Best Job EVER!

2 1/2 years ago, I got a job at Transitions, Inc. in Idaho Falls, which is a State Developmental Disabilities Agency.  I worked as a therapy technician helping adults with special needs.  This was the summer before I went to my first semester at college.  Before I got the job, I was completely lost about what I wanted to major in.  I couldn't think of anything that held my interest enough to make a living out of it.  I was so confused and didn't know what direction to take.  Once I'd been working there for about a month, it hit me.  I absolutely LOVED my job!  I found myself excited to go into work every day.  So I decided to major in Special Education.  And that's one of the best decisions I've made in my life!

Between every semester at college, I'd come back and work.  Then last summer, I heard that it was closing. I was so incredibly disappointed!  My favorite job was suddenly gone.  So I put in applications at different places, and the first day I went job hunting, I got an interview at The Adventure Center, which is the same type of thing.  I was so blessed to get that job!  I absolutely love it, just as much, if not more, than Transition's.  They're both good companies, and I work with amazing people at both.

It's a very high stress job at times, and definitely a hard job to do, but I wouldn't trade it for anything!  Why do I love it so much?!  Well, here's the reasons!

Every morning when I walk into work, I'm greeted by my clients with huge smiles and high fives and people exclaiming, "Kesha's here!"  It's the greatest welcoming party ever!  It literally makes the day shine brighter.

This is the most rewarding job EVER!  These amazing children of God want to be just like everyone else, and I get to help them learn new skills that will help them on their way to independence.  Seeing them make progress is the greatest feeling ever!

I think these guys teach me more than I could ever teach them.  I learn something new every day!  Some people teach me to be happy about everything.  They show me that it's easy to have a smile on all day, and that it's easy to smile at someone else and make them happy.  Others teach me patience.  It's OK to do things differently.  I've learned to slow down a little.  Things don't have to be as fast paced as the world is becoming.  I've learned that I can do hard things and do immediate, urgent problem solving.  I've learned how to look at EVERYONE as a child of God.  I've learned to count my blessings and to be grateful for the abilities I have.

I've been truly humbled by this experience.  I've developed a love for every single client, even the ones who might be hard to love sometimes.  It's so hard not to love them or be frustrated with them for too long.  Impossible even!  They all have such sweet spirits.  I can't wait to get my degree so I can do even more!

Satan Ain't Getting This Chick!

I think I have the BEST possible calling in my ward.  I get to be a Sunday School teacher for the 14-year-olds.  First of all, it's a tender mercy from the Lord that I got this calling.  I want to be the best possible missionary I can be, and two months left isn't very much time to prepare for it.  There's SO much I still have to learn!  And I think for me, my biggest challenge is going to be getting the lessons together and knowing what I need to say.  So I've been praying for something to help me with my mission preparations, specifically in this thing.  And then I got this calling!  There's a new Youth Curriculum that the church just came out, and it's AWESOME!  It's actually really similar to the BYU-Idaho Learning Model.  It helps me to have flexibility in what I teach, and gives many discussion opportunities.  Like I said, perfect practice for my missionary lessons, right?!

I was putting my lesson together, and the topic is something that I'm SO excited to talk about! It's finding the Lord's hand in your life.  This is something I have a strong testimony of.  I believe that everything that has happened to me has been led by the Lord.  Even the things that have been disappointments to me.  I've had rough spots in my life where things just didn't seem to go the way I wanted. There have been times when nothing has seemed to go right.  I've been discouraged.  But as I've pressed on, I've realized that no matter what the problem is, it will ALWAYS turn out right in the end.  Things always turn out better than I could have ever hoped for!  All you've got to do is believe that the Lord's hand is guiding your life, and that His plan is better than your plan.  One of my favorite scriptures is Isaiah 55:8-9- "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."  This scripture has helped me in so many different situations!  It reminds me that there's always a light at the end of the tunnel.  It reminds me to have no fear.  Just be patient!  A better turnout will ALWAYS happen, as long as we have the faith to endure it.

This lesson also reminded me of something we did when I was a Student Ambassador at BYU-Idaho.  At the end of every shift, we'd gather around and tell a tender mercy we recognized as we did our 2 hour shift.  This experience helped me realize that there's always something the Lord's helping us with, whether it's a simple thought of how to do something, an idea of what to say, or anything!  Tender mercies are always there, we've just got to look for them!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3B4El4B9LVw  This is one of my favorite videos!  Check it out!  Then check out the tender mercies in your own life!  I promise, they're there!

I'm just bursting with happiness over this lesson I get to give!  And I'm just bursting with happiness over all of the things the Lord has helped me with!  When the Lord's on your side, nothing's gonna get you down!  Satan will probably try harder to get you down, but who cares?  My goal's to annoy Satan.  He can suck it up and go back down to his pit of misery, because he ain't getting this chick!  My favorite quote: "Be the kind of person so that when your feet hit the floor every morning, Satan says, 'Crap.  She's up.'"

2012, You've Been Good to Me

I can't believe this year's already come and gone!  Looking back on where I was a year ago, I NEVER would have though I'd be where I am today!  Well, figuratively speaking.  I figured I'd still be here in Rexburg.  Haha.  But I've seriously grown SO much this year!  But anyway, here's my musings for this past year full of the random stuff I did!

January
1. Started back working at Transitions.  I LOVED that job!
2. Hiked R-Mountain in Rexburg, just for the heck of saying I did it in the middle of winter with Cait and Kelsey, two of my favorite people in the world!

                             

February
1. I found Grandpa's old foot locker from WWII in their basement.  Super cool!  That's about it though.  That month was kinda boring.  Haha.  The top picture is Grandpa wearing his aviator glasses, and the bottom is the box.

               

March
1. I voted in my first caucus.
2. Grandpa's dad used to write music, and he just found a lot of his old music that he wanted me to finish.  I'm still working on them, but it's pretty awesome!  I'm just disappointed I never got to show them to Grandpa before he passed away.  :(
3. I realized that I can do improve piano!
4. This one's probably the most exciting so far.  Kira got engaged!

April
1. I turned 20!  No longer a teenager!
2. Went to Salt Lake for a session of General Conference and went to a Jazz game!  WAY up in the nose-bleed section!  I just think this is a funny picture because of number 34.  I have NO idea what he's doing with his leg, but it makes me laugh.  Haha.  And Jimmer's in the picture.  :)

3. Back to school!  And I had my first semester volunteering at Get Connected as an I-Rep.  Super fun!  

May

1. ...actually, nothing really happened in May.  That was probably the most boring month of the year...

June

1. Went canoeing!  And got THE worst sunburn of my life with an extremely large, painful blister on my shoulder that bubbled up real big... then popped.  Sorry, TMI.

2. I completed the Lazy Man Iron Man competition at BYU-Idaho!  Which is a HUGE accomplishment for me, because I hate working out.

3. My car overheated on the highway on the way to Salt Lake.  So I had to drive over an hour and a half with the windows open in 100 degree weather with the heater on.  Yeah, NOT fun.  But I stayed with my sister in her new apartment and went to Lagoon!  That was fun at least!

July

1. Kira got married!  That's pretty exciting stuff!

                            

2. I rode a camel!  Yep, that's probably the coolest thing I did this year.  :)  Had a great vacation with my family in St. George and at Tuacahn watching Aladdin there.

3. Olympics started!  I love watching those!

4. Found out that Transition's was closing.  Super sad, because that was the BEST job I've ever had!  So I took applications to other Developmental Disabilities Agencies and found a new job the first day I looked.  So I started working at The Adventure Center, which I still love!  I'm so lucky I can have a job I love and have a job that is perfect experience for my major!

August

1. Went to the Darius Rucker concert with my bro!  Super great! Top picture is me and Devin waiting for it to start, and the bottom is the one and only Darius Rucker!

2. Tried out for American Idol, just to say that I did it.  Small town auditions just so happened to be in Idaho Falls, 5 minutes away from my house, so I was like, "What the heck?  Why not?"  So me and Devin tried out.  And no, I didn't make it.  But that's good, because I didn't WANT to make it!  Being famous sounds too stressful.  Haha.  And besides, bigger and better things have happened to me since then!

3. I bought a car!  2003 Mazda Protege.  Named DeeDee because it's a spunky, black name, and I'm a spunky girl WITH a black name.  Haha.

4. One of my very best friends, Kelsey, got married on the 31st.  And I got to be one of her bridesmaids!  This is me, Kels, and Cait.  :)

September

1. My other, amazing, wonderful roommate got married on the 1st!  Congrats Carlee!  I'm just bummed I couldn't go to San Diego to see her!

2. Back to school!  I've started my Junior year of college!!!  Crazy how fast time flies!  I had an insane moment and signed up for 18 credits, which totally kicked my butt, but I did it!  I'm a survivor!  But before the semester started, I had the amazing opportunity to be an I-Team leader for Get Connected, and I was over the BEST group of new freshmen EVER!  Love them all, and I'm grateful for the opportunity I got to know them!

3. Some not so great news.  My amazing, wonderful, loving, talented, BEST grandpa passed away on September 9th.  I miss him SO much!  But I'm so incredibly grateful for the impact he had on my life.  He was literally one of the best men I know, and he lived an amazing 93 years.  And I'm grateful for the knowledge I have of the Plan of Salvation that I will get to see him again and give him another big hug!  He served in the Air Force during WWII.  I'm grateful for all he did for my freedoms!

October

1. The biggest news of all is that I decided to go on a mission.  I had the feeling on my half birthday, October 3rd, that I should go.  This just so happened to be 3 days before General Conference.  Then during Conference, the announcement that totally changed my life came!  Girls can now serve when they're 19!  So I immediately started my papers and turned them in 2 1/2 weeks later!  I'm one of the older ones now, but I don't care!  I'm just SO excited to serve the Lord!

November

1. Again, exciting mission news!  I got my call on November 9th, less than a month after I started working on my papers.  I'm going the Florida Orlando Mission, reporting to the MTC March 13, 2013!  I couldn't be happier or any more excited!

2. I completed the Lazy Man Iron Man again!  Whew!  I work out!

3. Happy Thanksgiving!  This was THE BEST Thanksgiving Break I've EVER had!  First of all, I really needed the break.  I was going insane from all the work I had to do.  Never again will I do 18 credits.  Haha.  But I found out that I'm going to be an aunt!  I can finally tell people since Kira's finally announced it to the public!  I'm SUPER excited about that!  The next thing that happened over Thanksgiving break deserves it's own number... So...

4. I went through the temple for the first time on November 24th!  That was such an incredible experience!  I'm SO grateful I can be a member of this amazing church!  It always brings me so much peace, comfort, and happiness!  I wouldn't be the same person without it!  It's had such a positive impact on my life, and never fails to make me feel better on a bad day!

December

1. Well, since it's only the 8th day of the month, I can't say anything too huge has happened yet.  But it is finals week.  I'm SO ready to be done with school, especially since I'm not going to have another homework assignment or test for another 2 years!  WOO!  I've been so incredibly busy and stressed out this whole semester.  But I can do hard things!  And I did!

So, yeah, that's my year in a nutshell.  A kinda big nutshell.  Haha.  Lots of stuff happened!  But I can honestly say that I'm a much happier, better person because of all of the amazing experiences I've had.  This has definitely been one of my favorite years!

The Happiest Place on Earth: Florida Orlando Mission

That's right!  It's official!  I'm going on a mission!!!  This all happened super fast.  I started on my papers on October 14th.  That's less than a month ago!  And then I turned them in on October 29th.  This has been the LONGEST week and a half of my life!  I've been dying to find out where I'm going to be spending the next 18 months of my life.  My bishop told me on Tuesday that the status of my call was "Sent."  And generally, here in Idaho, calls come on Thursdays.  So needless to say, yesterday when Mom called to tell me it wasn't here yet, I was crushed.  I thought I'd have to wait an extra week for it to come!  But today, I got the best news I've received in a long time.  MY CALL WAS IN THE MAILBOX!!!  But I was still in class up in Rexburg.  That was THE LONGEST class of my life.  That one hour felt like three hours.  But as soon as it was over, I ran home, burst in the door and yelled to my roommates that my call was here, packed up my computer and laundry (why not do it for free?  Haha) and drove home.  And that half hour drive dragged on and on too!

I practically sprinted in the door to my house when I finally got to Idaho Falls.  The camera was already set up too.  Haha.  Everybody was waiting.  So we snapped a quick picture, called Kira and Jeff on Skype, sat down, and opened it!

"Dear Sister Good:
You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  You are assigned to labor in the Florida Orlando Mission.  It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 18 months.  You should report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on Wednesday, March 13, 2013.  You will prepare to preach the gospel in the English language."

OH MY GOSH!!!  FLORIDA!!!

I knew right then and there that this is where I need to be.  This is where the Lord needs me.  And I get more and more excited every minute!

Florida is not one of the places I imagined myself going.  I've literally thought about every other possibility.  I kinda wanted to go foreign.  Or at least learn a new language.  But the funny thing is, once I saw that I was going to Florida and that I was speaking English, I KNEW that this was right!  But another funny thing is that all day, even before I knew my call was in the mail, Florida kept coming to my mind.  I don't know why, but it did.  I guess now I know!

I'm SO excited to serve the Lord in Florida.  It's one place I've always wanted to go, mainly because of Disney World, but still.  Haha.  I actually had really wanted to work at Disney World during the winter, but then I decided not to.  It just didn't feel right.  I guess that's because I'm supposed to serve a mission in Orlando instead!  Even though I won't be able to go to Disney World while I'm there, I'm still going to The Happiest Place on Earth!  The happiest place is the Lord's place!  But it sure will be fun to go back and visit!  

And, it's got one of the most BEAUTIFUL temples ever built!

I Have (had) a Dream!

Well, I've decided to go on a mission!  And no, it's not because the new age limits talked about in General Conference today, although that's still amazing and it's helping me to go even earlier!  I had actually decided earlier this week.  I've never really wanted to serve a mission for my church.  It's not a requirement for girls, so I've just never really felt compelled to do it.  But now I'm 20 1/2 years old (yes, I did just literally celebrate my half birthday 3 days ago with a fun ice cream party), and I've been thinking a lot about it.  There's a whole story behind this, but let's just say, I'm excited to go!  Story time!  Warning:  It's kind of long, but it's my whole thoughts and feelings behind this.

6 days ago, I still wasn't even THINKING about going on a mission.  5 nights ago, Monday night, I had a dream.  I know, it sounds cliche.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bate_tvVUpk.  That song came in my head as I typed that.  Sorry for getting distracted.  Haha.  Anyway, I'm not basing my decision solely off a dream, but it really got me thinking.  In my dream, I received a mission call to the New York New York North mission. And I've NEVER even heard of that one.  But when I woke up, I Googled it.  And yep, sure enough, it's a mission.  There's a North and a South mission.  I thought that it was really weird that I would dream of that when I've never even heard of it before.  So it really got me thinking, because that's too much of a coincidence.  Now, I know I probably won't get called to that mission, but I don't care.  The important part is the effect the dream had on me.  That's literally all I thought about on Tuesday.  I had the hardest time concentrating on my classes and my homework!  Then I went to Devotional at BYU-Idaho that afternoon, and it made me think even more.  The talk was on receiving the Lord's grace, but I got something totally different from it.  The speaker said that our sacrifice will be more sacred to the Lord than our increase.  So I got thinking, do I ever ignore times that I could sacrifice something, in exchange for a material thing?  Then he quoted  D&C 6:36, 'Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not."  It was an amazing devotional!  But I still didn't have my answer for sure.  The thought of serving a mission still kinda freaked me out.

Serving a mission has been something that I've been thinking of ever since I turned 19, and then more especially when I turned 20.  But like I said, I've never really felt compelled to do it.  I never really had a moment where the feeling hit me to go.  So I wasn't planning on it.  Things have been falling into place for my career.  I got a new, amazing job, where I could still work after I graduated from college.  I could be a Developmental Specialist instead of a Developmental Therapy Technician like I am now.  I found a way where I could graduate in the winter of 2014 instead of the spring of 2014.  That meant that in just over a year and a half, I could be a college graduate and working.  I was perfectly happy where my life was taking me.  So, needless to say, serving a mission was a HUGE decision for me.  

Tuesday night, I was really praying about it.  Then I finally got the courage to tell the Lord all my fears and told Him that if He wanted me to go on a mission, I would be willing to sacrifice.  I'd be willing to put off my education for a year and a half.  I'd be willing to put my whole life on hold.  And then the feeling hit me.  This OVERPOWERING feeling of peace filled my heart.  I had the feeling of, "Who cares?"  Who cares if I don't graduate in a year and a half?  I'll still get my degree eventually.  Who cares if I put my life on hold for a year and a half?  I'm still young!  I still have plenty of opportunities!  And if nothing else, then at least I will have had this wonderful experience of giving other people the opportunity to be as happy as I am.  Then I had a wonderful feeling of love for the Gospel.  There's literally nothing I love better.  These feelings were all at 2:30 in the morning.  And all I wanted to do was run outside and yell at the top of my lungs to tell everyone how happy I was in the Gospel.  I wanted to proclaim it to every living soul in the world!  I want EVERYONE to see why I'm so happy!  I couldn't sleep at all that night!  So now I've got my answer.  I NEED to go on a mission.  I want to give as many people the gift of the Gospel as I can.

I couldn't believe how fast the answer hit me.  Sure, it was a slow process getting this answer.  I mean, I've been praying for this answer for over a year, and nothing has come to me.  I had real, firsthand experience of how the Lord doesn't always answer our questions immediately.  But then, BAM!  I've got my answer like that!  It's amazing how much the Lord's hand is in my life.  The answer came to me when I needed it most.  The Lord's timing is miraculous!

So I was thinking.  I'm 20 1/2.  That means I could start my mission papers in 1 month.  I could turn them in in December.  I could potentially have my mission call before this semester was over.  But that still seemed like so long.  I just want to get started on it right away!  So today, at General Conference, another miracle happened.  President Monson announced that girls may now serve missions when they are 19.  That means I'm one of the old ones now!  But more importantly, that means that I can start my papers any time I want!  I'm so indescribably happy right now!  I can't wait to give someone else the opportunity to have this amazing gospel in their lives!

Summer Shenanigans

          What's not to love about a jam packed summer?  Because I sure love them!  I'm just sad that my summer's cut short by about 2 months since I didn't even get out of school until the end of July.  But that's for later.  The first exciting thing was Kira's wedding.  She got married on July 6 in the Rexburg Temple.  So I finally have a big brother!  WOOHOO!!!  Yep.  It's pretty exciting.  So this part of the blog is dedicated to my lovely sister.  Kira, you're the greatest sister I could ever ask for!  I've loved growing up with you, even if we didn't always get along.  Even if I haven't always shown it, I've always looked up to you.  I always wanted to do what you would do when we were little.  Heck, I still wish I was as cool as you!  Thanks for being a great example and always pushing me to be the best I can be and for always showing your faith.  You've made me want to be a better person and to grow stronger in the Church.  I owe you so much!  Love ya sista!  :)  

          I wrote Kira a song for her wedding.  She had asked me to play her the song "When You Say Nothing At All" for the luncheon, so I did, but then I surprised her with my song, Fairytale Come True.  I made the mistake of looking over at her right before I sang and almost got all choked up.  So I quickly looked away and was able to save myself.  Whew!  That could have been a disaster!  Haha.  If you want to hear it, I've finally recorded it, so you can find it at http://soundcloud.com/lakesha-good/fairytale-come-true

Here's some pictures of the wedding!

Kira and Jeff coming out of the temple

Our side of the family

The Good/ Pond kids

I just love this one!

4 happy siblings

Me singing the song I wrote for Kira

It made her cry!

Aww.  Tender!

Lance caught the garter and I caught the bouquet... What does this mean?!  :)

After the wedding, I just had to focus on finishing up the semester.  And it was a great end of semester!  I got the best grades I've ever had while at college!  Not that they were ever bad, but I had all A's except for one B+.  Pretty dang good if I do say so myself, especially since I was stressing over 17 credits all semester.  :)

The day I moved home, my family drove down to St. George, UT to see Aladdin at Tuacahn.  It was SO good!  There were live camels, horses, dogs, and peacocks, 3D effects, fireworks, the whole shebang.  3D!  In a stage play!  It was epic!!!  Right before the show, they told us to go back the next day to the Tuacahn market where we could ride a camel.  How could we pass up that opportunity?!  So we did!  Here's me and Jorge the camel.

When we got back from Utah, I started a new job at The Adventure Center, a Developmental Disabilities Agency.  I started at the children's center, which I liked because I was getting good experience for my major, which is Early Childhood Special Education.  But I've been recently transferred over to the adult's center, which I also like because I have 2 years previous experience working with the adults at Transition's.  So basically, I just love my job!  :)  It's great, and it's still pretty good experience for my major.

This last week Devin and I went to the Darius Rucker concert that was in Idaho Falls.  It was SO good!  Then last Saturday, American Idol was doing their small town bus tour auditions in Idaho Falls!  So of course we couldn't pass up the opportunity to try out for it!  It's not every day you can say that you tried out for American Idol, and besides, it was 5 minutes away from my house!  Literally!  So we just had to!  No, I didn't make it, but I was just fine with that.  I didn't WANT to make it!  If I had, I would have dropped out and not gone to the next audition for it, just because I don't want that type of lifestyle.  I'm perfectly happy not being famous and just going to school and being happy at home!  I just tried out to say that I tried out!  But here's a picture of me in front of the Idol Bus.  :)

And now for my last bit of exciting news... I BOUGHT A CAR!!!  This was very unexpected.  I wasn't even thinking about getting a new car until dad mentioned last night that I should consider getting my own.  And I kinda liked that idea!  Since I had some money in my mutual fund, Dad took me car shopping today.  It took a LONG time, but we finally found a cute little car.  I'm pretty happy with it!  I feel so grown up!  Haha.  So here it is!  2003 Mazda Protegé.  I just need an idea for a name for it!

That pretty much sums up my summer so far!  Only 3 more weeks, and I'm back in Rexburg!  

20 Life Lessons

These are just some things I've learned about myself so far this semester.  :)

1. LIFE IS FANTASTIC!!!  OK, so I already knew that, but each and every day I'm just reminded how amazing life really is.  

2. The key to happiness is looking past the discouraging times and remember all the good.

3. The Gospel makes me happier each and every day!

4. Music is basically my eternal calling.  Literally and figuratively.  Ever since I turned 18 the only calling I've ever had in church has been in music.  Ward pianist, Ward Music Coordinator- three times, and now, Relief Society Pianist.  Good thing it's my favorite calling!  And music anything just makes me happy.  Playing piano and guitar and singing are some of my favorite things to do!

5. Science can actually be fun!  I usually hate all science classes, but now I'm taking 2 that I actually really like!

6. I'm a procrastinator.  I never get my homework done until the night before it's due, usually finishing at midnight or 2:00 in the morning.

7. Service is fun!  I was an I-Rep for Get Connected, now I'm a Student Ambassador, and I'm going to be an I-Team leader in the fall!  WOO!!!

8. The temple is a place of comfort and happiness.  'Nuff said.

9. It's better to talk about your feelings than just keeping them bottled up inside.

10. Entertainment is easy to come by.  All you need is a tape measure and some crazy fun roommates to put it to good use.

11. Going to the gym is actually fun!  Especially when it's free and right across the street!

12. I can write songs!  WOOHOO!

13. I CAN keep a clean room!  It's good that I've finally realized that after 20 years of life.  Haha.

14. 17 credits with no fun classes is a lot more stressful than I thought it would be.

15. Special Education most definitely is the major I need to do!  I've known that for 2 years.  But recently I realized that I don't necessarily want to work in a school.  I want to do Early Intervention or be a Habilitative Interventionist or something of that nature.

16. Dairy Queen Blizzards make everything better.

17. Sometimes the Lord makes you work for the answer to your prayers.  And sometimes He smacks you in the face with the answer.  Either way, you'd better be ready for it to come and be ready to accept whatever His answer is for you!

18. Clothes are fun to buy.  So are shoes.  Sometimes a girl's just got to spoil herself!

19. Be true to yourself and to the Lord and everything will work out.

20. The Church is true!  There is absolutely NO doubt about it in my mind.  Every tender mercy I see in my life just proves it each and every day.