Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence

I have so much to be grateful for. Wow! So last semester I was led to believe that I was to be traveling to the nationals competition that my cheerleaders have in a couple of weeks in CA. But for some reason I was not on the list of people going whether it be money problems I'm not sure. Needless to say I was a little upset but was just going to get over it and wish them well on their trip. Well I guess some of the cheerleaders got together and talked to the coach about how they can make it so I can be able to go. The coach said that there is room in the vans and in the hotel but the problem is the airfare. So they did the nicest thing anyone has probably ever done for me. The team was asked to pitch in 7 or 8 bucks each to pay for my plane ticket. Isn't that the nicest thing ever. Honestly I love these guys and girls to death and am so grateful I have been able to work with the Cheer Squad this past year. I have learned so much about others and about myself. Every day truly has been great no kidding! So I'm going to Anaheim, CA with them in a couple of weeks for 4 days and couldn't be happier right now. I'm so excited to be able to help them be able to compete at nationals and to see them do stinkin' fantastic! I'm so grateful and humbled by this experience. People can be so good and so kind.

Last week I had a phone interview for an internship at U.C. Berkeley. I think the interview went really well. It was actually fun to talk to the two ladies who interviewed me! I should hear back soon. So I'm not quite sure what's going to happen. I haven't heard back from any of the other jobs I've applied for yet and have yet to see any new athletic training job openings in CA. So I'm hoping for some more options to come up. I'm still waiting on my thesis to finish getting reviewed by the IRB. So that's pretty much it! I'm just super busy with cheer and volleyball and the few classes that I do have. But I'm super grateful for my life right now and for the amazing people that I am surrounded by.

But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love

I figured I should grace my blog with the presence of another post! Yay! I just have a little extra time because I guess the volleyball isn't practicing today. I had a really good weekend though for the most part. Friday night I met up with some sisters from my mission and had a fun time reminiscing about the Philippines and talking about all the things that we miss from there. It was so much fun! Then saturday I spent some time with the cheerleaders at a performance they had at the gymnastics meet. That was pretty cool too. Then I met up with a sister that I taught at the MTC who came home early because of sickness. We had a nice long talk it was awesome! She's doing really well and hopefully will get back out there soon! Sunday was good with church and I caught up a little with a friend too. I had a great visiting teaching appointment that just got me so excited for the scriptures and the gospel and serving more. This morning was the best though. I got to the training room and worked out for a bit then got stuff ready for practice. I sat down to read my e-mail and got the best email from 2 elders I taught in the MTC. Apparently they are companions again and are zone leaders. To make a long story short they told me that they found a sister that I taught and saw get baptized in my last area. I hadn't heard from her since I came home and I heard that her family had gone inactive. But she's been going to church for the past month and the elders have been helping her! I love it! I just started to cry because I can't think of 2 elders that I'd rather have helping someone I taught and love in the Philippines! It's such a small world and these 2 elders are not even serving in my mission! They even sent me pictures to prove that they know her and scanned pictures of some pictures she has of me in her photo album! I took the moment to kneel down in prayer and thank my Heavenly Father for watching over the people I love in the Philippines. I was astonished at the love that our Heavenly Father has for us and for everyone around us. I thanked Him for answering my many prayers on peoples' behalf and for reminding me that He truly does listen to my prayers! Yesterday visiting teaching I was testifying to the sister who was having a hard time that God does listen to and answer her prayers and sometimes He just requires a little bit of patience but that she will see that answer happen and will understand why she is having the experiences that she is having. While I was testifying and teaching and talking to her I was thinking to myself a little bit...I was thinking "Do I really believe this?" Because lately I've been terrible with my prayers and have started to lose a little bit of hope and patience. I kept telling myself that of course I believe it but I just needed a reminder. And of course this morning I sure got one! Wow! I just can't explain in words how I feel right now. I don't know if the young woman will continue and stay active or not but I sure do hope so but all I know is that it's by the small means that the Lord confounds the wise and that if we are faithful and diligent He will encircle us in His arms of love. The gospel is so amazing! Well I could keep talking forever about this. I just felt I should share this.

Apparently I've been overdue for a new post. My bad. It's been a busy past 6 months or so haha. I started working with the cheerleaders back in August and have really loved it. I've had enough to do to keep me busy but not too busy. I've learned a lot about working with others and helping others. I'll admit when I first started I was a little worried. I wasn't sure what to expect since after all they are all cheerleaders haha. But I just started out the season getting to know all of them and all of the cosmos and have done great ever since. I've truly learned to love them all and to seriously appreciate them for the hard work that they put into their sport. They really do do some amazing things! The bonus is that I got to go to all the home football games and I've been going to all the home women's and men's basketball games. Tomorrow night's game is going to be intense!! My testimony has been strengthened about the worth of the soul. I have felt so much the Lord's love for the cheerleaders in many ways. I could share numerous experiences about chats that I've had with them and things that I've learned. The point is that I've been having a great time so far and a good attitude truly does go a long way! We are traveling to CA for their nationals competition the end of February so i'm excited for that. We get to go to Disneyland too! :) The next week after that we will travel to the MWC tournament in Vegas. That'll be a lot of fun too. So yeah that's the update with work. I'm currently looking for jobs for this fall since I'm graduating soon. I've applied for 4 jobs so far but the job market isn't that great I guess. I'm hoping that more jobs open up. It's hard to find some jobs because a lot of times they don't get posted online so I might not hear about them.

School went well last semester. I did well in all my classes and worked like crazy on my thesis. I ended up writing my whole prospectus in a couple of months and proposed my thesis the end of november. So now I'm just waiting for the IRB to approve my research so I can get started! Apparently it can take a long time sometimes. So I can't do anything with my thesis right now which is really frustrating! We are shooting to get started in february sometime. I'm knocking on wood though because I really need to get it done by june so I can graduate by august and get a job! We'll see! This semester I only have 2 classes for my major since I'm done with all the other classes so I'm not too busy with school. I'm taking a weight lifting class and racquetball class so I've been filling up my free time with a lot of working out and such. The first week of school I had so much free time but I got an extra assignment to help out with the women's volleyball team since their athletic trainer is supposed to be busy with track this semester. So far I just show up to practice and don't do much. So it gets a little boring at times. But it gives me more to do with my time. They are in their off season so right now their workouts are really easy.

Well that's pretty much it! Can't think of anything else going on! It was a great Christmas break and for the first time in a really long time I absolutely did not want to leave Cali and start school again. Normally I'm ready for school but I seriously am tired of it now and so ready to be done and graduated and out of Provo and out in the real world! So life is good but I'm ready to move on to the next phase of my life. I'm just hoping I get my thesis stuff done soon! I'll try to add more as I remember things.

New semester

Well fall semester starts on monday and I'm really not excited for classes. Oh well! I really just want to pass! This past month has been pretty busy with moving, my birthday, cleaning, starting a new job, leaving my old job, weddings, etc. But it's been good. It was so tough to leave the MTC and I was so blessed with a great district to end on. They helped me in so many ways! I'll post a picture. Leaving the MTC was like leaving my mission. I left part of my heart there when I left because I know I gave everyday my all and I gave every missionary my all but yet I knew it was time to leave and to move on. And it has been better than I expected. I went to a few weddings too. I was blessed to go to the sealing and reception of a missionary I taught. That was so awesome. The reception was great too with some crazy dancing haha. Most fun I've had in a long time! I also got to go boating too which was awesome! Hopefully I'll get to go again. What else? I started my new job as the graduate assistant for the cheerleaders. It was busy these past couple of weeks with two a days and with trying to remember all the things that I've learned and to get used to being in charge and learning how to handle things. But I think i've been doing a fairly good job. I end up doing a lot of studying to remember things and to make sure I'm prepared which is good. It keeps me on my toes. So life is great right now! Just about to start new classes and everything. I've got a lot to get done this next week with work and I REALLY need to get going more on my thesis. So I have a lot to get done this next semester. Hopefully it's a good one! :)

Summer

Well I suppose it's time for another post. To start off my trip to the Philippines was great! It was a lot of fun to go to some places in the Philippines that I've never been to before. We first went to my friend's areas in Cauayan mission. That was way awesome. It was so cool to see what the Philippines looks like way up north. It was really pretty and the people were awesome. Their personalities were a little different than the personalities of the people in my mission so that was different. But it's just like in the states. The culture is different depending on which state you are in and how you grew up. Then we went to Cebu and went to the temple open house there. That was so beautiful. Seriously the Cebu temple was so beautiful. As we were walking through I just felt so calm and at peace. Even though the temple hadn't been dedicated yet I could still feel the same feelings inside there as I feel when I enter dedicated temples here in the states. Especially when I entered the celestial room. We took some time to sit down and soak in the experience. It was so amazing. I just love temples! I need to go more often. I also got to see a mission companion while we were in Cebu so that was awesome! I just love Sis. Cutanda! Seriously! After that we took a ferry to the island of Bohol. It was so beautiful. We didn't know what we were going to do or anyone there but we went anyway. Things really worked out. We went on a tour and had an amazing tour guide. We seriously were so blessed! We saw chocolate hills, the tarsiers, etc. I loved it! Then we flew back to Quezon City and I visited some members in my areas. That was way awesome too. It was really tough to see some of the members that were really struggling and converts, etc but it was a really testimony building experience. The atonement is so real and our Savior and Heavenly Father truly does care about each and everyone of us. In Preach My Gospel it says that only living the gospel of Jesus Christ will unite races and solve the world's problems, etc. It is so true! The gospel of Jesus Christ is the answer! And the only answer! So the trip was great! One other thing that I just thought about. When we were in Cauayan I got really sick. I woke up early in the morning (the morning we were to fly out to Cebu) with a real bad stomach ache. Let's just say I could not leave the bathroom haha. To make a long story short I asked for a priesthood blessing from one of the members there and he gave me just a great blessing that I would get better and we'd make it to our next destination among other things. Well I didn't feel better right away but after a long car ride to the airport and flight we made it to Cebu. I didn't feel completely better until after being home for a while but I made it through. The whole car ride and flight and even while in QC I seriously thought I was going to go in my pants but somehow made it haha. But seriously, prayer works and the priesthood is so real! I love it! I learned a lot from our trip and I'm grateful for Ulalei Mavae for going back with me and putting up with me throughout the whole trip! It was great! I'll have to post pictures soon. They are all on facebook though but I need to copy them on my hard drive too.

Since the trip I've just been working and that's pretty much it. I've started to read a little which is good haha even though I hate reading! But work has been good. I have a district that just left a couple of weeks ago and I'll post a picture of them. Right now I'm teaching my last district. It's really bittersweet! They are all amazing missionaries and I really pray for the best with them and that I'm able to help them to become the missionaries that the Lord wants them to become. It's going to be tough since they are my last district. I start working with the cheerleaders in a little over a month so hopefully I be able to keep teaching and do that for at least a week. I need to be working on my thesis right now so that's my plans for right now of what to focus on. This weekend I'm going to Idaho for a missionary's homecoming so I'm way excited for that. So yeah life is good. I'm on a softball team right now so that's been fun too although I didn't play too well last night and hurt my quad. But yeah that's pretty much it for right now!

The above picture is of my district that left this past week. A few of them stayed behind for medical reasons but will leave soon!

So I guess if I just post every 2 months then I should be good right? Well this semester is finally over. I'm so glad to have a break and to not have to worry about school or anything! Yay! Since finals week though I have been teaching full time at the MTC. So I'm teaching 2 districts right now until one of my districts leaves next tuesday then I'll be back to teaching just one district. So life has been full of 8 or 9 hour days at work depending. So it's been pretty busy even without being in school. But I really do love the MTC. But I will be quitting in august so I can have a graduate assistantship at BYU. It's been so much fun working at the MTC and I really do love missionary work and I love working with the missionaries on a daily basis. Just the other night I was helping one of the sisters in the zone with some problems and it's just so great to talk to them and hear their testimonies. I'll miss it so much! My district that leaves next week has been awesome! They have all progressed so much. It's been a crazy week with one elder having shoulder surgery another having knee surgery tonight and then another possibly having knee surgery too. We find out tomorrow whether or not he will. It's just been tough on all the missionaries. They are still working hard and could be a little more diligent but they are trying. They are great missionaries and will do great things! My new district is doing well too. They are improving slowly but surely.
Well I'm going to the Philippines in 2 weeks and I'm way excited! I won't be spending much time in my mission area but we are planning on going to a few other places in the Philippines. It'll be a ton of fun haha! So most of this morning I was trying to find cheap flights and such to travel within the Philippines. So that'll be my summer break. Other than that i'll just be working and I should be working on my literature review and thesis but I haven't really taken the time for that yet.
I did mention earlier that I was getting a GA position at BYU. I'll be working with the cheerleaders. It'll be a different experience that's for sure. It'll be good though because essentially I'll be on my own and in charge with treatments and everything. So it'll get me back into the swing of things with athletic training. I definitely need the experience so yeah. Anyway, I look forward to a new semester with new classes and one step closer to getting my masters. This year was really busy and tough but it all worked out okay but maybe just not quite as I'd expected it to work out. Well that's it for now!

Welp my district leaves tomorrow. Dang I'm going to miss them so much! This week hasn't been too bad. I didn't do so hot on my test but oh well. I know I studied hard for it. So I still feel good about it. This week I have a ton of homework and stuff to get done and I really need to work a lot on my literature review. I've been so slow with it! Ugh! Also I get a new district on wednesday! Thank goodness there are sisters! We'll see how things go. It's just always good to get a fresh start. My last district was super amazing though and so good at Tagalog that I don't know what I'm going to do. It's always tough because new districts tend to get compared to the previous one haha but it's okay. I'm excited and I'm gonna push them hard! And try not to fall off my chair their first day haha.....anyway here's a picture of my district that leaves tomorrow. Life is good! :)