This week was a lot of fun. I missed my family, but I had a good time nonetheless and I wasn't near as homesick as I generally am during Thanksgiving and everyone else is off with their families and I'm, well, not. I had planned to get some homework done this week, haha yeah no. That so didn't happen, I took a quiz but that was about it.
Anyways I went to Utah with Allie and stayed at her Aunt and Uncle's house. On the way there we stayed the night in Hyrum in a church that has been turned into a church- which was super neat. The six of us (we traveled in a group of 6) stayed the night in the basement, and we were so lucky they had a ton of blankets to offer us! The heater for that area had gone out that afternoon, and for those of you who don't know- daytime in Idaho or Utah right now is pretty cold, but nighttime is awful! Especially since moving around keeps you warmer. We stayed in the basement at the house we stayed at the rest of the week, but we had a fire and a space heater which kept it fairly warm down there.
So we left Tuesday night and got to our destination Wednesday afternoon.
On Thursday we went out for lunch with Allie's aunt, uncle, brother, and grandpa at a really nice restaurant, called Elements, where we were served pre-plated Thanksgiving dinners (mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, beans, stuffing, and turkey). In the evening I skyped my family (as tradition requires) until their phone battery died. And I honestly think we spent the rest of the evening watching movies and reading.
On Friday, Allie and I took the train into Salt Lake- with the intention of going Black Friday shopping (don't worry, we had specific things we were searching for) but we ended up starting at Temple Square, and spent a long time there. Even in the winter, it's so beautiful. Someone told us that around sunset they'd be lighting the lights for the first time (well for this year) and we could come back and see it if we wanted. We ended up at City Creek next, which is where we had lunch, I got lasagna and it was wonderful :). We wandered the stores and then walked to Gateway- where we got lost in Barnes and Noble for a long time, I managed to limit myself to one book, which I've been wanting, and a journal which I do need a new one- plus it's super cool! We finally escaped the grasp of the bookstore and happened to wander into a little candy shop- yeah I know... By the time we finished there the sun was setting so we walked back to temple square to see all the Christmas lights. They were amazing. We sat down on a random concrete thing and were looking at the train schedule to figure out where and when we should meet a train. As we were sitting there Elder L. Tom Perry walked past us and with a smile asked, "You girls tired already?" We responded that we were starting to feel tired since we'd been walking all day , and with a smile he continued on to the large nativity set with his wife. Definitely one of the neatest moments from this semester.
Saturday was our actual celebration of Thanksgiving. Allie's cousins and their families came over and we had a traditional, large meal. It was nice to sit down to an actual meal with people- that hasn't happened in my world in a while, one of the things that happens when you're in college, the closest thing I've gotten to that is taking a quick break from homework to eat something.
Now it's Sunday evening, I'm actually sitting in the car listening to the album Lead Thou Me On by Vocal Point (my favorite) typing this, and we're headed back to school. I'm so not looking forward to finals here in a few weeks.
Monday, December 1, 2014
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Friday and Saturday remind me that I have a social life
On Friday I was over with Lydia and Thomas and we were making pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Lydia didn't have any eggs so Thomas ran across the street to get some from his own place- when he walked in the door he just said, "Catch!" and all the sudden there was a broken egg in my hands. I don't know how I managed to catch it, but it was awesome! Then I left with Allie and Laurel and we went to Cocoa Bean- so good! It was fun to hang out with both of them, we don't often get the 3 of us together anymore. Laurel left for a date and Allie and I headed off to the cheap theater to see The Giver. They did a good job on it- that was one of my favorite books growing up and I still love it, along with True Sight, which is a similar storyline. How do I always get off track? It's distracting. But I felt like they did a good job following the book. Guys! Mocking Jay part one comes out in 12 days! I think Allie and I are going to see it over Thanksgiving break :)
Last night Allie and I watched The Count of Monte Cristo- which one of the TV shows we both watch is apparently based on, it was great to sit and make all of the connections between the two. When it ended we sat and watched the season 3 finale of Revenge, just because we could. I had to run home to make it back before curfew- but it was worth it. Even if I had to deal with the unpleasant reminder that I can't run outside when it's below freezing because my lungs forget how to function properly.
Sorry, I don't have a lot to say- just done a ton of homework and than played on Friday and Saturday :)
Last night Allie and I watched The Count of Monte Cristo- which one of the TV shows we both watch is apparently based on, it was great to sit and make all of the connections between the two. When it ended we sat and watched the season 3 finale of Revenge, just because we could. I had to run home to make it back before curfew- but it was worth it. Even if I had to deal with the unpleasant reminder that I can't run outside when it's below freezing because my lungs forget how to function properly.
Sorry, I don't have a lot to say- just done a ton of homework and than played on Friday and Saturday :)
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Umm yeah, I hate naming these things
So I guess I could just start off saying that the last 2 weeks or so have, well, sucked. Emotionally I struggled a lot- but eventually everything will work itself out- it always does. You know how I said I haven't been feeling 100% whenever I last wrote a post? Well, I went to the doctor who wanted blood tests which came back with levels of T4 and TSH suggesting hypothyroidism. Okay, not suggesting- it actually is an issue. I swear my body is forgetting how to function one part at a time, no wonder I love immunosuppressants (basically inactivate the immune system) so much!
Writing is funny, I never go in the direction I'm planning...
I got to go to a Piano Guys concert! It was amazing, I don't remember exactly when it was, but I went with one of my old roommates and it was really fun to hang out with her again. The guy that plays the cello has some really amazing cellos that all have different techniques. You know how you can record things and play things back on keyboards? He had one that did that but would play multiple lines that he would record as he was playing a new line and made it sound like he was a whole orchestra!
Oh, it was midterms the week before last... That was great! <--- read with LOTS of sarcasm. (Does it bother anyone else that read can be pronounced 'red' or 'reed'?) Well anyways, I spent ALL week studying for my Anat&Phys test- partially because we had 3(!!!!) back to back- not fair! I'm so mad about this... I spent all of my time studying for those tests, fell behind in all of my other classes, and failed them. I am so ticked. And then of course, I failed my other tests because I was so stressed about Anat&Phys- at least my grade is still passing in those classes- Anatomy is barely holding on and Physiology, well it's drowning and I'm not sure it's going to find a life raft in time.
Basically after feeling like a complete failure I was really depressed and so there isn't much to say about last week unless you really want to hear about how long I am capable of sleeping- it amazes even me.
The Ironman Triathalon starts this month- I'm going to do it again! I'm not sure I'll finish in the first 100 this time, but I want to finish it just the same. It gives me some motivation to go exercise.
I think I'm going to hang out with Allie's family for Thanksgiving- I'd love to go home, but spending the week with my best friend is a close second. Going home is a long time in a car and a lot in gas money so I'm waiting for Christmas to go home- time and distance makes the heart fonder, right? While going to Salt Lake is WAY less time in a car and far cheaper. At least I won't be alone again this semester for Thanksgiving. It was looking like it was going to be a repeat of my first semester where all of my roommates were gone for a week and I was alone and knew no one else that was staying on campus.
I changed my major to Child Development. I was going to switch to English, but Child Development kind of popped into my mind out of nowhere and felt right so I'm going with it. I register for winter semester classes sometime next week- I'm really excited about the classes I have to take.
I suppose I should actually be paying attention to this lecture- I'm just really bored with this World Foundations class, I feel like it's just a bunch of busy work. Laurel and I often get frustrated with the homework assignments. I swear people only show up the days we have tests in class- otherwise this lecture hall is generally basically empty. I often have a debate in my head about coming to class or sleeping- but it's my only class today so I feel bad skipping it.
Ugh I'm so bored but I really should be paying attention so I guess I will- there's only 12 mins left anyways. Have a good day :)
Writing is funny, I never go in the direction I'm planning...
I got to go to a Piano Guys concert! It was amazing, I don't remember exactly when it was, but I went with one of my old roommates and it was really fun to hang out with her again. The guy that plays the cello has some really amazing cellos that all have different techniques. You know how you can record things and play things back on keyboards? He had one that did that but would play multiple lines that he would record as he was playing a new line and made it sound like he was a whole orchestra!
Oh, it was midterms the week before last... That was great! <--- read with LOTS of sarcasm. (Does it bother anyone else that read can be pronounced 'red' or 'reed'?) Well anyways, I spent ALL week studying for my Anat&Phys test- partially because we had 3(!!!!) back to back- not fair! I'm so mad about this... I spent all of my time studying for those tests, fell behind in all of my other classes, and failed them. I am so ticked. And then of course, I failed my other tests because I was so stressed about Anat&Phys- at least my grade is still passing in those classes- Anatomy is barely holding on and Physiology, well it's drowning and I'm not sure it's going to find a life raft in time.
Basically after feeling like a complete failure I was really depressed and so there isn't much to say about last week unless you really want to hear about how long I am capable of sleeping- it amazes even me.
The Ironman Triathalon starts this month- I'm going to do it again! I'm not sure I'll finish in the first 100 this time, but I want to finish it just the same. It gives me some motivation to go exercise.
I think I'm going to hang out with Allie's family for Thanksgiving- I'd love to go home, but spending the week with my best friend is a close second. Going home is a long time in a car and a lot in gas money so I'm waiting for Christmas to go home- time and distance makes the heart fonder, right? While going to Salt Lake is WAY less time in a car and far cheaper. At least I won't be alone again this semester for Thanksgiving. It was looking like it was going to be a repeat of my first semester where all of my roommates were gone for a week and I was alone and knew no one else that was staying on campus.
I changed my major to Child Development. I was going to switch to English, but Child Development kind of popped into my mind out of nowhere and felt right so I'm going with it. I register for winter semester classes sometime next week- I'm really excited about the classes I have to take.
I suppose I should actually be paying attention to this lecture- I'm just really bored with this World Foundations class, I feel like it's just a bunch of busy work. Laurel and I often get frustrated with the homework assignments. I swear people only show up the days we have tests in class- otherwise this lecture hall is generally basically empty. I often have a debate in my head about coming to class or sleeping- but it's my only class today so I feel bad skipping it.
Ugh I'm so bored but I really should be paying attention so I guess I will- there's only 12 mins left anyways. Have a good day :)
Monday, October 20, 2014
Way Overdue Update
So my mom pointed out to me that I haven't posted anything in awhile- I'm sorry! I've been SO busy this semester it's not even funny. Classes are great, but they are definitely keeping me occupied. Anatomy and Physiology pretty much takes up all of my time, but I don't mind too much. I basically spend Monday through Friday working on it and then catch up my other four classes on Saturday. I still manage to get out and have fun every once in awhile though :)
I spend Wednesday afternoon's at the temple with Lydia and Friday mornings there with Laurel. I'm so grateful that my friends have the same desires that I do and that we can do the same activity every week and it never gets old. This past Friday I actually went to the temple twice, because it was the only time that worked for me and Lydia, it was so great. I basically spent the whole day there and there's nowhere I would have rather been.
Allie and I made our way though the extended Lord of the Rings movies over the course of many Saturdays, and a Friday. It was a lot of fun, now we're working our way though Star Wars.
I got kinda sick this past week, that or nutrient deficient in some other vitamin that I'm not already deficient in. It was weird, I was super shaky and then was nauseous which basically eliminated my appetite and had a headache. My roommate suggested that maybe I was Vit. K (Potassium) deficient, and I think she was right- cause I ate potatoes (anyone surprised?) and the problem seemed to be fixed. Potatoes actually have more potassium in them than banana's- just in case you were wondering. It took a few days for the shakiness to go away completely, but potassium definitely helped so I guess I just haven't been eating enough potassium? Who knows, I guess that's what happens when you don't have time to get to the store and so you only eat granola bars for like a week... Yeah, I know, I have a minor in nutrition.
Speaking of which, I'm trying to decide on changing my major. I love health science, but really I just love the nutrition and biology aspect- I have NO desire to put myself through the torture known as chemistry. I'd really love to major in nutrition, but we don't have that major here so I'd have to transfer out somewhere. The school is working on implementing a health psychology major though which combines psychology, nutrition, and biology- sounds like a good mix to me! Only problem is that they're not starting it until Fall 2015 and I'm supposed to graduate Winter 2016. Slight problem. I don't know what I'm going to do yet- I'd also really love to major in English, but I'd be okay making that my minor if I could major in nutrition!
What else has happened in my life? I don't even know. Umm I went on a date a few weeks ago (actually it might not have been that long ago but anat&phys has completely destroyed my sense of time) it was fun, we made pizza and then walked to Cocoa Bean to get Hot Chocolate. At some point Allie and I walked up to Fat Cats (actually it's downhill to get there, but whatever) and saw Maze Runner, it was pretty good. It followed the book pretty well, but there were things they changed that just didn't work for me- but you're probably not reading this with the intention of finding a movie review so I guess I'll move on.
You know, I should just bring a sleeping bag and a toothbrush and I could literally live in the library. I spend SO much time here studying that I feel like I basically live here. I have a little desk on the 2nd floor (silent section of the library, it's so great!) that I have basically made my homework spot- I also have one on the 1st floor that I use when I'm having a hard time staying awake because there's some noise but not too much (like the 3rd floor which is for group study.)
You know, when I write these I'm always afraid I'm going to forget something that was super great and then one of my friends will read it and be upset that I didn't mention it. But then again I also assume that only my family reads these, but I honestly have no idea!
I get along great with my roommates, I really do believe that roommate assignments aren't ever a coincidence and that God is fully aware of us and our needs, he's just waiting for us to turn to Him and ask.
Man I need to work on transition sentences... Oh well. My religion class this semester is so great! I'm taking world religions, so far we've covered Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. Next we're studying Sikhism and I'm so excited! I love learning about all these religions and what they believe. The first class we talked about how we can and should have holy envy for other religions and I've really come to understand what was meant by that. One of the things I admire most is the respect for life these three religions we've learned about so far have. They do anything to preserve any type of life and to not injure others and if we all lived like that I can only imagine how much more peaceful this world would be.
I feel like since Anatomy and Physiology basically takes up my life I should at least mention it at some point. Basically I have a Physiology lecture and an Anatomy lab (which isn't worth near enough credits.) I love the lecture portion! I love understanding how things work- like my nutrition class last week we were talking about Vitamin D and I was curious how it was actually produced so I went and studied it- basically the UVB rays from the sun convert specific carbohydrates which move to the liver to pick up some hydrogen and oxygen and then move on to the kidneys where they pick up one last pair of hydrogen and oxygen which activates it as the chemical we know as Vitamin D! Isn't that just amazing? Random tangent that wasn't planned... I do that. Right now in class we're talking about neurons, I find it so amazing that these little electrical signals that are flying faster than we can imagine and are somehow are created by the brain allow us to do things like move our hand in a way that we can make these small lines that become letters and we have complete control over the electricity in our brains and can do things like that! Anatomy though is just one more thing to do, I mean it's interesting but I feel like I spend so much time memorizing terms that I don't really know much about why things are named the way they are or why that specific bone, muscle, or whatever is so important. I mean I know they are, but why do we have 8 bones in our wrist? What is the purpose of each one? What would happen if there were more or less? This is why I take anatomy, not so I can name every little crevice and angle on a bone.
Someone near me in the library is eating yogurt, I think it's strawberry and banana. I don't like yogurt and I kind of wish I couldn't smell it right now, just in case any of you were wondering. This is what happens when I sit down with a blank sheet of paper or document, I basically just type whatever crosses my mind. It works well for creative writing :)
Uhh I think I'm out of things to spew onto this page for now, I should be working on Anat&Phys anyways. If you made it through that, congratulations! I'll try and be better at posting each week, but no promises. Oh and I have a separate blog for my creative writing papers- but it's private (basically so no strange people out there can steal my ideas) so if you want to be able to read them let me know and I'll add you to the list of people who can see them.
I spend Wednesday afternoon's at the temple with Lydia and Friday mornings there with Laurel. I'm so grateful that my friends have the same desires that I do and that we can do the same activity every week and it never gets old. This past Friday I actually went to the temple twice, because it was the only time that worked for me and Lydia, it was so great. I basically spent the whole day there and there's nowhere I would have rather been.
Allie and I made our way though the extended Lord of the Rings movies over the course of many Saturdays, and a Friday. It was a lot of fun, now we're working our way though Star Wars.
I got kinda sick this past week, that or nutrient deficient in some other vitamin that I'm not already deficient in. It was weird, I was super shaky and then was nauseous which basically eliminated my appetite and had a headache. My roommate suggested that maybe I was Vit. K (Potassium) deficient, and I think she was right- cause I ate potatoes (anyone surprised?) and the problem seemed to be fixed. Potatoes actually have more potassium in them than banana's- just in case you were wondering. It took a few days for the shakiness to go away completely, but potassium definitely helped so I guess I just haven't been eating enough potassium? Who knows, I guess that's what happens when you don't have time to get to the store and so you only eat granola bars for like a week... Yeah, I know, I have a minor in nutrition.
Speaking of which, I'm trying to decide on changing my major. I love health science, but really I just love the nutrition and biology aspect- I have NO desire to put myself through the torture known as chemistry. I'd really love to major in nutrition, but we don't have that major here so I'd have to transfer out somewhere. The school is working on implementing a health psychology major though which combines psychology, nutrition, and biology- sounds like a good mix to me! Only problem is that they're not starting it until Fall 2015 and I'm supposed to graduate Winter 2016. Slight problem. I don't know what I'm going to do yet- I'd also really love to major in English, but I'd be okay making that my minor if I could major in nutrition!
What else has happened in my life? I don't even know. Umm I went on a date a few weeks ago (actually it might not have been that long ago but anat&phys has completely destroyed my sense of time) it was fun, we made pizza and then walked to Cocoa Bean to get Hot Chocolate. At some point Allie and I walked up to Fat Cats (actually it's downhill to get there, but whatever) and saw Maze Runner, it was pretty good. It followed the book pretty well, but there were things they changed that just didn't work for me- but you're probably not reading this with the intention of finding a movie review so I guess I'll move on.
You know, I should just bring a sleeping bag and a toothbrush and I could literally live in the library. I spend SO much time here studying that I feel like I basically live here. I have a little desk on the 2nd floor (silent section of the library, it's so great!) that I have basically made my homework spot- I also have one on the 1st floor that I use when I'm having a hard time staying awake because there's some noise but not too much (like the 3rd floor which is for group study.)
You know, when I write these I'm always afraid I'm going to forget something that was super great and then one of my friends will read it and be upset that I didn't mention it. But then again I also assume that only my family reads these, but I honestly have no idea!
I get along great with my roommates, I really do believe that roommate assignments aren't ever a coincidence and that God is fully aware of us and our needs, he's just waiting for us to turn to Him and ask.
Man I need to work on transition sentences... Oh well. My religion class this semester is so great! I'm taking world religions, so far we've covered Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. Next we're studying Sikhism and I'm so excited! I love learning about all these religions and what they believe. The first class we talked about how we can and should have holy envy for other religions and I've really come to understand what was meant by that. One of the things I admire most is the respect for life these three religions we've learned about so far have. They do anything to preserve any type of life and to not injure others and if we all lived like that I can only imagine how much more peaceful this world would be.
I feel like since Anatomy and Physiology basically takes up my life I should at least mention it at some point. Basically I have a Physiology lecture and an Anatomy lab (which isn't worth near enough credits.) I love the lecture portion! I love understanding how things work- like my nutrition class last week we were talking about Vitamin D and I was curious how it was actually produced so I went and studied it- basically the UVB rays from the sun convert specific carbohydrates which move to the liver to pick up some hydrogen and oxygen and then move on to the kidneys where they pick up one last pair of hydrogen and oxygen which activates it as the chemical we know as Vitamin D! Isn't that just amazing? Random tangent that wasn't planned... I do that. Right now in class we're talking about neurons, I find it so amazing that these little electrical signals that are flying faster than we can imagine and are somehow are created by the brain allow us to do things like move our hand in a way that we can make these small lines that become letters and we have complete control over the electricity in our brains and can do things like that! Anatomy though is just one more thing to do, I mean it's interesting but I feel like I spend so much time memorizing terms that I don't really know much about why things are named the way they are or why that specific bone, muscle, or whatever is so important. I mean I know they are, but why do we have 8 bones in our wrist? What is the purpose of each one? What would happen if there were more or less? This is why I take anatomy, not so I can name every little crevice and angle on a bone.
Someone near me in the library is eating yogurt, I think it's strawberry and banana. I don't like yogurt and I kind of wish I couldn't smell it right now, just in case any of you were wondering. This is what happens when I sit down with a blank sheet of paper or document, I basically just type whatever crosses my mind. It works well for creative writing :)
Uhh I think I'm out of things to spew onto this page for now, I should be working on Anat&Phys anyways. If you made it through that, congratulations! I'll try and be better at posting each week, but no promises. Oh and I have a separate blog for my creative writing papers- but it's private (basically so no strange people out there can steal my ideas) so if you want to be able to read them let me know and I'll add you to the list of people who can see them.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Procrastinating...
The first week of school was really, really crazy. I had a pretty good schedule laid out, but then ended up changing it at least 4 times, I think every night I changed something. The final result is working for me though- which is a good thing since the last day to add classes was on Monday! I'm taking World Religions, World Foundations, Anatomy and Physiology 1 (and the lab that goes along with it), Creative Writing, and Nutrition for Young Children. A&P is way more work than I could have imagined, but I'm loving it- so that's good. And Creative Writing was one of those last minute added classes so it'll be great once I'm finally caught up and don't have a mountain of stories to create!
I went to the temple with Laurel last Friday, I think we're planning to make it a habit of going Friday mornings, while Lydia and I are going to make a habit of going on Wednesdays evenings. I love going to the temple so much :)
Devotional yesterday was amazing! I got out of class at 11:15 and I like to either go study in the silent section of the library or the balcony of the I-Center (which is where we meet for Devo.) I figured I might as well just go to the I-Center, even though the balcony is closed until after Devo, since I knew it was going to be a crazy line to get into the auditorium because it always is whenever a general authority comes to speak. My friend Brittany and I somehow managed to end up at the front of the line so we got to sit in the first row! So even though Elder Holland didn't have time to stop and shake people's hands, we were less than 10 feet from him and there's a difference between watching him speak on a screen and in person. I'm so glad he came out to our campus :)
Beyond that I don't have much to say- I'm honestly just procrastinating on my homework because it really isn't easy to just sit down and write a story, it helps when you actually have an idea for one rather than a prompt to follow. Oh well, back to work. Hope you all have a great day!
I went to the temple with Laurel last Friday, I think we're planning to make it a habit of going Friday mornings, while Lydia and I are going to make a habit of going on Wednesdays evenings. I love going to the temple so much :)
Devotional yesterday was amazing! I got out of class at 11:15 and I like to either go study in the silent section of the library or the balcony of the I-Center (which is where we meet for Devo.) I figured I might as well just go to the I-Center, even though the balcony is closed until after Devo, since I knew it was going to be a crazy line to get into the auditorium because it always is whenever a general authority comes to speak. My friend Brittany and I somehow managed to end up at the front of the line so we got to sit in the first row! So even though Elder Holland didn't have time to stop and shake people's hands, we were less than 10 feet from him and there's a difference between watching him speak on a screen and in person. I'm so glad he came out to our campus :)
Beyond that I don't have much to say- I'm honestly just procrastinating on my homework because it really isn't easy to just sit down and write a story, it helps when you actually have an idea for one rather than a prompt to follow. Oh well, back to work. Hope you all have a great day!
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Summer Recap.
This summer was great! There was a slight change in plans as I added and changed medications this summer, so I won't leave on a mission for a few more months- which most of you already knew. But back in May I went through the (Portland, OR) Temple :) And as a result I was given the opportunity to work there every Friday evening over the summer! Definitely one of the best experiences of my life. It was disappointing to be asked to wait a few months to leave for Mexico City, but I've really come to know that God has a plan for us and that sometimes he asks us to take a different path to get to the same end goal and that it is always for our benefit. There's a story that I like about a farmer who purchases a run-down farm and while cleaning it up discovers a current bush that had grown too tall and doesn't produce any fruit, so he trimmed it, leaving only short stumps. As he finished he saw a single drop on top of each stump as if it was crying and felt that he heard it say, "How could you do this to me? I was making such wonderful growth. … And
now you have cut me down. Every plant in the garden will look down on
me. … How could you do this to me? I thought you were the gardener
here.” To which he responded, "Look, little currant bush, I am the gardener here, and I know what I
want you to be. I didn’t intend you to be a fruit tree or a shade tree. I
want you to be a currant bush, and someday, little currant bush, when
you are laden with fruit, you are going to say, ‘Thank you, Mr.
Gardener, for loving me enough to cut me down.’” (The full story is here, paragraph 12.) I felt like that current bush, but I've reached the point where I'm so thankful that the path I took was changed by one who knows all and knows what I can do, but also the path I need to get there. I've grown so much from this experience, and though it's been difficult, I wouldn't change it for anything!
In May I got to go visit my friend Allie! It was so great to see her and the areas around where she lives. I think we spent each day I was there visiting a different city. I'm glad I was able to go. :)
Back in August we took a family trip to Provo for Education Week on the BYU-Provo campus. It was so great! Tuesday-Friday there were hour long classes held starting at 8:30am-8:30pm, and you could go to as many as you wanted! I went to quite a few and took a lot of notes (and to those of you who've asked for a copy- I'm still working on it!) I also got to see my friend Charlotte while we were up there and went to the BYU Creamery with her- it was really good :) And then on the way home we got to visit my Cousin and his family in Salt Lake- I hadn't seen them in almost 3 years because he visits his family for Thanksgiving, while I come home for Christmas.
I didn't actually do much this summer, but this past week I've been in Rexburg preparing to help the incoming freshman. I helped with Get Connected (our freshman orientation) last semester too, but I was called in last minute so I didn't get to participate in Spirit Conference (the training leading up to orientation) last time. After participating this year though, I'm kind of sad I didn't get to participate in it last semester. It was basically meetings for 2 days, but it was fun and I learned a lot- both about the school and about myself. Last time I was an I-Rep, which is the person behind the scenes that sets up and tears down after activities. This year though, I was asked to be an I-Team leader. So was assigned a partner and we were given a list of 36 incoming new students to lead. I couldn't have done that two years ago! This school is often referred to as a Disciple Preparation Center (DPC). And one of the goals of the school is to create leaders who know how to lead and teach while continuing to maintain high standards in all things. When I got here I blew that off thinking that was just something that they said to try and get more students or something, but it's really true. In almost every class I've taken, the professors have in some way incorporated a skill that is necessary to leadership. I loved leading and teaching the new students about this campus that I've come to love, there was so much joy that I found in serving them in that way. My testimony of prayer was also greatly strengthened this past week. By Saturday night the only reason I was still able to smile and assist in anything was because many prayers were answered. There really was hardly any time to sleep between meetings/activities and preparing for school this next week, plus I didn't really sleep much prior to or during the drive out here. I know my leaders were praying for us, and we were praying also that we would have the strength and energy to serve the 5000 new students and find the one that we were placed there to serve. And I found that whenever we were preparing or with the students we had so much energy and we could just go, but any down time we had I (and probably others too) just felt completely drained physically and emotionally. Yesterday was our last day with them and so James and I went and bought treats to share with those that had been consistent in showing up to every meeting (well we bought enough for everyone but not everyone showed up.) I'm going to miss a lot of things about this week, but I have every intention of doing it again! In the evening was I-Night, the huge school-wide party the Saturday before school, I generally enjoy it, but I was so tired I spent most of the time there watching my a few of my friends play volleyball. I also spent some time with Allie and some of her friends. At 11 it the activities ended and all the I-Team leaders were in charge of cleaning up- and it's amazing how the service just brought us all back to life! The 200 or so of us got the entire building clean in about half an hour and managed to get home before curfew. And now I'm wondering why my body won't just stop thinking and let me sleep while waiting to go to church here in a few hours. I'm nervous about this semester, but it will be fine- it always is :)
In May I got to go visit my friend Allie! It was so great to see her and the areas around where she lives. I think we spent each day I was there visiting a different city. I'm glad I was able to go. :)
Back in August we took a family trip to Provo for Education Week on the BYU-Provo campus. It was so great! Tuesday-Friday there were hour long classes held starting at 8:30am-8:30pm, and you could go to as many as you wanted! I went to quite a few and took a lot of notes (and to those of you who've asked for a copy- I'm still working on it!) I also got to see my friend Charlotte while we were up there and went to the BYU Creamery with her- it was really good :) And then on the way home we got to visit my Cousin and his family in Salt Lake- I hadn't seen them in almost 3 years because he visits his family for Thanksgiving, while I come home for Christmas.
I didn't actually do much this summer, but this past week I've been in Rexburg preparing to help the incoming freshman. I helped with Get Connected (our freshman orientation) last semester too, but I was called in last minute so I didn't get to participate in Spirit Conference (the training leading up to orientation) last time. After participating this year though, I'm kind of sad I didn't get to participate in it last semester. It was basically meetings for 2 days, but it was fun and I learned a lot- both about the school and about myself. Last time I was an I-Rep, which is the person behind the scenes that sets up and tears down after activities. This year though, I was asked to be an I-Team leader. So was assigned a partner and we were given a list of 36 incoming new students to lead. I couldn't have done that two years ago! This school is often referred to as a Disciple Preparation Center (DPC). And one of the goals of the school is to create leaders who know how to lead and teach while continuing to maintain high standards in all things. When I got here I blew that off thinking that was just something that they said to try and get more students or something, but it's really true. In almost every class I've taken, the professors have in some way incorporated a skill that is necessary to leadership. I loved leading and teaching the new students about this campus that I've come to love, there was so much joy that I found in serving them in that way. My testimony of prayer was also greatly strengthened this past week. By Saturday night the only reason I was still able to smile and assist in anything was because many prayers were answered. There really was hardly any time to sleep between meetings/activities and preparing for school this next week, plus I didn't really sleep much prior to or during the drive out here. I know my leaders were praying for us, and we were praying also that we would have the strength and energy to serve the 5000 new students and find the one that we were placed there to serve. And I found that whenever we were preparing or with the students we had so much energy and we could just go, but any down time we had I (and probably others too) just felt completely drained physically and emotionally. Yesterday was our last day with them and so James and I went and bought treats to share with those that had been consistent in showing up to every meeting (well we bought enough for everyone but not everyone showed up.) I'm going to miss a lot of things about this week, but I have every intention of doing it again! In the evening was I-Night, the huge school-wide party the Saturday before school, I generally enjoy it, but I was so tired I spent most of the time there watching my a few of my friends play volleyball. I also spent some time with Allie and some of her friends. At 11 it the activities ended and all the I-Team leaders were in charge of cleaning up- and it's amazing how the service just brought us all back to life! The 200 or so of us got the entire building clean in about half an hour and managed to get home before curfew. And now I'm wondering why my body won't just stop thinking and let me sleep while waiting to go to church here in a few hours. I'm nervous about this semester, but it will be fine- it always is :)
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Conference Weekend In Salt Lake City!
So this weekend was amazing- partially because it was conference weekend and I love sitting and listening to our general authorities. But this week I only got to watch the Sunday sessions. Why? Because I was in Salt Lake City as a volunteer during the Saturday sessions! But I'll start on Friday since that's when this grand adventure began :)
So this field trip has been in a state of planning since January. My Food Service Management professor gave our class the option of going to either Boise or Salt Lake the last weekend of March to tour different facilities and see how they worked from behind the scenes. The good thing about having an odd number of people is that there can't be a tie, the bad thing about being the quietest one in your class is that you're left to be the deal breaker... And so we went to Salt Lake! We've spent the last few months deciding places in the area that we'd be interested in touring so that our professor could contact them and try and set up times for us to come through. And since we picked Salt Lake we all decided to move our trip to the weekend before finals so that we could help prepare for conference. Best. Decision. Ever.
We left bright and early Friday morning (actually we left at 7:45 which is when our class normally meets) in one of the school vans- large BYU-Idaho stickers on the doors to prove it and we got a lot of funny looks when we got up into Utah because of it :) It was a mini van so we were very strongly encouraged to pack lightly, which thankfully everyone managed (sometimes girls have a hard time packing light- I can say that because I am one of them!) No one wanted to sit up front next to our teacher for some reason- so I did, which I was hoping for anyways since I couldn't find my SeaBands which help with carsickness. I probably should mention at some point that my Food Service Management class has a grand total of 5 students in it which is how we fit into a minivan and then only 3 hotel rooms. The other 4 were asleep almost instantly and slept most of the ride, I on the other hand had had the sun right in my face the whole time since we were driving into the sunrise (and then we drove into the sunset on the way back... no sleeping for me.) But Utah is gorgeous! So many mountains, and much greener than Idaho- but it still has nothing on Oregon. We also discovered that BYU-I puts some type of guard on their speedometers... The speed limit going up into Utah is 80mph, but if we hit 80mph the car let of this horrid beeping noise- everyone was awake after that!
Our first stop was a place called Beehive Cheese in Uintah, Utah. Jade's GPS got us thoroughly lost trying to get there because it sent us down the wrong end of the road, and then it was (jokingly) my fault because I was supposed to be the navigator. I did warn them though that if I was the navigator they should prepare to get lost since they've all spent time in Salt Lake and I'm not exactly sure that I've ever been there. Maybe once for my mom's mission reunion? But I'm not sure it was in Salt Lake.
Anyways! We did make it there and got a wonderful tour from a guy named Pat. Him and his brother-in-law noticed a few years back that it was the right time to invest in a cheese making business so they quit their jobs (one was in software and the other sold houses) and learned to make cheese- their wives thought they were crazy but now they ship cheese across the U.S. and internationally! He taught us a lot about the process of cheese making and answered all of our questions and fed us samples- no complaints there! They also gave us a bag of leftovers from cutting down the cheese to the right weights- it was smoked apple walnut and it was wonderful. At the end of the tour we all bought some cheese- I got one that is made with sea salt and honey- I'm quite enjoying it though my roommate did question why I was walking around with a block of cheese...
Our next stop was to an AMAZING gelato place in Salt Lake. The guy that runs it is from Italy. He actually studied gelato making in some university in Italy and to say he's good at it is an understatement. He doesn't speak very much english so our professor (who served his mission in Italy) translated for him. Apparently his son generally translates for him but he wasn't there that day, I didn't catch why. He started off by feeding us gelato (surprise, surprise) that sounded like it was imported. He spent a long time repeating how Americans are flat out incapable of making gelato that's worth eating (sorry if any of you are trying to make gelato...) because Americans try and do everything in the simplest way possible, don't have the machinery for it, and don't use ingredients of high enough quality- he let us try the cream he uses and it was like nothing I have ever tasted before. And he has a special freezer that is used to freeze things quickly (I think he said he keeps it at like -30*C.) We learned a lot about the molecular structure and how it is changed by how it is frozen. Ice Cream has to have a lot of flavorings and such added to it because it isn't lowered instantly to a freezing temperature and so the little cell like structures with the natural flavors burst. Gelato on the other hand, when done correctly, has all those little cell structures still intact, so when it suddenly warms up in your mouth it just bursts with flavor as all those little walls rupture. You can tell if gelato is worth eating by putting it in a container and holding it upside down (it won't fall out) and by making sure it isn't shiny- if it's shiny than it's melted and then been refrozen or it wasn't made with the best ingredients. At one point he pulled out one gelato while talking about how cacao is very bitter and we were all a bit worried because it was obviously VERY dark chocolate. then he spooned a little cherry sauce on it and that was probably one of the best things I've eaten in a long time. It was like nothing I have ever tasted before (and at the end he offered us more and no one turned him down!) We asked about how he sells it- because it didn't look like a place where you could walk in and buy some and he said that he currently only sells to stores- mainly specialty stores.
We went to an Oriental Market for lunch (man my tastebuds have never been so happy- if you need to eat well, go with a culinary class because I can guarantee that you will only eat amazing food.) I got a phenomenal greek salad that my mother would have loved- when they brought it out everyone in my class seemed disappointed that they didn't get it too.
The next 2 stops we made were to restaurant supply stores. I know, I know. I sounds boring- but you would have thought that we'd died and gone to heaven with how excited we all were. So much cool equipment! And the bakery aisles. It was so hard not to spend any money. So much stuff I want but don't really need. Actually in the car, our professor said that those stores were a test of your will to see how little you can buy before you can get out- I think I won that test because I was the only one who didn't spend any money there because I recognized that I was going to have to try and pack it home in a week and that sounds like a pain. We went to an Asian market and browsed through the aisles- I don't think any of the other students bought anything, though it was sorely tempting. I was going to but they wanted a minimum payment of $10 if you were going to use a debit card and that wasn't happening.
We checked into our hotel (Double Tree Suites. Stay there if you can!) so that we could all get dressed up to go to dinner- I told you, culinary students eat well! The beds were so inviting though. Jade and I both laid on them and didn't want to get back up. We did though and then went and knocked on the other door to let the others know we were ready (the three girls were in one room, the two guys were in a room, and then our teacher was in the room between ours- which made since when we realized that our room had a adjoining door inside and BYU-I is strict about guys in girls rooms and vice versa.) We all walked down and took the train down to temple square- I didn't know that it's actually gated in, but it was gorgeous. They decided that the one thing I really needed to see with our limited time was the statue of Christ. That was such a cool experience. You walk up this ramp and the walls and the ceiling are painted to look like galaxies. I just sat there pondering for a long time and then some sister missionaries came up with a group so I listened in on what they were saying about the statue. They then played a recording of Christ speaking from the Book of Mormon. The recording ends with the phrase, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." and the one thought that crossed my mind as it ended was, "Yea Lord, I will." I love being in places where the spirit is just so strong and you can just sit peacefully and look inside yourself.
We had to leave shortly after that and so we went up to the Joseph Smith memorial building. I think our teacher saw my jaw drop when we walked inside because he just smiled and said, "go take a moment to look around." Which I gladly did! The detail work in every inch of that building is beyond impressive. So many carvings and chandeliers and beautiful rugs and statues. It was gorgeous. We didn't stay there long- we took the elevator up to the top floor which is where our dinner reservation was. It's called The Roof Restaurant. It was just as impressive. It is beautiful and clean and impressive within. But it also has these huge windows that overlook Salt Lake, but are also even with the top of the Salt Lake Temple, so we watched the sunset behind the temple. http://templesquarehospitality.com/restaurants/roof.php (if you go to this website and scroll down there's an option to take a virtual tour. It doesn't do it justice, but it's still beautiful) It's also an all you can eat buffet... man was I full! While we waited for our check at the end, our professor was telling us about an experience he had. He got to meet the first one of Joseph Smith's descendants to receive the priesthood. So he knows some of this guy's story and he recounted it to us, it was really neat and I don't think I can do his story justice if I try to tell it again.
Back at the hotel it didn't take us very long to get to bed- though Jade and I went looking for ice and then took a walk around the floor just to move for a little bit. Those beds, they were SO comfortable- especially the pillows (and I don't always sleep with a pillow because they hold my head to high off the mattress) It was so hard to get out of bed in the morning. But we did, only Cynthia slept well (at least between the girls- I don't know about the others) I just kept waking up thinking it was time to go eat and Jade kept having nightmares that we didn't get up so the guys left without us. Due to this, we were the first ones down to breakfast. It was alright, but definitely not the best meal of our trip- granted it was provided by a hotel and so it was pretty good considering.
We laughed at the pointless signs that protestors were holding, they made absolutely no sense, and eventually ended up on the very bottom floor of a parking garage (5 levels underground.) It was cool though! We saw a bunch of general authorities with their wives being driven on their carts to the conference center, but we kept walking until we reached the catering center- I have no idea what building it was in even though people keep asking. Two members of our group were sent to work in other areas and the other four of us stayed to help in the kitchen. Our teacher, James, Cynthia, and I ended up working on the line- so we dished up the plates of food for people. Cynthia and I had one lady come up and asked us if we could fill a couple of trays for the first presidency and if we could make them look nice. I was so shocked- all I could respond was that they would be beautiful! I still can't believe that I helped prepare food for them. Before we cleaned up they let all the volunteers go eat lunch, which was wonderful. I don't know what they stuffed the chicken with, but it was some kind of apple, cranberry, and cream cheese mixture. To rich for my stomach, but the following stomach ache was worth it. After cleaning up we promptly started preparing for dinner- slightly simpler since it was a build your own sandwich buffet. Each meal there was 3 waves of people. The first two were security, policemen, temple square workers, and such. And the third rush was general authorities and their families (the quorum of the twelve and the first presidency don't eat with the public for obvious reasons, so we prepared to go boxes that were taken up to them.) It was one of the most amazing experiences. I love being in the background and helping with events, and that's exactly what we were doing, and we were in the background serving those who were also in the background making the event possible. I love conference, but it's recorded so I can watch it later and I wouldn't trade that experience for anything in the world.
So this field trip has been in a state of planning since January. My Food Service Management professor gave our class the option of going to either Boise or Salt Lake the last weekend of March to tour different facilities and see how they worked from behind the scenes. The good thing about having an odd number of people is that there can't be a tie, the bad thing about being the quietest one in your class is that you're left to be the deal breaker... And so we went to Salt Lake! We've spent the last few months deciding places in the area that we'd be interested in touring so that our professor could contact them and try and set up times for us to come through. And since we picked Salt Lake we all decided to move our trip to the weekend before finals so that we could help prepare for conference. Best. Decision. Ever.
We left bright and early Friday morning (actually we left at 7:45 which is when our class normally meets) in one of the school vans- large BYU-Idaho stickers on the doors to prove it and we got a lot of funny looks when we got up into Utah because of it :) It was a mini van so we were very strongly encouraged to pack lightly, which thankfully everyone managed (sometimes girls have a hard time packing light- I can say that because I am one of them!) No one wanted to sit up front next to our teacher for some reason- so I did, which I was hoping for anyways since I couldn't find my SeaBands which help with carsickness. I probably should mention at some point that my Food Service Management class has a grand total of 5 students in it which is how we fit into a minivan and then only 3 hotel rooms. The other 4 were asleep almost instantly and slept most of the ride, I on the other hand had had the sun right in my face the whole time since we were driving into the sunrise (and then we drove into the sunset on the way back... no sleeping for me.) But Utah is gorgeous! So many mountains, and much greener than Idaho- but it still has nothing on Oregon. We also discovered that BYU-I puts some type of guard on their speedometers... The speed limit going up into Utah is 80mph, but if we hit 80mph the car let of this horrid beeping noise- everyone was awake after that!
Our first stop was a place called Beehive Cheese in Uintah, Utah. Jade's GPS got us thoroughly lost trying to get there because it sent us down the wrong end of the road, and then it was (jokingly) my fault because I was supposed to be the navigator. I did warn them though that if I was the navigator they should prepare to get lost since they've all spent time in Salt Lake and I'm not exactly sure that I've ever been there. Maybe once for my mom's mission reunion? But I'm not sure it was in Salt Lake.
Anyways! We did make it there and got a wonderful tour from a guy named Pat. Him and his brother-in-law noticed a few years back that it was the right time to invest in a cheese making business so they quit their jobs (one was in software and the other sold houses) and learned to make cheese- their wives thought they were crazy but now they ship cheese across the U.S. and internationally! He taught us a lot about the process of cheese making and answered all of our questions and fed us samples- no complaints there! They also gave us a bag of leftovers from cutting down the cheese to the right weights- it was smoked apple walnut and it was wonderful. At the end of the tour we all bought some cheese- I got one that is made with sea salt and honey- I'm quite enjoying it though my roommate did question why I was walking around with a block of cheese...
Our next stop was to an AMAZING gelato place in Salt Lake. The guy that runs it is from Italy. He actually studied gelato making in some university in Italy and to say he's good at it is an understatement. He doesn't speak very much english so our professor (who served his mission in Italy) translated for him. Apparently his son generally translates for him but he wasn't there that day, I didn't catch why. He started off by feeding us gelato (surprise, surprise) that sounded like it was imported. He spent a long time repeating how Americans are flat out incapable of making gelato that's worth eating (sorry if any of you are trying to make gelato...) because Americans try and do everything in the simplest way possible, don't have the machinery for it, and don't use ingredients of high enough quality- he let us try the cream he uses and it was like nothing I have ever tasted before. And he has a special freezer that is used to freeze things quickly (I think he said he keeps it at like -30*C.) We learned a lot about the molecular structure and how it is changed by how it is frozen. Ice Cream has to have a lot of flavorings and such added to it because it isn't lowered instantly to a freezing temperature and so the little cell like structures with the natural flavors burst. Gelato on the other hand, when done correctly, has all those little cell structures still intact, so when it suddenly warms up in your mouth it just bursts with flavor as all those little walls rupture. You can tell if gelato is worth eating by putting it in a container and holding it upside down (it won't fall out) and by making sure it isn't shiny- if it's shiny than it's melted and then been refrozen or it wasn't made with the best ingredients. At one point he pulled out one gelato while talking about how cacao is very bitter and we were all a bit worried because it was obviously VERY dark chocolate. then he spooned a little cherry sauce on it and that was probably one of the best things I've eaten in a long time. It was like nothing I have ever tasted before (and at the end he offered us more and no one turned him down!) We asked about how he sells it- because it didn't look like a place where you could walk in and buy some and he said that he currently only sells to stores- mainly specialty stores.
We went to an Oriental Market for lunch (man my tastebuds have never been so happy- if you need to eat well, go with a culinary class because I can guarantee that you will only eat amazing food.) I got a phenomenal greek salad that my mother would have loved- when they brought it out everyone in my class seemed disappointed that they didn't get it too.
The next 2 stops we made were to restaurant supply stores. I know, I know. I sounds boring- but you would have thought that we'd died and gone to heaven with how excited we all were. So much cool equipment! And the bakery aisles. It was so hard not to spend any money. So much stuff I want but don't really need. Actually in the car, our professor said that those stores were a test of your will to see how little you can buy before you can get out- I think I won that test because I was the only one who didn't spend any money there because I recognized that I was going to have to try and pack it home in a week and that sounds like a pain. We went to an Asian market and browsed through the aisles- I don't think any of the other students bought anything, though it was sorely tempting. I was going to but they wanted a minimum payment of $10 if you were going to use a debit card and that wasn't happening.
We checked into our hotel (Double Tree Suites. Stay there if you can!) so that we could all get dressed up to go to dinner- I told you, culinary students eat well! The beds were so inviting though. Jade and I both laid on them and didn't want to get back up. We did though and then went and knocked on the other door to let the others know we were ready (the three girls were in one room, the two guys were in a room, and then our teacher was in the room between ours- which made since when we realized that our room had a adjoining door inside and BYU-I is strict about guys in girls rooms and vice versa.) We all walked down and took the train down to temple square- I didn't know that it's actually gated in, but it was gorgeous. They decided that the one thing I really needed to see with our limited time was the statue of Christ. That was such a cool experience. You walk up this ramp and the walls and the ceiling are painted to look like galaxies. I just sat there pondering for a long time and then some sister missionaries came up with a group so I listened in on what they were saying about the statue. They then played a recording of Christ speaking from the Book of Mormon. The recording ends with the phrase, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." and the one thought that crossed my mind as it ended was, "Yea Lord, I will." I love being in places where the spirit is just so strong and you can just sit peacefully and look inside yourself.
We had to leave shortly after that and so we went up to the Joseph Smith memorial building. I think our teacher saw my jaw drop when we walked inside because he just smiled and said, "go take a moment to look around." Which I gladly did! The detail work in every inch of that building is beyond impressive. So many carvings and chandeliers and beautiful rugs and statues. It was gorgeous. We didn't stay there long- we took the elevator up to the top floor which is where our dinner reservation was. It's called The Roof Restaurant. It was just as impressive. It is beautiful and clean and impressive within. But it also has these huge windows that overlook Salt Lake, but are also even with the top of the Salt Lake Temple, so we watched the sunset behind the temple. http://templesquarehospitality.com/restaurants/roof.php (if you go to this website and scroll down there's an option to take a virtual tour. It doesn't do it justice, but it's still beautiful) It's also an all you can eat buffet... man was I full! While we waited for our check at the end, our professor was telling us about an experience he had. He got to meet the first one of Joseph Smith's descendants to receive the priesthood. So he knows some of this guy's story and he recounted it to us, it was really neat and I don't think I can do his story justice if I try to tell it again.
Back at the hotel it didn't take us very long to get to bed- though Jade and I went looking for ice and then took a walk around the floor just to move for a little bit. Those beds, they were SO comfortable- especially the pillows (and I don't always sleep with a pillow because they hold my head to high off the mattress) It was so hard to get out of bed in the morning. But we did, only Cynthia slept well (at least between the girls- I don't know about the others) I just kept waking up thinking it was time to go eat and Jade kept having nightmares that we didn't get up so the guys left without us. Due to this, we were the first ones down to breakfast. It was alright, but definitely not the best meal of our trip- granted it was provided by a hotel and so it was pretty good considering.
We laughed at the pointless signs that protestors were holding, they made absolutely no sense, and eventually ended up on the very bottom floor of a parking garage (5 levels underground.) It was cool though! We saw a bunch of general authorities with their wives being driven on their carts to the conference center, but we kept walking until we reached the catering center- I have no idea what building it was in even though people keep asking. Two members of our group were sent to work in other areas and the other four of us stayed to help in the kitchen. Our teacher, James, Cynthia, and I ended up working on the line- so we dished up the plates of food for people. Cynthia and I had one lady come up and asked us if we could fill a couple of trays for the first presidency and if we could make them look nice. I was so shocked- all I could respond was that they would be beautiful! I still can't believe that I helped prepare food for them. Before we cleaned up they let all the volunteers go eat lunch, which was wonderful. I don't know what they stuffed the chicken with, but it was some kind of apple, cranberry, and cream cheese mixture. To rich for my stomach, but the following stomach ache was worth it. After cleaning up we promptly started preparing for dinner- slightly simpler since it was a build your own sandwich buffet. Each meal there was 3 waves of people. The first two were security, policemen, temple square workers, and such. And the third rush was general authorities and their families (the quorum of the twelve and the first presidency don't eat with the public for obvious reasons, so we prepared to go boxes that were taken up to them.) It was one of the most amazing experiences. I love being in the background and helping with events, and that's exactly what we were doing, and we were in the background serving those who were also in the background making the event possible. I love conference, but it's recorded so I can watch it later and I wouldn't trade that experience for anything in the world.
Saturday, March 1, 2014
happy thoughts can get you through a lot :)
Guess what!!!! My mission call finally showed up :) So excited about this, even though I opened it at least two weeks ago. Anyways, I am called to serve in the New Mexico Albuquerque Mission, Spanish speaking. And I'm going to the Mexico MTC for 6 weeks to strengthen and build on the Spanish skills I have.
Life has been good the last few weeks, I just feel so in love with being alive. I can't help but wonder what may be coming (every high seems to be followed by a low) but I'm enjoying feeling so elated just because I know that there is a God and that He loves me and that I'm walking in the path He wants me to.
I've said this before, and I'm going to say it again. I have some of the best friends ever up here at school. College is so different from high school. Sometimes I miss high school because of the people there, but that's really the only reason. I love being able to choose my classes and what building they'll be in and what time they'll be at. I guess I just love being in control!
Oh guess what, the snow was gone for a whole day! And we hit 50*F earlier this week! Crazy, right? And then it snowed last night... Oh joy. And not just a little, like the ground was clear when we went to bed and then there was probably 4 inches on the ground when we got up. It came out of nowhere! I do really like how beautiful it is though when it's freshly fallen and hasn't been trampled yet, and how silent it makes the outside world seem.
This past week or so has definitely had it's moments of not being so great, but it was also a period of letting myself rely on the Lord and allow those moments to help me grow- and I'm learning to be grateful for those moments of struggle as well as to recognize how He works through others to help lift me up when I fall. And I'm just loving feeling so happy despite the stumbling blocks I keep finding!
Life has been good the last few weeks, I just feel so in love with being alive. I can't help but wonder what may be coming (every high seems to be followed by a low) but I'm enjoying feeling so elated just because I know that there is a God and that He loves me and that I'm walking in the path He wants me to.
I've said this before, and I'm going to say it again. I have some of the best friends ever up here at school. College is so different from high school. Sometimes I miss high school because of the people there, but that's really the only reason. I love being able to choose my classes and what building they'll be in and what time they'll be at. I guess I just love being in control!
Oh guess what, the snow was gone for a whole day! And we hit 50*F earlier this week! Crazy, right? And then it snowed last night... Oh joy. And not just a little, like the ground was clear when we went to bed and then there was probably 4 inches on the ground when we got up. It came out of nowhere! I do really like how beautiful it is though when it's freshly fallen and hasn't been trampled yet, and how silent it makes the outside world seem.
This past week or so has definitely had it's moments of not being so great, but it was also a period of letting myself rely on the Lord and allow those moments to help me grow- and I'm learning to be grateful for those moments of struggle as well as to recognize how He works through others to help lift me up when I fall. And I'm just loving feeling so happy despite the stumbling blocks I keep finding!
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Just Writing :)
Does anyone else ever feel the need to write, but then once you have a moment to sit and write you have no idea what you want to say? That's about where I've been at the last few days. And I'll apologize in advance for my scattered thoughts, this will very likely not be the best example of my writing (don't tell any of my professors...)
Life up here in Rexburg is pretty great- I have some of the best friends I could ask for, and they just live down the street! And now if the weather would cooperate life would be even better! You know, I didn't really mind the snow at first- it was kind of pretty, but this is just never ending. I swear the clouds are capable of thoughts and they sit up there and watch us, "I suppose we could let some sunshine through our dark accumulation of moisture." "Oh no! Too much sun! You can see the sidewalks again! Better dump another foot of snow overnight and then snow throughout the day, just to be safe." It's like a game or something. The sky must be extremely bored if it feels the need to tease my mind like this constantly for five months straight every year. It's all good though- Allie's roommate has one of those lamps that a person would use to combat SAD, and so we use it whenever we're studying for math tests- and that my friends, is how you remain happy in the constant winter up here. You know, I'm actually grateful for the snow in someways because if it's warm enough to snow than the temperature isn't in the negatives again, yet...
Allie has introduced me to Everwood and Gilmore Girls- and oh my goodness they're amazing, I don't know if I've gone off about them on here yet but I am thoroughly enjoying watching them with her.
So no mission call yet, sadly. But I know what MTC I'll be reporting to (which most of you probably know about since you more than likely saw it on facebook,) but I get to spend six weeks in Mexico learning Spanish! I'm so excited! I've started reading my scriptures in Spanish to try and get some of my language skills back. I still don't have the skills to carry a conversation, but at least I'm at the point where I can read something and translate it in my head into English.
And Valentines Day is this week. Yay... Allie is going to Utah, and Laurel is going to Utah, and all my roommates are going home- or to Utah... (are you seeing a trend?) At least Lydia will still be here! And maybe I'll study for midterms while everyone is in Utah. What's the point of Valentines Day anyways? Shouldn't we treat everyday with the people we care about like a special day? What if they're not here tomorrow? I'd rather that people showed/told me that they cared about me when they wanted to rather than on a day of the year that our society makes people feel guilty if they don't do something special for the people in their life. Sorry, unplanned rant. Well I guess you all know how I feel about Valentines Day. I didn't really have that strong of an opinion about it until I moved a couple hundred miles away from my family. Something about that makes you realize how blessed you are to have people that care about you even when you're dumb and treating them awful. Somehow they still forgive you and let you know that you still matter to them.
On a completely different note, I made GF bread today! And guess what? I think this is one of the few times that I've actually gotten it to turn out! I could have used a larger pan as the crust got a little darker than I would've liked, but it was cooked all the way through, and it wasn't tough or chewy, and it isn't a solid brick, and best of all? It tastes so good! Actually, the best of all may be that when I eat it my insides don't act like they're eating themselves- but that's beside the point.
Ok, I'm out of random things to spew onto a blank page- but this has been fun. And congratulations if you made it all the way through that, thank you for letting me relieve my need to write at any of you wonderful people who actually read this stuff I post :)
Life up here in Rexburg is pretty great- I have some of the best friends I could ask for, and they just live down the street! And now if the weather would cooperate life would be even better! You know, I didn't really mind the snow at first- it was kind of pretty, but this is just never ending. I swear the clouds are capable of thoughts and they sit up there and watch us, "I suppose we could let some sunshine through our dark accumulation of moisture." "Oh no! Too much sun! You can see the sidewalks again! Better dump another foot of snow overnight and then snow throughout the day, just to be safe." It's like a game or something. The sky must be extremely bored if it feels the need to tease my mind like this constantly for five months straight every year. It's all good though- Allie's roommate has one of those lamps that a person would use to combat SAD, and so we use it whenever we're studying for math tests- and that my friends, is how you remain happy in the constant winter up here. You know, I'm actually grateful for the snow in someways because if it's warm enough to snow than the temperature isn't in the negatives again, yet...
Allie has introduced me to Everwood and Gilmore Girls- and oh my goodness they're amazing, I don't know if I've gone off about them on here yet but I am thoroughly enjoying watching them with her.
So no mission call yet, sadly. But I know what MTC I'll be reporting to (which most of you probably know about since you more than likely saw it on facebook,) but I get to spend six weeks in Mexico learning Spanish! I'm so excited! I've started reading my scriptures in Spanish to try and get some of my language skills back. I still don't have the skills to carry a conversation, but at least I'm at the point where I can read something and translate it in my head into English.
And Valentines Day is this week. Yay... Allie is going to Utah, and Laurel is going to Utah, and all my roommates are going home- or to Utah... (are you seeing a trend?) At least Lydia will still be here! And maybe I'll study for midterms while everyone is in Utah. What's the point of Valentines Day anyways? Shouldn't we treat everyday with the people we care about like a special day? What if they're not here tomorrow? I'd rather that people showed/told me that they cared about me when they wanted to rather than on a day of the year that our society makes people feel guilty if they don't do something special for the people in their life. Sorry, unplanned rant. Well I guess you all know how I feel about Valentines Day. I didn't really have that strong of an opinion about it until I moved a couple hundred miles away from my family. Something about that makes you realize how blessed you are to have people that care about you even when you're dumb and treating them awful. Somehow they still forgive you and let you know that you still matter to them.
On a completely different note, I made GF bread today! And guess what? I think this is one of the few times that I've actually gotten it to turn out! I could have used a larger pan as the crust got a little darker than I would've liked, but it was cooked all the way through, and it wasn't tough or chewy, and it isn't a solid brick, and best of all? It tastes so good! Actually, the best of all may be that when I eat it my insides don't act like they're eating themselves- but that's beside the point.
Ok, I'm out of random things to spew onto a blank page- but this has been fun. And congratulations if you made it all the way through that, thank you for letting me relieve my need to write at any of you wonderful people who actually read this stuff I post :)
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Cookies and Firefighters
So this evening I was over at Allie's with Jessica and Leah because we decided to make cookies. We tripled a batch of cookies (so we'd have enough for us+roommates and some to eat) and it was a lot of fun. In between putting batches in the oven we watched Gilligan's Island. And then we heard it. A sound like burning and melting and boiling- I really don't know how to explain it. So Allie went to the kitchen to check it out, and there were sparks coming out of the oven... what do you even do when that happens??? Well Allie turned off the oven (well first she accidentally turned it all the way up-it was stressful and scary, alright?) When that didn't make it stop sparking we googled what to do. Annemarie found something that said to turn the oven off and leave the door closed for 20 mins and if it hadn't stopped then to call 911. Needless to say, 20mins later there were still sparks coming out of the closed oven door. So after trying to flip off the breaker and seeing no change, we called 911. I don't think I mentioned yet that all 4 of us were completely hysterical. So when the policeman that was in the area showed up to check out what was happening it looked completely set up. Just imagine, four girls laughing hysterically staring out the window for the firefighters with a table full of cookies. Yeah, he didn't look like he believed us until he walked into the kitchen. He flipped the breaker again (apparently there were two switches, which is why we were unsuccessful) and that helped it stop. And then the firemen walked in- fully dressed with their hatchets and crowbars. The element in the fire had caught fire and just destroyed half of it- it wasn't anything we did, it just chose to die when we were using it. They pulled the oven away from the wall for us and unplugged it, leaving us with the instructions not to use it again, we definitely weren't planning to! We offered them cookies as they left and then fell into a little more hysterical laughter after they were gone. I still can't believe that actually happened, but here's some pictures!
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Back to school, again...
Being home for Christmas was wonderful, it kind of felt like I never left! And then I somehow ended back up here in Rexburg. Actually it was a pretty long process since we left at 5am PST and got to Rigby about 1:30am MST, so about 19 hours straight in a car- good thing I liked the people I was riding with! So I got up here to Rexburg, huge thank you to the wonderful Stokes family, on the 2nd. So I got to volunteer for the freshman orientation program since they had some people not show up and I happened to be here.
It was a ton of fun, I got to sit at the complex I lived in my first semester all day and sign everyone that came through up for Get Connected. My partner, Bobby, kept telling me to talk more- and then would tell me that I really should talk less because once I started talking I was having too much fun to stop. I caught something and had basically coughed to the point that I had a scratchy, near non-existent, voice. The second day of Get Connected, we were assigned to breakfast and lunch set-ups, which didn't really require very much but I was okay with being behind the scenes. That evening was I-Night (kind of a pre-semester, school-wide carnival.) I got assigned to run the laser tag booth with a kid, who I think was named Cody. It could have been a lot of fun- but the equipment kept not
working, so frustrating! And on top of that, I kept having to try and get people's attention to give them instructions with no voice. Man my voice was dead at the end of the night, throat lozenges didn't even have the slightest affect anymore! But it was still worth it and I'm glad I got to participate. My roommates showed up slowly over the course of the weekend. All of my roommates remained the same, except for Jordan went home and Melissa joined us.
My schedule changed a few times over the course of the first week, but the courses I am taking are: Food Service Management, Culinary Fundamentals, Cake Decorating, Writings of Isaiah, Infants and Toddlers, and Math for the Real World.
Food Service Management is crazy! First of all, we're a class of 5. Just when 30 starts to seem small... But our resumes were given to the business students and they interviewed and hired us. There's 3 companies and they all wanted to hire as many of us as possible so it was interesting to see how supply and demand functioned in that scenario. So basically, I get to help run a business selling a food product which I will help design and price and such. We're going to the Outdoor Learning Center for a few days to do team building activities and to decide what product we would like to try and sell, it should be fun.
Cake Decorating is so great! I love that class. This is my first cake for the semester, we're
working on the next one right now. I spent a good two hours yesterday piping trees- you use a stiff frosting and pipe lines off of a ice cream cone and it looks like a tree, it's pretty great except for it feels like your fingers are going to fall off. My roommates, as well as Laurel and Allie's roommates seemed to appreciate it. Amanda was telling me this morning that she liked that I was in the class.
And Culinary Fundamentals, good thing I like cooking. That class has been really informative, but the labs make the long class sessions worth it. Well, the first lab was proving that you could recognize a type of cut and then cut the product perfectly to that size and shape, but today's lab was very different. Today we de-boned chicken and made stock. I decided that I like dissecting organs in an anat&phys class more than I like working with raw meat... you would think it's similar, but it is in no way similar! Here, have some pictures to go next to the picture of my lovely cake. Wonderful looking, right? Since my boning knife is
brand new, it cuts through bones really easily. And let me tell you, cutting through a spinal column sounds downright awful.
I went and saw The Book Thief with Allie this past weekend- it is so good! I would recommend though that if you're going to go see it you read the book first, just to prepare for the emotional nature of it- I don't know, I'm assuming that everyone else will cry through the book which probably isn't the case. But yeah, it's really good.
My schedule changed a few times over the course of the first week, but the courses I am taking are: Food Service Management, Culinary Fundamentals, Cake Decorating, Writings of Isaiah, Infants and Toddlers, and Math for the Real World.
Food Service Management is crazy! First of all, we're a class of 5. Just when 30 starts to seem small... But our resumes were given to the business students and they interviewed and hired us. There's 3 companies and they all wanted to hire as many of us as possible so it was interesting to see how supply and demand functioned in that scenario. So basically, I get to help run a business selling a food product which I will help design and price and such. We're going to the Outdoor Learning Center for a few days to do team building activities and to decide what product we would like to try and sell, it should be fun.
Cake Decorating is so great! I love that class. This is my first cake for the semester, we're
And Culinary Fundamentals, good thing I like cooking. That class has been really informative, but the labs make the long class sessions worth it. Well, the first lab was proving that you could recognize a type of cut and then cut the product perfectly to that size and shape, but today's lab was very different. Today we de-boned chicken and made stock. I decided that I like dissecting organs in an anat&phys class more than I like working with raw meat... you would think it's similar, but it is in no way similar! Here, have some pictures to go next to the picture of my lovely cake. Wonderful looking, right? Since my boning knife is brand new, it cuts through bones really easily. And let me tell you, cutting through a spinal column sounds downright awful.I went and saw The Book Thief with Allie this past weekend- it is so good! I would recommend though that if you're going to go see it you read the book first, just to prepare for the emotional nature of it- I don't know, I'm assuming that everyone else will cry through the book which probably isn't the case. But yeah, it's really good.
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