TENNESSEE

Since I'm super awesome and fail horribly at updating my blog--
(Sorry for that, by the way)

I have survived my first semester of college.  More than survived, actually.  In spite of the fact that I rarely sleep, and sometimes spend hours wondering if anyone knows I'm alive, I love my life.

My roommates are fantastic. 



My FHE group is delightful.



Football games are insanely fun.



My roommate Sara and I are best best friends.



I have learned a lot about how to not sleep and continue to act like I have slept, how to make myself do all my schoolwork before anything else, how to be a fangirl in all aspects of my life, how to make sure I know what's important and set my priorities properly, how to keep the gospel always at the top of my priorities list, how to study for 5 hours straight, how to laugh at myself, how to make other people laugh at me, and how to be truly beautiful, regardless of anyone else's opinions or tastes, and how Heavenly Father never ever leaves me alone. 

And now, hasta la vista, Provo.  Tomorrow I embark on a grand return adventure to the land of Franklin, Tennessee.

To all my dear friends in Tennessee, I am VERY excited to see you again.  As marvelous as my collegiate life is, I miss you guys.  I make it a goal to see as many of you as I can for as long as I can upon my return. 

So assuming I don't die on the plane or in the airport, I will see you all soon.  It will be marvelous to step back in to my old life for a few weeks. 



Tennessee, I will see you in approximately 24 hours.

Bad Wolf Bay

really, what can I say?

why?
i hope bananas stop making me cry soon.

Homesick for Provo

This weekend my roommate Emily and I took a trip up to Salt Lake City.  She's a convert, and today was the one-year anniversary of her baptism.  She had never seen the Salt Lake temple before, so we decided to go on her special day.  We got to walk all around Temple Square and see the Joseph Smith movie in the Legacy Theater.  It was an awesome spiritual experience being able to discuss the gospel with her and feel the beautiful peace that abounds on temple grounds. 

Here are some beautiful pictures of our fun adventure:

 The Christus statue in the Visitor's Center.

 Posing on the wedding picture pedestal in front of the temple!

 The reflection pool--my personal favorite!

This picture was taken by the cutest couple who had just gotten married in the Salt Lake temple a month before.  They were so nice and fun to talk to!

What I learned:  The gospel is AWESOME.  It really is.  I love having friends who feel the same way I do about the temple and the scriptures and the prophets and apostles.  And...Provo is the best.  When I saw the Y on the mountain and the SWKT, I just felt like I was back home.  ...I LOVE college.

P.S.  Although we did take 2 buses and a monorail there and back, we did not get lost!  We both consider this a monumental personal acheivement.





I wish I was this talented.

This is CRAZY.  I could listen to it over and over again.  In fact, I have.  The entire time I've been working on my homework.

General Reflections and Musings

Things I have learned in my first two weeks at college:

1.  Some things about college are pretty similar to high school, but in a good way.

2.  35,000 people is a LOT of people.

3.  Not having a temple recommend is a horrible thing.

4.  There are always boys in my apartment.

5.  The aforementioned boys really like cookies.

6.  It's a lot easier to not do homework than it is to do it.

7.  It's helpful to have friends in your classes who know how to help you.

8.  Calculus without plus tens, puns, and corny jokes is different but not necessarily bad.

9.  1:00 A.M. is the best time to have a heart-to-heart with your roomates in the kitchen (whilst eating cookies.)

10.  Campus isn't nearly as big or as scary as it seems.

11.  My scriptures are my best friend.

12.  Sometimes Heavenly Father has different plans for you than you have for yourself.  And He always knows best.

13.  It's really easy to listen attentively when your professor is British.

14.  When I am myself all the time, people end up liking me for it.

15.  My Heavenly Father loves me and knows me and cares about me more than I can comprehend.

16.  I love BYU.  I love my ward and my roommates and my classes and my professors and my friends and the campus and sitting reading my textbooks in the grass and singing along with good musicians and concerts in parking garages and having long conversations with people I don't know and falling in love with my life.

P.S. Sorry there are no pictures.  I will take some and put them up soon.  PROMISE.

On My Way

Today, I took the final things down from my wall.

I took everything off my shelves and my floor and my closet.

My room is completely empty.  Just a shell of what it was, when it was still mine.

Everything I know and love is packed into rubbermaid tubs, stacked in the car.

It's scary and thrilling and unreal and exciting and weird.

I am on my way to a completely new world.

And I can't wait.

Why I Love Summer

Last week I got to do several really fun things:

1. Register for college classes at 1:00 A.M.  (Maybe this was more stressful than fun.  But the concept of college is really exciting.)  I actually got into all but one of the classes I wanted. 

2. Finish a GREAT book series: Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson.  It's well-written, and the author is LDS.  I strongly recommend it to anyone looking for a good book.

3. Watch some really great movies.  A lot of them.  Here are just a few:

4. Plan for camp, teach the camp song, meet with my cabin moms...!

5.Go to a dance! Even if I am technically too old, it was still really fun!