Research project

I am conducting a research project right now at school, and am really needing as many responses as I can get! Please send this survey link to as many people as you can, and please take it for me. The study is on the relationship between missions and other priorities in the lives of young single adults. Here is the link: https://byu.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_3DIOC0AG908AOz2

RSL 3-0 win!!

On Saturday I went with a good friend, Panika, to the 1st leg of the Real Salt Lake playoff series against the Seattle Sounders FC. For the first time in a few months, the entire team was healthy (which, ironically, didn't last very long.) They won 3-0!! IT WAS AMAZING!

I love the atmosphere at Rio Tinto Stadium. It really is a fortress for RSL. The atmosphere was electric, the fans were intense, and the game lived up to the hype.

RSL dominated the flow of the game, especially in the midfield, with the return of Javier Morales, Kyle Beckerman, and Will Johnson to the lineup. Álvaro Saborío scored 2 goals, but the 2nd was one of the most amazing goals I have ever seen in person. Javi (Morales) sent the ball into him just outside the 6 yard box and Saborío put a SICK flick on the ball which went around the defender and the keeper, and went in the goal just inside the far post. Oh man, it was beautiful. Honestly, that goal alone was worth all the money I paid to be there, everything was else was just bonus.

My only regret is leaving my phone in my car so I didn't get any pictures or video...

Where are you Halloween?: Homework and braces on the day of the dead

I think it's pretty safe to say that the thrill and flavor that Halloween once had has been completely lost to me. I was unaware for most of today that it was Halloween. Only the occasional stroll on campus between classes and such reminded me.

Last year I still had a little bit of the spark, as I attempted to dress up (I drew a book on my face and called myself facebook) and went to a Halloween dance on campus. The dance was actually pretty fun, and I enjoyed myself.

This year... not so much. I spent the holiday in the computer lab in the snell building finishing a written midterm and working on a construction documents assignment. Luckily I was able to be pretty productive and get a lot done (although I am not nearly where I need to be yet. Another early morning is just a good night's sleep away (*crossing fingers*). I am officially calling this my "heck week" at school - SO MUCH TO DO!)

Maybe another reason is the lack of desire to eat candy right now. Earlier today I had an orthodontist appointment (how fitting, right?). What's crazy about it is that today my orthodontist took off the wire in my braces, and then put the chain on. This is supposed to make my teeth come together at hyper-speed (apparently within the next few days!) This will be nice because it will take off a good few months of time he said. But, boy, I tell you what: IT HURTS. My teeth haven't been this sore since the very first day with braces. Even eating ramen tonight hurt. My poor stomach is going to be growling at me for a week now.

Maybe next year I will get more ambitious and actually do something on Halloween. Then again, maybe I won't. Maybe the thrill has just plain worn off.

Edición especial en ESPAÑOL!

Hola a todos mis amigos que hablan español! Hoy hago una edición especial para ustedes!

Mi vida va pasando como arena en las manos, siempre está volando más rápido cada día.

Sigo en la universidad de Brigham Young (BYU) estudiando la administración de propiedades. De verdad, me encanta estudiar esto. Voy progresando cada día en la técnica y conocimiento de ello.

Algo que ustedes querrán saber: esta semana conseguí un trabajo con la iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Días. Voy a trabajar como ingeniero en el templo de Provo. Consiste de mantener el edificio en su eléctrica, aire, etc. La verdad es que estoy muy animado tener esta oportunidad de crecer y aprender como preparación para mi carrera.

Me estoy dando cuenta que necesito practicar el español escrito. No lo he practicado desde hace mucho tiempo y esto me ha dado esa oportunidad. Espero que a muchos de ustedes les ha gustado leer un poco de mi vida y espero que dejen sus comentarios!

Hasta la vista!

Internship!!

Check out my latest FPM blog! It talks about getting my first official internship at the Provo temple!

The internship will last longer than expected and start sooner than expected! I start training next week! I am super excited to learn and grow from the temple engineers and become a better facility manager. I couldn't be more grateful for the opportunity.

It will be pretty crazy for the first little while though, as I will be learning time management a lot more. I must keep my commitment to my on-campus job at BYU through the end of the semester (I wasn't expecting to start the internship so soon!) So I will likely be working both jobs and going to school (and somehow getting sleep and social time...) until the end of this semester. It will be hard but worth it as I continue to grow. I will learn so much, and the opportunity is one that I can't give up!

Don't panic! It's just midterms!

Ya know, college life is so unpredictable and crazy. It's stressful, it's fun, it's full of learning. It's a happy time, it's a sad time, it's a lonely time, and a social time. It's full of highs and lows, ups and downs. Balancing everything on your plate is the name of the game: classes, homework, study, work, midterms, essays, social time, dating (especially at BYU!), eating, sleeping, talking to family (or going to see them every once in a while in my case), and the list goes on.

This week has been super fun, getting midterm studying in (pyschology - monday, living prophets - tomorrow, and finance - beginning of next week), mentoring my fun freshmen, and applying for internships. (Check out the latest on my FPM blog!)

The funny thing is: I have been getting plenty of sleep. Despite that fact, though, I may be getting burned out, or on brain overload from going so hard, so fast, and not taking time to breathe and/or slow down. So that's why I'm taking the time right now to update my blog. It's a fun way to let people see what's going on in my life and gives me some time to sit back and reflect on the last little while.

For work (I work as a peer mentor in the freshman mentoring department at BYU right now) we get to meet one-on-one with the students we mentor and talk to them about how everything is going and see if there is anything we can do for them. We basically act as a liaison between them and any/all resources on campus. It has been so fun! Lately I have been working with other peer mentors a lot, doing workshops for the students we mentor on such topics as midterm preparation, study tips, study groups, surviving financially, and understanding the ins and outs of registration. This has also been super fun and rewarding for myself: I have learned a lot about teamwork, motivation, organization and how to have fun amidst it all.

School and being on campus has become my life recently, and honestly, I'm not about to complain. I have loved it. I have made some amazing friends that I know will be lasting friendships. I have learned more in this semester alone than I have for the last while total! I couldn't more grateful for all of my opportunities!

I am a huge supporter of BYU athletics, one of the reasons I chose to attend BYU. I especially follow Football and men's basketball, but I enjoy watching the other sports as well. Attending BYU has been a life-long dream of mine, and I am so grateful to get my education at such a great university around people with high standards like mine. The atmosphere here makes me happy, makes me feel involved, makes me feel confident. The fact that I get to cheer on my Cougars only adds to the overall experience.

"My name is Braden Hellewell and I am a Mormon."

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), and know it to be the true, restored Church of Christ through the Prophet Joseph Smith, which has a living prophet (spokesman for God) and 12 living apostles as in the days of the living Christ. Visit www.lds.org or www.mormon.org for more information or answers to questions.

One of the opportunities of being a member of this church is to be able to leave home for 2 years and serve as a missionary. For these 2 years we are representatives of Christ and preach his gospel to any who will hear the message. We pay our own way,
making it a complete service and sacrifice. We are "called to serve" by a living prophet, who by revelation from God assigns us a geographic area to serve in.

I served my mission in Guadalajara, Mexico, where I had the most rewarding 2 years of my life. It included serving in the cities of Tepic (see photo above), Guadalajara, and Puerto Vallarta. Those 2 years were the most challenging, most difficult, hardest 2 years of my life. But I wouldn't exchange those 2 years for anything in the world. I came to love the Mexican people, the spanish language, and the Mexico winters.

My Family

Family has always been the most important thing to me. I couldn't be more grateful for parents that support me in everything I do. They are my heroes, and there is no doubt of their love for me. I hope I can be at least half the dad for my children that my dad has been for me. All of my siblings and step-siblings deserve some love here as well, I love them all so much, and as the oldest of my parents' children, I feel a love for them (and my step-siblings) that few brothers do.