Realizations

I have a problem. I’ve been thinking about this lately and I don’t think I create the strongest relationships with people in a way that I should. Now, I’m not talking about boyfriend/girlfriend relationships, but friends. I have moved into a new apartment complex every semester since I started college. Sure, I’m still friends with people, but I don’t feel like I’ve really learned to give enough of myself to make lasting relationships. I just seem to move, move, move through life never stopping to really know someone. And even as I have been realizing this, I remember that it’s my last semester here at BYU-Idaho. I’m moving back home, and will then move again after summer. All those people that I became “friends” with, I probably won’t see again or at least for a long time.


So that’s my goal to work on. I feel like I lose touch with people so easily once I move away. I don’t like it. I want to stay in touch with people; I want to still know about the details in their life that haven’t already been watered down for a 5 minute conversation. I want to open up more.

Letter 7

Have you heard of the book, The Screwtape Letters? Well I got it for my birthday. I read it a couple of years ago and really like it, but here's the problem. I read it like a normal book. One where you read it all day and finish it as fast as you can. You absolutely CANNOT do that with this book. It won't work. If you know of this book then you know that it is about a senior devil instructing his nephew devil on how to tempt his victim in the form of letters. You have to flip your thinking around to that of a devil tempting a human. You have to think, "Yes, this is what I would do if I wanted them to fall away." But then you come in from another angle, the angle of application. You see in your life how you are letting yourself slip in certain areas. In which case leads you to read only one letter at a time. Because that's all you can really handle. Not only handle, but that's all you want to mull around in your mind. You have to give yourself time to absorb, reflect and compare.

Letter 7.
"I wonder you should ask me whether it is essential to keep the patient in ignorance of your own existence. Our policy, for the moment, is to conceal ourselves. When the humans disbelieve in our existence we lose all the pleasing results of direct terrorism and we make no magicians. On the other hand, when they believe in us, we cannot make them materialists and skeptics.
-2 Nephi 28:22 "And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none- and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance."

"Some ages are lukewarm and complacent, and then it is our business to soothe them yet faster asleep."
-2 Nephi 28:21 "And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say; All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well- and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell."
-2 Nephi 38:24-25 "Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion! Wo be unto him that crieth: All is well!"

"Other ages, of which the present is one, are unbalanced and prone to faction, and it is our business to inflame them.
-2 Nephi 28:20 "For behold, at that day shall he rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good."

D&C Predicament

So I'm taking a Doctrine and Covenants class right, because I am trying to gain a greater love/appreciation for this book of scripture. My religion teacher that taught D&C in seminary, I wasn't too fond of. It was his first semester teaching and I was too above him to try and deal with his teaching method, which I did not like very much. So I did not read or pay much attention in class. How sad right? Well last year I did read the Doctrine and Covenants on my own and I used the books, Doctrine and Covenants Made Easier, which I loved. But I still didn't feel like I had a very good grasp on the overview and history behind the sections. So I decided to take it as my last religion class here at BYU-Idaho.

So this is my little miff about this class. We are at midterms and guess what section we are STILL in? Yes, section 2. Do you know how many verses are in that section? 3. Yes, 3 verses. Now it is on the Abrahamic Covenant which is completely vital and necessary to go over and will come into play in multiple areas of the Doctrine and Covenants... but we have spent 5 weeks on this topic. That's 10 hours of classroom time. I know that there's a lot of depth to this subject but I had a hard time following how my professor was teaching. He likes to take very round about ways of answering questions. By the time you get to the actual answer you have no idea REALLY what the answer is, and you've forgotten the question. Fantastic. So I guess this is all frustrating to me because I came into this class wanting to soak up D&C and so far we've been reading from every other book except D&C.

But then I take a step out of me, myself and I, and realize that yes my professor knows so much more than me and if this is something that he feels worth talking about for 5 weeks, then I should pay better attention and get off my high horse and humble myself down a bit.

It's not like I'm not even wanting to go learn about the gospel, it's just that I had a different scenario built up in my mind and I'm getting something completely different. I don't enjoy it much. But alas, that is life and I must learn to compensate and improve in whatever situation I am dealt.

Hockey

I went to my first hockey game over the President's Day weekend. Can I tell you that I absolutely loved it. Who knew I enjoy watching hockey? A large group of us drove to Jackson Hole, Wyoming to see the Jackson Hole Moose play Saturday night. We all picked out what guy we were going to play for and I chose #54, Joe Walls. Yup, my boy Walls owned that game! I was very proud of him. I kind of wanted a picture with him but I was too wussy.

But before the game we strolled through the town and came across the park which had some fantastic snow sculptures! I was impressed and delighted. 

These boys make me laugh. 

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

I came across this book as I was looking for a good medical book to read in the library. It was so interesting reading about how research has developed through time. Henrietta Lacks was a black woman who was hospitalized in the 1950s from cervical cancer. The doctors ended up taking some of the cancerous cells to study them and see if they could grow them in culture without having them die off. Her cells grew at an incredibly rapid pace and are still alive today even though Henrietta has been dead for more than 60 years. Her cells are known as HeLa; the first two letters from her first and last name. If you piled all the HeLa cells ever grown onto a scale, they'd weigh more than 50 million metric tons. Her cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine, developing drugs for treating herpes, leukemia, influenza, hemophilia, and Parkinson's disease, and they've been used to research numerous other things. 

In the book you get medical background along with Henrietta's life and the world that her children had to grow up into. Her children didn't find out about their mothers cells still living until a good 20 years after she died. It was a really interesting to read even but I'm still unsure on how I feel about it. It makes me wonder how many other stories are out there like this. 

Whimsical

So I just really like this song right now. And I thought I would share it with you. (Please don't start reading into this song and thinking that I must be love sick over some boy because I'm posting it. It is actually possible to just love a song for the pure joy of the song. I know, an obscure concept isn't it?) But this song just makes me happy and smile. It's a very whimsical song. And I enjoy that.

Day 30: The Last Day

Finally. Not that this hasn't been fun and interesting, but I feel like I can't post about anything else while this is going on so it'll be nice to have my blog back.

Anyways, Day 30: A photo of myself and 3 good things that have happened.

Thing #1: I turned 20. (This encompasses my birthday gifts as well)
Thing #2: Words of Isaiah institute class.
Thing #3: Moving into Sunset Hall, downstairs.

Day 29

A picture of something you want to do before you die.

Hang Glide 

Learn how to sculpt ice. 

Day 28

Your hopes, dreams, plans for the next 365 days.

In 365 days I'll be 21. I just turned 20. How ridiculously crazy is that? It's fantastic to tell people that I'm 20 now, instead of dealing with nineTEEN. I feel like I'm much more mature than 19, so 20 is feeling great. Not like that's a big jump or anything and it's not like I feel any different. You never really do. But 20! ha

So in 2 months I will be getting my associates from BYU-Idaho.
I will also find out if I got accepted in the radiology program through Weber State, either in the Ogden location or the Provo location. Secretly and honestly I would love to get into the Provo location.

If I get into the program, then I start in the fall.

If I don't get into the program than I am going to get a full time job! Because I already have loans to pay off from my associates, and I don't own a car so I would love to get one and start paying on it. Preferably a Subaru Forester. I would probably also try and live in BYU housing so I'm in some sort of social atmosphere.

Well, that's the basics of my plans for the next year.

Day 26 and 27

A photo of where you live

Ha yeah that's slightly embarrassing...But I live on the lower level of this house! We call it the den, but it is also lovingly referred to as the cellar, bomb shelter, cave, etc...

Day 27
A photo of someone you could never imagine your life without.

Day 25

Your worst habit.

...probably popping my knuckles. I tend to do that a lot. But take a look at this, and you'll see why I really don't care to stop any time soon.

Day 23 and 24

Sorry, yesterday was a busy day.
A photo of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently.

Day 24

A Recipe

The best cake ever: Chocolate - Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

1 box yellow cake mix

1/2 cup sugar

4 eggs

1 small choc. pudding, instant

3/4 cup water

Mix ingredients gently. Do not over stir. Then add:

1/2 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

3/4 C. sour cream

Fold these two ingredients in and pour in bundt pan sprayed with pam (or to be safe, cover with crisco and then light layer of flour). Bake for 45 minutes at 325 degrees. Let cool slightly before getting cake out of bundt pan. Add glaze on top.

Glaze:

2 T. butter

1 sq. unsweetened chocolate

1 C. powder sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 T. hot water

Melt butter and chocolate and add remaining ingredients. Let drizzle over cake. 

Day 22

A photo of your wedding/ future wedding plans.

So I kind of adore this dress. I don't like the little jacket they give it though, and it's not modest on it's own so obviously I'd have to fix it somehow.
And I don't really know what colors I want because they change periodically.
BUT!
I do know where I want my honeymoon to be. Beach house, Oregon Coast, Cape Meares.

Day 21

A hobby of yours.

Photography

Day 20

A talent of yours.

Chalk Art. (I'm still working on it okay it's not perfect)

The rains came down and I was unable to finish him :(

And again the rain came before I could finish this one too. 

Day 19

A picture of somewhere you'd like to travel.

Well, besides all the countries I went to for my choir tour, here are some others I'd love to see.

Greece

Ireland

Ladakh (I really just want to try living their lifestyle for a month or so.)

Holland

Day 18

A photo of your favorite memory.

Day 17

Your favorite website.

So I would post a link to the website except I'm on the school's computers and they block facebook until 5, and I spilled water on my laptop keyboard so who knows if that'll recover. I haven't checked yet. So I'm stuck with the schools internet system.
But, if you're on facebook, look up the group "seen @ byu" and just browse through the photos. Also, check out the photo descriptions, they sometimes make the photo.

Day 16

A song that makes you cry.

You know, if I was a big crier then I would probably have a specific song. But since I hardly cry (and if I do it takes a lot more than just a song to whip out some tears...), so I'll share with you a favorite upbeat song instead.