Scharman notes from class

Henry Eyring: How can you be a scientist and a good member of the church? "the wonderful thing about this church is that we dont have to believe in anything that's not true"

Obviously, we need to be educated to know the difference between what is true and what is not true! "To be learned is good"

People respond to those who they feel like love and care about them.

FHE is a good time for family council, but talking and connecting is really good regardless of when it is. Structure, any time that the family can count on, is really important.

The most important thing you can do as a parent is to Love the mother. "It is time to tell you that I love you." Peter Brinholt's song "Grow Old With Me"

just keep moving, the lord guides you when you're moving and helps you along.

*when i move away, reassure my mother that i will come back to visit her by scheduling a family get together every year that everyone can attend.

there is nothing more important that i can do than being a good leader in my family. Ezra T. Benson said that we are not on earth by chance and that our birth was foreordained in the eternities. I am prepared for the challenges to come!

Mayor Winder 3/21/11

1. Mayor Winder talked about the challenge of balancing career and church assignments with the need to be involved in serving in your community and government. Describe how you will go about including community and government service in your life.

I think it's way important to be involved! knowing what's going on in your community helps
you to be aware of changes to make and stuff to be cautious of. I would hate to move into a neighborhood where there was a huge gang but if I payed attention to the community business I would hope to never fall into that situation. At the same time I want to include my neighbors and basically I plan on having block parties and game night! We do it at BYU all the time, why not do it not at BYU too?

1. In Mayor Winders research on the history of church leaders interactions with Presidents of the Untied States, one conclusion that has been apparent is the importance of good people serving in and around government. Identify ways that you can have that type of positive influence in both your community and nationally. Please include various ways in which you see yourself being able to lead.

Like I said before, I want to have people over a lot. This will do a few things: 1) help us make new friends, 2) provide a safe environment for other people's children to play, 3) be an example of the Saints! I can be that mom who all the kids like and have children that other moms can be proud of their kids' for playing with. =D I'm way excited to be the coolest soccer mom in the neighborhood by being a good mother, wife and most important to the community being a good friend.

1. As you evaluate your experience this year in a leadership role, describe what motivated you to make the commitment you have made in your year of service with BYUSA.

I wanted to be part of a good cause and participate in creating something that is bigger than myself. I love to help people and through the VP position I had the opportunity to help hundreds of people at a time! How perfect, right? Well, as the year has gone on I've realized that while I do enjoy all of the things I mentioned above, I enjoy loving people. I love to love! BYUSA allows me to love people without judgement and with a purpose. I guess you could say that's what motivates me.

February 22, 2011 Dean Kau

"When we serve others we are not motivated by selfishness, but by charity" according to Dean Kau. A leadership experience I've had where I've been motivated by charity occurred just last Tuesday, the week we didn't have class. A girl wanting to interview for next year's SH VP came in to talk with me about what SH is, how it works, what its programs are, etc. I could have just told her flat out that since she had never been involved with our area before there's little chance she'd become VP so she should just bag it. During our conversation I could tell her heart was in the right place and that some day she would make a fantastic VP; I told her what I could and printed out a rough, ROUGH outline of each of our programs hoping that would be enough for her to succeed. I guess I share this experience because it's only out of my genuine interest in her behalf that I took 90 minutes of my time to talk with her about something so dear to my heart. I met with her initially thinking our discussion would be a waste of time but by the end I realized how much I care for the Honor Code and that I'm not the only one who feels that way. I hope she does well in her future leadership positions because if she can inspire me then she can inspire a ton of people!

It's important for me to serve and lead now because tomorrow may never come. I shouldn't wait to be influential. I should do what I can today so I can improve for tomorrow. Time is precious and it's how I use that time that determines my future happiness and success!

At my first meeting as Vice President for Student Honor the old presidency and the new presidency met up with the leaders of our University and Elder Johnson who, at the time, was the CES President (he might still be but I'm not sure). He spoke about how the winds will blow and storms will come but how I face those oppositions are what make me a strong leader. "Will you face those challenges with a smile?" he asked us, "Or will you groan and shirk away from your responsibilities?" In two weeks a full year ago I decided I would face my challenges with a smile and haven't stopped smiling yet. It's important that I do my job the best I can meaning that I work hard to be a good student, a good sibling, a good daughter, a good teammate, and most importantly a good friend. In preparation for unexpected opportunities I need to make sure that I'm doing all I can so that I have the time to serve others without forgetting the duties to myself.

February 14, 2011 President Samuelson

President Samuelson explained the importance of accepting callings. Please describe how you plan to respond to different calls that will come to you over your lifetime.

I love my calling! I get to teach Sunday School every other week! I learn more by being the teacher than I do by listening from the seats. I like lead discussions and hear what people have to say. I think it's unfortunate that some people avoid their calling. Trust God and know that He only gives us opportunities that we can accomplish and from which we will learn and grow. Every calling is important. I love the following story: There were two men working on the same building. One was building a chapel for the Lord while the other was merely laying bricks. Callings come from our Heavenly Father and if I trust Him I know I am building a chapel not just laying bricks.

President Samuelson identified the practice of being “too critical” of ourselves as being worse in effect than not being critical enough. How do your expectations of your own performance effect how you serve as a leader. How do you intend to avoid the practice of over self-criticism?

I used to worry about being perfect until I realized it only made me stress which led to my face breaking out. To prevent unnecessary zits I stopped worrying about what I couldn't control. If I can do my best and feel good about it then why criticize myself? I'm good at things that other people have to work hard at and there are things that I need to work hard at that they're naturally perfect in. If we were all perfect then we would have no need to be on Earth yet we are. Christ was the only perfect one and I am no where near where I need to be in relation to Him but I can perfectly try to be like Him =D.

President Samuelson shared his method of organizing his plans to include, long term, mid term and short term. What approach do you currently use in organizing the work you are responsible for?

I plan for mid-term more than anything else. I plan out my major things of the month and focus on those rather than day to day. Sometimes I try to schedule every hour of my day but then when I miss an hour I get all lost and confused with what to do next. I find it better to have to-do lists and work on semi-large milestones rather than fuss over many little boulders. A little bit of unbalance helps me progress towards where I want to end up. While I don't worry about each day so much, I do have a list of long term goals and they include: go on a mission, get married in the temple, graduate college with a bachelors degree, have a family, go to the Celestial Kingdom. So far I haven't accomplished any of those but I'm working on them! I want to be a good leader to my team by being my best self. If I have goals then hopefully my team will hop on the wagon and make goals too!

Please describe your motive for serving in BYUSA. Has this motive changed or evolved as the year has gone by.

I started in BYUSA as a freshman because I felt like an opportunity to serve in such a large capacity would never come again. I just love to help where I can and if I don't do it, who else will? Over the two years I've been involved my desire to help others has increased and grown into something that makes me who I am. I am a Server. I serve where I want in however I want whether that be to a friend who needs someone to listen to or as a VP over PDs who don't know what they're doing. I love to help and have the means needed to help in BYUSA so here I am. I only hope that I have been able to teach others through my service and inspired them to want to stay involved in BYUSA.

February 7th, 2011 Brother Ron Jones

Brother Jones gave an experience where he was recommended for a job based on his ability to follow through on assignments and be responsible. I can learn from his example by following the same pattern of leadership. I should start this behavior by being a tad more pro-active about my blog assignments! At least I'm getting them in now instead of never doing them though... OK, back to the task at hand --> To make sure I am considered someone who is reliable in completing projects I can make sure to only bite off what I can chew. Although it's not a huge issue, I see it more and more as I grow up that people say they will do something only to realize that they don't have enough time or they've double booked themselves! Of course, this usually happens within the week that the said project is due... I want to be someone that others can count on and I need to start by making sure I have time to do what I'll say I'll do. Empty promises are lame.

I want to be a counselor at a high school when I grow up and graduate from college (if that day ever happens...) and I need to prepare myself for the non-mormon community that I will most likely put myself in. Today at church we talked about how important it is that we befriend others before we go all missionary on them. Like Ron, I can be a good example for our church by being nice, friendly and welcoming to everyone. It's important to "remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God" (DC 18:10) despite their religious beliefs.

The concept of involving others is incredible to me. Through Honor Week we were able to see just how involved people could be with a simple invitation to participate. God loves each of us and has given us particular talents to improve ourselves and lives of others. How could I not let them showcase their gifts? Like Ron and his ability to include all sorts of people to make his event of the Festival of the American West successful I too can invite as many people as possible to help where they can. Who knows if my invitation will be the one to change their life?

Brother Cox - January 31

Select at least three of Bro. Cox's 12 career "hints" and report what you are currently doing to follow his recommendations. Be specific in describing how you are living each "hint."

1) "Family First": I've realized how much I enjoy letters from missionary friends and how I write to them more than my own family. I'm working on a project where I write one letter a week to one of my siblings or to my parents. I would be nothing without them in my life! The first letter is to my sister and I'm writing it tomorrow during my lunch break. =D

2) "Don't Measure Success by Fame or Fortune": I teach sunday school every other week but for the past three weeks I've taught the lesson. It's wonderful because I really feel like I learn more about the gospel when I get the opportunity to teach. I can't measure how well I'm teaching based on fame because the other good teacher teaches the same week I do. If I measured the quality of my lessons based on attendance that would be a waste of time! I'm not teaching for popularity! I'm teaching so that those who do come to listen and participate can learn about Christ's divine mission and the New Testament. What I measure my teaching quality on is the type of comments I get afterward and those are what make me feel good. I can tell they are sincere comments and that's what I like to hear! Having a fun class is entertaining but I like to make my class think about real life application and how they can take the lessons into the real world and improve their lives.

3) "Try New Things": Every month my goal is to experiment with a new extreme activity. How will I find out what I like or don't like if I don't try it out!? If I didn't take advantage of the new opportunities that come my way while at college then I wouldn't be involved with BYUSA or even have the friends that I currently do. Trying new things and not being skeptical of what might happen is how I've learned so much about myself, what I enjoy doing, and what I'm good at.

Select one or more "hints" from Bro. Cox upon which you feel a need improve your focus. Be specific about your plans to better incorporate this "hint" into your life.

1) "Do More Than is Expected": I need to do this hint waayyyy better. I feel like I only do what is required of me when I'm working on a project or doing an event. It's not all about me. I have responsibilities to my team, roommates and friends and need to fulfill my duties to them more than meet the bare minimum. Life is hectic, yeah, but I can bite off quite a bit to chew for myself and I've never been one to start something I can't finish. I can be better about being a leader and getting stuff done BEFORE its due, not just on time. It's all about being pro-active. I get frustrated when other people just wait around for something to happen. I want to urge them to 'Make it happen! Be a leader! Do what you signed up to do!', but I need to take my own advice before I can dish it out to anyone else.

The 12 "hints" he shared with us on Monday include:
1. Family First
2. Leave it better than you found it.
3. Don't fear to contribute and invite others to do so.
4. Do more than is expected.
5. Be prepared before opportunity knocks.
6. Be willing to start from ground level.
7. Don't measure success by fame or fortune.
8. Don't value security more than opportunity to serve.
9. Deflect praise to others.
10. Sprout deep roots.
11. Try new things.
12. If you don't love it, leave it.