Life at a Glance (pictures to follow)

Why hello again!

August 14th really wasn't all that long ago, but so many things have happened that it feels much longer than two weeks.

The last little bit of life, calendar-style.

August 11th - 1 year anniversary. Dinner at a restaurant we never go to. A great night at home.

August 15th - Our "celebrated" anniversary. Going back to Alaskan Inn and Rainbow Gardens for dinner. Wonderful night and I love how much we've become better friends in one year.

August 18th - Beth got home. FINALLY! I feel like my life is back in order with her nearby.

August 19th - Morning flight out of Utah to Vancouver, where we boarded a cruise ship headed up the Alaskan Coast. First Briggs Family Vacation since before Dan's mission! Meaning I was seven years old. 2/3 of my life ago--I'd say we were overdue.

August 19th-26th - One of the greatest weeks with the family ever. Floatplane adventure over the Misty Fjords. Hiking to Mendenhall Glacier after having the pleasure of riding Mr. Jantzen Deppe's tour bus. Touring Skagway and getting ripped off at a Subway in Canada. Playing games nonstop with all the kids, including Sardines on decks of the ship. Endless buffets and room service. Blake and I being the winning contestants in a marriage game show and winning a bottle of champagne. Riding a tour bus from Seward to Anchorage for ten hours. Waiting in the airport for another 5 hours. And finally a red-eye flight from Anchorage to Denver to Salt Lake where we jumped off the plane, into the car, and raced back to campus so I could make my classes on my last first day of school!

August 27th-28th - Trying to get a handle on school without getting too overwhelmed. With Blake's support and perspective, even the scariest mountains become climbable. Awesome hubster for the win.

August 29th - Another trip to the airport and red-eye flight. This time, it was Blake's brother Quinton who just returned from his mission in Bolivia. Meeting new brother for the first time. Loving the family I married into all over again. Loving life.

August 30th - Great day of school. First Zumba experience. Family barbeque tonight. First BYU football game. And who knows what other adventures the rest of the afternoon has in store... I'll keep you posted. :)

Dang, life's good.

I'm practically famous

Hey there, I have returned. :)  I've been gone because:

1. I've become a ridiculous TV junkie as I eagerly consume the Olympics.  I honestly watch more TV in these two weeks than in the two years between Olympics combined.

2. The internet was out at our house for quite some time. Always weird when you can't go to the internet for answers to questions, looking up phone numbers, or checking online banking.

Anyhow, I'm back!

And I don't have time to write much, but I just wanted to say, I KNOW THIS GUY! He was in my speech class a few semesters back and although he gave a speech about both swimming and Bolivia, he didn't say ANYTHING about Olympics or World Championships!! I was blown away when I saw someone had posted this to facebook.

Bottom line:  I PERSONALLY KNOW AN OLYMPIAN!

Mr. Moocher Strikes Again

After sending out a desperate, last-minute LearningSuite message (LearningSuite: the new BlackBoard--it's all the rage) to the entire class asking for notes and evidently receiving no response, I got a personalized message from Mr. Humanities Moocher himself:

Hi Annie,

I was hoping to get by without mooching off of your notes again [took the words right out of my mouth, P.J.] but I am not feeling ready with my notes [Notes? What notes? You've sat in front of me all term, and I know with complete confidence that you do not have any notes whatsoever, unless you typed them on facebook]. Is there any way you could send me yours one last time? 

Thanks,

Peter

Cute. Real cute. At this point, I wanted to hike up my pride and take it for a ride. But I'd just finished reading the scriptures when I got his email and Matthew 5:7 came to mind.

Dang.

Mercy wins. But don't worry, I did do a little dance on my soapbox along with the attachments that I sent him. I was nice, but I hope it makes a difference in some of his future classes.

Anyway, thus ends the correspondence with the moocher. And also my Civ2 general, which proved to be an outstanding class. I'm glad we could finally part as friends, Humanities.

Double the Fun

Meet Aubrie and Alaina. (Don't ask me who's who... their Mama was the only one who knew for several months!)  I needed to interview a multiple-birth parent for my Infant Development class and thought of my cousin Jill right off the bat. These are her two identical twins, and if those polka-dotted vests and furry pink boots don't just melt your heart, I'll be danged.

Jill has some unique perspectives on the transition to parenthood because she entered the Mom-scene with two bundles, not one. She has since had her third baby, Vivian, and has a lot of insights to offer a rookie like me about all things parenthood! I'm sure they'll come in handy someday.
 
I thought you might be interested to read a few gems as well. Enjoy!

Q:  Obviously you wouldn't change a thing because you've got two darling girls at the start of your family, but do you think it would have been easier starting out parenthood with just one instead of two? What were the biggest adjustments you and your husband had to make as first-time parents of twins?

A:  I am 100% positive it would have been easier to ease into new parenthood with just one baby instead of two.  However, I am discovering that not all parents of twins have such a difficult time as I did.  Some twins are healthy and mild tempered which makes the only difficulty logisitcs--feeding two babies at one time, carrying them to the car, grocery shopping with two babies etc.  However, my girls were extremely colicky, which means that they cried ALL the time.  At home, in the car, at church, everywhere.  They also spit up constantly.  Not just regular spit up, projectile vomiting is a better description.  So I guess I'd say the biggest adjustment was never having peace...at least for the first year.  Someone was always crying...and honestly sometimes it was me.  

Q:  What are some differences you've observed in raising/caring for Vivian as opposed to the Aubrie and Alaina double whammy? :)

A:  It has been unbelievably more fun having Vivi than it was having the twins.  Of course I love them all the same, but here are a few differences:

I am able to pay much more individual attention to Viv.  With my girls, I had to hold them at the same time, feed them at the same time etc.  And it was much more a task oriented environment.  But when I feed Viv, or change her etc, I goo at her, I look right into her eyes, I tickle her, we have little conversations, little moments.  I'm sure I tried to have those moments with my twins, but I'm positive it didn't actually happen very often.  Also I let them cry it out in their cribs much more than I let Vivi cry it out.  It was just too daunting of a task to go in in the middle of the night and try to play that guessing game of "ok, what does this baby want?" and then play it all over again with the next baby.   

Q:  What has been the most difficult/challenging thing about raising two girls the same age?

A:  Never having enough...enough space on my lap, enough attention to pay them both, enough patience when they're both screaming bloody murder.  Just always that feeling of coming up short.

Q:  In your opinion, what are some of the advantages of having twins?

A:  I was just bragging to some of my girlfriends who are pregnant, that at least when you have twins, you get more bang for your buck!  You might be sick for 9 straight months, but you get TWO kids out of it instead of one.  It really cuts down on that amount of time you have to spend pregnant in your life!  :)  Beyond that though, once the colic calmed down and the girls started to be able to interact, they started having fun together.  Now that they're 4, they're inseparable.  They have a best friend who knows all their stories, and all their secrets and shares their passions for teddy bears and bugs and trains.  They wipe eachothers' tears away and laugh at eachothers' silly jokes. 

Q:  What is something that gets you through "rough days"?

A:  My personal coping mechanism is trying to find or create order.  Every single morning, the second I get up, I make my bed.  Then I go to the girls rooms and make their beds.  Then I go to the kitchen and tidy things up.  All of this happens before I get the girls' breakfast.  Too often, they'll throw cereal or spill milk or something and if the house is a wreck, I am more likely to lose my temper with them, but if I can have some small amount of order in my life, it helps me deal with the disorder that children bring.  Also, if I start off the day like that, it helps me let go of things later on.  I can just sit and rock my girls in the middle of a messy house if that's what they need me to do, because I know that that morning I had order, and the next day I'll have order again.

Q:  What do you love most about your girls? (Tough question, I know.)

A:  I guess I love that they love me.  I feel like I have these little best friends being molded right before my eyes, and that someday they will be my adult best friends.  I love that they forgive quickly when I'm impatient and lose my temper.  I love that they want to learn everything from Spanish to soccer.  I love how smart and funny they are, and oh boy, how I love how utterly adorable they are.

 Ain't that the truth:

To whom it may concern...

Dear Male Moochers in my Humanities Class,

I resent that you passive-aggressively approach me and come up with some phony reason to ask me for my class notes because you know that I sit poised and alert for the entire 2 1/2 hours of each class period typing away furiously on my laptop, capturing the professor's every word in my uncommonly magical lecture notes. I'm trying to put on my benefactress cap in my head so I don't think you're both stink bombs, but it's hard for me to glaze over the fact that you both sit right in front of me and I watch you (Peter) on facebook and you (James) falling asleep in class.

You stinkers.

Annie

Where's my Rebel Badge?...

Ever written a collaborative research paper?  Gross. It was disheartening to spend so much time on my chunk, pull up the google doc, and realize why it didn't take the other girl very long to write her three pages... Poor thing. She's so nice, but in her words, "I'm fairly certain you guys are better writers than me. It's never been my strong suit so seriously I won't be butt hurt if you guys need to change things." ("Butt hurt"?... Never heard that before.) She's not a cop-outing snake like the group members that make you pull your hair out, but the sad reality of her statement is, "I'll give it my best shot, but you and the other kid will basically have to revamp/rework/rewrite the whole kitten caboodle. *loves*" Oh, and the other kid's section still isn't up on the google doc... Oh dear.

After many [many, many] hours of work on it today, I feel booshed (for definition, see Beth), antsy, restless, and some sort of need to rebel or revolt.  It's too late to start picketing something petty like fur-lined slippers, so instead, I pulled up my trusty, groovy shark and listened to some songs with slightly more power in them than Row, Row, Row Your Boat...


1.  Bad Romance - Lady Gaga  (I'm telling ya... this paper has taken its toll)
2.  Raise Your Glass - Pink
3.  Lollipop - Meeka
4.  Separate Ways - Journey
5.  Wedding Dress - Melee



Then Vanilla Twilight (Owl City) was my decrescendo to Fix You by Coldplay.

I need some more choices for "harder" angst music. That's all there is to it. Feel free to leave suggestions...

Thank goodness for the Smiths

This semester is proving to stretch and cultivate me in ways I never have been before. I recognize this opportunity as an incredible blessing, and I really am enjoying the experience (most days? I think?), but sometimes the cultivating is a little intense. I have classes all day Tuesday and Thursday (minus devotional) and my last two classes of the day make for a very intense three hours. The only decent analogy I came up with to describe how it makes me feel was a little dramatic, so I'll just say that those two classes back to back make for an intellectually and emotionally harrowing experience.

I think we often throw around the word "harrow" without giving it a lot of thought. Let's take a closer look...

Don't laugh because it's a toy... I picked this picture from the Google Images because it gives a clear bird's eye view of each part of the machine. (And because it was a Case model, of course.) Harrows vary from model to model--most have two rows of disks which are either followed by a several large bars like you see below or lots of spikey little tines. Their purpose is the same:

disc harrow, n.
1. a machine with sharp-edged slightly concave discs mounted on horizontal shafts and used to cut clods or debris on the surface of the soil or to cover seed after planting;
2. a cultivator that pulverizes or smooths the soil

I know I definitely have some intellectual and emotional surface debris, and that a lot of seeds have been planted and need to be covered, but isn't it only natural to start shaking in my boots when I see Mr. Cultivator-Pulverizer-Soil-Smoother heading straight for my soul?? I'm not sure yet, but I think I might be betting my money on the harrow...

Today, I made it successfully through Class #4 of the day, but not without one tear sneaking out the corner of my right eye while no one was looking. After the bell rang and I started booking it to the MARB, I felt so weighed down I just wanted to sit down in the middle of the sidewalk and cry for my Mom like a lost kid in K-mart. I refrained, and said a prayer in my heart instead: "Heavenly Father, I don't know how I can make it through one more class today. Please help me." After walking down the MARB stairs into the basement and less than sixty seconds after my prayer, I see this girl walking toward me in the hall:

No, I don't attend class in Paris, but this is just one of my favorite pictures of her that I took the liberty of borrowing (cough--stealing...) from her blog.

She was probably a little alarmed when I saw her face and pretty much burst into tears. They weren't the same lost-kid-in-K-mart tears; they were more tears of relief at such a tender mercy. There were only two people I'm aware of on that campus at that moment that could have legitimately filled a nurturing role on my behalf. (The other also happened to be a Smith...) Heavenly Father zeroed in on His resources and inspired a sweet Pathophysiology TA to go fill her water bottle, or get a drink, or whatever it was she was doing out in the hall before class started. I didn't need much, just real arms around me and the real love of a real friend.

• Thank you, Melissa, for living in a way that you can be the answer to someone's silent cry for help.
• Thank you, Mliss & Suzy's Mom, for raising your girls (and boys) the way that you have. I've thought many times how indebted I am to you. I know your kids wouldn't be who they are without you. Well done, Sister Smith.
  

And I have someone else to thank again when I kneel down tonight...

"God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs." - President Kimball

Orange

I've wanted to post something, anything, because I feel slightly hypocritical when I check the blogs of people I love a zillion times a day, hoping for a new post. The frequent poster award goes to Miss Suzanne Smith. *uproarious applause!*

Anyway, I feel like I've had a huge block inhibiting any form of written expression. That's definitely new for me and I'm not sure I like it! But, block or no block, I'm posting.

In my Advanced Writing class this semester, we keep a journal of thoughts, observations, and musings that could apparently someday blossom into a rich garden of vignettes that will undoubtedly change the world. (?)

Here is today's entry:

Things I associate with the color orange:

• Courtney - the only person I know whose favorite color is and always has been orange, for no other reason than she just plain loves orange
  
• The burnt orange "Spanky" shirt I had that Neil Brown always commented on
• Orange the fruit
• Blake cutting my oranges to put in my school lunches so they're easier to peel
• Sunsets over Antelope Island
• Marigolds
• My old seminary teacher Brother Crimin - as he shook hands with every student that walked into class, to anyone who was remotely dressed in orange he'd earnestly say, "Thanks for wearing orange today."
• Airborne
• The Skittles and Starbursts nobody wants
• Little cartons of Tampico in elementary - being thrilled on the few days they'd actually have real orange juice
• Vitamin C chewables
• The first time I peeled an orange all in one peel - reminded me of Sleepless in Seattle
• Being healthy
• Being sick
• Our Halloween Trick-or-Treat bags growing up
• Pumpkins
• Autumn/fall
• Chelsea's fabulous poofy prom dress
  
• Orange juice cartons at the Brigham Breakfast
• My first encounter with Paint N' Peel nailpolish
• The word you can't ever legitimately rhyme with, along with purple

Hmm, interesting experience. I recommend it. Take a second, pick a word, and see what you come up with.

...Then blog about it so I can enjoy the thrill of seeing a new post to devour. :)

FLABBERGASTED

Humanities update:

Score on the Final Paper: 93%
Score on the Final Exam: 97%

...

Final Grade = A

WHAT???
... Perhaps I ought to switch my major.

Who do you think you are?!?!

Long story short, I may have just gotten the shaft by humanities this semester. I was so certain that this class had redeemed my opinion of the field of humanities. But no. I never should have given it a second chance. (Except for the fact I had to in order to fill the GE requirement. Minor detail...)

You know, it really might be karma... My first humanities class, I DEFINITELY should NOT have gotten an A, but somehow I miraculously did. (Divine technological manipulation--aka, an angel came down and hacked into the computer. I'm convinced.) This class, I most definitely should have an A, but the numbers so far are not adding up to meet the cut.

I know what you're thinking. ~Another one of your everyday "give me an A" whiners.~ I may be whining, but I hereby submit my evidence for wanting an A:

Midterm = 94.5
Papers = 92, 95, __
All Quizzes = 100

(I'll keep you posted on that final paper score.) The way the numbers are turning out, if I manage a 93 on that last paper, I still need nearly a whoppin' 96% on this final. Otherwise I'm destined to receive an A-.

Will they take me lying down? Heavens no! I will not go down without a fight! I still have a solid 9 or 10 hours before a reasonable bed-time and a few more I could study tomorrow before my final at 9:00 a.m. I will not go quietly!!!

But what to do with all of this angst so I can let it go and channel all my energy into studying... That's the real question.

I did what any girl would do...

I listened to Jar of Hearts by Christina Perri.

Someday I will make a truly inspiring music video to this song illustrating my relationship with humanities.

Just after finals are over.

*disclaimer*

Okay, the post above is just for fun and because I needed a break from studying. I'm really not that torn up about it and I'm much less of an A snob than I used to be. I really have enjoyed this humanities class for the most part. Sometimes it's just fun to type up a well-written rant every once in a while. :)

Have a good day!

As of late...

My apologies for a month-long absence (with the exception of that lovely humanities rant the other day)--I've been working on this post for a while. It has been a very busy few weeks!

Here's what we've been up to the last little bit.

First off, we finished the Star Wars Saga, and my goodness, what a shame. I wish there were another batch we could enjoy. New life goal: train to become a Jedi.

Shortly after finishing Star Wars, (as in, a half hour later) we piled in the white Suburban for a Thanksgiving Trip to Bryce Canyon and Zion's National Park with the Briggs Bunch (minus Aaron, who thought snowboarding all week would be more fun (inexcusable), and Dan, Karen, and the kids, who decided a hiking trip with five little kids didn't sound like a relaxing holiday (understandable)).

Mom and Dad navigating

The group at Bryce Canyon

We decided to hike down into the canyon. Holy smokes, mud like I've never experienced, but it was definitely worth it! Beth's shoes say it all:

After Bryce, we continued down to Zion's. We hiked every day, including Angel's Landing. If you're interested, do a google image search to see a little more what the hike is like. After some switchbacks that rival the hike to the Y in intensity, the hike has a good solid chunk of the hike like this:

And this:
(yep, the trail is only that wide... so is the mountain)

The hike puts you up at the level of all the peaks and cliffs at Zion's because you're ON one of the peaks:

Good heavens, Mom! Please act your age and not like a scout! ;)
Just kidding--Mom is quite the adventurer. And this picture really captures just how much altitude we gained. (The little curvy thing at the top is a road. It's about the level the hike started.)

Even though there were a few points where I thought I was trying really hard to act tough and not look a little scared, it was a great experience and we were all glad Blake convinced us we could do it. It really wasn't too bad of a hike, nor was it grossly long like Timp. When you're down in Southern Utah, make a point to do it! (Unless you're prone to vertigo, in which case, most definitely do NOT attempt it.)

All in all, it was a great week! We enjoyed hiking, playing games in the hotel together, pulverizing our muscles in the hot tub, having our own "Continental Breakfast" every morning provided by Dad, and watching all of the Lord of the Rings. (Anyone who knows me will be shocked to hear that. Verdict: truly the greatest epic of good versus evil that I've ever encountered. I'm not sure I'd watch them again, though...)

Consider it the first of many family trips together, Blake!

In other news...

Blake's 23rd Birthday! He worked late, but he was off in time for us to go out for steak with Beth and her friend, Jake. I'm excited for a birthday when he's not working until 6:30 and I don't get home from campus until 6:00. :)

I had my exit interview for my internship at Courtyard at Jamestown. It's amazing how much you can grow to love someone by helping them with their basic needs. (i.e. eating, drinking, mobility, etc.) I'm going to miss my Alzheimer buddies.

The Second Sibling Shin-Dig (and last one our little Autumn Apartment!) including a spectacular Christmas surprise for Mom and Dad and gingerbread house making. (Of course we kept with tradition and watched the second Star Wars, even though Blake and I have seen it recently.)

Annual family outing to the Festival of Trees -- so great to have Blake with us this year!

Birthday Dinner with the Hulls on Sunday and watching the Christmas Devotional with Grandma and Grandpa Hull before they head off to the Philippines! What an adventure!

One of my dear roommates got her mission call to Guatemala City!

End of semester projects and papers including Jackson Polluck rice krispies for humanities.

An entire day of reviews on the Reading Day (9-10, 290; 10-12, Personal Finance; 12-2, Humanities; 2-4 (slash the moment I sprinted out the door to meet Courtney in Orem at 4), Biology.)

Pike Family Get-together to honor our deceased WWII veteran--Grandpa--and his war bride. (And by "war bride," I mean married and twenty days later he's off to Germany.) Merry Christmas, Grandma!

A perfect last Sunday in our little Apartment in South Provo with my very best friend.

Finals starting today and going through Thursday (for me) and Friday (for Blake).

Oh, and moving out today... Hmm, are we seeing a trend here? Last semester/term, we got married on the last day of finals. This semester, we're moving our whole life from one location to another on the first day of finals. What a party!

Things we're looking forward to:

Finals being over.
Getting settled in our new, borrowed home.
Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert!
Hull Extended Family Humanitarian Project.
And of course...
Christmas!!!!

A random conglomoration of brilliant findings...

Some of you might know I have a tendency to use contractions or variations of words that ought to be real words but for some reason aren't (i.e. "animalistic"). Whilst in the depths of despair (thank you, Anne Shirley) and cranking out a very fluffy humanities paper, I found that a few words that I thought I had made up were actually words! You can only imagine my elation when the words abandonment, embracement, and intemperance escaped the dreaded red underline of the spell check. I was thrilled.

Isn't that wonderful!! You learn new things every day. (Oh, and for your entertainment, I've attached a special doozy-of-a-paragraph to the bottom of this post.)

Speaking of learning new things... I learned in Personal Finance that all wills become public documents. Who knew??

Check out some wills of amazing/infamous people at http://www.doyourownwill.com/famouswills.asp.
(And if you want, you can do your own will there as well. Hooray!) While reading through peoples' wills, guess what else I found out? You know Frank Sinatra... THE Frank Sinatra?? His real name was FRANCIS. Who knew??

Maybe I was the only one in the dark on this one, but apparently you can put things like Mutual Funds INTO an investment vehicle like an IRA or 401(k). (?!) My big question is how would that investment be taxed?? Would you pay annual capital gains taxes on the dividends in the Mutual Fund, or since the whole caboodle was in an IRA, would it be tax-deferred until you pulled the money out? I'm glad that one wasn't on the test. And that the test went well.

Well, I think that's about it for recent brilliant discoveries. Halfway through this post, I started realizing how slightly uninteresting this post might be -- I found myself wanting to stop mid-sentence and end by saying, "....And then I found five dollars." But, I'm going to post it anyway, and hopefully redeem myself with a truly brilliant post soon hereafter.

As my closing remarks, I've included the promised chunk of gunk from my humanities paper.

Disclaimer: I promise that the silliness of the over-inflation in the following paragraph is more a reflection of my belligerence and bitterness towards the field of humanities than it is of my writing style. (Usually.) On most days, humanities and I get along pretty well, but when you ask me to cook up a zillion page comparison paper about who knows what, beware... The humanities gumbo that's brewing on the stove may just be laced with arsenic.

This is me asserting how a painting ("Sunday Morning" by Asher Brown Durand) reflects the moral uprightness of society at the time.



"The painting features a picturesque little town tucked away in some ethereally utopian valley, nestled by the simple grandeur of rolling hills on both sides. The painting’s title makes clear to the viewer the reason for the exodus of townspeople toward the quaint church on the hill. The viewer can almost feel the piety, unity, and collective virtue of the faithful churchgoers as she steps closer to the painting’s surface to see the tiny people crossing the bridge, making their way toward the church. The field of wheat is quiet and empty – the harvesters resting on the Lord’s day. Even the individual bundles turn the viewer’s thoughts to God as refrains of “Bringing in the Sheaves” echo through the painting’s smooth surface."


Like I said... Fluffy.
I thought the "Bringing in the Sheaves" added a nice Little House on the Prairie flair, though.

Oh Syllabi...

I would enjoy getting paid to edit professors' syllabi. Honestly! Dear Professor, I don't expect you to be perfect, but if you demand that you be addressed as "Dr." in accordance with your hard-earned doctorate degree, please take the time to review your syllabus (or have some underling do it for you) in order to present a professional overview of the class that appropriately reflects your title. Thank you, Dr. [Smith]!

Sincerely,
Appreciator of grammatically correct syllabi

Reasons to Smile

Sometimes I forget that "life is to be enjoyed, not just endured." (Thank you, President Hinckley.)

Here are some great reasons to smile:

-I have lots of people that love me. Really! A wonderful family at home and in Florida, great roommates, I've got dedicated home and visiting teachers, an endearing, inspiring relief society presidency, wonderful friends from home and friends here at Bountiful Court that I'm thankful for more and more every day.
-I've crossed several things off my bucket list in the last little while. I LOVE THAT FEELING! On Saturday, I ran my first 5K. I fought up University Parkway, across ninth, alongside campus, and wound around by the fieldhouse and the Tanner to the track by the stadium where I sprinted the last leg. 1255 is my new favorite number. (Don't worry, that was my race number, not my race time.)
-Yesterday, I got to look down on campus and all of Provo from the roof of the SWKT. I'll spare you my gushy, sentimental musings that I had on the roof, but I will say that it was sixty degrees and Provo has rarely looked so wonderful. BYU bucket list item: check!
-On Friday, I get to go to Divine Comedy. I've never been before, and it's something I determined to do before I graduate. BYU bucket list item #2: check!
-Last Friday, I attended the A cappella Jam to see my FHE brother perform in his a cappella group. I got picked out of the packed house in the JSB to join Vocal Point onstage. Whoa. Being swept off my feet without any warning and tearing up the stage with nine incredibly attractive men... No one but my mom probably knows what that really means for me. That wasn't officially on my bucket list, but the whole experience was the kind of thing that have literally made up my daydreams for years.
-Good music. Good hanna, what would I do without such great music!? You know those "I feel" magnet boards? I want to make one of those with songs instead of adjectives (happy, nervous, angry, ecstatic, etc). I'm so grateful that there seems to be a song for exactly what I need on any given day. Just for fun- I am currently listening to "Vanilla Twilight" by Owl City. (Hardly the song of the day, but definitely a great song.)

Of course there are a million more reasons to smile, especially if you watch for them, but I'm going to finally publish this post that I started a week or so ago. In the words of my good pal Elder Tyler Rasmussen, "Smile. Life's good."

Gone and Back Again

Hello again!
It's been awhile since I've written and I've found that the longer I go without writing, the harder it is to get back into it. So I'm back once again. :) Here are a few things from this last week or two that I felt like sharing with the void and/or anyone who reads.

Confession: I found my long, lost love... The A*teens. My first encounter with them was many years ago--I was probably nine or ten. Memories of playing in Hil's room and listening to the NOW! CD sparked a desire to find the music that I didn't identify ten years ago. I stumbled upon them last Saturday night as I was getting to the fried stage several hours in to writing a paper. I got up from my laptop, cranked up its poor little speakers, and danced like an immature teenage girl for probably half an hour. Here a few songs from the playlist:

Halfway Around the World -- A*teens
Bouncing Off the Ceiling -- "
Mamma Mia -- "
Dancing Queen -- "
Let's Hear it for the Boy -- Deniece Williams

Even 20 year old girls are still girls. :)

***

Last Wednesday, I gave an informative presentation in my speech class. The topic I chose? Not the influence a father has on children and the family. Not how to successfully bake bread. Nothing to do with psychology... TAXES. Would you believe it? ME, of all people, standing in front of a full class of students with my little powerpoint that I crafted myself, intelligently explaining the tax filing flow. Who would have EVER thought?! I just thought to myself, "If Beth and Jas could see me now..." I still can't believe I did it. The topic choice was influenced by the hours of study that I'd been putting in for my Family Finance test that I was taking the same night. The presentation went very well and the test?... Well, it went all right--not as well as I would have liked, but if I do well on the final I should be able to do well enough in the class.

***

I made some new friends. My buddies at Golden West Credit Union!! Holy cow--one of the best decisions so far this year. Goodbye, America First! The only thing I'll miss from you is the attractive boy in the Syracuse Branch. Anyway, you think I'm probably joking about the Golden West buddies, huh. No ma'am/sir. They really are so great over there! The Provo Branch is incredible--I'm on a first-name basis with most of the employees. I'd recommend Golden West to anyone! Thank you, Dad, for the suggestion to switch over. (And for letting me do it by myself. :))

***

I did something I've never done before. I drove 8-9 hours last Thursday from Provo to Rexburg to Syracuse. For what? A job interview! If you remember from a few posts ago, I sent in my application to be an EFY counselor this summer. It was accepted, I got an interview, and shagged 520 miles there and back again in the chance that I might be hired. I didn't feel stellar about the interview, but it was a really good experience that I wouldn't trade for a shorter drive. I'm not sure what Heavenly Father wants me to do with my summer, but I'm doing to best I can and will be open to course changes.

A huge and inadequate thank you to Mom for riding with me to Idaho and back. The hours of conversation that I had with her have already blessed me so much. I'm sure they will continue to have far-reaching effects, if I let them. "Chums in joy and comrades in distress." :) Thank you, Mom.

***

I attended the first of many bridal showers--NaTasha Ann Chandler (Norris) and Jessica Saunders (Haacke). It's mind-blowing to see so many of the girls I know so well getting engaged and married. Heavenly Father has such unique plans for each of his children. I felt a little out of my element at a bridal shower for someone my age, but I'm sure I'll get used to it at some point. The classes of 2009 and 2010 are happily dropping like flies. ;)

***

I know school isn't a big deal to some, but when you're in the thick of it, it can be your whole world. I just wanted to share a moment that was exciting for me. After several hours of study--reviewing in class, doing practice problems with my buddy Blake, reading all of the material, doing extra problems online--I went in and took my second Psychological Statistics test. I don't know yet how I did on the free response, but I made it through pretty successfully with the multiple choice. Walking down the stairs in the testing center, looking up and seeing a monitor compliment after battling for several hours in the testing center is one of the best feelings in the world. Regardless of my final score, I feel like I fought a good fight and slayed the beast! Thank you, Blake, for studying with me! It was so helpful!

***

Last item for this monster post. I have been a running fiend this last month. (And by fiend, I mean a lot more than I normally do. Nothing too spectacular by a marathon runner's standards, but definite progress for me!) My apartment complex has a "running club" that goes to the Smith Field House every night and runs. I've been doing most of my running on my own, but last night I joined the BC Running Club on their run to the field house. I'm glad I did! Aside from the motivation of running with the ward, I saw and got to run with another friend--Stacy Anderson. It was so good to see her and get to talk to her for a while. Anyway, I'm very excited for the Rex Lee run this Saturday. Who would have ever thought that I would be a runner? The only one whose opinion counted at all, for good or bad, was mine. All of those years I thought I wasn't a runner. Once I decided I was, I become one. I don't know why, but that made me think of Invictus: "Out of the night that covers me--black as a pit from pole to pole--I thank whatever gods may be for my unconquerable soul." We know who the "Captain of our souls" is, but we really are the "masters of our fates." I'm grateful for my healthy body and that I can expand its limits. I'm grateful for what running does to my mind and my ability to face life head on and "run" at it. I'm grateful for my agency--I'm grateful that I am the master of my fate. But mostly I'm grateful for my Captain and that He lovingly and masterfully pilots my too-often-rebellious soul.