Pop: The Sound of American History

Jayden Coates

Engl 3630

Sec 001

Bonnie Moore

September 17, 2015

Animal, Vegetable, Mineral

Pop: The Sound of American History

            “Pop, pop, pop” three seconds go by “pop.” I open the microwave and pull the bag of freshly popped popcorn out, grab a bowl out of the cabinet, and dump the popcorn in. Granted this won’t be as good as movie theatre popcorn but at this point I’ll take what I can get. The movie is about to start so I join Seth on the couch; as I stuff a handful of popcorn, without reservation, into my mouth.

 Popcorn the universal movie snack was actually brought forth from Central America about 8,000 years ago. This tantalizing buttery, salty, and fluffy snack stemmed from a strain of corn, with an abnormally starchy kernel and hard kernel walls. It was brought to North American through Whalers who found the corncobs and thought they were cute. After the corn was brought to America the popularity of this fun, popping, snack food spread like wildfire and was available everywhere. However, contrary to modern times popcorn wasn’t available in movie theatres!

 Aside from its enticing smell and amazing flavor popcorn also has another appeal to it and that is its mobility. The first popcorn maker was available in 1885, it was steam powered. The popcorn maker lead to popcorn being able to be made without the use of a kitchen, which was virtually unheard of at that time. Popcorn became a staple at sporting events, fairs, and circuses. But still wasn’t available in movie theatres! “Movie theaters wanted nothing to do with popcorn, because they were trying to duplicate what was done in real theaters. They had beautiful carpets and rugs and didn't want popcorn being ground into it." Says Andrew Smith; the author of Popped Culture: A Social History of Popcorn. (Smithsonian)

            Popcorn wasn’t really introduced into movie theatres until The Great Depression. At the time people were looking for a distraction from all the troubles, migrated to the movie theaters by the hundreds. However, because of the hard times placed on the American economy and many of those attending the movies popcorn was just a luxury. This, coupled with the fact that movie theatres lacked the space and proper ventilation to hold a popcorn maker, theatre owners still didn’t realize the financial upside to offering popcorn inside there theatre. But still popcorn was present, if theatre owners didn’t see the benefit of popcorn, the street vendors certainly did! Armed with their own mobile popcorn makers and stationed outside theatres, the vendors began to sell popcorn to those attending the movies before they entered.

            Soon theatre owners began to get the drift and began offering, “lobby privileges” to the street vendors. This allowed the vendors to sell popcorn inside the theatre for a daily fee. Slowly but surely theatre owners realized that simply by just selling popcorn and other snacks to patrons, and ending the need to have street vendors providing the popcorn, they would get record high profits; so that is what they did! Soon those theatres without concession sales began to go under, being beaten by those theatres who offered the sale of popcorn.

            By World War Two, popcorn had become a staple in movie theatres, and as the sugar export from the Philippines was cut off to the United States sugar shortages created a dramatic change in the concessions sold at the theatres and popcorn became the major seller. Now over half the popcorn eaten in the United States was at the movie theatre. However, new technology quickly diminished popcorn sales in theatres. This new invention created in the 1960’s was the television. But this didn’t stop the popcorn industry!

            At home popcorn burst onto the scene and quickly became a staple in homes across America. Still today popcorn is a staple in American homes, and favorite snack in movie theatres across America. From its early roots popcorn has shaped the face of American Agriculture and the American economy. As you can probably guess popcorn is one of my favorite snacks and will forever hold a place in my pantry.

Sources

·      Smithsonian: Why Do We Eat Popcorn at the Movies, http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/why-do-we-eat-popcorn-at-the-movies-475063/?no-ist

B.O.L.O.G.N.A.

I figured that I would post this story I wrote about my grandpa a few years ago as a freshman in college...

B.O.L.O.G.N.A.

            I open my fridge and grab the bologna and mayo. Carry it over to the counter in my dorm and set it down next to the two slices of white bread. As I spread the mayo onto a slice of bread I can almost taste the sandwich in my mouth. I slip a slice of bologna on the bread and put the other slice on top, creating almost the perfect sandwich. I take a bite and all the hunger and stresses fall away as I picture myself a five year old little girl in Emery County.

“Jayden, Tanesha, wake up!” my grandmother calls from the kitchen. Tanesha and I walk into the kitchen still groggy and more like zombies than like actual mortal human beings. My grandma stands over the stove as she fries two eggs. Toast pops up from the toaster next to her; she quickly grabs the toast and lightly butters it as if to be in a race against the cooling toast. She then opens the cupboard and grabs two plates, slaps a piece of toast and an egg on each of them, and slides them across the table towards us; just as my grandpa walks in the back door. “What time is it?” Tanesha asks. “4.a.m.” my grandpa answers in an almost chipper voice. “The horses are saddled and into the trailer” he says. “So you better hurry and eat breakfast cause were burning daylight” as if to be imitating his favorite actor John Wayne.

My grandmother walks to the fridge and pulls out the mayo and bologna. She spreads the mayonnaise across two slices of bread and then puts a piece of bologna on top followed by the other pieces of bread. My grandpa grabs some soda and water and puts them in a cooler full of ice. Me and Tanesha quickly finish our breakfast and run to our room to get dressed. We walk back into the kitchen, the sound of our spurs strapped to our boots clank and chime together echoing throughout the house, just as my grandma throws six bologna sandwiches into the cooler full of ice and pop. “Were ready!” we both yell as we walk towards the front door. “Alright lets go” my grandpa yells back at us. We run out the door with our grandparents shortly behind us carrying the cooler. We jump in the truck and head towards Cedar Mountain.

            As we arrive, multiple familiar faces great us. Trucks and trailers line the side of the dusty path. Horses stomp the ground as if to say let’s go we’re ready, just as my grandparents un- hook the trailer from the truck. An hour later the sound of cows mooing and whooping and hollering from the riders fill the chill morning air, just as the sun peaks over the mountain. Tanesha and I riding side by side are a few steps behind our grandpa, and being followed by our grandma in the truck. As the day progresses the sun continues to get hotter and hotter and the dust begins to pick up. Tanesha and I do our best in our part of keeping the herd together. Every so often little calves stray from the herd and we would take it upon ourselves to drive them back.

Noon hits and we have a little less than 2 miles to go before we get to the spot we will eat lunch. As Tanesha and I look ahead we notice that we are about to walk down what seems to be the steepest, and most jagged hill, if you could call it that, on the mountain. As start down the narrow steep hill my grandpa looks back and says “Loosen up and let the horse go, he knows what he is doing he can see the rocks, don’t worry.” “Okay whatever you say,” Tanesha and I hesitantly answer. Just when it seems like the trail will never end we slowly get to level ground and where we are going to stop and eat lunch. My grandma taking the long way around with the truck slowly pulls up, and the dust settles right as she steps out of the truck. My grandpa helps her lift the cooler full of drinks, ice, and bologna sandwiches out of the back of the truck. They set it down right as Tanesha and I quickly run over and attack the cooler. We tear into the sandwich bags as if we hadn’t eaten in days. As I take that first bite, all the hard work and dust of the day seem to fade away and my hunger disappears.

Just then I seem to wake up from my day dream and realize that I’m sitting in a dorm room in Logan, Utah. My math homework lies on the desk half-finished as I sit and think about the day dream I just had and about those many bologna sandwiches, day long cattle drives, and life lessons. I realize just how they influenced my life, let me discover my passion for agriculture, and ultimately how they brought me to Utah State in order for me to chase my dream of being an Agricultural Educator; and to pass the passion I have for Agriculture on to my future students’.   

I sure miss you grandpa!! 

No Regrets

I have always been the kind of person that wanted to live my life with no regrets. I wanted to be the person that, when asked what my biggest regret was as I lay on my death bed, answered “nothing, I have no regrets! I lived my life the fullest of its extent, I loved endlessly, gave unselfishly, and served others the way God would have wanted me to!” The more I think about this idea of no regrets the more I come to the conclusion that, no matter how comforting of a thought that it is, It is highly unrealistic and unattainable! As humans, Gods greatest creation, we are bound and even promised that at some point in our life we will be faced with tough and sometimes even impossible decisions. So wouldn't it only be logical because of our nature as imperfect human beings that by the end of our lifetime, we are destined to have some sort of regret somewhere along our own rocky paths? What if we could live without those regrets, what if someone magically found the key that would help erase those regrets?! That would be awesome right! No regrets for anyone! A life free from the traps we as humans bind ourselves to! I don’t know about you but I know that someone has already found that key!

You see, i’m also a firm believer in the notion that all things happen for a reason and that there is no such thing as coincidence. I believe this so much so that I have it tattooed on my body ( right shoulder to be exact, its quite cute!). The thought of living with no regrets and that everything happens for a reason go quite good together realistically and logically! It all lies within the trust we place with our Heavenly Father. If we place undeniable, unshakable, unwavering trust with God then living a life with no regrets would be easy. However I would be lying if I told you that I have always been good at putting that much trust in God or that I am good at putting that much trust into God right now in my life! But as I live my life each day I realize more and more that God knows what he is doing and has a plan for each and everyone of us, perfectly tailored to guide us as individuals back to his presence! I’m grateful for the plan that he has designed for me and am extraordinarily grateful for the people he has placed within that plan! 

I promise you that God believes in you and knows each of the things you are going through each day, you do not face those difficult or impossible decisions alone, he is with you every step of the way! He leads you and guides you each and every second of every day! He will not let you make a mistake (simply because there are no mistakes)! His hands are upon you so do not be afraid of living your life to the fullest, loving endlessly, giving unselfishly, or serving others with all you have! I will not promise you that it will be easy or lack pain, nor did God promise that, but I know that it its worth it! It is my challenge to you to look at your own life and recognize those moments within each day that God is present! Find moments that you regret and ask yourself why you regret them! Put your trust in God and let him lead you the way he needs to! Believe that everything happens for a reason and I promise your life will change dramatically! Also know that I am with you in your journey too! I am constantly analyzing my life and trying to recognize the moments within each day that God is present! It has changed my life and I know that it will change yours! 

Be Grateful, Love Endlessly, Trust always, and Give selflessly! 

Until Next time, 

Jayden

I Care About You

When I was little I never dreamed that I would ever want to be a teacher or that I would ever start a journey that eventually would lead me into the classroom. Like I have said many times I decided that teaching was what I wanted to do when I got into high school. Once I really started examining career deciding what I wanted to do became an easy task for me simply because I love Agriculture, I love Agricultural Education, and I love The National FFA Organization so what a better career choice for me than to be an Agricultural Educator. 

However, I don’t believe there was a singular defining moment of when I officially decided to teach it was more of a collection of little moments that dictated this decision. One of which came my freshman year when I had the opportunity to attend the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis Indiana the theme for that year was “step up stand out”! I spent four days watching as FFA members and Ag teachers across the country stepped up and stood out within various areas of the agricultural industry. It was then that I realized that the National FFA Organization was huge and that Ag teachers were inspiring, impacting, and changing students’ lives all across the nation! Another reason why I chose to teach Ag was because of my own Ag teachers I often use the quote “Heroes are often the most ordinary of men” by Henry David Thoreau when describing my advisors. They truly changed my life. They opened the door of discovery to me, they gave me so many opportunities to succeed both then, now, and in the future; they set the example for me, and ultimately they gave me a goal to reach one day.

But the point of this blog isn't to tell you about the time I decided to teach or even the reason why I decided to teach. You see the porous of this blog is to reach out to my future students. I recently read an article ( see the link at the bottom) written by a teacher to his students. This article has inspired me to write a similar one. 

Often times while I was in high school and now in college I felt as if my teacher/ professor didn't care about my success; not saying that all of them were bad cause I had a few great teachers and still do! When I was in a class taught by a teacher/ professor that seemed like they didn't care I was often frustrated and gave up easily with the work I was asked to do! If they didn't care neither did I! When my senior year came I started making a list of all the things I wouldn't do as a future teacher, the list included things like making sure my students had the chance to take adequate notes, not setting them up to fail from the get go, and the most important one was to make sure my students knew that they were important to me and that I cared about them and their success. 

As I have started college and even while I was in high school I always made decisions based upon my future students, and today was no different. I received a phone call from a community member telling me about a job that they thought I would be interested in. I immediately met with him and started thinking about my future students and what this job would bring for them. Why you ask? Because I care about them. Everyday I find myself thinking about them and hoping that I will be the teacher that they need! I wonder what they will look like, act like, talk like, and even learn like. I wonder about whether they will be successful, what they will grow up to be like, and if I will be able to help them. I hope for their success, I pray for them in their struggles, and ultimately I think about their futures. It's crazy that even though I haven't met them I know that I am going to love them for the student and person they are and will be; I hope for them, pray for them, and think about them. I know that they will make me a better teacher and overall a better human! I know that I will learn from them more than they will probably ever learn from me! Even though I haven't yet set foot in my own classroom I appreciate my students and know that this is the career for me. 

I am grateful that God knows what he is doing and that he gives me opportunities to help my future students! I'm grateful for my future students and hope that one day they will know that I care about them! 

P.S. here is the link to the awesome article/ blog post I mentioned above!
choiceshttp://affectiveliving.wordpress.com/2014/03/08/what-students-really-need-to-hear/

"Oh so you wanna be an Ag Teacher, thats cool..."

I'm an extrovert, everyone (well most people) knows that about me, so being the extrovert I am I enjoy striking up conversations with random people. Every conversation starts the same; Me: "hey my name is Jayden nice to meet you!" Person: "Hey Jayden my name is... nice to meet you too!" further into the conversation... Person: "So where do you go to school?" Me: "Utah State University" Person: "What are you studying?" Me: "Agricultural Education" Person: (not very enthusiastic) "Oh cool..." and then the conversation continues from there. 

To many of you that would see like a pretty average conversation, but to me its anything but average! You see I hate it when these conversations happen... Maybe I'm taking things personal, maybe i'm reading to much into the less than thrilled oh cool that the other person gives me, or maybe that other person just doesn't understand what agricultural education is (this last one is usually the case) but to me that "oh cool..." makes me angry. Why? because it is as if that person doesn't care or thinks that being an ag teacher or even a teacher in general is the bottom of the job pool for society. Its as if being a teacher doesn't mean anything and that those who are teachers are just teachers because they can't take it in the real world... however the actually story is quite the opposite!! 

Ever since I could remember my family has been involved in some part of the agricultural industry. From the time I could sit up on my own I was on the top of a horse following behind my grandpa as we moved cows across Cedar Mountain in Emery County, Utah. When I was eight I started showing livestock at the local livestock show. Shortly after that my grandparents invested in a flock of breeding ewes and a ram so that all of the grand-kids could have stock-show lambs for all of our stock shows. Then there I was the first day of freshman year; nervous, scared, but very excited. I was so pumped to start high school and to finally be a full-fledged teenager. I had waited for this moment my whole life and couldn't believe it was finally here. Little did I know that my high school experience would be one big roller-coaster ride of failures, successes, disappointments, and victories; a roller-coaster ride that would lead me to the beginning of an incredible journey. The bell for first period rings, as I make my way to the Ag Building eager to start my first high school class, Animal Science. “Guys, Take a seat I’ll be with you all in just a second” a voice calls from the office in the back. That moment is where my life would start, in that smelly dusty Ag classroom with that booming voice yelling from the back office. Shortly after that I zipped up that blue corduroy jacket for the first time, and then I was completely hooked! 

Up till that moment in my life if someone were to have asked me what I wanted to be my answer would have been a pediatrician. Being an Agriculture teacher and FFA advisor was the furthest thing from my mind. I was dead set on making a ton of money and helping a ton of little kids, and I think my mom was dead set on it too! But something in me changed that year and I know it has everything to do with that voice hollering from the back office on the first day of my freshman year of high school. The voice belonged to my Ag teacher and FFA Advisor, Mr. Bob Gowans.

Now I know that  being an Ag teacher and FFA advisor is something most people would never aspire to be. It requires a ton of extra time, work, and energy. I know that in my high school career there were tons of instances where my own Ag teachers spent countless extra hours with me, for example the time Mrs. Shields drove 160 miles with me in order to pick up my show lambs. Or the countless hours both Mr. Gowans and Mrs. Shields spent talking me through all of life’s problems after school. Let’s not forget the four years worth of trips to National and State conventions, where I truly learned just how amazing Ag teacher are around the country, or the many summer Ag tours around Utah and the rest of the nation. All of this in order to give experience to me and the rest of their students.

I often use the quote “Heroes are often the most ordinary of men” by Henry David Thoreau when describing my advisors. They truly changed my life. They opened the door of discovery to me, they gave me so many opportunities to succeed both then, now, and in the future; they set the example for me, and ultimately they gave me a goal to reach one day. Yes, I know that I won’t find a cure for cancer, develop an alternative fuel source, or even develop a better strain of round- up ready corn. But yeah I'm an Agricultural Education student and guess what despite what society thinks i'm doing something worth more than all the money on the planet and better than any job you could give me; by me being an Ag teacher I am changing the world one student at a time and for that I’m truly happy to put in as many extra hours as I need especially if it means making each student a better person is some way! I'm doing what I love and loving what I do and to me, yeah, that is pretty freaking cool!!

Respect is Given not Earned!

I titled this blog post with that statement for a reason... I have heard tons of adults, teenagers, and even kids tell me, when ever I ask why they are so disrespectful, that their respect needs to be earned and that they don't just give people respect. However, contrary to society's beliefs I don't really think this statement is true by any means. I learned many things my first year of college but three of the most important things I learned I heard everyday for the first week and those three things are... 1. Treat others with respect even if you don't like that person, 2. Always say thank you to those you help you, and 3. Always ask yourself am I doing the right thing! Today I received two phone calls today both of which came from adults that I consider my heroes and both of whom I have an very high level of respect for...

The first call came in at about eleven a clock this morning, as I answered I was greeted with a shaky voice as if the person on the other end was holding back tears, the conversation went as follows: "hey were you and Austin (one of my best friends) out running around last night?" to which I replied "Umm no I was in bed by 8 and me and Austin haven't talked in a couple days, why whats wrong?"... before I go on let me give you a little bit of a back story this person had just recently (and by recently I mean less then a month ago) bought a new 2013 dodge ram truck... back to the conversation... "Well I have a few ewes that are lambing so I stayed the night at my dads house in order to watch them and while I was there someone egged and poured chocolate syrup all over our new truck and I was just making sure it wasn't you"... my first thought was "why would you think it was me!" and my second thought was "are you freaking kidding me, what is wrong with people!" The conversation lasted about ten more minutes and was filled with many more frustrations and venting.

Those phone calls are the reason why I bring up this subject tonight!! You see I'm sooo freaking sick of watching the people I love, admire, and respect get hurt and upset because people in today's society think that they need to treat people with hatred and disrespect in order to gain something! I'm sorry to say but you don't gain ANYTHING by treating others like this!

I have taught or preached rather to hundreds of high school students that every single person on this earth has infinite potential to achieve great things and to change the very foundation of this world! That every time you degrade, put down, or bully someone else it is not okay and that what you say and do sticks with that person for their entire lives!! Disrespect and hatred is more then just a harmless prank between friends or even a problem with one or two people, it has invaded every aspect of society today! It is more then an issue, it has become an EPIDEMIC!!! You see people are DYING because others don't understand what kindness, compassion, sympathy, grace, and empathy are anymore! Hatred and ignorance have become normal and I don't know about you but I cannot handle it any more!! I'm sick of  every time I read the news paper, get on facebook, or watch the news I hear about another teenager end their own life because of the actions of others!! I'm so sick of people turning their heads and pretending this isn't an issue! I don't know about you but I grew up in a home where respect was given freely and taught in every success and failure we had, and where service, kindness, and compassion were and still are apart of every aspect of our lives!

I was taught that my respect should be given to every single person I come in contact with and that regardless of how important how important I become I will never have the right to make someone else earn my trust!!

So no! No, I do not agree that your respect should be earned because respect is and should be given to every person you come in contact with!!

You and every other person have the potential to accomplish all your goals and dreams and to change the world today... but it's up to you whether or not you let both yourself and others accomplish this! You hold the key to a world of happiness and change, my question is this are you going to use that key you were given by GOD to help unlock and open the door to change??

I AM!

"Somebody Must Be Praying For Me"...

Wow I haven't wrote for a long time!! Don't worry i'll catch you up! Have you ever had one of those moments in life when everything just falls into place and things couldn't be more perfect? I don't know about you but whenever I drive I get these epiphanies if you could call them that... Just simple thoughts that blow me away and truely make me aware of everything around me. So as I was driving around the other night I realized just how perfect my life is going right now and how lucky I am! I couldn't help but feel such a huge amount of gratitude. Most people would go with the common saying of "I must be doing something right" but I had a different thought all together... "somebody must be praying for me" because I know that I couldn't have done any of this without God and without some prayers on my behalf. I've been selected to represent Utah as the National FFA Officer Candidate at this years National Convention, i'm serving Utah State University College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences as the 2013-2014 Student advocate, I have an amazing summer internship with the Tooele Agriculture Program and FFA Chapter, I have an amazing group of friends, and an amazing family! So to whoever is praying for me thank you, grandpa thank you for always watching out for me up there, and God thanks for answering the many prayers on my behalf! I'm one lucky girl!!

Jay

Change...

Change is such a funny, scary, weird thing to me... I hate change more than anything on this earth, it terrifies me. The thought of my whole world as I know it being torn apart by one moment or one action is soo scary to me. One of the scariest changes of my life was college... It might have been the simple fact that my best friend (the person I had spent almost every moment of high school with) was moving to the other end of the state and wouldn't be there every day, or maybe it was the whole leaving behind my family, or perhaps that fact that I just didn't want to grow up... regardless of what it was I was terrified... I cried for a week straight every time I would get in my car or be alone by myself I would sob... I'll never forget the ride to school, it was the longest, scariest, most emotional drive of my life...  One set of parents in the car in front of me and the other in the car behind me... I cried almost the whole drive I was terrified! The point of this post though isn't to preach about the fact that change is my worst enemy... the point is to tell you just how funny and ironic I think change is.

About three weeks ago I was called in for a job interview as many of you know I live in Logan, Utah but the job interview was in Midvale, Utah about 2 hours away. So knowing how good I am with directions gave myself two and a half hours just in case I got lost. Well I was right I did get lost (this is where the whole irony of change comes in) so in normal Jayden fashion I loose it!!! I'm talking larger than life, high school, cry and punch the steering wheel meltdown. For those of you who don't know me well in high school I was known for having larger than life meltdowns at least once every two weeks luckily I had two very amazing advisors who quickly learned what to say when one of these occurred.... Now back to my story/meltdown. Right in the middle of my lost meltdown I realize just how much hasn't changed. There I was lost, stressed, and crying in the parking lot of some fast food restaurant as on lookers gawk and stare at the freak show taking place right in front of them, having an epiphany about change.

No matter how much a person thinks they have changed they have to realize that some things just never change. Don't get me wrong I firmely belive if you don't like something they yes you can change it but sometimes even for a split second that thing you thought you changed can come back. I hadn't had a meltdown like that in months then out of nowhere over something little the meltdown was back in full fledged attack! Of course I couldn't help but laugh at how ironic it was and how long it had taken me to learn that not every aspect of my life had changed. It was a little comforting to know that no matter how many things in my life had changed there would always be things that didn't.

Just remember that no matter how scary change can be, not everything will change. If you're anything like me you will grab a hold of the non change and never let it go. My challenge to you and to me is to embrace the change but don't let the change completely change who you are and the things that matter to you!

Jay

How much it means...

It's really funny how much one thing can mean to a person. It could be an inanimate object such as a blanket, and animate object like a dog, or not even an object at all but rather an organization. For those of you who didn't know, this week is National FFA Week. This is a week when FFA members and advisors all across the country celebrate this amazing organization with various activities at their schools. For instance some activities we did when I was an officer is our annual donut eating contest one day during lunch, wearing official dress to school on Friday, or my personal favorite getting up at four in the morning to cook the faculty and staff of my high school breakfast one day. No matter what activities we were doing we always had a blast. Now that I am out of high school and no longer get to do all those fun activities with my home chapter I have found myself looking back and recalling some of my favorite times, and I realized yet again what difference FFA has made in my life. Being a high school student is hard without any added trials. I was a freshman in high school as well as a kid smack dab in the middle of a messy divorce. I lived in a semi-small town and as you can guess the divorce my parents were going through was a public ordeal. I lost a place to keep my SAE project (sheep) and my horse. I was so angry at my now ex-stepfather and at the world. The only place I felt that I could escape all of it was my advisors classrooms. When the bell to dismiss us from school at the end of each day rang I would bolt to the Ag classroom and find any excuse to not go home that I could; I dreaded going home. Going home meant that I had to comfort my crying mother, deal with the anger issues that my brothers and I had, and pick up the pieces that the divorce left scattered on the floor of our messy house. I was fourteen years old and dealing with demons that no kid at that age should have to deal with, but despite it all FFA and my advisors Bob Gowans and Jannette Shields stepped up and became my stability, my heroes, and my second set of parents. Don’t get me wrong my parents truly did all they could to help me and give me opportunities, one of which was supporting my FFA involvement no matter how expensive it was, but they also had to juggle work and emotional clean up. My advisors took me under their wing, they let me keep my sheep at their house, they would drive me 150 miles to get my sheep each year, they spent countless hours talking to me and helping me through my emotional issues, but most importantly they showed me that no matter what happens in life there will always be people around you to support you and lift you up. FFA took a young girl with a somewhat rough family life and gave her a safe haven, a passion, and a goal in life.There are tons of memories I have that involve me learning a life lesson but no matter how many I share I know you nor anyone else will realize just how much FFA does mean to me and to other people.

I want to end with this quote by Alicia Hodnik the 2011-2012 National FFA Central Region Vice President "FFA is the place where young travelers hop on a plane for the first time, iron their first pair of dress slacks, learn how to tie their first tie, make their first friend outside of their home town, and wear their first jacket that unites them with thousands, yet allows them to stand unique. It is a place where our closest friends can be our classmates as well as our agriculture teachers. A place where people believe in what we can do because our passion is our drive. FFA grows people and strengthens agriculture. It is a place where leaders have a hunger to better themselves, not for personal gain, but for the common-good of their fellow man. It is a place where humility is practiced and thought is provoked. It's a place where the tradition of blue corduroy and high morals have never gone out of style. Here’s to 85 years – Happy National FFA Week! Forever blue.”

I could not speak a truer statement then the that... Happy FFA Week Everyone!!
Jay

Mission or No Mission

 It seems that lately more and more the topic of a mission is brought up to me. I have always thought a mission would be awesome and when I was a senior in high school I had a couple months that I really thought and prayed about it and then bam more mistakes where made on my part and a mission was no longer a desire... But now lately I'm getting that feeling again. However I have moments that I don't feel like its the right thing and I don't know whether its me doubting my worthiness to serve or whether it is The Lord telling me that it is not the right thing to do... I wish this were easier I'm so confused and at this moment I wish The Lord worked in not so mysterious ways... However I do have about 8 months to figure it out so I guess we will see what The Lord has in store for me!! 

Till next time 

Jay 

My rules for life...

So i'm driving back to school after a long weekend in Tooele and you know those drives when every song that comes on the radio is one of your favorites... well that was my drive tonight... one after another of all my all time favorite songs. Which then leads to one of the greatest songs of all time... Lee Ann Womack's I Hope You Dance... Obviously this song leads every person who listens to it to ponder on there life... so tonight as i'm doing my own pondering I start thinking of my rules of life... what is my motto for life? I think back to thing awesome idea I had when I moved up here to Logan and started school for those of you who know me i'm a HUGE ncis fan and on ncis the head boss has Rules... they are basically his way of life his motto's for lack of a better term and when I started school I thought it would be amazing if I came up with some rules for myself... rules that I could live by... so here they are inspired by NCIS and Lee Ann Womack's song I Hope You Dance as well as many other little people who I will mention by each rule... Jayden's Rules for Life...

1. Say I Love You because you never know when someone will be gone... Miss you grandpa not a day goes by!! 

2. Always ask yourself "is it the right thing to do?"

3. Respect yourself enough to walk away from anything that no longer serves you, grows you, or makes you happy (stolen from a qoute that was shared with my friend Cinda by another friend Kody) 

4. Dream HUGE cause big just isnt big enough!! 

5. Always say Thank you!

6. Forgive others... its the only way you will get through life! 

7. Be early (my first proffesor Doc. Fronske pounded this rule into my head the first week of school) 

8. Don't be scared to fall in love!! 

9. Cowgirls don't cry... enough said!  

10. Don't forget to pray!

11. Loose yourself in the service of others (inspired by my favorite qoute from Gordon B. Hinkley and my mom) 

12. Live life as it comes don't try to change it!! 

13. Change is good... repeat this as needed cause there is power in repetition (Thanks Heather)  

14. You can't do it alone... trust God let him do his job!!

15. Love is the key to life!! (my high school seminary teacher wrote this in my yearbook I have finally figured out what it means thanks Bro. L) 

16.  Don't regret... anything!! 

17. Treat others with respect even if you don't like them (also pounded into my head by Doc.)

18. Do Hard Things First (the last rule that was pounded in my head by Doc. Fronske... She is awesome!!) 

19. Sometimes Your wrong (inspired by NCIS but also because I have found this to be true more often then not) 

20. Be Yourself!!

I'm still learning new things each day and I know my list of rules will get bigger with each passing day and experience and I can't wait!!

Till next time...
Jayden 

Testimony

My heart is so full of gratitude today... It is soo incredibly amazing to me when I realize how truely the Lord knows me and how much he loves me despite the mistakes I have made. Last time I wrote about moments in which we are speachless well I find myself sitting in one of those moments again today. My tears are overflowing and I am truly speachless. I am soo blessed with such a great life I have some of the most amazing friends and family that stand by my side and serve as my examples through the good and the bad, I have the knowledge and testimony of  this wonderful gospel, and I have a wonderful, merciful, gentle, loving, Savior who forgives me and loves me in some of my darkest hours. I am constantly left in awe at the things that he teaches me each day. I don't always do the right thing actually the more I look back the more I realize very rarely have I done the right things. I have made soo many brutal mistakes that never thought I would find myself making but here I am caught looking back and seeing those mistakes in my past. I slipped and fell so many times, so many times I thought that I would never survive the mistakes I had made, and so many times I was picked up and carried out of the heartbreak I put myself in. I had and continue to ask why? Why would Heavenly Father help me, the one who had caused myself the pain; why should he forgive me?   Why did Christ take it upon himself to free me of all of my sins and mistakes? With each question my testimony grows so much stronger. I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love me with a love that I cannot even fathom or begin to describe and imagine despite the mistakes I have made, and the mistakes I will make. I know they live more than I know anything else on this earth, I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true without a shred of doubt in my mind!! I love this gospel and I love my merciful Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ more than anything else.

Moments...

Wow there is a lot on my mind tonight... Sometimes there comes a point in your life when words don't describe a moment properly or when words don't do something justice... Those moment for me occur at times when my life seems to be in shambles and I'm trying to pick my self up off the floor or at times when i least expect... They're either moment of pure joy, moments of pure pain, or moment when that is exactly what I needed to hear and feel in order to learn something... Either way these moments are perfectly tailored to fit my life situation they are without a doubt in my mind straight from God. These moments show me just how much he loves me and how unconditional that love is... Some of those moments this past week for me were driving to Gunnison for my cousins birthday and being immediately brought back to my last state convention, I was in the passenger seat of the school suburban next to my advisor who was driving, some of my best friends sat in the back and for those who know me you know how big of a deal this one drive would be. Not only was I driving to my last state convention as a high school student but it was also the drive that would bring me closer to the end of a goal I had set my freshman year of high school that goal was to become a State FFA Officer. The whole ride my mind was racing each person in the car did their best to make me feel a little less nervous about what I was about to do... The car ride was filled with laughs, review questions, serious conversations, and finished with a I'm proud of you no matter what speech from my FFA advisor and hero.... Another moment would come last night as I heard about the death of a young man I hardly knew but had been changed by. This moment made me realize that I should have reached outside my comfort zone a little more in high school because them I could have gotten to know this amazing person with the smile that light up every room he walked in and the laugh that was purely contagious and made everyone around want to live life to the fullest... The final moment describes perfectly how much our Heavenly Father knows and loves each of us and makes me great full that I have a testimony of that and that I have a testimony of answered prayers. Sometimes moments change how we look at life and those around us and those moments are the ones that can and will change our lives for the better if we let them... 

So my challenge to you is to pay more attention to the moments that have you speechless and let those moments change your life... Take a leap of faith  and fall into the moments! 

Jay

It's Not Our Job

In highlight of today’s tragedy I am going to take this blog a little, well a lot deeper than I normally would... In the words of my high school seminary teacher can we scuba dive for a little bit?

Like many of you tonight I cannot get this tragedy out of my head. It might be the future schoolteacher in me coming out or maybe the older sister, but I’m having a hard time getting over the fact that something like this could happen. I continuously find myself in judging and being angered at the man that did this. A man that I didn’t know, a man who’s name I couldn’t even tell you, and who’s face I couldn’t pick out of a crowd or off the street. I was having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that it was in Gods hands, just as I’m sure some of you are as well. I then started asking and thinking to myself is God really going to forgive this man? Will he really let him go to “Heaven”? I know that God is merciful I have felt his merci more than anything else in my life, and have been eternally grateful for the mercy he has shown to me so why is it my place to say that he can’t be merciful to this man? Is that fair of me or of anyone else but God? I believe the answer is no. I want to share something with you that helped me understand this tragedy a little better tonight. Naturally when I start to question God or my religion I turn to one of my heroes and former young women leaders Heather Harris. So I asked her the same questions I asked myself, can a person go to “Hell” or as members of my religion (LDS) call it “Outer Darkness”? Are there guidelines as to how someone could end up there, so as any good leader in the church would do she referred me to the scriptures and told that those were kind of how much do I have to do questions. To which I responded and told her why I was asking. She then responded with her profound words of advice that she always give me when I ask her questions like this, which I’m going to quote a little of it and hope she doesn’t mind, “ I know he will receive what he justly deserves and I know those children will be received by our savior in the kingdom of heaven. Does that help their families and all those mourning? Maybe not, but it brings peace to me… I am certain events like this are so so sad to God, we know how much he values little children, but we also know those children are okay… I also feel like standing in front of our Savior and explaining the things we have done with our lives will be justice in itself. Moroni teaches us that we would be more comfortable in the depths of hell and endless woe that to sand before our Savior with a guilty conscience. Take heart in knowing that its not ours to figure out, only ours to do our best to be true followers of Christ” Can you see why I love her so much!

So with that I will end by saying hug and say I love you to the family you are surrounded with tonight and to those you love who cannot be with you today send them a message or give them a call, say a prayer for those lost and the loved ones they left behind today, and know that “its not our job to figure this out, only ours to do our best to be true followers of Christ”