Area Government Retreat

 Francelli (from the Dominican Republic), me, Berklee, Chelsea and Sam on the way to Bear Lake!

Throughout the weekend. We did numerous team building, leadership and get to know you games and activities. They were all very beneficial and enlightening. I am not usually one that likes those awkward "get-to-know you" games, but they actually were fun. The first time, ever. Haha.

This is one of our Brainstorm activities. We had learned that one way we can be an effective leader is  by following the Aggie's Think. Care. Act. program.

Here is their initiative and mission statement:

“Aggies Think Care Act” is designed to introduce Aggies to the social responsibility expected as a member of the Utah State caring community that values human dignity, equality, respect and safety for each individual student, faculty, staff and alumni.

Aggies Think, Care, Act is a campus-wide campaign with the goal of engaging students, faculty and staff in a program that is a philosophic introduction about what it means to be an Aggie. The program includes a marketing and media campaign that will challenge all Utah State University community members to be responsible for providing the safest environment for all of us.

The concepts behind this program can affect everyone’s day to day behavior as well as more severe problematic situations or behaviors on college campuses (drinking too much, hazing, sexual and relationship abuse, discrimination, etc.). The “Aggies Think, Care and Act” program emphasis is on pro-social behavior and bystander intervention.

(taken from the USU.edu website)

I think it is an awesome idea and I think it will be an awesome way to become an overall better person. I think that this will not only help me become a better person, but help me show society who I am.

Here are some ideas we came up with during Brainstorm:

 

We also did a service project for the Cabin we stayed at:

 Lauren and Lauren!

And.. of course we HAD to go to the Bear Lake beach. It was a lot of fun! I met so many nice people and I am just grateful I could go!

Mix of everything

It's my brother's birthday today.

He is currently serving a mission in the Concepcion South Chile mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 

I can't even explain how proud of him I am.

 I hope you have a wonderful birthday. 

I love you so much and I look up to you in every way. 

Thanks for working hard and showing me what it means to sacrifice everything for this church. 

I can’t wait for you to hit your one year mark soon.

Love you! :)

ALSO....

I am very very suprised I lived through this week.

I have had so many tests, quizzes and assignments that I feel like my brain MAY blow up.

Actually it probably did.

I have been studying at the Library super late this week. I feel like I am a POL. Prisoner of Library. 

But...I LOVE the library. It is so peaceful, beautiful and open. 

Sometimes I love going in there and just sitting.

Oh something else really fun you have to try is just sit there and just "people watch."

It's pretty exciting.

Haha.

Well I better get going. I have been sick this week also and I've been coughing up a storm. I went to WalMart the other night and loaded up on drugs.

Good drugs, of course. :)

So I'm loaded with Delsyum, Vicks, Cough Drops and vitamins.

Yay for being sick right?

Kickboxing

I went kickboxing tonight.
It was AWESOME.
It was super intense.
I felt my legs, arms, abs and everything else on my body, felt like it had it's own heartbeat.
The instructor was so cute! She was blonde haired and had these pearly white teeth.
She was very outgoing and happy.
I really liked her.
The workout was really good.
I needed that.
It will definitely be a great stress reliever and an awesome way to get in shape.
I went with Mckenna, Hope and Dacy!

Oreo Cheescake

is amazing.

to say the least.

via google images

Betsy

oh betsy reeves.

i love you baby girl.

you always make me laugh.

but what makes me laugh even more is your laugh.

it just cracks me up.

thanks for letting me chill at your crib tonight. it was fun!

this is what our night consisted of:

*painted our fingernails..mine are lime green with sparkles.

*made rice-a-roni (kudos to brianna)

*Two weeks notice with Sandra Bullock.

*betsy made homeade rolls, which were divine.

*we made earrings.

and of course laughed.

:)

Friends

I'm sure grateful for them.

Special Needs Institute & A Thank you to Dacy

So I transferred out of my Institute class into the Special Needs Institute class...and I LOVED LOVED it. I kept finding myself tearing up. Sister Parker has this smile that makes me just want to smile the entire day. She is so cute with the kids and always lets them share how they feel inside. Even if you can't understand what they are saying, which is often the case.

I can feel their testimonies radiate.

One boy, who is down-syndrome, shared his testimony at the beginning of class. It pierced my heart. He talked about how he loves HF and Jesus and that he loves his family. It was simple, but so pure. I almost cried.

One girl, who I worked with was assigned to the closing prayer and I helped her. It was so wonderful. She started her prayer like normal, Dear Heavenly Father...and then she stopped and I helped her say a few things, but when it got to the closing, I whispered in her ear, "In the name..." and she finished the rest. What empowered me was that she recognized how to open her prayer in her HF's name and closed it with our Savior's name. I just loved that. It is such an amazing thing to be around those children of our Heavenly Father.

Here is one thing that Sister Parker said that stood out to me the most.

So the lessons we have in the Special Needs Institute class are very basic. We talk about the simple truths of life. We talked about the Resurrection and she said since she had worked with these children, she never realized how amazing it will be to see these children in their perfect form. (student) will be able to walk and we can understand him. (Student) will be able to be understood. and other examples she shared. I just can't wait to be able to have a conversation with them and tell them how amazing they were to me and how much they strengthened my testimony.

Oh and this is to my roommmate:

Dear Dacy,
Thank you for making me laugh last night.
Thank you for always being my friend.
Thank you for making me smile and talking with me.
Thanks for giving me alone time to be homesick and let off steam.
Thanks for understanding that. :)
Thank you for reading the exerpt of the talk you read to me last night in your scriptures, it was inspiring.
Thank you for talking with me til past midnight.
and most of all...WWWaaahhhhh!!!!
XOXO,
Lauren

"Crazy."

Oh my LANTA.
College sure is craaazzy.
& classes haven't even started yet.

"Inspiration and the Holy Ghost."

Okay, just throwing this out there.
I think it is going to be TOO insane blogging EVERY day. 
But I promise to do it on a daily basis.
:)
(crossies don't count!)
I promise! :)

So anyways, life is good.
My roommates are grand.
I met with the Bishopric tonight with my roommates. That was great. They are all such sweet individuals, esp the bishop. I know with all my heart, he was definetely meant for this calling. He is very genuine and kind hearted.

I am grateful for new friends too.
Especially Hope and Mckenna.

This is darling Hope. She is seriously thee nicest person I've EVER met! She is always kind and smiling. :)

 and this is Mckenna. Isn't she just the cutest thing ever? Yep. That's Mckenna for ya.

I am also very grateful for inspiration and the Holy Ghost.
Here is a 2-second story.
Time me.
No, don't ha ha.
Anyways...So I was in my room last night with my roommate Dacy and we heard about Iron Man 2 going to be shown on Old Main.
I got Dacy to run with me.
None of the other roomies were really into it.
Which is lame.
Oh well, I'm glad Dacy came with me.
It seems like in college, you really gotta engross yourself in to the college "scene."
Anyways, so I had met Mckenna and Hope at FHE last Monday and they seemed awesome!
We exchanged numbers and I had an impression to text them.
I did and they were at the movie anyways.
So they said they would meet up with us so we could all sit together.
They were so excited to come find us and hang out with us.
I am glad that I texted them and was able to have a full night of chit chatting with Iron Man 2 in the background. Ha ha.
This may not sound like "inspiration" but I really think it was.

I have been praying that I will meet great friends and that I can be an instrument in the Lord's hands, wherever he sees fit.
& it looks like it worked.
I have met 2 awesome LDS girls and I can't wait to hang out with them more.
They said that the girls around them were really dramatic and kind of "party girls" so they said they are so excited to get to know us better! Which is awesome!

I texted them today too, and asked if they were at the Central Campus Party.
They were and I hung out with them today again.
They showed Dacy and I their cute apt and everything.
So, I'm going running tomorrow with them so it'll be a blast.

Alright, so that was a lot longer than 2-seconds sorry about that.
Ha ha.
Anyways, I'm just grateful I'm here.

XOXO,
L