UConn vs. BYU Game

UCONN vs. BYU Basketball Game
I was sitting watching the BYU vs. Utah football game on Saturday, not really paying much attention when I heard an advertisement saying something about “this will be the best women’s team ever to play in the Marriott Center.” For those of you who know me, you understand why my interest was peaked. I grew up playing basketball, even won a state championship in High School, coached for 5 years, and I just love the game. So, I immediately got online and looked up the BYU schedule and found out they were playing the University of Connecticut, who is currently ranked #1 in the Nation. I decided right then that I couldn’t pass up a chance to watch the #1 team in the Country play right here in my own backyard. I bought two tickets and started trying to find someone to go to the game with me. My friends also understand that I would have had no qualms about going by myself either, but I ended up finding one of my mission companions wanted to go, so at least I wasn’t alone. She told me that she has wanted to see me in “my element” for a while, so she couldn’t pass on watching a game with me! With her being a BYU graduate I figured it was only fair to tell her that if I started cheering for Connecticut it wasn’t my fault.
The University of Connecticut ended up winning the game by 50+ points and put on quite the demonstration of what a high quality women’s basketball team is. UCONN boasts three pre-season All-Americans and sophomore guard Maya Moore was the Big East Player of the Year and All-American last year as a freshman. What a great display of athletic ability.
What a wonderful opportunity it was for me to be in attendance at this game. To top it all off I had the opportunity to meet Geno Auriemma, the University of Connecticut head coach. Coach Auriemma is one of the most successful college coaches of all time, men’s or women’s. With FIVE National Championships and an over 80% winning percentage he is a force to be reckoned with.
I am so glad that I decided on the spur of the moment to go down and watch this game. I had a great time, but I also realized just how much I miss coaching. All I know is that I am very thankful for the knowledge I have of basketball and the many opportunities I have been able to have in order to be involved with this amazing game. I know that more opportunities will come my way as I continue to work hard and keep learning.

A Season of Thanks

grat⋅i⋅tude /ˈgrætɪˌtud, -ˌtyud/ [grat-i-tood, -tyood]

–noun:the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful

I figure that this is the perfect time for me to let all of you know what I am truly grateful for in my life. This wonderful Thanksgiving Season reminds me of all of the many wonderful blessings I have received in my life.

¯ The Gospel of Jesus Christ: The Gospel of Jesus Christ and it’s teachings bring me such hope and strength, especially in this troubled world in which we are living. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice so that each one of us may return to our Heavenly Father’s presence, if we will live worthy of that blessing. The Gospel truly is the “good news” that is here on the earth today. At times of turmoil and strife I am so thankful to have a solid foundation on which I may build my life. The Gospel has taught me that I am able to live with my family throughout all eternity through the sealing power. I cherish the privilege that is mine to attend the Temple, the “Lord’s University” to serve my kindred dead. I know that I am definitely not perfect but that I should always strive to become a better individual and more like my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

¯ Family: My family is amazing. I have loving parents that support me in everything that I do. My younger brother is one of my best friends, and I have a great older brother and his wife, too. I am also blessed with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins that mean so much to me and are such an example and inspiration to me. One cousin in particular that has always been there for me and helped me through some of the bumps in the road of life. She has been a listening ear and always helped me to see that the Lord is involved in the details of our lives. Also, my dear “Other Families” that have always included me as though I were actually a member of their family. Invites to family dinner, activities, etc. Being able to be “Aunt Rachel” to my favorite little guy is just the icing on the cake!

¯ Friends: At this time I am so grateful for all of the wonderful friends that are in my life. Those that have been friends for most of my life and those that I was blessed to get to know this year. At times I am amazed to look back at the things I have gone through with my friends and how grateful I am that they have always been there for me. This year I was able to become friends with some truly amazing people that have deeply touched my life. It never ceases to amaze me that the Lord always places those people in our lives that can help us out at that very point in time. Whether you are a friend that I have known for most of my life, or one that I was able to meet this summer (yet it feels like I’ve known you my entire life), know that I love you and I am so grateful for your friendship. Thank you for your friendship, love, and example. I don’t know what I have done in my life to deserve such wonderful friends, but I am grateful and appreciative for those “Angels” in my life that have been placed along the way to help ease my burdens. Sometimes it has just been someone willing to listen, other times it is a reminder that the Lord is in control and I need to trust Him. Often it is just a gentle nudge to get up and do something for someone else. I just hope and pray that I have been able to have a positive impact in the lives of my dear friends, like you all have been in mine.

¯ Education and Knowledge: I am so grateful for the Education that I have been able to attain in this life and also for the opportunities to continue to learn new things. I am at a point in my life that I feel I need to continue gaining an education, so that is one of my endeavors right now. I know that our education is one of the few things that we will be able to take with us after this life and the prophet is constantly telling us to get all of the education that we can. How grateful I am for counsel from a living prophet that has been called to lead at this specific time in history.

¯ A good job doing what I enjoy: After all that I went through I never imagined that I would find myself in my “dream job” teaching Medical Anatomy. The only thing that is missing would be some coaching on the side. I am so blessed to have a job that I love and enjoy and look forward to every day (even if it does mean that I have to wake up every morning at 5 a.m.)

¯ Free country: What a privilege and a blessing it is to live in the United States of America. I know that this land has been blessed to always remain free as long as it’s people strive to do what is right. I am grateful to be living in this Nation that was founded by men of God who were searching for a place to worship as they pleased. God will watch over this land as long as we are faithful.

¯ Trials: This year I have had a few trials that at the time I thought were more than my fair share, yet now as I look back I realize that each of these trials has served me as an opportunity to become stronger and learn more about myself. I am not going to go into what these trials are; many of you understand what I am speaking of. Through my trials I have been reminded of the fact that the Lord is in control of my life and that I must always trust in Him. I’ve learned that I am strong enough to make it through any obstacle placed in my way. Hindsight has shown me that the outcome of each of these situations has truly been for the best. I’ve learned that I have many things I need to work on to continue to improve myself, and that I have a long way to go. I’ve also been reminded that all things will come to pass in the Lord’s timing, because He will always know what is best for me.

¯ Priesthood Leaders: Now more than ever I am grateful for a living prophet on the Earth today. A “Watchman on the Tower” that is here to give us counsel and direction from the Lord. He truly is the Lord’s mouthpiece to lead this world in times of doubt, fear, and tribulation. I just hope and pray that I will always be faithful enough to follow his counsel at all times.

¯ Health and Safety: I am truly grateful for the health and safety that I am afforded each day. To be able to do the things I want to and participate in activities that push me so become stronger. I see so many around me struggle with various health issues and it reminds me that I must be grateful for what I have been given and never take that for granted.

¯ Opportunities to Serve: Once again I was able to serve as a volunteer EFY counselor for four weeks this summer. Many of my coworkers think I am crazy to do that for free, but there is no way I would take any money for what I do. It is such a privilege and blessing to be able to serve the Lord by serving the youth. At EFY this summer I was able to meet some amazing youth and work with some incredible people. I made friendships that I hope and pray will be eternal friendships. I was able to learn so much about myself and the Gospel in those four weeks. I also have been reminiscing about my opportunity to serve a full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Nagoya, Japan, some 5 years ago. In that short 18 months I was able to draw closer to the Lord, learn the Japanese language, meet so many amazing individuals that I never would have met in this life, made many eternal friends, and learned so much about myself. I look back and realize that so many of the blessings in my life have come from my full-time service for the Lord.

So, to all of you who are reading this, I hope that you will take some time to reflect on what you are grateful for in your lives. Always strive to have an “Attitude of Gratitude” and let those around you know how much you appreciate the things they are doing. Once again, thank you for being such wonderful friends and for what you mean to me in my life. I know I don’t say it often enough, I love you and am thankful to have each of you are a part of my life. Please forgive me for my faults and imperfections and know that I am always here for you in any situation. God bless each of you as you go through each and every day of life. Remember: The Lord Loves You & So Do I!

BYU vs. Utah

Well, now that the wonderful rivalry game is all over and done with maybe my classes can calm down a little bit and possibly return to close to normal! My students have so much fun arguing the BYU/Utah thing. They all got mad at me because last Thursday I wore a BYU shirt to work, but Friday I wore a U of U shirt. It is such a great situation to not really care about, just sit back and aggitate both sides.

Max Hall for U of U MVP!!! I think that might have been the worst performance I have ever seen from a quarterback. 5 interceptions and 1 fumble, plus a stupid personal foul after one of the interceptions! Okay, I'll only blame him for 4 of the interceptions, the 5th one was bobbled around a little bit.

Then again, maybe he was just getting into the spirit of the holidays a little early and decided to just give the entire game away. I am not sure who to blame more, Max Hall or the offensive coordinator, Robert Anae.

Yet another of the many reasons I love college football. Utah should be headed to a BCS game and BYU might just end up having to play Boise State in the Poinsettia Bowl!

Just a Touch of Politics

The election season has settled down and yet we are still in a panic over who was elected and what is going to happen to America as we know it. I am of the opinion that I don't care who you voted for or what political party you affiliate with, America has selected it's new president and it is now our duty to support and give our respect to the office of the President. This is the leader of our country, whether you like it or not. You can live in gloom and doom or have a positive outlook because we live in the GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD. Now we all need to work to keep it this way.
I received this forward from a coworker and I thought it made a great point, so I will share it here.
545 People
By: Charlie Reese
"Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.
Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?
Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don't propose a Federal budget. The President does.
You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.
You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.
You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.
You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred Senators, 435 Congressmen, 1 President, and 9 Supreme Court Justices: 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.
I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated it's Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.
I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promisies, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.
Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. For instance, no "normal human being" would have the gall of the Speaker of the House to stand up and criticize a current President for creating deficits. The President can only propose a budget. he cannot force Congress to accept it.
The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the Speaker of the House? The leader of the majority party. He/She and fellow House Members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to do so.
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 545 people who stand convicted--by present facts--of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.
If the tax code is unfair, it is because they made it unfair.
If the budget is in the red, it is because they put it in the red.
Thare are no insoluble government problems."
He goes on a little more, but you get the idea. It is our responsibility to select those that represent our values, beliefs, and standards.
(Is this posting really this long?)

I LOVE REESE'S!!!

It is official, I love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. They are without a doubt the most satisfying candy bar I have ever come across. There is nothing better than the combination of Peanut Butter and Chocolate! The only thing I can think of that would be a little better would be if they would sell the Reese's Easter Eggs all year long. Out of all of the many Reeses combinations the Eggs have the best Peanut Butter to Chocolate ratio. So, for all of you Reese's lovers out there remember:"There's no wrong way to eat a Reese's"