Preference, Camping Out and a Whole Lot of Snow!

For such a short month, a lot happened in my college world! For starters, Grandma and Grandpa came up to Utah! It was great to spend time with them as well as heading over to Kevin and Julia’s for a Sunday dinner! I definitely enjoy being the favorite cousin when I’m the only one for the kids to play with! Grandma and Grandpa also took Whitney and I out to lunch at Red Brick Oven on Valentine’s Day, which came with some cute heart surprises! They were also kind enough to bring up my prom dress, which I wore to Preference! 

Lots of stress and craziness went into the Preference evening but it was totally worth it. There were 6 couples all from my ward and we went to the “Boardwalk Ball” up in the Wilk Ballroom. It was “semi-formal” and surprisingly, there were not a ton of people there.  We danced for most of the night but there was Monopoly money and cheap “prizes.” We had lots of fun in the photo booth and after the dance, we walked down the street (yes, in our huge fancy dresses) to get malts at this old fashion drive in. It was a great night! (Thanks to Julia for photo-shopping this picture…and the other creepy one as seen on Facebook. J)

My first snow angel ever in 3 + feet of fresh snow!)

The other exciting and most fun event of the school year (we all think it was one of the top 5 best nights of college thus far) was a camping trip on President’s Day weekend! My friend Devin decided Wednesday night to plan a camping trip. While I was skeptical of its occurrence and very nervous to let the boys plan it, it turned out great! We drove up Provo Canyon to Sundance and camped out in the freezing cold snow.

Devin, Isaac, Jeremey, Cortney,
Tanner, Ian, Janel, Whitney and myself!

There were 3 girls (Janel, Whit and I) and 6 boys (Cortney, Devin, Ian, Isaac, Tanner and Jeremy) It was SO cold, many times during the night I thought my toes were going to fall off! All the camping sites were covering in snow so we followed suit of everyone else and camped on the parking lot.  I think I got about an hour and forty-five minutes of sleep total! We played cards, told stories to get to know each other even better (and possibly things we didn’t need to know! ;), and laughed till some of us cried.  It was like my family camping trips where there’s always one obnoxious group of kids really loud all night…yeah, that was us J When we woke up in the morning, we all rushed into the cars because we were freezing!  It was honestly one of the most fun nights though and our group of 9 became a lot closer and better friends.

School is hard but what else is new?  I have a midterm or paper due every week up until finals so each week is hard.  I feel like I’m growing up too fast and I don’t like it! I’m trying to be on Facebook left and the boys I’m friends with are doing a “No Video Game” week this week so I’m joining them by doing my own “No Facebook” week. We’ll see how it goes! Wish me luck!

On a funny note, today in Stats the survey we looked at was how long couples dated until they became engaged at BYU.  Out of 121 married couples surveyed here, the average was 10 months. My professor said she was one of the outliers on the graph…admitting that her husband took her on 3 dates before proposing! Ohh the BYU Provo bubble. J

We had another few awesome snow times. Our ward had an activity up at Aspen Grove and it was a blast! I went sledding for the first time!!!! Janel, Whitney, Cortney and I messed around with Isaac, Wade, Lisa and Courtney.  Sledding is AWESOME and I just love the snow! I really do, sure it's cold at time but it's so much fun! So after sledding, Cortney, Janel, Whitney and I messed around for a little while longer and Cortney was so kind as to take cute pictures of us. I also played in the snow "California style" and I buried Cortney in the snow like I would at the beach and made him into a mermaid. It was awesome because the bishopric was like we have to get a picture!!!! Sadly, no one had a camera so I just had to do it again! 

On Friday night to end the boys "No Video Game" week, they had a huge group date to play board games! Cortney asked me to come with and of course, I said yes. We played Werewolf, Apples to Apples, Catch Phrase, this fun plate game, Uno, etc. It ended up being a really great night and like always, Tanner got ahold of Devin's whiteboard and started drawing expectation vs. reality pictures. Here's an example of mine :)

Well, we had so much fun in the snow we decided to go back on Saturday. Devin, Cortney, Janel, Whitney, and I drove back up to Aspen Grove area and played around in the snow for about 2 hours. It was a BLAST! There was so much snow that to get around we had to crawl rather than walk. Devin and Cortney made a snow cave, we buried Devin in the snow like a mermaid. Here's a video of the boys tackling Whitney into the snow haha. :) Snow is fun, especially for us California girls :)))

My Spiritual Start of my Week

I wanted to share an experience I had this week. As many of you know, I decided that I was going to do a “No Facebook” week because the boys I am friend’s with are doing a “No Video Game” week.  Seeing as technology and me get along a little too well, I figured it would probably help me a lot. So I started off Monday normally, except I woke up feeling a little sick. I still went to my classes but by my last class, I was feeling pretty sick and I needed to take a test by the end of the night.  I decided to go after my spin class, which was at 5 PM and then still have plenty of time to shower before FHE at 7. However, to my horror, the testing center line was outside the building towards the Brimhall building. I got in line as soon as I  got there and just ten minutes later, the line was wrapping around towards the Erying Science Center.  It was like Disneyland, where you’re in line for so long, you become friends with the people standing near you. We were all making jokes but we were all sort of annoyed and wanting this to end. I made the most of it, waiting in line for about an hour and took my test. But before I got in line, I called Whitney to ask her about something and she answered the phone crying.  Recently, two of my “roommates” have been having some issues and I’ve been trying my best to be supportive and caring when they don’t seem to like to share their problems but it is clear they have one. So now I added another person to my list of people to worry about! After FHE, I went visit teaching with my amazing companion.  She’s a very spiritual girl, very in tune with the spirit and I was excited to listen to her give the lesson about motherhood again.  The girl Kirsten we were trying to visit teach is less active in the hall, including church so we have been trying really hard to make an extra effort to reach out to her.  As we walked to her room, it was clear to me that my companion was stressed and worried about something, and was not alright.  As she began the lesson, she talked about something completely different than the lesson on motherhood—the power of the scriptures.  It was very similar to my home teaching lesson I heard on Sunday from my amazing home teachers, who are two of my best friends. I sat there in amazement, as it was exactly what I needed to hear as well.  She brought the Spirit into the room within five minutes and it was an amazing experience.  As I walked back into my room, I was overcome with emotion.  I was feeling stressed about school, worried about my roommates, and very humble to have an amazing in tune with the Spirit visit-teaching companion and home teachers.  I was texting a friend and dumped a lot of my concern and worries on him and he gave me great advice: “Everything is getting hard but that’s when [you] gotta rely on faith because its all [you] may have.” Again, I was very humble to be at BYU with friends who are able to give advice related to the Gospel.

The Lovely Snowy Sight of the Provo Temple

So with all that background information, I decided to join my friends Shelby and Emily for their weekly temple trip.  These amazing girls go every week to the temple to do baptisms.  They leave at 7:30 in the morning to eat breakfast, walk about a mile or so away, and return with hopefully plenty of time by devotional at 11 AM.  We woke up to snow (which was a WEIRD occurrence for Provo this year) and luckily our friend Janel offered to drive us over so we only had to make the walk once.  As I entered the temple, I immediately felt at peace and knew it was where I needed to be.  The temple was not crowded at all, so I didn’t have any time to ponder before confirmations but had some time before baptisms.  I opened up my Book of Mormon and began reading where I am in my Book of Mormon class—3^rd Nephi 8-12.  When I got to the chapters talking about the people who heard Christ’s voice, I became overwhelmed with confirmation from the Spirit that the words I was reading were true.  After I did baptisms, I was sitting in the viewing room waiting for Shelby and Emily.  My favorite part about the Provo Temple is that they have someone who plays hymns on the organ that is played while you are in the viewing room.  As I opened my scriptures again, the organist started playing “Where Can I Turn for Peace?”  I started crying and couldn’t keep the smile off my face.  The Spirit testified so strongly to me that through the scriptures, temple attendance, and prayer, I could find peace through Jesus Christ.  While I am still worried about my friends, I now feel that I don’t have to bear my burdens alone.  When we walked back in the snow, I felt cold but also so warm inside that I didn’t mind that it was snowing really hard. I felt that all my burdens had been lifted off and I finally felt peace.  


Emily, Shelby and I got back with plenty of time and heart attacked Whitney’s side of the room, which made me feel good that she’d come back and see she was cared for.  I decided to go to the forum even though none of my girl friends were going.  I texted Cortney and was “allowed” to sit with all the boys, which was great.  The forum was hilarious and the speaker was very inspiring from an educational standpoint.  


The day got even better when I went to Book of Mormon class where, as I said, we’re covering the chapters in third Nephi.  My professor Dr. Marsh has a teaching style where he makes jokes but also goes into a “revelation” mode and teaches with a strong spirit.  He spoke about Christ and the Atonement and went into extreme detail about the Savior’s last few days on the Earth.  I felt the Spirit so strongly in the room and the Spirit testified to me that I could continue to repent and make the necessary changes in my life to become a better person.  I started crying and the boy I was sitting next to offered me a tissue, which was kind of him.  When I left that class, I felt like I was on top of the world, motivated to change and do better.  I am amazed at what temple attendance, scripture reading, and prayer can do to one’s day.  I know that with Christ, I can make it through anything and feel peace and comfort.  I know that this Gospel is true and I’m grateful to be living in such a spiritual environment, where I have friends with the same values.  I’m grateful for a temple that is so close to me and for the people in my life who teach me so much about the Gospel.  I’m grateful for my family who loves and supports me despite my faults

End of School + Finals :P (This old post was sitting in my drafts...just posted it)

Well the end of school brought joy and happiness.....and FINALS.
I'd just like to take a moment to say that I officially survived my first college finals ever! CRAZY. This semester went by waaaaaay too fast and I can't believe I'm sitting back HOME writing this! :)

I know I didn't blog about this because I'm really behind....but we went to a really fun event called Winter Fest and it was at Seven Peaks Ice Rink. It was SO much fun but ended badly for Whitney :/ She fell chasing Devin and Isaac and fractured her wrist :( Besides that, we ice skated, danced, and ate crepes!

The weekend before finals we all studied like crazy. BYU gives us Friday off and calls it a "reading day" and everyone buckles down and studies. I kinda went crazy, literally. By Saturday I was dying to get off campus so we decided to go to Trafalga and I could use my PASS OF ALL PASSES. WOOO! We played mini golf and two rounds of laser tag followed with most of the guys trying to rock climb. Yeah...the weekend before finals....freshman year for the win?? haha

So Monday-Wednesday I had my 5 finals. BLECK. But on Wednesday at 5 PM, I was OFFICIALLY DONE. That night Lydia, Whitney and I went over and dominated in Scum against the boys. Way fun :)

Now Thursday was THE BEST DAY EVER....
I ATTENDED MY FIRST CONCERT AND IT WAS FREEEEEEE!
Anberlin did a free concert up in SLC! Janel drove me, Shelby, Spencer, Dane and Whitney up and it was literally a blast!!!! It was cold as it was outdoors but we got free t-shirts and headphones!!!!
But besides that, ANBERLIN WAS AMAZING LIVE. Like I love them as a band already but they were amazing live! We had quite the experience with the craziness of a concert but it was legit and as set me on a path to more concerts!!!

Anyways, I'm home now and happy with my family :)) More posts to come about Christmas! Until then. :)

Classes!

I keep saying I'm going to tell about actual school....and I figured now that the semester's practically over would be a good time (:
Besides that, I'm sitting in the airport about to go HOMEEEE...but I have to wait another two-ish hours :)
So here we goooo :)


I'm taking 6 classes at a total of 16 credits this semester.  Let me walk you through my schedule...

MONDAY/WEDNESDAY/FRIDAY :)))

I roll out of bed at 9:20, throw on a jacket and join Janel, Lydia, and Shelby for breakfast.  Seeing as I get more tired every morning, Shelby normally comes and knocks on my door, loudly I might add, and wakes me up.  Afterwards, I come back to the dorms until 10:45, when I leave for my first class.
MUSIC 101 :))
This is probably my favorite class, because it is very low key. It's held in the Madison Recital Hall so it's a huge class. Katie Schurtz saves me a seat everyday. :)
BIO 100 :P
From then, I walk across campus and down four flights of steep stairs to the RB for Bio.  I have that class with Whitney. I hate the subject but it's actually a fun class because our professor is crazy!
WRTG 150
I walk right back up those 4 flights of stairs (ughh!) to Writing. I love writing, because it's my only small class and I know everyone in there.

After class I meet Shelby for a "quick" lunch in the Cannon before going back to "study" before my favorite class.

MUSIC 117 aka GUITARRR!
Bro. Green is legit and plain cool, besides being an awesome guitarist! Alyssa Adair is in my class and it's soooo cool to have like 60 kids playing guitar in one room! I only have guitar on M/W which is too bad but my day ends 5 p.m.

TUESDAY/THURSDAY :)))

HISTORY 201
I have my favorite hard class at 9:30 that goes until 10:45.  My professor is awesome. It's complete lecture, not like copy down the power point slides--copy down every word he says! We always have these awesome political discussions that somehow always relate to the Church as well!

After that I go straight to Devotional or back to my dorm.
Whitney and I always go to lunch together and afterwards, I have my last class.

RELIGION 121
Book of Mormon with Brother Griffin. So spiritual, so uplifting, so enlightening.  My friend from my ward Jared and I sit together and it's the best class ever.

Well, those are my classes...and they are great (:


♥♥♥I love BYU♥♥♥

Lessons Learned

I think the Carrie Underwood song is appropriate song of my life for the past week or so.
Not only do I love her as a country music artist, but her lyrics really ring true to my heart this week.
"And every tear that had to fall from my eyes Everyday I wondered how I'd get through the night, Every change, life has thrown me...Some pages turned Some bridges burned
But there were lessons learned."

I learned A LOT today. Not only about myself but about life, politics, history, science, and most importantly...BYU.

I'm convinced this is the best college EVER and I know for a fact that it's where I'm suppose to be, where I fit in, and that is a great feeling.

Take today for instance. In my history 201 class, we've been talking about how climate affected ancient civilizations.  We talked about how climate is continuing to change like it did in the Medieval Era. I was struck by the book we read, and how he talked that my generation and my children's generation are going to suffer we don't do anything. I had one of those "I'm gonna change the world!" feelings when I left, which aren't very practical. Still, I was kind of affected by the class and kept thinking about it.

Then, Whitney and I decided to go to this lecture for extra credit for Bio. I know, gross. But I need it....haha. So I went with the attitude of this is going to be REALLY boring.

Surprise!!!! It was the COOLEST thing ever! The lead scientist in conservation, Dr. M. Sanjayan came and spoke. He talked about almost the same thing that we discussed in History class. His main point was that conservation could play a big role in providing a helping hand because nature has value.  However, at the end, he said this--"There are seven billion people on the planet, and for the most part, life is good. However, this good life is coming at a big cost, which your generation and your children's generation will have to pay to see the best in life."

WOW. Again, I was sitting there thinking, I need to go tell the world that we need to change or I'm gonna have to pay!!!

Just my own opinions of course (it's my blog right??? haha) and tonight, I'm sitting here doing the same thing as every other night, Facebooking, blogging, listening to music and having a good time with friends, so obviously I wasn't thaaat effected. 

But I learned of these awesome lectures that BYU has ALL the time! I have a new goal to go to more lectures, just because!

So then....I learned something about the HFAC....they have SUPER COOL CONCERTS!

I have to go to a total of 11 concerts for my two music classes....yummy. So I saw that there was a Folk Music Ensemble concert tonight that would count for my guitar class.

Best. Spontaneous. Decision. Ever.

The concert was soooo legit, like a mix of international/folk/country music and it was so neat! Half the songs were originals and the lead vocalists for the last two bands was the same girl and she was AMAZING. I had serious chills.

So, new goal? Go to more concerts, even if they don't count for a grade!

BYU is sooo cool, there is always something going on, and I love life this week (and especially today :).

Goodnight world! :)

An EXTRA SPECIAL Devotional

Yesterday, I was sitting in my dorm room a little longer than normal because my 11 AM class was canceled.  At around 11:20, everyone in our hall started screaming in the hallway.  Whitney went out and ran back in the room screaming,
"PRESIDENT MONSON IS SPEAKING AT THE DEVOTIONAL TOMORROW."

Man, just typing that gives me chills.

President Monson is the latter-day prophet of our church. For him to come to BYU to speak is a HUGE deal.
I didn't see them nor did I get pictures...but apparently kids brought out tents and slept overnight outside the Mariott Center (the basketball stadium where we have these campus wide devotionals).  Kids I know went and stood out in the RAIN for four hours this morning to get a seat up close.
Sadly, I have class in the morning up to devotional time so my friends Janel and Jonathon went as early as they could to get us seats and we were in the top corner of the stadium! Craziness!

My history professor was hilarious this morning in class.  He's quite the sarcastic guy and yesterday in our class's Facebook page (weird how useful technology is!) a freshman girl posted that he should cancel class tomorrow because no one would want to go to class because we'd be late to devotional (class ends at 10:45, devotionals start across campus at 11:05) and most likely not get a seat. So at like 10:20 during class, Prof. Dursteler goes "Rumor has it that some of you are worried about getting to devotional...and apparently this one is pretty important...I mean I don't think the Prophet of God is more important than my class and we all know what he's going to say!" The class muttered "Get married!" He goes, "Well....that's not what I was thinking...but I guess marriage is more important than my class, get out of here!"

I decided to walk with my Sunday Playlist on my iPod to set the tone. I'm sooo glad I did. I arrived with tons of time to spare but the Mariott Center was already PACKED. Students had started sitting behind the podium because everywhere else was full!

A shot of the Marriot Center,
posted on BYU's Facebook Page

When Pres. Monson walked in, we all stood up and a hush fell over us. The Spirit was instantly strong and I had chills. He is quite the character and waved at us all to sit down, laughing to himself. M. Russel Nelson and his daughter also accompanied him.
And of course, when he stood up, what was the first thing he talked about? Marriage!!! He set off with a funny story about giving devotionals and how one girl thought he wasn't married because he can no longer where rings!
His message was on being an example to the believers, which here at BYU is interesting, as majority of us are obviously members. However, reflecting back on his words, I think his message is powerful and needed throughout the church today. He told of a missionary who needed surgery while on his mission in Canada and was sharing a room with 5 other men.  On the morning of this missionary's surgery, all 5 roommates refused breakfast, explaining to the nurse that this missionary had taught them of God and the gospel of Christ, and they were fasting for his surgery to go well.  The doctor explained as well that he would not cost him a fee because "someone on high" had performed the surgery.

He concluded with a quote from the Lion King, saying "Look inside yourself. You are more than what you've become." "Remember that you are a son and daughter of God."
It was by far the best devotional of the year and it was so neat to be in the same room as the prophet of God. During the closing prayer, I received a witness of the Holy Ghost that Thomas S. Monson is the true prophet on the earth today. I'm grateful to go to such a beautiful, spiritual, amazing university.

Birthday Weekenddd!

My Wednesday of this last week was a crazy day because I was trying to get everything done before Thursday!!!!! I took my Book of Mormon midterm (which, for those of you wondering, it is SO weird to have tests on the Book of Mormon!?), had a history book to read, and meeting with my peer mentor (which I am happy to report, I will NOT be taking American Heritage as it does not benefit my major! YIPPIE!).  

We had decided though that during open hours, some of the boys would come over to our room.  I bought food (to lure them over ;) and Cortney, Devin, Brian, and Isaac joined Shelby, Whitney, Emily, Lydia, and I for most of Batman Begins.  After 9, we had a homework party until 11:45, when Janel, Elise, Emily, Whitney, Shelby, Lydia, and I walked out to the tunnel by the Tanner Bldg and they sang Happy Birthday to me at midnight!

 

The next morning, Whitney left me the CUTEST scarf ever and Sarah and Blythe Spendlove left me a candy bar outside my room! So cute :) Everyone who knew took the time to wish me a happy birthday, which was always nice. :) I received a package from all my wonderful family back home with a bunch of randomness, which is my FAVORITE! Thank you family!! :)

That night we had decided to go to the soccer game but most of our guy friends went swimming.  We only stayed for part of the game and then that night Lydia, Whitney and I watched Psych. In the middle of the episode, she randomly went over and opened up my window. When I looked outside, Devin (on his saxophone), Cortney, Isaac, Brian, Ian and JJ from our ward were outside and started to sing to me! It was SO awesome and totally made my night :) I wish I had pics/a video but it was dark....funny side note though, girls on other floors opened up their windows as well! haha!

On Friday night, we had a GIRL'S NIGHT, finally! I love hanging out with the boys in our friend's group but man, I love my girl friends! We went off campus to Thai Village, it was SOOOO good! We ate family style and it was a lot of fun :) After, we went back and had a sleepover in our room! Lydia actually brought in her mattress and we fit five people in one small little dorm room! We watched the Mormon version of Pride and Prejudice which I fell asleep to! We finished the night with Divine Comedy.

The next morning, we all (except Shelby and Whitney) slept in till 11 (isn't college the LIFE!?). I had to rush to get ready for the game at one! The football team must have known it was my birthday weekend because...our seats were ROW TWO! It was AWESOME. Sooo much fun and PEARLY came with us as well as the normal crew! :) We won 55-3....and it still a fun game without the competition!

Well, my friends had planned something for Saturday night, but I wasn't told what it was.  So at 8 PM, I went down and was told to go in the vending machine room, only to find "12 of the hottest guys" in our ward, according to Cortney.  We got into cars and went off campus....when I finally figured out what was going on!? They had planned a visit to my first ever haunted house!? I was freaking out!!! We went to Provo Town Center and went to the haunted insane asylum!!!!! IT WAS SO MUCH FUN despite the fact that it was suppose to be scary. Now, there were a few parts when I was scared but otherwise, it was hilarious because Whitney was so scared!!! Afterwards, some people paid extra to go on "The Last Ride" (aka reenactment of being buried alive, gross!) so a group of 7 of us went to Macey's and bought cheesecakes to end the celebration.  We went back to the Tanner Bldg (what else is new?!) and watched the first part of "I am Legend" which is a terribly depressing movie, just saying. After that my birthday celebration was officially over! But my new friends up here and friends from back home and family made it a GREAT birthday!!!

Thanks for the birthday wishes!!! 

Hugs and kisses,

Megan :)