Completeness

So, I won't bore everyone with the details, but this past week has been terrible for me. Mostly just the stress of finals and the lack of sleep I've gotten. But through this time I also had good moments....like realizing 2 of my tests were really easy. The third would have been easier if I had gotten some sleep beforehand.

I also learned that I hate 7am finals. I had two in a row and they nearly killed me. If it weren't for Rose-the-most-amazing-friend-in-the-world I wouldn't have made it through the last 24 hours. So thank you, Rose!

This has made me grateful and appreciative of the people in my life. I tend to be a loner, but this experience has shown me that I am not alone and that help is always there. I think the best help I got this week was the comforting words from my close friends and dearest husband. Thanks guys!

I was worried about two things all semester-- my strat/sed presentation and the corresponding paper. My presentation I did really really well on. It was stressful, but I felt like I learned a lot and I feel more comfortable in front of large groups presenting. I actually kind of enjoyed it.

I didn't want to see the grade on my paper because I thought I did poorly. I pulled a few all-nighters for that paper. I worked hard. But I still felt like I fell short. Though I was torn because I wanted to see it before the final because I wanted to see how much the final would mean to my grade. So the day of the final came and the TA had the papers out on the front table and said that some people will be very happy, but others will not. So I grudgingly grabbed my paper and had a very...very pleasant surprise. I got full points, plus extra credit on the paper. I didn't know there was extra credit on the paper!!! I am not saying this to brag. Mostly just in response to my post a week or two ago when I said nothing was going right in my life. Finally, something went right. That made my day...and probably my week. :)

So there is light at the end of the tunnel. Good things will eventually happen. I am sure that my own earnest prayers for help and those who were praying for me made a huge impact. To those who prayed for me or kept me in your thoughts, thank you.


I want to give a special shout out just for Daniel. He has been there every step of this finals week. (of course he has haha). Everyday he would do things to make my life just that much easier. If I looked extra stressed (by the last 3 days) he would ask if he could do something more. He was patient and loving. He took care of me through my breakdowns...and there were many this week. He is an amazing man.

So all I need now is a full 8 hours of sleep to fill in my 6-10 hours of sleep I have gotten in 72 hours. This blessing of sleep will come after 4 hours of work. I am eagerly awaiting it. :)

Life is good peeps!!!

This semester sucks

The title of the post says it all. It seems like this semester is just one big failure after another and I can't handle it anymore. As hard as I've been trying, nothing wants to work out. Yes, that's life.....but nothing has gone even a little right this semester. I am sick of school. Sick of everything in general. I need a vacation. A nice long one where I don't have to be around anyone.

Just thinking about finals is freaking me out because I just know I won't do as well as I want to. I will study so hard for them and still come out short. How do I know? I know because that is the pattern that is happening this semester. It's not even a hard semester for goodness sakes! I think the material is easy, and actually a little boring.

Anyways....I guess I should just keep trying. Maybe a miracle will happen. The funny thing is, my grades aren't even bad, they are just not where I want them to be. So sometimes I feel embarrassed complaining about my grades and life in general.

Easter Number 2!!!!

So, it is Easter.

 I miss playing my violin at the Easter Sunrise Service. I loved waking up super early and playing my violin in the cemetery as the sun rose and being with people of other faiths--united for a single cause. Honestly, I loved it so much more than a typical Easter sacrament meeting. It seemed more personal and loving to me. (not including nerves from being on the radio!)

This Easter we didn't make it to sacrament....which I was very sad about. We completely slept through our alarms. But that's ok. I love Easter. I celebrating the atonement, sacrifice, and resurrection of Christ. I am grateful for what He did for us.My life has never been perfect and I have made mistakes I wish I never made. But the atonement means so much more to me because I understand the self loathing, guilt, shame, and sadness that comes with sin. Because of the atonement I understand the healing power, the love, peace, acceptance, and importance of what Christ did for all of us. Easter is my favorite holiday.

It does make me sad that BYU doesn't give us Friday off to celebrate Easter....but that's ok. What isn't ok is having a field trip on Easter weekend when many of us want to spend it with family. So I was a little sad when I had to spend time away from Daniel. But the field trip was fun. I don't want to get much into it, but I had a great time. I was just exhausted by the time I fell asleep and then slept in till way after church was over.

It was my second Easter with Daniel. We spent it sleeping and just chilling out together. We took a walk around the Provo Temple and enjoyed the sunset. We didn't have a large meal. We plan on celebrating the traditional Easter way in a couple weeks once finals are over and we can relax and focus on the true meaning more thoroughly. Plus we will have turkey!!! yum!!!!

This Easter started off a little sad since we missed sacrament meeting, but turned into a very relaxing day where I bonded with my husband....it's fun to know that no matter how much I understand love and feel like I could never feel more love for him that I am totally wrong. Love is infinite and eternal.....I will never understand love while I am on this Earth. We will not understand the love God has for us until we experience it for ourselves. To me, this is mind blowing. I can't imagine it at all! I can't wait to know what that type of love feels like. :)

Today Daniel mentioned making no bake cookies as we were wishing we had something sweet to munch on. Makes me love him even more for being amazing!!!

I love my family, friends, and my dearest husband.
I love the gospel and I am thankful for the power of the atonement.

Happy Easter everyone!!!!

Well, I haven't written in a long time and decided now would be the best time.

Actually, I really don't know what to talk about.

Daniel and I have been budgeting lately. It has been going surprisingly well!

Currently my biggest decision is whether to go straight into graduate school or try to find a job right after I graduate. I may try to do both and then pray about it depending on whether I can even get a job or into graduate school. Other than that, kids are definitely going to happen somewhere in that crazy mix.

This summer my plan is to work like crazy. I will also take a spring class with Daniel. (Eng 316)
I also plan on possibly going on a small trip for work to Idaho. I really hope it happens.
Other than that there are no plans for vacations or to see family. I feel like I need a vacation BADLY!

I really wish flights to MI were not so expensive so I could see my family. Plus, my oldest nephew on my side of the family (Dirk) is going to Cedar Point for the first time this year. I am sad because I am going to miss it.
:(

Daniel fixed my camera yesterday.....when I say fix he turned the battery around and it worked. That was a face-palm moment for me since I was so ditsy to put it in wrong. In my defense, I was super tired when I put the battery in. Plus it meant that I went my whole strat/sed field trip without a camera thinking it was broken!!!

General conference was a good one. I got to meet Rose's parents and family, plus her husband's (Anthony) family and dogs. :)  It was a good conference day and I was surprised how comfortable I felt in a group!

Normally I freeze up. It doesn't help that Daniel barely talks either so that group settings makes it difficult for both of us.

 Unfortunately the first thing that comes to mind is being with his family. They are wonderful people, but I just don't feel comfortable talking so they don't know me at all. I know that's my fault, all I have to do is speak up and be myself. It's just hard when most of his family has the opposite personality as me and every time we see each other it is in a huge group setting. It's also hard when I don't see them for months at a time and I don't get to know them individually, which is essential for me. I hope this doesn't come off ranting, because it is far from it. It's just something that breaks my heart every time I think of it. When I pictured my future in-laws I pictured being myself with them (which is actually very talkative). But it's not the case for me. I guess I may just feel intimidated since Daniel and I are the youngest and definitely feel like we are just little kids. But I don't know.

I also feel sad that my family is so far away, but moving to MI is out of the question. I would get an entry level job easier, but the economy is terrible. But I really want to be near my family so that they can spend time with their grandkids when we have them. I have thought about getting a job out there after I graduate and flying out occasionally to see Daniel, but that makes me sad.

 I am so glad my family is talkative and welcomed Daniel into the family well. Thanks mom. :)

Well, that's it for now. Time for the last couple weeks of school!!! eeek!

Food Adventures and Our Weekend

I think I found the reason why I don't like yogurt. It has nothing to do with the bacteria content, but with it's slimy nature. Lately Daniel and I have been buying Tillamook yogurt.....and lets just say I can gobble down one without the slime factor coming into play....but add granola and kazam!!!

Tillamook yogurt + honey nut granola= my new best friend! Crunchy goodness! :)

Another thing I recently learned I enjoy is smoothies. My sister-in-law, Mary Beth, bought us a blender for Christmas and we Love love love love it! Our smoothies taste so good that I could easily swear off my addiction to Jamba Juice.

Also....what is it about oranges? I can't bring myself to buy a whole bag of them because it's like russion roulette with flavor-- you might get bland ones or super tart ones.....but occasionally you'll get the perfect sweet juicy ones that make you want more. Luckily, when I hand picked the ones I got yesterday they were the perfect ones. And who doesn't like the slight orange aroma you end up having after eating an orange. It's like telling everyone you meet "Hi, I just ate an orange and it was delicious!"

I must say this "break" has been a blast thus far. I put break in quotations because a 3 day weekend does not seem worthy enough to call it a break.  Friday night Daniel and I just relaxed and I read the Hunger Games. Thank goodness it isn't like the Twilight fad. I was leery about reading the books because well, lets admit it, if a Twilight fan likes something it makes me think a bazillion times before I will try it. In fact, I couldn't even bring myself to buy the Hunger Games books...I can't spend money on something that might be a terrible fad that ends up with me questioning the taste of my fellow Americans.

But the Hunger Games are actually decent and I enjoyed the first one (about to start the second). Saturday we watched the first Harry Potter and enjoyed commenting on how much the actors improved and grew over the series. We also went grocery shopping with Rachel and Miles and we all eventually went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. Delicious with a capital D!!! Daniel and I then went to see "Secret world of Arrietty" because we like Studio Ghibli productions. We also just watched "Howl's Moving Castle" and loved it!!

Today we went to church. I started my new calling-- part of the RS compassionate service committee. My job is to pass out the manual to the women in primary and take notes in RS on the lesson and type a summary out when I get home to send to the sisters in primary. Not a hard job....except when RS is at 8am in  the morning. Also it has snowed today which means yes, Daniel is shoveling snow at the temple. Another Sunday without him.

Things we will be doing later today and tomorrow. Daniel will work on his stats homework for the week, maybe a blue book assignment for religion, and his computer science project. I will be working on the petrology quiz today, reading my articles for my strat/sed paper, and writing out my references in GSA format, tomorrow I will write and finish the paper by Wednesday night. I also have a petrology lab....too bad the lab is closed Monday for the holiday.

I am still feeling under the weather....I feel like I have gone through a whole box of tissues this weekend. :(   But I will move on and get what I need done.

Sunday naps!

I am beginning to love my Sundays again for a couple of reasons:

1. It starts at 8am. Though going to bed semi early Saturday nights and waking up early Sunday mornings is hard, it really keeps my schedule consistent since I have 8 and 9am classes all week.

2. Relief society is the first meeting. I have never had a strong testimony of what relief society does, probably because I had callings during that hour and the last ward I was in was not welcoming so it was hard to love the sisters. But having relief society as the first meeting is wonderful. I don't have to leave church before relief society from back pain and I get to relate better with sisters my own age.

3. Sacrament meeting is the last meeting. This forces me to stay through all the meetings, even if my back acts up. I love partaking of the sacrament and renewing the covenants I have made and I feel it is worth it.

4. NAPS! Goodness! Daniel is currently snoring away on the couch in front of me and I am sure I will soon flop over and greet wonderful dreams for a half hour. It is always refreshing.

5. Getting out of church at 11am. This leaves my day open to naps, relaxing, studying if I absolutely must, e-mailing my little brother, and calling my parents.

So all in all I think I am liking this new arrangement. When Daniel and I decided to move it was because we really felt we should, but we didn't know why. Our other place was very nice and we loved it, but the ward was a challenge for us. I am finding that moving was a huge blessing for our spiritual well being.

It snowed!!...

I don't know whether to be happy about it or not.

 I am happy because I truly love snow, but sad that Daniel is gone and busy at snow removal, but happy that he is making some extra moolah, but sad that I slept in without him, but happy that he went to bed uber early and got plenty of sleep!

This week was the first week of classes and it wasn't too bad. I have lots of work to do, but I feel like this semester I will learn a lot. I am also excited for a new ward.

I am also happy with the choice to move to Wymount. I know there was a time when I said I would rather live anywhere than wymount for so many reasons (which still stand and even more are added), but it is good to live in a place where we don't have to worry about finding time to pay bills or driving to campus.

My biggest peeve about wymount is probably the maintenance. Yesterday I came home around 4:30pm and found all the blinds open. I asked Daniel is he had opened them and he said no. Conclusion: Maintenance came into our apartment without warning and checked our blinds. My complaints: They didn't warn us, I feel like a day warning is appropriate, or at least a phone call a few hours before (after all it is our home for a time and we have a right to feel comfortable here), They didn't leave a note saying why they came, when they came,  or if they would come back, and they left our blinds open for the whole world to peek in.

I feel like privacy is being invaded and how can I be comfortable being away from home when I know they can waltz in anytime. Warnings would ease my mind a lot. I know it's wmount and people will say that because we are in Utah, especially at BYU that we don't have to be mistrustful of our neighbors and workers....but that is not how I see it. I see potential for robbery and invasion of privacy. I can't assume every single person is trustworthy or won't get itchy fingers when they come in to my place. I think what they have done is untactful and I will try to complain next week sometime.

In the meantime...I want to take a shower but Daniel is at snow removal. If I am in the shower and maintenance comes in it won't be pleasant for either parties. I want to chain the door, but if I take a shower I won't be able to let him in. So I am sitting (unshowered eww) on the couch waiting for my love to come home  so I can let him in and be able to go about my business in peace.

Other than that, I will get over the littler complaints I have from Wymount, because I feel like the one explored above takes the cake.