Saturday, January 29, 2011

Shoot for the Stars!

I've been thinking a lot about this concept: Shoot for the stars, and even if you land on the moon, it's still pretty awesome!

Not a day goes by that I don't think about my experience at Disney World for that year at Epcot.  I shot for the stars, and I made it that time.  It was one of the most amazing years of my life that I am forever grateful for.  It shaped me and paved the way for a brighter future full of more exciting adventures and ambitions.  That internship help lead me towards the direction I'm headed in my career.  Ultimately, I want to use my education to get others excited about horticulture, whether it's in a botanic or community garden, through a landscaping company, as a sales rep or a PR for a company, or in my own home.  I am SO excited!

Because of this newfound ambition and direction, I applied to numerous internships for the summer in botanical gardens and their community garden programs:

Longwood Gardens (located in Kennett Square, PA): A very prestigious internship to do, and having Disney on my resume helps a LOT.  I applied for 3 internships: Indoor Display, Outdoor Display, and Greenhouse Propagation.  

Chicago Botanic Garden: I applied for their display internship as well as their "Green Youth Farm" community garden program.  The display internship would have me working in the botanic garden while the Green Youth Farm internship would have me in one of four community gardens in Chicago supported by the gardens.  I would be working with middle/high school students from under served areas to teach them all I know about gardening and help them develop who they are.

Denver Botanic Garden: I basically applied for the same internships like Chicago, but their CSA program is not with middle/high school students.  It is more focused on the community as a whole.

No matter where I end up, I am going to have SUCH a blast.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Daily Bread...

Today was a great day... :)

It's so wonderful when you have one of those Sundays that you needed so badly.  You get so much instruction and revelation meant just for you to help you in your current situation.

This week was rather stressful as I left home for the millionth time and caught a plane to Salt Lake City.  I did not want to leave!  This past weekend, I was able to go down memory lane and meet with old friends, drive down familiar roads, and feel back at home.  Coming back to school was difficult.

And when I got back to school, I felt like I was thrown in the deep end of a pool with sharks in it without any floaties!  I am taking the Production block of classes where nearly all classes are taught by the same professor that doesn't like to publish assignments and due dates.  I am so worried that I won't write down every assignment and when it's due, and I keep getting classes mixed up.  Point being, I am overwhelmed.

Today was such a great day full of spiritual advice:

- First, I have SUCH a great ward with an incredible bishop.
- In Sunday School, we learned about John the Baptist's parents and his mission on earth.  I learned that we may not have as "grand" of a mission as John the Baptist, but we DO have missions to fulfill on Earth, and we need to be preparing every day for those missions that will come our way.
- I've been thinking a lot about this concept: You can't always pay someone back, but you can always pay it forward.  I have a hard time accepting help, as you can tell from my humble pie entry, and I realized that what I should be doing instead of paying people back is to live my life in a way that I am focusing on what I can do for others, going by the spirit instead.
- There was a CES Fireside today with D. Todd Christofferson, and he talked a lot about daily efforts.  Heavenly Father appreciates EVERY effort we make to becoming a better person.  It's the daily efforts that Heavenly Father wants; don't try and be superwoman!  I need to look at my life day-by-day instead of looking at my agenda book and syllabus, freaking out about all that I need to do. Baby steps.

How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time.