Doing Everything Vacations vs. Relaxation Vacations

Every year for Christmas, my dad takes us on a vacation. He thinks it is easier than going out and picking out gifts for each of his four kids, plus one in-law. And quite frankly, I'm not even mad about it! It's always something I look forward to, whether we are going to the beach in California or touring Washington D.C. However, there is always one dilemma that we encounter when planning our Christmas vacation. Should we do a relaxing vacation or a tour everything/do everything/go all day long vacation?

What's the best type of vacation? I mean vacations are meant to be a nice, relaxing get-a-way from work and school and real life, right? Or are vacations meant to be for the journey, the exploring, the thrill of a new adventure? So what are we supposed to choose?!

Honestly, I don't know the right answer, and I don't think there is one! I think that it is preference. One thing that I have noticed is that the vacations that I plan are usually packed to the brim and by the end I am completely exhausted. I think that I could use a little bit more relaxation time when planning vacations. So this is my note to self: give yourself one relax day when planning this Christmas Vacation!

The Y

I have hiked the Y my fair share of times. Probably about once every semester that I have been at BYU, and I have been here for 3 years... So that's a lot of semesters and a lot of times hiking the Y. However, no matter how many times I have hiked it and no matter how good of shape I am in when I do it is ALWAYS harder than I think its going to be in my mind. I have hiked up Mt. Timp (13 miles total), and this is way harder. That steep incline will get you every time. Maybe it's the illusion of standing in the parking lot and looking up and seeing the Y right there, so close... but so far away. Maybe I was in really, really, really good shape when I hiked it the first time ever and now I just have that impression of it in my head. Or maybe it's because of the view from the very top, that is so beautiful and that it is all I can ever seem to remember about the whole hike. And for some crazy reason that beautiful view makes all that lactic acid in my thighs worth it? I don't know what it is that is playing tricks with my mind, but because of it, I am never prepared for the strenuous hike ahead of me when I begin. SO this post here is a reminder to myself and to any of you reading this that are considering hiking the Y: HIKING THE Y IS REALLY HARD. But, the view just might be worth it. I'll leave that one up to you.

disconnected time

This week I have really learned the importance of disconnected (from the world) time. Last week I was talking to my husband and I told him that I miss him and felt like we've been so busy that we haven't had very much time to spend together, with just me and just him. The more we talked about it, the more I realized that I wasn't taking advantage of the small time that we had together because I was so distracted from social media or other things on the internet, including Netflix. It made me feel really sad to think that I was wasting my time doing useless things like checking instagram over and over again or watching 3 episodes of Burn Notice (even though it was with my husband) when I could spend my time more wisely in the real world strengthening my relationship with the real people around me.

It's sad to know that sometimes (unintentionally) I care more about the fake online than I do the actual things that are happening around me! How much am I missing out on because I am too glued to my phone or the latest Netflix series.

I having been making more of an effort to check my phone/instagram/facebook/whatever less and not care about what is going on there. In the past, my husband and I have run 2 half marathons together. We trained for it all together and both agreed that that is some of the best times that we have spent together. We have really liked it because we really are completely away from the world. There are no distractions on our runs. Not to mention that exercise releases endorphins that make the body feel better and make you happier. So we have decided to start running together again BEFORE we turn on whatever our show on Netflix is at the moment. And let me tell you, those two things have made all the difference. I have felt a million times better and happier this week!

Also, if you would like some good reading, hit up this talk from general conference last weekend! It talks about avoiding the "fake" online world! I really enjoyed it!

let's get down to business

I am here to tell you all (or whoever is reading this post from my MCOM class) that business writing is a real thing. This is the moment where Professor Middleton can hop in and say "I told you so." I never really doubted that learning to write in a business setting would be useful, but I also never really thought that it would impact my life that much, but it is proving me wrong as I speak. Yesterday, I went to the job fair (apparently when you are supposed to find a job 7 months before you graduate?), it was good, but I am sort of in a weird place right now and don't really know what I am looking for. I am majoring in Communication Disorders, but my dream job is a wedding/event planner, but I'm also pretty open to anything else. So after the job fair was over, I went through the papers and business card that I had acquired and there was some great opportunities, but none that really got me excited. So I decided to research some jobs on my own. I came across a job posting for a full-time wedding/event manager! It was perfect and I knew that I had to apply for it! So as I was going through the application process I came across a section asking for a cover letter. I had never written a cover letter before and I know that if this same situation would have presented itself one month earlier I would have been super stressed. However, since we had just covered grammar in class and have talked a bit about business letters, I felt a lot more confident! I was really grateful for this past month of MCOM and what I have learned in this class so far.

The moral of the story is that business writing is relevant! It will help you in you life, it has already helped me and I have only been in the class for one month! As I continue in this class, I am definitely going to more appreciate the things that we are learning.