The Rodeo Romp

What could be more fun than an evening out with the girls in Preston, Idaho? I'm not sure, because this was sooo fun! We arrived in Preston about an hour and a half early for the rodeo, and just in time to see the tailend of their parade. Since we were so ahead of schedule, we went to eat in this charming little local pizza place before heading off to the rodeo. My friend Amber, a true rodeo groupy, purchased our seats ahead of time so we were front and center and had a great view of it all.

I was entertained by the fact that the girls around me kept asking me what the rules of certain events were. Being known to be from Montana sure does have a stigma attached to it. I paid attention to the announcer, though, and learned a lot about the does and don'ts of barrel racing, bull and bronc riding, etc. The mutton bust and barrel racing were by far may favorite events.

Bull riding still terrifies me as much as the first time I watched it 15 years ago. Do you remember the Boulder rodeo Lisa? We went and rode in the parade down main street with Chandra Obie and her parents (they were campaigning for some political position at the time, I do believe), and then they took us to the rodeo. The big bulls kept ramming their riders up against the fence near the audience, and it was rather frightening.

Afterwards the fairgrounds people paid Lisa, Chandra, and I $5.00 a piece to clean out the beer cans from underneath the stadium. We came back reaking of alcohol, and Mom questioned "what on earth have you been doing?" I'm pleased to remember that she wasn't a bit concerned that we had actually been drinking the stuff we smelled of. I now know that it was a job definitely worth more than $5.00.

This rodeo was a lot different from the one in Montana in that respect, though. There was absolutely no alcohol in sight. The biggest difference was that it was begun with prayer. I mentioned this to Mom, and she said she couldn't think of any other sport where prayer was more needed, than at this kind of event. I couldn't agree more. I loved the prayer, though. It was a true cowboy's prayer, comparing green pastures to heaven above, and other similar kinds of fun cowboy imagery.

I'd go to this rodeo again in a heart beat!

Pioneer Day

One of the fun things about Utah is that they celebrate the 24th of July. And although I've lived in Utah on and off for five years, somehow I've never actually been in Utah for this celebration. Well here I am! It's great: a holiday in the middle of the week. I love it.

When I was 9 or 10 I remember thinking that I had been born in the wrong century. I wished so strongly that I could have been a Pioneer. The idea of camping under the stars, cooking outside and doing the washing in the creek, walking in the sun all day long, while all along being headed toward a promised land was very appealing to me (the majority of these daydreams I do believe, occurred during math class...in particular the loathsome fractions unit).

Well according to Dalling H. Oaks, I can be a pioneer. I've been collecting quotes recently (and I have to say, Dallin H. Oaks says things so eloquently) and I really liked this one:

"It is not enough to study or reenact the accomplishments of our pioneers. We need to identify the great, eternal principles they applied to achieve all they achieved for our benefit and then apply those principles to the challenges of our day. In that way we honor their pioneering efforts, and we also reaffirm our heritage and strengthen its capacity to bless our own posterity and 'those millions of our Heavenly Father's children who have yet to hear and accept the gospel of Jesus Christ' (Our Heritage: A Brief History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [1996], 145). We are all pioneers in doing so." (Dallin H. Oaks, "Following the Pioneers," Ensign, Nov. 1997, 72)

Some of the great and eternal principles that I thought of were these: weigh the price, and decide if what you're doing is really worth it; when something's right don't hesitate, just do it; and once you've made all of these decisions, constantly press forward no matter what.

How great that I can still be a pioneer; it's not really in the way that I longed for 15 years ago, but sharing what I know with others has proven to be a pretty great way to be a pioneer.

Gardening Successes!

Today I was hanging clothes on the line, when I realized I haven't given much heed to my little garden patches as of late. I wandered over to take a peak, and discovered that despite the weeds and the lack of watering it is thriving! There are loads of beautiful looking tomatoes and banana peppers and despite the fact that I haven't thinned anything that needs thinning, the plants are growing bigger and bigger. Do you suppose that plants are like people? ... Adversity only makes them grow stronger.

I don't know for sure about that, therefore, I'm planning to devote my evening tomorrow to ensure their survival. I suppose the Savior is a lot like that in our lives, though. He looks down and says, "hmm, Kissy's been enduring a lot of adversity, and she's grown a lot stronger, but I don't want her to dwindle in the drought, or fall victim to the weeds so I'll spend some time with her tomorrow, and ensure her survival." That is a very comforting thought.

Graduate School

I've left you all waiting in suspense long enough. I was accepted into my preferred graduate school! I'll be going to Utah State University in Speech Language Pathology. I must only survive these last few summer courses (that means passing with a B- or better), and I'm in!

Recently it has just dawned on me how cool it actually is that I'll be in Grad School. Some of the best parts of Grad School include the things that I will not be doing: I will not be working at Utility Billing (I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to just focusing on school, especially after the hectic life I've led this summer...two part time jobs, three classes (that's nine credits), and don't forgot a very busy church calling), I will not be twiddling my thumbs idley as life passes me by, I will not be wishing, wishing, wishing, and never accomplishing, I will not be feeling sorry for myself, and I will not be worried that nothing ever good comes my way. I'm so grateful for the things I don't have!

Church Bloopers

I must agree whole-heartedly with my brother-in-law...procrastination really does make time fly. I can scarcely believe that I am already into week 6 of the semester. The most exciting thing that has happened during the past month and a half is that all my gradschool apps. are submitted. Now I must learn more about the art of waiting patiently, knowing that there is not another tiny thing that you can do but hope and pray. Those are two pretty big things, though, so I'm sure that if I keep that up I'll know that the right thing has happened when the answers come rolling in.

The most amusing thing that happened today, was during church. During the intermediate hymn, a young man behind me began singing the third verse when we were just beginning the second. Usually people catch themsleves halfway through the first word, but he kept right on going through the entire first phrase. I don't know why, but for some reason church music bloopers are some of my favorite things. It must have something to do with people making fools of themselves in a very public place but still being in a good position to hope it goes unnoticed by the majority of the crowd. It gave me something to smile about and a good inner-chuckle any way.

One of my other favorite ridiculous church music moments is that one distinct individual who always sings in his/her loudest opera voice on that high note no one else is brave enough to attempt. Then there is always that cheerful soul that you can't help but appreciate, who sings with all the fervour he/she can muster but doesn't sing a single note that is actually written on the page. I'm not laughing at or mocking these people, but rather I think more than anything I smile because I respect their fearlessness; it's something that I would like to learn in certain aspects of my own life.

Graduate School Letter

Another hoped for beginning is graduate school. Last Wednesday I sent in my application, and I'm hoping that I'll hear back from them shortly after Christmas break. Here's what I told them about myself, and about why I want to study to become an SLP:

Ever since I was a young girl, reading the adventures of Nancy Drew and other tales of heroic escapades, I’ve wanted that sensation of heroism and adventure in my own life: discover the missing clue, solve the mystery, and “save the day”. I always knew that I’d never find myself in the unlikely circumstances that occurred in the life of Nancy Drew; however, little by little, I’ve discovered that the best part of solving a mystery comes when you know you’ve helped another. This discovery is what first led me to begin working towards becoming an SLP.

My first moment of decision came as I was studying my undergraduate degree in Provo, UT. Taking a break from the usual steady flow of school work, I began to tutor students at Independence High, a high school for at-risk youth. Working with a largely Hispanic population, I discovered the great sense of adventure and satisfaction that comes from unlocking the minds of struggling youth and helping them to better form new channels of communication in a new language. Together we decoded words and deciphered sentences, and I knew that I wouldn’t be content unless I pursued a profession that allowed me to continue helping others in a similar fashion.

I didn’t just want to teach, I wanted to expand other’s understanding, help others overcome weaknesses, and seek to help struggling individuals achieve something more. I wasn’t quite sure how I could achieve this goal, and so I took a small time-out from my education and every day life, and served as a full-time missionary.

Before becoming a missionary, I never could have imagined the valuable preparation and knowledge I would receive from putting my everyday life and education on hold, and just dedicating myself to the service of others. During this time of my life I learned to put more energy into my studies, to carefully workout daily plans, and to set realistic and achievable goals. It was a time to teach others, but it was also a time of valuable preparation. I developed many helpful skills as I was instructed on how to better teach, and as I taught English and Spanish, as well as other types of information to the people with whom I worked.

It was during this time that I met Lourdes. I would like to say that I taught Lourdes, but in all truthfulness, Lourdes taught me. Lourdes, a lovely young Puerto Rican, supports a husband who has been diagnosed with a mental illness, as well as three young children. She ekes by, day to day, on her irregular and insubstantial earnings. As I grew to more fully understand Lourdes’ challenging circumstance, I became more aware of just what it was that I could do to help others achieve more than they believed themselves capable of achieving. Attaining more is all about understanding timing.

After working with Lourdes, and many other individuals and families with difficult lives and troubling problems, helping others has come to mean something different to me. Through serving others I have realized that time and growth do not mean a rapid tick of the second hand and one quick upward motion, but instead, they’re part of a complicated steppingstone process. Each steppingstone is accompanied with trial, error, and slow simple progress towards a great unseen potential.

Upon completing my service as a missionary, I have sought to discover my own potential. My course has naturally and easily led me into the field of Communicative Disorders. Serving as an apprentice clinician has taught me that this is truly what I want to do. Confident that I am pursuing the right path, I will continue with determination, and motivation.

My hope is to improve the quality of other’s lives, by helping them to improve their speech and overcome their language difficulties. I am striving to do just that by decoding their speech and language, unlocking mouths and minds, and opening the door to more productive and powerful communication within the lives of those I serve.