mighty fine 129 - junior edition

These girls:

kept me sane my freshman year, while driving me insane at times too :)
have carried me on their backs through hard times and through hallways
laughed at me when I was being ridiculous
cried with me through my struggles
ate 6 dozen rolls in one sitting with me (don't judge. they were amazing)
taught me how to see the best in people
and have loved me more than I deserved.

I love you all my mighty fine ladies.

happiness is:

- getting thousands of different perspectives and definitions on a single word (ie: What is 'development'?)
- returning to the cliches of college life
- overhearing a conversation of two friends that went like: "Dude! How are you? When did you get back [from the mission]?" "Oh, this morning.... I just got back from the airport; the time change is killing me!" Apparently he served in India
- reading an article that listed my major in the list of Top 10 worst majors and realizing I just don't care, I love it too much
- playing volleyball again - even if that means having to put up with freshman boy flirting and know-it-all players
- making dinner every single night and figuring out how much we save doing that
- the nice lady I ran into who told me that I look like I work out
- being exposed to thousands of journal articles I never would've thought to look into
- finally figuring out my own political opinion
- my basil plants!
- wearing a polka dot sweater
- burning fall scented candles
- being caught up and even ahead of all my reading assignments
- making new friends because I want to, not out of necessity
- listening to people's dreams and goals. It's motivating and eye-opening
- an extra wad of cash that came into our account
- thunderstorms answering unspoken prayers
- having my family come down last weekend for a brief visit
- grandma helping me figure out what to do with all the plants growing in my front berm
- mom giving me decorative fall gourds for the porch
- parking illegally twice this week... and not getting a ticket from the BYU police
- hubby installing our sliding curtains for our closet
- subtle changes in the weather
- pink lady apples for sale! The Washingtonian in me is happy
- watching the trees change colors on the mountain
- finally mailing off some thank you note cards/pictures to some very deserving people

This week was just so good, I couldn't help but share it. I've found that happiness is so much more dependent on the choices you make daily, rather than the situations you're in. When I take the responsibility of my happiness on myself rather than expect the world to make me happy, I find it easier to appreciate and even find joy in the mundane.

Senior?

The other day I realized how un-freshman I've become when I parked on campus, ran into the bookstore, grabbed my BYU planner, paid, and ran back to the car in less than 8 minutes. You pick up on all the fast routes over the years I guess. 
I didn't have the thought of stopping at the Jamba Juice on campus because I knew just HOW LONG that would take.
Nor did I have the fancy to buy the $10 BYU football shirt this year (ps: it was $5 my freshman year...)
I don't have the compulsion to have all my books together before the first day of classes (don't have a single one yet actually).
There's no need to take a bajillion pictures and title them "first year at BYU".
No significant thought will be taken in planning tomorrow's "first day of school outfit".
I didn't map out my route on the campus map with high-lighter, color coded for each specific class.
I didn't post my schedule onto facebook because I know most my friends won't be taking my classes - something that's bound to happen the further into your major you get.
There's no last minute panicking of "what if I don't have enough pencils?", "I didn't buy _____!!", "What if I have to sit next to an RM in my first class?!"
I've grown weary of feeling awkward asking questions to strangers - I want the answer more than I care about the potential embarrassment now.

These freshman cares have been replaced by an unexpected realization: THIS IS MY LAST FALL SEMESTER. Where did the time go? I was quite positive that my first BYU football game was last week, not 2 years ago. Senior worries are the new replacement, and they're 10x stronger than the ones I had in high school. During senior year of high school all I wanted was to get out. To leave, be independent, make my own way, learn, experience... live. Ironically, approaching this senior year, I don't want to leave for the same reasons. There are still so many classes I want to take, so many things I want to learn. Everyone tells you how difficult it is to return to school once you leave the academic world, but when does one reach a point in their life when they can accurately say, "ok, I'm through with formal learning now, I've learned everything an accredited teacher can teach". If it's so difficult to get back in school... where is the motivation to leave it? But I'm digressing now.

This aha moment nearly struck me to tears; I'm going to really miss BYU. More than BYU though, I'm going to miss the classroom. The due dates, the crazy schedules, the tests, papers, and group projects. All of it.

I'll just need to remind myself of that once the 18 credits I'm registered for starts to rip me to shreds :)

So, self, here's to having the BEST last year at BYU. Here's to pushing yourself, expanding your perspectives and expecting excellence. To aiming higher, remaining motivated and staying prioritized. Because that finish line is nearly in sight and you don't want to regret one single thing.

half-marathon

I'm a little late in posting this... but summer seems to make my brain run slower. Last weekend Liz, Kylee, Kyle and I all ran our first half marathon. It was mostly down hill, which was nice. The people in charge of the race suggested taking the first 4 miles pretty easy since it had the steepest slope and it made you want to sprint down it. Around mile 5, I threw up (tmi?) and then mile 6 took a turn up the canyon, which I was not expecting. After 1.2 miles up, we turned around and headed back down the canyon. Around mile 9-10 I pulled something in my calf muscle... and the rest is a bit of a blur. After crossing the finish line I heard multiple rumors of the course being 14.4 miles long... not 13.1. SO DUMB.
Anyway, even after all of that, I'm planning on doing another half in October. There is nothing more humbling or more motivating than being passed by grandma's, grandpa's and 12-year-old kids running with their parents. Just in case you were wondering.
That night we had a friend's wedding reception to go to about 1.5 hours away. My suggestion? Do NOT take a nap after a race or sit in a car for a total of 3 hours. My legs cramped and walking became a herculean effort. As did any sort of movement for that matter.

Washington Trip

We just got back from an awesome vacation in Washington! It's always great being with my family and visiting "home" again. We did so much it'll be impossible to write all of it down here... so we're bullet-pointing it up!

• King Tut exhibit at the Pacific Science Center 
• Experience Music Project (EMP) to check out the Icons of Sci-Fi exhibit 
• Pike's Place 
• Underground Tour of Seattle 
• Dark Knight Rises with my family 
• Oregon detour 
• Cannon Beach 
• Rose Garden 
• Tillamook Factory 
• Visiting friends down there 
• Multnomah Falls Hike 
• Family BBQ 
• Kyle sang in church 
• Took a scuba diving class (which was awesome!) 
• Chipotles- Duh! 
• Went a little too nuts at the Nike outlet store... 
• Found one of the last Starbucks to still sell chonga bagels! 

I'm sure I'm forgetting nearly a billion things... but here's a just a taste of it all. It's quite odd realizing how much your home town/area shaped you growing up. I have a deep and abiding love for seafood that I'm sure wouldn't have been there had it not been for my close proximity to the ocean! Can't wait to go back already!

rhythm of rain

Something about rain and cloudy skies helps forces me to think thoughts I've tried to repress. Those hard questions with no definite answer because every answer is right, the awkward choices coming up with even more awkward solutions, getting to the bottom of my random, discontent moods... it all emerges with the presence of the grey sky.
Saturday I spent some time in my garden while it rained.
getting my hands dirty
weeding
pruning
picking...
It was amazing. The raindrops created the music of the living as they hit the leaves of all the plants. The deepest, hardest questions I have were hammered out by the rhythm of the rainfall.


Moments like these make me glad to be alive.

Fourth of July

Obligatory "4th" post.... here it goes.

Mom im'ed me Friday afternoon asking what our plans were for the 4th. We didn't have any at that point. She then tells me that they are going to Silverwood in Idaho for the week and watching the fireworks show there.

BOOM.

Idea hits me. Why don't Kyle and I surprise the living daylights out of my siblings by just showing up there.... AT THE SAME TIME?!

So we did.

Favorite quote of the vacation: 

"Fireworks- bad for the nose, good for the soul." - Daniel (cousin)