The Lists that Govern my Life

So during the month of December, I make frequent references to Christmas miracles. At least once every couple of days, I exclaim, "IT'S A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!" And even when the Christmas season is far past, I still suggest that all miracles are Christmas in nature. So here are some recent Christmas miracles in my life. I got all A's except for one A- this semester, which ensures a full tuition scholarship for when I come back from my mission. This is a miracle because I scored just short of what I thought I needed on my finals to get A's. The extra Christmas spirit lingering in the air must have bumped them up. My family got to be together on Christmas this year. For the first time in the three years. And for the last time in four years due to my mission and my little brother's. But we got to be together this year and it was marvelous. Logan missed out on the picture, but he was still there:) I am going to Germany in 39 days. If ever a Christmas miracle ha...

In case you forgot, I'm going to Germany in just over three months to serve an 18 month mission for my church. Sometimes I forget that too. And by that, I mean I never forget that fact of my life. Ever. Like Ever. However, my thought process is not "What should I eat for breakfast? BERLIN!" or "How long will it take me to write an 8 page paper? BERLIN!" I do not answer every question with Berlin and if I did, it probably wouldn't be in all caps all the time. That just sounds exhuasting.  My thoughts go more like this: "What Berlin should Berlin I Berlin eat Berlin for Berlin dinner?" and "I Berlin did Berlin really Berlin well Berlin on Berlin that Berlin test."   Life at BYU has become joint with upcoming life in north-eastern Germany. You probably Berlin think that's really distracting and are wondering how I'm focusing on anything else. Like school. And the 48 pages due in my German class next week. I will t...

It’s that time of year; the time for neighbors to become enemies and soccer moms to become a little more vicious. Time for political bumper stickers, rants against the current president of the United States on Facebook, and promises no one intends to keep. It’s presidential election time. And mission call time. But I’ll hold off on that for a couple weeks. TBA. Back to the presidential election. If you’re ever interested in running for office (why you would want to be a politician I’ll never understand), definitely keep reading, for I have all the secrets for obtaining and maintaining office. These lessons come from a study of US history as well as ads I've seen or heard. Special thanks to my US History professor, Mathew Madsen, for his excellent lectures and political advice. He’s definitely been my favorite professor this semester and would be an excellent coach for anyone interested in getting elected. In the 1830s. So here it is. ·      ...

Preface: As a freshmen mentor, I go to my students’ class about once a week. This week, I picked a great day to attend. Not just because the professor (who is brilliant) gave everyone a square of Amano chocolate, but because I had a fantastic talk with life during the class too (not aloud of course; I’ve learned my lesson there). Anyways, my students are working on a “Great Works” response, which is a reaction to some great piece of art, literature, or drama, but they didn’t really understand how to do that. So what is the solution to this misunderstanding? Eating chocolate! Correction: Tasting chocolate. Which is completely different. If you don’t know the difference right now, you’ll soon know. Chocolate tasting is an art like wine tasting; it takes considerable effort, time, and precision to make valid judgments. The students read a chocolate tasting guide (found at https://www.amanochocolate.com/articles/tasting-guide.html ) and then their professor gave everyone a piece...

It's been a month. Because I promised to write something happier and less cynical than usual. And that's been a daunting task. Because as it turns out, life is hard. Always. When you're a sophomore girl at BYU. And you decide to make one long run-on sentence into twelve fragments. Because you're allowed to do that to add flair to your writing. I think it shows voice. Or that you're a non-conforming Indie kid. Or are related to one. That last one would be me. Anyways, we're moving on to full sentences for a little bit. I almost started this sentence with "because," but then I remembered my promise from 5 seconds ago, so don't worry; it's a real sentence. So life at BYU is still good (adj: satisfactory in quality, quantity, or degree), but it is also still hard. Here are some reasons why life is hard for most sophomore girls at BYU, though some are specific to me. You'll know which ones. All of your guy friends have abandoned you for two ye...

Contrary to common belief, pet peeves are not actual animals nor do they have anything to do with Harry Potter. I know, you are shocked. Really, it's just a figure of speech. The word in German is Hauptärgernis, which is like a major irritation. So sever any connections you have between domestic animals and this word. Here are a few of my personal pet peeves: People asking how you are. I know everyone does it and I do too, but it's the worst question in the world. The answer is always a lie. Always. Someone asks how you are and you say, "good" (or "well" if you have good grammar). There's the occasional "great" or "wonderful," but they generally remain positive answers. Because people don't really want you to bring up how terrible your life is in casual conversation. But for some reason we still ask. Possibly to feign interest in your emotional well being. Anyways, it's just a stupid question to ask if we already know what ...

Well, it's been a little harder adjusting back to college life than I previously thought. Don't get me wrong, I still love being here and know that this is where I belong right now. It's just different from last year. A lot different. If last year were a type of bird, it would be a flamingo. This year, it would be an ostrich. That's how different they are. So I've kind of stayed in the cave that I burrowed into this summer and I'm in the process of digging myself out right (using only spoons). Here is my plan of action for how to be happier and more social: Smile lots. At random people. Even if they're an awkward couple and I'm by myself. (don't smile creepily though; only normal smiles are permitted at this point) Say hello to people I pass on my runs.   Make friends with new roommates (we haven't really been home together so I feel like I don't know them yet). Extra credit: share something personal. I usually don't do that. Even...