Monday, October 8, 2012

Sorry this took so long ma

This is the one picture where you can actually see my uniform. I know it's not a good one, but still, it's a picture.
Also, I found this little gem:
Pretty much, we're great.
PS- That guy is Devin, the guy who makes me laugh at EVERYTHING he says, regardless if it's funny or not.

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Holy Mackerel

I love General Conference! I think it is pretty much the most awesome thing ever that we get to hear the prophet and his apostles speak directly to us twice a year. I always come away from conference feeling spiritually rejuvenated, and pondering the talks that stuck out to me most.
This year's 182nd Semi Annual General Conference has had me pondering on things all day long; I feel like today's conference was an especially good one. I've been rereading my notes from Elder Cook and President Uchtdorf's talks from the morning session, and I really liked M Russell Ballard's and Neil L Anderson's talks from this afternoon. It is truly amazing how they knew just what I needed to hear!
This morning in the beginning of the session, President Monson made an extremely important announcement that pretty much flipped my world upside down. I'm kind of freaking out a little bit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_nfQUt7d2o


BAM. There it is. This was my reaction when I heard that- :O  ->  : )  ->  :'D. This has gotten me so excited for the young men I know, like Spencer, Colin, Luis, and Kevin, all from back home. All of them will be eligible to leave for missions in December! (Well, Colin, Luis and Kevin could go right now if they wanted!) It is so crazy and wonderful. Crazy wonderful. And then, to top it off, they lowered the age for women to 19. There were several shouts/tears of joy around my apartment, and we heard a bunch of other people through the walls too. It was truly a historic moment that will change everything, and I will never ever forget it. Even just thinking about it now gives me chills.
This has caused me to do a LOT of reflecting and pondering today. For some girls in my ward, the decision was easy. I know of like three people who have decided to go on missions, some after just this semester because by then they'll be old enough. There's also a girl in my section, Julie, who decided she was going to go as well. This is so amazing!
Here are my thoughts, as far as serving a mission goes:
1. I'll be 19 this April, so I would have at least this whole school year done if I were to go, which is excellent.
2. Every decision I've ever made in my life I feel has been very heavily influenced by people who are older than me in our family. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, it's just the way it is, especially because I've always been slightly indecisive. When I played trumpet in band, it was because pretty much everyone else did too. I tried out for drum major mostly because Beck did it. When I applied for college, I only applied to UGA and BYU, because that's where almost everyone else went. I feel like this will be the first decision I have ever made completely on my own. No one else in our family has ever had this opportunity before. I'll have people all telling me to do different things. But in the end, it all comes down to what I feel like the Lord wants me to do. There will be many prayers involved, and I'd appreciate them from yall also. : )
3. Financially, I don't know if it'll even be possible. I was talking to Spencer the other day, and he said for guys you're supposed to have $10,000 saved up. I assume for sister missionaries it's a little less, just because missions aren't as long... but yikes! I don't know if I'll EVER have even close to that amount of money any time soon.
4. I feel like going on a mission would be the best thing I've ever done. For the past while (since I graduated), I've just been feeling kind of lost. I very recently made a rough outline for my life (the whole physical therapy thing), but I just don't know- classes are SO HARD and I've been trying really hard, but I just don't know if I'm going to be able to make the grades to get into medical school ANYWHERE. I feel like if I went on a mission, it would help me to mature both spiritually and emotionally, as well as teaching me important things like responsibility and diligence, both of which could probably be improved from what they are right now, and those lessons would enrich my life forever. There's really no reason NOT to go, if I can get enough money saved up. Unless...
5. Dating. Obviously, this is something I have pretty much no control over what happens when, but it's been kind of lurking in the back of my brain all day long. What if while I'm on my mission, should I go, my husband is here at BYU just waiting around for me? Although, I guess the Lord wouldn't give me the green light if I was supposed to get married instead...

This is a very exciting but also very scary thing. Prayers are VERY much appreciated on my behalf, just so I can have some idea of what I'd like to do. I've got a while to think this all over, but I see no point in putting it off until my birthday. : )

This is so exciting! Hooray for modern day revelation! And missionary work! And general conference!

Oh, PS- If anyone knows where my black jacket is, you should let me know because I don't have it anymore. : ) I love you all!




Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Mood Swings and Hilarity

I feel like for the past few days I've been going through extreme and slightly abrupt mood changes. There's been hours of greatness, where I feel super productive and on top of the world. There's been yesterday, where I just felt slightly indifferent to everything and also a little anti social. There was last night, where I could not stop laughing at EVERYTHING. And then today has been rock bottom, filled with lots of crying and chips ahoy and feelings of inadequacy and being overwhelmed.
I just want to say that even though I was feeling so awful, pretty much as soon as I started watching this video, I laughed my head off for like 10 minutes straight. It's so hilarious. It's also really weird though, just a heads up. But it's too good not to share. Enjoy the awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=ji6HQJOM_lc

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

KALLIDGE!

I am so brain dead right now! I got up at 7:45 today, studied for my EBio test till around 9, and had class from 10-3, which included my test. Which isn't too bad, right? (By the way- I feel like the test went pretty well! But after my first test which I was extremely confident about and ended up getting a 67 on, I don't want to get my hopes up too high... I'm hoping I got an 80, to be safe.) But THEN in New Testament, Brother Griffin mentioned, "Oh, and by the way, don't forget your "Scholarly Research Paper" is due tonight at midnight!" Wait... WHAT?!?!?!?I spent the whole rest of the class worrying about that stinking paper. How could I have missed this?
I got home around 3:15, made cake bars for FHE and did all my dishes in speed record time, and started in on my paper at about 4:00. I ended up not even getting to go the FHE, and everyone ate all the cake bars.    : ( But the point of this whole story is, I just turned in my paper about ten minutes ago. (It's 12:02 right now.) I've been sitting at my kitchen table, hunched over and squinting at the screen for almost 8 full hours. Wow. What has college done to me? And I still have all my homework for tomorrow to do. Ew.

In better news, at ward prayer on Sunday, a guy named Hunter made a bunch of balloon animals. We would call out an animal, and he could make it every time, without fail. It was pretty awesome. Also, my ward has started playing a ward-wide game of assassin. We each have a target, and to kill them we have to hit them on the wrist with a spoon. Mine's a girl named Ashley who I've only talked to like once. But I saw her playing basketball once, so I'm hoping I can just stakeout the court and play with her and then kill her when we're done. :) Also, it's going to be super sneaky because I got one of the little tiny sample spoons from the creamery today. For those of you who aren't creamery spoon savvy, they're about as long as my pinky. Oh yeah. Stealthy. Once I kill her, I get to take on her target, and at the end the winner is crowned the ultimate assassin.

No, I haven't gone on any dates yet. However, things with Jamie are going swimmingly, and October is the month of corn mazes and haunted houses and pumpkin carving... and I reeeeeally like pumpkin carving. *cough* Also, there's a guy in my ward named Ben who looks just like Julian Smith. His name's Ben.

Thanks to everyone who's written me letters! They are SO great! They put a smile on my face for like 3 days, for real. It's great! Thanks!

I'm the visiting teaching supervisor! I can't remember if I already told yall that. But I'm really excited! I can't wait for visiting teaching assignments to come out!

Alright- I've got to get away from this blasted computer. Love you all!

Friday, September 28, 2012

Sigh

I have an Environmental Biology test coming up pretty soon. I have absolutely zero motivation to continue what little studying I've already accomplished. None. I decided to make a list of everything I would rather do than study for this test. When I run out of things, I'll start studying again. Also, I just want to say that although this post reflects negativity and frustration, life is still pretty good. I just hate this class.

I would rather:

-eat food
-go buy some new pants
-paint my fingernails/toenails
-lay in the snow in a swimming suit
-throw up
-faint at marching practice
-take a walk
-eat a hot banana
-step in dog poo
-hold a wiggly, moderately sized octopus
-go to a YSA dance with Daverl.
-have a giant hang nail
-watch a movie with Delaney's commentary
-rotate my feet 180 degrees
-rotate my finger 180 degrees
-shake 20 people with sweaty palms' hands
-get hit in the face with a tether ball/ volleyball/basketball
-get yelled at by Clif
-get sneezed on
-ride a rollercoaster without buckling up first
-get a bloody nose in the middle of a test
-eat an oyster
-do the dishes
-eat a ladybug

Sigh. This isn't really helping. I still have absolutely NO motivation, and I could probably go on with this list forever. Because frankly, I don't care about EBio at all, especially when all we talk about is soil, because my teacher majored in soil science or something lame like that. Ugh.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Another update

School is so crazy these days! I feel like I always have a paper due, and like the reading is never going to end. Sometimes it's really overwhelming, but usually I'm dealing with it okay. New Testament is still my favorite class ever; my teacher is just incredible!
So, aside from school, life is just peachy. Last Friday my roommates and I had a movie night! We watched Dear John, which is reallllllllllllllllllllly sad. I cried a LOT. But Delaney and Emma have hearts of steel or something, so they didn't cry. Also, Delaney is really bad to watch love movies with. She talks A LOT. But it's okay, because we've gotten to the point in our relationship where I can just be like, "Delaney! You are ruining this movie! Quit it!" It's nice. :) We're like kind of almost sisters now. Anyway, for movie night we made popcorn and ate cookies and about half way through we decided to make brownies, which ended up taking like 45 minutes to cook instead of 20, like they were supposed to. We eat a lot of junk in my apartment. But I don't even feel very guilty about that since I have band 6 hours a week plus games. Also, a thirty minute walk to school every day, and a thirty minute walk back. Plus, I'm eating beans and rice at least once a day. AND me and Beck did Jillian Michaels yesterday. My right bun is super sore right now. So yeah. If I WASN'T eating all of this junk, I'd probably be teaching Jillian a thing or two.
Yesterday, I had my get to know you time with the Bishop. He's the same bishop I had Winter semester! Weird, huh? I started off by telling him that I wasn't chronically depressed or anti social, like I was for pretty much all of winter semester. And instead of being like, "Oh good! What a relief, because last semester you were SUPER lame." he just apologized for the ward not putting their arm around me a little more. :') What a nice guy. But we had a great long visit and talked about school and what I like to do and how I'm pretty sure I broke my rib mountain biking with Colin that one time... don't ask me how that came up, I have no idea! But he's super duper friendly and he gave me a Snickers when we were done. I don't have a calling yet though- hopefully soon I will.
Brother Ostler is the second counselor in the bishopric. I love him and his wife so much! They're both really old and sweet and practice in choir with us. I talk to her a lot on Sundays and she always has about a million sweet things to say and is just so kind and wonderful. She makes treats for everyone after choir- one week we had cinnamon rolls. I had an interview with Bro Ostler yesterday as well so that I can go to the Brigham City Temple Dedication in about a week and a half. He said that he was talking to his wife about callings the other day and that she was very impressed with me! I wonder what that means... because I'm definitely calling-free right now. Hmmmmm...
Jamie still super attractive. Sigh. Hurry up and ask me out, boy! PS- He's a Utes fan. The game on Saturday is going to be so awesome. (Especially if he sits next to me again- I'll be 3 for 3!)
So in New Testament yesterday, we were reading around John 2. I'm pretty sure it's verse 9 that has the best punctuation EVER. Just start reading in John 2, and when you get to it, you'll know. It pretty much made my day yesterday!
Last night around 10:45 I REALLY wanted to go for a walk around Wyview and my roommates went with me so I wouldn't get raped. It was so great! We just walked around for a little while and then me and Delaney had cartwheel contests and played this awesome game where you do like a million different kinds of handstands. It was so fun! Emma doesn't really get into stuff like hand stands out in public yet... but hopefully by the end of the semester she will. :) We laid on the grass and stared up at the stars and talked about pre-Earth life and how we wonder if we knew each other up there. We talked about pretty much everything, and laughed our heads off at nothing. But it was REALLY cold last night, and Emma was wearing short sleeves, so we left and walked back. But it was so great. I'm glad that I love them, even though we DEFINITELY have our differences. And I'm also kind of glad that we don't always get along. Which is weird. But I just like it that it's okay that we don't always get along. We just talk about whatever's bugging us and move on. It's awesome.
On Sunday I went over to my neighbor's house and ate dessert with them! They are SO hilarious. I really like them. Hopefully we're best friends real soon.
I'm really super tan right now.
Mom, you know that plaid shirt that was like a million sizes too big? I washed it, and it's still to big. But I'm wearing it to school/practice today anyway, because it's really super comfy and I love it. It reminds me of shirts that you used to wear back in the day when I was little. :) I'll take a picture so you can see for yourself later.
AND, Shell and Shauna, you know that simple facewash we all love? Well, I highly recommend the exfoliating one. It's DIVINE.
You guys know how I really with I had a southern accent? Well, brother Ostler, the bishop, Delaney, AND Emma all told me yesterday that I did! Bro Ostler and the bishop just told me of their own accord, and then I asked Delaney and Emma. That makes me so happy. :'D
Life is grand! I really miss all you people back home. WRITE ME SOME LETTERS. Let me know what's up! I love you all sooooo so much! Sometimes I get really homesick still, but overall I'm extremely happy out here and I feel as though I'm growing up just a little bit. I feel more independent, I guess. My testimony of the gospel grows so much, pretty much every single day. It really is true! I think of every single one of you every single day, and I'm surprised my roommates haven't gotten sick of hearing me talk about how spectacular all of you are. Love you all!


Monday, September 3, 2012

First week: CHECK

The first week of class is OVER! And I am loving this break, already. :)

BREAKING NEWS: Okay, so a few minutes ago there was a knock at the door. Since my roommies are gone til later today (they're both at home because they live like 5 seconds away) I answered the door. And there was so one there! Just 6 DELICIOUS looking homemade cookies and a note that says:
Aloha Brianna, Delaney, and Emma,
Hope you all had a banging first week of school and that none of you have gotten into too much trouble yet. It's going to be a great year getting to know the most beautiful sisters at BYU! These cookies are legit, made with the spirit of love and friendship from our humble abode. Please don't thank us, thank the Lord from whom all blessings flow! We hop ethat you enjoy them and that they are just as sweet as the fruit of life. If you see us around campus or at our apartment, please come and say hi so that we can get to know each and every one of you!!!

Me ke aloha pumehana,
The BOIZ of 414
(Karl, Michael, Preston, Palakiko)
And there was a nice picture of the 4 of them.

My first reaction: I laughed my head off for like 20 minutes. Only at BYU would you EVER get a note like that. HA! I've met Karl, Michael and Palakiko. Palakiko is from Hawaii is super cool and hilarious. And Karl and Michael collected my fast offerings yesterday. Michael is on the drumline, which makes him super
attractive. Plus, all of them were at choir yesterday, which makes them all amazing anyway.

Second reaction: I love all of them. Me and my roommies WILL go over there one day and ask all of them to play volleyball or something. It was so sweet of them to do that!
These cookies ARE legit. Soooo good.


A close up so you guys can tell me which one to marry. L to R: Karl, Michael, Preston, Palakiko.
The awesome cookies they left!!!!!! Minus one, that I just ate.

Anyway...

So classes were pretty good. I'm taking Western humanities, Physical Science, Environmental Biology, New Testament, and Writing & Rhetoric. And Marching Band, 3 times a week plus games. I'd say I've got a pretty good load of stuff. Humanities is reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally really really really really boring. But I'll get an A anyway, just because I refuse to get anything less. I'm getting all A's guys. The end. All my other ones are great. I LOOOOOVE my New Testament teacher, Tyler Griffin. He's so nice and sweet and excited about the gospel. Every class I just want to bawl my eyes out.

I really love BYU. For real, guys. I was a little nervous before I came out here for Round 2. But it has been so good. Band is wonderful. I love everything about it. We had a marching band fireside the day after band camp. Because we're all mormons. And it was soooo cool! I've never really felt so close to another group of people besides my own family. But now the band (especially the trumpet section- the ENTIRE thing) is like my new family. I love them all so much! There's such a feeling of unity and love that I've gotten from everyone I've met here, and I absolutely love love love love love it. It's so nice guys. Everyone should come to BYU. I bet I could just walk up to a stranger in my ward and be like hey can I sleep in your apartment tonight? And they'd say yes and we'd have a slumber party and they would feed me great food and it would just be so nice. I just feel like being really nice to EVERYONE here, all the time!

I had my first game! I forgot to take pictures though... whoopsies. Next time. Sorry ma. But it was good! I sat next to Jamie the whole time. <3 It was nice. It was kind of a boring game, though. But we won! I think it was like 30-6 or something. I messed up about a billion times, but it's okay because apparently the band wasn't even on tv at all. Lame. But I WAS on the giant screen in the stadium! I was jammin to the fight song while we were waiting on the sidelines to go onto the field for halftime. And then I looked up, and there I was! I looked really weird though, I had to move around a little just to verify that it was me. But once I was certain, I'm pretty sure my eyes got reallllly big, and I looked right into the GIANT camera that the guy was holding and waved. It was great. I'm famous. I'll be sure to get you all an autograph.
Also, Beck and Ben came to the game! It was SO good to see them there! They screamed my name and I saw them and freaked out. It was great! Thanks SOOOOO much for coming guys!

Well, I've got a paper to write for tomorrow. About how I think immodesty is the worst fad today. SO much fun.

Also, I'd recommend listening to "At Last" by Etta James. That woman has got more soul in her pinky than the entire white population.

The end. Love you all! Write me! Here's my address!

2114 N. 170 W. #244
Provo, UT 84604