Last Lecture

I can't believe the semester is over!  It is crazy how fast it went.  The good that I take from this semester is that I learned.  Life is about to get even more busy and it is also about to get more real.  Getting married and now paying bills is real but working and not going to school much anymore is really real.  I am excited but at the same time I am very nervous.  I know I can do it, I just have to have the courage.  I can do it, I know I can!  Happy Graduation Day Brooke!

The $100 challenge went really well and I had a great time doing it.  By doing it I learned that I really can do anything I put my mind to.  I will always have the support of my family to help me out with whatever I need and they will push for me to succeed.

Don't sweat the small stuff, it's all small stuff.  In life we seem to get caught up and carried away in the moment.  It is important to breathe and take a step back and think about what is going on.  When we get caught up in he moment a lot of the time we focus on things that are, in reality, small.  The important thing is the gospel and how we are living our lives centered around that.  You should always be worthy to go into the temple.  If you really think about this then everything you do needs to be honest.  

In school especially there is no need to stress if you are doing the best you can do.  The point where you will start stressing big time is if you are not doing your best.  Don't do anything that you know you will regret.  Always work hard and then play hard.  Go above and beyond.  Become a great worker and don't just do what you are asked but look around and see what else you can do after you have finished the task at hand.  Don't be lazy; it won't get you anywhere in life.   You can do anything you put your mind to, you just have to get out there and do it.  Don't worry too much about what other people think about you; this is your life. Always take time for your family and don't let anything ever get in the way of that.  Satan is working so hard on the family; don't let him win.  Love life and be happy.  Even when things are not going so great, try to have a positive attitude.  It will help you keep a good outlook on life.  It is okay to vent when you are frustrated.  Just don't do it too much and make sure to not vent to the wrong people.  Lean on your true friends and mostly family for support.  Your family will always be there for you and they want the best for you.  Go live your dreams and always remember if you don't think anyone is on your side, the Lord always is right there with you; walking with you, running with you, pushing for you. 

Lesson 12

I am home again.  It is nice to be back into a routine.  I have been struggling a bit health wise.  When I was visiting family I was so busy and really did not take care of my body as I should have.  I got a bladder infection, then the next week heat stroke, and then when I got back my bowels were just really backed up.  It was hard for me because I was not able to work as hard as I usually do.  I wanted to keep working and pushing myself but I couldn't because I had to take care of my body. I can't believe it is already at the end of the semester.  Life is just flying by.  I also cannot believe that I have been married for over 6 months.  It sure is crazy to think about. 

I feel that the semester is going to end well.  (well I sure hope it ends well because I am supposed to graduate.)  My project is all wrapped up and ended for now.  I loved reading the comments that were made about it.  People think that it is a great idea and is really needed.  I liked hearing that and the positive feedback because I have been thinking about what I can do as a side job when I am home with the kids (once we have kids) to help bring in extra money.  I think it could be a great side thing to do. I can't believe that my time at BYU-Idaho is coming to an end.  It makes me excited but I am still super nervous about it.  But I know that if I am choosing the right everything will turn out in the end.

what week is this?... almost done.

So these last couple of weeks have been very different for me as I am not in my own home or even in the same state right now.  I have been so busy working at events.  The times have varied but we usually go until 11 or 12 at night.  It has been difficult trying to balance everything in my life.  I get home on Monday and I will have a little break of just focusing on my classes and my PROJECT!! I have missed being able to work on my project (as I was doing it a lot before these past 2 weeks).

 

This week in class a lot of things were going on.  I feel like as the semester is coming to an end things are either becoming more to do or I just am ready to be done and don't want to do them anymore (I have senioritis a little)  I am excited to graduate but at the same time I am still a little freaked out by it.  We learned about Erick Slaubaugh and I wrote about him in one of the assignments.  The $100 challenge is coming to an end also and I have been putting together my presentation.  The little business went well and it was something fun to do and I really loved it.

Week 10

Almost done!  Whooo it has been a crazy week that is for sure.  I am here in Oregon with my family working for them for a couple weeks.  We go around to different festivals and have a family business.  We sell roasted corn and potatoes, chicken sandwiches, and chicken cobb salads.  It is a lot of fun but it is also a lot of work.  This year we added ice cream (my parents own 2 Baskin Robbins).  Today was the last day of a huge rodeo that we go to and I am burnt out.  I have not been able to focus on my sewing project this week and it makes me feel a little sad about that.  I have been putting my all into it and this week and part of next week I won't be able to.  I know that I am needed here and that I need to be here right now also.  It is so great being home with family.  I am so grateful that I have some great people behind me pushing for me in the hard times.  I can definitely feel the pressure of these last couple weeks of school getting to me.  Life in general is just getting to me right now all at once and it makes me stressed.  I have a great husband and families and even my internship boss rooting for me and pushing me on.  I am also thankful for the church and the knowledge I have of the gospel and of my Heavenly Father.  I know that when I am going through a hard time He will be there to help me and to carry me. I know this post wasn't totally about school this week but this is what I wanted to write about because it is what I am going through right now.  The unknown of the future freaks me out a lot but I know I just need to keep having faith that everything happens for a reason and things will always turn out how they are supposed to.

Week 9

3/4 of the way through the semester and I feel like I am doing pretty well.  I am loving life right now and loving this class as well.  I have learned a lot throughout the semester and am glad a get to continue learning for a few more weeks.  Well.... I guess I will always be learning but soon school will be over for me and I will graduate.  I am so excited for that.  I am nervous to go out and find a job but I know with all the help I have from my boss with my internship everything will be okay.

This week I did work on my project more.  I am running into a little situation because I am now now in the area I was beforehand.  I am worried about it because it is kind of like starting over.  I know that I will be alright because I did fine before.  I know a lot more people here and I think that will make it pretty easy for me once I start spreading the word.  I am nervous and excited for this new challenge but I know it will be good.  This next week I will be working pretty hard for my family so I will not have a lot of time to sew.  All will be good though.

Week 8

This week has been a new experience for me.  I have felt super busy but at the same time I have felt bored. I worked (at my internship) everyday for at least 8 hours.  I worked long and hard but I am trying to get this internship finished up and I want to give it my all.  I think my boss notices that because she told me the other day if the marketing I am doing works she will bring me back.  That makes me want to work even harder. That has been the busy side of things. Being in the Marines, my husband has to do annual training every year. Since we got married in December this is the first time that I have experienced him being away.  I can feel him gone and it makes me sad.  I know that this is something that he loves though and it is definitely part of him.  It was interesting to listen to the videos this week because one of them talked about being a Marine and what it has meant to him.  I know that my husband feels the exact same way that he does.

For my $100 project I have supplies and have been working hard.  With my free time in the evenings I have time to work on it.  I just want to say that I love to sew and it is something that really helps me unwind and relax.  I love doing it so I know I chose a great project for myself.  I am even starting to get people who are interested in what I am doing.  That makes it all worth it.  I am having fun with this project/job.

Week 7

I am slowly getting to my $100 project.  I have been really busy with work lately as I am about to finish up my internship soon.  For my project I have been really spreading the news around through word of mouth.  I also have a small handout flyer that I designed that I will start passing out soon.  I am super excited for these next two weeks to really push out my project and put my all into it.  My husband has a lot going on so I will be able to focus on school and my project.  I love sewing and think this is just going to be wonderful for me.  I am ready to start making a difference in people's lives.

 I liked the video this week of Russ Rosenzweig.  He talked about some great things.  I liked how he talked about measuring our success and how we do that.  The true question though is “are we significant?”.  I think that question is so great to think about.  Am I doing things that are significant and making a difference?  I sure hope so.  I love learning about leadership and especially learning from the apostles.  Business was definitely the right major for me.

Week 6

Well here we go!  I am so excited for this new adventure in the $100 challenge.  The more I think about it the more I realize that I really do have a good group of friends in church.  I also have some family around that is here to support me in all that I do.  I wish that I would have chosen something maybe that I was a little more passionate about though.  I love babies and I love to sew but the reason is because I have a hard time going up to people and just asking them to help me and buy something.  I feel that they could do it themselves if they really wanted to.  I am trying to find an approach that I can take to talk to people without seeming desperate.  I know that if I was more passionate about the product I would have an easier time.  But because I don't this will help me to learn and grow.  I also know that my family will help out in spreading the word around.  I want to also be professional about it.

This week was a pretty good one for me.  I had one big problem with one of my classmates in another class.  I felt like he really doesn't like me and that became clear this week as he sent me a not very nice email.  I thought about how Bud Brigham talked about values and people we work with.  He said to surround ourselves with those people.  I try not to judge this person that I am in a group with but it is hard when he is judging me.  I know online classes are hard sometimes because I feel like people say whatever they want because they don’t have to see the face and talk to the person in real life.  To me that is sad.  I keep praying that I will feel better towards this guy and that I can still act Christlike.

Week 5

I am so excited about these upcoming weeks and my $100 challenge.  One thing I have been concerned about in the past is my lack of knowing a lot of people around this city.  I feel like I am still really new and don't know a whole ton of people yet.  Then I got to thinking about my calling in the church.  I am a primary teacher.  I know that if I continue to put myself out there this calling can and will help me get in touch with more of the younger ladies.  We also have a relief society activity coming up and I am excited to get to know more people and share with them what it is I am doing.  This is the first time that I have really been excited about it because I can finally see me reaching my goal.  I am still in the starting stages and moving kind of slowly but I am also determined to organize myself much better and more this next week.  I have a goal to really push myself this semester Because I want to graduate!  I know that I am helping my little family the further I go in school and the more knowledge that I have.  I also know that it will be easier to finish now compared to when I start having kids.  I just have to keep looking at the light at the end of the tunnel.  I know I can do this and I have a lot of support so that really helps me!

Week 4

I love learning about budgets.  A budget is something that has really helped me throughout my life, especially when I am in school.  Because of the track system I have really only been able to work in the winter which has been hard.  I didn't bring in much money so I was always on a tight budget.  I thank my parents for teaching me so well and kind of setting me on my own (money wise).  My dad had told me that he did not want me getting a loan but to figure out how to make money and work hard.  Because of this I was able to go out and really work hard!  I have used a budget and love using a budget.  It helps me so much and helps me to save and have money for fun things.

I am still excited about this $100 project.  I do not think it will come super easy and it will be something I will have to work at.  Since I don't know many people yet here, that is going to be my hardest part.  Getting the word out will be tough.  I know that my family will help me in anyway they can.  One thing that I love about the church is that there are always people around who are in need.  They will be able to help spread the word around.  I just have to really put myself out in the ward and not be fearful of what people think of me. 

On a side note.... I GOT A SEWING MACHINE recently!!  I am so happy and will not have to borrow one from a friend anymore.

Journal 3

I am finally getting the hang of all of my classes and how to manage my time the best.  I know this is important, not only because I need to get all my school work done so that I can graduate and working on an internship but because I need to have family time.  Since I got married a few months ago I know it is so important to spend some good time with my husband whenever we get the chance.  He works all day then goes to school too so that leaves me and I am able to focus on homework then focus on family.  It is important to me that I prioritize correctly.

Getting on to this week, I worked on my $100 project.  I had a hard time deciding what I wanted to do for it.  I am working towards a goal to help out someone else and because of that I am going to do my best.  I think what I have chosen will help others and it will also help me meet friends here.  Since I still feel like am new in this town I don't have a ton of friends and I am one who needs friends.  I am excited to really start this project and kick it off.  I think I will be able to succeed at it.  I have chosen to make and sell baby products.

I wrote about Paul Robshaw for our action hero and I would like to remember what I wrote so i am adding it to my blog today: What really are my core values?  I thought a lot about this question as I was watching the video about Paul Robshaw.  He has learned some great lessons and his father taught him well.  I will always look up to my father for teaching me certain things in life.  My father is a great man I and I hope I can be just like him someday.  During the 2007 recession we went through a very hard time and ended up losing our house.  My dad is a general contractor and that was just not a good time for the housing companies.  I can't imagine going bankrupt and getting a divorce all in the same day.  Paul is amazing for making it through that.  But what happened after that was the best.  He really looked at life in a different perspective.  From there he was able to continue on with life and keep going even through all the heartache.

journal2

Things are going great in life.  My internship was okay this week.  It was a little bit boring but I am excited to hopefully jump into it more soon.  I can't wait for that to happen because I am so ready to learn more about marketing and get into it. I loved learning about Tom this week and what he has done in his life.  I hope that this internship can help me gain experience so that I can do great things too someday.

This week, for the $100 challenge, I was able to brainstorm ideas.  I really loved brainstorming ideas and coming up with things that I think I am capable of doing myself.  I am always happy when I get feedback on things from my classmates so that was helpful.  I was able to make a list of 5 top things that I would like to do.  I am still thinking about it and getting more input from outside sources (from family and friends.)

Tomorrow is Mothers Day and I get to talk to my sister, Hayley, who is on a mission in Colorado.  She will be home in less than 4 months!  It is crazy to think about that.  I am so thankful to my mother and all that she has done for me. I know without her I would not be able to be where I am in life.  I love her!

Lesson 1

I started off the $100 entrepreneur challenge last week and read up on some things about it this week.  So far I have studied up on kiva.org.  I found this site to be interesting and I think it is great what they are doing for people.  I love that they are set up to help people less fortunate.  We can donate money to a good cause through them and even better, we get to pick exactly who the money goes to. 

I chose to support Mervete.  She is from is from the Ashkali minority community.  The reason that I chose her is because my father and grandfather have always worked in construction. They are general contractors and own their own businesses.  Because of this I have always loved construction and the different parts of it.  I chose to loan money to Mervete because her husband is in the construction business.  He builds and repairs homes and walls just like my family does.  She is wanting to help her husband because he is the one providing for them and I would like to be able to help him however I can.  I think it is great that she is helping him out.  She is a stay at home mom and that is what I want to be.

http://www.kiva.org/lend/701086

I am very excited about this semester.  It is a little overwhelming to me as I am taking 7 credits online and doing an internship.  My internship will be great and I will learn a lot.  It will be a new experience but hopefully I can get through it all just fine.  I am trying to prioritize my time the best way that I can.  I got married a few months ago so I am still adjusting to that as well.  Balancing everything should be interesting(especially when summer hits), but I know I can do it.  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I know I will make it in July!