Remote Meeting Post

My groups remote meeting was an adventure.  We had met together the week previously in person to plan our research and we agreed to meet the Tuesday before Thanksgiving to review what we had found. Unfortunately only two of us showed up to the meeting.  So the two of us reviewed what we had learned and then compared our findings to better understand our recommendations and conclusions.

We used skype for our meeting and we did not have any technical difficulties. We were able to communicate across multiple states successfully. In addition, we also used google docs throughout our project to communicate and compare data.  We wrote our all pieces of our group projects online and then we transferred them to Microsoft word.

Overall, a remote meeting has great potential but failed because of lack of participation.  However, using google docs helped us to effectively communicate and complete the project.

Group Projects

This week I had the wonderful opportunity to finish and present with my group.  They were one of the better groups I have been able to participate in.  Everyone did their work on time, was prepared, and we got an awesome grade.  This experience reminded me of the importance of having a good group in life.  We participate in all sorts of groups in work, church, family, school, etc.  I have been a part of both strong and week groups and the strong groups always get things done on time, things done early, and things done the right way. I have also noticed that when I am part of a weak group I do not give my maximum effort.  That is not the right way to respond but inside it pains me to labor when I know that my group mates are slacking or doing nothing.

I believe that if I change my ways and begin to always give 100 % it may help change some of my weaker groups into strong ones. Tata for now.

Thanksgiving

This week has been a fascinating experience to watch the melding of different families, both my own and my wife's family.  We are lucky that both our families live in Arizona; each holiday we spend time with both our families.  However, as we have been playing games, eating food, and watching football; I have noticed a few distinct differences between our families. These differences manifest themselves in how we interact with our spouses family.  My family is much more dramatic, loud, and generally more obnoxious; whereas my wifes family is more civil. With her family  I tend to be the loud obnoxious one and with my family she is the only civil one.  The juxtaposition is fascinating and something that I will continue to observe.

It has been refreshing to observe all members of our families being themselves.  That comfort level is important to have healthy and lasting relationships.  When I have my own family with children and their future spouses, I want to create an open welcoming ambience.  I do not know how to create that ambience but I will find a way!

Also we had a funny experience with my brother and brother-in-law. Enjoy the video!!

My Presentation

This week I had the opportunity to present and it was on notes in a meeting setting.  A boring topic but I learned how to find the interesting facts and tidbits of it.  This presentation taught me many things.  I feel that in a business setting I can find ways to spice up boring topics and engage the audience.  I also learned that I need to take notes on paper as opposed to on a laptop.

I also learned that I enjoy presenting more than I thought.  In the past, I have routinely dreaded presentations but I learned that with practice and preparation I can succeed.  In the future, I will not avoid those opportunities and I might even search out jobs that require presentations.

How to Dress for Success

My Post Today is based on what I learned from Issac Hong during his presentation. His acronym helped me remember his points. The acronym was Dappr.  I realized that I need to always recognize the occasion and then plan my dress accordingly.  Often I have forget to dress for the event and I pick out an outfit that will not quite fit.  Another important tip was on the accessories, for men that typically means watches and rings.  Issac made the point that the situation dictates the use of accessories. If I was to give a presentation, a the light from a powerpoint could reflect off the watch face whereas in an interview or other professional setting a watch adds class.
I learned the importance of preparation from Issac, everything I wear, and how I do my hair. All of these tips will help me be more successful.

MTC Life

This is my third week writing about missionaries, it has been that time of year for my family.  On Wednesday, my brother-in-law went into the MTC. My wife's family drove to Utah on Monday so we spent a few days with them. The experience helped me appreciate the importance of relationships.

In a business setting, these relationships are called networking and the ability to manage them is vital to success in the work place.  With family, they are even more precious because they will always be there.  Being recently married, I am still in the process of building relationships with my wife's family and it is difficult with many of them living far away and two of them being out of the country.  But I know if I can find ways to improve myself.

Job Interview

This morning I participated in my online interview with Matthew Gorham.  We both are accounting majors applying for accounting jobs. Both of our interviews went well and I felt like it was a good experience preparing me for future interviews.

During the interview, I was able to successfully answer all his questions even though I did not have prepared answered to many of the questions.  He also said I had a great answer to the tell me about yourself question, which I find one of the trickiest answers.  I also felt calm and collected during the interview as opposed to nervous and scared.

However, I did not get an opportunity to use one of my prepared PAR stories which made me believe that I need to have more on hand.  I also would need to do more preparation for the company that I am interviewing. Other concerns I have include the difficulty of understanding through Skype, the call quality did not work at all times and the whole experience felt more impersonal.

This is the week of Halloween which is usually one of celebration, parties, and fun.  However, for me it has become one of reflection.  I have many family members who are leaving for missions or military duty in the next few weeks.  Their journeys have made me think about my own life and what I am trying to accomplish.  It has made me realize how small my own problems are in comparison.  A test or a paper are small trials or difficulties which in 3 months will not mean anything.  They are the accumulation of my final grade but life has so much more meaning to it than that.

                I know that I need to find ways to “chill” and take life as it comes but often I worry about the future.  Will I provide a good life for my wife, will I be a good husband and father in the future.  There are many difficult questions and issues which lie ahead.  I hope that I can remember that life is a journey with difficulties and trials but most my challenges are insignificant. 

Today's post is being written in Arizona.  We are home because my wife's brother Micah is speaking for his mission to Russia this weekend. These past two weeks, missionary work and family have been on my mind. I have been focused on the importance of family in our lives.
Growing up, I was blessed with a loving kind family that had minimal family problems. Since my marriage, I have grown to appreciate the importance of family in my life.  My wife, my extended family in Utah, and my wife's and my families here in Arizona.  They are a great support and assistance in getting through the difficulties we go through as newlyweds. The two young men that are leaving have been a big part of our life. Lucy's brother is the closest sibling she has and my cousin I helped raise in many ways.  I cannot imagine not being able to see them for the next two weeks. I need to cherish the time I have with each and every member of my family because i never know how much time i have left with them.

The Importance of the Temple

This semester my wife and I have attended the temple weekly.  We have gone to either the Provo temple or to the Mount Timpanogos temple.  We have seen how it is has given us more peace and allowed us to have more love in our lives.  However, this week our experience was unique.

Last night my cousin went through to take out his own endowment and i was able to be his escort. My role of being able to help him through the process changed my own view point of the temple.  The  temple president pointed out how the temple teaches us about our ultimate end goal which is to become like God. Attending the temple every week has helped my wife and our relationship; however, at times we forget about the purpose that we are here on earth.  We are here to learn and prepare to return to our father and be like him.

Being with my cousin, the eternal purposes of the temple was pressed home for me.  Now I just need to keep the eternal perspective in everything that I do in my life, but especially in my temple attendance. 

As many of your know, this semester I am doing an on-campus internship this semester. WE have had issues with two of the five team members not contributing.  One member was married one month ago and has not communicated with any of us.  The other team member purposely antagonizes our sponsor and only shows up to half of our required meetings.  This week both missed all our meetings and have not responded to any of our queries.

I have been thinking about the importance of teamwork and communication. To be a good team member comprises two simple tasks.  Do your assigned work and communicate. I have noticed in my life that when my group communicates, success follows. I am not infallible and I need to learn how to more effectively communicate in all relationships in my life; especially the relationship with my wife.

Missing My Wife

I missed a week because life has gotten busy.  The past two weekends my wife and I left town.  First we went to Arizona for my friend's wedding and this past weekend we went to my grandmother's cabin up in Scofield, Utah. Both trips were fun and relaxing.

However this week has been a shock back to reality. This blog is going to be about learning to function while under stress.

I have not spent much quality time with my wife this week.  She has late classes and I have had even later study groups.  Until this week we had made and ate dinner together every night.  Instead Monday, I made hamburger pie- was more difficult than I expected. Tuesday I was gone until nine at night and Wednesday my wife was making salsa until 8 P.M.  Our schedules have made our "us time" more difficult to find.


Thursday night was our first time together and it made me appreciate how important my wife is to me.  At times in the past year, I have taken our relationship for granted. I have learned this week how vital my wife is in every aspect of my life.  I cannot succeed without her support and her love and it is my goal to cherish her.  Show her how much I care and learn to spend more quality time together.

Today in my Doctrine and Covenants class we were talking about the law of consecration. My professor then asked us why are we here at BYU.  The answer most students gave was to earn a degree.  We earn a degree to get a job to make money and provide for our families.  In general, our university experience is a step on the way to our career.

He flipped the script by reminding us of the plaque at the entrance to our university which states "Enter to LEARN, Go Forth to SERVE"  Both of these words enable us to consecrate our lives to the Lord.  By learning we are more capable, educated and able servants of the Lord.  The prophets always counsel us to always be learning not only here in school but throughout our lives.

With this learning we are better able to serve him in the future.  We serve him in Church callings, Civic responsibilities, as Fathers and Mothers, Husbands and Wives.  There are so many opportunities for us to be examples to others and better their lives as the Lord has commanded.  I have decided to change my outlook on my classes, it is not all about the grade.  I need to instead focus on learning the material and how I can use my learning to help those around me in any way which I can.

First Post

Welcome to the Blog-o-sphere Jucy. For those who do not know us, Jucy is the name given to Lucy and I when we first began to date.  It is one of those cool combo names that has stuck. This blog is for a class but I plan to continue blogging weekly. My goal is to use this blog to document our married adventure. I also will be blogging about something new I learn each week for my class.

We have completed our second week of school and they have been filled with learning.  I started my internship for Girlie Glue, I will do a complete post about them later. 

This week I have been learning the importance of time management.  This was the first full week of classes and I have begun to experience my whole school workload. I begin work on the internship which is roughly 10 hours a week.  Lucy and I have to make time for one another each day.  The 12-1 slot in the afternoon is our lunch hour and then I pick her up at 4 or six Monday- Thursday. As soon as I pick her up we try to spend time together making dinner  or watching some TV show, this week it has been Law and Order. Today we plan on going to the temple, our goal is to attend the temple weekly. Last year temple attendance was a struggle for me, last winter I hardly attended the temple because I did not make time.  We also want to go with Omi, my german grandmother, but   coordinating together has been more difficult than we originally anticipated. 

My first two weeks of classes have taught me, as you can see, the importance of time management.  Lucy and I have begun to communicate nightly in our "pillow talk" to review each day and what lies ahead. Together we are ready to face the challenges of this semester and our lives by being more in sync.  

This has been a great week.  More blogs with details to follow!!