Day 7

A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you.

Starry Night, Van Gogh 

Ever since I can remember, I've always loved art. Creating my own art, looking at paintings and sculptures, learning about the artist's life. Every aspect of art I loved. There's so much beauty that comes from it--from the actual inspiration, the creation process, the final result and everything in between. This painting has always been one of my favorites. Each stroke had a purpose. You can feel the cool wind. You can see the sleeping town just below you. You can wish on the stars above you--they feel that real and that close. When I was in my gifted art program (G.A.T.E), this was one of our projects--to recreate Starry Night on three separate canvases and put them together to create one wall-sized reproduction. I've always been a fan of Van Gogh, but this particular painting has always been my favorite. 

Vincent (Starry, Starry Night) by Josh Groban...Not a fan of the video, but I am of the song (its very fitting, huh? I don't know why the words at the bottom are in Spanish haha)...Enjoy!

NEXT STOP: Day 8 - Short term goals for this month and why.

Day 6

Your favorite Superhero and why.


I never grew up reading all the Superhero comics or watching many movies with Superheroes, so please forgive me if my response is lame. Out of the few Superheroes I've seen in action through movies, I'd have to say, I think the coolest is Spiderman. He shoots out spider...stuff...(what is that anyway?), he has spidy-senses, he can practically do anything. 

Now I also love Violet's superpowers in The Incredibles. Who wouldn't love to be invisible or have a force field around you? You could do so many things. Sneak into places. Protect yourself from getting shot at. Protect others from getting shot at. Listen to other conversations with the least bit of effort. Basically, you could get into all sorts of crazy shenanigans. 

Oh! Awkward moment update--I saw both BBs yesterday at the Cannon Center. Ryan and the other one. Ryan talked to me, but it was really awkward...like you know how you see someone in class, its no big deal, but when you see them outside of class, you just don't know what to say to them? Well, that's basically what happened. With me. Why do I get so tongue tied? 

NEXT STOP: Day 7 - A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you.

Day 5

A picture of somewhere you've been. Most people think of a vacation spot...I instantly thought of this place, which is a little more permanent than a trip...

Home sweet home. I might not consider Ohio my home, but I do consider this house "my home" even if it's been years since I've lived there. I've lived in that house from birth to the summer when I was 13 years old. There were so many incredible memories in that place. I remember playing on the swing set in the back. I remember "running away" from home, only to run to the front of the yard and stay there. I remember going over to my neighbors house for tea parties and eventually jewelry making, puzzle solving, and painting. I remember our front porch swing. I remember our babysitter and her always making us spinach or corn because my sister and I loved it (we liked healthy foods when we were younger...it was kind of weird haha). 

If I could pick up that house and place it in Virginia, I would. I absolutely loved, and still love, my childhood house. It was the perfect home to go up in. 

Now as far as weekends are concerned, it consisted of me and Alison babysitting her niece, Olivia, and watching High School Musical 2 and 3 and Grey's Anatomy. HSM was ridiculously cheesy and Alison knew every word to every song...kinda crazy. GA was very emotional. I was just crying and had these heart pains for the patients. Thank goodness I will not be a doctor...I wouldn't survive seeing the people in pain. But really that's it. I woke up not too long ago (I decided that since I'm sick, I should just let my body sleep as much as it wants). What the rest of my day entails, I have no idea. 

NEXT STOP: Day 6 - Your favorite Superhero and why.

Rhetorical Analysis Reflection/Day 4/Beautiful Boy #1

"This should be a reflection on the RA process.  How did it go? Good/bad?  What worked well, what didn't?  More or less difficult than the OpEd?  What could you have done better?  What could I have done better, or the department, or whatever?  What would you change about it?  And so forth."--from my professor's blog AKA the homework assignment.


The RA process went well as far as getting things done. What didn't work well with me is that we had to analyse--yes, I know that's the whole point of the assignment. But I'm more of a...free writer (?) I guess, so I really did not like the whole assignment. Aside from that, I liked how we had the same process of completing the essay (with the two rough drafts, conference with Chris, peer reviews--I actually liked the groups better, etc). I think it was more difficult than the OpEd simply because I dislike straight analyzing. But I survived and I did learn a lot from it. 

Addiction by Ryan Leslie feat. Cassie and Fabolous

Now for the non-homework aspect. Day 4 = A habit that you wish you didn't have. There aren't many things I would change about myself. But if I had to choose, it'd be my love of food. I wish I didn't love it so much haha. I am "addicted" to food (hey, there's the connection to the music video! haha). Now don't get me wrong, food is wonderful...but too much of a good thing turns bad. I'm slowly falling into the "bad" side. Darn.


Okay, so story time! You know how you see someone (in my case, a boy--er, man) in your class and you're like, 'dang, I really want to talk to him/her'. Well...I'll admit it, that was me with one of the "Beautiful Boys" in my weight training class. But I really hated that I wanted to because they would always stare at themselves in the mirror when they lifted...I also called them the "Obnoxious Boys" (some of you might remember them from my other posts about them, where I basically make fun of them haha). Anyway! So yesterday was the last weight training class (which is really sad, because I LOVE WEIGHT TRAINING CLASS! I honestly wanted to cry haha). So my partner, Chelsea, and I go over to do lat-pull-downs and this is how our conversation went:
Chelsea: So did you do anything fun this weekend (we didn't have class on Tuesday, so we had a lot to catch up on...)
Me: Well I went to the Ke$ha concert on Friday (cue Beautiful Boy!)
BB: You went to the Ke$ha concert???
Me: Yeah, did you?
BB: No, I was going to go, but my friend asked me if I wanted to go to Idaho, so I did that instead. 
Me: You didn't go to the Ke$ha concert and went to Idaho instead? What's in Idaho besides potatoes?
BB (he totally laughed btw haha): There's more when you served your mission there...
Me: Oh okay, well that's an acceptable reason.
Chelsea: Yeah, meeting your missionary people over a satanic concert...so how was it?


I went into detail, from where it was, the opening act, the crazy people I met...BB laughed but eventually left. Now fast forward to the end of class. To set the scene, I had just finished asking my professor if we could keep coming at the same time...
BB: So are you guys going to keep coming?
Chelsea: Oh yeah, we're planning on it.
BB: Oh sweet, so I guess I'll see you around. What are your names?
Chelsea: Chelsea.
Me: Megan. (BB shakes our hands)
BB: It's nice to meet you. I'm Ryan. I feel like I've seen you around on campus...(Chelsea and I give a quick look).
Both of us: Oh cool. Well we'll see you Tuesday at 5.


Then we walked out...and Chelsea just freaked out! She started rambling how he knew she was engaged and how he TOTALLYYY came over to talk to me, yada yada...haha. But honestly, I could NOT stop smiling. Beautiful Boy #1 finally talked to me. Twice. And I'll see him Tuesday. The whole thing makes me so excited, I just start rambling gibberish. And speaking of gibberish...here's another song I'm addicted to haha. Enjoy and have a fabulous weekend!

Gibberish by Ryan Leslie...it really does sound like gibberish. But it sounds so good! :]

Day 3

A picture of you and your friends.

Alison--She's my go-to-girl. My telepathy twin. The one I always turn to. God gave me multiple chances of being her friend (tent buddies in our 4th year hike, mutual friends, lake trip, etc.) and it finally clicked. I love this girl, more than she knows. She's awesome. I don't know what I'd do without her. 

Sammi and Miles--Sammi and I have been friends since we were training to hike 40 miles on the Appalachian Trail during the end of our Freshman year of high school. I'm so glad that she lives fairly close, with her going to UVU. She's amazing and makes me laugh. Miles and I became friends during the lake trip after we graduated from high school. He made the trip so much fun and we clicked instantly. He's one of my best guy friends, and one of the best guys I know in general. I'm going to miss him when he goes on his mission. Both people are absolutely wonderful and beautiful, inside and out. 

Julia and Jonni (far left and far right)--Julia goes to USU but whenever she comes to see us, its always a party. I love this girl. She's such a great person and she can make anyone laugh. Absolutely fabulous. Jonni and I became friends through Facebook when we found out we were living in the same hall. Once we met each other, it just clicked. We haven't hung out in a long time, but this girl is wonderful. Her laugh and love of life is infectious. 

Court--My third brother. We are just like siblings. We know each other's quirks and struggles but we love each other in spite of them. He put up with my lack of talking/kindness/alertness as he'd drive us to seminary. He's such an amazing person. He's kind, honest, compassionate and a genuine person. Love you, Court!

Sam and Alex--Both guys are great! They're always kind and funny. I always enjoy talking to them. 

Michaela (right)--I absolutely love this girl. We've lived across the hall from each other, but we hadn't become  as close as we are now, until the beginning of the second semester. I think the breaking point was when I received some tough news and I knew I could turn to her. She let me cry and talk for hours and helped me in the simplest, yet biggest way possible. Ever since then, we've done so many things together and I love every second of it. I completely believe that if God wants you to be friends with someone, He will make sure that happens. Our friendship is no coincidence. 

My cousin, Sam--We've always been close as kids, and we've leaned on each other especially since we're the only cousins that really don't have a family or sibling close by to depend on. She's become like my older sister and has always looked out for me. Love you, Sam!

My sister, Hailey--Sisters are friends for life. I absolutely love her. She's absolutely beautiful, inside and out. She's intelligent and talented. She's kind and loving. She's a friend to all. I love you, Hail Storm!

My family--My parents are my heroes. I look up to them in every aspect of my life. They give me the motivation and drive to keep going. They have every bit of confidence in me and never fail to tell me. They're the best parents I could ask for. I love you, Mom and Dad! My younger brothers are wonderful. Despite the age difference, they've always brought a smile to my face. Tanner never fails to give me hugs and Ethan always says the funniest things. I love them so much. 

Nicole and Melissa--These girls are my rocks back home. I love them so much. They make me laugh so hard. I can depend on them. Distance makes it hard to talk to them, but we make it work. We count down the days until we see each other. 

I do have other friends but I don't have pictures of them. The individuals who are my friends know who they are. I absolutely love them and I can tell them anything and everything. There's no editing, no hiding, just me. They make me a better person. I can't tell them enough how much they mean to me.

Day 2

The meaning behind your Blog name.

Brigham Young University--Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve, the World is Our Campus

I called my blog "The BYU Project" because this blog is specifically meant to tell my life's story, now that I'm at my dream college, thousands of miles from home, trying to figure out my life, learn about myself, and take on my new college challenges. That sounds like a pretty awesome project in my opinion haha. I also wanted to be creative and my cousins and I thought about the Julie and Julia movie...I hadn't seen it, but apparently that's what she called her blog (it was something and then had project at the end haha. My cousins told me, I never watched the movie). But yes, that is how "The BYU Project" was born. 

Now, updates. I passed my Intro to Communication Disorders Midterm (still hate the class, people, but yay me!). I finished my ASL Expression Midterm (we had to film it). I think I did okay on that, and hopefully I did okay on the second half of the midterm in class. I am also sick...so now I'm trying to prepare for my Human Anatomy Lab Midterm...I could cry, I am that scared. I just hate this class...I've never felt more dumb in my life. At least I know that anything medical/body related is not in my near future, as far as professions go. 

Well this is my life right now. Trying to survive midterm after midterm, with a groggy head, a swollen throat and a runny nose. Mmmm...survival of the fittest = college life. I'm so not ready for my last midterm. But besides that, life is good. Have a wonderful day!  :]

Day 1

A recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself.

Me and Jorge, the skull model.

Me, my FHE sister, Lauren, and my FHE mom, Michaela

1. I was in a gifted art program when I was a kid. 
2. I used to dance ballet, tap (my least favorite), character, jazz (favorite) and modern
3. Because I was so tall growing up, I was always placed in the back to dance the routines or I was taught the boy-role...hurt the inner-ballerina in me for sure (haha)!
4. I busted out my two-front teeth when I was a kid and was known as "Toothless Megan" for about 2 years.
5. Belle and Ariel are my favorite Disney princesses.
6. I loved eating spinach as a kid
7. I thought Barney was the best thing ever and I used to show off my Barney underwear at church...I was three, so don't worry. Too young to know how inappropriate that was haha.
8. The hospital I was born in no longer exists.
9. The elementary school I went to no longer exists.
10. I used to wish I had an older brother...I still do sometimes.
11. I hated my first year of living in Virginia, but now I absolutely love it and call it "home"
12. My favorite animal is a giraffe because they are tall and could kill a lion. 
13. My nostrils are uneven...don't know how that happened haha.
14. I am BLIND without my glasses or contacts.
15. I absolutely love the stars.

Well, I hope you all enjoyed that. It was a lot harder than expected...what defines "interesting" anyway? haha Anyway, my day has been okay. Just a bunch of studying. I have 3 midterms today and they're all for my kick-butt classes. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

I don't care for the music video...but I'm obsessed with the song. Enjoy. Get up and dance. Drop it to the floor.

A 30 Day Blog Adventure

So basically, I feel like I should shake things up a bit. Enough of the schedule updates, from boring classes, to class assignments, to my lack of direction in my life. This repetitiveness may have some of you bored--I mean, its okay to admit it! I am too! So lets go on a 30 day blog adventure, where every day I'll write a blog that corresponds with the day and the assignment. Should be fun for both you and I--be prepared for awesomeness (I hope). 


Day 1- A recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself.
Day 2 - The meaning behind your Blog name.
Day 3 -A picture of you and your friends.
Day 4 - A habit that you wish you didn't have.
Day 5 - A picture of somewhere you've been.
Day 6 - Your favorite Superhero and why.
Day 7 - A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you.
Day 8 - Short term goals for this month and why.
Day 9 - Something you're proud of in the past few days.
Day 10 - Songs you listen to when you are happy, sad, bored, hyper, mad.
Day 11 - Another picture of you and your friends.
Day 12 - How you found out about Blogs and why you made one.
Day 13 - A letter to someone who has hurt you recently.
Day 14 - A picture of you and your family.
Day 15 - Put your iPod on shuffle; first 10 songs that play.
Day 16 - Another picture of yourself.
Day 17 - Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why.
Day 18 - Plans/Dreams/Goals you have.
Day 19 - Nicknames you have; why do you have them?
Day 20 - Someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future
Day 21 - A picture of something that makes you happy.
Day 22 - What makes you different from everyone else.
Day 23 - Something you crave a lot.
Day 24 - A letter to your parents.
Day 25 - What I would find in your purse.
Day 26 - What you think about your friends.
Day 27 - Why are you doing this 30 day challenge?
Day 28 - A picture of you in the last year and now, how have you changed since then?
Day 29 - In this past month what have you learned?
Day 30 - Who are you?


This won't be the only thing I write about, but it will definitely be different than the usual! Be prepared for tomorrow!


PS: A song I'm in love with and makes me want to belt it out and cry. The words are painfully beautiful...at least in my eyes. Maybe I'm just in one of those moods...Enjoy.

When The Stars Go Blue--Tim McGraw...and I don't even like country. Amazing.

More Rhetorical Analysis/KE$HAAA

As far as "AIDS and India" and the rhetorical devices mentioned in the book are concerned, I didn't see any that fit with the article. Her tone and diction, however, fit well with her cause. The word choice and the way they were written portrayed a certain emotion or image she wanted her audience to experience. I did not catch any analogies, allusions, imagery, overstatements, understatements, personification, rhetorical questions or ironic parts. They might have been subtle, but as far as I'm concerned I did not catch any. 

Now for KE$HAAAA. It was insanely awesome. I loved every moment, beginning, middle and end. All aspects, the good, the bad, and the ugly, made it such a memorable night. I was squished to death about 15 feet from the stage. I had glitter poured all over me (still in my hair haha). Michaela, Alison and I almost got in a fight with a group of girls (they were so trashed and Victoria was oblivious haha. Alison was like, "We're so B.A., we won't take your B.S." haha). Ke$ha was a surprisingly good performer. There were so many blazed people there, but also children and young teenagers (I was like, why did your parents even let you come?!). After the concert, people were dancing on a car--and the roof caved in. A bunch of drunk people talked to us and did insane things (like really, why be drunk when I can tell you to do the most idiotic thing and you'd say 'yeah sure!'--not that I did, but still). We also hung out with some guys from my ward which was fun.

Ke$ha...that's what's up.

Now its the next day. And honestly, I feel like my head's about to explode. It is an awesome, yet painful, feeling. After-concert feeling for sure. Yessss.

Proud Member of the "We Love Jimmer" Bandwagon

I love Jimmer Fredette. I saw this video on someone's Facebook and honestly, it made me love him even more. He is amazing...the Steve Young of BYU Basketball. I love him so much, I want a full size poster of him! I think he is that wonderful. Here's the link for you to all convert to my view of Jimmer. Enjoy (oh and here's also another link for you to enjoy about Jimmer...kind of sacrilegious, but it's quite funny at the same time: http://dreamcatchermedia.com/jimmered).

Teach Me How to Jimmer

Now for my Single Awareness Day...Yesterday was quite excellent. To celebrate "singledom", Alison, Michaela (even though she has a boyfriend haha) and I watched The Ring and cuddled with our pillows when it got too scary. When we finished, we were terrified so we watched a Modern Family episode to make us laugh and set our minds at ease. All in all, it was a good V-Day.

Other note-worthy moments--I got 6 letters from home today (yes, the pun was intended haha). Every single note mentioned something about a relationship status, just throwing that out there. I didn't realize the possibility of me getting married was on everyone's mind! haha But they all made me laugh and it was just what I needed. Thanks family!

Weekend Recap/Unveiling of My Possible Careers

This weekend was pretty fun. I went to Preference with this guy (Greg) and Alison and her date (Levi). It was a lot more fun than I expected (that kind of sounds bad...?) and the guys were sweet. The theme was "Alice In Wonderland"...there were people who actually came dressed up as Alice or the Mad Hatter or the rabbit. It was crazy haha.

Yesterday, Alison and I spent two hours in the cadaver lab learning about the brain and spinal cord. Fun. Later on that evening we went to the dollar theater to watch Unstoppable. It was so suspenseful! I really enjoyed it.

Today was a normal Sunday. I said the opening prayer in church. I was freaking out...which isn't that necessary, but I hate speaking in public in general (regardless of if my eyes are closed or not...haha). My Bishop mispronounced my last name as "BEAR"...Nope, I am definitely not named after a Grizzly Bear. haha But that's okay...We also had Sunday School outside (delightful).

Now for my possible careers. I am determined to find out what I want to be...right now, it doesn't look like speech therapy is the right path for me. So I've thought about it and here's what I've come up with...

1. Special Education--I'd love to work with kids who have special needs. Really, I've always had a special place in my heart for children like them. They're so innocent and loving. Just different. Its wonderful. 
2. Teaching Elementary/Kindergarten--I love kids. I cannot deny it. They are absolutely wonderful. I would hate to teach though...I've never wanted to be back in any school ever again. But if I decide to become a teacher of some sort, I guess I'll have to put that aside haha. 
3. Something in the military--I know, a lot of you who know me are probably shocked. Sweet little Megan in the military? Probably doesn't make sense in your mind haha. But I want to serve a greater purpose, something greater than myself. I love my country. I love the freedoms I have. I would want to protect that...but what I'd do is still a mystery. And it would conflict with a few things...which I will discuss later.

Why I'm still deciding--Honestly, the Military would sound really good if I didn't care about my future family or if I didn't want one...But I do. It's not the actual possibility of dying that worries me. What worries me is that I might now be there for my kids. And I want to be the mother that actually raises her children and is there for them. I also want to serve a mission if possible. If I'm in the Military, I probably will miss that chance and I'd much rather give up a year and a half of my life to do the Lord's will (despite how much I'd love to join the Military). As for the first two careers, I don't know if that's what I'd want to do with my whole life. But right now, this is what I've got. We'll  see if I can come up with a decision...hopefully soon.

Brains, Beautiful Boys and Ballet

What I didn't talk about on Wednesday/in my previous blog--in human anatomy we are learning about the brain and spinal cord. It's pretty cool. My favorite part of the brain was the "arbor vitae". We also saw a sagittal cut of a human head (meaning straight down the head--we could still see the tongue and teeth and sinus cavities). It was really intense. 

Arbor Vitae--my favorite because it looks like a cute tree. Which is fitting because it means "tree of life". 

Thursday was a fun(ny) day. What made it funny were the "beautiful boys" in my weight training class. The ones that constantly stare at themselves. But the name is kind of fitting. They are cute...but really obnoxious haha. I was dared to go up to them and say, "if I had muscles like you, I'd stare at myself too"...that still needs to happen haha. I mean, they do it every class (no joke!), so I have time to fulfill that dare...

Alison and I also went to see the Cinderella ballet which was performed by the BYU Ballet. It was so much fun! Miles had bought the tickets for he and Sammi to go, but Sammi got sick, so he gave them to us. I'm so glad he did! Just watching them perform reminded me just how beautiful ballet is. I miss it so much! The prince wasn't my favorite, but the girl who played Cinderella was fabulous!

Today. Friday. Thank goodness. Today I'm going to the Preference Dance. Yes, I asked someone...it sound be fun.  :]

 

I want guys to serenade these songs to me one day. They're my current "Glee" obsession. Enjoy.

Reevaluating Life

I never thought I'd say this, nor did I hope this would even happen, but here I am thinking about changing my major/the direction my life is taking me. Everyone told me "oh you might change your major anyway, so don't worry about it!" and I would always think, "well let's pray that doesn't happen, because I really don't have a back up!". But the day has come. I'm thinking about a new career path. I'm thinking about how these possible new career paths will effect my life and my future family's.

See to be honest, I've always questioned what I wanted to be. I never had a concrete idea. I've wanted to be an artist, a dancer, an ice skater, then some vague job that allowed me to help people (which got me thinking about possible ways to help people--one was become a volleyball coach for the Special Olympics. I'm pretty sure there's no such thing, which makes this even more embarrassing to admit haha), and finally speech therapist for kids. But I go to my Intro to Communication Disorders class twice a week and I honestly think, "what am I doing here?". I'm not interested or captivated by what's going on. And one day, it just hit me--maybe I don't want to be a speech therapist anymore. Then another thought hit me--shoot, what am I going to do now?

So for the past few days, I've kept thinking about possible occupations and the lifestyles of those occupations. So many pros and cons run through my head, which makes it even more stressful. One thought popped into my head though about what I could do. And to be honest, I can't shake the thought...it was never an option in my mind to do something I'm considering to do. But it may be a conflict to my future family...I'm still studying it out. Plus, I still need to pray about it.

But here are some things I know for certain. I want and will be a mother someday. I've known from a very young age just how important and wonderful motherhood can and could be (I think that was why I didn't really care about what I wanted to be...because I knew that being a mom is what I really wanted to be). I want to be the mom that's always there for her children. I want to be the mom that's always there for her son's football games or her daughter's ballet recital (sorry guys for the stereotyping, but you catch my drift). I want to be there to help my children with their homework, or be there when they're sick, or be there for family game night. I don't want to miss out on anything when my kids grow up. And I don't want to leave my husband with the responsibility of raising them...I have a special role in the home and I want to do it right.

On the flip side, there's always the possibility of something happening to my husband that might prevent him from working. So I have to come up with a possible occupation I could fall on. That's what makes this so difficult.

Well those are just my thoughts on this whole "changing careers" business. Wish I could have avoided it, but I will survive it. Hopefully sooner than later.  :]

Shenanigans

On Friday, I hung out with Michaela, Sam and this other guy from my ward, Cory. Just plain, old, hanging out. This would have been the weekend for my blind date, but my date, Grant, couldn't make it this weekend...But he is coming (he was like, Megan, I'm so sorry, I'll make it up to you, I swear!...so cute. haha). Anywayyy, my Friday activities. We attempted to go to the last swim meet against Utah...that didn't work out. But we did go to this place to eat called Redrock, which was good. Then we went to the dollar theater (which really was $2 haha) to watch probably the DUMBEST, SLOWEST, MOST BORING MOVIE IN THE WORLD. It's called Fair Game and I honestly thought I was going to sleep...Sam told me he tried to fall asleep, it was that bad haha. So we got up and left. Waste of time. Don't see it. But other than that, it was a fun evening.

The Group: Sam, Me, Cory, Michaela

Saturday was sooo fun! Basically, Alison, her friend Tungaa, Tungaa's roommate, Victoria, their friend who's name I forget, and I went party hopping. The first party was to a Mongolian party (full of RMs who spoke Mongolian in their missions). The second was a birthday party for Victoria's friend...who happens to be a Ukrainian model and was titled Mr. Ukraine (and was a semi-finalist in Mr. World). Honestly, Alison and I freaked out. We have never met a man more beautiful haha. And he was so nice and not snobby at all... <3 haha Then the third party was a dance party with the RM Mongolian speakers again. Let's just say, that party made me sooo excited for my next ward! haha 

Guys, I'm dead serious about this. I did meet him. No joke. 

Today was Stake Conference. Elder Russell M. Nielson (Quorum of the 12) and Elder Lund (Quorum of the 70) came to speak with us. Many things were said, but one of the tidbits was about MARRIAGE. Go figure. Elder Nielson also said "you don't need to worry about the future if you are yoked with the Lord in your sojourn of life". Then the Relief Society women in our Stake had a Fireside with Sister Julie B. Beck, Relief Society General President. I absolutely loved the meeting and felt like I really needed to hear what was being said...For most of the meeting it was "Q&A". Here are my notes.

• What can we do to prepare and grow spiritually while our friends prepare for their missions?
• More YW are needed to serve missions. We should prepare the same way the YM are. It is a prize to be able to serve a mission.
• What can we do to not get "worn out" in RS?
• Faith, Family, Relief: increase faith, strengthen family, and provide relief to others (purpose of RS). It will help us prepare for the blessings of eternal life--it is not just a class.
• Tired = thinking of yourself; Energized = thinking of others/the Atonement.
• Devote oneself to the Lord.
• Charity Never Faileth--how do we live the motto?
• Tie yourself to the Spirit
• D&C 11: 12-14
• Leads us to do good
• Mind is enlightened (able to learn, get bright ideas)
• Walk humbly
• Filled with joy
• Judge righteously
• Always act on promptings
• To feel, recognize and act on the Spirit is the most important skill we can attain in this life.
• What can we do to give hope to our future children in a fearful world?
• 2 Timothy 3: 2-4
• D&C 1: 19-23
• Teach them faith (your faith and pass it on)
• Family--strong families are not an accident; requires strong mothers/wives (two words: Stripling Warriors)
• We can see miracles, we can call upon the Lord
• Moroni 7--day of miracles has not ceased
• How do we balance/prioritize as we plan our future?
• Learn to prioritize!!!
• Essential things: pray, read scriptures (she said that every day is scripture day haha), stay clean (qualify for a temple recommend), go to church
• Temple is the grand prize--not missions or marriage because you prepare to enter the temple before anything else.
• Prepare for "the day" today
• Necessary things: eat, exercise, clean, study...be self-reliant
• Nice to do list does not save you. If you have time to do those thigns but not the essential/necessary list, you lose power. 
• If you make decisions on the eternal plan, your decisions will be easier. If you make decisions on the world's standards, you will struggle.
• Having children is not a lifestyle choice. It is a Gospel choice.
• How do we find out what our divine mission is?
• "Divine Mission" sometimes gets confused with personal choice. Our mission = work towards the Gospel plan. It will not be different from the others. The Holy Ghost works line upon line--small moments will help us know what to do.
• The Lord always rewards people who use common sense. If something is stupid to do, its stupid to do. Make decisions lined up with the Lord and you will always be safe.
• 2 Nephi 28: 20-22 (be watchful of...)
• Anger (verse 20)
• Apathy (21)
• Flattery, entitlement (22)--Nobody owes you anything. We owe the Savior everything!
• How do you deal with feelings of inadequacy? 
• We all are inadequate--get over it! haha
• We are mortal beings, we are inadequate. It is the Lord that makes us strong. Work to get the Lord's help and feelings of adequacy will grow.
• How do we remember our divine qualities during moments of trial and heartache?
• Moses 5:11--Eve had good and bad experiences, but she was happy and grateful (children, knowledge of good/bad, opportunity to have eternal life). It is the Lord's plan--He will help us be more like Him.
• Some family members left the church. How can we help them?
• Always testify faith. Teach and testify. Pray for inspiration. We forgive, He heals. Help others to the best of your abilities.

The rest was part of her "lesson"...

• VISITING TEACHING
• There will always be issues--get over it! haha
• You are assigned because you are an agent to the bishop, who is the sheperd of the ward. Pray every day for the sisters you teach.
• Simply visiting is not 100%. Serve them!
• EDUCATE YOURSELF
• Understand the value of education
• Use it to benefit your family
• The world needs strong spirits--we will raise the strong spirits. Lean upon the Lord and use every bit of information you know.
• You will never be misaligned if you follow the plan.
• Help YM honor their Priesthood.
• You were not dropped out of Heaven in the middle of nothing (I think that's one of my favorite quotes. It tells me I have a purpose and a destiny. I was not an accident but put here for a specific purpose).

Wow, that was long. But I hope you enjoyed it.  :]

Rhetorical Analysis Thesis

AIDS and India is an effective argument to convince the average citizen to devote their time and money to spread the education and awareness of AIDS because it uses personal stories, statistics, and well organized information from experts to create an eagerness to act from the general public. 

Rhetoric Analysis/"How Old Were You?"

Honestly, I'm still a little confused about this whole assignment. Saying the homework assignment one minute before the bell rings doesn't really allow it to sink into my head, but hopefully, I'll make sense. Or at least get the right rhetoric analysis points in the right parts. Let's find out if it did...(probably not, so please bare with me).

I wrote about AIDS and India in the Globalization book. 

• Audience: seems like its everyone who's willing to educate the public in this fight to end AIDS. She seems to save her direct audience address until the very end where she throws in how the public can make a difference, by volunteering in the global AIDS programs and increasing funds. Things like that.
• Current and/or contemporary events of importance: India is currently in a state of a growing economy. The workforce has become more skilled and literacy rates are very high. 
• Profession/race/age/socioeconomic status: India is practically climbing out of poverty.
• Ideologies: There's optimism to overcome poverty. They have potential. 
• Issues of importance: The AIDS/HIV is spreading and it could lead to extremely high risks in their country's current state. 
• Opponents: There's a significant lack of education on AIDS. Because of this, more people are having sex and spreading the disease unknowingly.
• Major fears/worries: It will continue to spread and people will be completely oblivious before it's too late.

So guys, I hope I did this correctly...This wasn't initially the article I chose, but due to confusion (from the article I did choose and the assignment in general) and lack of time, I had to pick something fast. I will honestly admit that haha. 

DONE.

Now an update for the past few days. 

• Studied for Human Anatomy. During that time a super annoying girl had control of the arm and was going through the names (but most of them were wrong...) and she basically had no consideration towards others. And I had an intense migraine from being in the room too long haha. But I was trying to suck it up. What set me over the edge was when her hand slipped and the deltoid muscle on the shoulder just landed on my lab manual. I wanted to gag. I wanted to tell the girl to get lost. But I didn't. I quietly left the room and studied outside haha.
• This is a conversation I had with my weight training professor:
• "How old were you?"--WT Prof.
• "Um...I'm sorry?"--Me (seriously, I was so confused)
• "How old were you?"
• "...When I came to college? Eighteen..."
• (He had a big smile on his face) "...when you fell out of the pretty pool"
• The above conversation made me smile so hard and laugh...out of happiness and embarrassment (it was when we were taking role call and half the class was standing around). But he's such a sweet (and old) man. Made my day.
• Got to see my Aunt Karen's family
• Oh and in weight training class (another moment), these two obnoxious (and unfortunately cute) boys were just standing in front of the mirrors, watching themselves lift weights...and then watching themselves just because. My partner, Chelsea, and I saw that and busted out laughing...
• Again, in weight training, we did this rank thing (like we had to take our weight and use this certain resistance stuff) but anyway, for bench press I had to lift 80 pounds. NO WAY. I tried. It did not work. But Chelsea and I laughed so hard because it was that ridiculous. 

Anyway, thats really it...I'm so glad it's almost Friday! Happy early weekend everyone!

"If Love Is Blind, Why Do I See You So Clearly Now?"

This is a line in my new favorite song called "Pretty Eyes" by Alex Goot. Really, it's the kind of feel-good song that makes you want to see along and smile. It's incredibly sweet and I love this song! Enjoy...  :]

"Pretty Eyes" by Alex Goot...sorry for the awkward shot of this girl. 

Anyway, Monday was a good day. For FHE we had a paper airplane contest to see who could get their's the farthest...I did not win. And I wasn't even close to. Really, it was for the most part embarrassing...but embarrassingly fun. Which is the best kind to be honest. I also talked to one of my good guy friends...turns out we both liked each other at the same time (we just didn't tell each other because of the distance factor haha). I also got to talk to my mom, which is always needed (seriously). 

Today was rough...rough getting up. Rough going to class. Rough staying awake. Seriously, these 7 AM classes are going to be the death of me haha. But ASL was actually awesome...we didn't sign at all and just talked about deaf culture...it was awesome. And we watched this video in class...My favorite quote from the video was "a deaf person can do anything a hearing person can, except hear". 

D-PAN: Waiting on the World to Change...yes, all of the signers are deaf (not interpreters). Isn't it remarkable how "on beat" they are? Amazing.

The rest of my classes were good. Mostly tiring, but I got through it...now I'm just studying like a mad-woman. I have a Book of Mormon test this week, my weekly PDBio Lab quiz to study for, do my homework and squeeze in time to get ready for my date this weekend. Yes, its a process to get ready haha. And yes, I do have a date this weekend. That's my life right now. Gotta get back to studying...haha. :]