I really love writing on this blog. Honestly. But, writing for the paper and my business writing class makes me push this to the side. Boo.
Tonight I decided to take a break from homework. Or really I'm just procrastinating until the very last minute they're due. I seriously thrive on deadlines. Is that healthy?
Probably not.
Anyways, I met the former president of Colombia. WHAT?!
Yeah, it was seriously the coolest thing.
I took on this assignment to attend a business and trade conference today in downtown Salt Lake. I wore a skirt. And pantyhose. You KNOW it's a big deal when I do that.
So I get to this conference, and I was definitely the minority there... for two reasons. 1) Women business professionals were definitely few and far in between. 2) I was one of few journalists reporting on this event. I mean, it's cool though. But I felt somewhat out of place.
The opening speaker was the U.S. Commerce Deputy Secretary, Rebecca Blank. NOT Rebecca Black...let's just be clear on that. She was kind of a big deal, and so I definitely found her later on in the conference and thanked her for speaking.
But, being the curious, investigative reporter that I am (yeah, right) I found out about a press conference being held during the conference with President Alvaro Uribe. And apparently they thought I was a legit reporter. I was told that I could only ask one question, which I responded "Oh, I just wanted to listen in, I didn't plan on asking any questions." To which the kind lady replied, "Oh no, we will give you time to ask your question."
...............
Umm....okay. If I knew that I'd be doing this, then by all means I would have been prepared. But what do you ask the former president of Colombia when you honestly have no idea what's even going on in that country? Thank GOODNESS for smartphones. I did some quick research, and wrote down a simple question.
It would probably be worth noting that I was the only reporter reporting for an English newspaper. Everyone else spoke Spanish. Talk about feeling all the regret for not taking Spanish in high school.
So it's finally time for the press conference to begin. We walk in, and I shake the president's hand. He's speaking Spanish...I'm mumbling something in...spanglish....and flashing my pearly whites. The conference then begins, all in Spanish. How would I know what questions were being asked? Shoot. I was getting a little antsy, FOR SURE. The whole time I prayed that they would just skip over me.
It's my turn. DANG IT. I stuttered over my words, and felt REAL smart. So for that brief time the press conference was in English. President Uribe was so kind, and answered my question very eloquently. I just felt so out of place though. So, here's to learning Spanish!
All in all, it was an exciting day. Talk about a crash course into journalism.
But I it makes me love it even more.
Also, my roommate Courtney helped me learn two things about myself this week:
-I love journalism.
-I really want to be a hip-hop/ backup dancer.
Seriously. I love to dance. But do I ever actually do it? No. I need to change that.
Right now though, I'm focusing on finishing up my training for the Utah Valley Half Marathon.
Woo Woop! Running 11 MILES tomorrow. Wish me luck!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
From the Wisdom of George H. Brimhall
I spend everyday working tirelessly in the Brimhall building on campus...it houses all communication majors. It’s also the place where I go to receive a little inspiration from time to time.
There’s this wall with quotes from George H. Brimhall, past president of BYU, that I pass by quite often. Here’s a little info about this inspired man.
"To this day, alumni who attended Brigham Young University between 1904 and 1921 are often heard to say, "I attended the Y in the good old Brimhall days." This is intended as a compliment to the spirit and personality of George H. Brimhall, for he breathed into the school a special charisma which people never forgot. He was particularly known for his short, pithy talks at devotionals. Ezra Taft Benson has written "No man has so inspired me with so few spoken words as has President Brimhall in his famous four-minute assembly talks."
For every day I pass that particular quote wall, I choose one of his “words of wisdom” and think about how it applies to my life. It's interesting that they can mean different things at various points in my life. My most recent quote I chose is this:
“If you avoid difficult things, great things will avoid you.”
Sometimes it’s so easy to choose the easier road. So often we lose site of where we are trying to go and instead, only look for the easiest way to get there.
I’m feeling pretty good about running a half marathon. I could just take my training a notch down and still be okay to run that race. Would that day be very enjoyable? Probably not. Would I regret it the day after? Probably so.
I’m ahead in the number of articles we are supposed to write for the Daily Universe. Should I take the easy road and coast through the rest of this term? Not. Even.
I’m also losing a little faith in the world of dating and relationships. Should I quit trying to find my Mr. Right? My Marlboro Man? My better half? Goodness, no.
These things are difficult. But if I were to avoid them, who knows what opportunities I’d be missing out on.
So I’m going to keep on keepin’ on.
I’m going to trust George H. Brimhall and know that great things will come my way when I take on difficult things.
Better yet, I’m going to trust my Heavenly Father and place my faith in Jesus Christ. Doing that, I know I can always trust the outcome.
There’s this wall with quotes from George H. Brimhall, past president of BYU, that I pass by quite often. Here’s a little info about this inspired man.
"To this day, alumni who attended Brigham Young University between 1904 and 1921 are often heard to say, "I attended the Y in the good old Brimhall days." This is intended as a compliment to the spirit and personality of George H. Brimhall, for he breathed into the school a special charisma which people never forgot. He was particularly known for his short, pithy talks at devotionals. Ezra Taft Benson has written "No man has so inspired me with so few spoken words as has President Brimhall in his famous four-minute assembly talks."
For every day I pass that particular quote wall, I choose one of his “words of wisdom” and think about how it applies to my life. It's interesting that they can mean different things at various points in my life. My most recent quote I chose is this:
“If you avoid difficult things, great things will avoid you.”
Sometimes it’s so easy to choose the easier road. So often we lose site of where we are trying to go and instead, only look for the easiest way to get there.
I’m feeling pretty good about running a half marathon. I could just take my training a notch down and still be okay to run that race. Would that day be very enjoyable? Probably not. Would I regret it the day after? Probably so.
I’m ahead in the number of articles we are supposed to write for the Daily Universe. Should I take the easy road and coast through the rest of this term? Not. Even.
I’m also losing a little faith in the world of dating and relationships. Should I quit trying to find my Mr. Right? My Marlboro Man? My better half? Goodness, no.
These things are difficult. But if I were to avoid them, who knows what opportunities I’d be missing out on.
So I’m going to keep on keepin’ on.
I’m going to trust George H. Brimhall and know that great things will come my way when I take on difficult things.
Better yet, I’m going to trust my Heavenly Father and place my faith in Jesus Christ. Doing that, I know I can always trust the outcome.
Always.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Prayers for the South
I remember my first day moving into the dorms at BYU. A little flower cutout was posted on my door with the words, “Go beyond yourself and you will grow.” It was a welcome note from the Bishop’s wife of my ward. I still have it, and it serves a meaningful purpose for my life.
Tonight as I reflected on how hard of a week this was for me, I was reminded of that little phrase. These past few months, and the next few months to follow, consisted of moments where I’ve pushed myself beyond my comforts.
I worked two jobs and went to school full time.
I decided to run a half marathon.
I’ve ran more miles during training than I ever have in my life.
And recently, I decided to take a News Reporting class.
This last one has definitely placed me out of my comfort zone, and pushed me to do things that aren’t “me.” But it’s helped me in so, so many ways. This week, it’s especially taught me how to listen to people who are experiencing hard things.
I’m currently writing an article about relief efforts in the South. I’ve talked to people living there, people who are volunteering to help with relief efforts and people whose families were affected by the recent outbreak of violent tornados.
My heart reaches out to them, I want to be there...helping, working, listening, and comforting. Talking to these amazing people, it reminded me when an outbreak of violent tornados hit Oklahoma on May 3, 1999. My family wasn’t directly affected, but I knew people who were. I remember the heartache and sorrow, but more importantly I remember that people from all over the country came to help clean up. I remember the immense feeling of gratitude our community felt for these people.
So, my heart and mind have been with these people in the South. My conversations have been with folks from rural areas that were struck pretty bad. Often we don’t here about these areas, they get swept to the side by the media. I wanted to change that, so I’m writing an article about them. The efforts going on in their community, and how they are coping. Let me share with you some of the things they’ve said.
“To have your childhood, your hometown wiped away is something that cannot be understood until it has happened to you. I have realized that this has affected me more than I would have expected, but I have also realized that in times of crisis, people ban together as a community and I am so very proud of my hometown for coming together to help. I am proud of Ringgold and although she has been through the ringer, she'll come out on top.”
“Tuscaloosa and the state of Alabama are really hurting right now. The devastation throughout the state is unbelievable. I just in the last few days saw some of the damage in Tuscaloosa as a few roads are beginning to open. Where once stood neighborhoods, it now looks like a trash landfield. And that's before the cleanup. I don't know how we avoided more deaths. People literally crawled out of the debris.”
I’m praying for these fine folks...they need all the comfort and help they can get. And I hope that you'll take some time to pray for them as well.
I’ll soon be sharing more about my experiences of “going beyond myself”... there’s been a few this week that have touched my little heart.
Tonight as I reflected on how hard of a week this was for me, I was reminded of that little phrase. These past few months, and the next few months to follow, consisted of moments where I’ve pushed myself beyond my comforts.
I worked two jobs and went to school full time.
I decided to run a half marathon.
I’ve ran more miles during training than I ever have in my life.
And recently, I decided to take a News Reporting class.
This last one has definitely placed me out of my comfort zone, and pushed me to do things that aren’t “me.” But it’s helped me in so, so many ways. This week, it’s especially taught me how to listen to people who are experiencing hard things.
I’m currently writing an article about relief efforts in the South. I’ve talked to people living there, people who are volunteering to help with relief efforts and people whose families were affected by the recent outbreak of violent tornados.
My heart reaches out to them, I want to be there...helping, working, listening, and comforting. Talking to these amazing people, it reminded me when an outbreak of violent tornados hit Oklahoma on May 3, 1999. My family wasn’t directly affected, but I knew people who were. I remember the heartache and sorrow, but more importantly I remember that people from all over the country came to help clean up. I remember the immense feeling of gratitude our community felt for these people.
So, my heart and mind have been with these people in the South. My conversations have been with folks from rural areas that were struck pretty bad. Often we don’t here about these areas, they get swept to the side by the media. I wanted to change that, so I’m writing an article about them. The efforts going on in their community, and how they are coping. Let me share with you some of the things they’ve said.
“To have your childhood, your hometown wiped away is something that cannot be understood until it has happened to you. I have realized that this has affected me more than I would have expected, but I have also realized that in times of crisis, people ban together as a community and I am so very proud of my hometown for coming together to help. I am proud of Ringgold and although she has been through the ringer, she'll come out on top.”
“Tuscaloosa and the state of Alabama are really hurting right now. The devastation throughout the state is unbelievable. I just in the last few days saw some of the damage in Tuscaloosa as a few roads are beginning to open. Where once stood neighborhoods, it now looks like a trash landfield. And that's before the cleanup. I don't know how we avoided more deaths. People literally crawled out of the debris.”
I’m praying for these fine folks...they need all the comfort and help they can get. And I hope that you'll take some time to pray for them as well.
I’ll soon be sharing more about my experiences of “going beyond myself”... there’s been a few this week that have touched my little heart.
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