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Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is really significant in my life. Starting perhaps when I was in middle school, my family read from it every morning before school. My husband and I read it together every morning. As a young girl, it helped my develop spiritually as well as in my reading abilities. It teaches me to be a good friend and person in general. -
I Am Born
My parents are the primary influence in my life. My mom made sure to have a healthy pregnancy in order to give me the best chance of developing in the best manner possible. My father always made sure that my family's needs were taken care of. My parents both felt it vitally important to give me whatever I needed. Through all of their efforts, I developed at the expected pace as an infant and through toddlerhood. I never was afraid that my needs would not be met. -
Sunshine Preschool
My mom put me in preschool at Sunshine Preschool right before my third birthday. I attended this preschool for three years. Because I spent so much time in preschool, by the time I entered kindergarten, I could count to 100 and was ready to begin reading, even when most of my peers were not. I enjoyed the people in my class and my teachers. These years were truly the foundation of my academic success. They taught me to love learning and proper social ettique. -
The LDS Temple
The temple has always been a powerful influence in my life. In order to enter int it, one has to be around 18 years old and meet certain spirtual and temporal requirements, including being morally chaste. From the time I enter the LDS Primary Program around preschool age, I set the goal to meet and exceed the requirements so that I could one day enter into the doors. I remain morally pure and keep my standards high. -
My Little Borther is Born
My family is very close-knit, which is a huge protective factor to me. I was thrilled when my little borther was born! My older brother took on the protective roll, and I took on the mothering role. My brothers and I were, and are, good friends as we grew up together. -
First and Second Grades
My first and second grade years were rough at school I had an extremely tough teacher who was very strict on behavior. I feel like my social development was hindered, because we often were not permitted to talk. I developed an immense fear of getting in trouble, even for little things. Even today, I am not a risk-taker, and I am a perfectionist. I believe these years in this classroom really hurt my emotional development. However, my teacher did teach me to work hard in school! -
My Baptism into the LDS Church
In the LDS church, the earliest a person can be baptized is at the age of eight. On my eighth birthday, I was baptized. This event literally changed my life for the better. I felt accountable for the decisions that I made. If I made a mistake, I would apologize and try to make restitution. Knowing that I was (and am) a member of the LDS gave me the desire to be kind, serviceable, to be a good citizen, to work hard in school, to be a good friend, and to simply be the best person I can be. -
Barbie
On my eighth birthday, i got my first Barbie dolls. These dolls truly opitimize the how my culture views women. It was the beginning of me feeling like I need to look a certain way in order to be happy. Luckily, I have great friends and family who know otherwise! -
My Little Sister is Born
I was thrilled when my little sister joined our family! Her birth truly helped my development as I learned to care for her. i read to her every night, which helped my reading skills. When she got older, I helped to tutor her in school, which in return helped my own academic development. I grew socially as I gained a new friend. -
Terrorist Attacks
The Al-Qaeda terrorist attacks rocked my world. I no longer had the sense of childhood innoccence that everything is right in the world. It was my first exposure to the lack of freedom that some people experience in other countries. It rocked my sense of security and caused me to begin to question the reliabilty of the governement. -
Move to Queen Creek
The summer before my sixth-grade year, my family moved to Queen Creek, AZ. This was a pivotal time in my life to move because it was right before I entered middle school. i had a very hard time finding friends, and the friends that I did have were not very uplifting to me. I felt alone. It was during anxiety and OCD flared up for me perhaps as a way to cope with all of the changes. I also no longer had access to a public library, so my progress in reading slowed. -
Enter Young Womens
At the age of twelve in the LDS church, youth enter the Young Mens or Young Womans programs. Participating in this program significantly helped to counteract the loneliness I felt from moving. I was in Young Womens until I was almost eighteen. I met great friends that I am still in contact with, which helped my social development. I was also in various leadership positions, which helped me to develop my leadership qualities. The leaders in this program were positive role models. -
Eighth_Grade Female Student of the Year
At my eighth-grade grauduation, I received the Female Student of the Year Award. While this was meant to be an honor, I took it only as pressure to perform even better academically in high school. I put a lot of pressure on myself to do so. Instead of hanging out with friends, I scrapbooked homework assignments. This hurt my social development. -
Meet New Friends
The summer before my freshman year, I became really close with my older brother. I looked up to him. He introduced me to his girlfriend, who introduced me to her friends and to her cousin. These friends really helped me develop emotionally and socially, as they helped me to feel loved and needed. I trhived academically in school, as their friendship helped my anxiety to calm down. I still keep in contact with some of these friends today. -
Marriage to my Husband
What a special day it was to get married to the love of my life! We met in February and were married that July. He is such an anchor to me. He loves me for who I am, and his companionship makes me want to be a better person. He makes me feel special and safe, so I feel like I can make mistakes. He cares for me and all of my needs, so I can continue to learn and grow into adulthood.
