Half Birthday

I am officially 29 1/2. To think that I am close to 30 kind of freaks me out. It's hard to imagine. I have to admit that in my early teens I thought 30 was old. Now I KNOW it's not true.

I got a new laptop this week. It's so nice to be able to have access to everything wherever I go. I love it. The mouse that came with it is about 1/2 the size of a normal one. It's more cute than useful. ;)

40 days until I'm done working. I can't wait until Christmas break. It will be the first real break I've had in so long. It'll be glorious.

Freshmen

My Biology class had its first test this last week. Last night we met for the first time since the test. Talk about a bunch of whiny freshman! They all 'suggested' that our teacher create a study guide so they can know what will be on each test and what to study. They claimed there was too much imformation to study for the test. Mind you, we had only met 4 times before the test (once a week). Pretty much they were not happy with their scores and were trying to find excuses why they did poorly. I made a comment on how giving a study guide specifically for a test is useless in learning. With a study guide, students don't learn but only memorize for a test. I was almost flogged after class. Okay, not really, but I felt hate stares being thrown at my head. The teacher had to give a lecture on what is required in a class and that if people are only giving the minimum effort, they are going to get a minimum score. I felt a little bad that he had to be giving this lecture, but then I realized that it was a freshman class (a bunch of whiners who haven't realized that college is harder than highschool). I think everyone left a little more humble, realizing that they really didn't put forth their full effort. Hopefully the whining goes down a notch next time. A person can only handle so much!

Compelled to be Humble

It's been a week of being compelled to be humble. It seems that everywhere I turn I am being told to repent. I'm trying! It started out over the weekend with general conference. I know there were other messages told, but I just heard that I'm wicked. ;) This week in my scripture study, it seems that no matter which page I turn to, the highlighted words on the page are telling me to repent. I've tried to find pages without those words, but they don't seem to exist this week. The lesson I'm teaching on Sunday is about reconciling ourselves with God, basically repentance. I almost threw the book onto the floor when I saw the title. I get it already--I am wicked! Last night I was feeling -- I am not sure how to describe it. Pretty much I was tired of being told that I was wicked. I needed some love. Finally, I was flipping through my scriptures and came to D&C 6:33-36, which reads as follows:

33 Fear not to do good, my sons, for whatsoever ye sow, that shall ye also reap; therefore, if ye sow good ye shall also reap good for your reward.
34 Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail.
35 Behold, I do not condemn you; go your ways and sin no more; perform with soberness the work which I have commanded you.
36 Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.

Just what I needed. A reminder that I need to be focused on Christ and not how dumb I am sometimes (okay, most of the time). Comfort indeed. I was feeling good when I went to bed last night. Then this morning, I woke up at 7:52. I'm supposed to be to work by 7:30. Hopefully I don't get into more trouble than I already am at work. Guess we'll see how the day pans out.

Prayer of the Faithful

So, I was lying in bed last week around midnight, trying to go to sleep. (Usually I am so tired by 10:30 I don't have much of a problem going to sleep. Last week was completely different. I didn't get tired until after midnight each night.) I kept thinking, "Heavenly Father, I have been praying to be able to go to bed early and wake up early in order to get the most of each day. Why am I not able to go to sleep?" The thought then came to me that I am praying to go to sleep, but I wonder if someone else is praying that I'll be able to stay up late in order to finish my homework and all that I have to get done. I found out that my parent's have greater faith than I do. It was their prayers that were being answered. I thought it ironic that they would be asking for something along the same lines as me, but just a different time frame of the day. I have set them straight. They are now praying that I can fall asleep around 11 and wake up around 6:30. So far, it's worked. You just gotta make sure that the people with real faith are asking for the things you need. Since my faith is still week, I will be going to my parents for much help in the prayer area.

Prayer definately works. I have been having some troubles at work lately, and it all came to a head on Friday. I had a bit of a tought conversation with a coworker. They wanted to discuss the rest of it today. All weekend I was sick about the conversation that was to be. I went to the temple on Friday night, had my brother give me a blessing, and my family has been praying with me all weekend that things would work out okay. I must say that I was surprised, even though I shouldn't have been, that things really were okay today. I think part of it was my attitude, knowing that this coworking doesn't have control over that. I know that the majority of it was the prayers by my family. I am so grateful that they are willing to petition Heavenly Father in my behalf. It really has worked for me. Now if the prayers about a boy named Tyler will come true. . . .:)

3ToeJoe

Every day when I drive home from work I see a car whose liscense plate says 3ToeJoe. I've often wondered who Joe is and how he got his 3 toes. Last night I had a bit of an experience that may suggest one reason why. I was doing my grociery shopping, trying to buy healthier food, when my pinky toe on my left foot caught on the wheel of the shopping cart. Talk about instant pain! My eyes teared up and I tried very hard not to yell, as there were shoppers only about 3 feet away from me. I didn't want to scare anyone out of the frozen food isle. It wasn't just the toe that got caught, but the nail, as well. It throbbed all night, and this morning it looks like the nail might actually fall off soon. So now I have more compassion for whoever 3ToeJoe is. Be sure to watch out for grociery carts!

A first of many

The weekend, I think, is a first of many time-consuming events. Friday evening was spent helping a friend paint at a new children's museum in town. We were supposed to go to dinner and a movie, but the painting took quite a long time. That's usually what you get when there are 5 people trying to do one job. The movie was ousted, and we just went to dinner after the painting spree. We still had a good time. Saturday was a long day. I woke up early for a literature conference we had on campus. I left early so that I could meet up with Patricia and her kids for a few hours. I would have liked to spend more time with them, but I still had a million and one things to do. From there I went to Marianne's to do laundry, prepare a lesson, and do homework. Amazingly, they all got done. For the most part, anyway. I still have homework to do, but I got a good chunk done that night. - I think the rest of my weekends during the semester will take on a similar format. Because my weeks are taken with classes, everything else gets pushed to the weekend. I wish there were 3 more hours in a day so that I could get everything done that I need to. Guess I had better start applying my time management skills. Ba humbug.

The life of a zombie

So, my life has turned into a zombie-like state where I'm walking around in a sleep-like coma wondering why I run my life the way I do. School has begun, making my time limited for sleep. I have classes on Tuesday and Thursday nights. I have institue on Wednesdays, FHE on Monday, and usually something planned for Friday. I get to read 20 novels this semester for my YA lit class, learn about DNA and genentics, and learn to apply the doctrines found in the D&C. By the time I get to bed, my brain is on overload from the day and so it takes a long time (usually over an hour) to process the day enough to fall asleep. Then, my body likes to wake up every few hours. (I'm guessing to make sure that it's still alive.) By the time the alarm goes off in the morning, I feel like I haven't had much sleep at all. Then I go to work and wish I was asleep or in class. While in class I wish I was asleep, but grateful I'm not at work. And when I am asleep, I dream of class and work. Sounds like a horror movie, huh? I think I'm starting to look like a zombie, too. Except my hair doesn't stand on end because it's too greasy (I don't have time to wash it). At the end of each day I start to wonder what I have gotten myself into. Do I really want to go to grad school? Undergrad seems bad enough. I'm too old for this. People my age usually just turn into vegitables infront of the TV. Instead, I turn into a veg at work, in class, pretty much anywhere except when it's time to sleep. Then all of a sudden the brain kicks into overdrive remembering all of the things I didn't get done that day because I forgot in my zombie-like stupor. Just a warning to all: don't expect me to be a human for the next decade. School doesn't make me feel much smarter, just more tired.

Labor Day Weekend

My Labor Day weekend was full of labor. My mom came to visit and we spent a few hours 'de-junking' my apartment. We took a large load of clothes and books to DI. I will miss the books more than the clothes, I think. Having that many books makes me look smarter. After we did that, we went to Mark and Shayla's new house to drop off a chair. We then spent the rest of the day shopping. It was a full day. Sunday we went to lunch at Marianne's and dinner at Mark's. We ate very well this weekend. She went home yesterday. I was sad to see her go. She made me some of her yummy roles. I'm glad that she came and visited.

Admitted to School

I found out yesterday that I was admitted to school here at BYU-Idaho. I am so relieved. I can finish so much quicker here. I will start in January, so I still have about 4 months left of work. I told my boss today. I was dreading that since I will have only been here a year by the time I go back to school. But, I need to do what I need to do. I should finish most of my classes by this time next year, then do an internship in the fall. I won't go to grad school until the following fall. Don't know what I will do during that time, but I'm sure I'll stay busy.

My mom is coming to town this weekend. I am excited to have some alone time with her. We don't get much mommy-daughter time. There's usually nieces around, which I don't mind. It's just nice to have undevided attention sometimes. Not sure what we'll do, other than help Mark and Shayla, but it'll be nice to have her.

I helped Mark and Shayla move some of their things last night to Rigby (15 minutes from Rexburg). Their house and yard are nice. In the basement there is a purple room and a blue room. The walls have definately got to be repainted. Nasty.

TIRED

Sheesh, I feel like a broken record. I'm so tired, I'm so tired! It gets redundant just saying it. But I am so tired! Yesterday at FHE I felt faint from fatigue. I had eaten dinner and everything. I think it might have to do with my allergies. They have gotten really bad the last few days. I feel congested and my eyes feel heavy. My neck is tight. Man, I sound sad, don't I?

School starts again in a few weeks. I am excited to be back on the normal schedule. The summer break has been pretty boring for me. Not many people to talk to. And that is a huge portion of my job. . . talking to others, helping them with anything they need. I love that part of the job. So, I'll be glad when everything gets back on track.

My mom, and possibly dad, are coming to visit me this weekend. I was thinking about going home, but my cousins are moving (she is 7 months pregnant) and I wanted to help. So the parents are going to come and hang out. I am excited to have some alone time with them. I tried talking a brother into coming, but he 'gets' to work on Saturday. Some holiday weekend.

That's about it of my "exciting" life.

Canoeing

I went canoeing on Saturday with my branch. It was a cooler day, but we were okay. I was in a canoe with 2 brothers who were insistent upon drenching anyone around us. Sort of reminded me of my own brothers. I had fun, except the time we tipped on accident in a shallow area. I got scraped up pretty bad. But scars help tell the story better, right? After our float down the river (which was beautiful), we had a BBQ in Driggs. Just as soon as we were done, the skies opened on us and poored (yes I mean poored) rain and hail. Interesting thing was the Rexburg didn't get any. Sheesh! At least the fields between Rexburg and the Tetons got wet. It was a fun day.

School

I've decided to go back to school full-time starting in January. That is, if anyone will accept me. It seems that my associate's degree is a hinderance to me because I have so many credits that don't go towards anything else. I have petitioned with BYU-Idaho to accept me, and I'm even applying to BYU. I would rather stay here in Rexburg, but I will go wherever I need to in order to finish my degree. If I am accepted here, I can finish in 3 semesters. If I end up at BYU, it will take longer becuase they have a few different requirements. I am excited to have finally made a decision, though. It feels right. I need to get on with my life. I have a good job, but I don't want to stay in this position until I retire. I want to continue on with my education up through getting a PhD. It will be a rough next couple of years, but I am ready!

Decisions

So, I'm trying to decide if I want to go back to school full time. If I do, I could finish my degree in about 3 semesters. Going back to school would mean working part-time, going into major debt, and having no spare time. But, I would finish my degree A LOT earlier than if I only took 6 credits a semester for the rest of my life. I would love to be able to teach about child development in a highschool or college setting. I wish the decisions could be made for me. I'm just afraid that by the time I am done with school, I'll be too old to do anything with the degree.

I went home over the weekend. Whitney (niece #4) is getting so much more alert. She still didn't want me to hold her for very long. She likes her mommy and daddy more than she does me. Sariah (niece #1) starts school next week. She is very excited to wear her new school clothes. Bekah (niece #2) is becoming taller and taller. She's going to be really tall! She is becoming more friendly to me all the time. She still likes her grandpa and uncles more than me, but at least she'll sit with me now.

Irony

I had somewhat of an ironic experience this morning. I check deseretnews.com every morning for news from the UT area. In all honesty, I have been expecting President Hinckley to pass away sometime soon, because of his age. It was a bit ironic that when I checked the web page this morning, President Faust was the one who has passed on first. Only 87 years old. I say 'only' because President Hinckley has a good decade on that. President Faust seemed so young at heart. Even though he's had back problems the last few years, I had no idea that his health would be declining so quickly because of his age. What a marvelous man he was! A great teacher and leader. The one talk that I can most quickly recal must have been from a Priesthood meeting where he talked about his wife, daughters, and grand-daughters making donuts for the men for when they came home from the meeting. I will miss his inspiring words during General Conference.

President Faust

President James E. Faust, 87, Second Counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a general authority for nearly 35 years, died early today.

A news release from the LDS Church said he died at his home of "causes incident to age," surrounded by his family. The time of death was reported as 12:20 a.m.

Bruce Olsen, managing director of Church Public Affairs, said this morning that President Faust's "gentle manner and depth of knowledge, which was an important part of his ministry for nearly 35 years, will be missed."

"He was a true Christian who spoke and wrote with wit and wisdom," Olsen said. "Many members of the church loved his unique way of teaching the restored gospel of Jesus Christ at General Conference."