In a pickle...

"We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthen our families." ~E. Oaks

So, I loved this talk in Conference when it was given and it comes to mind often when I find myself so busy that I can't even think straight and life becomes so complicated. I find myself so bogged down with the little things that I can barely find fresh air to breathe. I feel like I'm floundering in an ocean and can barely keep my head above water.

However, I don't feel like I do anything that isn't good. I don't know what I could cut back or out, because I feel like I stay busy doing good things.

So, here's my dilemma. I'm a student right now--I need good grades to go to graduate school, so what is more important right now in my life? My studies and homework (which threaten to drown me in and of themselves) or the things I'm doing to fulfill my calling at church? For example, I spent all weekend doing things I needed to do for church, but here it is super early on Monday morning and I haven't done any of my homework for the week, which will probably take me all night. So, if I do it, then I won't sleep, which isn't healthy, but if I don't do it, I won't pass my class which isn't mentally healthy for me. *sigh*

Isn't life fun?

Halloween

So, I've never really gotten too excited about Halloween, but this year, the bug has bitten me. I don't know why, but I am really, really excited for October 31st. Maybe it's a little early to start decorating the apt and blog and such, but maybe not. :) This year, I'm excited to:

• make pumpkin bread made from my real pumpkin before I carve it.
• decorate the apartment
• plan and/0r make a halloween costume (not that I'll have anywhere to wear it to... :)
• feel the cool weather
• put lights (spiderwebs and such) outside the apartment
• enjoy, ever and always, BYU football.

HA!

I know, two posts from me in one day...almost too much to handle ;)

WHITEHOUSE, Ohio (AP) - An Ohio farmer would like to invite you to get lost inside the head of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

A 16-acre corn maze near the town of Whitehouse has been carved in Palin's likeness, complete with her familiar updo hairstyle and eyeglasses.

Farmer Duke Wheeler says that Palin created a lot of excitement in the campaign and that he was hoping to generate some for this year's maze.

Wheeler says it took an artist from Idaho at least eight hours to mow down stalks for the maze.

P.s. In case you can't read what is written above her head, it says "Sarah America." Amen.

Hmmm?

So, I found this story on Dave Barry's blog and I thought: This poor man. Way to make a bad day worse--thanks Idaho.MAN HIT WITH TRUCK, THEN TICKETED FOR JAYWALKING
Sep 25, 3:45 PM (ET)

BOISE, Idaho (AP) - A man who was hit by a truck near the city's downtown was also slapped with a citation. Boise police ticketed Ebrahim Balah, 62, for jaywalking shortly after the accident Wednesday.

Police said Balah suffered minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital as a precaution.

Police said he was hit by a passenger truck while trying to cross a busy one-way street.

Officials said the section Balah tried crossing is not a designated walkway and pedestrians are not permitted to cross.

Fabulous Fall

So, even though I am completely SOLAR-POWERED (an idea borrowed from a good friend :), I admit that I enjoy all the "firsts" of fall. We just had our first Fall day yesterday, and I thoroughly enjoyed the cool, crisp air. As I walked around campus just randomly smiling (as though I had a secret) - I was grateful for Fall.

To Fabulous Fall I attribute....

...BYU (and Auburn) Football. GO TEAM(S).

...back to school. As much as I procrastinate and allow myself to get stressed, I LOVE being a student and getting to LEARN.

...the changing of the leaves.

...first snowfall of the year--probably my favorite day of each year.

...pulling all my fun sweaters out of the closet. yay. ;)

...Halloween.

...my friend's amazing pumpkin bread (I wish you were here, Rachel).

...this year, my last semester as a BYU student. I definitely feel smarter than when I left home 6 years ago as a fiesty 18-yr. old. :) I know, for example, how to use a photospectrometer--both for Biology and Chemistry. I also know who Rosalia de Castellanos is and that she grew up and wrote in Chiapas--the town in the state in Mexico where the oppressed finally rose up in defiance. Yay for the Zapatistas. See, told you I was smarter. ;)

...my class ring came last week--graduating with a Bachelor's degree is feeling like a reality. *Mine is white gold and I have 2 favorite features: inside the signa is printed "Go forth to serve" and the Circle of Honor is represented around Y mountain.

...I am grateful for life and the opportunity I have to live it. Not just to breathe and one day grow old, but to embrace it and enjoy it and pack as much adventure into it as I can.

Memory Muscle?

So, as one realizes that one has had a lapse of memory, one thinks...okay, maybe just I think, "Isn't this only supposed to happen to pregnant women and old people?" Well-while I may be considered old in comparison to the 4400 new freshman running around campus these days, I don't consider myself "over the hill" at 24 nor am I pregnant. SO, I have no excuse for walking out of my Spanish class today and proceeding to chat with my friend for 15 minutes--all the while thinking I was on my 1-hr. break I have today--when I realized it was 2:15 and not 3:15 and I was late for my Chemistry lab. Sigh. Oh well, we all need something to laugh at, right? ;)

Maybe in addition to working out my feet (see previous post), I ought to exercise my memory muscle on occasion as well--I might save myself from something really embarrassing some day like missing a date or other similarly stimulating event. :)

Running pains

So, not sure what possessed me to try to go running last night...haven't been in about 5 years. lol. And I, shamefully, only made it a few blocks (then I proceeded on a walk/run for a while).

Maybe I'm slightly masochistic or maybe it was seeing my friends run their half-marathon or maybe it was the burning, desperate desire to get out of the house and away from people for a while....whatever the cause last night, I woke up this morning feeling good about myself (I think that means I need to exercise more :)

The sore feet will go away, right? ;)

The Land of the Living

Well folks, I'm back. :) This summer brought many unexpected changes to my life and I took some time to adjust, readjust, and settle in. I'm now single, living in a new house in a new neighborhood, have a new pet, a new haircut, 3 new roommates, a new ward, and a new calling. Whew--told ya lots has changed.

Okay, where to start... well, my closest-thing-to-family-that-lives-in-Utah needed help demolishing and rebuilding parts of their newly-acquired domestic domain, so I spent a good bit of time working through some frustrations on their old roof and lots of old walls--only to rebuild them later. Nothing like good manual labor to cure whatever ails ya. ;) The fun part was that the house was built in 1918 and the roof has a pitch of 45 degrees. So Janet and I shingled the thing wearing full body harnesses while Ryan and Julie held us up with rope.

Then my parents came for a visit and we had a great week (I participated in the commencement ceremony even though I won't officially graduate until December). I tried elk meat. I like it. :)

I moved.

I bought a snake--Scheherazade is a lot of fun and has a great snake-ality (like a personality, only for snakes :) She is probably more popular in my new ward than I am. She's beautiful--pink and orange--and has a Y perfectly centered on her head. Fate.

My new roommates are amazing--Amy is from Utah and is training for a sprint triathlon in November. Brittanie is from New Mexico, and grew up on the Navajo Reservation, even though she is 100% caucasian and has beautiful red hair. Krista is from Virginia and is working as a librarian...cool, huh? They are tons of fun.

I cut my hair. 100% of people who have commented on it like it better than before. So that's good, right? :)

I have 4 amazing friends (the two in the middle, Anthony and Angie, are newly engaged to be married) who ran a half-marathon in Price, UT this past weekend and I was their 1-man support team. That was fabulous. I tried lamb. Not as good an experience as the elk.

Brittanie and I attended the Ryan Shupe concert this past Saturday at Thanksgiving Point. The coolest part, by far, was the atmosphere--an outdoor amphitheater where you sit on the grass on blankets and look at a stage backdropped by the largest man-made waterfall in the US.

So, life is amazing. God loves us and is 100% aware of our needs all the time--and He guides us to where we need to be when we need to be there to fulfill His purposes. I'm grateful for my new friends and my new ward--I have found a great support system in them. I'm excited to see where this semester leads and will be updating this blog lots more regularly.