THE RASSIE REPORT

What is an "ERA?" You may have heard the youth saying, "I am in my ___era." Era, is a term that Taylor Swift has used to describe each of her albums. Each album portrays an "era" or part of her life. An era is simply the "phase of life" you are currently in and it literally can be anything. I don't think I've cared for or had the motivation to care for my physical health this much until this year. I have been working out everyday since Jan 1st, and once a week, I attend a workout class with my best friend Alexa. I have found that working out with friends is the best motivator for me. It's been a blessing to have friends that value their health as well, and are willing to get up in the morning or late evenings to go do 30 minutes or more of exercise. I promise you as you try to workout everyday, you can start to see a change in every aspect of your life. There is a reason God has commanded that we take care of our bodies. He knew/kno...

  "He just followed me home. Then I helped him up the stairs and into our apartment." If you read the highlight section carefully, I mentioned we temporarily "adopted" a cat named Jeb. The name didn't come from me, rather it came from my best friend/roommate Addison.  I got home from a workout at EOS with my best friend Alexa. Addison was pulling into his parking spot which is right next to mine. As I got out, he asked if I could help carry some things up to our apartment. Upon opening the car, I noticed the cat litter and litter box and lost it. According to Addison, he happened to have some cat food in his backpack (he's prepared for anything lol) and he fed the cat. The cat, in return, followed him home, up the stairs, and into our apartment. At first, I wasn't ready to have a cat as a roommate.  But after a day or two, he began to grow on me a little bit. Addison has now decided to take him to an animal shelter and is waiting to see if the owners ...

As I mentioned, I went through a few friendship fallouts. The purpose of this newsletter is to keep you updated with things happening in my life which means the bad as well. I hold my friends to a certain standard, and when they aren't pulling their weight in the relationship, I have to re-evaluate and determine if I need to let them go. I believe some people are only supposed to walk into your life for a short amount of time while others last a lifetime. I had to let go of a friend I made recently and it was hard to let that friendship end. Although the pain of a broken heart is unbearable, I am happier than I have been in the past months because I am not wasting my energy trying to maintain a relationship with a friend that doesn't want to put in the equal work to be friends.

My winter semester started this month and the first day of class was spectacular. My Monday instruction was the first class of my PR courses and its Social and Digital Media. It's an interesting course and every SINGLE individual in the class is PHENOMENAL.  As I sat down on the first day, I decided I would get to know everyone in the room and it was a great idea because every time I enter that class, everyone says hi to each other and makes sure they feel welcome. I have PR classes M-TH and I have the same seven people in each class so we have become very close and enjoy each other's company. This is another sign to me that I am where I need to be.  No matter how difficult it is to be gay at BYU, this is where I am supposed to be. God meant for me to find these people and it's all part of His plan for me. I have never felt this included at BYU until this semester. On the other hand, three of my classes have heavy reading assignments which shouldn't be a problem f...

  22 is a milestone that I’ve been waiting for ever since I listened to Taylor Swift’s album Red for the first time on the way to my Great Grandma’s house to pick her up for my piano recital. This song has been deeply rooted in my life and has been a song that I have sung over and over as I have patiently waited for the time to use my favorite lyric from 22. The number “22” is a sign of good luck or of positive things to come. As I am learning to not look back or forward, but be present, I am excited to figure out what positive things are coming my way. The number “17” is the only prime number that is the sum of four consecutive primes. Seventeen is a sign that you need to let go of things that are holding you back. I’ve made it a goal this year to focus on myself more and care for my body.

  Do you know what this is talking about? No. Well, me either. This summer, I went on a study abroad through BYU which was intended for the communications program. It was a month-long experience that covered two classes in the program. I was one—of two—males selected to go on the study abroad. The public relations program at BYU is a female-dominated major. The experiences I had from that trip were remarkable and I am sure I will be bringing those experiences back into these emails at some point. At the conclusion of the study abroad, I was choosing my fall semester courses and I looked at the required classes I would have to take. In my Fall Semester of 2021, I took a College Algebra course that WAS SO HARD! I didn’t do well in that class, but it checked off my general education requirement. It would turn into a blessing to have her in that class because the teacher was not that great and I some of the things he talked about I didn’t agree. “If you are wearing shorts above the k...

This year, my personal motto is going to be “Be Present.” I personally struggle with dwelling on experiences in the past and constantly thinking about the future. Part of that struggle is because I am a major planner. I need to have a sense of what my week is going to look like…sometimes a week or two before it actually happens. Bringing a major planner is a great life skill to have…especially in college. I’m learning to enjoy the present in everything I do especially if it’s specific classes like statistics. (More about that down below.) It’s been a great mindset to have and I have found how happy I’ve been when I’m not stressing out about the future. So, I suggest thinking about a “year-long” motto, something easy to remember and that helps push you to change!

  The word "Rassie" is the name I have given my group of supporters. It's similar to "Swifties" the fan group of Taylor Swift. So, in essence, you are my fans. So, wear the title "Rassie" with pride. Not many people can say that they have earned that title. In August 2021, I officially finished my missionary service. At the conclusion of my two years, many individuals who read my emails consistently shared with me that they would miss my weekly emails. I’ve thought for the past two years of how I could bring those back and I thought of a monthly email that I could send to update all of you on my life, share quotes/scriptures, poetry/writing pieces, etc. This is how I decided to format these monthly updates! It's a format that allows me to share stories coherently and isn't a thick-bodied email where you have to scroll into the abyss of a gmail text box. I get more joy of typing this up than hearing your responses! However, please respond to th...