Lessons, Naps, and Growing Up

My sister texted me this morning rather upset that I did not blog yesterday. I figure I've missed only one day after starting five days ago, which is fairly good odds. Missing one day of blogging does not mean I have to completely give up on my resolution. I did start a post yesterday. Not this one, a different one which will be posted later. Moving on...

My Sunday was pretty fantastic. Except for waking up super early after staying up way too late the night before.


I still don't know who my gospel doctrine team-teacher is or will be. And I had a slight heart attack in sacrament meeting when only two new teachers were called and neither of them were with me and I was wondering if I was indeed supposed to teach that day.

But it's all good because they only had two classes yesterday.

The talks during sacrament meeting were all about what people learned from (not about) the Christmas season. Hearing them talk made me think about all that I learned from my break back home. All four of them talked about how they realized just how important family is. If there is one thing I learned over break, it's just how incredible my family is and how grateful I am for each of them and their own little quirks. I can't imagine not knowing that I can be with them for eternity. Every Sunday is just an awesome reminder about how much I love this gospel!

I feel bad I haven't really been posting pictures... so here are some from the break with my wonderful family!

My friend Sam did an awesome job for his first time teaching. The lesson was on Lehi's vision which is perhaps one of my favorite parts of the Book of Mormon. I love going to other classes and watching other people teach. I like gaining new perspectives on how to approach topics, different teaching methods, and just being inspired to be an even better teacher.

I've decided the food at the Cannon is not enough to get me to eat. It's a good thing I have great friends to go with, otherwise I just might live off of cheese and crackers in my room.

Hall meeting: discussion about the off-campus housing fair. yikes.

Naps are wonderful. Especially when both you and your roommate decide to take one at the same time and then wake up at the same time. And that nap lasts two and a half hours. Perhaps one of the greatest parts of Sunday is that nap time. So since my nap lasted so long, I didn't really get to blog yesterday. But it was totally worth it.

Angela and I went over to her brother's for dinner. It was so much fun, and it made me super excited for when I will have my own apartment (is that really only in four months?!). It was a great, relaxing end to a fantastic Sunday. While there I was introduced to William Joseph. Yet another LDS pianist I can aspire to be like.

Visiting an apartment for pretty much my first time ever really made it sink in that I'm growing up. A few friends and I are going apartment hunting on Friday and Saturday. Life is moving incredibly fast. I'm not always sure as to where life is heading, but I'm excited for the adventure.

Life is pretty good now. I can't wait for FHE tonight!!

An Uneventful Saturday

I love those days when you can sleep in without worrying about an alarm waking you up to the three million things you have to do that day.

Today was one of those days. And it felt wonderful. Having awoken so late in the day, not a whole lot happened. It was nice and relaxing to just spend time with my friends. 

I had a long, hot shower (I am going to enjoy those for as long as I can before I have to start paying for any utilities), took a trip to Target with some girls in my hall, did some homework, went to Great Harvest, and ate at Legends Grille with Hattie, Haley, and Ruby. Ended the night watching one of my favorite movies, "Ever After," with Alyssa, my roommate from EFY two years ago and now my great college friend. 

So I guess I did do a lot. It just doesn't feel like it because I haven't been awake that long.

My random thoughts for the day:

Pineapple does not belong on pizza. Neither do mushrooms. I am willing to pick them off, but I'd really rather not.

Attention boys: being obsessed with sports is not an attractive feature. Let me clarify: it's okay to like sports, it's unattractive to be completely obsessive about them. I do not need to see or hear you screaming at the television for hours. Especially if I'm at dinner and you're cheering at the television behind me. Not attractive at all. I don't mind if you get into the game if we're actually at the game. I just don't need to hear the stats on every player and watch every football, basketball, baseball, whatever game that just happens to be on. There's just part of my rant on sports.

Another thing for you guys: learn to like country music. It isn't always twangy or depressing. There are fantastic songs with inspiring messages. Like this one, this one, and this one.

The video below is probably one of my favorite Rascal Flatts songs. Given my history, you can probably figure out why I'm a sucker for a song like this.

I actually kind of am starting to like Debussy (a classical composer). Thank you Haley for your little recital tonight and for helping me with one of my resolutions.

Angela is such a great roommate. She inspires me to be more studious, more organized, and more friendly with everyone. Plus, our late-night chats are just so much fun.

I am super excited for tomorrow. Not only is it Sunday, but I will find out who is teaching with me for the semester, I'll find out who my new family home evening group members are, and I will have time to write letters, update posts about the new year, and read my Book of Mormon. Plus I am so excited for the incredible talks and lessons that I'll have throughout the day.

Life is pretty great here at the Y. 

Reflections of Christ

I wasn't really planning on sharing this tonight. In fact I wasn't even going to write about it until Sunday. But I can't get it off my mind right now so I figure I'd better share it all now before I forget. 

Last Sunday, this girl, my dear friend Brooke, taught our Relief Society lesson on one of my favorite topics: Christ. During the lesson, we each received the letter below. As Brooke read it aloud to us, tears were shed as the power of our Savior's love for each of us as individual daughters of God touched our hearts.

Dear Lauren,

How are you? I just had to send you this letter to tell you how much I love you and care about you. I saw you yesterday as you were walking with your friends. I waited all day, hoping you should walk and talk with me also. As evening drew near, I gave you a sunset to close your day and a cool breeze to rest you. Then, I waited, but you never came. Oh yes, it hurt me, but I still love you because I am your friend.

I saw you fall asleep last night and I longed to touch your brow, so I spilt moonlight upon your pillow and your face. Again I waited, wanting to rush down so we could talk. I have so many gifts for you.

You awakened late this morning and rushed off for the day. My tears were in the rain. Today you looked so sad, so alone. It makes my heart ache because I understand. My friends let me down and hurt me many times too, but I love you. I try to tell you in the quiet green grass. I whisper it in the leaves and trees and breathe it in the color of the flowers. I shout it to you in the mountain streams and give the birds love songs to sing. I clothe you with warm sunshine and perfume the air. My love for you is deeper than the oceans and bigger than the biggest want or need you could ever have.

We will spend eternity together in heaven. I know how hard it is on earth. I really know, because I was there, and I want to help you. My Father wants to help you too. He's that way, you know. Just call on me, ask me, and talk to me, It is your decision... I have chosen you and because of this I will wait... Because I love you.

Your friend and Elder Brother,
Jesus

This is one of my favorite videos. The "Reflections of Christ" project depicts our Savior's life through various portraits and photos. The slideshow is set to one of my favorite hymns, "Come Thou Fount." Please take a few minutes to watch the video. I promise it's worth it.

I am so thankful for inspired teachers, no matter their age or status in life. I need that little spiritual boost every once in a while. It was a wonderful reminder about who I am striving to live like, who I want to return to someday, and all that He did for me. I am so thankful for everything I have been through, for each trial has brought me closer to my Heavenly Father and Christ. I hope to be able to communicate that love to all that I meet throughout my life. I am doing well, but I can be better. 

I am so grateful to call Him my brother, my Savior, and my friend. He is the reason life is so good. And because of Him, we can make our lives even more incredible.

Temple Thoughts

As terrible as Tuesdays and Thursdays are, Fridays are certainly going to be incredible. Not only do I have just one class, but I also get to sleep in.

But the best part is that I have time to go to the temple.

Before I get into the spiritual part of my day, let me just mention a few things.

• I have the most incredible friends I could ever ask for.
• I really love watching people's reactions to my health story. It honestly (almost) makes everything worth it (or at least a little easier) just to see people's faces when I tell them the story. If you haven't heard it yet, you probably will someday. Plus, it motivates me to make more friends. Just so I can see their reactions when they (at some point) ask about my history.
• I need to impose a bedtime. Starting this week.
• The food at the Cannon Center has lost all novelty. It is no longer delicious at all. Well, sometimes they have something that's pretty good. Particularly chocolate milk. But not today.
• I really enjoy reading Alma in the Book of Mormon. Yes, it's a little long. But there is so much amazing stuff in there!!
• I need to get some more piano music. I need something to practice, more songs to learn. Not just the same church and Disney and Jon Schmidt songs I've been playing for years. I am currently working on "Root Beer Rag" by Billy Joel. 
• This also means I need to improve my appreciation for classical piano music. *deep sigh*
• I miss family prayer time with my family.
• I love talking to the girls in my hall all the time (Hattie and Haley mostly...)

Brooke, Angela, Amy, Derrick, and I headed over to the Provo Temple in the late afternoon. We discovered that to be the busiest time of day when there were no disabled parking spots available. But because it was so busy in the baptistry, I was able to be at the temple for three hours. Which seems to be an extremely long time at first glance, but coming back I realized there really wasn't anything I would rather have spent that time doing than simply being at the temple. I spent my time reading the Book of Mormon and pondering on things that had happened.

That morning I received an email from my mom's old college friend, Kelley, asking me to come speak to her young women in about a month. I am so honored to have been asked to share my testimony with these incredible youth. There is so much I want to share, and I am hoping that over the next few weeks I'll be led to know what these particular girls need to hear. I am so excited for the opportunity, but a bit nervous. So that's been on my mind for a good portion of the day.

I love the temple. I feel close to my Heavenly Father and Christ when I am there. I love the spirit that is there. It is a beautiful place to think, learn, and grow. I love having the chance to attend often and with my dear friends. I come out feeling happiness and joy I rarely feel outside of the temple. It is an incredible gift to be able to attend the temple here at BYU, and I will be taking advantage of it far more often. 

In my reading I came across this verse that beautifully sums up my feelings today: Alma 26:11.

Life is good. And I can't wait to see what adventures this weekend holds.

Thursday Recap

I am convinced. Tuesday and Thursday are going to be the roughest days of the week. It's a good thing I absolutely love these classes and subjects or I would be completely unmotivated to wake up in the mornings. And it helps that I have a friend in both early-morning classes.

Note to self: be in bed before 11 on Monday and Wednesday nights.

Here's essentially how my day went (and how most of my Thursdays will look):

• up and out of bed at 6:40 am. which is way too early considering the time I went to bed last name which will remain untold.
• breakfast and driving up to campus with Hattie
• grab my free copy of the New York Times from a nearby building for my government class (apparently they're all gone by 9 am)
• government and politics from 8:00 to 9:15 am. way too early to be discussing politics, but the professor is awesome and it actually helps wake me up
• geography from 9:30 to 10:45 am. I have my friends Francis and Sydney to keep me awake during class, but it's around that time I begin to doze off
• so after class I headed back down to the dorms for a nap. 
• then worked on homework and ate lunch
• and went to spanish at 1:00 where I seriously am having problems staying alert on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
• back for another short nap, work on some homework, and talk with my friends before...
• Personal Finance from 3:30 to 4:45. Why did I take all these 75 minute classes? but this class seriously blows my mind every time I go. Just all the cool things you learn about investments, 401(k), saving money, etc. 
• dinner with girls in the hall
• then back for TWO full hours of Book of Mormon reading before
• ward prayer!!

So that was basically my schedule for the day. But what happened in between all that?

I watched the sunrise. And it made waking up early completely worth every minute of lost sleep. Snow capped mountains with tints of orange and pink on them... it doesn't get much better than that.

I got a package. A surprise package from my mom and sister for my birthday! They made the cutest Shutterfly book for me about my life this past year. I love it so much! So many fun memories of 2011 (which will be in a soon-to-be posted post).

I discovered this little blog via my friend Hailey. It is wonderful. I couldn't help but think of my own dad and just how incredible he is! I am so lucky to have him. My future husband's got a lot to live up to.

I played a little game I like to call "epic mancala." Essentially it's a euphemism I like to use to make refilling my weekly med container seem a little less like a mundane chore. 

My mom's old college friend emailed me today to ask if I would speak to her ward's young women in about a month. I feel so honored and blessed to be given the privilege to not only share my story and testimony, but perhaps even help a few struggling youth along the way.

I am getting a little better at reaching outside my comfort zone to talk to people. I made some new friends at ward prayer today with two of the guys who just moved into our ward. Ben is actually in my government class (yes that early-morning one), and Derrick (Derek?) will be coming to the temple with our group tomorrow. Got to love meeting new people here, especially those Mormon boys.

I love the fact that the temple is a two minute drive away. And that I can go every week to do baptisms without having to wait for a scheduled youth trip. It is probably one of the greatest blessings of being here at BYU.

It was confirmed to me (yet again) tonight that I am in the greatest ward I could have possibly ended up in here at school. We're all best friends, and we aren't afraid to be ourselves with each other. After ward prayer, most of us ended up hanging out in the lobby for a few hours and had a sing-a-long! Where else does anything like that happen? 

All in all it's been a great day. Well, I guess it's now Friday morning. I should probably go to bed. Thank goodness for class not being until 1:00 on Friday afternoon... I love college.

Life is good.

Just FYI - this makes two days in a row that I've posted! wow. now if that can just carry on....

Return to Blogging

I have not been great at blogging this past month or so. Actually, I haven't been very good at it just in general. I have not been consistent, and I find that I don't ever get through my posts.

Seriously. I have seven unpublished posts that are most of the way done. I could probably post them now and you wouldn't mind. But I would mind, so they sit, incomplete and unavailable to the blog world.

I think my problem is that my posts tend to be too long. There's just so much I want to share! So anyways, one of my New Years resolutions (which have yet to be posted...) is to become a more consistent blogger, as well as a bit more brief in my comments. My roommate, Angela, started a blog to use more as a journal and to post everyday about the happenings in life. Considering the fact that I am not great at journaling either, I figure this would be a great resolution to adopt.

So, here's to doing a blog post every day. 

A short(ish) one. One that tells about what I learned and the exciting events of the day. I shan't bore you with the mundane details of my life. In keeping with this resolution, I redesigned the blog to (hopefully) inspire me a bit more to post more often.

Please note: the older posts that are currently sitting in my blogger account will be posted at a later date. I have some things to add to them, and they will be posted bit by bit when I have some free time. And since I don't really have time to talk about the first week of school right now, that will also be a later blog post. Look forward to those.

Let's get started.

Today was actually rather uneventful. I slept in and worked on homework most of the day. Wasn't feeling great, so I didn't end up making it to my one class today that didn't even start until one.

But I was productive at home.
Government and politics reading: done.
Geography chapter: done.
Spanish paper: done.
Book of Mormon reading: done.

And it's not even midnight.

Some things I learned over the course of the day:

I have discovered that making my bed every day actually does help in making me want to be productive instead of take a nap.

I also discovered that during visiting hours, there is an imaginary boundary that lies right before the bathroom. I have yet to see any guys cross that line. A few do, but it is a rather rare occurrence. Usually for home teaching. But it was still a fun night, and I love to see those who do brave crossing the line.

I am excited that I will be in bed before midnight (because that is what I will be doing right after I finish this) as I have to be awake by six tomorrow morning for my wonderful 8:00 am government class.

I love the fact that I can see my nerdy friends (namely, Hattie) every day. They help me feel not quite so nerdy... sort of.

I am also coming to the realization that it is never a good idea to procrastinate when you have two weeks to read the entire second half of the Book of Mormon. Fourteen days seemed like a long time to read 250 pages. The deadline is now 6 days away and I still have two hundred pages to read.

I also very much dislike the fact that I do not have Book of Mormon for two whole weeks. It is honestly my favorite class - I always wish it would last a little while longer and I could attend every day. It's incredible: the things you learn, the insights you gain from others, the time you spend studying with friends, the Spirit that you feel throughout the entire semester. I am so excited for January 23rd when I can go back to my favorite class again.

I love the fact that when I wake up, I will see the sunrise over the snow-capped mountains.

And life will be wonderful.

The Most Incredible Weeks

WARNING: long post ahead. I've been meaning to blog about this for a while, but now you just get my two amazing weeks instead of one.
Just so you know I have only 39 days until I go home. Which means there are only 43 days until Christmas. And there are only 10 days left before Thanksgiving break. And I really need a break.
These past two weeks have probably been the most crazy, random, social, exciting, busy weeks of my experience here at BYU so far. Seriously.
Saturday night (October 29) I went to my aunt and uncle's house in Sandy to spend the night, go to church with them, and be with some family. Plus I got to shower in an actual shower and sleep in a bed that I could flop onto without having to climb up five feet. That was wonderful. And then I got to go to a family ward and it was wonderful to hear little babies and small children throughout the meeting. I do love my ward, it's just pretty silent during sacrament meeting. So that was fun!
Sunday night was a Hyde family Halloween event - all the kids came dressed up, we bobbed for apples, ate donuts off strings, decorated cookies, ate pumpkin bars, and "practiced" trick-or-treating. I loved spending time with family, though it was a little strange to not have my immediate family with me there... it'll take some getting used to.

My baby cousin Jackson!! Isn't he adorable?!

And my other awesome cousins in their Halloween costumes :) 

Monday was Halloween. Probably my least favorite holiday ever. But no worries - I ended up in the ER. Woke up that morning feeling sick, got sick (puked, threw up, whichever term you prefer) multiple times. I finally decided I was dehydrated - I could feel the delirium setting in and I couldn't force myself to drink anything. So I called my friend to come give me a blessing (can I just say that I love having Priesthood holders I can call pretty much anytime to have them come give me a blessing? it's seriously the best thing ever). My mom called my aunt to come pick me up, and off to the ER I went where I proceeded to spend my day watching Nickelodeon Halloween episodes and trying to sleep. See, my IV was being positional so I had to hold the tube in place with one hand and obviously couldn't move the other, making my book absolutely useless and when I fell asleep, I'd let go of the tube and the IV wouldn't work. Fun times.
I'd just like to point out that I survived TWO WHOLE MONTHS before having an ER visit. Just saying that's pretty impressive for me.
Anyways, it took six tries to get an IV started (actually pretty good for the first time at a hospital) and my aunt left to go to my cousin's Halloween party at school so I just laid there for about six hours getting fluids. Not too bad considering I usually have to stay overnight. Some of the people from my FHE group came to pick me up. Seriously MADE MY DAY to see their faces coming into the room when they got there! And I went to the Cannon Center and had some soup. And lemonade. And water. And more lemonade. Staying hydrated is very important. And then that night I stayed up late to snag my classes at midnight! Got everything I wanted and I am SO excited for next semester!
Tuesday was HAPPY NOVEMBER 1ST which means I can start playing Christmas music and no one is allowed to get mad at me! hehe I really do love my Christmas songs though.
I love BYU Devotionals. And so far in my two and a half months at BYU, I've heard from three Apostles and.... yep. President Monson!! He came to speak to us that Tuesday! I was soooo glad they didn't keep me overnight at the ER. President Monson spoke about the importance of being an example to those around us. I was kind of entertained by the fact that he quoted Mufasa in his talk. It was AWESOME!
I didn't go to classes that day - kind of just stayed home, slept, and worked on homework. Then one of my friends in the ward wanted to watch a movie for his birthday. So a bunch of us went up to the JKB and watched one of the greatest movies ever made: The Lion King. 
Seriously, only at BYU will a bunch of college kids get super excited about watching that movie. And then proceed to sing along to every single song. And get really excited at the part that the prophet quoted that morning. Yep that's BYU for you.
The next day involved a lot of homework, a lot of sleep, and a lot of late-night piano playing with friends in the ward :)
Thursday was probably one of the craziest days of my life. I had to go make up a psychology exam that I missed on Friday, finished around 5. Ran out the door to pick up my awesome cousins Christopher and Clark to come eat at the Cannon with me. It's an all-you-can-eat buffet and they're teenage boys starting into basketball season. Needless to say, they enjoyed it. Then ran back to Stover to watch my friend Newel open his mission call (which is one of the greatest parts about being a freshman at BYU) - Olangapo Philippines Tagalog speaking! After congratulating him and saying hi to some friends, went to pick up a friend in my leadership class and then dropped my cousins off at their home before heading to Target. Where we purchased the items for our leadership project the day and looked at Christmas lights (YAY!!! Christmas!!!!).
When I finally got back from Target and dropping him off, some friends from my FHE group and the ward came out so we could go run to visit my friend Andy who had had elbow surgery that day. He was a little out of it, but it was good to see him and make sure he was feeling all right. On the way back, we passed a Little Caesars, and our craving for some food besides the Cannon led us all to go to In-N-Out Burger. Good times! On the way out one of the guys asked about the disabled sticker (always a fun story to tell and even more fun to watch people's reactions). When we did finally get back a bunch of us hung out in the lobby, playing pool and messing around on the piano.
Friday (insert song here) was another crazy day. Went to the Provo Temple early that morning (I really love the fact that I don't have to wait for a scheduled temple trip to go) and took a nap. Then picked up my leadership group for our project.
And I'll end there for now...this is turning out to be way too long for one post.