TRAGEK Unity

As a Hall Advisor, I have 3 buildings that I supervise, and I also have an Associate Hall Advisor, and she has 3 buildings that she supervises. We work together throughout the year. We have been pretty close this year, and we have tons of fun together! We even made up a name...TRAGEK, which is the first letter of each of our halls. We do a cheer at the end of each staff meeting, every week, and we had matching bandanas for RA training. Well, this past Saturday, we had an RA Recharge, to get the RAs excited about this next semester, to have fun, and to just get a boost. One of the activities was to build the highest Twinkie tower they could with 6 Twinkies, a few knives and forks. Our RAs got pretty creative and had fun.



I want you to notice our cool shirts (well, not mine because I am not in the picture), but the RAs all have shirts with "tragek" on the front, and their hall number on the back, and Fine, Fresh, Fierce, also on the back. Lacey and I got camo shirts...GOOD TIMES! We were so united the whole recharge. It was so fun!

Reconnecting

I think it is amazing how in the last few weeks I have been able to see a plethora of missionaries from my mission, when before, I was going months without seeing more than Ben, who I see at the MTC each week. Not that I don't love seeing Ben each week, but it is nice to see others too.

Adam McKee and Trevor Beckstead (Becky) came to see me about a week ago. Adam was down in Orem, and so they came by. We ended up making a late night Denny's run. GOOD TIMES!!! They are so funny! I can't remember the last time I laughed that hard that much!


The next day I had dinner with Carolyn Haynie and Emily Schroeder. We decided to go to the devotional together that Tuesday because it was Elder Kikuchi, who had an article that was used quite a bit in our mission, and he talked about morning devotionals, and it just so great! We were so excited. Flash to Tuesday. It ends up being not only the 3 of us, but Serena Dayley and Haleigh Schofield. A mini-sisters reunion. SO fun!


THEN, I get a message from Scott Hammond, who lives in Magna, that he is coming down on Saturday. SO, we get together with John Hopkins, and hit up J-Dawgs...SO good! Love it!


I am so grateful for the friendships and relationships from my mission. I am truly blessed. Speaking of, my MTC elders get home in about a week!!! YAY!!!!

Can you imagine?

Can you imagine knowing someone who had Christ at the center of his life, and you knew it within minutes of knowing him? How about someone who selflessly served each day to the fullest (and sometimes overflowing)? What would you say if this person took you into their home for more than a month while you waited for a life-changing white envelope? Imagine this person having conversations about the Gospel of Jesus Christ with a wide variety of people, and loving every minute of it. Imagine learning about the holy temple from this person. Picture this man asking your opinion on a variety of matters. Imagine sharing tomato sandwiches while talking about his adventures around the world, while still being one of the most humble people you know. Can you see the love he has for his family? Imagine seeing him in big group settings with his family, and in one on one settings with each of his children, and feeling the love for each of them. What about the love that he has for his wife, which has been described as "the kind of love poets only dream about"? Can you imagine the example of such a man? Can you feel the love this man has for you, as an adopted member of the family?

I am incredibly blessed, because I don't have to imagine. I KNOW. I had the privilege of knowing Joe Raynes for the past few years and seeing him in his different roles. Joe recently returned home to his Heavenly Father after a courageous battle with cancer. Words cannot express the gratitude I have for knowing Joe, for being a part of the Raynes family, and for having him in my life.

I want to share a little bit about him...



Joseph Lincoln Raynes PhD, age 64, passed away peacefully January 10, 2011, surrounded by his eternal family, after a battle with brain cancer.

He was born June 21, 1946, in Provo, Utah to Beth Milner and Lincoln Frances Raynes; he was the second of eight children. Much of his childhood was spent on the Oregon Coast. While at BYU, Joe met his beautiful wife Alice Nielsen in a laundromat and it was love at first sight. Their first conversation began with his joke about both having red hair. They married in the Salt Lake Temple on May 27, 1969. They have ten children, all redheaded. It was impossible to be around Joe and not know he loved his family, the Gospel, and serving others.

Joseph completed his Bachelors and Masters degrees at BYU and earned his PhD at Texas A&M University. He served and inspired others throughout his lifelong career in Education. He was an Elementary School Teacher, Principal at Joaquin Elementary, Dean of Continuing Education, Dean of Trades and Technology, and Associate Academic Vice President at Utah Valley State College. He was instrumental in bringing the Education Program to the now Utah Valley University. He loved being a Professor of Education. His influence is carried through the countless teachers he molded.

Traveling the world extensively, Joe was always in search of opportunities to serve others. Fluent in both Portuguese and Spanish, he lived in Bolivia and traveled throughout South America with his young family while working with the Bolivian government. He lived in Colonia Juarez, Mexico working with the Juarez Stake Academy, and traveled to Mongolia to develop their higher education programs during their transition from Communism. He was a gifted storyteller who weaved his life experiences into tales that both entertained and edified.

He was a dedicated servant of the Lord, who served an honorable LDS mission in the Brazil North Mission. He labored as Branch President at the MTC, Bishop of Cascade 2nd Ward, High Council Member in Orem Cascade Stake, Ordinance Worker in the Mount Timpanogos Temple, and a member of the Curriculum Resource Committee. A gifted teacher of life and salvation, he lived to bring action to the Gospel’s precepts.

Joe was a builder of homes, ideas, and lives. A gentle giant, who was steadfast, thoughtful, humble, and strong; he spent his life in quiet service. His greatness was shown by his Christ-like love, the warmth of his smile, the power of his patience, the richness of his intelligence, his ability and desire to teach even the hardest of hearts, his comedic timing, and his gift to uplift others through his faith, stories, and unconditional love. His love of the Savior showed in everything he did.

He is survived by his loving wife of 41 years, Alice Nielsen Raynes, and their ten children: Janelle (Nathan) Gerber, Michelle, Denise (Paul) Pitcher, Alison (Marshall) Smith, Melanee, Stefanie (Nate) Farnsworth, Jonathan (Daniela), Danielle (Bryan) Kennedy, Derrick (Alexa), David (Sydney), and their 17 grandchildren. He is also survived by his father and five sisters.

I only hope to carry on the lessons he taught me in every day life throughout my life. Thank you, Joe, for all you have done for me, even when you may not have thought anything of what you were doing. Thank you for bringing me into your family and helping me feel loved. Thank you for being an example of Jesus Christ.

New Year, New Adventures!

One of the perks of my job with the university is that I can participate in classes each semester. I have taken advantage of this opportunity, and have decided to audit 2 classes. I am taking an Old Testament class, taught by the same person from whom I took the first half of the New Testament. I LOVED her class, and am looking forward to this class. I am also taking a general psychology class. I am intrigued by this topic, and I figured a class would be a great way to learn more about it. One of the beauties of auditing is that I don't have to worry about any grades! I don't have to do the assignments or papers...Just pure learning without the stress. I plan on doing reading and such, but it is nice to not be concerned with MLA or APA!

Another new adventure in my life happened when my bishop at church asked to meet with me before Sacrament Meeting on Sunday. I knew I hadn't done anything wrong (smile here) so I thought maybe it was a new calling. Oh yes. It was. He called me to be in the Relief Society presidency in my ward! OH my! I look forward to this new adventure and am grateful to be able to serve.

I feel like my life is going in a positive direction. I feel more engaged and fulfilled with these new adventures in my life, these challeneges and opportunities for growth. I look forward to learning and developing.

PS...my MTC elders come home in 3 weeks!!! (that means I have been home for almost 6 months!!!)

Christmas, Oh Christmas!

I wanted to give you some snapshots of my joyous time in Oregon! Some things were more random than others. I was able to be there for about a week and it was wonderful! There was one day that was GORGEOUS so Jessica and I went to the beach with her dogs. While there, we found a dead seal on the beach. I loved spending time with my family, being there for all the traditions and decorations.

I did get to reflect on my Christmas last year. It will always be near and dear to my heart.

However, new times bring new memories, and I want to share them with you!










I hope you enjoyed the pictures and a small look into the joys that were my vacation!

Happy New Year!