All Good Things Must Come to an End...? (20)

Judging by the title of this entry, I'm guessing that you've already assumed that this is my last post. Well, you're both right and wrong in thinking that. This is my last blog if you look at it as a class assignment, but I don't see my blog as solely that. So while this is my last required post for Writing 150, I still plan on writing blogs in the future! I've come to find that I actually really enjoy writing this blog and I think it will be beneficial for me to look back on, kind of like how a journal is.

Speaking of looking back, this required entry's topic is evaluation. I'm not exactly sure what type of evaluation my teacher is looking for, but I'll write about the following: my experiences in Writing 150, my thoughts on this blog, and what I've learned from my freshman year.
Firstly, I cannot believe how fast this semester has flown by. How can it almost be over? I feel like I walked into my first Writing 150 class, like, yesterday. It's funny how life is like that. Sometimes it seems like time is moving unbearably slow, while other times it feels like I blink and another day is gone. I also find it funny that I used to think that I absolutely hated writing, but I don't think I can say that's the case anymore. Throughout this course I've had to write several papers and they weren't always my favorite things to do. They also weren't the easiest, but I learned to appreciate writing and the different styles that I was assigned to write in. I can definitely say that I've learned more about writing and how to become a better writer. I hope that what I've been taught in this class will stay with me because I'll have to write papers in pretty much every class following this one.
Secondly, I guess I've already touched on my thoughts about writing this blog, but I'll further my opinion. At first I was a little skeptical about this assignment because I didn't know what I'd ever write about. It wasn't always easy coming up with blog post ideas, as you can probably tell from how random some of them turned out. But I'm glad I wrote them! I want to remember a lot of the memories I wrote about and the internet is forever so they aren't going anywhere. I also really enjoyed reading blogs posted by my classmates. It's interesting to read all of their different experiences, testimonies, and overall thoughts on various topics. All in all, I enjoyed this assignment and I hope that the people who may have read my posts liked them too!

Lastly, this past school year has easily been both the hardest and most memorable year of my life. My first semester was definitely harder on me than this one is, mainly because I was homesick a lot more then. But I think my blog's title "Changing Perspective" sums up my freshman year quite well. I have had to adapt to a lot of changes since starting college. I've learned how to live on my own, how to manage school-induced stress, how to deal with being away from home, and what it's like to be surrounded by so many Latter-day saints! When I look back at the girl I was this past September, I see a nervous, yet excited seventeen year-old who had know idea what was coming her way. I'd like to think that I've grown in a lot of ways, specifically in a spiritual way. Before coming to BYU, I didn't really see a mission in my future. I wasn't opposed to serving, but it also wasn't a top priority of mine. Now I'm extremely eager to serve and I feel like my testimony has been strengthened as well!
I'm so grateful for everything that I've been blessed with this past year. I know that even though some times were hard, I grew a lot from them and that Heavenly Father has so much in store for me if I just continue to be faithful and obedient. Well, it's been fun writing this blog for my class. Stay tuned for more posts coming your way this summer! :)

Traveling the World (19)

Sometimes I forget about how big this world is. It's in moments where I'll watch a spectacular sunset or hike to the top of a mountain that I think about how I'm only witnessing a tiny, secluded part of the earth. There is so much more out there that I haven't even experienced! There is a lot of the U.S. that I haven't traveled to and I've never been out of the country, so you can see how much I truly haven't experienced. Maybe someday I'll be able to travel the world, but until then I'm just going to blog about it. Here are the top 3 places I really want to visit:

1.) SAMOA.

Come on, y'all saw this one coming, right? I mean my mom was born there so it basically has to make my top 3. In all seriousness though, I've always wanted to visit Samoa because of that reason. I'd love to meet some of my relatives, experience the culture, and explore the island. From what I've heard and seen in pictures, Samoa is a very beautiful place and I really hope to witness that for myself one day! Additionally, I want to learn the language so that I can speak it with my mom, grandma, and other family members. Currently I only know simple phrases, I'll have to work on that before I visit Samoa! ;)

2.) ENGLAND.

I don't know what it is about England, but it's been a dream of mine to go for a long time. I remember while I was in middle school, I had my mind set on moving to London once I was an adult. Times have changed though, I'm content with just visiting now. I think my main reason for having England in my top 3 is my slight obsession with Pride and Prejudice. I know you can't base everything off of movies, but I can't help but long to visit England when I watch it. I mean how can one not swoon over this scene?

the feels are strong here

3.) VENICE, Italy.

I feel like all of my reasons behind this location are superficial. Honestly I really just want to go because it's beautiful. But isn't that reason enough? I know it's no where near its actual beauty, but my first glimpse of Venice was The Venetian in Las Vegas, NV. Even if it completely pales in comparison, I was still mesmerized by the idea of buildings on water, romantic gondola rides, and Italian cuisine. I can't even imagine how many pictures I'd take just of buildings, they're so pretty! Hopefully I'll be able to fill a camera full of pictures from my visit to Venice...here's to someday!

Best General Conference Ever! (18)

This past weekend was awesome! Don't get me wrong, pretty much all General Conference weekends are, but this time was different. If you would have asked me how I thought this past weekend was going to go last Friday, I probably would have said that it was going to be frustrating. For the most part, that was true...up until Saturday night.

 You see, I had gotten tickets to the Sunday morning session of General Conference and I was really excited to go. The only problem was that I couldn't find a ride and I had asked everyone I could possibly think of. But nothing was working out! I thought about taking the frontrunner, but there were no details about it running during Conference weekend on its website. So I came to the conclusion that the only way I was going to make it was by renting a car and driving myself. This scared me because I didn't know how traffic and parking was going to be. Luckily I didn't have to go through that because my friend Catherine told me that the guy she was riding with, Parker, could take me as well! I was so relieved and my excitement for attending Conference was restored!

As the three of us drove to Salt Lake, we had to make a stop at Parker's uncle's house for their tickets. Unfortunately, there was a mix-up and his uncle accidentally got them tickets for the Sunday afternoon session. But we didn't let that stop us because we all pretty much figured that they would get in on stand-by, which they did! So that all worked out.

The first Sunday session was awesome! It was only my second time being in the Conference Center; my first was when I attended Women's Conference last October. It's so powerful to be in the same room with so many wonderful leaders and saints of the church. I wasn't expecting my day to get much better than that until Catherine and Parker told me that they weren't planning on staying for the following session and that I could have their tickets. Because they were my only ride, I was about to pass up on the tickets and just ride home with them. However, I changed my mind once Parker showed me that the tickets were for seats located on the bottom floor in row C! Apparently Parker's uncle was actually the second counselor of the General Young Men's presidency, Brother Ridd, who got released this past weekend. I couldn't let those tickets go, so I quickly made arrangements for a ride home and decided to stay. 

I'm so glad I stayed because I don't think I'll ever be able to experience Conference the same way again! It was epic to be so close to the stand and just feet away from the prophet! I loved every minute of Conference this weekend and I can't believe how blessed I was to be able to attend both Sunday sessions. It was seriously the best General Conference weekend ever!

Now to fulfill another one of my blog assignments, which is to write a mini-analysis of a General Conference talk. I've chosen to write about the talk given by Elder Holland during the Sunday morning session entitled "Where Justice, Love, and Mercy Meet." I don't think I've ever heard a talk from Elder Holland that I haven't enjoyed and this one was no exception. 

He began his talk with a story, a form of pathos that is very common among General Conference talks. The story is about two boys who went climbing in southern Utah without the aid of climbing gear. They quickly ran into a problem that left one of the boys in a life-threatening situation. He came to the conclusion that he had to vertically jump to reach a ledge to safety; however, missing it would lead to his death. Once he made the jump, he put his arms to the ledge only to find that it was sandy and that there was nothing for him to grasp. At that moment, the boy realized that he was about to die. But what he didn't know was that his brother's arms would quickly grab him and pull him to safety.

Elder Holland then related this story to the Savior and His Atonement. Although we were born into an inevitable fallen state because of the Fall of Adam and Eve, the Savior is always there for us. Just like the boy who saved his brother from falling, Christ is there to reach out His arms whenever we need Him. Elder Holland also emphasized that in order to see the significance of the Atonement fully, we must understand the Fall. Because this talk was also given on Easter Sunday, Elder Holland made this statement: "So today we celebrate the gift of victory over every fall we have ever experienced, every sorrow we have ever known, every discouragement we have ever had---to say nothing of resurrection from death and forgiveness for our sins."

I know that Christ's Atonement was the most important thing that has happened in all of history and that will ever happen. I'm so grateful for His sacrifice and for His arms that are always outstretched to help me during my trials. I know that because of the Atonement, I can overcome physical death and be resurrected. I know that the Atonement also always me to repent for my sins; thus, granting me the ability to live with my family, Jesus Christ, and my Heavenly Father again. I love this gospel with all my heart and I can't wait to share it with as many people as I can!

Narrative Paper Reflection (17)

In addition to posting our narrative papers on our blogs, my class has also been asked to write a reflection on said paper. So that's what this post is going to be! :) I've decided to accomplish this by answering a variety of questions below:

What did you like about writing your narrative paper?
To be honest, I like how this paper was easier to write than the others I've had to write for this class. It was easier because I felt like I got to just write! Yes, I still followed the guidelines of  a narrative paper, but it also helped that it isn't as rigid and restrictive as I feel like a rhetoric or research paper is. Because I was writing a story from my life, it was easier to pull information. The only difficult part was finding the best way to portray my central message to readers without just flat-out writing it.

What was the hardest part about writing you narrative paper?
Like I mentioned in the first question, the hardest part was writing my central message in an ideal way. I had trouble not just telling the reader what I wanted them to know. Being able to show through my words and not tell was a challenge for me. I could definitely still improve in this aspect!

Why did you choose the story that you did for your narrative paper?
It took me a while to figure out what it was I wanted to write about. I wanted to write about something that I'm passionate about, but also not make it all about me. I decided to write about the talent show because I really love singing and performing in front of people. Even though it terrifies me right up until the moment I'm on stage, I instantly love performing once it's actually happening.

What do you want readers to get out of your narrative paper?
I wanted to portray how grateful I am for my family and friends. It meant everything to me to have all of them there to support me. I don't think I would have been able to make it through the talent show, or any of my performances for that matter, without their continual love and support.

What are your overall thoughts on writing this narrative paper?
I really loved it! It's easily my favorite paper that I've had to write for this class. I hope the people who read my paper enjoyed it! :)