Today is the first full day I've been back in Rexburg, and let me just say, however much I loved this place my freshman year, I love this school with all my heart now, and I never want to leave. I love my apartment complex (a LOT nicer than the dorms I lived in last year), I love my roommate (yes, there is basically only one right now), and I am so glad that I am living right where I am. I'm just about 2-3 blocks from the temple, and the view from my window gazes right onto the Education building--it's my own little pep talk each morning, that I'm here to become a teacher, and that building is helping me get there.
I don't feel nervous about being on my own, I'm not sad or lonely without my family--even though I do love them tremendously, I feel much more myself, and things are just turning out a lot better already than I would have expected--and it's only my first day fully on my own. I haven't even gone to the classes, which are always amazing!
Today in church, I actually already came to the realization that I absolutely love my ward. My bishopbric is hilarious--seriously. I have never laughed so much in church and felt how much they already loved each of us, as well as being able to feel the Spirit in incredible amounts. We have Relief Society first, then Sunday School, and then Sacrament Meeting. I think I might actually like this set up better--at least in Singles Wards--because of all the great things you've focused on all day, to then finish spiritually high with the sacrament. I just liked it so much better today.
Alright, this is where the title of the post comes in.
The sacrament song today was, "I Stand All Amazed". I have always loved that song, but today, I actually almost started crying when people were singing it. My ward is not afraid to sing, and to sing loudly with devotion either. I felt the Spirit so strongly today in that meeting, than I probably have all summer total. It was then that the song came to have so much more meaning to me than before, and I now truly treasure that song.
I think one of the main reasons that that song really hit me today, besides the devotion of everyone singing, was the fact that it correlated so strongly with what I had been studying for homework the day before. It was talking about how we truly needed our Savior, and without him, we couldn't have anything--basically. It was such a powerful article, and I am already looking extremely forward to this Family Foundations class--as well as all my other classes, since they usually all invite the Spirit to be with us in the classroom and as we study the material to learn.
I truly love this school, and I am so excited I get to be up here again for school. April seems too soon to go back home. 2 full years after this year seem to be too short to leave school. I know it's because of the wonderful Spirit and the learning model that is here at the school. I always leave school feeling so spiritually high, and I love that feeling more than anything else.
Happy Sunday everyone.
Live. Love. Laugh. Grow.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Friday, September 13, 2013
Big Steps
As I'm waiting for my last load of laundry to finish drying, listening to Italian men sing, and putting off packing a little bit, I figured I would write a post while some things are on my mind. However, one thing that really stuck out to me when I first opened my blog info site, was that I have 1,234 page views! I would never have imagined getting that people would be reading this blog as much as is happening right now! That's a pretty big step!
Another big step that's happening in my life is that I'm moving off to college again tomorrow. I'm very excited, but at the same time, I'm also really nervous for some reason. A good nervous though. I'm not scared or afraid, but an excited nervous. What will this semester hold for me? Will I be able to handle 18 credits? Who will I be hanging out with? What are my roommates like? They're all exciting things to think about, but whenever I do, I get the butterflies in my stomach. Sometimes if I'm lucky, they turn into flying squirrels and I get really nervous--excited, but nervous.
As I'm leaving behind the town and the community I know so well tomorrow, and go back to what feels like my second home, I've been doing a lot of thinking, mostly about the friends we pick to choose to hang out with, to choose to be our examples, and to look to as reference and guiding points in our lives. A year ago, if you asked me to list my closest friends, the list would look incredibly different now--even just a year later. I've started going through my friends, picking and choosing the best ones to associate myself with, losing a few along the way, but mostly gaining great new friends that I can look to as examples, or go to when I need words of support and love on a hard day. I'm so glad that I've gone through my friends and only talk to and hang out with those who I feel are on the same path and level as I am. I hope that doesn't sound mean, or judgmental, I really don't, I just don't want to be the one dragged down trying to bring others up from such a low point anymore. If they'll put the effort out, I'll make an effort to reach down and help them up. I want everyone to be happy. But if I kept those friends that constantly were a drain to me--physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually--I wouldn't be going where I need to be going. I need to be seeking higher ground for when the storms come and try to take me off my feet. After going through this picking and choosing process of friends, I have really come to see how Heavenly Father places people in your life for a reason. Maybe there aren't a lot of people or close friends at certain points, but looking back, I now know that it is for a very specific reason: to help you figure out who you are and what you really want in life.
Now that I'm looking back and reading that, that sounds kind of gloomy, but that's an important lesson that I wish I could tell people as words of advice--your friends influence who you become. Surround yourself with the ones you hope to be like one day. It will make all the difference in the world! My friends weren't bad either, it's just the matter of choosing the "good, better, and best" options.
Alright, another big cool thing happened. So school starts on Monday for me, and I move up to Rexburg tomorrow morning. I have been getting lots of emails from teachers, introducing themselves, letting us know we have homework due on Monday, and what not. I already have taken 3 quizzes, 2 questionnaires, I have several readings to do with papers, and I have a paper due on Monday before I attend my classes. I'm kind of guessing this is just a taste of what this 18 credit semester will be bringing... But here's the exciting part! One of my classes is an Elementary Education Early Field Experience class, which means I get to go to an elementary school and practice teaching this semester. On Thursday this next week, I will be getting a certain grade level and a teacher to work with this semester. My teacher also emailed me, asking what I would like on my name tag when I am there working at the school. So far, I know my name tag will say "Miss Rowe", and I am working at Burton Elementary School in Rexburg, Idaho. I am so excited!! I can't even describe how excited I am for this semester!
I'm excited to figure out more who I am, to find new people to surround myself with, and to just learn and grow tremendously this semester. Hopefully it's full of big steps.
Live. Love. Laugh. Grow.
Another big step that's happening in my life is that I'm moving off to college again tomorrow. I'm very excited, but at the same time, I'm also really nervous for some reason. A good nervous though. I'm not scared or afraid, but an excited nervous. What will this semester hold for me? Will I be able to handle 18 credits? Who will I be hanging out with? What are my roommates like? They're all exciting things to think about, but whenever I do, I get the butterflies in my stomach. Sometimes if I'm lucky, they turn into flying squirrels and I get really nervous--excited, but nervous.
As I'm leaving behind the town and the community I know so well tomorrow, and go back to what feels like my second home, I've been doing a lot of thinking, mostly about the friends we pick to choose to hang out with, to choose to be our examples, and to look to as reference and guiding points in our lives. A year ago, if you asked me to list my closest friends, the list would look incredibly different now--even just a year later. I've started going through my friends, picking and choosing the best ones to associate myself with, losing a few along the way, but mostly gaining great new friends that I can look to as examples, or go to when I need words of support and love on a hard day. I'm so glad that I've gone through my friends and only talk to and hang out with those who I feel are on the same path and level as I am. I hope that doesn't sound mean, or judgmental, I really don't, I just don't want to be the one dragged down trying to bring others up from such a low point anymore. If they'll put the effort out, I'll make an effort to reach down and help them up. I want everyone to be happy. But if I kept those friends that constantly were a drain to me--physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually--I wouldn't be going where I need to be going. I need to be seeking higher ground for when the storms come and try to take me off my feet. After going through this picking and choosing process of friends, I have really come to see how Heavenly Father places people in your life for a reason. Maybe there aren't a lot of people or close friends at certain points, but looking back, I now know that it is for a very specific reason: to help you figure out who you are and what you really want in life.
Now that I'm looking back and reading that, that sounds kind of gloomy, but that's an important lesson that I wish I could tell people as words of advice--your friends influence who you become. Surround yourself with the ones you hope to be like one day. It will make all the difference in the world! My friends weren't bad either, it's just the matter of choosing the "good, better, and best" options.
Alright, another big cool thing happened. So school starts on Monday for me, and I move up to Rexburg tomorrow morning. I have been getting lots of emails from teachers, introducing themselves, letting us know we have homework due on Monday, and what not. I already have taken 3 quizzes, 2 questionnaires, I have several readings to do with papers, and I have a paper due on Monday before I attend my classes. I'm kind of guessing this is just a taste of what this 18 credit semester will be bringing... But here's the exciting part! One of my classes is an Elementary Education Early Field Experience class, which means I get to go to an elementary school and practice teaching this semester. On Thursday this next week, I will be getting a certain grade level and a teacher to work with this semester. My teacher also emailed me, asking what I would like on my name tag when I am there working at the school. So far, I know my name tag will say "Miss Rowe", and I am working at Burton Elementary School in Rexburg, Idaho. I am so excited!! I can't even describe how excited I am for this semester!
I'm excited to figure out more who I am, to find new people to surround myself with, and to just learn and grow tremendously this semester. Hopefully it's full of big steps.
Live. Love. Laugh. Grow.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)