Everyday is Game Day

One of my goals this year is to be better about blogging. I know I tell myself that all the time and I'm good about it for a few weeks and then I fall off the face of the Earth, but I'm really serious this time!! The first week back to school is coming to a close and if this week is any indicator of what the whole year will be like then I am optimistic. Last year was a hard year. You know everyone in their life has those years that are hard, I don't want to sound like a downer but it's kinda like nothing really seems to be working out. It's like there's a piece missing and you just can't quite figure it all out...at least that's how it was for me. I really don't want a repeat, in fact, I don't think I could handle a repeat. So this year I decided that I just wanted to have my life together. I know that sounds vague but it's really what I want.

This semester I'm taking New Testament, Doctrine and Covenants, Foundations of Global Leadership, Physics, History of Creativity, Swimming, and Volleyball. It's been fun so far! I'm doing good with the work load to this point and hopefully I can keep it up! Side note....Brittany Westover is in Physics with me!! Yay someone to study with!!!

More details of my wonderful life at BYU are to come! First football game tonight....let's show WSU who the real Cougars are!!!!!

Swim Lesson Typo

I wanted to correct a few things from the swim lessons form. First my phone number is 360-904-3895.  Also, there may be some confusion when it says $40 per half hour session that is actually $40 for the 4 day session and each lesson is a half hour.
Thanks!

Swim Lesson Waiver and Registration Form

To access the swim lesson waiver and registration form please follow this link
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-jt-E7UjR4hUmRua0N0YUZ5RHc/edit

First Few Days in Singapore

My adventure has begun! On Tuesday I got on the plane to fly to Singapore with 11 other students from BYU. We were on the plane for a total of about 20 hours. We first flew to Tokyo and then onto Singapore from there. The flights weren't as bad as I thought they were going to be. I think it's because I was mentally prepared for how long it would be. Good news is on the way home we are flying with the wind to it's a little shorter! We got to Singapore in the middle of the night and woke up bright and early the next morning to go to class. We are in class for most of the day. We are studying international industrial design. Yesterday in our first class we discussed how culture affects design and also what makes a good team. With in the class we break up into teams and develop a product that could be used in urban farming. My team consists of 2 guys from Singapore and 2 from BYU. After class yesterday my team spent the rest of the afternoon in the city. It is like nothing I have ever seen before. We  ate traditional Indian food and it was great. I have really been feeling the jet lag that's for sure. It is humid here like no other too! Anyway, I will keep up on the fun things that happen as they happen!

Mountains to Climb

Every 6 months before conference our church leaders will usually tell us that if we listen to conference we will find answers to our questions and gain personal revelation. I have always believe that this was true but never had I really experienced it for myself until this past general conference. President Eyring's talk really struck me. It was for me. I believe that Heavenly Father knew exactly what I needed to hear. President Eyring talked about trials. I have a great life and an easy life compared to most people around the world, however, it has been a hard year and particularly a hard semester. I feel overwhelmed a lot and at times I feel that I can't succeed. I have a tendency to want to figure things out for myself. I'm always thinking things like 'I can do this, I'm tough and I've got this.' What I should be thinking is 'we can do this.' When the onslaught of trouble and mental and emotional fatigue come that is when I must turn to the Lord. President Eyring said, "I wish to encourage those who are in the midst of hard trials; who feel their faith may be fading under the onslaught of troubles. Trouble itself can be your way to strengthen and finally gain unshakable faith." I know that through trials we are refined and I know that I am not going through this hard experience and journey for no reason. I will come out of this a better person. There is a scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants. It is section 122 and the Lord is speaking to Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail. In this scripture I substitute the word son for daughter. The Lord says, " ...know thou, my daughter, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he? Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known and they years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPF2MBmfkvk

You Raise Me Up

Oh my what a weekend it has been! It started at 7am Saturday morning. I got a call from my best friend and sister Avery. I woke up at the very last ring and didn't answer the first time she called but she left me a message telling me that they were at the airport and that she was bored so she was going to call me...that's my Aves for ya! So I called back and talked to everyone before they left then went back to sleep. Then a few hours later I got another call from Gma DeeAnn. She said that they were coming up, they had tickets to conference, and they wanted to share a weekend with me. I don't think I can fully explain the excitement I felt when I heard this. I had never been to conference live before!

During the day before I was going to leave I spent the day watching conference alone and with friends and getting chores done. While I was watching the Saturday afternoon session I got a call from Aunt Ti-tine and she said that they were coming up from spring break in St. George and they were in Provo and were going to take me to Salt Lake. More excitement!! It was so great to see them and see my little...or not so little cousins :) I always feel at home when I am with extended family even though I might be far from home and my own family.

In Salt Lake we stayed at Little America. Staying there brought back memories from the end of August when I was getting dropped back off at school. I got a hotel room all to myself and I felt so fancy and grown up haha! I got a great nights sleep in a big bed all to myself! I watched the Sunday morning session while getting ready for the day and by then it was time to get something to eat and go to the conference center.

Conference was seriously so amazing. I had been to the conference center before to look around but it is completely different being there in the presence of the Lord's chosen servants. The spirit was amazing. I, like my dad, feel the spirit most through music. I had always kinda under appreciated the tabernacle choir and made fun of how old they are and their ugly outfits but seriously they are amazing. The bring a great spirit. Also, when we all stood and sang as a congregation I could really feel the strength of the saints all around me. It was so great. The whole conference made my proud of my faith and the way that I choose to live my life.

Since this was my first time at conference I had never experienced the protesters that stand around outside the conference center. They are HILARIOUS!! I couldn't help but giggle at the things that they were trying to tell people. I just thought to myself, 'there is nothing you could say that would make me doubt that this church is true...especially after an experience like that.' Ahhh people these days...

Altogether it was a great weekend and a much needed rejuvenation of mind, body, and spirit. Thanks to Ryan for giving Gma and Gpa the tickets and thanks to them for taking me along! Love you all :)

So White

Every year around this time a certain depression sets in. It has to do with the fact that I am so freaking pasty I could send signals to outer space. It's that sadness when you look in the mirror and your legs (and I have great legs) and are just kinda repulsed because they look so ghostly. Summer could not come quick enough. I'm ready to go home and be with my friends and play on the boat. I seriously cannot wait.

These past few weeks have been pretty good. I recently got involved in helping with a campaign for BYUSA president and vice president. It's been a ton of fun. I love that kind of stuff. I've been having so much fun with it that I decided to look into how I could get more involved myself. So I went to the BYUSA office this week and they gave me a tour and explained all the different sections of BYUSA. They have a clubs section, administration, honor code, communications, student advisory council, and one other one that I can't remember. After the tour the guy who was taking me around asked which section seemed most interesting to me and which one I wanted to get into. I chose the student advisory council working on a project called Bright Ideas. It's a group that works to find out what people want from their school and how we can make those things happen. I am really excited about it. I think it's just what I needed to kinda revamp my excitement about being here. I also think that being involved with BYUSA and where ever that takes me will make my BYU experience more personal rather than just the place that I go to school.

Well that's really the only exciting thing that has happened lately. It's been pretty dull. Hopefully things pick up a little. Love you all :)