Down to the Wire

This is my last Sunday in Salt Lake until December! Tomorrow, I head up to BYU-Idaho for my last semester and Thursday, classes start. I'll be taking Communications 111, English 252, Web Design, International Economics, and my Capstone (which is my final business class that is a culmination of everything I've learned these past four years and I have to put it to practical use with a real company). But all that I can handle, what I'm really nervous about is, as always, what my roommates will be like. For me, if I have good roommates, everything else is so much easier. I can handle hard classes and being in a ward that I'm not really fond of. But if I don't get along with my roommates, life is so much harder. I've had some amazing roommates and I've had some terrible roommates, so please this semester, let me have the former. Wish me luck!

Finding the Silver Lining

Where one door closes, somewhere God opens a window. So I'm looking for open windows now.

And what I mean by that is that I just broke up with my boyfriend. Jason and I had been dating for the past 5 months, but we just reached a proverbial dead end. I hadn't heard much from him the past week. I was hoping that he was just busy, but when I finally got up the nerve to ask him if something was wrong, he said that he had been thinking a lot about our future lately and he just couldn't see a future for us.

I told him that I hoped we could stay friends and that I would always be there for him, but he deserved to find a girl that he could see a future with and I deserved a guy that could love me and not just "like" me. So, there it is, I'm back to being single. And I'm trying to see the bright side of it. I'll get to go through all the fun "firsts" again: first date, holding hands for the first time, first kiss, all that fun stuff. I don't have to worry about finding a job in southeast Idaho to stay close to Jason, I can move home after graduation and get a good job and save money.

The world is wide open to me now. And although there are some kind of dark, dreary clouds in my wide open world, I know that there is that wonderful silver lining if I just keep looking for it.

Here Come the Waterworks

The last day of my incredible, amazing, fabulous, indescribable internship is tomorrow. I'm going to miss this place like a fat kid on a diet misses chocolate cake. I have seriously loved this internship!!! (maybe not every minute of it, but 99% of it) And I adore the people that I've been able to work with.

Katherine (my supervisor) is such an amazing woman. She's so strong and smart, but at the same time she's incredibly sweet and friendly and has the best giggle when she's on the phone.

Krachel (in charge of PR) as become like my best friend at MAW. I know all about her and her family (maybe sometimes a little too much - ha ha!) and we've had so much fun together doing Kids for Wish Kids stuff and traveling around to schools and Power of a Wish tapings.

Becky (in charge of Special Events) is so amazing. She's gone through so much (one of her sisters was a wish kid) but she is still so strong and optimistic. She's getting married on Saturday at the Wishing Place and I wish I could see her. She is going to be the most beautiful bride!

Katie (Database and also my office mate) is so flippin much fun. I'm always sad when she's not in the office, since she only works part-time. She has such great taste in music, so I never have to worry about if she's going to be listening to crappy music on her Pandora. We've had such great time swapping stories and laughing over the horrible names in our database i.e. Gay Gay and Hans Dickes.

These are the people I have gotten closest to while interning here, but I've also loved getting to know Mike (and seeing his new baby), Frank (and all his fun stories from home), Nicole (and please pray for her dog Babe who has Leukemia), Chriss (our CEO and such an amazing woman), Kandis (and hearing about her mission in Ireland), and Christine (and hearing all of her ghost stories. Apparently her life is plagued by poltergeists). I'll never forget the people I've met, the stories I've heard, and the experiences I've had here at the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Utah. I wish it didn't have to end.

Two Weeks

I have two weeks left to my internship and I'm not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, it'll be kinda nice to be done with it because it is an internship, and an unpaid one, so I do a lot of work for none pay. But on the other hand, I'm really going to miss it. It's been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I've met so many wonderful people an heard so many incredible stories, and I've learned so much. I've written wish stories, put together the company's annual report, made the signage for the Albertsons star sponsor fund raiser, put together the company's newsletter, and so much more.

I'm so grateful for the hand of the Lord in my life. I've felt all along that this is where He wanted me. Everything lined up so perfectly for me to have this internship, and it's been the greatest blessing in my life this summer. Even when I was in a bum mood or feeling stressed out, I would hear awe inspiring stories from wish families that would really put my life in perspective.

The work we do here is truly the work of angels, and the children and families that we help also bless the people around them in ways that they'll never know - I know they've blessed me. I love how the Lord uses us to be angels in each others' lives.

Creepy, Crawly, and would Eat Your Face Off

Here's another fun wish kid that I got to learn about and write a wish story for:

Fourteen-year-old Amy* will steal your heart the moment you meet her. Her endearing giggle and loving personality could melt even the iciest hearts - like those of the Utah Grizzlies hockey team who call Amy their little pistol. Through Amy’s involvement with the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Utah, she was able to meet the whole team and fell in love with them and they did with her. But Amy’s greatest wish, which was granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation, was to go to Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida and go on all the rides – the scarier the better!

Amy is not your typical 11-year-old girl. As her mom put it, “she likes all things creepy and crawly, and would eat you in one swallow. She’s fearless – she would have to be to go through what she has gone through.” Amy was born with Down syndrome and then last year, she was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma. She had a tumor at the end of her femur and has had to have two knee replacements and lots of physical therapy after the knee replacements. But she doesn’t let these challenges get her down; she loves to be out and active; experiencing life.

And what an experience it was for her at the resorts in Florida. She loved every minute of it. She loved the scary roller-coasters and the Haunted Mansion at Walt Disney World® Resort and she had a heyday at the Disney’s Hollywood Studios’™ Natural Habitat petting zoo. She loved watching the sharks and manatees and petting the snakes, lizards, and stingrays.

Amy’s unconquerable enthusiasm for life just radiates joy to everyone around her. Everyone she meets becomes her best friend. She loved meeting all the characters at Walt Disney World® Resort and Goofy, especially, was so enamored by her that he almost walked off with her. Amy’s mom said that while the rest of the family was preoccupied with the other characters, that Goofy took Amy by the hand, waved goodbye, and started to walk away with her. Amy’s family had to run after them to get their little girl back. They all just had the time of their lives during their wish. They said that it was an absolutely incredible trip and they played until their feet were sore. It’s the kind of experience that they’ll never forget.

Bibbity-Bobbity-Boo!

One of my responsibilities at my internship is to write wish stories about various wish kids. Here's one that I wrote recently. I loved interviewing this little girl's mom. This story is so sweet and inspiring.

There is no one else in the world like Jane*. She is truly a miracle. Jane was diagnosed with 10q22 10q24 trisomy. This is a condition where a child is born with three sets of the tenth chromosome instead of only two. This causes all sorts of health problems, and most children with this condition don’t live to see their first birthday. But Jane is now 11 years-old, and the only 11 year-old with this particular strain 10q trisomy in the world as far as Jane and her family know. So Jane’s family is enjoying every moment they have with her, and she gives her family endless joy and strength with her ever-abiding smile.

There hasn’t been much research on Jane’s condition because the survival rate is so low. So though Jane’s condition is a bit of a mystery, there’s nothing elusive about Jane’s personality. She’s a girly-girl through and through. She loves make-up, and pretty dresses, and especially princesses. So when Jane had the opportunity to have a wish granted through the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Utah, her wish was to go to Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida and meet all the Disney Princesses.

While at Disney World, Jane’s princess wish was taken one step further. Not only did Jane get to meet all the Disney Princesses, but she also got to dress up as a princess and have a princess photo shoot on the Disney Strip. Jane got the royal treatment. She got to dress up in her very own Cinderella dress and have her hair, make-up, and nails done. After her princess make-over, Jane had her pictures taken with all the Disney Princesses while everyone on the strip watched. It was a heart-warming experience for not only Jane and her family, but also everyone that passed on the strip and saw this sweet little girl being treated like royalty.

Jane’s mom said that this was just the vacation they needed to regroup and continue to face whatever new challenges this condition may inflict on Jane and the whole family. It’s Jane’s sweet smiles that give Jane’s mom the strength to face any challenge. As she said: “If Jane can smile through the pain, so can I.” She looks forward to Jane’s smile every morning. And for that week, Jane and her family didn’t feel stressed or worried, they could just relax and enjoy they time they had as a family and enjoy seeing the beautiful smiles on Jane’s face as she experienced her dream come true.

(* Name changed for child's privacy)

An Ode to Peppermint Oil

I got sick over the weekend. Just a nasty flu bug, but I'm still not at 100%. The worst part was the fever. My head pounded, my eyes stung, my muscles and joints ached, and my skin hurt to the touch. Then the fever decided to settle into my lower-back, hips, and knees. I still feel a little like an old, hunched-over, 80 year-old woman. And although I was able to keep food down (unlike my poor mom) I was so nauseous that everything made me want to hurl. My salvation on that count was Peppermint Oil.

It's a beautiful thing. You just pour a little in your hands and cup your hands over your mouth and nose. Just the smell of the oil is enough to aleviate the nausea. According to Young Living Farms (a local maker of pure essential oils in Mona, Utah) these are just some of the maladies that peppermint oil can help aleviate:

Asthma, bronchitis, candida, diarrhea, digestive aid, fever reduction, halitosis, heartburn, hemorrhoids, hot flashes, indigestion, menstrual irregularity, headaches, motion sickness, nausea, tumor growth, respiratory infections, shock, itchy skin, throat infections, and varicose veins. Other Uses: This oil may help arthritis, indigestion, depression, skin conditions (eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis), food poisoning, headaches, hives, hysteria, inflammation, morning sickness, nerve regeneration, rheumatism, may elevate and open sensory system, toothaches, and tuberculosis.

So 3 big cheers for Peppermint Oil!