Pioneer Day

Ok, so I know that Pioneer Day was LAST week, but I'm running right on time with my "running-one-week-behind-schedule" schedule. So it's all good, right?

For those of you who may not know what the significance of July 24th is to all Utah Latter-day Saints (and other Latter-day Saints, too, but mostly the Utah ones), then let me explain: on July 24, 1847, the Mormon pioneers made their way into the Salt Lake Valley after a long and arduous trek across the United States. Their trek was the result of bitter persecutions, and they sought a place where they could be free to establish their families and their religion without being driven from their homes.

Long story short: the pioneers settled in the Salt Lake Valley and other outlying Utah towns, and they and their families have been there ever since. And to honor their courage and sacrifice, their descendants (and other residents of Utah) throw a huge party every year on the 24th of July.

I found myself in the middle of these festivities last Monday, and as I was sitting watching the parade go by, I kept thinking about the pioneers and all the trials they had to endure, and all the sacrifices they had to make in order for people like me (a mostly-direct descendant of the Mormon pioneers in the Martin and Willie Handcart Companies) to be able to live the way I do now and practice my religion without having to worry about the government (among others) trying to kill me and anyone else who believes what I believe. I am truly grateful for the freedoms I enjoy now because of the faith of the Mormon pioneers, and I'm also grateful the heritage and the legacy they have left for me and others.

You don't have to [pull] a handcart,
Leave your family dear,
Or walk a thousand miles or more
To be a pioneer.


You do need to have great courage,
Faith to conquer fear,
And work with might for a cause that's right
To be a pioneer.

-LDS Children's Songbook, #218


In our own way, we can all be pioneers. It most likely won't be easy, and at times we'll just want to give up. But the blessings will be worth it in the end, and I'm sure our posterity will be forever grateful to us for our courage and sacrifice.

"Happy day! All is well!"

Race for the Cure

As many of you know, I have signed up to participate in the annual Susan G. Comen Race for the Cure, which will take place this coming Saturday morning. At this moment, I'm not entirely sure why I'm still planning to go through with this, but here is my story, as taken from my Personal Susan G. Komen Page. 

Until just recently I had never, EVER considered participating in the Race for the Cure; I'm not a very athletic person, and I was neutral about getting involved in "the fight against breast cancer" movement. In fact, if you had told me even three months ago that I would be registering for the Race for the Cure, I would have scoffed and said something witty like, "Yeah, right!"

But then I actually met someone who was fighting breast cancer. She inspired me, in her own way, to do something. 

I started a new job in February 2011 as a part-time receptionist for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; I was to be covering the afternoon shift. On my first day on the job, I learned that my co-worker, the morning receptionist (who shall remain anonymous), had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. I could tell that she was still nervous and in shock about the news, and that she was reluctant to tell anyone about it because telling people would make it more real and there'd be no end to "Oh, I'm so sorry!" and "Is there anything I can do to help?" (Which is great, don't get me wrong, but sometimes what some people need is to be left alone for a while.)

What really struck me, though, was the fact that I barely even knew this woman, and yet I was one of the few chosen to know about her condition. She trusted me enough with the "secret," and that made me feel closer to her and to realize that I would do whatever I could to support her in my own quiet, almost secret, way. 

 A month or so went by, and I watched as my co-worker continued to try and live a normal life while struggling to fight the disease. I was amazed; she was so cheerful and hopeful (although there were times when I could tell she was weary and just needed to stop), and she made it look so easy. In fact, the only indication I had (most times) that she wasn't feeling well was the fact that I would get called in to cover her shift occasionally. I did so gladly. (Honestly, I have never been more cheerful and willing to wake up before the crack of dawn and drive a good twenty-five miles to get to work by 7:30 AM.)

Eventually, though, my co-worker had to leave her position in order to recover from the treatments she was undergoing. I decided that if she could be in so much pain or discomfort and yet still come to work every day, then I could do something, too. I decided to Race for the Cure. Now, she doesn't know that I'm doing this in her honor; I never told her about my plan, and I'm pretty sure that I never will. Since she's not at work anymore and I only knew her for about a month, I quite literally may never see her again, but hopefully my efforts will help her (and others) in some way. 

I've been asking others to please join me in supporting those who need help. I will accept monetary contributions, but I actually think the most significant donations I could receive are morale and motivation. :)

Life is pretty dang good

You know, my resolution to update this blog more often has pretty much epically failed. I'm not really the blogging kind, I guess. I check Facebook pretty often, and that's how I keep in touch with people and let people know what's going on in my life, but I can't seem to find the time to update the good ol' blog.


Well, I can't guarantee that I will update this post regularly, or even every once in a while, but I will try not to completely forget about this blog and leave it floating around in the great, vast ocean that is the Internet.


To start out this post, I would just like to begin by saying that I feel so very blessed right now, and there are several reasons why, but they require a little explanation first.


This past year (2010) has felt almost like a waste of time, mostly because I felt like I had nothing to show for it (like a finished Bachelor's degree (or even a begun one), or a wonderful dream job that was bringing in lots of money.) I spent most of the year (well, it felt like most of the year) unemployed and looking for work. I did find a short-lived and rather undesirable position at a local non-profit organization, and then I did a brief stint at the LDS Business College Help Desk (again) while I decided not to pursue a Paralegal degree. I felt like I got a lot of nothing accomplished in 2010.


Which isn't to say that 2010 wasn't fun. Sure it was! Because I was unemployed and not really in school, I had extra time on my hands to spend with friends (summer movie nights, anyone?), and I was able to participate in wonderful events such as singing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir one Sunday morning (thanks to the LDSBC Choir I was in at the time) and performing on Temple Square with The Harmony Sisters at Christmastime. All-in-all, I was a busy, reasonably cheerful woman.... but I still felt like my life was on hold.


Do you know what the problem was? I wasn't taking the time to realize that I really was accomplishing a great many things, even though I felt like I was accomplishing nothing:

• Getting into the Bells on Temple Square and being set apart as a special music missionary is not "nothing." (I was selected to become a member of the BOTS in February 2011.) In fact, it's been one of my dreams for the past five or six years to become a member of the Bells, and now I can officially say that I have accomplished that goal. 
• Being an active member of the Church and a dedicated helper to those in my ward is pretty special, too. I was able to hold a number of different callings in my former ward (the Bountiful Millstream YSA Ward), and I am very grateful for the opportunity I had to serve in a variety of capacities and learn more about myself and others in the process. I made some very wonderful friends during my time in that ward (almost exactly two years, I'm thinking), and I hope to keep in contact with them. There has never been a ward like the Millstream Ward, and I'm going to miss it dearly. Life won't be quite the same without it, but I will just have to find ways to serve in my new ward. (Rose Park YSA Ward >> Salt Lake Pioneer YSA Stake.)
• Finding a job (after much searching and almost giving up hope) with the Church is also a significant occurrence. For those of you who don't know (and I'm pretty sure all my readers DO know because, seriously, who reads this blog?), I work as a receptionist in the Information and Communication Services (ICS) Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I don't quite believe in "luck;" I think "blessed" is a better, more accurate term. I feel like I wasn't just placed in this position by accident. Oh no. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I have the position I have now only because I had help; if I'd been left to my own devices, I don't think I would have made it past that first interview, if I'd even gotten an interview in the first place. *Side note: For those of you who don't know (sheesh, I keep using that phrase, don't I?), I'm horrible at interviews. Absolutely, fantastically horrible. In fact, every position I've ever interviewed for, I've never gotten. Every job I've had in my life so far is because I've been referred by someone I know, and I'm essentially the only one applying for the position. Granted, there are probably reasons (divine intervention, if you catch my drift) why I haven't gotten certain positions, but I still think that my abysmal interviewing skills are a slight factor in the problem. End side note.* But I feel like I'm where I need to be at the moment. Who knew I'd ever need to be in Riverton, UT?

I could go on with every tiny, seemingly insignificant accomplishment in my life to date, but that would take up WAY too much time, space and effort. I guess the point I'm trying to get across is that blessings and things to be proud of and grateful for are always there, no matter how small. Just looking at the three listed "accomplishments" make me feel like my life hasn't been such a waste after all. :)