Blog Post Extra Credit

Regarding instructor conferences, I believe that the most beneficial scheduled conference was that for the Opinion Editorial. I hated doing it right before the deadline for the RA because I felt rushed to make changes. When I feel rushed like that, I almost ignore the advice I’ve been given because I would rather just miss points for something small than change around my whole paper. At that point I’m also so emotionally connected to my paper that I have a really hard time changing it…but that’s probably just a personal weirdo problem. As for two weeks before with the Issues paper, I kind of forgot about having them at all and haven't used the editing to help my paper. I appreciate the teacher conferences so much, but if I feel rushed during the conference and then don’t have to turn the paper in for two weeks, I just forget about it all together. I loved having it just the week before because I felt like I could get feedback, work on it within the next few days, and then turn in my paper. It was a short enough time that I didn't forget about it, and a long enough time that if major changes were needed, I was able to do the work.

Conference is awesome, can't wait! I'm looking forward to Elder Holland, of course. I admire his emotion and the way that he makes everyone feel as he gives his talks. He is so kind and sincere. I could sit and watch his talks all day just because I know that I will feel the emotion that he is feeling. Elder Holland is so personable and although he sometimes uses words that are way too big for me to understand, I love listening to him. He’s so authoritative in a non-scary way, and it makes me listen. I am also looking forward to hearing from Elder Uchtdorf. Without fail, there is always a good quote to come from his talks. He is very poetic in his writing. He’s also just fun to listen to because he has an accent. I've realized more and more just how funny he is. I think that I also grew to love him more after my living prophets class. I learned so much about his childhood and how courageous he has been throughout his life. I feel like he puts so much thought into his talks, and I learn so much from how simply they are written. 

I can never remember to write blogs...

I really enjoyed the writing conferences in this class. I felt like those really improved my writing and definitely raised my grades on my essays. I have to say that I prefer to have the writing conference two weeks before the deadline. It gives me a lot of time to review what was said in the conference and then improve on my revision. Writing conferences also helped instill more confidence in me when it came to my writing. I'm used to being told what my weaknesses are so seeing my strengths was an eye opener for me. Now, on to General Conference. I love General Conference so much! It helps me feel closer to the Savior and it builds my testimony a lot every time. Jeffrey R Holland is one of my favorite speakers. He always shares great analogies and his pathos is incredible. I feel like he can connect to any audience and his charged diction makes him very believable because of his obvious confidence in the message he is sharing. I also appreciate the words of our prophet, Thomas S Monson. He is such a sensitive guy and he always tells jokes to help bring his audience in and then he shares the spiritual message when he has everyone's attention. It is a great technique and it really helps bring the spirit into General Conference. He also comes off as a very sweet, personable person. He doesn't act like he is better than any individual but instead points out his faults and tries to teach us lessons from them. Like when he shared his story about burning the dry weeds away. He just expected it to work out but he was disobedient to his parents and he definitely faced the consequences with the wildfire. Going back to Jeffrey R Holland, I think the conviction that he speaks with is amazing. He will tell a story that talks about someone doing something stupid and he will then apply it to his listeners by almost yelling saying that when we make mistakes we need to repent and get on the right path and if we don't then we have no place in God's kingdom. He is definitely very blunt but I believe it is very well needed when certain messages are being taught. I love the various personalities of the apostles and presidency so Conference is always a delight and definitely something to look forward to every 6 months.

General Conference

I think the most effective instructor conference time for me was a week before the due date. I feel like this was the perfect time for me because it was close enough to the deadline that I felt like I had a decent draft, yet far enough that I could adequately revise based on the conference… I’m looking forward to conference this year. To hear from the prophets and apostles is always a great experience. What’s not to like about conference. One of the greatest things about conference is that no matter what the topic that is being talked about, the spirit is able to mold and personalize to each individual. Everyone hears the same words, but the meaning can be so unique to each individual. Another awesome thing is that we are hearing from the prophets and apostles and they are all led by the spirit to know what they should teach us. They are in the position to receive revelation on what to talk about… There are great aspects of each speaker’s style. First of all there’s President Monson. He’s always a delight to hear from. He has a very soft, and relaxing tone and attitude that helps you feel the tremendous love he has for each and everyone. He also often has humorous or touching stories, often from his childhood, that illustrate specific gospel principles. I also like that he is very well read and often quotes great literature and poetry. President Uchtdorf is always pretty entertaining. He seems to appeal to the younger generation for some reason. I think he just has a cool vibe about it. President Eyring is a very powerful speaker for me. He is a bit soft spoken, but as he fights through his tears he makes some very strong points. Elder Oaks seems to be very organized and logical in many of his talks, which I like. Elder Packer is a great humble old man. He can barely speak sometimes, but he speaks with power. He seems to take on a lot of the difficult topics, Elder Holland, of course, is one of everyone’s favorite. No one will singe your eyebrows off like Elder Holland. He is great at taking stories from that scriptures and bringing them live. He tells them with such great details and helps us understand some of the more subtle points in the scriptures. General Conference is great.

Double Extra Credit

Of all the different timings that we had for our meetings with the teacher, I preferred having the conference about 1 week before the due date. I liked it that way because by that time I have a fairly decent rough draft for my paper, but I still am open to suggestions and opinions about how my paper is looking. The other times for having conferences, right before and 2 weeks before the due date, were effective as well, but in different ways.

As General Conference has been approaching I've felt so much excitement for many different reasons. Every Conference I am amazed at how well all the leaders of our Church speak and teach with the Spirit. It is obvious that they have taken special consideration as to how to best word their message to clearly express their feelings and teachings of the gospel. There is always someone who says exactly what I needed to hear personally. One of my all time favorite Conference speakers is President Uchtdorf. More often than not, Uchtdorf has been that speaker who has said exactly what I needed to hear. I really admire the sensitivity that he uses in conveying whatever message he has. Specifically, he gave a talk entitled "Happiness, Your Heritage" and it is one of my all time favorite talks. He appeals to almost all woman by talking about how we are too hard on our selves. There is something about hearing this from a General Authority that simply pierces your soul.  In his talk he also establishes pathos with the reader by saying how he isn't a very good cook and how he much he loves his wife. That leads into another quality I like about his talks and that is that he puts himself on the a similar level as members of the church. While he a General Authority and very wise and spiritual, it is really comforting to know that he is normal like us and he can't cook very well and he makes funny jokes and loves his wife.
Another speaker I have always liked is Sister Elaine S. Dalton. Although she recently got released, I always loved her talks. She portrayed such bright happiness and her love for the church, especially the Young Woman since she was the General Young Women's President, and I loved her more than anything for that.
All in all, every General Conference speaker brings something new and unique to their message and that is something I love about the gospel. And I am beyond excited for this General Conference, especially since it will be my last Conference in the states for 2 years.

Extra Credit Blog Post

This semester, all of the instructor conferences were very helpful to me. However, i believe i gained the most insight and guidance for my paper when it was closest to the deadline. The rhetorical analysis was the paper we did right before the deadline, and it is the paper i received the better grade on. I also believe that it helped the most because we already had our papers pretty much done so we could receive guidance on last minute changes. With the issues paper, we only met with four pages of our draft completed. The other half of our essay was not even thought of or typed out yet, so we couldn't receive guidance on things we should change and revise. I know this is what the writing center can do, but i prefer the advice of our professor and the person who will actually be grading our paper. With the opinion editorial, it was still coming up on the deadline, but i remember that my paper was still in rough draft form. I would rather go into a conference with what i think is my best work and have someone show me places where i can still improve. Of all the times to give an instructor conference, i think right before the deadline is the most helpful and effective way to achieve the best results from student papers.

One of my favorite apostles to hear in general conference is of course, Jeffry R. Holland--who doesn't like him? But this year, i am most excited to hear from President Dieter F. Uchtdrof. This semester i am taking the Living Prophets class. It has been so intriguing for me to learn about each apostles life because you more fully understand the messages they give and the stories they share. When going over each of the 15 men's "best" conference talks and learning of their teachings, each one's distinct tone and style easily shows. I love President Uchtdorfs for two main reasons. First is he has these short one line sentences that sum up perfectly a principle. He could say just that sentence and probably sit down. For example, in one talk we came up with some of these short, powerful phrases from his talk "Of Regrets and Resolutions." My favorite, and probably a good life motto as well, was "I pray that we will not wait until we are ready to die before we truly learn to live." This short phrase can perfectly sum up his whole talk. I also really am looking forward to President Uchtdorf because he is so animated and shows humor in his talks. It's interesting to me because we all know Uchtdorf as a funny, kind man. When he was first called to be an area seventy, he was asked to speak in conference in 1996. If you look at the talk he gave, he spoke very slow and monotone with a thick german accent struggling to say the right words and phrasings. He used no hand motions and you could tell he was having a hard time. Now, to see how far he has come and how he now has this confidence and more personable manner through which he writes and delivers his talks is inspiring. He has completely grown into a tremendous leader. Through learning about his life and reading his teachings, i have grown to love President Uchtdorf. I never thought i would say this, but he is the one i am most looking forward to hearing this year at conference--and hopefully he will be speaking in the session i am attending. 

Extra Credit Blog Post

For the instructor conferences, I believed that the Issues Paper conference was placed at the best time before the paper’s deadline. The conference was placed before I had to turn in my paper for peer reviews, which gave me more preparation and room to improve my essay before I got more feedback from my peers. Also, there was an extra week after the peer reviews to work on the issues paper after getting feedback from the peers. The Oped conference was given before the peer review like the issues paper, so I did have some preparation to improve the paper. However, the peer review was schedule almost directly before the due date of the final draft of the Oped paper. That paper was a little rushed and stressful to work on since the due dates were right next to one another. Finally, the Rhetorical Analysis conference was placed directly before the due date, which was a little more stressful than I hoped for. When I believed my paper to be ready to turn in, I went to the conference and received some tips to improve my paper. The tips were great, but it seemed like a lot to accomplish before the deadline, which was a little stressful for me. This is why the issues paper conference was placed at a decent time period before the due date.

General Conference is coming up and I’m very excited to hear many people teach to word of God to us, including the prophet and the twelve apostles. However, the person I am excited to hear from the most is Elder Holland. To me Elder Holland, gives astounding talks that leave a lasting impact to the congregation that is able to listen to what he has to say. The talks he gives during each general conference includes ethos, logos, and pathos, which all increase the quality of the talks he gives. Each of his talks includes logos because the concepts he explains give a logical approach to whatever lesson he is trying to teach us. The talks include pathos, which create a lasting impact on the listeners, which will make the talk much more powerful. Since Elder Holland is an apostle, he has a lot of ethos, which will cause many more people to listen and believe what he has to say in General Conference. These are some of the many rhetorical devices Elder Holland uses in his talk that makes him an excellent speaker.

Extra Credit Post!

    I appreciate that during the course of the semester we have had a variety of ways of going about conferences, drafts, and outline dates. I really liked the way that the OpEd was set up with its dates. I feel that meeting one week before the due date was an appropriate amount of time. It gave us plenty of time to finish our rough draft so you were able to see what we had to work with. Also, giving us a week before the due date, we had adequate time to revise our draft. At the same time, having a conference with you so early in the writing process for our issues paper was beneficial to me. I had a difficult time coming up with my topic so having our conference early on I was able to be better grounded.

  As for General Conference, I am stoked! Not going to lie, it took me until I was probably 14 to really start enjoying general conference. Before that, it was eight, long hours of church talks in one weekends time, not to mention the lack of seeing my church friends once during the week. As I have aged, and gained knowledge, I have come to look forward and even love General Conference weekend. Each conference I love hearing from the apostles and leaders of our church, coming with a list of questions that I almost expect to be addressed. I particularly enjoy listening to President Uchtdorf, Elder Holland, and President Monson. President Uchtdorf tells great stories, Elder Holland is funny and refreshingly direct, and President Monson is just so full of love for all people. I’ll begin with President Monson. President Monson generally opens or concludes a session. He uses pathos to establish almost a “bond” with the audience. He plays on people’s emotions through the Spirit and His love for all. Elder Holland, like most leaders of the church, is well educated, receiving a Master and Doctor from Yale. This creates ethos with His listeners. Knowing he is a well-educated man. He then speaks with such power, and at times humorously gaining our trust and love. Lastly, President Uchtdorf is known for his airplane stories in particular but beyond that he uses rhetorical devices such as analogies. These analogies are well known and understood. For example, he made an analogy of small and simple things in life to forget-me-not flowers. Even though less grand than some things, he encouraged us to not look over the smaller, yet beautiful things or blessings in our life.

 

Extra Credit Blog Post

The instructor conferences were easily the most helpful part of the writing process.  It was nice to get feedback on what we were writing so we could further perfect our essay.  I liked it when we had conferences right before the essays were due.  This was the most useful because I had already gotten my essay to a point where I thought it was pretty good, so any advice given was to perfect it.  After the conferences it was nice to be able to fix specific issues and just add points that were missing, so the revision process wasn’t too hard and arduous.  When the instructor conferences were held too early and before my draft was completed or refined, it was less useful.  I didn’t know if my draft was still headed in the right direction or if the last part of my essay was as good as the first part.  However, when the conferences were earlier in the writing process, it was nice to be able to figure out how to proceed writing the essay and discuss ideas.  The conferences were still useful, but useful in different ways as the times when they were held right before the due date. 

This weekend, I am very excited to hear from Elder Uchtdorf.  I feel kind of bad choosing a favorite, but I have to say, he is easily the one that I enjoy hearing from the most.  I think that he always uses relevant examples and stories that are easy to relate to, like fairy tales or plane analogies.  I also like listening to him because he comes of very loving and I know that he cares for each and every one of our Heavenly Father’s children.  I think his brilliant smile and body language also makes his visual rhetoric very effective.  I love all his talks and think they keep people’s attention well along with giving great revelation and insight.  Along with everyone else on this planet, I also love Elder Holland’s talks.  He is so passionate and that comes through his voice and his tears when he gives his talks.  He speaks with great conviction and knowledge and empowers everyone who listens to act on what they’ve heard.  After I listen to his talks, I just want to go conquer the world and share the gospel to everyone!  I am very excited for this year’s general conference and I can’t wait to hear from my favorite speakers. 

general conference post

When it came to our instructor conferences the timing changed a lot. I did prefer that we did it two weeks before the deadline. It made sure that we had a draft done by that time and it allowed us two weeks to revise and edit our paper. Also it gave us the opportunity to ask for more feed back from you and go into the writing center with a more complete draft. I think you should do it that why for your future classes.

With the weather getting better and the flowers blooming most of the world thinks towards summer, but not the LDS. We have something else we look forward to. That is General Conference. General conference is an amazing thing, we get to listen to the prophet and the apostles for like sixteen hours, eighteen if you count priesthood session. The great spiritual messages we get help lead us to live better lives. The one person that I am most looking forward to listening to is Elder Holland. Yes it sound like a cliché saying hes my favorite speaker but he really is. After listening to his talks he makes me feel like I wanna just go punch Satan in the face because im so spiritually strengthened, but also at the same time my heart is just warmed with the spirit and with love. When he speaks he gets right to the point and is very blunt. And when he tells stories you are never lost. He tells them so god hat you can close your eyes and feel like your there seeing it. Also another thing is he dosen't need to be funny in order to get our attention. Just his voice alone can quiet a room, the deepness and base to it just drives the sense of leadership into your mind. And as he speaks he speaks with a great amount of spirit. You can feel that he has great love and what he speaks on touches his heart deeply. I don't know if speaking with the spirit is a rhetorical quality but he does that so good. I can honestly say that his talks make me cry and most and I can feel he spirit strongly. He is so good that if I could show only one speaker to a non member asking what the talks are like I would show them any of Elder Hollands talks. All of them are awesome. You could say that Satan looks under neath his bed for Elder Holland before he goes to sleep.

Extra Credit

I love the instructor conferences. I don't think anything helps quite as much as those. I also personally have a hard time getting started with my topic, and so I really thought the instructor conferences for the issues paper being two weeks before the deadline were very helpful. I think having one so soon in the writing process really helped me to be able to more clearly obtain a vision for where I want to go with my paper and how to get there instead of being unsure all the way through the paper until the last few days before the deadline. Having said that, I would prefer to have an instructor conference right off the bat like we did for the issues paper, but to then have another one like the weekend before the assignment is due. That would be very helpful in trying to make the paper as good as possible with some last minute feedback.

I am really looking forward to this weekend and listening to conference. A lot of times, I take this opportunity to listen to Prophets and Apostles speak for granted and I don't typically prepare myself like I should. However, my mom challenged me this week to really take advantage of it and go to conference with the questions that I feel like I need answers to. So, being a momma's boy, I have done just that. I feel like I am looking forward to Dallin H. Oaks, Jeffery R Holland, President Monson and his presidency speak this weekend. I love listening to Elder Oaks for multiple reasons. First, he reminds me of the bald X-man especially with his voice. It is very captivating and demands your attention. But I also feels like he gives very spiritual messages but in a scholarly way that's not over the head of his audience. He uses appropriate diction for all ages while sounding professional and educated at the same time. Elder Holland because his talks are so passionate and emotional that he really develops a pathos with his audience which adds to the Spirit that we feel. President Monson and his presidency all speak majestically and establish pathos and ethos with his audience. Conference is a time where the Lord's servants have received revelation for all of us and is such a good opportunity to receive personal revelation and guidance for ourselves with our individual problems and questions.

Extra Credit

Double extra credit blog post! This is really exciting. I really like the instructor conferences. I thought they were helpful and I got good feedback for my papers. I think I preferred the RA timing because right after I went to the writing center I had the instructor conference. I liked going over the things I learned in the writing center with Kelsey. Some things the writing instructor said were different than what Kelsey wanted so it was good for me to go over it with Kelsey after getting the other feedback.

For conference this weekend I'm mostly looking forward to hearing Elder Holland. I always like his talks. In my mission we would sometimes call him Uncle Jeff. I don't know what that has to do with his rhetoric but I just really like the way he talks. He is a very powerful speaker. The way he talks and the words he uses are very well thought out and interesting to listen to. He's a very talented speaker and is almost poetic in the things he talks about. I'm also looking forward to the Prophet of course. He is exciting to listen to, especially when he makes new announcements. I think the announcement of the missionary age change a while ago makes me more interested in what he says because I'm kinda expecting another crazy announcement. The fact that he's the prophet gives him a lot of rhetorical power. People know that he's the one who speaks to God and who receives direct revelation for us, so I should be very interested in what he has to say because I know that he's telling us exactly what God wants us to know.

I also really enjoy the music in conference. I have the chance to be in a choir that's singing in the Saturday afternoon session of conference. As we've been preparing the director has said several times that we get more time that session than the prophet does, as in people will be listening to us more time than they'll be listening to the prophet. I love the influence that the choir has on conference and I'm really excited I can be in it.

Another favorite speaker in conference is Elder Uchdorf. I like the simple way he can explain things. When he talks it's easy to listen to and follow what he's saying. I also like hearing Elder Christofferson. He has a good way of speaking that really works with me.

Extra Credit Post!!

Part: 1

I really like how we did instructor conferences with the opinion editorial and the issues paper.  Both of them gave me enough time to make the corrections I needed too to write the best paper I could.  I especially like how the issues paper was two weeks before because it really forced me to get working on it early and forced me to get my first draft done early.  By doing that I was able to have plenty of time to take the advice I was given by Kelsey and also from the peer reviews and write the best paper I could.  It was also really helpful because as the end of the semester comes up it gets really busy in all of my classes so by already having most of my issues paper done it takes a lot of stress off of me in this class.  I also really like the timing of the opinion editorial because although it was a week later, it was also a lot shorter so it still worked out just as good as the issues paper.  However, I did not like how the rhetorical analysis was just days before it was due.  It was really hard to make the corrections I needed to in the short amount of time before it was due. I just felt really rushed and I don’t think I got as high of a grade as I could have. 

Part: 2

This weekend for conference, I am really looking forward to hearing from elder Jeffrey R. Holland.  His rhetoric is very clear and precise.  He just says what he means and doesn’t beat around the bush.  He also brings a lot of power and emotion to his talks which I really like.  I think he is also an English major or something and that really stands out in his talks.  By being very clear and precise and by speaking with power and emotion he is able to reach more of the audience and make the talks a lot easier to listen too.  I am also looking forward to hearing from president Uchtdorf.  I am not really sure why but I just like hearing from him as well.  Maybe it’s all the airplane analogies he uses that really helps me understand the messages better, I don’t know.  But by far, elder Holland and elder Uchtdorf and my favorite speakers to listen to during general conference

Extra Credit Double Post

Part 1:

I absolutely loved having instructor conferences this semester in writing. They really helped me in the writing process. The timing definitely had a lot to do with the progress that I made. The timing that I preferred was probably for the Issues Paper. I really liked how Alexis and I met with Kelsey really early in the game. We were unsure what approach to take because our topic was so broad and she helped us organize our paper and determine our position on the issue. It would have been difficult to write the whole paper and then have to go back and narrow our issue, which is what we probably would have had to do if it weren't for our conference. I also like when we met with a full rough draft on our opinion editorial. This gave me a good idea of where I stood. I was able to make the corrections I needed to before I turned it in for a final draft. One of my main issues with writing papers is that I don’t finish it soon enough and I end up being rushed. Because of that, I don’t properly review my papers and get the most feedback possible. The feedback really makes all the difference. I have noticed a huge difference in my writing! It gives me a lot of hope knowing that I can make good progress if I give it the proper attention before I turn it in. By finishing my drafts at least a week before its due, and meeting with our teacher and getting peer reviews, I am able to create the best possible paper I can.

Part 2:

I am really looking forward to conference this weekend. It is coming at the perfect time with my freshman year coming to a close. I am always so grateful for our prophets and leaders. They are truly inspired men. I am looking forward to hearing from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. I love listening to his talks because of the way he speaks with such force and power. His rhetoric is very clear, understandable and relatable. I think almost everyone connects with the way he speaks. He reaches many people with the use of his powerful words. I admire the way he gets his point across very clearly. No beating around the bush. His testimony is powerful but of love for the Savior and gratitude for the Atonement. I absolutely cannot wait to hear what he has to say this conference. He never fails to exceed my expectations and inspire me to endure to the end and better myself.

Double Extra Credit Blog Post

Part 1

I definitely prefer having instructor conferences well before the paper is due.  I always like receiving lots of feedback with plenty of time to make the necessary changes for two reasons.  First, I enjoy not being rushed in making the changes I received in the instructor conference; I do not think it is very safe to rush writing.  Second, I usually need to go back a second time after receiving feedback to make sure I addressed the tips properly.  It is possible and even probably that I misinterpreted the advice I receive, so I appreciate having time to go back once I have made the changes and make sure I made them in the right manner.  This is not easy to do when the instructor conferences are right before the due date of the final draft.  Further more, I think it is best to have peer reviews first as well, before the instructor conference.  I think peers can offer each other plenty of little tips and check each other on the prompt, a strong theses, basic format, clarity, and grammar.  But anything past this, it is up to the instructor to offer advice, so I think it is best to have the peers fix these matters so that the instructor can then focus on tips past this.

Part 2

As is probably the same with everyone else, I am really looking forward to hearing from Elder Holland.  Elder Holland, being an English major, seems to have a very particular clarity to his talks.  Obviously there is a lot more to talks than just English skills, especially among the General Authorities, but I have noticed that I can listen to Elder Holland with more ease than I can to other speakers.  His clarity makes his talks easier for the reader to follow.  He also posses questions at very convenient times, addressing them soon after with what seems like perfect timing.  This, along with his clarity, makes him thoroughly hold up his side of the reader writer contract.

I am also really excited to hear from President Eyring.  I honestly don’t think I can name any specific rhetorical skills about Eyring’s talks that make me enjoy them though.  He just gives such uplifting stories and has such an earnest, honest, yet optimistic voice to everything he speaks of.  And of course, I always feel the Spirit especially strong when he closes with his powerful testimony.

Human

I think that my favorite times to have instructor conferences was a week before the due date (Op Ed) and two weeks before the dead line (Issues Paper). I like having time after the conferences to work on my paper. I felt like during the Rhetorical Analysis after I had gotten the feed back that I needed, I didn't have the time I wish I did to do all I wanted to my paper, but during the other two papers I did. But honestly all in all they were all fine.

I love conference! I feel like the Prophet and the Apostles have something specific for me. It is amazing how relevant their topics are to the issues of the world. My parents always promised me that if I listened close enough my questions and concerned would always be answered in conference... they were right. And it is amazing to think that applies to everyone. It is impossible for me to deny that Thomas S. Monson is a true prophet because he must truly be in-tune with God to answer everyone's questions. I just love it.
I also love the prepping for conference. It so nice to start thinking about what questions I have and preparing to feel the Spirit. I like to listen to church hymns and write in my journal. I've found that if I write in my journal it is easy for me to see what parts of my life need guidance and then I have a better idea of what I am listening during conference. I went to the temple tonight and felt the Spirit so strongly, it makes me so excited to hear the Prophet and his Apostles speak so that I can feel that same Spirit again.
It is so hard to pick a favorite speaker, because I think a new one jumps out to me every conference. But my consistent favorites have to be Jeffrey R Holland and President Monson. Brother Holland is so powerful. He knows how to create the most effective tone. I find it impossible to listen to him speak without sheading tears, because you can tell how incredible passionate and how much he believes exactly what he is saying. It is simply amazing. And President Monson. Somehow he manages to address a big issue in my life, and he does it in a way that makes me feel like he knows exactly what I am going through. I always find it so incredible that such a righteous people can speak and still relate to such an imperfect person like me. Brother Packer does this as well. Somehow, even though they are a million times more knowledgeable and more perfect than I am, they make me feel so human.

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CONFERENCE THIS WEEK!!!

Oh this is a tough question… I always enjoy instructor conferences and I just wish we could have two conferences for every paper!  They are very helpful and informative.  I always come away from the conferences with new ideas and feeling like my paper is progressing.  I don’t think I have a preference of when we hold instructor conferences because it is so valuable, no matter the timing.  I think that having the conference two weeks before the deadline is great because it helps me get a good kick-start on my paper.  I am able to run through thoughts with the Kelsey and gain new ideas I had not thought of before.  Although, I also think the deadline right before the due date is also helpful because I am able to get feedback and ideas on my final draft.  Having it right before the deadline is beneficial because I feel like I am able to get Kelsey’s final thoughts on paper and I am able to make adjustments accordingly.  So, I do not have preference on when we have the instructor conferences because I feel like no matter when we hold them, they are extremely valuable!

Ah YAY! I am so giddy and beyond excited for General Conference!!!  General Conferences, both April and October, are the highlights of my year! I love the spirit I feel as I learn from the Lord’s chosen leaders and prophet.  The peace and overwhelming joy I feel is indescribable.  Although I know all of the talks are divinely inspired, I do always have a few favorite leaders that I look forward to listening to.  Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf is one of my favorites (He walked past the Cougarettes once on the BYU football field when we were warming up for a game… we were all just a little star-struck…;)).  I love the stories and analogies he uses in his talks.  I feel like the rhetorical tools he uses help connect him to his audience.  Plus, who cannot fall in love with his smile and charismatic and witty personality? Another speaker that I am eager to hear from is Elder Jeffery R. Holland.  The power and authority that Elder Holland speaks with is overwhelming.  I know that whenever he speaks, he is speaking with the power of God.  I also love to hear Elder Bednar, especially now that I have met him twice with the Cougarettes, he and his wife are such special people.  I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to meet them and shook their hands.  I also love hearing Elder Eyring speak; he speaks with the Spirit.  And last, but definitely not least, I am very excited to hear from our beloved prophet, President Thomas S. Monson.  I know that President Monson is teaching what our Heavenly Father wants us to know, so I am excited to hear and learn from his words.  All in all, I am SO excited for this weekend! :)