(5) Research Project Brainstorm

Choosing a topic to research is tough. There are so many interesting possibilities, yet I'm not sure which one I want to do. I've been doing some searching on family search and haven't found much of anything yet.. The one thing I did find was an interesting story that my grandma's uncle wrote about his wife. I'm guessing it was a love letter from back in the day, but it's more like a novel it's so long! It seems like there is a lot of family history done on my mom's side as far as names and dates. I'll have to keep digging to find any stories or events that stick out. I'm going to have to ask my grandparents more about our ancestors and what, if anything, they can think of. I'll take any leads I can get because I really don't know where to start.

Aside from family research, there are some random, interesting topics like credit card fraud/identity theft that would be fun to research. The Harold B. Library is a great help and I'll have to take advantage of them as much as I can. When we were in the research room, I was able to learn how to refine my searches and become more efficient. I really want to find the things I need in as little time as possible because I have so little of it.

UPDATE: (10/24/15)
After talking with my family and bouncing ideas off of them, I know what I want to do. My question is, "What effects does growing up in a single-parent family have on children?" This is very personal to me and it applies directly. My parents have been divorced since I was 4 years old, and my mom has raised my sister and I alone. There's no such thing as a "normal family." I believe families can be the same no matter what the situation may be. As for our family, we have grown stronger and closer together. I've never found the need to use our circumstances as an excuse that we can't have lasting happiness because we all have our own take on things. We can either be down about things and dwell on the past, or we can put our best foot forward and build on what we have.

(4) Oct. 2015 General Conference

This conference was incredible! I feel so inspired to follow the counsel of the Lord's most humble servants. There are so many things that stuck out to me. I know "ponderize" was a great idea and I've already started doing it. Once a week you pick a verse of scripture and refer back to it frequently throughout the week, pondering the words deeply. I'm also going to try and memorize some parts, if not all..

I really enjoyed Jeffery R. Holland's (who doesn't) message on a mother's divine love. It really is the closest thing we have to the pure love of Christ on this earth. Mothers carry such a heavy load and have so much love to give. The selfless manner in which they show it is remarkable. Like Jesus Christ, they are always there for their children. I'm so grateful to have a loving mom like this.

(3) Analyzing Rhetoric

Before starting my Rhetorical Analysis paper, I was really hesitant about it. I had no idea how to write one - let alone know what speech I wanted to use. Since starting it, and finding a speech I really enjoyed, I can now say it was easier than I thought. I just pinpointed exactly what I loved about it and it all came together better than I thought. I chose to do Jimmy Valvano's speech he gave in 1993 at the ESPN ESPY Awards. The talk was given after he received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. He was a legendary basketball coach and many people looked up to him, so it wasn't hard for it to be a moving speech. Jimmy V was diagnosed with cancer and died early in his life at age 47, eight weeks after giving his monumental speech. People used to always ask him what he does now that his time is limited. He said, "...nothing has changed for me.." He, then, talked about three things he does everyday and what he does to find joy: laugh, think, and have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. Despite being so ill, he was able to live such an inspiring life and leave a footprint for people to follow.