Last Blog Post... for now

So, I don't know exactly what to do for an Evaluative Conclusion but I shall sum up my experience not only of this blog but of the class.  To describe Writing 150: hmmm, it was my very first class at BYU.  My first class on my first day.  I remember coming out the first day and texting my then boyfriend about how excited I was.  I had taken a semester off and was so grateful to be back in school, back to learning.   I didn't really know what to expect and perhaps at first I was a little intimidated, a little nervous.  I didn't know if the skills from high school would be helpful or harmful.  Anyways, I eventually got adjusted, I eventually got use to the people and I really started to enjoy it.  I liked what we did in class, the papers weren't too bad, and for a BYU class... it was super small.  It was a nice step up from my classes back home, to this class, to my 200 people anthropology and sociology classes.  So to the papers, although I'm not entirely sure what paper I like best... I feel that the rhetorical analysis was what I worked the hardest on and what I'm pretty good at, while the restaurant review was definitely the most fun, and then the research paper... I wanted to die, and then the personal narrative was just hard for me to think of what I wanted to say.  Okay, but to end this blog before I get swept up into talking about papers or something else....  I was really glad to have this blog because... a lot has happened, a lot that I will want to reflect back on and remember.  I got engaged this semester, I worked on planning my wedding, I had a ton of BYU experiences that I might not get to experience ever again.  Although I was a little forgetful and at times very far behind in my writing.  I appreciate what the blog is used for and I like the idea of having it.  I can't promise I'll continue but... I might.  I'm not going to make it my goal or anything but I think in general to just document our lives is a great thing.  Journal writing has always been tough but perhaps this will be a new way for me.  I'm really glad for this semester and just everything I've experienced.  And.. it's not over, I'll be here for Spring... YAY! :( just kidding.  I'm excited for the Spring term, hopefully it will be as great as Winter.  Wish me luck ! :)

Easter Sunday... Night

So I of course spent Easter with my fiance, and we spent some great time outside in the sun, reading the scriptures, talking to each other and our families, and eventually cooking and eating.  I usually am pretty good at cooking but for some reason today... my brownies were awful, not kidding, just awful.  My pasta came out very well however so we did have some food to eat but boy... they were rock hard.  I could knock on them and they didn't break.  Gosh... embarrassing :)

Remember this is not my kitchen ... or it would be much cleaner... welcome to the male dorms at Wyview.

Easter Sunday

No it's not just the holiday about bunnies, or candy, or eggs for that matter... today is so significant in the fact that it's all about our Savior, it's all about Jesus Christ and the amazing sacrifice that He did for all of us.  Today at church it was amazing.  There were moving musical numbers, there were talks testifying of the greatest of Jesus Christ and His love for each one of His children, there was even great weather.  I really enjoyed today and I enjoyed being able to remember even more than normal how lucky I am to know the truth, to have the true gospel in my life, and to have an ever growing relationship with my Savior.

HUMOR U

So apparently I was so excited about this weekend that... I totally forgot that Friday was amazing as well.  I went to go see Humor U with my fiance.  It was really incredible and ... I was actually quite surprised.  I'm not typically an easy ha ha person.  It takes a bit to make me really sincerely laugh but... this did it.  These were really very talented people and you could totally tell that they love what they do.

Here's a little clip from one of their shows, they really are super funny and although Divine Comedy might get the popular vote, this group is definitely going to be on the radar.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEQPeaJqSMo

I would try to actually put the whole video on here but... I don't know how to do that :), but follow the link and you'll see :)

Oh and I did not pre-watch this little clip so... the following clip is not the viewpoints of the author and does not reflect her views or opinions.

TARGET~

So... to follow the dress shopping... My fiance and I went to work on our registry!  This was actually quite an exciting experience because:
#1: we had only looked and signed up for things online
#2: we got pick out the things we want but won't have to pay for :)
#3: they gave us this really cool scanner hand held machine, it was pretty cool!

It was really a great time (worth the immense bike ride), and we even decided to change our towels... BIG DECISION :)  Overall, it was a great time and I've never been  more excited for presents.

P.S. picture is obviously not from us, those are not our names and ... we aren't having a baby before anyone freaks out :)

I found it!

So, as the result of many hours shopping, many hours spent in dressing rooms, many hours feeling static electrified .... I FOUND MY DRESS! I found the dress that will be the first dress I wear after I'm married.  The dress I'll wear at my reception, the dress that will be worn all the pictures, the dress I'll remember for the rest of my life :).  It was a great day... and because I broke tradition ... I can show you all.

                                    Breaking tradition.... TOTALLY WORTH IT!

Brownlee's Established 1970

Today I interviewed my future in-laws for an assignment for my LDS marriage and family class.  I thought it was going to be quite awkward but I actually learned a lot about them.  I had to ask about their marriage and what they thought made it successful, and what gospel doctrine did they find most helpful, etc.  Through interviewing them I saw a lot of the reasons why my fiance is the way he is.  I'm so thankful to have a great future family to enter into, and I hope all will remember what's really important and always put family first.

Finale! of the paper...phew!

Irene

            I saw our neighbors leaving, packing up their minivan; I didn’t think it seemed all that bad.  Our power only had just gone out and I was still painting my nails.  The color, power outage pink, I thought was quite fitting.  I had never experienced something of this magnitude, something that could potentially damage my home, my town, and my life.  I was worried although trying my best to not show it.  My dad went out to talk to them, wearing a poncho over his Carhartt pants, and thick rubber work boots.  He came back soaking wet even with all of his protective clothing.   They were leaving before they were demanded to do so.  That’s when I got the saddest command that made me feel helpless and weak. 

            “Get a few things together, we’ll find a place to go” my dad said.

            “Why can’t we stay? It isn’t that bad, we barely just lost power.  What’s going to happen to us?” I answered.

            “We have to leave before the storm gets too bad and we are trapped.”  I responded with silence, I didn’t know what to say.  I had never been evacuated; the weather had never been bad enough.  I didn’t know what to pack.  What could I not live without?  I looked around my room realizing that I might not ever see my room again.  I saw my bed, my pictures, and even my Jonas Brother’s poster.  I don’t think I ever truly appreciated all that I had, all that I was blessed with.  I had always had a home, my family close by, pretty much whatever I needed and most of what I wanted.  I was holding back tears as I packed, as I packed my memories away, or said goodbye to them for what could be forever.  I only had moments before I shut my bedroom door, put my rain boots on, and got in the car.  It was just in time as we later found out. 

We found refuge at my dad’s co-worker’s house but not before we passed bridges and roads closed, parking lots filled with water, and the roaring river as it came ever closer to wiping out the only street left in town.  It had never taken us this long to get to Shaftsbury; it was like rush hour in the city.  My dad even ran a red light on the way there; I suppose he was just as nervous as I was. 

            Mike Lilly however had power, little rain, and a police scanner which was tremendously helpful as it provided background noise to the overwhelming silence as well as much needed information.  He was upbeat about the weather and assured us that it wasn’t more than a few inches of rain. 

            “It isn’t too bad, would you say?  I think the rains last spring were more than this” Mike joked.  He was a jolly looking man, with a round belly and a white beard.  He could possibly play Santa Claus at the upcoming Christmas program.  He had been a firefighter and as it appeared could not be frightened.  It was there, at his house, that we waited out the storm.  We talked, we ate, and we watched T.V.  With my family around me I felt at home, I felt safe as if nothing could hurt us.  Just as the rains eventually ceased so did my worries. 

            We did get to go home later that night, and what a happy homecoming it was.  We were all glad to be back under our own roof.  Even better… there was no damage, not any at all.   

As we unpacked my dad asked, “So what did you think of the hurricane?”

My answer was confident, and unwavering, “I’m glad it’s over, but thankful it came.”

You're the best!

Elder Neil L. Andersen was one of the many great speakers at this year's General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  With describing discipleship, he used many tools that helped encourage the audience to believe and even act on his words.  One of these tools was story telling.  Throughout his talk he told three stories, including two that made a strong impact.  With Thomas S. Monson in one, and little children nearly escaping a deathly situation in the other, he was able to encourage pathos among the crowd.  Most in his audience have a strong love and testimony of Thomas S. Monson anyways, but the story shows him being thoughtful, kind, loving, and taking time out for even the smallest, and perhaps unimportant person.  It shows him as a great man, which although most of the audience already knows, he is building their testimony not only of the principle of discipleship but a testimony of the prophet.  And of course, the story of the children shows what great faith can do, how miracles can happen. It's hard not to get emotional when talking about a family perhaps losing their children.  There isn't much sadder circumstances.  He also used lots of questions in a way to make us think individually about how we are doing, "What thinks Christ of me?," he asked multiple times, using repetition as another tool.  He referred to scripture, other talks, and even Jesus Christ, gaining credibility or ethos by this tool.  And lastly in general he used a lot of words that sounds nice together, nice alliterations, as well as using a lot of opposites: friend or foe, approvingly/disapprovingly, etc.  Overall, through using these strategies, Elder Andersen was persuasive and was able to move the audience with great power and authority.

Some favorite quotes from his talk:
"Discipleship is not a competition for all, rather an opportunity for all"
"Be not afraid, only believe"
"We are on the right road"
"He did not forget her"

THE END :)

My high fructose diet is officially over!!! I handed in my extra credit work today and will be looking forward to the extra 7 points :).  Anyways, while doing this study... I was.... HUNGRY!!!  I missed the good days when I could eat ice cream, when I wasn't always having to check labels, when I had food freedom.  Although I do appreciate the fact that I do now acknowledge more of what I consume, I like my sugary, fatty food and I will enjoy it until my metabolism calms to a screeching stop and I'm forced to eat salad.

Okay i know this isn't a picture paper, but... I just wanted to post some pictures of the event my paper is on...

Personal Narrative ....

I really did not know what to write but I think I came up with something.  It's still rough, and i'll add more but this is some for now... just to wet your taste buds :)

                 I saw our neighbors leaving, packing up; I didn’t think it seemed all that bad.  Our power only had just gone out, I was painting my nails.  I had never experienced something of this magnitude, something that could potentially damage my home, my town, and my life.  My dad went out to talk to them, wearing a poncho but still yet coming back soaking wet.  They were leaving before they were demanded to do so.  That’s when I got the saddest command.

            “Get a few things together, we’ll find a place to go”

            I had never been evacuated; the weather had never been bad enough.  I didn’t know what to pack.  What could I not live without?  I looked around my room realizing that I might not ever see my room again.  I was holding back tears as I packed, as I packed my memories away, or said goodbye to them for what could be forever.  I finished what I could, and got in the car.  It was just in time as we later found out.  We found refuge at my dad’s co-worker’s house but not before we passed bridges and roads closed, parking lots filled with water, and the roaring river as it came ever closer to wiping out the only street left in town.  

            Mike Lilly however had power, little rain, and a police scanner which was tremendously helpful as it provided background noise to the overwhelming silence and information.  He was upbeat about the weather and assured that it wasn’t more than a few inches of rain. 

            The river across the street from my house was reaching extremes heights, even a car floated along the powerful extra 15 feet of water.  The bridges connecting our town to the surrounding towns were washed away.  The area in which I lived, the 5 blocks below, and the 2 above, we’re all closed off waiting for the possible doom.  The police scanner continued to spit out the details of destruction.  We called those we knew and worried about.  

High Fructose Corn Syrup...

So... by the title, this little post is about the joyous, yummy, yet equally bad for you substance... HFCS :(.  This little thing is causing me so many instances of sadness as I go to the Cannon wanting some ketchup with my fries, or I want some juice, or even some bread.  It is really quite pitiful that so many foods are layered with this, but anyways to the point.  I am doing this for extra credit, I am going 5 days without eating anything with HFCS, easier said than done.  It will be a challenge but... hello 7 points extra credit! I think definite yes :).  So at the end of this school week, I will report back on what I learned, and maybe even some of the surprise foods that have HFCS hidden in them.
I also by the way had to find out my BMI and go on myplate.gov, which shows you how many calories/how many servings of what you should eat.  It's pretty handy.  I suggest everyone use it because if you didn't know... fun fact... 67% of americans are either overweight or obese and since the 1980's the number has been consistent, or increasing (not one year with decreasing numbers).  Stay healthy my friends :)

                                                                     Naughty ketchup! :(

Festival of Colors

This past weekend was really exciting because my really close, brother-like figure, was coming down from BYU-I with his wife to visit.  It was the first time I was able to see him since ... I don't remember when.  They came down Friday night and we (my fiance and I) went out to eat with them, and then the next day... we went to Festival of Colors.  This is by far one of the coolest, most adventurous things I've ever done.  Throwing chalk everywhere, being incredibly dirty, it was amazing.

I think it is important to remember that we appreciate other cultures and religions.  That we can enjoy just being together and at times... throwing chalk in each other's faces.  Overall great weekend!

Even more...

I also plan on using some of these amazing quotes further on in my paper:

-“We have data that shows some teachers are amazing, they get amazing outcomes and, if you, as a student, get a bunch of those in a row, you do great. And some are the opposite of amazing and, if you get a bunch of those in a row, you do very poorly. Yet we don't evaluate teachers” (Gates).

-“now it's all based on seniority and do I have a master's degree--it's completely independent of student outcomes” (Gates).

-“The National Crime Victimization Survey data show that an estimated 2.7 million violent crimes take place annually either at or near schools (Nolin, Davies, & Chandler)” (Harrison 39).

-“The general pattern was that the problems were the most severe in urban schools, and least severe in suburban schools, with rural schools in the middle” (Harrison 48).

-“TENURE, seniority-based pay scales, strict working condition regulations, and similar restrictions are a central part of the nation's publics school systems, designed to protect teachers from the whims of their superiors and from political influence. In most school systems, once teachers serve two or three years, they are, within certain parameters, largely assured of lifetime employment. Removing a tenured teacher requires serious commitment” (Hess and Maranto 1).

-"And observers hail the apparent successes of administrative reforms overseas and in American state and local governments.  [They] have seemingly saved large sums of money and improved public service, in part by ending tenure and making the jobs of high-level managers contingent on meeting performance goals specified in their contracts. (Hess and Maranto 1).

Continuation of the paper...

In the school system now, although having great teachers that do great things, and are involved in their student’s lives, there are the others that lack the motivation, the time, and even the talent that is necessary to be not only good but a great teacher.    

            This view on tenure however isn’t widely accepted.   In the article, “Superintendent Staying Power,” it states how, “It found a positive correlation between longevity and academic achievement. District leaders who focus on the right goals, manage change effectively and stick around long enough to see results tend to have higher-performing students” (Pascopella).  Although understanding how having a teacher or superintendent stay in a school, adjust, and then try to make changes, this is not the pattern that is apparent.  

The Start of the Paper ... EEP

So I actually... just changed my subject, although interested at first in reading development, I recently was taught/watched a very intriguing video that immediately made me passionate about something new, my now subject.  Wanting to be involved in the education system, the public school system is going to be a pretty large part of my future life.  I have experience with it as do most of you, and we all recognize some of the common failing and problems that schools face.  This is what my paper is about:

Question:

 What are the problems facing public schools in America? How can we go about solving these problems?

Thesis:

  Despite once leading the world in academic achievement the United States has now fallen behind in test scores in the subjects of math, reading, and science.  Through the practices such as tenure, tracking systems, and an incredible amount of inequality, public schools are becoming less likely to produce well educated students.

Here is the start mostly focusing purely on tenure :),

Tenure and the Effect on Public Schools

            If a teacher was doing a bad job they would be fired.  Is this a true or false statement?  Under the agreements tenure offers, this statement is false.  Tenure or “strong job protections for teachers” makes it nearly impossible for a school to fire an underperforming teacher. (King and Hechinger 1)  Once receiving tenure, this job security, some teachers, bad teachers, stop teaching in class and this, however, doesn’t stop them from being paid.  How could this happen?  Why don’t people stop this?  This is one of the main problems facing American public schools today.

            In any other job that requires licensing the person practicing can lose his or her license.  Doctors and lawyers are examples of this.  In the documentary, “Waiting for Superman”, they list the statistics for doctors and lawyers losing their license compared to that of teachers for the state of Illinois: “One in 57 doctors loses his medical license and one in 97 lawyers loses his law license, only one in 2,500 teachers loses his credentials, because of union rules.”  Tenure has made it nearly impossible to rid public schools of bad teachers. 

            Solutions have been thought of but unfortunately they don’t result in great benefits for the students or the schools.  In some situations as shown in the film, teachers that are awaiting misconduct hearings in New York City sit in a room for seven hours a day doing nothing except collect salary (in the end costing the state about 65 million dollars a year), in others bad teachers are rotated from school to school in a process called the “dance of the lemons” as schools try to rid themselves of the worst in hopes of gaining a better teacher from another school.  In both situations the problem is not resolved.  Quoting Bill Gates in an interview with Kenneth Whyte,

“We've ended up with a personnel system that essentially does no evaluation. It doesn't identify whether teachers are weak or strong and gives them no incentives for improving their weak points. Nor does the system identify the few teachers that don't belong in the profession because they either don't have the ability or they're just not trying hard enough.” (Gates)

More will be added most likely tomorrow but I think splitting it into shorter sections for now will make it easier for review.  Happy reviewing :) 

Dress Shopping

I must truly apologize in advance because... most of my posts from now on will be concerning the girly side, the  wedding details in which I am completely and at times unfortunately preoccupied :).  Recently I had one of the most significant pre wedding experiences as I went... dress shopping :).  Going from shop to shop trying on beautiful gown after beautiful gown I ... did not have the experience I was expecting.  Perhaps having unrealistic ideals because of countless episodes of Say Yes to the Dress, or the multiple times I had watched Father of the Bride as a young girl, I wasn't disappointed as much as I was overwhelmed.  The decision in front of me seemed daunting, so many choices, so many different fabrics, cuts and styles, ivory/white/off-white, different lengths in veils or no veil.  I was confused, I no longer knew what I wanted.  I luckily am able to relate this to life, to broaden the scope to all readers out there that don't give a hoot for my wedding worries :).  In this crazy life, we are overcome by decisions, small to large, they are there and we must choose.  We try to get advice from our friends and family, we try to make note of the positives and negatives, what we need/what we want/what we can afford.  We, at times, will become overwhelmed, we won't know what to do.  But it's in these situations where we can grow and become strong, it's in these decisions where we can turn to the Lord and get advice, following the promptings of the Holy Ghost.  I'm of course not saying that the Lord will help direct my wedding dress choice but... the Lord will help us in big decisions, He will help guide our lives if we let Him.  Anyways, to share, I didn't really find the "dress", but I will share some of the maybe options with you :).

The engagement!

Well, if you are not in my English class/i don't know you/i don't talk to you/you're a creeper get off my page (just kidding, well sort of ;)) you wouldn't know that I recently, as in about a month ago, got engaged :). On February 17th, my boyfriend of nearly three and a half years became my fiance.  After dating in high school and waiting while he served a mission far far away in Rio de Janeiro Brazil (yes i did wait for a missionary, the statistic is around 3%, we're pretty awesome :)), we had finally ended up at BYU together, and after countless ring shopping trips (yes i was present, it's a big purchase and i don't like surprises :)), we went to the Provo Temple one Friday evening... and the rest is history.  We will be married in the Washington, D.C. temple on August 17th.  We really couldn't be more excited.  And now my life is filled with wedding details, questions about dates/invites/dresses/appetizers etc. fill my conversations, and although at times stressful (i am planning a wedding 2500 miles away from my home), I know that everything will work out :).

the ring to all those curious on lookers :)

Another Talk...always a good thing :)

To realize that things can actually be exactly how they appear, or act, or even seem may be a little out of reach for most of us.  In my life at least, I've noticed people who seem super nice, so friendly, and then you walk away and well.... the horns, the tail, and the pitchfork come out.  In David A. Bednar's talk, "Things As They Really Are", Elder Bednar connects this idea of things being really what they are not only to media, and technology but to our bodies, and overall roles as sons and daughters of God.  He makes it clear that although these great technology of our day can be wonderful and be used to create/discover/event/explore/learn/etc. these things can also be a tool for Satan.  Gosh, it seems that whenever we get something that seems really great.... there is Satan laughing and being overly happy because he sees the potential for evil.  Okay but really quick side story, I actually have talked a bit to Elder Bednar, :o i know, it was a surprise for me as well.  Coming from a small (less than 60 people on an average Sunday) branch in Vermont, I never thought I would get to talk to an apostle, come on, what were the chances? But almost 2 years ago, my small branch was selected with 2 others across America to have a Q&A session (using some sort of Skype program) with both Elder Bednar, and Elder Scott.  We could ask them anything, and they would answer.  It was by far the most spiritual event that has ever happened in my life.  Obviously we still all talk about it because it was such a big deal.  But anyways, back to the talk, :), my favorite section was when Bednar talked about us being the chosen generation.  I remember once at Youth Conference, having a counselor in the stake presidency, bear his testimony of the faith he had in the youth.  That he was confident in the future, and in the fact that the church would continue to grow because he knew us and what kind of people we were.  I remember feeling the Spirit really strong, I felt a personal connection.  I knew the responsibility was mine.  I had an obligation to build up the Church and to do my part.  God kept me back for this time on Earth, He needs me now, and this is the time selected for me to reach my full potential.  It's incredible! Yep, that's all I can say because it makes me... I don't even know how to describe it.  So lesson of this little tale :), can and should we use the internet and online sites, technology etc....  YES!  should we spend 16 hours a day glued to facebook and twitter, and do nothing else... NO!  Okay, i'm glad we got that settled.  :)

Henry B. Eyring... you rock my socks :)

So… first blog post ever, this is very exciting, a momentous occasion.  Oh and it just happens to be on an amazing talk given by Elder Henry B. Eyring.  The talk, entitled A Child of God, focuses mainly on how we can achieve academic success, but also remain humble and not fall into the pitfall of being prideful.  Elder Eyring throughout this talk gives great metaphors for life, originally starting out with almost a war theme, not only telling an account, but referring to spiritual bullets and “casualties”.  Later, continuing on with a medicine metaphor mentioning antidotes and correct dosages.  The body of his talk, however, was in the listing of 5 characteristics or habits among great learners.   But wait; hold a minute, before I get into that whole section, I was so happy that he mentioned the talk about pride given by President Benson.  Short, true side story: Probably around 6 months ago, or longer, I got to attend a Zone Conference in my stake, and actually participate in all the activities and discussion… seriously, just the most amazing experience ever, being surrounded by all the missionaries, but anyways, they discussed this talk in detail.  So… when Elder Eyring mentioned this talk I actually had a copy of it tucked away in my scriptures.   I was probably a little overly excited about it, but it was just really cool that I knew exactly what he was talking about.  Anyways, he listed the five things:

1)    -Welcome correction.  Holy cow, Elder Eyring, what are you trying to do to me?  Who else loves that he gives us something really hard first?  Taking criticism, I know it is something that we must grow to love and it will sincerely help us but… it can be really difficult.  I’ll have to take his advice and try to enjoy “jottings in red ink”.

2)    - Keep commitments.  Getting a little easier, he’s breaking us in.  I always really appreciated this attribute because, well, it sucks when you have plans with someone and they cancel, or you’re in a group project and someone isn’t pulling their wait.  All I thought about when I read this section was… oxen.  Yes, oxen.  I thought about oxen bearing a yoke, and the situations that can happen if someone or well, an animal isn’t doing their part. 

3)      -Work hard.  Easier said than done.  We almost have to fight of that lazy, carnal man all the time.  It’s quite a boxing match on some days.  I do love how he stated, “Life at its longest is short.  What we do here determines the rest of our condition for eternity.”  If you think about that, about life in that context, you realize just how much we do have to work.  We are literally building our mansion above, building mansions isn’t easy.                                                                                                                                                              

4)   -Help  other people.  Gosh, this is so important, when I think about all the people who’ve helped me whether in school or in life or anytime, it makes so much sense to pay it forward.  We all have so much to offer, so much to bring to the table.  It wouldn’t be a great meal if everyone brought… let’s say mashed potatoes (although I would be very happy).  Everyone needs to bring what they have, and allow everyone else to feast upon it. 

5)     - Expect resistance and overcome it.  Elder Eyring is definitely using the sandwich technique to give us these points, starting difficult, being nice in the middle, and then hitting us once again on the bottom bun.  For me in my life, if things come easy usually I don’t appreciate them nearly as much as something I worked really hard for.  Oh and I loved his comment about his mom.  What do we expect?  An answer key?  Life really is a test, a place for us to prove ourselves. 

This talk although being about education and being humble, had the under lying theme of just how lucky we are to be children of God and… to actually know it.  How lucky are we?  If we but remember “who God is and what it means to be his child,” we’ll be protected, we’ll have promised blessings, and we’ll be able to accomplish so much not only in the educational field but in all aspects of life.  It is our competitive edge, our shield against whatever might try to knock us down.  Gosh, just a great talk.  More to come on this blog, so keep reading J