Square One

Job App for a "Party Motivator"

Are you super fun, talented and maybe just a little quirky? Prove it! (this is where you say anything else to try to impress us)

Well, here it goes!  I love to dance...salsa, hip hop, I used to even been a professional Polynesian dancer and did paid Luau's and birthdays.  Plus, I probably have an unhealthy enjoyment of putting myself out there at dances.  You'd be surprised how many friends I've made by owning the blonde weirdo role.  Thank you Jenna Marbles!  I also like to sing when I get the chance and a recent dance performance reminded me how much I miss being on stage and performing.  I really am a people person and as cheesy as it sounds, I love people of all ages.  You can learn something from everyone.  I used to sing in an old folks home as a child and later went back and volunteered there in high school and I always came away realizing how much we all have in common!  We all start and end in diapers.  And while we're in our big girl panties we spend most of our time learning how to ditch the emotional pull-ups.  Like realizing outsourcing positive affirmation for pretty much everything we ever do via Facebook probably isn't the healthiest idea.  Or for my parents generation, recognizing that admittance of guilt to being the root of all their children's emotional problems is sometimes the only acceptable salve for a rocky relationship.  But the best is how most old people have really learned how to laugh at themselves.  These people know how to age gracefully!  So maybe my grandpa can't help but toot when he exerts himself and his hearing is so bad he doesn't know anyone else has noticed, but hey!  My grandma and I can laugh and know that we're not so different.  I'm honestly doing my best to accelerate that part of aging.  Let's not take ourselves so seriously.  Let's do things we love!  And that's why I'm applying!  I'm telling you that I know I'd be awesome at this job.  Why?  Because I see awesomeness and hilarity in everyone I meet.  And because dancing/speaking/singing/whatever in front of a crowd sounds like SO MUCH FUN.  And I am completely confident that I can get anyone to smile and have a good time.  I'm naturally, and therefore genuinely, a very friendly, ambitious, and fun person to be around!

I actually sent that in.  Woo-hoo, go me!  Right?  Or maybe just: Whoa there, buddy, lets scale back the intense attempt at a comedy sketch.  Lol, at any rate, it's sent and it was certainly fun to write!

Ashley Orton 

Professor Green 

30 May 2012 

 There is Sunshine In My Soul Today: 

The Relationship of Divinity and the Literary Arts 

     Richard Miller’s essay “The Dark Night of the Soul” explores the pervasive belief among language arts teachers that the literate arts can influence and inspire students to live lives of higher meaning. His focus, however, is the growing doubt among these literary educators that their work is significantly less meaningful and influential than they would hope. I would agree that on the totem pole of influence among the greater population the literary arts ranks pretty low. Of course, I only have my own experience to speak from. I don’t have a habit of reading Times bestsellers and when I have made time for leisure reading, it is usually something that lacks deeper meaning and is easily forgettable. However; there is one exception. I read the Book of Mormon almost every day. In fact, I’ve missed a grand total of two weeks in the last two years and am well on my way to finishing it for the sixth time this summer. I know this book has changed my life for the better. It is of divine origin and it speaks of Christ and His sacrifice for me so that I can return to live with my Father in Heaven. It recounts the experiences of real people who lived in the Americas before, during and after Christ’s earthly ministry. It is divine and it is true and that is why it holds such life altering power within its pages. 

     The Book of Mormon was written by the Spirit of God through ancient prophets who loved the truth and did whatever they could to serve their God and spread the blessings of Christ’s church. When Miller analyzes McCandless’s experience from Into the Wild he notes that, “Who McCandless is and what becomes of him are, it turns out, intimately connected to the young man’s approach to reading -- both what he chose to read and how he chose to read it.” (Miller 429) McCandless put his trust in the authors of the books he loved which ended tragically for him because they didn’t write from experience. Conversely, the prophets of the Book of Mormon lived what they preached. They were inspired by God and so the messages they teach cannot lead one into danger. Of course, as Miller points out, how one reads is equally significant to what one reads. I didn’t always read the Book of Mormon with the enthusiasm that I do today. I am able to testify today of the divinity of the Book of Mormon because I have found out for myself by living the principles it teaches and testing its promises. 

      In other words, my exploration of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon was more of an exploration of the results of obedience to the lessons taught within it. In the King James Version of the Bible the apostle Matthew says it best: “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” (Matthew 7:20) I had observed that those who read the Book of Mormon and abided by its principles were good people and I wanted to be more like them. But to truly know for myself if the Book of Mormon was indeed a true account, and not merely a nice book that would help me be a better person and learn important moral values, I needed a greater witness. Miller states that, “...McCandless stands as evidence that there continue to be real readers who invest the activities of reading and writing with great significance.” (Miller 428-429) His faith in the authors may have helped him to pursue a dream and structure an ideology that appealed to him and how he viewed the world, but ultimately his literary choices failed him because he didn’t take the time to gain a testimony of the validity of his sources. His faith was admirable, but ultimately it was dangerous. He took the works of the authors too seriously, while not taking the authors and the context of their writing seriously enough. Moroni, the last prophet of the Book of Mormon, issues a promise that ensures that the reader is taking the book seriously enough. “And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.” (Moroni 10:4) In the words of Miller, you must invest in the activity of reading. This same idea is echoed in the Bible when James says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” (James 1:5) What is really beautiful about this idea is it’s simplicity. James says, if you really want to know something, ask God and He will tell you. Moroni echoes this pattern in his promise that if you take this book seriously, and ask God seriously, because you seriously want to know, He will tell you. So you can know for a surety that your future investment in being a believer is worthwhile. If the authors of the books McCandless had read had issued him Moroni’s promise his life wouldn't have ended the way that it did. 

     I did take the book seriously and I knew before I even got to Moroni’s promise at the end of the book that it was true. A tribute to the divinity of the Book of Mormon that speaks to me is how relatable the personal accounts transcribed are to all people. It makes sense to me; “God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34) and he wouldn’t give inspiration to His prophets that didn’t apply to everyone in one way or another. Personally, I love the story of Alma the Younger. His father was the prophet and spiritual leader of the land, Alma the Elder, whose job it was to teach the gospel to the people. Alma the Younger, along with his friends--who were the sons of King Mosiah, the political leader of the land--went about spreading lies about the church and leading a lot of the people to commit moral and spiritual sins. Their actions were deliberately wrong. God hears the pleas of the prophet Alma on behalf of his son and sends an angel to rebuke the sons of Mosiah and strike Alma the Younger dumb. He lays unconscious for two days and during that time Alma the Elder gathers the people to witness what he knows is his son’s miraculous conversion. Alma awakes from his “sleep” praising God and the mercy of Christ’s atoning sacrifice which was paid so that Alma could be forgiven of his sins. Alma the Younger completely forsakes his sins and goes on to succeed his father as the prophet. He worked tirelessly as a missionary of the gospel message and was blessed for his dedication. This story speaks powerfully to me because it shows how God does not withhold blessings from those who have truly repented of their sins, no matter what it was they did. I did a lot of things that I am not proud of, but I have worked hard to change and have committed to living my life in the service of my fellow men and my Heavenly Father. I know He loves me and wants nothing more but for me to find lasting and eternal happiness. I know that I am His daughter and have infinite worth. This knowledge helps me to do what is right, even when life is hard and I think I’d rather give up. Am I perfect? Of course not! Nobody is! God is well aware of that and that is why He has given us His son, Jesus Christ, who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we could become perfected through Him and be able to return to live with our Heavenly Father again. 

      The “fruits” of the book are tangible and life-changing. Because of it, I understand who I am and my purpose on this earth. I may doubt at times, along with Miller, the significance of the written word and its potential to change lives. That is not to say that there are no inspired works of literary art other than the Book of Mormon. I believe that there is truth everywhere. But this the Book of Mormon isn’t like the ones taught in school, which were written by imperfect, if immensely talented, men and women. The Book of Mormon is wholly an inspired book and as such, the effects of an “invested” reading of it are wholly inspiring. 

Works Cited

Miller, Richard. “The Dark Night of the Soul.” Ways of Reading. 9th Edition. Eds. David

Bartholoma and Anthony Petrosky. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. 420-443.

The Book of Mormon. Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1989.
The Holy Bible: King James Version. Dallas, TX: Brown Books Publishing, 2004.

Sisters

In a nostalgic and grateful mood today. When I think of myself being in a nostalgic mood it's usually tinged with melancholy, but not today. I'm in one of those overcome with gratitude-weepy mama moods. I love my son. I love my family. Honestly, the love I feel towards my sisters has creeped up on me. I've truly taken them granted over the years. Its only been the last year or so that I've really worked on my relationship with them by doing things with them and begun to truly realize not only how much they mean to me, but how absolutely incredible they are. Unbelievably talented, both of them. Naturally *gorgeous.* They just glow. And I'm not sure they have any idea of the infinity of their worth. Not just in God's eyes, but mine. I do. not. know. where I'd be without my sisters. Sometimes I do wonder though. Would there be anyone else in their place? Would life simply be different; would life be worse? I've come to the conclusion that there would be a huge gaping hole in my life. Not a single person could make up the difference my sisters make in my life. God blessed me with them because there was absolutely nobody else in the trillions upon trillions of spirits who could bless me like they could. It is such a testimony of His love for me. He loved me so incredibly much that He gave me Stephanie. A woman who may think she is weak, but who has an innate strength that I have yet to see in anyone else. A woman who may worry about a lack of expressed affection, but who loves her family and friends with a fierce intensity. She is a warrior. I know she worries about being anti-social, but honestly, if you loved as hard as she does, you probably wouldn't be able to handle having any friends. And then there's my sweet, sweet baby sister. Talking about loving hard. No matter how many times I've hurt her in the past, she remains defiantly loyal. Living with her has been *so* wonderful. She's become my best friend and an excellent wingman to boot. I love how no man will ever be worthy of me in her eyes. We protect each other. From the uglies of life, boys, and sometimes, from the uglies we create for ourselves.

I love my sisters <3

Letter to Jamie

I found this letter while cleaning out my room today. There isn't a date on it, but I know I wrote it while I babysat the Aron twins which was about a month(ish) before I gave birth. I know that I was back on the fence about whether to place him or not.

Dear Baby Jamie,

I've done a lot of things wrong in my life, but you are truly a blessing from God. You have helped me to do things I never thought possible. I have found God and developed a wonderful relationship with Him. I feel so close to Him when I pray and am so secure in His love for me. I was scared that if I went back to church that I would be punished for my abandonment of my testimony. I was so wrong. All I've felt has been love. This whole experience has been about love. Love for you, love for me, love from and for my family and the love of God and His son Jesus Christ. I never knew how much I could enjoy talking to my Heavenly Father and how much I could enjoy The Book of Mormon. I don't think I could've come to the place I am--secure in my knowledge of who I am and what I want--without you. I am a daughter of God. He knows my spirit and love me. He loves all of me--the good, the bad, and the ugly. :) I am innately a very spiritual person. And I love you so much. I want the best for you. I want you to be raised in a home where Christ is the heart. I want you to know how much God loves you and how much I love you. I want you to be able to recognize your amazing potential as a child of God. You have divine potential. I haven't met you in person yet, but I don't need to meet you to know how special you are. You have changed my heart when nobody else could.

:]

I'm in such a good mood! I've been having a rough week/weekend and I went to the temple with my ward tonight and I feel on top of the world! I got along with everyone there so well and I can tell that I'm well liked which is just such a wonderful feeling. The spirit was so strong in the temple and I feel so at peace with everything going on right now. It's just such a testimony to me of temples. I've been reading my scriptures and praying every day, but I still wasn't feeling on top of everything going on emotionally. Going to the temple is obviously just what I needed. I am so grateful we have a temple so close! And that I can carpool with fantastic people who are fun to be around and also have such strong testimonies of the gospel. Also, that my mom is available to babysit my busy 9 month old! I am so blessed!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAc83CF8Ejk