Autumn Cramer Kia Kaha

  I am not a blogger. I have never been good and writing down how I feel. Nor do I think being vulnerable to strangers. I keep a personal journal from time to time, but I usually don’t broadcast my thoughts and experiences in a super public setting. I know what I have to say does have value and can help people, but I am not one to take time out of my life to share my story with others. I tend to be one of those people that has a very close, tight knit circle of people in my life and don’t care too much about what other people outside of that circle may think of me. Now, I am setting myself up to sound like a total jerk right? Well I promise you that I am not. I love serving people, making conversation with strangers, and having deep discussions with people. I love connecting with people and seeing others succeed. However, I know that I sometimes care too much. I can give 110%, while the other person is only giving me 50%, and yet I still feel like there’s more I could be doing. Tha...

          When it comes to dating in today’s society, it can be so hard to know if you're doing it “right”. This post will be dedicated to those who want to know how to date successfully. Dr. John Van Epp developed a dating model called the Relationship Attachment Model (RAM), which goes over five key elements that need to be present in order to date successfully. These five components are know, trust, rely, commit, and touch in that order. In order to date successfully it is important to follow this model.  This may sound like common sense, but let me give you a few scenarios and see if you can relate. Scenario one, you have been dating someone for a few months and most of your dates include sitting on the couch watching tv having make-out sessions. Scenario two, you are individually very insecure and unhappy with your life, but then when you’re with your significant other you are so happy that your happiness actually relies on you being in a relation...

  Is there really a big difference between men and women? I mean we all kind of look the same physically with eyes, legs, fingers, etc. Obviously guys tend to have a deeper voice and I mean women can give birth, so we definitely aren’t the same, but what about our characteristics. Are there certain things men tend to do more than women? Does being a guy mean you are born with certain personality traits that women don’t have? Maybe by just being born a girl you are automatically smarter than if you were born male? Again these are a lot of what ifs and maybes, however, for today’s post I would like to share with you something that is very near and dear to my heart. It is called “ The Family: A Proclamation to the World” and was written by leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This statement was given as a declaration to the world as to what God states a family is and what individuals responsibilities are in the family unit. First let us dive into the individual ...

  When you hear the word “family”, what image comes to your mind? Is it a mom & dad with kids, same-sex couple, a single lady with her cats, an older couple with their grandkids, or does your mind draw a blank? Well the definition of family has changed a lot over the years and the purpose of this post is not to define what a family is, but to get you thinking of all the variety of pieces that make up a family. No family is the same in number, race, culture, or beliefs yet if you take a family member out of the picture it leaves a hole.  Researchers have been studying this topic for years and do you know what one of the most common questions is? Think about it for a minute. We know that researchers are focused on finding a correlation to the family’s financial well being, social status, education, and job status. Yet, the question researchers care so much about is, how does this affect the children involved.  Let me give you an example, you are a researcher studying wh...

Regardless of how functional or picture perfect your family may appear, within each family there are roles that are placed on the individual members. Some of these are obvious, vocalized roles such as being the mother, father, sibling, etc. However, many roles can be acquired without choice or discussion. For example, in my family I am often known as the responsible, dependable one. My family can always rely on me to be the strong, steady minded one they can turn to for strength or reassurance. I am the sister who can help you make a decision and is there for you whenever you need it. The daughter who does everything she can to make her parents proud. I am the niece or granddaughter who always makes an effort to keep in touch. Not that my other family members don't have these abilities, but I know that more than anyone else in the family I have developed this role. One thing that I hear so many times when I catch my family talking about me is that, "you don't have to worry...