From Nebraska to Arizona to Grad School

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Yelp.com Account Managers!

Well, my friends, it’s been awhile and what a crazy adventure it has been. I moved from Nebraska to Peoria/Scottsdale/Tempe, Arizona, I started a new job at Yelp.com as an Account Manager, and started grad school at Arizona State University. I’ve taught a session of Junior Achievement to an 11th grade classroom, became president/student rep for the Student Advisory Board for my grad class, was in my twin’s (Brittany Mahugh/Lyman) wedding, became a happy aunt to a beautiful boy, Cody Harper, and moved three times. I was stung by a handful of Africanized Honey Bees on Camelback Mountain, been in training for a half marathon, and signed up for the Tougher Mudder in San Diego. I spent two weeks in San Francisco with my beautiful Buhl family, one in Napa Valley with my parents (wine country) and the second working at our home office. I was selected to spend a month in Germany in May for an international trip for class, retained a 4.0 in my first trimester of grad school, and about to get on the college racquetball club.

Offsite Party - Yelp definitely knows how to throw a party!

And that’s only the a small fraction of it all! I’m so happy to be out of Nebraska. I truly miss my students tremendously and wish I could have brought them all with me, but Britni is back in her own skin. Back doing the crazy things she loves to do and spreading herself FAR too thin for her own good.

In Oregon for July 4th with my family

I’ve met some of the most amazing people at both work and school. It’s been great having so many different kinds of friends who love adventure, theatre, outdoors, racquetball, football, coffee, shopping, studying, sun bathing, pets, climbing Camelback, opera, movies, drinking, socializing, and whatever else we could think of at the time. I’ve missed friends so much.

So my adventure continues. With arms, eyes, and mind wide open. I can’t wait to see what the next few months/years have in store!

Continuing to Boldly Challenge Status Quo, no matter where I am :)

On top of Camelback Mountain 

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Simple Gestures Can Make All the Difference

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You never know when a simple hello, hug or smile will truly make someone’s day. A simple gesture of love or genuine care to show someone you notice them, could be the difference that person needs to have a brighter outlook on life.

I should have gone into psychology. I’m naturally good at it (not to toot my own horn, but it’s true) and have personal experience dealing with people or observing their reactions to situations. I’m like a heat seeking missile to people in trouble, who need a shoulder to cry on or talk to, who need a little personal direction, or whatever else someone needs. I just get people. I took enough psychology to understand the underlying relationship between actions and reactions, but I also have the knack of observation. Put all of that together and I’m your unofficial counselor friend!

Going back to the reason for this blog. I’ve been dealing with a few of my students and friends who have troubling outlooks on life. They take reality and create an extreme version in their minds of situations, and then cultivate those thoughts to become their new reality.

Some people don’t understand why others don’t know how to pull themselves together. Don’t understand why others think the way they do. It can be taxing to try to understand, but it can also be difficult for people to express themselves as well. Maybe someday I’ll go into depth about what I’m talking about, but for now, just trust me.

Deeply, emotionally, passionately care about the people around you. If you make their day, someday they’ll be there to make yours.

Boldly challenge status quo.

(To be continued...)

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Spring Break Trip to Dallas

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Better late than never, right?

Based on my M.O., nothing should surprise you. Five weeks ago was Spring Break in Curtis (my little 600 person WITH students town, an hour away from any sort of mass civilization) and I was stuck here, all alone, with zero students. I had a few projects to do for NCTA, and during the evenings, I worked on my personal portfolio. I watched so many movies I almost don’t ever want to see another again. Almost.

Two students came back early to work at a bull sale from Thursday through Monday of break. Well, after a day, they were told they weren’t needed during the weekend. I joked about going to Dallas Thursday night and didn’t think anything of it. Friday rolled around and I finished all of my week’s projects and started craving sushi, so I asked the guys if they wanted to go after their work was done.

On my way to North Platte (for those of you who don’t know, I live an hour away from any kind of civilization), I got the itch. The itch to go to Dallas. By the time I was halfway, I stopped and asked the guys if they wanted to go to Dallas. Seriously go to Dallas! I’m not sure if they really thought I was serious, but Jed reluctantly and Matt excitedly said yes! So I turned around, packed my bags, and waited for the guys to get home. They knocked on my door, and as I exuberantly jumped up to open it, their faces were full of shock, uncertainty, and unease. Not sure if that was because I was as excited as a little child in a candy store, but let’s pretend that wasn’t the case.

What is love?

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When I think of this, all I want to do is break out into song... "What is love? Baby, don't hurt me. Don't hurt me. No more!" But that's not what I want to talk about, yet when you love someone, they're bound to hurt you. If you love them enough, is it worth it to work through the pain to make it better?

One of my students asked me the other day what love meant to me, and she told me she'd explain later. Background: This student doesn't use the word love lightly. Her and her parents hardly even use it for each other, as it's assumed their love is already known. Apparently a few students feel the same way. "People (family & friends) should just know I love them. There's no need to say it."

Wow, to me, there should never be a day you don't tell the people you love, that you indeed love them. I'm only 25, but there have already been instances where I wish I would have told close family or friends I loved them more. You never know when today will be their last. Or yours.

Lack of Respect with WSU Representation

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I am very passionate about being a good role model for others no mater how old they are. I also have WSU Cougar blood running through my veins. Washington State University is not only an institution, but it's a community of some of the most genuine and hardworking people I know. It may not have been where I wanted to go at first, but it was exactly where I needed to be and I do not regret that and never will.

With that said, I am extremely disappointed in our WSU basketball team, the coach and our athletic director. Three students on the team have been caught with marijuana putting a bad taste in everyone's mouth, especially now with national coverage since our team is in the semifinals. As far as legalizing marijuana, I'm not going to use it but I don't really care what happens either way. It's a personal decision, but I'll be the first to not allow my kids around it. However, that's not what I'm frustrated about. It is the fact that marijuana is ILLEGAL at the moment and students who are supposed to be representing WSU in its entirty as a ball player have been caught with it. Moreover, we have an athletic director that lifted the suspension of a ball player just so he could play in the NIC tournament and a coach who started that same player.

So I wrote a letter to the editor of WSU's Daily Evergreen, which you can read below. What are your thoughts?

Personally, WSU needs to step it up. Regain respect among Americans. And POSITIVELY boldly challenge status quo.

http://www.dailyevergreen.com/story/33836

50 Lists to Write to Lift Your Spirits OR to Simply Just Think About

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I love lists. I'd forget my head half the time if it wasn't attached!  If I don't write things down, I forget (thanks Dad). And then I feel extremely empowered when I finish a task and blissfully scratch it off my list. Then there are times when I write as a form of thinking, brainstorming, processing, reflecting. Sometimes getting everything out on paper puts me at ease when my mind is racing.

So when you have those times, or if you just feel like reflecting, come back to this list. You never know how your answers will change over time, and which ones don't. Have fun!

List as many as you can:

1. People who have influenced or inspired you
2. Things you are grateful for
3. Places you have been
4. Places you want to go
5. Books you’ve read

100 Things I Learned About Nebraska or What It Has Taught Me

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1. Huskers or Bust.
2. “Farmers” grow crops. “Ranchers” raise cattle. “Trucks” are semis. “Pickups” are the things most people drive. 
3. Farmers never get tax refund checks.
4. Slow life is comfortable. Big cities are normally unnerving.
5. Many have never been farther than 100-200 miles from home, let alone in a plane.
6. Can't stand to be indoors.
7. Always willing to help. Even with the not-so-fun jobs.
8. Dogs are house hold commodities. Cats are a given (outside) for mousing purposes.
9. Small animal 4-H is a joke. Livestock showing is their art.
10. Can start driving at 13.
11. Beer is always available after a day of work.
12. To gain respect fast, don't be afraid to get dirt under your fingernails. Eating a fresh rocky mountain oyster does the trick too.

Stop, Look & Listen

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Side note: My title makes me want to yell out in a cheer from high school! (Dedicated to my Wolf Pack!)

I get so annoyed with myself. When friends are stressed, heartbroken, unnerved, or frustrated with life, my heart literally aches for them and I can’t seem to get it off my mind. The motherly instinct kicks in (and I don’t even have kids yet!! Good grief!) and I just want to fix everything. I hate when I can’t help people, or fix problems. It’s the same reason why I hate when people are disappointed or mad at me, and I have no control over changing their opinion. Why is it that we have such deep bonds like this for our dearest friends and feel helpless when we can’t fix the pain, or why we go to any length to help those in need? But more so, why don’t we trust each other enough to be completely open and honest so those of us that want to fix it can pinpoint the problem!?

Simple answer. We’re human. Past experiences of others destroying our capability to trust others. The thought that others are judging us for being “weak” when pouring our hearts out. Because we have become a selfish public without genuine care or the art of listening. And because it becomes humorous when we struggle with ignorance. If you saw a man repeatedly running into a wall until he was a bloody pulp, after awhile it would make you laugh because it was so absurd. For this exact reason, we throw the wall up to relieve ourselves from embarrassment. It is unfortunate that we build walls so high and tough, that few people know how to break through. No one wants to get hurt, but life isn’t about being safe.

Strength in a Weakness

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I used to hate writing. English was my least favorite subject and I dreaded writing multiple page papers. My love during grade school was dissecting the unknown of science, but most of all living a life to better the lives of those around me. The same still exists. Every day is an adventure waiting for me to take hold and discover its meaning. Each presents opportunities to influence lives and cherish the memories created.

I may not articulate my thoughts perfectly or use the most intelligent words, but I’m not trying to impress you with my words. I’m trying to spark something inside you. Maybe one of my blogs will take ahold of you, or awaken some part of you that’s been dead. Maybe they’ll influence you to pay good things forward instead of hold a grudge about someone who’s done you wrong. Maybe you won’t agree with me, or maybe you will. I don’t mind either way. These are my thoughts. I don’t want to think for you. I don’t want to puppet your life. But I do want you to challenge yourself to be the best you can be. Not to give yourself excuses. Those are worthless. Life will have many obstacles and it’s how you overcome them that makes you who you are or who you want to become.

Remembering the Life of Julene Wilde

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Ten years ago today the world lost one of the most genuinely, kind women God ever created. Not a day goes by without her memory in my mind, and I know the same is true for those closest to her.

You never know what you have until it’s gone. I hate this quote because it’s so true and so difficult to swallow when we lose people we love, but something we all need to embrace and remember every day. We don’t appreciate the blessings in our lives because so many of us take them for granted. Why? Because they’ve become a comfortable, trusted element in a person’s life, only to find out that nothing is for eternity while on earth.

My grandma and grandpa were a huge part of my life growing up. As an accident baby (Yep, thanks to my dad’s anatomy class, you sit there reading this!), my parents hadn’t had all of their ducks in a row yet, so my grandparents babysat me a lot. Maybe it was that bond created at such an early age that I have always held them so dear and close to my heart. They continued pouring their love by showing up to choir concerts, attending sporting events, not missing birthdays or holidays, and allowing my sister and I to spend weekends with them just so we could enjoy their love even more.

My Opinion of "The Social Network"

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I was hesitant to watch "The Social Network" because I didn't want to support the bashing of Mark Zuckerberg. I had some kind of ethical issue about it, but honestly it didn't depict Mark in bad light at all. Merely everyone else's selfish and ignorant personalities. After watching it, I think the movie still articulates Mark's tremendous success and the self-pity of the Harvard twins. Granted Mark may have been swayed once or twice by people of influence, but honestly, he created the phenomenon with little help from those who sued him, minus his initial "CFO" who was manipulated out of the picture by Napster's super power, Shawn Fanning. So, attacking Mark was the wrong way to go. Glad “CFO” Saverin's name is back on facebook, but otherwise, more power to Mark!

Of course, this is just a movie and you never know how much of it was false, but it sure was quite a story. Glad I decided to watch it to form my own opinion!

What do you think?

Boldly challenging status quo, one idea at a time.

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My Epiphany

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While I was applying for grad school, the same question I kept getting asked was something along the lines of “What are your long term career goals?” Well, crap! I had no idea what to say because I haven’t figured that out yet. I wrote about some compilation of ideas between reaching out, collegiate success for others, technology or retail industries, and making a difference and non-profit work. The goals changed depending on the day I was writing my application essays.

After I filled out double digits of applications to top universities across the world, I started thinking I’d enjoy international event planning. Planning large entertainment events across the world would be such a FUN career! A former professor of mine does just that which is where I got the idea. But how do I get into that?

I started looking into headquarters of restaurants, resorts, golf tournaments, retail stores, travel agencies, and every other headquarters in between that could possibly get me to that overall goal. (I’m pretty sure once I move to Phoenix, every agency will know who Britni Freiboth is because they all have my resume!)

But then I started thinking about my essays and what the underlying messages were that I was trying to imply. I thoroughly enjoy the satisfaction of putting others before myself in any situation. However, I delight in fighting for a good cause to raise money whether I participate in running activities, or creating my own charity events. I believe I was born to fight for those who cannot or will not fight for what is ethically right. I am a firm believer in what is popular is not always right, but what is right is not always popular, and I live my life based on influencing others to choose based on ethical values. I have a genuine, passionate, competitive, active personality, which is a deadly combination. Once I set my mind on a goal, I will achieve it no matter what obstacles fall in my way. If I can teach others or help others achieve their goals along the way, I will have succeeded.

Ideas for Lasting Relationships

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I read an article the other morning about lasting relationships, which perfectly enough, I quoted in a conversation later that day. One of my students was having a bad day, not knowing why she would just all of a sudden start crying for no apparent reason. I told her to come find me if she needed to talk. I had a sneaky suspicion, but sometimes it’s hard for people to say things out loud because it makes it real. I know that all to well from my own personal relationships. But I also know that not talking about the things on our minds, the harder it is to logically think through the madness.

She showed up in my office a few hours later. We had our initial small talk session and then I went right into what was going on. I nailed it. She was having personal problems with her boy friend, but she didn’t want to really deal with them because she cares so much for him that she kept locking the frustrations away, only to finally break down “without any apparent reason.” The ever-present, yet constantly consciously forgotten, “Love is Blind” came into full swing. Why is it that so many people try to rationalize issues that will later destroy a relationship just because they remember “the good times?” Anyway, I pulled out the listed characteristics and gave it to her straight.

When considering a “soulmate,” you better have these characteristics figured out:

Don't Just Settle with a Job

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The other day I went over to a house, which I consider a home, in Curtis with people I feel are my family. The Wetzels were the first couple I met in Curtis while I was flying back and forth from Dallas when my boss and I were trying to do business from afar. Instead of staying at the local hotel, George insisted I stay with the Wetzels to feel more welcomed and a part of the community while I was visiting. Maybe he had some sort of intuition knowing I’d end up moving to this tiny American rural and dying town.

The Wetzels knew George when they went to the agriculture high school together back in the early 1950s, which is now a University of Nebraska branch campus. The Wetzels’ kind hearts reeled George in and gave him a place to share and relax without worrying about being politically correct. They have been a godsend as they’ve continued that with me. I always know I’ll get a warm welcome and hugs all around when I visit. The Wetzels are truly the most genuine, kind, and loving people I’ve met here, and honestly don’t know if my sanity level would be the same without them.

You Never Know When You'll Be Inspired

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A week ago, I was in Vegas for the Miss America contest. No, I wasn't in it, but many people thought I should have been. Unfortunately, my talent is inspiring, mentoring, or leading people, along with my adventurous love for life. I guess I could request to hold the talent portion outside and skydive for my talent. :)

Want to see my Vegas pics? Click HERE.

How about random Vegas pics of us? Click HERE.

The whole week up until the main event, I walked all over Vegas, took the stairs at every chance I could instead of escalators, visited every casino/resort possible in the small amount we were there, and spent as little time sitting around as we could. A ridiculous amount of photos were taken along the way to capture the city's ambience and life. I can honestly say I never gambled. I was so impressed with how much there was to do in Vegas that I didn't think twice about not throwing money away. Well, on gambling anyway.

Schweitzer Cabin Adventure GETTING to the Cabin

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What a week!! Welcoming the new year at the Valeri Vista cabin at Schweitzer was the best new years celebration yet. I had such a wonderful time with loving and adoring people as we created adventures at every possible moment.

Want to see pictures? Click HERE.

The craziest day, though, was actually GETTING to the cabin.