why teach?

"Why do you want to be a teacher?"

This has been a popular question after telling people I was majoring in Elementary Education. 

This has also been a reoccurring question in my mind after deciding I wanted to teach.

My first semester in college, I was going to school to be an Ultrasound Technician. I loved science and the idea of working with parents and being there when they find out the gender of their baby. It seemed so exciting. After that first semester, I don't know why, but I wasn't really clicking with the idea of continuing to be an Ultrasound Technician. Teaching was always in the back of my head, so I decided to follow my gut and say that I wanted to be a teacher. 

After taking a few elementary courses, I knew that being a teacher was my calling. 

After countless lesson plans and endless projects, I've decided that I wouldn't want to do anything other than teaching. 

Teaching is my passion.

"It's a beautiful thing when a career and a passion come together."

I'd like to say I'm lucky that the career I want to pursue is also my passion, but that is not the case.

I'm blessed. 

I'm blessed to have the burning passion in my heart for a sweet child to learn and grow, while helping them feel love and support every day.

I'm blessed to have had past teachers show me what an impact a teacher can really make in a student's life. 

I'm blessed to know that education is not the preparation for life, but that education is life itself.

I'm blessed for the privilege to further my own education so that I can hopefully make an impact on someone's life.

One of my biggest senses of accomplishments is seeing a child progress and have them be proud of their self and knowing that I helped. 

The Lord reminds us various times in the scriptures to become like little children. In Matthew 18: 3-4 it says, "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven". If we have a heart to learn and a willingness to follow the example of children, then their divine attributes can hold a key to unlocking our own spiritual growth.

"In teaching others, we teach ourselves."

I am so excited to become a teacher and have the opportunity to not only impact my students' lives, but also have them impact mine. I know that I am going to learn so much from my future students.

Teaching is not just about teaching the standards, but creating a bond between you and your students and helping each other progress in a positive, loving atmosphere.

xoxo

-E

be glad to be alive

An amazing thing happens when you get honest with yourself 

and start doing what you love, 

what makes you happy. 

Your life literally slows down.

You stop wishing for the weekend.

You stop merely looking forward to special events.

You begin to live in each moment and you start feeling like a human being.

You just ride the wave that is life, with this feeling of contentment and joy.

You move fluidly, steadily, calm, and grateful.

A veil is lifted, and a whole new perspective is born.

In the end only three things matter:

how much you loved

how gently you lived

and

how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you

Stay close to anything that makes you glad you are alive.

Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.

Look at the sunny side of everything & make your optimism come true.

Think of only the best, work for only the best & expect only the best.

Forget the mistakes of the past & and press on to greater achievements of the future.

Give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.

Live in the faith that the whole world is on your side as long as you are true to the best that is in you.

It's time to remember what it's like to feel alive.

lovers-

your Heavenly Father loves you more than you know. 

all you have to do is draw near unto Him and you will feel His presence all around you.

He will never forsake you.

He is there for you in times of happiness, sadness, madness, and even confusion.

He will help and guide you through any struggle you are going through,

you just have to ask Him.

He will bring you eternal joy.

His timing is the perfect timing.

put all your trust in Him and He will never disappoint.

we truly need Him every hour.

i feel the Savior's love all around me.
i know with all my heart that Jesus Christ is my Savior and that He lives. 

i know that through the atonement of Jesus Christ we are forgiven of our sins, if we repent unto Him.

i know that Christ will plead for me and will let me take upon His name.

i know that my Lord will never forsake me and is there always to guide me on the right path.

He is the Jehovah of the old and the Messiah of the new.

 

it's time to starting living.

it's time to remember the things that matter most.

it's the little things in life that count.

don't take anything for granted.

life happy. be happy.

xoxo

E

learned

in life we do things.

some we wish we had never done.

some we wish we could replay a million times.

these little moments and experiences make us who we are

and

they have shaped us into who we are right now, in this very moment.

if we reversed any of them, we wouldn't be the person we are.

so, i am going to share a few things that i have learned thus far in my own life.

i've learned that:

- no matter how old i get, i will always miss my parents when i am away from them

- sometimes life gives me a second chance

- in life, i can't catch everything, i need to be able to throw some things back

- whenever i decide something with an open heart, i usually make the right decision

- even when i have pains, i don't have to be one

- sometimes i may have bad days, but i do not have a bad life

- making a living is not the same thing as making a life

- life doesn't stop for me

- a good laugh and a good long nap can cure anything

- i should take small steps instead of big leaps

- i don't have to win every argument, i can be wrong

- it's okay to cry

- i can't really resist chocolate

- making peace with my past helps me move forward more easy

- i shouldn't compare my life to others

- i should be happy with who i am

- getting rid of the negative things in my life makes room for more positive things

- what doesn't kill me makes me stronger

- running when i'm mad or sad or happy is always beneficial 

- i choose to be happy

- i need to do what i love

- i don't have to please everyone

- every day is a new clean slate

- time heals most wounds; give things time

- believe in the good in people

- sometimes i have to be sassy because it keeps things exciting

- being outside makes me happy

- jealously and envy don't get me anywhere

- it's better to be over-dressed than under-dressed

- i shouldn't let yesterday take up to much of today

- i should be quick to forgive

- i should give the world the best i have

-focus on the small things; they are the things that matter the most

- if i have something to say to someone, i should say it 

- it's important to tell the people i love, that i love them, right now and every day

- don't take life's simple pleasures for granted

- my Heavenly Father will NEVER forsake me

- the atonement is real

- my testimony grows each day

- growing up is hard

- i'm still learning things i ought to know by now

- making life decisions can be scary, but it's worth the happiness

- my family will always be there for me, no matter what (they are so dang great)

- the best is yet to come

xoxo
E

change;

you know that feeling?

when you're just waiting.

waiting to get home, into your room,

close the door, fall into bed, 

and just let everything out that you kept in all day.

that feeling of both relief and desperation.

nothing is wrong.

but nothing is right either.

and you're tired.

tired of everything, tired of nothing 

and you just want someone to

be there and tell you it's okay.

but no one's going to be there.

and you know you have to be strong

for yourself, because no one can fix you.

but you're tired of waiting.

tired of having to be the one to fix yourself and everyone else

tired of being strong.

and for once, you just want it to be easy.

to be simple. to be helped. to be saved.

but you know you won't be.

but you're still hoping.


"tears are alright. they are the price we pay for: love, care, and compassion in the world."
-jeffrey r. holland


i've been thinking a lot recently about what i really want to say.
i've had a lot on my mind.
relationships with:
Christ, my family, friends, boys, classmates etc.
what my future holds.
basically everything.
i can't even seem to really gather my thoughts,
that's how much my mind is racing.
i've even had some DANG ROUGH days,
BUT
even though i've hard the hardest time recently;
(on edge more than i should be aka wanting to cry always)
i've decided what i need to do.

me and one of my best friends were discussing how we feel and why we feel the way we do
(total girl move) and came up with the conclusion that we are single, in our twenties, and are in college. when, in the rest of our lives, are we going to be able to stay up till 3 am acting like crazy heads or take a spontaneous trip to california with your bffs? probably never. at some point we are all going to grow up. we are going to get married, get jobs, and have babies. we are going to have to be self-less to our future families. so, why not be selfish now?

"Being in your twenties allows you to start carving out the life you want for yourself."

 Guys, being in our twenties is a luxury.
It's going to leave us eventually, so why not enjoy it?

Enjoy those lame parties and those awkward dates.
Enjoy staying up till 3 am and then being able to wake up for your 9 am class.
Enjoy the crappy apartment you live in.
Enjoy eating cereal and top ramen.
Enjoy being your own boss.
DO MORE OF WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY.

 

now, this doesn't mean be stupid and do things you are going to regret.

another huge thing that has been on my mind, like always is
my Savior, Redeemer, even Jesus Christ.

sometimes i get caught up in everything going on around me that i forget that i need to slow down.
my Heavenly Father knows me better than i know myself and sometimes i forget that.
i know that if i aline His will and my will, that everything WILL workout exactly how they are suppose to.
if we are following the commandments of the Lord and obey His word, our lives will be filled with joy, love, and peace.
i think it's so important to understand WHO you are and WHOSE you are.
we are all sons and daughters of a king.
a king who cares so much about you personally.

we've decided to just love life.
love who we are.
love those around us.
love where we are.
love where we are going.

from now on
i'm focusing on my:

relationship with my Heavenly Father
family
friends
school
happiness
health
positive attitude
and
being who Christ knows i can be

 

(always gotta stay sassy)

remember your worth and that you deserve to be happy

xoxo
E

reminded

hi.

so, this weekend has been exceptional.

this week though, was not exceptional.

sometimes you get those weeks where it's beautiful outside. 

you have some great times with your friends. 

but,

somehow stress creeps in and consumes your mind at random times.

these random times happen more than they should.

i had that week last week. 

i felt like i could break down at any time. 

i wanted to get away from school, relationships, and work.

i wanted to be home. 

i wanted to be at the beach.

i wanted to be anywhere but provo.

i somehow made it to friday.

i took a test and realized it was friday and i didn't have work. 

things were suddenly better.

then,

saturday morning, i had the opportunity to go to the first session of general conference.

(lds general conference)

 i love conference so much. literally the best thing.

there were so many things said by the great leaders of the church that i needed to hear:

"we are meant to grow out of our youth; with it comes understanding and truth"

"faith is a power not just an expression"

"the tools of the gospel are meant to help us against what will attack us"

"the words of Christ will tell me all that i need"

"we are daughters of an exalted king"

"what e'er thou art; act well thy part"

"never lose sight of the strength of your womanhood"

"your virtue and chastity are your most important treasure"

"YOU ARE A PRECIOUS DAUGHTER OF GOD"

"be grateful for righteous men of God who hold the priesthood"

"by His strength, we are able to do that which we could never do alone"

and those were just a FEW from saturday morning. 

today, i watched the rest of conference.

so, take these few points from saturday and multiply it by like roughly 100.

i was so enlightened.

woah, i still am.

i just love being reminded of how much my Heavenly Father loves me

and wants the best for me.

but guess what, He wants that for YOU too.

guys,
i just love conference because it always puts me in a good mood
and
reminds me to slow down a little and remember the things that matter most.

xoxo
E

p.s. be on the lookout for another blog post SOON.

slow down

hi babes.

today was interesting, so naturally i decided i needed to blog about it.

well, this morning was a tough morning. probably i didn't eat breakfast, i was trying to finish an online midterm before work, and i was thinking about my life and all these big, hard questions that you think of when you start to grow up and they all just make you want to cry. 

i didn't want to go to work. all i wanted to do was stay home and sleep or cry all the stress away.

but, lo i went to work and my day changed.

i work at an elementary school as the after-school coordinator. i monitor at recess for the first 45 minutes of work. for those of you who really know me, you know how passionate about teaching and kids i am. i just love them. kids are seriously the best. they say the funniest things and are so sweet. they are so carefree and precious.

well, at recess, a little boy fell down and he had some mud on his face and a couple scratches. i was asking him if he was ok and was about to send him to the office, but before i did he asked me a question... [remember that he was kind of whimpering/crying]

"am i almost dead?"

i had to laugh a little, because seriously, how cute was he.

sometimes i feel like asking the same question.

there are times i am filled with so many stresses and trials that i feel like maybe i am dying [mentally] and that i feel as though i cannot take it anymore. but then i remember that my heavenly father never forsakes me. there are many instances in the scriptures where his people cry unto him of their burdens and he hears their cries and softens their burdens. i am so grateful to know that my savior never leaves me alone, especially in my most troublesome times. 

if it weren't for that little boy today at work, i never would have been reminded of this tender mercy in my life. 

i think sometimes i get so flustered in what i need to do for school, or church, or with my relationships, that i forget to slow down and look at the small, tender mercies in my life that i have been blessed with. 

so from now on, i think it'd be best for me to slow down and live life being thankful for the small things that i am blessed with.

here's to new beginnings, slowing down, and being happy with what i have.

xoxo,

E

tender moments and passion

Hi my lovlies.

So, recently I've been super sensitive and wanna cry at like every tender thing I see. 

I don't know if it's because I moved to Utah and the mountain air messing with me, or if I'm becoming one of "those girls". Let me just give you a couple examples as to what I'm talking about.

1. I went to the Brigham City Temple open house with some friends. As we were walking through, like obvis I teared up a little because I was in the temple and I felt the spirit. BUT, when I was driving on the way home, I noticed another temple in the distance and I started to cry.... like who cries when you LOOK at a temple? I mean yeah, they are gorgeous and it's the house of the Lord, but come on..just looking at them should not make you wanna cry. Weird.

2. So, my major is Elementary Education and I'm taking this Foundations of Education class. It's two and a half hours long and my professor is a lawyer who loves to talk, especially about politics and other things that prestigious lawyers love talking about. (I'm totes not bagging on lawyers by the way..my brother in law is one, and he's probs one of the coolest people I know) Anyways, after about an hour in, into the first class I knew this class was going to be long and one I would have to fight through. Well, class proceeded and my professor asked everyone to tell the class their name and why they decided to be an Elementary Ed major. I was the second girl to go and I said my name and then when I started to tell my reason as to why I want to teach and I was done. Then, I started thinking about why I actually wanted to teach more and more. As the other girls were saying their names and why they want to teach, I just couldn't help but tear up because all of their reasons were similar to my reasons and that I just can't wait to have my own classroom and have these little kids relying on me to teach them what they need to know and see them be proud of themselves and watch them grow and progress into our future leaders of America. Too cheesy?..well, like I obvis don't care because I literally am so excited to teach.

I AM THAT GIRL. You know, the girl in class, or where ever the heck she is,  when she starts talking about something that means a lot to her, she starts to cry. I couldn't believe..and still can't believe that this is happening. Like maybs, it's just a stage I'm going through and I'll soon grow out of it. Let's hope so, because I do not want to go through life crying at every little dang thing. Like, what if I have a little girl and we are on a walk in the park and she picks me a flower and says, "I picked this flower for you mommy!" and even if it's just a dandelion, I start to cry, because I'll think that it was the sweetest thing. OMG. Let's only hope it's a stage.

Anyways..moving on.

Also, bare with me. I swear I'm almost done.

It's chill.

So, I read this cute blog post yesterday and I liked it, so naturally I'm gonna tell y'all about it.

This girl says how college is a major point in our lives. It really is. It's where we decide things that are going to affect the rest of our lives.........

Uh, so I don't know about you, but it scares me to think that me, my 20 year old self is going to make decisions that are going to stick with me for the rest of my life. Hot dang, that's cray.

But listen, I'm totally okay with that because;

1. I know that my Heavenly Father is with me 100% of the way, and that He will not lead me astray.

&

2. I have some pretty amazing parents who are here to council and guide me. And believe me, they are pretty good at knowing what is best for me..even if I don't think so at the moment. And they are my best supporters.

This girl said, "Do what you want, figure it out. Then once you are happy, you can make other people happy; once you find your whole self you can give your heart to someone else."

So, I just need to relax and find what I really want to be and what I want out of life. I think it's important to find your passion and what makes you happy and stick with it. 

Of course there are going to be things that make us happy temporarily, but you have to look deeper and find those eternal joys that will make you happy forever!

Eternal joys. That's what is most important.

Well, I think it's time to wrap this up.

I love you lover doves and I hope your lives are full of passion and joy.

And if you aren't there yet, it'll come.

Heavenly Father is good, so good, and He will help you through anything you are facing. 

(even if it's crying at every little tender moment that happens in your life)

But hey, pay attention to the small and simple things in life, like the stars or flowers.

Laugh at yourself.

Don't be afraid to try new things.

Go out of your way to say hi to someone..or maybs even your crush (yeah, I went there)

Have 20 seconds of some crazy insane courage. (this one is fun, I promise)

And remember to always call upon the Lord, because He will never let you down.

Y'all are amazing. Have a great week!

xoxo

E