Drive Home

Alberta license plate. Veteran. "Do you think they are an American veteran or a Canadian veteran?.....Canada doesn't fight."


I haven't learned the purpose of the desert yet. It's just a big empty space with nothing useful in it. Actually, it's useless. There aren't any natural resources, and it will kill you faster than it will keep you alive. Why a desert? What could be the point to create such a huge expanse of uninhabitable land on every continent? Maybe someday I'll learn, but for now, I'm still perplexed. 


Ten hours in the car is a long time. Somehow it is worth it though. Home and family. What could be greater? Probably nothing. 

Finals, but not mostly

I am completely done with finals! It's a pretty great feeling for sure. I feel quite elated and pleased. Just a big sigh. I now have time to relax for the next two days before I get to go HOME! Which is extremely exciting. Roommates are great. Sometimes we just have a great moment studying together in the kitchen in silence, or eating cookie dough right before bed and peanut butter and jelly, I make everyone try my rice pudding before they even think about leaving the kitchen, except Geoff because he never eats anything. What a silly little boy. It's almost 3 am and I've been chatting for that last 4 hours about. How great is that? I'll tell you...on a scale of 1 to 10, it's priceless. What a great way to spend our last night together before Christmas break. I wonder if I'll be able to fall asleep. Tonight I made rice pudding and watched Phantom of the Opera with Raquel, Laura, Brian, Adam, and of course Geoffery. Well, Adam only watched like a fourth of the movie before he ran out, and didn't come back till it was over so we'll have to watch it again next semester since he's actually never even seen it. Geoffery, spell check dislikes your name. 


For the last lecture of American Heritage, one of the clips we watched was of 9/11. It was probably the most touching one I've ever seen. Tears were streaming down my face and my heart beat loud. I am at a loss for words now. I really don't know how to describe the feeling and give it justice. It made me proud to be an American, and I feel the suffering from that dreadful day in history. It is even more significant to me because it has happened in my lifetime. God was there to uplift those fallen souls. 


I really love learning and I love that I gain so much knowledge in my classes that I never knew before, or that I see through a different light now. It is amazing really to learn the American Heritage through the eyes of someone spiritual. I think deeper thoughts and appreciate science, for real. I feel like I really didn't understand anything until I learned it from this perspective. Life makes sense, evolution makes sense, the universe makes sense, people's ideas and motives make sense. Well, as much as any of those things can make sense to a young college freshman experiencing things in a different light for the first time in her school career. I feel I am able to understand things more as God intends for me to understand them, rather than how the world does. I've learned so much about science and creation, and evolution through a more spiritual light that I am willing to listen now, willing to understand, it is now amazing to me, not just something the world expects me to believe because it is proven fact, but so much more added to that. I usually tried to avoid talking of those subjects with others because I really didn't know much and understood even less, but everything I've learned in school up to now makes so much better sense in my mind because I see it through a different light. I'm not really sure if I'm even explaining this in a comprehensible way, but it sure makes sense to me.


So there's this boy..........and that's all that needs to be known. ;)  

The Spirit of Christmas

THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS

By the magical light of a small Christmas candle

A little old man tries to carefully handle

The small porcelain manger which serves as a bed

For the wee baby Jesus to lay down His head.

In wonder he brings the manger up to his view,

Smiles at the baby and whispers, "I love you!

I love you for bringing this season of joy

I love you for growing to a man from a boy;

For being our light and leading the way

For being the spirit which brings Christmas Day!

You've been my mentor, my model, my hero, and guide

Please continue to help me and stay by my side.

I've tried to follow your teachings and give as you gave,

Reminding all to be kind and that it's wise to behave.

Help my to serve others and bring them Your light,

Especially the children, please bless them tonight!

Somehow so very little, scarce food for their table,

You know how it feels - You were born in a stable!

Bless all their mothers and fathers with knowledge that's sure,

The best gift they can give is their love, strong and pure.

That's the spirit of Christmas when all's said and done,

God's gift of love, that came as His Son!"

Then back to His mother the child is returned

The Nativity glows as the candle is burned.

In a wink the little old man slips quietly away

Some say he goes up the chimney and climbs in a sleigh.

Whatever the case, His mission is clear - 

Give to others, bring love and good cheer.

He flies into the night and bids us adieu

Doing for others what Jesus would do!

Greg Olsen

                                                                                                                                                                 
           What a perfect image to remind us of the true spirit of Christmas. This season revolves around Christ, and Santa Claus, is shown worshiping our Savior. It is just so appropriate in my mind, that the artist brings in Santa as the worldly symbol of Christmas, representing Jesus in all that he does. Everything of Christmas is to draw us to Jesus Christ. 

Who am I to judge another?

Who am I to judge another when I walk imperfectly? When I am brought to stand before my Maker and be judged, He will judge me on my countenance. In the world, we are judged by others for one wrong thing we do that ever defines us, but Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know our whole life and the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. Such pure and perfect judgement. We will be judged out of the Book of Life, with all our life recorded in it in heaven. We will testify against ourselves. I imagine our mind being open and remembering everything that has ever happened to us, our feelings, desires, intentions, just everything, laid out before us. It is amazing to think about, just being able to remember every little detail from our lives and all the memories we've stored away and forgotten where we placed them in our mind. Are my intentions good, are my thoughts worthy, should I change something to be better? 

Wednesday nights

"Do you want to come over and have some cookies Max?" 
-"Yes I would love to, but I don't have your number saved so I don't know where to go to get said  cookies"

Rolo cookies, spaghetti, panzarotti, and cake...balls + One fried cake ball. --> (It may not sound very good...well it isn't)
Dishes up the wazoo, Jammin to 1990's music, Pride and Prejudice while writing Ahtg essay #4
Cat wants to be best friends with Max because he has a "cool" laugh. 
Raquel aka Rocky sitting in the corner being mysteriously quiet, probably coming up with some devious plan to let loose on all the innocent inhabitants of this place I reside after midnight. wahahaha. "Way to go Bam-Bam!"
"What is that?"
-"Blood"
-"Seriously? cause that is not cool to joke about." - Geoffery
Pranking is getting more sick as we go on. i'm out. 


watching as Laura runs down the parking lot to the guys dorm to knock on the window. puts her hood on as she goes. she comes back. can't reach the window. take a broom. round 2. standing on the pedestal she reaches out and hits the window, comes running back. someone is watching her out the window while she runs away. in the middle of the street. coming towards us. what is she thinking? why isn't she hiding? laughing too hard to talk. they hate us anyway. us is not me i hope. 


Remember Rocky? turns out something devious happened to her instead, and right at midnight too. it was a plan in the making. Laura just wanted to snuggle. Again, what is she thinking? too close while sleeping. alarmed, you guys are awful. too late, getting cruel. i'm against messing with people while they sleep. that should be a sanctuary for the mind, not awoken by living nightmares. i'm out. 


dance test 8am. current time: 12:19am thats less than 8 hours. oh boy. essay 4 due at 1pm. a little more time. not any better though. i will conquer. 

Krispy Kreme Donuts, 5am. shortly after sending Ale on a plane back to Italy. That's what missing looks like

Everyday Choices

"Our lives are made up of thousands of everyday choices. Over the years these little choices will be bundled together and show clearly what we value" - Boyd K Packer

Today I feel good about my choices. I am in an American Heritage class this semester and we have a packet of readings. Two that I read grabbed me in. I was there as they gave their speeches. Abraham Lincoln giving the Gettysburg Address and Fredrick Douglass, What to the Slave is the Fourth of July. What powerful speakers. Such eloquence. I feel what they felt, as much as I can in my position anyway. Another reading so powerful was America:God Mend Thine Every Flaw - Neal A Maxwell.  Look into Lincoln's eyes. See how powerful they are, yet kind. 
I'm in a business lectures class as well. People are invited to share how they got to where they are, share a day in the life of their profession, and give advice. One of my favorite speakers I heard told us to find someone we admire, look up to, a mentor, and copy what they do. I have someone I look up to back home in California. They teach me how to love everyone, and not by telling me to, but by showing me as they show their love for everyone around them. Anyone around this person easily feels like they are the most important thing to that person. They listen. That is important. 

The Book

I've heard blogging is therapeutic. Not that I need therapy or anything, but it couldn't hurt. Right? I really don't know what to write about though. I have enough trouble writing in a journal. I look at it everyday and am reminded that I haven't written in a looooonnnnnnggggg time. Then when I do get the courage to open it and try to go take on the enormously monsterous task of catching up, I feel so small and overwhelmed. I really want to write. I have a desire to record the events in my life so that I can look back on them at some future date and remember the lessons I learned. But actually doing it is a different matter altogether! It comes so easily to some people, writing that is. 


I started reading a book today titled The Book Thief. I had not read what it was about before I started it. I would rather not ruin the story before it even begins! A few of my roommates recommended it to me. I commenced reading and was surprised. Of all the many subjects it could be about, I had not suspected the one it was about. I normally shy away from holocaust books. They are horrifically sad and never really have a happy ending. All the bad the people went through is not made up with the little glimpse of happiness at the end, if there even is that much. I've read books revolving around the holocaust, but never by choice. Just school assignments. I've learned about the event multiple years. The subject pricks my heart and makes me feel like I can't breath when hearing about the horrible things that happened. When I come across a book with this subject, I usually stop reading when I learn what it is about. But this time I didn't. I don't know why really, I just know it is captivating. Captivating. That's a good strong word to describe my desire to keep reading. Usually books about the holocaust are from the Jewish point of view. This one is from a little German girl's viewpoint. It is fiction, but still the feelings she felt were not unreal. The mindset of the people around her really did exist and as tragic as it is, her circumstance was very real for many children. It still pricks my heart and makes me feel like I can't breath sometimes, but I am so captivated that I continue.


 I am blessed to live in the present, rather than face the struggles they faced with courage in the past. I don't know how they handled it. I feel only capable of handling my own present worries and all other things around me. They seem so courageous to me. If they were able to face that horror, then I can be strong and face whatever comes my way, because I'm sure that in my life I will never have to face such a thing. This may seem vague to some, but it seems to make perfect sense to me.