Plans

So, many numerous updates since the last post.

I am no longer double majoring in Philosophy and Journalism. I decided the Communications department was more trouble working with than it is worth, so I dropped that major, officially declared my Logic minor, and I'm working on my application to graduate in April with a Philosophy degree. This semester I'm only taking three classes: Statistics, Accounting, and Thai. The first two are for preparation for a possible business school future, and the third is mostly for fun.

Also, this probably isn't news to anyone who probably reads this, but I've been engaged for about three weeks. Here's the whole story:

Nathan and I had been in each other's peripheral vision since April of this year. A mutual friend of ours was live-blogging General Conference via Facebook statuses, and we both joined in. I sent him a friend request, he added me, and we occasionally chatted/commented on each other's posts for a number of months. I told Nathan about a week before coming to Provo that I wanted to hang out. We went and got lunch my first Saturday back in Provo, were both thoroughly awkward, but continued to talk/see each other. It wasn't long after that we both realized that we really, really liked each other. We were both very attracted to each other's intellectual pursuit, bibliophilia, and nerdy humor, among many other things. And then we realized that this is what happens when you find the person you're supposed to marry. So on a Tuesday morning, sitting in my car outside of the Provo Temple after we spent time inside, he asked me to marry him. And I said yes. And then we sat there, enjoying the surrealness of it all, asking each other, "so, did that really just happen?"

We are getting married on December 28th in the Dallas, Texas Temple.

I think the biggest thing I've learned this year isn't the best door approach when tracting, or how to calm down an angry patient on the phone, or how to calculate z-scores in statistics. The biggest thing I've learned this year is that Heavenly Father allows us to experience really difficult things, including huge changes of seemingly faultless plans, so we know how to appreciate the things He gives us instead. And He always manages to pull through with things we didn't know would be better.

Most of all, I'm so glad to have learned through experience that God plans things according to a wider paradigm than my own.

Ah, Provo

So I've been in Provo for officially more than a week. There was a lot of hassle/anxiety last week with trying to find somewhere to live and being homeless over the weekend, but looking back I can see at least 2 good things that came out of that homelessness. One of these days I'll be able to consistently keep the perspective that future retrospection always yields recognition of blessings and mercy during difficult times. I'm living in an apartment 2 blocks from campus (yes!) for a little more than I wanted to pay, but it's newly renovated, so I won't complain too much. Apparently the management is awful, which I've already sort of experienced, but I'll make a conscious effort to stay out of their way and need as little as possible from them.

I am so ready to start classes/work on Monday. I might be an editor for Aporia, BYU's student philosophy journal, this semester. So I'll be doing that for 5 hours and TAing logic for 15 hours a week. And 3 classes. This semester is pretty much going to be awesome.

My plans this week pretty much include some odds and ends getting ready for school, sitting by the pool reading, going to the Temple, and hanging out with a new friend.

Thank you, Provo, for your existence, your fabulous school, and the wonderful people inside of you.

Also, 22nd birthday in 13 days. Woo!

Counting Down

I spend way too much of my time counting down.

Counting down until school starts. Counting down until my last day of school. Counting down until I leave for Washington. Counting down until I get on a plane back home. Counting down until he gets home. Counting down until...okay you get it.

I think this is because I'm never satisfied with the present. I've acknowledged this and am trying to get better at it. At any given point in time, we only have one present. It is logically impossible to make the present move any faster, so why can't I appreciate it more?

Tonight I was trying to appreciate the present. It was a nice Sunday night, I was hanging out in my pajamas doing productive things like laundry and cleaning my bathroom. For a while I was enjoying myself, but then I lost focus and found myself dwelling on, "Only 5 more days of work and I'm done. Tomorrow is my last Monday. Just one more Monday to get through."

Counting down seems to be my default with my present-enjoying being a conscious decision. I really am trying to figure out how to switch the two. I've been good lately with spending my evenings after work doing things I enjoy rather than dreading another day of work coming up. I know that my current phase of counting down until Utah will only ultimately yield in more counting down until something else after I get there. Or maybe I can make my pre-fall semester countdown my last.

30 Days in Pictures: Day Twenty

Day Twenty – A picture of somewhere you’d love to travel



This is Powell's Books in Portland, Oregon. It takes up an entire city block. This would entertain me more than any beach or foreign country.

The girl who read about the boy who lived

So I'm finally joining the human race.

I'm reading Harry Potter.

I got the first two books super cheap from half.com a while back. I wanted to wait until I finished The Hunger Games to start them. I just finished the first book, and I wish I would have done this sooner. I remember the first book coming out when I was in 5th grade, getting on the waiting list at the library, but being super ADD and not being able to get past the first 10 pages. I feel kind of let down since I already know some of the big plot twists, but I'm excited to read them nonetheless. I've already ordered books 3 and 4 from half.com, and I'm starting on book 2 tonight.

"The trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them." Oh Dumbledore, you could narrate my year.

30 Days in Pictures: Day Nineteen

Day Nineteen – A picture and a letter

Or how about a picture of 74 letters...



Every letter Brad wrote me on his mission.

30 Days in Pictures: Day Eighteen

Day Eighteen – A picture of your biggest insecurity



My number one task at work is to answer the phone. Let me tell you about how much I hate answering the phone at work. Somewhere there is this rule that allows people to be rude to strangers over the phone, and somewhere, maybe in the same rule book, there is a rule that allows people to treat medical receptionists like crap. Combine those rules and you get the worst anxiety you've ever felt upon hearing a phone ring.