Life as I knew it...

Here's a quick re-cap:

In January, the semester began. It was by far the craziest, busiest, BEST semester ever.

For three and a half months, I served with these two in the Student Representative Council (SRC) Presidency. Joseph (left) and Neil (right) are awesome. I loved gleaning from their insight and counseling with them several times each week. If you want to experience Zion, work with them.


Highlights of my service includ: meeting Elder D. Todd Christofferson and other Devotional speakers, weekly presidency meetings, weekly one-on-one stewardship reviews, working in the governing councils of the university, working with the university president and vice presidents, and working with an awesome Student Representative Council.

We had an AWESOME council this semester. It has been an awesome experience. I wish I could put it all into words.

(Sorry, I don't have a picture of our council. As soon as I can get my hands on one, I'll post it.)


We also got a new Bishopric (the second week of school). I loved serving for nine months with Bishop Smith and his counselors: Brother Parker and Brother Blacker. This picture was taken the day before they were released. (L to R) Me, Sister & Bro. Parker, Sis. and Bishop Smith, Sis. and Bro. Blacker.

I balanced the schedule of our new bishop, Bishop Johnson for three months, and I loved working with him. I feel blessed for the time I got to work with him.

In March, I helped plan and host Business Summit, an annual event hosted by the College of Business and Communication.

I got some good practice in PR, events planning, and hosting. I was also the student host for James H. Quigley, Global CEO of Deloitte Touche Tomahtsu. Wow! What an incredible experience that was. The man is very talented and very smart. It was an honor to be his guide for the day he was on campus.

April brought on finals and an onslaught of fun. I sang in the General Cenference choir from BYU-Idaho, and finished the semester with some great grades.


Then the fun began with a two week trip to Alaska with BYU-Idaho Collegiate Singers. Pictures to come SOON. But I'll tease you with this one (above) of Homer, AK on an overcast morning. It's still gorgeous!

In the meantime, you can watch us on YouTube: "Collegiate Singers Alaska Tour 2009" by YouTube user "naturallearning." (***Note: because it was recorded on a camcorder, the sound and sight has been compressed and appears less incredible than the live performance)

Then my brother came home. Life is good.

He's home!

My younger brother, Ammon, came home today after serving a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was faithful and strong from beginning to end.



The best part is having us all back together again!
Welcome home little (ahem, BIG) brother! We're glad you served faithfully, and we're glad you're back again!

A Temple-Building People

I love this thought from the Bible Dictionary:

"TEMPLE: A temple is literally a house of the Lord, a holy sanctuary in which sacred ceremonies and ordinances of the gospel are performed by and for the living and also in behalf of the dead. A place where the Lord may come, it is the most holy of any place of worship on earth. Only the home can compare with the temple in sacredness.

"Whenever the Lord has had a people on the earth who will obey his word, they have been commanded to build temples in which the ordinances of the gospel and other spiritual manifestations that pertain to exaltation and eternal life may be administered."

We had Elder John M. Madsen of the Seventy presiding at our stake conference this weekend. He spoke of the temple and suggested that it is a symbol of the great Atonement of Christ. If we make the temple the center of our lives, he said, we allow Christ to write His law in our hearts. Then we are becoming like Him.

Mission Memories

Congratulations to my friend Emily Call who just received her LDS mission call (today) to serve in France!

Two weeks ago, I celebrated my four-year anniversary of going into the MTC and the 2 year anniversary of coming home. So here are a few little pictures for Emily and for me!


p.s. Click here to learn more about the Mormons and the missionaries that serve around the world (like Emily and me!).

Beautiful mid-morning sunrise in the Cote d'Azur (Southern France).

Meeting my second mission president for the first time (Aix-en-Provence, France, July 2005).

Celebrating the completion of the new chapel in Aix (May 2005).

Tour de France pictures (July 2005). It came nearby where we were serving, so we got to see Lance Armstrong in-person. Of course, he won.


The baptismal font in the Cathedral St. Sauveur (Aix-en-Provence, France).


"Do you hear the people sing?" Real-life student barricade in Southern France. For some reason, the university was on strike for a few months and we had some friends that lived in the dorms there. I thought it was ironic. Victor Hugo would be proud.


Sunflower fields in Southern France (Toulouse, France, Summer 2006).



Elder Barton and faith. We had five minutes until curfew. The only spot open on the whole street was this one right there. Elder Barton thought we should try it. Despite my deductive reasoning, he decided the car could fit anyway. I guess he just had more faith than I did (and understood the concept of bumper-to-bumper parallel parking. French bumpers were made to work that way). Needless to say, we got in on time, but I had to have proof of what he had done.


Beautiful Corsica. I know. I got to go work there twice. This is what the Elders there saw everyday. This was taken from their kitchen window!


Another picture of Bastia, Corsica. That's the boat that got us there.


The rock house is a member's home. It was built a few hundred years ago and has walls one foot thick. It's very nice and cozy inside! At one time it served as the town hall (St. Vallier, France, Summer 2006).

Cannes, France. November 2006.

Port in Nice, France, Summer 2006. Beautiful!


And to think I lived there for two years? It's still a dream!

Mormon Messages: To Uplift Your Life

I found these videos on YouTube (thanks to some awesome roommates). Wouldn't you want to help create them? Or at least just watch them all day long?

LOVE IT!

San Antonio

It's official: Big Daddy James got his mission call to San Antonio, Texas. He leaves on April 8th. The Brotherhood is rejoicing!

We love you Jame-ess, buddy! Go Baptize!

HOORAH FOR ISRAEL!

Big Daddy James!

This is (was) my roommate James. Big Daddy James, to be precise. He chose the title himself.

James was one of my roommates last semester. As Family Home Evening Apartment Leader, he assumed the incredible role of being our resident Brotherhood patriarch. James is also a champ. If I could only begin to tell you why...!

As the youngest member of the Brotherhood, he was probably showered with the most love (youngest children are always the most spoiled--James was the most loved). Everyone in the ward loved him! You can probably see why! He's quite the good looking guy.

James isn't in Rexburg this semester. He's at home in Portland. He's also trading in the white tux for a new suit. Why the trade-in? James just turned in his mission papers to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You can learn more about that here.

So now the waiting game begins. Where will Elder James Neubarth serve? I guess we'll just have to wait for his call from the prophet to arrive!