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Showing posts from 2011

Why it's good that I didn't get straight A's...

I've realized that a large part of my self esteem is based off of grades, so now I get to find other good things about me and understand that I can still be a good person without getting a 4.0 It's humbling, even if I didn't think I was that cocky before. I get to think more about how classes affected my life instead of how that grade felt. Being smart is more than just getting A's. It's how you apply and use what you've learned. Life is more than grades. It encourages me to work harder next semester. It forces me to look at the bigger picture because otherwise I'll get depressed. The world isn't small pictures though, it's much bigger than individual moments. It's a good challenge to not compare myself to others. I'll appreciate the scholarship that I have right now more. I can sympathesize better with other people who got poor grades, which brings me closer with them. I am more thankful for the A's I did earn. I can learn tha

Some things to be thankful for...

My mom and her gourmet cooking and loving spirit My dad and his inquisitive nature Taylor, who is happily serving the Lord in California for his last Thanksgiving away from home Logan, who is so full of energy and life My house (with soft carpet, stairs, multiple bathrooms) My bed A fridge full of food Colorado Springs Music A piano Mountains Running My body Volleyball and tennis and other sports Laughter Kiley Platt Charlotte Martell Bethanie Sonnefeld Marcia Nygaard Christian Kerr Caleb Smith+his family Jenny Murnane Ty Higley Memories Writing Books History Love Emotions Jesus Christ President Thomas S. Monson Exercise Christmas

Things that have been hard at college

Tests. I miss getting really good grades. Riding my bike to school every day, even when the gears are frozen. Not eating gourmet meals every day because let's face it, no one can cook better than my mom. The absense of fruit and health foods. Going to bed at a decent hour. Learning it's ok to clean up after the other people you live with. I had this idea that every time I did something for my little brother at home, I was depriving him of the opportunity to learn responsibility. Service is good too though. Not having my family close by Missing my best friends Marcia and Christian Thinking about money. Stupid real world problems. Comparing home to here. Colorado Springs has so many wonderful things and people, but so does BYU. It's just different.

Why time works differently at BYU

You sleep about two hours less every night than you used to, which is more than an extra day every two weeks that you can add to your schedule! You live really close to people so you get ten fold the social interaction Your really productive time doesn't start until 8:00pm Every time you sit down, you fall to sleep so waking hours are organized differently Knowing someone for one month is like knowing someone for a whole year, which is probably why people get into relationships so quickly here The mountains block sunlight in the mornings, which messes with my circadian rhythms. Well that and inconsistent sleep with an extended weekend. I swear everyone has time turners. How else would you fit so much into one day?

Things we've left at other peoples' doors

Latex gloves filled with water Most contained messages One was frozen Sticky notes galore A cup of bacon grease A waffle with bacon in the shape of a happy face Swedish fish Photoshopped picture Ourselves!

Things left at our apartment thus far

Empty cup of ramon named Phillup Latex gloves with love notes on them Starbursts Beautiful sketch of holding hands A plate of watermelon Peanut Butter and bread (stuck to our door)+yoyogurt card Gallon of sour milk

Things to do with bacon grease

1. Put it in a cup and let it sit on your counter for three days 2. Put it your fridge for safe keeping 3. Use as a substitute for butter to keep costs down 4. Mix it in with scrambled eggs 5. Pour it into latex glove and give to innocent bystander 6. Eat it plain (not recommended) 7. Use as wax to shine wood surfaces 8. Name it and treat it like another roommate 9. Feed it more grease 10. Give it as a gift to someone who was kind enough to wash 37 dishes for you the previous day *Disclaimer: These may or may not have all been tested. Please check with an adult before trying any of them at home.

Things I love about BYU

My apartment (it looks pretty sweet now that we've organized things) My roommates Help and sincerely kind people My ward! Parties every night Divine Comedy! Exercise galore Exciting classes! New running trails:) The mountains are lovely...even though I said I wouldn't like them The sweet thunderstorm we had last night The thousands of smiles and people who make me laugh The library The maps in the buldings Everyone is your friend! (and wants to give you food)

Magical places of my world

Doherty's history office Doherty's foyer Doherty's courtyard The BYU library (don't tell me 98 miles of books doesn't get you excited) my room in Colorado Springs Wyview The map in the international college at BYU with all the countries of Europe in their own language My kitchen in Colorado Springs

Books I read summer 2011 (yes, I realize 92% of them are history books)

Lenin, Stylin, and Hitler: The Age of Social Castastrophe (Gellately)- good book to start of my summer of 20th century tragedies The Age of Napoleon (Horne)- felt like I owed it to Mr. Ecks to read a book about Napoleon From Dawn to Decadence: 500 years of Western Cultural Life (Barzun)- dense with knowledge, humanities here I come! Mysteries of the Middle Ages: The Rise of Feminism, Science, and Art from the Cults of Catholic Europe (Cahill) - good from what I remember... Bloodlands: Europe between Hitler and Stalin (Snyder) -really made me appreciate my life and put things in perspective Gulag voices (Applebaum) -good afterthoughts of the previously mentioned The Wit and Wisdom of Winston Churchill (Humes) -what a funny man The Man Who was Poe (Avi) -hey look! fiction! kinda... That's Not in my American History Book (Ayres) -I like American history textbooks better On the Wealth of Nations (O'Rourke) -I thought I had enough history to get through it, but my

Ways to tell that you're getting older

People look smaller and younger, even when you haven't grown since 7th grade You prefer to socialize with adults Your email inbox is not full of messages from friends, but from various organizations, colleges, and people reminding you to pay for housing You read more nonfiction than fiction People who left to serve two year missions two years ago are home. What a concept. You print out calendars to plan our your week, or month's, meals. You make more business calls than "let's hang out or talk" calls Your friends are starting to get marrried. And have children. And retire. Oh wait, not that last one. The "in five years..." talks are sounding less and less like the previous five years. Your calendar gets used more than your wii. You start to lose your hair, and then you realize that's just from stress. You do things to remind yourself of childhood, like buying crayons. You know that you only have a few more birthdays before age

The effects of not sleeping while trying to mentally prepare to leave for college

Irritated eyes Heightened emotional responses Feelings of devestation and anxiety Nail biting Snacking all day Not doing things that need to be done Failure to run, or painful running Slower reflexes Messy room with lots of piles Lower defenses--the heck with being careful! More conversations with my dog than normal Loss of motivation Increased clingyness Watching Lie to Me because that's almost like napping Knowing my body can adjust to a college life schedule with minimal side effects

Things to do before I leave for college

·          Read ten more books ·          Make geography blanket ·          sew skirts? ·          Run a half marathon ·          Have a picnic (maybe date style?) ·          Enjoy final outing with friends ·          Write letters to friends and family ·          Pack for college and deep clean room ·          Print out history people and quotes for picture frame board ·          Notes to piano students ·          Tennis with Marcia ·          Eat frozen goodness often

Why I'm starting a blog

I'm leaving for college in 15 days and want to leave something behind, and forward. Lists govern my life; I make at least one a day, and I think you can tell a lot about people from the lists that they make Facebook just doesn't get the whole job done. Some inner force is telling me to blog. It might be my spleen or possibly my liver. It's one more thing to add my crazy life!