Lost and Found

There's a lot of different things that I could write about today. Wendy's frosties, or airport shuttles, or getting to say hello to one of your best friends before you go into your first class of the day because she is conveniently studying right outside your classroom. I'm thankful for all those things. But today I'm definitely going to have to express my gratitude for the Lost and Found on campus.

Today after I left American Heritage and sat down to take my chemistry test in the Benson building, I realized that I was missing my phone. I stayed calm, knowing that it was probably in the JSB, where I had last had it with me, and resolved to go retrieve it after I had finished my test. I went straight to the JSB to get it back, and when the bell rang, I quickly scuttled into the auditorium and began looking around on the floor. Someone who was leaving noticed me searching and asked, "did you lose your phone? Someone found it and is bringing it up to the Lost and Found. If you hurry you can catch up with them."

How great was my relief.

I hurried to the Lost and Found, waited in line, and stated my loss. One of the guys in line behind me held out my phone, asking, "Is this yours?" I said yes, took it back, and graciously thanked him. What would I have done without my phone for however long? I shudder to think about it.

Many sighs of relief were breathed. Thank goodness for Lost and Found.

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Wood Stoves

One of my favorite things about being home is that I get to relax in front of the warm, comforting wood stove in my kitchen. There's something about sitting in front of a toasty fire when you know it's cold outside that just makes life feel a lot better. :)

I'm cold-blooded. I mean to say, I like heat a lot, lot better than cold. Ever since we got our wood stove, whenever someone started a fire in it, I would huddle up close to it and just sit there and soak up the heat. I did it all the time, and still do.

Wood stove fires seem to remind everyone of a comfortable, cheery, warm home. Why else would they make videos like the one up above? I remember during December last year they would play that video in a loop in my high school cafeteria. My English teacher would also put it up on the projector in class. Amazing, the power of a crackling fire.

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Snow

Today, I flew home to Portland to spend the weekend with my family. While standing in line at the Salt Lake City security checkpoint, I received a call from my mother, warning me that I might need to take public transit in order to get home, due to the impending snowstorm.

Three hours after that phone call, my plane touched down in Portland. Except for a few pathetically small white patches, there was no evidence that any snow had fallen at all--the ground was mostly wet, like it had rained. When we landed, it was still "snowing", per se--occasional, specky little flakes that were barely legit snowflakes at all. I walked off the plane and past the security checkpoint to find my dad waiting for me on the other side. As we walked out to the parking garage, he informed me that my siblings' schools had been cancelled because of the snow.

Yep, this is the snowless world that I come from.

That's why I'm so happy to live in the abundance of snow that is Provo! (Even though we're apparently having a mild winter, it's still an abundance to me!) I love the snow. I love watching it fall, I love walking in it, I love playing in it and building things with it, and yes, I even love eating it. Plus, snow makes everything prettier. No argument necessary. See below :)

Too bad we don't get any in Portland. But hey, if we did, would I love it as much as I do right now? Plus, it makes for some good entertainment. Below is an example of how Portlanders drive in the snow--because we don't know how. Enjoy :)

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Being Done with Midterms

My past two days have included three visits to this building:

Love it or loathe it, everyone at BYU has to go through the Testing Center at least a couple times a semester. This week I had the task of taking three midterms there: Book of Mormon, Communications 101, and Calculus.

I took two tests on tuesday. They didn't go so bad, which made me feel happy. Then, today, I sat in the Testing Center for two hours to take my final midterm of the week. I walked out, saw my score (which wasn't so bad either), and exited the Testing Center.

What a relief it was to finally be done. :)

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Flashcards

Ever been given a list of terms to study for a big test coming up? Ever tried to study by just reading over the list a million times, trying to remember what the terms are, and maybe writing little notes in the margins of the study guide? I definitely have. And let me tell you, it's not the most effective way to study.

Ever taken the same list, laboriously copied each term out on one side of an index card, and wrote the definition and key facts concerning the term on the other side? Yeah, that's what I'm talking about! Flashcards are a bit annoying to make, but they're definitely worth it. I study a lot, lot better whenever I have the aid of flashcards. 

The majority of my afternoon today was spent copying out 74 such flashcards for my Communications midterm, which I am going to be taking tomorrow. I don't know yet how well I'm going to do on the test, but I do know that the study method I'm using will do me good when I'm sitting at that desk in the testing center. :)

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Brick Oven Pizza

If someone asked you, "What's the top restaurant in Provo for BYU students?" what would you say? If you're like most people, you would probably answer, "Brick Oven Pizza". I know I would! Lots of students rant and rave about Brick Oven's homey, original feel and yummy food (not to mention it's right on the edge of campus--super convenient!). Yep, Brick Oven is the place to eat in Provo.

I've gone to Brick Oven twice. The first time was back in August, with my aunt and uncle who live here in Provo. They asked me if I had ever been to Brick Oven before, and when I replied that I hadn't, they said, "Oh, we've got to take you there then." Their choice to take me there was definitely the best one. I loved the cozy little restaurant immediately. That night, I dined happily on breadsticks, chicken alfredo pizza, and homemade apple beer. Needless to say, my night went well!

Tonight I revisited Brick Oven with three of my wonderful roommates. We walked there (and back) from Heritage, clear across campus, through the rain, and soaking our feet in puddles along the way. But it was worth it! It was great to get out of the dorm after a day that consisted mostly of quiet studying and eat delicious salad and pizza. Definitely an "up" in my book.

I love Brick Oven!! :)

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Midday Naps

I'm a huge fan! It's so nice to just put down your homework and go rest up for a couple hours. Whenever I wake up from a midday nap, I always feel refreshed and ready to start back up on my work. Whoever invented the Spanish siesta had the right idea. 

Napping can help refresh the mind, improve, overall alertness, boost mood and increase productivity. Napping is good for you, too! Gotta love naps!

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Temples

Today, I had the wonderful opportunity to go do baptisms at the Provo Temple with my roommate after classes were over for the day. We drove up to the temple, showed our recommends, changed into baptismal suits, and walked into the waiting room to be confirmed, and then baptized.

The reason we had come to the temple was to feel peace and do the Lord's work by performing baptisms. We quickly realized after entering the waiting room that we were not the only ones that desired the peace that the temple brings. The benches were nearly all taken--and still filling. By the time we had done confirmations, been baptized, and walked out the door, people were squeezed as tightly as possible next to each other on the benches. It was clear that many other people besides us knew of the blessings of the temple and wanted them for themselves.

And blessings were indeed what we obtained. We walked out of the temple with a deeper sense of peace and fulfillment. It's so easy to forget what's really important, but going to the temple helps you remember.

Here is a list of the temples I've been inside and why I love them:

Portland. This is my hometown temple! It's the one that I've been to the most out of all of the temples I've been inside. The youth in my ward go to this temple at least three times a year together to do baptisms. Not only do I love being inside this temple, I also love walking around the grounds and looking at the beautiful flower gardens, fountains, and pine trees. The Portland Temple means a lot to me, and always will.

Provo. This is the "BYU" temple. It's a fifteen minute walk from my dorm, and it's situated on a hill, so you can see it from across Provo! It's usually very busy because both the students at BYU and the missionaries at the MTC do work there frequently. The fact that BYU students cause so much traffic at this temple makes me happy--it shows that temple work is important to students at BYU (which makes me even prouder to go to this great school). Oh, and walking around the grounds on Sunday afternoons is the best! 

Nauvoo. I did baptisms here when my family was in the Nauvoo Pageant (one of the best summers of my life!) There's so much history behind this temple. To me, it's a symbol of perseverance--the pioneers refused to leave Nauvoo until their temple was finished, even though they knew that it would be destroyed. I remember when the new Nauvoo temple was dedicated, and how everyone was so glad that the work that the early saints started was finished. The Nauvoo Temple is a living miracle.

Mount Timpanogos. I went to this temple to do baptisms with my roommates back in December. I don't really remember it, but I actually went to the dedication of the Timp Temple when I was really little! The Timpanogos Temple is a bit smaller than the other temples that I've been to, which I like; it has a nice, cozy, homelike feel. It's also beautiful, inside and out.

I love to see the temple!

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Cleaning Checks

They say that cleanliness is next to godliness. Nothing reinforces this belief like a good, thorough cleaning check.

Before the day of the check arrives, I usually approach it with the utmost dread. But once the cleaning begins, I realize, hey, it's not so bad after all! And afterwards, I am rewarded with a nice, clean apartment and a tidy bedroom. Everyone's happy. :)

Today was another one of those days. Woke up with a pang of dread, began doing chores, scrubbed, swept, and watched Enchanted while tidying my desk and folding clothes. Once it was over, it felt SO nice to have everything spic and span.

Below are some visuals of the fruits of mine and my roommates' labors:

 

Bed made, shelves all neatly organized

  

No clutter all over the desk

  

Items in cupboard arranged

 

Burners spotless and clean

Table clear, free of built-up clutter

Hip, hip, hoorah for Cleaning Checks!

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Fake Glasses

Friday, February 11, 2011. I meet up at the Provo Towne Center with my good friend who is visiting Provo from his hometown of Moab, Utah. We just walk around the mall for a good half hour. During this time, we stop by Icing by Claire's so that I can buy nerd glasses for the dance the next day. He risks his man card by walking into the store with me to help me pick them out. Which we do quickly. I buy them, put them on, and wear them the whole rest of the time we are in the mall.

Saturday, February 12, 2011. My good friend and I go to the Stake Dance dressed as nerds, decked out in homemade T-shirts, polyester pants, and glasses. We get our picture taken together, then go and shake up the dance floor. I get several compliments on my glasses from my friends.

Sunday, February 13, 2011. I forego wearing the glasses to church, but I wear them to choir practice. My good friend stops me and asks if they are real. I tell her that they aren't, but I think they're cool so I wear them anyways. Later that night, at ward prayer, valentines made at the dance last night get handed out. I receive one that says, "I love your glasses."

Monday, February 14, 2011. Nothing has happened here yet; this is tomorrow's date. But I plan to wear the glasses. I'm excited.

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iCal

Today, I was on facebook chatting with my little sister. I told her that I was going to write my blog post about iCal, the calendar application on my MacBook. After I told her this, she said (And I quote directly), "your writing… about a CALENDAR???" She obviously thought that writing about something like iCal was a silly, poor choice. But I don't think it is, at all. Sister… if you're reading this, I want you to know that I am very, VERY thankful for iCal. For very, VERY good reasons.

Why? iCal is practically my organizer for my schoolwork, study projects, and tests. I record all of my assignments and their due dates on the To-Do list in iCal. Whenever sit down to do homework, I bring out my computer, take a look at iCal, and see exactly what I need to get done and what order I need to do it in. The list arranges itself. It's pretty nice.

This may sound a bit dramatic, but I think iCal saves me from failing my classes in some ways. It really does help me get things done in a timely manner, which leaves me stress-free. And hey, that's always nice. :)

Yes, my dear little sister. I'm thankful for a Calendar.

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Mash-Ups

Music. I love it! On a typical day I'll have my iTunes up and running at least four times. I'll listen to certain songs over and over without getting tired of them at all. 

Yeah, songs are great. Which makes me so happy that people can "Mash Up" songs--putting three or four or more together at once! Someday, I want to make a mash-up. To me, mash-ups are works of art--and complicated ones, too. The person making the mash-up has to dice, splice, and rearrange the music in certain ways so that it sounds good when it's all put together. It's not easy work.

I'm kind of obsessed with DJ EarWorm. At the end of every year, he takes the top 25 billboard hits, mashes them up, and makes them into an entirely new song. This is my favorite work of his. Enjoy! :)

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Little Laws that Seem Stupid, but Keep us Safe

Ever heard of some new rule that's been enforced, and scoffed, thinking, "Wow, how totally pointless! Why are they making a dumb rule about something little like that which doesn't even matter?" I'm pretty sure that most of us have at some point. I remember being a kid and going to the indoor pool close to my house. I would always want to be the first to go down the water slide, and would run on the slippery pool deck to get in line for it. If a lifeguard saw me doing this, he or she would sternly instruct me to WALK back to where I had run from, and to WALK to the line for the water slide. It was nothing short of annoying.

But what if one day while I was at the pool, and I happened to slip on the watery pool deck, fall, and badly injure myself? That never did happen to me as a kid, but sadly, it's happened to many other kids who were just like me. The "No Running" rule was really there to protect the kids who came to swim, not to restrict them from having fun.

I saw this sign by the edge of the highway near my house in Portland last spring, after the State of Oregon began enforcing a new law banning texting while driving. I thought it was so amusing that law enforcement would take the time to put up a sign like this that I parked my car, walked up to it, took a picture of it, and sent it to all my friends. But even though I laughed, I know there's a reason behind this "silly" legislature--to keep us accident free. 

This video is hard to watch, but it shows that this law is just to keep us safe!

I'm glad that we have the "little things" there to protect us.

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Break The Fast

Fast Sundays. The first sunday of every month gives every red-blooded mormon foodie a familiar pang of dread. That's because they know that the first sunday of every month is a day when they need to skip a couple meals in order to become a bit more in tune with the spirit. Which is a good thing, don't get me wrong. But after the fasting is over, one needs a nice, satisfying meal to fill that empty stomach space.

Which is why I love BREAK THE FAST. Each first sunday, every dorm in my ward is assigned something edible to prepare for a huge meal that we all have together during the afternoon, after church. The food we have is always delicious at face value, but being able to wolf it down after you haven't eaten anything for 15 plus hours makes it three times more so.

We've had a different sort of meal for every Break The Fast. Today's Break The Fast theme was "Breakfast for Lunch". It was scrumptious! It consisted of such delicacies as this:

And this:

And this:

 And, finally, this:

Thank you, Break The Fast!

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My Apartment

"You live in Heritage? That's so ghetto! I'm glad I'm out of there."

I hear this a lot from off-campus dwellers that I meet who ask me where I live. It seems that those who lived in Heritage Halls only ever talk about how old the apartments are and how glad they are that they live in newer apartments now. It's undeniable that my apartment truly IS a little bit old. But I'm so thankful for it anyways.

My apartment keeps me sheltered from the elements. Just like yesterday, it was bitterly cold today. I spent pretty much the whole day on campus. It felt so good to step back into my warm, comfortable apartment after a long day of schoolwork, and to know that I didn't have to go back outside and go numb again.

Today, I went to the JSB and watched the movie The Pursuit of Happyness for American Heritage. The main character, played by Will Smith, starts out in the film with a small, but comfortable apartment. It wasn't a terribly fancy or nice apartment, but it was a place to stretch out a little and live. Will Smith's character was eventually kicked out of his apartment and had to move into a hotel room. He eventually got kicked out of there, too, and ended up having to spend his nights at homeless shelters with his young son. This movie made me realize how lucky I was to have a place where I can go at the end of the day and relax! I'm so glad I have my apartment to spread out and live in.

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Gloves

I remember the first time that the temperature hit below freezing during fall semester. It was late October when the temperature dropped to a chilling 30 degrees fahrenheit. After my classes were over, I stumbled into my kitchen and announced to my roommates, "Wow. It is FREEZING outside." My two roommates from Utah looked solemnly at me, the Oregonian used to mild, above-freezing temperatures, and announced, "You haven't seen nothing yet."

They were right. Today I woke up and checked the forecast on my laptop, only to discover that the day's high was projected to be a bone-chilling 19 degrees fahrenheit. Stepping outside felt like stepping into a deep-freezer. After less than five minutes of walking, I could feel the tips of my ears tingling, and my thighs becoming numb. This was the Utah weather my roommates had warned me about.

After my first venture outside today, I knew that I was in trouble. I was going to freeze my poor fingers off out there. Wait--there was a solution! I remembered the warm pair of fleece gloves that my mother had sent me in a care package a couple of weeks earlier. My hands would be spared!

I recovered the gloves from my closet, donned them, and wore them all day. My hands stayed nice and warm. :) Gloves are quite a worthwhile investment, right?

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