"Following the Special Musical Number, We'll Hear From Brad Dalton"

Okay, so I'm sitting on the stand filling in for Sister Boothe as the conducter (a whole 'nother story let me tell ya!) and Brad Dalton is just starting his talk on living a joyful life. He makes a good point when he quotes someone-or-other in saying that living a joyful life is probably the commandment we neglect the most. He goes on to say that we let the worries of the world interfere our thoughts too much. At school, or at work, or even at home we are always worrying. He works at the YMCA, with little kids. He quickly explains this and says, (and I quote): "Ya know, we worry about everything. We think to ourselves, 'we can't lose a kid, or let them get sunburned.'"

I see through the heads Julia Conti sitting next to her mom. She sees me. I have a clear shot. I'm taking it.

"Lose a kid?" I mouth slightly while making a face reminiscent of Levi's 'You said what?' expression. Julia covers her face with her hands, but I can see her body is shaking with laughter.

The talk continues. It's good. Really good. I listen, and get a lot out of it. I feel pretty safe and secure right now, but then another attack is made available - oh, so available.

Brad says something about how joy may be seen externally, but it's "not an external emotion. It's not, like, a nosebleed."

WHAT?! This is too good to be true! I know I shouldn't have done it, but could you have kept from chuckling just a little bit? NO! I didn't make any noise above an Uncle Steve laugh. (For those of you that don't know, that's just breathing quietly but rapidly through your nose.) I did get a bit of a grin on my face though, and again, Julia saw me, though she tried to avoid my silent, ever-ready, cursed wit.

"Nosebleed?" I jiggled.

Really, it was a great talk, and I told him so afterwards. But in all seriousness, who likens joy in ANY WAY to a nosebleed?!

My First Talk of the Summer

Okay, so last week Brother Dalton (okay, let's just call him Greg. Brother Dalton's a little too formal for our relationship. Especially since I'm no longer in Church right now.) asked if I would speak this week on Matthew 6:33. I thought I might just put my notes up here. That's a good Sunday activity.

[It is also important to read Matt. 6:20-21]

"Wherefore seek ye first the kingdom of God..." Or, as the JST puts it: "Wherefore, seek ye first to build up the kingdom of God..."

Both translations are important and should be practiced.

Building up the kingdom of God:

[Missionary work] *Full time missions. *Ward/Branch missionaries. *Couple missionaries. *Every member a missionary. > A very important key to this is to make sure that people are aware that they are welcome to learn about the Church and the Gospel. I find many people just don't realize that we are more than welcoming.

[Raising families in the Gospel] *Sister Mindy Nesbit from the Stake women's conference in May gave a class on The Family: A Proclaimation to the World. This is what she said, "It is important to bring topics of the Gospel into open conversation with out kids." Another good proverb: "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." (Just a little trivial fact: I call this the kitchen proverb because it's on a little plaque behind the sink in every house we've lived in that I remember doing dishes in. I didn't know until I was about 10 or 11 that it was actually a scripture!)


-Seeking to obtain the kingdom of God:

*We should be in the world, not of it. *Colossians 3:2. *Submit our wills to His. > Seeking to obtain the kingdom is closely related to the call to Come unto Christ. Sister Heidi Swinton spoke at a devotional at BYU-Idaho this last semester, and she said this about submission: "Our personal submission of will is the only possession we have the true right to give." *Obedience to His commandments. > Mosiah 2:41


I know that God will take care of us. We should plan, but what we should wear, eat, drink, or live should not consume our thoughts to the point of distraction from what is most important; namely Christ and His kingdom. I also know that it is not only our duty, but in our best interests to seek and to build the Kingdom of God.

Terwilliger knew what was going on!

My uncle ordered popovers
from the restaurant's bill of fare.
And, when they were served,
he regarded them
with a penetrating stare...
Then he spoke great Words of Wisdom
as he sat there on that chair:
"To eat these things," said my uncle,
"you must exercise great care.
You may swallow down what's solid...
BUT... you must spit out the air!"

And... as you partake of the world's
bill of fare,
that's darned good advice to follow.
Do a lot of spitting out the hot air.
And be careful what you swallow.

-My Uncle Terwilliger on the Art of Eating Popovers
By Doctor Seuss

Truer words have never been spoken.

Dancing Queens

Sarah and I got home from work on Friday at about 9:30. (I've started working the night shift at the gift shop so I can get a few more hours in while they're short on people for the next couple of weeks.) She was hot and nasty smelling, so upon entering the common area of our pod, she said,

"Hey, are you gonna take a shower?"
"Uhhh, no I took one between making popovers and the gift shop. Why?"
"Well, I'm gonna take a shower, and then why don't we dance?"
"Yeah, all right. That sounds like fun."

So, while Sarah was in the shower, I was picking some things up off the floor so we'd have a little more room. You see, Sarah and I were ditched earlier tonight. Some friends of ours came looking for us and asked us if we wanted to go to Seasons, Acadia Corps' new restaurant in Bar Harbor. Kyle could go, but I was still working, and so was Sarah. You can imagine we were feeling kind of sorry for ourselves... kind of. Sarah's suggestion to dance was just the thing we needed to have our own little party.

Sarah came in from her shower, put on a shirt, I tossed her a lava lava (meant for any kind of dancing, really. It just makes you feel so ... movable) and we cranked up the tunes. We danced for a good little while by ourselves, then our friend Yulia walked by, and we grabbed her and gave her a lava lava. Yulia was showing us some belly dancing moves, and I taught them a few Tahitian moves, but overall, we were following little Miss Thang Sarah on the free-style. We heard a whistle out the window, so we pulled the blinds. Yulia left, and Amy, Kyle, Brigitte, and Kim got home... holding a camera. Amy and Kim joined us, and I tossed them a couple of lavalava's. The last one I had went to Nicole, who joined us a little later. We danced til almost 11. It was so much fun.

The next morning it was unanimous: we're definitely doing it again sometime.

Back to Work

I love working for the Acadia Corporation. They really treat you well, and you get to know a ton of people from all over the world. Right now things are pretty slow. The tourist season hasn't really started yet. It wont be full-blown until about July, then it just gets crazy in August, and starts to ever so slowly peeter off in September and October.

I still work at the Jordan Pond House Restaurant and Gift Shop. The corporation has a few shops and a new restaurant in Bar Harbor as well, but JPH is out on the Park Loop road, about 15 minutes away from that town. Last year I worked days as a Information/Parking Lot Attendant. I also worked in the bar when things got nasty in there. Nights were spent working as a waitress in the restaurant and clerk in the gift shop. I ended the season working as a busser/setter. This year I'm in the kitchen.

The kitchen is awesome. First of all, I get to work with some really cool people. Not that the servers aren't cool, but in the kitchen we get to "fool around" a little bit more. (Not dangerously, but we can talk more.) When you're out front, you have to always be paying attention to the needs of some person you have never met before in you life. Don't get me wrong, I loved working out front. I've had people offer me places to stay if I was ever in there neck of the woods. One lady actually gave me her address in New York and said that if I ever wanted to tour the city, she'd house me and take me around for a couple of days. But I'm glad I work in the kitchen now. It's something new, and I've done almost every other type of job they've had to offer. I'd like to work as a hotline cook since they kind of rule the kitchen, but I'm a humble popover maker. (At least I'm in charge of that.) Maybe someday I'll be on the hotline. Who knows.

For right now, my legs ache, my feet ache, I have bruises on my wrists from pouring mixer bowls that could kill small dogs, I'm covered in egg, and I smell like popovers. I'm going to go shoot some ball before anyone gets home, and then take a nice, hot shower.

Misinterpretations!

From the song "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John:
**REAL LYRICS** "Hold me closer, tiny dancer"
**ANGELA'S FRIEND THOUGH IT WAS...*** "Hold me closer, Tony Danza"

From the song "Swing Swing" by All American Rejects:
**REAL LYRICS** "Emotions are stirred"
**ANGELA THOUGHT IT WAS...*** "She motions, she's scerd (scared)"

Roxaboxen Was Alexa's Game

Many people may not realize this, but it was Alexa who was the imaginative one as a child. I mean, yes, Sam and Jacob and I still get lost in our little reveries, but it was Alexa who would get an idea in her head and then actually carry it out. It was Alexa who could spend a good part of the day just sitting up in her room reading; it was Alexa who would write-out, direct, and of course act, in all the plays we have ever put on; it was Alexa who had the flow of thought that always kept us outside and busy in the summers - and winters for that matter.

It was Alexa who initiated one of our longest running childhood games - Roxaboxen.

One of the greatest things about coming from a big family is that you always have someone to play with. I remember when Scoobie found out about our little backyard game he wanted to join, and he did a little bit, but he was not what made it. Not even my friend Colleen got in on that. It was really a family thing.

We would go out behind our house, past the big birch in-between the garden and the old, ugly trailer that took up most of the yard; we would go down the little path and into the woods. Not very far in the trees started to thin some and we had our little set up. Alexa had a general store near the brook, in a little grove of trees. Sam had his blacksmith shop by the stump of a tree. I was the jailer. It was in a small clearing right in the middle of a bunch of pines. Jacob, if I remember right, started out as my deputy. (Kaitlyn joined us later, and eventually Ezra. Eden never got in on the game until a new "chapter" of Roxaboxen started out in Saipan.

In the summer we would go back there in the woods a little ways, and play. We had our houses, shops, and such. We had our village disputes, but eventually, things always worked out. Sometimes we would go farther into the woods and sneak past the hermit's shack. Yeah, really, a hermit's shack. It was old, tumbling, and gross. Sometimes we would look in the windows, but usually we just walked on by into the little meadow that was beyond it. The man, Dier, was usually never there, or at least not that we could tell, but we thought it was kind of brave all the same.

In the meadow we would play games like hunting. The grass was really tall, and some of us would hide, while others looked for us. It was fun hunting, but it was more fun being hunted. That way, you could find a real good vantage point and watch the hunters try to be clever.

In the winter, the village was moved a little closer to home - right in our back yard. We would pack the snow up to build houses, line streets, and build stables. In the stables we would keep our sleds. We had a tobbogan that some of us would sit on while another pulled. It was always Lexi or I was did the pulling. If we were lucky, Levi would come out and pull us girls around. He was strong enough to run with us, so that was always fun.

In winter, the village disputes turned into village battles. Girls against boys. We would raise our walls up higher, and make little pockets in the snow to keep our snowballs cold. (Everyone knows you need a pocket in the snow to keep your snowballs cold.) We would chuck the snowballs at each other from our respective forts. You could almost guarantee that, if he was home, Levi would be in on this part of the game as well. I didn't mind getting hit by a snowball or two, but Levi was a pitcher, and he threw hard. Not to mention his aim was good - he hit me right in the eye once, and pleaded with me not to tell. I didn't cry (I remember 'cause I was really proud about it) but I was soooo mad. Needless to say, there wasn't any point in trying to keep it from Mum and Dad 'cause I was yelling so loudly at Levi they could hear it through the windows.

You could always guarantee on a game of Roxaboxen to keep us kids busy, any time of year. But then something changed... something really changed. Alexa started growing up. She wasn't a child anymore, and didn't have time for childish games. She and I started public school, and weren't at home as much, especially during the winter. We met new friends, outside our family, and started hanging out with them more. Sure, the boys and I played the game a few more times, but it wasn't the same. Alexa had moved on. Her little shop by the brook was taken over by Jacob, but it seemed empty.

Eventually the brook in that part of the woods became polluted and we were forced to move Roxaboxen downstream. (Don't ask me about the logic there, it was just cleaner.) Everything had changed. After one last summer of Roxaboxen - entirely Lexiless - we had all come to realize that the glory of the game, it's charm, it's fun, had died.

It sounds sad, I know; any time you spend reminiscing, it usually leaves you in a slightly saddened state. But really it's not. It's just different. It was fun being a kid, but I'm grown now, and I actually don't mind it so much. Yeah, I play different games, with different people, and in a very different way, but I still have fun. Imagination - a tool important in everyday living. I was taught to use mine by the very best.

Things You Don't Think About Until You Have To:

1) I don't know of one person that would say the thought of starvation is pleasant. Here at BYU-I, our lives revolve very much around the functional hours of the Galley. I came out of the bathroom once, and they had closed the Galley doors. They were open when I went in, and closed when I came out. I pulled on the knob, realized it was open, walked in and got myself some breakfast... hey, I paid a lot for those unlimited meals, I plan on getting my money's worth. And then there's the possibility of getting there and having all the good food gone and you just have to live off the scraps the other dogs left you. Moral of the story: don't cut your meals close.

2) Toilet paper - we Americans are a blessed people. The entire nation of China lives in uncertainty of if they will have something clean to wipe their bums with tomorrow morning. But we are able to be fairly sure that the longest we will ever go without TP is a few hours, while Mum runs to the store to get some. At least, that's how it is until you wake up one morning and realize that Mum is not there to restock the rolls. The end of the semester is here and everyone refuses to buy more toilet paper. Angela and I have been sharing the last two rolls of her secret stash for the past two weeks. Let's just say, things have been getting pretty thin.

3) It's a good idea to have clean checks in the dorms and apartments. I mean, some people are just naturally clean, but I don't care who you are, living with five other girls, all with busy schedules, makes a constantly clean crib something you hear of, but never witness. Most clean checks are easily passable. It's really just the basics: vacuuming, bathroom, mirrors, windows, clutter... that's about it, and you pass with an excellent. However, at the end of every semester, in every dorm and apartment complex, there is the clean check of all clean checks - "White Glove." Taylor Smith put it well when she said, "That sounds evil." Well Taylor, that's because it is evil. If you just make sure you dust everything, move some furniture around to vacuum under them, detailing things like that, then really it's not that big a deal. But there are those that simply cannot deal with the stress of it and eventually just go into shock.

The Song of the Righteous is a Prayer Unto Me...

Katie had left without me, thinking that I was asleep. I had been, but after Andrea woke me up I couldn't regain the fitful sleep I had been half-enjoying half-enduring. I quickly climbed down from my mattress. I pulled on some jeans off the top of my suitcase, threw on my hoodie, stuck a piece of gum in my mouth, and grabbed my hymnal on my way out the door.

I headed down to the track and field stadium. I had wanted to go stadium singing ever since I'd heard of it, but I didn't know what it was exactly. Katie just said it was singing under the stadium. I guess I was trying to read too far into it, 'cause it was literally singing underneath the stadium.

I was a ways off when I first heard it. A sound rising up so beautiful it can only be described if you read "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas." The voices reverberated off the steel walls of the stadium. There were probably two hundred people under those seats. The conductor stood on a stage in the center and held up the numbers to different hymns. People sang parts. It was all a capella.

I couldn't help but think of two things: a) how happy I was to being singing on Sunday evenings again; and b) how cool it would be to sit on that stadium during that hour and a half.

Easter Thoughts

Church today was fantastic! In fact, it was so good, I'm going to transcribe some of my notes and put them on here. I have some good quotes, some excellent points, and some touching stories. The other two speakers were excellent, but I'm going to be focusing on the third speaker.

Brother Ross Baron, a professor of religion here at BYU-Idaho and a high counselman in my stake. (Not to mention my personal goal for a religion teacher for Fall semester!) He gave a fantastic talk!

Bro. Baron was raised in a Jewish family in southern California. So, naturally, he was raised under Judaism. When he was about 9 he asked his parents what happened to one after death. They said that "your memory lives on, but other than that, we don't really know." When he reached his teen years he began to look into other religions such as Buddism, Hinduism, Taoism, Shinto, and Confucianism. He never considered Christianity because they were those "Sunday morning preachers on T.V. that we'd watch if we got bored one Sunday." However, he did eventually end up looking into it (I can't remember how exactly that came about, but it did, obviously) and he asked a friend about Mormonism. The kid (he was 17 at this time) layed out the Plan of Salvation for him 5 minutes before class, then referred him to his dad (who was a bishop) for all other answers.

So, this is what Bro. Baron said that I loved so much. First of all, he said that "The Plan of Salvation, with Christ and His Atonement at the center gives us life, hope, and a purpose. ... Maybe we don't appreciate the Atonement enough." He also said that he used to feel a little bitter towards Peter, James, and John for falling asleep when Christ asked for them to watch with him one hour. Just one. The only time Christ asked them to do anything for Him, and they let Him down. Until he realized, Christ has asked each of us to "watch with Him 10 minutes" [in Sacrament] every week, and what do we do? "Our minds wander. 'Oh, she's cute.'"

He told a sweet story about a young boy in Primary with Down's syndrome. The teacher gave each of the kids a plastic egg and asked them to go out and find something to put in the egg that reminded them of Christ. The little Down's boy came back with nothing in his egg. The other kids laughed at him, and the teacher asked how that reminded him of Christ. "Because Jesus wasn't in the tomb. It was empty, wasn't it?"

"Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here. He is risen!"

The most interesting point Bro. Baron made was about the Fall of Adam and the Triumphant Entry. It says that Christ cursed the fig tree upon entering Jerusalem. The only record we have of Him cursing anything and having it immediatly destroyed. In the Old Testiment, after the Fall of Adam and Eve, it says that they tried to hide their nakedness from the Lord with the help of the serpant. They did this by covering themselves with fig leaves. This is a false covering. When the Lord came, the first thing He did was cover them - but with skins. It was a direct foreshadow to what was to come. They could not cover themselves completely with leaves, an innocent animal had to be sacrificed in order for them to be covered properly for the Lord. The fig tree represents Satan's false covering, and the cursing of it and the killing of the animal for the skins represents Christ's triumph over Satan, and His sacrifice for each of our sins.

Gospel Values Essay

For FA-100, we have to attend the Gospel Values Lecture, given by a Brother Call. Since I put it off until the last one, I also had to write a Gospel Values summary essay. I think it came out pretty good. See for yourself.

It is obvious that te Gospel of Jesus Christ has certain standards we are all expected to live up to. These standards canjust as easily be called values. They are what set us apart from the rest of the world and draw us ever closer to God and Jesus Christ.

God's goal is to keep His Spirit with us at all times. In order to fulfill the goal, He gives us commandments - or His standards - that lead us to live righteously. We renew our baptismal covenants each week as we take the Sacrament. These covenants state that as long as we are consciously striving to live worthily, by keeping our values, than the Lord will keep His Spirit with us. If, at any moment, we are not living righteously, the Spirit withdraws and leaves us vulnerable to Satan's power.

In contrast with the Lord, Satan's main objective is to keep us separated from the Holy Spirit at all times. It is during these separations that he can put into action his specialized plan to destroy each of us individually. It is inevitable that we will once in a while fall victim to his plotting. It may seem at these times that we are left solely at his nonexistent mercy, but we must remember this: we have power over Satan, and by turning back to the standards set for us by the Lord, we may come again into the presence of His Spirit and fully repent.

We, as believers and partakers of this Gospel, have three main principles. First of all, we have the gift of the Holy Ghost. This means that as long as we are maintaining the values, we not only have th privilege of His Spirit, but a right to it as well. In order to keep ourselves as far away from sin as possible, it is important that we learn ways in which we can stay close to the Lord. Constant prayer is of the utmost importance. As long as we are praying, our thoughts are "garnished with virtue." Doctrine and Covenants 10:5 tells us to "pray always that you may come off conqueror; yea that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work."

The next principle is the line. There is a line between good and evil, but it is not easy to see. the extremes, white and black, are clearly decipherable, but the gray is enormous, and its murky darkness ever so subtly bleeds into the white. Brother Call says that "Satan's biggest lie is that the line is somewhere in the middle. I think the line is as a soon as the gray touches the pure white. ... It's easy to distinguish black from white, but it's pretty hard to distinguish off-white from white."

The third principle is that we must judge wisely. These values were given to us not only for the purpose of bringing us closer to His Spirit and to help us to stay on the right side of the line, but also that we may judge where that line is. Every day we are confronted with choices that may contradict our values. If we choose wrong, we commit sin. If we choose right we gain in spirituality. This happens in every decision we make - our spirituality is not standing still, it is either decreasing or increasing. This is why it is so important that we make righteous choices.

Possibly the most common decisions we make are media-based. The mdeia is always in our face; in movies, T.V., music, and magazines. There are two criteria we should take into consideration when making a decision based ont he media. Ifrst is the content. Is the material virtuous? If not, we should choose right then not to have anything to do with it. If so, the second criterion is style. If the style and content are both good, it's certainly worth participation in. It's praiseworthy, lovely, of good report, and virtuous. If the content and style are both bad, there is really no temptation. If the content is good, but the style is mediocre, it's probably not harmful, but also not worth much. The most dangerous zone is when the style is good and praiseworthy, but the content is filth. this can deceive some into believing it is appropriate, interesting, "worth it," and sometimes even as beautiful as that which is truly virtuous.

Satan is subtle in his snares. It is up to each of us to realize our dependence upon the Lord and grasp hold of the principles He so caringly gives us. Sometimes we will fall, but through the grace-filled Atonement of Christ, we may repent. Through these things and by continuously raising the bar just a little higher for ourselves each time, we will one day become perfect in the Lord and He will welcome us into His home.

To view the Gospel Values Powerpoint Brother Call uses in his lecture, click on www.byui.edu, go to "Students">"Academics">"FA-100"

Fun and Funny Quotes from...

Steven Wright - Comedian

*On Ambition: "I'd kill for a Nobel Peace Prize."
*On Being Realistic: "When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane."
*On Gaining Experience: "Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it."
*On Self-Worth: "If you think nobody cares for you, try missing a couple of payments."

Jerry Seinfeld - Comedian

*On Common Sense: "Sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason."
*On Ageism: "My parents didn't want to move to Florida, but they turned sixty and that's the law."

Angela Breiding - Roommate

*On Movies: (During X-Men) "So, which one is X-Man?" (During Batman Begins)"Where's Batman?" (During The Pink Panther) "Is there gonna be a panther in this movie?" (During King Kong) "Oh! The sticks keep the monkey out!"

Joshua Cole - Brother From Another Mother

*On Fashion: "I used to be a terrible dresser, then my mom took me to Old Navy, and, well, I've been irresistible ever since."

Andrea Membreno - Roommate

*On the US Postal Service: "Hi, we were just wondering if the Saturday Mail will be delivered tomorrow or not." Res. Assistant: "Ummm... tomorrow's Thursday." [PAUSE] "Soooo.... is that a no on the Saturday mail?"

Claiming a Title

So, we have some very close friends that live in Biddulph Dormatory. (It's a guy's dorm.) Their names are Stew, Josh, and Chris. They're (for the most part) inseperable. Two of them, Stew and Josh are my brother's from other mothers. Really. Especially Josh. He reminds me soooo much of my cousin Dickon. Not only his personality, but his physique as well.

Anyway, Josh told me and my friend Angela that they have made up some nicknames for us and the rest of our roommates. We were really interested in finding them out. But, Josh says that whatever is said between him and the guys stays there. Boo. He stinks. Eventually though, I thought I had noogied it out of him. He said, "Okay well, I'll only tell you yours and Angela's. We sometimes call you Crazy Russian Girl. Angela we call Crazy Woman." I thought they were a little generic especially for these guys, but hey... whatever, right? So last night Angela was texting to Josh trying to get the name out of him. (He had made me promise not to tell her. But he never said I couldn't encourage her to find out herself!) This had been going on for an hour or so when I decided I would go to bed.

The room was dark except for Amber's book light shining from accross the room. I was still wide awake, but for the moment it was pretty quiet. I was laying on my back with my arms behind my head, when all of a sudden, the door swings wide open and Angela walks in in her pajamas and with her phone. "Super Hotness?" she said. I waited a second, slightly puzzled, and after Amber didn't say anything, I figured, Hey! I might as well claim the name given, right? "Yes?" I replied. Yeah, we had a good laugh about that until Ang explained she was just asking if that was the nickname they gave her. Obviously Josh was sucking up. I replied in the negative and we laughed a little longer.

We found out today that Josh had lied to me so that I would stop asking him. We've decided to make up little names for them in return. Losers. Not fair!

Oh, just as a side note, Chris had lied to us about his roomie, Todd. Andrea and Emily got pictures of him eating egg at breakfast. We confronted Chris about it later, and he was like, "Yeah, actually, it exploded! Now I have to clean it up!" Yuck! It's been in there a week! Blake said the same thing happened in his microwave. Hahahaha.

Quoting the Music...

In my Music and the Hummanities with an Emphasis on Jazz - yes that is the full name - I hear the coolest things. Honestly, I didn't realize how many funny and also profound things have been said in there until today. I write them down in the margins of my notes. They're partly from my professor, Brother Dr. Mark Watkins. He's a great teacher, very funny, rather sarcastic. He's probably 6'2" or so, dark hair which he always wears slicked back, and the second thickest glasses I have ever seen in my life. (The first belonged to brother Chris Tenbrink in Maine.) Anyway, yeah, he plays some mean saxophone I'll tell ya!

Most of them though are from a guest speaker we had today that was trying for a possition as the trumpet teacher here in BYU-I. I don't know his name, I'll try to find it out. I'm pretty sure it's a Brother Neilson, so that's what I'll call him for now. Others are from different video clips and such:

**"People are people, they'll do whatever they want to do. We're just looking for the commonalities." - Dr. Watkins. (In a lesson about racism and it's effect on jazz.)
**"We all know what it's like to be tempted by self-pity; and we all know the necessity of picking ourselves back up again." - Bro. Neilson (In a lesson about Miles Davis.)
**"Can we allow people to find their freedom as we pursue our own?" - Bro. Neilson (Lesson about Miles Davis.)
**"The suggestion of the solo [in jazz] is that diversity in unity is not only coherent, but also a dazzling human achievement.... [It] reveals the possibility of delight involved in musical resolutions of intricate tensions, as well as the possibility of a liberated individual presence subtly cooperating with a distinct ensemble." -Kathleen Marie Higgins
**"The man with a real sense of humor is the man who can put himself in the place of the spectator, and laugh at his own misfortunes." - Bert Williams (Comedian)
**"[Jazz] is the aural representation of everything this country stands for." - Bro. Neilson (Lesson about Miles Davis.)
**"First of all, ya can't get over how hard that grooves!" - Bro. Neilson (After listening to a demonstration of a Miles Davis tune. He was right.)

A Prank Gone Wrong

So yesterday we were allowed in the guy's rooms for a special occasion from 12 to 2. We're only ever allowed in the downstairs lounge usually. It was so funny. Angela and I went after breakfast. Our friend, Glenn loves to eat hardboiled eggs at breakfast, but he leaves the yolks. We took three of them and snuck them into the guys rooms in a napkin in my pocket. In PIP's room we put it under his pillow, then we put on in Chris's microwave, and one in Blake microwave. Just think, when they turn those on, those eggs are gonna stink like there's no tomorrow. PIP's friend layed on his bed and found it right away. We thought it was pretty funny, until at lunch today Chris comes in and says, "Guys, did you hear about what happened to Todd [his roommate] last night? He put a piece of pizza in the microwave and somehow this egg yolk that was in there melted with it and he was rushed to the hospital." Yeah, turns out Todd is allergic to egg. Pretty badly too. Ang and I thought he had found out it was us and was just trying to scare us, but it looks like he's telling the truth. Todd is okay now, and back in the dorms, but man... way to make me feel crappy about that prank. Oh well, at least PIP's and probably Blake's will turn out. But I still feel like an idiot about Todd.

My Life as a Seinfeld Parallel

So Angela and I were talking the other day at lunch about how our life here in BYU-I is like something out of Seinfeld. Really... you could just walk around with us for a couple of days video-taping everything we do and you'd have a very funny show primarily about nothing. We could even draw comparisons between all five of us ("us" being the initial group we formed when we first met and became friends) and the characters in the show.

-- Angela and I share the role of Jerry... kind of the ones who're out there in the spotlight. We're the ones who make most of the decisions and whip out the most one-liners.
-- Andrea is Elaine... you could easily picture her saying "Get out!" while shoving the person with both hands. She doesn't want to draw any extra attention to herself, but she's wicked funny and rolls-with-it like no one else. A New Yorker through and through.
-- Amber would be George. She's nice and not selfish like he is, but she can ramble on for minutes and then finally someone will say, "Amb, what are you talking about?!"
-- Emily is most definatly Cramer. First of all, we often call her Fajen, which is her last name. Secondly, she's the neighbor that randomly enters (not uncommonly at uncomfortable moments) and, if there were an audience, would get an applause everytime. Thirdly, and by far most significant, she's ADHD. It is amazing what the outcome is when you combine "Hyperactive" with "Attention Deficit". That "H" makes all the difference! This girl is off the walls!

We have all the little inside jokes, hand signals, and obsessions that are so key to the show. For example, in Angela and Andrea's American Heritage class (which is at 9am), they sit in the same seats everyday. Until one day there was a kid with bright red hair sitting in their place. They now leave at about 8:15 (they really only need to leave at 8:50) in order to beat the kid there. Angela saw him in front of her one day and she actually sped up in order to get in class before him. Oh, and his name is officially "The Red-Haired Kid".

Things like that run ramped through my life right now. It's ridiculous, funny, and in many ways kind of sad... but hey, it makes for a good lunch conversation.

The Best Weekend

This has been the best weekend I've had in a long time. On Friday we went to the Slam Dunk competition, which was awesome! After that there was a dance which was really fun. We left early though, just 'cause my roomies wanted to go bowling with some of our FHE brothers. I went to Biddulph since I really didn't want to bowl. Besides, they were nearing the end of a Lord of the Rings marathon... I wouldn't have missed watching Return of the King just to go hang out!

Today was soooo much fun. At one o'clock me and my roomie, Amber, went to the field to watch a football game between the third-floor and second-floor of Biddulph. It was fun to watch and really warm out, until my shoes got snow in them. I went home a bit early since I couldn't feel my toes. That's what I get for wearing clogs in the snow. I'm glad I did come home early though 'cause Seth called and asked if I wanted to play some ball. We met at the Hart with his roomie, Bryson and played some pick-up games with some other guys there. That was a lot of fun, especially since I haven't seen Seth or Bryson for like a week now. Seth has been down in Utah. (Just for the record, the first game we played was the first time I have ever been on a winning team against White. I didn't make any of my many shots, but I did make some UNBELIEVABLE assists! My passing's getting better.)

After that we got ready for the Sadie Hawkins. It was so much fun! Chris went as a greaser and I went as a socsh. My roomie, Angela was the only other girl from my room to dress 50's. She got this HUGE wig from a production of Hairspray she was in, and wore that. Josh, her date, also went as a greaser. They had slicked-back hair, combs in their jean pockets, and white shirts from the "Boys" section in Wal-Mart. They wanted to make sure they were nice and tight. It was hillarious. We went to Craigos with our whole entorage, and us girls got pizza for the guys. While we were eating, Ang, Josh, Chris, and I decided we needed names. Angela was MariJane, Josh was Frankie, I was SandraDee and Chris was (of course) Danny. We got so used to calling each other by them, that Angela almost didn't know who someone was talking about when they said, "Josh". It was so fun.

The best thing was, we all had excellent dates. They were all so fun. I am so glad I went with Chris. He is an amazing dancer. I taught him a couple of things, but for the most part, he was teaching me. He's really energetic, even though he was exhausted from playing wheelchair basketball, a football game, and then dancing all night. He was a great date. I couldn't have asked for anyone better.

Don't worry, Mum, even though I had a great time, as of right now I'm not engaged to a Yankee's fan.

A Good Day

Okay, so next week will be my 8th week in school. So, it's been an awesome 7 weeks! Here are some stuff I will remember from the first half of my first semester here at BYU-Idaho!

**EVENTS**

"Four" - a jazz quartet. That was awesome. My professor (though mostly blind) is an excellent musician!

The Natelie McMaster concert. That was so much fun! Tom went with me, and I couldn't have had more fun with anyone else (except maybe my dad). She's an awesome fiddler!

The 24-hour film festival. My friends made a video for it. (The themes were first date, dream, or last chance.) It was so good. Tom filmed it; Chris was the main character; Jason, Tom, Chris, and Big Josh were the producers and editors. I think that's everyone. Guess what, THEY WON! I was so proud of them. It was really good. They better make me a copy.

Watching the USA pummel Canada in hockey was fun. It was cold, so I only saw part of it, but there's nothing to keep you warm like chanting "U-S-A" with a ton of other people at 10:30 at night. I didn't have a coat or anything, just my hoodie on, but I was surprised at how long I stood out there and didn't even feel the freeze. There were Canadians there too, but I feel bad for them now. The final score: USA = 5, Canada = 2. Ouch.

The devotionals are excellent. My favorite so far was given by a member of the 1st Quarm of the 70. I can't remember his name, but it was on Joseph's last few months before his martyrdom. I have always had a special place in my heart for the Prophet, but I have never felt more for him than during this devotional.

Schooling Noah at pool.

Schooling Tom at pool.

The Soweto concert last night was amazing! From South Africa, these people are awesome! It was so much fun. Very good performers!

**FRIENDS**

I lucked out in my roommates! They're all really cool. We have a lot of fun together. We've only had one spat in 7 weeks, and it wasn't a big one. Six girls in this small of a space, that's a freaking miracle! There's also my neighbor, Emily, who basically lives here. She's a lot of fun, and completely crazy! Within the first day we all had an inside joke. Two days later, we had 2 more.

I also have some great friends from Biddulph (the guys dorms). Shane, also called PIP, basically lives in my apartment as well. If he could spend then night outside our door he probably would. PIP stands for Pretty in Pink; it was the first color we saw him wearing.

Then there are guys like Blake, who is just full of it, but is a lot of fun. Noah, who you can only explain as quite a character. He is completely insane and knows it. If Noah is around, you are sure to have a good time. Chris is a flirt, but a good guy. He's getting ready to serve his mission in Romania! I am so excited for him! Josh (not the big edition) is so fun, and hillariously funny. Tom, Jason, and Dylon, (aka the Tri-force... don't ask) can be explained in three words: quirky and hillarious. There's Stewart, who is just rediculous, and Mambo (or German) who is always thinking of what other people want, and how to sneak salt onto Chris's deserts. The list goes on and on, and everyone is a lot of fun. They keep you on your toes, I'll tell ya that much!

It's been a blast. Hard at times, and somewhat stressful, but a lot of fun. I am having such a good day today. I SCORED on my biology test! At least I think so, it was mainly on photosynthesis and I was AMAZING! It is so beautiful out. Bright and sunny and just gorgeous! It's like spring. I can feel it coming on. You know, I love cold weather. It's hard to find something more pure and beautiful than sparkling snow, or more peaceful and reverent than softly falling snow in the woods. But it is a very glorious thing when the sun begins to shine again. One of my favorite things is when the sunlight paints everything a golden color. It mainly happens in the afternoons and makes me remember things. Like I should make a bunch of water balloons and just start a war with my brothers and Scooby. Or go climbing up the tree out in front of Colleen's house over the stream we used to catch newts in. Or go play baseball in Stevie Smith's field. Or race around Walls St. and Davis Ln. on our bikes. Or play street hockey outside Lloyd's. Or jump ramps on our blades. Okay, enough reminiscing. But it's fun.

Hush the Hype!

Really, I don't see what the big deal is about Valentine's Day! Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I don't like it; I love it! What I don't get are all those people out there that are just sulking around, feeling sorry for themselves because they don't have a "sweetheart". Who cares?! You didn't have one yesterday, and you made it! You may not have had one over New Years, when everyone is making out as they count down in their heads; you're still alive! For goodness sakes people! Get over it!

I was over at Seth's house yesterday, and on their white board it reads: "Happy (?) Valentine's Day! AKA Single's Awareness Day." I had never even heard of "Single's Awareness Day." My friend said it was probably because I had never been single on Valentine's Day. To tell you the truth, I've never had a boyfriend on Valentine's Day! Not even a date! I'm not trying to get you to feel sorry for me, I'm just stating a fact, and ya know what, I'm alive, happy, and full of love!

I never really realized what a big deal it is for single people on Valentine's Day. I mean, just hanging out with my friends today, they would not stop talking about "how depressing it all is." I just rolled my eyes and tried to explain to them that it is not a holiday designed by the candy and card companies, it is not any more a commercial gimmick than Christmas is. It is rather a day dedicated to the celebration of the love we have for one another. It was never designed to be strictly for couples. I have received a Valentine's Day gift from my parents ever since I can remember. I have always wished all of my beloved friends happy Valentine's Day. I give out more hugs and kisses to my family and friends. Believe it or not, all those relationships are based on love too. Why do we forget them, and focus strictly on the thought of how alone we are? That is not what St. Valentine stood for. Good grief! I know that and I'm not even Catholic!

Byebye "Villegas"!

This isn't a long blog, I know, but it's an important one! I've just gotta say, I am so excited for Renae and her new fiancee. Seriously, I knew it would happen, just not so soon! My first married friend! I mean, that's my age, obviously! Good job, and good luck! I hope you have the most amazing wedding, family, and life! God bless you!