Entertainment at work

I should have included this in my end of the world post probably. It was my last day of work, and these pictures go along with that. So we go through a lot of staples at work. We pull them out of documents before scanning them. I always had wanted to save them for a while and see how many we had and use them for something, but I hadn't done it. Well this last semester, I decided to change that. So we collected staples all semester. The cup in this picture is where we collected them. That cup was pretty heavy. The cool thing about collected staples is you can pull them up by grabbing a few on top and lift and the whole thing comes up. And you think the cup's just about too full, but then the staples just keep pushing together and there's more room. Anyway, we decided to make a staple ornament for our supervisor for Christmas. So I got the very last clear ornament from Michael's (seriously, shelves completely empty except for this one ornament!) and we filled it with staples! That was a bit of a challenge. When it was getting full, you could only put them in a couple at a time and then try to shake them to the sides...especially since this was a square ornament, so you had to try to fill the corners! It was a bit of a challenge, but it was fun and it turned out pretty cool. :)

Also, on my last day, I experienced a first. I've stapled plenty of documents, got a staple stuck in my thumb once when trying to remove it, but never had I stapled my sleeve to something! I thought it was hilarious though. Had to take a picture. I think normally I roll my sleeves up but I hadn't that day. Sorry about the white boxes over the picture, I decided I should cover the documents since we do deal with confidential information.

Christmas Eve at Home

Merry Christmas Eve! It's been a great day! First of all, it snowed quite a bit and was quite lovely out. I love a white Christmas. I also love the movie and the song "White Christmas" too. So I was pretty thrilled. Dad was slightly less excited while he shoveled several times throughout the day. I would have helped, but I was busy helping Mom preparing our smorgasbord. But it was beautiful to see the snow falling. I should have gotten a better picture when it was snowing a little harder and the flakes were better, but this isn't bad. This is the view from our front door. 

This evening we had a special surprise when Santa showed up on our doorstep! He brought us a special treat before heading on his jolly way. He'll be back later tonight of course, but he wanted to see us awake too.

This evening we enjoyed our Swedish feast, followed by plenty of cookies and treats, reading Luke 2 and Matthew 2, and our yearly story of Babushka, during which we receive new PJs instead of a toy (the link leads to one version of the story that seems to best match the one we retell each year). Now we're watching The Polar Express and then off to bed! Merry Christmas!

Christmas lights & Caroling

One of my most favorite things about this time of year is Christmas lights. As a number of people could tell you, this year I've been quite vocal about that...every time I see Christmas lights, I say in a really excited voice, "Christmas lights!" And if there's several houses with Christmas lights, I repeat it a lot...yeah people love it and don't think I'm crazy at all! Okay, I'm mostly do this with only my sister in the car to avoid judgment. But I get super excited about Christmas lights. Especially white ones. I like colored ones too, but I tend to absolutely adore white ones, like icicle lights. The more lights the better. I just love them. When my friend invited me to go to Temple Square with him this year I was super excited. I absolutely adore the Lights at Temple Square. I was pretty much giddy. It's just so beautiful! The other night I drove around town and looked at lights for a while to get in the Christmas spirit. It made me so happy. I can't get enough of them.

This is a house in Houma, LA. Awesome, huh?

Another favorite thing about Christmas is our tradition of caroling. Our family goes every year with several other families in our neighborhood. For me it's a treasured tradition. We went tonight and had a really big and awesome group. Not to boast or anything, but we sounded fantastic. It's so fun because there's a lot of musical talent in our group and we harmonize really well. It was great fun going caroling. My family got a picture (minus Jord) after, while enjoying hot chocolate to warm up. Good times!

It's the end of my world as I know it...

So, the world didn't end today. We'll just have to wait for that I guess. But there are definitely changes in my life right now! Today ended my student employment at the bookstore. And 8 days ago I finished my undergraduate work. Super super weird. It honestly doesn't feel like it quite yet. I'll have moments of excitement and moments of panic, but it hasn't really set in that I'm not going back to school or my job after Christmas. I have to find a new job. I won't have homework. How weird is that?
Up to this point, I've had a pretty good idea of what I'd do with my life...I'd get an education and go on a mission. Hopefully get married sometime too. That part obviously hasn't come to fruition yet. I definitely planned on figuring out what I wanted to do with my life while in college. Sometimes that doesn't happen, apparently. Even when you pick a major because you have to in order to keep your scholarship, that doesn't mean you've got it figured out. I probably could have studied a lot of different things and been quite content, but still not have figured out what to do after. I like a lot of things, I'm good at a lot of things, but I'm not passionate about many and I don't excel in much. So here I am, a college graduate, and I'm still on a quest to find out what I really do want to do. And you know what, it's okay. I'm not super worried about that. Yes, I need to find a job (quick!) and there's a lot up in the air, but it'll work out. Yep. Because the world didn't end today.

Our Family Christmas Letter

Every year my dad writes our family Christmas letter. I always look forward to it because it's super funny. This is our letter this year. Enjoy!

Change and Continuity, 2012:

Much as we might want to think otherwise, there is hardly any chance that the world will really end this December, so as we gear up for the future, here’s a review of the recent past. This year our family experienced a few changes and more continuity. As a fictional sheriff once said, “That could be good, or bad.”

The biggest change was the passing of Maria’s mother, Inga Morgan, in June. After a long wrestle with Alzheimer’s disease, her body finally succumbed. It was a struggle to the end, and we learned that dying can be hard and perplexing, even though death can be a sweet release. After years at her side at the Homestead, including almost every hour in the last weeks, her husband Keith quickly left Rexburg weather behind, returning to Oregon to live with Maria’s brother’s family and to resume his service in the temple. There was a peaceful, hope-filled funeral, as family and friends reflected on a noble life and a great plan of happiness.

A different kind of change occurred in December, when Brooke completed her undergraduate education at Brigham Young University. She has been an excellent student, and if you want to bug her, just ask, “Now what?” She’d really like to excel in family life more than professional achievement, but at present she lacks a suitor and an employer. But she does have faith, some skills (anyone need forensic linguistics?), and a creative mind. Plus she asserts more control over the ’93 minivan than her little sister.

We passed a couple of milestones without noticeable change. In April, Maria and John marked 25 years of marriage with a luxurious trip to Paris, Idaho in their Buick (also featuring stops in Soda Springs and Logan). Whew! Then in September, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of Maria’s birth. We compiled some “golden plates” with the memories and observations of her friends and relatives—all about her, of course—and we had a party. I don’t even think she had to bake the cake, but I can’t remember for sure—it was all just “one mad whirl,” like every night at our house.

Hannah flirted with a bigger life-change this summer, when she accepted a marriage proposal from a fellow Cougareat employee. But the engagement was “suspended” in September—I say suspended in contrast to “broken” or “cancelled” or “shattered,” and we’ll let the two of them figure out what the future brings. Her short-term plans include a study abroad experience in Britain, though she wants to squeeze in a side-trip to Florence, Italy. Her arms and fingers bear the scars of Subway work (sandwiches, not tunnels), but she was promoted and wears a hat of a different color when the hungry crowds descend each day.

Jordan also strove for marital bliss, driving back and forth across the northern border to woo a maiden. Sadly, his efforts ultimately went unrewarded, and now he is a bitter old economist, or at least a heartsick student. Luckily he’ll be retaking a few classes next year so he can get more practice with his major. Meanwhile he continues to work at Porter’s Craft and Frame, which would seem like a good place to meet potential domestic goddesses. Time should heal his wounds, if a steady diet of Taco Bell, chicken nuggets, and Mountain Dew doesn’t kill him first. The cats appreciate the time he spends in bed.

It was a light year for travel, arts, and the other diversions we usually note. John had a sabbatical semester for research and made a research trip to Virginia (including some days in lovely ancestral Thomas lands with his parents), as well as several road trips to Utah libraries and archives. Maria stayed home for pretty much everything, but got to see some home improvements: new paint for the exterior and a remodeled laundry and bathroom (ready for guests). She continues to be a crafty queen and community contributor.

That’s a wrap on 2012. Some things change a lot, others just a little, and some things stay very much the same—most notably the reason for the season, He who is the source of everlasting hope.

Merry Christmas from the Thomas family!

Grateful for: Family

It's been quite nice to be home for a few days for Thanksgiving. I love being with my family. While we most definitely do put the "fun" in "dysfunctional," there's a lot of laughter and craziness. Jordan is extremely talented at being ridiculous, particularly. Dad just keeps throwing his football to everyone, hoping they catch it. Mom's been cooking a lot. Hannah ate more actual food at dinner tonight than Jordan. Something weird's there. You know the dinner scene from While You Were Sleeping?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI4fcgLBASI

Yeah, that one? Our dinner was something like that (including quotes from that scene). I'm grateful for my family even though they're cray cray sometimes. Hope y'all have had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family, friends, or other loved ones too! And check out this awesome song too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSBq8geuJk0

Grateful for: Good Friends

I've really been blessed with good friends all my life. As a kid, through high school, at college, on the mission and more. I've had really awesome people in my life.

Childhood friends
Some of these friends I don't really get to see anymore, but I sure had some good times with Krista, Heidi, Alicia, Kaitlin, and others. I especially remember playing school (often outside, writing on leaves with mud and sticks) with Krista, and jumping on the tramp! Heidi and I loved playing with dolls. I think we sent them to boarding school a lot. And Alicia and I would always dance around. Some of my childhood friends I do see quite frequently because they're in my ward right now...Jeremy and Ben...I love that. It's so fun to have them around!

Middle school to high school
My best friend for years was Kimberly, who today had her second child, a little girl! I'm so excited for her! I just wish I could meet this little one, but they live on the other side of the country! Kim and I met in 5th grade on a field trip. My family had bought her family's house when we moved. We discovered many things in common on the bus ride home, including the same house, same bedroom, being the oldest, only one boy in the family, wearing glasses, etc. We became best of friends and have been through so many fun adventures. We even went to college together and were roommates for a couple years.
Another bestie was Jill. She and I became friends in high school and soon enough were super close. We would talk for hours about everything. We also enjoyed ballroom dance together, school musicals, and of course, marching band. We were recruited senior year to do percussion. We were glad to have each other as we learned how to play everything.
Catherine and I became friends in junior high, I think. We were in choir together. We kind of drifted apart for a while, but then later in high school we became good friends again. Most of our time together was musically based...or talking about boys...and we went on a spontaneous date once. That was pretty fun.
There were also Arthella, Shara, Rachel, Trissa, Kadie, Kaitlin, Dani, Courtney, Stacy, Shawni, Aleena, Ashley, Kathryn and many more girlfriends with whom many good times were shared. All of these lovely people were involved in choir, drama, or dance, and we had a lot of fun experiences.
There were also a great number of guys in our group...Jeff, Ryan, Alex, Allen, Mark, Nathan, Jason, Josh, Greg, Sam, Nic, Kris, Spencer, Jordan...I'm probably forgetting somebody...we had a lot of fun dates and parties. We were quite creative.
My high school friends were just awesome. Again, I don't keep in great contact with all of them, but they were an important part of my life.

just a few of the high school gang

BYU
I made some great friends at BYU. Spencer, Matt, Lori, all my friends from SHA, who I've blogged about before...my ward when I lived at Stonebridge...had the best home teachers of my life there, Nathan and Mike. (P.S. Kim, if you read this, remember when they came over the first time?) Post mission friends include those at the Bookstore: Emily, Skyler, Melissa, Tracie. My ward is great, and I have my roommates, "the box," and many more from there. And I've already blogged about my mission friends and how great it is to have several of them around here. Friends are awesome.

Moral of the story, I've been blessed with many wonderful people in my life!

Grateful for: Miracles

     Once upon a time, I served in a small branch in Oakdale, LA. Quite unusually, there were more men than women who were active church members. A lot more men. The Relief Society consisted of about three non-missionaries (no wonder they had three sister missionaries and a senior couple there for so long!). One of the faithful men, George, brought his family to church as much as he could. His wife, Sue, was quite faithful in attending sacrament meeting, and basically believed everything the missionaries taught her. She planned to get baptized, but she never could give up her cigarettes. We worked with Sue and always encouraged her, but we knew we needed a miracle.
     I've been home from my mission for over two years now, but yesterday, I got a phone call from Sue. Her miracle happened. It took her nearly dying, but in the ordeal, she quit smoking and she's been clean for two weeks. She's getting baptized on December 15. What a miracle! All of us who served in Oakdale are so thrilled for her and we're so proud of her! Miracles never cease. Yesterday as she bore her testimony of the Word of Wisdom and how much better she feels, I was just tickled and so happy. Couldn't wipe a smile off my face all day! So I'm grateful for miracles. Some big ones like this one, some smaller ones that we see day-to-day. Big or small, I know they happen!

Catch up...

Yikes, how embarrassing, it's been well over a week since my last post during this month of "daily" posts. It's been super crazy 'round here. Busy busy busy. Lots going on in school with the end of the semester/my undergrad career approaching speedily. But right now I'm feeling pretty good. Mostly because I have nothing due until after Thanksgiving. Doesn't mean I can just stop working, but still, deadlines are a couple weeks away anyway...

Exactly one week ago it snowed a good six inches. Lots and lots of tree limbs down. And power out! It was late enough I probably should have gone to bed, but who can pass up something so fun as a power outage? So we went to an apartment that has a gas stove, heated some water for hot chocolate and we had a fun night! I was glad we had some candles and a lighter and I found my flashlight even though it wasn't where I thought it was. While that night was definitely fun, it made me grateful for the many things we take for granted like electricity! It's so nice to have bright lights when it's dark out. I can't imagine doing homework by candlelight. And having a computer and a TV are so nice. I'm seriously blessed!

I also am really grateful for the devotionals and forums I've attended at BYU. They are an awesome opportunity. I am grateful that I made it a habit to attend them. It's funny how frequently one that I think "meh, I'll go, but don't have great expectations" will be absolutely amazing and really build me up. I just don't get people who don't go to devo. It's amazing.

Tonight my roommate had her 7 year old nieces here. They were so funny. And we watched High School Musical. As incredibly nerdy and un-grown up that is, I still love it. My roommates were a little weirded out by that, I think. Oh well. We're not the same, we're different in a good way. Together's where we belong. We're all in this together.

I'm super tired. Is it lame if you go to bed on a Friday night before 10? Meh. It might happen. I'm grateful that I can do that if I want to. :)

Grateful for: America and a Sense of Humor

         Sooo....the election was yesterday. At the end of the night, my Facebook newsfeed was filled with negative woe is me, we're all going to die, it's the end of the world as we know it posts. And you know what? All I could do was laugh. I found some of the remarks so over the top I just laughed and laughed as I scrolled through all these statuses. I also really appreciated the other people who decided it wasn't the end of the world but posted humorous statuses...like the one about not having a heart attack about this, but if you do, it's covered by Obamacare! I feel like sometimes we take ourselves too seriously. Whoever won last night, a lot of people were going to be mad. But it's not the end of the world. (And if it is, yay for us!)
          I really appreciated the Church's statement, congratulating President Obama. Regardless of your political stance, we truly are blessed to live in this country and we should pray for and support our leaders. That doesn't mean we have to agree with everything, and that's okay. What I think is really awesome is that in this election, a Mormon and a black man ran against each other. How amazing is that? Two minorities that have historically been persecuted for being who they are. And here they were, running for president. Pretty awesome if you ask me.
         I woke up this morning with God Bless America running through my head. These are the words:

While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,

Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free,

Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,

As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer.

God bless America,

Land that I love.

Stand beside her, and guide her

Through the night with a light from above.

From the mountains, to the prairies,

To the oceans, white with foam

God bless America, My home sweet home

God bless America, My home sweet home.


Indeed, God Bless America. I'm very grateful to live here, where people are free to write angry post-election statuses on Facebook so I can laugh.

Grateful for: CES Firesides

So tonight we had a CES Fireside with Gerald Causse of the Presiding Bishopric. I really appreciated his message and the reminder that the future is as bright as our faith. I'm grateful for that message tonight. It really spoke to me.

Grateful for: Mission friends

Nearly let the day slip past without posting...but I remembered! I'm sure grateful for the friends I made on my mission. I got to hang out with a few of them tonight and it was a blast. It's fun that I have so many great friends of former companions and others too! I was blessed to meet these awesome people.

Let the Gratitude Posts Begin

So I want to do that post something you're grateful for each day thing again. The trouble is our internet is kind of wishy washy. Sometimes it works, other times not so much. So I could miss for that reason or for being too busy or whatever. But I think we'll give it a go again.

Today I'm grateful for nice weather. It's been so beautiful this week. Not too cold, sunshine, and just lovely weather. I love it. And of course I still am in love with the colorful leaves everywhere. Some are going brown, but there are still plenty of gorgeous red ones. I just love them.

Halloween 2012 Report

 Well, were you wondering how this Halloween went for me? Definitely not as epic as the Mark Boothe pumpkin carving/Freddy the Ghost year, but it was pretty good. It started with a stake Halloween dance. I had the idea of having a mini witch's hat instead of a big annoying one that you can hardly stand to wear. I couldn't find anything, so I made one instead. I think it turned out pretty cute.

 I made the basic hat shape on Thursday, and wanted to make it look a bit nicer. One roommate suggested glitter. I couldn't find black glitter (and I'm not that big a fan of glitter anyway), but another roommate suggested sequins. That sounded time consuming. Then I remembered I had some supplies from my Mardi Gras party mask making left over, including some sequin strings. Wonderfully, I had black! So it wasn't too hard to glue on the sequins. I was a little worried about running out, so in this picture you can see how there's a little gap between, but you can't really tell except in a close up picture with the flash on...The paper beneath is blacker looking in real life.

So my roommate did my hair and I put on a black dress and black tights and black shoes and off we went to the dance. It was so much fun. I'm pretty sure our ward made up half of the people there as is typical at these things. There was a photobooth, so we got some great pictures, too! These are of me and my room roommate, Kathi. I made her ears too. :)

 For home evening on Monday, we carved pumpkins. I didn't have any really awesome ideas, so I just did something pretty simple. Just some eyes. Last night I lit it up and it looked pretty cool.

On Halloween day, I had work and class like normal. I dressed up again for that. Then I did homework. I didn't have any exciting plans, but ended up going to Village Inn for dinner with a group of friends. We got free pie, which I had for breakfast today. Yum. It was a pretty good Halloween!

By the way, it turns out that these are the first pictures I've taken on my camera since April. Yikes. I probably should take more pictures!

Simple Pleasures

Some things just make me smile. They're so silly and simple sometimes. But sometimes those things are the best things. Small and simple things, right? (How many times can I say things, eh?) Some of these things that make me happy I'll link to if you want to see too...

This week I added my Halloween stations to my Pandora mix. Some Halloween songs are so silly. And others are kind of clever. It's fun. My favorite is Monster Mash. But pretty much anything from The Nightmare Before Christmas is also fun. And I can't help but smile at the advice of the Witch Doctor.

While listening to a different Michael Buble song, I thought of a Christmas song of his that I LOVE. So I listened to it. Yes, I listen to Christmas music whenever I feel like it. It makes me happy.

Also related to my Pandora time (hey, I scanned and indexed documents for four hours—music helps me through), I heard this amazing commercial at least half a dozen times. And I've heard it before. And every time I hear it, I smile. I think it's hilarious.

It's my roommate's birthday and so another roommate decorated. It's fun to have that up. But also, since we're discussing simple everyday type pleasures, you should know that our living room walls are the best all the time. Because three of them are covered in scrapbook paper as wallpaper. Which is so much fun, and much cuter than boring white walls.

In my forensic linguistics class, we had a teleconference with a lawyer who studied linguistics here before law school. We had to prepare questions in advance and then the professor called on specific people to ask their questions. I got called on first today. And Mr. Lawyer guy said it was an excellent question. I felt smart for a minute.

As I was walking to class this afternoon, I loved looking at the mountains. The clouds were low, covering the top part of the mountains, and rain had deepened the wonderful fall colors. It was gorgeous. I really can't get over how gorgeous it was!

And speaking of mountains, I love Homecoming Week because the Y is all lit up. I love that!

So there's a glimpse of today's simple pleasures!

October, how do I love thee?

I don't know if you know this, but I LOVE October. Like true love. Love. Top five reasons for this:

1. It's FALL! I love Fall. I love Fall colors: red, orange, yellow–rich, golden fall colors. I love Fall weather–it's cool, but not cold. You can wear sweaters. Fall-colored sweaters are most desirable. And scarves. I love scarves. And then the leaves on the trees are all changing and the mountains get colorful and it's just gorgeous! Fall weather, fall clothes, fall colors, fall mountains. Can it get better?

2. It's GENERAL CONFERENCE! I love General Conference. What's better than listening to God's chosen servants all weekend? And with General Conference weekend comes mission reunion time. And that's always fun.

3. It's PUMPKIN TIME! Oh. My. Word. I. Love. Pumpkins. Pumpkin decor, pumpkin color, pumpkin carving, pumpkin baked goods. Especially the latter. Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting...yep, started with that one yesterday. I love pumpkins. And carving pumpkins is strangely delightful. I love the feel of the guts in my hands. I might be weird.

4. It's HALLOWEEN! I used to dislike Halloween. I'm not one for scary stuff, and you can only take so much candy. But I've had some dang fun Halloweens since coming to BYU, including seeing The Nightmare Before Christmas and making homemade root beer with friends one year and throwing an awesome Halloween party another year with my famous Mark Boothe pumpkin. And there was Freddy the ghost sweeping across our living room. Plus that year at SHA, we drew a haunted house and we cut out pictures of everybody and included them...yep, better include that picture below too. :)

Mark Boothe pumpkin

Freddy the Ghost

SHAtastic Halloween

See? Lots of good Halloween times. This year? We'll see.

5. It's the beginning of the end. I also love October because not only is October itself awesome, but then right after that, we get November, which includes Thanksgiving. Then December, which includes Christmas. Basically October marks the beginning of the holiday season, which is my favorite.

See there, five excellent reasons for why I love this blessed month. May it bring you joy as well.

P.S. This is my 100th post?!! Wowzers. Cool beans. Happy day!

Hurricanes

Seven years ago, I was in my senior year of high school. I had a government class which I liked quite well. My teacher really liked talking about current events, and we started class each day talking about them. Sometimes half or more of the class period would go by quickly as we discussed them. We also had assignments to read newspaper articles. One of the assignments, as I recall, required following a particular story for a week or so. I remember there needed to be a series of articles. On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. For days I read articles about the devastation it brought. We talked about what was happening in class too. For probably the first time since September 11, I was invested in the news. I read about the levees, the flooding, the looting. I watched the news and saw the thousands of people seeking shelter in the Superdome. I learned a lot about Katrina and New Orleans, as much as I could. And I thought time and again, "Who on earth would ever want to live there?"

On April 1, 2009, I arrived in New Orleans as a new missionary. God does have a sense of humor.

Today, August 29, 2012, Hurricane Isaac is dumping on my beloved Southeast Louisiana. For the past few days, I've been reading articles, checking my friends' Facebook updates, and watching and waiting for Isaac to hit. Today I've been reading even more articles. My Google News page is an open tab and I refresh it frequently to see what's new. Since I started writing this, Isaac's been downgraded to a tropical storm. My favorite mission area, Houma, which has been in the eye of the storm for much of the day, is now getting rain, showing that Isaac's moving on, slowly. I keep checking for Facebook updates. I even looked on Twitter to get some updates on New Orleans. It's funny to think how invested I was in Katrina seven years ago. My head was fascinated, but my heart wasn't there. Now it is. So I'm praying for my dear friends. 

It's funny how things change in seven years. And how they stay the same. 

A Look Back on the Semester

Well, I made it through my one and only summer term of school as a BYU student. Technically, I took calculus at BYU-I over the summer when I was in high school, but that's a little different. This term I had Spanish 205, Pearl of Great Price, my internship, and work. It was a little CRAZY. Definitely kept me busy.

Pearl of Great Price was supposed to be my easy/good class. And it sort of was. I enjoyed class for the most part. But I didn't like the tests very much. They were multiple choice and tricky. And I'm a good test taker, so if they're tricky for me, that's just mean. So I may lose my religious 4.0 with that class, but oh well. I tried.  

I was super worried about Spanish. The previous semester of Spanish was only mediocre and I was scared about being in class for two hours daily. Plus my teacher is in my ward, and I thought that could be incredibly awkward. Turns out it was incredibly awesome. I actually felt that my time in class was useful this semester. I always felt before that by the time I figured out what we were supposed to be practicing/working on, the teacher would move on. This semester that never happened. I also don't really love all the games we play...I decided that I had to make the decision to enjoy them, or at least participate without complaint. There were a few times I really didn't want to, but I made it through it. And some of the games were actually really fun. I'm a big fan of reverse charades, where the team acts it out and one person guesses. I have a flair for the theatrics. My test scores were higher than I had in previous semesters. I improved in writing in Spanish a lot. We had a small class and I talked a lot more than I have in probably any other class ever. For the most part, two hours of class didn't seem too long (miracle!). There were only a couple days that seemed to drag terribly. We didn't manage to make it through a semester without having to look at Frida Kahlo's paintings, but you can't win them all. We had to read an 80 page play, La Dama del Alba. I was really worried about that. That is extensive reading. Normally the short readings we have quizzes on take me a long time to read, and so reading 30 pages in a day didn't sound very plausible. Well, it went okay. I obviously didn't get every word, but I understood way better than expected and I actually really enjoyed reading it. How 'bout dem apples?! So Spanish was great. I loved my teacher and it was just funny sometimes as we balanced the teacher/friend from ward thing. Another girl in the ward was in the class too, so basically we made up a third of the class. We drove to school together and it was just great. Plus, who gets to text their teacher after taking a test and say something confused me and have her text back and say you did really well anyway? Basically it was a great final semester of Spanish. I'm kind of sad that I can't continue even. I mean, I could if I really wanted to, I guess. But I'd have a super heavy load for my last semester and I'd probably want to die. I think it's better to end on a happy note.

Internship. Great times. Sometimes I was so exhausted and it was hard. Other times it was super exciting to see how much my students had progressed. One day near the end of the semester, I was tutoring and my student just talked a lot and she asked me questions and conversed freely. I was thrilled that she was doing so well. I thought back to our first meeting where I'd ask the questions and get short answers, and now she's the one directing the conversation. How did that happen? It was awesome! It definitely was an interesting experience this semester. I do enjoy working with the students individually like that. I really admire them for coming so far to learn English in such a different environment and culture. I'd be scared to death. Occasionally they felt some homesickness. Some of them had some difficult trials. It was interesting tutoring a couple times, because I had to be more of a friend/listening ear/counselor when they were homesick or when one of their friends died. It was hard to see them struggle, but it was amazing how well they did. 

I've been done with the semester for a couple days now, and I feel kind of weird, like I should be doing something. Don't I have homework? It's kind of freaking me out. I stayed pretty busy cleaning several places lately, but now what? I pulled out a book my grandparents got me for Christmas, called The Language Wars. It's a linguistic book, haha. Next week is Education Week and all my coworkers are taking some time off, so I'll be working full time for a few days at least. And I guess I just need to enjoy this break before diving in to my last semester! Perhaps I'll do a preview of my classes in the next couple weeks. I'll have plenty of time to blog if I want to. Until next time, be fabulous!

The Box

Once upon a time, a guy in my ward, Adam, broke his finger. I made him cookies and took them to his apartment. I had oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for him, but also had Jello cookies I was going to take to another apartment. Well, I never made it to that other apartment. I stayed and talked with Adam and a couple of his roommates. And they ate the Jello cookies. And they liked them. And I liked these people who became known as "The Box." But sadly, I didn't hang out with them very much.

Then summer came. The group I hung out with the most frequently all disappeared to various parts of the world. So I needed new friends. My roommate, Kathi, was part of The Box, so I joined her. These great men took me in and it's been great. We are in the same FHE group, dinner group, and a couple of the roommates are even my home teachers. I like it. 

The Box is great. They've introduced me to Nacho Libre, Lost, and Batman. My world will never be the same. I love it. Also, this whole dinner group thing is awesome. Why have I never done it before? This I just don't know. The members of The Box have really helped me a lot this summer. I'm really grateful for them. There's been a lot of laughter. Lots of quotes. Lots of memories. And where else would I get to hear a great debate about who would win in a face-off between Darth Vader and Batman?

Oregon

So...a couple weeks ago my family went to Oregon for Grandma's funeral. It was actually a pretty good trip! Mom, Hannah, and I went up together and then on the way back it was all five of us. A little crowded, but we made it. It was a very long drive. Thirteen hours there, fifteen back (we took the boys to Pocatello, then a friend of Jord met us there to pick them up...if he hadn't done that, it'd have been a good 17 hours). I hadn't been to Medford in years, so it was fun to go again. On the way there, we got to drive down the cliffs of insanity. Seriously, the road is crazy. It's not particularly wide, pretty much a straight drop down off the mountain, and no guardrails. And there was construction. Fun times. We also had a little adventure with a deer on the way back. Fortunately, dad had slowed significantly when he saw it on the side of the road. Anyway, we traveled safely and the scenery in Oregon is absolutely gorgeous. So green and luscious!

As for our time not spent on the road, it was really nice. I haven't seen some of my cousins in many years, so it was fun. Almost everybody was there. Even my cousin who currently lives in Austria! We were missing one on a mission in Brazil, one in China for a family reunion, and one in Canada, but pretty much, this picture is everyone. All the women wore scarves that belonged to Grandma. I wear several of her scarves frequently anyway, so that was fun for me! I love scarves. :)
The funeral was really nice. It was very pleasant and our musical numbers came together pretty well. Hannah and I sang a duet called "Beyond the Sunset," which is a beautiful song, but when I first listened to it, I got pretty emotional, so I was worried about being able to sing it. But it worked out and we sounded great. So all was well.
We spent a few hours telling stories about Grandma and then a few more hours having Grandpa tell stories. He's the best storyteller I know. I absolutely love his stories. Especially his cowboy ones...or the ones that start "When I was a little girl..." So it was a nice trip! I'm grateful I was able to go and participate and see everyone!

My Grandma

My Beautiful Grandmother 

All week I've had my grandmother on my mind, so today I'm going to blog about her and say a little of what I've been thinking about. I feel really scattered, though, so hopefully I can make some sense of it. For those of you who aren't family and don't know, Grandma is dying. She has Alzheimer's and is in the final stages, where her body is just shutting down. You can read a little more about it if you'd like, here. Since Wednesday or Thursday, every time my phone vibrates, I expect it to be my mom telling me she's passed away. I've had a lot of phantom vibrations too. It's kind of ridiculous actually. It's interesting to me how I've reacted these last few days. This is my first grandparent to die, but I honestly expected her to die several years ago. I've said goodbye several times. When I left on my mission, I didn't expect to see her again in this mortal life. She told me, "Always remember we love you." Right before I left, she fell and broke her hip. She was put on hospice, expected to die within six months. She didn't. It's been over three years since then.

I think of what I've learned from Grandma. We had a girl cousin sleepover at Grandma's once. She talked to us about the importance of modesty and preparing to go to the temple. She's always been a wonderful example of temple worship and family history work. The first time I went to do baptisms for the dead, I was a little nervous, but she was there with me. I got to do family names she had prepared. That was a special experience. Today I thought about who will be waiting to greet Grandma, and I first thought about her sister and parents, then thought of all the people who will want to thank her for her work in their behalf. She'll receive a warm reception, I think.

Grandma is from Sweden, and she joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints there, one of two members in her town. She came to America and married my grandfather in the temple, and has always shown great dedication to the Lord and His Church. It was so engrained in her, that things of a spiritual nature were some of the last things to go. (My mom wrote about one experience about that here.) She even acted as a visiting teacher of sorts when she first got to the Homestead.

I never expected Grandma to live this long in her condition. It's been so hard to see her deteriorate. I'm not even there often. My mom has been a wonderful example to me, visiting her faithfully, and even more, my Grandpa. Grandpa goes to sit with Grandma every day, all day. He fed her, he helps move her, tries to keep her comfortable, he does everything he can. He has been an incredible example of love and service. I honestly think their love story is the greatest story ever told. He has shown what it means to truly love.

Like I said, I've said goodbye to my grandma several times already, and because of the Alzheimer's, she's been mostly gone for a long time. So this week, I was a little surprised just how teary I have been. But it makes sense. There is still a sense of loss, there is still the pain of seeing her suffer for so long. I think that might be the hardest part, seeing her go from forgetting things, to breaking her hip and being unable to walk, to being bedridden, and now unable to eat or drink. I want her to be released from the pain. It's still hard and sad, but it'll be a happy thing too. I'm so grateful for our knowledge of the Plan of Salvation. Today during the sacrament at church, I read several Easter hymns. I was struck by these lyrics from O Savior, Thou Who Wearest A Crown: "No more can Satan harm us, Tho long the fight may be, Nor fear of death alarm us; We live, O Lord, thru thee." My grandma has had a long fight, she's fought it well. She can't be harmed by Satan, and there is no need to fear death. We will all live again. And I look forward to getting to know her again, getting to know the real Grandma who has been gone so long.

Dear Grandma, I love you. Thank you for what you've taught me and for your love. Thank you for your testimony and dedication. You are a great woman. I'm proud to share your middle name. I love you! Love, Brooke

Summer Adventures

Soooo...long time, no see...I've been enjoying not being in school(ish) and just haven't written about it. But I've had some fun! 

A couple weeks ago, I went home and surprised my parents. They celebrated their 25th anniversary on that day, but that's not why I was there. My mom was having surgery the next day and so I went for moral support and to help out that week. But my mom was an easy patient, so I had an amazing break. Lots of reading and watching movies. It was so relaxing and just what I needed. So great!

Then I went back to P-town and had a week of mostly just work, with generally free afternoons. So I did some shopping, met up with some friends, did more reading, went to the temple with my roommate. Lots of good stuff. 

Then I went to Vegas! My roommate Badger and old friend Kyle got married and I went down for that. Below is a picture taken at the reception...brothers of the groom, my delightful friends—the one on the right is my age and we've been friends since elementary school.

So after my fun time in Vegas, I started an internship, teaching a small class of ESL students. By teaching I really mean they use computer programs and I make sure they're working. Haha. It's interesting. Rather difficult to communicate because my students are "level zero" English-speakers, so they really don't know much English at all. I have three Spanish speakers, two Japanese, and one Portuguese. It's a little crazy sometimes, but I like the students.

And now I'm home again for Mother's Day! This is a picture of me with my mommy when she graduated from BYU. Aren't I cute with a cap on? And isn't she beautiful? Love you, Mom!

So these are my fun adventures since winter semester ended. Happy Summer!

Happy (Rather Belated) Birthday

Remember back when I had a birthday? It was a while ago...but I delayed blogging about it because I wanted pictures...and it took me a while to get them! However, I had a birthday and it was a lot of fun! My roommie Kenyon made me a delicious cake and she cleaned the apartment, which was a nice surprise. And my dear friend Stephers saw me on campus and after announcing to everyone in the JFSB quad that it was my birthday, she decided we needed to celebrate, so we sent out a text to the ward and a group of us went to Pizza Pie Cafe that night. It was so fun! This is a picture of the group and one of me with my birthday crown if you look carefully. Stephers gave it to me. :) She's the best...and she's going to serve a mission! She'll be the best missionary ever. :D Love her to death.

Everyday Heroes

Today was the Unforum on BYU campus. It wraps up the year. I was a few minutes late, but I fortunately arrived in time to see Vocal Point perform a couple of songs. I think they were the best part of the forum, easily. McKay talked about everyday heroes a little bit and how on The Sing-Off they tried to a light to the world by being themselves, since they couldn't exactly sing hymns to share who they were. As he talked about that, I started thinking about the small acts of heroism I see every day. The everyday heroes that probably don't even know they're being heroes.

The guy who realized I was coming, so went back to the door to open it for me.
The girl who smiles so big and bright every time I see her, which recently has been quite a few times!
The friend who greets me like seeing me is the best thing she's experienced all day.
The amiga who compliments my yellow shirt.
The many who compliment my yellow headband.
The ward member who sang "You are my sunshine" to me the other day.
The classmate who emailed to say what I missed in class.
The teacher who pushes back a due date.
The friend I haven't seen in years who wrote on my Facebook wall.
The person who sent me a quick friendly text.
The classmate who helped me figure out a project idea.
The roommate who gets up in the morning just to give me a ride to work.
The woman who held the elevator a few extra seconds so I could get on.
The mom who sends an Easter basket of goodies.
The dad who calls to say hello.
The Bishop's wife who spent hours preparing food for a ward activity.
The visiting teacher who brings by some cookies.
The friend who offers to teach in Relief Society.
The roommate who let me share her date to the ward dance.
The brothers who let me invade their house all the time.
The friends who give a great hugs.
The classmate who spent extra time on my group project.
The one who listens.
The one who cares.
The one who loves.

Everyday heroes. They're everywhere. Making the world a little brighter.

Ben Carson: THINK BIG

Okay, so a few weeks ago at Spiritual Sunday Cinema, we watched an awesome movie called Gifted Hands. It's about Ben Carson, a world-renowned neurosurgeon, who was at the bottom of his class as a kid. His mom made him turn off the TV and start reading books and writing reports on them every week, and he worked his way up to the top of the class. He also struggled with a temper, but turning to God helped him overcome that too. So he turned from an unmotivated inner-city black kid to this incredible pediatric neurosurgeon, and was the first to ever successfully separate Siamese twins joined at the head, among other things. Really inspiring incredible movie. Well, he came to speak at BYU forum this week. I was so excited. It wasn't broadcasted to other buildings, so I even sacrificed my foot to hike up to the Marriott Center in the snow to see him. Totally worth it. Not only is he incredibly smart, he's very funny, and had some very great points. Rather than go through all my notes, I'll just write briefly about his concluding remarks. He told us to THINK BIG.
T: talent-we all have talents, we all can do something to influence the world for good
H: honesty-we have to be honest
I: insight-we can and must learn from the insights of others
N: nice-He had us all take a pledge of niceness. For one week, we have to be nice to everybody. Put other people first, talk to people on the elevator, don't gossip. Be nice.
K: knowledge-keep learning, if ever there were an example of one who values learning, it's him
B: books-a great way to learn
I: in-depth learning: don't just "cram," really learn and internalize
G: God-we need Him
I absolutely loved this forum. It was the best one I've been to. It really inspired me, and I've been thinking about what I can do to THINK BIG.

Laissez les bon temps rouler

Gee whiz I have a LOT to catch up on. It's been super busy and awesome around here. I don't even know where to start! I guess I'll write about Mardi Gras! So February 21 was Fat Tuesday. I went out with mission friends to Boudreaux's Bistro and had some lovely red beans and rice and beignets that night. That was fun. But the big event of the week for me was on Friday. I threw a huge Mardi Gras party. It took quite a bit of work and I definitely couldn't have done it without my awesome helpers, but "Lucille's Ball" all came together in the end!
Let the good times roll!


Guests had a chance to decorate their own masks. I was pretty impressed with what people came up with. Also, feathers are akin to glitter in terms of messes that last...in case you wondered.


This is the only picture of food I currently have...I think Kenyon may have taken more, but I don't know what. But this is potato salad on top of gumbo on top of rice. The right way to do things. Oh and what food did we have, you may ask? I will tell you: gumbo and rice, jambalaya, potato salad, king cake, brownies, green/purple/gold Jello cookies, red velvet cookie bars, and the most popular item, BEIGNETS! (I didn't make them though...another time perhaps.)


The entertainment I had planned for the night was watching Princess and the Frog. But the unplanned entertainment was also delightful. A couple of guys in my ward brought their trumpets and jazzed things up! It was pretty amazing! I just thought, "Dang, my party just got legit. Live jazz. Yep. My ward is awesome."


And this is a sample of the guests: we had about 60 people come! It was amazing!


Basically, it was a huge success! I'm soooo glad people came and had a good time!

Mr. Collins

In honor of Valentine's Day, I'll tell you my Valentine's story from last year. I had a lovely day. I went to school, I came home, I blogged, I wore pink and my conversation heart pins. Today I wore the same sweater and pins, and some great pink socks with hearts on it, some of which are sparkly. I got lots of compliments on those haha! Anyway, last year, the day was great. And I went to bed and had a good night's sleep. Got up the next morning and thought, "This is going to be a great day!" Then I opened the door to leave. There were some balloons tied to the rail outside our door. I thought, "Oh, who are those for?" Then I saw my name. "What? Who on earth...?" I untied them and turned over the card, "Brooke, I hope you don't mind me borrowing a ward directory to look you up. Happy Valentine's Day! -Mr. Collins" Okay, obviously it didn't say Mr. Collins, but I'm protecting the innocent. Anyhoo, my heart sunk. Now who is this Mr. Collins, you may ask? I'll tell you. One day several weeks before, as I was walking to school, a man started talking to me. When it came time to part ways, he asked for my number. I had never before experienced that, so it caught me really off-guard and so I gave it to him, even though I didn't know if I really wanted to. He didn't call, however. A couple weeks after that I went to church and he was there. I was really confused because I'd never seen him there before. Apparently his brother was in my ward and he came sometimes. My roommate was talking to him and I walked up unawares. So we talked briefly. He called me that week but I didn't answer the unknown number (and he didn't leave a message). The next week was Valentine's Day. On that fateful February 15th he called again. I answered this time and he asked me out, but I was unavailable that night. I was feeling incredibly awkward that he gave me balloons and I wasn't really interested him. The thing is, when I first met him, I thought, "He seems kind of old." A little...uh...research showed me that he was...pretty sure he's ten years my senior. That made me a bit uncomfortable.
We did eventually go on a date. It was fine. He was really quiet. I could barely hear him. I had to keep the conversation going most of the time. It was short, and I was okay with that.
I felt horribly awkward about this experience last year. I was somewhat horrified by it all. Then for a while, it was just a good story. I know Mr. Collins is a good man, and very smart. I truly hope he has found or will find a Charlotte Lucas, well better than a Charlotte really. Somebody who can really love him. Because this Miss Bennet just wasn't feeling it. Mr. Collins, thanks for a good memory and God bless you!

Happy Valentine's Day, folks!

That color looks great on you!

"That color is so great on you." "You should wear [color] more often." "I love it when you wear [color]." "[Color] is definitely your color." I hear phrases like these quite frequently. So what color is it that gets this reaction? Blue. Green. Purple. Yellow. Red. Pink. Turquoise. That salmony brick bronze color, whatever it is. You name it. And every time, I smile. Sometimes they say, "You probably get that a lot." And I say, "Yes, yes I do." And then I think, "But not about this color." And people wonder why I can't seem to decide on a favorite color...(it's yellow currently--that's new!) I guess I'm a colorful person. So which color do YOU like on me?

Charity edifieth

I've had so many things I've wanted to post about, but either haven't had the time or haven't made the time, take your pick. I'll still need to tell you about my experiences going out with the sister missionaries, but right now, I want to share something cool I learned as I took some time this afternoon to study my scriptures.
I decided to turn to the Bible Dictionary and read the definition of charity. I then looked up the first scripture listed with it, 1 Cor. 8:1. That's all I got to. I learned a lot from that scripture, or actually two words: charity edifieth.
When I think of being edified, I think of being spiritually filled. But, being linguistically minded, I was interested in learning more about the word. I looked at the footnote, which was an amazing start: builds up, strengthens, establishes, repairs. So charity builds up. Charity strengthens. Charity establishes. Charity repairs. Those are really interesting verbs that I haven't necessarily paired with charity.
It turned to the OED (Oxford English Dictionary) for some more guidance. Edify means to build in its oldest sense, although the religious sense of benefitting us spiritually was also around. But I've never given the term edify that meaning of building, strengthening, supporting, organizing, establishing (all OED definitions). Probably strengthening and supporting would fit my idea of it, but it definitely gave me more insight. And as I looked at all the verbs that go along with edify (and I looked at a lot as I looked at the meanings of each word), every single one fit what Christ has done for us. And charity is his love. Christ builds us up. He strengthens us. He encourages us. He repairs, or heals and saves us. He puts spirit, life, energy, and cheer into us. He establishes us. What does that mean? To render stable or firm, to validate, to confirm, settle what is weak or wavering, to restore to health, to give calmness or steadiness to the mind, to calm anger, to settle doubts, to secure. Does that not describe the role of Christ in our lives?
I really love this idea that not only does Christ do this for us, but we can work with him to do so as we strive to develop charity. We can build up others. We can strengthen others. We can establish others (see above definition again, it's good). We can repair too (favorite definition of that: to change oneself for the better). By developing charity, we can edify. And that is pretty amazing.

Winter Semester 2012 Preview

Howdy folks, well I survived the first two days of school and I'm pretty sure I'll make it through the end of the week without harm. Thought I'd share a bit about each of my classes right quick.

Elang 527: Early Modern English. I'm not really sure how I feel about this one just yet, but I think it'll be okay. We'll be going over a lot of stuff looking at the time period's grammar, spelling, vocabulary, prose style, and more. It might be interesting. This one is still kind of a question mark. I'm going to say I'll enjoy it though. Positive thinking, right?

Spanish 106. I'll survive. I like the teacher so far. He's from Mexico. He speaks very quickly, but I catch enough to understand what his meaning is, even if I don't understand every word. But that's normal in any communication, folks. I have one friend from my old class in there. And a girl that kind of drives me crazy. Woot.

Ling 477: Literacy Development in TESOL. I've had this teacher before. He always wears a bow tie. Always as in every day. I wonder if he wears one to church. I can't imagine him in a normal tie. Yeah, that would be weird. I had him for grammar years ago. Years. He remembered that I'd had him before though. He makes a point of learning everybody's name. He knew almost everybody today from studying our pictures. That's pretty cool. I think this class will be pretty decent. I liked today. We talked about the Aims of BYU. It was kind of neat to have a good discussion on that. Different.

Ling 461: Language Assessment in TESOL. My only female teacher. She seems nice. I'm going to learn about assessments. Particularly writing tests. Should be fine. A lot of the same people in my 477 class...and we were in another TESOL class together last semester. I probably should try harder to learn their names...

Last but not least, Ling 550: Sociolinguistics. The class I was probably looking forward to the most. I've had this teacher before too. Again, many moons ago. He's from Australia and he's hilarious. I think the course material will be good too. The scary part about it is it's a grad level class. There are only about 6 grad students, the rest undergrads, but he said he'll treat it as a grad class. Well that's exciting. Good thing is I have several friends in there already. So that helps. And the teacher's awesome. So it'll be fabulous. This is what he had to say about the bow tie professor: "I always tease Dr. A because he always wears a bow tie, and that's what you have to do with people who wear bow ties." Yup.

So that's the run down. Hopefully I'll have some more good Aussie prof quotes this semester.

Also, I looked into it...I only have about 20 credits left after this semester. I think I'll graduate before the world ends! Yay me!