The Good, The Bad and The Ugly - All In One Week

Wow is the only word to describe this week. It certainly has been a busy week for both Ian and I. We had training all this week for our Resident Assistants jobs. The good about this training was I was able to get a way from work so that was nice!!! Training was intense and very time consuming. We learned alot this week about our roles as leaders and representatives of USU. There definitely is a lot on our plate. We did learn alot though of what we can do to improve to make a difference in the lives of many. The one scary part of training that was difficult to handle was learning about the reality of what to do if there was an active shooter on campus. This was a big eye opener for me because it brought a feeling of what would I do if I found out that there was a shooter on campus and Ian was at school. This experience also helped me realize that I need to know what to do if I am in the middle of this situation as well. The other scary part of training was talking about responding to emergencies with our residents as their leader. Basically if there was an emergency or a tragedy Ian and I of course are in charge and trust me when I say that this is a heavy feeling to have on your shoulders. I had many thoughts and feelings of inadequate feelings during these sessions. None the less we did enjoy our time with other friends who are RA's with us. We have definitely been stretched this week. I also have been struggling today with many feelings. Last night we had a difficult situation with one of our residents and the situation has been playing back in my mind. I of course can not mention the situation in detail, but all day I have been just looking for answers for myself. I have been trying to look at the situation from a gospel perspective and I tell you having Christ like attributes are difficult sometimes in these situations. It has been difficult for me to let go of anger and judgement which in turn it has made it difficult for me to hold on to love and charity. If any of you are managers or RA's over apartments you know what I am talking about. There are times when you just want to hit people with a "stupid" stick. I can already tell that the experiences that we are going to face as RA's are going to be almost like hell's fire. The good part about it though is I hope to learn from it and grow from it.

MANY BLESSINGS AND LESSONS LEARNED

Wow, so many things to write about this week! As you can tell by the title of this subject that there are many blessings and lessons to tell you all about this week! Let's start with the blessings!

We received wonderful news earlier this week that our sister in law Alex (married to Ian's brother Paul) was on her way to the hospital because her water broke. After a long day of waiting she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl! They named her Chloe Bridget James (the name Bridget is special because that is Ian's grandmothers named and Chloe was born on her birthday). Chloe is healthy and Alex is doing great! We were able to skype them a few days ago and my heart was filled with so much love! This is Paul's and Alex's 2nd child and 2nd girl! We are so happy for them and are grateful to have another wonderful addition added to our family. This now makes 3 nieces and 2 nephews for Ian and I. We also got word this past week of many other pregnancies among friends and family members and possible future planning of pregnancies. All I can think of is tis the season, I guess. It seems that everyone is getting pregnant. I can probably count 20 alone that I know of that have either had or going to have a baby. I am happy for all who are experiencing this joy in their lives. Even though I am extremely happy for all, I do admit that it creates a hole of hurt and pain in my own heart. The reason is because of the difficulty we will have of having our own children. I found out last year that there were some complications in my body and in order for us to even start having kids then I would need some fertility to help the process. This of course is not a bad thing, but it does created a certain complication especially when insurances do not pay for fertility. We, being poor college students, of course do not have the money for such a process so the hope of having children sooner rather than later is a very small hope. I pray constantly for understanding and patience for the Lord's timing, but I am sure for those who know of what I am speaking of this is a very difficult thing.

LESSON LEARNED FROM THIS: Earlier this week I received a call from the bishopric to meet with them. Of course I figured this was about a calling since we have just moved into the ward just a few weeks ago. As I headed to the bishopric office I admit to feeling a little uneasy about whatever calling I would get. I started thinking of callings that I wouldn't want and wondering if this calling would work with my busy schedule already. However as I was on my way I also said a prayer in my heart telling Heavenly Father to bring peace to my spirit. I asked him to confirm to me that whatever calling it was that I was meant to be there. I of course told Heavenly Father that no matter the calling of course I would accept it. I knew that I needed to accept it not only because it was the right thing to do, but also because he has given Ian and I so many blessings and the best way to show my thanks for these things is to serve him and others. So as I sat talking with a member of our Bishopric, he extended the calling to be a primary worker...really? I was a little taken by surprise because I have never been in primary before. He continued and stated that he was not 100% sure where in primary, but most likely in the nursery. As I was taking this all in I felt a wave of the spirit come over me telling me that this was going to prepare me for motherhood. Come again? This is going to prepare me for motherhood. I felt the spirit so strong and I knew that this new experience was going to help me prepare to handle the experience of children and trying to teach them the gospel which of course is going to help me in motherhood. As I came home and told Ian about my experience we both agreed this was true, but also laughed a little about it and said maybe we were still not mature enough yet to have kids. In this whole experience though I am learning and seeing that the Lord has a bigger picture for me of course and even though I may not fully see it and even though I may get impatient not knowing the full picture, he is preparing my life, preparing me for children and helping me on my course.

Another Blessing: Yesterday I went and finally got all my paperwork signed and ready for financial aid for my schooling! WOW!!! I really can't believe that I am doing this. I am truly excited for this change. I am excited for the future. I can't wait to see where all this is going to take me. I am grateful for this blessing that Heavenly Father is given me. The timing of it all has been perfect. I can see that now. With our jobs, the path we took to become RA's which has financially allowed us this opportunity for me to go to school. What a wonderful blessing!!!

LESSON LEARNED: Heavenly Father is in control!

Let's Try This Again

Friends and family!!! Well, let's see if we can try this again! I have been inspired lately by some friends to start up on my blog again. In trying this out I am hoping to get rid of facebook so that I can stop being such an addict on that site:)

Let me give you an update on what we are currently up to here in good old Logan! Ian is half way done with school and we are hoping to press forward and have him join his program at USU this fall semester. We are also just moved 25 yards across the field to a new apartment as we start our Resident Assistants jobs for family housing. We have enjoyed many of the activities that we are hosting for our residents. Life certainly is busy for us, but it is shaping out just great for a new start.

Speaking on new starts, I will be experiencing one very soon. Let me tell you how...it started this past June. I was working at my job doing my normal duties when all of a sudden...out of no where...I felt a strong impression telling me that I needed to go back to school NOW! I felt that I was told that I needed to do this and finish my education as soon as possible. This was so strange for me because I had no intentions of going back to school for a while or at least till Ian was finished. I came home that day talking to Ian about my impressions and the feelings that I had had all day. Ian was very supportive and excited and has encouraged me to do this immediately. He even looked up the website for my schooling before I even thought about doing it. Also after the support and encouragements of great friends I looked into schooling, did a tour and got started on my applications. Through this process though I have questioned myself on my decision wondering if this was right. As I have sought direction from my Heavenly Father, I know that he has placed little bread crumbs or his divine signatures before me. I have complete faith that if I follow the promptings that I have been given then everything will be left in his hands. And it has! I got accepted and will be starting on Sept 20th at the Maximum Tec School in their Master Esthetic program. I am very excited for this new step and look forward to the new adventures and blessings that it will bring to our family. I also am excited about this blog and my determination to keep it up. I hope that many of you can follow us on this blog and enjoy our journey with us!