Honor Code

I am a VERY DEDICATED BYU basketball fan (although I've never been to a live game, I watch every game on television). And as such, my blog deserves a post about this amazing sport and the great men who play on this team.

With the disheartening news about Brandon Davies' season-ending suspension due to an honor code violation, I have been forced to think about the honor code and what good it really does us. Was suspending Brandon worth a possible national basketball title just to keep a few far too stringent rules? (This is what others are saying, not me.)

I'm glad to know that not only me, a BYU student who loves the honor code, agrees with me in saying that BYU did what was right for Brandon, for the team, and for the school. Follow these links to see what others are saying:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700114799/BYU-backs-up-principle-in-suspending-Davies.html

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6174077

All I know is that I am grateful for the honor code and all the 'rules' placed on me by the church. I know that although they may seem unrealistic and stifling at times, in the end they protect me.

Life Lately

This post is per request of my one dedicated reader - my sister. Yes, I think she is the only one that even bothers to look at this anymore for which I am grateful. I thought I'd just update her on my life even though I tell her pretty much every detail of it anyways. Here goes it.

School: Great. This semester hasn't been as bad as last semester... yet. My classes are pretty easy and I am learning a lot. But it will definitely pick up the last little bit of February through March due to four research papers (6 pages, 8 pages, 17 pages, 20 pages), 3 other papers, two powerpoint presentations, four group projects, seven tests (not including finals), and almost numerous other assignments. I'm trying to get ahead now so that I'm not freaking out later. Even though it will be very time-consuming, I'll probably enjoy the rush and pressure to do well and get things done. I think my favorite class this semester is Chem 105 which is good since I'll actually have to know it for the MCAT. Yep, love school. And BYU. It's so great.

Future plans: Yes, I am still planning on going to medical school to become a cardiac surgeon, and possibly specialize even further in pediatric cardiology. I tell everyone that cuz it sounds really impressive, but we'll see if I can actually get that far. I have another year of school left until I graduate, then one year finishing up my pre-reqs for med school, a year of doing my internship to become an RD and applying/interviewing for med school, then I finally will be there! And then another 12 years and I'll be done. Yep, here's to the future.

Roomies: Absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE! K seriously, I couldn't ask for better roommates. We all get along so well, we love each other, and do pretty much everything together. We've even started working out everyday together and eating healthier. They are such awesome girls that push me to be better. And we definitely laugh a lot. A lot a lot. Rachel and I just bust up laughing in the middle of the night at the stupidest things. Man, that girl is a hoot! We were definitely meant to be roommates freshman year so that she could light up my life.

Ward: LOVE AGAIN! Our ward is really social and outgoing, so it's fun to get to know more and more people. I've definitely attached myself to certain people in the ward (Steph, Apt 7 and 302 especially), and I don't do anything without at least inviting them. I love being with these people. They always make me happy and are just great friends who are there for me even when I may not be there for them. Again, Heavenly Father definitely directed my life to be in this ward so that I could meet these people.

Boys: Umm I'm twitterpated. (Is that how you spell it?) There are a certain few that have caught my eye, and I love them. One in particular is my favorite at the moment. We do everything together, but I am definitely still in the friend zone. Hopefully things will change sometime, but I'm not pushing him on it. He gets really scared really easily, and I don't want to lose my best friend. Patience is not a virtue I possess and I usually give up pretty quickly, but I'm in this for the long run. I'm gonna try my hardest to make this work. But if it doesn't, I still have a best friend. :)

Jerusalem: I miss it everyday. I wish I got to see more people from there, but I'm always stuck in the ESC either at work or in school. I haven't kept in touch with a lot of people, but I still love everyone like they're my family. I freak out whenever I see someone from there, and I wish it happened more often. I got to see a friend that I hadn't seen since we left in August, and I was ecstatic! I almost screamed, but we were in the library. I can't imagine my life without that experience! And to think that I almost didn't go for a boy! Psh! Not worth it.

Work: Great. I have a great boss, good coworkers, and it keeps me busy and feeds me lots of food. I really enjoy what I do and I am learning a lot of life skills that I can use later on in life. Plus the money isn't great, but it's better than nothing right?

Summer plans: First off, it needs to come faster cuz I have some amazing plans! I will be living in Provo and working at the Physics Department 40 hours a week (more $ please?). I've heard Provo is completely different in the summer and everything is just so chill. It will be nice to have a break from school since I haven't since Fall 2009. I'm going to Newport Beach in May with my parents and one dedicated reader as part of our Christmas present. My roomies and friends have also planned to take a roadtrip to the Los Angeles area in June. It will be my first roadtrip! Man, I am so stinkin excited for that. Partay! I might take a class in the summer to help me get closer to med school, but we'll see how I feel when it comes.

Random: I am on an innertube waterpolo team, and we rock. It's super awkward and embarrassing, but I have fun. I'm also on a basketball team with girls from the dietetics program which is so fun. It's good to know that we can still have fun together even though we are always together! I am going to see the 7th Harry Potter movie this weekend. A little late, but hey it's way cheaper. I am a hot tub addict. I go at least once a week, and it used to be almost once a day! It's way more fun when boys are there too.

Overall, life is absolutely amazing. For the past couple of weeks I just keep telling myself that I am so blessed! Heavenly Father is definitely shining on me right now. I'm kinda waiting for it all to fall apart, which it might, but hey at least I love life now. I couldn't ask for more (except for the boy to get a move on)!

One dedicated reader- I hope this satisfies you.

The Spirit of Christmas

So it's Christmas. That means lots and lots of finals (BAH!!!), food (gain 10 lbs), family (:D), and fabulousness in general. Too bad I'm stuck in the endlessness of finals. I feel like I can't really focus on the wonder and spirit of Christmas because all I'm doing is studying (and writing blog posts apparently). How can I get the spirit of Christmas into my life without impeding on my studying? Or do I just need to not study as much and focus completely on Christmas? Your thoughts?

A Comedy of Errors

This week has been just that, a comedy of errors. So many different things have happened that I don't even know where to begin.

First off, Hollie and Taylor (my sister-in-law and brother) had their baby on Monday! After 14 hours of labor, Cadence Alyce Irving is the most perfect child I have ever seen, and I'm not biased either. Even though she was two and a half weeks early, she is absolutely perfect. I went to see her on Tuesday night, and as I sat there and held her I realized how precious life is. I realized that this little girl just barely came from our Heavenly Father. I mean, literally hours ago she was in heaven. How absolutely crazy is that?!?! She probably still remembers Heavenly Father and everything that happened there. It also scared me because I know that she is going to lose that innocence, she is going to screw up, and she is going to have a lot of hard stuff to deal with in this life. But I know that if her parents teach her correct principles, she will make the right choices and be able to return back to Him one day.

Second, my iPod got stolen! At BYU! At work! While it was on my desk! I was completely blown away when I realized it. I mean, we're at BYU for heaven's sake. Isn't there something called an honor code? Haven't we been taught our entire lives to be honest? I mean, who steals these days? Really? Ya, I stole something when I was like 5, but honestly, we're adults now. Let's grow up. At least I have something substantial that I can put on my birthday list now... (which is in 27 days by the way.)

Third, I wrecked my car. And yes, it was completely my fault. I went to the gym yesterday morning with only half of my windshield defrosted, and I ran into a cement light pole in the Gold's Gym parking lot. The tow truck guy thinks I may have broken my axle. Great... Luckily, my dad has been an absolute GEM! When I told him about it, the first thing he asked was if I was okay, and that's all he cared about. He even offered to pay for the damage because he always says it's his car anyways. Man, my dad is the greatest for those of you who didn't know. Seriously, the greatest. So, it's getting towed up to SoJo as we speak, and I guess we'll see what the damage is in the near future.

Fourth, my family's computer completely crashed! I mean, we lost everything, all our music, pictures, files, EVERYTHING! We are going to recover it (somehow, I don't really understand how), but it will take about 3 months. But hey, at least we get it back and my dad gets the new computer he's been wanting forever!

So yes, a comedy of errors this week. But, through it all, my entire family has kept very level heads. We just laugh about all of it now, and that's all you can really do. They are just material possessions that don't mean anything really. Ya, our bank accounts are gonna take a hit, but that's life. Come what may and love it!

"I know why there must be opposition in all things. Adversity, if handled correctly, can be a blessing in our lives. We can learn to love it. As we look for humor, seek for the eternal perspective, understand the principle of compensation, and draw near to our Heavenly Father, we can endure hardship and trial. We can say, as did my mother, Come what may, and love it.'"-Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

Life is so good, and I have nothing to complain about. I know that everything will work out, and life will return back to 'normal', or whatever that is. Overall, I'd say it's been a great week. :)

Socializing and Suffering

This past month has been one crazy ride for me. I have had so many things to do that I can't keep my head on straight most of the time. Most of this craziness is due to my major. I am a dietetics major, and it is uber time consuming. It doesn't seem like there's much to do, but almost every class we are told about something new. We like to joke that we are just running - we don't really know where we're going, but if we just keep up we'll make it somewhere eventually. And apparently this is what the program is like for the next two years. Great...

Another reason why I feel like I'm running with my head cut off most of the time is because I am out socializing during much of the week. I know, for those of you who have known me for a while, this is not like me! I am usually study, study, study, study, study all week long, and then maybe, sometimes, not usually, take a break at the end of the week. Well, that has flown out the window this year. About three weeks ago, I was out every single night doing something with my friends. These past couple of weeks haven't been much different either. I am just turning into a social butterfly it seems. :)

However, one drawback to my having fun-ness is that my grades are suffering slightly. I mean, I'm not really sure how much they are suffering since I haven't even looked at my grades, but I just feel like I'm not as on top of things like I usually am. I wait until the last minute to do assignments (like two days ahead which is way late for me), I don't do my reading (most of the time), I am getting bad scores on quizzes on a consistent basis, and I just feel out of my element.

The question I pose to you, my few and faithful readers, is whether or not my new sense of adventure and fun is worth the price I'm paying in my grades. I don't really see my new habits changing in the future because I am having way, way, way too much fun to give it up now, but if my grades do drop, should I consider it? Or should I keep on the same way and screw my grades? Who needs medical school anyway?

Overcoming Life

Today was one of those days when you say to yourself, "And I fought in the heavens to have a hard life? Really? Are you sure? Promise?" So many different things didn't go at all how I planned. Work was utter craziness, I was late to class, my parents drove all the way from Park City to eat lunch with me and they ran out of food, did horrible on my in-class quiz, and I got the worst test grade that I've ever had in my life. Doesn't today just sound like a winner to you? Oh, let me tell you, it was one in a million.

I am taking Mission Prep this semester from Brother Bott, and he gave some great advice of how to overcome the downs that accompany mortal life.

Step 1: Early recognition. Yep, I recognize that I am feeling pretty crappy right now. It's kinda hard to miss.

Step 2: Have a preplan, something that you know will bring you out of your depression. For me, that usually includes some sort of physical activity. That will happen later tonight around 9:00 pm if I have time. I better have time.

Step 3: Get outside yourself and serve others. Hmm... Let me see. What can I do that will get me serving and yet still give me time to study? I need to ponder upon this one.

Step 4: Avoid all negative self-talk. Avoid all pity-parties. I am definitely struggling with this one. I know that I could have done much, much better on that test tonight. I should have rocked it! I should have been on top of my game. What went wrong? But, I know that I become what I say I am. I need to stay positive, keep telling myself that it can only go up from here, things can only get better. I know they can, I tell myself they can, I just need to believe they can.

Step 5: Go to your sacred grove, a place to get away and refocus. I haven't found my own sacred grove. Maybe I'll go explore tonight while I run. If not, I think I might just go on a drive and make that my sacred grove.

Step 6: Count your blessings. Name them one by one. Let's see... First off, my family. I was able to spend the entire weekend with my whole family, and it was glorious! We are all so close, we enjoy being together, and we have fun! I couldn't ask for a better set of parents or siblings. Second, I have the gospel. Uh, hello? Best blessing ever? I can't imagine my life without the gospel and the blessings that I receive from living its principles. Third, I got to go to Jerusalem. My life would be so different if I didn't have that experience. I am so much closer to my Savior, and I more fully understand my role in this world. Those are just a few.

Step 7: Get a priesthood blessing. That will be done this weekend when I go home. Check.

Step 8: Reread your patriarchal blessing. That will be done before I go to bed tonight. I love my patriarchal blessing, and to read it is on my list of goals for this week, so it will be a double check off. Score.

Step 9: Write a totally positive letter and then reread it a couple of days later. Hmm... I might not have time to do that, but in case I do, I will do it.

Step 10: Call the mission president if all else fails. Well, I don't have a mission president, but I do have a mother. And that is already accomplished.

So after I complete this list, I should be depression free. I'll try it and report on the results. Ready, go.

School Days

I figured that I should be like everyone else and post some sort of blog about returning back to school.

But I am avoiding school at all costs, so I refuse to even think about the subject. Even though my first class starts in two hours. That backfired a little bit eh?

I'm just not ready to get back to school. I've only had two weeks at home after having the best summer of my life, and I need more time. Please BYU, can you just give me one more week? That's all I ask. Just one more week and I will be ready. Or not. Probably not. Ya, I wouldn't be ready.

Why am I so apathetic towards school this semester? Maybe it's because I have to live 'real life' instead of 'fake life' in Jerusalem. Maybe it's because I am the only person in my family living in Provo now. Maybe it's because I have to be an adult and make important life-changing decisions. Maybe it's because I'm starting my program and I'm not sure it's what I should really do for my undergraduate degree. Maybe it's because I don't have any more countdowns in my life.

But I promise there are good things about school too. I have five fabulous new roommates who are so full of fun that a little bit of it will rub off on me. I've heard my ward is fantastic, even though I have yet to experience it for myself. I get to see my family every week and call them multiple times a day rather than just communicating through email and occasional calls. I am starting my major to become a dietician, something that I would love to do with my life. I will be one year closer to medical school and becoming a surgeon. I don't know what the future holds, and even though that scares me to death most of the time, it's also a bit exciting!

School can be crappy, but it can also be great! It's all about the attitude.