A look behind General Conference - Part 2

Continued from "A look behind General Conference - Part 1" 

Alright, let's get into the process...what I can remember, that is. This all begins probably six months before the upcoming conference. That's right, as soon as one conference is finished, the Church begins preparing for the next. There is even a lady (at least while I was there) who oversees the whole process. She had about a 50-page detailed schedule that outlines exactly what each employee should be doing by exactly what day...for everything related to conference.

But the "good stuff" comes the few weeks directly before and after the conference weekend. So here are some of the general things that go on on the editorial side that I got to be involved with. I'm sorry this is long, but I think it's interesting!! :)

Fact Checking:
     Not every talk is available beforehand, but most are and are sent to the Church curriculum department. (That is the department the magazines operate under.) At this point each talk is read over twice, by Reader A and Reader B. Both will read through the sermon and mark any basic grammatical changes that will need to included once the text is formatted for the magazines. These aren't typically passed back to the speaker, unless there is a strong need for a change, such as one that would alter the meaning in the text. But the key part of this process is the fact checking. Any reference to a scripture, past conference talk, various speeches, poems, stories, etc. is tracked down and documented. So if a talk references Ezra T. Benson's "Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet," the staff member would find the original reference, photocopy the address, make sure the next text matches the original, and attach the fact-checked materials to the talk. We would be photocopying the scriptures, lesson manuals, Preach My Gospel, True to the Faith, prophet biographies, etc. Any material that is referenced in a talk is attached to that talk. Reader A is responsible for the primary gathering, but Reader B will run through the materials again and add any that are missing. The staff members will work on a variety of talks as either Reader A and Reader B at any time.

Live Watching
     Obviously the staff members are always watching for some significant announcement or something deemed "out of the ordinary." Typically these kinds of announcements would take place in the Saturday sessions (such as five new temples). When I worked with the magazines as an intern, I was assigned to attend the Sunday morning session. I had my name on a list of press members and received a press pass from the Church. I arrived at the Conference Center Sunday morning and presented my credentials. From here I was directed to the news room. This room is on the back of the main floor directly facing the stand. There are about four rows of seats, and we all watch through the window of walls in front of us. The reporters in this row technically "can" be seen through the windows but it's a little difficult.

When you walk into the room, you are handed a stack of materials, the most significant of which are the printed text from every speaker that session. Then each of the news members can follow along with the speakers as they present their sermons. *That was definitely one of my favorite things!* It was great to be able to write notes straight on the talks, being able to highlight what stood out, etc. I wasn't writing any news reports of the talks, but if you look at, say, the Deseret News, they offer articles from each talk. And they offer direct quotes...which would come from these printed materials. If I could access this every session, I definitely would. We, of course, also make note of any changes or deviations from the written plans.

Another thing about this room is that the senior missionaries also bring in and set up snacks. I personally thought it was the perfect medium setting for watching conference. I could be dressed up and attending the session in the Conference Center. But the reporters would also make comments, get up and walk around, partake of snacks, etc.

Press Conferences
These don't always take place, but any time a change in leadership takes place, the Church will hold a press conference. When President Hinckley died (which was during my internship), they help an immediate press conference. The Young Women presidency was reorganized during this conference, so a press conference was held during the two Sunday sessions in the Beehive building. This simple conference introduced the new sisters and allowed them to share their thoughts and plans for the calling. Then the conference attendees lined up to ask questions.


This conference strongly affected my personal thoughts towards the current Young Women presidency. I think they are amazing and capable leaders for this organization. Elaine Dalton would hug each of us (probably the notably younger "young women" attending at least) and truly displayed love for the people around her.

Pulpit Checks
Early Monday morning after the conference, the flurry begins. Every staff member participates in pulpit checks. Again, we each receive a print out of the talk and a DVD with the video of that talk on it. And we watch it again, this time officially marking ANY VARIATIONS from the written text to the spoken words. At least two people re-watch each talk. If there are notable differences that came over the pulpit, it's likely one or two people would check the new material.

It really was so fun to return to work after a conference weekend and set to work listening to the talks again. :)

New General Authority/Auxiliary Biographies
Typically General Authorities are released in the October sessions of conference and new General Authorities are called in the April sessions. I was lucky enough to be around during the April sessions because the magazines write biographies for the magazines of each new person called. The magazine staff members usually have an idea of how many biographies they will have to write based on how many authorities were released the previous conference. Sometimes they might be surprised with more than they expected. While I was there 15 men (yes, fifteen!) were called to serve in the First and Second Quorums of the Seventy, plus the reorganized Young Women's presidency, the call of Elder D. Todd Christofferson as a new member of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles. Each of these individuals would get a biography in the magazines.

I got to interview and write the bio for Gary E. Stevenson, Tad. R. Callister, and Mary N. Cook.


Proofing
To me, this was one of the most unique things about the process of producing the General Conference issue. A whole team of editors come in during these few weeks to volunteer their services. One of the main things they do is proofing the text that has been formatted in the layout. Again there is an Editor A and an Editor B. Editor B will have a copy of the formatted text. Editor A will have a copy of the conference talk any changes made by editors previously. Editor B will then read aloud the text as Editor A follows along making sure everything is exactly the same. Yes, EXACTLY.

See, Editor A will read everything that appears in the text, including capitalization and punctuation. Take the following passage, for example:

"No one of you is a small or insignificant thing, in part because you make the Gospel of Jesus Christ what it is — a living reminder of His grace and mercy, a private but powerful manifestation in small villages and large cities of the good He did and the life He gave trying to bring salvation to other people. We are honored beyond expression to be counted one with you in such a sacred cause."

This would be read as follows:

Pos cap No one of you is a small or insignificant thing com in part because you make the cap Gospel of two cap Jesus Christ what it is space em dash space a living reminder of cap His grace and mercy com a private but powerful manifestation in small villages and large cities of the good cap He did and the life cap He gave trying to bring salvation to other people point cap We are honored beyond expression to be counted one with you in such a sacred cause point pos

A key for clarification

pos = apostrophy
cap = capitalized letter
com = comma
point = period
bang = exclamation point


It's fun to do and the people who have been doing it for years are AMAZING. It's like second nature. I admit after this process, I would randomly read text like this for fun.

Anyways, that's all I have to share for now. This went a bit longer than I had planned, but I should know by now that I ramble. I hope it's been interesting! 

A look behind General Conference - Part 1

I had the amazing opportunity to work for the LDS Church magazines from January to May 2008. During that time, one of the most significant things I got to help out with was General Conference. Any member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints knows how big of a deal conference is. These conferences happen twice a year and offer a unique opportunity for the modern-day apostles and prophets to address the Church as a whole--all 13 million of its members across the world.

So, this Saturday morning, when the 180th semi-annual conference begins, the speakers are not simply addressing the 21,000 attendees sitting in the LDS Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are addressing the millions of Church members who anxiously await the inspired messages from leaders. In Utah, members are likely gathered with their families and friends in their own homes where the conference is broadcast to the local television station. Throughout the world, members will gather in church houses to listen to the address, often with the dubbed language translations.

To pull off such an event takes a lot of planning and a lot of preparation--there is seriously so much involved! I was personally involved with the part involving the Liahona magazine, one of the Church's official magazines. You see, within 4 weeks from the date that the conference takes place, the text from the addresses is compiled into a 148-page magazine, completely designed with top-notch formatting, pictures, etc. Oh, and did I mention this is re-done for 166 languages, which requires the text to be completely reformatted each time? (Take a section of text and translate it into Italian, Arabic, or Greek (just examples) to see how dramatic the change is.)

And, again, that's all in 4 weeks. So I wanted to share a little bit about my experience working with the Church during this time and everything that it involves.

Continued on "A look behind General Conference - Part 2"
 

Seriously, who crushes on ME?

Just a thought I had as I'm working away: 

In 9th grade I was in class and talking to my group of friends in our corner of the chemistry classroom. One friend sat behind me and was an avid planner user. He'd write all of his assignments and activities in it.

One day, three or four of us were chatting as we worked on an assignment. I happen to look back to this friend's desk. He was talking and not paying attention.

But something in his planner caught my eye. There it was...

MY NAME!

With a heart drawn around it.

Later my suspicious was confirmed that this boy did indeed have a crush on me. (Hey, I was cool once upon a time.)

My favorite part is that he expressed his crush by doodling my name with hearts. Hehe, 9th graders.

National Punctuation Day 2010

"In the family of punctuation, where the full stop is the daddy and the comma is mummy, and the semicolon quietly practices the piano with crossed hands, the exclamation mark is the big attention-deficit brother who gets over-excited and breaks things and laughs too loudly." 

- Eats, Shoots and Leaves

A home in Provo

I was reading some of my old blog posts a couple nights ago. I had ventured back to 2007 when I was preparing to graduate from BYU and trying to figure out what to do next in life.

At one point I had an interview with the Daily Herald to be a copy editor. I knew as soon as they set up the interview that it wouldn't be a good fit for me. But I went to the interview anyways and responded to quite a bit of questioning about what I thought about staying in Provo long term.

I admit, I wasn't fond of the idea. Like any soon-to-be graduate, I told the interviewer what they apparently wanted to hear. Something along the lines that I liked Provo and I'd be up for moving or staying depending on the type of job I got. But inside I really wanted change. I wanted adventure. I wanted to do somethinh new, exciting, and slightly terrifying because of all the unknowns involved.

Here I am, however, three years later, living in Provo and loving my life. My attempts in Salt Lake, Virginia and Orem seem to have failed, and I found myself in P-town once again. Despite my 2007 desires, I am in a fantastic point in life and have had so many great things happen to me here in Provo.


At work I was compiling some of the things Utah has been recognized for lately. In August 2010, the Business Facilities Magazine released rankings for the typical categories, and Utah had a strong standing. So strong that if there were a category for "Most Improved State," Utah would probably have won it. (Yes that's a direct quote from the magazine text.)

Let's take a look at what Utah was named:

#1 in Quality of Life
#2 in Best Education Climate
#3 in Best Business Climate
#3 in Geothermal Power Generation Leaders
#7 in Economic Growth Potential
#7 in Employment Leader
#8 in Best Transportation Infrastructure
#10 in Best Business Tax Climate


I have to say I'm proud to live in Utah. I've lived here for about 12 years total (6 years growing up and 6 years for college and beyond). This rankings are from just one organization but I get the opportunity to report on the many rankings the state receives all time time from Forbes, Yahoo, CNN Money, CNBC, Money Magazine, etc. And I'm glad other people recognize the great things Utah has to offer. I'm glad I get to benefit from and participate in those things as well.

As much as I love D.C. and the idea of the big, unknown possibilities out there in the world, I know I have a home in Provo.

Ingram Hill: New Album

I was just browsing online and guess what I found out! Ingram Hill has a new album that will be released next week on Sept. 28.

Whup Whup. The fall is the time to release new albums apparently.

So far we have Brendan James, Matt White, Ingram Hill, The Script, Taylor Swift (October 25!)...

I haven't been following these releases too closely, so please tell me if you know of any!

For now, a quick feature on Ingram Hill while we wait one week to check out the new album.

I've known about this band since about 2004 when they had one or two singles. To my knowledge that is the only broad exposure they've had. I attended their concert in Salt Lake in 2008, and it was so fun!

Their music isn't my faaavorite when it comes to general listening. But there are definitely times I'm in a good Ingram Hill mood. Plus the lead singer is way attractive with his goofy grin and Tennessean accent...and yes, he's married.

I've always had a thing for bitter break up songs, so today I'll share "On My Way." Check out the studio version if you can; this video has a bit of static.

The lyrics are kinda dramatic to the point where they are funny. Plus when you are in a break-up mood sometimes you just waaant to express negative feelings toward that person, and I love how this song releases the depth and drama of those thoughts. I remember good times listening to this song on repeat for a while after their concert. I hope you enjoy...and that I'm not the only weird person who likes break up songs! :)

(Grace: I was just thinking about your story about that song you like...This song definitely helps me relate. Haha.) 

On My Way Lyrics, by Ingram Hill
I don't want your old letters
And I don't want to be friends
I've had enough to last a lifetime
and I don't wanna go again
I don't have to find a reason
And I don't have to answer why
It doesn't matter who is wrong here
I just wanna see you cry

And on my way I'll take the sunshine
On my way I'll take your dreams
On my way I'll say I'm sorry to no one but me

Let your family know I'm leavin
Lie to your girlfriends that you're well
Call and leave a cryin' message
I wanna know it hurts like hell

And on my way I'll take the sunshine
on my way I'll take your dreams
On my way I'll say I'm sorry to no one but me
On my way I'll be my own man
And I'll only please myself
On my way my pride's the only feeling I've got left

I don't appreciate being teased

We live in a world that often seems to be taken over by technology. Everyone has a cell phone attached to them at all times. We live in a world of GPS. You can click a button and know exactly where you are and exactly what is around you and how long it will take you to get from Point A to, well, any point anywhere.

But still. I receive an e-mail. It says my package has been shipped. Lucky me; there is a tracking number. I click and guess what it tells me...

No, not the remarkably awesome details one might expect. I do not learn that my package is in the back right corner of Truck 528 that is currently traveling from Random City in Nebraska to Other Random City 200 miles away. The link does not tell me where the package has been every 3 hours for the past day.

Instead I learn that my package was PICKED UP four days ago.

What kind of tracking is that?

What has happened in the past FOUR days? Has the package remained in the same hands that retrieved it from the warehouse?

Shouldn't the tracking link provide SOME kind of information...think of the things we should be able to learn!!

But no. Instead I shall have to wait until 30 minutes after my package has arrived. Then if I get the time to click on the link again, it will probably have updated to DELIVERED.

Hopefully I'll have already figured that out myself...

I'm excited for life

I spend a fair amount of time during the day on a computer. And by fair amount, I mean at least 8 hours. Every day.

I often get excited, have random thoughts, or simply want to express something, anything, during my days. I tend to do this simply by updating my Gmail chat status in my Gmail inbox. Yes, Gmail is pretty much open all day for me.

I find that I often have a thought and then that is followed by an urge to update that status once again. Sometimes I have too many at once to accommodate. If I JUST updated, I want to give that status some live time, rather than already moving onto the next. So I've been just keeping track of some of those status urges and am now sharing them here in this blog. :) 

I am excited for life. It holds great things.

I am excited for my new work computer to arrive.

My new favorite Brendan James song is "The Lucky Ones."And I am officially in love with his new album.

I am excited to get down to business and tackle some projects I've been putting off.

I am apparently excited about a lot of things lately.

I have amazing friends and amazing people who always randomly want to be my friends. Seriously, these people are awesome, I just don't understand why they care so much about me.

I need to be more like people like that.

I am loving having new music to listen to again.

I am so looking forward to General Conference.

Things just get in the way. I want less things and more meaning in life.

I am so glad I can listen to the Brendan James album. I'm loving it.

"This time I gotta get it right, gotta get it right now, gotta get it right this time. My life is passing me by, I've got to take a deep breath and get it right."

I love that my sister sent me an e-mail reminding me of the greatness that is Pickles comics.

I now know how to respond when people question me about not liking animals. I can learn from Gramps in Pickles: "I wouldn't say I don't like cats. I'm just not particularly fond of their existence." http://comics.com/pickles/2010-07-10/

I can't be annoyed by traffic jams when they give me at least a few minutes to listen to this album all the way through.

I'm kinda obsessed with the "Boys will be Girls" YouTube videos. "I just put w, for whatevs." is currently my favorite line.

I am so grateful for life and the knowledge that Heavenly Father loves me.

I'm reading a book about the flaws in our thinking patterns...so far I have yet to agree with the book. Is my thinking flawed? Isn't everyone's?

Maybe I'll write a book...

I've decided that I want to write a book. This book would be all about...me. :P It is inspired by the words of President Uchtdorf. The tentative title could possibly be "Finding My Happily Ever After."

Up front, I have to say this is not a book about love. Nor is it about the end of all problems like the phrase often seems to indicate in the fairy tale world. Rather, stealing President Uchtdorf's words, it would use the experiences of my life to focus on how we can all be "heros and heroines of our own stories; to triumph over adversity; to experience life in all its beauty; and, in the end, to live happily ever after."

Living "happily ever after" doesn't stop at love. It continues through love and includes all the struggles of finding your place in life. I believe it means finding light and happiness through the continual trials we all face. It means continuing to progress, to encounter new experiences, to stretch yourself beyond your capabilities, to grow and come closer to being the person you want to be.


I just love Uchtdorf's talk that was given to the Young Women of the LDS Church in April 2010. If this is even possible, Uchtdorf was my general authority superstar from the last conference. I've listened to all of his talks many, many times since then, and I love the guidance and inspiration his words provide.

Some tidbits that stand out to me and that offer inspiration for my little book.


Heavenly Father has given us the gift of eternal life. But with that comes some prerequisites:
1) We have to overcome adversity.
2) Sometimes we have to experience sadness and trial.
3) Our Heavenly Father knows the path we need to follow. We have to trust him.
4)  The little things like attending Church meetings, praying or reading the scriptures are things we do because they are part of God's path, and that path will lead us to our "happily ever after" destination.


"We all search for happiness, and we all try to find our own “happily ever after.” The truth is, God knows how to get there! And He has created a map for you; He knows the way."

I've recently started using a phrase with some friends about putting trust and faith in God. You see, God has little secrets that he keeps from us sometimes. If he tells us the secret when he's not supposed to, it would ruin the surprise. Have you ever tried to keep a surprise party from someone and so desperately wanted to tell them that they are loved and perhaps something great is coming their way? I feel like Heavenly Father is like that with us sometimes. He knows what we are feeling and really wants us to know how much He loves us and the magnificent blessings that will come our way. But he can't just tell us. We have to wait and experience the surprise and joy for ourselves. Sometimes we need to stop pestering him and just keep living our lives with faith.

"Sandwiched between their “once upon a time” and “happily ever after,” [all fairy tale heroins] had to experience great adversity...In stories, as in life, adversity teaches us things we cannot learn otherwise. Adversity helps to develop a depth of character that comes in no other way. Our loving Heavenly Father has set us in a world filled with challenges and trials so that we, through opposition, can learn wisdom, become stronger, and experience joy."

This might be a book I just write for me. I've found that I love reading things I've written and being able to look back at what I was experiencing and learning at those times. I love it. I want to be better at recording the every day things I experience that teach me so much, even though I don't realize it at the time. I want to build the connections between the person I once was, the person I am, and the person I'm always striving to become.

I steal things

Today I was in a public restroom. While I was washing my hands, a Hispanic lady was washing her hands in the sink next to me. She had a friend in a stall and had said something to her, and it seemed that this lady was a pretty good English speaker.

When I try to get a paper towel, I find that my dispenser is not working. I look over at the other one and this lady is taking her time slowly drying her hands in front of it. I ask if I can squeeze in for a towel.

"Oh sure."

"Thank you!"

"Oh, I really like your purse."

Now she is complementing my red and white striped purse that I recently obtained from Susie after it spent two years stored away in a box in Virginia.

"Oh thank you."

"Where did you get it?"

"Well, I actually stole it from my sister."

BLANK STARE.

Did she not understand me? She looks kinda puzzled. At this point I realize that maybe, just maybe, this lady only understood the part that I stole it.

"Uh, I mean. It used to be my sister's so she ended up giving it to me, so I don't know where it originally came from. Yea I liked it so my sister gave it to me. I think she got it from my other sister who got it somewhere, who *bought* it somewhere. So, uh, yea I don't know where you could get one."

"Ooh. I get it."

Perhaps I need to be more careful when I tell random strangers about my stealing habits.

I had a dream...

Last night I had a dream...

I was working at my old job still, but I had already quit and was completing my final two weeks. Somehow I got really caught up in a project.

After the weekend, I return to work. I was supposed to go to my new job. But instead I forgot and went to my old job. I went in, sat down at my desk, put in my headphones, and went right to work. I was making progress on a project that was at the point in the process that I really enjoy.

My boss comes over and sits at my desk. I look over at him, say hi, and look back to my screen to work.

A couple minutes pass.

All of the sudden, my mind realizes that something is "off." My mind clears, and I start to feel a little sheepish. I look over at my boss, who has been making small talk with me. I stop him mid sentence and say, "Oh, I'm not supposed to be here, am I?"

He looks at me with a look that says..."weellllll....."

In short, I gather my stuff and quickly exit, all the while thinking about what my new job thinks about me randomly not showing up.

Luckily that didn't really happen. How embarrassing.

la la blah la la

There are a few things in life that have me a little ... hmm ... well "off" to say the least.

First of all, I'm really frustrated when people don't answer their phones. See, I get a phone call, but I can't take it at that moment. Ten minutes later I go to return the call and check my voicemail first. The person has left a 5 minute long, depressing, soft spoken message that I can't even understand but that is expressing that something is wrong and they might like my help.

I'm all for helping when I can or at least being a listening ear. I return the call. Said person does not answer their phone. By the time they finished leaving the long, depressing message, it can't be more than five minutes. I call again. They still don't answer. Instead of letting me help resolve whatever is wrong on both sides, this person has instead just passed their worries on to me. I can't do anything about it because they won't answer their phone and I am instead left to deal with their problems on my own. What exactly is wrong? I don't know. But for some reason I have to be informed that there is some kind of problem that I now feel some sort of responsibility to address. But wait...I  can't even begin to address it.

I'm probably making this too big of a deal but it's seriously really draining!

If you leave someone a message like that, you should be prepared to receive a return phone call as soon as possible. Ulg, it's just rude.

I feel like I'm being a big downer.  Luckily I have great friends who are always encouraging me to be positive, and I have the words of modern day apostles and prophets to listen to help me have faith and strength to keep going through life. (Yes, that's what I'm doing right now. I love Elder Holland and President Uchtdorf.)

Those are some of the best things that help me when I feel like my inadequacies are pulling me down and keeping me from doing the things I so desperately want to do and accomplish on a daily basis.

Blah, sorry this is a laaame post. On a better note, I successfully made a parmesan chicken recipe that my sister shared. It was amazing. And I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Yea!

New Albums from Old(ish) Favorite Artists

I love finding new artists. Usually I dedicate a considerable amount to time to that each summer. Other things have occupied my time these past several months. Hey, that's life.

But the great thing is that some of these lesser known artists are actually coming out with new albums. Yay! I get new music without having to discover new people. (Although I never really minded that.)

So, in my recent resolve to return to blogging, I want to share some new music that I'm excited about.

Today I am sharing: Brendan James.

This guy was included in my second concert I went to ever--back in 2008. (Yea, I got a late start.) There were three people performing at this concert and I liked all three but Brendan James was probably who I was least excited about...But who ended up impressing me the most. I bought his cd online a couple weeks later and fell in love even more.

My favorite song is Green. I know all the lyrics. :) 


This was my first time watching this video...I'm not sure what I think.

Another thing to note: This guy can HUM! Seriously. he is the best hummer I have ever heard. When he hums, I melt. OK, it's not really a "hum" ... let me try to show you what I mean.



The delightful sound you hear at the beginning is just one example of the amazingness...

And the point of this post. Brendan James had a new album come out last week. I've actually only listened to the songs maybe once. It seems to have a bit of a different feel, but I think I could get used to it. I'm debating if I should use some of my free Amazon credits (yes from Swagbucks) to purchase it. Hmm....

Here's one song from his album. It's the only decent YouTube video I could find. Also check out his myspace page to listen to all the new songs on his new album. 

My update on 2010.

I AM going to post more often. I love blogging and I love social media so it seems really lame that I haven't been participating much at all...especially in comparison to my old habits. (P.S. Any of that outlandish talk about going private is now out of my system...although a blog redesign might be in store.) 

I'm currently on my lunch break at work. I ate my leftovers from dinner yesterday and called my sister Christianne because I haven't talked to her in a bit. I had some errands to run, but I think I'll accomplish those during lunch tomorrow. So I stayed in the office reading a couple articles, catching up on some e-mails, and now, writing a blog. 

There are a lot of different things I want to focus on in life right now. I just perused my post about my 2010 goals. Some are completely out of the question for being accomplished now, but I like that there are some things I have done.

Currently I'm focusing on...
 
#16 Read more often. I made a visit to the library last week where I picked up "Mormon Scientist," "Oliver Twist" and "The Peacegiver." (It's kinda a random assortment but what on my list was available.)


#14 Be less shy; more vulnerable My ward this past year has been a great environment for me to open up more and be more confident and friendly with everyone around me. I feel that because I was so easily accepted into the social aspects, I have been able to more confidently accept who I am, quirks and all, and ease into a place where I am more able to use my positive traits to serve the people around me. As far as vulnerable goes, I also think I've encountered more situations where I have to take risks, let my soul be unprotected for a bit. It's been good, and I definitely think these situations have been (and continue to be) things that, for me, are necessary to continue progressing, moving past hard situations, and encountering new experiences. 


#18. Always remember that I am a strong, confident daughter of Heavenly Father. I can do hard things. I can accomplish great dreams. I can be the person I want to be. This one is more ongoing. This is my personal motto that I have to remind myself to remember. Sometimes I forget...but then it comes back. 



Things I HAVE accomplished:

#3. Double my current savings. Yay! I also payed off my car so I am completely, 100% free of debt. I wasn't sure about this one when I quit my job, but I had actually met this goal by May so I was doing well. :)

#13. Write Susie a real letter once every other week for the remainder of her mission. Oh, and make her a mission scrapbook. OK I didn't REAALLY write a "real letter" every other week. But I did write her substantial emails every week...which, as I've come to learn, were some of the most popular in the mission and MAY HAVE on more than one occasion been forwarded around the mission. Sigh. 


Oh, and I did make her scrapbook...although we have the last few months to finish. Maybe I'll post about this scrapbook sometime because it freaking rocks! 



Things I WON'T accomplish:

#6. Scrapbook 1 hour each week. (I'm SO behind!) Have I scrapbooked once this year?? I don't think so. Wait, yes I have. Once for myself and for Susie's scrapbook. booyaah. 

#11. Write in my journal once a week. If my success at blogging is any indication...yea this hasn't happened. Althoooough, I can probably turn Susie's weekly emails into a journal. Ah-ha, maybe I'm more successful than I though.

#4. Travel outside the country. Right now, I don't see this happening. I also lost my passport (horrible I know), so I need to replace it. And I've had at least 3 horrible dreams about desperately needing my passport at the last minute. I'm using those as a sign to apply for a new one...I just haven't gotten around to it. 

#12. Make monthly goals, meet monthly challenges. Each month has probably had its own goals and stuff...but I wasn't consciously doing this...

#17. Attend the temple at least once a month. (I tried for once a week for a while last year but missed a few, so this is more safe.) I haven't been horrible, but I have missed a month...aag.


Things I haven't done but that are possible: (Yep, so I'm saayinng there's a chance.)

1. Officially start HS2COLLEGE. Prepare at least one 8-page publication.

2. Learn to more effectively build a Web site. I manage my work's website currently, so that pretty much means that counts for this goal.

5. Publish five articles or posts on other sites or publications. Another thing I can use work stuff for...I've currently written for our own site, Utah Valley Magazine and the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce. I have a couple articles for the Church Magazines...and I'll try to submit stuff around.

7. Build my personal brand and network for future career opportunities. Part of this is blogging and tweeting more often. I also want to build my editorial and high school journalism focus online.

8. Post on HS2COLLEGE site every day for a month.

9. Create two video or podcast posts.

10. Automate my finances.

15. Take a cycling class

Flying by...

Today is September 1. There are only four months left in 2010. That is a little hard for me to comprehend.

Last September I attempted to blog every day of the month. It was kinda hard. And then I only posted once in October and a couple times in November. I haven't been much of a blogge for the past little while, but it wasn't until I realized today was September that I made the connection that it has been AN ENTIRE YEAR since I completed that challenge. Wow.

That FLEW by...

I don't know why but it's tough to comprehend that a whole year has gone by. That's 365 days; 12 months. 

Last month I also celebrated my one-year friendiversary with my dear Whitney Allen. We met last year during the first week that we moved into the ward and have been pretty much inseperably since. Our ward started announcing our ward campout, which was the first activity we went to together last year. We had come a full circle within the ward.

When we first became friends, we were so connected that everyone always asked how long we had known each other before that ward. We'd simply reply. Oh, we just met. It was great. She is amazing. So during those first few months, it seemed as though we had known each other for forever...but then we'd stop and think, "I didn't even know you six weeks ago."

Now it seems SO WEIRD that we have already known each other a year. It's like we are supposed to still be new friends, but we are definitely crossing over into the "old friends" zone.

Time has flown...but it's definitely flown with flair. It's been a fantastic year.


Some pictures honoring the one year of friendship...Yea...I'm cheesy. :)