On Wednesday night my family and I had an awesome opportunity to go to the BYU abilities banquet because Now I Can was receiving and award. My mom told me that afternoon before we went that we would be sitting at a table by some guys from Vocal Point. Then I started getting nervous because I love them. 

The banquet set up was so nice. There were many tables with nice flowers. And the food was delicious! We had Chicken Cordon Bleu and potatoes, as well as a really yummy salad. And the desserts were one of two different kinds of cakes that were both heavenly. 

I had never known before that they had a banquet like this where they presented people who are making a difference in the community and helping people reach their full potential and ability. They recognized people both at BYU and in the community. Something that was really awesome to me was that there were a couple of deaf people there, so they had interpreters. Since I'm taking ASL this year, I enjoyed watching the interpreters. 

They also had a very inspirational speaker at the end of the night. Her name is Amberley Snyder. She is famous for barrel riding, and she has been in lots of competitions and won many awards. When she was 18 she got in a terrible car accident and became paralyzed from the waist down. She shared her recovery story and how she has been able to grow and learn from this experience. I was amazed by her determination and her positive attitude despite the hard things she has gone through. And I was able to talk to her for a minute after and she is absolutely amazing. 

This was a very fun night for me and it made me even more grateful for all the amazing people we have in the community and the difference they are making. Things like this make me want to be a better person and have and influence on others. 

Always have hope,