1) My first object is a water bottle.
In sixth grade, I was a victim of an epidemic of pneumonia that was sweeping my class. I was sick for a very long time. As a result of this sickness, my lungs were weakened. I get sick frequently because of this weakening of my lungs. Because of this, the doctor told me to start carrying a water bottle around with me to help me recover. I have been carrying a water bottle with me ever since. While the water bottle in the picture is not the same one I had in sixth grade, it represents all of my water bottles that I have had.
I have always loved to sing. However because I got sick so frequently, it wasn't always easy for me to sing. This water bottle helped me to maintain that love for singing. It helped me to sooth my throat and give me the confidence I needed to sing with my soul. This was essential for my high school experience. I was in concert choir, chamber singers, and vocal ensemble throughout my 3 years in high school. My director is not the kind of women you would want to disappoint. While it is not very nice to describe anyone like this, I would have to say she is like Yzma from Emperor's New Groove: scary beyond all reason. She was very good at what she did but she expected a lot from me. I learned a great deal from her and my voice matured and became beautiful under her direction. This came from a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. But I loved singing. My teacher helped me to understand the joy that can come from singing. This has shaped my life and allowed me to find joy in singing during everyday activities like doing the dishes and homework.
It also helped me to fit in with my family. I come from a very large family. I have seven siblings; 3 brothers and 4 sisters. And we all sing. A good time at my house consists of my older brother Jesse playing the piano with the whole family singing and dancing. It is some good and loud fun. To me, this water bottle represents, the means whereby I could find joy in my daily activities and have fun with my family.
2) My second object is BYU ice cream.
I love ice cream. I always have. I love it so much that I work at the BYU Creamery as a cashier. I have worked there for about 3 years now and I know way too much about all the products that we make. The Creamery has been such an influential part of my life. It is my first real job. I had always babysat or worked for my neighbors before. It taught me how to work hard. It taught me how to be nice to people who are ridiculously inconsiderate to me. It taught me how to be hit on and not get any dates. It has taught me so many life lessons. It also has been a home for me in some ways. For a while, my roommates were not getting along and so going to work was a pleasure. I made friends. I was able to associate with some of the best sampling of people here at BYU. It was very good for me. This ice cream represents all of the lessons that I learned from the Creamery as well as the friends that I have gained.
It also represents my family. My grandpa used to say, "there's always room for ice cream!" Every time we would go to their house, we would go to their freezer and pull out half gallons of BYU ice cream. We would use their various ice cream scoopers and pile every kind we could fit into our bowls. Then we would take our sweet treasures and sit on the back porch and eat until we were sick or until my mom told us to stop, whichever came first. I love these memories. They fill me with love and appreciation for family and for my grandparents. My grandparents passed away about a year and a half ago. They were the perfect couple. They were so in love, even until the end. They passed away exactly 3 weeks apart to the day. They represent everything I want in my marriage. Their deaths have helped shape my life in more ways than their being alive ever could have. I have felt their guidance and love throughout this past year and a half. Since they died, I have felt like they have been pulling strings in heaven for me and my family. So much so that 4 of my cousins, and myself, have gotten married. This ice cream represents the example of my grandparents and the love of my family.
3) My third object is my wedding ring. (You'll have to just look at the picture because it's staying on my hand).
I am married to my best friend and the best man in the world for me. He is very kind and patient and an awesome listener. As mentioned before, I believe my grandparents pulled some strings to get him for me. He went to my same junior high and high school but we never dated or anything. We were friendly but by no means interested. At least, I wasn't. But he came back from his mission and all of a sudden we realized we were a lot more attracted to each other than before. We fell in love and decided to get married. During our engagement, he went to London for a study abroad. This was a very hard time for me. I will never repeat that experience if at all possible. While he was gone, the one thing that I had to reassure myself of his affection (other than our daily skype calls) was my engagement ring. Whenever things got overwhelming I would look down at my left hand and remind myself that this was forever and it was all worth it. I would also make sure the ring was visible during our skype sessions to show him that I was still committed and so in love with him. We have now been married 6 months and we love it. This ring represents our love and commitment to each other.
This ring also represents my belief that families can be together forever. On each side of the diamond is infinity signs. These remind me of my belief that the Savior, Jesus Christ, made it possible for me to live with my family forever. They remind me of the eternities and the opportunity for me to become like him with my husband at my side. They remind me to focus and stay on the path that will allow me to be eternally married to my husband. They remind me of temple blessings and covenants that I have made that guide my everyday choices. When I got married, we added a wedding band to my ring. This represents my new family. Not only the addition of my husband's family but our family of just the two of us. It reminds me of the potential I have to make a family and to have children and raise them. It represents all the joy that I will receive in my life because of my decision to marry my best friend.
