The Call

Two days ago I opened the most important piece of mail I think I'll ever receive. Indulge me while I tell the story.

I was starting to get depressed. As I walked in from my car, the mail key (which I had abducted from it's home on the key rack by the door) warming in my hand, I was getting scared of opening that little, inoffensive door. For what felt like forever I had been checking the mail, just waiting for the big, white envelope from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The rejection the empty mailbox presented was getting old and I didn't think I could handle it again. I almost just passed it by, but at the last minute I turned to check. I turned the key and a bunch of weekly ads began to spill out. Hidden among the colorful discounts was my call!

I grabbed everything and attempted to run up the stairs and down the hallway to my apartment, but things kept falling out of pockets and hands and it was much slower than walking would have been. Then I had to deal with the lock. I got inside, dropped everything and said, very loudly, 'IT'S HERE!'

I put it on the couch and called home. Quite honestly the last thing I wanted to do was to figure out how to get everyone who wanted to watch it happen on skype, but we did. Then I had to text/call people and tell them to come over. I wanted lots of people around me.

If I were to do it again, I would only have my parents and sister on skype. Then it wouldn't have been such a big deal that my computer decided it was a good time to break and have to use my friend's ipad. It was more stressful than helpful and I didn't get to talk to any of them anyway. I would have much rather individually called each person who was on skype and told them, but it all worked out.

Once people started arriving, I went to pick up the envelope - even though there was still time to wait. At one point, I threw it across the room because it was tempting me too much.

Then the moment finally came. I can't describe that feeling - this was mail from God in a way. I spewed out the first sentance "Sister Laura Lindsey Benning, You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." (the title of the Church has never felt so long in my life). I just wanted to get to the where and when. Let me tell you, it was a surprise. I was sure I was going to Europe, but no, North Carolina, February 15th.

Every time I think about it, I get a little smile on my face. I never would have guessed it, but it feels so right.

My work partner and I had decided that when the call came, we were going to have a guessing game over our radios with the rest of the BYU vending staff. So about an hour into our route, I called out "Welcome to Friday's question of the day, hosted by route 93. Laura's mission call arrived on Wednesday and I'm curious where you all think I am going." It took a few seconds, but everyone started responding with out of country answers. 'London, England,' 'Germany,' 'Fiji,' I responded that they were all incorrect, they kept going and I finally said, "wow, you guys are off, think state-side" they were still way off, and then it turned into a geography quiz. Warmer, more east, more south, more north. My boss finally guessed North Carolina. And then I was informed that I got to pick out some ice cream for the whole staff. I picked the cookies and cream bar :)

Going on a Mission

I've just completed my papers to serve a mission :)

That means that in about two weeks, I'll receive a call in the mail telling me where I'm going and when I need to report. Then the next 18 months will be spent sharing my religion with any and all who will hear. It is going to be hard work. I will not be able to call home except on Christmas and Mothers' Day. I will be working from 6am to 10pm. I am very excited!

Made Cookies

I had to return some tupperware and I only believe in returning things like that full. So I made cookies. Now, most people make the pumpkin cookies with pumpkin and a spice cake mix - I do it with a chocolate cake mix and white chocolate chips. Sooo yummy!!!

I made the cookies, eating dough along the way (to make sure it tasted good...right?) and I had some leftover. I left them in the kitchen with a note for my roommates to "eat me!" I followed my own advice...my tummy regrets this choice, my tongue doesn't.

In other news. School is a pain. It is going to snow this weekend. I love having fresh sheets on my bed.

Yummy Breakfast

So zucchini was on sale the other day, and I bought a lot of it. So this morning, while I was running, I was planning out meals/recipes as I tend to do and I came up with a really good food. Zucchini matzo brei. I will put up a picture next time I make it.

Here's how:
-Shred about 1/2 zucchini
-Mix zucchini, 1 egg (or two egg whites), a bit of the cheese of your liking (I used a shredded Gouda), seasonings (I used the Garlic & Herb Mrs. Dash - no salt), and about a half a crushed matzo.
-pour and spread out on a non-stick or greased pan (there is cheese in this, so keep that in mind).
-cook for about three minutes on each side, depending on how thick you made it.
-Enjoy!

Note: If you don't have matzo, any cracker or bread product will work, but I would suggest toasting bread before using it and something that absorbs will is best.

Why I'm Going on a Mission

Some of my readers are unfamiliar with the concept of a mission. I just read a blog post of a girl I don't know who served her mission in England.

http://drippingwithpassion.blogspot.com/2009_09_01_archive.html

This is why I want to go. To share love.

Veggie LaCobbler

So I was inspired during my last class today. It's a cross between a lasagna and a cobbler with loads of veggies and goodness. Here's how it goes:

Ingredients (amount depends on size):
-fresh mashed pumpkin
-sliced tomato
-sliced onion
-steamed broccoli
-zucchini
-chickpeas
-cooked bulger wheat
-Textures Veg. Protein
-Parmesan Cheese

Sauce (Mine needed more sauce, but I think this ratio will work):
-Greek yogurt (3/4 c)
-chicken broth (1 1/2 c)

1. Spread pumpkin on the bottom of your dish


2. Layer the tomato slices and broccoli.
3. Saute the Onion and Zucchini (just a little pam in a pan will do then cook for about 10 minutes).
4. sprinkle chickpeas.



5. Spread the wheat over the top.
6. Mix the yogurt and broth and pour on top. Cover with foil and cook for about 20 minutes (until it's bubbly). Sprinkle the TVP and Cheese then bake for another 10 minutes uncovered.




The beautiful thing is you can play with it! Try couscous instead of the wheat or bread crumbs instead of the TVP. Play with cheeses and veggies and protein - maybe do chicken instead of chickpeas. I didn't put amounts because it just depends on what you like.

Making Crackers

Alright guys, I think I've got it down.

3 cups flour (I do half whole wheat)
salt (around a half teaspoon? I don't measure it)
baking soda (just a sprinkling)
1 cup water (plus more if needed)

Preheat oven to 400. Mix everything. Take chunks (about a fifth or sixth of the dough ball) and roll out really really thin (If you have a pasta sheeter, this is the time to use it). I roll it out on corn meal for some extra crunch, straight up flour works too, but make sure to dust the crackers off before baking. Cut into strips/triangles/hearts/whatever. Lay out on parchment paper on a baking tray. Spray with some Pam and then sprinkle some salt (and/or garlic powder or cinnamon sugar). Bake for 7ish minutes, then flip and bake for another 7ish minutes. These are actually better the browner they get.

So delicious, makes a good amount of crackers, and you actually know what is in them! Go read the label of a cracker box if you don't understand what I mean - I get like the first few ingredients out of it then I'm lost.

Next time I'll do pictures step by step.

Thoughts on Car Alarms

The other morning, at 3:30, a car alarm went off right outside my open window. It was quite annoying and I got to thinking, as nobody turned it off and I considered going to check that it wasn't my car. Car alarms are not useless, but don't function properly in our society. If they did, then your little clicker on your keychain would also start beeping and tell you to get out to you car because someone is trying to rob you. I understand that part of the point of the noise is to get anyone to look at it and therefore scare thieves away, but the thing is, a smart thief would just say "it's my car, I'm locked out" and everyone would believe him/her because that's what we do.

Priesthood Power

I try not to post too much religious stuff on my blog because I know that a lot of my readers are not religious and might feel uncomfortable. But I feel the need to share this experience - don't read this post if you don't want to.

The last couple of days have been hard on me. I've been feeling down on myself, which I don't like. I'm an amazing girl and should never feel like less than I am. I went for a walk today, which is the best kind of therapy if you ask me. I walked and thought and just felt impressed to do three things which I did immediately I got home.

1. Read my Patriarchal Blessing. In the LDS faith, members have the opportunity to receive a special blessing. They record it so you have the words with you always and are encouraged to read it often. To me, it is words directly from my Heavenly Father, telling me of my strengths and blessings and giving me guidance on what I need to do. While I was doing this, I started crying a lot. I couldn't see any of the girl who was talked about in the blessing in me and it hurt. What was I doing wrong? How did I change? This lead me to

2. Search the Scriptures. I rarely have big questions that need answering in the religious department. I know what I feel is important and never feel the need to question anything. But this time I did, and while I didn't find the answer exactly, in searching through those sacred words and reading words of Prophets and leaders of the Church, I was calmed a bit. I began to realize that my question couldn't exactly be answered in this life, but that I need to just trust that God has it taken care of and wouldn't make me miserable for any reason.

3. Get a blessing. When in doubt, turn to the Priesthood. Holding the Priesthood is to hold the power to speak and act for God and all worthy males members of the LDS church hold that power. As such power wielding individuals, they can give blessings for things like healing or comfort and council. I needed both comfort and council desperately so I texted my friend and two boys were in my apartment in white shirts and ties five minutes later. It is such a sacred experience that I don't feel the need to post everything that was said in that blessing, but I will say that immediately they put their hands on my head and said my name I felt the love and care of God so strongly. I was counciled on the things that I need to do to feel better and reminded of the helps that I have around me. Life gets hard, but I can do anything with the power of God behind me, lifting me up and reminding me of my divine worth and potential.

I am blessed to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know that it is the true, restored gospel of Jesus Christ and that we do have living prophets now, guiding us to return to Heaven. I know that Heavenly Father is real and knows me by name (and you too). He knows my strengths and weaknesses and is rooting for me to succeed in this test called mortal life. I know the true power of the Priesthood.

New Semester, New Apartment

I am living in the best apartment less than a block away from the Provo Library. I have two amazing roommates (they are sisters) and we are getting along just wonderfully. They are the two sweetest girls and I love them dearly.
The Kitchen

Living Room

My half of my room


In other news, I'm being so good at being social! We had FHE at our apartment on Monday. Usually we have groups assigned, but they haven't gotten around to it, so we invited another girls and a guys apartment to join us and we made pretzels.

Sunday was Fast Sunder (one Sunday out of the month, LDS people fast together for certain things, it's really an amazing experience) and our ward had a break the fast dinner. I started talking with some people who I decided were kindred spirits. We went to see the Three Musketeers last night and it was really fun. Not the best production ever (though the set was fricking amazing!), but it was a fun evening out.

I work three days a week stocking bottles in the vending machines on campus. It's pretty dull work, but I work with a fun guy and it's over quickly so even though I don't particularly enjoy the work, it's not too bad.

Last little bit: classes. I'm taking three literature classes, so a lot of reading, but I'm enjoying it all. I think one of my favorite classes is my Family Life class. We are studying the The Family: A Proclamation to the World which is a document that the LDS Church put out back in 1985 about the place the family holds in the world and the family unit in general. It's way good. But we study more than that, we are going to be looking at how to build a successful family. We get to hear some fun stories and talk about what I consider to be the most important thing in the world. It makes that whole "marriage" thing less scary.

The last class I'm taking is a Mission Preparation class. For those of you who don't know, I'm planning on serving an 18 month mission leaving in January (possibly more like April). I don't know where I'm going to be sent, but I know that I will be doing important work for my Heavenly Father. I'll keep you updated on the proceedings. I just realized how soon the end of October is going to come. That's when I think I'll be turning in my papers!

P.S. I was taking an advertising class, but after we spent 40 minutes in the first class watching YouTube videos, I decided it wasn't for me. Also, it made my Thursdays incredibly long (8am-6:30pm)

SCUBA

Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.

A few years back, my dad, sister and I took up SCUBA diving. We went quite a bit that first year, but now we only go every once in a while to keep up with it all. My dad and I went out once this summer on a really fun boat with some friends from Church.

The boat was HUGE and we had it mostly to ourselves which was sweet. I only did two dives, everyone else did three (it's just such a pain and I was getting all kinds of water in my dry-suit and so I was very cold and tired). They were some really great dives. There were a lot of really pretty purple coral and it was just all around pretty.

The cook on the boat was an actual chef and so we ate really well. Sometimes you go on a dive boat and you get a giant stake for lunch.

More on Cub Scout Camp

I never included the pictures from my Cub Safari! My little boys!!! Archery, knot tying, crafts, a big slide - I miss my boys.

Disneyland

So I took some pictures of my new apartment to blog about and then realized that I had quite a few pictures on my camera and things to blog about. So this is the first in a series of posts about fun things.

We begin with Disneyland! Some of our best friends came for a visit in the middle of summer (they were coming from AZ, so it was a break from the heat hahaha) and we went to Disneyland, which is really the happiest place on Earth. I'm not much of a picture-taker, but I did get a shot of my mom and me with our new, matching phone covers. And of my sister, one of our friends, and the Little Man.

Aren't we cute :)





Ok, I know there are two pictures of this moment, but the first one is cute with the baby even though my sister and Sam look possessed with red eyes. So I had to include it so they looked normal at lest once.


Kaylee and her mom on the Matterhorn! I love that ride - I still jump a little bit when the snowman pops out at you.

Finding the Internets

I have never been in charge of getting the Internets. It's always just been there. Not so much this time around. I'm living in a condo, so it's owned by a private party. Cable was 'provided' - provided that you had the necessary equipment and the people who lived in the apartment before you removed their names from the cable agreement.

I had to call Comcast to figure out why our TV wasn't working and they told me to go to the service center (which is about 20 minutes away). I talked to my dad about getting Internets and we decided to do it all in one go.

This morning, after Yoga, I went to the service center. They hooked me up! I got a new cable box thingy and an internet modem and a big red bag. Rather than wait(and pay) for someone to come install it, I decided to just do it myself. Easy, right? Just plug it all in.

Hours later and talking with no less than four different Comcast people at various times and going BACK to the service station because the power cable didn't fit into the hole on the modem, someone is coming to fix it all on Wednesday.

Luckily, we have a lovely downstairs neighbor whom we begged to let us borrow some Internets for a few days. We are going to buy her some mint choco-chip ice cream because that's her favorite.

The Internship

So I'm 'done' with my internship and had some time to think about the experience and now is time for a blog.

I say 'done,' but I don't really think that I will be truly done with this. For one thing I have a few projects that are still in the works. For example, I worked on a bunch of lesson plans to go with a video the Church produced about the Mormon Battalion/Mexican War/Gold Rush/trails west. Those activities are still being edited and whatnot, but I've turned in my draft. Also, there is all the money from the Uchtdorf event (on May 26th) that is still being settled. There is one guy that owes $1,700 for his tickets.

Overall, it was a pretty amazing experience. I learned a lot about the inner workings of my Church which most people don't get to see. Quite honestly, there is a lot more politics then I realized. I can understand why people are so against organized religion - it could be a tool for great evil. But that's why there is so much care that needs to be taken. It's not like I think they are hiding things up in Salt Lake at Church HQ, but more about that they have to be careful about what they say and do because so many people are watching. Because we are a church that believes in modern day revelation, anything that any of the Leaders say could be construed as coming from God, rather than just the comment of a man. Does that make sense? Who would have thought my Faith would be tried while working for the Church - I didn't. But it was a little bit and I've been made stronger for it.

Mostly, I got to work with some amazing people. The Smiths, Faye and Rodger, were the senior missionaries in the office. They are two of the sweetest people and are just filled with love. Matt, my boss, is a character! He has so much energy and love for what he does. He is a great teacher.

In the end, I'm ready to go back to school. I've ordered my books and have a huge stack of novels to be read this year. I love to learn :)

Buying Books and Dance Lessons

I love the "getting ready for school" stage. I love getting new books (not paying for them)and notebooks and pencils and the way that first day feels. Every first day feels the same way - full of anticipation and wonder and excitement and nervousness.

I leave in just under 4 weeks to go back to Provo by way of Gilbert, AZ and Cedar City, UT. I will have totally new roommates and a new place to live. The weird thing is that, if all goes as planned, I'll be leaving again in January for a mission.

On a different note, I've been taking some dance classes again and I love it! My sister is the receptionist/manager of a studio in NoHo and she lets me take classes for free. Of course, it's more of a kid's studio so I'm taking classes with pre-teens and teens. I'm usually the oldest one by at least five years. But it's free and it's fun and it's something to do.

Cub Safari

So I was roped into helping out for a week at Cub Scout day camp. 5 days, 8-4, little boys. I have nine boys in my den, they are about 6-7 years old and very energetic. I'm the main leader, but there is another woman who helps me out and we have den chiefs (Scout-aged boys/girls) every now and again. I have a vegan in my group and one who just kind of chills out with me or the other leader rather than doing any of the activities. Reminds me a bit of myself at camp - I was always with the leaders.

We do all kinds of activities: archery, giant water slide, map/compass activities, arts and crafts, kitchen crafts, games. It's a fun camp. Some of the activities are a bit too short for the time, and those moments are the hardest.

My favorite part is how these little boys have attached to me. They get excited to see me in the morning, and like to show me what they make or tell me stories. I am not all that patient all the time, but I love these little boys.

The Event

So I've been interning at the LDS Public Affairs office. I started about three weeks before this event. The World Affairs Council invited President Uchtdorf (one of the main leaders of our Church) to speak at a dinner. Our job was to get the word out to the LDS community and to invite as many public opinion leaders as possible. We had about 20 Consuls General in attendance along with religious leaders of other faiths.

I worked up a beautiful excel document so that we knew who was invited to which reception, and then if we were paying for them or now, and then the seating chart. It was a pain.

I also had to call around 800 people to "make sure they had the information" and get it to them along with instructions. It was a lot of phone calling. But I got to talk to some fun people (and some who weren't as fun). It was a lot of work.

The event was last Thursday and it was amazing. So stressful, but amazing. Pres Uchtdorf was amazing and everything ran smoothly. And I looked amazing in the vintage dress I stole form my mother's closet.

"Anthem"

I just finished a really interesting short story by Ayn Rand. For those of you that don't know, my sister has challenged herself and anyone who wants to join in the fun to read "Atlas Shrugged" (it's over 1000 pages of tiny writing). I decided not to read it along with her, but I was intrigued by her comments on it and on seeing the movie of part one of Atlas. So I read "Anthem."

It's a dystopian novel that was published in 1937 in England. Mankind has entered another dark age and collectivism prevails. Everything is done "for the brotherhood." You go to school for a few years, then the council decides where you will work and you do that for the greater good. Procreation is set aside for just making babies and the children never know their parents - you are raised by the society. It took a while to get used to the writing because for most of the book the word "I" is missing. There is no individual. Eventually the main character discovers the self along with electricity and love and all kinds of other things that were missing in this society.

First of all, Ayn Rand is brilliant. She is native Russian but wrote in English and the prose is just beautiful. I've never been one to really care about that kind of thing until recently and now I really appriciate it. Second of all, I was impressed with the way that she is able to point out the wrong in both methods of thinking. Thinking about only the self is what got society into trouble in the first place, but thinking only about others prevents progress.

I'm reminded of this film my mom brought home from her library the other night. It's called "2081" and is based off the short story by Kurt Vonnegut. In that story, everyone is handicapped in order to make everyone equal. They are watching a ballet and it's awful because none of the Ballerinas are the best of the best. There is one man who fights against it and he shows up and keeps the one cellist who plays with feeling and the one dancer who is fearless and does a beautiful pax de deux before they come in and shoot him on national television. He gets everyone to understand how handicapping people prevents exceptional performances and feelings and then shows the government who placed the restrictions on them in the worst light so the people hate them.

Society doesn't work when we try to keep everyone equal. We aren't all equal, but that is what is beautiful about the world. People who fail at math can write beautiful poetry.

Birth Control?

So Sister Smith had to use my computer today to print out some checks. While I was waiting, I went and sat with Elder Smith in the conference room and read the paper and watched some news. I felt very old fashioned, sitting at this big table with an old man, our noses in the paper. Every now and again bringing up another way the world is heading down the drain.

Anyway, I read an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal about birth control with a touch of Darwin entitled "The tricky chemistry of attraction: taking birth-control pills may mask the signals that draw the sexes together." Birth control, apparently, "disrupts some chemical signals". It removes the natural attraction that women get to a certain kind of man during ovulation. Normally, a woman will gravitate towards more masculine men and men who have different immune system properties than she. Both of these things will produce superior stock (hence the Darwin) - babies with strong bodies and fabulous immune systems allowing for the greatest chance of survival. The same is true as far as men being attracted to women. Because birth control masks those hormones/pheromones, his body isn't alerted to the fact that a woman is ready to make babies. Normally, he would be particularly attracted to ovulating women.

It wasn't conclusive evidence to anything, and they weren't trying to say "don't use birth control," but it's interesting to note. I've also heard that two people who are compatible physically taste/smell good to each other. I never really realized how our bodies are really prepared to continue to populate the world. We unconsciously gravitate towards opportunities that allow for successful reproduction.

Speaking of saliva, do you ever wonder who the first people were to discover kissing? or Mono?

You Should Know

I'm going to start a new section of my blog called "You Should Know" (I'm probably going to change the title quite a few times until I come up with or someone suggests one that I Like). These posts are going to be about what I learn about hidden products or health effects of various things. Businesses try to hide a lot about their products. They get away with crap that is the reason the human race is having all kinds of problems.

Consider, for a moment, the Tobacco Industry. They knew the effects of smoking and still they did it, they just didn't tell anyone what they were doing and let millions of people die for it.

But today, we are talking about sulfates.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate(SLS) is a cheap chemical that produces a lot of foam, along with other, less pleasant things. In a report on the safety of SLS, the American College of Toxicity reported that "In absorption, metabolism and excretion studies Sodium Lauryl Sulfate had a degenerative effect on the cell membranes because of its protein denaturing properties. High levels of skin penetration may occur at even low use concentration." So remember, as I tell you what I've learned, that this all happens because it can get into your very cells. I don't know about you all, but I prefer to keep things that aren't meant to be there out of my cells, thank you very much.

They did tests on animals (another topic for another day) and found that at 15% there was skin irritation and by the time it got to 30% it was intense skin irritation. Itchy head = SULFATE SHAMPOO!!! I've looked at a bunch of shampoos and it's usually the second or third ingredient, which means that it's in high concentrations. It's cheap, so they use it as a filler. Also, it produces a lot of foam, which is what people believe cleans their hair/body. Not true. It does nothing good.

It affects development, so keep it away from your children. "Studies at Georgia Medical College indicated Sodium Lauryl Sulfate kept young eyes from developing properly by possibly denaturing the proteins and not allowing for proper structural formation. This damage was permanent." Remember that whole protein thing, and it getting in your cells, yeah. Now think about how many people wear glasses now as opposed to 50 years ago. While that could be due to better detection of poor eyesight, it probably has something to do with these sulfates in our cleansing products.

There are other studies that SLS enters (from skin contact) and maintains residual levels in the heart, the liver, the lungs and the brain. Alrighty, so lets put chemicals in our hearts! WHOOOHOOO that's exactly what I wake up hoping for every day.

Let's talk hormones. So the SLS gets into your system and attaches to estrogen receptors (which are present in both men and women, though not as many in men). The body can't tell the difference between the regular molecules and the SLS commandeered ones and so the hormone levels go crazy causing PMS, menopausal symptoms, infertility, breast enlargement (in males), and gender confusion. CRAZY!
Bro/Manzier anyone.

One last bit, remember how I said that it gets into our cells, well it completely disrupts the cell cycle. What does that mean? "Firstly, existing proteins are damaged, leading to an increase in the amount of healing required by the body. Secondly, new proteins can be damaged and cells disrupted while they are under construction. It is exactly this type of activity that can lead to the early stages of skin cancer." And, not only does SLS itself cause cancer, but the production of SLS also produces carcinogens.

Thats all for now. Has your world been turned upside-down? Do you look like this?


Works cited: http://www.natural-health-information-centre.com/sls-health-implications.html

Celebration?

Osama is dead. Huzzah! He did some terrible things and murdered many people and it is a good thing that he can't continue what he was doing.

That being said, I don't know if we need to celebrate the fact that someone is dead. A few weeks, months, years from now whoever threw that bomb is going to have to deal with the fact that they killed a man and I don't know if the fact that he was evil will affect the way he feels. My sister's asked me if I would have celebrated Hitler's death (which, ironically enough, was announced on the same day, 1945). I honestly don't know. But I still think that if I were the person who may have killed either of these men, I would eventually only feel guilt for killing someone - even if they were the devil incarnate. And that is why I can never join the army.

I should also say that sometimes I think about the devil and if he regrets his doings.

How far is too far to take the whole 'love everyone' concept? Not that I love Osama or Hitler. I don't.

The Garden

I decided to start a garden this spring, since I'm home. It's not much and mostly in pots, but hopefully we will get some yummy things out of it. Here are the starting pictures.
Bell Peppers

The Window box outside the blue room - which is Ashley's office where my bed is for the summer.

Zucchini

Lavender

Mom's tomatos (the marigolds discourage slugs apparently?)

Dill and Rosemary

Basil

Strawberries on the Topsy Turvey. It's an experiment, but I think it will work.

Summer To Do List

As I was walking home from my last final today, I had a thought. I can read whatever I want to! I don't have to look at a Norton Anthology for four whole months.

First thing I'm going to do is finish reading Little Women. We had to read part I for a class, but I want to finish it. I have to start getting back into German, so I'm going to try to read in German for a few minutes every day. I have the first Lemony Snicket book in German. I really want to read some more Dickens. Then there's all the sequels that are coming out! So much reading. It's a good thing I really want to go to the beach :)

I want to plant some things. Maybe some herbs in little pots, or one of those hanging blueberry plants.

I'm considering following my sister's footsteps and doing some writing?

I want to sew another dress. But maybe this time I'll try something new. A blouse or pants or something interesting.

COOK!!! Cooking for one is no fun, now I have a family I can cook for and lots of recipes to try. Watching the Food Network has given me a lot of ideas.

Run a race. Perhaps a half marathon?

Any other ideas of fun things to accomplish?

Accomplished

So I should probably wait to write this post until AFTER finals, but I need a little mental break right now. I was chatting with one of my favorite professors the other day (we were walking the same way after class) and he asked me about my classes and how the year was going. I said that I'm just feeling so accomplished. I should mention that the reading list for his class was about 20 books long (no joke). Some were just excerpts, but we did read at least 5 full novels. Because his class was all about early American bestselling novels, we read a lot of stuff that people always talk about (but rarely have ever actually read). We read Pilgrims Progress, which I now can see in so many other things. If you've read Little Women (which we did), it's all over that book. We read Ben Franklin's Autobiography and Pamela and Robinson Crusoe and so many others. That was just one class. Add those books to the ones that I've read in my other English Classes and I am ready to go! Sticking with the English major was totally the right thing for me. Imagine reading the bible for the first time then looking around and seeing how it is EVERYWHERE! That's how I feel each time I read a new book.

Even though I don't exactly enjoy writing papers, I will do it if it means that I get to participate in these classes. I really love discussing literature.

A little side note on this professor. I had him for my advanced writing class last year, decided to take this class from him and worked my schedule for next semester around taking another class from him he's that awesome of a teacher. He showed up to class the first day wearing a bright yellow suit jacket and a sunflower tie. He is about 6'5" or taller and relatively young (I think he has two elementary aged daughters). His whole thing is Adam and Eve, so he always brings that up - reading East of Eden with him was a blast. He paces when he gets excited about something. So if you bring up something in the discussion and he gets loud and starts walking around, you know you are on to something good. He wears bow ties occasionally and his wife makes them for him (they are really fun, not just solid colors).

Summer Internship

I've been emailing back and forth with a friend of ours who works for the Public Affairs section of the Church about a summer internship. He was so nice trying to get me a paid position, but that didn't work out. However, I am still going to do it because it is going to be so much fun planning and working at events that will include getting to meet the Church Big Wigs. I'm not sure if I can say, but let's just say that perhaps my German will come in handy...

To Do List...

Somehow, I kept thinking "oh, I've got time!" and not doing my homework, and now I have about a week to finish all these things.

1. 4-6 page essay on Frederick Douglass' Narrative (I have about 2 pages of random word spew done)
2. 1,600 words on an 18th century American text - most likely it will be Little Women, though I haven't chosen yet.
3. 8-10 page paper on an environmental issue and it's history.
4. 3, 1 page mini-biographies (moments in my life) for my family history class
5. Finish reading Little Women. 135 pages left.
6. Go to the Family History Library in SLC (It takes about an hour to drive there) and do research for at least 3 hours and write a report on my findings.
7. Prepare my lesson for church.
8. Finish my essay for creative writing. This will involve talking to some people about their favorite birthdays and adding that into what's already written.
9. Creative writing portfolio: revising my short story and essay.
10. Writing journal: A lot of half page, written entries and 4 full page entries on contemporary essays that I've read.
11. Work on Saturday and most likely Monday.

Then I get to study for my Finals, only one of which will be killer, two will be hard, and one will be no sweat.

This is why I had to turn down the nice guy that sits next to me in History who asked me out.

New Job, Same Job

So I started work at the Buffet today. It's the same company as I was working with before, and a few of the same people (they all transfered like I did), but instead of it being like a Little Caesars, it's a restaurant. All you can eat pizza, pasta, and salad. I worked on Friday and Saturday and I was the salad girl. It's way more busy than the Express and was more stressful. They didn't exactly feel the need to really train me, so I had to keep asking people questions and the salad bar has to be restocked constantly, so I could never get ahead. I ended up having to work from 10-6:40 on Saturday just to help the dinner salad girl get caught up for the dinner rush.

That being said, I still like my job a lot. They hire the right kinds of people so, even though it gets stressful, it's super fun. Everyone kept talking to me and trying to get to know me because I was new. We played the whole time.

PS On Saturday, I cut enough lettuce to fill up 3 of those giant trash cans - you know, the big round ones that they put on wheels. Oh yeah!

They have no website (the reason I think the Express failed) but they have a Facebook page if you want to check it out.

Fiction and Food

Last Friday they had this English conference going on and they cancel all English classes so that we can go (it's required to attend if you 'miss' a class). I ended up going to two sessions and the second one was way cool. It was all about how food is displayed in novels. It isn't something you automatically think about, but when you do, it's really interesting.

The first presenter talked about Harry Potter and the struggles the characters have with perceiving food as magic. At Hogwarts, it isn't until their fourth year that Harry, Hermione and Ron learn about the house elves making all the food. And then in the last installment, they have troubles while away from their providers and have to figure out how to feed themselves. The presenter then talked about how we have the same mentality today - food is magic, it shows up in the stores ready for us. Because we don't make/grow our own food, we don't understand all the work that goes into it. During the questions portion, it came out that a girl in this class (all three presenters had taken same class - Folklore and Foodstuffs) shared that she didn't know you could make cookie dough until she came to BYU and witnessed a roommate doing just that. Apparently she believed that it only came from the refrigerated section.

The second presentation talked about food in The Giver and in the Hunger Games. In both of these series, food is controlled by the government, it is not an experience for pleasure unless you are lucky enough to live in the capital. I've never read The Giver, but I know the story and I might now. I was intrigued when the presenter mentioned how the main character receives a memory about a family meal (I think) and how he learns that food can be pleasurable.

The last presenter spoke on the Laura Ingalls series (including the sequel series, the Rose Years). She talked about how the mom teaches the daughter how to cook and how family mealtime was a big thing then she related it to our day where few people can cook and family meals are almost nonexistent.

I would like to add in my own two cents on the novel Matched. This book is, like so many others, a distopian society in which, again, the government controls everything. They deliver all food to each individual for what their body needs. The only time you get special foods is at a the ceremony where you are Matched and on your deathbed, and even then they are portion controlled. Exercise is also controlled along with education and jobs and living places. It's all meant to make a productive society where everyone is 'equal.' It's kind of like what I've heard of The Giver. No family meal time, no enjoyment of meals, you just eat what comes in your little (recyclable) package every few hours. In these books, food is the great equalizer. Everyone looks the same because they are all at their 'ideal' weight. Everyone has food to eat - no homeless or poor people. That isn't real life at all. In real life, people look different. Some people eat gourmet dinners and others only eat food out of a box. The one thing that Matched emphasizes is eating together. The family all eats at the same time because that's when dinner is delivered to them. Because of that, there are few familial problems until the main character is forced to start to lie to her family about her real Match and how the government is playing with her. She does it to protect them, but it backfires.

Anyway, I think it's fascinating to think about. The next time you read a book, you'll notice it, too.

Closed...

So I get home from work last night - a little early because it wasn't busy enough to warrant having three people there. My phone rings, 'who could it be,' I think to myself. It's TJ, my boss. Turns out they are closing the Express, in fact, it's closed. Saturday was it's last night. Now, they aren't firing all of us exactly, they offered the employees a position at the Buffet, which is around the corner and down the street (the express is like a Dominos or Pizza Hut, the Buffet is, well, a buffet of pizza and salad and pasta, but it's all the same company).

Here is the thing, I'm leaving in about 4 weeks. Is it worth it, for $7.25 an hour, to deal with learning how to work at an entirely new place. True, I already know how they make their pizzas and I think they use the same cashier system, but working at a restaurant is very different from a pizza place. I doubt we will even get that many hours because it's not like they were looking for more people to work the Buffet, they just don't want to have to pay us off.

On the one hand, it would be nice to have some time and my weekends back. But on the other hand, I don't do well with having a lot of time on my hands.

Things to Say

I've been so busy lately with second midterms and papers and whatnot that I haven't been able to blog, though I have had many ideas for blogs, so here is the condensed version of my musings.

~ Quote IDs, without a word bank, on tests are brutal. For that matter, any sort of fill in the blank without a word bank is just plain mean. In short answers, you can defend your response, in multiple choice, you can pick, but with fill in the blank you have to just know it. I had to know about 25 authors and what we read from them on top of the list of important ideas we discussed in class and an essay. Now, study as hard as I want, the minute I open that test, everything flies from my mind and I find myself thinking things like "wait, was the title of that 'the life of Frederick Douglass' or 'the autobiography of Frederick Douglass'."

We live in an era of internet, I can find the answer I need with a few taps of the keyboard or even on my phone. Tests need to evolve as well. Life is open book, so tests should be too. If tests are meant to find out how much of the information from class we know then as long as I can find the answer quickly, then that's all that matters.

~ St. Patrick's day is depressing on BYU campus. Apparently Valentines day is our hallmark holiday. Less than half the campus was wearing green. I was disappointed. But, these cute girls came in to work. The one was all decked out and had green hair and everything. The first thing she says is "dang, you're wearing green" and as the mom was ordering, she looks past me to Shayde and notices that he doesn't have any green on. So I call Shayde out there and he totally played with her. It's cute to see a 20 year old guy just playing with this little girl and totally letting her take over.

~ I am really impressed with Maureen Johnson and Co. A few weeks ago, she decided to get her loyal followers to band together to buy a Shelter Box. People donated all kinds of money and some authors donated signed books to random people who donated. They raised all kinds of money. Then when the Japan disaster happened, they did the same thing and even more authors got involved and ended up raising almost exactly the same amount of money. I love that she uses her power to do good things and get people involved. There is something special about YA authors.

~ It's time to watch Star Wars again.

~ I love the sun.

Housing Rant

So I'm looking into where to live for next year and I've run into a slight problem. Just about everywhere wants me to sign a 12 month contract. I don't want to sign a 12 month contract. I did that last time and now I have to deal with trying to sell it along with 40 other girls in my complex.

See, we have to live in BYU contracted housing because they don't have enough housing for everyone (FYI, I think next year they will have equal amounts of married/freshman housing). That's all cool, it means that we have a lot of choices. But it also means that there is a huge conflict of interests over spring/summer housing. See, most people leave Provo from April to August, which means that all that housing is left empty. So they try to control us by only allowing us to live places with 12 month contracts so they don't end up with empty rooms and lose money. It's silly and it's the reason I can't move in with my old roommate.

The other thing is that it means that the housing complexes start filling up in February. A whole 6 months before school starts in the fall. Again, it's silly.

But I'm thinking about trying to find a room in a house. These ones are pretty nice

Reading and Re-Reading

As I was doing my homework today, I asked myself "Laura, how many times have you read at least part of Frederick Douglass' book? Common Sense? Various poems?" The answer is "many times." Between my history classes and lit classes throughout the years, I think I have read Common Sense at least once a year since 8th grade. Then there are those poems that every lit teacher feels the need to study like "The Lady of Shalott" or "The Flea" or "Sonnet 116." All of these have some kind of literary merit so I understand the importance of reading and understanding them, but I find it very ironic. See ALL of my English professors have complained or mentioned at some point how they just can't share every piece of literature with us in one semester, so we have to just make do with the important ones, or what the world has deemed a part of the literary cannon. The thing is that if each professor would stray away from the normal syllabus and pick something new, we could actually learn something new and important. It's also funny because much of what we deem worthy of so much study today were the books/poems that nobody actually bought/read when they were published.

Again, I'm not saying that the literary cannon isn't important, but more that there are SO MANY OTHER WORKS out there that we should have the chance to study in an academic setting. That's the lit class I want to take, English 325 Studies in the Forgotten Books.

Weird Dreams

So I have been having the weirdest dreams. They will start off normal (well as normal as any dream can be) and then I can't see right. The story goes on normally, but it's like I'm looking into the sun the whole time and there is a huge glare on everything. It's weird and annoying and a little bit stressful.

Feeling So Good!

So I just got back from a meeting with my dietitian and for some reason I just felt so good as I walked out of that office. I'm at a normal weight and just feel good about myself. I get to exercise and eat what I want and go to school and read fun books and it was sunshiny today, just overall really happy :) It was one of those moments where you just start laughing because everything feels so good.

I hope all of your days were as happy as mine.

Faeries?

So One of the grandmothers at Church has a granddaughter who wrote/is writing a fabulous trilogy. The last book, Illusions is coming out soon and I've added a countdown clock to my blog (partly to be entered in to win an ARC of the last book which I'm DYING to read!).

They are faerie books. Some people would be turned off by that, and to them I say, broaden your horizons because you are missing out. Aprilynne Pike has done some serious magic with these books and you will be drawn in entirely.

Decisions and Lovely Weather

Let's start with the lovely weather. I don't usually go running on Mondays, but it was so freaking beautiful outside that I got home from class and just HAD to go! It hasn't been warm enough for me to go running (though other crazy fools do it - my hands get cold and I can't bundle up when running like I do when I go for walks). Then it was still warm enough for me to do some homework OUTSIDE!!! IN FEBRUARY!!!IN PROVO!!!! It is a miracle.

My English Professor brought little heart shaped balloons for us today and they made me really happy :)

I have no idea what to major in or where to live next year or what to do this summer. I have gone through so many options in my head. The most recent is going home for Spring/Summer term (mid April-August) and getting a job or an internship. That way I can get my home fill and return to BYU refreshed in the fall. The other options include just staying through spring/summer and that way I can just keep my apartment (I have my apartment through August and I can renew my contract) and I don't have to move, which I hate doing. I have also been looking into transferring.

I got into the English Teaching program which is basically an English major with a credential added on. I am so torn on the matter. As I was opening the letter to see if I got in, I was praying that I got the rejection letter. I couldn't even finish the letter after I read the "Congratulations!" That is a pretty big sign that it maybe isn't for me. But a degree in English is the only thing that I have a desire to do and there are few majors more useless than that. I do want to work at a school I think, but I don't know about teaching, at least I've figured that much out. ARGH so many choices!!!! I hate this.

Grateful for Options

Today, I'm grateful that I have options. I got into the teaching program, but I don't exactly think that it's the right choice for me. I go by my gut feelings a lot and this just doesn't feel right. Right now, I'm thinking that just doing the English major is the right choice, but I'm going to do a bit more research before I make a final decision. I am so glad, though, that even though I hate decision making, at least I can be here, at this school, picking what I want to do. A few hundred years ago and none of these options would have been open to me and they still aren't to so many people. Some people limit themselves through addictions or teenage pregnancy or other silly things. Others are limited by what they can pay. I am not limited, I have the world at my fingertips and I have decided to be glad to have the options rather than stressing about it and resenting having choices.

Today I'm Grateful For...

1. My Job. For a minimum wage job ($7.25 in Utah, BTW) it's a pretty sweet deal. I get to make pizzas all day long and my coworkers are way cool. My bosses are amazing and...it's in my apartment complex!
2. Libraries. I cannot get work done in my apartment. I get distracted, I end up eating and then I go into a food coma and then no work gets done. But if I go to the library, I feel like I have made an effort to get there and so something has to get done. Besides that point, the library is comfort. My mother has brought me up around books and so libraries are home. Books are happiness and love.
3. Indoor tracks. If it weren't for the indoor track at school, I would be a very unhappy camper. I have grown to love running and it is too cold and icy to run around here in the mornings(though I do go for lovely walks in the afternoon). It feels great to strengthen my body through exercise and that track is my friend. On a side note, I'm thinking of doing the whole "barefoot running" thing, getting those five-fingered shoes. They seem pretty cool.

4. Whoever planted the idea in my head that you can mix pumpkin and cake mix to make cookies. I made pumpkin bread for some friends last weekend and I had leftover pumpkin sitting in the fridge that I needed to use. Then cake mixes were on sale so I bought one and made these fabulous chocolate cookies with white chocolate chips. Next time, I'm using peanut butter chips..mmmmm yummy!!!!

5. My cell phone. It's brilliant. I can get everything on/from it. I can play games and check email and facebook and twitter and get messages and calls. I love it.

5 things

I was told to make a list of 5 things I'm grateful for everyday and I've decided to share with you. I might not share all of them, but I do want to share some.

1. My Body. It's a pretty amazing thing.
2. My parents. They have taken care of me for 20 years and I am so grateful for every little thing. The lessons I've learned and the ones they've paid for, the house I grew up in and the love they have showed me.
3. My Apartment. I live in a nice apartment and I have my own room and kitchen and running water. I have so much that a lot of people can't say they have. I am grateful every time it gets cold out or starts snowing that I have a warm home.
4. Food. Again, so many people don't have it or go without it on purpose. Food is good!
5. The Sun.

What are you thankful for?

Visiting Teaching

So we have a program set up for the women of our church that can be pretty amazing or pretty stupid, it's called visiting teaching. Pretty much it's forced friendship. Every girl (or in our case as a Student Ward, every companionship) is assigned a girl or two to visit once a month and deliver a message. That is the basic thing. It's just a way that we can keep in contact with everyone in the ward and make sure that everyone is doing OK. Sometimes the visits are no more than 10 minutes of chatting and a prayer, and sometimes they are two hour long extravaganzas which was my experience today.

Whitney and I went to visit our teachee and we went and chatted and shared a little spiritual thought. We found out that she was being hit really hard with the trials at this point. The first one is that the management is moving her and her roommates to different apartments so that they can make theirs the "show" apartment. We looked through our contracts and found that yes, this is legal and they only have to give 7 days notice and $40 for all the inconvenience. This move would put her on the first floor and most likely in a different ward. Oh, and I forgot to mention that she has no hands and one of her roommates has spinal bifida and wears braces on her legs. Really Alpine village - let's move the handicapped girls cuz it's really easy for them.

The other major trial is a technology explosion. She bought a MacBook Pro about two months ago, and had finished all her papers for this week (one of them being a 10 page monster) just before the hard drive exploded. She took it to the Mac store here in Provo, but it isn't an official Apple store and she bought it at Best Buy. They told her that no info could be recovered and there was nothing else they could do. We took it to Best Buy and they said that it was past the 30 days and so they couldn't do anything. So we called the official apple store in SLC and they said they could help, so tomorrow evening, the two of us are driving out to SLC to get it fixed.

This is what this program is all about. Yes, her friends could help, but we can too. I am so glad that we were there to help her when she needed it. She is such a sweet soul and I am glad to have this opportunity to get to know her.

Indexing!!!!

So our church is really big on doing family history and part of that is indexing. Pretty much all that it consists of is looking at the census record or military record or something like that and deciphering the handwriting and putting it into the grid so that other people can more easily find their ancestors. I was introduced into this when I first started at BYU, they challenged our Stake to get X amount of names done so they taught us all how to do it. I did it a bit but didn't really get into it.

This semester I'm taking a family history class and I am loving it! I have gotten back into indexing and can't stop. I love seeing all the names and places and ages - little boys named grown up names and people from all over the world. I turn on some hulu in the background and sit there and index. This class has also got me interested in some other things. I have decided that the next time I'm home, I am going to start doing some interviews with family members. I realized that I know nothing about my grandfather's life or my grandmother's. I want to interview my aunts and mother to get their parent's stories and I want to get my own parent's life recorded for my children to have. There is so much to be learned from the family. I am way excited. I also want to go visit some graves.

Two Dates - One Day

So I have no idea why I feel the need to blog about every single date I go on, but why not. I went on two dates today: lunch and evening rock band.

The lunch date was pretty much a blind date. My dad was speaking with the mother of one of his really good friends, and as many grandmothers with grandsons to marry off, she mentioned seeing a picture of me and thinking that we should be set up. So information was exchanged and I got an email from him. We just went to lunch at Cafe Rio which is yummy. Everyone has been telling me that I HAVE to eat there. It was good, but people blow food out of proportion, I think. It was food. But we had a nice conversation and I didn't feel like I wasted an afternoon. It was a lovely time.

The rock band date was a group date/hang out thing. The guy that asked me was one of these three guys that come to the Pizza Pie Cafe (where I work) and we chat a lot while their pizza's bake because it's usually not busy when they come in. They are really fun guys and we had fun talking for a while then a bunch of people came and we all played rock band for a while. It was fun and I wouldn't mind going on another date.

I am not really a fan of dating, it really just takes up so much work. I don't like the whole "making friends" thing, I wish that you could just skip to the part where you know each other already. And I mean that with every relationship, the getting to know you part is so not fun and awkward.

How do you feel about making friends?

The Two Happiest Places in Provo

This morning, I went to one of my favorite places, the Coffee Pod (and Simple Foods). I was initially attracted to this place for two reasons: the logo looks like the logo for a grocery chain in England and it's pretty much the only cafe-type place around. They have the best chamomile lemon tea there and while it's pricy for tea ($2.14 for a small? It's hot water and a teabag people!) so I don't go often, but I had some reading to do and I really wanted that tea so I forked out the $. I love this tea because it reminds me of the tea I would get at the Goethe Institut in Berlin during our breaks. They have happy couches and wifi. This is one of my hangouts.



My other favorite place is the Provo Library. It's the old Academy building, so it's got all this history. The actual library is attached to the back and the second story has some huge windows and chairs (they could be more comfortable, but they are comfortable enough). There is something so soothing about being at a library. It just smells like happiness and you can find whatever you are in the mood to find. If you are nostalgic, you can go to the juvenile section and read some of your favorite picture books, or if you want something new you can just look around or ask a librarian for their suggestions. I love this place!

The Most Amazing People

Disclaimer: though most of this post is about couples, I am not complaining that I am not married and I am not searching for that - I'm 20 for heavens sake, I just get fascinated by amazing, successful relationships.

On Friday, I went over to some friends' house and was reminded how amazing these two particular people are. A little background: Nick's family and mine have known each other for as long as I can remember, we are in the same ward at church. We adopted him as our brother eventually. Jordan was in a ward close by and we have also known their family for what feels like forever. She was one of the "older" girls who I always wanted to be when I grew up. They are now married and live in a cute little house on the other side of campus from me.

Like I said, I looked up to Jordan for as long as I have known her. She is just a generally happy person and so smart and beautiful. She is just excited for life and I love that! I have also had the opportunity to experience her spiritual nature on multiple occasions and she just shines with the Light of Christ on a daily basis. I want to be just like that. Nick is the epitome of what a guy should be and reminds me a bit of my dad. Guys like them are just super smart, but they aren't conceited about their knowledge. And then they have MANNERS, which so many modern males lack. Things like opening doors and doing the dishes. Nick is especially creative as well. You should hear the stories of how he asked Jordan to prom and to marry him - so amazing. I'm not doing either of these people justice. Just think of the to most fabulous people ever and then make them more perfect and you have Nick and Jordan.

When I asked if I could visit on Friday, they invited me for dinner and we had some AMAZING garlic cheese fries and yummy homemade burgers. They have the coolest potato contraption that cuts perfect fries. Aside from the lovely dinner and happy conversation, I got to just observe this newlywed couple and I learned something. I learned what the perfect relationship is. It was just a combination of a bunch of little things (that they are probably creeped out that I took this much notice of) that touched me. Like how after we blessed the food they shared a little kiss. It was just a little "You are important to me" reminder. And then after dinner, Nick did all the dishes and cleared up so that Jordan and I and some other delightful girls could visit. We chatted for a bit and then Jordan quietly got up and I heard her just thank her husband for doing the dishes. She didn't wait to express her gratitude until we had gone and when she could have forgotten. She did it in the moment, when it really mattered. It didn't ruin our visiting time at all, and it was such a simple way to express love. I got to look through their "scrapbooks" (awesome printed books of pictures, not the cutesy crap) and they do all kinds of fun things! They go hiking and take trips and share family time. They have adventures together.


Then today there was this older couple that spoke in church. They were amazing. She just went on and on about how much she loved her husband and it was just the cutest thing. They were one of those old couples who still hold hands and kiss right in front of everybody. Oh, it was just so adorable!

Every now and then I notice couples like these and I just pray that I can find someone who makes me as happy as these women have become. I work so that I can take the qualities I enjoy in people like Nick and Jordan and the old couple and take them into my life so that I can be happy like them.

Cabin Fever Already?!?!?!

This winter is much colder than last winter and, I feel, much more icy because of it. I am constantly about to slip and fall and I can't leave my apartment without lots of layers and a big jacket. I have to drive with gloves on because my steering wheel gets so cold. I have been back in Utah for less than a week, how in the world am I going to make it through the whole winter?



True, I do have some lovely warming up items that I got for my birthday and Christmas, but that isn't the only problem. I CAN'T STAY INSIDE MUCH LONGER!!! I need to do my homework at the park, in the sunshine. I need some fresh air in my room. I want to BBQ! I want to go for a hike. All of these things and more require it to be warmer. I never realized how blessed I was with CA winters where it rained a bit but never kept you inside for more than a few days and even then going outside wasn't terrible like it is here. You don't realize how much you need the outdoors until it is snatched away from you.


This is going to be a long long winter.

Another Semester Has Begun

Well, here I am, at the start of another semester at fabulous BYU. On Wednesdays I meet with all my classes so I got to get all the syllabus silliness out of the way in one go. Quite a few papers and a lot of reading, but nothing terrible, especially considering that I have a lot of time what with classes only three of the five days of the week.

The breakdown:
History 202: This is just a regular history class from the Renaissance till today. Quizzes, two midterms and a final, pretty regular. The Professor is this old guy who has a grass skirt mullet...yeah. But he should be interesting (or at least interesting to look at hahaha).
Family History: Ok, so this is going to be a bit more work, but it's going to be way cool and fun. Aside from regular reading, the assignments are things like making a timeline of my life and just getting familiar with how to do family history and figuring out the status of our genealogical work. We have to take a trip to the SLC Family History library. I love this teacher though.
Early American Bestsellers: So when I was buying books we had to buy a TON of novels for this class (10 to be exact, plus a course pack with additional readings). Ashley said that we would probably pick as a class from that list...she was wrong. We are reading all of them. It is going to be a lot of work, but I know that after finishing this class I'll feel so well read. I had this professor last semester and LOVED him and learned a ton so I'm looking forward to that.
Creative Writing: I'm not much of a creative writer, but I hope this class makes me one. The professor is this funny lady and we have some fun assignments and I'm excited. I plan on posting a lot of my work on my blog to get used to people reading my writing.
American Literary History: This is a survey course of all american lit. It's once a week for 2.5 hours and it is going to be super fun. I got in an argument/disagreement with some kid in the class tonight when we were discussing the definition of literature. Everyone was taking sides and whatnot, way fun!

So yeah, nothing too painful. I will be starting my new job next week at the Pizza Pie Cafe Express.

Goals!!!

Every year everyone makes New Year's resolutions and I always disagree. First of all, I think that if you have a goal that takes a year to finish, it isn't a very good goal. Like it only takes a few weeks to break/make habits. Then at that point you can make new goals, so the whole once a year thing doesn't work for me. Also, I'm really bad at goals anyway. I do whatever it is until I get the essence completed, then I usually end up bored with it and move on to the next point of interest.

So for this Semester:
-Get good grades. Last semester I was too overwhelmed to think any more than to just pass the classes so this semester I want to try for as many As as possible. I'm the kind of person that is totally happy with As and Bs, I don't need straight As though - minimal effort with the maximum outcome, that's my motto. But this semester, I'm going to go for it.
-Make some $$$. I believe that I have a job working at the Pizza Pie Cafe Express in my apartment building (we shall see if they still want me, they told me to call in January and they would put me on the schedule). Also, I wouldn't mind getting back in the babysitting scene cuz I miss the babies, but that is hard to do. There are a lot of babies in Provo, but they all belong to poor college students. However, this could go with my next goal of...
-Volunteer work. I have no classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and I want to use that time to do something for others. My best friend, Kelli, does all kinds of volunteer work. She tutors and bakes Challah for Hunger(or she used to, I don't know if she still does) and teaches kids how to knit and is just a generally good person and I think that if she can do all she does and get fabulous grades from an Ivy League school, well then I have no excuse. So, I could give out some free babysitting to some friends I know who have kids and no money so they can have date night. There is also an old folks home that I wouldn't mind working at.
-Rekindle some old friendships. This last semester I had to forgo a lot of social interactions due to homework. I had fabulous roommates last year and I only saw them very rarely last semester. I want to hang out with them more. And the girls from home who I had all kinds of plans to take out to fun places which I never did. It's going to happen this semester.