She said she needed a break...

It's been a while since I've posted, and a lot's been happening. Here are the highlights:

1. I've started working in a lab again. Pros: I get to be on my feet and do something active. Cons: I get to be on my feet. Pro/Con hybrids: my hands smell like latex and the lab smells like growing bacteria. Pros because I miss working in this type of lab, cons because who likes to smell like bacteria, honestly.
2. I went on a road trip to Phoenix with Elise. Pros: I got to see my cute little cousin Hailey. I got a cool ASU t-shirt. I got to hang out with Elise. Cons: It was really hot. We had to worry about having a place to sleep. We were in the car for a long time. Pro/Con hybrid 1: We found somewhere for Elise to live. Pro because Elise needs somewhere to live; con because it means that Elise is actually, in fact, moving to Arizona. Pro/Con hybrid 2: We ate TONS of junk food in the car. Pro because junk food tastes good; con because when all you eat is junk food you feel really gross.
   
3. I finished Leviticus!!! Pro: that means that I'm done with three books of Moses. Con: that means that Numbers is next...
4. We've started watching weekly Bollywood films at our apartment. Pros: Bollywood films are awesome. There are musical numbers at least every thirty minutes. It gives me an excuse to invite boys that I like over to my house. Cons: There are at least four musical numbers per Bollywood film, which puts running time to over two hours each. Sometimes boys don't come when they're invited.
5. Jeff made it to Italy. Pros: He gets to meet people and start the work; he's not in the MTC anymore. Cons: My little brother is in Italy. I won't get to talk to him until Christmas.
6. Interfaith Dinner/Dialogue. It's tonight, at Steve Pierson's church in American Fork. I'm really excited for this, as I love Pastor Steve and the mission of interfaith dialogue.
   
7. Pretty much, I'm just extremely blessed!
   

Ring By Spring

Or so goes the saying at BIOLA, an Evangelical university that some of my close friends go to. I guess one of my roommate's will make it, as spring isn't officially over until 21 June! It's fun having a soon-to-be engaged roommate, and I really like her fiance-to-be.

Spring term is almost over! After that, I'll only have two semesters left! I can't believe that it's coming so fast. I'm doing a paper on collagen and Osteogenesis Imperfecta for my biochemistry class, and it's been really interesting to learn more about the molecular cause of the brittle bones that my little brother so excellently handles.



[This is Greg & I at our grandpa's 80th birthday party]

I also finally heard from Indiana Jones boy. I'm not sure if he's just spacey or if he's trying to avoid me. Currently, I'll be positive and hope for the prior--I'd like the option to be a little persistent, and I don't think that I should give in quite yet. He's having surgery next week, so he's really busy this week, but maybe I can make an offer of dinner on Sunday...

In other news, well, I guess there's not too much other news...but there is a list of things I'd like to do this summer:

• Get through as much of the Bible as I can (currently, I'm in Exodus 25)
• Finish Jane Austen's Mansfield Park
• Ride my bike more often
• Kiss a boy through my bedroom window (which currently does not have a screen)
• Finish Barack Obama's Dreams from My Father
• Road-trip to the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August
• Go camping (either with friends or family) to Southern Utah (Zions or Moab)
• Buy lemonade from kids at a roadside stand
• Watch a meteor shower
• Convince my parents to let Patti come down for a week or so
• Attend "hot-dog fridays" at the Liberty Square pool

So that's my list. I don't think that I'll have time to do it all, but at least I'm shooting for the moon!

huzzah for spring!

Why, you may ask, am I blogging on a school night? Because it's Spring Term! This means that I have much less homework and more time to waste! I love my new apartment and my new ward. I get a new calling this weekend! Spring is by far the best time to be in Provo; there are less people and it's much more social. I love sitting outside on the lawn in front of my apartment, reading Jane Austen's Mansfield Park and talking to everyone that walks past. Bike rides in the evening are best, especially with good company.

I'm working for a professor right now, writing for a multimedia textbook (chemcompanion.googlepages.com). I write script, we film my professor speaking the script, and then animations that go alongside the script are developed. It's all presented at once, in a pretty powerful, dynamic setting. I'm really excited about this job, and I really love the people I work with.

I'm also taking two classes this term, physics and biochemistry. That's about all there is to say about that...

I can't believe that college is almost over. I only have one year left before my bachelor's degree. Who knows what will happen after that...I'm hoping to go to graduate school and study Chemical Education.

I'm also busy reading the Bible this summer. Because of all of my good Evangelical friends, I've been persuaded that it's been far too long since I've read the Bible. I'm in Genesis 40-something, and I'm a big fan of it. I don't think I'll finish this summer, but it's a goal, at least. It's definitely part of my effort to be more involved in inter-faith relations. I'm in the process of organizing an inter-faith service project where families, both Evangelical and LDS, get together to serve one another. It's coming slowly but surely. I really hope that it takes off.

Jeff leaves on his mission on Wednesday. It's going to be a bitter-sweet time for our family. He's the first to go from our immediate family, and it's been quite the experience as he's prepared to serve the Lord for two years. I'm really excited to see the growth that comes from serving a mission. I also hope that I'm around Provo when he comes back. Patti will be a freshman that year, and it would be oodles of fun to be at the Y with two of my siblings. In short, I love him a lot, and although I'll miss him, I'm so proud of him for choosing to serve the Lord in Italy.

Well, I guess that's all for now!