Common Questions-- Interview

Kenzie
- BYU college graduate. BYU employee, Lighting Supervisor Assistant. Served her mission in New Zealand.
- Friendly, Shy, loves hugs, and kind.

What is a pattern from your past that you want to change?

• "What is a pattern from my past I want to change. Like? Okay. A pattern from my past that I want to change... My Exercise Habits, that suck right now. I would like to... change and get back to the pattern that I used to be on. (laugh) Of actually exercising... ya know, not necessarily daily but at least like four times a week would be nice. ."

What is a pattern from your past that you want to continue?

• "That one would be... um also kind of one I want to continue improving on but...uhhh... pattern of like scripture and prayer, morning and night. Derek and I have started reading together at night and that's really nice."

Did you get these patterns from anywhere?

• "Umm... the exercise pattern... I mean both of them I feel like I gained on my mission. Like, I did them before that, but mostly on my mission is really what put them into me. Um But with exercise also- Just before my mission when I was training to do half marathons and crap. Uh that got me in a routine. That was nice and I want to get back to."

Tell me about someone who has helped you transition or move past something important in your life?

• "Okay. Okay. Mmm there are many people. Uh. Well Derek has helped me transition away from anxiety. Um

• But I also think back to... when I first started um at BYU, in Wyview actually right there, I was super...uh... there's a lot of anxiety in my life... because making big changes in my life have always... I never realized that I had like anxiety and depression until I went on my mission and then I realized had those things for a really long time. (laugh)

• But, when I moved into Wyview it was a week before school started, I.. my sisters helped move me in.And I still remember literally that day, like I walked in my apartment and sat on the couch and my sisters helped put everything away, and like unpacked me. Because I was so stressed out and just like in shocked of what was happening. That I... there was no like... I was.. pretty depressed, but I didn't realize it back then. Um But they definitely helped me transition.

• Then talking to my mom everyday. Literally I emailed her everyday. Literally I emailed her everyday probably my first year of college. But um.Yeah but my sisters and my mom have helped me transition in a lot of things in my life."

What specifically did Derek do? Or specifically what others did to help with that?

• "Um. My sisters.. yeah helping me move in. They're always just very supportive, or everything I do. So I think that helps. Um Derek.. uh he's a very calm person, so it pulls my levels of anxiety back down. Um and he makes me laugh.. always, which keeps me calm. Uh.. And I think also a big part of any transition in my life when I have like physical like contact with people. Um I think that was one thing that was really hard for me on my mission was going from a job where I worked with so many guys and males going into my mission where I couldn't touch them. Cause I went from a Theatre life, to.. of hugging and touching everyone, to a life of I can't touch you. That's when I realized how much of a physical touch of a person I am. Um cause I connect with people better on that level and I understand them better. Um Yeah so physical touch also helps with Derek back to the whole love languages thing. It's also funny because he's not a touchy person, at all. But with me, he's like Oh You've changed everything and I'm like Yeah."

What was the defining moment or turning point in your life?

• "defining or turning point in my life... I think it was... I mean. Uh. There's a new one now, but ...before this whole meeting Derek, marriage thing, it was the week... well the day I decided to go that I needed to go on a mission... or that I realized I needed to go on a mission because I had had like for two years prior to the day I finally decided I had had impressions that I needed to go on a mission. but it was never something that I.... wanted to do, one. and two, ever felt like it was.. I never felt like it was something I needed to do right now. In my head I was like Oh I'll go on a couple's mission when I am older, ya know.
  
  Um. But then there was one day, Well in my last semester at byu. I...um I was literally halfway through the semester. I... Marianne had already talked to me about taking the job after i graduated as her assistant essentially. and so I had like all of these things lining up, perfectly. Yes, I'm gonna graduate, I'm gonna work here, and everything was just fitting perfectly. But there was something inside me that nothing felt right. And...um I....even though I was graduating and and doing all of these great things I felt like I was going nowhere with my life. And I was like this doesn't make sense. And I was like, uh so frustrated.
  
  But then I was reading a talk one night to help one of my friends with a.. a forum devotionally thing for theatre, that next day, and um... this was Logan. Did you meet Logan? Anywho..um.. he.. but yeah. I was reading this talk by Elder Holland called "The first great commandment." And In it, it says... He's telling the story of Peter and uh catching the fish with nets. And um,  it's in Elder Hollands words, and he said, in part of it, it says, um 'Peter if I wanted fish... I can get fish. What I need are disciples.' So that was the main line that hit me, like YOU need to go on a mission! (laugh) He has his fish! um... and so... yep.

• And then that next day, after I decided that that night, I still remember that  next day was the first snow of the season. and everyone was super depressed... and irritated with life. And I was like, "Life is great! I'm going on a mission!" It was one of the happiest days of my life. That was my turning point.

Tell me about someone outside your family

• I was having a depressing day. My friend, who was nice but I didn't know super well ran up and handed me a flower.
• 
  
• "Or I mean like people you meet on the mission. Okay there's one. There was this one day where um... it was toward the end of my mission... and once again a day that everything sucked and nothing was going according to plan and everything. And we were literally like walking around. It was right as the kids were getting out of school. and We were walking around this area, and I don't even know what to do right now, because everything is not working. And we were kind of just walking in this general area, and there were these two little girls that passed by us and said "HI", and I was like "Oh, hi" One of them stopped in her tracks and just stared at us and said, "Have you guys ever come to my house?" and I was like "I don't know." and she's like, "You guys should come to my house." and I was like, "Well, we don't know where you live." and she's like, "Well I'll show you" and I was like"Okay" it sound creepy but Okay. So she's like, just follow us. And so we started walking with these little girls, and we started talking with them. One was probably about 10, the one that started talking to us was probably about 10 and then other one was maybe 7. And we were asking them what their names were. and she was like, "Oh my name's miracle." (laugh) Literally a miracle.(laughs) I was like Okay.
• And Then as we started walking we were going to this area that we had been to MULTIPLE times, because we had a lot of less active members in the area. The farther she walked, I was like Oh my gosh, she's going to this house that we have been trying to get in contact with for a super long time. And she did, it was this less active member, that we had been trying to get in contact with, and it was her mom. Then we went up to the door and just chatted with them for a little bit. But I was like, your name was literally miracle. So, yeah. that was a big turning point."